Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-01-31
FARMERS ATWOODSTOCK
HOW THE BILLINGS HERD OF JER-
StYS ARE FED AND CARED FOR.
Some Sensible Sheep Talk from Men of
Experience andGood Judgment-The
Sheep Husbandry of Vermont Not
Doomed-A Successful Meet
ing of the State Board.

| WOODSTOCK, Jan. 25.--Charles NJ.
Maxim was elected chairman aud his APP
appointment was most excellent one
Rev. Mr.. McMillen gave this address of
welcome. He said; | am not a farmer either
practically or theoretically but have had
some experience in farming in Kansas when
a boy, and he gave many amusing incidents.
of blowing prairie lands with a colt team
If the farmers should join together as some
business meu do they would be the strong
est class of men on earth. l do not think
the Vermont farmers are either poor or
| handicapped. My father owned farm in
Kansas seven years and in that time only
| got Two good crops. Corn is king there
and is only worth 10 cents and potatoes 10
cents; | believe the chances of the Vermont
farmer far beyond his Western brother;
compare our home and comforts to theirs:
the State of Kansas is mortgaged to-day for
more than it will sell for.
Mr.. Chaplin replied in his usual happy
manner.
Mr. Atkins, tho superintendent Of the
Billings farm, read a very interesting paper
on the raising of Jersey stock. Inbreed-
ing can be carried on to IA much greater ex-
tent than people generally supposed. He
gave instances where the most noted cows
of all breeds were the result of close in
| breeding.
In answer to questions Mr.. Atkins said:
We feed mixture of grain oats, peas cob
and corn bran, linseed and barley, fodder
corn and slower with early cut hay, cut
and steamed with half a bushel of
roots Roots are worth about S. per ton
to feed; have tried to feed cotton seed meal
but customers found fault with butter; can
not feed turnips to mich cows; mix some
roots with hay before steaming TO give it
flavor. Think roots are worth as much
raw as steamed; do not think it much ad-
vantage to steam hay, but it is O decided
advantage to cut it, do not think it is profit
able to ensilage the corn; there is too much
alcohol and vinegar in it; water our cows
but once day; do not warm the water
when they drink in the barn, but should if
they drank in the yard.
Mr. Winslow of the Board spoke on
SHEEP HUsBANDRY
and gave his idea of what would be q profit
able sheep for Vermont. He said in sub
stance that the State needs a merino NUT
ton sheep, sheep that the ewes will weigh
at least 100 pounds, and will shear 10 or -
pounds OF long staple fine wool; such a class
of sheep would be good for either mutton or
"Ooi, 'to hoJ WANT Wrinkles nor grease.
Mr.. Atkins thought the Southdows the
most valuable for this State, they are I'm
surpassed for mutton, shear fine wool and
the lambs are unsurpassed; they command
the highest price for mutton Of any class.
Mr. Perkins of Pomfret said: The mar.
ket demands mutton merino from Texas
to Maine They are valuable for something
beside wool and mutton. Western farmers
want larger, smoother sheep, sheen that
VIII weigh over 100 pounds but we cannot
get them; have had much experience in
raising and selling sheep; we should be
raising sheep to-day for the Western mar
ket.
Mr.. Winslow said Ny experience is thai
Downs are more quiet then Cotswold al
though any sheep can be taught to be I'M
ruly: merino ewes are good mothers, but
should be shorn before they drop their
lambs.
Mr. Henry Walker said: Think mutton
breed OF merino sheep are best adapted to
our billy country; too much attention has
been paid to breeding for heavy fleece,
wrinkles and yolk, at tine expense of the
size and constitution; we should breed for a
large sheep with good constitution; want
dense fleece with long staple.
Mr.. Perkins said: We want common
sense sheep, wool three inches long ana not
too dense; thick wooded wrinkled sheep can
not endure the storms the thicker the wool
the longer it will take to dry out; the kind
of sheep describe would stand the storms
as well as Southdown
Mr.. Walker said: Wrinkles are of no
benefit to the sheep or fleece, and the wool
on wrinkles is coarser and causes a jar in the
fleece; the manufacturers want an even
wool; we don't want sheep to carry around
an extra amount of wool or grease to the
detriment of its health.
MIR. Winslow said: Sheep in Australia
have thin WOOL and to bring them up to the
standard buck that has the strongest type
of a merino is needed
Mr.. Walker said; Don't know why we
cannot get as much wool from smooth
sheep as wrinkley one; wrinkles do not
make the fleece any more valuable.
Mr.. Atkins said: | consider the South
downs a firm wool sheep; they are very ord
erly and l think are the sheep for the Yer
mont farmer to breed