THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



639 



listeninf^, as if he expected to assist the sense of 

 smelling by that oriiearin<x. would he traverse the 

 hard, soil or slippery snovvdrilt. When he first 

 ascertained that there v^erc buried sheep some- 

 where in the vicinity, he would then examine, 

 with peculiar caution, every part of the surround- 

 ing surface, until he appeared to have satisfied 

 himsell' regarding the precise locality, and then he 

 would commence scratciiing away tiie snow with 

 all his might. This was a sure signal Cor those 

 who carried the shovels to commence digging, but 

 the dog was never satisfied unless he were allow- 

 ed to continue his scratching, as if he were anx- 

 ious to set the imprisoned sheej^ at lit)orty as soon 

 as possible. Many dogs, and particularly those 

 that have a cross of the terrier breed, that are oc- 

 casionally employed in searching lor sheep that 

 have been overblown, the moment they get a 

 eight of the sheep will endeavor to seize upon 

 them with as much savageness ae they would 

 attack any wild animal ; but Corby knew better 

 than to act thus. In a single severe winter this 

 dog has been known to have set (as finding the 

 sheep in thif! manner is called) upwards of three 

 hundred sheep, and though it may be true that a 

 portion of them might have been discovered 

 through other means, the- probability is that he 

 was the means of rescuing several scores that 

 otherwise inevitably would have perished. 



It might be supposed (hat where sheep are 

 buried beneath eight or ten (eet ol compact snow, 

 they would be crushed beneath the surround- 

 ing weight, if not to immediate death, at least in 

 so severe a manner that ihey could not long sur- 

 vive. This, however, is rarely the case ;' and ex- 

 cept when the fall ol' snow is immediately suc- 

 ceeded by a thaw, and suffocation or drowning 

 naturally ensues, very few, comparatively, perish 

 on account of the great depth of the drift, the 

 snow being soporous that respiration is carried on 

 without much inconvenience. Experience has 

 shown that, for the most part, when sheep that 

 have sought shelter in some ravine or hollow per- 

 ceive the snow rapidly increasing on and around 

 them they get upon their feet and attempt to 

 shake it from their fleeces ; and consequently in a 

 standing position become finally enclosed in the 

 drift. With the weaker portion of a flock this is 

 seldom the case, for they commonly continue 

 motionless where they have first lain down, in 

 some sheltered situation, until the snow has ac- 

 cumulated so much that it would be impossible 

 for them to rise did they make the attempt. The 

 consequence of this is, that if they are not rescu- 

 ed lor several days, they either perish through ac- 

 tual starvation, not being able to move at all or 

 obtain the smallest particle of sustenance, or 

 their limbs become stiff and paralyzed before 

 death actually takes place. Those, however, that 

 have been buried in the snow in a standing posi- 

 tion, should they continue undiscovered several 

 days, are generally found to have acquired suffi- 

 cient room to turn themselves, and to be able to lie 

 down and rise at pleasure ; and where a fiew 

 have happened to stand close together while the 

 drift was forming, owing to the united warmth of 

 their bodies, as well as their frequent movements, a 

 rather considerable open space is commonly found 

 surrounding them. 



Instances have occurred of sheep being under 

 the snow, for three or four weeks, and still surviv- 



ing, and even for longer periods. But in all such 

 cases they have had the power of nibbling the 

 short grass, grass-roots, and even a portion of the 

 soil, on a space of a lew superficial leet, through 

 which means life has been sustained tlirough'so 

 protracted a period of confinement. It has been 

 ascertained also that, where sheep have actually 

 been starved to death before they were discovered, 

 extreme hunger had driven them to tear the wool 

 from each other'd hacks, which only goes to prove 

 the powerful influence of hunger even over these 

 meek and innocent creatures. When sheep are 

 discovered that have euffiered a long confinement 

 under the snow, on their being liberated it is ne- 

 cessary to administer food in small quantities, 

 otherwise fatal consequences might ensue ; and 

 notwithstanding they n)ay partly regain their wont- 

 ed vigor in course of time, it rarely happens that 

 such sheep ever afterwards appear in a perfectly 

 healthy condition, and in the enjoyment of all 

 their faculties. 



"disputed (QUESTIONS IN AGRICULTURE." 



For tlie Farmers' Register. 



A writer in the eighth number of the Farmers' 

 Register, after commenting with some asperity 

 on the confused notions which prevail among 

 agriculturists on certain important, but at the same 

 time easily ascertained truths, proposes five in- 

 quiries, and gives under each head the best means 

 of arriving at satisfactory conclusions respecting 

 them. 



Of these, I will select two, and give to the 

 readers of the Register what information I have 

 collected fi-om the results of several years' atten- 

 tion to those subjects, though 1 do not know if 

 that information will be of any service to the wri- 

 ter of the article, gathered, as it has been, from a 

 point very distant from the place where his expe- 

 riments have been made. But it may avail others, 

 i( not him. 



The first inquiry I propose to examine is the 

 third in the order in which they are made ; it 

 is, " at what distance is it best to plant, and by 

 what modes of culture corn will produce most 

 net profit 1" 



On the first head of this inquiry, I have 

 satisfied myself, from my own experience and from 

 all the observation I have bestowed upon the 

 management of others, that, in the middle region 

 of South Carolina, corn on upland will, one year 

 with another, on manured and unmanured lands, 

 produce most at the distance of four feet by five, 

 and one slock to the hill. This may seem to 

 most planters too far apart, and that too much 

 ground is lost thi rehy. If the object with the 

 planter is to produce the greatest number of ears, 

 and not the largest quantity of grain, I will admit 

 that the distance is too great, but not otherwise. 

 Thirty bushels of grain to an acre of Indian corn, 

 on upland, is a large yield — far above the average 

 with the best planters, and above the largest yield 

 to any one, with most. It is easily proved, that 

 an acre of corn planted four leet by five, and one 

 stock to the hill, will produce over that quantity, 

 if each stock will produce an ear that will measure 

 a pint, and it cannot be a difficult matter to make 

 land rich enough to yield a pint to the etockj if 



