Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-03-07
From the Lewiston Journal. ]
sHEEP HUSBANDRY.
Paper Of r. Is. Hunter, esq, OF s'rohs'
read before the Farmers Institute NJ
Pennington, Feb. 10.

| given In the Journal last week, we are enaOied
| through the courtesy OF the author To present
this week Mr.. Hunters views upon sheeP rs
renoyators of the soil also the discussion OF the
snlie.t as called out by Mr.. ii paper. for which
latter we are ebied TO the Phillips Photograph,
which In line with IL enterprise and ability dis
| played on former occas ions, published an eN-
ira giving full report Of the meeting, including
| Mr.. Hunters paper entire, also quite iuh syn
onsis of Mr. Lanes address, and discussions
| following both. Mr.. Hunter spoke as follows {;
am aware that the few words that have TO
say Ia. tiay are not according 20 the teaching oil
writer's and speakers on the subject OF sheep nus
bandry at the present day. IL has been sald tha'
truth Is stranger than fiction. This NAV be true'
bnt truth will bear investigation, the deeper YOU
90 the surcr your foundation. Ia may be uh-
pleasant ard homely, not exactly In accordance
with what we would Ike but the only SURE ioun-
latl0n on which any enterprise can be prosperous
Fiction may be beautiful, it'may point out 10 the
farmer the sure aud easy way to enrich MS iarn'
IL nav make the future look bright. 10 may
make the farmer 10 see m the near intnre g0ideh
rewards Int IL will prove mirage. In an asn-
cultural sense what NAV be truth for one farmer,
10 another NAV bc fiction.
A man living in the vicinity OF Portland may
have made the raising Of sugar beets a prohiaDIe
husiness He NAV write enthusiastic articles ana
give eloquent addresses on profits OF the bnsl-
ness. To him this may BE- truth but Ia Frank
lin farmer IL most truly would be hciion.
man owning n farm on low land, may md thM
his soil Is deficient In potash, and that by apply
ing the same he greatly increases nis crop. lie 81
once adopts the idea that all farmer need DO j.
10 apply potash, and his reward is sure. To him
this Is truth but 10 his neighbor one-balf mile
away on different soil Il might be fiction.
A farmer who feeds his sheep large quantities
OF food not raised on bis own land and looks
well after the fertiliLng material len by the
sheep, may well set forth IN glowing coIors the
sheep ~ renoyator of soil.
John l.. Hayes. secretary of National AssOci-
alton of wool manufacturers Of Boston, 10 an
address which will he found in the Maine report
for 1871 saws that the conclusion arrived at by
English writers is that sheep do no, pay OF them
selves. but that keeping them Is the only way
they can carry on their farming operations and
preserve the fertility of the land. The wool pays
them something and the mutton pays something
more. But the great object is keeping them 10
10 sustain the fertility Of the soil.
Say one thousand sheep are put on
one thousand acres. they are fed every day with
turnips on the land. The next year grasses OF
various sorts are sown on the land, and on the
third or fourth, wheat or barley, and the manure
len by the thousand sheep carries the land
through this four years rotation.
Here he is talking 10 American farmers Of an
English farmer. II Is well for Us TO remember
that we are not English farmers, and that IL
would be useless for Us 10 expect that by feeding
would become sufficiently rich TO carry II through
a four years rotation. The same writer also
saws | have heard OF case IN Vermont where
a sheep farmer WAS compelled TO abandon one
farm after another as they became too fertile for
profitable sheep growing. BE this 80 or not,
have never known of like instance In Franklin
County.
The case is not applicable 10 us; hut these
writings and these sayings have led many OF u
10 believe that sheep are great rensvators OF the
SOIL II NAV be 80 under English management,
hut IL is nos So under our management. In all
these matters OF farm management we should
seek out the truth. Not what is truth 20 the
English, the Illinois, or Texas farmer, but what
is truth for Us on our own firms.
Every owner OF a farm should consider care
fully the future of his iarm-whether be will by
keeping this or that kind OF stock, or THIS or thar
management be able TO retain the fertility Of his
farm \ man surely grows poor 4 his farm j.
losing is fertility. Now, can we Keep up that
fertility by keeping sheep. Sheep possess no mag
ic wand by which they can convert little into
much. They can return to the soil what they
have taken from IL, save enough To sustain the
elements of life and no more; this draws from
the soil no small amount. Though II tbs was
the only drain our farms might retain their ierii
It's for long time with but little percep,ible diff
ference In the amount produced. One hundred
sheep would yield coo pounds of wool each year.
This wool is taken from the soil The yOlk, |
which is utilized In Europe is said TO contain a
large amount OF potash, which j. a much needed |
element for feriili ". Then from flock of 100 !
sheep we annually take from 2oO0 10 5000 lbs. of /
mutton. Again. e have drawn from the sOi and /
il We have not returned anything IL has lost a J
surely as one nom five leaves four.
But this is not our largest drain. The sheep |
i an uncomfortable animal. She loves her free |
dom-she loves to roam AT pleasure. Here comes |
In a share OF the trouble. We cannot or do not !
replace what she has taken. True while sheep |
are feeding they leave their dropDings quite /
evenly on the land. True their powers OF d. |
gestion are good, but what matters tina; II We !
canhot or do not take the advantage given us.
Our pastures and fields in many cases, are |
broken; perhaps a high hill In the background. |
Frequently some worthless shaded rayincs run |
ming through the ceutre Of an occasionally !
worthless spot covered with few bushes.
Sheep almost invariably lie at night on the |
highest point of land. The higher and the more 4
worthless, the better. Here In this out of the |
way, worthless place, among the rocks and /
lodges, they deposit In condensed form, a part /
of the pasture over which they fed the day be- !
fore start out GU, early i'm IN the ,So morning to
the shelter Of the COOL shaded rayines which |
spring and fall are the bed of brook, they |
seek the cover of the woods, clumps OF bushes, |
under the fences, in all sorts Of out of the way |
places, where they can find protection from the |
heat Of the sun. Here again they while away |
uullc u part VI again IL lOItNcT
lost to more OF the life giving properties OF
the farm. Day after day, week after week, !
and year after year, this same routine goes on. |
The very h.e-blood is slowly oozing from the /
veins. The pulse beats teebly. Bat little Is /
given to inyigorate, but little can be returned. 1t
pastured in the tall, pretty much the same thing
goes on rs with pastures. And We find our |
haymows are keeping time.
Discussion.
Virgil l.. Craig, OF Pennington, thought Mr. |
Hunters points we'll taken said the county of |
Franklin was deteriorating rapidly by reason of !
sheep raising. His experience In pasturing |
sheep was that they weighed more when turned |
out to pasture in May, than when put In the |
barn in the fall. Neither do our sheep |
keep down bushes, thistes and weeds: on |
the contrary, knew of sheep pasture, which. |
before pastured 10 sheep, was clear of weeds |
but now was full Of raspberry bushes brakes, etc.
He would give up the white and barren hills to |
new forest growth. and give the sheep better |
pasturage. As TO The Vermont sheep introduced |
here, for large prices, Mr.. Craig was not satisfied
with them. Vermont perhaps raised the best |
Merinos in the world, but that was not
the kind palmed off here for high prices. Some
had been sold here for $40, $l5, $40 and up |
wards, per head, which really were not worth
$500. Thought they were bred for sale princi- !
pally. Many apparently good Merno bucks are
brought from Vermont 10 Maine, for the purpose
of improving our sheep, but very little Is heard
Of them after a while.
He did not wish his remarks construed as cast
ing reflections on individual sheep breeders or
the fine sheep generally OF Vermont, but main.
tanned there was much sharp practice in
their trading, the Maine Y ankees generally get
ting worsted.
The buildings and manner of life must keen
pace with the farm. Soon an old cellar Is the
only monument that marks the abode of n once
happy farmer. You may call this oyerdrawn
But what has caused SO many farms TO he for.
saken II II is not loss of fertility. Aud many