SHEEP ON THE FARM.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 80, 15 January 1881, Page 4

SHEEP ON THE FARM.

One of the great advantages of keeping sheep upon the farm (remarks ihe Adelaide Observer) is the fact that they are fond of some of the worst weeds which make the fields dirty, and put the farmer to loss and expense. The Oxalis is one of the most troublesome weeds to deal with when once it j has got a hold of the ground ; the more a man tries to get rid of it the more it spreads. If he lets it get into flower it covers the ground with seedlings ; if he attempts to dig the plant out, every root left in will form a new plant, and as every root is also covered with small bubbilles, there will soon be a thousand plants in place of every one supposed to be destroyed. Turn in a flock of sheep upon a paddock smothered with "sour-sops " or Oxalis, and in a very short time every leaf, root, and bubbille will be gone, so that one might safely offer a reward for the discovery of a single plant. This destruction is effected by the urine of the sheep, which is a destroyer of vegetation in this case, but a fertilizer in nearly every other. The sow-thistle is a nasty weed on a wheat-field, spreading it about in every direction, and robbing the other plants of the nutriment properly belonging to them. It collects upon fallowed ground, and if let alone will soon spread thousands of seeds upon the wings of the wind, and as they are dropped in every direction they will soon cover a very great extent of country. Sheep will detect a thistle at a great distance, and will eat it down to the crown in no time. This will not destroy it, but will give it a check, and when it sprouts up again the sheep are ready to nip it off until the weed is worried out of the field. A hundred sheep will keep a field cleaner of weeds than several laborers would, and at the same time will be growing meat and wool without costing anything for wages. Sheep will always nibble off the young shoots and sprouts of weeds, and keep all kinds of herbage short and sweet; the grass grows thicker and sweeter where sheep run, and thus kills a number of useless weeds. The increase in number and in weight of meat is not equal to that of pigs, but for cleaning the farm, for producing wool and contributing fresh meat, there are advantages attached to sheep which do not appertain to the unclean animal. Bacon and hams are very good standing dishes, but a i change to fresh mutton is • very nice sometimes — even on the farm. A good heavy sheep — cross-bred — may weigh 801b to 901b, or a merino may make 60lb of meat; which would possibly be too much for a farmer's family, but a portion can be put down in the harness-cask, or exchanged with a neighbor ; but a fat pig should weigh from 2501b to 3001b, and would be too great a bulk of meat to kill for the purpose merely of supplying the house with fresh meat. Sheep will keep the farm clear from weeds, grow an average of eight shillings' worth of wool, every year, increase about 90 per cent, per annum in, number, or about eight to fifteen shillings each, furnish meat, manure the ground, and

do all this without wages. Perhaps a youth may be wanted to look after the flock, but the best protection is to bang plenty of bells about their necks, to keep a few quiet cattle in the same paddock, so that the sheep can run to the cattle for protection against dogs — as they will always do — the bells warning the owner of the threatened mischief, and the cattle keeping the dogs at bay until he comes. Finally, such good and cheap laborers as sheep are should be rewarded by being provided with a good, close, high enclosure at night, with some cover, and perhaps clean straw from the stack. This will prevent loss by dogs at night, and they will make a fine lot of manure from the straw in time.