Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-05-03

plains of EStremaollra. Ill winter. lney
were an exceedingly hardy race, and in this
quality their American descendants are very
little behind them. These stand the severe
changes of weather better than any other
class of valuable sheep, and will thrive eX-
c~ellently in any part of the temperate zone.
Owing to the extreme severity OF parts OF
our winter. however, it is always advisable
TO provide some shelter for them. during wet
and tcmpcsluous weather, especially in the
most northerly States. Taken all i'll all, the
Merino is generally considered the most
profitable sheep reared in this country.
We owe the Cotswold breed to England.
where the original large, coarse stock was
much improved by an admiXture of Leices-
ter blood, before its first importation into
this country, forty-eight years ago. They
are larger animals than the Merinos, and
yield a much greater quantity OF very en-
cellent mutton. They tatten readily some
times attaining Il weight of even between
300 and 800 pounds each. The wool is long,
heavy, strong, of good color, but rather
coarse. They are quite hardy, very pro-
litic, mature early. and the W. make capt.
tai nurses. The CotsWold is emphatically a
farmers sheep, as it can we'll endure the
rough treatment and partial neglect sheep
generally meet with on a farm. Its album
dant fleece. large size and prolific nature
render it an excellent means of improving
ordinary, scrub stock, by cross-breeding
| with them, especially rs the grades show
strongly the effects of the Cotswold blood.
In England some sheep arc kept, with
profit, IN nearly every farm, and the prac-
tice would pay equally well here, if once i'll
troduced. Even on the expensive lands OF
New York, it has been closely calculated
that their keep costs barely two dollars a
year per head, a pittance that on the cheap
Western farms dWin1lcs down to q trifle
less than fifty cents for each. The manure
is next to that of the hen in fertiliZing rich
ness, is dropped evenly all over the pasture,
where, owing to the smallness of the pei
lets, it readily sinks to the roots OF the grass
and il absorbed by the soil without losing
any of its gases TO the air, as cow-dung
does.
Physicians and hygienic writer's have
demonstrated that mutton is far healthier
and more nutritious than pork, and fully
equal to beef tor strengthening purposes.
Moreover, next to poultry it is the most
convenient meat tor the farmers Harder.
A bullock slaughtered in the country, in
hot weather, is not easily disposed of, but
a sheep can, at any time, be killed without
risk OF wastage. The mutton alone would
pay the cost of keeping a sheep, leaving the
wool, pelt and manure for profit. These
would be worth considerably more than the
carcass of the animal, especially if the breed
were a good one, and such only should be
kept. The expenses Of keeping pure-blood
or good, grade sheep, and miserable scrubs,
are about the same, while the former are in
comparably more profitable. Whatever
might be the excess in the original cost of
the animals, the difference in the value, both
of the mutton and wool of the best, would
return a generous interest on the invest
ment.-Ruaal New Yorker.
FERTILE MULEs.-It is a wise law of ma
turc that mules, the produce of animals of
different species, are not fertile else species
would become irrevocably mixed. In rela-
ton to mules, the produce of the horse and
Jenny, there are records of occasional fer
tility OF female mules in Spain and Italy,
and an instance in Kentucky, we recollect
as being recorded some years since. In
tropical climates this is said to occur much
oftener. Indeed Columella and Cato, clas-
steal authority, state II at in Africa, female