The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-01-08
Ghe faruler.
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
If You Know All About Farming
Don't Read Them.
From the Philadelphia Cpa.) Record.

From the Philadelphia (Pa.) Record.
Must our breeds of hogs be abandoned
For century or more the hog has been
bred for AN aptitude to fatten, until it
has been brought to form in which the
snout is disappearing and its body Is too
heavy for its legs Fat has been the OBJ
ject, and also attained. but it is claimed
that the hog has been so changed that it
is now more susceptible to disease than
formerly, while the quality Of the flesh
has diminished. One breeder in the West
crossed his Poland Chinas with ''razor-
back from Georgia, and reports that his
bies are harder: and the bacon brought
better prices. In England and Canada the
farmers are using boars of the Tamworth
breed, which produce more lean meat than
fat. and the bacon from the hogs SO pro
duced brings from Is to q cents per
pound in England, while that from the
United States, Astounding in fat, brings
from 6 to s cents per pound. The cele
DRAFTED Smithville hams, from Isle Of
Wight county, Va. which have held
their reputation in market for half a cen
fury, are from the razor back" breed.
and the Irish breakfast bacon is from hogs
of the Tamworth and active Irish breeds.
As soon as the ground is frozen is an
excellent time to cut back the grapevines,
and blackberry canes should be cleared of
all the old wood. Every vine or cane re-
moved should be burnt Allow nothing to
remain on the ground. as disease may be
spread in that way.
When farmers produce beef from beef
breeds they save time and gain in the
weight of their animals. If a steer can be
produced in year it becomes rival of
the hog and sheep in rapidity of growth
At the recent Chicago Fat Stock Show the
weight of the prize yearling was 1890
pounds, and its net weight, dressed, was
143 pounds, or 6S. 10 per cent. of dressed
meat. The 2-year-olds ranged from 1872
pounds to 1875 pounds alive, and dressed
from &C to 50 per cent. Such steers
should pay well, and they bring better
prices per pound than is usually obtained,
but it is useless for farmers to attempt to
attain such success unless they are willing
TO resort to the breeds that will accom-
plish the objects desired. Using any kind
of steers for producing the choicest beef is
but a loss of time and food
Many farmers who got rid of their sheep
because wool did not pay have found that
they made mistake in SO doing, as the
ewes could have been made the foundation
for something better. Sheep are not as
easily procured now as two years ago, and
fewer complaints are made regarding the
profits from them. Oxford sheep, which
produced heavy carcasses last year, on an
Ohio farm, averaged eight pounds of wool
per sheep also, thus proving that mutton
breeds also pay as wool producers.
Aphides on house plants give much
trouble and yet the plants can be protected
with but little difficulty In quart bot
tie put an ounce of soap fill three-quart-
ers with water, add teaspoonful of am
monia and shake well until the soap is dis
solved; then place the bottle aside until
the contents are wanted for use. Put a
gill of the mixture in two gills of warm
water and sponge the plants twice week.
An hour after so doing sponge with clear
water.
Farmers may have but little faith in the
reports on feeding stock as given by the
experimental stations, nevertheless the far
mer who has some knowledge of the re-
suits obtained by systematic course of
feeding will be better prepared to meet
difficulties than one who is not. The fact
that farmers are becoming less wasteful of
their fodder and straw shows that they
have at least discovered that in order to
compete in cattle raising they must utilize
every article on the farm.