Leicester and Sotrxn Down Sheep.— As your paper 

 •..'ems to be a sort of medium for farmers to obtain iiilnriiia- 

 tiiiii ihrnivh, I wisli to iiiqiiire whieh are tliemost profitable 

 sluH-n to rTiise, f.'r llie il.iul)ie purpose of wool and mutton 

 —111.' ' eic'estcr or S .iith J)..\vn.sV Wool is worth about as 

 much iiere as in Western New York, and mutton about 

 llir^e cents per poun<l. The general grade of sheep here is 

 native, mixed with Merino, I'aular, i^e. There are very 

 few Leicesters and South Downs. I liave a few Leieesters. 

 'I'he nuestion here is, whether lliey are Ion:; lived, healthy, 

 fatten easv, and what their relative value is over other 

 breeds of sheep? If vou would dve the desired informa- 

 t;.m. I should feel mueh gratilied. C. M. Okwev.— Ci««- 

 1 1 ridge, Mich. 



There are as many different opinions on this 

 question a-s there are different breeds of sheep. 

 The Leicester grow larger, the wool is longer, and 

 they are supposed to fatten quieker than the 

 S.iutli Down. But the wool and mutton of the 

 S.iuth Down is of a superior quality to the Leices- 

 ter; and South Downs stand cold wet weather 

 better than the Leicesters. If mutton ia worth 

 niilv three cents per pound, we are not sure but 

 1 li(^ fine wooled would be the most profitable breed. 



rLOWiNG IX Oats as a Manure for Wheat.— I have 

 - iwn a field in oats whieh I intend turiiinc; in just before 

 lev head out, and when sutficiently rotted I wish to plow 

 a.ju'in and sow in wheat. Will you, or some of your corres- 

 iL.iidents, inform nie through your columns whether such a 

 . ..urse will be likelv to pay the expense of the seed oats and 

 two e?ctra plowings that it will neces-sarily require. B. A. 

 OvERMON. — Salem, In d. 



None of the cereal grain crops, such as oats, 

 corn, I've, timothy, or buckwheat, should eyer be 

 sown for the purpose of plowing in as a manure 

 for a whe:it crop, inasmuch as they are supposed to 

 extract from the soil more nitrogen than they con- 

 tain when [.bowed under; and as the wheat crop 

 specially requires nitrogen, such a course should 

 never be adopted. Unless the soil is light and 

 saiidv, a summer fallow would do more good, 

 cleaning the land in the bargain. Peas and clo- 

 ver plowed in wlien in bloom, are the best green 

 crops to grow as a manu1-e for wheat. [See "plow- 

 in;f in green crops," in the June number.] 



(B. M. CoxNELL, ILnmrd, Steuheii Co., N. Y.) 

 Canailu thistles are a troublesome weed, not only 

 in vour ueighboihooc!, but in nearly all others. 

 We know of no easy and effectual mode of exter- 

 minating them from a farm. They should never 

 be allowed to go to seed ; be careful to mow them 

 round the fences, roads, and on any waste land. 

 Cut your clover before any thistles in it have 

 formed seed ; mow all in your grass land and sum- 

 mer fallows; and be sure to let this be done early 

 enough, for if the seed is formed at all it will grow 

 as it matures, after it is cut. The only way to 

 destroy it in such a case, is to burn the thistles.— 

 In this way much may be done to remove Canada 

 thistles from the country. 



(Out West, Hartford, Wis.) Should think there 



was no deficiency of lime in that description of 

 soil, but if you get unleaclied a.shes for the draw- 

 ing only a few rods,' it will doubtless pay you 

 well to use them. Tliey do as much good on 

 wheat as other crops. The older they are and the 

 more exposed to the atmosphere they have been, 

 the better, as they are the more likely to have ab- 

 sorbed ammonia in the place of the removed pot- 

 ash and soda. 



Coal Tak. — I notice an inquiry in the April 

 lutmber of the Genesee Farmer, by Mr. Kent, on the 

 subject of applying coal tar to house roofs, and J 

 think your explanations are not definite enough, 

 so I propose to give my personal experience in tlie 

 matter, and if you think proper you may publish it. 



On one part of my house I have had the third 

 roof put on, with the assurance from each of the 

 mechanics tliat the roof would not leak ; but they 

 all proved failures. I then saw an account in the 

 Ohio Cultivator of the use of coal tar for stopping 

 leaky roofs, and from the directions I received in 

 that, I commenced a]iplying the tar — first boiling 

 the tar merely for the purpose of putting it on 

 hot, as I understood the directions. The conse- 

 quence was, that the tar ran through the crevices 

 like boiling oil, and also througli the cracks in the 

 plastering, injuring every article of household fur- 

 niture wiiich it touched. What did veniain on the 

 top of the shingles was constantly melting by the 

 sun and running through the cracks. 



Now this is the method v/hich 1 ])UfSued : I boil 

 the tar until ebulition almost ceases (being very 

 careful about letting it take fire, which it does as 

 readily as boiling oil); I then procure a strong 

 handled corn broom and cut off the end cf the 

 brush about one-half, making a very stiff' brush, 

 and then apply the tar boiling hot; the second 

 coating apply a thick covering of clean sand, after 

 which apply another coating of tar, each time 

 boiling hot. 1 will warrant a roof that will last as 

 long as the owner of the house, and perfectly 

 water tight. It is necessary to let each coat of lar 

 precede the other a week or ten days. Rm ek.\ 

 N. Wood. — Chippewa, Ohio. 



Ashes on Potatoes. — Potato Flt. — I desire some infor- 

 mation in relation to what, in this country, is called the 

 ■' Potato Fly," " Shaver Bug." &o. — the best manner to com- 

 bat them, or to prevent their ravages. 



I would just say to your correspondent, E. HAiMMuNo, 

 that my experience and observations, in relation to the ap- 

 plication of leached ashes to potatoes, are quite the reverse 

 of his. I never have liad a rotten tuber where ashes were 

 applied while planting. I drop the potato, then apply 

 ashes; and finally cover with loose earth. 1 donot consider 

 ashes a preventive. I hope ollurs will give us their expe- 

 rience. J. W. i.—Lincrence Co., Ind. 



Ground Moles.— We are very much troubled with a 

 Mole, commonly called Ground Mole, in this section. If 

 you, or any of your numerous subscribers, can inform me of 

 itny practicable method of eati'irnig or destroying them, I 

 shall feel under renewed obligations to the Gmesee Farmer. 

 Nicholas II K\Gm.— Bedford Station, N. Y. 



New Oxfordshire Sheep.— Can you, in your replies to 

 correspondents, inform me where the New Oxiordshire 

 sheep can be found, and the probable price of a pair of 

 Iambs or yearlings — say a buck and ewe. Saji 8. Bejian. — 

 Hariiptok, Wash.. Co.,'N. Y. 



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