THE CULTIVATOR. 
m 
which they have lately introduced, and I would respect¬ 
fully caution them to be sure and have shelters for them 
to flee to during a “ stress of weather.” 
Sheep should certainly be sheltered during cold rain¬ 
storms, as these are found to be much more deleterious to 
them than snow-storms. The former drenches their 
wool and chills them. They become completely “ wa¬ 
ter-logged,” as a sailor would say, and it takes them a 
long time to get dry again, but a snow-storm does not so 
effect them. Drifting snows may bury them up and 
smother them, but they do not chill them so thoroughly, 
nor bring on so many diseases of different kinds as cold 
rains do. 
The summers in Maine are generally clear and fine, 
and the situation and face of the country are such that the 
heat of our longest days is tempered by cooling and re¬ 
freshing breezes, which invigorate instead of relaxing. 
No better pasturage can be found in the known world for 
sheep, not even in old Spain itself, than are found in the 
highlands of the interior of Maine. The ranges of hills 
and mountain tracks which traverse the State, afford cool 
and airy walks peculiarly adapted to the nature of this 
animal, and they seem to delight in climbing over their 
tops and roaming along their sides in pursuit of the her¬ 
bage and shrubbery of which they are naturally so fond. 
Hence, but very little care or attention is bestowed up¬ 
on our sheep in the summer. The principal object being 
to get a pasture for them of the kind best suited to their 
natures, and occasionally giving them a little salt. 
As we have before observed, the peace which took 
place in 1815, put an end to the great profits which were 
realized by Merinoes and many who had large flocks, 
and others who were commencing sold them to the 
butchers, and relinquished the business. A few however, 
knowing the intrinsic value of the animal, have perse¬ 
vered in the breeding of them, and although perhaps no 
single branch of husbandry has been subject to so many 
fluctuations for the last thirty years, yet we believe that, 
by taking an average of costs and profit during that peri¬ 
od, they have been full as profitable (if not more so,) as 
any other species of farm stock. 
The breeds which are now found in Maine, are the 
Merino, including the Saxon variety, the South Down, 
the Dishley and the Native. While making this enu¬ 
meration, truth compels me to say that there are but few 
flocks, which can be considered really of pure blood. We 
will however speak of them in the order we have named 
them. 
1. Merino. The Merinoes first introduced were princi¬ 
pally of the Paular variety, though some of the other va¬ 
rieties were occasionally found. They were much bet¬ 
ter in form, and of course, constitution, than many that 
are now found here. The causes of this deterioration 
are—1st. A want of attention in breeding. Everything 
•nd any thing in the form of a Merino were kept for this 
purpose, and a long course of in and in breeding, redu¬ 
ced the once good shape to a thin breasted, flat ribbed, 
hump-backed race. 2d. An unfortunate cross with some 
inferior Saxony blood, introduced about the years 1825-6 
helped to deteriorate many flocks. With one or two ex¬ 
ceptions, the Saxony bucks introduced among our Meri¬ 
noes, were ill-shaped animals, and instead of benefiting 
the Merinoes, they very much injured them. It is true 
they made the staple a little more fine and soft, but they 
proved to be poor nurses and destitute of that robust con¬ 
stitution which insures a profitable flock. A few farm¬ 
ers, instead of adopting the haphazard course, have pur¬ 
sued a regular system and avoided the evils arising from 
what may be called an incestuous intercourse. They 
have taken the utmost care in selecting and preserving 
the best of their sheep, and instead of condemning the 
whole Merino race as weak and worthless, unsuited to 
our climate, have improved them very much, and are in 
possession of ab good flocks as can be found in America. 
Among those of our acquaintance who have pursued this 
rational course, I would mention Elijah Barrell, Esq. of 
Greene, Elijah Wood, Esq. Truxton Wood, Oaks How¬ 
ard and Nathan Foster of Winthrop, Amasa Tinkham, 
Esq. of Monmouth, Capt. Geo. Williamson of Piltsfon, 
Jesse Wadsworth, of E. Livermore, Moses Taber of 
Yassalboro. Mr. Rial Gleason of Fannin glon, has a large! 
flock, principally of Saxon blood. Hon. Judge Hayes 
of S. Berwick, has Saxonies of his own importation. 
Many others have large and valuable flocks, but the fore¬ 
going I am more or less acquainted with. 
Messrs. Wood, Foster, Taber and Williamson, have re¬ 
cently made purchases in Vermont of lambs descended 
from Mr. Jewett’s ram Fortune, which, though mocked 
at by some as not being an exactly simon pure Paular, 
will nevertheless bear the ordeal of the curious and crit¬ 
ical in stock heraldry . He is certainly a remarkable ani¬ 
mal himself, and transmits his good points and qualities 
singularly well to his posterity. 
The average weight of the Merino fleece in Maine, is 
three pounds; but there are flocks that come up to four 
pounds and more. They are however, not very plenty. 
Among the flocks of the few who have paid proper at¬ 
tention to the improvement of Merinoes, are to be found 
some fine specimens. The cut at the head of this article 
is a portrait of i( Don Hardy,” a full blood Merino buck, 
six years old, bred by Moses Taber of Vassalboro. He 
is an excellent animal and combines as many good points 
as any other buck. He weighed on the first of June last 
with his fleece on, 140 pounds. He was sheared soon 
after, and yielded ten pounds of well washed wool. The 
staple is long and of excellent quality. His height at the 
time he was weighed, was two feet three inches. Girth 
(wool being on,) four feet. 
The cut represents him straighter under the belly than 
he actually is, and his muzzle or nose is rather too large. 
We have seen in Mr. Williamson’s flock, in Pittston, a 
variety of Merino, that were polled or hornless, and had 
uncommonly small ears, supposed by some to be of Sax¬ 
on origin, the fleece of very fine staple, not so gummy 
as the common variety, and the form excellent. I will 
obtain a more particular history of this variety, and tell 
you more about it in my next. Respectfully yours, 
Winthrop , Feb . 1845. E. Holmes. 
A PRODUCTIVE FARM. 
Mr. Tucker —I am doing a little in the way of farm¬ 
ing, my time being occupied almost entirely in my pro¬ 
fessional duties. I cultivate 25 acres of land, keep two 
horses and 4 cows; raise all my beef and pork, with plen¬ 
ty of poultry and eggs; keep the variety of fowls called 
the Italian or perpetual layers; they certainly exceed 
any thing I ever had for eggs. If I was furnished with 
a cellar, which in my location cannot be had, I believe 
they would lay as well in winter as summer. I feed with 
all kinds of grain, with animal food and lime. The past 
year I raised 500 bushels ears of corn, with a sufficient 
supply of broom corn for family use—70 bu. oats—40 bu„ 
wheat—150 bu. potatoes—75 bu. sugar beet and turneps 
—5 bu. winter beans—4 bu. clover seed—plenty of pro- 
vender for my stock, and 3 or 4 tons of hay for sale; 
pumpkins, squashes, &c. in abundance. My practice is 
to have a good supply of milk and butter all the year, 
winter and summer, by the use of the sugar beet in win¬ 
ter; an abundant supply of apples of the best quality; a 
large garden and vegetable patch, supplying abundance of 
grapes, strawberries, raspberries, currants, and garden 
vegetables, with cherries, quinces, peaches, &c. 
I find it quite important to attend carefully to the man¬ 
ufacturing of manure. The best manner I have found is 
to keep my yards and pens well supplied with muck, 
scraping of ditches, sods and the like, to catch and retain 
all the leach and urine. 
Much has been said on the manufacture of poudrettc. 
My practice is to have a good sink under my privy, with 
a heap of muck or something of the kind laying- near; 
into this sink I cause to be cast all the soap suds, &c. 
from the house, and occasionally throw in some of th@ 
dirt. Once a year clean it out, with no inconvenience 
whatever. In this way I have 8 or ten cart loads of the 
best material for top dressing for any crop. My coarse 
manure from the horse stable, I throw into the pig pen, 
thus increasing its value nearly one-half. I stable my 
cows carefully during the winter. 
You will perceive my doing is in a small way, but I 
go on the principle of doing well what I undertake. I 
have always practiced deep plowing, with decided bene- 
