546 



XEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



Dec. 



crop of grai/i they know what it cost them, 

 and whether it jiays or not. If it does not 

 pay, they put in a little more brains, and '"try, 

 try again" until they do make it pay. 



I have an instance now in my mind of a 

 young man who left meicantile business in one 

 of our large cities and came back to the old 

 homestead to take care of father and mother 

 in their declining years. The farm was lo- 

 cated in an out-of-the-way place, hard and 

 stony, very little of the land capable of culti- 

 vation, but an excellent grass farm. 



He went into the stock-raising and dairy 

 business and was successful ; while those 

 around him with much better farms, relying on 

 muscle aloue made very little head- way. 



The waste of muscular power in our State, 

 for the lack of brains or neglect to use them 

 aright is enormous. Were this vast power 

 rightly directed it would make our green hills 

 and beautiful valleys "bud and blossom like a 

 rose." 



1 have, Mr. Editor, unbounded faith in 

 brains, — especially in their application to ag- 

 ricultural operations. 



In m}- next article I propose to bring out 

 some facts which indicate that if our Vermont 

 farmers have brains, comparatively few know 

 how to use them. Uncle John. 



Charlotte, Vt., Oct. 28, 1868. 



Remarks. — On introducing "Uncle John" 

 as a new correspondent of the Farmer, we 

 may be permitted to remark that however as- 

 siduously he may have cultivated "brains" his 

 beautiful chirography shows conclusively that 

 he has by no means neglected the training of 

 "muscle." 



For the New England Farmer. 



ROVING HABITS OP COA.RSE AND 

 FINE WOOL SHiiiKP. 



In your issue of O :t. 24th, I noticed a com- 

 munication from T. L. Hart on "Fine and 

 Coarse Wooled Sheep," in which he assumes 

 that with iiim coarse wooled sheep have paid a 

 "good per cent, on cost" while the fine wooled 

 were unprofitaljle. 



Witiiout assuming to argue this point I pro- 

 po.se to say a word in answer to your in(juiry, 

 under the head of "Remarks," as to the rov- 

 ing habits of the coarse wools, as charged by 

 thti fnic wool breeders. 



1 cannot write from actual experience as it 

 regards coarse wooled, but as to line wooled I 

 can. 1 was raised on a farm that paid some 

 attention to sheep- breeding. We had a Hock 

 of some twenty-live to forty, and I have to 

 say that ft" fence or wall would or could en- 

 close tht lu, even though the feed inside was 

 better than elsewhere. Their habits were 

 such that we could only find them by hamper- 

 ing, and even then they would scale the wall. 



They became a perfect nuisance and the re- 

 sult was, all were sold at a sacrifice, though for 

 more than they were worth, considering the 

 great trouble to take care of and keep them at 

 home. Other farmers in the same neighbor- 

 hood were troubled as we were. I do not be- 

 lieve it possible for any coar.se wooled sheep 

 to be of a more roving habit than these fine 

 wools were. 



I have called the attention of prominent 

 wool growers to the subject of the "Remarks" 

 above referred to, and 1 find that their expe- 

 rience with fine wooled sheep has been the 

 same, some adding "they will go over or 

 through any fence in New England in which 

 there is so much as a knot-hole." 



A gentleman of my acquaintance began sev- 

 eral years ago with coarse wools. With only 

 ordinary fences, he has never had the slightest 

 trouble with them, always finding them in the 

 pasture where he put them. He remarked 

 that "they would fill themselves and instead of 

 roving about, would lay quietly down, chew 

 their cud and grow fat.''"' He was, however, 

 finally induced to change them for the more 

 fashionable fine wools, and for three years was 

 on the trot after his sheep. He became so 

 much dissatisfied that he changed back to 

 coarse wools and has now a fine flock, which 

 give him no trouble whatever, so far as roving 

 is concerned. I have not as yet seen a coarse 

 wooled sheep hampered on any farm, and irom 

 the best evidence 1 can get they are far more 

 peaceable th^n fine, under all circumstances. 



Many farmers in Maine in possession of the 

 fine wooled sheep are offering them at a re- 

 duced price, and no buyers. 1 know of one 

 who offers his whole flock at $1.50 per head, 

 and is paying S3. 50 and $4.00 for coarse 

 wooled sheep. Others are pa> ing $5 and $6 

 for coarse, after having sacrificed on their tine 

 sheep. Coarse wooled breeders are anxious 

 to have this question discussed as they are pos- 

 itive the verdict will be in their favor. 



Wilton. Me., Nov. 2, 1868. Zen. 



For the Xew England Farmer. 

 liONQ-WOOIiBD SHEKP. 



The question is fretiueutly asked, which of 

 the different breeds of the long-wooled sheep 

 is the most profitable ? And it is a finestion 

 which is very difficult to answer. Some pre- 

 fer one, some another ; but the choice ought to 

 be directed to the characteristics which we de- 

 sire. There is but little difference in the 

 weight of fleece or character between the Lei- 

 cestei, the Cotswold, Lincoln or Tee.s waters, 

 and but little difference in the weight of carcass. 



The Leice-ftem mature the earliest, but are 

 the most tender, and the least prolific; the 

 latter, perhaps, after all, not so much of a 

 fault; for too many lambs are not always the 

 most profitable ; but the Leicesters are bad 

 nurses, as a general thing, and lay on then 



