Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-07-07
AGRICULTURAL.
raRn, GARDEN AND MOI sEHoLD.
aurrrrR roR sHrEP M .suMMER.


them usefnl, do not furnish them, but
subject the poor animalsto lie upon the
open plain or bill, in the scorching sun,
or seek shelter, if they can, in the
woods. where they are sorely annoyed
by insects. In either way they are in
icommoded, and will not thrive upon
the food they eat, as they would If all
circumstances were favorable to their
comfor6.
| Sheep do not like position, sum-
lmer or winter, where the air is close
or confined. When in their barns in
very cold weather their rooms require
free ventilation of air. 1t will answer
to close them for single night or day
when the cold is extreme, but if kept
shut long even under such circumstan-
ces, they do not like it, and suffer. So
in the summer season, they sometimes
seek the bushes and woods to screen
themselves from the hot sun, but in do
/ ing so they come to the natural haunts
of variety of insects that necessarily
annoy them. Besides this, the air is
close compared with its motion and
freshness in the open ground.
Sheds, or rather roofs, merely, may be
erected very cheaply by inserting posts
in the ground, and covering the top
with rafters and boards. 1t is not nee
essary that the roof should be more
than six feet above the ground. We
think we have seen them as low as four
feet. The sides should be left entirely
open. There will be scarcely a day in
Summer in which there will not be a
sensible current through such place
as this-and while such a current is
exceedingly grateful to the sheep, it
also drives away flies and other insects,
which prefer less breeze and the protec-
ton of the foliage of trees and shrubs
But the proof of the value of such sheds
is demonstrated by the animals them-
selves, wherever sheds are provided for
them. They resort to them constantly,
and seem to find quiet that they can
not in any other place. While the roof
excludes the sun, the all cools and re-
freshes the sheep.
But this is not all. Rains, dews and
hot suns have an injurious effect upon
the wool. Wool contains large amount
of oil, which the hot sun extracts and
| the wool becomes stiff and harsh. To
understand what this influence is, the
VIC grower has only TO examine the
| effect of exposure upon a black fleece.
| When it first begins to grow, the top of
the wool is as black as the bottom, but
after being exposed to the sun change
in color takes place. 1t has undoubt-
eddy parted with some valuable constit-
uents that the wool ought not to lose,
and which the farmer ought not to spare
from his profits. A similar effect takes
place when wool is exposed to a high
temperature after being wet, whether
on the sleeps back or on being dried
previous to manufacturing it, or when
made into garments. If an overcoat,
for instance, after being wet, is sub
mitted to high temperature for the
purpose of drying, it will be found to
have changed its character-that the
wool has become harsh and brittle, and
that the cloth will tear more easily than
before.
If the boards are expensive, shelter
may be secured that will answer the
purpose very well for a single season,
by the use of the branches of trees
NerO England Farmer.
HOP CULTURE.
In the first place the ground intended
for the hop yard should be well ma
nured, for hops require rich soil
then the ground plowed in April, drag
ged and marked the same as for corn,
four feet each way; then with hoe on
every other mark each way dig hole
about three inches deep, into which
drop a hop root from three to six inch
es long then cover with dirt TO make
it level. The root, if it does well, will
throw up a sprout from each joint
Every other hill on the hop row, and
next row entire. can be planted to corn
or beans, as the hops do not require to
be poled the first summer. Every fall
each hill of hops must have two or
three shovels full of manure put on it,
to enrich the ground and keep the roots
from freezing. In the spring follow
ing, the manure must be pitched Oft the
hills, and the runners, If any, must be
dug out and cut off to prevent them
from spreading all over the ground,
and preserve the hills in their pla es.-
There are but few runners the first
spring, plenty after that. r.i-a.a
After the runners are removed, the
poles can be set, two to each hill,
about one foot apart to prevent the
vines running from one pole to another,
and to make the tops of the pole IN the
yard an equal distance from each other.
The next thing is to pillow, commencing
in the centre between the rows, and
turning the burrows from the hill until
You get near enough to each row, then
turn the pillow the other way after that
reverse the furrow, turning toward the
hill; the rest can be done with cultl-
vator or hoe, keeping the ground clean
and mellow. Put the vines round the
poles from right to left and tie with the
yarn raveled from an old stocking
This is full of kinks, and will stretch
and not damage the vine as it grows
The hops are generally ready to pick
about the last of August or first of
September. From ten to fifteen hum
bred pounds, is the yield per acre.
TRAINING oUoUMBERs.
A great objection to raising cucum
bers In small gardens is, that they cover
too much ground. This fault may be
easily remedied by training them on
frames or trellises, by which arrange
ment they will yield an abundant crop,
without occupying any land except the
hills on which they grow.
A correspondent of the Utica Herald
describes a new plan of training cucum-
bers. He says that he planted on the
embankment under buttery window,
hill of cucumbers on the 18th of june,
1855, and when they came up, he COM
menced training them up the side of
the house, but soon found that all but
ono plant was dead. and that one con-