Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-09-25
SHEEP.
The Summer Caro- Of hi rarnocr., r-,.,a
The Renovation of Old Fields.

0nceFs |
1ne Summer Care of the Farmcrs, Friend |
Renovation of Old Fields.
When old fields have become over.
grown with briers and bushes, and the
farmer desires to extirpate them, sheep |
Will do the work for him better than
any other stock, but they will
times require assistance. If brier-
clumps are very thick or very high the
nock can not do the work unaided.
They must be mown and burned, or.
II they are well filled at the bottom
with dead leaves and grass. they can
be fired in a dry time, and, if some
pains are taken to beat down the green
ones as the fire is burning. the whole
clump can be consumed. The Young
shoots which sprout up in the ash-heap
will be eaten off by the sheep much
more thoroughly than those growing
where there are no ashes. I have
found it one of the best ways of renew
ing old moss-bound pastures, to fire
them in a dry spell in the spring. when
there is dry heritage enough on the
ground to carry the flame; then let
the sheep have the range of them
through the summer. They take q
great deal of satisfaction in grazing,
sleeping and stamping in the burnt
district; and, as above stated,
they will take much more
pains to crop off the sprouts
here than they will in unburncd terri
tory. The ashes must give them a
relish; probably it is the greater per-
sheep are noted for their fondness for
and need of certain mineral ingrcdi-
ents in their food. I have often OBJ
served their relish for these ash-fertll-
lied plants; they return to them again
and again, cropping them down close
to tho ground, where they would
scarcely taste them if growing in the
open field.
My father once bought an old field
which had been cleared and cropped a
few years. then neglected and allowed
to grow up into a perfect thicket of oak
and hickory sprouts, etc. 1t was inn
practicable to grub or sprout it; moth
ing could be done but NOW it. It
yielded a solid swath all over, and
when dry, the whole field burned like
finder. 1t was q very strong, red clay
soil, with a northeastern slope, and it
throw up sprouts with wonderful per-
sistcncy. 1t was too steep for cultiva-
ton, so l simply cut. burned and pas
tured with sheep. cit is hardly worth
while to grub out hickory sprouts un.
less they are taken out a foot deep).
From the first year on, the sheep OBJ
tanned nearly OF quite as much feed off
this lot, in the shape OF browse with a
constantly increasing percentage of
grass, as they would have got if it had
been we'll set in grass. Tho potash in
the heritage, and the salt which I took
the trouble to scatter for them, were a
great attraction, and they riddled tho
oaks and hickories. as we'll as tho
blackberry shoots.
Every observing shepherd has no.
ticcd that sheep have their decided
preference in a rolling or billy pas
ture. generally choosing a southern OF
eastern slope. Old farmers will toll
you it is because the grass on these
poorer, thinner exposures is shorter
and swceter. Probably this is one
reason. but I can not help thinking
there is another. These southern
slopes are nearly always w%ind-swept
and sun-burned, and receive no staying
deposits of forest leaves; hence the
bedrock is close to the surface, and
frequently crops out in shelly Lodges.
This character of the soil gives the
grass a more mineral and earthly quail.
ty than is possessed by that growing on
the north slopes; for on these the soil
is generally red clay, and strong with
the humus or vegetable mold resulting
from the rotted forest leaves of centu'
ries. And the fondness of sheep fol
mineral ingredients in their feed was
above alluded to. Hence they linge1
on these naked. wind-swept southern
slopes, nibbling the already .%scanty
grass into the very ground, and neglect
slopes until they are fairly starved tc
it," often to the wonder and annoyance
of the shepherd.
In general, sheep are so nice in theil
tastes and preferences that a pasture o.
any considerable extent, especially if il
has q diversity of soils and exposures,
is apt to become patchy if left entirely
to the sheep. They are fond of knoll;
for stamping-grounds and sleeping
grounds. and will manure them to ex
cess if they have their own way.
There are various ways OF regulating
these matters. The portable fence de
scribed by your valued correspondent
Mr.. Wood, might do good service here
[ never tried it. A few young cattl
with the sheep will give their attention
to the north slopes. and the rank pas
ture spots, while the sheep are grain!
on the shorter feed. The sheep them
selves will depasture these northern
slopes in the fall when feed grow
scarce; but meantime much grass ha
grown up and died, SO going to waste
and the briers make their whole sum
,ner growth unchecked.
ILave found it an advantage torun
permanent fence between the north ant
the south slopes, so compelling tn
sheep to divide thcirtime between them
Still. they will hang along the fence fo1
hours, sleeping by it, waiting andwatch
ing for q chance to get through, So. al