WINTERING SHEEP. 
3 55 
The third method is to clear woodland for pas¬ 
tures. This consists simply in underbrushing the 
forest, and cutting out all the small growth, and 
such other trees as are likely to be prostrated in a 
high wind, and piling them in heaps and burning 
when dry, and then sowing grass seed and harrow¬ 
ing it in. Woodland pastures answer very well in 
the latitude of 40 degrees, and south, north of 40 
degrees, the summers are usually too short for re¬ 
serving woodland pastures to any great advantage, 
except the soil be calcareous, and blue grass comes 
in naturally. 
Where wood and timber are valuable, the meth¬ 
od we adopted in clearing the land, was first to 
completely underbrush and pile it; cut out the 
wood, split and pile that ; and lastly, the timber, 
cutting up the tops of the timber trees if not suit¬ 
able for wood, and piling them. After removing 
the wood and timber, and the top heaps and brush 
became dry, we burnt, thus leaving the land clean 
and fit for a crop. 
QbsT of Clearing. —We have paid various pri¬ 
ces for clearing land ; from $3 up to $20 per acre, 
dependant something upon how we wanted it done, 
and whether it was densely or thinly wooded. 
Perhaps $10 per acre may be considered an aver¬ 
age price. We have occasionally bargained for 
clearing in kind; that is, we would give the wood 
or the timber standing upon it for the clearing, and 
sometimes both. If the parties clearing, cut and 
split the rails and made the fences, in addition to 
the wood and timber, we have occasionally added 
the free use of the land for a year or longer, ac¬ 
cording to circumstances. 
Taste in Clearing. —We have often wondered 
at the almost total absence of taste in clearing 
lands, displayed by our countrymen. They usu¬ 
ally commence on the line of the road and take a 
clean sweep through their farms to the back of 
them, where they.make a small reservation of 
wood and timber for use. This leaves the land 
completely unprotected from the fervid sun in sum¬ 
mer, and the cold searching wind in winter; and 
then the horrid stumps stand out in bold relief, 
staring one in the face with their black charred, or 
rotten punky sides, for half the age of man; ma¬ 
king one of the most desolate and dreary sights 
we ever looked at. Nearly all this may be obvia¬ 
ted, and even a new country recently cleared be 
made to assume a handsome, cheerful appearance, 
by proper reservations of the original forest. Sup¬ 
pose the farm 100 acres, we would divide it into 
five 20-acre fields; or if the size of 200 acres, into 
40-acre lots, and in clearing, reserve a belt of trees 
around them from three to six rods wide. The 
advantage of these would be three-fold: 1. They 
would afford all the wood and timber necessary for 
the future use of the farm. 2. Shelter it from the 
rude blasts in winter, and give it shade for the 
stock in summer. 3. Hide the stumps and give a 
handsome, picturesque appearance to the country. 
An occasional group of trees left near the centre 
of the field, especially where the land was highest, 
would also add to the beauty and variety of the 
farm. The only objection we have ever heard to 
such reservations were, that in narrow belts and 
small groups, the trees were apt to be blown down. 
This danger may be obviated by cutting out all 
the tall trees, leaving the shorter and younger ones 
only. Left in this manner, they shade and pro¬ 
tect each other, spread out their branches and roots 
as they grow, and soon strike the latter so deep 
into the ground, as to enable them to stand against 
the strongest winds. Some of the handsomest 
farms in Europe are thus laid out into square fields, 
with belts of trees around them for shade and 
shelter, and the profit of the wood and timber. In 
order to obtain these the owners have been at great 
expense in planting them. We have only to leave 
what nature has already prepared to our hand, to 
equal these in picturesque beauty. We wish that 
the owners of wild lands would consider this sub¬ 
ject, the sight of one such farm could not but con¬ 
vince them of the real utility, if no other motive 
were wanting of adopting this course of reserving 
belts of trees around the fields in clearing. 
May, June, and July, are the best months for cut¬ 
ting forests; but this is a time that the farmer 
can ill spare for such work; necessity, therefore, 
compels him to do his chopping in the winter 
when he has little other employment. Firing the 
log-heaps should take place in dry weather, and 
when a gentle breeze prevails. 
WINTERING SHEEP. 
It is a prevalent notion among many of our 
farmers that sheep need no protection during win¬ 
ter, and will not do well if confined to yards. The 
contrary is the fact; and although it is better, per¬ 
haps, to give sheep more exercise than other stock, 
especially the Merino and South-Down breeds, yet 
they do very well in small yards, and require, at 
least, the protection of roofed sheds, open only on 
one side, and when it snows, such as can be closed 
all around. The sleet and rains of a northern cli¬ 
mate, during the months of March and April, are 
worse for sheep than the snows of winter. Snow 
they easily shake off, and leave their fleeces dry; 
