The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-07-27
farm aud Garden.
conducted by DIR. THOMAS POLLARD, State
Commissioner of Agriculture.
Sheep Husbandry in Virginia.

breeding, but nothing valuable can be
accomplished without labor. Mlmag-
mum sine multo lahore. But really the
sheep breeding, and stock raisers gene
rally, have less labor, and drudgery than
the raisers of grain, and the promiscuous
farmers. Farming properly followed,
and attended to is a laborlous life, one of
constant toll; as soon as one thing is
done. another is waiting to be done.
Stock raising does not give this constant
strain. and is not devoid of some leisure
The shepherd while tending his focks has
time to tune his Tyre, or pipe upon his
reeds Gin olden times), or indite verses to
his inamorata. Flocks gather much of
their own food from the pastures, and
the attendants have only to guard and
watch and take care of them. For
winter supply, hands must be employed
to gather hay, and other food for them.
The greatest drawback to sheep raising
has been, heretofore, their destruction by
and worrying by dogs, and the fear of
these troubles has deferred many farmers
from embarking in the business. But
there are means of getting rid of this
evil, though it is great one. Among
them penning sheep near the house with
picket, or the dog-proof fence, or having
a house for the fock-master to live in
besides the pen, and during the day per-
hitting the sheep to stay in pastures
with COWS, particularly where one or
more cows have young calves. They
will be apt to attack the dogs, when the
steers and other cattle will join in the
chase, and rout the dogs. The shepherd
dogs should be used with large focks,
or large dogs raised with sheep by put
ting them when pups to such ewes which
may have lost their lambs, or doubling
two lambs on one, and giving a pup in
place of one of them removed Besides
this, bells on sheep help to brighten off
dogs, but more efficient than these are
the shot gun, and strychnine. Large
sheep raisers report they do not loose
many sheep by dogs because they always
shoot every stray dog that comes on the
farm.
For the present we propose, until we
have more time, to give some extracts
from journals, etc., bearing on this sub
ject. We find the following in the
Shepherds National Journal, from Mr..
Wales, of Ohio:
FODDER CORN FOR sUEPp
Some eight years ago 1 was in posses
sion of about $500 sheep, and was casting
about for the best way of winterine
them To depend upon clover was haze
ardous, as one would be at the mercy of
the weather. Timothy was not so good
and, besides, was exhausting to the land
About this time | saw some articles in
the agricultural papers on the subject of
fodder corn and its utility, mostly as
feed for the production of milk. I wrote
to my friend, Mr.. Klippart, and to as
many others as l thought could give me
any light, asking as to its fitness as
food for sheep. The answers were few
and unsatisfactory. I therefore resolved
to put some questions to Nature, and to
test the thing on my own account. Ac-
cordingly, when the time came, I pre-
pared five acres of good land and sowed
it in corn, varying the quantity of seed
In different plats, all the way from one
to four bushels per acre. The following
August L tried experiments upon the
time and manner of cutting the
fodder, and continued them all through
that month, and great part of Septem-
Der. When winter came I selected out
three hundred ewes, and divided them
into two lots as evenly as I could. One
hundred and fifty were put into one
shed, and a like number into a shed
near by. Between the two sheds there
was set Of stock scales Each lot of
sheep was carefully weighed at the be-
ginning of the experiment, and were
weighed again each week for eight
weeks. During the continuance of the
experiment was asking questions for
my own information, and had no interest
except to get at the truth.
One lot of sheep was fed with one feed
per day of good clover and timothy hay,
and one feed Of sheaf oats. The other
lot received two feeds Of the fodder corn.
which | cut up by horse power, mixed
with bushel and half of bran.
poured hot water over it and let it soak
from morning until evening, or from
I'M II