Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-05-06
uisceIlan eOus. ,
rr,cn the Springfield Republican
sheep Husbandry.
,..s,,- OF THE VERMONT SHEEP AND sHEYP
RAISERs.

The raising and keeping Of sheep has re
Is r,,ciycd a new impetus IN this country
iich price Of cotton, the intrinsic WORT
u.sli. and the winning of first premium
4 ,I ..n .bccp and wool at the Worlds Fai
= YEAR. have contributed to this result
j s--gut beat- the world on sheep, and tha
a In Belgium. the heart ana center 0
,rIi m. German experts themselves fein.
such an achievement is something
Aausees 10 be proud Of. and. of course
.ts, q fortune with. Men vino will gC
u00 nile to a Cattle Show, and take stocb
rr,H them. and who have the audacitv q
-.fe,e with crowned heads, arc competent
auv thing within the range Of possibility
"a .,v l,lt 10 shame those living in the vicinity
rtI5s. who cannot afford time to attend
,r.u. and who never contribute to them.
4, th. late organization Of the New Eng
lid Agricultural Society in Worcester. two
fgermou,er-. tho Commissioner and Exhibitor
r.. Wuid-- FAIR 10 Belgium last year.
,rere ursseut. l~ might oc expected. and one
aftt,fn. George Campbell 90 Westminster.
nrrrfturel somewhat % the Instruction Of
Al 49,. fre-.a; 600 bis lavorite subject of sheen.
Trrlre Spanish merino sheep raised IN
vermont were exhibited at TIE Internatil lnal
Fy-i.irfpd 40 Hamburg. IN July. 1868. Trey
w,re bred by peorge Campbell, the exhibitor
aheve usm.d. and was sired nv his eel, brated
rsm Old Grimes, who WAS got hv "Swcep-
bake. Jelousing to Edwin Hammond of
n .id'cbury. VI Hence arises the rivalry
aul connection Of these two leading shen-
herl- Mr. Campbell commenced breeding
b. 80, when be bought ~ sheep of Mr.
Bi,li Of Putney. Vt, Of his Humphrey I'M
i rJaiion. Sheep were worth less than now.
i'r tbe price paid wa - 30 each. while these
l. prize sheep, lineai descendants Of the
) y,. were sold T. a Prussian nobleman for
600. The highest priced foreign merinos
t'ld At tins exhibition, brought 5000 Mr.
campbell found l.76l sheep from Gucrnscv.
] rance, Austria and Prussia cumpeting In
iDc class with his own. The French Empe-
ror's 90 sheep were pn exhibition hut not in
|cUmTeution. as has been sometimes stated.
There were 800 competitors with rams, and
los competitors with ewes. The committee
of award consisted Of j. noblcmen and gen
tlemen, all Of the old world. Mr. Camubell's
sheep were awarded tie first and second
prizes. Of 81 and 25 th.l on rams, and
fle first prize Of 50 tlalers on ewes. some
dissatisfaction having been expressed in the
G,rman newspapers at the award, @ sweep
stakes premium Of ; 100 was proposed bv the
americans, open To all the previous compet-
itors. ,he award To be made hv new com
niiter, selected by the German Association
of the Exhibition. This offer was published.
Il >',d and circulated in the German tongue
f'nan. the breeders and others, but George
esmrhcll made the only entry, thus rendering
d triumph nf Vermont sheer absolute and
4 ] 4
FIth characteristic honesty and justice. then
nadc ample amends. and tecame enthusiastic
IL praise of American breeders and breeds.
Our sheep excclled theirs in form. length.
breadth, style, quality and staple Of wool,
SON" - Ter cent.
Mr. Camp he'll keeps between 800 and 100
slo,'l' un hi- Vermont farm, whesc average
uuwashed 6e'c weigh about nine pounds
The ieeces Of these selected premium sheer
pciShcd some twelve pounds. They were
bHi-ei nearly year previous TO the exhi-
nou. Housed sheep have finer, whittier. bet
b. aud longer wool than those exposed to
s,'1luis Rams that weigh from l21 10 $50
POUNDS and ewes that weigh lu0 pounds,
ar large enough o. breed from Short and
81 ght legged sheep, covered with good
WOO IN every available IlHce are the nearest
perfect The best European ,hrrp are from
Sil.Nia, IF Spanish de-ceBr. French Meri-
NOE are large. descended from the Spanish.
hut badly bred aud fed for coustitutiun.-
Wrinkles indicate constitutional strength,
and are therefore fashionable. shear heavily,
and help 10 sell, but the finest wool grows
on smooth sleep. The colder the climate
;he finer the wool Mr Campbell shear,
shout the l0ib ot Man and bg keeping hi~
sleep housed i,rtnIght afterwards, no dan
ger oi cold L. apprehend,d. Sheep oheared
ln M7v suffer les than those IN June, be
sides Welding more wool Growth OF wool
b slow when u becomes a burden. There is
p rand growth when first >h.ared. and the
oa ler in the season the more nature tries
Z, make amends, Late sh.aIcu and unpro-
|Jected sheep are often injured by sunburns.
'Nerino sheep breed proftably for ter or
twelve wears, and once Nj. Campbell owned
eve that had lamls when > years old, ba,
sren lambs five months DID that weighed 100
POUNDS. Me; man at the worlds iair frOp
Australia that had II 900 sheep. and meant
TO keep 100, 600.
Mr. Eben Bridges. aiso Of Vermont, SEN
sible friend and fellow breeder Of Mr.. Camp
he'll. spoke at the same meeting. He said
that Vermont sheep had materially increased
IN weight ani wool in the last IS years.
Ewes nov were heavier than wethers then.
" Guld let sheer run in and out ct will
The open air was healthier than indoors, and
gave better appetites. Warm housing en-
genders wool pulling among sheep For the
last four years had sheared the ist Of Nav.
and without washing. Shrinks wool 25 per
cent when selling. When sheared in June
there is only to per cent shrinkage be-
tween unwashed Wouldn't wash wool for
the good of the sheep. Late worn wool
dries up milk Turns 10 pasture ten OF
twelve days after shearing. Seven pounds
Is about the average OF his heeces. Has
three year old ram that has welded ls5,
2o5 and 5nt POUND deeces unwashed, and
whore wool wa q inches long Sheep need
a variety of food, and should he fed alter
natcly with hay and straw. Buckwheat,
cat, wheat and pea straw are sought eagerly
IN change. Peas are batter for sheep than
beans. Dry corn is apt 10 founder lambs.-
Grain and roots should alternate for lambs.
Prefers - have his ewes come in in March
ana April, and feeds three or four weeks
PREVIOUS and after lambing one and a halt
bushels Of oats daily Ia 100 ewes Eight
common MeTlnoes will eLt as much as a COM
rpUn COW. Oreen buckw beat sometimes kills
sheep and makes their wool shed. Raw Do
tstcee weaken sheep, poison their milk and
slso maxi them shed their wool. Boiled po-
tstoes arc less Objectionable than raw. Never
ssw snv.ill effects from other roots than po-
tstoes Think roots prevent Stretches
GIrrui- md scalds the gram fed TO mich ewes.
usm!uck boughs and red clay are good for
sbe,p AID sought by them. freeh earth and
pilk are remedies for poison. scalded milk,
chalk and black pepper mixed are good for
sconrs.- Foot rots and fouls engendered by
vet places are contagious. and the former
neger-leeyes flock, without remedi Q. Sheep
lore tar N warm weather, but never lap 1t
II eJid- Castrates lambs when three or
iJgr wecks old. Considers fifty sheep enough
TOR ole lock Usually gets eight OF ten
pairs OF twins from 100 ewe.
In this Connection We subioin Parts OF
lstter from an eminent agriculturIst aud
mesnher Ui the Massachusetts board OF agri-
culture ir''iu Berkshire COUNTY, who mas
late. vlsiJ,l Vermont ana witnessed some
NJ tiie Effects ol Mr.. Csmptell's enterprise :;
Not lcn= sluee. William Birnie 4 Srriuc-
Rel, Frederick snow OF Beckett, and iny-eif
9auel Tor Vermont for a sigh. at the worli re-
,,'~nei Spanish Mcrino sneep. Mr.. Elwin