The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1904-05-12
AGRICULTURE.


ny 81 lion has brrn tpekhi NV fsltmfs
on this srhj CT ard I an now rady to give
q fully sta freely, U,hep 10 ~ cepd'.
items Asd envlro, ca W, have been favcrlis
study os mice ior several dtcad,s wlll
tist ny have irsvtl,d II ard about all
OF the Ne. gard states except Mainr'
10 my time, and feel ,olersely familiar
with condilions a. they nov exis, there.
oaly ore of The eastern vn'es ever pov.
ss,sd any sheep nolorie,y. and that was
Vermont. which, several years sgo, was
noted In sheep SECTORS all over the globe
~ producer Of the best bred q ,hesp for
wool 10 txis,eree. the much tailed Of Yer
mont Merlres Thee ,heep were sought
~ breeders. ard A. tall plisef--M much ~
~ 600 head for mslot lot only In this
country but from such far away PLACES a.
Argentina. Australia and other foreign
countries which possessed lively interest
10 the growth Of n eces which produced
the haert cloiLlrg woods. Bu, the Oldest
best and most noted Vermont breeders died
OF one BY one, a. II seems that not enough
Of their sens grew up TO d their places
aud ptrpeluaie or improve upon the re-
cords the former genera Ion had made. 10
later years the interest In the Vermont
Merinos has ssily waved, although sever, J
exc, lent q lcks remain. | may be ni,tsk-
en-, but have no;i,n Of thlnliag that
the decadence a the Vermont Meiino trade
was, 10 some measure, owing to the advent
10 ills country 81 the Rambouillet or
Fferch Merinos, which are larger breed,
grow lorger ard more pounds Il list AS
foe staple, and retain all the good charsc.
teristlcs OF the original Merino sheep.
BE that as II may, New England, As a
section, is admirably adapted to sheep
farming, ard owing to superior markets
for lanlbs, mutton and wool, | an at loss
to understand Why more Of these products
are not grown there. No kind Of a2ricul.
ture could be more nmunerative there sx-
ctpt, perhaps, gardening and 10 some cases
fruit growing, while your great dairying
Industry, Ia relative point Of prod, is far
behind what sheep culture could be made
to be II performed rightly.
IL has been settled by Exhaustive expert
ment that ten sheep can be kept on the av-
erage farm as readily as one co. for the
same expense for feed. While ten sheep
would require stme more nutrIment than
one COW, still this Excess Is more than com.
pensated for by the nature ard quality Of
the nutriment that will satisfy them. They
are great CLEANERS, which cows are not /; and
they feed upon many thirgs which would
otherwise 20 to waste. They relish many
kinds Of weeds which cows would not eat
at all, and this Is clear gaia ever the COVE,
for weeds are only detriment in COW
pasture, as they prevent the growth Of an
equal amount If other plants which are
nutritious feed for COWS
But perhsps. the greatest service sheep
can pei form on iu1 down farms, as are so
many orce prosperoua farmsteads In New
England, IL the clearing up CT fields Of live
brush and sprouts, which they will do with
great satisfaction to the owner or occupant
Of the land, and to the delight Of obseiv wing
neighbors. will insIasce case 10 point
A young farmer near my former residence
purchased neglected farm upon which
we're two badly neglected orchards. Black
berry bushes, young shrubs and spple-trte
sprouts bad taken possession OF most Ct the
orchards, so 1t was very diff cult for man
to walk directly through either orchard at
any time Of ear. Two years ego just afdr
shetT hearing time, he Gu, the berry
bushes, SD, ubs and appe-tree sprouts and
then turned 10 a flock Of sheep. There he
changed from orchard to orchard about
once In ten days until the growing season
was over. The next season only a little
growth Of sprouts appeared, and he sheep |
ed these down; ow, both orchards are En-
tire free Of such growth. An interesting
Incident In this Q fair is that the second sea-
son he loaned bis fl pck part Of the time |
TO a ne'ghbor to subdue his orchard. The
tree regenerattd orchards In the same
neighboIht OF ia feature remarked upon |
by sill knowing the circumstances who
have occasion to pass that way. This IL
not the only good the sheep have done.
rhsir droppings, so rich In plant food ard
10 equally distributed and vel worked In.
10 the surface soil With their sharp hoof.
have largely increased the pasture ability |
IL the land add to this, 1t should be
'tated, that several kinds Of the best pas.
ure grasses, such as white clover, June
,rass and some others possessing light
leeds which can easily be blown long die
ance, by heavy winds, have ftutd lodge.
nent 10 this soil ard are procetding to
make growth which will produce more and
letter pasture than Il probably tver pre-
|uced before. The Fame can be done with
most Of the reelected, bushy, fproufy old
arms 10 New England; but where the
lghtfeaded tame grasses are not much cul-
ivated, when the coll 10 prepared to grow
hem by the aid Of sheep, think 1t would
e necessary to purchase seeds Of this char.
cter, sowing them snd narrowing or
bushing" them 10. Here this seems to be
II appears strange here bu'
10 nevertheless true, that when a piece
I timber Ia cut CT with not 9 fpesr Ct
rass growing upon the ground, IL sprouts
nd large weeds be kept cut down,or gnaw.
down BY shell p, 10 two or three years
me the coil will become well filed with
he tame grt sses. d.. Gilen Wilson.
Iihacs, N. Y.
A ytung man no lives In good grass
cuntry where there Is n,ither creamery
or cheese factory wants to know how