344 



THE CEN^ESEE FARMER. 



Ouiuberland small breed. 

 He says, " I never ex- 

 pected [)igs to live on noth- 

 ing; because tlie ma- 

 nure made from pigs liv- ] 

 ing on notiiing would be 

 worth nothing, and it 

 was good manure I was 

 aiming at. I found any 

 breed pay, except the large 

 breed." 



" The proper way," he 

 says, "is to keep to one 

 breed, and try to improve 

 that sort by saving the 

 largest and finest animals — 



though if a good boar ng. ^—back view op a 

 be kept in the neighbor- well pilled-up fat ox- 

 hood of a bad bred one, a shilling or two less will 

 drive all the custom to the bad bred one. The 

 breeders little know the losses the feeders sustain 

 when they corae to fatten the animals ; nor is it 

 understood how many thousands of pounds are 

 annually wasted in making bacon or pork from 

 bad bred pigs." 



WINTERING SHEEP. 



In reply to some inquiries in regard to his 

 method of feeding sheep in winter, Joiis Joiixston 

 .writes us as follows: 



The best time to yard sheep for fattening, or 

 even store sheep, is when they do not improve on 

 the pastures. There should be no loss of condi- 

 tion in the autumn or early winter, nor at any 

 other time. 



You want dry yards well littered, so tliat they 

 can always have a clean bed, with sheds to go in 

 when they choose; but unless quite stormy they 

 always prefer the yards for tlieir bed. 



I have fed as many as 600 in one yard, but that 

 is too many, as they are apt to hurt eaoii other in 

 going to their grain. From 150 lo 200 in one yard 

 does very well. 



I salt once a week, when feeding grain, about 

 two quarts to tlie 100 sheep. When fed oil-meal 

 without any grain, tliey care little for salt, and I 

 feed them none. It i^« the same with cattle. I put 

 the salt in the troughs when there is no grain in 

 them. 



For the first two months I generally feed straw 

 only for todder, and I liave sold many fat sheoj) 

 that got norliing but straw for fodder, liut much 

 depends upoo the coudition of the btravv. If the 



wheat is cut in a raw state — that is, not quite 

 ripe— and gets no rain, it makes better sheep-fod- 

 der than ripe timothy hay. 



I fodder the sheep three time a day in the com- 

 mon board racks. I feed the grain twice a day — 

 one bushel to the 100 sheep in the morning, 

 and another bushel about four P. M. 



When I keep my sheep until the middle of 

 March, they have generally increased from 20 to 

 22 pounds on the average; but much dei>ends on 

 how much and how long I have fed clover hay, 

 and whether I have reduced the corn or oil meal 

 on commencing the liay. Very fat sheep can be 

 made with early cut clover hay and one bushel of 

 corn, buckwheat or oil-cake-meal to the 100 sheep 

 per day, if you can commence with the clover hay 

 when pastures fail and continue it until March, but 

 they eat an immense bulk of good clover hay. 



It is difficult to buy sheep (good ones) for feed- 

 ing purposes at present for less than 4^ cents per 

 pound, live weight — a high figure to start with — 

 and corn very high, oil-cake still higher, and I fear 

 buckwheat won't be low. There is nothing better 

 to fatten sheep than buckwheat. One or one and 

 a half pounds to each sheep per day makes fine 

 sheep. 



I liave been writing about fine-wooled sheep — 

 Merinos. I have had greater increase in weight 

 with grade Leicesters, with the same amount of 

 grain or oil-cake meal. 



CULTIVATION OF THE CRANBERRY. 



Eds. Gknesijk Fahmkk : Yon a>k on w.liat kind 

 of soil and iiow I cnltive the oranherr}'; and also 

 wliat varieties succeed l)est. My cranberry garden 

 is on 8an<ly loam. Before l>eing cleared, it was 

 timbered vvitli iiemlook, beech and niMpIe; after be- 

 ing cleared, the natural growth was sorril, June 

 grass and white clover. When cultivated, it pro- 

 duced good crops of potatoes and oats. Corn and 

 wheat did not succeed well on it. My opinion is, 

 that almost any soil that is not inclined to grass 

 over without seeding, will grow full croi)S of cran- 

 berries. 



I prepare the ground by plowing deep — bringing 

 as much of tlie subsoil on top as I can. Harrow 

 and work as tor corn. Set altont the 1st ot May, 

 in hills, three to six plan's to the hill. Cultivate 

 and hoe until the runners interfere, and tlien mow 

 with a sharp scythe — cnttimr above the cranberry 

 plants. Once ayear issuffit^ient mowing. It should 

 i)e done wlien the cranberry plants show tlieir first 

 blossoMi^!, which is here about the 20th of June to 

 tlie 1st of -Inly. 



I prefer the lilack Bell variety on account of its 

 fine dark color, and their biMiigniore prolific in fruit, 

 rankiiiir among cranherries, as the Wilson does 

 atnoiiL' 'he >trawl)erry Yield by measure at tlie rate 

 of 100 bushels per ncre. I). L. llALSliY. 



Victory, JV. r., Ofiolur, 1863. 



