1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



453 



their journey to the classical city, to pay hand- 

 somely to be spectators of that beautiful phe- 

 nomenon and wonderful paragon of the feath- 

 ered race. Going to look at the peacock was 

 not only an expensive, but an aristocratical 

 entertainment. Peacocks are not worth the 

 attention of the farmer on the score of profit, 

 but as they perch of the tops of buildings, &c., 

 may save w^tch-dogs. 



FOUL BOAD-SIOBS. 



So long ago as 1855, a committee of the 

 Jefferson County Agricultural Society, N. Y., 

 made the following remark in a report to the 



Society : — 



"The*niform neglect of overseers of highways 

 to see that the laws be fliithfully executed relative 

 to the destruction of noxious weeds upon our 

 roads, makes it iacu;nbent upon those owning 

 lands through which they pass, to perfonn this 

 duty." 



We know not that we have in this State any 

 law making it the duty of highway survej'ors 

 to root up and destroy Canada thistles, wild 

 cherry trees, and other noxious weeds and 

 plants, which spring up on our roadsides ; but 

 such an addition might be made to the law, 

 specifying the duties of such surveyors, and 

 we think public opinion would enforce its exe- 

 cution. We would, therefore, respectfully call 

 the attention of the Agricultural Committee 

 of the Legislature to the subject. Such a law 

 faithfully executed, would be of great advan- 

 tage to the farms and orchards over the whole 

 Commonwealth. Such nuisances are found in 

 almost every town to a greater or less extent, 

 and might be easily removed by the surveyors 

 at very little expense. Not only would 

 breeding places of destructive insects be thus 

 removed, but the appearance of the highways 

 would in many instances be much improved. 

 Many farmers now attend to this matter, and 

 the traveller may determine the extent of 

 their farms on the road, by the clean and neat 

 appearance of the road-side border. But 

 perhaps on the very next farm these nui- 

 sances are allowed to intrude themselves. 

 This is very discouraging to those who have 

 taken pains to free their own farms from 

 them. Were attention paid to this subject 

 it would lead to better habits with respect to 

 other incumbrances that are now too apt to 

 be allowed to accumulate by the sides of the 

 highways, such as stones, logs, brush and de- 

 cayed lumber. When farmers have once ac- 



quired the habit of keeping the streets clean 

 and neat, and begin to take pride in their 

 good appearance, they will naturally* look 

 to the condition of their yards and the sur- 

 roundings of their dwellings, and a general 

 clearing up of old lumber, stumps, broken 

 wheels and decaying sleds would take place, 

 which would not only improve the appearance 

 of many farms, but would add to their market 

 value. 



Until it is made the imperative duty of sur- 

 veyors to attend to this, it is important that 

 every farmer should attend to the roads that 

 pass by or through his own farm. 



THE LAHGEST FLEECE OF WOOL. 

 Among five fleeces of wool which were 

 shorn and cleansed under the auspices of the 

 Union Wool Growers' Association of Ontario 

 and Livingston Counties, N. Y., last spring, 

 that of a three-year-old Merino -Ram belong- 

 ing to J. C. Short of Livonia* was reported as 

 weighing 24 lbs. and 2 ounces, when taken 

 off — the growth of 11 months and 21 days, 

 and when scoured 9 lbs. and 3 oz. This be- 

 ing about one pound heavier than that of any 

 scoured fleece on record, much doubt was 

 expressed as to the correctness of all the 

 statements. Dr. Randall having obtained the 

 affidavits of weighers, scourers, and of neigh- 

 bors acquainted with the parties, expresses 

 the opinion, in the Pairal Nezo Yorker, that 

 there can be no reasonable doubt that all the 

 parties connected with this scouring test acted 

 in good faith throughout. He says : — 



The only possible loop-hole we can see for an 

 error, is in respect to the perfectness of the scour- 

 ing. That Mather & Sons scoured the wool as 

 well as they usually <lo for their "manufacturing 

 purposes," we entertain no doubt, and probably of 

 the two, better, as they say they took "particular 

 pains." We arc not familiar with their mode of 

 scouring or its results. But we do not know why 

 it is not a thorough one. If it is not, the fact can 

 and ought to be shown. If any expert questions 

 the proper cleanliness of the wool, he, as we have 

 already said, can have the opportunity of examin- 

 ing a specimen of it, which we have in our posses- 

 sion. We use the qualifying word "proper"' 

 avisedly. No wool is scoured absolutely clean by 

 manufacturers. It is scoured only as clean as 

 utility requii'es in the manufactures to which it is 

 applied, — and this in the case of "fine cloths," &c., 

 is approximately clean. Wool scoured clean 

 enough for such fabrics — as clean as the skilful 

 manufacturers of such fabrics usually scour their 

 wools — is the standard aimed at in all these scour- 

 ing tests. 



If Mr. Noble's ram has beaten the field, among 

 Merinos, we believe he has still further beaten all 

 other breeds, the proportion of wool to carcass 

 being taken into account. We have heard muct 



