45 



statement of the resvdt of my experiment in sheep husbandry. 

 In October, 18(33, I purchased a small flock of sheep, consisting 

 of one hundred and nine ewes, the grade being Leicester and 

 South Down, one full blood ram, Leicester, three years old, one 

 South Down ram, two years old. October 19th, put the rams 

 with the ewes — the Leicester ram with the grade Leicester, and 

 South Down ram with grade South Down. They were kept at 

 pasture until December 7th, having no other feed, but brought to 

 the yard every night. After taking up for the winter they were 

 fed on hay until they began to lamb. Then I gave them rowen 

 and turnips, and a small quantity of linseed meal. They com- 

 menced to drop their lambs ]\Lirch 9th, 1864 — 103 ewes giving 

 135 lambs — lost, 27 ; saved, 108. They were turned to pasture 

 April 26. I am obliged to keep a shepherd with my flock to pro- 

 tect them from the dogs, which are allowed to run over every field 

 in town with perfect liberty. This added to my expense, say 20 

 per cent, on the keeping of the whole flock. The hay I have 

 charged at ^20 per ton ; the amount fed per day about 3 lbs. to 

 each sheep. The prices obtained for lambs and wool were not 

 fancy prices, but rather under the market prices ; for example, the 

 wool when clipped, June 1st, was sent to the manufacturers, who 

 paid me 78 cents per lb., discounting 25 per cent, for being un- 

 washed ; the fleeces averaged 5 1-2 lbs. each. When the lambs 

 became large enough for the butcher he took them, and allowed 

 me his own price. I adopted the course to give the experiment a 

 fair trial, and that no one could say that fancy prices were ob- 

 tained. In footing up Mr. Motley's account, I find the sheep and 

 keeping one year was, in gross, $1,328.87. At the close, his 

 sheep, lambs and wool, with what he sold and had left at first cost, 

 was worth $1,800.08, leaving a balance of profit of $471.21, or 

 about 60 per cent, upon the original cost. 



Mr. Motley has one of the best, (if not the very best) stock 

 farms in the county. He has kept the best .Jersey cows for dairy, 

 and has always got the highest price for his milk and butter, it 

 being of a very superior quality. If Mr. Motley can make more 

 money by keeping sheep than on such cows as he has kept, and 

 with such advantage for selling milk, is it not very certain that 

 those living further from the milk market would do much better to 

 keep sheep than cows, or any other stock 'i 



The Chairman received a letter from Mr. E. R. Andrews of 

 West Roxbury, stating that his Cotswold Sheep are strong, healthy, 

 and hardy, and that the ewes are prolific breeders, and good 

 nurses, very frequently dropping and raising twins. If raised, 

 they come quickly to maturity, attain great size, and yield when 

 turned to the butcher, a large carcass of mutton of a superior 



