THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



pasture, and sold the wool alone for one thousand 

 dollars. The last winter, considered by shepherds 

 one of the worst ever known for sheep, the same 

 gentleman wintered 600 sheep on less than 230 acres 

 of land, and did not commence feeding until after 

 the first of January, since which time the flock has 

 only eat about fifty bushels of corn and not a par- 

 ticle of fodder and hay. The increase of the flock 

 in wool and lambs will be given hereafter. Of this 

 flock only two have died by disease, two have been 

 smothered by the flock being crowded too much 

 when caught for examination, separation, tagging, 

 &c, and seven have been killed by dogs. Mr. Dox, 

 in the county of Nelson, on 500 acres of land, with 

 about 150 acres in woods and the balance so utterly 

 worn out as not to be worth cultivating, started, 

 two years ago, with a flock of 530 sheep, a cross of 

 Saxon and Merino. Up to August last he had sold 

 the wool and increase of the flock for $8600, which, 

 putting the annual expenses at $600, a very high 

 estimate, gives $1200 per annum, and had left 570 

 sheep, and a better flock than the one he began 

 with. 



We had ourselves purchased a part of Mr. Dox's 

 flock prior to the sale of Shadwell, and have had 

 them only since January. They have had nothing 

 but a few oats, given in the sheaf upon the ground, 

 and we suppose that they have not eaten five dol- 

 lars' worth. At present the whole flock of 275 is 

 fat upon 150 acres of land, and a field of 80 acres, 

 upon which the ewes are now lambing, is sufficient 

 to support twice their number with the greatest 

 ease. AVe have lost one sheep by disease, one by 

 dogs and two by their being smothered under the 

 rest of the flock, as Mr. Crenshaw's were. 



The experience of other persons who have done 

 as well might be cited, particularly of Mr. David- 

 son, lately removed with his sheep to Powhatan, 

 and Mr. Cunningham of Amelia; but it would be 

 tedious to refer to more cases than are cited. 



In all except the joint-worm districts sheep may 

 be permitted to run upon wheat through the winter 

 up to the first of March without injury to the crop — 

 sometimes with decided benefit — and even in bad 

 weather, except in wet soils, it is not necessary that 

 they should be taken off, though it would be better 

 for the sheep that it should be done. The expe- 

 rience of Mr. Old of Powhatan, as publicly stated 

 by him before the Virginia State Agricultural So- 

 ciety, abundantly proves this point; and it would 

 be useless with those who know him to attempt to 

 add anything to the weight of his authority. If it 

 were, we would venture to give our own expe- 

 rience, now of several years' standing, and that of 

 Col. Townes of Mecklenburg, who has assured us 

 that he deems himself well paid for having fol- 

 lowed the advice of a friend in this matter. 



But if it is thought better to feed them on grain 



in the winter, then two gills of oats per day, which 

 is enough, will amount to one bushel for 175 sheep, 

 or 150 bushels — the product of about eight acres 

 of ordinary land — for the winter and two months 

 of the spring. 



If it is desired to give them green food- at an 

 earlier period than the first of May, and there be 

 no standing pasture in which they may run, rye 

 may be sowed for them, part to be grazed off and 

 part to be cut and fed green ; and nothing will pay 

 better than to plough up the whole or a portion of 

 the next year's corn field and so treat it. 



The summer pasturage of sheep is a light matter 

 except when the flock is larger than any one is 

 likely to have for some time to come. A standing 

 pasture of the ordinary blue grass of the country, 

 (which is considered a pest, and is not, but a bless- 

 ing rather, if rightly used, and a very good sign 

 that other grasses will grow in its place,) a few lots 

 of orchard or timothy or herds grass, and the clo- 

 ver, of the second year's growth, will take them 

 until after harvest, when they will glean the wheat 

 fields, which they will do as well as hogs. From 

 that time until winter again they will fatten on the 

 fall and summer grasses, on the peas which should 

 be sowed for them among the corn, and on such 

 grass as springs up in the corn field after the last 

 working. 



The above remarks as to sheep have reference 

 rather to the Merino and Saxony breeds — the last 

 being a branch of the first — a member of the same 

 family — than to the heavier, or, as they are gene- 

 rally termed, the mutton breeds of sheep. We do 

 not doubt that there is profit in all, but we believe 

 that the profit on the fine woolled breeds exceeds 

 that on any of the others. They are healthier, 

 hardier, and thriftier; they are longer lived; they 

 bear crowding on the land better ; they will live on 

 scantier herbage than any of the other breeds, and 

 if .one shall die or be killed, the loss is less in con- 

 sequence of the greater value of the wool and the 

 smaller size of the carcass. As to mutton we believe 

 that more can be raised on the same quantity of land 

 with this than with any other breed of sheep, and 

 that the mutton is nearly as good as the South 

 Down, and better than the fat sheep of the Leices- 

 ter and Cotswold breeds, the flesh of which is now 

 rarely eaten in England, except by the working 

 classes, whose labors give both inclination to eat 

 and strength to digest it. 



But if any of the mutton breeds are preferred, 

 as by those living in the immediate neighborhood 

 of cities they should be, then we advise them, by 

 all means, to select the South Downs and none 

 others. 



We shall resume and probably conclude the sub- 

 ject in the next number of the Planter. But for 

 incessant and harassing engagements we should 

 have finished it in the present number. 



