The Penn's Grove record., 1882-02-04
Agricultural.
The Farm and Garden.

gin early In December by giving, IL
addition to straw, to each sheep, each
day for a couple Of months, a pound o.
meal, grain, or oil cake.
2. When good hay is fed the other
food may perhaps be a little reduced.
8. Feed regularly. Sheen will dc
better on inferior food if fed regularly
than On good food if fed irregularly,
Attested experience is in favor of feed
ing three times a day, morning, noon
and night. In this many of the best
breeders agree. Some, however, feed
but twice a day, and think it best.
When this is done, the last feeding
should be a considerable time before
dark, for sheep do not feed we'll after
dark.
4. Salt must not be neglected. AS
is well known, salt is not so necessary
in winter as in summer; still it isneces-
sary, and should be fed at least once a
week. Some breeders keep it before
the sheep all the time, and this is the
better way. Randall mentions the
practice of Gen. Marshall, Of New
York State, which is to take the oats
from the hay racks and place them
in a box rack under cover. Then they
are sprinkled with brine, and the
sheep when hungry for salt are not
only supplied with it, but, by sailing
the oats, consume all the hay.
STIRRING THE SoIL.-Ths first stir
ring in the spring should be deep, 10
order to break up the compact earth,
espe cially if the ground was ploughed
in the fall but after this the working
should be az shallow rs possible. Firm
soil-stil crushed and pressed when
dry holds moisture better than in any
other condition, and is a very differ
ent thing to q merely loose soil,
through which the external air easily
goes, and dries the moisture out. The
more such partially dried soil is press.
| ed, the firmer it becomes and the more
moisture it contains. Rolling and
pressing while the soil is somewhat
dry is indeed the whole science of pull
verization, the good effects of which
are so well known. While therefore,
the first stirring should be done with
deep and narrow teeth, so as to pene-
trate as deeply as possible, all suisse
queDt workings should be wi h culti-
vators having short and broad teeth,
just skimming the surface AMI cutting
of instead of tearing oat the weeds,
and this advice is as good for the one
who uses the hoe in the garden as for
him who uses a horse c~ultivator in
the field.
How TO TELL GOOD BUTTER
When butter is properly churned,
both rs to the time and temperature,
it becomes firm with very little work
ing, and it is tenacious; but its most
desirable state is waxy, When it is
moulded into any shape, and may be
drawn out a considerable length with
out breaking. Ii is then styled gilt
edged. 1t is only in this state that
butter possesses that rich, nutty flavor
and smell, and shows up a rich golden.
yellow color, which impsrts so high a
degree of pleasure in eating it, and
which increases its value manifold. 1t
is not always necessary, when it smells
sweet, to taste butter in judging it.
The smooth unctuous feeling in rub
bling a little between the finger and
thumb expresses at once its rich quail
ity the nutty smell and rich aroma
indicates a similar taste, and the
bright golden, glistening, cream-col-
ored surface shows its height of clean
illness. 1t may be necessary at times
to use the trier, or even use it until
you become an expert in testing by
taste, smell and rubbing.
WINTER Protection OF GRAPE
VINEs.-The grape is a tender plant
in almost every sense, and must be
treated accordingly. We know how
it is affected by great changes of tenn
perature, extreme heat and humidity,
severe pinching back and o~verbearing
in summer. In winter it is still worse /;
millions Of vines are annually lost and
more hurt, for the want of a little
attention in protecting them. 1t is
only necessary to lay them on the
ground at the beginning of the winter,
and weight them with something to
keep them down. The object is to
avoid, not SO much the cold, as the
draft of the wind, which, when the
vines are frozen, dries them, and thus
| perish the smaller vines first, as they
are soonest dried. Near the ground
this is avoided. though where there is
no obstruction at ali to the wind, and
the winter is an open one, leaving the
vines exposed, harm will sometimes
| result.
POTATO FAILURE.-The widespread
failure oil potatoes this year is likely
to have the effect of making good seed
scarce, and hardly to be got another
season Not but that seed, such as it
is, will be plenty enough, and perhaps
cheap also; but it will not be good
seed. There are hundreds of acres in
all parts of the country where the
potatoes are more than half understood
for market, OF would be 50 regarded in
any other year than this. The trouble
about such potatoes is that they are
generally unfit for seed. A worse
trouble will ensue if generally planted,
as they probably will be in default of
better quality. The potato crop is diff
ferent in this respect from any other,
in that on entire failure of N season
is sure, from lack of good seed, to be
followed by at least n partial failure
the year after.
For general purposes on the farm,
castor nil with a little xaroaana add