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THE GENESEE FAEALEE. 



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A. No; every farmer has a large number of "hurdlesj" as they call them, and with these, portable 

 fences are made and the turneps apportioned off to the sheep in small quantities. On -well managed 

 farms a fresh portion of land is allowed the fatting sheep each morning, and they are not forced to 

 eat the turneps very close, the breeding ewes, separated from the fatting sheep by hurdles, eating up 

 all the turneps clean. 



£. I should think this a good plan ; but it must be attended with considerable labor, and in large 

 fields a great many of these — what you call them ? — hurdles would be required. 



A. Eating them in this way, on the land, is attended with much less labor and expense than would 

 be incurred in drawing them to the barn yard and hauling the manure back on the land. Besides their 

 light sandy soils, what they call their best turnep and barley soils, are much improved and consoli- 

 dated by treading with sheep. It is true, as you say, a great many hurdles are required; for as they 

 are but seven feet long, it takes a considerable many to go across a twenty acre lot. A farmer of 200 

 acres cannot get along well witll less than 500 hurdles. They were perfectly astonished when I told 

 them we had no hurdles in America. They could not think how we managed to get along without 

 them, "and timber so cheap too." 



B. What age are their sheep when th«y commence fatting them. 



A. That depends a good deal on the breed kept. The common sheep of the country, which, like 

 our own, are a mongrel breed, are fattened for the butcher the winter before they are two years old. 

 South Down wethers are often fully matured and very fat at from ten to fifteen months old. I have 

 seen a large flock that would average twenty pounds a quarter at a year old ; they had, however, 

 been unusually well kept — I should say extravagantly so — ^and, as the owner told me, "had eaten 

 their heads off." They had been allowed one pound of American oil-cake per day, for which $45 

 per ton was paid. 



B. I recollect the time when I could get as much linseed oil-cake here as I wished for $10 per ton, 

 but now it sells readily for $22. I suppose it is the large demand for it in Europe, and the increased 

 facilities of transportation, that has so enhanced the price. 



A. I think even at that price it is the cheapest food we can feed to cattle ; cheaper tlian corn at 

 60 eta. per bushel. I mix a little of it with corn meal for my horses, and they do exceeding well on 

 it, never better. Tlie English farmers think that pound for pound, oil-cake is worth more than any 

 other substance used as food ; while the manure made by the animals taking it, is of the richest and 

 most valuable kind. There was considerable discussion when I was there, which was best economy. 

 — to purchase guano to manure the land, or to purchase American oil-cake for feeding cattle and 

 sheep, and thus make a greater quantity of manure of a much improved quality. I cannot say which 

 is the cheapest, but from the increasing quantity of guano annually used, I am inclined to think that 

 public opinion is in favor of guano. Fancy 160,000 tons of Peruvian guano sold last year in England. 



B. What crops do tliey generally use it for, and how do they apply it? I see some of tlie papere 

 recommend mixing it with plaster previous to sowing. 



A. English farmers do not mix anything with it They break it up fine and sow it broadcast, 

 harrowing it in. They sow it on wheat in the fall, on clover, turneps, potatoes, mangel wurtsel, and, 

 in fact on almost all their crops. From 200 lbs. to 400 lbs. per acre is the usual quantity. I have 

 seen at least a difference of ten bushels of wheat per acre on land guanoed and unguanoed. It is a 

 most powerful fertilizer, but I think the price is too high for us to use. it in Westei-n New YorL 



B. They use large quantities of it in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and other Atlantic States. It 

 is stated to have a miraculous effect on their worn out soils, enabling the farmer to grow good crojje 

 of clover, wheat, and com, where before white beans would die of actual starvation. I see, too, 

 from the last number of the Oenesee Farmer, a gentleman near Rochester got an increase of ninety 

 bushels of potatoes per acre from applying 300 lbs. of guano, at a cost of $10 per acre. 



A. The greatest benefit I ever saw from applying manure was in Norfolk, on ruta bagaa On part 

 of the field 400 lbs. of superphosphate of lime was sown, and on this part there was at least 1000 ba 

 per acre ; while on the part not dressed with it, there was not a hundred. They usually drill the 

 manure with the seed, and in places where the drill had clogged and not sown any of the manure, 

 the turneps were not quarter so good. I observed this in very many cases. The farmei-s who have 

 used it, all say that it is the greatest manure in the world for turneps, and immense quantities are 

 annually sold. It is now manufactured in New York, and I intend to try some of it for ruta bagfis 

 next summer. They charge more for it in New York than they do in ikigland, but it may be of a 

 snperiorquality. i p 



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