Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1886-04-08
sHEEP-HuseANpRY.



A system which would work a Revelation
on Poor Farms.
Farmers have not sufficiently studied
the importance Of maintaining the fer
tility of their farms. Much land in the
New England States has been worked
to point where, under common cult
ure, the production is below cost Of
labor. Many such farms have been
abandoned. This has often occurred in
cotton districts of the South, and the
land has been suffered to return 10 a
state Of nature.
Stock-farming Is the only system
properly adapted to the reclamation of
these lands, and the system adopted
must be the intelligent one that makes
provision for the complete saving and
distribution Of the droppings Of the ami
mails. As stock husbandry Is still gem
orally carried on, only the smaller pro-
portion Of the fertilizing matter is saved
and applied.
Sheep are peculiarly adapted to keep
ing up the fertility of the soil they are
fed on. The dairy COW carries off in
her milk a much larger proportion of
the fcrtlizing matter of her food than
the sheep in growing mutton and wool.
II has been proved by careful expert
ment that the sheep may return to the
soil nincty-iyc per cent Of the fertliz-
ing matter of It's food. This renders
the sheep one of the best agencies for
improving the soil
II we take an impoverished soil in
hand for Improvement, we must eN-
pect to add something to II TO improve
it. Something does not come from
nothing. five simply feed any animal
upon what grows on the land, we do
not add any thing to the soil, but we
take something from Il. How, then,
shall we improve the soil by feeding
sheep upon IL without incurring large
expensep This is the question TO be
answered, aud it is easily answered
II the sheep will return ninety-ive per
cent. Of the fertilizing matter of its food
to the soil, carrying of only five per
cent, then II we feed sheep one ton of
linseed-meal, ninety-five per cent. Of its
nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid
will be left in the soil This would be
ll2 lbs. Of nitrogen, 32 lbs. OF potash.
and 4S lbs. of phosphoric acid which
estimated at the price of commercial
fertilizers, would be worth S26; but we
will deduct a little over 20 per cent, !,
and call the fertiliziting matter of the
ton OF linseed meal worth $50. This
meal should be purchased at S25 per ton
and when properly fed to sheep it will pay
all II costs in growing mutton and
wool, and the manure will be all profit
The manure from a ton Of decorticated
cottoD-seed meal is worth S25; of wheat
bran, Sl4; of oats, 80; of corn, SC; of
the best clover hay, 80; of timothy.
$3.50; of peas. Sll. Wheat bran is
very rich in phosphoric acid, which
renders !; one Of the best foods 70 grow
the bones Of the young animal. For
feeding sheep in summer, linseed meal
and bran, and, when not too dear. oats
are most excellent They are what may
be called cooling foods. and viii pro-
duce the best result, and the manure
from the first two is most valuable
For winter feeding, corn is an economi-
cal food. II will be seen that on worn
out lands liberal feeding Of sheep would
soon render them fertile.
The system should be to let the sheep
pasture on the grasses and weeds pro-
duced upon the land. and then concen-
trate the feeding OF rich foods upon 2
small space. using these manured pieces
to raise fodder for the sheep in winter.
Each year would fcrtilze few acres fit
to bear almost any crop. The surface
of these pieces, fed most upon, should
be worked mellow, and the manure
mixed with the soil, to prevent waste OF
volatile clements. II this system OF
renovation were conducted in the best
manner, the sheep should be confined
by hurdles; the ro ling hurdles would be
best, moving them along each day as
fast as the ground is manfred, giving
fresh earth TO the sheep, and top-dress-
ing definite amount Of soil each dav.
This would be best accomplished If the
piece of land to be fed over had a green
crop upon it, having feeding troughs ut
the advancing hurdles in which should be
placed the linseed-meal and bran, the
sheep eating the green crop as fast as
they moved over il, and making up a
full ration from the troughs. We have
used this plan. with great satisfaction,
for feriilizing land which would already
bear "A good crop of clover, mile, or rye.
Auttoh nnttp are DetteI ouaptcu 10
this system, as II is one Of the most ex-
peditious ways to fatten sheep in sum
mer, and involves about as little labor
as any other plan we have ever tried.
This plan works well in iattening ewes
after bearing early lambs. We believe
the poorest farms in New England could
be very cheaply re-fcrtilized on this
system, and made more valuable than
they have ever been in the past; and the
mutton and wool produced, is wanted in
the nearest town. Such system, car
ried out, would soon work n complete
revolution in farming and It's profits
National Lire Stock ,JOyr,i1L