1884] 
AMERIOAlSr AaKIOULTERIST, 
409 
Characteristic Heads of Sheep. 
A sheep’s head, after life is extinct, is pure offal. 
It is almost good for nothing. Even the horns are 
nearly valueless—usually absolutely so. A half- 
starved dog will hardly look at a sheep’s head, and 
chickens will pick off only a few shreds of llesli. 
The tongue is, however, sometimes pickled, and tiie 
brain made use of by some deft cooks. The ortly 
thought that we know of lliat has ever been given 
to sheep’s heads, has been to reduce their size, 
eliminate horns, and encourage 
the growth of a few' locks of wool 
upon spots where it is obviously 
an inconvenience to the animal, 
unless, indeed, it may serve as a 
cushion in butting. It is therefore 
not surprising that we find the 
heads of different tireeds to vary so 
characteristically, simply because 
they have been let alone, and Na¬ 
ture has had her own way with 
them. This fact is ghown most 
strikingly in the spirited sketches 
of heads which we herewith pre¬ 
sent. Nothing can be more woolly 
than the Merinos, or more meaty 
than the Long-wool heads, when 
named in connection with what 
we know of the respective breeds. 
As might be supposed, however, 
the Merino rams are pugnacious. 
Well-armed they certainly are, and 
they make good use of their heads. The horns arc 
useful in this respect, they not only give great addi¬ 
tional weight to the blow of the head, but defend 
it and the ears from the glancing blows, and enable 
it the better to stand the “ shock of battle.” The 
w'eaponless Long-wools are much more pacific in 
their nature, and though they can deal heavy blows 
with tlieir bare polls, they are not often pugnacious 
in their dispositions. They incline to take life 
easily. The sweets of indolence are their joy, and 
in their resting time they lay on the flesh and fat 
for which we value these animals so highly. 
Management of Sheep in Winter. 
jrOSEPn HARRIS. 
To winter sheep successfully and economically, 
it is desirable to have them in good, thrifty condi¬ 
tion before winter sets in. In a state of nature, 
the luxuriant herbage in the autumn enables ani¬ 
mals to grow strong during the mild weather, and 
to store upon the kidneys and intestines, and other 
parts of the body a quantity of sur¬ 
plus tallow that can be used to eke 
out the scanty supply of food dur¬ 
ing the cold and stormy weather of 
winter. It is a wonderful provision 
of Nature. Not infrequently during 
severe snow-storms, sheep ai'e as 
dependent on this stored up fat, 
as bees on their stored up honey. 
If man interferes with this ar¬ 
rangement of Nature, he must work 
in accordance with Nature’s laws. 
If he expects his sheep to thrive 
on straw during winter, he should 
see to it that they have good 
pasture in the summer and autumn. 
If he confines them to overstocked 
pastures, he should remember that 
they cannot store up surplus fat, 
and that if he would carry them 
comfortably through the winter, he must provide 
a liberal supply of food before winter sets in. 
Shepherds, like poets, are born, not made. You 
may find a dozen men who can be trusted lo take 
care of horses, cows, or pigs, to one who is fit to be 
entrusted with the management of sheep. Why, 
we do not know. All the great sheep-herders of 
the world have given much of their own time and 
labor to the care and supervision of their flocks. 
We have not space here to go into details, and in 
fact it is not necessary, as these vary greatly, ac¬ 
cording to circumstances. Much must be left to , 
the common sense and experience of the shepherd. 
If any of our readers are going to keep sheep this 
winter, and have had little experience, we would 
advise tlicm to consult some good farmer in the 
neighborhood, and in addition to this, the follow¬ 
ing hints may be useful: Sheep must have dry 
quarters. Nothing is so injurious as damp, ill-ven¬ 
tilated cellars, barns, or sheds. Do not tliink you 
can make such places warm and dry and com¬ 
fortable by the liberal use of straw for bedding. 
This only makes the matter worse. There is nothing 
HEADS OP WOOL-PACED SHEEP—RAJM AND EWE. 
a sheep dislikes more than a fermenting manure 
pile. To compel a flock of breeding ewes to lie on 
a mass of damp straw and manure several inches 
deep, is almost certain to be followed by a weak, 
puny, sickly crop of lambs. We once knew a valu¬ 
able flock of South-downs that has entirely disap¬ 
peared. Goitre destroyed the lambs. We knew 
another large Hock of Long-wool sheep that suf¬ 
fered severely in the same way. In the former 
case the sheep were shut up in a small shed and 
yard. The rain from the roof of the shed ran into 
the yard. Straw was thrown in from time to time, 
and the poor sheep were compelled either to stay 
in the shed or stand on this mass of wet straw. 
In the other case the sheep had damp sheds 
and cellars to sleep in, but as they had the run of a 
large yard, the results were not so disastrous. 
Many lambs died of goitre and infantile pneu¬ 
monia, but as soon as dry quarters were pro¬ 
vided, the animals gradually improved in health. 
If you have a dry barn, shed, or basement for the 
sheep to run in, you have the first essential to suc¬ 
cess. If your barn, or shed, or basement is large 
HEADS OP BARE-PACED SHEEP. 
enough not only for the sheep to sleep in, but also 
to feed in, so that they never need go into the rain, 
so much the better. Breeders of fine-wool sheep 
would say that this is absolutely necessary. 
Breeders of English sheep admit the advantage 
but not the necessity. We . know very healthy 
flocks that arc fed all winter out of doors, simply 
having a barn floor and shed to run in at their 
pleasure. In dry weather the sheep prefer to 
sleep out of doors, especially if the ground is 
frozen, and they have a little clean straw to lie 
on. They do not like mud or wet, dirty straw. 
Bedding the sheep is an important matter that 
should have daily attention. The less straw you 
can use, and the slieep yet liave a clean bod to lie 
on, the better. AVhen sheep are fed straw, the 
true plan is to attend to the bedding every time 
you feed. Put plenty of straw in the racks, and 
let the sheep pick out the best of it. Then before 
the next feeding, go over the entire surface of the 
sleeping apartment, and stir up the straw that is 
trodden down, shaking the manure to the, bottom. 
Any straw that is pulled out of the racks and trod¬ 
den under foot, should be removed 
and scattered about where needed. 
Then take out all the. straw from 
the racks, and spread it lightly and 
evenly over the sleeping apartment. 
If the racks are out of doors, it 
will be necessary in wet weather to 
vary this plan. Fresh straw will 
occasionally have to be used for 
bedding the sleeping apartment, 
and the damp straw from the racks 
can be spread about the open yard. 
Our rule is to salt the sheep once a 
week. It would be better possibly 
to have lumps of rock salt placed 
under cover, where the sheep could 
lick them at tlieir pleasure. Give 
water regularly twice or three times 
a day. Let it be fresh and free 
from snow and ice. We have all ob¬ 
served how eagerly sheep will drink 
running water as it flows in the 
trough fresh from the pump. The temperature of 
such water as it comes from tlie ivell is about fifty- 
five degrees. After it has stood a little while in a 
frozen tub, with more or less ice and snoiv, it is 
reduced nearly to thirty-two degrees. The heat 
lost, especially in stormy weather, is worth saving. 
It is during storms tliat the skill of the shepherd 
manifests itself, and he will bo glad that he has 
firovided dry quarters for his flock. If his build¬ 
ings are not all provided with cave troughs, and 
proper arrangements made to carry off tlie surplus 
water, he will resolve that another winter will 
not find him in such a sad and helpless condition. 
A Convenient Derrick. 
From a communication sent us by a Western 
Farmer, we condense the following, with changes 
and additions. A convenient “ derrick ” for rais¬ 
ing slaughtered animals, for suspending heavy 
hogs in scalding, dressing beeves, and for sundry 
other purposes, can be cheaply and quickly made 
thus : Take three scantlings two by 
six inches, and fourteen feet long, 
or any other desired length and 
strength. Bound poles will an¬ 
swer, by hewing flat on two sides, 
a small portion of the upper ends. 
Bore corresponding holes in the 
top of each, and insert a strong 
iron bolt, with large head on one 
end, and large nut and screw on 
the other. Let the bolt fit loosely 
to allow a little play. These pieces 
can fold together for storage, and 
be raised to any desired bight short 
of perpendicular. Bore a series of 
small holes along the upper sides 
of two poles, for movable iron pins, 
or larger ones for wooden pins. 
Tliese may be fastened in, or bet¬ 
ter two loose pins for moving to 
higher or lower holes. By placing the feet of these 
■two poles against firmly driven stakes, and drawing 
the third and rear pole inward, the center will bo 
elevated with considerable force, the power re¬ 
quired decreasing as the timbers approach a per¬ 
pendicular, when a beef carcass, for instance, is 
nearly lifted from the ground, and hangs more 
heavily. If desii-cd or necessary, horse-power can 
be applied by using a rope with a clevis or other¬ 
wise, attaching it to a double-tree or to a whiffle- 
tree. A single horse will be sufficient for raising a 
large carcass by means of this tripod deirick. 
