The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-01-31
Sheep in Vermont.

January B, you invite writer's on the
sheep industry. Although have had
some experience in sheep-raisinp. with
fair success, yet / hardly feel that |
can write anything of interest or bene-
fit TO your readers. Probably would
not have thought of writing had I not
differed with you little on one poipt:
and that is, as / understand YOU, that
mutton sheep require level grazing
land, such as is found in Maine and
some parts of Vermont. NV idea ia
That all sheep do better on hillside pas
lures than upon level bottoms; but that
mutton sheep, as the SuutbdOwn, Shron-
shire, and other kindred breeds, which
come TO US from the Downs of England.
will do very we'll on level farms, while
The Merinos and all fine woods REQUIRE
hill pastures to do their best. As is we'll
known, the Vermont Merinos have led
the world for the past fifty years.
think comparatively few of the best
Canadian sheep are raised on the per-
fectly level farms of Quebec and On
tario. | noticed, in riding through
Canada on the Grand Trunk road from
Montreal west, that sheep were con.
spicuous by their absenc, which | re-
marked to a fellow traveller who lived
in that vicinity, and was toldlthat they
did not raise many sheep in that level
country, but that their stock was mostly
cattle and horses. But | fully agree
with you that it is an advantage to raise
few sheep on our small farms, and
only speak of the above that none NAV
be led 10 believe that they cannot raise
good mutton sheep if they have hill
farm, and my Shropshres are Just as
eager to get on the highest point in the
! pasture as ever the Merinos were.
consider now as a good time for
any one to start flock OF sheep. If a
man has had no experience in sheep
raising, he had best start with few,
and what he may learn in caring for
them will qualify him to manage the
flock as it increases; but, as with any
other occupation, if one has no taste for
it, he had better let alone; and if he
endorses the sentiment uttered long
years ago by John Randolph that he
"would go out of his way any time to
kick sheep" he had better follow
some other calling. Such a man would
be better adapted to the propagation of
mules.
If we have got to compete with Aus
tralia-where the sheep Craze out all
the year and the feed is better in win
ter than summer-in growing wool, we
had better raise a mutton sheep, as
lambs and fat sheep Away ell at fair
price in our markets. 1t seems the
time has come for New E. gland farm
ers to keep "a bre ed of sheep that will
not shucklaround in their skins so much
as the Merinos, and one that will put
the fat on the inside ms cad of the out.
side of the pelt. Any of the black
faced breeds do very well. The Shrop-
shire are larger than the Southdowns,
and not quite as coarse as the Hamp-
shires; the lambs mature quick and
make good weight. My lambs were
from four to five months old when
marketed and averaged eighty-six
pounds; one that was dropped July f.,
when sold September 10, weighed sew
enty pounds. Those sales of lambs
quoted from the Farm and Fireside are
most too general to give one an exact
idea of the matter; it did not give the
time of year the lambs were sold, or
state age or weight of them.
a word about the care of sheep NAV
not come amiss, although nearly every
one that keeps sheep has way of his
own. Sheep do not need so much care
as cows, yet they do very much need a
certain amount of care. They should
never be out in soaking rain after it
comes cold weather, and do not like
to have mine get very wet in the spring
till after they are sheared. Conce rn-
ing the feed for sheep, some people
think that anything is good enough for
them. True, they will eat some kinds
of fodder better than any other stock.
All kinds of leaves, briars, goldenrod,
waterbrakes, etc., if cut early, make
good feed for them; but coarse herds
grass cut late, and low meadow hay, is
very poor fodder for sheep, unless grain
or roots are fed with it. l never feed
grain until about the time the lambs
are expected along, then feed some
roots and whole barley which they like
better than meal and / think the sheep
is the only animal that will mastcate
barley as it should be. When cutting
my hay put that intended for the
sheep by itself, taking it from ground
that has been stocked some years,-red-
top, and any fine hay except swae.
Sheep and horses do well together in
the pasture or at the barn, as their
tastes differ greatly, and what one will
not eat the other likes.
OF course you are aware that your
opinion on the subject of fruit culture
is considered valuable, but it was very
forcibly impressed upon me few days
since. when one of those specimens of
humanity, commonly called apple-tree
peddlers, called on me; and OF course
| had to buy few trees to get rid of him.
In looking over his catalogue we came to
the Long6eld apple, the term of useful
ness of which was put down as " from
December to April" l showed him
what you said concerning the keeping
gu lities of this apple. He looked at it
moment, and exclaimed, 81 have
nothing to say l take DR.. Hoskins'
word on fruit every time"
l would like to say right here Il hope
it will not seem like praise to the face)
that the agricultural page is very inter-
L.. u l I