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VOLUME I. 



ROCHESTER, OCTOBER 1, 1831. 



NUHBE 39. 



PUBLISHED BY L. TUCKER & CO. 

 \t Hie Office of the Doily Advertiser. 

 Terms— $2.50 per annum- or 



S'2 Oil if paid in advance. 



N. GOODSELL, EDITOR. 



SHEEP. 

 Breeding of sheep of valuable qualities, not on 

 ty interests the farmer, but is a matter of great 

 national importance. The introduction of meri- 

 no sheep into the United States, gave great en- 

 couragement for the manufacture of fine broad 

 cloths; and they have become so universally 

 spread through the country, that there is no fear 

 of their being extirpated. But the wants of our 

 country are not confined to wool alone; neither 

 is the manufacturing of it always attended with 

 the greatest profit : on the contrary for many years 

 past, the manufacturing of stuff goods in Eng- 

 land, as bombazines, bombazetts, &c. which are 

 manufactured from long wool, has been attended 

 with a greater profit than that of broadcloths. — 

 In the making of broadcloths, a much greater 

 proportion of hand labor is required, according to 

 the amount of goods manufactured, than in ma- 

 king worsted or stuff goods. Formerly, the case 

 was quite the reverse; the process of combing the 

 wool in the preparation, for worsted was a slow 

 and tedious kind of business ; but by the perfection 

 of machinery, wool is now spun into worsted with 

 as much ease as cotton is spun. Each pound c f 

 long wool manufactured into stuff goods, is atten- 

 ded with more profit, than the manufacturing of a 

 pound of fine merino wool into cloths. From this 

 circumstance, merino sheep are not much prized 

 in England at this time. Beside the wool, there 

 are other inducements for English farmers to prop- 

 agate long wooled sheep. Some of the long wool- 

 ed breeds are constitutionally disposed to take on 

 fat, even at an early age, from which circum- 

 stance, they are more valuable than sheep of the 

 same weight of carcase, which are not so fat. The 

 climate of that country is peculiarly favorable for 

 sheep, also for raising turnips, whereon to feed 

 them, and mutton being the cheapest meat in the 

 English market, is mostly used by the lower class 

 of society. Although the climate of the United 

 States is not altogether as favorable for sheep, as 

 England, yet we certainly can boast of being able 

 to raise them at less price, and we do not know 

 why the long wooled sheep do not thrive as well 

 with us as any other breed. There are two kinds 

 of wool which may be considered as forming the 

 major part of the woolen trade between this coun- 

 try and England; the long and the fine wool, as 

 merino or Saxony. The intermediate qualities, 

 such as would correspond with the common wool 

 of this country, before the introduction of the me- 

 rinos, is mostly kept for the wear of the laboring 

 class; and although Wales and many other parts 

 produce large quantities of it, much of it is used 

 for domestic purposes, and very little of it is impor- 

 ted into this country ina..y shape. Situated as they 

 are in England, they have found it to their advan- 

 tage to purchase their fine wool from Saxony, and 

 other parts in preference to raising the sheep at 

 home. Circumstanced as we are, it would doubt- 

 less be well for us to continue to propagate fine 

 wooled sheep, to a certain extent, but we. ought 



also, in order to render us independent of other 

 nations, to grow long wool enough for our use. 



With regard to the size of the sheep, and the 

 quantity of food required for each, we are not a- 

 ware that any thing definite can be laid down. — 

 Perhaps the following may be as near correct 

 as any other theory, viz: that a given weight of 

 carcase requires a given weight of food for its 

 support, under the same health, and exercise. — 

 Hence the more quiet the animal the less food 

 will be required. That there is a difference in the 

 value of sheep of the same weight, but of differ- 

 ent shapes, all will admit, and we have no hesita- 

 tion in saying that some of the English long 

 wooled sheep possess the qualities of being well 

 shaped, and quiet in disposition to an eminent de- 

 gree. 



As to the weight of wool compared with the 

 weight of the carcase, we have never found so 

 great a difference as some would represent, taking 

 all the circumstances into consideration We 

 think that the different breeds of sheep at what 

 would be called common flesh, the weight of 

 fleece will not vary much from one pound of wool 

 to every ten pounds of carcase dressed. The 

 weight of a common flock of sheep, dressed, would 

 not vary much from thirty-five pounds, and th" 

 weight of fleece from the same flock may be con- 

 sidered as fair, at three and a half pounds. In the 

 Smithfield market, the weight of a flock of long 

 wooled sheep might be called fair at eighty-five 

 pounds carcase, and the fleece from the same 

 flock, would, we think average about eight and a 

 half pounds. Taking these positions as approxi- 

 mating to correctness, then there remains three 

 things to be considered in the choice of the breed 

 of sheep, viz: the quality of the wool produced, 

 with regard to the existing market — the disposi 

 tion of the animal, and lastly the shape. The 

 first of these must be dependent on the fashion of 

 the times, and the commercial and manufacturing 

 situation of those engaged in their propagation ; 

 but the two latter qualities are not subject to the 

 caprice of trade. The more quiet the annual, 

 the less food would be required for his support, 

 and a sheep with a small head and neck, light in 

 the fore quarters, with a broad loin and heavy hind 

 quarters, is more valuable than when the weight 

 lies more forward. 



Having attended the English markets for the pur 

 pose of examining the animals, we would describe 

 two breeds of sheep which we noticed, which we 

 consider would be profitable either in a national 

 point of view, or for individuals. We shall noi 

 attempt to describe these with all the precision of 

 an English breeder, tracing each slight variation, 

 but as they were named by the common people 

 who brought them to the market. These breeds 

 of sheep referred to, are spoken of in common' as 

 the Lincoln and Leicester breeds. Perhaps bree- 

 ders would sub-divide, what we should call Lin- 

 colnshire sheep into different varieties, as the 

 Old Leicester and Teeswater, &c, which appear 

 to us, to approach so near each other, that we 

 have thought proper to arrange them under one 

 general head. Those sheep have wool from six 

 to eight inches long, and of a silvery whiteness, 

 and pretty uniform in quality. They have small 



heads, short necks, legs free from wool, of rathe' 

 large size, broad on their backs, deep in the 

 chest and without horns, and particularly mild 

 and gentle in their dispositions; but it is said by 

 farmers that they do not fatten quite as well when 

 young as the Leicestershire sheep. 



The Leicestershire or New Leicester breed, cal- 

 led also, the Dishley sheep. Those seen in the 

 Smithfield market under these and several other 

 local names, are much taller than the other breed 

 mentioned ; they have clean straight legs which 

 are rather long, bodies round but heavy, small 

 heads, short necks, wool not so thick set as upon 

 the Lincolns, but having a peculiar wavy appear- 

 ance, and destitute of horns. They are said to 

 be finer in the flesh than the Lincolns, but both 

 kinds may be considered heavy rather than fine, 

 not being equal in that respect to smaller breeds. 

 ■ We examined several other breeds of sheep in 

 the English markets, but did not see any that we 

 thought would be important to introduce into this 

 country. We had heard much of the Southdown 

 sheep of England, and was not a little disap- 

 pointed at finding them to correspond with the 

 smutty faced, brown legged sheep of this country, 

 not being superior in any point, that we could 

 discover. 



As the season has now arrived when the atten- 

 tion of farmers are directed to their flocks of sheep, 

 we would recommend to them, that such as have 

 flocks of merino or Saxony, to endeavor to keep 

 them from any mixture from coarse wooled sheep; 

 and on the other hand, those who are wising 

 to propagate for market, we would recom- 

 mend that they procure breeders of one or 

 the other of the long wooled breeds mentioned a- 

 bove, for they may rest assured as soon as we 

 have plenty of those sheep with us, that the ma- 

 chinery necessary for manufacturing that kind of 

 wool to the greatest advantage will be introdu- 

 ced. 



GREEN HOUSE PLANTS. 

 ' He that loves a garden, loves a green house 

 too," said Cowper. 



As most ladies and many gentlemen are fond of 

 green house plants, we would remind those who 

 have planted them in the garden, or have those 

 which they have raised in the open ground the 

 summer past, that this is the proper time for ta- 

 king them up and placing them in pots, prepara- 

 tory to removing them within doors, as it is bet- 

 ter to have this done before the weather becomes 

 too cool, in order that the young roots may shoot 

 more freely. In removing plants, too much care 

 cannot be exercised, as it is important that the 

 roots should not be disturbed, neither more of the 

 soil shaken from them than is absolutely neces- 

 sary. After they are placed in the pots, they 

 should be well watered and set in the shade for a 

 day or two. Many plants which would endure 

 our winters are considered ornamental, and are 

 kept in the house through the winter, such as dai- 

 sies, cowslips, primroses, &c, and as these flow 

 er early, those who have plenty of pots will find 

 satisfaction in having them within doors, as they 

 will in that case hasten their time of flowering 6 

 month. 

 The Hydrangea hortensis, is considered a del' 



