734 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
difference in the way in which these things 
in the men who do them. 
manure is exceedingly hurtful and should be 
avoided. 
SHEEP. 
Push 'on the lambs. But to do this they 
must be kept in a yard by themselves. Keep 
the stock ram in vigorous condition by a daily 
allowance of corn and rye mixed. Ewes that 
are safely in lambs should be given a little ex¬ 
tra food. The quality of the lamb and the 
strength and milk of the ewes will depend 
upon this. Where sheep are not sheared in 
the Fall, a dry shelter should be provided 
whenever they are kept out of deal’s, as in the 
South. Fall-sheared sheep suffer less from 
the cold winter rains than unshorn ones whose 
fleeces hold so much water that they chill aud 
benumb the animals. This fact applies every¬ 
where to sheep exposed to wet and cold to¬ 
gether. Dry beds are indispensable for sheep 
at this season, and damp air is to be avoided. 
Sheep laugh at dry cold; but are made miser¬ 
able by wet. An unhappy .sheep will soon be 
a sick one. 
Examine the feet of the flock and pare 
overgrown hoofs. When a sheep is seen upon 
its knees, look to the feet; they w ill lie found 
in bad condition and in need of attention. 
See that salt is given at least once a week; 
aud observe regularity as to the time of feed¬ 
ing, especially.with fattening sheep. 
roui,TRY. 
All poultry intended for fattening should 
be put up at once Three weeks of feeding will 
make a fowl as fat as can be. Clear out all 
the dead-heads. A fowl is a small thing, but 
it will eat its head off very soon. Male birds 
are useless and should bo got rid of somehow. 
The cost of feeding one over Winter, will be 
as much as that of a good pure-bred bird from 
some other flock. If early eggs are desired 
a warm spot in a sunny corner should be made 
with a few hot-bed sashes, and a few hens 
given quarters in it. Fresh lionos broken into 
small fragments or coarse bones are the best 
form in which to give lime for makiug egg 
shells. A few clean nests made of bright 
straw will go a long way towards the appear- 
C'lean 
choosing a boar for service, a year old aud 
well grown one will be preferable to an older 
one. A pure bred one should be procured at 
any reasonable cost. Healthfulness and 
sound ness of constitution are points that should 
be insisted upon. Close breeding insures 
weakness of constitution. Sound, vigorous 
parents produce strong, healthy progeny. 
Brood sows require exercise. A close pen is 
injurious to them. Grain food alone is not ad¬ 
visable. Cut coni fodder aud clover hay, 
wetted and mixed with bran aud middlings,are 
readily eaten by the sows, aud make a good 
substitute for roots. But where brood sows 
are kept roots should lie grown for them. 
Give all the store pigs a run in the'cleared corn 
field, in the potato lots and root, fields, as long 
as the weather permits. A temporary shed 
should be provided for use in stormy weather. 
Their usual feed, however, should be given in 
addition to what they pick up. A clean pig is 
an evidence of carefulness and thrift. It is a 
are done and 
Sheep are peculiar animals, and seem to have 
likes and dislikes; to some men they have an 
aversion and never cease to be afraid of them, 
and whenever they approach the yards the 
sheep will cease to eat ar.d run about like 
mad; othera they readily take to, and soon 
come to care nothing for their presence any¬ 
where in and about, the pens. A peculiar man 
is needed and the young feeder cannot be too 
particular in his selection. 
A Shepherd should not be a rough, 
boisterous, DOisy, quick-tempered, or a swear¬ 
ing man; such a one is very disagreeable to 
have about ; he is sure to kick and cuff the 
sheep aud to keep them in a constant state of 
unrest, aud. no matter how thoroughly or 
promptly lie does his work, the sheep cannot 
make the highest gain with such treatment. 
Besides, such a mau is very apt to care more 
for story-telling, and the society of similar 
companions than for the the quiet of the sheep 
pens, and thus be tempted to hurry up his 
work and be away and not to come back till 
the very latest moment, and such neglect 
though seemingly but a little matter, eouuts 
very largely on the wrong side when figuring 
profit. 
I shall be asked, nojdoubt, how sweariJg dis¬ 
qualifies a shepherd. As a rule swearing men 
are quick--tempered andto this there are so few 
exceptions and a quic k-tempered man is so 
very objectionable that it is safest to reject 
every swearing man when choosing for so im¬ 
portant a position. 
What the Shepherd should be.— He 
should be good-natured, and this to such ade- 
gree that though the sheep in their eagerness 
at feeding time should happen to get him down 
and run over him he will not fly mad aud ill- 
treat them (this is about as severe a test of good 
nature as can lie given). He should be observ¬ 
ant, should know the sheep and see that, every 
one has an equal chance at its food, aud if 
raising early latnbs he should be able to select 
any lamb and its mother; iu short, he should 
see that everything is right, and be able to in¬ 
stantly detect anything wrong with any indi¬ 
vidual sheep. He should possess good judg¬ 
ment, which with his observation will enable 
him to determine when the sheep are receiv¬ 
ing as much food as they can profitably eatand 
digest, and when any change in the propor¬ 
tions of the different ingredients may be de¬ 
sirable. He should be gentle and quiet; 
every movement made about the pens 
should lie so made as not to dis¬ 
turb or frighten the sheep. Of two men 
having tbo other qualifications, the one 
nervous and quick in every motion, the other 
quiet aud even rather slow, 1 would choose 
the latter, for,though he might^not accomplish 
quite as much iu a day. he would .do what he 
did in such a way that the sheep would not 
care for him aud with the same food they 
would make greater gain. He should be 
methodical and prompt. A sheep’s stomach 
is as good as a clock (better then some) and 
when it is time for them to bo fed they want 
it, and if it is not forthcoming, they will rush 
impatiently around the pen and soon run off 
as much flesh as the feeding would gain, so 
that the shepherds should feed every pen 
promptly on time, and always iu the same or¬ 
der. He should tori' the business . not alone for 
the money it brings him, but because lie has 
a love for the sheep. No matter how much 
the shepherd pets and fondles the sheep and 
lambs, never find fault, as in this case ho will 
never abuse or neglect them, and the sheep are 
as quickly won as any other animal, and if 
well treated they soon come to know the at¬ 
tendant, and his presence docs not disturb or 
disquiet them. Of course, it goes without say - 
ing that the shepherd should be strictly and 
conscientiously honest; otherwise he will 
shirk as much as possible and when not watch¬ 
ed neglect the sheep, and in no other ani¬ 
mal does neglect tell so .quickly or disastrously, 
Neveh Change Bhepherds unless abso¬ 
lutely necessary, as every change, even from 
a worse to a better one, disturbs the sheep 
and causes more or loss loss of flesh. Select 
good ones as soon as possible, and then let 
each one have charge of the same pens and 
always of the same sheep. It is as true now 
move around freely. They are less fretful 
when unconfined by a halter. Work horses 
require careful attention after having been ex¬ 
posed to a cold storm. They should be rubbed 
dry as soou as they are brought into the sta¬ 
ble, aud then blanketed for a time. The rub¬ 
bing is useful to restore the circulation in the 
skm. 
Some persons think clipping horses iu the 
Waiter advisable, aud some think otherwise. 
If a horse is clipped the operation should be 
performed at once. A horse may be clipped 
which has a thick, wooly undercoat, that 
holds the prespiration and keeps damp. This 
is hurtful and keeps the animal thin and poor, 
and often causes hide-bound. Horses with a 
thin coat don’t need clipping. 
Colts require some increase of food at this 
time. Over-feeding with grain is to lie avoid¬ 
ed. The best of hay should be given to grow¬ 
ing colts, and a quart of oats daily is enough 
for a newly weaned colt. If a colt has not 
been yet weaned it should be separated from 
the mare without delay. Don’t forget to use 
the brush on the young colls and weanlings. 
The training of a colt should be begun at 
once. The first lesson is to use it to the halter 
and to be tied up and led. The halter should 
be strong enough to resist all attempts to 
break it. If it is once broken the colt will not 
forget, and will make a halter-pulling horse, 
which is a nuisance. 
The harness wilL now need overhauling, 
cleaning and soaking with oil. To clean the 
harness, take it all apart, wash it with warm 
water aud soap, using a sponge and brush; 
wipe it dry, and rub in as much warm tallow 
and lamp-black as will be absorbed, and rub 
off the excess with a cloth until the hands are 
not soiled with it. Soft harness will not gall 
the skin. 
Give sal t at least twice a week: avoid con¬ 
dition powdeis, saltpeter, resin and all other 
popular “remedies, 1 ’ which do more harm than 
good. Feed and water regularly; use the 
curry-comb and brush; keep the stables clean, 
and your horses will need no physic. 
cows and cattle. 
Give the cows a mess of ripe, sweet apples, 
sliced or chopped with a sharp spade, and a 
quart or two of bran with them, and note the 
difference in the milk pail. The cow will be 
grateful, if she docs not return it in milk. Be 
careful iu feeding apples or roots to cattle. It 
is very easy for a piece to slip down the wrong 
way aud it is not always easy to get it back 
again. Remembering the danger, one will 
exercise due caution. The card and the brush 
will show the good results in the milk pail. 
There will be more milk and there will be no 
hairs in it. Ample short litter will make clean 
cows. Lay in a stock of dry swamp muck for 
use in the cows’ stables. 
A leather neck cover to keep rain and snow 
from the oxen uuder the yoke, will prevent 
sore necks. Keep ox stables clean; it will pre¬ 
vent sore feet. 
Calves should have a pen and yard by them¬ 
selves and as comfortable a lodging as the cows 
have: it will avoid danger of accidents (?) by 
which tV young animals may be injured. A 
lousy calf will not thrive.and almost all calves 
will be postered by these vermin if they are 
not protected against them. Fowls should bo 
kept out of the stables or the animals will 
surelv become infested with fleas and lice. 
Rats aud mice also convey these pests into 
farm buildings. The remedy is a few well-fed 
cats and open places under all the buildings. 
Calves that are still un weaned should get their 
milk warm and it should bo given as loug as it 
can be furnished. 
SWINE. 
March pigs should be thought of now In 
anee of eggs from the early pullets, 
out venniu and make the fowls happy by the 
liberal use of petroleum about the house, 
keeping the floor clean and well dusted with 
dry air-slaked lime. A dry earth floor well 
warmed by the sun will please the fowls and 
impel them to sing their lays all through the 
Winter. Theru will lie no eggs where the 
fowls shiver through the dismal November 
days in a dark, dreary, damp, cheerless house, 
no matter what feed is wasted upon the flock. 
Warmth and sun’ight are the most effective 
provocatives of fresh eggs at this season. 
Boot's Pedigrees. —Jersey breeders in this 
country have been having trouble about bo¬ 
gus pedigrees. Grades have been sold as pure 
bloods. Prompt measures have bom taken to 
put a stop to the matter. The English Cleve¬ 
land Bay Society has also had to contend wifb 
forged pedigree certificates. Men can be pun¬ 
ished for obtaining money by false pretenses. 
t^.az-y 
G. W. CAMPBELL GRAPE. From Nature 
Fig. 410. (See first page.) 
The Fattening of Deer for market was 
practiced in Hertfordshire, England, in the 
last century. On 260 acres 1150 deer were 
kept through the Winter, and 30 sheep and 10 
cows were pastured with them during the 
Summer. The winter feed was ha 3 r , straw, 
grain aud tree foliage. The browse left in 
making faggots of ash, elm and spruce was 
saved and fed out. This was said to save hay 
and give a more gamy flavor to the venison. 
The fat doer sold at #75 per pair. Various 
writers of late have proposed the raising of fat 
rabbits ou waste tracks of land. How about 
fat deer? 
rare sight, but a most pleasing one and the 
beauty of it is evident to the sense of smell as 
well as to the sight. The fattening of swine 
should be hastened by the most liberal feeding. 
When a pig has eaten all the corn it can,it will 
eat a little more if a lean, hungry pig is turned 
into the pen. When a pig is ouce filled up it 
will eat but a little at a time. More food will 
be eaten by a fattening animal if a little is 
given ofteu, than if a large quantity is given 
at once. Feed the pigs at least four times a 
day, aud for driuk give water with some finely 
ground corn meal stirred in it. The secret of 
rapid fattening is to get the most food into 
the stomach in the shortest time. Tlie first 
pork in the market is mode for the least money, 
and brings the best price of the season. 
Keep store pigs in a growing condition. As 
a rule,no pigs should be failover Winter ex¬ 
cept the brood sows,and the March pigs should 
make the fall pork. But if any are kept over 
Winter they should be gaining weight all the 
time. Soft corn is not a fattening food If 
given to fattening pigs,at least one meal a day 
of sound, dr}' corn or peas shonl I be given. 
Hogs which run at large on the range iu the 
Southern States and feed upon the mast which 
is now fallen, will do better with one feed of 
corn a day. It will pay to keep a supply of 
corn in the lot aud go half u mile daily to feed 
it to the swine. Sweet potatoes are excellent 
food for swine and where they are grown 
cheaply should be raised for this purpose. 
Sweet, ripe apples make the best of pork for 
domestic use when given with some corn, and 
they are very healthful food. The common 
practice of running the pigs in manure stables 
is objectionable, and leads to disease. At this 
season the bedding of the pigs in the hot 
Notes from the Western New York Farm 
WINTER FEEDING OF SHEEP OR 
LAMBS. 
the shepherd an important factor. 
No matter what class of sheep are fed, 
whether it be mature sheep or latnbs for fat¬ 
tening, or ewes for early lamb raising, the 
profit can come ouly from the amount of 
growth as compared with the food consumed. 
While much depends upon the selection of 
sheep und of the food used, success or failure 
is very largely dependent upon "the character¬ 
istics of the man placed in charge. It may 
seem strange that so much Importance should 
be attached to the mere agent supplying food 
and water and scattering litter in their pens. 
Most people look upon these as mere mechani¬ 
cal operations, and think that any one, even 
a “wooden man,” who could fill the racks with 
forage, and the troughs with water, and daily 
distribute the grain and roots, would bo all 
that could be required; but every feeder of 
experience knows that there is a wonderful 
