The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-09-21
Sheep Raising i'm England.

Sheep Raising in England.
How sheep are kept by tenant farm
ers in England is described in the Ma
tiO'aal LtUe Stock Journal by Mr.. T. l..
Miller of Beecher, Ill.,:
The experience of one farmer is SUBJ
stantially the experience of another.
| will take farm of about $50 acres.
1t has been occupied by the present oc-
cupant for forty years. The rent, in
Guiding tax and poor rates, such as
attach to the property, do not vary
much from $50 per acre each year.
About 100 acres are kept under the
plough, and the stock consists, usually,
of about $50 sheep, fifteen COWS, fifteen
head OF other cattle, six wagon horses,
one riding horse, and five or six colts of
all ages. Four men are employed
steadily, and five or six extra during
harvest. l do not propose to follow the
entire detail of the farm; as it is with
the sheep part of the husbandry that
we have to do, l will try to follow this
through year,
The sheep have been bred during the
entire time Of occupancy. OF the $50,
there are about seventy-fve breeding
ewes-a portion going out each year,
usually at four shear, or five years old,
and young ewes taking their places. If
from any cause eve does not breed or
shear well, she is turned out, and q
younger one takes her place. This flock
is bred for mutton and wool, and not for
breeding purposes, for the money they
will bring for these purposes. From six
to twelve buck lambs, the pick of the
lot, are sometimes held for a local trade,
and the rest are made wethers of.
These and the eve lambs that are not
to be keptfor breeding, are sold, usually
at Christmas, to the butcher, weighing
an average of about $50 pounds each,
and bringing from $15 to SIG; and the
aged ewes are turned off to the butcher
at about the same time, or during the
winter, weighing usually from 225 to
275 pounds, and bringing from S15 to
S25 each. The ewes will shear about
ten pounds of clean, washed wool; and
such lambs as are kept over will shear
from twelve to fourteen pounds.
The manner of keeping the sheep is
substantially as follows: First start
ing the crops-twenty-five acres in
wheat, twenty-five in turnips, twenty
five in clover, twenty-five in barley.
Starting the flock in the spring. They
first go to the old pastures, where they
are kept until the clover is ready, when
they are put upon this (the field being
divided by hurdles.) They are kept on
each piece from three days to a week,
in this manner keeping them on fresh
feed, the first field being ready by the
time they have got over the whole. The
flock, it will be remembered, is mostly
composed of ewes and lambs. After
the wheat and barley harvest, they
have, in addition to the clover, the
stubble fields, the fallow and rape, the
latter being ready for the lambs at wean-
ing time-say early in August-running
on this until September, when they are
put upon turnips (the field being di-
vided by hurdles)); the lambs leading
and the ewes following. The lambs,
from the time they are weaned, are put
on the rape, with cake and peas-about
one pound of cake and one pint of peas
to four lambs, to start, increased to
about double this amount, which will
carry them to about $50 pounds by
Christmas. Usually the lambs 90 from
white turnips to Swedes after a short
time. The ewes are kept on stubble or
clover until November, when they 90 to
the turnips, and are kept through the
winter. Movable racks are provided
for hay, and are covered to keep it dry.
Clover hay is fed, and the ewes are kept
on these fields night and day until
lambing time, when they are taken to
the folds at night and put back during
the day. This is the course pursued
year after year upon the same farm and
upon the same flock. There is con-
slant care and watchfulness exercised
over the flock. The weights obtained
under this treatment in England are
seldom reached in this country, but may
be reached as well here as there.