318 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



EXPERIENCE OF A PRACTICAL "WOOL- 

 GRO"W"ER. 



On Jan. 1st, 1860, I purchased and had driven 

 to my barn twenty fine wooled, old ewes, taken 

 from one of the best flocks in the county ; and 

 paid for the same forty doUars. These twenty had 

 been the good sheep, in their day, in a flock of 

 eighty. My friends told me they would rejuve- 

 nate, as it were, upon my place. I had no sheep, 

 no knowledge of sheep, no practice in tending 

 them, and hence, tried to follow the advice of ev- 

 ery one in managing them. A first-rate, full- 

 blooded Spanish Merino buck had been with these 

 sheep. 



The first season, lost two sheep, raised twelve 

 good lambs, and took 3^ lbs. of clean wool aver- 

 age per head from my sheep. Used one of the 

 best bucks the fall of 1860. 



Second season ; lost two more ewes, raised six- 

 teen nice lambs, sheared upon an average four lbs. 

 per head. Fall of 1861, used an ordinary buck. 

 Wintered fifteen of my old sheep and each raised 

 a lamb. 



My old sheep had really recruited. Their fleeces 

 increased yearly, and upon the third clipping sea- 

 son averaged 4^ lbs. ; yearlings and two-year-olds, 

 6 lbs. Sold my lambs fall of 1862 for a high price. 

 My sheep came to the barn in November in a first- 

 rate condition. The old sheep looked three years 

 younger than when I got them. Pleased with 

 my success, I had learned something of sheep, and 

 the way to tend tliem. Bought ten more old 

 sheep from the same flock. Used in November, 

 1862, a yearling buck of my own purchase, select- 

 ed for his many and promising qualities^— a full- 

 blooded Spanish Merino. His first fleece of 13 

 months age, weighed 16 lbs. nice wool. Spring 

 of 1863 raised 30 very nice lambs. Those from 

 my young sheep are second to none. The fourth 

 clip of these old sheep and their off'spring aver- 

 aged 5 3-5 lbs. nice, clean, fine wool, per head. 

 My buck sheared 22^ lbs. one year's growth. 

 Live weight before shearing 153 lbs. Sold 8 fat 

 wethers just after shearing, whose average live 

 weight was 85 lbs. Reckoned in the last clip was 

 the fleece of the first lamb of my buck, dropped 

 from a small yearling cosset Nov. 25th, 1862, 

 which fleece weighed 33 lbs. I now have lambs 

 after that buck, which sheep men have lu'ged me 

 to sell to them for ten dollars per head, and two- 

 and two-year old ewes for double that sum. 



During this three years' experience, I have sat- 

 isfactorily learned that there is a profound science 

 in sheep-raising and wool-growing. This science 

 has both its theory and practice, which requires 

 thorough study and careful observation. 



To young men entering upon the sheep busi- 

 ness, I ofl'er the following practiqal observations : 



1, Begin with a few common ewes, and improve 

 by using the best bucks. 



2, Keep no more sheep than can be kept well 

 the year round. 



3, Tend them carefully ; thus losses other than 

 by accident will be avoided. Franklin, N. H., 

 July 14, 1863. J. W. Simonds, in Stock Journal. 



Vitality of Seeds.— In addition to the old 

 story of the vegetation of wheat found in an 

 Egyptian mummy, the New Hampshire Journal 

 of Agriculture, in reply to the inquiry of a corres- 



pondent as to the length of time that seeds retain 

 their vitality, quotes the following statement from 

 an English paper, 



James Binks, in the North British Agricidturist, 

 stated that he had recently cleared otf some old 

 Roman encampments on his farm near Alnwick, a 

 farm which he had lived upon for 64 years, and 

 forthwith among the barley there sown, arose some 

 74 varieties of oats, never seen in that section be- 

 fore. As no oats had been sown, he supposed the 

 place to have been an old cavalry camp, and that 

 the oats which were ripened under other skies, had 

 lain covered with debris for 1500 years, and now 

 being exposed to the action of sun and air, they 

 germinated as readily as though but recently sown. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 RETOSPECTIVE NOTES. 



Manures — Why so Much Neglected and 

 Wasted. — In the issue of this journal of August 

 1st, we find two quite noteworthy articles on the 

 many-sided subject of manures ; one by "K. O," 

 on "Preparing and Applying Manure," and the 

 other by "'Capt. Elijah Tucker" on various top- 

 ics comprehended under the several departments 

 of "Making, Preserving and Applying Manures." 

 In the course of these two articles, we have found 

 remarks of jn-actical use and value on several of 

 the many questions which have been raised in in- 

 vestigations and discussions relating to the gener- 

 al subject, the use and value of which remarks 

 consist, partly, in denouncing and exposing erro- 

 neous opinions and practices which have not yet 

 been discarded, and, partly, in the statement of 

 correct views and the description of improved 

 modes of practice. The candid and progress-lov- 

 ing reader will find but little, if any, occasion for 

 dissent or criticism ; but abundant occasion for 

 commendation, and opportunity for a grateful re- 

 cognition of the services of two brother-farmers 

 whose aim has obviously been to increase the 

 knowledge, or refresh the memory, and thus pro- 

 mote the interests of their readers. All such ser- 

 vices should be more highly appreciated. 



Notwithstanding that, with similar public-spir- 

 ited and good aims, so many have endeavored, and 

 are every now and then endeavoring, to teach their 

 brethren what experience, observation and reflec- 

 tion have taught themselves as to the proper man- 

 agement of manures, there is yet one fact in this 

 connection which must be apparent to every one 

 who closely observes the management of their 

 neighbors and of farmers generallj^. The fact re- 

 ferred to, is this ; that, the majority of farmers are 

 wonderfully apathetic and indifi'erent, slack and 

 heedless in regard to saving manure or whatever 

 may be used to fertilize their lands, and as to pre- 

 serving all such material from waste. Neglectful- 

 ness and wastefulness, slackness and poor man- 

 agement as to manures, are prominent characteris- 

 tics of the bulk of farmers everywhere. 



Now, as this negligence, wastefulness and mis- 

 management are a source of much loss, low profits 

 and poor crops, and aff'ect the interests of the 

 whole of a county or State as well as those of the 

 parties practicing them, it seems very important 

 that the root or cause, whence these general char- 

 acteristics of our farmers spring, should be sought 

 out and corrected or removed. What then is the 



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