The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-11-20
NJ | S c Il L L A N Y.
PRAIRIE GRASS FOR SHEEP.

" Illinois is found 10 be admirably suit,
ed in climate and the immense pasiurage
on its praires, for the raising of Sheep
They thrive well on The Prairie grass,
and wool of the very first quality is pro
duced with greater ease than ia any other
part of The country. Through the sum
mer they roam over the prairies in hocks
of thousands, under the care of shepherds,
and will get subsistence from the soil as
long as their is no snow upon the ground.
For The short period in the winter, when
the snow prohibits their picking up from
the earth their subsistence, they have to be
fed with the hay gathered in the summer
from The prafies, with roofs or grain"
" Western farmers have greatly the ad,
vantage over those in Eastern States, in
midness of climate, shortness OF the win
ter, and the fact that no capital is required
to be laid out for paslurage. The paslur-
age of the domestic animals in this State
is as'free as the water and the air, and it
will be long time before our immense
prares will be fenced in and The grass
Claimed as private properly. Until that
time, any man who does not own foot of
land, can turn out his flock under the
care OF shepherd, to feed over the vast
range"
The above is from the Daily News pub
llshed at Chicago. The Prairie Farmer,
OF the snme place, makes the following
remarks -
Allowing that every farmer in Illinois
could have access to the wild prairies, if
he depended on nothing else, his sheep
must die off, to the last one, twice at least
in each year. The grass on he wild
pralfles starts so as 10 afford food for sheen
about the first Of June-some.imes little
earlier-and continues good feed for three
months, and affords some pasture for
month longer, unless frost should hap
PENN which case it is all killed as dead
as herring. Now what is TO supply the
vacancies between pasture and winter
feeding? Bat this is not the whole case.
A flock Of sheep will completely ruin
piece of wild grass for pasture in very
in!e time. They range over 1t, selecting
such as suits their taste, and gnaw it to the
earth; and thus entirely destroy it from
given surface 10 single season.
But open prairie, desirable for pasture,
is not accessible probably to one tenth of
the farmers in the State. The great ma.
Jorlty live on land of their own purchase
from which the wild grass rapidly disap-
pears, and no extensive open prairie lies
anywhere within miles Of Them.
1.-THE keeping OF the sheep on the plan
here laid down is a favorte idea at the
East, and among dreamers and beginners
with US. But very little experience
shows the fatality of its objections We
converse with f,rmers daily who ridcuIe
the practice; and are required to combat
the notion as often with Immigrants. The
last winter killed thousands upon thou.
sands Of sheep in consequence of practice
based on these very IDEAS
"The true way TO grow wool here. rs
elsewhere, is 10 purchase a farm. stock
90w@ good parI Of it to grass as speed,
ly as possible, and pul another part in cuI.
tivation for grains, roofs, &c. and keep the
flock at homo. Should an open prairie
lie contiguous, it can be used in midsum-
mer--or hay can be cut for time, but it
cannot be depended on 10 o6oyd ADEQUATE
support 10 Rock of sheep"