The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-10-30
The Profit in Feeding Sheep and Lambs.
WALKS AND TALKS IN THE AMERI-
CAN AGRlCULTURIsT.

To go back for moment to the
Squire, with his large farm and large
orchard He has plenty of land on
which to keep large flock of Merino
ewes. He could easily keep two hun
dred. In my own case sixty common
Merino ewes, put to a pure bred Cots
void ram, gave me seventy-fve lambs,
and | raised "A, and healthier, stronger,
harder lambs do not desire At this
rate his 200 ewes should raise 246
lambs. He can buy good, strong,
healthy ewes in the Fall for SO head
or less. They should have good feed
in the Fall and Winter And when
the lambs come, the ewes should have
plenty of clover hay, and pound of
bran each per day; and few mangeIs
will also be a great help, but are not
indispensable. As soon as the lambs
can be taught to eat say when ten
days or two weeks old, they must have
some bran, oats, corn meal, or oil-cake
placed in small troughs separate from
the ewes. When the lambs are young,
this is easily accomplished; all you
have to do is to make a place in the
yard or field, with few openings
which will admit the lambs, but not
large enough for the ewes After shear
ing it is not so easy matter. The
lambs soon grow so large that the small
Merino ewes can get through as small
an aperture as the lambs. And so ewes
and lambs must be fed liberall;, keep
ing the pen and openings for such
lambs as are small enough to get through.
And now your luxuriant grass in the
top dressed orchard comes into play.
1t will be rich and succulent. If too
succulent. the ewes will eat more of
the clover hay and bran. If they do
not need the hay they will not eat it.
If convenient, let the flock have the
range of an ordinary pasture as well.
They will keep the rich grass on the
top dressed orchard cropped close, and
the large range of common pasture
will be good for their health.
After weaving, the ewes can be sent
to a poorer pasture, while the lambs
have the run of the rich grass in the
orchard, and their troughs should be
supplied daily with bran and oats or
oil-cake meal. 1t will pay to give them
half pound each of oats or of oil-cake
meal per day, and ali the bran and
clover hay they will eat. The proba-
biites are, they will not eat much, but
the more the better, both for the lambs
and the land, AS they get older, they
will eat more Keep up this extra feed
until Winter sets in. Then feed lber-
ally, and do not be afraid Of the bill for
bran, malt-combs, or oi-cake. One load
of the manure will be worth two or
three loads Of the old-fashioned article
1t will not need to be mixed with bone
dust to induce fermentation | will not
stop to say what you should do with
the manure. 1t will come handy for
raising few acres of mangels, or it
can be used for top dressing the grass
in the orchard. You will, / think be
so pleased that you will seed down some |
more of the orchard, and portion of
the manure can be used for this purpose.
The previous seeding should have
another dressing of 200 lbs. superphos-
plate, and 200 lbs nitrate of soda.
When would you dispose of the
lambs" asked the Deacon | think |
would shear them early, and then sell
them. They ought to average 100 lbs.
each, and are better worth ten cents
pound than common sheep are worth |
six cents. And sooner or later we shall |
get what they are worth. They should
average seven lbs. of washed wool,
worth now GO cents pound l think
we can safely calculate on getting 8
cents live weight for such choice lambs.
The account will then stand:
200 Merino ewes, at So, 5000
pure bred Cotswold rams, at
$4O each, 100 |
Cost, $760