Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-05-31
AGRICULTU R AL.

A It Il u u L. 4 u IL a Il.
HINTS on SOWING GARDEN SEEDS.
Mature covers lightly. She scaiters
seed from the ripened stalk for rains to
wash into the EARTH OF the falling leaves
to cover, The gardener often plants too
deeply. Seeds which push up a large
head, as squasbes Cr Lima beans, and 9TH
ers with feeble stem, like onions, pars-
nips, etc, cannot well force their way
through several inches Of stiff soil pack
ed down by heavy rains A covering
one half inch deep is sufficient for most
seeds-less than that will answer for
many.
In covering, see that Jumps Of dirt OF
small stones do not take the place Of fine
earth. This often hapens when the seed
is covered by raking the drills lengthwise;
better way is to pass the back Of the
rake crosswise over the drills. The old
fashion of cutting up the garden into beds
four to six feet wide, thus wasting large
portion of the ground in useless paths is
now nearly out of date, and very prop
erly. A few long rows of beets, carrots,
onions, elc, across the garden, are more
easily worked than beds of short rows.
HINTS ABOUT SHEARING SHEEP
Shearing sheep is an operation very few
know how to perform well. There are
several reasons for this. Il seems use
less to many TO take pains to learn to do
well. II has to be done but once a year,
and the interval is so long. that what they
learn this year, will be FORGOTTEN next, SO
| it is got through with as s,.r as possible.
This should not be; shea ing should be
considered as much trad., and as well
learned as the carpenter trade.
Ii is often the case, when boys begin
to shear, that the father forgets the old
but sensible couplet:--
/ Neither wise men nor fools,
Can work without good tools.
The boy must take the old shears, used
for tagging three or four years, with the
assurance that he must.use them till he
knows how to take care of a new pair
In seven cases out of ten, this course so
discouragcs the boy that his desire to
learn TO shear ceases. Another reason
for bad shearing is this: When farmers
hire their shearing done, they want too
much done in a day, forgetting that wool
is money as well as time. The employer
pays the shearer $3.50 per day lie
wants him to shear from forty to fifty
sheep. lie is pleased at night to know
that he has got so much done, and that
the shearer has earned his money. He
forgets that be has lost in wool left on the
sheep, to pay for the days work. Sup
pose he shears forty sheep, aud leaves
two ounces Of wool on each Of them,
(Which is often the case) which taken off
would amount to $l,j0. Much of the
work that is laid to rats, might be avoid
ed if farmers would tell their shearers to
do their work well, if they did not so
much.
/ have sheared from one to fge hun
dred sheep each season for ten years, and
ike the business so well that / always
long for sheaIiug time to come. / will
give a few hints needed to make good
shearing.
The operator must have a good pair Of
shears, He must know how to keep
them in order, for it is very certain that
dull tool makes poor work. Good,
sharp, bright shears, net too sharp point
ed, will run smooth. The spring should
not be so timber as to double over the
wool nor so stiff as to make the wrist
lame. With skill, a steady nerve, and
an even temper, it can be made to do
good work.
There are various opinions in regard
to position. Some shear on the floor,
others use a bench. Good work may be
done either way prefer using a bench.
In all cases, the operator should hold the
sheep in the easiest possible position, and
keep the skin tight so as to make a
smooth surface to prevent cutting the
skin, causing the sheep to kick, Or tear
the fleece, and so exert their strength as
to injure them and sometimes to cause
death. This can and ought to be avoided.
john PRoDERT, in Ohio Farmer.
DRY FooD FOR HoGs.--Many hogs
are kept comparatively poor by the high I
dilution Of their food. They take in so
much water that there is not room for a |
good supply Of nutriment. Hence the
reason that those farmers who carefully /.
feed undiluted sour milk to their hogs, /
have so much finer animals than those /
who give them slop The hog has not
much room for water; and if food which .