The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-04-22
FARM AND HoUsEnoLD.

TREES ON THE MISUNDERSTANDING
GUS rows of stately trees along the road
side add much TO, the appearance of
farm or country. But it is urged that
shaded roads remain wet and muddy
much longer after. heavy rains than
those fully exposed to the sun. This is
doubtless true, but as an Offset Wa claim
that they are less liable tO.become dusty, \
and between the two evils there is not |
much choice. Deciduous trees only |
should be planted along roadsides in
cold climates, because they afford shade
during the season when most needed if at
all. Roadside trees may also interfere
with the growth of crops in the fields
adjoining by shading as well as by the
absorption of moisture by their roots;
but as we can scarcely secure anything
of value without some loss, perhaps the
pleasure derived from passing over a
shady road during the hot weather in
summer, as we'll as the beautiful appear
ance of such highways, more than COM
pensate fer the slight losses which they
entail. 80 8 'N~i -
EXPERIMENTS WITH HoNEY.-A cor
respondent of the Scientific american has
candying, and states his experience as
follows: During the past summer have
experimental as follows: l put up six
one-pound cans of beautiful linden
honey, being careful to make it into one
homeogene mass by stirring. 1t was
thrown from the combs by an extractor
on July 20, and put into cans on August
l. The cans were placed respectively as
follows: one in a dark, dry cellar, one
each under shades of red, yellow, green
and blue glass, and the sixth can in full
light. On November s the honey in the
cellar candied to a white. November %
to December 10, honey under colored
shades candied, first in the red, next in.
the yellow, green and blue; while the
honey in full light remained transparent
until January, when it soon candied after
exposure to intensely cold weather.
From my experience an equal tempera.
ture would preserve certain kinds Of
honey, while other kinds would candy
under almost any, circumstances. i
think that eandied honey, instead of be-
ing looked upon with disfavor, should be
recognized as evidently pure. / hope,
however, that the above experiments
will lead others to follow up the light
theory with beneficial results.
NORMANDY SHEEP, SHEPHERDS AND
DoGs.-The kinds of. sheep kept in the
uninclosed farms of Normandy seem to
be cross between the German, Dutch
4 and MerinOs. They are for the most
part hornless, with long white faces,
broad backs and round bodies. Their
legs are large and heavy, and their tails
are allowed to grow. They are quite do
cile, and an old man and his dog have no
difficulty in managing a flock of two or
three hundred, although there is not a
fence of any kind within miles of them.
On piece of cloverpor summer fallow
movable fold is pitched, where the
sheep are kept at night and an hour or
two during the heat of the day. The
shepherd has little covered cot placed
outside the fold, where he sleeps, and in
fact lives the whole summer season, when
not on his legs with the sheep. His dog
is as intelligent but more active than
himself, has another little house, also
placed on wheels, close by. The fold is
changed every night and amply repays
for any trouble it occasions by the rich
manure it leaves behind.
In winter the sheep are closely housed
in "bergeries," or Sweepstakes, which
are usually erected in the orchards upon
large farms. In these the shepherd
sleeps in a hammock.
The Norman sheep-dogs are black
slightly shaggy, and taller than the
"collies." The tail is long and curved
when excited, but pendant while at rest
eyes keen and vigilant as that Of an
eagle; limbs strong and in ever restless
motion, except when the animal il
, chained to his "chenil," or movable
kennel. The race is said to be descended
from the wolf, and is known as the CHEN
loup, or wolf dog. They are brought
from the south of France. The princi
pal duty of the dog is to guard the crop.
q among which the sheep feed, but upOr
, which they are not allowed to trespass
: At break of day shepherd will leae
forth his flock from the "bergerie," OF
v fold, merely by walking before them
' place them on piece Of clover or othel
o forage, and walk with them until mid
: day or evening and having indicated Il
his faithful dog the boundaries of thu
, feeding-place, the dog will trot all day
: up and down and along the boundary
L a
of demarcation. 1t is a matter of aston
y ishment to stranger to see line of tive
a or three hundred sheep, laboriously en-
' deavoring TO get scanty bite off {
, parched and barren stubble, while within
{ a foot of their noses grows tempting
9 crop of clover or luxuriant rape, from
E which they are alone restrained by tn,
, perpetual watchfulness Of the dog.
D RTH-WoRMs.--A paragraph is go
c ing the rounds of the scientific and agri
r cultural press to the effect that if grass
: plats, garden-beds and so on be sprinklet
D with clear lime water in damp weathe
t the earth-worms will be destroyed ant
l the vegetation benefited. This may b.
true, for all that we know to the con
v trary, Indeed, an application of lin,
t water may probably be of direct tempo
: rary advantage to the grass or what no
Y over which il is sprinkled but if it kill
4 worms it ought not to be used. Thes
q apparently Insignificant and certainl,
D unattractive creatures are of the creates
2 benefit to the fields which they inhabit
4 They are very humble, but are efficien
. servants of the agriculturists; and fa
= from injuring his meadow and his gar
! den, they devote themselves with mos
! trustworthy assiduity to turning owe
9 the soil to greater depth and mor'
e thoroughly than can be done with tn,
; best appliances known to science. Thes,
8 animals-for they are classified by tn,
/, naturalists-can not claim to be mucf
l more than animated tubes. They seen
t to live by taking earth, and earthly sub
: stances in at one end and passing then
: out at the other. This simple process 0
digestion is aided, however, by mucous
9 secretion; and the worm has mos
praiseworthy habit, when he has fillet
himself with earth, of ascending to tn,
! surface, turning round, and working
! himself back again into the ground
This operation has the effect of unload
: ing him, and the. process, infinitely
9 repeated by millions Of his fellows, car
: not but have highly beneficial effect
unou the oualifv IF land II Ia said hx