Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1874-01-31
AND GARDEN
Edited br VI II. BATEHAM.

FIELD AND GARDEN.
Edited br VI II. BATEHAM.
There are 160 Oranges in kentucky,
with membership of 5000. The first
Grange was organized at Pembroke on
the 20;h of September last.
Remember the annual meeting of the
Ohio Dairymeu's Association viii be
held at Cleveland, Jan. 2S-29.
The chair of chemistry in the Ohio
Agricultural College has been filled By
the appointment of Professor Oberton, a
graduade of Cornell University.
THE STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE,
as recognized, -eleeted-the following
officers: L. G. Delano, President; Simp-
son Harmonnt, Treasurer; j. II. Kip
part, Corresponding Secretary; II. S.
Babbitt, Financial Secretary. The
Board VIII not decide on the location for
the State Fair until their meeting, Feb
ruary 18th. The indications are that
Columbus will be the place selected
The Board of trustees of the agricul-
tural college have elected v. B. Horton,
President; james Sullivan, Secretary,
and H. S. Babbitt, Treasurer. II. C.
Jones, j. II. Buchtel, and NJ. NJ Mum
son were chosen Executive Committee.
THE RAILWAY QUESTION is receiving an
amount of consideration this winter
that should result in q long stride to-
ward its solution. In Congress it is the
great central theme, Several bills have
been introduced, some of them for the
establishment of great through compet-
ing lines for freight, others for the reg
ulation of rates on lines extending
through different states. In nearly all
the state legislatures the railway ques-
ton is uppermosf. The contest at
Springfield is bound to be a warm one.
- Prairie Farmer.
BENEFITS OF KEEPING SHEEP.
Ats recent meeting of the Central N.
Y. Farmers Club, Mr.. o. r. Gridley, in
speaking of the advantage of sheep and
rotation OF crops, said:
fsThe advantages OF keeping sheep are,
they distribute their manure better than
any other stock, and, in this way, give
more general benefit to pastures. They
also give better sward, not merely in
the manuring. When a farmers winter
wheel is thin he puts in calves and,
sometimes sheep, in the fall, to eat it Off
and cause it to tiller and spread, that he
may get more bushels per acre. In
England sheep cause the grass to tiller,
where they have had more experience
and where they farm better; the Eng
lishmen will tell us, here in Central
New York, that there Ia no stock that
will Sc much improve their pastures as
Sheep"
"As our country becomes older and
our soils exhausted of much of their
original exements, is it not already be-
coming evident that we have got to
adopt, at no distant dav, something
akin to the English standard Of rotation
and pay especial attention to the manur-
ing and restoration OF exhausted soils?
For this purpose, it has been found nec-
etsary to keep sheep, which have been
declared to be 'the sheet anchor of Eng
lish agriculture Prof. Coleman, of
the agricultural college of Cirencester,
in paper recently read before the Roy
al Agricultural Society, on the breeding
and feeding of sheep, says: 1T is not diff
ficult to show that sheep alone, apart
from their influence upon the corn
crops, will not pay living profit, after
all the expenses of the growing crops
are considered Other practical wri-
ters concur in the same opinion, but as
sert that the culture of sheep is still an
indispensable necessity. as there is no
other means of keeping up the land. "
The CHESTER WHfTEs.-The journal
of the Farm says: 1t is very evident
from the notes of our distant correspon-
dents, and from our exchanges, that
Chester White hogs are falling into dis
repute. We regret this, because we
know it is not the fault of the breed, but
results from an almost indiscriminate
shipment of all kinds OF white pigs in
Chester county. When the demand was
at its highest point, dealers were sconr-
ing the country, and buying up any
| kind of pigs so they had no black hair,
and shipping them abroad to the disap-
pointment Of purchasers, and discredit
of the Chester Whites. They can scarce
| ly be claimed to be a distinct breed, but
| are only the result of many years care
full crossing, and not having their char
acteristics fixed, show strong tendency
to reyert to their original state.
| PoTAToEs FOR PLANTINa.--A writer
| in the Farmers Union says: Potatoe:
| when grown from the seed improve in
size and quality for four or five seasons
and in four or five more seasons they
will begin to degenerate unless care is
taken to select the tubers for seed
None should be planted that are smalles
at the seed or outer end, but select thos,
that are pear shaped and smallest at TIN
end where the stem is attached. Th,
reverse shows tendency to degenerate
and few years seeding with this shap
will make them worthless, while tn
other will improve it greatly and pro
long its usefulness to many years.
VALUE OF CLOVER TO THE SOIL.
Il AS the time for sowing clover seed
approaching we want to impress upo
the minds of farmers the Importance Q
using clover more generally as mean
of increasing the fertility of the land
especially on our light sandy soils alon
the lake shore, and such as have been
good deal worn with grain crops or pots
toes.
Just how 1t is that clover acts in re
storing fertility we have not space, 8
: this time to explain, but the fact Is Gel
tain, and where manure is scarce th
, glowing in of crop of clover the fir,
? or second year after seeding, is til
, cheapest of all modes Of enriching tn
5 land. AS a manure for wheat, espec
!. ly, clover is better than any other; an
8 the manure made from cattle and hol
: scs fed on clover hay is worth MOI
t than that from those fed on grass ha,
b Let us have more clover fields.
> MORE KINDS OF GRASS WANTED.
- Besides more use of clover our fal
: mers need to SOW greater variety {
grass seeds instead Of depending {
largely upon timothy. This is liable
run out very soon and seldom oecupi'
the ground so as to produce as mne
:, hay or pasture as might he obtafne
= from a mixture of several kinds. Fl
:, this purpose we would recommend
trial at least of Orchard Grass; and v
- are glad to see the Chic Farmer ar
other agricultural papers calling atte