672 
RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
April 12, 1919 
si w*^ 'I 
,, AN^SJvJ 
«fcS§*... Sit''-- 
Unicorn Leads All 
in records for production 
and profit. It is a neces¬ 
sity for successful dairying. 
Twin Oak Farms 
R. H. & W. Foos, Proprietors 
Producers of 
Inspected Milk 
From Pure Bred Holstein 
Tuberculin Tested Cows 
South Charleston, Ohio 
Chapin & Co., Chicago, Ill. 
Gentleman—The car of Unicorn 
which we ordered arrived today for 
which I am duly thankful as we 
have been out for about two weeks. 
We recently ran a 7 day A. R. O. 
test on 6 of our three and four year 
old cows with the following rPsults: 
Butter. 21.892 lbs., 20.892 lbs.. 17.882 
lbs., 16.882 lbs., 15.7 lbs., 14.2 lbs. 
These cows were not especially pre¬ 
pared for the test and were not even 
placed in box-stalls as we did not 
have the room. 
Very truly yours, 
R. A. CAVE, Mgr. 
Senda 3c stamp for our new booklet, 
Dairi/men's Manual, which telle 
you, hoiu to make bigger profits. 
Chapin & Company 
Dept. R. Chicago 
mconfr/vMCon 
toy ' ,rrvr n 
$ 
MR.PROSPEROUS Dairy Farmer 
Sheep Raising in Eastern Connecticut 
I intend to try farming this Spring 
and keep sheep. 1 have about 185 acres. 
Eastern Connecticut; 40 acres of fairly 
level plow laud, free from stones; a red 
soil with some gravel and a little dry on 
the high spots. The neighboring farmers 
tell me it will produce a fair crop if some 
fertilizer is applied. 1 have 40 acres of 
woodland, and the remainder. 100 acres, 
pasture with plenty of cedar, sumac, 
briars and baybcrry. The farm is well 
supplied with many store walls, and I 
intend to use the cedars, of which, there 
are plenty, as posts sunk a foot in tb i 
ground and inclining against the wall and 
held in position by wire slipped through 
the wall and topped off with a two-foot 
wire fence. That, I think, ought to turn 
dogs and would cost me only 20 cents a 
rod. not including labor. This Summer I 
would purchase as many sheep as I could 
feed through the Winter, and have some 
lambs next Spring. I want a definite pro¬ 
gram to follow to get good and quick re¬ 
sults. and the problem is this: Given 
plenty of Summer pasturage, how shall I 
manage with one team of horses on 40 
acres of light sjod land to go into the 
Winter with feed for two horses, two 
cows, two pigs. 50 chickens and a flock of 
sheep? I had an idea of oat hay, corn, 
potatoes and some roots, using catch 
crops, seeding to rye. etc. I would like 
to get away from feeding oats*or any 
grain except corn. If you could map me 
out a general plan to meet the above con¬ 
ditions T would greatly appreciate the 
favor. Farm is located in Eastern Con¬ 
necticut. M - 
Any operation in sheep farming must 
he based upon the condition of having 
available an abundance of pasture land, 
the value of which is relatively low and 
the production of which is abundant from 
early May until October. The conditions 
that you describe seem favorable, for 
sheep do well ou hilly land \ areas that 
are naturally well drained. It is not 
practicable to keep sheep over very many 
years in the same pasture without en¬ 
countering difficulty with the Stomach 
worm and other parasites that intrude. 
The copper sulphate treatment is surely a 
very great aid in combating the stomach 
worm and it may he possible that many 
of the so-called pastures that have been 
abandoned on account of this condition 
may he reclaimed by its regular and care¬ 
ful'use. Whether or not there is sufficient 
natural grass growing on this area you 
have not indicated. Bear m mind that 
this is essential, for sheep cannot subsist 
on briars, sumac and baybcrry. . It 
would seem that under average conditions 
100 acres of rough land pasture ought to 
carry about 100 sheep. Prudence would 
prompt the suggestion that you start with 
50 the first season, and if this number do 
well and vou are able to produce enough 
roughage to carry them through the first 
Winter you might easily double your op¬ 
eration the next year. 
It would not be possible for you to con¬ 
struct a fence that would turn dogs; it 
would he very expensive and not practical. 
Bullets from a well-aimed rifle are the 
best agency for conquering these mon¬ 
grels. and the posting of a notice that yon 
would pay a reward to anyone who would 
shoot at sight dogs found chasing or an¬ 
noying your sheep would, in all probabil¬ 
ity, serve you more efficiently than the 
best fence you could construct. I ho fenc¬ 
ing problem with sheep is not a very ex¬ 
pensive one. in case the areas are large 
and provided there is an abundance of 
feed within the confined area. It is the 
hungrj sheep Hint goes through the feuces 
and annoys the shepherd. 
I know of no crop that produces a 
more satisfactory roughage for sheep than 
oats and Canada field pea bay. A sufh- 
cient area can he plowed in the Spring 
and seeded with a mixture of equal parts 
of oats and Canada field peas. They 
should be mixed together and drilled in 
at the rate of three bushels per acre. 
Seeding cau he done in the Spring as 
soon as the ground is in condition, and 
the crop should he harvested as soon as 
the oats are in tlieir milk stage and the 
peas are generously in bloom. If it is de¬ 
sired to permit some of the oats and peas 
to mature in order that they may he 
thrnjihed, here again the straw will make 
splendid roughage; and the oats and Can¬ 
ada field peas can he ground together, 
mixed with an equal portion of comment, 
and serve as an ideal ration for ewes in 
lamb, or even lambs being fattened for 
market. Oats and peas will yield, if the 
land is fairly productive, three tons of 
cured hay per acre, and, following the 
oats and peas, the area may be seeded 
with a grass mixture. <>r plowed and put 
into Winter grain in the Fall. You should 
also rely rather extensively upon corn 
fodder as a roughage crop for sheep. They 
enjoy picking off the leaves from the 
stalks, and it is my judgment that they 
will utilize a roughage of this sort better 
than any other animal. 
Naturally in your district there would 
be considerable mixed hay. hut it. must 
be remembered that Timothy hay is not 
well suited for sheep. The oat and pea 
hay. supplemented with the corn fodder, 
would make it possible for them to go 
through the Winter with very little grain, 
possibly some com supplemented with a 
little oilmeal, in which instance you could 
do away with the purchase of expensive 
concentrates. 
There is nothing more satisfying for 
idle horses during the Winter months 
than oat and pea hay. and the pea leaves 
and succulence would no doubt he palata¬ 
ble for the chickens. It would serve for 
the cows, too. 
It is doubtful whether you could afford 
to grow mangels especially for the sheep, 
for the labor cost is very great and the 
yield per acre is often disappointing for 
"the inexperienced grower. You can prob¬ 
ably purchase beet pulp for your dairy 
cows more economically than you could 
produce nn.ngel beets, and turnips seeded 
in July would produce a mass of succulent 
feed that would be suitable for use with 
the sheep during the Winter months. 
Of course you should grow as much corn 
as you could properly care for. \ou need 
the corn fodder for both sheep and cattle, 
and the mature com that the area would 
yield could be used in feeding all the live 
stock that survive. At the last cultiva¬ 
tion of the corn you could seed some rye 
and rape, which would supply some late 
forage for the sheep, and. if the corn was 
not blown down too badly, the sheep could 
be turned into the field without injury to 
the corn, and here again they would make 
splendid use of the available forage. In 
case the rye matured and was not plowed 
under as a green manure crop in the 
Spring, the straw could be used as bed¬ 
ding, and you would have a cash crop to 
sell, for, except for the pigs, it would not 
be safe to feed the rye to the animals you 
were producing. If you will cliug to some 
mixed hay. some oat and pea hay, and 
produce as much com as seems consistent, 
you ought to grow at home practically all 
of the forage and grain that you will 
utilize in caring for these animals. The 
wool alone ought to pay for the cost of 
maintenance of the sheep, and the lambs 
he relied upon as a clear profit; or. to put 
it another way. assuming that the lambs 
produced would more than pay for the 
cost of maintaining the sheep and the item 
of their own feed, you could safely rely 
upon the wool clipped as a net profit. 
You may he discouraged at the cost of 
fencing. You may not be able to get ex¬ 
perienced shearers, but a flexible machine 
would solve your problem. I take it that 
you have had some experience in sheep 
raising; otherwise I would advise starting 
on a modest scale, for experience is the 
only safe guide in establishing a flock of 
sheep ou the farm. F. c. M. 
Sheep and Acorns 
On page 446 there is a short letter giv¬ 
ing partial and varying opinions in regard 
to allowing sheep to feed upon acorns, 
while in the pasture or elsewhere. One 
opinion is that the sheep will thrive, or. 
at least, do fairly well upon them, and 
another is that such a diet will cause in¬ 
testinal disturbances and death, and the 
experience of others along this line is 
asked. Now, the question all hinges upon 
the variety of acorns that are fed. There 
are a great many varieties, and all are 
highly nutritious. But some are so bit¬ 
ter and indigestible as to turn the stomach 
of a wooden image, and so puckery as to 
cause a bushel basket to shrink to the 
size of a peck measure, while other va¬ 
rieties are sufficiently edible as to he 
frequently used for human food, though I 
believe tiiat none is particularly palata¬ 
ble. And there are all gradations be¬ 
tween. Now, if the sheep were fed with 
reasonable quantities of some of the latter 
varieties, it is evident that they would 
thrive upon the diet. If they were to be 
fed upon some of the former varieties, and 
were starved into eating immoderate 
quantities, it is quite likely that disas¬ 
trous results would follow.. Should a 
symposium of different experiences result, 
it is to he hoped that the writers will 
state the variety fed, as. otherwise, no 
report will he of any value. 
C. <). OBMSBEE. 
Leading a Bull 
G. T. S. asks how to tie up a bull. If 
be can stanchion him at home, or place 
him where he can get a halter on. halter 
a cow, tie them together (their heads close 
to each other) and turn them loose ou 
the public road. The bull may imitate a 
broncho, but will soon tire of that and 
walk along in good shape. The more 
gentle the cow the better. If the hull is 
to be loaded from tie' stock yards, take a 
hay-fork rope, tie it around his neck after 
lie arrives at the yards, and also the rope 
that is to be used to tie him with in the 
car. Then take one end of the rope 
through the door and to the end of car, 
passing it through an open space where 
it can be tied promptly to the car after 
he is in where he is wanted. Some will 
go in on the run; others the rope will 
have to be wrapped around some part, of 
the car so ns to hold him from turning 
hack. My brother and I tied five in one 
car. We handled some ugly ones. We 
have not had one get loose from us in the 
car while eu route. ,r. k. he.vi.ey. 
Coming Live Stock Sales 
April 17—John II. Fitch. Angus, Fake 
City, la. 
April 10'—Longview Farm, saddle 
horses, Lee's Summit. Mo. 
May 6—John S. Goodwin. Angus. Na¬ 
perville, Ill. 
May 8—A. B. Watson & Son. Ilore- 
fords, Harris. Mo. 
May 15—Dr. J. T. Huggins and others, 
Angus. Knoxville. Tenn. 
Mav 15—Frank Scofield, Shorthorns, 
Hillsboro. Tex. 
May 20—Tri-county Holstein Breed¬ 
ers. Association. Sidney ,N. Y.; secretary, 
E. E. Risley, Walton, N. Y. 
A MIDDLE-AGED man was examining the 
phonograph record catalogue in a Kansas 
City store the other day. “Why is this 
opery called ‘Samson et Dalila?” he asked. 
“As I recollect the story. Dalila darn near 
et Samson.”—Kansas City Star. 
Sheep Questions 
