The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1867-12-24
Agricultural.
Sheep as Means of Improving WORKOUT
Land

That it might be possible to improve field
| just capable of carrying LOO sheep by turning
into it flock of 200 we will not deny. But
how would it be with the sheep? We have
heard of grass growing two and three inches in
single night, but it was not upon land such as
| is now under discussion, and we are afraid that
| long before the grass had been so far improved
as to feed the extra sheep, there would be no
| sheep to feed. That few sheep added to a cat
tie pasture, may sometimes actually enable it to
carry more cattle, we do not doubt. At the same
time we do not believe that this is the best sys-
tenn for improving pasture. We would prefer,
| If possible, to stock heavily with sheep for a
| short time and then allow a considerable period
| of rest in which the land might recover. And
in this case the scythe and the harrow ought to
assist the sheep.
Unless we adopt the system of purchasing ar
| tifcial fertilizers system with which we have
not much sympathy-the first object in any at
| tempt to improve the soil must be to obtain food
| for stock, whether that stock be sheep or any
| other kind. We confess to fondness for sheep
We believe that they are not half appreciated in
| this country as department of ordinary farm
stock The manure of the sheep is peculiarly
calculated to improve soil by being merely drop
ped upon it. Those who care to examine sheep
droppings after they have lain few days on the
| ground, will find that they have begun to dis
solve on the unoes. side, while the upper surface
remains perfectly sound, being defended by
thick coat of mucus The soil thus receives
| all the matter which the manure is capable of
| affording. At the same time it is spread over
| the soil in manner very different from that in
which the manure Of the horse cow is distrib-
uted. Schwartz calculates that, in the course of
night sheep will manure something more
| than a square yard of surface, and Boussingault
found that the quantity of land which was well
manfred in one night by single sheep was
equal to four square feet. He gives the details
of one experiment as follows Two hundred sheep
| an extent which gave as nearly possible four
square feet surface per sheep per night.
The manuring thus effected was found to pro-
duce maximum effect upon the crop of turnips
which followed the rye. In Scotland it is pop
ularly believed that sheep enrich the soil by
merely lying upon it. But in order to secure
the advantage which may be obtained by pas
turing sheep we must first secure food for the
sheep, and the question thus comes up: How
shall the farmer of small means attain this end?
One of the most valuable precepts of modern
agriculture, is to enrich the surface soil at the
! expense of the subsoil Every transfer that we
can make in this direction is so much gained.
If, then. we cannot afford to undertake deep and
the assistance Of plants possessing powerful roots,
and Of these we need hardly say that there is
scarcely one that equals our common red clover.
Make every effort to introduce clover into your
land, and, if you succeed, the after process of
amelioration will be easy. Every one knows
that this is accomplished most easily by good
culture, the application Of lime or plaster, and
pretty thorough seeding. We presume that the
farmer has manure to beg in with, and is not
in condition to obtain any. If, owing to the
nature of the ground good culture is impossible,
then apply good harrow, sow clover seed and
top-dress with plaster. In this way, we have
seen a fair crop Of clover obtained ON a rather
rough hillside, where it considered that
blowing would not pay. Having sue eeded in
obtaining crop of clover on rough land, the
best use that can be made of it is to feed it to
sheep. | know that certain wiseacres tell us
that it is most economical to pillow it under, but
this We deny in toto. In the case we are con-
sidering, plowing under is out Of the question:
but even If it were convenient to do so, we agree
with Judge Bucl, who declared, nearly half a
century ago, that such a system argued a very
low state of the art of agriculture. We need
scarcely add that we have much more faith in
Judge Buel than in Scion Robinson.
In short time the clover will have brought
up good deal plant food from the subsoil,
and deposited it on the surface; and, what is of
equal consequence, it will have carried good
deal of plant food from the air down into the
subsoil, and will thus have opened way for the
roots of future plants. In this way we can
make beginning, and after a series of years
we may convert comparatively WORKOUT pasture
into one of considerable value, especially if we
feed our stock oil-cake or grain and thus add to
the richness of the manure which is deposited.
For land which cannot be thoroughly cult
waited, we have no doubt that the system here
described is the best that can be adopted 1t is
not necessary to undertake the improvement of
the whole farm at once. We may commence
with few acres, and gradually extend our oper-
ations.
But for land which is capable of high culture,
we consider that such system is but slip-shod
make-shitt. In such cases. we must adopt the
intensiue system of agriculture, if we would real
ize fair profit our investment and our labor. |
We believe that the obtaining and maintaining of
good depth of fertile soil is the only way to
carry out high culture. Give us this, and ali
culture suitable to the climate becomes easy.
Without it, we meet with difficulties On every
hand We further believe that there are, un-
fortunately, many false ideas current in regard
to this subject and if the readers of the Country
Gentleman will bear with us, we will present our
views cn the matter.-N y. CuHiUator.
Heay- Mr. James Sherwood, of Westport, Ct, |
brought suit last week against Mrs. James b. |
Gulyer, late Miss ELISHA B. Coley, of Poplar
Plain, Ct, for breach of promise of marriage, |
laying his damages for disappointed affection,