Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-05-16
Farm, Garden and Household.

ment enough in it in proportion to bulk.
And it will generally pay to give the
cows in the yard some hay to eat during
the night, and little " cut feed"-say
one peck of hay and two quarts of fine
middlings-the first thing in the NOM
ing. A good COW at this season gives a
generous flow of milk, and it is unwise
not to supply her all the food she can
digest.
PRESERVING TIMBER. Prof. II. E.
Cotton, in reply to an inquiry as to the
means of preserving timber, told the
farmers Club that most of the patent
methods were impracticable in a small
way, on account Of the heavy machinery
necessary. The best method for COM
mon use was to thoroughly season the
timber, and then coat it with coal-tar or
crude petroleum, or common pine-tar,
put on hot This kept out worms and
moisture, which were the most destruc-
tive agents to timber.
SEEDING TO Grass AFTER Conn., A
Subscriber" asks ANicuFmiSt if he can
get a crop of corn off from the ground
in time to seed down to grass in the fall,
and cut hay the next season, Notunder
ordinary circumstances but if the
ground is very rich, clean, and made
mellow, and the grass seed sown not
later than the middle of September, it
may be done. Grass and clover have
been sown on such land in the spring,
and moved for hay the same season.
Use WAX.-Whenever o large branch
of any tree is removed the wound should
be covered with wax or common paint,
and the application renewed as often as
necessary to prevent decay. If this has
been neglected, and decay has progressed
to any considerable extent, then all
rotten and dead wood should be care
fully removed, and the hole filed with
cement, mortar, or other substance that
will keep out the air and water. Decayed
wood is OF no use to any tree, but it is q
positive damage, causing disease, and
the sooner it is removed the better
CoAL-TAR FOR RooFs.-C. Kimball,
Tioga Co., Pa, asked what was the best
roof. He has used several preparations
of coal tar which had been recommend
ed by the Club, but they were all unsat
isf0ctory. F. D. Curtis said he had also
tried several, and now had just laid forty
thousand sawed pine shingles, made in
Michigan, which cost him six dollars per
thousand, so that he might have peace.
He would state here that if stills of build
ing or sleepers beneath a floor were we'll
covered with salt for few days before
the floor was laid, they would be made
much more durable
CULTURE OF BEANS" Vermonter'
wants to grow beans, and asks what
manure shall be put on, how shall it be
put in and how harvest the crop. A
light dressing Of barn yard manure and
twenty bushels of leached ashes per acre
will benefit the crop. After plowina
and narrowing mark out as for corn
two feet apart each way, and drop five
beans in each hill. Keep clean with the
hoe or cultivator. When the crop is
ripe, it should be pulled, and stacked, il
not quite dry, in tall, narrow stacks
around stake driven in the ground, un
til dry enough to thrash. Rain or damp
will cause mildew, and spoil the color
and appearance of the beans and mucl
reduce their marketable value.
SHEARING SHEEP.-The following III
structions are intended for the novice
Surprising that the floor of the shearing
house has previously been thoroughly
cleaned, the pound containing the flock
Uttered with straw, the shearer proceeds
to catch his sheep. This he must avoid
doing after common method, which re
semhles, rather than anything else, the
rough-and-tumble efforts of dog drag
ging a woodchucb from his burow; but
after catching it, to throw his right arm
round the body, grasping the briske
with his hand, then lift it, and with hi
left hand remove dirt or straw, ii any
adhere to the feet. If the sheep is filth,
about the tail, or perchance any burr
are attached to the wool, at the Tires
hold OF the door let all be cut off by
suitable pair Of shears for such purpose
only. Then he may place the sheep OIL
that part of the floor assigned him, rest
ing on lis rump and himself in "A postur
with one knee on cushion and the bacl
Of the sheep resting against his left thigh
He grasps the shears about half way iron
the point to the bow, resting his thum1
along the blade, which affords him bet
ter command of the points. He ma,
then commence cutting the wool at th
brisket, and, proceeding downwards, al
upon the sides of the belly to the extrem
ity of the ribs, the sides of both thigh
to the edges of the TANKS then back t.
the brisket, and thence upward, shear
ing the wool from the breast. front, an
both sides of the neck-but not yet tn
back of it-and also the poll or fore par
and top of the head. Now the jacket
opened of the sheep, and its position, a
well as that of the shearer changed b
being turned flat upon its side one kne
of the shearer resting on the cushio
and the other gently pressing the fore
quarter Of the animal to prevent an
struggling. He then resumes cuttin
upon the flank and rump, and theme
onward to the head. Thus one side
completed. The sheep is then turne
on the other side, in doing which grea
care is requisite to prevent the fleece be
ing torn, and the shearer acts as upo
the other, which finishes. He must the
take his sheep near to the door throug
which it is to pass out, and neatly .trir
the legs, and leave not solitary loo
anywhere as harbor for ticks. 1t
absolutely necessary for him to remov
from his stand to trim, otherwise th
useless stuff from the legs becomes il
termingled with the fleece wool. In tn
use of the shears, let the blades be lai
as flat to the skin as possible, not lowe
the points too much, nor cut more tina
one or two inches at clip, frequent
not an nuoh. dependinp on the part an