Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-09-01
I ARM AND GARDEN

MIXED FEED FOR SHEEP-In making up
mixed feed for sheep, composed of the differ
ent products which are found most available
and economical. care should be taken TO keen
the proportion of nutriment to bulk such
that proper supply can be taken into the
stomach without depressing that organ. Ii
has been said that 50 per cent Of the live
weight per diem in haF, about meets the de-
mands OF the animal economically; and it
/ probably about fills the stomach to comfort
/ able state of fullness. If, then, a sheen
weighing 90 pounds received half its nutri-
ment in hay, and half in the better kind of
/ straw (which contains half as much nutriment
| as hay,) it would be required to consume Il
| pounds of straw and pounds of straw daily
! an aggregate of A pounds, which, think,
could not be daily taken into and digested in
| the stomach of sheep of that size There
fore, to put sheep on half straw feed, it is
necessary that some other portion of their
! feed be more concentrated, or more nutri-
tlous IN proportion TO bulk than hay-as, for
/ example, grain or rootS--or else they will
not get their proper supply of nutriment.
/ My own course when feeding straw has
been to give feed of hay at morning and
| evening, (lntended to average about pound
per head each time all the straw the sheen
VIII eat and about pound of cut turnips
each at noon-the latter being little in
creased if the hay and straw are not of a
! prime quality. But l do not often give over
TWO bushels, or 80 pounds of turnips to a
hundred. Hay here does not average over
| IS to ton; and though l regard feeding
turnips as economical, my major object in
| growing and feeding them is to promote the
health and thrift Of my breeding ewes, and
the growth of my lambs.
Some excellent sheep farmers, on grain and
clover seed farms lying a few miles north of
| me-where a contiguous city market raises
the average price of hay about so per cent
higher than here-give their store sheep no
hay until March, feeding them in lieu of it,
bright good straw in abundance, clover chaff
and daily feed of Indian corn ranging from
one and half to two gills per head, accord
ing to their size and other circumstances
The straw and grain chaff are generally fed
fresh from the threshing floor half dozen
times day, and the sheep are not required
to eat it at all close After the first of March
a full supply of bright clover hay is given
and the grain feed taken off. The sheep, as
| have had repeated occasion to observe, win
ter well, and the breeding ewes raise good
lambs.
| do not believe that breeding ewes or
lambs could properly be fed enough straw and
turnips-partieularly If the straw was dry and
ripe-to obtain the equivalent of full sup
ply of hay. If turnips are fed in excess,
they render the evacuation too thin and &C
tive for severely cold weather. But a pound
head given to straw fed sheep, with lit
tie dimunition Of the corn otherwise requisite,
would, think, constitute better and cheap
er feed than entire corn and straw.
The comparative nutriment of the different
kinds of straw has been given in the table of
Nutritive Equivalents. Dat and barley straw
cut quite green and cured bright are highly |
relished by sheep. l had rather have them |
particularly if thrashed with fail so that a
few small green kernels remain in the ends |
Of the heads,) than hay in the situation in
which it is frequently cured for use. Wheat
straw ranks next among the common varie-
ties of straw. Sheep do not relish it, and
will not eat it very we'll if they get any hay
But when confined to it and grain they learn
to eat it and thrive on it. They must not,
however, be compelled to eat it as close as
oat and barley straw. Ripe rye straw, unless
cut fine and mixed with meal, is dry, harsh,
Improbable, and wholly unacceptable food
for sheep. All straws are eaten much better
by them when fresh thrashed and fed fire.
quently in small quantities.
Cornstalks are contained in neither of the
preceding tables of nutrition. When cut
and cured bright, before frost, no feed is bet
ter relished by sheep than the leaves and
some finer portions of the stalks; and they
thrive admirably on them
Pea-haulm if cut and cured green, is high
ly valuable and is highly relished by sheep
but when not harvested until dried up and |
dead, according to the more common mode, |
it is utterly worthless for them
In seasons CT great scarcity of hay and |
straw, sheep have been repeatedly and sue
cessfully wintered by feeding them almost
exclusively on grain. Such "hay famine
occurred in the best sheep region of Yer
mont, in the winter of 1S60-61, occasioned
by q severe drouth the preceding summer.
Flock masters who were determined to keep
well at all hazards, fed their sheep pound
Tor quartz of oats per head, with such guam
titles of hay, straw, etc, as they could obtain
In better Indian corn growing regions pound
of corn day is given under like circumsta
ces.-Randalfs Practical Shepherd.
On Thinning OUT GRAPEs-There are but
very few varieties of grapes, cultivated in
the open air, that require the thinning out of
the fruit to enable them to ripen. Most of
the native varieties have punches sufficiently
open and loose to allow the air to circulate
|
ening. If a portion of the berries are remov-
ed, those remaining will certainly grow much
larger than if all were allowed to mature
There are some varieties that have naturally
very compact punches, SO much so that all of
the berries viii seldom ripen unless portion
of them are removed. With such as these it
is best to cut out part of the berries as soon
as they are fully formed. This thinning
should be done with pair of sharp pointed
scissors, cutting out from one-fourth to one
half the berries, taking them from different
parts of the bunch, so that when it is fully
grown it will be uniform, and the berries will
not be any more crowded upon one part than
another.
1t would scarcely be practicable to thin out
the berries of all the punches in a vineyard,
and no one would think of cultivating exten
sively a variety that required it; STILL there
are varieties which are highly recommended
by some persons, that will seldom mature
more than one half the fruit that sets. The
punches Of these should be thinned.
These varieties often possess valuable quail
tiles and if persous have time to give them
the requisite care, really excellent fruit may
be obtained. There is scarcely more beau
tiful grape than the Herbemont, when it is
grown in warm, protected situation and its
frult properly thlHheu, anu tnere is none
more worthless if an opposite course is pur-
sued.
The compactness Of the bunch is often
variable with the same variety in different
localities in one the berries may be very
much crowded, and in another comparatively
loose. In the former case the berries will
not only be much smaller, but they will often
burst open, especially if they have a very
thin skin.
Those varieties that produce very compact