Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-04-18
FARM TALK.

/
/ The spring Opening-I.ambs and Woo
! The Value OF Books and Educ alton
The Farmers Lot the NoSiest and
Beat.
By Our AgriellltIlral Editor.
After so much rain farmers are look
ing for dry spell of weather. They
looked for this last spring. but it did not
\ come. II may not thisspriug, but com
/ ing, il will be disastrous To clover and
timothy sOwn this spring, land of course
| upon all crops. Winter seems To have
| at last lOoSened its hold and sheep run
| away from their grain and cattle are
/ lowing for salt. Flowing is going on on
I every farm some few oats are sown
and early potatoes planted in the gar
| deu, where the farmers wife and daugh-
teTs have been taking little out door
| exercise The average farmer does not
work in the garden; sometimes he al
| lows the hired help to assist little, but
Oftener the busy housewife does all her
| self, after the garden is spaded,Or pillow
ed. This maybe is not as it should ba,
| but it il a custom descending from the
| time when the husband had to cut his
cOrnfield out Of the wilderness.
THE LANDING SEASON
has been bad, but the past few days
have brought grass, which will help
matters very much, AMI the ewes will
feel more like caring for their lambs,
for it is a wellknOwn fact that unless
eve has milk she is not apt to own
her lamb, and grass brings milk. EX-
cepting this BAD Landing Sc Is IN sheep
are doing we'll. An Ohio writer and
heTdsman says:
IL can not at this writing recall an
instance within my experience when q
eve Landing on grass disowned her
lamb, unless she was pet that had
been reared with other stock; aud such
an animal Is unfit for breeder any
how. On the other hand, you may
give the most thorough attention to
the flock, provide the best feed within
reach, give plenty of exercise, have
Your ewes in perfect health-sO perfect
that the flow Of milk will Only be less
copIous than that produced by grass,
and purging, the lamb as promptly and
as effectually Is green made milk-yet
in spite of all the flock on dry feed will
disOwn ten lambs where that on the
pastuse wiz one. have demonstrated
this ia my own experience.
The outlook for wsOl as to prices
should be good, taking the country all
over; Vet wool has been going down,
aud is now dull in the East. Thisimay
he all for effect; buyers may be holding
off 50 as TO not excite prices on the eve
OF a coming clip-larger than ever
grown in this country before, but not so
large an increase over last year in pro-
portion as in former years, owning to
the hard winter in the west.
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS-wHAT
GOOD?
Again we fall upon subject Ofwhich
we often think, anu have written about
-cui bono. What good? we often ask
as we receive Il bundle, or package, of
public documents from Washington
City. The government spends thou
sends of dollars in public printing for
one dollar Of public good that Is done.
The Department Of Agriculture Is no
exception to the general rule, but rather
it is the rule, TO have agricultural re-
ports printed by the ton, which really
WOULD do more good to the general
farming public il it were so many tons
OF fertilzing material for corn or paris
green for potato bugs. And yet, as far
as the Department OF Agriculture Is
concerned, the intention Is good, but as
at present arranged there certainly Is
great waste of material. We have be-
fore up the last special report for March,
but before We received IL we had real
nearly all that WAS OF value through the
press, in a condensed and more readable
form.
We are glad TO receive these, especial
IL the yearly reports, but how many
farmers ever receive q copy? Not one
IN ten thousand, and how many. copies
go into the hands of farmers? We are
told that they are taken away from the
government printing office by the cart
lad and sold by the pound to second
hand book stores. Some OF these re-
ports are Ofgreat value to the farmer.
of this We make no complaint. Tney
are much more valuable than what IS
generally read by the average farmer,
who Is the dupe Of. all the catch
penny and treachery business or tue
dav, and if there is swindling game or
trick il is sure to be u farmer for a vlc-
tim.
WHO is To BLAME?
Now, who is to blame for all this, the
| agricultural department or the farmer:
| We being one Of the latter class, anu
| assOciating with them more than any
| other, are inclined to think that the
blame belongs to Us. What reading
We do is apt 10 be of the blood and
thunder kind of literature, than OF
| what concerns our business. No Won.
| dor our boys are called green" when
they attempt to ape city manners and
fashions, which amount to nothing in
the great struggle for life, wealth aud
! subsistence. How we feel like turning
ND our nose in contempt Is We see
boy intently interested in story that
is Of no more value to him Is moral or
| mental food than common road dlrt
would be to him for q morning meal.
SINK OR SWIM AS A FARMER.
No, it is not our business as an agri-
cultural writer to berate any otherclass.
Advice as well as charity begins al
home. 1t does not become US TO advise
lawyer or merchant how they should
do their business, or berate them be-
cause they impose upon and make 8
living upon our class; that Is our fault.
Let US husband our strength, ii 1t Is
war we are not ready.
WE MUST EDUCATE
ourselves in our calling We must
make farming so attractive, and sc
profitable that our best boys will not al
ways be leaving for the city. We often
point with pride to the fact that such
an eminent editor, lawyer, doctor OF
other prominent person WAS farmer
boy. Why could we not keep his talent
on the farm? For our part We
never expect to desert the farm,
Though all the vieissitudes Of life, under
the smiles or fruwns Of tickle fortune