The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-10-18
FARM AND GARDEN.

art pay hiS tHCii ho piOllS, anu IudI
they are losing rather than making
money. Now, this is true, perhaps, in
part, but it is due in a majority of cases
more to Encouragement than to crops
or prices. 1t is true, prices of produce
are low, and labor commands a compen-
sation far in advance of its real value,
when compared with the value of its
productions. But while such is the
case, farmers must rely more on their
brains, and make calculation overcome
the losses and augment the profits.
One great trouble is, that among our
farmers there is too much changing
about from one thing to another; that
is, leaving some one branch of the busi-
ness to follow another branch, which is
at present paying larger profit than
the one now engaged in, but which,
when they become ready to reap the
benefits from, may have fallen back to
the same level as that which they fol-
lowed before. For instance, one man
who last year was raising and fattening
cattle, this year is selling off his cattle
and buying sheep, because just at pres
ent the profits on wool are greater than
those on cattle; but perhaps before he
fairly gets started, and before he has
reaped any profits from his wool, the
prices have changed, and the profit will
be in cattle and not in sheep. At pres
ent, and for the last few years, farmers
have been changing from grain raising,
etc., to dairying, until the country is
now filled with butter and cheese-pro-
ducing farms, breaking down the mar
ket and placing dairying on level with
grain in profits; while those who have
expended their money in stock and
dairying utensils are making no more
money than before, and lose the interest
in their investment. So with hops and
grapes, and all those productions which
have their ups and downs in the market
Now, my advice to every man is, to
adopt some one or more particular
branch of farming-as many as he can
manage well and no more-and then
stick to it. Don't get discouraged if
there is no great profit the first year,
and rush off at something else; for in
the course of ten years it will pay good
legitimate profit for the whole time
The prices of grapes, and other fruits,
are SO low now that they are paying but
little profit; but let those who have
their vineyards only keep their temper
and not get discouraged; for there are
plenty of men who are neglecting and
blowing up their vineyards, and the
time is coming when grapes will again
pay good profit on the investment
Rural New Yorker.
DRAINING FIELDs.-A correspond
ent of the Ohio Farmer gives these
directions for draining fields without the
use of the spade: First, stake out the
line for the ditch, then plough three,
four or five burrows, depending upon
the size of the plough and the depth of
the ditch wanted, taking the last furrow
from where you want the centre of the
ditch, then with team and scraper-
good road scraper answers very well
-scrape the earth each way, carrying
it back one, two or even three rods, if
there is any low place to be filled up,
sloping the banks so that you can drive
a team and wagon or plough through
without any difficulty; then, if the land
is fiat or level, plough at right angles
from the ditch in lands fourteen or six
teen PAGES wide, opening the last or
dead furrow into the ditch. Plough
in the same manner two or three times,
if necessary, bring the last or dead fur
row in the same place until your land is
dry, and in rolling beds fourteen or six
teen PAGES wide. You can then cross
the lands or beds, and your land will
remain rolling and dry.
SAVE THE BEST Fowls FOR BREED
ING.-It is the worst possible policy to
kill all the best and handsomest fowls,
and save only the mean and scraggy
ones to breed from. This is precisely
the way to run out your stock; for like
tends to breed like, and the result is,
that by continually taking away the best
birds, and using the eggs of the poor
est, your flock will grow poorer every
succeeding year. 1t would seem as
though this was too plain to be insisted
upon, but, in fact, ''line upon line is
needed. 1t is the crying want of the
poultry upon the farms the country
through-this careful and intelligent Sc
lection of the best for breeding. Moth
ing is lost by little self-denial to start
with. The extra pound or two of poul-
try flesh that you leave on its legs, in
stead of sending it to the market, is as
good seed, and will bring forth ten-fold
and twenty fold in your future broods.
Save your best stock for breeding.
Our FooD.-There is no country
where there is so much dyspepsia as in
America, because our people pay so lit
tie attention to food, and eat too much
food for the exercise they take. If one
has mental labor, fish every second day,
at least, is requisite. Soup sets all the
glands at work, and prepares the stom-
ach for the more important functions
of digestion, and therefore should be
taken at dinner every day. Beef broth
is to the old what milk is to the young.
Cookery properly attended to keeps
man in health. If the stomach is out
of order, the brain is affected. We
should eat more fruit, vegetables, soup
and fish Good and well-prepared food
beautifes the physique, the same as