290 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



JUXE 



the nest, di.sturbed as little as possible. "Wlien 

 the litter is nearly closed, the turkey will com- 

 mence by sitting at night and a part of the 

 day. The eggs should now be returned to the 

 nest, as there is danger, if we wait until she 

 sits steadily, of exposing the fresh eggs to a 

 too sudden change of temperature for success- 

 ful incubation. 



The turkey is a most assiduous sitter, — 

 sometimes remaining upon her nest, to the 

 destruction of life. They should be occasion- 

 ally taken from the nest and fed. 



Care of the Young. 

 The turkey, when first hatched, is the most 

 tender of domestic fowls. If they can be 

 brought successfully through the first four 

 week's, the largest and most difficult part of 

 the work is done. I have found cooping for 

 the first five or six days, in some long coop, 

 like a sheep rick, divided so as to give each 

 turkey some four feet space, the most success- 

 ful method. The young intermix. Each tur- 

 key is the common mother of all the young. 

 When allowed to ramble they will herd to- 

 gether, so that three or four turkeys with 75 

 or 100 young will make no more labor than 

 one with 15 or 20. During the first four 

 weeks they should not be allowed to ramble 

 until the dew is off, returning them to the coop 

 nights, and keeping them in on rainy days. 



Feeding. 

 The most natural food for turkeys is insects. 

 Were it not for rain and dew they would be 

 self-sustaining. The mother, unbke the hen , 

 does not starve herself to feed her brood. 

 She does not even divide ; but takes all she 

 wants. If she is not well fed she will ramble 

 in pursuit of food beyond the strength of her 

 young, and by neglecting the invigorating in- 

 fluence of frequent brooding, may lose the 

 weaker ones. Having tried various kinds of 

 food, the best success has been secured by 

 using wheat bread soaked in sour milk for the 

 first few days, then gradually changing to brown 

 bread, aud as they become larger and require 

 more food, intermixing some wheat bran. As 

 soon as insects become plenty, no other food 

 is required, except in rainy, damp weather, 

 which is more injurious to young turkeys than 

 to h?gh blood sheep. If unprotected, a heavy 

 showTr will freipiently destroy a large share of 

 a healthy brood. Al)Out the first of October, 

 insects gradually diminish, the mornings begin 

 to be cold and frosty, and some cheap and 

 nutritious food is necessary ; first, once a day ; 

 then twice, and after about the first of Novem- 

 ber, food should be constantly kept before 

 them. I find boiled potato mashed fine, thick- 

 ened with bean and corn meal, a cheap and 

 good food, which should be made richer with 

 meal, adding corn, as they near Thanksgiving 



and Christmas. 



Statistics. 



The following estimates bear upon the ques- 



tion whether rearing turkeys as above describ- 

 ed, is or is not remunerative. 



Five turkeys will, on an average, bring up 50 

 young, at an expense of $20 for labor, and §40 

 for feed or $1.20 per Lead, $60 00 



1865. Sold 51 turkeys, nearly 133i lbs. each, . $116 08 

 Cost of raising 51 turkeys, $1.20 each, CI 20 



Net gain, ^^^ ^^ 



1866. Sold 35 turkeys, a fraction over 15 lbs. ; 

 one gobbler, 21 lbs.; another, 22 lbs.; aud 

 another, 19 lbs. ; 38 in all, P9 29 



Cost of raising, at $1.20 each, 45 60 



• "7^ 



Net gain, $-^'^ ^^ 



I have on hand 8 hens, and two young gobblers,— one 

 from first litter, 24 lbs. ; from second Jitter, 19 lbs. Best 

 young hen, 16 lbs.; best young pair, 40 lbs.; average 

 tour young hens, 14 lbs. 4 oz. ; average four old hens, 

 15 lbs. 10 oz. ; best old hen, 17 lbs. 

 Brandon, Vt., 1867. H. A. Sumner. 



MANAGEMENT OF LAMBS. 



We continue our extracts from Dr. Randall's 



valuable articles in the Rural Neio Yorker, on 



"Raising Lambs," compiled from the answers 



of th(?leading sheep farmers of New York and 



New England, to questions which he submitted 



to them. 



Docking and Castration. 



Mr. Baker docks and castrates lambs at six 

 to ten days old; Brown, Heyne, Rich and 

 Saxton, at four weeks old; E. O. Clapp at 

 three weeks, A. II. Clapp and Wright, at 

 three or four weeks, but Clapp docs not 

 perform both operations at the same time; 

 Elithorp docks at one or two weeks, and 

 castrates at eight; Gregory docks at wash- 

 ing and castrates at shearing; Hammond 

 do° ks at two weeks and castrates at four ; the 

 Marshalls dock and castrate at from six to 

 fifteen days ; Pitts, at from one to four weeks ; 

 Pottle, at from one to three weeks, according 

 to the "strength and vitality" of the animal; 

 Sanlbrd, at two weeks ; AVilcox, at one or two 

 weeks, but does not perform the operations 

 together. Our own views as to time, manner, 

 appropriate weather, &c., are given in the 

 Practical Shepherd. 



Killing Ticks on Lambs. 

 All concur that dipping the lambs in a de- 

 coction of tobacco, strong enough to kill ticks, 

 is the most effectual mode of removing these 

 parasites from the flock. The time of our cor- 

 retpondents' dipping them varies from two or 

 three days to two weeks after shearing the 

 dams. We prefer the latter time, so that all 

 the ticks on the ewes shall have had time to 

 get (as they will) on the lambs. 

 "Weaning Lambs. 

 Baker weans lambs at three months old, 

 making it a point to do so "during tlie (lark of 

 the moon," as they will not bleat as nuich for 

 their dams in dark as in light nights ; Brown, 

 the Clapps, Elil.horp, Rich, Saxton and Wil- 

 cox, at four montlis; Hammond, from three 

 aud a half to four months ; Heyne, from three 



