The Question Box. 83 



Question. — Is any benefit derived from hilling potatoes? 



Mr. Chapman favored slightly hilling them, or rather planting 

 them deep enough so that the tuber will be under the surface. 

 The cultivator will hill them enough. The shovel plow and hoe 

 cut off the roots and thus lessen the crop. 



Question. — What are the benefits in the use of a weeder in pota- 

 toes and for covering grass seed ? 



Mr. Smith. — The thorough preparation of the soil is of great 

 value; but it won't make good land out of poor land. The first 

 need is good physical condition; this is brought about by incor- 

 porating hiunus into the soil. This done, use the cultivator andr 

 weeder to fine the soil and bring up the moisture and to prevent it 

 from escaping by evaporation. It will then be held by the vege- 

 table matter, and thus make plant food available. Prof. Roberts 

 grew crop after crop of potatoes on the same field without any 

 fertilizer, in this way, the soil having first been thoroughly sup- 

 plied with humus. 



SHEEP. 



Question. — I have 20 lambs; expect about as many more. 

 How shall I get them through to grass on timothy hay? 



Mr. Woodward. — The cheapest way will be to kill them and 

 throw them out. That man has a hard job. If I were in his 

 place, however, I should feed them some potatoes and mix with 

 them some wheat bran and oil meal; with those he may be able 

 to carry them through on timothy hay till time to turn out to 

 pasture. There is no hay so poor for lamb feeding as is timothy. 

 I should much rather have Canada thistles, cut green and well 

 cured. Timothy, as usually cut and cured, is no better than so 

 much brush. 



Question. — Our sheep are troubled with colic, blindness and 

 death; what are the causes and remedies? 



Mr. Woodward. — Probably they are fed timothy hay or other 

 like dry foods. Sheep will not thrive or live long when so fed. 

 They should have either silage or roots, or both, with the dry 

 foods. But timothy hay should not be fed at all. Feed good, 

 early cut clover instead. With that, ensilage, wheat bran, some 

 oil meal or ground oats, if the sheep are well housed or other- 

 wise cared for, they will not have colic. 



Question. — How much room does Mr. Woodward allow his 

 sheep in the barn? 



Answer. — We put 20 ewes in a pen 18 feet square. It gives 

 them room enough. 



