The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-08-25


soiGng, and rye and rcd clover for graz
ing, are sown. Though good for this
purpose, rye does not 90 Is we'll as Oh
the sandy loans Of tlc lover country.
Barley is highly rcmuncrative for early
spring soiling, and red clover SOW as y
separate crop on hErilled land has never
failed to catch, and does rs well rs i
have ever seen it IN Virginia OF AcH-
tucky. From forty to fifty acres arc
now set aside for these crops.
PASTCEAt..:.
There are, as stated, scyentv-tive acres
meadow, one hundred acres IL corn
c,,..ure, fifty being planted alternate
years, eighty acres IL the cotton and oat
rotation, and say fifty acres in small
crops. The remainder is permanent
pasture or forest. Of this near 800 acres
is recently cultivated land, (both bot
toms and highland or highland known
with us as ':old field" upon which all
the short-lcaved pine has been cut down
and the young deciduous trees left for
shade. This constitutes the summer
pastures It's cultivation consists in
keeping down shrub growth and an al
nual spring scorching of Of dead grass
Under this treatment the soil CT natural
grasses has steadily improved. It car
iics, including cattle, sheep, hogs and
colts, some I've hundred head Of stock.
A separately fenced pasture is necessary
for the hogs during the lalnbing season.
In the winter the gleanings of the corn
fields, the aftermath Of the meadow and
the canebrakes of the swamp forest,
(Which are not grazed in summer, are .
valuable resource.
sEEEr
Commencing with fifty native and
fifty Southdown ewes, broad-tailed bucks
we're bred to them and their female
progeny for four years. Then a pure
bred Southdown buck was put with the
flock and recently Shropshire has been
added, the broad tailed being withdrawn
to the same extent The number OF
breeding ewes was increased to near
three hundred These were found to be
too many, and two hundred adopted as
the right number without further pro-
vision Of special pasturage. The flock
has been kept principally for the lamb
market and the product Of wool IS a sec
ondary object. Barren ewes are culied
for sale; breeding ewes have been gener-
ally kept as long as they were fertile. II
nine years three sheep have been lost by
dogs, none by theft. There has been a
little scab and other disease OF Il sporadic
character. No epidemic of any kind;
some deaths from accident, some from
old age, and few from unknown causes. /
The loss OF grown sheep from all these
causes has varied from ; to 10 per cent.
with an average OF less than ) per cent.
The number OF lambs reared In proper
ton to ewes has averaged 81 per ce2t.
From Christmas till middle of April the
flock receives as much hay as it will eat
clean at night, with, per head, a pint Of
cotton seed one night ard one large tur-
nip sliced up the next. 1t other times
it subsist upon the pasturage heretofore
indicated. From early spring until
Christmas the sheep are hurdled IL open
movable pens; il winter they are .yar!cd
at night upon litter with sheds provided
tll.lC lt1tS S[tAA ltc~ tSl t'AS't''thS.
CATTLE.
Cattle have been bred chiefly for beef
and work animals, the calves getting
nearly al the milk from their dams.
Recently dairy for the sale OF butter
has been undertaken with success thus
far. Selected native COWS were bred 20 .
& Devon bull with {. Brahmin cross. The {
half-bred heiiers were bred TO u sho2t-
horn bull with a ike Brahmin cross, and
now a pure-bred Devon is being used. {
The result has been rapid Improvement .
and handsome herd of general purpose .
cattle. No further crossbreeding is con-
templated. Devon bulls viii be used in
future. About fifty head OF cattle are
kept. The straw crop and some second
class hay is reserved Tor their use in bad
weather in winter, and when nigh water
keeps them from the canebrakes. They
also in winter are yarded at night on
litter with adjacent shelter, and are
hurdled in summer alongside OF but not
with the sheep. In hurdling, the land
is ploughcd before and after the stock IS
put upon it. The size of the pens is de-
termined by the number OF stock, upon
q calculation that one COW IS equal to
three sheep and that five hundred sheep
will in seven days manure an acre. This
is more than profit, and other writer's
consider fair dressing. It is beheTed
to be the equivalent OF at least seven or
eight hundred pounds Of tirst-class fer
tilzer, and the permanency oi its effect.
with fair after treatment, is such that It
is thought to add ten dollars per acre to
the value of the land. The manure OF
animals is applied by hurdling at one
third Of the expense OF compost.
COLTS. !.
Colts have been the least profitable
stock handled. Both mules and horses
have cost nearly their full value to rear
them. Some are still bred both for the
pleasure in dealing with them, and be-
cause they too purchase the grain and
forage crops at full value. Mule colts
pay better than horse colts OF the COM
mon breed.
Hogs have given satisfaction on two ;
plans. First: Keeping only
enough to be reared on natural pastrlr-
age and the waste OF the place, receiving
grain only when put up to fatten fcr
slaughter; and second, (Which IS now !
preferred, keeping enough to make
them the chief purchasers OF the corn {
grown and the clover and pea crops.
This is the only stock not carefully
yardcd every night during the year, and
there has been little II any loss by theft. :