. 4 ® 
ySSrtV;' 
i WHOLE NO. 691 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, APRIL 11,1863 
where costly ] some men who know a thing or two. Getting 
' i for this class of sheep, it is natural 
enough that the largely increased demand should 
bo supplied, if possible; and where the apron 
and collars are not bred upon the necks of the 
animal,' stubhle-sheaiing is resorted to, and the 
Western importer of line-wool sheep is supplied 
with animals showing as lino collars tvs the host 
bred of the Yermout sheep, and a wonderful 
length of wool on the neck! 
A certain Western breeder visited the Green 
Mountain State to buy sheep for himself, and 
received a commission from another gentleman 
to buy the best Spanish ewe he could get in that 
State for one hundred dollars. lie did so, and 
to-day I happened to visit the (lock-master who 
owns tills one hundred dollar specimen of ex¬ 
cellence. 
There she stood, with impending lbre-lop, 
Hoad, beckoning collars, and ample apron. 
Tho fore-arms were “remarkably bred” as wo 
looked at her, and the Hank well filled. But 
shepherds who have had their “eye-teeth cut,” 
are not content with a superficial and distant 
examination. Tho ewe was caught, and tho 
three or tour shepherds present each had a look 
at the Vermont sample. 
A caught, her and proceeded to lay the wool 
apart with his lingers, as shepherds know how to 
do so well—first on the shoulder, then on tho 
side of the barrel, tjaen on the rump, and Hank, 
and fore arm. Thou he explored the depths of 
tho folds, or collars, lifted the apron, and ex¬ 
claimed, at the length of the wool 
and frequently heard of more cases, 
sheep have been killed by over-feeding. Some j lag prices 
men set apart a sheep or two, or more, which 
they lit up for showing at Fairs. IV ith those ani¬ 
mals they intend to make ft reputation. They 
deem it profitable to sacrifice a few sheep for this 
purpose. Others, inexperienced, make thissaeri 
lice innocently—Buffer losses they can illy afford. 
There are tunny men who feed a sheep grain as 
they would feed it to a hog—who do not. know 
any better than to feed all the animal will eat. 
Such men make a groat mistake. Instead of 
increasing the length and weight, of the fleece, it 
shortens the staple. And if fed to a young ani- 
the country that feed more highly, summer and 
winter, than those Vermonters,— especially the 
stock they propose to sell. It. is not alone that 
it injureB the animal that prevents shepherds 
washing their sheep; for some, especially those 
who want to sell, want to, and do, shear befoie 
they could wash. And then, washing injures the 
appearance of the animal. It checks llie flow ul 
the oil, and it. does not crust evenly and well, 
X hear it urged that the best practice would be 
to shear the sheep without washing before they 
are turned out to grass. It, is claimed that there 
is less danger in shearing fine-wooled sheep 
5. The author of this circular has drawn his 
figures of the yield per acre a little too strong. 
For instance, he asserta that 10 acres planted by 
Mr. CiMt’BELL, yielded orer 05,000 bushels, 
which would he over 875 bushels per acre. And 
each bushel yields twenty pounds of “ a superior 
quality of white sugar!” Then 875 bushels mul¬ 
tiplied by 20 pounds, would give the nice little 
product of 17,500 pounds of sugar as the product, 
of one acre! — of while sugarl Wonder if it. is 
not as transparent as glass, too'! It seems to us 
It must be? 
G. But in the publication of terms for packages 
of seed, ho has been more shrewd. For, as an 
additional Inducement, to purchasers of seed—he 
having only a limited quantity, and the above 
recommendations belngscarcely an inducement 
he offers two excellent publications- the Illus¬ 
trated Annual Register of Ilural Affairs, and the 
Country Gentleman - as premiums for orders for 
seed. That is a very good movement—far more 
ingenious than the story of tho history of 
the “ Oriental Sugar Root” itself. The coupling 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
JVN ORIGINAL WBEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With * Corps of Able Assistants and Contributors. 
O. O. It It AC DO V, Western Oorrwpomlln* Editor. 
Tin* Rural N'kw-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed 
in Value, Purity nnd Variety of Couteuts, nnd unique and 
beautiful iu Appearance. Us Conductor devotes liis per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision or its various depart¬ 
ments and immestly labors to render the P.cral ah 
eminently Reliable Guide on nil the important Practical, 
Scientific and other Subjects intimately connected with 
tho business of those whose interest* it snalously advo¬ 
cates. Ae,a Family Jopr-nal it is eminently Instructive 
aud EutertalninR —being so conducted that it can be safely 
taken to the Homes of people or Intelligence, taste and 
discrimination. It embraces more Agricultural, Horticul¬ 
tural, Scientific, Educational, Literary and News Mutter, 
interspersed with appropriate Engravings, than any other 
journal,—rendering It the most complete AciRIcm.TrrtAL, 
Literary and Family Nbwspapkr in America. 
C3T For Terms and other particulars, sen last page. 
can bo no uniform rato fixed. Tho owners of 
heavy, oily-flecced Spanish Hocks, are willing tn 
give one-third litre. Others, who breed differ¬ 
ently, would rather wash than give that amount. 
ORIENTAL SUGAR ROOT, 
We have received from a Post-Master in 
Michigan a circular “Highly Important to 
FarmerB and Gardeners,” —so called, — and 
calling their attention “to the now vegetable 
called the Oriental Sugar Root, about which 
there has been so much excitement iu Europe 
for some months past.” 
The history of this “ Oriental Sugar Root,” as 
set forth in this circular, is interesting, and we 
copy it: 
"This root was first discovered to Europeans by 
C. BRttOK Campbell, Esq., of Edinburgh, Scotland, 
white traveling in Central Asia, in 1850. The Orientals 
mod it for food ns commonly as we do tho Irish potato, 
and Mr Campbell found it so ngwablc to his taste and 
health that he was induced to Inquire into its nature and 
properties, which led to the most satisfactory results. He 
found it not only an excellent article for both man and 
beast, but to contain a saccharine matter of very superior 
quality which was manufactured into sugar and univer¬ 
sally used by the inhabitants, In a climate os cold as 
Scotland, with tire miserable eultivntiou of the Asiatics, 
an English acre produced an average yield of about 
1,400 avgas, or 800 bushels. These facts induced him, on 
his return to Scotland, to take with him a quantity of seed 
to experiment upon, He -owed and cultivated the 6arne 
that, amount of feed, 
should have it. As tl 
more feed.” 
In feeding, some regard must ho paid to the 
future uBofnlneBB of the animal. A slight, indis¬ 
cretion destroys it. The length of life depends 
upon the character and quantity of the feed. A 
valuable breeding ewe, or a buck that gets ex 
cellent stock, is of too great value to the country 
to warrant any recklessness in feeding. And 
the man who intends to make breeding his busi¬ 
ness, will be very careful not to injure the Block 
ho intends to breed from, in this manner. 
FEEDING HUKEI* TO SHOW. 
This haH iiecome an art A shepherd who has 
not learned it, need not hope to compote with 
the class of men who have, and who employ this 
art in preparing their sheep for the show grounds 
—at least, not if the judges do not happen to be 
thorough shepherds themselves, and adepts in 
tho arts employed, and can look through the 
finish and distinguish the staple. Show-sheep 
are often sheared early—earlier by a month or 
two, or more, than are sheep not intended for 
exhibition. Then if they are fine-wooled sheep 
“I toll you, B., there is long wool there. And 
it is good wool, too. Look here, on this lore- 
arm. Wo have not Been any such wool on a 
sheep to-day. She is going to shear heavy.” 
“ I tell you What,” said tho purchaser, “ that’s 
mighty long wool on a ewe of that age. And its 
handsome, too." 
B, C and 1) examined the ewe, and commended 
her wool, its length, quality, the distribution ot 
oil, &c., &c- Au old shepherd, F, had looked 
her over carefully and silently. Ho had given 
no opinion. When the rest had completed their 
examinations, he said he wanted to look at her 
again. lie did so. 
“Now, gentlemen, let me show you a trick 
which iB often very successful. See here; look 
at the length of the wool here on the rump-see, 
you don't call that very long, do you? Now 
look right below here, pn the flank—tour inches 
point. How much longer is it 
WESTERN EDITORIAL NOTES 
dividing Illinois and Wisconsin. I have been ban(llod -specially w! 
riding about with shepherds, visiting shepherds, ^ crnsted Ior Bqueez 
and looking at Hocks of fine-wool sheep-some . tho gkin ftnd creu | 
pure bred Spanish Merino, and some Grades. tbe tt , )p earunce of the w< 
Within the past two weeks I have visited some vN]i 
most excel lout flocks, talked with and listened 
to conversations between some of the best flock- The secret of success 
masters in the West This has enabled me to is largely to be credited 
glean many items of interest—especially to be- Of course, skill in bre 
ginners in this branch of husbandry. There are without care combined 1 
plenty of ambitious men who have invested very is of comparatively lltth 
heavily in blooded sheep. Some have been as who are inexperienced, 
far Fast as Vermont to got the wool pulled over man who breeds to sell, 
their eyes, and paid tremendous prices for hav- feeds to develop what h 
ing it dono in a scientific manner. Many of he is unscrupulous, he 
these men will find it difficult to keep the sheep the interest of the party 
they may have purchased up to the showing the money is in ins p< 
point to which the Vermont shepherds may have delivered, that is the on 
pushed them. Some of them will have diseov- that animal. But allot 
ered that it is not the simplest thing in tho world and yet there arc few 
to “tend sheep.” Such men will thank me if I And care is equally osv 
throw them some of the crumbs of experience shelter the animal- lee 
which fell from the lips of these men of the care for the animal s 
West. To old shepherds, much that 1 write may looked at two flocks tin 
seem silly; and doubtless the parties to whom 1 same time, of the same 
listened, aud whom I may quote, would hardly way, and as nearly aid 
think it worth while to print what I now write, well be. But the drib 
Hence I give no names as authority, but give The length and evenn 
what I hear, simply, together with some things I dition of the sheep in 
know> other, evidence enougt 
ABOUT WASHING SHEEP. ing. 
There has been not a littlo discussion as to TUE TI * ,AI,TU Al 
whether sheep should be washed or not. There Tho importance ot 
are two sides to the question, and they are very from exposure, cannot 
frankly discussed. There are few men who do animal is diseased, the 
not assert or concede that more or less injury to fed, the staple isshorte 
the sheep is done annually, by washing. And and kept in continuous 
the advantage is mythical in many instances, uneven. And a good 
especially when sheep are driven long distances you whether you have 
in a stream with a your sheep have been 
from the other 
here than up there?—a halt or three-fourths of 
an inch. Now look on tho fore-arm—a full half- 
inch longer than in the place last looked at 
Now, see here—look at. these collars! Here is 
plenty of wool—some of it, CHpecially on the 
folds, an inch longer than on any other part of 
the sheep. What enormous folds, to be sure! 
Suppose, D, the collars of that sheep yonder had 
been stubble-sheared, as these were, would not 
her front have been as imposing? See, tho head 
of this animal was not sheared at all when the 
rest of tho body was—if so, ouly slightly, in 
order to make her look alike all over. Marvel¬ 
ous points these! That ewe has been slightly 
stubble-sheared, and will shear more this season 
than she ever will again if sheared honestly. 
And her remarkable collars will disappear, 
never to appear again, if she ia sheared as she 
should be. It is a great, trade, gentlemen, but 
you can see it now as well as 1.” 
And the shepherds, A, B, C and D, did see it; 
and the writer looked on, listened, and made a 
Rim ply boiling and cleansing a.( tin* American farmers do 
the sap of the sugar maple. Last year, Mr. C. planted 40 
acres, yielding over 35,000 bushels, troru which be manu¬ 
factured 300,000 pounds of white sugar and fatted 500 
beeves, making a net. profit of £3,000, I $15,000 ) Mr. (1. 
has introduced the Sugar Root until it is quite generally 
grown in many portions of Europe; and iu some districts 
of France it lias entirely superseded the beet for sugar- 
making purposes,” See., So: 
It is proper for us to say something about this 
wonderful root; and we want to say, 
1. No man, with common sense, it seems to ub, 
could read the above without being convinced at 
once that the party who publishes this circular, 
with a view to get orders for seed, is attempt¬ 
ing a swindle. The marvelous qualities of 
this root are told with far too few qualifica¬ 
tions to insure it against the incredulity of think¬ 
ing men. But unfortunately for themselves there | 
is too large a class of men who do not think; and 
for this class we add what follows. 
2. It is a little strange to men who see English, 
Irish, Scotch and French Agricultural papers 
weekly, that there should have been such an 
. excitement in Europe over this “root,” and these 
papers have taken no notice of it We have 
seen no evidences of such “excitement,” and yet 
we see Baid paper?. We do not believe there has 
been any such “excitement;” and, if what is 
CARE OF SHEEP-FOOT-ROT, &c. 
in the dust, and plunged 
muddy, miry bottom. 
It is dangerous, always, to wash, in the usual 
manner, a highly fed animal. Men who breed 
Spanish and French Merinos pure, and feed the 
bucks high, rarely or never wash them. They 
are usually sheared without washing. And the 
danger resulting to a highly fed animal is doubt¬ 
less one cause why the Vermont Wool-Grower’s 
Association has resolved not to wash their flocks. 
For there is, probably, no class of shepherds in 
