1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEjVIER. 



427 



amount cf food consumed in proportion to live 

 weight is almost identical. Thus the Merinos 

 consumed 399.96 pounds, and the Cotswolds 

 399.25 pounds, or a little over 2h pounds of 

 food per day for each 100 pounds of live 

 weight. 



It is very evident, therefore, that for the 

 production of mutton the grade Cotswolds are 

 far superior to the Merinos. It is equally 

 clear, too, that by the use of thoroughbred 

 Cotswold or South Down rams we can soon 

 get a very useful class of mutton sheep from 

 common Merino flocks. And at present the 

 wool from these grade Cotswolds is worth full 

 as much as ordinary Merino, and a good deal 

 more than that of fleeces which are more than 

 half yolk. — /. Harris, in American Agricul- 

 turist. 



WEAHLNG COLTS. 



When a colt is about four months old, if he 

 has had proper care and training, and if the 

 dam is to be used in harness, or if she is 

 breeding again, he is old enough to be weaned. 

 Supposin j^, as most farmers are obliged to do, 

 that the mare has had to work more or less 

 since dropping her foal, and that the colt has 

 been allowed to follow the dam when at work 

 — the attachment between the two has become 

 very strong. If separated entirely and at 

 once, and if the mare is nervous and high- 

 strung, she will perhaps refuse to work, act 

 frantic, kick and do everything else she ought 

 not, and would not do, but for the separation. 

 On the other hand, put the colt into ever so 

 good a pasture, feed him grain and do every- 

 thing you may — he will run up . and down by 

 the fence — perhaps try to scale it, &c., to get 

 to the dam, until he has run off every bit of 

 flesh on his bones. Now, what's to be done ? 



We would place the mare in a stall wide 

 enough for her and the colt, then we would 

 baiter the colt and tie him so that he 

 could get to the manger but not reach to 

 the teat. It may be necessary also, to change 

 somewhat the halter of the dam, so that she 

 cannot turn sufficiently to allow the colt to 

 suck. Water the colt freely, but the dam as 

 little as possible, for a few days at least, If 

 possible feed the colt a double-handful of oats 

 twice per day for two or three weeks before 

 you attempt the weaning. Increase the quan- 

 tity of oats a little at weaning time, even if 

 you withdraw the extra ration by-and-by. 



Standing by the side of his dam he will be 

 more quiet and after a little forget his teat. 

 The mare, also, will leave him more readily in 

 the stable while she labors, especially when 

 she finds bim on her return. To facilitate the 

 drying up of the milk in the mare, take a little 

 soft soap and smear it over the udder. It may 

 be necessary to draw out some milk first for a 

 few times, to ease her distress. After a few 

 days, especially if the mare is again breeding, 

 milk will not flow very readily and be diverted 

 naturally to the embryo foal, and, although 



the mare may call her colt she wiU refuse to 

 let him suck. If possible, the colt should have 

 the best of pasture and the company of other 

 colts of his own age, and the daily allowance 

 of the oats, or a handful or two of meal mixed 

 with wheat bran should be given every day. 



The latter years of our life on the farm, we 

 never allowed the colts to follow to the field, 

 but kept them in a loose box in an underground 

 stable during the day. When the mares came 

 home and were watered at night, the colts 

 were allowed a play spell and also at noon 

 while the dams were feeding. The colts kept 

 in better flesh and gave a great deal less 

 trouble at weaninor. — Rural World. 



AYBSHIRE CATTLE. 



The Boston Advertiser gives an account of. 

 the attempt to introduce Ayrshire Cattle on 

 Martha's Vineyard, made by the Agricultural 

 Society of the Island some five or six years 

 since, at the suggestion of Sec'y Flint of the 

 Massachusetts Board of Agriculture. In 1863, 

 three Ayrshire bulls were purchased by the 

 Society, and several heifers by individuals. 

 Since then various purchases have been made, 

 a premium of $75 being annually offered for 

 the best Ayrshire bull brought to the Island. 

 There are now, as is stated in a communicar- 

 tion from the President of the Society, 

 "twenty-seven head of thoroughbred Ayr- 

 shires, while the grades can be counted by 

 hundreds. The cattle have proved hardy, 

 thrifty, and remarkably gentle, while as dairy 

 stock they have answered the most sanguine 

 expectations of the Society. The grades are 

 a marked improvement on the native stock, 

 and partake largely of the excellent qualities 

 of the Ayrshire. So well satisfied are the 

 farmers with this breed that each year wit- 

 nesses an increasing number of fresh importa- 

 tions, and the herds of mongrel stock are fast 

 disappearing before the thoroughbred and 

 grade Ayrshires." 



Peat Analysis. — Two samples of peat 

 from C. P. Williams' farm, at Charlestown, 

 R. I., have been analyzed at the Harvard Sci- 

 entific School with the following results : — 



Sample No. 1. No. 2. 



Moisture 26.00 26.05 



Organic Matter 48 09 46.07 



Ammouia 3.12 3.15 



Chloride of Sodium 16 .24 



Lime 1.48 1.56 



Silica, Alumina, Magnesia, Iron & Loss . 20.34 21 85 



100 CO 100.00 



The analy^sls shows about six times the amount 

 of ammonia found in common yard manure, 

 and only needs the addition of wood-ashes and 

 bone-dust to make an exceedingly valuable fer- 

 tilizer. It is strange that farmers will let such 

 minfes of wealth lie unused upon their farms. 

 Mr. W. uses about a thousand loads a year, 

 and is bringing up a run-down farm to a high 

 state of fertility. — American Agriculturist. 



