18 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Jak. 



never before produced, 



the 



value of the Saxon sheep, and their spread over 

 so large a portion of Europe, and remote parts 

 of the world. No other breeds are so highly 

 prized on the Continent, and none which com- 

 mand such enormous prices. Mr. Grove has 

 stated, that while grade Saxons sell for three to 

 fifteen dollars per head, individual rams of un- 

 contaminated blood often bring from one hundred 

 to two hundred and fifty rix dollars ; a flock was 

 purchased, destined for Russia, a few years since, 

 for which the average price paid exceeded five 

 hundred dollars ; and Mr. Spooner states that, 

 latterly, rams have been sold at the almost in- 

 credible prices of one hundred to near three 

 hundred guineas per head. The cause of these 

 extravagant prices has been stated ; and so long 

 as there exist grades in society, and the highest 

 of these covet a wardrobe of the finest texture, 

 the breed will continue to be appreciated, and 

 sedulously cultivated. 



[To be continued.'] 



Management af Merino Sheep. 



[From Trans, of N. Y. State Ag. Society.] 



Dear Sir : — Your favor, requesting me to 

 send you an article giving an account of my 

 management of Merino sheep, was duly received, 

 and I the more cheerfully comply, because I 

 consider the wool growing business already a 

 primary object of agriculture with very many of 

 the farmers of many States, and have no doubt 

 that it may become one of the chief objects of 

 agriculture throughout the Northern and West- 

 ern States. My management in the season for 

 grass is, to have the lambs drop from about the 

 2.5th of April, to the 20th of May ; to keep the 

 sheep where they may be protected from storms 

 when necessary, and where they may be often 

 under the eye of the shepherd, so that any young 

 lambs that may not be able to draw nourishment 

 from their dams, may be assisted and saved. If 

 the weather is warm, and the ewes in good con- 

 dition, sometimes nearly an hundred per cent, 

 of lambs may be raised ; while at other times, in 

 case of frequent storms of rain and snow, it re- 

 quires the most vigorous effort on the part of the 

 shepherd, in housing and protecting them. And 

 notwithstanding all his efforts to save, he some- 

 times meets with some loss of young lambs. I 

 think my average to be about 90 per cent, of 

 lambs raised. 



I usually shear early in June. I think that 

 if breeding ewes are suffered to retain their long 

 thick fleeces on their backs, much later than that 

 time, the warm days will so affect them as to 

 piake them uncomfortable, and cause them to 

 afford less milk for their young. Great care 

 should be taken to give them shelter, in case of 

 long or cold rains soon after shearing. 



Dry lands for pastures, with frequent changes, 



of the high are very necessary, where only one flock 



kept, and a certain amount of pasture is allotted 

 them. It is much better so to arrange their pas- 

 tures, if possible, as to be able to change them 

 frequently, from one field to another, so that 

 each in its turn may become fresh and green. 

 Sheep do not require long feed, but need a suf- 

 ficient quantity, with plenty of salt. When 

 troubled with ticks, I dip the lambs in a decoc- 

 tion of tobacco, about eight or ten days after 

 shearing. Lambs should be weaned as early as 

 the middle of August ; they should be put into 

 a fresh pasture of tender grass, so far from the 

 dams as not to hear each other, with one or 

 more tame sheep, to aid in making them also 

 tame. They should have plenty of salt, and be 

 kept on the very best pastures until the season 

 for feeding hay. They should, as well as all 

 other sheep, have access to, or be driven under 

 shelter, during the cold storms of autumn. — 

 Ewes, after the lambs are taken from them, 

 should have short pasture for a few days, say 10 

 or 12, in order to dry up their milk, and thus 

 prepare them for good pastures, with which they 

 should be supplied, together with plenty of salt, 

 until the season for feeding hay. All other 

 sheep should be kept on good dry pastures, with 

 , frequent changes and salt. With this treatment 

 they will be likely to be sufficiently strong and 

 fleshy to commence the winter. 



The seasons for grass are also the time for 

 pruning the flock, and of disposing of such indi- 

 viduals as are most objectionable as to fleece or 

 form, after receiving a mark at the time of shear- 

 ing, denoting the objection. This plan for rais- 

 ing the strength and condition of the sheep, 

 during the seasons of grass, I think, will always 

 be found to be much cheaper and better than that 

 of letting them remain poor until winter, and 

 then attempting to raise them by extra feed of 

 hay and grain. At the commencement of win- 

 ter, every sheep should have a place, and be in 

 its place. I feed altogether in racks placed in 

 barns that are closed on all sides, but so ventila- 

 ted that when necessary the air may be made 

 nearly equal with that of the field. I feed plen- 

 ty of salt, and give them free access to water. I 

 usually feed from six to eight quarts per day, to 

 one hundred sheep, of corn, or its equal in peas, ' 

 shorts, or some other grain, generally ground. 

 I commence feeding grain at the same time that 

 I do hay. I make no allowance for waste of hay, 

 none at all. I cut my grass, if clover, (which I 

 prefer,) when in bloom; other varieties tolera- 

 bly green. I feed hay morning and evening, 

 what they will eat, and no more ; and usually 

 grain at noon, also straw of whatever kind I have; 

 the greater the variety the better ; and what they 

 leave in the racks affords sufficient litter to keep 

 their apartments always dry and clean. 



My pure blooded merino sheep, the pedigree 

 of which may be traced to the hands of the im- 



