NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



is not denied. But these are by no means con- 

 clusive argftiments against the institutions. 

 There are no institutions, moral or political, 

 but what have their impediments. Even the 

 institutions of government and of common schools, 

 have many obstacles to impede their uniform 

 operations ; but perseverance and amendment 

 surmount them all. Indeed, every human un- 

 dertaking is defective ; imperfection is stamped 

 on man's best performance. We are not there- 

 fore to condemn the institution, because it is 

 not perfect in its operations — because it has 

 not yet, in its infancy, fortified against every 

 imposition, and selected the best objects, and 

 those only which are worthy of patronage, for 

 the award of its premiums. — Time and experi- 

 ence it i.' hoped will rectify errors, and render 

 it more acceptable to its friends, and less obnox- 

 ious to those who have as yet been opposed 

 to it. 



These observations are made,although in weak- 

 ness, and by some may be considered prema- 

 ture, with an anxious hope that the society may 

 receive that patronage which its importaance 

 demands. Ever^' farmer, without exception, 

 who is able, ought to be a member; an<l every 

 other man, whose interest is promoted by the 

 improvement of agriculture and the mechanic 

 arts. Those bestqualified to judge on the subject 

 are confident in the belief, that could the society 

 recieve a liberal support, and continue in suc- 

 cessful operation six or eight years, it would 

 be fixed and permanent beyond the least danger 

 of declension. Every farmer would " cling to 

 it as his best friend;" and every other man, 

 let his occtipafjon be what it may, who lives on 

 the productions of the earth, and loves the good 

 things thereof, would rejoice in its prosperity, 

 and give it a cordial sujiport. 



(7o be continued.^ 



NEW ENGLAND FARiVIER. 



SATURDAY, JUNE 26, ll.;24. 



FARMER'S CALE^TDAR. 



SHEEP SHC.4RING. As soon as the weather be- 

 comes warm and settled, it will be proper to 

 attend to the important concerns of washing 

 and shearing your sheep. Dr. Deane observed 

 that " we shear our sheep in general too early 

 in this country; tlie approved time of shear- 

 ing is from the middle to the latter end of .Time. 

 They should be washed in a warm time. After 

 this they should run three or four days in a 

 clear pasture, before they are shorn. It is good 

 for them to have time to sweat a liitle in their 

 wool, after washing." As this season has been 

 uncommonly backward, we presume few far- 

 mers, who are in the habit of "■ working it 

 right" have yet washed or stieared their sheep, 

 and of course this article will not be mis-timed. 



In washing sheep to prevent danger from ex- 

 posure, sink a tub or a barrel for the person to 

 stand in. "The wafer must be warm as can be 

 had, and perfectly clean."* Mr. Livingston sup- 

 posed it not expedient to wash Merino sheep, 

 nor indeed any sheep, whose wool is thick and 

 close. " The long, strait wool soon dries, and 

 therefore the sheep are less injured by it. But 

 when (he rater is made to penetrate to the 

 skin througii a thick close fleece, it will re- 



main wet a long lime, and I think cannot fail 

 to injure the sheep, which are very subject to 

 colds in the head, chills that penetrate the 

 limbs, and falling on the bowels, bring on a lax 

 which sometimes kills, and never fails to weak- 

 en them extremely." 



" Another evil, which is little attended to, is 

 the bringing together a large flock of sheep in 

 a stable or close barn, and keeping them to- 

 gether till the whole are shorn. If there are 

 any disordered sheep in the flock, they commu- 

 nicate their complaint, if contagious, to the 

 whole flock, who fake in each other's effluvia at 

 every breath they draw. But independent of 

 this, their being heated in this manner, and im- 

 mediately after stripped of their clothing, can- 

 not but be very hurtful to them. In Spain it is 

 a common practice to keep the sheep closely 

 confined, in order to make them sweat, with a 

 view to increase the weight of the wool, and 

 to make the shears enter easier. The conse- 

 quence is, that many die ; and in some instan- 

 ces one half of the flock have been carried oft' 

 in the space of a night. I cannot but believe 

 that this injudicious management and folding 

 have generated that great catalogue of mala- 

 dies, that prevail among the sheep of Europe, 

 but most of which are happily unknown in 

 America. I would therefore recommend, when 

 the shearing commences, that the sheep be 

 penned in the open air, and brought by six or 

 eight at a time into the barn. If the flock is 

 large, draw up only one portion of them, and 

 let the rest feed abroad till wanted. The time 

 of shearing must be regulated by the state of 

 the weather and the growth of the wool. If 

 (he sheep begin to lose their wool, and this 

 does not arise from bad keeping, it will be 

 found, on examination, that it is protruded by a 

 growth of young wool; there would then be 

 some loss by deferring the shearing, as the 

 new wool will injure the old, and the next 

 year's crop be diminished in quantity by the de- 

 lay. But even this should not Induce the far- 

 mer to shear his sheep till the weather is warm 

 and settled. In this circumstance the Merino 

 breed have an advantage over all others. They 

 never shed their wool ; and from some experi 

 ments which have been made in France, it ap- 

 pears that two and even three years' growth 

 may be had at one cutting wilhout diminishin 

 the quantity. Thus, if a sheep would Hiave 

 given three pounds the first year, if left un 

 shorn, it will give six the next, and nine the 

 following; so that if it was desirable to have Me- 

 rino wool of fen or twelve inches in length, if 

 coulil be obtained ; but it is a practice that 1 

 would not recommend in our warm climate, 

 where sheep must snfl'er greatly under so thick 

 a fleece, as well from the heat as from the lice 

 that it would generate. It is, however, a great 

 advantage not to be compelled from the falling 

 of the wool, to shear at an inconvenient or im- 

 proper time ; and this advantage is, I believe, 

 confined solely to the Merino breed. How far 

 it may extend to the mixed breed I do not 

 know.* 



After sheep are washed, and previous to 

 shearing Ihem, they should be kept some days 

 in a clean pasture, that their wool may imbibe 

 some of the oil, which is lost in washing. This 

 will cause the shearing to be done with more 



* Farmer's Guide. 



* Essay on Sheep, by Robert R. Livington, LL. D. 



ease and expedition, and less oil will be nece« 

 sary to prepare the wool for manufacturing.-. 

 Great care should be taken not to cut the sheei 

 in shearing, but if this should happen, Mr. lAf, 

 ingston recommends the application of " a UJ 

 tie tar from the tar bucket, which contains som 

 mixture of grease, and a little of the dust p 

 charcoal over it." The " Farmer's Guidtf 

 advises to use a mixture of tar, ["lesh butt4l 

 and sulphur. : 



It is a common practice, recommended fe 

 most writers on this branch of husbandry, li 

 smear the bodies of sheep, after shearing, witt 

 a mixture of tar, fresh buffer, or other oil' 

 substance. This custom, however, is objectei 

 to by Mr. Luccock, an eminent English author 

 who says, " the oil which the mixture contain 

 is most certainly useful, but the tar, a dirtj 

 and tenacious substance, adheres to the wools* 

 closely as frequently to corrode the hair, rer 

 dering the part to which it was immediate! 

 applied thin, rough and weak. When affecte 

 by the filthy custom of smearing, the pile islgf 

 capable of acquiring the softer and more del: 

 cate tints, which it is so often desirable to coa 

 municate to the different articles of the woole- 

 manufacture. A portion of that dirt, which i 

 obstinately retains through every previos 

 process, is dissolved among the ingredients ( 

 the tlying vat, and disqualifies them from con 

 municating that vivid lustre, which they woul 

 have afforded to a purer wool, even fhoug 

 the artist supply his pans with a much largt 

 proportion of the coloring materials. In th 

 subsequent processes of the manufacture, Ih 

 filthy staple produces much greater inconv' 

 nience, and is subject to more considerable was' 

 than the purer pile, even though we make e 

 ery reasonable allowance for the weight of di 

 which it obviously contains; in the jenny at 

 the loom, the machines employed in spinnir 

 and weaving it, more dexterity and patienc 

 are required of the work people, and the clot 

 which if produces is inferior in its quality, ai 

 smaller in its quantify than might have bet 

 obtained from the same pile in a pure state.- 

 These objections to tar, when it is applied t 

 wool as a substitute for the yolk of the shee 

 are collected chiefly from the clothiers' accour 

 of it, and appear abundantly sufficient to proiD[ 

 him to require a less pernicious mixture. Th 

 only circumstance, which can be mentioned i 

 a counterbalance to these objections, is Ihecoi 

 sistency which it gives to oil or other greas 

 substances, with which it is mingled, whereb 

 they are retained among the pile, althoug 

 exposed to the heat of the animal and the d« 

 tersive influence of the rain. But if it be At 

 sirable in all substitutes of this kind to imilat 

 as nearly as possible the combinations of Da 

 fure, we should apply to the growing pile 

 thick coating of soap in all cases where th' 

 sheep is incapable from the peculiarity of it 

 constitution of yieldnig a sufficient quantity o 

 yolk to secure a valuable fleece.- -Li/ccoc/;"i£li 

 say un Wool. .j 



MCE ov 'appi.f. trees — AGAIN. We are informc 

 by a farmer, M-lio assures us tliat he hasliad much e? 

 perience in the cultivation of I'ruit Trees, that llRTe i 

 nothing like goose oil lor ItillinJ tliese insects. — Tba 

 both he and his neighbors have made use of that appl> 

 cation for a number of years to their rery great benefit 



xiJ^I 



