-VAL- Ti\. Xt). 10. 



AND HORTICULTURAL 11 E G I S T K R . 



149 



leeni 10 bo incredible: if tho bundlci wero the 

 lixc of oum and as Tull heads, the crop couM be 

 lardly loss thin ont hundrtd and fifty biuUds lo 

 St acre '. Practical fanners will bo able lo judge 

 rhetlicr it be possible lo obtain so much rr»in an 

 icrc. Mr Juno sowed sixteen bushels of seed 

 rhcre «e sowed only six bushels : there hivinj; 

 lOen no rain to limber or burden the stalk after the 

 «ts began to fill, it is possible tho same ground 

 light have sustained more than double the quaiiti- 

 j of oats upon our ground: it would, however, be 

 mpossible, as we think, for any ground to bear 

 a ei|ual burden in proportion to the seed sowed. 

 Tho editor of the Visitor travelled in the month 

 f .\ii;just, up the Connecticut river valley and 

 hroujjh the county of Orange, into Washington 



»nd back through Windsor county, Vermont, when 

 le drought in this part of the country was most 

 CToro. Beyond the region of drought, both in 

 he valley on the New Hampshire side and upon 

 he tine green hills of Vermont, to their very tops, 

 re saw and admired the then growing oal fields. 

 There wero many highly cultivated fields about 

 qual to our own — we saw no one field tliat we 

 houjrht better. 



sary, and believe that sheep, with their thick coats 

 of wool, would bo no inure benefited by shelter 

 than the down-clad animals of the arctic regions. 

 But this is a great error. Who has nut observed 

 thorn, on the approach of severe weather, careful- 

 ly seeking wlmt feeble protection they could ob- 

 tain from the storm, by tho side of slacks, or un^ler 

 open fences ? Would they do this, if it did nut 

 contribute to their comfort .' Certainly not. What- 

 ever, thcrel'ore, contributes lo their comfort, de- 

 mands attention, and whatever causes suffering to 

 them, should be carefully avoided. Hut by con- 

 stant exposure in open fields to storms and snow, 

 they are almost constantly suffering in n greater or 

 less degree, throughout the long months of winter. 

 In those countries of Europe which grow large 

 Huantities of the finest wool, strict attention is giv- 

 en to this subject, and sheep are not only sheltered 

 every night, but whenever the weather demands it 

 during the day; and this is also said to be essen- 

 tially necessary in preserving the quality and fine- 

 ness of the wool. 



There are various methods by which proper 

 sheds could be cheaply constructed for this pur- 

 pose : the following description from Arthur Young, 



The permeability and great strength of the Ver- may afford a useful hint to those who may wish to 

 nont soil on both sides of the mountains, makes it I direct their attention to the subject : — " The late 

 etlcr for an oat or potato crop than any land we I Gen. Murray's standing folds enclosed an area of 

 lave ever seen. Immense crops of both have this I 57 yards in length, and 20 broad, containing 1,140 

 ■ - 1 ■ .1 .1 , ir ■• .1. o ' square yards. *' ""'^ r,i.i„j :_ :. 



'ear been raised in the north half of that State 

 Dough surplus to purchase all the Genesee flour 

 hat the Vermontors may wish to use. Winter 



beat is little cultivated in that State ; and the 

 pfing wheat is so liable to attack from blight or 

 be weavil, that the farmers do well not to risk 



any acres of wheat where the oat and potato crop 

 so certain. The soil of Vermont, without ma- 

 lure, gives for several successive years fine crops 

 if both oats and potatoes. Peas are also easily 

 aised, and are extensively used for fattening pork. 

 The Green Mountain soil is in many places So 

 raitful in grass feed, that cattle,, horses and sheep 

 lie raised at about half the labor and expense 

 laually bestowed upon them in the towns nearer to 

 he seaboard in IMassachusctts and New Hamp- 

 tbire. 



If the Brandon crop of oats have mounted up to 

 ^50 or even 130 bushels to the acre, it will be such 



crop as has been seldom witnessed in this or 



ny other country Fanner's Monthly Visitor. 



WINTERING SHEEP. 



It is commonly considered more difficult to win- 

 .er sheep, than most other domestic animals, and 

 Jiis is doubtless true to a certain extent. But in 

 ine cases out often, the want of success is owing 

 > bad management, which is generally misnamed 

 lU luck. Sheep, in order to bear the winter well, 

 ibould first of all be prepared for it, by being kept 

 n good condition at the commencement. About 

 Jie first of December, instead of being left to room 

 )ver the fields, to obtain food from the scanty her- 

 bage, they should be entirely fed on the preserved 

 growth of summer. Little nutriment can be found 

 in grass at this season — besides, what now re- 

 mains should be left, to prepare it for an early and 

 igorous growth in spring. 



There is one subject which has as yet received 

 but little attention from our farmers — it is that of 

 viding suitable sheds for the protection of 

 iheep from the winter's cold. Now we are aware 

 tkat many farmers consider this as wholly unneces- 



Above 708 ewes were folded in it 

 at night, and for that number it is more than a 

 yard and a half for each sheep. All around it was 

 a shed nine or ten feet wide, and also across the 

 middle, which latter was open on both sides. A 

 rack of hay placed against the wall, which was 

 boarded, surrounded the whole ; and another, which 

 was double, to be eaten out of on both sides, stood 

 along the central shed ; under the rack was a small 

 manger, in which the food was given." In what- 

 ever way sheds are constructed, it is indispensably 

 necessary that they be kept clean at all times: to 

 effect this object, they should be frequently sup- 

 plied with straw litter, which will absorb all e.x- 

 creted matters from them, and form valuable ma- 

 nure. 



It is a mistaken notion that water is not necessa- 

 ry for sheep: the fact that they always drink when 

 it is supplied to them, proves that it is needed for 

 the performance of the animal functions, to which 

 it is as requisite as in other animals. E.xperience 

 has also proved the correctness of this. 



Not only sheep, but all domestic animals which 

 exist in numbers, should be divided into parcels or 

 flocks and separated thus from each other ; each 

 flock to consist of those of nearly equal vigor and 

 size; by this the weaker one will not suffer from 

 the domination of the stronger, but will all feed 

 alike and do well. Particular care should betaken 

 that old, poor ond diseased shec|) be separated 

 from tlic rest, so that they may receive more atten- 

 tion, better feeding and more eflectual shelter. 



Thus, by commencing the wintering of sheep in 

 good condition — by sheltering them from the se- 

 verity of the weather — by supplying them with 

 water — by affording the weaker the additional pro- 

 tection they need — and above all, by intermixing 

 dry food with a proper quantity of roots, (especially 

 ruta baga,) — little difficulty will bo experienced in 

 sustaining them during winter in fine condition, 

 without danger of the frequent losses, so often at- 

 tributed to bad fortune only. 



The following account of euccessful manage- 

 ment of sheep, by a gentleman of Philadelphia, is 



taken from the Baltimore Carmer, and wpjl ox- 

 plains the socrul which many kuppusc the ait con- 

 sists in : " On Mr Bnrncy'it Into visit In this city, I 

 put the quuntion to him, wherein conaislod his iiu- 

 perior iimnageiiient of sheep ? Ho gave tho fol- 

 lowing reply : He said u gentleman visited hiui not 

 long since, and on going lo his sheep yard and 

 viewing it, asked him the same question. He 

 showed at that lime, from fifty ewes, upwards of 

 sixty lambs, all lively and brisk, with a loss, I 

 lliink, of throe or four. Tho gentleman observed 

 to him that he had his shed covered with dead 

 lambs ; and asked wherein the secret of breeding 

 lay. Mr Barney observed to him, "you stuff your 

 sheep with dry food r" " Yes, as much good clover 

 and hay as they will e:il," was the reply. " You 

 ('ive them no water, but suffer them to go out in 

 liiiiu of snow, and cat it as they are disposed to do ?" 

 "Yes." "Then," said Mr Barney, "there lies the 

 secret. Your sheep fill themselves wiili dry hay ; 

 they gel no water; and they have not a sullicicBl 

 supply of gastric juice to promote the digestion of 

 the bay in the stomach ; lliey cannot raise it to 

 chtw the cud ; they lose their appetite, are thrown 

 into a fever, and cannot bring forth their young — 

 or they bring forth a feeble, starved lamb, that falls 

 offnnd dies on the tirst exposure to the cold and 

 rain. On the contrary, I take care to provide rny 

 sheep with good clear water in summer and win- 

 ter. I feed them regularly with hay through the 

 winter, and give them ruta baga and mangel wurt- 

 zel every day. The ewes produce nie 120 per 

 cent, increase in lambs. You cannot," says Mr 

 Barney "gel along without ruta baga and mangel 

 wurlzel." — Western Farmer. 



PLAN TO REMOVE STOMPS. 



The Western Farmer and Gardener contains a 

 communication upon the subject of removing slumps, 

 and as the machinery is cheap, simple, within tho 

 means of every farmer's procurement, and, as we 

 believe, will prove efficient, we copy the descrip- 

 tive part of the paper: 



" Procure a dry, red-elm lever, about twenty 

 feet long, and about six to eight inches in diame- 

 ter — a good stout log-chain, with two yokes of ox- 

 en ; this 18 all the machinery that is necessary. 

 The mode of operation is thus : Wrap the log 

 chain around the stump a little above the ground, 

 and make what is called a log hitch ; lay the lever 

 horizontally, on the ground, large end next to the 

 chain and against the slump ; make the other end 

 of the chain fast to ihis end of the lever, drawing 

 the lever tight against the stump ; the cattle are 

 hitched to the small end of the lever, and driven 

 around the stump in a circle of which ihe lever ia 

 the radius. One revolution of the oxen around the 

 stump will generally twist out the largest of them, 

 but should not the power thus applied be sufficient 

 to move the stump, the side roots may be uncover- 

 ed and cut partly oft"; after this is done, the stump 

 will be easily removed. You will find this plan 

 much preferable to any 'patent stump extractor' 

 that you may have seen puffed in the papers." 



Influence of Colored Glass on Bulbous Roots. Put 

 a bulb, as a hyacinth, narcissus, &c., into a white 

 glass, ond another into a purple glass : the latter 

 will grow faster than the former; and if a pinch of 

 salt or a piece of nitre be put into the water when- 

 over it is changed, the brightness of the color of 

 the flower will be considerably increased. 



