394 APPENDIX. 



length, aiid sixteen in width, which are closed on the west side 

 and open at the east ; some are covered with boards, and others 

 with straw. 



[The kind of rack Mr. Brownlee uses is the box rack.] 



As for pasture, I prefer the prairie grass to any other until to- 

 wards fall, when it becomes dry, and sheep will not do so well on 

 it as other kinds. The blue grass I think ranks next, but timothy 

 and clover do very well. The prairie grass is not good for hay, 

 in my opinion, it being too binding, and therefore sheep do not 

 thrive upon it so well. 



I generally keep from 150 to 200 together summer and winter, 

 unless on the prairies, where I keep one thousand together in the 

 sunmier, if they have a large district to range over. AVhen we 

 keep our sheep in the fields, I generally change them once a 

 week, and keep salt and ashes (about equal portions) in a trough 

 under some shelter constantly by them summer and winter ; they 

 can then take it as often as they please, and the ashes Asill prevent 

 them from eating too much salt. The effect of the ashes is to 

 keep them more healthy. I think sheep should not be without 

 water every day during the winter when confined to dr\' food. 

 My bucks are put with the ewes from the 15th to the 20th of 

 November, and usually raise from 80 to 90 lambs to the hundred 

 ewes. 



As to diseases, I am happy to say that I have verj" little experi- 

 mental knowledge of them, as our sheep have not been exposed 

 to them, until last summer, when the foot-rot visited us, which is 

 a ver^' stubborn disease to cure. I had it in one of my flocks, 

 but I think I have eradicated it after much trouble, and will 

 here give you a recipe for the cure of it : — 



One lb. of Blue Vitriol finely pulveiized. 

 One ounce of Alum. 



Honey and hog's lard enough to make a stiff salve. The feet 

 must be closely pared, cleaned, and anointed with the salve, and 

 the sheep should be kept on diy ground on all occasions of tliis 

 kind. 



I am glad to hear that you are undertaking a work of the de- 

 scription you name, and the few lines of broken remarks I send 

 you are at your service. I wish you much success in your 

 project. 



LETTER FROM CHARLES B. SMITH, OF WOLCOTTVILLE, CONN. 



Dear Sir, — Your favor of the 12th inst. is at hand. It gives 

 me great pleasure to leani that the public is so soon to be in pos- 

 session of a work on Sheep Husbandry, the need of which I have 

 no doubt every wool-grower feels. 1 am aware that I can give 

 you no new ideas on sheep management, yet I willingly comply 

 \Ndth your request in giving you my experience in the matter. 



