Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-02-18
Agricultural
WINTER CARE OF SHEEP.

handy. and is competent OF being much
more so unless it is destroyed by the su-
icidal policy Of our law makers, we shall
give a few brief directions with regard
to the winter management of sheep
And in what we shall say we wish it dis
tinctly understood that we are only pre-
senting brief abstract of those rules
laid down in that most able work, "1he
american lShephard," published i'll 1915,
. by l.. A, Morroll, who is himself one OF
the most enlightened sheep breeders in
the country, and whose book should be
in the possession of every agricultor in
the country, as without doubt, it COM
bines more true philosophy connected
with the rearing and managing OF sheep,
and more of those unerring results arls-
ing from practical knowledge, than any
other volume ever printed.
Necessity Of Protection.-There is
nothing, says the author, appertalnlng
to sheep economy, more generally neg
lected than the provision of ample and
warm accommodations for shelter, and
from no other cause do such large loss
es accrue. 1t is rgidly practced in
Prussia, Germany, Scotland, and the
= northern parts of England and every
sheep historian recommends it. So in
dispensibe is it held, that the author Of
a Scotch work upon the subject, lays
down this emphatic rule: "Sheter is
the first thing to be attended TO in
the (winteT management Of Sheep" a
rule whose common sense must COM
mend it to the adoption of every sheep
owner. While every good shepherd is
decidedly hostile to their being confined
or to their being forced into shelter,
whether they wish it or not, it cannot
be too strongly recommended to all farm
ers, to put the means of avoiding the Sc
verify of stormy weather within the
reach of the flock at all times. To il
lustrate the advantage of shelter, our au
thor adduces the example of Mr.. Spoon
er's experience, which we will give in
his own words. He says:
"Until within the last ten years, the
writer's focks, like thousands of others
at this time, had no shelters and the
loss, in proportion to the severity of the
winters, varied from five to ten per cent.
The diseases caused by their exposure
were such as scab, pelt, rot, dysentery,
and colds, which caused an excessive
discharge of mucus from the nostrils,
while many died from no other cause,
apparently, than sheer poverty of con-
dition. Since, however, his sheep have
been protected, the deaths have not eX-
ceeded one and half per cent. in re-
gard to number, and if comparative val
ue were the standard, it would not be
considered Of any moment, as the loss
has been mostly among diminutive spring
lambs--so from bad nursing, and old
ewes which from superiority of fleece or
carcass, were retained thus long to breed
fom.",
Protection materially increases the
weigbtof the fleece, and improves its
quality. Thc comfor.t of shelter ena
bles the Animal the better to retain its
flesh as also, TO receive accessions, and
as a consequence, to increase its fleece,
as the secretions which produce flesh,
and the fluids which impart growth to
the wool, all proceed from the very same
source.
But as facts are more reliable than
theory, we will state that the flock of
the writer increased in weight of fleece,
by shelter, from 2 lbs. 5 OF. to lbs. 9
OF and. 3 lbs. 2 Or, making an aggregate
difference in the weight of the wool OF
his flock of 1000 lbs. The wool too, is
generally improved in softness, as also in
the soundness and evenness OF fibre-the
properties which tend much to enhance
its value in market.
The superior condition of the ewes
induced by the comforts of shelter, ma
terally increases the number Of lambs
Shelter saves provender, as animals
consume less food when kept in com
Portable quarters than when exposed tc
the inclemency Of the weather unde
the latter circumstances large portion
of their food, by the law of necessit,
existent in animal economy, being ap
proptiated TO purposes of heat, which
under the former condition would have
gone to the production Of flesh, mus
Gle and fat.
Feeding.-lIay is the standard @
sheep-feeding, and it is presumed tina
sheep which receive daily per head,
lbs. of first rate quality hay, or its equiv
alent in that and other food, can be sub
sisted in healthful wool and milk pro
ducing state. The large long wooIet
sheep require more food than the smal
fine wooded ones. While the formc
would require from three to three an,
one-half pounds of hay, or its equiv;
lent in other food, the other may be sui
sisted upon two and one-half pounds {
hay, or its equivalent, per head-th
rule being that two and one-half pound
Of hay is required to support, daily, e'
cry one hundred pounds of live weigh
The feed of sheep may be varied as 70
lows, and may be benefited by tn
change of diet, as
Hay, lbs. for week,
Hay, Sd lbs, lb. potatoes per da,
another week, or Hay h., 2 lbs. pott
foeS Der dav for the 3d week