The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-11-07
Farming, &C.
Tornoers in the State Mouse.

nj the Capitol, Oct ~, 1910, Lieut.. GOV. Dof-
roant was called 10 the chnlr. .I
Thc subiectt6r diScassto't--'Sheep HIsbarIdIy.
MIR Gregory, ofWey pridge, being called up
On said, ifhe must be me first to remark upon,
tho subiect, he would open the field wide,
md leave it for others to fill:---he would d-
vide the different kinds of sheep with which
he was acquainted into six classes, though he
should nyt .ouch upon every variety. LIST.
Native brued-2nd. Native crossed with Me-
rino-3rd. Native crossed with SaXony-4th
.Snvony crossed with Merno-5th. SaXony,
GIl blood-6th Merino full blood.
Native breed, common sheep. Farmers
.opgbt not TO breed such sheep: while they
shear Hight fleece it is at the same time
coarse one, neither profitable TO the farmer
nor the manufacturer
Native crossed with Merino. Tolerably
GOOD sheep,--the best cross that can be made
with our common or native sheep,
Native crossed with Suxony. Not good it
should never be attempted.
Saxony crossed with Merino. Good sheep,
ifthe eve be saxony, the buck should not be
of our largest class of Merino. The difficult
twill he in rearing lambs, if the buck should
be of the larger class . ...
Saxony full blood. Too tender n sheep
for Vermont unless the breeder is willing to
subject himself TO extra labor and expense
in his care of them, and in providing good
shelter aud protection in winter. (Though
any sheep should have shelter in winter in
Vermont) .'..
The Saxony he would put into two classes.
The first, the long, while, open wool, free
from oil, light fleece, profitable for the man
a&oturer; yetlhe purchaser docs not encour-
age the raising such wool by the price he is
pleased TO pay. This wool is fine.
2nd Glass about as fine rs the other, not as
profitable to the manufacturer, but more so
to the tarmer-they are more hardy, better
protected by heavier feeces, the wool not MS
long but more compact, a darker shade on
the surface. @ au-
Merino. The first class which he would
notice is the gumuly, rather short wool, COM
pact, rather harsh to the fcel--uneven, fine on
the shoulder, but coarse OH the flank-ob ect-
cd to this Kind OF Sheep it cannot he washed
clean in the ordinary mode of washing. II
was great mistake that farmers breed this
class ofsheep. They have been induced to
do so from the fact that the purchaser has
made but little distinction in bis purchases,
The farmers of Vermont have aimed tu Sc
cure weight Of fleece, regardless Of wlatit
was composed.
ID. Another Glass; even; Inc on the shout
der and flank, long open wool, not much oil,
10 gum, not very heavy feeces but profta-
BILE to the manulacturer-eusily wet through
by rain and slect in winter-need good shell
ter.
Sd. Another, medium Glass; equally us
fine us the last mentioned, nearly ms fine as
,iIe SaXony wool-thlck, long staple, aud oily
land dark surface, may be washed clean in
The ordinary mode Of washing-should hot
be allowed to run long after washing. The
best kind of sheep for the Vermont farmer;
while it gives to the farmer good fleece, it
cannot be objected 10 by the manufactured
The wool will command price nearly equal
TO the SaXony. .t t.
Mr. Conant Of Brandon, being called-was
ready to say,i he took any interest in farming
it was in sheep husbandry. He started II
novice in the business, but soon found gootl
sheep He could not recommend SaXony
sheep: they needed protection by shelter, as
their wool afforded no shelter at all. The
class of sheep recommended last by MIR Gre
cory was the best.
1t is the interest of Vermont to raise fine
wool, and the merino with fine wool and oily
is the right kind. ... .... ........ +.
The RalnbuoilIet have grGa uniformity in
p the fineness, free from gum, ana a firrnness
% ofwocl which protects from .i'o weather-;r
aiNrd, robust iiind-rnay shear pounds aver
age. mn
iIae alluded to another description. "The
rrEnglis Long-wool'-th want high feed
"A cross of this breed with de merinos makes
good mutton.
Mr. Bell fWalden, called said he COM
.anenced with a mixture ofSaXony and Meri-
-no-procured fine bucks but could not get a
block: tleeces average 2 l-2 pounds. Bought
another flock Native crossed with Merino;
wool line and white, average nearly A lbs.
Mr. Wright of Shoreham, being called,
esaid, he had been engaged in raising merinos
ooi TWO Kinds. His sheep were mixture OF
slae Cooke and,Jarvis. He found particular
tralt OF sheep to be cleanliness. He cleared
me orts from the racks every day, because an
eHiuVla rose tIom the fermentation ofthe orts
ne mad known u case where man had fed
ms sheep on good hay, but neglected to clear
the crib and lost many. 1t was necessary &c
nave water and shelter; a neglect of shelter
etiu exposure to storms caused the wool to
lritter out, which was loss to the manufac
rtnrer. Sheep cannot be wintered well with
, out shelter. '- t'' af1r- |ttaepFH.
r MIR Stevens, of Barnet, being called, re.
marked, that Vermonthad more sheen in pro-
portion to the inhabitants that any other State
III Inc Union: and in the course ofhis remarks
was understood to be ofthe opinion that yam.
'kee ingenuity had already made such i'm
lproVeplents IN machinery as when they shall
nave come into general use, will serve as suf
iticIent protection against foreign importations
MIR Fairbanks ofSt. Johnsbury had come to
me conclusion to raise the long wool sheep
coarse wool feeces were as valuable, as they
so much exceeded the fine in weight: muttoI
better; carcasses large. ~
MIR Gregory differed from Mr. Wright witt
regard to its being actually necessary for sheer
10 have water in the winter. He winterett
ms sheep without water,yet he attached mucl
importance to water;he had rather they woulc
go without than to go or be driven to waite