The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-10-19
farm aud Garden.
conducted by DIR. THOMAS POLLARD, State
Commissioner of Agriculture
Wheat Culture.
(Continued.)

could find out 1t is a very simple bust
ness. The sheep go to fold about seven
in the evening; the next morning as soon
as the de,O IS off, they are let out, and
run on the natural down pasture for al
hour or two; they are then allowed to
feed on some early forage plant-rye.
tares, winter barley, winter oats; then
few hours on the downs again another
feed of forage plants, and about a 2. M.
they Craze their way along the downs to
the fold. The inclosure of waited hur-
dies is arranged to accommodate GER
tain number of sheep, so that the land
may be properly and regularly MANFRED.
The calculation is that one sheep passing
one night on one square yard of land is
equal, in money value, to 93 los.
($l7.50) per acre; and it is upon this
basis that acts of husbandry, as they are
called, for which the incoming tenant
has to pay his predecessor, are valued.
Think for moment of what passes in
the fold during the night. The land has
been recently ploughed; the liquid and
solid objections are therefore easily abb
sorbed; the oil from the fleece forming
by no means an inappreciable part of
them. The sheep, many weighing from
a hundred to a hundred and twenty
pounds each, pass eight or ten hours
couched on the same spot, and the
pressure of their bodies, together with
the trampling of their tiny pointed
hoofs, condense and solidify the land in
a fashion that no roller. not even Cross
kills clod-crusher, could hope to emu
late. WE'LL the day for this style of
work is over; it served purpose, and is
gone forever. We can no longer afford
to keep wethers till they are three years
old; they must now see the butcher
most of them-before their second birth
day. Still the principle of folding re-
mains the same; the only thing to be
changed is its management. Let us see
if we can arrive at the effect by short
er and more remunerative road than
the old one.
On the whole, suppose, we may con-
slider the feeding of sheep in the open
field, throughout the States of New Eng
land and Northern New York, to be
practicable up to the 18th of November.
imagine that the reason so few turnips
are grown in these districts is, first, that
1t is not the custom of the country :;
secondly, that wages are high, and the
men are not skillful at the work and,
thirdly, that Indian corn is the thing
wanted for winter cattle food. Ny
food requires no hoeing, so the wages
question is settled. After a year or Two,
if the practice [ recommend is followed
out, the produce of grain will be almost
doubled, and the winter food for stock
will not make default. AS for the first
point, that it is not the custom of the
country, that reason, am sure, will not
long be allowed to hinder the improve
ment, which will be easily perceived
after the first trial. I suppose all my
readers have seen rape or caleSeed, the
calza of France. They are pretty much
the same thing, and either Of them will
make sheep ripe-fat without any other
food. Cows love rape, and give plenty
of rich milk on it; but care must be
taken that it is not given them when
wet with dew or rain. Insects never
trouble it; as it is sown broadcast, it re-
quires no hoeing, and no weed can strug-
gle successfully against it. 1t is CRATE
tul for manure, but on good land of a
moderately heavy character it can do
without it. A few-say ten-bushels OF
bone meal mixed with as many of ashes
will on light soils produce crop SO
luxuriant in its lush abundance that the
eye is enraptured at the sight. If it is
wished that the ewes should tVin in
spring, fortnight on rape before they
are put to the ram will have the desired
effect. In 1853 my Hampshire Downs
ewes, $50 in number, gave birth to 397
lambs. Of fifteen that LANDED one night
came twenty-nine lambs. They had
lived upon rape from the 25th of August
to the 18th of September. The plant
grows SO high, and is so sturdy and thick
on the ground, that sheep do not tram
pie it down as they do grass or clover
for which reason they may be turned
loose into field of it, though the mos
economical plan is to divide off piece
every two days or so. 1 submit sketcl
OF the best sort Of hurdle. It is usually
made OF iron, but 1 have had them O
wood, and they answered famously.
boy can move them with ease. If tn,
sheep are given to Jump, it would be ,
good plan to leave one of the uprigh
bars Of each hurdle eighteen inches
higher than in the engraving. If wir,
is run loosely along the top, the sheer
may try to jump at first, but after few
attempts the shock they receive on fall
ing. back from their spring will so as
tOnieb Al o;r ,,-ooI- - - - .,