Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1851-05-23

wolves plague him sadly by picking up
the lambs, nor are they adverse TO full
grown sheep. He thinks lhe remedy
for them is big dog and gun; and as
one dog will not fight the "varmints' he
gets another, which fares no better, and
so he gets five more. His gun would be
Of use, but the villains always come in
The night. The dogs keep up a dread
ful barking, but the wolves Lill about as
many sheep, while in whole season
with his seven dogs he kills one wolf.
As the season wancs, the feed gets
scarcc---and his flock begin to wander
for food. In the woods, over his neigh
bors fences, away in the swamp he finds
them such as the dogs and wolves leave.
The winter finds his flock spring poor,
and such has been the fall season, that
he has only half hay enough. 1t never
had occurred to him before that the prai
rie grass dried up so early.
Ills manner of sailing sheep is pecu-
liar. He forgets entirely that sheep
wan. sal, till the middle of July; and
then 10 make up for lost time, he gives
them enough at once TO last thtm. Ii a
little is good why not nores and a sheep
must be great fool not to know how
much salt TO eat time. aa s.
When the time for putting sheep into
winter quarters arrives, he is not ready.
Ills sheds are begun, but not entirely
finished, and the flock is obliged to stand
the heavy fall rains. This will tough
EN- them for The cold weather. Some OF
Them begin to die early in the winter; ii
mus. be the grub in the head. Somebo-
dy tells him to pour hot snuff, or spirits
of turpentine into their noses TO kill the
grubs, aud into their noses it goes. Ii
certainly ought TO kill the worms, since
it does the sheep. . .as ...
The lambs begin TO make their ap-
pearance in January, and as the weather
is cold, they of course die. Some one
suggests that he should have shut up his
bucks in the fall; but do not sheep know
their own time to breed! Besides. those
hch do live will be tough, and shear
better the first season. #. ..
As to dividing his flock in the winter,
The mismanager never does that. Ii
would cost great many division pens;
and as his sheep run where they please
they would constantly get mixed; and to
| divide them over again would be great
deal of work. Besides, while they all
run together, the smaller and weaker
can eat what is left by the larger and
stronger.
When shearing time approaches, the
mismanager is in great hurry. lie
wants them sheared early, so as to save
their wool which is fast falling off. He
| hardly knows whether he will wash
| them first or not; it is a great deal oI
work, and some think it bad for the
health of the sheep; besides, Cannot the
wool be washed after il is sheared jus
as well! and what is the use in washing
the sheep itself once year, since i
mus. get dirty again. But he has g
slough handy, and as sort OF summary
way of doing it, he drives in the whole
flock at once, women and boys with
dogs all assisting; sousing some by way
of example, and keeping the whole ii
the water ill they are well wet. 1t is
true they have 10 crawl out through the
mud, but what sticks 10 them will rub of
when it is dry.
Now comes the shearing. The WOO
is no, dry nor very clean, and the shear:
will mot keep sharp, and of course the
shearing is not very smooth. Never
mind; where little is cut too long, en-
ough more is cut short enough--pieces
of skin inclusive-to make it up. As
to tagging beforehand the mismanagel
never does that; it Injuries the weight
SO does clean washing. The flceces are
rolled up, with some burs, some dirt
some sand, and little mud which di0
not weigh astonishingly heavy, consider
ing the low condition of the flock ant
the falling off Of wool. When the ycal
comes round, his flock is not as large
by fifth as at the beginning; he wonders
where they have gone TO-.