The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-07-14
Amon9 thr :f2rmcr5.
The Best Breed of Sheep.

The Best Breed of Sheep.
There is much difference Of opinion
on this subject, bnt no one need hcsi-
tate long in deciding on the question,
for al the pure breeds of the present
day have so mlny good qualities that
their relative excellence is only
matter Of opinion and taste, and in
stead Of consulting with one and an
other to gain grounds for decision as
to which of them j. the best, any
man may as well humor his own
fancy, and commerce with the breed
who's" appearance he likes best.
OF course those arc considerations
which should have some weight in
deciding one 5 select OF. One farmer,
for instance, may have al extensive
mountain range so broken that much
activity is required in getting about
after the heritage Oh Il great part of
it, while another may have Il good
deal OF livh bottom lands, with pas
tue 50 abundant as to require very
little movement. In such eases the
man with TIE high land could not
do better than choose the good, old
South Down, while tie others choice
ought to fall on the CotSYoldS, Lin
coins or the Lviccstcls.
Where mutton and wool a,c the
great DIES! prratum, the owner having
no intention Of la'sing or breeding
rams to be sold at fancy prices, it
would he advisable that the ewes
should be grades of good common
stock then rams of the desired breed
S!onl'l BE used, and pure bred rams
ou'y should be employed on the
yonu1 ewes of the next generation.
Thus, step by step, Il welI~hrcd ami
NAL will be attaiDd, which is really
a very easy matter.
Where the sheep have to range a
good deal, and there is browsing and
Ginning to sccl; for heritage, pure
South Down ram would be prrtcra-
bic to any other. as that breed is de-
cidclly the most active of the NUT
ton breeds, and will prosper where
the heavier breeds would do no good
unless they had some feed given them
daily.
The breed of sheep for any man to
set is the one best adapted for the
pasture and for the treatment to
which they will be subjected. And
whatever breed may bc selected, it
will pay to feed them well whenever
the season is sufficiently advanced to
require it; aud however. hardy the
Downs may be, and however little
extra feeding they may subsist on,
still it is tho fact that it will pay to
feed them literally, as there are three
soulces of increased profit arising
from the single cost of grain, oilcake,
or whatever is given, viz, mole NUT
ton, mote wool, and better manure.
Nor is this, all, for every business
man knows the mutton aud wool,
from weIl-fcd, ripe sheep, bring more
per pound, so that to the increased
quantity of meat and wool there
should be added tho profit ola cent
or two per pound on the whole car
cass, because prime meat always COM
mands greater price per pound,
while the wool is also of better quail
ty in proportion to the condition of
the sheep. Then again, as an addi-
tional induccncnt to feed literally
with stimulating food, it should DC
borne iu mind that much less hay is
eaten in winter if other food is used.
Many people, however, aIc SO care
less in thought as to charge the whole
cost of grain, meal or oi|cake, max
ing no allowance for. the hay saved
and for the richer manure.
Not only are the above a1yauta-
scs gained by good feeding, but there
is still another result of great impor-
lance which follows the high feeding
of young stock. | refer to early ma
turity and quick returns. Owing to
this practice in England, the ycarling
wcathcrs, called tegs, are quite as
heavy as any two-ycar old weather
in the United States, and they yield
a fleece twice as heavy as that of an
American sheep. This is caused by
the great quantity of tnrnlps gene
rally eaten by sheep in that country,
and the attention paid to them by the
shepherds, who feed them in such a
systematic manner as to make them
eat as much as possible, Will" the
farmers here contriyc to keep their
sheep on rs little as possible.
1t is really astonishing how rapidly
sheep lushandry has progressed in
England during the last half century,
for, when was a boy, there were no
machines for cutting turnips, and
they were all eaten off as they had
grown. A kinsman of mine, who did
business in Danbnry, Oxfordshirc,
invented the first good tnrnip cutter,
and to this day no other machine has
been much of an improvcmcnt.-Gco.
Gardner, in Rural New Yorker.
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