The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-01-31
Agricultural department.
W. S. SHIELDS, EDITOR.
Sheep.

nave reau WIN pleasure an IN
teresting communication, from which
/ quote Every landholder in this
! (his) county can keep ten sheep fo
every one hundred acres of lanC
without curtailing any of the usua
crops. or diminishing the amount
of his other stock kept on the farm.
So very low for grass country /:
this estimate that readers must see
the statements are reliable, Thi:
writer's enthusiasm does not mis-
lead him when he states: ''As fol
trouble aud expense Of raising them
L consider it less than that attend
ing the rearing of geese or turkeys"
1 add, or Of any other fowl.
make some suggestions, and in
doing so remind you my experience
is in the large nation sheep. Many
take up the idea that a fat eve
ought to be reduced to breed. l
think not. The ewes are generally
fat in the Fall. and do not go out in
the hot sun to feed. but lay in the
shade and feed in the night, conse-
quently their system becomes lan-
guild, and they fail. A neighbor had
a lot of fine part-bred ewes that
failed next Fall they were fat, and
to reduce their flesh he put them On a
plowed field, and they began to die
He requested me to see them. [
saw they were dying from constipa
ton, caused by insufficient foo :.
They were at once put on fine
fresh pasture. and began thriving.
A buck was pat with them. and
nearly all produced twins. Nv
OPT ion is, very fat ewes should ! q
fed little the middle OF the day, in
the shade, to put their system in the
right state for population prepare
tory to going to the buck. The
buck going to ewes, especially ordi-
nary ewes, ought to be put with
them st sunset, after feeding him
little to induce him to attend to his
duties insted Of feeding. and take.
MIN away at sunrise, with two or
three for company. The ordinary
ewes ramble a great deal, and the
large. heavy bucks cannot travel
with and serve them, too, especially
in hot suns.
When the lambs are coming pen
convenient should be made, with a
shallow trough in it. so fixed that
the ewes cannot reach it, but the
lambs can get in; and if meal is
kept in the trough lit takes but little)
the lambs will grow fast, fatten and
be. fine
Formerly, 1 have shown speedily
sheep are improved to a profitable
standard, and what 1 have been able
to do with them, II will give you
another under my own observation.
A gentleman bought the tail of
drove of seven hundred sheep for
seventy-fve cents each-as the price
will indicate, the worst l ever saw.
He bought Of me a 500 buck
whose parents won the prize in Eng
land to put with them for his get.
When yearlings he bought another
Of the same kind. The ewes of this
second product he sold when year
lings, at auction, at $50 each.)
l will make a comparison between
cattle and sheep, with every disad-
vantage to sheep:
At four years old steer will sell
for $40 90.
In that time the eve will have put
four mutton in market at $40 Zone
each year, $40 90.
This rejects the four feeces and all
twins, One-fourth is sold each
year. and the money is in use. If
the steer dies, all is LOST if 8 sheep
dies, only one-fourth is lost. In
this neither feeces or twins are
counted, and sheep require not one
seventh the food Of g steer. Is not !
this in every way disadvantageous
to the sheep? All breeding sheep |
excluded for fear fancy might have
10 do with it and all
thoroughbreds ere too costly for
muttons. Took the yearling mutton
the lowest price I sold to the butch.
err for, and on grass; left out the
fleece and six-seYenths of the keep.
matching the single mutton, of
year against q single steer. Can
sheep be put under greater disad.
In purchasing, butchers,
10 not use magnifying glasses. He
nay hambug the farmer, but he can
lot be humbugged. Judicious far
ners say ''seven sheep can be kept
IN the feed of one steer" Now, let
IS make a comparison on a fairer
1asis:
)ne steer at four years old 40 90
Of he dies in that time, he
md his keep to the time Of
lis death is an entire loss;
md at the best nothing is
eceived until he is sold.)
Sheep, z Ito equal the
teer's keep each year so 90
Wool, fleeces IL so
S87 80
'our years $50 90
nna fOnrtb IF fhaoo war nucrbf ~ |