AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
67 
same cow, in one week, ending the 20th ult., 
made seventeen and a half pounds of butter. 
The daily average of milk was fifty-one and 
one-half pounds. Her feed was six quarts of 
equal parts Indian and broom corn meal, and 
one pumpkin per day. I have no doubt she 
will average fifty pounds of milk per day for 
four months to come.” 
MANAGEMENT OF EWES. 
TREATMENT AT THE LAMBING SEASON, &C. 
At this particular season, I know of few sub¬ 
jects more appropriate, or more worthy a place 
in your valuable columns, than a few remarks 
on the treatment and management of ewes be¬ 
fore and after parturition. It cannot fail to be 
fresh in the memories of most—the unusual 
amount of fatalities that occurred to ewes dur¬ 
ing the last lambing season; many farmers in 
this locality being losers to the tune of from 5 
to 20 per cent, of tlfeir whole flocks. To account 
for such an unusual occurrence, seems to me 
perfectly explicable, as I am inclined to believe, 
that by proper treatment it never would have 
taken place ; and no more mysterious a panacea 
for its total prevention would have been required 
than a liberal supply of nutritive food, combined 
with proper shelter during the protracted snow 
storms. 
In cold, stormy weather, animals of all grades 
require more food, in order that the body, suffer¬ 
ing from the lowness of the temperature, may have 
an increased supply of carbon, by the conver¬ 
sion of which into carbonic acid the body is kept 
up to its natural warmth. If such a supply is 
not forthcoming, the consequences are emacia¬ 
tion of body, deterioration of wool, a host of dis¬ 
eases ; and death itself is a concomitant usually 
attendant on such neglect. It is a mistake com¬ 
mon among farmers that any refuse food will 
suffice for brood ewes during the winter months, 
such as turning them into a field noted for 
the coarseness of its herbage, and possessing 
so little nutrition that it will scarce fatten a 
sheep per acre during the summer months. In¬ 
deed, they seem to be of the same opinion as 
the Scotchman, who cared little for the quality 
or cleanliness of his food, provided he had plenty 
of it. Now, I dissent entirely from this way of 
treating them; and I maintain that, if it pays to 
keep ewes at all, it pays to keep them well. 
From the greatly increased and increasing con¬ 
sumption of animal food in this country, it is a 
duty incumbent on the farmer, for the general 
as well as his own individual interest, to pro¬ 
duce the greatest amount of meat from the 
least quantity of food, and in the least possible 
time. For the furtherance of such an object, 
nothing is of so much importance as liberal 
treatment and care of the animal during the 
early stages of its existence. Unless a brood 
ewe is kept in an even, good condition, it is quite 
impossible she can either be healthy herself, or 
give milk to rear a healthful lamb. It certainly 
is not absolutely necessary that a ewe should be 
so fat as to be what is called “cloven above the 
tailbut the nearer she approaches that state, 
the better. 
I beg to give a short account of the way in 
which my flock, consisting of 100 ewes, are 
managed. The tups are put to in the first week 
of October, two being quite sufficient to serve 
100 ewes. Before and during the time the tups 
are among them, they are liberally supplied 
with turnips, in addition to their grass. It is of 
the highest importance to have them in a mend¬ 
ing condition at that time; and the increased 
fall of lambs well pays for all extra food given. 
When all are served, and by which time the 
grass begins to fail, they have a supply of tops 
and small turnips daily, to keep them in their 
good condition, until within a short time of 
lambing, when a more liberal supply is given. 
During the snow storm last year, they had a 
feed of swedes daily, care being taken not to 
give more at once than was consumed in one 
day; a supply of hay, and one pint of bruised 
oats, to each sheep, per diem ; a supply of salt 
(which they have all the year round,) ad libitum. 
By such treatment they were kept in a healthy, 
thriving condition ; and not the death of one ewe 
occurred in the flock. For 100 ewes, I have at 
this date 131 yearlings now fattening on turnips, 
cut and put in troughs. Some of them arc fat 
now. I expect they will be so by the beginning 
of May, at which time they will average 72 lbs. 
of mutton each sheep. They are the Bakewell 
Leicester breed. I consider, if a little of the 
Cheviot blood could be introduced, they would 
be all the better for it. 
Now, when I contrast some of the statements 
made by my neighbors, I am fully convinced 
that my exemption from the fatality was wholly 
and entirely owing to the liberal way in which 
my flock was fed.— M., in Marie Lane Express. 
——<ti- 
For the American Agriculturist. 
ORNAMENTAL SHADE TREES--TRANSPLANT¬ 
ING. 
In a former communication, I confined my ob¬ 
servations more particularly to our native shade 
trees, and the views were not advanced wuthout 
an object. I was willing to show that class of 
your readers who are novices in the matter, the 
difference between expending labor and capital 
in an intelligent manner, and vice versa. 
With evergreens, comparatively few have been 
successful. I have myself witnessed constant 
and repeated failures. Owing to the fact that 
many of our native evergreens are usually found 
growing in wet places, and without a corres¬ 
ponding dampness of soil after transplanting, 
they seldom thrive. There are other causes of 
failure, but this is the more prominent one. I 
have seen beautiful evergreens growing on up¬ 
land in Pennsylvania, and I believe they succeed 
very well in their removal. 
One great reason why nursery plants will 
generally succeed better, and much more likely 
to grow, is that they are grown from the seed, 
in open cultivated situations, and transplanted 
two or three times in the nursery, so that they 
have become accustomed to it; and being de¬ 
prived of their tap-root when very young, they 
have had every inducement to shoot out numer¬ 
ous branching fibrous roots—the soul and life of 
the tree. They may be said to have become 
habituated to a change of location. The soil of 
nurseries generally is, or should be, mellow and 
fine, which is favorable to the development of 
these small fibrous feeding roots, the absence of 
which, would be unfavorable to a successful re¬ 
moval. I consider this alone, a sufficient reason 
to explain why nursery plants are more success¬ 
ful in their removal, and consequently a much 
more satisfactory investment. The Sugar, Nor¬ 
way, Scarlet, .and Silver Maple; the Horse 
Chestnut, the Mountain Ash, the Linden, the 
English and American Elm, comprise a few of the 
most desirable ornamental trees to be found in 
the nursery. 
Before repeating the briefest directions possi¬ 
ble for setting out—which will be only to reite¬ 
rate what has been a thousand times written— 
let me urge a fact of the utmost importance for 
consideration. It is this; no care that will be 
lilcely to be talcen with plants, can compensate 
for the loss that will follow, if the proprietor of 
the soil spares or withholds an intelligent inte¬ 
rest in their success. 
Transplanting ,—I dare not [premise„tbat I 
shall advance any thing new on this point, but 
only hope to make the impression take fast hold 
upon the people, that it is the worst of economy, 
or rather no economy at all, to do it in a cheap, 
quick, and slovenly manner. Dig out and thor¬ 
oughly pulverize the soil, from a hole from 
4 to G feet in diameter, and 2 feet deep; fill in 
to the required depth with the best soil within 
reach. Use the top soil taken out of the hole, 
if it is good , for this. Place the roots in a hori¬ 
zontal, spreading manner, and see to it that no 
tree is set out more than tioo inches deeper than 
it stood in the nursery. Then fill in with good 
rich soil, made fine and mellow with the spade. 
And now remember, that though your tree is 
well set out, your work is just half done. Well, 
says one, what next? Just exactly what I see 
in half the cases through the country neglected, 
viz., staking each tree if within an enclosure, 
and tying it firmly, to keep the wind from shak¬ 
ing it to and fro, and keeping the roots from 
taking a good hold of the soil at once, and if 
outside of an enclosure, of ten-fold more im¬ 
portance is it that you protect your trees with 
a durable and substantial frame, against horses, 
cattle, boys, &c. W. Day. 
Morristown , N. J. 
-o ••- 
STUD FARM AT DUDDING HILL. 
We hope the day will come when the United 
States can show breeding studs like the follow¬ 
ing: 
The general interest connected with the im¬ 
portant subject of breeding horses, prompted 
me to obtain permission to visit the stud farm 
at Dudding Hill, the property of Messrs. Henry 
and Cheslyn Hall. Favored by a friend with 
an introduction to those gentlemen, I was re¬ 
ceived with the greatest courtesy, and, attended 
by the stud-groom, inspected that admirably- 
conducted and truly surprising establishment. 
The first impulse was astonishment at finding 
such a thoroughly rural tract of country within 
five miles of London. Agriculture also, directed 
on the most approved and scientific principles, 
forms an interesting portion of the active en¬ 
gagements to which the proprietors of Dudding 
Hill stud devote their capital and attention. 
Having arrived at the appointed place, looking 
upon the grass lands by which I was surrounded, 
I could not avoid pausing for a moment to as¬ 
sure myself that I had not been conveyed by 
some talismanic agency to the pasture fields of 
Leicestershire—an imagination all but con¬ 
firmed when I heard the harriers at a short dis¬ 
tance, merrily chasing their game. 
The buildings which are appropriated to the 
accommodation of the stud are as complete as 
judgment can devise, and may be taken as a 
model by those who desire to construct new 
ones for a similar purpose. To describe them 
in detail would be superfluous; but there is one 
which demands especial notice, being unique 
and better arranged than any thing of the kind 
I have hitherto seen. It is a circular area, en¬ 
closed by lofty palings for exercising the stal¬ 
lions ; the bottom is littered with straw, and the 
sides are securely defended to the height of five 
feet with the same material. The doors being 
closed, the horses are perfectly free from danger 
or excitement. It is also a suitable place for 
mares to receive the addresses of the stallions. 
A portion of the land has only been in the pos¬ 
session of the Messrs. Hall a short time ; and 
there is a marked distinction between that and 
the land they have had a longer period, where 
the masterly hand of superior cultivation is vis¬ 
ible. As I was informed the necessary improve¬ 
ments were in progress, it will at no distant 
period be brought to an equal state of excellence 
and accommodation. 
The selection of the stallions has been made 
with great care and circumspection; indeed, it 
would be very difficult to find any department 
on the estate, connected with the stock, over 
which the presiding judgment has not been ex¬ 
ercised with consummate skill, whether it be 
the horses, the Short-horns, or the pigs. 
The writer then names the stallions with their 
pedigrees now in use at this stud, most of which 
are the best horses of the day. Among these 
we find Epirus, Harkaway, Libel, Kremlin, Re¬ 
triever, and Cleveland Short-legs. 
I saw also a great number of useful brood 
mares, foals, yearlings, and two-year-old, amount¬ 
ing to about one hundred and fifty. To partic¬ 
ularize them all would occupy too much space. 
I must therefore content myself with stating 
that they looked in excellent condition, and do 
justice to the care of the stud-groom. The 
