S6 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



VOL. I.. 



of producing that plant till a fresh supply 

 of lime, marl, pulverized bones, or some 

 other calcareous substance is added. 



Mr. Young, of Nova Scotia, an able Eng- 

 lish writer on agricultural topics, says, " It 

 cannot be denied, that since the plentiful use 

 of lime has been adopted, lands in lOurope 

 will produce wlieat which otherwise were 

 incapable of bearing it; and he quotes several 

 instances in favor of this assertion. Dr. 

 Anderson likewise gives an account of a field 

 which had a top-dressing of lime for the pur- 

 pose of raising wheat ; but the lime, by ac- 

 cident, was not applied to a small patch of the 

 field, and in that patch there was no crop, 

 while every part to which lime was applied 

 produced wheat luxuriantly. It would be 

 easy to adduce many more instances to show 

 that lime, in Great JBritian, is considered not 

 only useful but indispensable to the produc 

 tion of wheat. — American Almanac. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



Best Sheep for the Coj^bmiobi 

 Fa,rMiei*. 



The question has been sometimes asked' 

 what kind of sheep are the most profitable for 

 the common farmer — he whose flock can 

 rarely exceed one or two hundred in number, 

 if it reaches that amount 1 — and it has been 

 answered in various ways, too frequently, 

 perhaps, as preconceived notions or self-in- 

 terest at the time prompted. One farmer !ias 

 maintained the exclusive superiority of the 

 Saxony, another that of tlie Merino, while 

 for the common farmer another has preferred 

 the heavy bodied, long coor.-e woolcd sheep, 

 but little differing from our native sheep pre- 

 vious to the introduction of the Merino. An 

 examination of the prices current for a year 

 or two past will show that the average of the 

 three kinds of wool would be respectively 

 70, 50, and 37i cents per pound. The quan- 

 tity produced on an average from the three 

 kinds will not vary much from the following 

 estimate : 

 Saxony, per sheep 2i pounds, 70 - - - $1,75 



Merino, " 3 " 60 1,80 



Long wooled," 4 " 37^ ---1,50 

 Some farmers, however, contend that the 

 deficiency in fleece in the long wooled sheep 

 is more than compensated by the greater 

 weight of carcass ; and breeding expressly 

 for the butcher, this consideration should un- 

 doubtedly have its weight. Besides, the 

 acknowledged tenderness in rearing of the 

 finer wooled kinds would operate as a draw- 

 back on their profit; .still it would seem that 

 at present prices fine wooled sheep are on the 

 whole the most valuable. I would suggest, 

 however, whether it would not be possible 

 for a breed of sheep to be produced, which 

 would be more profitable for the common 



farmer, by combining weight of carcass,, 

 hardihood of rearing, and sufficient fineness 

 of wool, than any that is now generally 

 ! known. 



! Tiie Maryland Board of Agriculture pro- 

 1 posed a series of questions to the agiicul^ 

 turists of that state, on some of the most 

 important topics of farming, and the answers 

 i received and published, form a most valuable 

 addition to our knowledgeof the best methods 

 I of farming. One of these questions was as 

 follows: — "What species of sheep do you 

 consider the most valuable to farmers gene- 

 ; rally, and what are the best methods of 

 managing sheep and lambs 1" Among the 

 answers to this question was one from Sam- 

 uel Stevens, Esq., from which I extract the 

 following sentence as well v,'orthy of notice : 

 j " On this subject (sheep growing) I possess 

 the pride and ambition of a farmer, and fear- 

 less of contradiction, 1 pronounce the Bake- 

 well* sheep, bottomed on the Merino, the most 

 'profitable. In the first place, the Merino 

 gives a fine beautiful wool, and wlien crossed 

 by the Bakewell, you add beauty and size, 

 both having a predilection for fat, and are of 

 I uncommon fine flavor, and what is important 

 and remarkable, they are ready for the butcher 

 at eighteen months old, and if suffered to 

 remain until two years old, they will increase 

 in beauty, size and fat, superior to any other 

 breed of sheep I have ever seen, and on as 

 ■ little food." 



There can be no doubt but that the long wool 

 and fine carcass of the Bakewell or Leices- 

 iter breed, engrafted on the fine wool and 

 ; aptitude to fatten of the Merino, would pro- 

 duce a kind of sheep superior for all pur- 

 poses to any that the common fiirmer now 

 possesses. It is evident that the finer wooled 

 flocks require more care and attention than 

 the ordinary farmer can bestow with profit, 

 and the ancient coarse wooled breeds fur- 

 nished wool of such inferior quality that no 

 man would think of having it manufactured 

 into cloth. Some good sheep of the kind 

 recommended for crossing are to be found in 

 the country, and the general introduction 

 of a crossed breed that shall combine the 

 qualities proposed above, would be of most 

 essential service to a vast majority of our 

 farmers — men who have but little time to 

 devote to theoretical experiments, but who 



* _Yof'— Til frivp llie rrruliT an idea of llii> pure Hake- 

 well breed, I will state, that .Mr.l'.arney, otPhiladilpliiii. 

 a year or two since, |HllTlla^ed a y<'aro!d iinpnri. d ram 

 ot'iliis hlood tor .Sinn. Another one imported at the 

 same tiin(> was sold for $100, and taken to t)hio. The 

 (me purchased bv.Mr. Barney was a very laice sheep.fine 

 form, with wool twelve or thirteen inches long, and 

 shearin-: twelve and thiee-foirrths poirnds, when one 

 year old. There can he little do'ilil that a < ross of this 

 tine animal with the silky merino, w ill ptove a superior 

 breed, and better lor the onlinary farmer than any now 

 existing. 



