1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



cold, northerly winds ; and in summer the north- 

 erly side would afford excellent shade from the 

 scorching rays of the sun ! 



When we have seen the sheep lying panting 

 under some low bush or wall, we have wondered 

 that it did not occur to our farmers who have 

 some old hoards and slabs lying round, to make 

 a cheap shed for their cattle. What a protection 

 it would be during showers, storms and winds ! 

 and the amount of manure found there would be 

 sufficient proof that it was appreciated by those it 

 protected. 



But they say it will not pay. If it will not pay 

 to Remove a stone from the surface of the ground, 

 it certainly will not pay to let it remain there. 

 What profit did the farmer ever realize from that 

 square yard of land occupied by a stone ? A spire 

 of grass, a blade of grain or corn never waved 

 there. But the stone once removed the soil be- 

 comes productive forever. Whether the stone is 

 used to build a fence or make a drain, it ceases to 

 be a barrier to the cultivation of the soil. The 

 question of paying being simply a question of time, 

 improvements on land ought not to be calculated 

 like ordinary outlays which endure but for a sea- 

 son. The improvement of land by removing stone 

 continues forever. 



We have, in preceding articles, referred to the 

 large amount of wool which is raised in Great 

 Britain ; but it is not for wool alone that sheep 

 are kept in that country. Mutton constitutes a 

 large item in the domestic economy. It is fre- 

 quently styled a beef eating country, but a larger 

 amount of mutton is consumed there every year 

 than of beef. Mutton is cheaper and more nutri- 

 tious than beef, and far more nutritious and much 

 more healthy than pork, and can be produced at a 

 less cost than either. 



The experiments of physiologists prove that 

 mutton is not only more nutritious, but digests 

 more easily, and more readily assimilates to the 

 system than any other meat we are in the habit 

 of consuming, and is more economical to the buy- 

 er at the usual prices, for careful experiments 

 show that while beef in boiling loses 26£ per cent., 

 mutton loses but 21 per cent. ; beef loses by roast- 

 ing 32 per cent., mutton only 24 per cent. 



The committee's report on sheep husbandry for 

 I860 from which we quote, says : 



"These facts have not only been long known 

 and demonstrated by English and French philos- 

 ophers, but have been actually and practically un- 

 derstood by the people, and certainly are worthy 

 the consideration of our own countrymen. 



"The taste for and consumption of mutton will 

 increase according to the quantity and quality of 

 the production. Mutton can be raised much 

 cheaper than beef or pork. Mr. Mechi says, 'he 

 is convinced that beef must sell twenty per cent, 

 higher to make them pay alike.' When our farm- 

 ers find the demand for mutton increasing accord- 

 ing to their exertions to make it good, that they 

 can raise*t a quarter cheaper than they can beef, 

 and that it is better husbandry to get a hundred 

 pounds of mutton from one sheep than from two, 

 and the quality of that will be a ruling condition, 

 then we shall have our State farmers cultivating 

 the best breeds of English mutton sheep to the 

 comfort, profit and health of the whole communi- 

 ty as well as themselves." 



And if farmers wish to increase the demand, 



and to cultivate a taste for mutton, let them pro- 

 duce the kind described, and they will find their 

 efforts appreciated by being remunerated. 



We are satisfied that the supply of good mutton 

 is not near equal to the demand in this vicinity ; 

 and the same may be said of the larger towns in 

 the State as well as the villages. But we do not 

 blame the people for having no taste for a large 

 amount of the mutton that has been brought to 

 market. We are pleased, however, to notice a 

 marked improvement in the mutton offered for 

 sale, yet there is room for still further improve- 

 ment, and the public are ready to reward every 

 attempt to bring to market a first class article. 



In order to demonstrate that the raising of mut- 

 ton is more profitable than raising stock or pro- 

 ducing beef, let us suppose a heifer calf and six 

 lambs are dropped at the same time, the expense 

 of keeping six sheep being generally admitted to 

 be equal to one cow ; the cost, however, of keep- 

 ing the calf the first six months will be more than 

 the cost of keeping the lambs. These lambs we 

 will consider wethers, of the long or middle wool 

 description, which are the best for mutton. At 

 one year old these would have fleeces of superior 

 coarse wool ; and if we reckon it at the lowest 

 price, such wool has reached the last twenty years 

 — twenty-five cents a pound — and reckon six 

 pounds to a fleece, which is light for that class of 

 sheep, then we shall have nine dollars for wool 

 the first year ; and the second year the fleeces 

 would be larger, though not quite equal in quali- 

 ty, yet the value would be about the same, — that 

 would make eighteen dollars for the wool for 

 both years ; and calling the wethers one hundred 

 pounds each, which would not be a great weight 

 for this class of sheep fat, then we should have 

 six hundred pounds of mutton, for which four and 

 one-half cents per pound could easily be obtained, 

 then we should have twenty-seven dollars for mut- 

 ton, added to eighteen for wool, would give us 

 forty-five dollars. How many heifers are there to 

 be found at two years of age worth forty-five dol- 

 lars? But suppose we take six ewe lambs, the 

 first year we should have their fleeces, which, if 

 they had no lambs, would be worth as much as 

 the wether's nine dollars ; the second year their 

 coming in with lamb we would call the wool only 

 six dollars, and we would only reckon six lambs, 

 three for the butcher and three for stock. The 

 butchers have been paying the present year four 

 dollars per head, but we call them only three dol- 

 lars, and two for those kept for stock, which would 

 be fifteen dollars for wool and fifteen for lambs, 

 and if we only called the six ewes two and one- 

 half dollars each, would be fifteen dollars, then we 

 should have forty-five dollars, the proceeds of six 

 ewes, not bringing them in as many do at one 

 year old, but at two, and reckoning in no coup- 

 lets and low prices. 



W. R. Putnam, in his report on sheep, gives 

 the actual sale from one of his sheep for three 

 years as follows: 1861, two lambs dropped the 

 oth of March, sold the loth of June to the butch- 

 er for ten dollars ; six pounds of unwashed wool 

 sold at twenty-five cents per pound, one dollar 

 and fifty cents. 1862, two lambs at four dollars 

 and twenty cents, eight dollars and forty cents ; 

 four pounds of wool, one dollar and sixty cents. 

 1863, two lambs at three dollars and sixty cents 

 apiece, seven dollars and twenty cents ; six pounds 



