Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-03-28
ENGLISH FARMERS.
sheep Raising On the DOWns-wheat-
Corn-Poultry--SOcial Condition-Fox
Hunting, &c.
~ U AgricNltural Elitor.


Social Condition-Fox
Hunting, &c.
By Our agricultural Editor.
Our readers may be interested in
English farming. Every body here
about has heard of Southdown sheep,
but Jew probably know why they are so
called. With all due Difference to South
down breeders as they cannot be called
a success here. We here think that no
other country or cline has produced
such wool or sheep as our Ohio, Penn
sylvania and West Virginia hills and
valleys, on account of our peculiar
grasses, soil, climate or water-or all
together.
The SOuthdC wn sheep are raised on
the South Down Of England, a series of
chalk hills that run from the southeast
portion Of Hampshire and near the Sus-
sex coast, nearly eastward to Bearly
head. They are not higher than our
hills, and are covered with short, uu-
tritous grass, that is supposed to give the
SCuthdown wool and mutton its world
wide reputation. The valleys between
these hills are generally very fertile.
DOwNS-wHY so CALLED.
We shall not give a description of
these chalk hills, but it might be inter-
estlng to know why they are called
downs. At first thought one might
think they were lOwlandS and were low
down, when the fact is they are high
lands. The word downs comes from
the old German and French root DIM, o
hill. In French dunes are sand hills
thrown up by the mud, so that the
South Downs were simply the South
Hills. They are about seventy miles
long, and among them live some of the
thrlftiest English farmers.
The produce these farmers raise, Of
course, brings higher prices than do
ours, or We could not import our grains
and meat. Wool is an exception, as
some of our American manufacturers go
every year To England to buy wool, yet
they get more fer their mutton. A
Southdown lamb four or five months
old will bring six to eight dollars before
it is fattened for the market. A chick
en- will sometimes bring -.
The sheep are pastured and herded on
the down lhills) during the day, and
brought down to the valley at night,
which they gradually enrich by their
drOppings. The cows are shielded.
They like the Durhams as being the
best mixers. The milk must be up to
a certain standard or they are fined.
The cows are fed on turnipS, matted
barley. or hogs we hear but little.
The size of their farms are irregular.
One man will sometimes cultivate 2,OOO
acres, but the principal farms aresmaller.
Wheat among the downs produces we'll
fifty or sixty bushels being grown
over an entire field of from fifty to one
hundred acres. This beats our bOaSted
Dakota and Minnesota virgin soil. The
cost of raising this crop Is OF course
heavier than ours, as rents are often
from six TO ten dollars per acre.
When We read the list of expenses we
are apt to think that the American
holds favored position. Besides the
rent on the lands, he pays per acre TO
the church two dollars, taxes one dol
lar, then he must pillow, sow, harrow
and take care of the crops, generally
paving q boy often ten cents an acre TO
keep the birds away.
While we have had two or three good
years, the English farmer has had
hard time owing to wet weather, in-
creased wages of help, foreign competi-
ton, &c. They pay hands about the
same We pay here-thus labor, or hours
of working, does not seem to be as hard
as ours. They 60 to work at seven and
often quit before six, except during har-
vest. Many of the farmers eat four
times a day. The English people enjoy
their meals. In nearly every farm house
a paper is taken. There has been a
great improvement in this respect with
in the last few years, as there has been
in our own country.
FOX HUNTING.
The English farmer must join in the