Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-01-03
THE FARM.

should be good carpenter and black
smith, IN fact, able to make or mend
any implement upon the farm. A few
tools are always necessary and the pro-
per use of them can soon be acquired,
so that the farmer can shoe his own
horses. make his sleds, build his barns
and thus turn every day to account
Western Stock Journal and Fdrnlen
DESTROYING INsECTs.-The Journal of
Chemistry says that hot alum water is
the best insect destroyer known. Put
the alum into hot water and let it boil
till all the alum is dissolved then APP
ply it hot with brush to all the cracks,
closets, bedsteads, and other places,
where any insects are found. Ants,
bed-bugs, Icockroaches, and creeping
things are killed by it: while it has no
danger of poisoning the family or in
Jurlng property.
Cows AND SHEEP IN PASTURES.
Holland, pastures are stocked with
COWS and sheep in equal numbers. The
sheep eat the hard and why grasses,
which the COWS reject, and keep the turf
close and fine. Care is also taken not
to overstock. The presence Of the
sheep improves the fertility of the pas
ture, besides keeping down the growth
of bushes. and shrubs. Our farmers
would find it for their interest to initiate
this feature Of Dutch farming Pas
lures exclusively devoted to the use of
COWS soon become Overrun by bushes
and worthless grasses. which the pre-
sence Of sheep would keep III check.
HOUSE PLANTS House plants ought
to be stimulated gently, once or twice a
week. Rain water, so refreshing to
summer flowers, always contains am
monia. If you take an ounce Of pull
verified carbonate Of ammonia. dissolv-
| ed in one gallon of water, it will make
spring water even more stimulating to
your plants than rain water. If you
water your plants once in two weeks
with guano water lone tablespoonful to
a pint of water), they will grow more
thrifty. Always keep the soil in your
| floWer-pOts loose. A common hair-pin,
used daily, will stir the earth suf-
ticiently.
CRoss-BREED SHEEP.-At the New
York state fair there were exhibited
some sheep bred from common Merino
ewes and CotsWoid ram. The feeces
of the first cross measured five inches
in length, and the wool was fine as the
Merino, and as easily combed as that
of Cotswold. The wool of the second
cross, as long as that of the pure Cots
void, was still as fine as MerinO wool
! The carcass of the cross breed sheep
makes excellent mutton, and is nearly
as heavy as the pure Cotswold. We
have frequently alluded to the advan-
tage of this cross. and the interesting
example shown at Rochester, proves
how successful and profitable a farmers
sheep it would be. The farmers sheep
is undoubtedly the cross-breed-An1.
Ag1icaqt1WiSt.
A NOVEL WAY OF MAKING JELLY
CAKE.-Take the whites Of six eggs, one
cup of white sugar, same Of flour, one
! teaspoonful of butter, two tablespoon
fuls of sweet milk, two teaspoonfuls
of cream Of tartar and one of soda.
Bake in large oblong dripping pan,
so the cake will be very thin; mean
while stir another batch, making just
the same, with the exception of using
the yolks instead Of the whites; when
both are done. spread when warm with
Jelly, or preserves of any kind; put to-
gether, bring the largest side of the
cake toward you: and roll Immediately.
or cut in four or eight parts, put to-
gether alternately, putting jelly between
each layer, and frost lightly over the
! top Another method is to make three
pans, making the third layer Of one
third red-sand sugar, proceeding the
same as for the other layers; in putting
together let the first layer be the yellow,
made of the yolks, then the red, and
lastly the whites. Nicely frost the top,
and you have beautiful as well as a
delicious party cake. They are very
pretty made into rolls.
ADULTERATING FERTILIZERS Despite
all the efforts made by chemists and
repressive laws, the adulteration of
commercial manures is alarmingly
general this arises from the extensive
demand for them, which at the same
time is a tribute to their worth. Analysis
may do much, but the grand security
is to purchase only at the fountain
head. For numerous farmers it is not
possible to dispense with an interme-
diary agent, and the latter, too often, if
he does not adulterate the manure, wa
tiers it to increase its weight. A gentle
man makes very sensible suggestion
IN relation to guano, which could
be extended to other manures, namely:
to sell the guano in sacks of uniform
weight, properly branded, and even
sealed-Ame1ican Farmer.
PROFITS OF SHEET. ent George
T. Powell related, at the last meeting of
the Farmers Club of the Columbus
Agricultural Association, a page Of his
experience in commencing the keep
ing of sheep, three years ago. He went
out with neighbor to buy his first flock,
selecting for himself thirty medium
wool sheep. Taking them home, he
placed them in comfortable quarters,
and at once began to feed grain freely.
They had lambs in the middle Of win
ter the first of which were sold early in
April, at $3.50 per head. The sheep
yielded an average of five pounds of
wool each, which he sold at forty-five
cents per pound. The neighbor did not
feed grain to his flock, lost a quarter of
his lambs in the winter, kept the rest
through the summer and sold them for
$3.50 each, and holding his wool for a
rise in the market, sold it two or three
years afterwards for thirty cents per
pound. Mr.. Powell continued his prac-
tice of high feeding and raising early