112 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
April 
water, and good Turk’s Island or rock salt at all times. 
The flock kept at this barn has, for the last three years, 
been taken directly from the pasture to the barn, and 
there confined until they are turned out again to pas¬ 
ture. I commenced with hay on the 22nd, 23rd and 
26th of November ; turned to pasture the 6th, 9th and 
13th of April—average time to hay being 19 weeks. 
Breeding ewes must be kept to hay at least two weeks 
longer. This year, this flock was confined on the 15th 
of November. There were three or four weeks of 
warm weather after this, during which sheep might 
have lived by grass. My breeding ewes, with the stock 
rams, are fed eight quarts of corn per day. I estimate 
20 tons of hay, or what is equal to that, in hay and 
grain, for wintering 100 sheep. I keep an account of 
the sales of my wool and sheep, and will give the pro¬ 
duct of my sheep for the last three years, which is lar¬ 
ger than any previous years’, except one, and that was 
caused by the price of wool being very high that year. 
Nov. 12, 1845, I had 309 sheep—Nov. 12, 1848, I 
had 319 sheep, being an increase of ten, and somewhat 
improved in quality. 
I estimate the cost of keeping, the same as if I pur¬ 
chased the hay, and hired the pasture—calling the flock 
300. 
For 100 breeding ewes, 20 tons of hay, at $6 per ton,.... $120 00 
For 200 other sheep, 30 tons, .. 180 00 
Pasture for 100 ewes and their lambs,. 36 00 
Pasture for 200 sheep,. 40 00 
Washing and shearing,... 15 00 
Winter care, and salt for the year,...... 20 00 
$411 00 
Receipts .—Wool for the first year, 1846—1238 lbs., at 40 
cents per lb.,.$495 20 
Clips of 1847—’8 not sold, worth now, say,. 800 00 
Sale of sheep, 1st year,. 380 00 
do 2d year,.*.. 509 00 
do 3d year,. 416 00 
$2600 20 
I have not included in the expense of keeping the 
sheep, the interest on the capital; that can be done by 
others. It must vary greatly indifferent locations; al¬ 
so, in the value of the sheep. 
For the last ten years, I have not lost one per cent, 
of old sheep, nor over two per cent, of lambs. Of the 
flock of 200 kept in close confinement, I have lost but 
three during the three years past, and so far on the 
fourth year; one of these got hung in the rack, and the 
other two died with the stretches. Not one during the 
three years has scoured, or been in any way sickly. 
In 1826, I had over 150 full blooded Merino ewes and 
200 grade sheep, and 1100 pounds of wool was nearly 
the whole amount of the income that I received from 
them. The labor of taking care of them was twice as 
great then as now, and the cost of keeping them much 
greater. I am now convinced that a flock of 500 or 
more, can be made to produce as well as a smaller 
flock. The cost of producing a pound of wool must 
vary according to the amount of wool produced per head, 
for it costs no more to keep a sheep that will yield four 
pounds of wool, than one that yields but two pounds. 
This alone diminishes the cost of producing a pound of 
wool; and if the increase of the flock should be equal 
to 33g per cent., the cost is still more reduced. The 
cost of producing must decrease, as the flock increases. 
A small portion only, of the farms in Vermont, are 
suitable for dairies. No lands in New England are 
more productive than the valleys of Battenkill and Ot¬ 
ter creek. A large portion of the pasture lands are too 
remote from the buildings, and in many respects unfit 
for dairying. Vet they are productive; and though they 
are high, rocky side-hills, make the best of sheep pas¬ 
ture. There are some of 400 or 600 acres in a body, 
suitable for a farm, having a suitable portion of excel¬ 
lent meadow landj producing from half a ton to two 
tons of hay per acre. One of these farms, of about 
500 acres, with a house anti two barns, was purchased 
for $2600. This farm will keep 40 or 50 cows, or 
500 sheep—-more than some farms that cost $7000 will 
keep. 
I know of one dairy of 20 cow r s that produces 10,000 
pounds of cheese for sale, 300 pounds of cheese for the 
family, and 600 pounds of butter; this, with calves, 
whey and milk for hogs, will average over $42 per cow. 
This dairy is managed by one man, his wife, and one 
young man and a girl. Another, with the same num¬ 
ber of cows, and one-third more help, does not produce 
one-half of that amount. In the trial of a ease in 
court, a short time since, it was proved that 100 pounds 
of dry hides had been so managed as to produce 160 
pounds of good sole leather, and in one case, as high 
as 182; while another, with unskilful management, pro¬ 
duced but 130 pounds, and it is said that leather, giv¬ 
ing the most weight, is worth tw~o cents more per lb. 
than the other. This difference is caused by knowing 
how to open the pores of the hide to receive the tan, 
and then, to use the words of the manufacturer, 11 pur¬ 
sue the same course that you would to fat a hog,—feed 
as much good feed as the hide will receive without clog¬ 
ging it.’ 7 This principle will apply to any product of 
the farm. The more flesh you put on an animal you 
fat, or the more butter and cheese you make from the 
same quantity of milk, the more valuable is the article 
by the pound. In the case of the tanner, let the un¬ 
skilful manager tan the same amount of hides that the 
other does, and the difference in the receipts from the 
leather, (on account of the greater number of pounds, 
and the increase in price,) would be more than $6,000 
per annum. The unskilful manager has one advantage 
over the other; it does not cost him half as much to 
transport his produce to market. 
That is evidently the most profitable course of farm¬ 
ing, that is managed best. A moment’s reflection will 
satisfy any farmer of the folly of changing from one 
course of farming to another at every rise and fall of 
the prices. There seems to be a greater disposition in 
wool growers to jump out of the business at every fall 
in the price of wool, than in any other class of farmers. 
There is no reason for that. Beef, pork, butter, cheese, 
grain and wool, are articles of general consumption, and 
will, in a cycle of five years, command fair prices. 
Nor has wool fluctuated more, if as much, as most oth¬ 
er articles. Flour has varied from $12, to $3.75; pork 
from $23.13 to $9.27; beef from $14.98, to-$5.75; but¬ 
ter, cheese, cattle, and horses, as much. Let every 
wool grower follow the rules for breeding that are es¬ 
tablished for all other kinds of stock among good hus- 
.bandmen; see that his sheep are provided with water 
and warm sheds, which may be done at little expense, 
and he will, in this cold, windy country, save much fod¬ 
der; increase greatly both the quantity and quality of 
his manure; and by good attention to feeding, he 
may add 25 or 50 percent., (just as he pleases) to the 
value of his wool, and the increase of his flock. But 
so long as sheep husbandmen manage their sheep, (and 
many do) as the French Canadians do their horses, per¬ 
mitting every thing to breed that has hoofs, whether 
they can chew the cud or not, they have no reason to 
look for any thing better than a flock of miserable half 
ivooled Keenucks. If such a flock ever increases, the 
increase must be sold for 50 cents per head or less, for 
pelting; or the purchaser be permitted to select the 
best at 80 cents or $1 per head. 
With all the light we have on the subject of improve¬ 
ments, we must agree with those who say — u After all 
your talk about science in agriculture, these are not the 
men who make money and get rich.” They may not 
be the men that get rich. They make money and spend 
whatever may be necessary for their comfort and the 
improvement of their minds. A 6 by 8 country newspa* 
