The National tribune., 1891-01-29
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
A PEW sHFfP WRINKLE

l i
yet them anyhow before 4" the voice OF tnu turtle
Is heard Ia the land"
An sheep are slhjeei TO both internal aud ex-
ternal parasites. Feed them occasionally "a little
hardwood ashes ur furly-pnverizcd tobacco
which viii free them from worms aud improve
their general health.
DIP them thoroughly IN come approved sheep
dIp and there Is nothing better than prepI-
ration oi tobacco.
DO not ovcrstoCk better keep too few rather
than too many. II flock o. 100 sheep could be
made "a profitable as flock of 10 shepherds
would be clothed ia purple aud fine linen"
Mix little sulphur with their salt; it en-
riches the blood, and dissgrees with ticks and
other parasi -.
don't be fooled twice by the same sheep
Keep wcli-trlined Scotch terrier i'm the
sheep barn he Will clean ~ the rats and give
/ notice OF the approach 0f pTOWiug curs or
thieviuE tramls. The sheep will soon become
familiar with his presence and he may run be-
tween their legs or over their hacks wi bout
exciting them in the slightest
Give mixed feed. and always remember that
oats should constitute part OF the fool Of tho
golden hooi.' II you are feeding "a mixture
OF equal parts OF cOnmcal ground oats and
wheat bran. and forget Go exchange il FOR some
thing else every % days. "a The books direct,
don't be alarmed: the sheep won't be IusuitCd.
b ~
one pint OF grain each, three tImc.aday stirred
into enough warm water 20 make IL into q thin
u.ush. the lambs will dance and the ewes cry
out for joy every time they hear the rattle Of
your pals.
Fowls Of any kind are a nuisance about the
sheep barn, and should be carefully Excluded.
Examine carefully every ewes udder before
deciding 10 retain her a member Of your
breeding flock. II you find one side spoiled,
! reject her.
After weaving lambs, milk the ewes twice a
week aud keep them on the shortest pasture
until dry.
Any breed Of sheep is good if they have a
/ shepherd: all breeds are poor If they are neg
! lected.-Ameriom IPo0l- Grouer
SHEEP sHEARINGs.
Coarse-wooled sheep are more liable to be in
I Tested with ticks than MeFinos, II Is said. DO
not try to winter ticks; they live Oh blood, says
the Indiana Farmer.
! The largest sheep ranch In the world is in
/ the Counties Of Webb aud Dummif in Texas.
/ IL contains upwards Of 40O,0J0acTes aud yearly
4 pastures 100000 sheep.
1t is more profitable 10 keep 80 good MerinO
I sheep than 100 poor ones. Some prefer the
I Southdown, the Hampshire, Shropshire, Cots
/ void, and others; whatever you start with stick
/ TO them. Good woods OF all these kinds will
always bring you profit on the wool alone.
/ farmer has kept a flock of sheep for II years,
/ and has not had them attacked by dogs even
/ once, though hocks Oh adjoining farms have
I been ruined. The flock always wears between
Y five 10 eight bells Of different sizes aud tones,
and there Is lot a dog in the world with sulii-
cent courage 10 attack flock Of sheep well
Y supplied with bells.
FOWLS FOR MARKET.
/ Fowls that are to be dressed for market
should b. given quarters by themselves and
! crowded Tor all they ean eat Their quarters
should be small and we'll darkened. so they can
I take but little exercise. ] find cooked potatoes
mashed and thickencd with rurnmeal aud fed
regularly, with aii the water they can drink
! clean, course gravel every day they viii not
/ lay on fat without it, viii lattCn them the
/ quickest Of anything writes "A correspond
I cut Of the Ohio Practical Farmer. II they nave
Y gone into Winter quarters in good condition 10
\ days is long enough for this extra feeding.
! Potatoes, cOrnneal aud rice make firm, we'll
I cOiOred and wcil-1avOTed flesh. Vegetables
Y such cabbage. celery, turuips aud onions,
7 should never be fed 10 fatteniug fowls rs they
/ impart 10 the flesh gamy, diSagreeahle taste.
I II potatoes are scarce and liable 10 be too ex-
pcusive, corn makes good substitute, If shelled
and cooked until soft aud fell warm but IL
/ should never be thrown 10 them Oh the cob for
/ the exercise they must take 10 eat il Tetards
| the fattening. The French excel in fatteuing
! poultry, and they keep them in clean, dark
/ quarters and feed them largely on boiled rice
aud milk. But fattening fowls and those in
/ tended for market should never be kept in the
! same coop with laying hens, for the SINE food
aud care given the laying hens would prove
/ disastrous 10 the egg basket All quaTTelsOme
males also, should be faiteued by themselves.
| The quality Of tho flesh depends largely upon
the food aud care given them.
HORTICULTURAL SUGGESTIONS.
We are asked if the peach grated on plum
l. uIrFt IN och
! No, we reply.
The peach viii not do well on a damp soil
and we again state that fruit culture demands
a well dTained soil.
Black currants will do well on almost any
| soil, though on light soils it is well to keep
them mulchcd the year round.
Raspberres should be given plenty Of room.
Plant eight or ten feet apart. On an average
| farm there Is no excuse for crowdiBg plants.
One Of our subscribers relates his manner Of
| gathering pears and says pear-culture has not
proved satisfactory. He lets the pears become
too ripe, something that should always be
avoided.
subscriber writes that his Concord grapes
do not ripen at the same time every year. and
| he wishes 10 know the reason. The Concord
varies AS 10 the time OF TiPening, depending
upon the season.
How many strawberries can be grown to the
acrel asks q subscriber. 1t is not safe TO an
hhbI nuGi question:, IDf tue answer ~ gHL lead
| TO disappointment, 50 much depends on ciTcum-
stances. People have grown from 1000 to 5000
| quarts Western Rural.
DAIRY DOTS.
Tho cost Of feeding cows in a Canadian dairy
| herd amounts 10 SIS in three months, from jan
/ / 10 ApTi! /, while the milk is sold for Si2
leaving S2i profit for three months equal 10
| $40 per COW in the year.
The standard temperature for churning In
| the Winter Is 50 degrees in the Summer SO de-
| grees. Cream always warns up few degrees
| In the churning. The churning in Winter
| should be done in a warm room.
When a cows coat appears rough something
| y wrong and the owner Is losing money. The
| skin is "A certain index Of an animals condition
\ IL should be smooth and sleek. The COW need
| not be fat, but the coat should be soft and
/ Glistcning the animal is out Of order and is
/ not making profit.
ii is a safe way 10 feed cows TO keep them al
| ways In such q condition that a months feed
| inE will make fair beef Of them. If COW has
| not some fat on her inside there will bo a de-
| hclency Of fat in the udder, and this is where
the butter comes from. a thin COW is never a
| profitable milk COW.
The COW Sebia. owned by Mr. G. +. Hunt, of
| The Windsor dairy farm, IN Colorado, recently
made % pounds three and-ahalf ounces of
marketable butter ia seven days, or more than
| four pounds daily. Her owner admits that it
| might not be safe 10 risk feeding the COW for
six months as she was fed during this week,
| but he nevertheless insists upon feeding all
| COWS literally aud even "FOyaIlyH TO get the