Vol. LXV. No. 2940. 
NEW YORK, JUNE 2, 1906. 
WEEKLY. $1.00 PER YEAR. 
NOTES ON THE SHEEP INDUSTRY . 
GENERAL CARE OF THE FARM FLOCK. 
Some Seasonable Don’ts. 
Don’t fail to shear before the sheep go to pasture. 
They can be a little more closely crowded in the pens 
for a few days, and will suffer less from cold and ex¬ 
posure than if let go till they are in the pasture. The 
wool off the udders will be better for the lambs. There 
will be no loss from the wool getting filthy from 
scouring when the sheep first go to grass. Don’t leave 
any manure on the fleece when it is put up. At 30 
cents per pound it is robbing the buyer; get a repu¬ 
tation for well-put-up honest goods. Don’t tie up 
wool with binder twine. The fiber gets in the wool, 
and ruins it. I have known wool docked two cents 
per pound on this account. 
Don’t neglect to dip both ewes and lambs imme¬ 
diately after shearing in some good carbolic dip. Use 
soft water, with the chill off. Most of 
the ticks will go on the lambs, after the 
sheep are shorn; the lambs will not thrive 
if they are covered with ticks. If this is 
annually attended to, in a year or two all 
ticks will be got rid of if none is brought 
in on sheep purchased. 
Don’t be in a hurry to turn out. Let 
the grass get a good start. Feed some 
hay at night, so long as they will eat it, 
and gradually reduce the grain. Don’t 
keep over any poor ewes, those that are 
getting old. have imperfect udders, or are 
not good mothers. Mark them now, by 
a punch in the ear, so they can be iden¬ 
tified ; they can be given a little better 
chance and will find a ready market next 
Summer, either at the local butcher’s, or 
for your own table. 
Don't sell the best and first-born ewe 
lambs and keep the poor ones for breed¬ 
ers. The best was selected in old times 
for sacrifice, under the new dispensation 
we need them to perpetuate the species. 
Don’t leave the sheep out in the wet 
after they go to pasture. It will take 
but a few minutes to run them in, and 
it will be time well spent. Don’t let the 
sheep run in the old pastures unless you 
give them the gasoline treatment, spoken 
of several times in these columns, before they go out. 
Don’t let the sheep go on pasture till you have exam¬ 
ined their feet and trimmed off all surplus growth. This 
will prevent dirt and foul matter gathering there, and 
resulting lameness. 
Don’t make any fence around the sheep pasture, 
except one of woven wire; this will both keep the sheep 
in and the dogs out, and is really the most economical 
fence on the market. Don't think sheep can go without 
water. They will live if they have only dew for drink, 
but they will not thrive. Don’t neglect to put in a little 
Dwarf Essex rape for the lambs to run in, as pasture 
gets short. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if 
ye do them.” 
What Breed Shall I Select? 
I have a flock of 20 ewes, mostly Hampshire and South- 
down blood. Would it be best for me to cross a Merino ram 
with these? I want to buy two and start right, that is, one 
a Merino and the other some Down breed, so as to have a 
cross. Mow much ought I to pay for a Down ram or ewe? 
What Down breed would you suggest to cross with Merino? 
Would there he any difference in crossing this way, a South- 
down ram and a Merino ewe. or a Merino ram and a South- 
down ewe? Mow heavy are the Merino sheep, are they short¬ 
legged and good build-? Do you think it is best to start with 
this cross breed or start with some pure breed? f. w. s. 
Littleville. Mass. 
Evidently here the main thought is to get a cross¬ 
bred animal. If what I have written for this paper 
for the past two years on cross-breeding bad been 
read with any care, it would seem as if it should be 
pretty clear that such breeding is a delusion and a 
snare. The peculiar characteristics of each breed have 
been established by generations of the most careful 
line breeding. It takes years to establish any new 
breed. Yet it would seem that in this case, as in 
many others, more is to be expected in five months 
than has been attained in generations. I admire the 
purpose to start right. Then, by all means, don’t cross¬ 
breed. One ram is sufficient for 20 ewes, or 40, if he 
is properly handled. I would buy a f>ure blood ram of 
either Hampshire or Southdown, whichever blood seems 
to prevail in the ewes. A good ram of either will 
cost not less than $20 and will be a good investment. 
Don’t be satisfied with a grade at any price. If no 
more than 20 ewes are to be kept a lamb will answer 
if he is well fed. and will cost $5 or $10 less, and 
last longer. You can use him on his grade daughters. 
SHEEP ON A HILLSIDE PASTURE. Fig. 182. 
If more sheep are to be kept it will be unwise to try 
to keep two breeds on the same farm. The Downs 
and Merinos require entirely different treatment. The 
Merino ewes weigh from 80 to 100 pounds. They are 
rather short-legged but not square like the South- 
downs. They do not claim to be a mutton sheep. They 
are heavy shearers, and very much more hardy than 
the English mutton breeds. If your fancy leads you 
in that direction sell the Downs and buy the best 
grade ewes obtainable, and use with them a Delaific 
/>Mr£-blood ram. 
I know this advice is sound, both in theory and 
practice. Let me repeat: by no means use a Merino 
ram on your Down ewes. If you had grade Merinos 
it might be wise to use a Down ram. but not simply 
to cross-breed. Good registered ewes will cost about 
$10 apiece. Better start with grades, they will cost 
from $5 to $8 this Spring, and scarce at that. I do 
not know of any for sale, and I have several queries 
for such. Better advertise, and watch for “ads” in the 
agricultural papery. 
Sugar Beets for Sheep. 
I should like to ask a few questions about beets to be fed 
to cattle, hogs and sheep. What is the best time to sow 
them, and what variety? How should land he prepared? 
How are they kept through the Winter until fed up to stock? 
I have a small cellar under my house which I think I could 
make airtight by pointing up the rock wall with mortar, the 
floor and walls up to surface of ground are dirt. Would 
beets keep in it if piled on the floor and covered with straw? 
If not how should I fix them? I live in Orange Co., Va. ; the 
thermometer rarely gets below zero, here, and if it does it 
never stays there more than a day or so. w. d. d. 
Beets are a splendid feed for all the stock men¬ 
tioned, and poultry also. The mangel-wurzels are, 
on the whole, the most satisfactory. They are not as 
high in feeding value as the sugar beets, but they will 
produce a larger crop than the latter, and arc rather 
easier to grow. The Golden Tankard is one of the best. 
Of the sugar beets, Lane’s Imperial Sugar is a favorite 
with stockmen. I should advise planting some of both; 
but the major part of the first named. It will require 
from 10 to 15 pounds of seed to the acre. The seed 
should be well covered, about an inch of soil pressed 
over it. The objection to this crop is the amount of 
labor required to keep them free from weeds, the early 
part of the season. Some hand weeding will be neces¬ 
sary. Unless this labor is at hand, at the critical time, 
beets will be a disappointment and a fail¬ 
ure. Any land that will grow good corn will 
grow beets, but a friable loam is best. It 
should be very rich. If a heavy dressing 
of stable manure has been applied the 
year before it will be better. Plant in 
drills 20 to 30 inches apart, using from 
12 to 20 seeds to the foot. In Virginia 
this seed can be put in now. Be sure 
the land is put in the best of con¬ 
dition. As soon as the young plants have 
started so the rows are visible, cultiva¬ 
tion should commence. I have sowed 
plaster over the rows before the seed 
came up. so I could see where not to cul¬ 
tivate and thus gained time. They should 
receive constant attention so as to keep 
the soil loose and free from weeds. When 
about two or three inches high they 
should be thinned so as to stand about 
six inches apart. This can be done with 
a narrow-bladed hoe. Cultivation should 
be discontinued after the roots have be¬ 
gun to form. Often late cultivation starts 
a new root growth when they should be 
maturing and developing sugar. 
The cooler they can be kept the better. 
As a matter of fact, it does not seri¬ 
ously injure them to freeze if they are 
fed immediately after thawing. Of 
course they soon will rot after the frost is out of 
them. The cellar referred to would be all right, ex¬ 
cept it is poor plan to store roots in the cellar of a 
house, as there is an odor arising from them that is 
neither pleasant nor healthful. An excellent plan is 
to put them in cone-shaped piles of about 40 bushels 
each, not to exceed five feet at the base. Cover these 
with about six inches of straight straw, if it is to be had, 
twisting a flue or chimney every two or three feet at 
the top of the heap for the air to pass out. Then 
cover with four or six inches of earth. These can be. 
taken out at any time on a mild day, or if left till late 
in the season will keep much firmer than if in a cel¬ 
lar. I have kept them in perfect condition here, where 
the mercury goes to 20 degrees below zero. The 
heaps should be on dry ground where no water stands. 
EDWARD VAN ALSTYNE. 
PACIFIC COAST FARMERS AND CHINAMEN 
An Oregon Man Opposed. 
We of this coast realize that there was a time when 
the Chinese were a benefit in earlier days, in railroad¬ 
ing, clearing land, etc., but in isolated labor (that is, 
one laborer to a farm) never. They want to stay 
together, or be in close touch with each other. In 
gangs as coolies they did fairly well when under a com¬ 
petent overseer, but not as good as white men. In car- 
