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THE GENESEE FARMER. 





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Besides clover, there are many other crops which are grown for plowing in as manure. 

 Tlair value for such a purpose is always in proportion to the amount of nitrogen they 

 extract from the atinosphere ; and as all the cereals consume nitrogen rather than collect 

 it, they should never be grown for this purpose. Such are oats, buckwheat, rye, corn, 

 timothy, &c. Peas and tares collect large quantities of nitrogen, and might be profit- 

 ably grown for the purpose of i^lowing in while green. Rape is often grown in England 

 for plowing under ; but it requires rich land to produce a good crop, and we can not 

 recommend it. Spurry, white lupins, borage, and many other plants, are grown in 

 Europe foi' manure ; but none of them have been fairly tried in this country, and we 

 therefore can not speak of their respective merits. On the whole, we knovt' of nothing 

 at pi'csent so well suited to our soil and climate, and so valuable either as food for stock 

 or plowing in as manure for wheat, as red clover ; and we would most earnestly recom- 

 mend its more extensive culture in the place of the cereal timothy, especially on all 

 wheat farms. We do not wish to see large crops of clover grown, converted into hay, 

 and sold off the farm, unless manure be purchased in return in equal proportion, know- 

 ing that such a course must soon exhaust the land of the mineral elements ; but if the 

 clover is consumed on the fiarm by stock, or plowed in as manure, and nothing but the 

 grain of wheat sold off the farm, we apprehend no such exhaustion. 



THE FATTING QUALITIES OF DIFFERENT BREEDS OF SHEEP. 



In deciding on the merits of any breed of sheep, it is of course necessary to consider the 

 object for which they are specially kept — whether for wool, tallow, or mutton, and the 

 relative prices of these products. Thus, in England, mutton seldom sells for less than 

 twelve cents per pound, while the best refined tallow is worth but seven cents, and wool 

 twenty four cents per pound. Under these circumstances, it is evident the farmer will 

 keep that breed of sheep which yields the most mutton of a superior quality witli the 

 least consumption of food, while tallow and wool-making qualities will be minor consid- 

 erations. In this country, the circumstances of the case ai'e just the reverse — wool of 

 the same quality is worth more here than in England, while tallow is usually worth 

 twice as much as mutton. 



We make these remarks to introduce to our readers some results of experiments 

 recently published by Mr. Lawes, on the " Comparative fatting qualities of diiierent 

 breeds of Sheep ;" and though only two breeds have yet been tried, the facts brought to 

 light can not fail to interest our readers. The breeds taken were the Hampshire and 

 Sussex Downs. Forty animals of each breed, selected fi-om the best flocks in Great 

 Britain, were placed side by side upon rafters, in a long shed. They were fed with oil- 

 cake, clover hay cut fine, and ruta baga. The average weight of the Hampshire sheep 

 when put up, (November V,) was 113 lbs. per head; that of the Sussex sheep was 83 

 lbs. The amount of oilcake and clover chafl' allowed them was in proportion to their 

 live weight. Thus, the forty Harapshires were allowed forty pounds of oilcake and forty 

 pounds of clover chaff per day ; and to the Sussex, thirty-two pounds of oilcake and 

 thirty-two of clover chaff'. Ruta bagas were allowed them ad libitum. The entire 

 period of the experiment was twenty-six weeks. The average weeklyconsumption of 

 ruta bagas per head of the Ilampshires, was 106 lbs.; and of the Sussex, 79 lbs.: or, 

 for 100 lbs. live weight of animal of the Hampshires, '11^ lbs. ; and of the Sussex, G9 

 lbs. The average weekly increase per head was, of the Hampshires, 2 lbs. 12 oz. ; and 

 of the SusseXj 2 lbs. 2 oz. : or, for each 100 lbs. live weight of animal of the Hamp- 

 shires, 1 lb. 14 oz. ; and of the Sussex, 1 lb. 11 oz. From these figures it is evident the 

 Hampshires lay on fat quicker than the Sussex ; but the question is, which breed pro- 



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