The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-07-09
Frgn ihf couuifl GsHusmaa.
Sheep ffusbandry IN RngIand---Maiiy
Colds,
~ IrDdF nHm u NV uAHFaImL

upon our farms, than that Of raising some of
the large breeds Of sheep, iof hie shamhiss, =,
as we'll as for the wool, i was my good for
tune 20 pass two or three weeks aiih some
Llneolnshire farmers, spending some days at
their houses and travelling with them through
a part Of Wales and England. Their sheen
Il seemed 10 h1e, were a sure sohTee pf profit,
as well as their main Dependence fpr manure,
enrichlng the land by remaining upon Il while
feeding of the crops Of turnips, We cannot
ln the cold part Of America, pursue this aye
ten, but Why may Ne not approximate to-
ward Il % nearly o. may be The liangold
crop can be produced here better Than In
England, because Il Is adapted to a hot and
dry climate h can be Kept In cellars ~
easily ~ potRioeG My own we're stacked on
the bottom Of the cellar, 100 bushels IN
heap, With nothing under or over them, and
as fresh to-day APrilplth) as when pulled,
Not one deoajed
The letter, from which an extract il siten
below, Ia from one Of my Lincolnshire hlenda
farmer who knows hih business thorough
ly, lie shows us that the mangold IL sold
there at three dollars a ton (of2240 lbs.) At q
good profit Every farmer ought to have his
cellars full Of them, TO feed abundanty 20 his
COWS and sheep, and to his swine IN the sum
mer, for they will keep through the whols
season, and swine viii eat them raw when
partly dried. Mr.. Meehl Of Tipree Hall,
feeds them also to his horses, and Pronoup1
ees them valuable for that purpose.
But TO return TO our mouions. one year
old sheep, before shearing, which In Lincoln
shire is called hog h0ggeh, iSworth hoW
from sl2.60 TO $3.50. What would the
same sheep be worth herep by the whole
sale prices In the n. Y. Tribune Of April 2,
the whole oarcases Of lambs are worth twelve
cents per pound. The lowest prices quoted
for wool, are "natye and quarter Merino ~
to 45 cents" What the Lincolnshire wool
is worth here do not know, but tSko the
English price Of 81 10 cents. and the average
weight Of meat and wool, aud We have the
value Of such a sheep In New York, as fol-
lows, at Wholesale prices
20 lbs. Of meat. at ~ cents, 5000
III lbs OF wool, at37 ~ cents, 4,l2i-1
Value q oqestar old Sheep. si4o2ia
Now, why can not our farmers give at
tcntion TO this matter, and instead Of produce
Ing the small dne-wooled sheep, and keeping
them until they die Of old age, substitute a
large heavy animal that shall be fed album
dantly as we feed our pigs in New England,
and be sold at twelve or Gfeen months old
at these high ratesP There is no supply n
good mutton in any Of our marketa. Tho
hotels Of New York get mutton from Eng
land to supply the few guests who know
what good mutton 10. Having thus preach
ed the sermon, will now give the text, thank
ing NY good fiesa aeFoss tie sea for ris vuitia--
BILE hints,vhichI II venture to publish, though nos
intended by the writer for publication. For
convenience OF your readers hike trnnsla-
ted the writer's English currency INTO dollars
aud cents.
"Farming is not so good as when You were
here, tho price OF wheat being little more
than half what it was then aud not much
prospect Of rise. 1fit were not for our
sheep, Il would be bad look out for farmera.
IL is fortunsts that so much attention has
been given to the improvement Of sheep Of
late years. we nre now getting the benefit
in the increased weight Of wool and quality
OF mutton and wool both, but you would, Of
course, hear all about that when you we're
here, and would not be much surprised To
learn that our hogs or one year old sheep arc
expected to realize from $l250 to eli. so
each, at the spring fairs, the dead weight Of
such sheep being from so To 100 pounds, at
g cents per pound, the fleece 10 to II lbs.
at 81 i.2 cents per pound, the present price
here. Their value last October would be
from $3.50 to 1915 each, leaving pretty
fair profit. OF course these results involve
considerable outlay OF artificial food, say 50
each for cake, beside turnips ad iibitum We
are now March ~ in the midst Of the lamb
ing season, which has been favorable 90 far
with good fall Of lambs. The winter has
been unusually mild neither frost or snow
here, so the breeding sheep have been win
tered mostly on the grass lands. which is
considered much better then wintering on
turnips, our usual keep.
Your favorite root, .mhngold wurtzel, is
likely 10 become very general, as ", have
great fear that the turnip is going like the
patatoe. The two last years, they have been
very Indifferent. You would be surprised
to see the hundreds Of tons Of nnngoffs that
have passed here from the fen district, being
bought by the highland farmers al $500 per
ton-a pretty good thing for the fen men,
seeing that they can grow from SO to 40 tons
to the acre--50 they ATTY. We are trying
them for sheep to cat of, instead Of turhfps.
The reports ave favorable, -ausij GtSFe will
probably be some thousands Sf acres this
season in the place of turnipss
They would form very valuable auxiliary;
l should think, with you for the winter keep
ing of sheep. az think you said you keep