The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-12-16
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
HOUsEKEEPERs song.


Though you've done II IN hour before;
| And its scrub, scrub, scrub.
Table and chair and floor.
And you needn't be weary bit
To find your labor In vain:
| Do u as we'll ~ y0u can today
You can do II tomorrow again.
1t IL cook, cook, cook,
There's meat and there's bread to bake;
It is cook, cook. cook
There's pudding and pie 10 make.
The buttons are always dropping,
The stockings are ever to mend,
The men In the field TO look after,
The children to wash and to tend
It's aght fight, fight,
For . man in the tug Of life;
And its fight, fight, fight
For clean and tidy wife.
A man can plant IN acre OF land
And gather the golden wheat,
And get the price In his open hand,
And the price Of labor is sweet.
Bnt work. work, work, work
II ever . womans lot:
IL is work, work, work,
II the weather be cold or hot,
And this is the worst of the trouble,
She hasn't shilling OF gain.
And. though she may scrub and clean today,
She must do 1t Tomorrow again!
Don't worry and fret and pout;
Oh. wife, wife, wife!
YOu are cross to-day, no doubt;
For you know very we'll your labor
Isn't done for = shilling or two:
just think how happy you make us all
Ofthe love we give to you!
oh. wife, wife, wife.
II yon could not cook and clean.
Oh. wife, wife, wife,
What sorrow 1t all would mean.
To toll for love is better than gold,
And the way we differ is clear;
The work you do is done by the day,
And mine is done by the year.
SHEEP nUsBANDRY.
At this season Of the year, when, il ever, the
farmer may feel that he can indulge in thought-
ful leisure, there will be casting about for some
accessory to augment the revenue of the farm.
in addition to the annual crops. which in ali
seasons are not sure nor always profitable. In
this connection sheep hushandry may be be con-
sdered As likely to be productive Of satisfactory
results. always provided, that IL engaged in, It
should be after careful inspection as to the best
methods for its prosecution. large proportion
OF the failures among men making sheep hue-
bandry their leading business have resulted
from Indebtedness incurred for eheep and lands.
with the expectation that profits would soon ex.
SinSulcu UOtu pIIuClp1l anu interest. Dut 1t IL
not needful, and possibly il would not be Alto
gethef wise to make this more than incident OF
the general enterprise Of the farm. and il may be
set down - true that when "boom' is on,
more money will be made from q small, we'll ee-
lected flock that has been paid for, than from
larger one from which the first returns must 60
to the creditor.
The Ohio Farmers Journal has some suggest
ions In regard TO working success of the nnder-
taking that are worth considering. The hints
are these: When yOu buy sheep for breeding
purposes DC sure that i is better than the best
In your own flock in blood and physical develop
ment; and when you have bought it see that it
ie cared for like any valuable piece Of property.
Good live stock. like good clothes, cannot be ex-
rosed to all kinds Of hardshipe, without showing
the effect Of such harsh treatment.
Take OF the wool as room ~ the weather seems
settled and warm enough to admit OF II with
safety to the sheep. aud put the heeces in such
order that the buyer will readily give you the top
price for woods Of similar grade.
Breed 80 as to have every lamb an improve
mcnt upon the average standard OF the flock,
ana sell a. coon as they can be made ready. ali
that come below such standard. When the time
comes for selling animals Of any age, do the
selecting youreelf-always keeping the best.
They are worth more to you than any one else,
20 long as you are not overstOcked.
DO not be tempted into keeping more sheep
than you have 6rst-class arrangements for keep
ing-food and other necessary accommodation
DO not keep different breeds of sheep togeth.
er. The conditions best suited to some are not
the best for others, and when mixed the result
VIII be that all will come short Of their highest
possible results.
Do not abandon sheep husbandry because
prices are temporarily unsatisfactory, or be in
hurry to expand your business when Q ..boom''
sets In. Wool and mutton, like everything else.
will vary In price, and the changes In price will
come faster than any man can change his busi-
nese, without sacrifice.
BRAIN POWER FOR THE PARM,
The most successful farmers are not those
who work hardest at manual labor; They work.
nevertheless, with all their energies. None are
exempt from labor; but in all it is not equally
applied and directed. II you take any two men,
physically equal the one will accomplish most
who exccls In brainpower. Therefore, let that
small enclosure within his own ecull be cultiya-
ted ~ assiduously by the farmer as his choicest
crop. Whatever farming may have been in the
past the time has come when the highest intelli-
gence Is demanded as . necessary qualification
on the part Of the ag,iculturist.
BO0k-farmiug, however, is decried and .farm-
ers are not reading claes.'' We, on our part,
neither underrate the practical knowledge nor
oyerfate the Importance OF the scientific study
OF farming. The one IL needful to the other.
and science Is futile il 1t does hot help practice
TO do its work better and cheaper, hut
But there 10 one great want in most Of our farm
houses, and that 10 the almost entire absence of
agricultural literature, both in book and periodi-
cai form. ine volumes one most expects to see
ON farmers table are generally conspicuous By
their absence: and, will II be believed, there is
many . farmer who does not take an agricultur-
81 newspaper. Both boys and girls grow up on
the farm and spend those years which will go
much ind uencc their future lives without ever
lad IN afSn.aN
what is before them.
EGGS BY WEIGHT.
1t is annoying to the breeder OF biooded aud
dne fowls to find, when he offers for sale eggs
nearly twice rs large as his neighbors, that they
bring no more per dozen than do the smaller
ones. Also, the consumer is often vexed to fnd
that he must pay the same price to-day for
dozen eggs weighing ponnd that he yesterday
paid for . dozen weighing pound and bali.
Besidca, an egg from well-fed fowl IL heavier
and richer than one from common fowl that
is only half fed, go that weight compared to
size IL an indication OF richness. Thus, eggs OF
which eight will weigh pound are better aud
richer than those OF apparently the same size.
OF which ten are required for = pound. OF
course, with eggs At four and five cents dozen
(and hundreds Of dozens have been sold in past
years 1t these fgures), It is not much matter rs
" snc eAcs out wncu tHc price ranges from
TWENTY-FIVE to fifty cents per dozen 1t is matter
worth looking after. 1t is high time that this
old style Of selling and buying eggs were discon-
tinucd. II is relic Of the past and reminds
us Of the time whom dressed hogs sold for q
dollar each without regard to size, and were
dull sale ut that Insist upon 1t, then, you who
raise poultry and eggs for market, that the price
for eggs ehall be 80 much per pound, and then
It will be some inducements to farmers to raise
better class OF fowls, and all will get what IL
their just due.-Americaa Rural Home.
SHELTER THE PIGS.
In company with the owner Of . large farm in
one OF the Western States, we were riding horse
back through heavily timhe rod t,acf ~ land