870 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Deceubeb, 
dren in particular, will feel better, accomplish 
more, and be more healtby when they eat mut- 
ton than if they eat much pork or even beef. 
Convenience is an important consideration at 
all times, on the farm or elsewhere. When 
fresh mutton is wanted, one man can dress a 
sheep or lamb in a few minutes ; while much 
longer time is required to butcher a beef or a 
hog. Nothing is lost in making mutton, and it 
costs comparatively nothing. The wool will 
usually cover all the cost of keep during a year, 
and often that of fattening too. Taking this 
view, which is a fair one, no one can fail to per- 
ceive that mutton is the cheapest meat that can 
be raised. Small families can salt and dry one 
or both hind quarters, or cook a quarter and 
eat it cold. A quarter of lamb after it has been 
cooked, may be kept ten or twelve days, and 
still be good. Farmers should learn to prepare 
their own meat, and not sell their animals to 
butchers, who sell them the meats for their own 
tables at exorbitant prices. Furthermore, a great 
many people who have only a garden or small 
farm, can often fatten a few sheep during the 
winter, and thus have better meat, at a much 
cheaper rate than if they purchase it. 
Selection of Breeding Sheep. 
Persons who have not made a business or 
study of keeping sheep, are often in doubt what 
rams to select for the stocks ; and many times 
crafty men will impose on the credulity of those 
who ouyht to know better, and induce them to 
use grade aiiimals. Grade animals and bulls 
will not transmit their good points to their 
progeny, with any degree of certainty. "Whether 
it is desu-eable to select a South Down, a Lei- 
cester, or Merino, it is important to choose a 
full blooded animal, in order to secure the great- 
est improvement in the increase of the flock. 
The progeny of a full-blooded sire and ewes 
of ordinary quality, is almost always belter 
than anticipated ; while that of a grade sire with 
such ewes will almost invariably be inferior to 
their dams. Most farmers are iniluenced great- 
ly by the present cost of a good ram, rather 
than by the prospective profits accruing from 
the certain improvement in tbeh- flocks, by pro- 
curing full-blooded animals. If a farmer has a 
hundred good ewes, it will be more profitable, 
whether his object is wool or mutton, to pay 
$50 or $100 for a ram which will be a sure get- 
ter of excellent stock, than $20 for a grade ani- 
mal of equally good form, whose stock will in 
all probability not be equal to himself. 
Breeders differs in opinion with regard to the 
most judicious and profitable crosses, not only 
for the production of wool, but for both wool 
and mutton. But, if mutton is the primary ob- 
ject, in a flock showing a large infusion of Long- 
wool blood, a South Down cross will make as 
profitable mutton sheep as can reasonably be 
expected, and at the same time they will show 
a marked improvement in the quantity of wool. 
Should the ewes be of a mongrel breed of fair 
size and thrift, and the object be to improve the 
fleece, it will be best to use a full blooded Amer- 
ican or Silesian Merino ram. If the choice is 
early lambs for market, a South Do-n-n, Shrop- 
shire Down, Cotswold, or Leicester ram should 
be selected. If the ewes are properly kept dur- 
ing the foddering season, the lambs will be large 
and strong, and be ready for market very early. 
Should they be desired for mutton, when 3 or 4 
years old, they will be found to yield quite as 
large a profit, including the produce of wool, 
lambs and carcass, as any other class of sheep. 
Flocks of sheep may be more rapidly im- 
proved by the use of good rams than by any 
other means, provided they have good care, 
but neglect and wrong treatment will effectually 
neutralize all the good a superior animal might 
do a flock. A mature ram should never run 
with more than 50 ewes in this season, but the 
number may be doubled if he is kept confined. 
According to the common practice, the rams 
are very well fed with grass, and have grain 
daily for several days, or weeks perhaps, before 
their introduction to the flock ; but after that 
they often receive no grain at all, and sharing 
the close pasturage with the ewes, get nothing 
else. Such treatment, every sensible man must 
know, is most injurious both to the ram and his 
progeny. Instead of feeding the rams less, their 
feed should be increased, and such a variety 
should be presented that they will be induced to 
fill themselves and pass several hours ruminat- 
ing. The ram ought to have all the good hay, 
corn stalks and grass he can eat, with not less 
grain than is equivalent to a pound of corn 
meal, mingled with an equal quantity of un- 
bolted wheat flour daily. In addition to this he 
should have salt and fresh water always before 
him. If one has peas or beans they may be fed 
instead of meal, after having been soaked 24 
hours. If rams will eat them, there is no bet- 
ter feed for them especially at this season. 
When the time of service is nearly passed, the 
rams may have their liberty and run with the 
flock, for if a flock is in good condition and has 
been well watched and cared for, 100 ewes will 
all, with rare exceptions, have passed their 
season successfullj- with only a single ram, 
within fifteen or twenty days. 
There are several ways of managing a flock 
at this period. That of separating the rams 
from the ewes every night, and confining them 
in a small enclosure where they cannot hear 
the flock, is most desirable in either large or 
small flocks. A very good way is to keep the 
ram in a small pen in the field with the ewes, 
which should be conveniently near the farm- 
stead. The ram should have a cord about 50 
feet long attached to his hind foot, by which he 
may be fastened to a stake whenever he is let 
out, which is for the shortest possible time, 
whenever the flockmaster or shepherd notices a 
ewe lingering about his enclosure. By following 
the hints here given, a fine lot of vigorous Iambs 
in April will be almost certainly secured. 
Care of Store Hogs in Winter. 
Store hogs, especially shotes, really ought to 
have warm and dry apartments during cold 
weather. Their thin coat of hair affords them 
but little protection, hence, the importance of 
warm pig-sties, well littered with dry straw, 
and so tight that cold winds will not blow di- 
rectly on them. It is far more economical to 
keep the animals warm in a snug and well 
ventilated piggery than by extra feed, and 
this will promote faster growth, if they are 
kept comfortably warm by a good building. 
When a piggery is spacious, with one end 
open to the weather so that winds make their 
sleeping place uncomfortably cold, a portion 
should be partitioned off with boards having 
the edges well jointed, and a narrow entrance 
made at the point least exposed. Then nail a 
board 6 or 8 inches high across the bottom of 
the entrance to keep the straw from being 
worked out. Let a liberal supply of straw al- 
ways be provided. 
It will pay well to cook the feed for store 
hogs, as well as for those that are being fattened. 
Swine will not extract all the nourishment from 
dry corn unless it is first ground to fine meal ; 
and even then it will be much more economi- 
cal to Scald it. As farmers must necessarily keep 
a good fire in the kitchen for a large proportion 
of the time during the day, the expense of cook- 
ing feed for a small herd of swine in cold weath- 
er is much less than the gain over feeding with 
uncooked food. Raw potatoes are frequently 
fed to store shotes. If the same quantity were 
boiled, and a few handfuls of meal mixed with 
them as they are mashed, and warm dish water 
mingled with the mass, not more than two- 
thirds tte amount -vrould be required to keep 
pigs in a growing and thrifty condition. The 
cooking costs nothing, as a farmer or some of 
his help can attend to the business when there 
are no other duties to perform. If grain is not 
ground, let it be boiled until the kernels crack 
open. Those who have never practised cook- 
ing feed, will be surprised to find the marked 
difference there will be in the quantity of feed 
consumed, and the condition of the animals. 
»-• ■■» .-• 
Some Notes on the New- York City Fish 
Markets— How Supplied. 
Probably not less 'than one and-a-half mil- 
lion people are fed daily from the K Y. City 
markets. This number includes, besides the 
regular population of this city, that of the im- 
mediate vicinit}', and transient visitors. The 
immense demand thus created, of course makes 
the supply of each important article of food in 
itself a subject of great interest. Fresh fish 
are brought to this market, not only from most 
of the large lakes and rivers of the country, but 
from points along the entire length of the At- 
lantic seaboard, from Florida to Labrador, 
the different species constituting the supply 
being exceedingly numerous, and presenting 
an almost endless variet}' as regards appearance, 
habits and characteristics. Even the experi- 
enced naturalist may here find much that is in- 
teresting, and no one can fail to be greatly de- 
lighted as well as instructed by an occasional 
visit to the places where fish are exposed for 
sale. Aside from these considerations, the skill 
employed by the expert and daring fishermen, 
and the perils and hardships involved in the 
pursuit of their avocation, lend a charm to the 
subject, giving it all the more interest. 
The principal fish mart adjoins the Fulton 
Market, on the East river, at the foot of Fulton 
street. This is the only wholesale fish market 
in the city, and by far the largest in the country. 
A wholesale business is of course done at Bos- 
ton, Providence, and other seaport cities, but 
here is the central depot of the fresh fish trade 
for all sections, and unlike the meat market, 
it promises to remain here for a long time. 
From this center other markets supply their de- 
ficiencies, and here send their surplus when 
overstocked. Prominent among the retail 
markets of this city are Washington, .lefferson, 
Catherine, Spring-street, and others located in 
various quarters of the ctiy. A large part of 
the fresh fish, however, are sold at small 
shops, or peddled about, especially on Fridays. 
The Fulton fish market extends about 150 
feet along the wharf, the space being appor- 
tioned to different dealers. The advantage of 
this location is, that the fish may be taken di- 
rectly from the water into the market without 
the trouble or expense of cartage. In the 
