The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1893-12-02
pie later on will have to pay more for
their bread. Z
wooI-EatinE Sheen.

pie later on will have to pay more for
their bread. 4, 81 Z 4
WooI-Eating Sheep.
Animals may become starved in one
direction by being overfed, in another
by the too liberal use Of 4 one-sided
food. Corn is such a product, COM
posed as it is Of starch, or fat-forlning
carbon. For finishing an animal for
the butchers bic ok there is nothing
better than corn, if the feeding process
is not continued too long; then it is
more profitable to supplement the corn
with some of the protein elements to
supply vital force Of the muscular sys-<
TEN. These scientific rules apply to all
kinds OF domestic animals.
a. When sheep eat their wool it indicates
either that they are suffering from in
digestion and an abnormal appetite, rs
cows are at times when they eat wood,
or, that they are suffering from some
Irritation OF the skin, which compels
them to bite themselves and thus pull
off the wool. Marsh hay alone is such
poor food for sheep that they may be
reasonably excused if they do try to
improve their rations by adding even a
mouthful of wool, dry as it is, to the
poor feeding. It is quite probable, too,
that these sheep are pestered by ticks,
which are a great torment tC them,
burying their heads in the flesh and
sucking the blood
better food, as some grain, oats being
the best, and. if possible, roots of some
kind; with the marsh hay alone sheep
cannot be: Kept in healthful condition.
The sheep should be examined to see
if they are troubled with ticks, and if
so they should be freed from the pests
immediately-Western Rural.
Dantams.
If you haven't any ba,1tams get some
right away and enjoy the brightest and
most profitable birds in the poultry
yard. The craze is on in Hartford, and
at the coming show this winter compe-
tition in this class is going to be close.
If bantams are desired, now is the time
to hatch them, rs they are more valu-
able when very small. If patched late
they do not have full season in which
to grow, and consequently Go not reach
as large size as if Matched earlier. It
costs but very little to prepare for
bantams, as they take up but limited
room.
A large dry goods box can be convert
ed into very snug little house for half
dozen bantams, and they do not re-
quire as much yard space as large
breeds. They make interesting pets
for the children, and are profitable, as
they lay large eggs in proportion to
their size, and arc excellent on the
table. Every poultry yard may have q
few bantams.-Farm and Garden.
Turkeys and Grnsshoppers.
J. A. Perkins, writing from Wilkes
barre, says: Large numbers of tur-
keys were given the run of the fields
during the grasshopper plague last sum-
mer, and a very large proportion died.
whether from overeating or what I
can't say" The birds were probably
kept to an exclusive grasshopper diet,
the fields having probably been cleaned
off by the grasshoIpers before the
birds got into them. Those who have
had experience with turkeys and chick
ems during a hopper season. shut the
birds in at night and do not let them
out in the morning until after they had
made hearty meal Of grain CT mixed
meal and green food.-Philadelphi
Ledger.
Farm Pointers.
A large quantity of the butter pro-
duced in this country is spoiled by too
much churning and working.
Haul out manure as It accumulates
and spread on the fields Do not let it
pile up and fire fang.
Patch up the cracks in the chicken
house, COW barn, sheep shed, etc. Cold
winds are detrimental to stock raising.
Clean up rubbish about the farm.
Bits of rails, limbs of trees, ends of
boards, etc., will soon be covered with
snow.
Get the potatoes in the cellar or pit
as the time is nearly here when cold
nights will injure them. See that the
storing place is we'll ventilated.
When the machinery used in putting
in the wheat crop is needed no longer
carefully clean, grease bright metal
surfaces and put away in a dry place.
In selecting seed corn remember that
the varieties will cross-fertilize at long
distances. Select seed from corn which
has grown apart from other varieties.
In building temporary corn cribs have
the floor at least a foot above the
ground, so rats and mice cannot harbor
under it.
The best method for keeping roots
where one has no regular root cellar is
to bury on dry ground. Cover with two
feet of earth and see that all water
that falls on the pit can get off readily.
Laying out and putting in tile drains
is now in order where the ground is not
too hard. Better have all the main
lines surveyed and the tile leveled be-
fore covering. Imperfectly laid drains
are useless.
Some men seem to pride themselves
upon the fact that they are practical
farmers, and know nothing about agri-
culture except that which they have
learned by hard knocks. But this is
hardly as much credit to them as they
seem to think, because the very best
farmers in these latter days arc the
ones who combine theory with practice.
Some Of our friends of the press make
q mistake when they take the position