The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-02-10
AGRICULTURAL.
A correspondent in the Prairie Farmer
gives the following remarks on the

lot for q very little labor, without expend-
ing dollar, can make very comfortable
sheep-house. My structure is only tenn
porary, but economical and adapted to the
purpose.
fourteen feet, as high as an ordinary log
stable, and then with forks, firmly set in
the ground, and poles joining the building
so as to give the roof proper slant, /
shielded the east, vest, and the north, let
ting the lower or outer edge of the root
come within five feet of the ground.
When the skeleton was completed / COW
cred the whole with riven oak boards four
feet long, weighing them down with poles
then closed up the space between the
roof and the ground with split puncheons
six and half feet in length, thus giving
them slant to lean against the outer poles
supporting the roof. then made wind
break on the south side, by setting up
puncheons q sufficient distance from the
sheds to drive the wagon between. Doors
of sufficient size to admit the ingress and
egress of sheep, are cut in the east and
west sides of the pole building, in which,
five feet above ground is a pole floor, the
space above being used as receptacle for
hay. A window is CIT in the south end
for the admission of hay from the wagon.
My three hay racks, (Which | have not
space to describe,)I have placed under
each shed My troughs for feeding grain,
and of sufficient number to prevent
crowding, are in the sheep lot under
cover.
feed shelled corn, and not particle Of
it is wasted, ] smeared the inside of the
trcughs with pitch-tar, because believe
sheep like it, and it keeps them healthy.
saved the sorgham blades and tops,
the bean straw, for extra fodder during
extra cold snaps, and find that they eat it
with relish.
DON'T STINT THE COLTS.
DR.. Dadd says: At no time 10 the life
of colts, do English farmers pay SO much
attention to these animals, or feed them
better, than during their first winter, and
these men contend that i yOn inform them
how colt is fed and cared for, the first
year, they predict what kind Of a horse he
will make.
Just so soon as the colt is weaned, he
should have few handtuls of good oats,
bruised, per day, few pounds of cut
straw and and few pounds of hay cut. All
else that he prOcures in the pasture will
fill up the gap in his stomach (Which Oc-
ours between meals) and he will not over
distend that organ, or biz intes.ines, SIM
ply because the wants of nature have been
satisfied to g-eat extent, or rather pro-
vided for, by feeding the articles just al
luded to. Some persons may object to
feeding colts in a generous manner, on ac'
count of the expense, but if good fodder
will make strong, vigorous and healthy
colts, and such colts make valuable horses,
then think such investment must pay
well. Finally, the principal effect pro-
duced onthe growing animal by insufficient |
nutrition, is to hinder his best develop |!
ment. Therefore, say, don't stint colts !
WOOL.
Moore,s Rural Ne,c Yorher discusses |
the wool question as follows:
Will wool command equally high prices |
through another year? Unless the war
should close, or unless some decided change |
should take place in the value of our Cir
culating medium before tie next clip is
sold, there is no good reason to doubt
this. The chances are generally believed
to be against the occurrence of either of
these contingencies. But whether they
occur or not, the demand for actual con-
sumption must continue. The restoration
of cotton culture after the war, will of
course diminish the damand for wool, but
that restoration will be gradual under any
circumstances. If slavery continues, the
actual dimnition of it, and the breaking
up and confusion introduced into its ar
rangements by the war, will greatly lessen
the effective agricultural labor of the
South, applicable to tie production of cot
ten. If slavery is destroyed, it will take
considerable time to organize a new basis
for cotton production by free labor But
were the supply of that staple to meet the
demand as soon as the war closes, the do
mestic supply of wool would still fall vastly
short of the demand.
POULTRY.
NJ. Reaumur made some experiments to
ascertain whether it was better TO cook
grain for fowls or to feed it dry. He found
that as general rule fowls prefer boiled
grain to raw, though sometimes they eat
the dry grain in preference. The better
way is to give them cooked food, and
little dry grain in addition. He found
more advantage in cooking Indian corn
than any other grain.
The editor of the Farmers Journal
mentions an experiment which is directly
to the point. He says: "We had lot
which were supplied with grain, water and
gravel, in the cold season. They did not
Law till the latter part of February-they
we're old hens. The next winter, in addi-
ton to grain, we gave them warm food of
potatoes, meal, etc., fresh lot of gravel
every week, and pounded bones and oyster
shells, and care was taken to keep the hen
house clean. In January, the second
winter, the same hens laid abundantly.
The eggs were worth three times as much
as the food consumed"
Keep hens warm and clean, with plenty