150 ' ESSAY ON SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



that number of neat cattle, without injury to them, viz : 21,166, 

 instead of the 4,892 actually kept, and yielding 60,000 pounds 

 of wool. At thirty-five cents per pound, this wool would have 

 been worth $21,000, instead of $5,019, the actual value. I 

 have proceeded thus far upon the supposition that there should 

 be no reduction in the number of neat cattle kept. But is it 

 clear that the keeping of neat cattle is always at the greatest 

 profit ? Let us compare the keeping of cows and sheep, for a 

 moment. 



A given pasture will carry ten cows. These cows may on 

 an average, yield six pounds of butter a week, for six months, 

 without meal or other extra keep. At 23 cts per pound this 

 will, for the ten cows, amount in six months to 358 dollars. 

 Ten calves, at $4,50 each, amount to 45 dollars, the whole 

 making 403 dollars. Estimate the expense of a dairy woman, 

 including board at two and a half dollars per week, or 65 dol- 

 lars for the season, and the expense of milking and driving the 

 cows, at the same rate per week, being 65 dollars more for the 

 season. Deduct these expenses, from the value of the butter 

 and veal, and we have $273 for the net income of the cows. 



Now for the sheep. The same pasture, by the usual mode 

 of reckoning, will carry 50 sheep. They will yield three 

 pounds of wool each. At 35 cents per pound, this will amount 

 to $52,50, I estimate the number of lambs to be 70. These 

 at two dollars and fifty cents each, are worth 175 dollars. 

 The wool and lambs are consequently worth $227,50. The 

 next item to be considered, is the gain of the flock by fatten- 

 ing. The sheep must be supposed to have the same advan- 

 tage from fall feed that cows usually do. The flock will then 

 be fit for the butcher in autumn. I will only suppose two fat 

 sheep to be worth three store sheep. The flock of 50 now 

 becomes 75. We now have the positive gain of 25 fat sheep. 

 At $2,50 each, these are worth $62,50. 

 The account now stands thus — 



Income of the sheep, $290 00 



Income of the cows, 273 00 



Balance in favor of sheep, $17 00 



