Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1871-08-10
AGRICULTURAL.

keen Zoe is on the weeds. We have seen
hoes hat were worn out, never having
been sharpcned, because 4 sharp hoe soon
wears out; although the extra labor in
a day needed to destroy the weeds and
move the soil with a dull implement,
would equal the cost of a new hoe. Ger
tainly it is poor economy to save the
wear of the hoe, of necessity ONLY hall
killing the weeds, and making heavy toll
of otherwise light work.
A file, even an old file, cleaned with
some diluted acid, will answer every
purpose, or a grindstone if one has no
file. Never mind if stones 10 dull, or
gravel; a sharp hoe carefully used will
accomplish more than the noisy grub
bling of a dull one. We take pleasure in
seeing the hoe daily narrow mp and the
corners gradually round off, for honora-
BILE age and constant service benefits the
hoe, making the blade thinner and
smaller. Sharpen the hoe then-first,
to save hard labor; second, to Go neater,
cleaner work; third, to keep it brighter
finally, to AVE the pleasure of seeing it
grow old in the service.-[ Country Gen
tlenldn.
GROWTH OF THE SoUTH.-A railroad
from Selma, Alabama, to the Gulf, at
Pensacola, now building, will, when
completed, leave but q ShOr gap untitled
in the direct air line from Chicago to the
best harbOr on the Gulf of Mexico. This
line runs through the richest agriculture
al district in Alabama, and is fully sus-
tanned by State credit. Chicago is di-
rectly north of Pensacola, and much
nearer to it than it is to New York.
Chicago, Nashville, Selma and Pensacola
are in one line, thus the completion of
the untitled gap gives Il direct air line
from Lake Michigan to the Gulf, and
which will compete for the trade of the
= L1-@4
of two million bales of cotton raised
within reach of this road, over one-half
of it must go over it. The revenue from
this freight it is not difficult to estimate.
hi road, or its northern extension, Will
pass directly through the great coal and
iron region of Alabama, forty miles north
of Selma. This region of immense min
eral value is now principally owned by
the coal and iron interest of PennsylVa-
mia, which is moving for its development.
All this great field of mineral wealth is
about to be opened up by the completion
of this road, more thar half of the dis
lance of which is already finished. The
erection of iron and steel works is pro-
jected on the line, and a new industry
will thus be added to the South.
CHEAPER LABoR.-The great want of
the farmers-cheaper labor-we think, is
in a fair way to be met. The tendency |
VI OOlu Is SGCdUlly uOW IL w dlu, dllu dill L
looking forward to specie payments at no
distant day. In 1869 the premium aver
aged about 81. In 1870 about fifteen, a
falling off of nineteen per cent, or nearly |
one-fifth of its value. All farm.products
have fallen, with two or three eXcep-
lions, and laborers can purchase about as
much with four-fifths of a dollar now as
they could with a whole dollar two years
ago. 1t is but fair that farmers should
aTaiI themselves of this cbanoa in the
price of labor. This is already done in
some parts of the country, and men can
be hired by the day or by the season for
about twenty per cent. under former
rates. We all want more labor upon
our farms, even with all the advantages
of improved tools and machinery. If we
can get our labor on terms to make it
pay US a-small profit, we can enlarge our
labor bill every year. We want more
labor applied, especially in digging
muck and peat, and making compost
heaps; to draining and saving anure ;
to making barn cellars; for tlllln9,
draining and subsoiling. In short, we
want to work less land and make it
deeper and richer.-HeGrth and Home.
HENs EATING THEIR EGGs.--H. p, Will
mantle Estate not given), inquiries for a
preventive and cure for this habit. He
says his fowls were well supplied with
animal food, fresh grass, and pounded
Oyster-shells, in addition to grain, yet
devoured their eggs. 1t is a common
error to uppOSe that some deficiency of
diet causes this vice. The appetite for
animal food cannot be so satiated that a
nice fresh egg will not taste good as soon
as hunger begins to return. The habit
of egg-eating is first acquired by fowls
devouring a thin-shelled or shelless egg,
and then trying to repeat the delicate fare
by pecking at those with thick shells, or
by some accident an egg may be broken, |
II thus afford the first lesson. 1t fire.
quently happens that hens, when shut up
and driven to straits for occupation, will
scratch among the straw or other litter
OF their nests, and thus break eggs, and
so get a taste. When one learns to break
them OIL purpose, the rest soon initiate.
If hens mast be kept in close cOnfine-l
ment, make the nests in covered boxes,
with a low, dark, covered passage-way a
few feet long leading to them which is
lighted only by an aperture at the end
just large enough for a fowl to enter.
The will be that while the
birds will readily enter to lay, and even
prefer a dark place for that purpose, you
may be sure they will not go there on
or spend their time rummaging |
among the straw. This is a preventive,
and also generally a cure, for ever a hen
that is so far demOralized as to eat her
own eggs as soon as lald Will not often
do it in a lark corner. But the best pre-
Yentive is a free range for fowls, in
which case egg-eating as well as pluck-
ing and ~devouring feathers: is rarely or
never acquired, because fowls find plenty
to do that is Legitimate without follow
ing abnormal practices, and if one does
learn evil the rest are not huddled close
by to watch every motion and learn also.
1t has been suggested that nest-eggs of
some hard material be placed where egg
eating hens may peck at them unavail-
ingly until wearied, and thus be diverted
from their bad habit, but we have re-
peatedly seen fowls ruined by this vice
in places where artificial eggs were al
ways kept. Another recommended cure
is to remove the contents of IN egg-shell,
fill it with ground cayenne with a little
paste added, when the fowls will break
it, fill their beaks hurriedly in the strife
possession, and then run around as ii
they had been eating Goals of fire. While
the smart lasts they avoid eggs, but will
soon relapse. Sometimes the bills of
offenders are burned off with a red hot
iron until so blunt that they cannot
break eggs with them. But in impa-
thence at their ill-success they will some
times scratch the eggs about, trying to
an immersion uDOn them in some