Connecticut western news., 1877-07-20
AGRICULTURAL.

AGRICULTURAL.
 WEEDING THE FLOCKS.-NOt alone from the soil are found tospring the tares 1 that initiate against the greatest suc- cess of the genuine and desired crops, | but they are found in the cattle-pens, the pig-stys, the sheep-yards, the stables and the chicken-coops. In the human family we find the odd and doubtful member that reduces the aver age that otherwise would be high; and in the animal family can we expect more, or always depend on perfection All will not be good; weak and puny ones will appear, demanding more care and costing more than they are or can be worth. Such should be weeded out. Understand this-every mouth you are feeding on the farm is machine that is doing it's best to destroy and reduce your products; if the animal is good, l the material consumed is undergoing a | change that will increase it's value if poor it is absorbing your substance with no prospect of return or compensation. If sheep are staple in your breeding, give no place to any but those which yield the heaviest f1eeces and the greatest amount of meat. If cattle, select those that will attain maximum of weight in two, instead of in four I years. If hogs, select a breed that will not only eat and be satisfied, but when they have converted corn into pork, will yield maximum number of pounds for a minimum number of bushels. If the kind you are breeding ! will not do this, you are wasting your i substance. A lean, uneasy hog eats most; scrubby, scrawny steer is never satisfied, and will never satisfy the owner; a s'plug" of horse will keep a common man poor, and will never be anything but plugi poor sheep are expensive, in a word, poor stock of any kind IS burden and expense no man can afford to carry, and the wedding out of these useless, expensive parasites can- not be too promptly accomplished. Fewer and better is a good motto; do not. wait until next year to begin this eliminating process, but do itnow. Save the winters feed by at once disposing of the tares of the flock. RULES FOR THE CARE OF SHEEP.-Keep sheep dry under foot with clean litter. This is more necessary than roofing them. Never let them stand or lie in mud or snow. z 4 : If eve loses her lamb, milk her daily for few days, and mix little alum with her salt. ..-.
 l ! Never frighten sheep, if it is possible to avoid it.
 Separate all weak, thin or sick sheep, in the fall from those that are strong, and give them special care.
 If any sheep is hurt catch it at once and wash the wound with a healing lotion. If limb is broken, bind it with splinters, tightly, loosening as the limb swells.
 If sheep is lame, examine his foot, clean out between the hoofs if unsound, and apply tobacco with blue vitrio] boiled in little water.
 Shear at once any sheep commencing to shed, it's wool, unless the weather is too severe. &.~
 Keep none but the best and see that they are properly attended to.
 GAs-L1N1E FOR INsEcTs.-A core spondent of an English journal, after trying various nostrums for ridding his turnip crop of the fly, at last hit on the following, which we give in his own words: s'I had few cartloads of the gas-lime carted, and put under cover until wanted, at the same time mixing with itjust enough of fresh- slaked lime to make the whole light and powdery. With this preparation ready. l kept sharp lookout for the first ap- pearance of Mir. Fly on the young Swede plants. I had not long to wait before a legion of flies made their appearance and began their work of destruction. Early the following morning, while the dew was on the plants, set all hands at work to SOW the gas-lime mixture broadcast over the plants. The leaves being wet, the lime adhered to them, and. to my great satisfaction, the enemy disappeared. Ever since that time I have employed the same remedy, and with invariable success"
 CATCHING HAwKS.-As the season is approaching when hawks are most de- structive to young poultry, method of catching and killing these marauders will be in order. It is a well-known fact that a hawk will always alight on some conspicuous place close to the poultry yard, from which to swoop down on his victims. Taking advantage of this, erect pole with a fiat surface at the top just large enough to hold a strong steel trap. Fasten this trap by chain to 8 staple in the pole, and await results. No bait will be needed, for the hawk will be quite certain to alight on the trap and be caught. A gentleman who has tried this method has succeeded in killing all the hawks in his neigh borhood, and now can raise poultry witheut loss except by accident.