The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-11-12
evening State Suatnal.
TUESDAY EvE'G, NOV. IL, 1872.
Work for the Month.


Work for the Month.
We take from the american Agric,uu
rist the following excellent directions fol
the month:
Breeding e,oes should be selected with
care. Draft out all that have lost theiI
teeth, have bad udders, or are in any way
defective. Select the ram with still greater
care. He ought to be pure bred, and as
near perfect as you can get him. A defect
in thoroughbred will be impressed more
strongly on his offspring than the same de-
feet in a ram of mixed blood, and so will
his good qualities.
Put but one ram in the flock at time
It is we'll to remove him every evening and
shut him up for the night, and give him a
pint Of oats and pint Of bran. 1t is also
very desirable that the ewes have liberal
feed for some time before and at the time
the ram is with them. Salt regularly, and
see that they do not want for water.
Lambs should be kept in flock by
themselves, and have the best of food and
care. If any are affected with scours, give
half a pint of milk porridge, made with
wheat flour.
Ticks arc often very troublesome in
winter or early spring, especially on long
wool lambs. If not already done, dip all
the lambs and sheep in solution Of car
bolic soap. Use warm, soft water, and
dip the the sheep in all over, except the
head. Select dry sunny day for the
operation. Squeeze the wool as dry as
possible with the hands, and the sheep will
not be likely to take cold.
Sacine.--Push forward the fattening pigs
as rapidly as possible, and dispose of them
as soon as ready. We shall be obliged to-
accept that we can get. Next year prices
will probably be higher, and as corn is
cheap, it may be well to keep over our
spring pigs rather than to fatten them now.
Young pigs of this fall's filters should have
good care and abundance Of nutritious food.
Keep them growing rapidly through the
winter, and next summer they will thrive
on clover, and little corn will make them
ready for the butcher early in the fall.
Select good-sized sows for breading, and
secure well-bred boar. Those who i'm
prove their stock or swine are sure of their
reward.
Pouhry.-Select out the best for breed
ing, and fatten and dispose of the rest.
Fall Plowing. long as the ground is
dry enough to work we would keep the
plows and cultivators going. Except on
the lghtest sands, which are liable to
leach, there can be no doubt Of the advan-
tages of stirring and exposing the soil and
our springs are so short that we should
aim to do as much work as possible in the
autumn. Plow or cultivate corn stubble
and potato ground.
Digging Potatoes.-Use every dry day
in finishing this work. There is nothing
to be gained by delay, and much to lose.
See hints for last month.
Harvesting Root Crops. - Mangel and
other beets should be gathered at once, as
they are liable TO be injured by frosts.
Sweedes and other turnips, are less liable
to injury, but it is better to secure early
all that are to be put in pits or in the cellar.
1t is hardly worth while trying to preserve
the tops. Feed them out now, giving plenty
Of dry food, such as hay and bran, in connec-
ton with them. If mangels are kept in pits,
be very careful to provide plenty Of "chim-
nsys " for ventilation. Our own plan is to
put board lengthwise of the pit on top of
the straw, putting only dirt enough on it
to prevent the wind from blowing it off.
This will keep out the rain, and it can at
any time be lifted with crowbar and the
heap can be examined. If the straw is
wet and the roots warm, the heap needs
ventilating. We kept 5000 bushels of
in pits, last year, in this way, with
out loss. We need hardly say that per-
fectly dry location is essential.
Carrots not needed until spring, are best
kept in pits. Those put in the cellar should
be CORDED and not thrown in heap.
The more soil there is mixed with them
the better they will keep.
Parsnips are not injured by being left in
the ground all winter, and if fed out early
in the spring, before they commence to
grow, this is much the better way to keep
them.
Cabbages are best preserved by blowing
q deep "dead-furrowo in a dry soil, and
then lay the cabbages with the roots up in
the furrow, and cover the heads with soil.
Be careful that no water gets to the heads.
Do this in dry, cold weather.
Get Ready for Winter.-f stones are
placed in large heaps, they can be drawn
where they are wanted for fences or other
purposes in winter while the snow is on the
ground. Large stones should be lifted with
q crowbar, and a small stone or piece of
wood put under them, to keep them off the
ground otherwise they will freeze to the
earth, and can not be removed without
great labor.
Gravel for roads should be screened so
as to remove the sand. 1t can then be
drawn on sleighs in winter, and much
labor will be saved. One load of screened
gravel is worth three loads mixed with
earth. There is dirt enough already on
our roads.
IRON NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.