The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-08-25
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
EARLY ANp LATE LAMHINa.


out, and these constitute systematic sheep
| husbandry.
| The breeding season viii soon be here again,
and it would be well to carefully arrange for
next years lamb crop. PresumiDg that this
| subject has been thought out so far rs purposes
and the means to secure the ends sought. the in
| tenton Of this paper will be to discuss the pro-
| priety and feasibility of breeding for early or
late lambs. Much must depend upon the eli
mate, thearti fetal preparations in the way OF ad-
| equate shelter, proper food supplies, the Winter
management of the ewes, the breed, somew hat,
and the industry and sagacity of the shepherd.
| To the man who gives his efforts to raising
| Spring or house lambs, the question of early
| breeding is all-important. The stud-fock
| breeder finds an advantage in breeding early
| and uses the utmost precautions that every
| lamb shall have the attention necessary to its
| welfare and thrift.
The average sheep raiser and wool grower who
| makes the flock secondary consideration on
the farm; who does not expect to lose any
| sheep nor to sleep in the sheep barn during
lambing time; whose preparations for saving
the lambs are poor, and who expects to trust
| to luck and Providence TO such the question
| has vital Importance.
There are arguments and advantages on
both sides of this question. Where the climate
| is liable to variations and storms that new
born lamb would perish, unless wise precau-
tons for its safety were made, the conclusion
for Winter lambs is improvident, cruel, and
criminal Where food rations and some pas.
turage are secured and possible that favor the
healthy and indispensable supplies of milk,
much of the losses and anxieties of this critical
period will be relieved. No period in the
handling of focks can compare with Landing
under unfavorabe and adverse circumstances,
as can be referred to by any experienced and
anxious shepherd. Nothing can compare with
the worry of man who has been caught by
msfortunes at time when cold storms pre-
vail, lambs coming, and lot of ewes without
milk.
There is more time on the farm to give to
the flock in early Spring or late Winter than
later on. An early lamb that survives gets
big send-of when grass comes goes through
the Fall, and passes the weaving period in
better shape than late lamb. AS sheep are
ordinarily handled after they are returned to
pasture, March lamb will be worth two or
three June lambs in the Fall after they are
weaned. Lambs that come after the ewes are
sheared and on pasture give very little anxiety
to the shepherd. Under such favorable cir
cumstances very few losses need occur.
Late lambs that are pushed from yeaning TO
weaving may be expected to enter sheephood
in excellent shape, and with uniform certainty
of making good, useful sheep. Late lambs,
though, that are subjected to short feed and
starvation, become stunted, and cannot resist
the sure attacks of parasites. and often die in
the Fall and Winter. Such lambs are shame
and loss 10 the farmer.
In Illinois it was good rule to breed the
flock after Nov. 3. The lambs began to come
April 3, when the weather was usually more
settled than earlier. Circumstances alter
cases." and the flock owner must be governed
by experience and circumstances that favor
the safety and con yeniencs of his case-4msr-
icaa Farmer.
FRUIT FOE THE FARMER
Prof Honeycutts, of Georgia, in an address
before recent meeting of the American
Nurserymen at Atlanta, expressed his deep re-
greet that so many farmers in different parts of
the United States entirely neglected fruit-tree
planting for home supplies They appear not
to be aware that the health of their families
and the happiness Of their children depend
very much on these luxuries. There is no
reason why they should not have good sup
ply of excellent apples, peaches. pears plumbs,
strawberries, and raspberrie5, where now they
are never seen. The plantations may cost but
little and the conveyance of the ripe fruit
from the trees to the table viii not be attended
with the labor and expense of asserting, pack
ing shipping, railway conveyance, and COM
mission required for those who raise fruit for
money. 1t is Iamentable that such is the fact,
yet, nevertheless, it is true in many instances.
HOG CHOLERA SYMPTOMS.
Symptoms of hog cholera are described by
the Iowa State Board of Health as follows:
The presence of the disease is indicated by
cold shvering, lasting from few seconds to
several hours; frequent sneezing. followed by
a loss of appetite; rough appearance of the
hair, dropping of the ears. stupidness attempts
to vomit, tendency to root the bedding, to lie
down in dark and quiet places, dizziness of the
eyes, often dim; sometimes swelling Of the
head, eruptions of the ears and other parts of
the body, dizziness. laborious breathing, viii
ated appetite for dung, dirty and salty SUBJ
stances, accumulation Of mucus in inner cor
ner OF the eye discharge from the nose, fetid,
offensive odor of the discharges from the bowels,
offensive exhalatons diarrheal discharges are
SINH fluid, of grayish-gresn color and often
mixed with blood In many cases the skin on
the belly between the hind legs, behind the
ears aud even on the nose has numerous red
spots which toward the fatal termination turn
purple. As the disease progresses, the animal !
becomes sluggish, the head droops with the |
nose near the ground, but usually will be found |
lying down with the nose hid in the bedding. |
If there has been costiveness, about two days !
before death there viii be offensive, fetid dis |
charge; the voice becomes faint and hOarse;
the animal is stupid. emacation increases rap
idly; the skin becomes dry. hard and very IN
clean, there is cold. cammy sweat and death |
soon follows with COMMISSIONS, gradually by |
exhaustion. without 4 struggle. In chronic |
cases or those of long duration, the animal
becomes weak, lies down most of the time eats |
but little, and has the diarrhea. These cases
may linger for weeks. scattering the poison of |
the disease in the discharge wherever they CO.
HARNESS CLOSETS.
We do not know who wrote the following
know holds a good deal of truth and |