1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



355 



For the New England Farmer. 

 SHEEP SHEAEING. 



Mr. Editor: — In your last number I noticed 

 a remark on sheep shearing, where it says, "when 

 the oil has been secreted after washing." In 

 washing sheep in cold water the "yolk" or oil, 

 cannot be started, it is only the filth and dirt, 

 that can be washed away, and as soon as the 

 sheep are dry they are fit to be shorn ; two fine 

 days is amply sufficient after washing, getting 

 them under cover for the first part of the day for 

 shearing. 



Putting up wool for market is just the same 

 as any other commodity. If wool is not washed 

 well, either for the sake of gain, or through neg- 

 ligence, it will certainly diniinish the price, or its 

 real value, and make room for fault-finding, 

 PUTTING UP THE FLEECE. 



In my practice of upwards of forty years, I 

 find a great deal of wool bungled up, in the fleece, 

 which much deteriorates its value. After the 

 fleece is off", bring the wool outside up, then 

 shuck it up as near its natural size as possible ; 

 then double the sides over (not roll) till about a 

 foot wide, then turn the rump half way, and 

 bring the head part to meet it. 



Roll the fleece half way over, and then the oth- 

 er half. Have two strings, each two yards long. 

 Use one around, and the other end-wise, bring- 

 ing it up tight, and in good shape. As manufac- 

 turers of wool are scattered all over the New Eng- 

 land States, sell your wool to them, and you will 

 be more likely to get its real value, as many 

 speculators don't have the practical knowledge 

 in ])urchasing. Ja:\iks Townsend. 



Marlboro', N. II., June, ISuO. 



ALIilGATOKS. 



You have heard of these interesting reptiles, 

 in books, and perhaps seen astuff'ed specimen in 

 some cabinet of curiosities. You can behold 

 here, on both sides of the road, ni situ. They 

 are just beginning to show themselves in consid- 

 erable numbers. In summer they swarm by thou- 

 sands. They lie on top of the logs sunning them- 

 selves, very much like mud turtles. There is one 

 middling sized animal, perfectly sun-dried, and 

 brown as the log he rests on, his mouth gently 

 opened, with a m.ost benevolent smile. His air 

 is so meek and languishing, that he would not 

 apparently hurt one of the thousand flies around 

 him. They walk in, delighted with the apartment. 

 Snap ! those amiable jaws are only an ingenious 

 fly-trap, enticing myriads of hapless beings to 

 their undoing. But catching flies is only the pas- 

 time of the alligator. His tail is a handy blud- 

 geon, with which he knocks over larger game. 

 He is fond of pig, both "long" and "short," and 

 if any of the stray shoats do not return at night- 

 fall, the owner never thinks it worth while to 

 look for him the next day. They seldom attack 

 men, that kind of game not being particularly 

 abundant in these parts. — Letter from Louisiana 

 in Hartford Homestead. 



A Certain Cure for Botts in Horses. — 

 When you find your horse complaining, and look- 

 ing around at his side, and lies down pretty often, 



and is not swollen, you may very readily come to 

 the conclusion that he has the botts. Lose no 

 time in giving him a quart of sweet milk and 

 molasses, and just as soon as you let his 

 head down, after he swallows the drench, slap 

 him several times on the side of which he com- 

 plains most, with a paddle about two feet long, 

 six inches wide and one inch thick, striking him 

 pretty hard ; this process jars the botts loose 

 from him, and they take hold of, and feed on the 

 milk and molasses. In ten or fifteen minutes af- 

 ter striking him with the paddle, give him a quart 

 or half gallon drench of strong sage tea ; this ac-^ 

 complishes the object by killing the botts, and 

 the horse is relieved. — Livery Keeper in Ky. Far- 

 mer. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 BAIN AT THE "WEST. 



This is a fine country for farming in many re- 

 spects, and though once in ten years a little too 

 dry in summer, is also, some years, rather wet. 

 The year 1857, to the first of August, was dry, 

 and up to April Sth, 1858, was so beautiful that 

 farmers could plow every month. The great 

 rains began at that date, and abated June lOth, 

 30 inches having fallen. To this date wheat 

 looked fine, and two weeks' good weather seemed 

 likely to insure a good crop. But excessive heat 

 and rain, showers and storms, like eastern dog- 

 days, soon ruined the wheat by black blight, and 

 farmers' hopes also. Great showers in July and 

 August. From October 23d to December 6th 

 almost incessant wet — at one time the sun was 

 not seen for nine days. From April 8, 1858, to 

 the same date, 1859, 84 inches of rain fell ; of 

 course the ground was wet, there being six inch- 

 es in March.. April had 11 storms, and twice 

 when snowing there was thunder ; in fact, elec- 

 tricity seems to abound, whether cold or warm — 

 though there has been very little warm weather 

 yet. There has been a great amount of thunder 

 and lightning, sometimes of the most vivid and 

 terrific character, for six or eight hours in almost 

 constant succession. In view of all these things, 

 and the fact that the soil is soaked, and that the 

 sun shines but little, as my record will show you, 

 what may be expected for crops this season ? In 

 this section we may be doomed to drowning, 

 while at the East you are burning. 



Last year, in eight months from the Sth of 

 April, we had 72 inches of rain — nine inches per 

 month ; and this year bids fair to be about equal 

 to it, as the month of May is very wet. 



It is altogether premature to form an opinion 

 of the wheat crop in the whole West ; but one 

 thing is certain, as Iowa sows but a little winter 

 grain, and as that of spring is a small sowing, 

 and as what there is stands thin, and is back- 

 ward, this State will have little if any surplus 

 this year. Considerable corn is planted, and 

 some of it needs weeding, as New Englanders 

 say, but the ground is so drenched with rain 

 that it cannot be done. 



In March last we had eight fair days, five part 

 fair, four hazy and fourteen cloudy — rain six and 

 one-fourth inches. 



In April, eight fair days, five part fair, seven- 

 teen cloudy, eleven stormy — rain three inches. 



In May, ten fair days, six about half fair, fif- 



