22 
PICTORIAL CULTIVATOR ALMANAC. 
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 
THE CHEVIOT BREED OF SHEEP. 
This Is a breed, as yet nearly new in this country. In 
Scotland, they have the reputation of being remarkably 
hardy, and thriving under apparently very adverse cir¬ 
cumstances. They yield on an average 5 lbs. of long 
wool, washed upon the back; ewes at five years have 
weighed 60, 70, and even 90 pounds—and some wethers 
200 pounds. They promise to be an excellent breed for 
mutton. Their introduction and trial seem very desira¬ 
ble, especially in a country like ours, where there is 
such a diversity in climate, soil, and aspect, as well as in 
the various demands for long and fine wool, mutton, &c. 
Two-story Sheep Barn. —These are made so as to 
have two floors under one roof, thus doubling the ac¬ 
commodations, with a small increased expense in build¬ 
ing. A shed, (adjoining 
a hay barn) 18 by 26 
feet, with 13 feet posts* 
will furnish room for 
two flocks of sixty each, 
including the space for 
feeding boxes. The an¬ 
nexed figure represents 
one large enough for 
hay at one end. It is 
25 by 34 feet, with 12 
feet at the right end for 
hay. Where rising 
ground cannot be had, 
a raised ascent, as in the 
cut, is made for enter¬ 
ing the upper story. The upper floor should be match¬ 
ed, to prevent the liquid manure from dripping through 
on the sheep below. The basement has double doors, 
so as to admit backing in a cart or sled. A folding 
plank is opened in the upper floor, through which the 
manure is passed in loading. The hay is pitched in 
through the door at the right. 
Throw the whole into figures:, 
One thousand sheep, as commonly wintered, cost 
a dollar per head, or. $1,000 
One-third of this saved by shelter, is,. $333 
Fifty sheep saved in the 1,000, $2 each,... 100 
Increased weight and increased value by 
shelter, one-tenth of the whole,. 200 
Increase in fleece, say 160 lbs.,. 60 
Increase in lambs, say 60,. 50 
Total,. $743 
This estimate is founded on an actual trial, and the 
amount would amply pay every year all cost of suitable 
sheds—not counting the comfort and satisfaction of see¬ 
ing the animals live and thrive—nor the comfort of 
knowing that one is 
practicing good, instead 
of bad farming. 
Shelter for Sheep. —L. A. Morrell, one of the best 
sheep raisers in the United States, has found that he 
saves a ton of hay for every hundred sheep, by good 
shelter. He found that the increase in the amount of 
wool was 1,250. lbs. in four clips. The increased num¬ 
ber of lambs exceeded a hundred a year. 
The Age of Sheep.— 
The age of sheep may be 
known by the front 
teeth. They are 8 in 
number, and appear the 
1st year, all of a small 
size. In the 2d year, the 
2 middle ones fall out, 
and their place is sup- 
pliedby new teeth,which 
may be easily distin¬ 
guished by their larger 
size. In the 3d year 2 other small teeth, 1 on each side, 
fall out, and are replaced by 2 larger ones; so that there 
are now 4 large teeth in the middle, and 2 pointed ones 
on each side. In the 4th year, the large teeth are 6 
in number, and only 2 small ones remain, 1 at each end 
of the range. In the 5th year, the remaining small teeth 
are lost, and the whole front teeth are large. In the 6th 
year, the whole begin to be worn; and in the 7th year, 
sometimes sooner, some fall out, or are broken. It is 
said that the teeth of ewes begin to decay at five or six ; 
those of wethers at seven, and those of rams at eight. 
Sheep sometimes continue strong and productive un¬ 
til fourteen or even sixteen years old, and occasio¬ 
nally longer. 
