The Northern Pacific farmer., 1883-10-11
FIELD AND FARM.
Notes for Farmers,

There are now 900 head of imported
cattle at the Boston quarantine grounds,
and over 600 more will come this month.
If there is anything that will arouse a
man to renewed action, it is the sight of
| a production of "a neighbours farm that
exceeds in quality that of his own farm.
He will endeavor to find out the secret
of his success. and if it is because of a
better breed of cattle, or better varie-
ties of fruits or vegetables, he will be
very likely to introduce improved breed
annual fairs become direct advantage
TO the farmer. In society where there
is so much that can be learned, no man
can afford to refuse to become member,
and the more active he becomes the
more practical knowledge will he be
able to pick up. Every good farmer
will feel that he ought to devote at least
one week in September to agricultural
fairs, and he will give his boys as much
time as he spends himself-Massachu
setts Ploughman.
The Michigan Farmer gently remarks
that "a farmer who has tried the no.
road-side-fence plan, declares his pious
soul to have been greatly vexed because
of the trouble and damage caused by
any transfer of stock from parts of his
own farm, or the passing droves in the
highway, and also that in crop rotation
the want of a fence compelled him to
omit pasturing fields when such forage
would have been Of great advantage to
him. He thinks be cannot quite spare
the fences yet"
The New York Times says the roofs of
barns should be steep, and if of wood
the surface either painted or the shin;
giles dipped in lime water. to make them
m ore durable. Straw and dirt collect
under hat-roofed shingles and cause
rapid decay.
Western readers, prepare your wheat
fields better than ever before and see
whether it pays you or not to do So.
That the yields of rich western wheat
fields should be but from Is to 20 bushels
per acre shows thai the preparation is
neglected. How much extra labor can
you afford to increase the Weld 1O0-fold?
When grown mules are selling at $500
to s40o pair and sucking mule colts
bring $50 to $l00, it might be worth
while for those who could just as easily
rear mules as not and who could keep
a few mares as we'll as many geldings, to
bear these figures in mind.
Down SHEEP. Henry Stewart says that
the 'ups' are now in favor of the
'Downs," as that class of sheep with
dark faces and medium wool are called
of which the South Downs are the pro.
genitors. These sheep are all excellent,
but vary in size, from the smaller South
Down to the Shropshire, Oxford and
Hampshire breeds. For mutton these
breeds are unapproachable, and the
wool is Of that class known as flannel
and clothing wool, the great staple OF
the manufacturers. But tho Merinos
have their place as "wool-bearers, from
which they can never be pushed, while
these Down breeds will be the farmers
sheep for wool, mutton and lambs.
The wheat crop in Kansas is threshing
out mush heavier tnan was expected,
and the state board ofagriculture now
says that the crop will reach $4,000, ,OW
bushels. The corn crop in Kansas it is
estimated will reach fully 2OO,OO0,OOO
bushels and will be the largest ever pro.
duceQ In the state.
If the farmers who will keep dogs
would get rid of their worthless ours and
substitute one well-bred sheph erd pup
not more, to each farm, tie wealth of
every farming community would be
vastly increased in many ways. Farm
ers soon find the colly saving them
many step. Eager and anxious to
learn, willing to do anything within his
power, the young dog needs only wise
and patient restraint, and intelligent di.
rection, to become the most useful hand
on the place.
We can readily understand why our
neighbor who rises at seven in the morn.
ing and spends three or four hours OF
almost every fair day and all of the
rainy days in the town or village, gos-
slipping or talking politics, does not pros
per at farming, and he does not deserve
to succeed.
Sheep prefer upland pastures and
great variety of grasses. It has been
proved that the pasture has greater
influence than climate on the fneness
of wool. Fat sheep yield heavier and
coarser sf1eeces than those that are poor
in flesh: The fine focks east, when ia.
ken to the western prairies in the same
latitude, will in few years change their
character. The quantity of feeces anal
size of the sheep will increase; but the
heeces of the wool will not be retained.
Sweet or upland herbage is the best for
fine wool.