Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-01-10
AGRICULTURAL.

before.
Agents are going through northern
Illinois and Iowa taking orders for hui
less oats at SO per bushel.
The total number of students attend
ing the Michigan State Agricultural Col
lege during the past year was 222.
A heifer in Beaver Dam only nine
teen months old, yields milk enough to
furnish five and one half pounds Of but
ter weekly.
A good way of Kidding hens Of lice is
to throw down few handouts of grain
and then, when they are picking them
up and the neck feathers are Loose, dust
over them some wood ashes. Do this
two or three times week, in order to
kill the lice which hatch out between
times.
WHAT KIND OF SHEEP TO KEEP.-In
answer to correspondent who in
quires as to the best kind Of sheep to
keep, and who is so situated that he
cannot give them "care," we repeat the
answer that we have several times be-
fore given, and that is to keep grade
Merinos, if any. But unless fair care
can be given it would be better to keep
none.
Sciute, Mass, is almost the only place
in the country where carrageen, or Irish
moss, used IN jellies, blanc mango, and
in making beer, is gathered and cured.
About one hundred and fifty families
are engaged in the harvest, the men
gathering the moss with long rakes into
dores, while the wives and daughters
prepare it for market The annual
product is 10000 or $4,000 barrels, worth
10 the gatherers about $4,000.
A CORRESPONDENT of an exchange
writes u letter from the Valley of the
Red river of the north to show that the
great wheat fields of the future will be
located in that section of the country.
He says the wheat raised in that valley
this year commands the highest price
of any raised ON American soil; that
all along the line of the Northern Pa
cifc railroad is one continuous wheat
field, and that beyond is still better
soil and more congenial climate.
A DISPATCH states that the steamer
brazilian, which left Boston Nov. Is,
landed at Liverpool Dec. A, with large
consignment Of American cattle and
sheep in 50 satisfactory condition as
to seem to set ut rest the question
whether the transatlantic trade in live
stock can be carried on safely during
winter. Not single animal was lost
during the voyage. The shipment in
cluded 253 head OF cattle, among
which were forty prize cattle, each
weighing over 1000 pounds. The Bra
eiSun also landed LOO sheep in good
condition.
II may afford crumb Of comfort to
American agriculturists who are dread
lag the results of production to
know that English writer's like Mr.. Card
have forcibly summed up the broad
view of the present state of matters
when they tell us that quite one half Of
each loaf consumed in England is Of
foreign origin; that one fourth part Of
their whole meat and dairy produce
comes to them from across the sea, and
that almost the entire additions which
may hereafter be sought to fill tho over
multiplying mouths Of tha'r dens" = 7, T.
.-l-t;a.~ -.iusi uu III avn rom other
lands.
PURE Cashmere goats, it is said, find
among the wild sage-brush barrents Of
Nevada an acceptable climate, where
their health is excellent and their flee
ces unusually fine and silky. A single
herder near Carson has flock of over
three thousand and is making money
from them. In summer there is plen-
ty of grass among the bitter sage-brush
to feed unlimited numbers of these an
imals, and when the winter comes the
frost at once sweetens the bitterness of
the sage and turn it into paSturage quite
rs nourishing and pleasant to II goats
palate as the food he finds iii the sum-
mer. BY this PROVISION Of nature
these animals are kept at little or no
expense.
A Michigan lady, says the Detroit
Tribune, writes to Mr.. Wick, the florist,
that to kill insects she uses one teaspoon
full Of kerosene to gallon Of water, and
sprinkles it on the plants with hand
broom. 1t destroys green flies, current
worms, and other pests, and was used
NItllptll INJURY VII lNiSlloiuo, XVI dlill'li9,
callas, and other plants. We know Of
three large plum trees in the western
part of Detroit which bore good crop
of corn eobs saturated with kerosene
the past year. They bore fair crop of
plums also, while two trees which grew
III an adjoining lot and were not treated
to kerosene, bore no plums. The ex-
pertinent is to have more thorough
trial next year.
WINTERING SHEEP.-A. c. Stevens of
Bradford county, Pa, describes his
method Of wintering, in q communica-
ton to the Elmira Farmers Club re-
ported in the Husbdndmdn. He COM
mences to feed grain as soon as the
first frost appears in the fall and keeps
il up till good grass in the spring, with
all the good hay they will eat. He al
lows one bushel Of grain to fifteen
sheep, per week The oats and corn
are mixed, one-third corn and two.
thirds oats; feeds twice day. Another
correspondent, at Hoag's Corners, n.
Y, says that us long as he had his
lambs dropped about the first of April
he lost many. Several years ago he
10 bova than, dro,, ohout