The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-08-26
SHEEP-HUSBANDRY.
A System Which Would Work a Revolution
Poor Farms.

-F1oSD<AfNDnI Il
A System which would work a Revolution
on Poor Farms.
Farmers nave not sufficiently studied
the Importance of maintaining the fer
tilitv of their farms Much land in the
New England States has been worked
to a 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 to q
state of nature.
Stock-farlning 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 = much larger proportion of
the fertiliZing matter of her food than
the sheep III growing mutton ana wool
1t has been proved by carcGIl! expert
ncnt that the sheep may return to the
soil ninety-tivc per cent of the fertiliz-
ing matter of its food. This renders
the sheep one of the best agencies for
improving the soil
If we take an Impoverished soil in
hand for improvement, we must ex-
pect to add something to it to improve
it. Something does not come from
nothing. If we simply feed any animal
upon what grows on the land. we do
not add any thing to the soil. but we
take something from it. How, then.
shall we improve the soil by feeding
>i"cp upon it without mourning large
expense? This is the question to be
answered. aud it is easily answered.
If the sheep will return ninety-fiye per
cent. of the fertilizing matter of its food
to the soil, carrying off only five per
cent. then if we feed sheep one ton of
inseed-meal, ninety-five per cent, of its
nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid
will be left in the soil. This would be
LIP lbs. of nitrogen. 30 lbs OF potash,
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 $25 per ton
and when properly fed to Sheepit will pay
all it costs in growing mutton and
wool, and the manure will :.e all profit
The manufe from tor q d.cort icated
cotton-seed meal Is worth t23; of wheat
bran, 314; Of oats. 50; of corn, So; OF
the best clover hay. So of timothy.
$3.50; of peas, s14. Wheat bran is
very rich in phosphoric acid, which
renders it one of the best foods to grow
the bones of the young animal For
feeding sheep in summer. insced meal
and bran, and, when not too dear, oats
are most excellent They are what may
be called cooling foods, and will pro-
duce the best result, and the manure
from the first two is most valuable.
For winter feeding. corn is an econom-
cal food. 1t 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 concern
trate the feeding of rich foods upon q
small space, using these MANFRED pieces
to raise fodder for the sheep in winter.
Each year would fertlize few acres fit
of these pieces, fed most upon. should
be worked mellow. and the manure
mixed with the soil. to prevent waste Of
volatile elements. If this system of
renovation were conducted in the best
manner, the sheep should be confined
by hurdles; the rolling 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 day.
This would be best accomplished if the
piece of land to be fed over had a green
crop upon it, having feeding troughs at
the advancing hurdles in which should be
placed the Hnseed-meal and bran, the
sheep eating the green crop as fast as
they moved over 1t, and making up a
full ration from the troughs. We have
used this plan. with great satisfaction,
for fertilizing Land which would already
bear a good crop of clover, millet OF
rye.
Mutton sheep are better adapted TO
this system. as it is one of the most ex-
peditious ways TO fatten sheep In sum
| nIeF, and involves about az little labor
| a. any other plan we have ever tried
This plan works wen IN tattening ewes
after bearing early lambs. We believe
the poorest farms in New England could
be very cheaply re-fertilised 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 a system, car
| ried out, would soon work . complete
| revolution in farming and It's profits.
| NGt1osas LSEe- Stock .fors@H0l