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altbo', when first class, it commands a liiglier price in our markets. 



4. And lastly and principally because almost every farmer in New 

 England might keep a sheep to every cow, without any addition to or 

 change of pasture. This would bring a welcome addition to the 

 income of the farm, while the pasture would be materially benefitted 

 by the manure which is rich and well-distributed, and is largely com- 

 posed of plants which the cows reject, and which therefore are liable 

 to over-run and possess the land. 



Three of the most important objects of sheep husbandry in New 

 England : 



1. The raising of market lambs. 



2. The production of Wethers for feeding. 



3. The feeding of mutton sheep for the butcher. 



The raising of lambs for the market offers great inducements when 

 judiciously managed. The most approved system is to buy good 

 common ewes in early autumn, and to breed them to a pure bred ram 

 of one of the mutton breeds. 



There is room for the exercise of judgment and discretion in the 

 selection of both ewes and. rams. The following are some of the 

 desirable points : In ewes, nice straight backs, broad chests, round 

 barrels, broad across the hips. Of a ram, a rather small head, but 

 with a good masculine countenance, a lively bright eye, broad across 

 the shoulders and breast, straight and even across the back, round in 

 the barrel, full in the hams, holding as near as possible, the same 

 width from shoulder to rump. To produce good early lambs both the 

 ewes and ram should be well kept, and in good thrifty condition, and 

 the ram especially should have from a pint to a quart of oats per 

 day. The ewes should be well kept thro' the winter, by feeding not 

 only hay, but also a few roots and a little grain every day. They 

 should also have convenient yards, plenty of clean bedding, and con- 

 stant or at least frequent access to pure water. In each yard should 

 be a box with salt in one end, and salt, wood ashes and sulphur in 

 the other ; and it is well to feed occasionally a little browse of pine 

 or hemlock. Three or four weeks before lambing time, the ewe's 

 grain should be increased and the supply of roots lessened. During 

 the season of lambing they should be watched very closely and 

 assisted a little if necessary. If lambs come in winter, the ewes 

 should be in a dry warm place, with plenty of litter. While suckling 

 their lambs, the ewes should have about half a pint of corn meal 

 daily, together with their hay or corn stalks. The early lambs are 



