304 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 9. 
J the saddle;” and though the remark he disheartening to 
; those who so patriotically plant and clothe the country 
with its most befitting ornaments, yet it is too true, that 
I as a crop, timber has almost ceased to be planted for 
remuneration, except in those inaccessible places where 
i the husbandman cannot come, or where, for other rea¬ 
sons, he is not allowed to do so; hut there are special 
cases, wherein trees are more profitable, and in a great 
many they are useful, but these, as well as other matters 
relating to coppices, &e., I must leave for another 
article; and in conclusion, would warn our young friends, 
when passing through an unknown country, not to 
jump too hastily at conclusions respecting the treatment 
of certain things, for, like the case above, it may be the 
very best in its way that could be adopted. 
J. Robson. 
i 
i 
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i 
THE FATTING OF SHEEP. 
(Continued from, page 344.) 
In continuation of the subject relating to the breeds 
of Sheep to be selected for fatting purposes, I must al¬ 
lude to the statement of Mr. Samuel Druce, given in the 
31st No. of the “Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society 
of England,” whose great practical experience in this 
matter must give it considerable weight and importance. 
The first important item in this statement is the compar¬ 
ative numbers of the different breeds of Sheep which 
may be kept upon the like quantity of food. The bulk 
of food requisite to fatten 100 Cotswold Sheep would 
fatten 105 Leicesters, 115 Hampshire Downs, 115 Sheep 
cross-bred between the Cotswold and South Down, and 
120 pure South Down. The most important item which 
this statement furnishes is the comparative profit yielded 
by the same breeds in the value both of mutton and 
wool, and this will place them in the following order:— 
The Cross-bred Sheep give the greatest money return, 
the Hampshire Downs next, then the Cotswolds, the 
Leicesters, and last of all, giving the least profit, are the 
pure South Downs. Another statement upon this subject, 
based upon actual experiment, and carried out in the 
most elaborate and detailed manner, is by Mr. J. B. 
Lawes, and which will be found in the 28th No. of the 
same Journal, and must be taken as the most conclusive, 
it being the greatest combined effort of science and prac¬ 
tice brought to bear upon the subject which has ever 
been offered to public notice, and the result is decidedly 
in favour of the Hampshire Down breed of Sheep, as 
compared with the pure South Down. Other statements 
and experiments may be adduced, but for the most part 
they point in the same direction. I must further say, 
that the above statement and experiment entirely sup¬ 
port my own opinion upon the subject; and that after 
having given great attention to the fatting of Sheep, and 
having been a close observer of the best practices for a 
period of twenty-five years, I can, without any hesitation, 
confirm the above statements. 
I cannot, however, entirely disregard the effect of 
soil and climate in this matter, and it would be no 
doubt difficult to state which breeds of Sheep are best 
adapted for fatting upon the different soils, but, in 
deciding this point, it is best not to overlook the breeds 
peculiar to certain districts of the kingdom ; and I may ! 
be here allowed to say, that in case any doubt arises in j 
the mind of persons about to select a breed of Sheep 
for fatting purposes, they would do well to observe the I 
prevailing breeds chosen by the most enlightened and j 
experienced graziers of the locality. 
In order that my readers may better understand the 1 
remarks I shall have to make, I propose to consider this j 
subject as naturally divided into two departments, 
namely,—the winter fatting, and the summer grazing. I j 
trust, also, that a few general remarks upon the purchase j 
of stock will not be considered out of place. I cannot i 
advise the buying of Sheep which are very poor, as it 
will always cost more to feed the Sheep up to tolerable 
condition than it will to purchase them in that state. 
Before you resolve to buy Sheep, endeavour to decide 
upon the age and breed of Sbeep best suited to your 
soil and keeping; and in going through a fair for the 
purpose of purchasing, always select those which, in 
your own judgment, are best suited to your purposes; 
buy them as cheap as you can, but buy them, and re¬ 
member that the purchase of stock merely because it is 
cheap (or what is called a bargain), must be character¬ 
ised as folly, and that the likeliest lot to yield profit is 
that which you deem best suited to your requirements. 
I would further recommend that a warranty of sound¬ 
ness should be obtained, and no difficulty will be found 
in securing it; for I have never known parties hesitate 
in giving a warrantry when they felt satisfied that it was 
not really required. 
I must now proceed with the consideration of the 
first branch of the subject—the winter fatting of Sheep 
in the open field—for although I propose to make some 
remarks upon the comparative advantages of house 
and field-feeding, yet I must defer them until the 
conclusion of this article. The groat increase in 
our population, and its requirements, has completely 
reversed the system of fatting Sheep ; formerly their 
summer grazing was a matter of primary importance, 
but since the introduction of root-crops the winter fat¬ 
ting process has now become the most essential, both as 
regards the necessities of the consumer and the profits 
of the arable land farmer. Before the purchasing of 
stocktakes place, calculate, as near as possible, how many 
can be kept, and the period you wish Jo finish root¬ 
feeding ; and in case it is required to clear the land early 
for the purpose of sowing winter and spring wheat, the 
number of Sheep may be increased in the same propor¬ 
tion, and it will be necessary, in such case, to resort to 
artificial feeding, in order that the animals may be fat¬ 
tened in less time. Under ordinary circumstances, a 
fair rule to go by is that ten acres of turnips will fatten 
100 sheep, supposing the crop to weigh about twenty 
tons of roots per acre, and that they receive as much of 
good hay as they will eat during the period of consump¬ 
tion. This, however, must in reality be only considered [ 
the starting point in feeding, for the consuming a given 1 
quantity of turnips may be made to extend over a great I 
length of time, by the addition of feeding materials, 
such as oil-cake, corn, &c. In stocking a farm with I 
