THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



309 



in my late communication, to which I beg leave 

 to call your further attention. But one re- 

 mark I will now add, that is, if your lands are 

 liable to broom, let your seeds at first be prim 

 cipally red clover, so that by the application 

 and effect of plaster, the land may be advanced 

 beyond the natural broom point. Red clover 

 is not valuable for grazing purposes, principal 

 ly because of its being so easily killed by the 

 treading of stock, but it is well to scatter a 

 few seeds with other grasses, that the grazing 

 animals may have variety. 



Above I have said that sheep should not be 

 kept on land which is fit and proper for agri- 

 cultural purposes. Now, although I do not 

 intend to modify this declaration, yet it may 

 need explanation. There are some few spots, 

 other than alluvial bottoms, which from natu- 

 ral causes or peculiar management, become 

 surcharged with vegetable matter, and hence 

 (in part,) too porous to yield a crop of corn or 

 wheat equivalent to their apparent ability. 

 Such lands are wanting what is generally term- 

 ed animal matter; that is, the droppings of ani- 

 mals, their respiration and perspiration, in 

 quantities equivalent to the vegetable matter ; 

 in addition to which the tramping of the ani- 

 mals will also add to the improvement. For 

 this purpose, perhaps, sheep are to be preferred. 

 And for the eradication of sassafras and briars 

 perhaps sheep are preferable to any other ani- 

 mal ; but when these purposes are effected 

 what is to be done with the sheep ? 



For grazing purposes the most valuable 

 grass in our State is the green sward, especial- 

 ly for sheep ; and I ver/much doubt the suc- 

 cess of sheep breeding in Va., where the green 

 # sward does not appear without sowing, except 

 in some of the western counties, where the ti- 

 mothy has become indigenous. I would not 

 dissuade Mr. Bingham from his purpose of at- 

 tempting to profit by breeding cattle and sheep 

 for market, but as he asks my opinion, I an 

 swer, I think his locality (Orange county, N. 

 C. ; ) unsuitable for either purpose. The mur- 

 rain, the rot, the flies, and ticks, will be down 

 upon his stock ; and in proportion to the in- 

 crease of the herd of the flock, so the increase 

 of disease. Let him, however, hold on to what 

 he has on hand, and let his increase of stock 

 only be proportionate to his increase of confi- 

 dence. 



As to the Murrian, (distemper,) I suppose 

 Mr. B. is better acquainted with the disease 

 than I am, for it is common in his neighbor- 

 hood, but is seldom seen north of James River. 

 But having suffered by the rot, I can tell him 

 how to detect it, and the remedy. If a sheep 

 coughs vehemently with head up, the disease j 



is asthma, and not daDgerous ; but if the cough 

 is suppressed with head down, it is rot, (con- 

 sumption,) and the only remedy is to fatten 

 him as quickly as possible, and away to mar- 

 ket. And as this disease is infectious, the 

 diseased sheep should be separated from the 

 flock so 'soon as the disease is detected. I say 

 be in haste to fatten, for if the disease is suf- 

 fered to run longer than three or four months, 

 the animal will thereafter not fatten, but be- 

 come poorer for eight or ten months, when 

 death overtakes him. I do not think that the 

 above recommended act would be fraudulent, 

 for surely a fat sheep cannot be objectionable. 



In consideration of the natural habits of the 

 sheep, I incline to the opinion that the Creator 

 intended they should be continually under the 

 control of man. Unlike all other animals, 

 they are too lazy or stupid to seek a proper 

 shelter from the scorching sun or pelting storm; 

 and when they have taken a position by the 

 side of a fence or log, they hold on till near 

 sun down, and return thither day after day r 

 unless beat and kept off by sticks and stones. 

 Perhaps the hot sun and accumulated .stench 

 produces the rot. Sheep should be kept on 

 the coolest and cleanest portions of the pas- 

 ture ground during the heat of the day, and 

 on the warmer portions before and after. I 

 doubt whether a sheep will ever die of disease 

 in a healthy region, during the grazing season 

 provided the shepherd performs his duty. 



If any person is disposed to doubt that a 

 sheep will live to be 40 years old, let him sig- 

 nify that doubt, and I will prove my assertion 

 by a certificate from Mr. Thomas Allen, of 

 this county, whose mother owned the sheep re- 

 ferred to. 



Now, friend Bingham, I have answered your 

 interrogatories to the best of my ability. 

 Please pay me in something of the like kind, 

 through the same medium I send this. 

 Yours, 



Za. Drummond. 



For the Southern Planter. 



CORN FODDER. 



In the last number of the Southern Planter 

 a correspondent writes in terms of commenda- 

 tion of the practice of cutting off corn at the 

 ground to rid the land of the crop, and save 

 the provender for winter use. The plan he 

 proposes for shocking the corn would be en- 

 tirely impracticable in this county, where the 

 plant grows from 10 to 1(3 feet high. If I 

 understand his plan, he shocks around a stake; 

 and after tying, withdraws the stake from the 

 top. Now, as our corn shocks are fully 10 



* 



