I 
1891 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
small amount of seed required to plant an acre, and the 
value of the vines for feeding purposes are taken into 
consideration, is it strange that the popularity of the bean 
with the Western Yew York farmer is increasing ? One 
bushel of beans is usually worth as much in the market 
as two bushels of wheat. 
The writer knows of one farmer who sold from a 19 acre 
field the past season, which was a poor one, $930 worth of 
beans ; and of another who received from a lC-acre field in 
1889, over $700. Another factor which will tend to stimu¬ 
late the production of this crop is the increased duty 
placed upon foreign beans by the McKinley Tariff Law. 
It is one of the few farm products of which we consume 
more than we produce, and in which, therefore, we can 
derive a benefit from protection. J. w. BURKE. 
Genesee Co., N. Y. 
R. N.-Y'.—'The following table shows the quantities of 
beans and peas imported during recent years No separate 
Year. 
Bushels. 
. 343,258 
Year. 
1885. 
Bushels. 
. 234,710 
. 865,666 
1886. 
. 649,002 
. 
. 1,190,414 
1837. 
. 648,383 
1883 . 
1884 . 
. 1,025,838 
. 865,367 
... . 1 912,864 
1-S9. 
. 765,483 
THE AMERICAN MERINO SHEEP. 
Dreed history; larger form and heavier wool; gnat mar¬ 
ket in Australia and South America; the ideal 
Merino; hints on care and fading 
The following facts are obtained from an interview with 
J. H. Earll, of Skaneateles, N. Y., Secretary of the Ameri¬ 
can Merino Sheep Breeders’ Association : 
“The Merino is acknowledged to be the great wool-pro¬ 
ducing sheep of the world. Sheep of this breed are kept 
in flocks ranging from 50 in the Etst to 100,000 in Aus¬ 
tralia, with equal success. The first importations from 
Spain, 100 years ago, would be called very ordinary sheep 
to-day. Some of their descendants fell into the hands of 
practical sheep breeders, who began to improve the form 
and covering as well as to thicken the fleece. In 1865 these 
sheep sold for fabulous prices, wool having reached $1 per 
pound. Then the heaviest ram’s fleece was 27 pounds, and 
the heaviest ewe’s, 17 pounds. To-day we have records in 
our own State of 41 pounds 6% ounces 
for a year’s growth of wool on a ram, 
and an account of a ewe’s fleece weigh¬ 
ing 26 pounds 8 ounces. France and Ger¬ 
many have obtained large carcasses and 
fine fleeces, but have failed to secure 
density and weight of fleece, the sheep 
there shearing nq more than ours did 
30 years ago. 
“Australia is the largest wool-produc¬ 
ing country and her Merinos cannot be 
excelled for the fineness of the fiber of 
their wool. They have large carcasses 
and are well covered, but their wool 
lacks in density. To-day the people are 
ready customers for our best sheep. 
For two years past all the best sheep 
that could be spared from Vermont, 
New York and Michigan have been ex¬ 
ported to Australia and sold at auction 
at good prices, as soon as out of quaran¬ 
tine. Nature assists us in this climate to raise more fibers 
to the square inch than can be done in any other country, 
and density is what Australians want. Their flocks 
are turned to pasture all the year round and must 
take the storms. Their ewes crossed with our rams give 
lambs with heavier and denser fleeces, especially over the 
backs and hips, which help to keep the st'orms and rays of 
the sun from penetrating the fleece. 
“ I have samples of wool deadened by storms on the tips 
for a length of from one-fourth to one-half an inch. When 
this wool is washed, the dead ends are washed off and 
there is a considerable loss. On half bred American sheep 
the fiber is firm to the end and Australian breeders are 
not slow to find it out. 
“ If it were not for its financial troubles we would be 
selling choice sheep to the Argentine Republic also. 
Orders have been received from South Africa. We have 
not only a home market, but, what is still better, a 
foreign one, which stimulates and strengthens the home 
market. 
“ The Vermont Merinos of 30 years ago cut heavy fleeces 
in comparison with their carcasses. I have seen ewes 
which, after they were shorn, would not weigh over 50 
pounds. When wool was worth from 50 to 70 cents per 
pound it might do to crowd a number of these little 
animals into a pen for the profit on the wool, but what 
could we do with such little greasy fellows to-day ? They 
would not pay for either wool or mutton. We want 
bold, high-headed animals, with level tops, broad backs 
and loins, well-sprung ribs and good length of bodies, with 
strong legs set under them, not too short, but upright and 
able to carry them about so that they can take good care 
of themselves. When mature the right kind of Merino 
ewes should weigh 100 pounds and the rams, 180. We 
need not fear to ship carcasses of this size to market, if 
fat, and sell them beside those of the mutton breeds. 
“It is well to bear in mind that form and size go together. 
How often does not a desirable combination of both help 
to sell ! I put form, size and constitution first; bat they 
must be covered with Merino wool to make them valuable. 
All parts of the body should be covered with wool of as even 
a length of staple and as thick as possible. The wool on 
the belly should be as long as that on the sides and hips, 
and the legs should also be well covered down to the 
hoofs. The fleece on a wrinkly sheep is thickest; but a 
flock of breeding ewes should not be excessively wrinkly, 
though they should have good neck folds, and be also mod¬ 
erately wrinkled on the sides and over the hips. The ram 
should be well wrinkled all over. Some breed for finer 
fiber than others, but we must have a good fair fleece as 
even as possible. By this I do not mean the silky, snow- 
white fleece that the wool buyers so often say is the kind 
the farmer should raise. We can not get enough of that 
kind of wool on a sheep ; but we do want a nice, crimpy 
fleece, with a firm fiber, light buff oil well distributed. It 
should not, however, form in hard clots, as these are objec¬ 
tionable. The length of staple should be about 2% inches, 
and the Ihicker it is the better. Such sheep that shear, 
with ordinary care, an average of from 10 to 12 pounds of 
unwashed wool worth 20 cents per pound, will pay on a 
farm now. Yearling rams are worth $10 for Western trade. 
If farmers would take the same extra pains to keep a flock 
of sheep up to the standard, that they take to get the best 
machinery and fertilizers for their grain crops, they would 
find that sheep would pay better than grain. It seems 
strange to some to see us housing our sheep and giving 
them such extra care ; but it generally pays the owner in 
the end to have his stock in good condition to show breed¬ 
ers who wish to buy. 
“If one wishes to breed the modern type of sheep he must 
be particular in his selection. He should keep only his 
best ewes for breeders, and buy no culls better to buy 
fewer and pay more money and start right. Many make a 
mistake in not using good enough stock rams. Next to 
selection come the proper care and feed. We must raise 
clover hay to be good shepherds. We grow and feed more 
of it than does Vermont. This is one of the reasons why 
our sheep are larger and stronger than those in the Green 
Mountain State. It is a natural food for them and they 
will do well on it with a small grain ration and pure 
water. Watch the lambs carefully and keep them growing 
all the time. Do not allow a setback on account of the 
lack of the right kind of food. Procure it for them and 
you will mature them without trouble into model Amer¬ 
ican Merinos.” 
Mr. Earll’s sheep are of the Atwood strain, and their 
pedigrees can be traced individually for 25 years. They 
are bred for size and constitution as well as for density 
of fleece. Fig. 78 shows three prize yearling ewes which 
won the first prize for weight of fleeces at the State Fair 
last fall. These, with a pen which won the first prize for 
the fineness of the fleeces, and nine rams of his breeding 
223 
heavy rock oils. The genuine is more limpid than water, 
and when looked at in bulk it is in color a dull greenish- 
brown. When any one says he has tried it and has failed 
to cure, he has not had the right stuff or he has not been 
thorough in its application, and if it has taken the wool 
off healthy parts, it certainly has been something besides 
the genuine article. 
For mangy spots on any animal simply take a cotton 
rag and apply the petroleum, being sure to cover the whole 
spot and rub it well in. Crude petroleum is also a dead 
shot for any sort of lice or ticks. I used to mix it with 
lard, lard oil or fried meat fat; but find nothing is needed 
beside the crude oil. 
For ticks on sheep, put them in a warm place and pour 
it freely along their backs, and good-by ticks. They should 
be kept warm for a few days. For lice on animals simply 
put a little on the brush or card with which they are 
carded. Crude petroleum is also an excellent liniment for 
man or beast, and although l have never tried it I believe 
it will cure foot rot in sheep. If I ever have another case 
I shall try it. In applying it I should pare off all parts of 
the hoof that by reason of the disease had become loosened, 
taking all pus with them and then cause the sheep to stand 
from 15 to 30 minutes in a dish of petroleum. Great is 
petroleum !_ 
PRIZE PEN OF AMERICAN MERINO SHEEP. 
have gone to Australia. Mr. R. D. Clark, of Vermont, 
took about 80 head and arrived safely at Sydney, New 
South Wales, on January 21. They will have to remain in 
quarantine three months, and will probably be sold at 
auction in July, as this is the time when the large shows 
are usually held there, and sales are made. Mr. Earll has 
sent three shipments to Australia. In 1887 and 1888 he 
sold quite a large number for Buenos Ayres. A visit to 
his farm at Skaneatelas, N. Y., will well repay any one 
for the trouble. c - E< c - 
CRUDE PETROLEUM FOR SHEEP SCAB. 
J. 8. WOODWARD. 
Some time last fall I wrote an article for the American 
Wool Grower and Sheep Breeder on the use of crude petro¬ 
leum as a cure for scab in sheep and mange in other ani¬ 
mals. This article has been widely copied and often 
severely criticised, some claiming that the petroleum would 
not cure, and others that it took all the wool off the sheep. 
Now, as an evidence of what it will do I give my own ex 
perience with it within six months. In October I bought 
100 ewes and 86 lambs, every one of which (without a single 
exception) had the scab in the worst way. There was not 
a spot as large as a quarter dollar on the whole carcass 
without a scab spot, and it was pitiful to see the poor crea¬ 
tures rubbing and biting and tearing themselves. 
We put them into warm quarters, and having procured 
a barrel of crude petroleum, we sheared them, and after 
shearing, two men took a sheep and stood it into a big tub 
in which were several gallons of the crude petroleum. 
Now with balls made of strips of cotton rags they satur¬ 
ated the sheep from the tip of the nose to every part of the 
body. They then took stiff scrubbing brushes and rubbed 
the sheep until every scab was broken up and the petro¬ 
leum worked to the bottom of every sore. After this they 
again went over the sheep with the petroleum and after 
rubbing off what they conveniently could with their hands, 
let them go. 
Now as to the result: not one of those sheep or lamb3 
has showed a single spot of scab, and the lambs are being 
fattened for market, and it would delight me to have any 
doubting Thomas come and examine either them or the 
ewes. In the use of crude petroleum certain things must 
be remembered and observed. The sheep must be kept 
warm. The treatment must be thorough, as it will not 
cure any spot to which it is not applied, and the light 
crude petroleum must be used— no adulterated stuff or the 
“BALANCED RATIONS” IN THE BALANCE. 
Dr. Manly Miles “ Puts His Foot In It.” 
HENRY STEWART. 
Dr. Manly Miles, in some remarks quoted in Live Stock 
Notes, in a late Rural, tries to give what he called the 
balanced ration a black eye. but instead he hits a hard 
spot and skins his own knuckles. He says, “The main point 
in feeding is to adjust the food to the taste of the animal.” 
“ The gain in flesh has to do with the amount the animal 
consumes.” * * * “ In growing animals, however, corn 
should be fed with something else, for it is deficient in ash 
and will not grow bone as it should be grown.” I don’t 
know of any more conspicuous instance in which a scien¬ 
tific man has put his foot in it more completely or deeply. 
To control the taste of an animal is an important part of 
the feeding ! If an animal’s taste is considered, the mis¬ 
chief is irreparable. A cow always likes to get to a corn 
meal bin and will leave her hay for it 
every time. Taste is a very unsatisfac¬ 
tory guide in feeding, otherwise the in¬ 
stinct of an animal would be better than 
the knowledge of the feeder. 
I should say Dr. Miles puts the cart 
before the horse in his second sentence 
quoted. It is the amount of food con¬ 
sumed that has to do with the growth 
of an animal, and not the reverse of 
this. But food is not only what is con¬ 
sumed. The term food has a much 
wider meaning. It is such aliment as 
will most contribute to the welfare of 
the animal. And when we come to the 
last sentence the Dr. fairly admits this, 
and with it he admits the whole theory 
and practice of balanced rations. In 
feeding young animals—and old ones 
as well—I have found that corn is the 
favorite food, and they will all eat far 
more of it than is good for them. Poultry will pick up 
every grain of corn before they touch a grain of wheat, 
and yet wheat is a better food than corn for them, 
simply because it is a better balance i ration. And 
when we are told that young animals will not grow 
bone which they need (or flesh either) when fed on corn, 
we are brought right to the heart of this question, 
which is that the aliment (the food ration) must be 
suited to the necessities of the animal; and must contain 
just such elements as will furnish the required elements 
of subsistence, growth, and profitable products, and we 
must not forget that the food must be such as will be 
healthfully digested and assimilated. Neither chemistry 
alone, nor physiology alone can determine what is the best 
ration; hygiene must be considered, and all these to¬ 
gether must act in unison to fix the best ration for feed¬ 
ing, and this is what is known as a balanced ration. If this 
is cast aside on the dictum of Dr. Miles, what will he give 
the feeder in place of It ? The reductio ad ahsurdum of Dr. 
Miles’s belief is that he must give the animal what its taste 
desires in unlimited quantity, a most dangerous and un¬ 
practical and unscientific conclusion. 
A physician advising a patient will always give strict 
instructions as to diet, not only in aid of medicine, but for 
the assistance of the system to recover itself by a perfectly 
balanced ration, neglect of which in most cases is the chief 
cause of diseases. It is an old and true adage that most 
persons dig their graves with their teeth, and this by con¬ 
sulting their tastes rather than their needs. The animal 
propensity is too strong for their judgment, or it is per¬ 
mitted to control in ignorance of the danger of it. No 
feeder of cows or horses or other animals can afford to 
please their tastes. The whole art of feeding is to control 
these, and to choose such feeds as will inure to the profit 
of the feeder. Can any person of common sense admit that 
a knowledge of the composition of foods, of the physiologi¬ 
cal habits and necessities of animals, and of the digestibi¬ 
lity of various food substances is not necessary to profit¬ 
able feeding ? The fact is, the best system of feeding ani¬ 
mals is founded on long and slowly acquired experience, 
which, when tested by science, has been found not only 
satisfactory, but based upon correct scientific principles, 
and these principles give us a text book which serves in 
place of the long and dearly acquired experience which 
every person without it would have to gain for himself. 
And the first principle of this text book is that the ration 
must conform to the necessities of the animal and balance 
them. A man’s name should never add weight to an error. 
