JUNE 2 
THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
343 
the skunk being trapped (which no one will 
doubt if lie visits the hatchery). Next rats 
must be provided for. Three eggs out of eight 
are not fertile; some uf the chicks could not 
unshell themselves; others were trampled to 
death by the hens, and out of 270 eggs for the 
first sittings in the 18 nests I have 120 live, 
healthy chicks. The cost of my hatchery is 
about $15, or less than half the price of an 
incubator. “Good.” 
<2I) c tjcr 
THE LATE JERSEY SALES. 
There are mnuy features of marked interest 
about the combination sales of Jersey cattle 
that have lieon taking place in New York of 
late. Those of the week before last conducted 
by Peter C. Kellogg & Co., were made up by 
contributions from the herds of members of 
the American Jersey Cattle Club.andincluded 
only such animals as were eligible to entry in 
the Herd Register. The auctioneer is slightly 
autocratic in accepting entries for the sale, 
excluding ft too numerous bull representation 
and insisting upon at least a percentage of the 
best in each herd. A silver cup is also offered 
for the highest average prices obtained on live 
animals of a single ownership. This Is quite 
au incentive to the breeder for putt ing in some 
of his best. Last year this cup was won by 
Mr. John i. Holly, of Plainfield, New Jersey. 
This year it fell to Mr. 8. M. Burnham, of 
Saugatuck, Conn., and as au evidence of the 
high prices these averages reach I give the 
following list of the leading averages on the 
best five uuuuuLs of each owner. 
S. M. Burnham, SauKftttiek. Conn.S2.HO.UU 
J. V. N. Willis, Marlboro N. J. 1.U20.UO 
D. a Ufvius, Qytith,mm, Ky. l.tus.uu 
D. K. Appleton, Ipswich. Muss. 791.00 
John I. Holly, 1’l.ilulleld, N. J. 743.00 
John 1). Win*. MUlbrook, N. V.. <527.00 
Jolm K. Muxtl Id, Bloom livid, N. J. 615.00 
The first CUP was therefore awarded to Mr. 
Burnham and the following Is a list of the 
animals sold by him. 
Nancy Lee imported cow.$ 2 , 100.00 
Aumvbello 2d imported c-*w iCoonuwslv blood) 
... 1.200.00 
Aunty belle Oil l Klnter-Ooomii&sicblood).1.200.UJ 
Gold C .at. (bull i oomns.-W blnodl. 3.200.MI 
King of Aslmotee (bull CoonmSKlu blood). 5.WI0.MJ 
These figures are somewhat startling to the 
modest or old-time breeder of Jersey cattle; 
but they are not exceptional, for during the 
three days’ sale 179 animals were disposed of 
at an aggregate of $83,981), being an average 
of $493 71. 
The day previous to the beginiug of this 
combination sale Peter C. Kellogg A Co. con¬ 
ducted a sale for Mr. T. A. Haveiueyer at his 
private stables in the city. Fifty-seven head, 
the increase of the herd for two years, made 
an aggregate of $'23.105. Thirty females 
averaged $544,06 each and 27 bulls averaged 
$250.55 each, which is remarks Ido when we 
consider the number from one herd put under 
the hammer. The highest prices attained at 
this sale wore $1,875 for the heifer Lady 
Arthur 2d by Duke of Darlington out of a 
cow by Royalist, sou ol Regina. Hence it will 
be seen that this high average was r ot brought 
about by a few high priced animals, but by 
general excellence in the stock offered. 
Thus in cold figures l have told the story of 
these remarkable sales which indicate a future 
for Jersey cattle that may well be called flat¬ 
tering and hopeful to the breeders of this dairy 
strain. 
The averages 1 believe are higher than were 
ever before attaiued at public auction for 
Jersey cattle, and it was remarked by many 
that the purchasers were not eonliued to 
breeders already in the business who were 
merely introducing new strains of blood into 
their herds, but there were many new-comers 
who, judging from the character of their 
purchases, were establishing herds upon the 
foundation of the best to bo had—that is, 
according to the popular notion as to the best 
strains of bloiKl. 
Another feature was the contribution from 
the herd of Mr. Givi us, from Kentucky; this 
is the first Western or Southern breeder who 
has contributed to the sides, and his average 
of the best five—$1,048—is highly creditable. 
A novel feature in these auction sab's, and 
one that T venture to say added a third, and I 
believe it would 1 m* nearer the truth if I said a 
half, to every animal sold, was the manner of 
conducting the sales. Then* were two men in 
the auction stand, one to do the ordinary 
work of the auctioneer and crowd the bidding 
up to the usual standard, when the other party 
would come to the front with a genuine Jersey 
speech and enthuse the audience to a fresh re¬ 
lay of bids, This was done in the following 
manner. As a supjiosititious ease, we will say 
Baja, the bull-calf under the hammer, is the 
grandson uf Coomasslu. The first auctioneer 
would simply call atteution to the intrinsic 
qualities of the calf, and by hard work push 
the bids up say to $250, Then the second 
man would come forward with a speech in 
which In' would go rapidly over the first part 
of the pedigree, uud when lie came to Coomas- 
sie he would dilate on the rising splendors of 
this wonderful cow. Tin* bidders would take 
a fresh start and push the price close to $1,000. 
►Sometimes the oration was used to render a 
slightly fictitious aid to some less-favored ani¬ 
mal, as, for instance, the ealf to be sold may 
be able to trace his pedigree back to a bull 
whose services were used on Coomassie cows, 
and here the Coomassie butter record would 
serve the same purpose to (ire the speaker’s 
eloquence, though the calf being sold had not 
a drop of Coomassie blood in its veins. 
While it was true that the best 1 lidding was 
doue for animals tracing pedigrees to the best 
butter records; yet it could uot lx* denied that 
the element of importation cut an important 
figure in the sale. As a rule the further you 
went from importation, the less the price ob¬ 
tained; and the exceptions were only in favor 
of those animaLs that traced back directly to 
the most famous butter makers. This may 
justly be attributed to the fact noted above, 
that many of the purchasers were uew men in 
the .business, and naturally they feel that the 
nearer you get to the fountain-head, not only 
the purer but the better will be the animal. 
This I believe to be a false notion with regard 
to the excellence of Jersey cattle, aud I expect 
to see my faith verified. L. S. Hardin. 
§1)«|) i)usbrtni)n}. 
THE CULTURE OF SHEEP. 
GEN. CASSIUS. M. CLAY. 
BREEDING. 
I give now mostly my own practice and ex¬ 
perience. in about latitude 36° 8’ north, where 
Blue Grass prevails all Winter, i select the 
rams from the whole yearly produce, not 
castrating any but the most apparently de¬ 
fective; and thus 1 have my whole Hock from 
which to choose. The bucks out of the rutting 
season are us good as wethers, and butchers 
give an additional price for the Epicurean 
pieces. I formerly bred my lambs weaned in 
February, in October thus !Laving lambs at a 
year old; now I wait so as to have the first 
lambs at two years old. Thus the size ami 
form are improved. In the South Down, in 
addition to all the good points of the Short¬ 
horn, the wool must lx* fine, clear of coarse 
hair, and thick on the hide. The wool in¬ 
creases in length aud quality on the bellies, 
heads, faces and legs. If a ram is very su¬ 
perior I don’t hesitate to breed him for two 
mid throe years even upon his own progeny, 
whou 1 make a change. I think, ufter long 
experience, that the more bucks to a given 
number of ewes, the better. Hence 1 prefer, 
when convenient; to use one buck to from 15 
to 25 owes. But bucks have been used by some 
in the proportion of on !y one to 60 or more ewes; 
aud as death is sometimes the consequence, we 
have reason to believe that some of these 
lambs will be defective in some way. 
SEX. 
There lias beou no discovery to secure any 
desired sex with certainty. 1 am of the opin¬ 
ion, however, that the sox follows generally 
the most vigorous parent. I certainly have 
observed for the last few years that the more 
bucks used the more the males predominate 
in the issue; and this for the reason above 
named. But I call the attention of breeders 
to this conjecture, aud ask further light. 
This inquiry, however, is rather curious than 
useful, for as a general thing the sexes of most 
animals are nearly equally divided; and 
either sex can well Ik* utilized, 
SITE OF SHEEP FARM. 
Sheep no doubt are the natural residents of 
high, cool plateaus and mountains; for the 
wool, a good protection against cold, is poor 
shelter against rain. It is of no use to at¬ 
tempt sheep farms on low, wet soils; for here 
all the diseases of the animal are rife—foot- 
rot, scab, rot, etc. Nor are* wet climes good 
for the same reason. Nor are sheep profitable 
on very rich lands, which are generally high- 
priced. Sheep husbandry should lx* attempted 
on light soils and vast ranges as iu our West¬ 
ern wilds and the Rocky Mountains. New 
England has been the most successful in de¬ 
veloping the Merino, for the lands are light 
aud high; though much water falls there, it is 
ill the form of snow, which shaken oil', does 
uot penetrate the wool like raiu. hi Spain 
the Merino had great range from the valleys 
to the mountains, and it is so here in the 
West. The object is to allow the sheep to 
sleep ami feed always on uew ground, and 
thus avoid the scent of accumulated excre¬ 
tions, for this auimal is very sure to lie always 
by day and night on the same place. On rich 
lands, however, sheep in limited numbers 
pastured w ith or following cattle, are very 
profitable. In my experience I have made 
more money by sheep for the capital than by 
any other live stock; aud I have tried nil. 
Iu sparse pasture and wide range sheep can 
find plenty of short grass aud variety of feed; 
the sheep, of all domestic animals, eats the 
greatest variety of shrubs, grasses and weeds 
next to the goat. The cattle with their tongue- 
gathering will keep the grass short aud tender 
for the sheep; and the sheep in turn will eat 
many small weeds which the cattle can’t 
roach, aud thus the pasture is made best for 
both. A very good proportion in these Blue 
Grass l egions is about three or four sheep to 
one head of cattle. But the sheep should fol¬ 
low and never precede the cattle; as the 
smell of the former is offensive to the latter; 
as they are the nicest of all domestic stock in 
their nose and selection of feed. The lime¬ 
stone region of Kentucky aud the latitude 
about 36° 8’ north, is very favorable to all 
auimal life; and it is naturally drained by the 
cavernous lime-stone aud the undulating sur¬ 
face. Aud in a country as large as ours, no 
rules for farming or stock-raising are worth 
reading unless some knowledge of the soil and 
climate is imparted. 
THE “ GOLDEN SHEEP-HOOK.” 
Of all animals tho sheep is the best restorer 
of the wasted soil. The horse ami mule and 
cow deposit their excretions in masses on the 
grass, which kill all imder them, aud there 
remain till dried up by the sun or washed 
away by heavy rains, so that here where pas¬ 
turage is a prime feed. I generally go over the 
grass lamls iu early Spring aud scatter with 
hay-forks tnese deposits so that they may 
enter at once into the roots of the growing 
grass. But the sheep does this work itself 
and does it well, so that nothing is lost. 
Their movements are slow and regular, and 
they make few paths, feeding in line up to the 
salt-trough, the water, and their bedding- 
place, The after-math is not often fed; but if 
sheep are turned in on meadows and taken off 
at proper times the product of hay is greatly 
increased. If the after-math remains till it is 
killed by Winter and dries up, it is very light 
and is washed often away by Winter rains as 
it is decomposed. But the sheep turns it at 
once into secure manure. This I have satis- 
fa torily tested. It should not however be 
grazed closely; and the sheep should be re¬ 
moved as soon as the grass begins to spring in 
the early year. Heuee the sheep's foot ou 
the farm may well be called " golden.” We 
have the manure, the richest next to that of 
fowls, the wool, the pelts, the tuuttou and 
prolific increase; while its love of variety, 
its internal structure and quiet habits make 
the most flesh out of the same food. So a 
farm without sheep is as thriftless as having a 
lake without fish; a yard without pigeons; or 
fields of bloom without bees. 
SHELTER. 
In my region sheen do best in the open 
fields. I tried folds and paling against weather 
and dogs. But iu our rich soil, auil frequent 
Winter rains and changes, ou account of the 
waste of forests, the mud became insupport¬ 
able, aud the ewes ran over each others’ lambs, 
so I abandoned the system. Such system 
might do if we could afford the expense of 
laying down large areas of flag-stone as in 
England, or if the WIntel’s were steadily cold 
and dry as in the North. 1 have, however, 
open shelter for my sheep; sheds planked up 
ou t he north and west sides aud open on the 
east and south, where the sheep go at will in 
stormy and very cold weather. Sheep are uot 
such fools as is generally believed, being often 
wiser than their masters. Iu very cold nights 
they will huddle together under these shelters 
and sally out into the fields during the day to 
graze. If forced into houses at improper 
temperature the sheep get (<«> warm and take 
cold and other diseases, as pelt-rot. etc. Where 
the surface of the land is quite undulating as 
here, they can under stone-walls, foueas, cane 
and shrubbery and evergreens find a leeward 
site against all winds; and are secure in lamb¬ 
ing against intrusion from other sheep. For 
whilst they are the most gregarious of all our 
domesticated stock, at this critical time and 
with their young lambs, they will steer clear 
of other sheep for some time. 
THE HABITS OF SHEEP. 
Sheep that graze will feed at regular hours 
uiglit, and day; aud only lie by- when the 
weather or “the fly” hinders them. They go 
over the same gross nearly each time, take 
salt aud water, aud then lie dowu ou the same 
ground. lienee the necessity of changing 
them to break up their place of rest, A new 
flock coming in will select a new place for 
lying down. Iu grazing they form a line most 
advanced in the center, that space being held 
by the leaders, who direct the movements. 
This does very well when the space is wide 
enough for both Hanks, blit in defiles or 
other obstructions the weaker sheep follow 
behind the leaders and get poor fare*, aud con¬ 
sequently are puny aud ofteu diseased for 
want of sufficient variety and choice of bite. 
Hence in close districts sheep must bo kept in 
limited numbers, or else the whal * thing will 
fail, and I have known many farmers who tried 
a “sheep-farm” to quit it in disgust forever, 
and yet I say it “pays,” when judiciously man¬ 
aged, l>etter than any other. 
Ptecdlancou.$ gMwti.sittg. 
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JUNIOR and SENIOR 
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""Hi I lADE l.PHf ^X 
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Orrville, Wayne Co., Ohio. 
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