The record-union., 1894-02-14

eAOAA Speou since the days Oh liam bic
tonlan, and yet Hambletonian himself
was the result of many years. breeding.
When the great Boston and Fashion met
Tor supremacy the race horse of that
ume was considered at its supremacy,
ana pedlgrees could be traced far beyond
Godolphln Arabian, yet a son of Boston
lowered the record OF four miles to point
that was marvellous. Lexington, who
performed this feat, became the source
from which the best race horses of our
time came. These results were due to
the selection OF the best for breeding pur-
poses.
When farmer has flock or herd of
mongreis it will pay him to grade up his
STOCK Dy the use OF pure bred sires, but
MS ann should always be to procure
something better. Ii he has pure breeds
he must strictly adhere to them. The
moment he attempts to cross one pure
bred lot with the use of males of some
other breed he makes the first downward
step. lie obllterates pedigrees, and the
tendency Is then back to the mongreS.
This may be particularly noticed with
those who often attempt to improve their
nocks OF poultry by crossing two breeds
that are entirely unlike. The result
usually ends, in two or three seasons, in
flock OF mongrels possessing no uni
formlty whatever. The same will hap
pen with animals. If a thoroughbred
race horse and trotter are crossed the
value OF the progeny is less than it would
be II Its parents were both from the same
breed, and from the best strains of that
breed.
Every breed has been bred on certain
lines. The shorthOrn is intended to pro-
duce beef In preference to milk and but
ter. The Holstein is a milk and butter
producing animal. Cross the two breeds
and the result will be an animal that is
not equal to the shorthorn for beef or to
the Holstein for milk and butter. Both
breeds have been lost in the experiment,
so far as their dominant qualities are
concerned, and nothing has been gained.
The reason is that long years OF patient
breeding for certain characteristics have
rendered them fixed and inherent in the
breed. But breed the mongrel with the
use OF the pure bred male, and while the
progeny will not equal the pure breed,
yet it will far excel its mongrel parent,
and by grading still further there is a
persistent improvement. The farmer can
thus effect constant increase in quality
and add TO the value of his stock every
year.
PEANUT CULTIVATION.
An acre of peanuts produces two tons
of peanut hay and sixty bushels of nuts.
The hay is fine for cattle. Now that the
Tennessee Experiment Station has re-
duced the theory of peanut oil to exact
knowledge, there seems to be no question
but that a new and glorious future is
opening to this favorite of the children.
Oil resembling olive is made from the
nuts, and not being drying oil, can be
used in wOOlen manufacturing and for
other purposes. Nearly half the weight
of nuts is produced in oil. 1t is used in
France to adulterate olive oil, and the
Confederate navy fed it to their lamps.
The oil cake is splendid food for stock.
Then, the crop of nuts is greater on poor
soil and the vines on rich soil. 1t exceeds
all other plants in drawing nitrogen from
the atmosphere through the Intervention
of bacteria. 1t is a great profit to the
farm if only the oil is sold, for fodder and
cake can be fed to stock, and nothing is
removed from the farm. Peanut cultiva-
ton will receive a great impetus by these
discoveries.
STRAWBERRIES.
Every person who owns or rents
small garden should have strawberry
patch. 1t will give much pleasure to the
good wife and children. From 100 to 200
plants will make nice bed for small
family, and by planting the earliest and
latest varieties you can have a long
season. When you once get a start of
plants a new bed should be planted every
year. The twO-year-old beds comes in
few days earlier than beds one year old,
but the berries are the largest on one
year-old beds.
THE FRAMER AND HIS WORK.
The farmer should never let his work
drive him, but should always drive his
work. One way to be able to enforce this
adage is to utilize every good day in Feb
raary. If one let's these slip by unim-
proved he will find himself driven by
odds and ends of all kinds, and when the
seeding time comes he will have to over
work himself. his help and his teams: in
fact, he will have ITO burn his candle at
both ends'' the rest Of the season. The
consequences will be increased expenses
from breakage, etc., etc., work poorly
done, and the product of the labor will be
very unsatisfactory.