1865.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
369 
-#5^^ 
Fij;. 1.— SHEEP PODDERING BACK. 
.Sheep Racks and Sheep Foddering. 
It is usually a bad practice to fodder sheep by 
throwing their food on the ground. When the 
forage is spread on a grass plot, if the earth 
is frozen or covered with clean snow, they will 
waste but little. But when it is scattered in 
soft places, as sheep always rush at once upon 
the large forlifuls, much of it will he soiled so 
badly that no animal will eat it. The fodder 
thus wasted often amounts to several hundreds 
of pounds to every ton fed, that may be saved. 
Standing side l^y side feeding at a raclv, sheep 
usually occupy about one foot each in breadth. 
A feeding rack 30 feet long, will accommodate 
about 20 sheep. As sheep are apt to crowd each 
other, it becomes necessary to employ some 
means of preventing it when they are eating 
either hay or grain. 
As partitions would 
involve much ex- 
pense and occupy too 
much room, it is on- 
ly necessary to pro- 
vide feeding racks 
with openings one 
foot apart, and suf- 
Fiff. 3. — GBATN TROUGH. . ., , „ t„ „ i 
• ° ciently large to ad- 
mit a sheep's head. — Mr. N. B. Pearsall, of 
Otsego Co., N. Y., communicates for the Affi-i- 
cuUurist, a sketch, fig. 1, of a sheep rack. It 
is a combined hay and grain rack, and so con- 
structed that it is almost impossible for sheep 
to waste any hay by drawing it out of the man- 
ger beneath their feet. The illustration is of a 
rack to be placed on the side of a yard. If de- 
sirable, it may be made double, so that a flock 
can feed on each side, the rack forming a divis- 
ion between two apartments. The rack figured 
is about 3 feet 6 inches wide, and 2 feet 9 inches 
high. The bottom board is about 12 inches wide ; 
the top one 8 inches or more in width. The 
slats nailed from the bottom to the top boards 
are 4 to 6 inches wide, and 12 inches from cen- 
Fig. 3. — SLATS OVER THE GRAIN TROUGH. 
ter to center. Ordinary sheep will thrust their 
heads between slats 6 inches apart at the edges. 
If boards are rough, they should be planed to 
prevent tearing tlie wool. The space between 
the bottom and top boards should be not less 
than 13 inches. If the sheep are large and tall, 
the space may be 16 inches between the top and 
bottom boards. 
Figure 3, repre- 
sents a transverse 
section of the 
rack, showing the 
grain trough (<), 
which forms the 
bottom. Tlie nar- 
row board of the 
trough is about 6 
or 7 inches wide, 
nailed to the wide 
portion. To keep 
the hay out of the 
trough and to pre- 
vent hay and seed 
tailing down into 
the wool, a loose 
partition, fig. 3, is 
placed in the rack ; the end is seen in fig. 3. 
This partition is made with one wide board 
at the top, and one or two narrow ones at the 
bottom, having spaces between them about 
3 inches wide, through which the sheep draw 
the hay. If it should be drawn through faster 
than the sheep eat it, the" grain trough re- 
ceives all that drops, and prevents it from being 
scattered under their feet. The lower end of 
the partition is kept in place by cleats nailed to 
the bottom board. When it is desirable to clean 
the trough the partition may be turned to the 
other side or removed. This style of rack will 
be found convenient for feeding turnips, car- 
rots, or cut feed to sheep, as there is suflicient 
room for tlieir heads inside of the slats. With 
this kind of rack, every sheep can remain at his 
place while feeding, and be certain of receiving 
an allowance, as it is difficult for one to crowd 
another away after the flock all come to the rack. 
Wooden Stable Forks. 
Manure forks with sharp steel tines are un- 
suitable tools to be used when spreading, or 
gathering up the bedding behind and under 
horses, as an 
inadv e r t e n t 
movement 
may inflict a 
serious woimd, 
and especially 
when there is 
not suflicient 
light in stables 
to enable one 
to see distinct- 
ly. We have 
known a care- 
less boy, when 
cleaning out a 
stable, to bad- 
ly wound the 
legs of a horse 
by a heedless 
motion of the 
fork, so that he ^°°="^'' ^^^^"^ ^°«^- 
was disabled for several weeks. To avoid 
any injury fi'om this source, let wooden forks 
be made, lilic the engraving, having a head 
about one foot long, one and a half inches 
square, with a light handle and four wooden 
tines about eight inches long. Tlie large end of 
the tines should be about five-eightlis of an ipch 
in diameter, and they should have a &»ie taper 
to a diameter of one quarter of an inch at the 
small end, which should be filed roimd and 
smooth. Round tines enter straw more easily 
than square ones, and are withdrawn with less 
force. Such forks should be made of the hard- 
est and toughest wood available, and should be 
used only to spread the bedding, and not to 
pitch manure. The points of manure fork tines 
cut ofi' and ground or filed round, will enter 
straw easily, and not wound the horses. ^ 
Barn Door Fastenings. 
— >■ 
Every barn and stable door swinging on 
hinges, should be provided with some contriv- 
ance to prevent its being slammed by the wind. 
One of the best arrangements for this purpose is 
here shown. It consists of a spar of wood, 
about as large as a fork nanaie, liaving one end 
fastened to the door with an iron eye and staple, 
or with a strap of leather, and the lower end 
sharpened to hold in the ground, or armed with 
a spike to prevent its slipping on ice. When 
the wind blows ftmously, it is often hazardous 
BARN DOOR FASTBMNQ. 
for even a strong man to attempt to open, or 
close a large barn door, which swings on hinges 
without the aid of something to prevent the 
wind slamming it violently, and sometimes 
blowing it otf the hinges, or splitting or break- 
ing some part of it. But with such a help as 
this, a boy can manage it without danger to the 
door or himself, by moving the lower end along 
a short distance at once. When the fastening 
is not in use, the lower end is bung up to a 
staple on the door with a hook and strap. 
Mutton the Meat for the Million. 
Mutton is the best meat we can eat, — best, as 
being the healthiest — best, as being the most 
delicious, if well cooked. We do not mean the 
woolly, greasy mutton of the Merinos and Sax- 
onies, nor the coarse, stringy, tallowy, though 
very economical mutton of the Leicesters, Cots- 
wolds, and other long wool sheep. When we 
say mutton is the most delicious of domestic 
meats, we have the flesh of the middle wools in 
mind — that is, of South-downs, par excellence,, 
and Cheviots, Hampshire-downs, Shropshire- 
downs, and others of their kindi'ed in a less de- 
gree. Mutton is made more economically, and 
is used up more advantageously, than pork or 
beef A farmer can seldom have fresh beef un- 
less he has so large a number of hands that 
they can consume a quarter before it will spoil. 
More grain is required to make a pound of 
pork than a pound of mutton. I', is more health- 
ful food than pork ; fat mutton will keep longer, 
and a family of ordinary size can dispose of a 
small sheep before the mutton will spoil, even 
in qviite warm weather. Besides, if a farmer is 
on friendly terms with his neighbors, he can 
easily sell, or lend one or two quarters. By 
a s}'stem of exchanging fresh meats, several 
families may be supplied with that of most ex- 
cellent quality at all seasons of the year, at a 
very cheap rate. Mutton is more nutritious and 
will consequently give a laborer more strength 
than pofk ; people of studious habits, and chil- 
