VoL. LXXVI. 
XEW YORK, FEHKUAUY '2-i, 1017. 
Xo. Ills. 
A Winter’s Day With the Sheep 
The Cleanest and Quietest Animal 
()L]> WEATIIElt.—While the luercur.v is trying 
to ,i:(‘t into the bnlh tonight, as usual T review 
the work of the day. The business man shuts 
“shoij” out his home and mind, if lie can, liecause 
his stud.v and troubles are long (mougli during the 
day, hut a farmer's woi’k is generally so pleasiint, 
he can take it to lied with him. if he wants to. The 
Flonida ‘•boomers” call the tourists who are there, 
•‘refugees from the frozen North” and it would have 
gladdened the heart of a boomer to see us at home 
today bec.ause it was next to the ‘‘cold New Year's” 
of 1SG4. It was too cold to be out. and all my work 
was with the sheeii. so that is all that needs re¬ 
viewing and T will try it on paper. 
IlOT'SINO THE SITEEl*.—First theie were the 
four L'lldws with big horns in the field by the house. 
their manner of eating. They fill for a storm and 
eat daintily just before a thaw. 
^TEATTIEll-WESE ANIMALS. — An experience 
last Fall showed this in a marked degree. At the 
first of Winter we left them out nice nights, but one 
evening it promi.sed I’ain and the weather man said 
‘‘rain tonight.” I saw the .sheep lying in peace and 
wondered why they were not filling up full, but 
started to let them on the road to come home. I 
stopped half way when they did not rise to get out, 
and went hack. X'eighbors passing .said, ‘‘(Ryin’ to 
r.aiu tonight” and before dark, when a few drojys 
fell, I brought them in, thinking they had lost their 
sheep senses. It was clear iind a north wind in 
an hour. Our barns are all that could be desired, 
the largest one especially. It is bank on noi-th and 
west, opening on the level at the other two sides, 
with a .slope below them. In the eight-foot cement 
wall there are windows at the top on three sides. 
handling fodder suits us the best, and if anything 
is trying on a farm it is forking cornstalks in ma¬ 
nure. Life is too short to clean them off the tines, 
so we put our fodder in small stacks or big shocks, 
tightly tied, where we can feed it on a field for 
pasture or crop, and with the stalks and the drop¬ 
pings, tho.se parts are fixed. All straw is baled 
and used for bedding animal.s. but the fodder has 
no business near the buildings. There are .several 
wa.vs to tlx stalks to try to induce animals to eat 
them, but they only pay for stalks, i never owned 
an animal that would eat bare stalks, nor did any¬ 
one else, unless it was starving. When I get the 
ear and the leave.s, the stalk goes for mulch. When 
it has ripene<l the ear its usefulne.ss for feed is 
j)a,st, hut if jint in a silo before that time, it will 
have in it what the ear failed to get. 
\ ALFE OF COHN.—We lost more than half the 
corn crop from the drought last year and the les- 
A Sunday Afternoon in Summer—in the Sheep Country. Fig. 98 
where they have a stack of nici‘ Iniy. put uii in har¬ 
vest for them, and a sIkmI to run into and sleep in. 
Then the young sheep on the ground floor of one 
barn 24x.‘I0, with their Alfalfa above them, and 
their tr(»ughs in a yard outside. These fellows are 
so merry that they must have a railing along over 
the troughs to keep them from continually jumping 
over. They must have heard some one speak of 
the price of lambs. The ewes are in a barn across 
the road in the l)asement floor 40 by 40. wirh a shed 
running south from at, 14 by 40. All u'cre looking 
for their human friend. The.v had lain until their 
regular time of rising, and know it as well as if 
they had an eight-day clock. There is no animal so 
regular in Its habits as a sheep, unless you change 
the time on them, when they adopt .vour.s. In the 
Summer da.vs, you will see them leave the .shade 
at three o’clock, but if .severely hot or the flies both¬ 
er too much, they will straggle back for awhile. 
Also, they forecast the weather, and prove it by 
open except during storms' .so the air can pass over 
the sheep, and there are roller dt)ors left open, with 
a light panel to close the doorway. In both stable 
.Mild .shed ai^e ha.v-racks in identy, and they are 
filled according to the weather each evening. 
FEEDINC.—This morning, as usual, .some sen¬ 
tries were watcliing. and when they gave the pa.ss- 
word all were head on. ready to l>ang out to the 
feeding place, .sheaves from the fodder stack were 
thrown around on the snowy grass, and the.v circled 
them like mangers, choosing the best until they 
wore satisfied, and amliling lietween them and 
where the.v found the Iiest grass. In aliout an hour 
tlie.v were standing or lying ruminating and until 
evening the.v half-heartedl.v picked grass, cleaned uji 
the remains of the sheaves and inspected all the old_ 
places of feeding. On rainy da.vs the.v are kept in 
on ha.v and appear well .satisfied, and the.v .should 
be Avith clover one feed and Alfalfa the other and 
•all the good water they want. This method of 
son learned is worth it. X'o matter how much good 
ha.v or old pasture we had other Wintei^s. we were 
prodigal with corn, but now with .giving half corn 
ration, every individual is fit for slaughter. Hay 
of all kinds is worth about .$10 per ton in the mows, 
while all .grains and meals are $40. M'’e have learned 
that good clover or Alfalfa is worth fully half as 
much for feed as any grain, and in years to come 
will jirofit by it. It is wonderful how the bodies of 
the sheep have gi^own and their wool len.gthened this 
inter and the stables seem to get smaller ever 5 ’ 
da.v. 
THE EVENIX’tJ ^IEAI>.—Towards evening the.v 
di-aw near the barns and when the doors are opened 
the.v hang in and every hay-rack is full of sheep 
head.s. The.v eat until satisfied and then wander to 
inspect other places or sip some water, and from 
then on until lying down time, they loaf in per¬ 
fect contentment. It is a picture worth more than 
any which fortunes are paid for. to see rows iif broad 
