Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-03-12
FARM AND GARDEN.


lowing:
For some years before the rebellion, it had
become manifest to observing men, that all
over the country, on the prairies and on the
small farms of New England, sheep husband
nv would in future prove a most profitable
branch of agriculture. Those who were ia
miliar with English farming, and knew that
its whole system depends upon the sheep, as
the enricher of the soil, and that their system
| was a permanent and improving system, while
ours, if indeed we have any system, is tenn
porary and exhausting, they especially were
advocates for the introduction of sheep upon
our old farms.
1t was argued too, that breeds of mutton
sheep, such as are approved in England, in
stead of the fine woods common in this coun-
try, might be found most profitable, especial
| ly near large markets, where the freight,
which is so much greater in proportion to
value upon the meat than Upon wool, would
be of small account
| All these considerations have still their
weight, but the war, with the high price of
cotton, has added new reasons for increased
attention to the subject. We have hereto
| fore used cotton because it was cheaper than
wool Now, taking all things into account,
with about equal prices per pound of the raw
material, wooden fabrics are even cheaper
than cotton. The clothing of soldiers is al
most exclusively of WOOL and it is so, because
| it is the only material that sufficiently pro-
tects those exposed to great hardships, and to
sudden alterations of heat and cold. To fit
| out a million of men, and maintain half that
number constantly in the field, has consumed
| vast quantities of wool.
1t may be assumed that cotton will not for
many years be reduced to its former low price
and it may safely be assumed too, that wooden
fabrics, after having been thoroughly intro
dueed into general use, will always be pre-
ferred to cotton or linen, except fer special
/ uses.
We are rapidly finding out too, in this
country what has long been known abroad,
| especially in England, that mutton of really
good quality is not inferior As food, to any
other meat. Before the war, Boston used TO
get some of her best mutton from Kentucky,
and the British steamers furnished the Aston
House and Fifth Avenue Hotel with choice
South Down. 1t is easily demonstrated that
pound of good mutton can be produced
generally cheaper, than the like quantity of
beef The sheep pays large interest annually
both in the fleece and in lambs, while the
bullock take three years credit before he
repays at all.
The report of the Department of Agricul-
ture for 1862, contains capital article, COW
ering 43 pages, upon the Condition and
Prospects of Sheep Husbandry in the United
States"
The authors name does not appear, but
for a guess, we will attribute it to Mr.. Grin
nell, the chief clerk of that department.
1t is we'll considered and exhaustive, giving
! the statistics of sheep husbandry in the
States, the imports of wool and wooden fab
rics, the comparative prices of wool in differ
| ent wears, since 1924, the wool supply of
Great Britain, with well considered remarks
upon the different breeds of sheep and their
management, and the profits of raising NUT
ton, wool and lambs. In short, could the
reader have access to the article in question,
we should recommend him not to spend much
time in reading our remarks on the subject,
/ which have only the merit of breyity, which
/ is imposed upon writer's for weekly papers.
One fact is worthy of special attention,
namely, that long woods in the fleece COM
mand about the same price now as short woods.
Without presuming to even intimate an Opin-
| ion in favor of any particular breed, which
we well know would call down wrath and in
dignation from the breeders of every other
sort, it may be said in general, that the long
woods or middle woods are more hardy, more
prolific, better nurses, and bear heavier
| fleece than the fine woods. The improved
Leicester or Dishley sheep, which in England
| is priced because of its early maturity under
the most luxurious feeding with turnips and
oil cake, is an exception to this rule. An
English friend in letter, says that his flock
of nine hundred improved Lincolns averaged
9 l-2 pounds per fleece at the last shearing,
which is perhaps greater than any equal num-
| Der of any breed ever yielded in our coun-
try.
Again, it is said that the silky luster which
belongs to some WOOL and which is now much
priced in ladies' dress goods, depends not on
a r e,
lection in certain breeds of long woods. 1t is
a quality so valuable, that it occasions a diff
ference of % per cent. over other woods of
| equal fineness.
On the whole, we believe that the pros
poets of sheep husbandry were never so
good as at the present time, whether upon
the rough old New England farms, which de-
mand a renewal that no other treatment can
give, or upon the vast prairies where guard
| ing and slight protection are the only requis-
ties to abundant success.
THE TINE TO PLANT.-We are frequently
asked if Spring or Fall is the best time to
transplant shrubs, trees, evergreens, &c. Our
answer is, for this latitude and North, the
Spring. Especially is this true if the trees
are not perfectly hardy, and if not done quite
early in the Fall.
There are several reasons why the spring is
the best One of these is that quite frequent
| ly simply a hole has to be dug in which to
plant. This in retentive SOIL in the fall will
| fill with water the first rain, and the roots re
main in a perfect puddle. A great many will
say why not alter this the ground, if pro-
perly prepared, will not stand in puddles.-
| This is true enough, but we fear, in our own
country, if no tree was planted until the gar
dener had pronounced it well prepared, fewer
still would be planted, which would be pity;
when, as is well known, if planted in the
spring, Just before the expanding of the leaves
| they would go on and flourish finely. We
have seen trees planted at almost all seasons
| of the year, and have an example short dis
lance from where we write of quite an extern
sive plantation of large evergreens, say from
| s to 10 feet high, planted last summer, and at
a time too when no rain was falling. The new
growth had pushed some six inches, more or
less, and was perfectly soft, so much so that
the effect Of removing was to PROSTATE these
branches entirely, much of it dying off, some
of the shoots lived, but entirely stunted in
appearance, although not over six died out
| right out of some one hundred trees. We
also recollect last summer of some magnificent
specimens of Norway frs being shipped by
| rail from Mendoza to this city. These were
ten feet or over in height, very wide base, yet
they did not all die, and with the lot before
spoken OF, we quite believe will mostly wealth
er the storm and ultimately make fair trees.
They make no such appearance, however,