THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



'3 



Clippings. 



JI is our desire to make (hfse so full and varied thai every 



reader of f fie Farm and tiARDKtt , even (hotiffh he takes 



no otfifv paptr caii/fl in a vieasure acquainted 



H'ifh itH lite leailinq publicationx. 



I*}-um "Farm Journal," Philadelphia. 



WHAT IS WANTED. 



Now that the sheep men are getting discouraged and 

 flome ol" tlienj are disposing of their flocks, I tliink it a 

 good time to go iu and try aiy liand. Ent I do not want 

 logo it blind when tliere are so many of your readers 

 well able to impart information. First, give us a 

 description of tlie different breeds and their crosses, 

 and what they are good for, how to go about starting a 

 flock, how to grow the most valuable wool, how to have 

 early spring lambs, how to feed and caie for, winter and 

 fiummer, etc., etc. I want to know, also, whetlier it 

 will do to pasture sheep in an orcliard just beginning to 

 bear. I am toUl that, with certain precautions ob- 

 served, sheep are better than hogs for the purpose. Is 

 it so? 



Froin " Breeders' Gazette" Chicago, Jll. 

 PULLING WOOL. 



The process of pulling Is by no means difficult, and 

 with a little judgment, can be made to fit in between 

 other work, so as to bring the expense witliin quite rea- 

 sonable limits. Tlie skins should be soaked in water 

 for say twelve hours, and then stacked iu heaps— fleshy 

 sides and wooly sides together— and so k-ft until the 

 wool can be easily plucked otr. The wool should then 

 be washed, as much of the animal grease will have 

 been already removed, and thereafter spread on sheets, 

 or on the ground, if thickly grassed, and occasionally 

 turned until thoroughly dried. This last proceeding 

 should have especial attention, as any moisture will* 

 cause heating or moulding and destroy the value of the 

 ■wool. 



I'rom '* Breeders' Gazette," Cfiicago, III. 

 SHEEP IN RUSSIA. 



Of the 49:000,000 of sheep in European Russia, about 

 one-foui'th are tine wool, the remainder being common 

 or native races. The principal of these are the so-called 

 Russian, the Volosh, Zigai, and Fat or Broad-tails. The 

 first named flourishes in the entire north, as far as the 

 frontiers of New Russia, where the Volosh, or Circas- 

 sian breed predominates. The Zigai is bred in Bessara« 

 bia and part.s of Taurida. The Broad-tail predominates 

 on the eastern and south-eastern frontier and in Siberia. 



A million and a quarter goats, found mostly in the 

 hands of Jews, are scattered through the several gov- 

 ernments. These are lai'gely of the common variety, 

 though both the Angora and Cashmere are raised in 

 limited numbers. 



From "Spirit of the Farm." 



CO-OPERATION. 



In parts of Tennessee the sheepmen of a whole neigh- 

 borhood join together and dispose of their surplus stock 

 of muttons and lambs, and their wool clip by contract, 

 to the highest bidder. The highest, reliable bidder in 

 every case gets the mutton. This manner of disposing 

 of their wool and lambs is one of the simplest and best 

 we have ever seen. Three or fcur men do the work for 

 the entire neighborhood. There is no waste of time in 

 running around looking up a customer, and no squab- 

 bling about weights and prices; every man is on an 

 equal footing. The only difference is that the man who 

 has the best and heaviest lambs gets the most money 

 because he has the most pounds. The buyers are also 

 put on the same footing. They cannot make a pool 

 among themselves, and depress values to suit them- 

 selves, for the highest bid gets the sheep, and no one 

 knows what this is until the bids are opened. Altogether 

 this is a most advantageous arrangement, and one that 

 farmers in other sections would do well to cultivate." 



From "Breeders' Journal." 



EARLY LAMBS. 



The first mutton lambs of the season are often sold 

 for ten dollars a head. The expense of raising these 

 lambs consists first, in having good mutton rams, and 

 then care and warm quarters, with a liberal feed of corn 

 and oats, and a little oil cake will do the balance. The 

 ewes, kept warm and dry, and fed well with oats, mid- 

 . dlings, and corn, one-third each by measure, will give a 

 goodisnpply of milk. 



Lambs can be taught to drink cow's milk, and putting 

 oat meal in it, the lambs will grow in a surprising man- 

 ner. Young lambs, to grow fat, must be kept warm and 

 have a dry bed. Bright clover hay for sheep is the best. 

 Lumber is cheaper than it has been for ten years; if the 

 country yards have not reduced their prices, they ought 

 to. It can be bought by the car load in Chicago, for 511, 

 and green piece stuff one dollar cheaper. With these 

 prices, and the present prices of oats and corn, farmers 

 have no excuse for not making their Iambs fit to sell at 

 four months old. All .the feed in the world will not 

 make early lambs fat, and worth StO earh, unless they 

 are kept warm. Warm and light quarters will last 

 years, and pay a large return on their cost every win- 

 ter. For the amount of capital invested in the sheep. 



they can be made to pay a larger return than any other 

 stock, even in these times when wool i-s cheap, if mutton 

 and early li^ubs are raised, striving to get them earlier 

 and better than anyone else. 



From "Textile Jirr^ord" Phitadffphia. 



THE PROSPECTS OF THE, WOOL TRADE. 



The views of growers are generally above an equality 

 with Kastern markets, and have thus far been sup_- 

 ported by considerable buying by manufacturers, deal- 

 ers, and interior speculators. The majority of operators 

 are, however, deterred from purchasing by the remem- 

 brance of the unprofitable experience of last year, and 

 the bulk of the clip is likely to come forward more 

 slowly than in former years. Shtaring has commenced 

 in Ohio and other northerly localities, but as yet nothing 

 has been done to fix prices on washed fleeces. There is 

 general reluctance to pay prices for new wools that will 

 nof afford ample margin for charges and a reasonable 

 profit to sellers; but whether this cautious policy of 

 buying will be sustained long i-nough to weaken confi- 

 dence on the part of country holders, is a matter ot 

 conjecture. Active buying by a few parties will be very 

 likely to start a general movement that will maintain 

 values above a parity with present Eastern prices, and 

 perhaps at a higher point than can be sustained afier 

 the new wools are concentrated on the seaboard. The 

 present condition of the wool trade is very unsatisfac- 

 tory, but conservative opinion is settling to the convic- 

 tion that the worst of the depression is over, and that 

 the approaching season will witness a gradual and 

 healthful improvement in demand and probably some 

 recovery in value. Is not all this almost equivalent to 

 saying that if wool-growers stand firm they will win? 

 Indeed there seems to be an undercurrent of feeling iu 

 llie eastern press that the grower practically has the 

 situation in his own hands. Will he take advantage of 

 his opportunity ? 



From " National Storkmun," Pittsburfj, Pa. 

 MUTTON t«- WOOL. 



There would seem to be no end of talk about wool aud 

 mutton, all over the country, in nearly every agricultu- 

 ral paper. There are to be found the pros and cons. 

 Each has his peculiar favorite— his hobby, quite often. 

 Many give one opinion simply because they think so 

 and so. They assert without anj- qualification what- 

 ever for an opinion. Some there are, of course, who, 

 knowing, differ widely in their opinions. There are 

 reasons for this. Few of us think or act alike. Some 

 like sweets; another prefers the bitter; another gives 

 his decided preference to sour. All this peculiar fancy 

 does not, in the least, alter the chemical nature. Each 

 of the materials maintain their respective elements, 

 and will continue to do so, leaving us to our peculiar 

 idyosyncrasies or peculiar constitutional fancies. 



This is all well enough. Let each have his or her 

 taste gratified. But there are many things, of daily use, 

 which are liked or disliked by the masses. When this 

 is the case, whatever suits the masses we should attempt 

 to the best of our ability to accommodate them with, 

 especially when one of the best and most nutritious of 

 our flesh meats are concerned— mutton, good, healthy, 

 sweet, nutritious mutton. 



When in England a few years ago I tramped around a 

 good deal, book and pencil always ready to note the 

 facts, etc. One of the most noteworthy was that I 

 could and did eat largely of the Lincolnshire, Leicester, 

 and other long-wooled sheep, some of it very fat indeed. 

 With all this I never once, and I was then in delicate 

 health, felt any nausea. I could quite easily digest it. 

 It was the sweetest I ever tasted, excepting the little 

 Welsh Mountain sheep. ^ His is the best mutton on 

 earth. I am fond of good mutton. I often tax my judg- 

 ment and the butcher's word as to the joint being long- 

 wooled sheep. 1 take it home, wife begins the cooking ; 

 I sniff and the first sniff says " sold ! " Merino mutton 

 again, though perhaps only half breed. Were it full, or 

 three-fourths, of course I could tell it in an instant, 

 without the fleece or cooking. 



I know dozens whose stomachs will not tolerate the 

 oil of the Merino. Few can, excepting the Laplander 

 or some northern pioneer, who glories in his oil. We 

 want the wool of the Merino— we must have it. Will 

 not some of our sensible breeders of sheep see to this, 

 and instead of overstocking the wool market, as they 

 are and have been doing, give us some mutton fit for 

 food ? No Merino is fit for food— not so fit as the coon, 

 etc., by any means. ~~^ 



From '^Agricultural Gazette," London, Eng. 

 WASHING SHEEP. 



In the south of Scotland all the sheep, before being 

 shorn, are washed by being made to swim two or three 

 times across a running stream or pool. 



Pool-washing is most general, and, all things consid- 

 ered, is perhaps the best. Sheep do not wash clean in a 

 running stream. A stagnant pool is much better, as the 

 yolk of the wool, which consists of fatty acids combined 

 chiefly with potash, being left in the water, acts like 

 soap, or better than any soap, in scouring and giving a 

 bright lustre to the wool. The pool should be about 25 

 yards long, .5 3'ards wide, and at least 6 feet deep at the 

 jump, gradually ebbing to the pointwhere the sheep can 

 walk out on a well-graveled beach. In a pool of this 



description the sheep can be washed very clean, if they 

 get a good high "jump," and are put across two or three 

 limes. The jumi)ing-stage should be three feet higher 

 than the water. Tlie ewes soon learn to jump into the 

 water of fheir own accord, and are much less liable to 

 get injured than when each one has to be pushed in. 

 Sometimes the wa.shing-pool is formed directly facing 

 the sheep-fold, where the lambs aie shut up for time 

 being, anti having the ewes looking straight in that di- 

 rection they then freely jump, and s\»'im the pool to get 

 to their lambs. Tub-washing is sometimes nmre conve- 

 nient for small flocks, and is certainly preferable to 

 driving tlie washed sheep over dusty roads from some- 

 neighboj's washing-pool, if there is not one in the farm, 

 as by the time they get back they are often as dirty as. 

 before. 



Sheep-washing usually takes place about the begin- 

 ning of June, a little earlier or later, according to locality 

 or condition of the sheep. As soon as the new wool 

 begins to rise, the sheep may be washed; and in six or 

 eight days after washing they may be shorn. If the 

 weather should become wet so as to prevent clipping at 

 the time intended, it may be advisable, in some cases, to 

 rewash, if the wool is much soiled. The sheep should 

 be properly docked before washing, thus preventing 

 any dung or lumps of soil which maybe adhtring to 

 some of the fleeces from discoloring the wool. 



In Australia, and other parts, washing sheep in hot 

 water is almost general'on large stations. The sheep 

 are first passed through hot water with soap; they lake 

 what is called ihe soap-suds swim, the temperature of 

 the water being about lioo Fahrenheit. When thorough- 

 ly soaked they are floated to a tank of cold water, and 

 are brought by hand beneath spouts properly adjusted 

 to play a film of water upon and into their fleeces. In 

 most of these cases considerable outlay has been in- 

 curred for steam engines, pumps, and washing gear. 

 Hot-water washing is not, however, likely to be adopted 

 in this country while wool continues so low in price as ib 

 is at present. 



From Commissioner Colman's address to the A''ati07ial Wool- 

 Growers' Association. AY. Louis, Mo., Ma}j 27-28, 1885. 



I have come here, however, to assure you of the deep 

 interest I feel in the sheep-growing industry of this 

 Nation, and to say to you that the department over 

 which I have control will do what it can in every legiti 

 mate way to promote its welfare. The magnitude of 

 this industry is well illustrated by the table of the an- 

 nual products of wool in a few of the States tributary to 

 the St. Louis nuuket, which appear on the blackboard 

 before you, and which read as follows: Annual produc- 

 tion of wool tributary to the St. Louis market: Texaj, 

 47,742.000 pounds; New Mexico, 26,610.000 pounds ; Mis- 

 souri, 8,G36.000 pounds: Colorado. 7,490,000 pounds; Illi- 

 nois, 6,761,000 pounds ; Kansas, 4,930,000 pounds ; Arizona, 

 4,876,000 pounds; Wyoming, 3,588.000 pounds; Utah, 3.385,- 

 000 pounds; Iowa, 2,983,000 pounds; Montana, 2,79I,IX)0 

 pounds; Nevada, 2.312,000 pounds; Nebraska, 2,002.000 

 pounds; Mississippi, 1,760,000 pounds; Arkansas, 1,363,000 

 pounds; Idaho, 1.12-5,000 pounds; Dakota. 1,092,000 pounds; 

 Indiana, 200.000 pounds ; total, 129.64y,000 pounds. 



This would surprise most people, and especially those 

 who have not examined our statistics of wool and sheep 

 production throughout the Nation. It is hardly neces- 

 sary for me to refer to the important figure sheep hus- 

 bandry makes in successful agriculture. The "golden 

 hoof" of the sheep is appreciated aud spoken of by all 

 our enlightened and progressive agricultural writers. 

 Their value iu a jiroper system of farmingi is too well 

 known for me to dwell upon, and as our country growa 

 older, as the fertility of our soil becomes exhausted by 

 the production of the cereal crops, their necessity for 

 the purpose of giving rest and restoration to our lands 

 will become more and more apparent. They furnish 

 the healthiest of animal food for man, their wool make* 

 clothing for our bodies, aud no stock is so valuable in 

 destroying the weeds, sprouts, and undeibrush of our 

 farms. Good farming, distant from our cities, cannot! 

 well be carried on without a flock of sheep. * * * 

 ^ It has also already been a matterof consideration with 

 me what could be done by the department to lessen 

 the losses from communicable diseases among sheep. 

 So far the flocks of this country have been free from 

 the terrible disi;ase of the Old World known as "shee^ 

 pox," but it is a serious question if we should not im- 

 pose a short quarantine on imported sheep to secure us 

 against the introduction of this and other diseases. The 

 scab of sheep, while not so prevalent as in former years, 

 still causes heavy losses in some portions of the country. 

 The department is also in receipt of information that 

 the Western and particularly tlie South-western ranges 

 have become so infested with tapeworms as to threaten 

 the destruction of the industry in those sections. The 

 States on the Southern Atlantic seaboard have long 

 been talked and written about as peculiarly suited to 

 sheep husbandry, but in spite of the attention given to 

 the subject, sheep husbandry has not increased there a» 

 we have had reason to expect. Why is this? Many 

 have gone there and attempted to go into sheep-growing 

 on a large scale, but for some reason they have given it 

 up and failed to realize their anticipations. The reason 

 for this, I am told, is a mysterious disease, which almost 

 certainly appears when sheep are kept there in flocks of 

 any considerable size. It is called rot, but it differs 

 from the rot of Europe in not being caused by the fluke- 

 worm in the liver The symptoms somewhat resemble 

 that disease, and suggest the theory that it may be 

 caused by a somewhat similar parasite. 



