The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-06-26
Southdown sheep.

Cassius M. Clay, of Kentucky
writes as follows to an exchange:
Southdown sheep are capable O
dong more for the nation in sheer
breeding than Shorthorns in cattle
husbandry. The Shorthorn is adap
ted to only favorable localities while
the Southdown will flourish where
ever native or scrub sheep can live
AS soon as possible the poor native,
should become extinct by crossing
the ewes with buck of pure breeds
and preferably the Southdown, al
least for this region. After long ex-
perlence with pure bred animals,
and careful study, | lay down these
general principles.
First-That only pure bloods re.
produce their types with certainty
Second-Pure breeds may be en-
tirely lost by the continued infusion
ola preponderance of foreign blood
Third-How many crosses will
make pure type is unknown. The
Shorthorn is made up breed, but
its type is now fixed, and may be
called pure. The Southdown is a
pure breed from time immemorial
Fourth-It is better to stand by
pure types, and not to venture be-
yond first crosses. If certain nor
nal types do well in certain habitats,
stick to them and improve them by
food and judicious selection; or take
the natives to the manor born and
improve them.
| venture to say that the South
down is destined to be the sheep of
this continent. Because it has a long
antiquity of pure blood; it is hardy;
the wool is fine, warm and strong;
it is prolific; good mixer; it takes
on fat well, the fat mixed with lean,
making the best of mutton.
1t is true that the Cotswold and
some other breeds have more wool
but | deny that it is of equal quail
ty; and it yet remains question
whether the same expenditure will
produce more wool in Cotswolds
than in Southdowns. Wool aside,
the other superior qualities of the
Southdown to all other sheep re-
main unquestioned.
| now make a few suggestions in
regard to some of the details of my
first article. [ give two gills or less
of Indian corn day to each sheep,
and they have as much winter grass
as they can eat. | do not object to
oats, turnips and other feed, but
deem a variety an advantage A
smaller quantity of corn is better
than none, as it also acts as a tonic
to the stomach and intestines, and
always shows itself in the life of the
sheep, and the compactness and oil
of the coat
The flock being under cover, it is
advisable, perhaps to catch the eve
that disowns her lamb and force it
to suck; but where the sheep are at
pasture, as in my system, to drive
up the whole flock, which would
be necessary to catch one, surely
would do more injury to the flock
than good. Hence the labor of hand
raising must be substituted. 1t is
not generally. known that ram out
of the rutting season is as good NUT
ton as a wether, when as fat
Some years ago | bought prem
ium ram at the Bourbon county,
fair, and thoughtlessly turned him
into flock of rams, who fought
him and broke him down in the fore
legs. l at once butchered him, then
four years old, and found him as
fine mutton as | ever ate. MY rule is
to castrate only the very inferior
lambs, as then l have all the best to
select from as breeders ard for sale;
the remnant can go to the butcher
when a year old and upward.
The Merino has been improved
in the weight Of the fleece; the same
can be and has been done to great
extent with the Southdown. The
buck mo. ~" which l imported,
and bought of Lord Walsingham, of
England, has wool almost as long as
a Cotswold, yet fine and very COM
pact And his fine mutton quail
ties are of the first order. | regard
bucks one and two years old as the
best breeders, yet lambs dropped
in March have at times impregna-
ted few of my ewes, before being
taken out in October; but the use of
buck or eve lambs under one year
old is not advisable.
For ten years | have used bells on
my sheep-one bell to five sheep
and have lost none in that time by
dogs. The sheep killers are timid,
and the bells frighten them! The
ordinary sheep bell is too small.
use cow bells; but hope to have an
intermediate size manufactured
Different sizes and tones and pleas
ant to the ear-to the sheep cultiva-
tor, an agreeable band of music.
Don't wait for helpers. Try those