THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



LilYE STOGI^. 



SOILING HOGS ON CLOVER. 



Quite a number of agricultural journals are 

 disposed to recommend the clover pasture as the 

 best place for the pigs. And this is true, to a cer- 

 tain extent, but it is much easier and cheaper to 

 give the pigs a large-sized yard, and feed the 

 clover to them instead of allowing them to roam 

 all over the pasture. As the pigs root up many 

 portions of the tield, they do more or less dam- 

 age, and as it is but little labor to cut the clover 

 for them, they do not waste much. Ringing the 

 pigs prevents them from rooting deep, but not en- 

 tirely, unless tlie ringing is properly done. An 

 advantage in soiling them is that they make a 

 large quantity of manure, which may be easily 

 saved ; while in the pasture, the manure, though 

 not entirely lost, is imevenly distributed. The 

 best way of keeping the sow while suckling her 

 pigs, is to feed clover to her in her pen, which 

 should be given twice a day, witli sloppy food 

 morning, noon, and night. Do not wean the pigs 

 too soon. Tlie longer they can stay witli the sow 

 the better, and if she is fed on a liberal supply of 

 clover, she will give a large quantity of milk, 

 and the pigs will grow fast. 



SHADE IN THE PASTURE. 



During the extremely warm m«nths, the stock 

 often suffers for shade. In some socWons, the 

 persimmon, which does not deprive Ohe land of 

 fertility, as do some kinds of In-ees, are planted 

 for the purpose of furnishing sliade, and every 

 pasture should be supplied in some manner. 

 Sheep are so sensitive that they begin grazing 

 very early, in order to avoid the excessive beat 

 of the day, and their second meal is often de- 

 ferred until after sundown. 'Wlien deprived of 

 shade, they suffer severely; and should di.sease 

 attack them, tlicy do not recover as tiuiclrty as 

 when they are not exposed. Hogs, especially if 

 in good condition, often perish from excessive 

 heat, while the cows will fall off in milk. If 

 there are no trees in tlie pa.<5ture, erect slieds. It 

 is not necessary to liave them close. Four posts, 

 with a roof, will be found better In the summer 

 than anything else, .is the stock will be sheltered 

 from the tain in stormy weatlier, also. Where a 

 number of different Ijtniisof stock are aMowed in 

 the same pasture, it is best to have several sheds. 

 In order that tliey may not crowd. -V few poles, 

 witli brush thrown over them, is better than 

 nothing ; but it is best to protect against the rain 

 with a tight roof. 



STOCK NOTES. 



GROTsn fiuAiN FOR STOCK.— If ground grain 

 is fed. give the liorses ground oats: the cows in 

 mitii, a mixture of gr4>nnd oats, me.al and shijv 

 stutl'; the sheep, ground oats; and the pigs, bran 

 and shipstair. 



The Inskct Pests.— All the animals will suffer 

 from i»sect pests now. The best that can be done 

 for them is to darken the stables lus mui'h as pos- 

 sible, and keep them clean by reni«viug the 

 droppings every morning. 



Young Stopk.— Wlien young stock become 

 sick, tliey should not be given medicine, unless 

 it cannot be avoided. If very young, confine 

 them to a milk diet. If very weak, a tc'aspoonful 

 of brandy In a little water will he found the best 

 invigorator. Drenching young stock often does 

 more liarm than good. 



Lice on Stock.— W'lien lice secure a place in 

 the stables or on the stock, they will remain un- 

 less driven away or destroyed. Dry dirt, used 

 plentifully along the backs of animals, is an ex- 

 cellent remedy. A wash composed of a gill of 

 coal-oil in a gallon of millt is harmless to ani- 

 mals, but also efflcacious in destroying lice. 



Abortiox in Cow.s.— Should a cow ia tlie herd 

 abort, remove her at once from tlie otliers, and 

 disinfect her stall, as well as cleaning up all mat- 

 ter tliat may spread the diliieult.v, as the disease 

 is contagious. As soon as possible send the cow 

 to the butcher, as she will not probabi,v be a sat- 

 isfactory breeding animal again, and may dam- 

 age other herds if sold for dairy purposes. 



The Work Horses This JIonth.— Horses get 

 but very little green food during the busy season, 

 and yet it is necess.ary to their healtli and condi- 

 tion. ' In the morning they are harnessed for 

 worl!, and at night they are consigned to their 

 stalls, with dr.v hay, in the same manner as 

 though they were under winter keep. If the 

 horses are allowed to graze for an hour in the 

 evening, afti'r their day's work, they will be all 

 the better for it. Tlie grass furnisiies a cliange, 

 regulates tiie bowels, and gives them better appe- 

 tites when they go in the stalls. 



Select the Breeding Ewes.— As the ewes 

 should be good milkers, it would be well to cull 

 out from the flock those that were deficient In 

 that respect before the fall, filling their places 

 witli those that are younger. The ewes that bore 

 twin lambs, should always be retained, as well as 

 the ewe lambs from such, as the prolificacy of the 

 flock will in that manner be gradually increased. 



Water in P.^stures. —Unless the fields are 

 supplied with running water, the stock must be 

 provided with water. A pond in the field will 

 not do, as it gradually stagnates and injures the 

 milk. By driving a pump at the intersection of 

 four fields, the water can be used for each field as 

 desired, as the troughs can be so arranged as to be 

 filled from the pump with a hose or other appli- 

 ance. 



Fattening Steers.— Steers will gain more 

 rapidly on grass than on any other kind of food 

 during this month, provided tliey are allowed 

 grain at night. Prices have fallen, as is usually 

 tlie case at tills season, and it will be found more 

 profitable to hold them over than to sell, if pas- 

 turage is plentiful; but if they are te be fed in the 

 stalls entirely, the sooner they are disposed »f 

 the better. 



Feeding Old Hay.— Old, musty hay should 

 be used for bedding only. During the summer 

 season, there is nothing better for horses Wwin to 

 cut a few arnifula of grass in the morning and 

 allow it to wilt during the day. If fed at niglit, it 

 will be found much more palatable than the 

 hay from last years crop. Many horses are sup- 

 posed to lose appetite for hay when the diffleully 

 is only due to their rejection of old material. 



The Roadsiui; Grass.— Thousands of tons of 

 grass (and even weeds,) go to waste annually 

 along tiie readside, which might be easily util- 

 ized. A farmer lately made a few movable hur- 

 dles, in which he placed sheep, and piuitured 

 them along the road, the farm-fence forming one 

 side of the hurdles. The hurdles were moved 

 forward daily, ai#l the result was that the road- 

 side was cleaned otf wherever the sheep were 

 hurdled, while iiuite an amount of mutton was 

 secured at a trifling cost. It Is worth practicing 

 by otliers. 



Summer Dairying.— The cows will give more 

 milk in summer, but the price being lower, It is 

 doubtful if the profits are as great. It is becom- 

 ing a conimen practice to use the milk for raising 

 calves as veal, which ninny dairymen find a pro- 

 fitable method of disposing of the mil4c, but the 

 chances are that the cow will be somewhat 

 spoiled by being accustomed to the frequent 

 attentions of the call'. A cow will easily raise 

 two calves large enough t'or first-class veal, if she 

 Is liberally fed ; but she must be kept in the 

 stancliioiis wliile the calves are drawing the milk, 

 as she will kick the strange one. At first, an 

 attendant must be present to prevent injury to 

 the calves. Summer dairying is assisted by 

 plenty of grass, but the best butter will only be 

 obtained where the cows are fed with grouad 

 grain, also. 



SHEEP AND DOGS. 



By John K. Kfad. 



In many States the sheep Interest Is one of 

 great imp.>rtance. If it could receive suitable 

 protection it would assume still greater propor- 

 tions where it is already established, and would 

 soon become a prominent branch of farm busi- 

 ness in many places in which it has thus far been 

 entirely neglected. 



The proteeticni which should be given does not 

 involve any special fostering, by the State or 

 nation, of tills line of industry. It does not mean 

 a government bount.v for keeping slieep or an 

 excessively high tariff on wool. It is not desira- 

 ble to encourage the keeping of any class of 



stock, which. In a fair and open competition 

 with other classes, is not able to maintain itself. 

 What the sheep industry needs is an even 

 chance. Give It a good opportunity for develop- 

 ment, and it will take care of itself. 



The great obstacle to the profitable keeping of 

 sheep over a large area in this country can be 

 stated in the one word— dogs. The figures are 

 not at hand for representing in dollars and cents 

 the amount of damage which sheep owners sus- 

 tain from the ravages by dogs among their flocks, 

 but it is universally known to be enormous. Yet, 

 large as is the sum which careful Inquiry has 

 shown to be lost outright, the full extent of the 

 injury cannot be represented by figures. Much 

 of the loss is indirect twid cannot be computed. It 

 is sustained by multitudes of farmers who would 

 like to keep sheep, but are deterred from doing 

 so by fear that their flocks would be destroyed by 

 dogs. 



Now sheep are very useful animals. They are 

 a source of profit to their owners, and it is a bene- 

 fit to the country at large to have them kept In 

 considerable numbers. In England they are 

 considered absolutely essential to successful 

 farming. In this country they not only return a 

 fairproflt, but also prove very useful in maintain- 

 ing the fertility of the soil. The longer the land 

 is cultivated the more important to the farmer 

 tiiese animals will become. 



But, while sheep are proflteble animals for the 

 farmer to maintain, dogs are, as a rule, a source 

 of coiisiderable expense. A very few dogs pay 

 tthe cost of their keeping and the trouble of look- 

 ing after tliem, but the great majority cost far 

 more tlian their services, both real and imagi- 

 nary, are worth. Tlie most noticeable thing 

 about most of these curs is the almost total 

 absence of all decent qualities. In every neigh- 

 borhood such dogs may be found, and where 

 th<*\' are kept in large numbers, sheep can be 

 kept only at gieat risk. Where a better class 

 of dogs is kept the risk is reduced, but it is by 

 no means entirely removed. Neither does long 

 immunity from loss give a perpetual warrant of 

 safet.v. 



In the latest case of injury to a flock of sheep 

 by dogs which has come under my observation, 

 the farmer wlio was the loser has kejit sheep upon 

 tlie same land for about thirty .\i'ars. He has 

 not kept a dog himself, and until this spring 

 none of his sheep have been disturbed by dogs 

 belonging te other people. His neighbors have 

 not been so fortunate. But now his turn has 

 come, and he is mourning the loss of some of his 

 finest iambs, and awaiting the result of injuries 

 Inflicted upon others. The dog that did the 

 mischief, and concerning whose identity there 

 could be no mistake as he was caught in the act, 

 had been kept on an adjoining farm for some 

 time, and was supposed to be a moderately well- 

 bred shepherd. To all av»pearance lie was one of 

 the most valuable dogs in the vicinity. 



Wherever there are many dogs tliere will be 

 considerable risk in keeping sheep. In the States 

 which have tlie "dog law" compelling all dogs 

 to be licensed, and from the fund thus created 

 requiring payment for damages inflicted upon 

 sheep by dogs to be made to the owners of the 

 flocks attacked, there is an approach to a fair 

 settlement of the question so tar as the direct in- 

 juries are eoneei-ned. Not that aii.v awar<l which 

 can be secured will fully pay the farmer for the 

 loss sustained by having a flock of fine sheep 

 harassed by dogs. But it does something in the 

 way of compensation. The indirect damage, to 

 wliicli reference has been made is not lessened 

 by tills means. 



Aconi|ilete remedy for the evil does not seem 

 to be within the power of the law to supply. It 

 is evident that the farmer who is quietly pursuing 

 a peaceful industry which tends to ad\aiiee his 

 o» 11 interests, and indirectly to promote those of 

 of the town and State in which he lives, is entitled 

 to a degree of protection which will enable him 

 to follow that line of business without molesta- 

 tion. But dogs cannot be entirely suppressed by 

 law, and where dogs abound sheep do not thrive. 

 As long as the majority of the peopU' keep curs 

 the sliecp interest will languish. If tiie.v could 

 be iiersnaded to keep more sheep and less dogs 

 the change would be e.xtremel.v licnefieial to 

 themselves and to the communities in which 

 they live. 



HEADQUARTERS FOR 



piPC CHOICE 

 OMy. SPRING, 



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Cbinns, Smnll Yorkshires, Ei§!^ex« nnil 



Berkshires* 



Eight to Ten weeks old. troni choice imported nu'! 

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JOHNSON & STOKE S, Philadel phia, Pa. 



JERSEYI Kronii.i «'iiit.'ii.£iiori,.! I JcRSlY 



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REDSi I I''.\k':>iers' im{I('i;s; I CATTLE 



itiortiiiier Whitehead, Mlddlebutli. New Jerte«. 



I'lrasc mention THE FARM AXD GAliliKN. 



Chester White. Berk- PTt^S 

 thire anil Poland China .*■ AVJO, 



Flnr ..ctti-r >»..ic», ^tM.t.'h t'lilllfn. 

 Fox IIoiiii.ImiiikI )tc-i(Klc9, 81ieop 

 anj I'oultrv. I>nii :tnil lor sate by 



W. GIBBONS & CO., West Chester, 



Clie^lev t.'<.inil\'. Pfun^yivauia. 



Send Stamp for Circular and Price List. 



REGISTEREDSWINE 



iTIiun.ujI •T.-l fl 



Finnd-Chiiiat*. ^ 1" . 



Truepedlirree gi^eii with pverv animal soUI. Strong, htalthy 

 swck only. Purity ffunrontX'ed. Send stamp for new Cata- 

 locue. C. H. WarrlnEtun, Boj C24.V 



I Kerkalilrra 



Strong, htalthy 

 ju ai.au<i< for new Cata> 

 l.'WeH Obe*ter, Pa. 



CilKSTKK WHITE PIGS. .IKRSEY K.15DS. 

 POI.AND-flllNAS. S>IAI,I, V O R K-^ 

 SHIRKS AN1> BERKSHIUKS. 



Farmers and Brn^ii'-rs rtesiviiiL- lo s.-.-iiie the flnest 

 slock of the abovi' hnucW. lire reqm-Mi'il l" order early. 



Our Spring Pigs are unrivalled in quality, 



And were never in crciiler tlonuiiHi. I'licnsand jiarticu- 

 lars cheermilv civfi. hv In h.r. £'"<'':''; ''i"i'''"f''''„'i'''«- 

 W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO.. PHILAOEIPHU. PENNA. 



