Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-05-01
AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS.
Something for Farmers TO Read ant
Refieca Upon.

something for Farmers TO Read and
Refieca Upon.
"Some people ride IN their gigs ana chsises,
And some people have 10 foot Il, by Jaysus."
So thought the Irishmau. Bat il has
oeen almost compulsory on all the peO-
pie who have to travel on the country
roads, On account Of their condition.
Although not laid out OH the best loca-
ton from point to point, yet On this
May day we have roads that are sell
dom worn at any season of the year,
and in many places horse and rider
passes through them with danger to
both life and limit. This is partly
owing 10 lack Of judgment in not avoid
ing steps, slides and swamps in the
location, and neglect of the roads after
location, no attention being paid to the
road-bed.
SOIL VERY WET.
We did not start out to write on the
beauties of nature or how we admired
the scenery. or even 10 tell how the
grasses grow or that the weeds come up
first, and are now ready for the good
housewife to make greens" One
thing seems remarkable about vegeta-
ton this season. The grass seems so
much more forward than the fruit trees
so much the better for the lateral
though they were far enough forward
to be slightly injured during the late
freeze and snow.
The ground is uncOmmOnly full of
water, and every spring is booming, and
every crawfish hole is full of water,
while swamps have green grass grow
inc over them with midsummer rank
ness. Farmers fear that these beautiful
rains will be followed by a dry spell of
weather. Last year We had wet wealth
rr all the year through. Many persons
have not vet finished sowing their oats
on account of the difficulty of getting
ground plOwcd. And we hear Of no
corn planted, except that OF James
Dickey, who always plants early. He
planted weeks ago.
THE HOGS.
Here we cross a field badly rooted by
hogs. An old SOW is at work with her
nose we'll in the soil and her back ele-
waited whenever she strikes stone, or
hard place in the ground. She and her
brood have made sad havoc with fine
blue grass sod. Probably the owner
does not believe in the barbarOus prac-
tice of ringing hogs. May be he believes
that little stirring Of the soil does 1T
good, or he may be renter and his
time is out. All these are possibilities,
but the facts are likely TO be that his
hogs have broken from then enclosure,
where all hogs should DE, if possible,
this muddy weather for "a hog without 81
level i'm his suuUt will soon upturn an
acre of meadow or sod, when the ground
is S. soft as il has been the past month.
LARGE ACREAGE PLOwED.
In looking over the fields it strikes
l.s that more blowing Is being done
this season than usual. Grain crops
have been good for the past year or so
and comma dcd good prices, which
has induced many farmers 10 part with
their sheep and cattle and turn their
attention more To grain; besides land
so long stocked with cattle and sheep,
particularly the latter IS In good condL-
lion for grain. 60
OLD STYLE FARMING.
We cross a farm that is.cOnsidered
moor. vet last year as good crops were
raised on it as on any Of the surround
inc farms. Money enough has been
made from it to buy q dozen farms like
il, The old gentleman who used TO
farm il, and raised a large family on 1t,
who are now all in the West, used to
say, when the least appearance OF sol
onpesred on q field, boys, We must
ni6w that field up. or the bluegrass
will take possession" Timothy and
clover were never sown, except for
meadow. 1t was simply the capacity
of the nlow and harrow to sc IN gram,
and il certainly speaks well for our
Nest Virginia soils that they could
stand such a system of cultivation so
| long and vet turn up smiling with a
! good crop whenever required.
SHORT CREEK FENCE.
In orr cogitation concerning the
| changes in the manner Of farming, we
| suddenly strike what white OAK
! FARMER would call a "Short creek
fence" being composed, as 1t was, of the
ransins of an old Virginia worm fence
and narts of a board fence, repaired
with. some brush. Here and there
brlars had taken complete possession
| ofthe fence row, and formed a hedge
| innpassable for man and beast, AMI only
TO be crossed or gone through by the
tobbit or the small boy when the Der.
RIGS get ripe. The great advantage OF
this kind of a barricade is that 1t Is both
fence and food. 1t gives the farmer and
his neighhor raspberry pie and canned
bIsckberries, which they would not
otherwise have. We hear of one
farmer who had q large patch OF tals
kind, which had grown out from the
fence row so far as to almost take pos
session of the field, warning his nelgh-
bOrs away and telling them that they
might have blackberries of their own
il they were not so lazy and shiftless,
His neighborS thought there was a
great deal of sarcasm in his remark,
for many q careless and shiftless farmer
! has honest intentions.
CARE OF SHEEP.
T. There are no brlars on the next farm,
every bush that is allowed to grow Is
trimmed up, swamps are drained, ana
there are no scalawag sheep, ana escI
one has been trimmed behind, the ~ooi
all being sheared away when turned
out 10 grass from the inside OF the legs,
and they step around as clear and tloy,
as is the farm on which they Craze
ON one farm we passed through we no
ticed q large flock OF sheep, nearly
every one Of which was filthy behind
Dirty locks hung around, some OF them
| carving several POUNDS, anu rSutluuLus
one when they ran las they did at our
spproach) of the clashing pockets ana
saddle bags Of Tam O'Shanter wne9 us
took his famous ride. A Few ueS9
sheep lay in the field which hau passed
through the winter, but coulu no!
stand the sudden change from dry iee1
m the flesh grass. Sheep when turned
ont to pasture in the spring are app W
Get %scoured," and take disrrnoea,
Sbich weakens them so much that Va
less great care is taken of them they e,
snccnmb Just as they are ready to give
DID a coat of wool. This fresh psstulre
also produces the filthy eoncition OF t9t
sheep above mentioned, Thien orse sl,
worms, and unless they are carefully
T,otchsd for a few days so fills then
with worms that they die.
CURING HARD MIXERS. d.,
| --Yh d;d MT nnd here but w