Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-02-25

sheep, and. if 80. what kind, and how shall
We keep them The first could be answered,
that we cannot afford. to raise sheep for an
annual clip Of four or Eve pounds per head,
but it would pay IL they shear seven or eight
pounds.
The breeds especially fitted for our raising
were the Morino aud Southdown. The merit
of the Merino is that they give tho largest
amount Of wool for their size aud cost Of
keeping, and the marked improvement they
| give when bred with other sheep. The de-
mand Of the times is for sheep which shall
combine the best qualities for wool aud NUT
ton, and gave it as his conclusion that a
cross Of the Merino and Southdown was the
one to meet this demand. The sheep should
have strong constitution, the fleece Of good
quantity and quality, long and strong staple,
evenly distributed over the body. The usual
custom Of buying wool was paying pre-
MUM for dirt. The keeping Of sheep could
not be profitable except with good care.
For this purpose "the shepherd should love
his sheep, and their care be his delight"
| Good care costs less than poor and pays
threc.fold more. Sheep should be sheared
! iu season, and june is one Of the best months
for sheep if they are shorn, hut they should
be housed from storms for time, aftor which
they will require little care during summer.
In winter good, dry, warm sheds, good, early
cut hay, plenty Of pure water, with roots,
apples, little meal, aud regular feed was
necessary. Coarse, rank timothy makes
fair sheep hay, if cut early, aud nearly all
low-laDd hay is good sheep hay if cut in sea-
son and we'll cured. Lambs should have the
best of care while young, Weaned at four
months old, aud iurned into good feed; in
fall should have little grain, and be housed
during storms; aud they aud all other sheep
should come to the barn in good condition,
aud be kept SO during the winter; should
have salt, ashes and sulphur to which they
can have access, as necessary to healthy
condition. We have seen a season of great
depression iu the sheep business, but unmis-
taxable sigBs of returning prosperity greet US
on every side, and sheep breeding in YER
mont will soon see u brighter day.
Mr. Lane next read his paper on The
Feeding Of Sheep for Market"
A certain class of farmers have surplus
of hay, not being able to summer what they
could winter. The question is, to what use
can this hay be most proftably put lie
had found the feeding Of sheep to pay him
for the hay and leave him a small profit.
Sheep should have 10 this climate warm sheds
aud the best OF care, with feed Of good, early
cut hay, 6ue cut roots, aud bran, oil msal,
corn meal, etc. The sheep he found most
profitable were grade Meriuos served by a
Southdown ram, and had made 1t profitable
to raise early lambs. Had found il more
profitable to buy yearlings, as the price per
pound was not higher, and the gain greater
on the same amount of feed, than on full
grown wethers. He ls feeding this year one
hundred lambs. Sheep to b. pro6tably fed
should be sound and hardy, and we'll cared
for. The animal which might bring the
highest price in market might not be the
most profitable to feed, as the cost Of pro-
ducton might be greater. Great regularity
should be used in feeding, aud the same per.
son do the feeding. They should be kept
clean, quiet, dry, warm, aud in healthy con
dition, and for this purpose roots were valu'
Bile, aud farmers might find the stall feeding
of sheep under these conditions pleasant aut
reasonably profitable.
Mr. Mead of West Rutland spoke of The
Improvement made in sheep Formerly il
was rare to find sheep which would shear
over two pounds of ceansed wool, while now
1t was not unusual to find them giving eight
pounds. He spoke in aattering terms Of the
Pomfret sheep, aud gave some account of th'
sheep husbandry of the state, and the USE
which could be made Of it in keeping thu
boys on the farm.
Mr. Stafford asked how the prices Of gooC
sheep at the present compared with thos'
of the past. He replied the prices Of thu
past were higher than the fancy prices of th'
present. In 1912 the prices of the bes
sheep were from one to two thousand dollars
Mr. Hubbard enquired whcthar he wa
} ever troubled by sheep biting and pulling
! their wool aud how to prevent it. He had
and found dipping in solution OF tobacco
the best though that would not wholly cure
Mr. Hubbard had found mercurial ointmen
the best but it should be very carefully use'
J aud mixed with three parts Of lard and
! piece about the size of kernel Of whea
rubbed on the skin.
, Mr. Stafford said he had tried the crossing
} OF fine and coarse wooded sheep and ruineC
his flock. Sheep would eat poor aud cOars
hay with good results, hay which other stool
! would not eat.
Mr. Lane thought sheep would do well Of
good hay which he thought good enough
and there was shown disposition to "go for
Mr. Stafford for recommending such feed.
Mr. Fassett enquiret whether there wer
: any physiological reasons for feeding sheel
grain at auy particular time Of day.
/ Mr. Lane knew OF no such reason. Though
regularity the chief thing, Thought sheeI
the best stock for eradicating weeds from
pastures and bringing 10 white clover.
The next paper was "A Plea for Gras
Culture" by j. q. Sherburne Of PomfTst.
The oft repeated exhortatiou Don't lOav
the FARM" would loose its force in the fac
Of ultimate starvation, and the sight, neithC
, pleasant nor rare, Of the turning OF so niue
of our and into pastures, aud that, with th
loss of population in our farming towns WI
the direct affect Of excess OF grain raising
! He plead for larger growth OF hay, aud II
8 harvest 10 proper season. There was dlfel
, eDoe of several dollars per ton in the fave
of hay cut the FIRST of July over that cut tw
3 weeks later. He thought the practice {
. buying the grain fed on the farm good on
The feeding of western meal was the r'
!, demption Of eastern land. To get the bel
(, grass the land should be in good condition
= to which end water should be drained froI
: wet land, aud carried onto dry land Whe
' possible.
At this point the meeting was adjourne
= to partake OF a "basket dinner" furnished 0
n the town hall.
a Friday Afternoon.
: The afternoon session commenced with
very excellent paper from L. o. Greene
- the Woodstock Standard.
Mr. Henry Safford's paper on "Far
Buildings" came next in order.
Tha housa skould he whara IlurnQ anaal