200 



Smearing Sheep. — Live Fences. 



Vol. 



II. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Smearing Sheep. 



It is probably not known to many of the 

 readers of the Cabinet, that in Scotland — a 

 leading sheep country, Sheep are smeared 

 or coated with a mixture of tar and grease, 

 late in the fall, in order to destroy the lice, 

 ticks, &,c. which infest them and to act as an 

 additional protection during winter. Equal 

 parts by measure, of good Virginia tar and 

 of Palm oil or butter are melted together — 

 the wool is laid open by the hand along the 

 back and along each side at tlie turn of the 

 back, and a thin strip of the mixture nearly 

 cold, laid in each opening — probably the si^e 

 of a large hen egg, to each sheep. The! 

 grease neutralizes the tar, so that it in no way, 

 injures the wool but washes out^ clean, at 

 washing time, without any difficulty. Im- 

 mediately after the application, the wool be- 

 comes soft and oily, and grows rapidly, and 

 the sheep being freed from the vermin that 

 annoy them so much, take on flesh better. 

 In the lowlands, where they are not so much 

 exposed, and are not generally furnished with 

 sheds, they are poured, that is, a mixture of 

 spirits of tar, tobacco juice, a decoction of 

 broom (Scottice, broom broo^) and sulphur 

 birum is poured over them, parting the 

 wool as in smearing. 



I do not know how long it is since smear- 

 ing and poKring were first adopted in Scot- 

 land, but one or the other is now considered 

 indispensable. There is not a doubt but 

 smearing would be found equally advantage- 

 ous here, where sheep suffer so much from 

 the severity of the winter weather, particu- 

 larly if at all exposed to the wet. The in- 

 crease in the yield of wool pays the expense, 

 leaving the improved health and condition of 

 the sheep, as a profit to the farmer. I shall 

 try it by and by, and give you the result. 

 T. A., Jun. 



Vermillioi:, Co. Indiana, Feb. 1, 1838. 

 For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



L.ive Fences.— ]¥o. 5. 



In my last communication upon this sub- 

 ject, I stated that if I should discover any 

 plant that answers the purpose better than 

 the Washington Thorn, (Crataegus Populi- 

 folio) I might perhaps be able to make a 

 communication on the subject. 



Since that time I have discovered some 

 fences composed of this plant, which seem 

 to be in a state of decay and have been in- 

 fcrmed by tiiose who have better opportuni- 

 ties for personal observation, perhaps than 

 myself, that in many situations, particularly 

 in soils composed principally of clay or in 

 tJiat of red sand stone, mixed with clay it 



does not generally answer so well as some 

 other kinds of thorn. I have also been in- 

 formed, that the principal cause of death in 

 tliis plant is from injury produced from a fly, 

 which deposits an egg or nit in the most 

 tender parts of the branch, the place of de- 

 posit becomes enlarged and dies the next 

 season ; the following process is recommend- 

 ed as a remedy or preventive, viz: — Instead 

 of trimming the hedge at or near the termin- 

 ation of each annual growth, this process is 

 performed at the close of winter and every 

 part which is thus cut off" is immediately 

 burned. The reasons which are given for 

 this are, viz. — The egg or nit, will be de- 

 posited near the ends of the respective 

 branches in the most tender part which can 

 be removed and burned at the close of winter, 

 so as to prevent injury to the plant either 

 from frost or the fly, whereas trimming at 

 the beginning of winter, might expose the 

 branches thus trimmed to the severe frost of 

 winter, so as to be injured by it; and where 

 they are trimmed at or near the termination 

 of each annual growtli, the egg or nit will 

 afterwards be deposited in the growth of a 

 previous year, and which cannot be removed 

 without diminishing the height and strength 

 of the fence. 



Immediately after the last frost of each 

 winter will, according to this view of the 

 subject, be the proper time to trim the fence 

 and burn the parts which are cut ofl! 



From all the information, I at present pos- 

 sess upon the subject, I would say as a general 

 rule, that persons desirous of cultivating 

 plants for live fences should pay particular 

 attention, and fix upon (or select) such kind 

 as observation may show to be best fitted for 

 the particular kind of soil where the fence 

 is to be placed. 



First upon the list, probably, may be placed 

 the different kinds of Thorn, which are na- 

 tives of the vicinity. — Plants which produce 

 sprouts from tiieir roots in large quantities 

 when cut or broken by the plough, are un- 

 fit for the purpose in cultivated lands; there- 

 fore I should doubt the propriety of using the 

 Locust Tr&e (which has been recommended) 

 for such situations ; yet in other situations, 

 particularly where the fence will be in the 

 sliade of trees. I suppose this plant and per- 

 haps several others would be preferable to 

 the Thorn; but of this I cannot speak with 

 certainty ; because, I have not seen any one 

 of them in such situations, but only judge 

 from the relative rapidity of growth, and 

 other properties. 



In regard to the treatment of the Thorn, 

 I know of no better plan than that stated in 

 my former communications upon the subject, 

 (see paires 131, 146, 177, & '201, of the first 

 volume of the Farmers' Cabinet.) The seeds 



