6 
Sheep on the Farm. 
Fifty oi* sixty years ago every farm, 
however small, had its little flock of sheep 
to supply the family wool and the material 
for knitting the family stockings. In al¬ 
most every farm-house the hum of the 
wool-wheel, which manufactured the yarn, 
could be heard at some distance from the 
house, and everywhere stockings were be¬ 
ing knitted for family use. They were not 
very fine, but they were thick and warm, 
and wore two or three times as long as the 
present machine-made article. These little 
flocks of sheep were always the pets of the 
farm. Their feed cost next to nothing. 
Pasture-fields which cattle could no lon¬ 
ger graze were just what the sheep pre¬ 
ferred. Every hole and corner they nipped 
clear of grass; and in winter the poorest 
hay and a little salt kept them in good 
condition, while the lambs not only kept 
up the stock but furnished all the mutton 
required in the family. The knitting ma¬ 
chine had not yet made its appearance, and 
each family which could not afford to sup¬ 
ply its wants from the costly foreign manu¬ 
factured articles was forced thus to pro¬ 
vide for itself. The little girls in a family 
were taught to knit as soon as they were 
able to handle the needles, and hence the 
cost of the supply of stockings for the 
family was quite inconsiderable—that is, it 
took no ready cash from the farmers pocket. 
Now the keeping of sheep is extensively 
pursued, especially on large farms where 
portions of the land are hilly, rocky, and 
unfit for cultivation. Here sheep thrive 
finely, and where systematically managed, 
are the most profitable branch upon the 
entire farm. The best breeds are used, or 
ought to be—that is, for both wool and 
carcass; and we may add that.just as sheep 
husbandry is better and better understood, 
the more extensively will it be introduced. 
Our western and northwestern farmers, 
where this branch is rapidly increasing, 
beyond other sections, are abundantly 
satisfied that in many respects a flock of 
sheep is the best helper, not only in filling 
the purse, but in keeping up the condition 
of the land without really any extra ex¬ 
pense. that is within reach of the husband¬ 
man. One thing should, therefore, be re¬ 
membered by farmers who have suitable 
land at their command; that they make a 
very great mistake, and submit to annual 
loss of more importance than they imagine 
in the absence of a good and beautiful flock 
of improved sheep browsing upon their hills. 
Details of Celery Culture. 
BY H. T. STANARD. CXIONYILLE. MO. 
After many years of experimenting, I 
have adopted an excellent plan, and if there 
is a better one it will be gladly received. 
My plan is to sow early peas on good, rich, 
well prepared ground, in March, in drills 
twenty inches apart. (Any early crop will 
do, but I prefer peas.) In the latter part- of 
April the Celery seed is sown in drills be¬ 
tween each alternate drill of peas, where 
the celery is to be grown. I deem it very 
important that the seed he sown where the 
celery is to grow, but if plants must be 
transplanted, great care should be taken to 
set them the same depth as they were in 
the seed bed. and the roots spread out in 
their natural position and cultivate of en. 
The peas will shade the celery some, but it 
will he a benefit to it. The plants should 
be thinned to five inches in the row, and 
not sheared off as some recommend. When 
the crop of peas is cleared off, and the cel¬ 
ery is 6 to 8 inches high, about the middle 
of August, run a shallow furrow on each 
side of the row, (not so near as to injure 
the roots.) turning the earth from the cel¬ 
ery, now fill the furrow with well rotted 
manure, this can be done very handily by 
driving the loaded wagon astride the row. 
One man can fork it out, and another man 
with a rake or prong hoe place it in its 
proper place in the furrow and around.the 
plants. This will benefit the crop by add¬ 
ing a fertilizer and assist in retaining the 
moisture. If there is not room at the end 
of the row to turn the wagon, the manure 
can be applied by a man with a wheel-bar¬ 
row, if it is near by. When the plants are 
sufficiently advanced in growth to need 
Support, they can be held in proper .'place by 
narrow strips of boards, about two fnoiies 
