22 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



thing necessary for success, for the original soil 

 ■was all that could be desired, and the climate salu- 

 brious and favorable to all the grasses and grains. 



Can the cause be traced to a want of skill in the 

 occupants of the soil, or the influence of any insti- 

 tutions that may exist in that ancient Common- 

 wealth ? We know that such "exhaustion and 

 abandonment" of fields has taken place, and more 

 than a dozen years ago gave some of our personal 

 observations of them in the columns of the "Plant- 

 er" itself. It is probable that some of the families 

 who left the barren hills of Massachusetts and New 

 Hampshire, may have entered upon the "exhausted 

 and abandoned" lands of Fairfax county, or those 

 laved by the tides of Chesapeake Bay, or watered 

 by the beautiful James liiver. If such be the fact, 

 they will undoubtedly set a good example of indus- 

 try and thrift, and literally make the "exhausted 

 and abandoned" fields "blossom as the rose." 



For the New England Farmer. 



SHEEP ON SMALL FARMS. 



I cannot say anything directly to the point in an- 

 swer to "Essex," having never experimented to 

 know how many sheep might be kept on a given 

 quantity of ground, but with your approbation, Mr. 

 Editor, I should like briefly to state my httle ex- 

 perience in keeping sheep. 



There is no stock I keep that causes me so little 

 trouble, and no way I get a few dollars so easy. 

 I have but a little, hard farm, and keep but a small 

 amount of stock ; say one horse, two or three cows, 

 and ten to fifteen sheep. I let them all feed in 

 the same nasture together. I do not sav this is 



not.' But if,_on the other hand, she detests him, 

 (there is no middle ground between detestation and 

 adoration with young women) she burns one end of 

 his message, and this generally throws the young 

 nian into despair, for it means 'I make light of your 

 pining.' " 



THE HORSE IN THE STABLE. 



If one would have a good horse on the road, he 

 musttake care of him in the stable. To the man 

 who is fond of that noble animal, the horse, the 

 stable is no mean place which is the home of his 

 faithful servant. A part of the secret of the differ- 

 ences among horses may be found in the diSerent 

 ways they are treated in the stable. 



This building need not have the embellishment 

 of architecture, nor be made air-tight; but it 

 should be comfortable — made to promote the com- 

 fort of its occupant. It should be well ventilated, 

 by allowing a draught of fresh air constantly to 

 pass through it, especially during the warmer 

 months. Do not allow the air of the stable to be 

 made offensive and unhealthy by the presence of 

 ammonia escaping from the excrements. Keep 

 the air in your stable as sweet as it is in your own 

 house ; for such is necessary for the health of a 

 horse. 



Plaster of Paris used freely about the stable is 

 quite desirable, both on the score of comfort and 

 profit. It is cruel to foster a noble horse in a sta- 

 ble where the air is suffocating on account of nox- 

 ious gases constantly generating and escaping for 

 want of a few quarts of some absorbent. 



The floor of the stall should not have much incli- 

 nation—only enough to allow the water to pass off. 

 The more level the surface on which a horse stands 

 the better. 



It is said that "sprung knees"- are occasioned 



