The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-08-31
FARM N F1REsIDE.


PLANT THE BEST SEED.-Many farm
ers no doubt wonder how it is when
they have bought a new kind of seed,
(wheat for instance) that in a few years
it has lost its excellence, and that they
have an opportunity of buying a choice
article, again at a high price. The
query is, where does it come from? That
work will tell is a safe axiom. Take
our advice, when your wheat is ripe GO
over the field and h~and-pick the best
heads. Plant this, and repeat the process
every year, and you will have an excel
lent seed wheat for sale. The same will
prove true in corn, and in fact every
crop. Potatoes do not depend so much
upon the perfectiye quality of seed
planted, but we believe it is a rule that
should never be deviated from, the most
perfect of their kind. Experimental have
proven that seed, and live stock, are
improved not by frequent changes, but
by great care in propagating the best.
SoUTHDowN SHEEP. = Southdown
sheep are of medium size, whose live
weight, full grown, is from fifty to two
hundred pounds. Occasionally they run
over this. Their fleece is white, and
often middle quality; the face and legs
are a dark brown or mulatto. They are
hornless. very fine in all their points,
round, smooth, and compact in form.
They are very quiet sheep, yet active
and hardy. They will thrive and do
well on much shorter pasturage than the
Cotswold and other large breeds. II
properly fed, wethers mature-that is,
get their full growth-at eighteen OF
twenty-four months of age. This NUT
ton is very superior, being lean. tender,
and iuicy-not Astounding in gross fat, as
most of the large breeds do. Their
shoulders and hams, when smoked, are
almost equal to dried venison, and car
hardly be distinguished from it. Lambs
are fit to kill from n to three months
old and above, and command the highest
price of any in the market.
POINTS IN CORN CULTURE.-A corr
grower in the corn State of Illinois
makes the following points:
l. In the fall and winter the ground
should be plowed from eight to ter
inches deep, but in the spring from foul
to SIX inches is deep enough. 1t doe
not pay TO go down in search of a new
farm at that time of the year.
2. 1t does not pay to pillow corn stalk
under in the spring, unless the land i
wet or liable to bake.
3. Corn, drilled one stalk in a hill
does not grow SO strong at first, and j
harder to keep clean than if planted TIVE
or more together.
4. Corn checked and plowed both way
is injured more by storm than if drilled
5. Two stalks every two feet has provet
the best with me.
6. Corn that is well narrowed and thel
plowed twice will be cleaner and grow
better than if plowed three times withou
being narrowed.
We should be pleased to hear the view
of our corn growing readers on the cult
walton of this important staple. 1t vii
be useful to compare ideas and method
of practice, and lessen the cost of
bushel of corr if possible.
RooTs AND OM-CAKE FOR SHEEP
farmers were more thoroughly .awar
how much the profit of sheep depend
on right feeding, more care and econom.
would doubtless be exercised on the sui
ject. One great reason why the CONT
ing-wool sheep run out when brough
from England and Canada is that the,
do not get the same care and treatmen
they had in those countries and are oftel
kept on soils they are not adapted te
and are not sufficiently fed.
If growers of contingencies woul,
raise sheep primarily to produce mutton
if they would attend to the breed, an
keep their sheep well fed, and cart 70
them generally; and if they would ais
try To mature them earIy. we shoul