188].] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



91 



more carefully. Most planters arc an.xiotis 

 to get out their plants^at the earliest moment 

 and all together, but there is not so much 

 gained by this course as some thinly, unless 

 the weather is very favorable, when, of 

 course, the grower should lose no time to 

 avail himself of it. 



Should the weather be very warm and the 

 snn pouring down its hot rays on the newly- 

 set-out plants they will witlier readily unless 

 protected in some way. Any n\ethod .will 

 do, provided it is effectual. A clod of earth, 

 a piece of paper, a bunch of grass, the leaf of 

 a weed like the burdock, either of these will 

 act as a shield. A piece of old shingle stuck 

 on the south side of the plant is a favorite 

 method with many farmers. All except the 

 last mentioned must, of course, be removed in 

 the evening and rei)laced in the morning, 

 which entails a vast amount of labor. 

 The Cut Worm. 



No sooner are the plants removed to the 

 field than they are compelled to encounter 

 another enemy in the cut worm, which seems 

 to await their coming to make its presence 

 known. This insidious and destructive 

 enemy docs his evil work in the darkness of 

 the uight. Within twenty-four hours after 

 the field is planted the worms are at work. 

 No time must be lost in looking for them. 

 There is no trouble in finding them. Wlien 

 you see a leaf eat"n oil', or the entire plant, 

 and partly drawn into a small hole in the 

 gmund, search for the enemy and you will 

 find him in the shape of a brownish black 

 worm, near the mouth of the hole. Kill him 

 and look whether he has any companions. 

 The early morning is the best time for this 

 work, as he is then nearer the surface ; later 

 in the day he goes down further, doubtless 

 driven there by the heat of the sun. Keep 

 going over the field every day or two until 

 the plants have grown beyond the reach of 

 the cut worms. Replace the plants thus de- 

 stroyed, as well as those that have died from 

 other causes. There mu.st be no vacant hills, 

 our land is too valuable for that. It is well 

 to have some large plants in reserve for this 

 purpose, so that there be no noticeable in. 

 equality in the appearance of the field;' 

 Plants with leaves five or six inches long, and 

 a stalk proportionately stout can almost bid 

 the cut worm defiance. 



One of the finest lots of tobacco grown in 

 this county last year— only a half acre, how- 

 ever—was raised in this wise : After the 

 plants were out of the ground a few weeks 

 they were transplanted into the small flower 

 pots used by florists. Here they were loft 

 until the leaves were two-and-a-half and 

 three inches wide, and of corresponding 

 length and the stalks stout and vigorous. 

 They were then carefully removed from the 

 pots and set in their places in the field, with 

 all the ground still on their roots. They 

 never drooped, grew from the hour they were 

 set out, hardly any were attacked by worms, 

 and the result was the highest priced leaf we 

 have seen. The cost of the earthen pots and 

 the additional labor, where a large field is to 

 be planted, will most likely prevent the adop- 

 tion of this plan, but the price obtained by 

 the, aViove grower amply repaid him for his 

 trouble. 



THE AMERICAN MERINO. 

 The American Merino is one of the tri- 

 umphs of American breeders. The thorough 

 acclimation and adaptation of the Spanish 

 sheep to our peculiar circumstances and neces- 

 sities is a remarkable and conspicuous instance 

 of successful eflbrts to reach a desired end. 

 Our native bred Jlerino now stands first in 

 the ranks of fine-wool sheep in the world, and 

 is sought by foreign breeders as a souice of 

 improvements in their flocks. Its fleece is the 

 heaviest, the staple js the longest and a.s fine 

 as the finest, and its carcass the heaviest of 

 any living Merinos. No other sheep is so well 

 adapted for the purposes of a people who de- 

 sire strength and durability as well as beauty 

 in their dress staples, or as a basis upon which 

 to build up different cross-breeds which may 

 be profitably kept upon arable as well as graz- 

 ing farms, to supply the best mutton, as well 

 as every class of r;iw material for our native 

 manufifictures. 



The Merino is the oldest domesticated sheep. 

 It supplied the ancient Romans with the fine 

 wool from which the imperial purple robes 

 were manufactured, and with such care wa.s 

 the wool grown that the sheep which bore it 

 were continually blanketed or otherwise pro- 

 tected, even in the warm climate of Spain. 

 From that time up to 1809 and 1810 the 

 Spuiish Merino stood first as a wool producer, 

 and in those years nearly 4,0U0 of those sheep 

 were imported into America from the choicest 

 flocks of that country. A few importations 

 had been made in 1800 and the following years ; 

 and it was from the importations of 180-2, by 

 Col. Humphreys, that the best strains of Ver- 

 mont Merinos have descended. The hi.story 

 of these Merinos and their descendants has 

 been varied and eventful, and their "nps and 

 downs" have been wonderful. Animals have 

 sold for one dollar at one time, and .$10,000 

 have been refused for one at another time. 

 But, after all, we have now arrived at a 

 steady, substantial condition in which this 

 shtjep, excellent in every respect, stands upon 

 its merits as the first variety in the world as 

 regards utility. It is the basis of our enor- 

 mous wool production of 250,000,000 pounds 

 per annum, wortlv to-day $100,000,000. It 

 supplies directly the material for the fine 

 cloths used for men's gBrments, the finer 

 fabrics for ladies' woolen clothing, the mixed 

 fabrics of wool and cotton known as delaines, 

 and by other names recognized only by ladies, 

 as well as for an infinite variety of articles of 

 lesser note. Its wool is not only carded, but 

 is combed, and therefore supplies a wide 

 range of uses. Indirectly as the parent of 

 grades, it helps to produce grades fitted for 

 nearly every use, from the carpets under our 

 feet to the hats upon our heads, the umbrellas 

 which shelter us from the shower, and the 

 broad flag which waves over and shelters 

 every citizen from foes at home or ;i broad. 



Formerly its carcass furnished but a poor 

 quality of mutton, but now its nmtton is re- 

 spected both as to size and flavor. Crossed 

 under the larger breeds it furnishes the best 

 and fattest market lambs, and makes desir- 

 able nwitton for home use and for export. In 

 short, if one intends to keep sheep of what- 

 ever kind, unless it be some other pure variety 

 for breeding, he cannot V)egin without the 

 help of the American Merino. It not only 



exists as a splendid example of succpR.sfid 

 breeding, but it points emphatically to the 

 hoiw that in time we may produce distinctive 

 types of other breeds as greatly improved 

 upon the imported originals a.s this has lieen. 



The American Merino is a medium-sized 

 sheep, weighing, alive, from one hundred and 

 twenty to one hundred and fifty pounds. It 

 is squarely built, with deep flanks and brisket ; 

 and is covered with wool in every part except 

 the tip of the nose. It carries the still favorite 

 wrinkles in its skin, although it i.i far ftom 

 being as wriiikle<l .i.s many rams of this breed. 

 Merino wool is peculiar for its heavy yolk 

 and plentiful grea.se, hut while this is a neces- 

 sary and lulvantageous peculiarity for a Ahh 

 and close wool sheep and prevents the cot- 

 tings of the fleece, it is especially valuable 

 when the rams are used for the improvement 

 of the common native sheep of the Weeteni 

 States and Territories, whose fleeces are di^, 

 coarse, harsh and of little value ; but which 

 when improved by cros-sing wph the Merinoi 

 are soft, fine and of a staple almost of equal 

 value with the wool of the pure breed. So in 

 cro.ssiug with the long-wool breeds whose 

 fleeces are apt to be thin and open on the 

 back, the pure Merino cross has a fleece as 

 long and lustrous ius that of the parent, liut it 

 is .softer, closer, and gives l)etteV protecticm to 

 the graded sheep from storms. 



The introduction of the pure Merino in 

 Texas, Colorado and New Mexico has 

 doubled the value of the flocks there, for no 

 flock master can afford to grow native wool 

 when one cross of Merino not only doubles the 

 weight of the fleece, but doubles the value of 

 the staple. Moreover, the incr. a.se of size in 

 the cross-bred wethers has given them a value 

 as mutton which the native she«p never had. 

 It is not uncommon for a native flockmaster 

 to import as many as fifty rams in a " bunch," 

 from Vermont or Western New York, for 

 use in his flock on western plains. Our 

 Merino is at home in the hills and valleys of 

 Vermont and Northern New York ; in the 

 western fields of Wisconsin and Michigan ; 

 on the rich prairies of Iowa and the bottoms 

 of Ohio ; it braves the " blizzards " of Minne- 

 sota, the hot. dry winds of Colorado and 

 Kansas and the '-northers" of Texas and 

 New Mexico ; it thrives everywhere, in sun 

 and snow, in valley and mountain and dry 

 plain ; it is c-o.smopolitan ; it is American in 

 every sense of 'the word. It has also carried 

 its good qualities into the far-ofl' isles of the 

 Southern Ocean, and is welcomed as a bene- 

 factor among the flocks of New Zealand and 

 Australia, where it has gained the reputation 

 of being the best sheep of its kind in the 

 imiverse, a distinction which it fully de.serves. 



FAILURE OF SEEDS. - 



The failure of seeds to grow is by no means 



always attributable to the dealer, but often 



results from the manner in which they are 



sown. Karth, air, moisture and heat must 



all properly exercise their respective functions 



before the seed can germinate. When the 



I soil is too dry or insuflicienlly broken, after il 



receives the germination often doos not take 



I place, and a similar re.sult,s follows when 8ee<l 



I are too deeply buried and thes deprived of 



\ warmth and air. The higli temperature and 



light rains of the past two or three weeks have 



'. been highly favorable for the growth of seed 



in the field and garddn. 



