The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-01-17
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.

SHEEP AS RESoyAToRs OF wEEpy PASTURES.
From an instructive letter on this subieet in
the Mirror and Farmer we make the following
extracts: sheep are very beneficial 70 past
ures, and AFFORD one Of the readiest means of
renoyating such as are worn out. They eat
more kinds of heritage than other sock, and by
eating down weeds and bushes viii externlinate
them. Pastures oyerTun with bushes may be
cleared by first cutting the plants and then put
in sheep TO eat down the young sprouts as they
grow farmer in Maine had 8 moving field
of forty acres covered with white and yellow
weed and the grass nearly killed out He
turned ten acres Of it to pasture on which he
put Fifty sheep, aud allowed them to run ON it for
Two years. The third year it was again moved
and turned out heavy crop Of hay; grasses
and clover again took the lead, and made
heavy crops for years afterwards. 4 Connecti-
cut farmer had tiye-aere field which became
entirely overrun with the white daisy, some-
times called white weed. He put a flock of
sheep into it and they swept off every daisy,
and not one has been seen on the field since
RagSeed and other weeds may be equally as
efiectualIy destroyed by sheep. A Aassachu-
sets farmer had pasture so rough that it
could not be plowed, which was covered with
briers and bushes so thickly that there was but
little grass uponit. lie cut the bushes and put
i'll sheep enough TO eat everything that grew
in it, and kept them there five seasons. The
sheep killed the briers and most Of the bushes,
and one acre was worth more than three acres
were before Another farmer says. have
two pastures, twenty acres in each. 1 have
kept sheep ON one of them about seven years in
ten, and the other, three III ten. The one /
kept sheep in the most is worth % per cent
more than the one / pastured with cattle
When apples are about the size of walnGts
turn sheep into the orchard and they pick up
the green fruit which falls, thereby destroying
many worms
CROPS EAST AND WEST
1t was formerly the boast of the Western
farmer that he paid no attention to manuring
lands The trouble with him was how to GET
rid OF the manure which would accumulate
around his stables, and he would pretend that
1T was cheaper for him to remove his stables
than TO attempt TO remove the manure. The
result of this Encouragement is clearly shown
by recent statistics, which show that while
New Hampshire produces 36 bushels of corn
per acre, Illinois produces only p bushels per
acre; Massachusetts, produces % bushels while
Indiana averages q bushels. Maine produces
b bushels Vermont 81 bushels aud Rhode
Island 81 bushels, while Kansas produces IS
bushels, Missouri 25 and New Mexico 20 bush
els per acre.
There is no merit in gathering fine crops
from rich virgin soils; bat the practice that
produces a yearly diminishing crop is not
farming, as properly understood. SkiIlful
farming not only maintains bRt gradually In
creases the productive capacities of the soil
The time will come when the rundown Vest
ern lands viii again reach and far exceed even
their best results, but it viii be when they are
managed by skillfni and accomplished farmers.
Already this is being exemplifed, but the non
nanuriDg, stoekless and careless cuItivators
seem yet to be in the majority. The valuable
teachings of agricultural colleges and farm
experiment stations, which are rapidly in
creasing, viii in few years, we appgehend.
change the character Of present statistical
showings, and farming will enlist the attention
OF those who have qualified themselves for the
profession by acquiring a knowledge of funda-
mental principles and their application.
PAcKIxG EGGS.
French poultry keeper and breeder says
that latteriy the favorite method of packing
/ eggs has been IN the upright position. the adj
vantage claimed being that the eggs keep bet
ter because less liable TO be shaken. Let the
air bl;sader be q the egssso as the side Il IS
exactly the ss1sse: consequently the shaking
caHElOt be weakened. As to It's being kept
fresh for a longer period when IN an upright
! position. we protest in toto against that point
When birds are at liberty, and lay every ether
day. their eggs keep perfectly well for twenty
or twenty-five days. and the whole brood come
!! out simultaneously, the first being as strong as
/ the last. The shape of the egg sufficiently IN
dlcates that the natural place is ON its SIDE
and to maintain it IN different position is
/ wrong. Eggs put into incubator IN an up
I right position would never hatch.
Sawdust Is the best for packing in, provided
| soft-wood sawdust IS used but it must not be
( too dry or too damp. Sawdast has an elias
| ITCHY which deadens jolting and maintains
! the eggs in an equal temperature. being an ex-
celleHt lnSulatof against cold or heat and it
| cannot be replaced either by cardboard boxes.
/ paper, or even cut straw
BEST BREEDS OF POULTRY.
There is much difference Of opision in regard
! to the best breeds OF fowls. An Ohio poultry
keeper says that. in his opinion the best breeds
for both eggs aud poultry for table use are the
! Light Brahnias and Plymouth Rocks The
| former, especially. is good combination fowl.
! The Plymouth Rocks, from their pToglivity to
I sit, are not always to De relied on for the pro-
! duction of eggs. For eggs alone, the LeghorIis-
/ white or brown, the latter, perhaps. preferable
I are to be recommended. Young Leghorns also
/ make broilers of excellent quality, though not
quite as large as soina varieties at the same age
/ At the North the hen house should be built
warm and comfortable, with proper means for
I ventilation. l prefer a hard earth hoor scat
i tered with fine dry lean or road dust, which
/ should be often removed and replaced with
/ that which IS clean.
1fASURISG FoR CORN.
/ To the Editor NATIONAL TRrBrNg:
/ / have found that the best time for putting
/ out manure for corn IS IN the fail. from the
/ middle to the end of November; or, if not done
| then, any time during the winter. when the
1 ground is bare; but the nearer the spring the
! less good viii come from it, 1t is custom
with most farmers, when they clean out the
stables IN the winter, 10 throw the manure in
the barnyard to rot; but this is a waste In three
| ways: First the cattle viii eat much of the
strawy part of it, which wastes the manure and
is not good for the cattle second, it is not as
! good when rotted it was when taken from
the stables; and third, the ground has been
without it all winter, and is not as rich as if it
had been protected by the manure
Ground viii become richer by being covered.
even If it is with brush: aud this is one ST tins,
advantages of putting the manure on in the
fall, or during the winter. The manure from
the stables should therefore be taken imme-
4 diately TO the field intended Tor corn and spread
/ on the land, and left there until plowed under
/ in the spring. / have been told that lose al
/ the ammonia, which IS very Volatile by spread
i ing cut the manure; but as | have also been
told but little ammonia is formed unless under
rapid rotting. | presume there IS not aIuch
loss III this way. BE this as it may We farmers
| who manure our corn ground this way rarely
! fail IN making good crops. Cornfields served
thus last winter turned out this past fall about
fifteen bushels ofcOrn more to the acre than fields
/ near by them that were not manfred till spring
and we Will have better oats next year, h,
Del.
CULTIVATION or BERRIES.