The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-09-28
FARM AND EIRESIDE.

sheep. But not one person in ten thou
sand is aware of this fact. Let US watch
an expert when he is about to pass judg-
ment on a sheep concerning the value Of
the animal for producing wool, and it
will be seen he always looks at the wool
on the shoulders first. A writer of ex-
tensive experience in rearing fine wool
heep and in handling wool commune
Gated the following suggestion for select
ing a fne-wooled sheep: Always assum-
ing the wool to be inspected is really a
fine wool, we first examine the shoulders
at the part where the finest and best
wool is usually found. This we take as
a standard and compare it with the wool
from the ribs, the thighs, the rump, and
the shoulder parts, and the nearer wool
from the various portions of the animal
approaches the standard the better.
First we scrutinize the ineness, and if
the result is satisfactory we pronounce
the fleece in respect to ineness very
"even." Next we inquire into the
length of the staples, and if we find that
the wool on the ribs, thigh, and back ap-
proximate reasonably in length to that
of our standard, we again declare the
sheep, Is regards length of sample, true
and even. We next desire to satisfy
ourselves of the density of the fleece, and
we do this by closing the hand upon a
portion of the rump and of the loin wool,
the fleece at these points being usually
the thinnest, faulty, and if it again gives
satisfaction we signify the fact by desig-
mating the wool "even" as respects
density. Now to summarize these sep
arate examinations: If you, find the
fleece of nearly equal frmness from the
shoulder to the thigh, of nearly equal
length shoulder, rib, thigh, and back,
and density on shoulder and across the
loins, you may conclude that you have
a perfect sheep for producing valuable
wool. Selecting sheep for valuable
feeders is quite another thing.
Pig RINGING.-It is of course a good
thing to keep pigs from destroying the
turf in the hog pasture. 1t is hard to
get in a thrifty growth of timothy or
clover, and it is harder still, after wait
ing two or three years for it, to see it
, plowed and spoiled in every direction by
the hogs sharp snout. Still, the pre-
. ~vention in this case may be carried SC
T far as to cost more than the evil. We have
+ known many valuable sows to carry sore
noses the entire season because of ring:
: that have been put in unskillfully, anG
E some pigs that are big enough to roo
have their growth seriously checked
q from the same cause. We do not advise
that old hogs should be riDged but it il
a matter worth the attention of thos.
who are raising the pure breeds to in
guire what method of preventing swim,
from destroying their pastures is leas
d harmful. Ifringed with pincers, whicl
a is now the most common practice, car
:. should be taken not to set the ring to-
a far back in the flesh. Pinch in the rim
e Just a little above the base of the cal
a tilage, and put in two for full-growl
hogs. Delay the ringing of growing pig
y as long as may be; but when you fin
they are doing mischief, set in one rim
as near the cartilage as you can, and a
the same time give it a permanent hole
IS WooD ASHES -FoR THE SQUASH
le Early in the spring, the twigs of appl
s. trees too small for kindling wood, t.
L gether with rubbish of all sorts that ha
If been collected during the winter, wei
t. placed in a heap in the vegetable garde
he and burnt. The ashes were used &
~ manure for various things, while upo
the spot where the twigs and rubbis
had been burnt a hill of the Butma
1T squash was planted. Another hill
to this squash was planted ten feet frol
Is the, first and MANFRED with a small quar-
tity of the ashes alone. A third hill ws
lie planted ten feet from the second wit
r horse anu only. July 20 the growt
'. of the irit hill cash heap) was thre
s. times as great as that of the last (hors
a. manure). The growth of the second hi
rs was twice that of the last. We ha
e, hoped to report later as to the fIui
is Squash grubs have squashed these hope
Two SIDES TO HI BEE SToRIEs.-
ID Floating here and there through tt
press are stories Of ~extravagant profits
es Bookkeeping, and many who have lit,
es or no capital are %captivated by the Fl,
rs ures, and led to believe that they, to-
IT. r can reap a similar reward. The trut
may be spoken in a majority of the
tie statements, but too often generalization
Of are made which lead to gress errors. E
at identity in print we usually get but Oh
N. side of the picture.
" In Moore's Rural New Yorker, of Sc
-sl TENDER 2, we find the following from
.es 8 respondent in New Jersey that is n
,iy to be carried away by figures:
ed There is a bright and dark side to be
IN. keeping. A great deal depends on t
locality. Where white clover does n
at exist extensively Bookkeeping would b.
sri hazardous business, and even in the bt
es. localities it is not a business that al
person can depend on to make a livir
One may succeed, and he may not.
may prosper for some years, obtain
ed large number of families of bees, and
TO 70 very severe winter may destroy neal
ed all of them. Even warmly-built wint
bee-houses are not safe in very &C
winters.
Now, suppose that we, in imaginatic
call on n hundred men who have be
at or now are keeping bees in moval
pe' comb hives in a good locality for bees
SIX men who keep from five to fifty famili
ed We find that ten of them have lost
las their bees, and have given up the bu
ness in disgust. Twenty have few