Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-05-28
FARM NOTES.

Should war be declared between Engt
land and Russia, it would have the effect
of materially advancing the price Of
horses in Europe. This, no doubt, would
have salutarY effect upon the trade in
good horses in this country.
The frSit trees should have attention
as they come out in leaf to see that the
foliage is not so thick as to require all
the strength Of the tree to support it, and
have nothing left to mature and ripeR
the fruit. When the foliage becomes SO
heavy it should be thinned out sufficient
ly to allow the air to circulate freely
through the head of the tree, and the
sunlight to get to the growing fruit Too
large and too thick heads On the fruit
trees should always be avoided.
May is the month in which country
roads generally receive their annual
working, and there is no one thing that
requires the attention of farmers more
than.the condition of the roads over
which they are compelled to travel, eth
er for business or pleasure, almost daily.
The convenience, comfort and interest
of farmers require that this work be
done well, and that permanent roads be
made as nearly as possible. All habit
ually bad and wet sections, where sink
holes are common, should receive heavy
coat of stones, and cross drains should
always be boxed over. Everything that
will better the roads should be done and
done well.
For men who have the pasture land
there never was more propitious time
for investing in sheep than at the pres
ent. Sheep are low-very lo1-and are
more than likely to be much higher
within reasonable time. Again, good
interest can be made with sheep at tho
price now ruling, on account of the mea-
ger amount of capital invested in these
new hOcks. This of course is pretty hard
on the old hockowners, who invested
when sheep were high. and consequently
have large anodnt of money in their
iocks, but it cannot be helped. The ratio
of profit from like return will of course
be much higher on sheep purchased at
from $1.5O to 81 than when purchased
at from So to SIS. 1t will not cost more
than one-half ss much to stock farm
with sheep now as it would have cost
two or three years ago. Besides this,
those who invest in sheep now will very
likely make quite an addition to their
capital by an advance in price, which is
a reasonably certain consequence of pres
ent conditions.-Stecknan.
THE MEAT WE EAT.-A statistieian
who has given the subject close study
estimates that from fifty to sixty per
cent. of the income of the industrial
people of this country is expended for
food products, and one-fifth of this, or
from ten to twelve per cent. of the whole
income, goes for meat. From this it will
be seen that the stock raiser aoSorbs a
very considerable proportion Of the in
come of the thrifty people of the United
States, getting approximately s2,OOO,OOO,-
900 for the meat which he grows. Meat,
comes second only to bread in
order of Importance as an agricultural
product. This being true. can any fart
mer afford to wholly ignore the produce
tion of beef, pork and mutton. and thus
have no share in furnishing this one+
fifth of the food which the country
needs? Is not any system of farming
in which the herd and the flock are ig-
nored resting upon other than sound
Oasisf 1t cannot be otherwise. Exclu-
sive grain farming has impoverished
more land and bankrupted more farmers
shan any other agricultural policy ever
by considerable portion Of eur
people.-Stockman,