The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-01-03

Rural World.

Rural World,
Much has been said and written in
regard to the successful wintering OF
sheep, but one of the most important
things may be summed up In two
words-love them. 1t is for our pur-
suit that insures its success, for that
love ever prompts to constant care
and makes labor pleasure. To those
who have been long in the business, /
need not repeat the advice-take good
care of your sheep and they will take
good care of you but those just start
ing will be the gamer by remember
ing that a sheep well started in the
fall is half wintered.
Sheep should have better care in
the early winter than the farmers are
in the habit of bestowing. Winter
ing sheep to make them live only, is
not attended with profit, let prices
rule high or low. Sheep are common
ly neglected more in early winter than
any other farm stock, for they are
often the very last taken from the
pastures.
If sheep go into winter quarters in II
declining state, the result is demand
for extra feed and care during the
winter, and light clip of wool in the
spring. When a sheep is thriving,
wool grows rapidly when sheep is
declining the growth is checked. If
kept fat a large fleece; if poor, a light
one. Sheep should have little grain
every day, from the time grass begins
to fail in the fall until it has good
start in the spring. L would rather
my sheep would have gill of corn or
oats per day from the middle of No
vember till April, than pint day
from January till June. There should
be one object constatly before the flock
master, and that is, to keep his sheep
in u thriving condition.
Shelter is one of the first objects in
wintering sheep successfully. Farm
ers often condemn barns and sheds as
unhealthy places for sheep, when it is
injury. 1t is no argument against
housing because some people keep
them so poorly ventilated as to injure
their health. Nor is it an argument
against shelter for stock, because it is
improperly used. l am no believer in
having sheep shut up too closely. l
like warm comfortable quarters for
them at night, but they should not
remain there all day. They should
go out get some exercise, and have
some sunshine after storm. We
ought to know and appreciate its
beneficial effects on animals.
Too large number of sheep should
not be wintered together. l. believe
twenty-five is enough for one lot; by
no means let there be more than one
hundred. There is much more danger
of disease in large fiocks than in small
ones. The proportion of sheep that
do not thrive is always greater in
large flocks than in small ones. The
division should be made so as to put
sheep of about the same strength
together. Lambs should be by them
selves, with few old tame sheep to
keep them tame. All large and strong
wethers should be by themselves, also
all breeding ewes. By this system of
division all have an equal chance,
which is impossible were large num-
bers of all ages and conditions run
together.
Feeding sheep cannot be to carefully
and scientifically done. 1t should be
attended to, as near as possible, at the
same time every day. Sheep, above
all other animals, shall have variety
of food. They are naturally very par
ticular about their diet, are fond of
dainty bits, and refuse everything not
clean and wholesome; they will go
hungry before they will eat musty
hay or grain, that which has been
trOd under foot.
No other animals should be tolera
ted in yard with sheep, for it will
only result in in veXation and loss.
Keeping sheep is pleasant and
profitable if attended to properly.
Wool is sure thing, every, year, and
brings cash. 1t has its ups and downs,
but let any man make up his mind
that none but his wife or his admin
istrator shall sell his wool for less than
fifty cents per pound, and he will
come out all right.
I have bred all kinds of stock in the
last thirty years. My flock of sheep
was originally bought of the Archers,
of Virginia, and the Lees of Wash
iugton county, Pa. I have no sheep
for sale.