Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-01-01
:Agr.ilfallHla1ra.. Ii
3 Winter management of Sheen.

= I
ls,a valuable article on the aifsfory an
, Arrangement of The Merino Sheep"
Geo. CamPbe J.. Esq, nof Westminster, VI
: from which we extract the following re
marks on the winter management orsheep
which will be read with interest: "7f1r-
Much of the success of the weol-growe
depends upon the winter management of hi
nock- Sheep are animals which paw thei
OWNERS better sior good care and keepiD,
than any other stock usually kept on farm
but IT fedwith s,ingy hand, or. neglected
II suitable nyeAiences are wanting, the,
4 pay perhaps as poorly as anys The .annua
loss to the United States, ,resrlting from
want Of suitable sheds and other eonyenjen
ces sicr the wiRtefi accommodate Of sheep
Is Immense The promptings of. self-inter.
est would seen sufficient TO induce our far.
mers 20 adept "a better system, of winter
management No intelligent farmer at this
day will attempt to deny The principle thai
warm enclosure are an equivalent, to GER
tam extent, for food; variety of well-con-
due:ed experiments have conc lusively de-
monstrated the fact. a large proportion OF
food consumed in winter isrequired for keep
ing up the animal heat, and consequently,
i in proportion as the apartments are warur,
within certain limits. the less amount of
food will be required. The other extreme.
too close apartments, would be Objectionable
trom-th mpurity of the air, and should be
avoided. Sheep have very little reason to
fear injury from this cause. The majority
OF those in our State suffer for the want of
shelter, and a suitable quantity and VARIETY
IN their winter feed. Many foeks are
brought TO theirswinter quarters in fair con-
ditiOn, but are fed SO sparing tina, the growth
OF their wogl is almost whooly arrested du-
ring the winter sesson, the fodder given
Them being only. sufficient to sustain the
Vita functions. Under such Circumstances
the iood Consumed by them is in :act nearly
lost. The owner has received no return in
the increase OF. wool nor in bodily weight;
apd he will suffer further from a large Der
cent. of actual deaths before the time of
shearing. ..fat-'l sli II .-ai
With such course of management the
profits of wool-growlng will necessarily be
small. II neither sef-interest nor the feel
ings o. humanity VIII induce the farmer 10
provide properly for his. dependent lock, he
will find it tor his advantage to Keep some
other Gomestic animal, and know of neth-
ing more suitable for such men than the
hardy goat. While, protest against the
The starving system, it would seem hardly1
necessary to caution farmers against the
opposite extrtme. to high feeding, which
is also de;riine ntal to the heal,h and long
life OF The ssassaaf:ss whiespre pairing sheep
Tor the butcher, highs feeding is necessary
and proper, but for store sheep and breed
lg-ewes an over amount of lat. producedI
by high keePiog,is decidedly Injurious; and
aside from the attending expehsel 10 produce
1 this state of things, it hasa tendency 10
shorten the lives Of the sheep and en:eebie
the offspring. The forcing system Of feed
ing brings animals to maturity early, but is
4produrtye of premature death. -
The proper. and the must profitable mode
Of feeding, Tor breeding and store sheep, Isl
thal which will deyell5p in them the high
est degree Of bodily sigof Sheep fed ind
this. nsnner would endure the fati.ue of
long Journey, while those high led would
fail from the excess Of fat, ard the scan
tily "a fed -frym muscular debilftya Every
wool 7grosef wiz .End /. for his interest to
provide warEi, capacious, aud wellsentilat-
ed sheds fer his, focks, with a convenient
ISesess TO pure water. The feeding racks
mould De made, with good tighr bottoms, in
orcer that the chstf and seed, the most
.sa!uab.e e part Of the hay, may nor be lost
|sueh racks will also answer for feeding out
FOots and grain, and will avttt the neces-
ssity Of having an. extra lot' Of trods shs fer
tnat purpose - = 'tH
The. different, ages and classes Of sheep
should be, properly assorted. THIS classi6=
cation, however, must be left to the julg-
rment of the breeder. The S szeHof his flock
eand his conyeniences tcr keeping will; d.
termine The extent of the classification. 1t |
will be. necessary, in all hocks Of consider |
able size, to place the strong and feeble iEI
separate, hocks. The breeding eve, should
constitute another, division, and so ON with
the limbs kesping each s, fSlass Sss and age by
themselves. .I'a
In.regard to the question. How often
should sheep be fed! difference OF opiuionl
among good managers exists. While one
believes that twice a day is sufficient, an
ether thinks it desirable to feed three or four
times; but the most important point, ap-
Prehend,, is to feed regularly, whether twice,
three. or four times a day. The writer
feeds, at present, bay. twiee one day; the
next, hay in the'm5rhing, and straw at night.
and SO on, giving hay and straw alternately
instead of hsy; and beside, a feed cf roofs
and grain is allowed at mid-day, uro$ing
hall. bushel Of corn and cob, or oatmeal
mixed with two bushels of roots to the one
hundred head, AS sheep are frnd of u
variety of food, it is desirable to make q.
many changes as practicable. If allowed
constant access, to pine or heni,ock boughs
through the winter, it will be contuciye 10
their health, Salt is also equally as essen
| tial in winter, as in summer, and should be
kept .cgns,antly BY them. Rock salt, which
is impoited in large Jumps, weighing from
20 10 so pounds esch, is the cheapest and
best. Sheep are no, liable to eat it in sur.
hcient quantities as to ever injme them, as
| they can only get it BY licking.
+ STRAW MADE INTO BRAx.-A distinguish
ed French sheep.grower has succeeded in]
mixing from strawis substance whirh hasI
the feeding properties of bran. It is the
result of long experiment and toll. The
straw Of grain, hav, ,treioil, sainfoia aud
lucern has been used in the same prepara-
lion. Sherp and lambs are especially fond
of it, and iiourishion it,.
i CARROTS AND Rura BAGAs Three sheep
were fs8 fcvr mostbs lssAsyinter on Rpts
/ Bscas; three others were Ied for the same
time on Carrots, and, treated in every
other respect Just as the FIRST thres were.
TAT the end of the'four months, those fed on
-. . A n l. n