366 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



Dec. 



these grounds that the practice of giving salt to 

 cattle has become so extensive of late years. 



But there is another important consideration 

 with regard to the regular distribution of salt to 

 cattle. I allude to its influence in preventing dis- 

 ease. Its daily use becomes of serious conse- 

 quence when flocks and herds are menaced with 

 these epidemic attacks which too frequently rav- 

 age a whole country at once, when a proper use of 

 salt would prevent them entirely, or at least re- 

 duce them to less disastrous proportions. During 

 one of the worst of these epidemics, which sprang 

 up, if I remember rightly, about the year 1840, in 

 the east of Europe, the almost wild cattle of the 

 Ukraine, Podolia and Hungary, were struck down 

 in greater numbers tlian those of Salesia and Bo- 

 hemia, where the cattle breeders habitually distri- 

 buted salt to their beasts. Advancing towards the 

 west, this scourge diminished in intensity, and 

 finally ceased to show itself in Germany, where 

 particular care is bestowed upon cattle, and wherl 

 salt has been for many years constantly employed. 

 But, whatever be the nature of the disease which 

 threatens, animals are much less disposed to con- 

 tract when the body is in perfect health ; and we 

 have seen that this is impossible unless the indi- 

 vidual receives each day his proper proportion of 

 salt. 



Vermont Sheep. 



The sheep fever is raging, to a high degree, in 

 Vermont. The papers of that State, for the last 

 week, report sales as follows : Eli Thorp of Brid- 

 port, has sold a ram for $1,000, to John Sprague 

 ofWalthani. E. S. Stowell of Cornwall, a ram 

 for $1,200, to D. J. Twitchell of Weybridgc. Mr. 

 Stowell has also sold his ram "Sweepstakes," to 

 Twitchell, Boyce & Co. of Ohio, for $1,200, and 

 he "lias two raai lambs for which he has refused 

 $3,000." M. G. Barber of East Hubbardton, sold 

 a ram to Ships, Cotter & Co. of Ohio, for $600, 

 for which they "refused $1,200 before he left the 

 railroad depot." J. S. Benedict of Castleton, re- 

 cently refused $1,000 for twelve sheep that might 

 be selected from his flock. Mr. B.'s price was 

 $1,200, and nothing less would procure them. Sen- 

 eca Root of East Hubbardton, writes to the Rutland 

 Herald &s follows: 



"In a late number of the Herald you ask, 'Who 

 beats ?' and .=ay that you have been informed that 

 M. M. Dikeman of this place, sold a buck lamb 

 last fall, &c., that sheared 17f pounds of good 

 clean wool. I am not >one of the bragging kind, 

 and shall content myself by stating facts, and sub- 

 mit to you, whether I beat or Mr. Dikeman. Two 

 years ago I sold to T. J. Kctcham of Pittsford, a 

 buck lamb that I raised, which was dropped in 

 April. The next May he took from the lamb 20^ 

 pounds of 'good clean wool.' I have a yearling 

 April ewe, from which I took last June 14 pounds 

 of washed wool. She was kept with the flock, 

 and had no extra keeping in summer or winter." 



The White Willow — Salix Alba. 



I have received the following article from Sam- 

 uel Edwards, of La Moille, 111., under date of Sep- 

 tember 26th : 



"In this week's 'Rural' I notice some remarks 

 prejudicial to the white willow. The season has 

 been one of the dryest known in the twenty-two 

 which have passed since I first came to the Prairie 

 State. My success has always been good in get- 

 ting cuttings to grow. I last year set several acres 

 for timber, which stands well.' In sixty rods set 

 for hedge, not a single cutting failed to grow. A 

 neighbor set one this year and lost one-eighth only, 

 though many planters have not saved that propor- 

 tion. 



" Probably a superficial observer, from present 

 inspection of willow cuttings set and corn planted 

 last spring, in this region of country, would pro- 

 nounce statements made by the advocates for 

 planting and growing either of them extensively 

 and cheaply here, erroneous. 



" Some ten years since, the osage oraiige was 

 generally decided ts a ' humbug' on the prairies ; 

 whilst, if all the seed in Texas could be planted in 

 Illinois next spring, a ready market would be found 

 for the plants. 



" There is no doubt in my mind but that in ten 

 years from this time, the white willow will form a 

 much greater feature in prairie landscapes than 

 does the osage orange at present ; nor that the ad- 

 vocates of their being extensively planted, or of 

 the superior advantages of prairiedom for growing 

 cheap corn will be at all delicate ' when these sub- 

 jects are breached.' 



" As to this mis-'representations of pedlars,' 

 they are all necessary to learn people to use the 

 same discretion in buying such articles as they do 

 in buying goods for the household. Who thinks of 

 purchasing his supplies for the family of itiner- 

 ants ? Yet it is far better to do this than to buy 

 trees and plants ; for where one person is found 

 imcompetent to purchase — judiciously — miscellane- 

 ous goods, there are several who know very little 

 in regard to trees and plants." 



The foregoing, from a man for whose judgment 

 and integrity I have the greatest respect, deserves 

 attention. 



1. There is no doubt at all that the season has 

 been extremely unfavorable in many parts of the 

 West, and that a large per centum of cuttings 

 planted have failed from this cause alone. It is 

 true, too, that the cuttings of almost any willow, 

 or other soft-wooded tree, if in the right condi- 

 tion when planted, and if planted at the right sea- 

 son, in a favorable position, will grow with small 

 loss. But it is equally probable that a large per 

 centum of cuttings sold and planted were worth- 

 less when delivered. Of this I have evidence. 

 And it is important that those who purchase should 

 be careful to buy only of men of reliability, like 

 Mr. Edwards, who have permanent interests in the 

 West, or a business reputation they cannot afford 

 to lose. 



2. It is hardly probable that any one, however 

 superficial, will soon denounce the culture of In- 

 dian corn in the west. And I have yet to learn 



t r-fli ■■- 'i— "f'-*'i'fi**aFWArti^'-ti'"'^ • t: 



