1863. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
79 
ounce of lard. If there are cracks, wash them 
with a solution of four ounces of alum in a pint 
of water. Feed the horse on bran mashes, car¬ 
rots, and green feed, and if there be much in¬ 
flammation after a day or two, administer a ball 
of four or five drachms of aloes. 
If the disease has reached the second stage, 
three doses of physic at intervals of two days 
will be needed. The beskj&pplication to the 
heels will be a poultice made of boiled and 
mashed carrots, put on tolerably hot. It can be 
conveniently applied by drawing an old stock¬ 
ing leg over the leg, confining it at the fetlock 
joint, and filling it from above witli the poultice. 
When this is removed, anoint the heels with an 
ointment of one part of rosin, three parts of 
lard melted together, and one part of calamine 
powder, added when the first mixture is cooling. 
For the American Agriculturist . 
Notes on. Sheep-Raising in Ohio. 
The late census report places Ohio at the head 
of the list in sheep husbandry. To a genuine 
Buckeye, one having a becoming pride in the 
prosperity of that place which is bis home by 
birth or adoption, this fact can not be other¬ 
wise than gratifying. In 1850 the whole pro¬ 
duct of wool in the United States was about 
52,000,000 lbs. In 1860 the clip increased to 
sixty and a half millions of pounds, showing a 
gain of over 15 per cent, during this period. 
Of this, Ohio, in 1860, produced 10,648,000 lbs., 
and although we have decreased over 800,000 in 
the number of our atepp since 1850, yet we have 
increased over 40Q jgp ) in pounds shorn. This 
increase of wool from a less number of sheep, 
clearly indicates a more intelligent system of 
breeding, and better management of flocks. 
Ohio has near 10,000,000 acres of land under 
improvement, and only a fraction over 3,000,000 
sheep—less than one sheep for eveiy three acres 
of cleared land—it is therefore obvious that 
the number may be greatly augmented with¬ 
out being oyer stocked, or materially affecting 
other important agricultural interests. That 
sheep husbandry is now assuming a more im¬ 
portant position in the economy of the farm 
than heretofore, is evidenced b} r the demand 
and prices paid for sheep at the present time. 
During the last year, wool has advanced about 
50 per cent., while sheep have advanced fully 
100 per cent. New men are now attracted by 
the price of wool to embark in the business of 
wool growing, and almost every farmer is in¬ 
creasing the number formerly kept on his farm. 
This, I by no means condemn, and yet it may 
not be out of place to offer a word of caution. 
The wisest man can not predict what is before 
us, or what will be the condition of our Nation 
one year hence. I do not despair, and I yet 
hope my country and Government will be saved, 
hut, in our present distracted condition, I would 
certainly hesitate before embarking in any enter¬ 
prise involving a large investment. And fur¬ 
thermore, is not the present price of wool de¬ 
lusive? I grant that in making the currency of 
tlie country the standard of value, wool has ad¬ 
vanced 50 per cent., but if I desire to convert this 
currency into gold, or if I only accept gold in 
payment for my wool, I will then find the last 
year’s prices closely represent its absolute, or 
true value at the present time. But while I 
would advise caution, I would also applaud 
every wise and well directed effort to increase 
the number, and still further aim to advance the 
present high character of our Ohio flocks. 
If a good Providence grants power to our 
Government to subdue, and crush this wicked 
conspiracy against its life, then surely the flock- 
master may look forward for some years to come, 
with assurance that his labors and care for his 
fleecy charge will be well rewarded. The pres¬ 
ent supply of wool in the markets of the world 
is unusually small, and cotton both from scar¬ 
city and price, can not as heretofore constitute 
so prominent an element in our professedly 
woolen fabrics. G. 
Moore's Salt Works, Ohio. 
A Word for Merino Sheep. 
Mr. M. Cunningham, Stark Co., O., in answer 
to the question proposed by the Ohio State 
Board of Agriculture, “ Which are the Best 
Sheep?” writes as follows: “This question 
may have as many different answers as men 
have different notions and opinions. To the 
flock-master, who breeds and keeps sheep for 
the wool principally, the Spanish Merino is es¬ 
teemed above any other, in this climate. Some 
of the reasons for this are as follows: The 
Spanish Merino produces a greater quantity of 
wool, in proportion to the size of the carcase, 
than any other variety bf sheep. It is a general¬ 
ly admitted fact, that all animals consume food 
in proportion to the weight of carcase. This 
being the case, and the difference in weight be¬ 
tween a Spanish Merino and a Leicestershire or 
a South Down, being about one-third, it will 
readily be seen which of the two varieties is 
most profitable for wool; for, generally, it will 
be found that the well-built, close and compact 
Spanish sheep of eighty pounds weight will 
produce more pounds of wool than the Leices¬ 
tershire or the South Downs of one hundred 
and twenty pounds. If this be true, it requires 
one-third more feed to produce a pound of wool 
from a Leicestershire or South Down shee]) than 
it does from a Spanish Merino; while, at the 
same time, a pound of the Spanish Merino is 
worth and will sell for at least one-third more 
than the other. [Generally—but not now. Ed.] 
The wool of the Spanish Menho is generally 
very compact and close, aud'Tieing oily also, it 
protects the bodies of tile aniuialslfom the in¬ 
clemencies of the weather; while on the loose, 
open, and light wooled varieties, when exposed 
to the rains and storm, the wool becomes sat¬ 
urated, the water finds its way to the skin, the 
animal takes cold, and perhaps dies. 
Spanish or some, other of the"Merinos, herd 
together in large ilocks better than Leicester¬ 
shire, Cotswolds or South Downs. They are, per¬ 
haps, the most quiet and docile variety of sheep 
of all others. This is a great consideration.” 
- <——a, <3.*...-. —-- 
Introduction of Merinos. 
The Northampton (Mass.) Free Press, claims 
for Vermont the honor of having first introduced 
the Spanish Merino into the United States, and 
gives the following account of the importation: 
“William .far Vis, a native of Boston, received 
from Jefferson an appointment as Consul to Lis¬ 
bon, and when there in 1811, Napoleon invaded 
Portugal and Spain, and some of the flocks were 
seized by him to feed his army, While others 
were sold to defray the expenses of the war. 
Previously, not a single sheep had been allowed 
to leave Spain, the penalty of death having been 
established to prevent it. Mr. Jarvis wishing to 
benefit his countrymen, purchased ten bucks at 
a cost of $200 each, and shipped them to New- 
York. He ordered his agent to advertise them 
thoroughly and then sell them at auction. His 
request w T as complied with and the report of the 
sale w r as sent to Mr. Jarvis. He opened the let¬ 
ter, from whiclilie read that his sheep had been 
sold at $100 each. The letter was thrown down 
in a passion—and his countrymen were consid¬ 
ered the most unappreciative people in the 
world. He thought they certainly might have 
shown gratitude enough bypayiugat least what 
the sheep had cost him. The next day having 
occasion to refer to the letter, he found that he 
had made a mistake of one cipher in the first 
reading. Instead of the sheep having sold for 
$100 each, they had sold for $1000—a slight dif¬ 
ference. This induced him to make further pur¬ 
chases, and during his stay at Lisbon he shipped 
to this country 3,500 sheep, all but 300 of which 
were sold at New-York, Boston, Portland, New- 
Ilaven, and Philadelphia at enormous prices. 
The 300 (hat he reserved, were taken to Weth¬ 
ersfield, Vt., where 8000 acres of land had been 
purchased at a cost of $20,000. On his return 
to this country, Mr. Jarvis settled in Vermont, 
and continued the rearing of sheep, from which, 
together with the profits made on those that he 
had imported, he had amassed a fortune.” 
It is true that Mr. Jarvis was the largest early 
importer of this breed, but S. S. Randall in his 
work on sheep states that the first Merino re¬ 
ceived here was shipped by Mr. Delessert, a 
banker of Paris, in the year 1801. Four animals 
were sent, but three died on the passage; the 
remaining one was taken to a farm near Kings¬ 
ton, in this State. In 1802, Chancellor Robert 
R. Livingston, of New-York, imported two 
pairs of this breed, and in the same year Hon. 
David Humphreys, of Connecticut, imported a 
fl ock of about one hundred. 
Economy in Wintering Pigs. 
A correspondent at Sandy Hill, N. Y., sends 
to the American Agriculturist a description of his 
mode of wintering pigs economically—in sub¬ 
stance as follows: The pen is built adjoining 
the rear of the horse stable,. So that the pigs can 
have free access to the manure heap. Their 
grain feed is thrown upon the pile to encourage 
them to work it over, and also that their own 
excrements may be dropped there. The trough 
for swill is placed outside of their nesting 
apartment, midway between that and the ma- 
nfireheap. The whole is under cover, and sel¬ 
dom freezes. Pigs for wintering are taken from 
the second litter, dropped in September. Two 
or three pigs are kept to each horse. They 
spend most of the day in working over the ma¬ 
nure thrown from the stable in the morning: 
thus all the undigested grain, which would oth¬ 
erwise be partially wasted, is turned to account; 
an addition is made to the manure heap by the 
pigs, and the whole is thoroughly commingled. 
It is claimed that a large saving of feed and ma¬ 
nure is made. Toward Spring the manure is 
thrown out of the pen, and allowed to ferment. 
The heap is watered occasionally, if it be not 
sufficiently moist, to prevent fire-fanging. 
We suggest in addition to the above plan, that 
a pile of muck be kept near at hand, under 
cover, and a few shovelfuls be thrown in daily 
with the manure from the stable. It Will retain 
much of the ammonia which would otherwise 
escape, thus preventing the offensive effluvia 
from the sty. It will add largely to the bulk 
of the heap, and by being incorporated with 
the manure, prevent injury during fermenta ion. 
Sods, or any good soil may bo used, when muck 
is not at hand. The accumulation can be 
removed from the pen as often as necessary. 
