402 



NEW ENGLAND KARMEK 



.irNE as, is34. 



From Hit Baitimo > Farmer Sp Gardener.. 

 ART OP MANAGING SHEEP. 



1 hate been very desirous of ascertaining the 

 particular metHod in which Mr. Barney of Phila- 

 delphia manages his sheep, that enables bim so far 

 in exceed every body else in producing lino mut- 

 ton and good wool. 



On his late visit to tliis city, I put the question 

 to bim,, wherein consisted his superior manage- 

 ment of sheep ? he gave the following reply: — 

 11 said, a gentleman visited him not long since, 

 and on going to his sheep yard, and viewing it 

 ., ; ed him the same question. lie showed at that 

 time, from 50 ewes, upwards of sixty lambs, all 

 lively and brisk, with a loss, / think he said, of 

 three or four. .The gentleman observed to him 

 that he had his shed covered with dead lambs, 

 and asked wherein the secret in breeding lay. Mr. 

 Barney observed to him, you stuff your sbeep with 

 dry food. Yes, as much good clover bay as they 

 will eat, was the reply. Mr. B. — Yon give them no 

 water, but sillier them to go out in time of snow 

 and eat it as they are disposed to ? Yes. Then, 

 said Mi - . Barney, there lies the secret. Your sheep 

 fill themselves with dry hay ; they get no water ; 

 and they have not a sufficient supply of gastric 

 juice to promote the digestion of the hay in the 

 stomach; they cannot raise it to chew the cud; 

 they lose their appetite ; they are thrown into a 

 fever, and cannot bring forth their young, or they 

 bring forth a feeble, starved lamb, that falls off and 

 dies the first exposure to the cold or rain. On the 

 contrary, 1 take care to provide my sheep with good 

 clear water in summer and winter. I feed them 

 regularly with hay through the winter, and give 

 them ruta baga and mangel wurtzel every day. 

 The ewes produce me 120 per cent, increase in 

 lambs. You cannot, says Mr. Barney, get along 

 without ruta baga and mangel wurtzel. 



This gentleman has just sold his slice]) for up- 

 wards of seventeen dollars per head to the butch- 

 ers. — It is his opinion that sheep are the most 

 Stable stock that a man can raise; and it ap- 

 ] iis he makes use of no expensive food, or in- 

 creased quantity of it. But the secret of raising 



od stock of every kind, consists in maintaining 

 that regular and cleanly mode of proceeding, whiEh 

 pn -lies the digestive organs of the animal in a 

 healthy state, and enables them to convert what 

 i eat into chyle, suitable for the nourishment of 

 the animal. A. 



ALE PROM MANGEL, WURTZEL. 



Htj a Correspondent of the Coventry Herald. 



From seeing an article in a newspaper, in the 

 year ls^D, describing how a good beverage might 

 be produced from the mangel wurtzel, I have made 

 a number of experiments, and have at length com- 

 pletely succeeded. In the article before alluded 

 to, ii was staled, that a portion of about ten pounds 

 of the root to a gallon would make a good liquor; 

 but w'uli fifteen pounds weight to the gallon, an 

 excellent ale will be produced; the addition of 

 two pounds weight of treacle to a firkin will be a 

 great improvement. One-third malt and two- 

 thirds mangel wurtzel liquor will make capital ale : 

 so thai, even in this way, an important saving will 

 ! cted. 



Our melhod is first to mash and clean the roots 

 well, take off the top completely, scrape (rather 

 pare) oil' the outer rind, slice and boil them until 

 soft and pulpy : squeeze the liquor from the pulp 

 as much as possible, and then boil it again with 



about six ounces of hops to nine gallons, and work 

 with yeast in the usual way. Thus a cottager, by 

 boiling his pot over his winter fire of a night, and 

 using the root as we have described, might seldom 

 be without a refreshing beverage, even the great- 

 est part of the year, for the roots may be kept in a 

 cool place, in a proper state for use, during most 

 of the winter. The leaves, stripped from the 

 plants in August and September, are valuable for 

 the cow or pig, not retarding its growth in the 

 least ; and the roots, boiled and mashed in the 

 liquor, and either milk or a small quantity of meal 

 added, will feed the pig at a trifling expense. 



The culture of this invaluable root is very sim- 

 ple. Let the single seeds be put on well manured 

 ridges, eighteen inches apart, and six or eight in- 

 ches between the plant; hoeing down anil keeping 

 clean from weeds will be all that is necessary. 



BOARD PENCE. 



The subject of fencing is one of much import- 

 ance to tin; farmer ; and every thing on that subject 

 is highly interesting. The communication of Dan. 

 Bradley, Esq: on the best manner of making hoard 

 fence, is worthy of an attentive perusal from every 

 farmer. A fence made in the manner he described, 

 would undoubtedly be durable; but I would suggest 

 whether the settingof the posts alternately on both 

 sides of the fence would not greatly add to its 

 strength. I have a fence in view made in this wa\ 

 some twenty years ago, standing in a situation ex- 

 posed to high winds, yet as erect as when first 

 built. A farmer of my acquaintance who has had 

 much experience in this kind offence, carried his 

 partiality for it so far as to build a door yard picket 

 fence in this maimer; and for a plain picket fence 

 it was the handsomest I ever saw. The posts 

 were sawed six inches at bottom, two at top, and 

 four inches wide. The upper rail was spiked on 

 the posts, and the other two halved on. The 

 pickets were two inches wide, one inch thick, and 

 five feet in length, reaching to the ground. The 

 bottom board was one foot wide, nailed on to the 

 pickets, this giving a heavier finish than when the 

 pickets are placed upon it. — The posts standing 

 outside, instead of looking bad, were an ornament, 

 adding an appearance of stability and firmness, al- 

 ways pleasing to a farmer. 



To illustrate more fully the advantage of setting 

 posts both sides of the fence, I will describe a 

 fence 1 have seen made where almost the only 

 support it had consisted in thus placing the posts. 

 The posts were made of plank 18 inches wide, 2\ 

 ini lies thick, 4J- long, sawed in two diagonally, so 

 as to make two posts 18 inches wide at bottom 

 and 1 inch at top — in shape a right angled triangle. 

 These posts were placed on flat stones, and the 

 hoards nailed on in the usual manner, well batten- 

 ed and a good top board spiked on. As a precau- 

 tion to iis overturning, a strip of white oak plank 

 three inches wide and three feet long is driven in- 

 to the ground on the outward edge of each post, 

 and nailed to it. A fence made in this manner, in 

 situations not exposed to winds, may stand a long 

 time — at least it will not rot — can easily be righted 

 up, and a post set in the ground to support it when 

 necessary. It at least shows the advantage of hav- 

 ing the posts placed on both sides of the fence and 

 having the bottom larger than the top. This kind 

 ot fence, it' the boards are an inch thick, and well 

 nailed, will withstand any horse or hull, and may 

 perhaps be advantageous to those who cannot pro- 

 cure good timber for posts. 



At any rate, set your posts on both sides of 

 your fence, build it as recommended by Dan. Brad- 

 ley, and if it wont stand a hard blow, I aui mis- 

 taken. — (■'< nesee Farmer. 



We agree with the above writer, that fencing is 

 a matter of the first consequence to the farmer and 

 gardener; and that every bint on the subject be- 

 comes interesting. In order that we may supply 

 our ratio in the progressing improvements, we re- 

 late the result of a mode we saw practised in that 

 way. 



The boards w r erc made of the common yellow 

 pine, 3-4 inch thick ; — previous to their being put 

 in the fence, they were laid for some time in a 

 trough of the proper length, containing thin white- 

 wash ; care being taken that the boards were en- 

 tirely submersed, and kept separate, by thin strips 

 being placed between them. They were suffered 

 to lie hi this position until they were pretty well 

 saturated with the whitewash ; then taken out, and 

 others put in their place, to undergo the same op- 

 eratinn. 



Atthe time we saw this fence, it had been stand- 

 ing s«cii years. One part of the siring of fence 

 was made in this way, and the other part made of 

 materials of the same quality taken indiscriminate- 

 ly, bif without the use of lime. That part which 

 ceu made without lime, was at the time we 

 of, undergoing repair ; and at least one half 



was ; 

 speak 



decay 

 in the 



the bdirds of which it was composed, were so far 



d, as to be unworthy of being made use of 

 riew fence. On the contrary, on examining 

 the bolrds in the other portion of the fence, which 

 bad bJen treated with lime as above mentioned, it 

 was found that it did not need repairing, and no 

 signs of decay were perceived. On being chipped 

 off, the hoards presented the appearance, all through 

 their substance, that may be seen in the staves of 

 an old lye tub ; and, to all appearance, would last 

 as much longer, without needing a renewal. — 

 Baltimore farmer. 



SAVOY CABBAGES. 



The green curly Savoy cabbage is one of the 

 finest garden vegetables that is grown, and ought 

 to take the pltjce of every kind of cabbage put up 

 for winter's lite for the table. It is as hardy and 

 as easily cultivated as any other kind of cabbage ; 

 it is much more delicate, sells more readily, and 

 as many, imletd rather more, can be grown from 

 a square in tint garden, or from an acre of land. 



An acre of land has 4310 square yards — equal 

 to 43,560 square feet: two feet wide each way is 

 enough to plant the' Savoy cabbage ; thus, an acre 

 would jield 10,S90 cabbages, which require as 

 little culivation as potatoes, after the ground is 

 well prciared, and the plants are planted* out, and 

 which would bring, at the moderate price of one 

 cent apiice, the enormous sum of one hundred 

 and eight dollars and ninety cents. V. 1". Farmer. 



BRIMSTONE FOR CATTLE. 



It is probably not known to many of our far- 

 mers tha brimstone is valuable for cattle in keep- 

 ing then free from ticks." These vermin are not 

 only filthy ill their appearance but an injury to the 

 cattle. Vpiece of brimstone as large as a grain of 

 corn, wdl pulverized, given in a little salt, will 

 cause tletn to drop off, and prevent others from 

 getting o) for eight or leti days. I consider brim- 

 stone as necessary for a cow in the summer as 

 salt. — Smth. Plan. 



