Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-11-05
Managing Sheep.

A practical breeder of long experience
gives his method of handling sheep the
year round, in recent number of the h.
diana Farmer:
| will start on the 1T day of September,
and give you my mode of handling one
hundred ewes for one year, and their
profits, putting them at five dollars per
head. This will apply to any number in
the same ratio; put one buck to twenty
five ewes the 1st of September, and no more
put each twenty-five to themselves. Now
this number will apply to all long wool
sheep, but one hundred Merinos will do
better together than twenty-five long
woods. Breeding those ewes as atove
mentioned will bring your lambs about
the first of February, which is tho midest
month of winter, and if save seven in
ten | am satisfied. If corn stands up
well put my sheep into the corn field.
They will do no harm through September
and October, but a great deal of good in
some mems corn. The change will give
your blue grass good start for winter.
Now please prepare n good shed or barn
shat will hold twenty-five comfortably, say
l0x20, at least. litter it with good dry
straw and allow them to walk in and out
at will. Don't close them in till they
commence Landing; then only nights and
stormy days. Feed clover hay in square
box rack, three feet high and three feet
wide, running the whole length of the
shed, with second plank out from the bot
tom to admit their heads. Never feed
corn except in frozen weather. then hall
an car to sheep with hus& on, is suf1i.
eient. This brings US to lambing time
Close them in every night after they com.
mence lambing, with good dry straw
about knee deep; give small amount Of
salt, mixed with sulphur, once week
old Kenawha salt-as all other kinds have
| Il tendency to scour stock of all kinds.
call the attention of farmers to this i'm.
| portant fact.
Iprcsume this treatment brings us up
to the middle of April, with as many lambs
as have ewes, at least. prepare myself
| with Il bucket Of old-fashione South Car
DINA tar, good, some sulphur and lard
mixed, a chisel and malet, with good
solid, square block to dock on. | select
my best bucks first that intend to save,
bring them to the block with their feet
down, back them square on this block, set
the chisel on the second joint. hit it one
lick, put Il little tar on the stub, little
sulphur and lard right under the armpits
to drive away ticks, and you are done
with that lamb till weaving time. AT
this time tag the ewes-make a rack like
a sawbuck, line it with thin plank, place
the ewes in carefully on their backs, and
tag every sheep. whether they need it or
not If you don't, they will need it before
shearing time. and smear all their noses
with this good old tar. 1t is the healthiest
thing in the world for sheep. Don't shear
till the first of June. BY this time the
yolk will be melted and mixed all through
the wool twill weigh heavier and give
it more life.
commence weaving my lambs the lst
day of August; sell off my surplus and
make a calculation on profits. My profit
on one hundred ewes the last year was six
hundred and eighty dollars for wool and
lambs, | sold eighty lambs at four dollars
per head, and twenty yearlings at eight
dollars pea head, to Mr.. Oakley Purcell,
Marion cunty.
| am buying No. Cotswold ewes at ten
dollars per head. have an ambition to
have one hundred of the best Cotswods
in Rush county, but doubt whether can
make one hundred per cent on the ten
dollar ewes US easy rs did on the five
dollar ones last year, The most and quick,
est money on sheep is on common ewes
with Il thoroughbred buck. | am testing
four kinds, and will soon be able to give
the results.