Middletown transcript., 1909-06-26
FARM NEWS AND VIEWS

i
q law exists compelling aslamb to be pro.
duced for each acre on the farm. The
value OF sheep on the farm is thoroughly
understood and appreciated by the Eng.
Iish people. In some Of the States in this
country, the rule seems 10 be TO produce
a dog for nearly each acre Sheep are
constant fam improyers, while dogs are
exactly the opposite. But for the prev
alence Of worthless ours there are many
sections where sheep would turn the tide
that would soon lead to profitable farm
ing.
Two crops Of lambs cannot be expected
in year with any sheep bat the Dorsets
and Tunis, and with these II is not con-
sidered desirable to breed twice year.
As a rule, single lambs once q year will
be found more profitable than twins or
two Landings, even with the Dorsets.
Good hay can only be made by cutting
the grass as soon as it heads out, and
clover as soon as the heads are in fnlI
bloom. It is mistake to wait until the
heads turn brown. There ID nothing in
the theory that sunshine alone makes
hay. Air is as much factor as sunshine.
Curing mainly in the Winrows and hay
cocks is now practiced by many Of our
best hay specialists
The humble bee is friend OF the
farmer. In sections where cloverseed
crops are depended upon, the value Of the
humble bee as an agent in feFtilising the
clover blooms is fully appreciated. A
knowledge should be had Of the useful as
we'll as the destructive insects, which
would prove that the farmer has quite as
many good insect friends as be has de.
structive ones.
Cultivation Of the soil is not merely
done to kill weeds, but it is a moisture
conservator; it makes the soil more porous
SO that the plant roots more easily pene-
trate in search Of plant food. In time Of
protracted drought the cultivator should
be kept going whether there are weeds or
not.
A-stocklnan claims that when calves
three or four days old become sick and
die with scours it is due to indigestion,
apparently, and yields to treatment with
pepsin if given in time. a. teaspoonfuI
twice day given in little warm milk
after feeding will cure it, and if given
when the calf is born, and continued for
few days, will prevent it. The pepsin
is the common kind sold in drug stores,
and can be purchased by the pound.
Shallow cultivation conseryes the mois.
ture and prevents it from escaping from
the surface. Every time a rain falls the
loose ground absorbs more than does the
hard soil, as the latter permits the water
TO flow off. When the rain goes down
into the soil, and the soil then Ioosened,
the capillary tubes are sealed and the flow
of water upward is arrested. A loose top
soil, therefore, not only permits of secur-
ing large share of water from each rain,
but also retains it.
Melon vines sometimes die frum no ap-
parent cause. Decay begins at the base
of the vines, the branches not falling until
later. This frequently happens when no
indications Of insect damage appears. The
cause Of the dying of the plants may be
from the ground being low, or from the
use Of fresh manure in the bills, which
creates too much warmth during dry
periods
It's claimed that by pouring buttermilk
freely along the backs Of sheep it win
prove remedy for ticks. II a gill Of
kerosene is added to gallon of butter
milk the remedy will be improved, as the
kerosene forms an emulsion with butter
milk and does no harm to the animal.
The remedy will cost but little and should
be given trial by way of experiment.
II is also claimed that If .buttermilk ig
given a horse it will serve better than any
other as a remedy for bots.
Success is more apt to come to the
farmer incidentally than from the direct
product Of bis land. The first step neces-
sary, he soons realizes, is to stock the
place with animals that are needed in
working. it or to consume such products
that are otherwise unmarketable. The
stock increases, and the farmer finds in
come from the sale Of its surplus. After
while. by better feeding and better
breeding, superior strains are produced,
which sell at better prices, for the reason
that they will make so much better use
OF all that they consume.
Should the land not produce sufficient
for the stock, or probably can be put to
better uses, it will pay to buy the grain
and produce only corn fodder and some
clover for coarse feed-and this improve
ment Of the stock is often found to be an
easier way of making money than inn
proving the land. However, much to the |
surprise Of the farmer, be often finds that
after few years Of improved stock-groW-
ing his land has grown so rich thatit can |
be put to uses that at first we're not ex.
pected.