THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



51 



by breeding in and in, the people have been dis- 

 couraged, and 1 (ear it will take years to regain 

 confidence. 



Lastly, I speak of sheep. I Iiave been ac- 

 quainted with sheep all my lile, and have, except 

 one or two years, owned and raised them since I 

 was twenty two years old, (say 28 years.) The 

 start of my flock wiis the common lon^ legged, 

 jumping, bleating, hairy sheep. These cost me 

 but little money, to be sure, but they cost me much 

 trouble and vexation ; consequently, truly can I 

 say, " it was great cry and little wool," ay, and 

 meat too. I next got a cross with Merino, which 

 was some improvement. I next purchased a 

 Bakewell buck, wiih which cross I have a good 

 Rock. I finally have the Lincoln?, with which I 

 am highly pleased ; and now away with the 

 scrubs for me. I keep a flock of 200 to 400, and 

 as my experience and provender may increase, I 

 propose an increase of numbers. I am much 

 laughed at by the majority of my neighbors lor 

 purchasing sheep at $30 to 60, but my pride is 

 gratified when I notice those very scofTers stop- 

 ping anon, and gazing with admiration at my 

 flock. Those blooded animals are short legged, 

 quiet, greas}^, woolly sheep — no jumping over 

 fences, no running away, no fuss. JVIy flock is 

 grazed on fields amongst the mountains, thrnufjh 

 the grazintj season, and brought home for winter- 

 ing. When at home, they go at large in all open 

 weather through the winter, but are confined when 

 the weather is disaixreeable, with the exception of 

 ewes with young lambs, and about to yean. I 

 have lately completed a close plank enclosure of 

 about half an acre, with good and sufficien' shelt- 

 ers fcr my flock. My fattening wethers are now 

 in this enclosure, but will shortly be removed to 1 

 anoiher, and my ewes and last spring's lambs 

 placed therein. There will be small apartments 

 within this enclosure for the accommodation of! 

 ewes with youns lambs, and about to yean. 



The flock will be fed wiih hay and sheaf oats, 

 and the ewes with young lambs will have the ad- 

 dition of beets, cabbages, and turnips. 



It is complete folly for any one to attempt the 

 raising of stock without attending to them, and 

 particularly so as regards sheep. Clear them ofticks, 

 lice, and worms, and no stock can equal them in 

 profit. It is all-important that the flock should be 

 attended daily through the summer season, par- 

 ticularly th-rough the heat of day, /or the purpose 

 of keeping them in a clean shade, otherwise they 

 will lie amonfjst their own filth, crea'ly to their 

 detriment, in damp warm weather the sheep 

 need salt ; at other times I would not say they 

 require it. Weeds are not proper food for sheep, 

 for they scour ; but the finer grasses and brouse 

 are their natural food, consequently, mostsraleful 

 and fattening. When confined, my flock have 

 pine at will, 1 dock the tails of my sheep, and 

 mark the ewes and wethers differently, so that at 

 any time I can lay my hand on the wanted ani- 

 mal. Ewes that are well fed, will rarely disown 

 their lambs, unless they have twins; neverthe- 

 less, as a precaution, as they are about to yean, 

 each, or two or three together, should be put into a 

 cot until their lambs are a few days old, when they 

 can tramp about and distinguish their mothers. 



There are only two diseases common to sheep 

 in this region, to wit: rot and worms. For the 

 rot I know of no cure, and have to rely on books 



for preventives; nor do I believe that the rot ia 

 so common amongst us as imagined, for (he worm 

 in the head creates a distemper, the .external ap- 

 pearance of which is very similar to the rot. 



For the worm in the head I give tobacco snuff. 

 By casting the snuff into a trough, and sprinkling 

 salt thereon, the sheep in a scuffle, each for hia 

 share, inhale a portion into the nostrils and swallow 

 the balance, which I am persuaded not only ex- 

 pels the worms in the head, but has a goodly effect 

 on the bowels. The grower of tobacco should 

 never fail to put his sheep on his sucker field ; for 

 the experience of my lili?, and that of others, proves 

 the practice to be highly beneficial. 



I have, during my lile, seen only two cases of 

 reeling sickness, and never a case of eiiher foot 

 rot or pox, or any other disease to do a serious 

 damage, besides those above specified. 



Perhaps the greatest evil attending our sheep, 

 is the tick, (or large louse,) besides which, they 

 are sometimes troubled with the louse proper, 

 which is very small. For the destruction of those 

 vermin, I have used a compound of train oil and 

 tar; but this, although effectual, is filthy to both 

 man and beast. I have tried the Yankee plan, of 

 plunging the sheep into a vat, or trough of soap 

 suds, and find its use cheaper, more expeditious, 

 and more effectual than the oil and tar. The pro- 

 per time for this operation at shearing. The 

 lambs are then hardy, and before the clipped sheep 

 is untied, immerse his whole body back-lbremost 

 in the suds. Economy will suggest the propriety 

 of placing a large piece of bark (lor vvhich purpose 

 poplar is best,) on the end of the trough or vat, for 

 the purpose of casting back the drainage for further 

 use. 



When once a flock is clearly rid of those ver- 

 min, I suppose if impossible that they can regain 

 them, except suffered to mingle with a lousy race ; 

 consequently, economy would further suggest the 

 propriety of destroying them in tot o as soon as 

 practicable. And furthermore, it would be proper 

 to remember, when a sheej) may be brought in 

 from anoiher flock, to have him thoroughly purged 

 before his introduction. Finally, if an estray scrub 

 should get into your flock, and you cannot quickly 

 or conveniently get him out, shoot, and pay for 

 him. Z. Dbummond. 



j/mlierst, Dec. I5ih, 1840. 



THE farmer's wealth. 



l-'or tlie Farmers' Register. 



Being diseased aud confined to my room, and 

 having read till satiated, I propose writins for your 

 agricultural paper. I know not altogether what 

 my subject may be, but this I know, that al- 

 ! hough confined in my hive, I am not content, like 

 the drone, to eat idle bread. And allhougli I may 

 not be able to reach (ar enouiih to gather genuine 

 honey, yet, fir, 1 have lived long enough to know, 

 that the ingenious bee can extract some honey out 

 of the coarsest material, and that coarse material, 

 my fellows are welcome to. Indeed, sir, do I not 

 write many scraps lor you, when not confined, and 

 are you not kind enough to insert them 1 What, 

 sir ! does the farmer only live to dig, and eat, and 

 sleep, and die, and be remembered no more 1 II aa 

 he no eelf-pride, no national pride, no charity 7 Has 



