754 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Nov.  19 
TWO  GOOD  FARM  HELPS. 
A  Simple  Wagon  Jack. — Oiling  wagons  is  one  of 
those  little  jobs  so  common  about  the  farm,  which  are 
always  disagreeable  if  one  has  not  something  con¬ 
venient  with  which  to  do  them.  Without  a  wagon  jack 
it  requires  two  persons,  even  for  a  light  wagon,  to 
avoid  getting  covered  with  mud,  dust  or  grease  from 
the  wheels.  Yet  it  is  one  of  those  simple  operations 
for  which  good  economy  will  not  warrant  the  pur¬ 
chase  of  a  high-priced  patent  implement.  The  one 
shown  at  Fig.  291,  has  the  merit  of  being  exceedingly 
cheap,  requiring  nothing  but  a  short  pole,  three  pieces  of 
2x4  scantling,  three  or  four  bolts  and  a  piece  of  wire, 
while  it  can  be  very  quickly  made.  The  pole  simply 
acts  as  a  lever  and  is  held  at  the  right  height  by  hook¬ 
ing  the  wire  over  a  spike  or  bolt  head  in  one  side  of 
the  frame.  Two  of  these  spikes  will  easily  regulate 
the  height  for  the  front  and  back  wheels. 
A  Practical  Fence. — The  R.  N.-Y.  has  unquestion¬ 
ably  been  urging  a  move  in  the  right  direction  in  its 
war-cry,  “  Down  with  the  useless  fences!”  yet  some 
fences  are  necessary  and  must  be  kept  up.  The  char¬ 
acter  of  the  crooked  rail  fence  of  earlier  times  invited 
our  grandfathers  to  a  practice  which  their  descendents 
have  ample  reason  to  regret ;  namely,  that  of  unload¬ 
ing  all  the  stones  picked  from  the  fields  in  the  fence 
corners  till  a  broad  row  was  formed,  precluding  the 
'  growth  of  anything  but  elders,  briars  and  weeds.  To 
be  sure,  this  often  aided  a  poor  fence  to  better  serve 
its  purpose,  and  then  the  stones  were  always  so  handy 
to  lay  up  foundations  for  the  corners ;  but  it  was 
impossible  to  get  near  it  with  a  team  and  plow.  As 
the  scarcity  of  timber  and  increase  in  the  value  of 
land  demand  their  more  economical  use,  these  stone 
rows  become  an  intolerable  nuisance.  Often  the  stones 
are  too  small  or  there  are  too  many  rounding  ones 
among  them  to  be  practicable  for  laying  into  walls, 
while  even  if  they  are  suitable,  men  who  can  lay  a 
wall  for  durability  and  not  for  face,  at  a  price  which 
can  be  afforded,  like  many  other  relics  of  the  olden 
times,  are  not  to  be  found. 
A  practical  way  out  of  this  difficulty  is  exemplified 
on  the  farm  of  G.  M.  Card,  in  Bradford  County,  Pa. 
See  Fig.  292.  Posts  are  set  along  the  center  of  the 
row,  or  where  the  fence  ought  to  be,  and  two  or  three 
strands  of  wire  put  near  the  top  ;  then  the  stones  are 
thrown  up  in  a  steep  ridge  under  them.  This  can  be 
done  quite  rapidly,  for  no  effort  is  made  to  lay  them 
up  in  wall  form.  Of  course  this  does  not  wholly  do 
away  with  the  chance  for  weeds  and  briars,  but  it 
reduces  it  greatly  and  at  the  same  time  makes  a  very 
satisfactory  fence,  for  the  row  of  stones  form  a  visible 
barrier  of  great  service  in  preventing  stock  from  run¬ 
ning  into  the  wires.  If  the  stones  settle  or  get  scat¬ 
tered  a  little  in  time,  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  snug  them 
up  into  good  shape  again.  This  form  of  fence  is  not 
especially  recommended  for  its  beauty,  but  because  it 
is  cheap  and  practical.  fred.  w.  card. 
COMBINATION  MUTTON  AND  WOOL  SHEEP. 
WHAT  CROSSES  WIEL  SECURE  THEM  ? 
The  condition  of  sheep  husbandry  in  our  State  and 
the  recent  changes  in  the  markets  for  sheep  products, 
suggested  to  us  the  need  of  experimenting  along  the 
line  treated  by  a  Rural  correspondent  in  answering 
the  question  “  How  Shall  we  Breed  ?  ”  The  common 
sheep  of  our  State  is  of  Merino  descent.  The  opening 
of  markets  for  lamb  and  mutton  gave  rise  to  the  need 
of  sheep  with  better  mutton  qualities.  Should  the 
old  stocks  be  retained  or  discarded?  How  may  they 
be  improved  to  supply  the  greatest  profits?  To  throw 
some  light  on  these  conditions,  experiments  were  un¬ 
dertaken  with  the  Shropshire  and  the  Merino.  The 
ewes  selected  to  cross  the  Shropshire  upon  were  typ¬ 
ical  of  the  common  Merino  sheep  of  our  State.  They 
were  of  good  size,  weighing  an  average  of  120  pounds 
each.  They  had  been  bred  with  the  wool  market  of 
five  years  ago  in  mind,  and  the  markets  of  to-day  out 
of  sight.  The  wool  was  fine  in  fiber,  very  soft  and 
with  a  medium  quantity  of  yolk,  as  it  shrank,  when 
well  washed,  slightly  less  than  one-third.  The  wool 
•f  these  sheep  was  not  quite  long  enough  to  enter  the 
•ombing  class,  so  that  it  would  not  rate  beyond  18  or 
20  cents  per  pound  in  our  present  markets.  During 
the  last  two  years  the  fleeces  of  the  ewes  averaged  9. 3 
pounds.  The  Shropshire  rams  used  upon  the  above 
ewes  were  of  good  mutton  type  and  represented  the 
breed  in  its  leading  characteristics.  They  were  rams 
that  had  been  imported  from  Shropshire,  England, 
and  registered  in  the  American  registry. 
The  first  cross  from  this  union  were  sheep  of  many 
valuable  attributes.  Both  the  fleece  and  form  were 
improved  towards  the  requirements  of  our  markets. 
The  fleece  possessed,  as  its  most  pronounced  charac¬ 
teristics,  a  wonderful  evenness  in  length  and  quality 
together  with  unusual  density.  The  wool  is  bright 
and  soft,  and  has  sold  for  us  as  high  as  28  cents,  be¬ 
cause  it  had  desirable  length  combined  with  strength 
and  fineness.  The  average  weight  of  the  fleeces  of 
the  six  ewes  I  have  retained  has  been  9.5  pounds  during 
the  last  two  years.  The  shrinkage  from  washing  has 
been  almost  identical  with  that  of  the  Merino  fleeces. 
From  these  facts  it  will  be  seen  that  there  has  been 
no  decrease  in  the  weight  of  the  fleece,  while  its  value 
per  pound  has  increased. 
The  greatest  improvement  I  have  noted  in  these 
and  other  crosses  of  like  nature,  has  been  in  the 
changed  form  of  the  cross-bred  sheep.  Though  the 
matured  ewes  we  have  now  of  this  breeding  average 
about  140  pounds  in  breeding  condition,  yet  they  are 
of  good  mutton  type,  being  compact,  round-ribbed  and 
full-fleshed.  They  seem  in  every  noticeable  respect  to 
be  a  compromise  between  the  Shropshire  and  the 
Merino. 
I  have  now  in  my  flock,  being  bred  this  fall,  some 
lambs  that  represent  the  second  Shropshire-Merino 
cross.  They  are  sired  by  an  imported  Shropshire  ram 
and  out  of  the  first  cross  Shropshire-Merino  ewes. 
They  have  the  appearance  of  pure-bred  Shropshires, 
though  a  few  show  strong  traces  of  their  Merino  ances¬ 
try.  Those  I  have  taken  into  our  breeding  flock  can 
hardly  be  distinguished  from  high-grade  Shropshires 
A  Simple  Wagon  Jack.  Fig.  291. 
They  have  the  Shropshire  form  and  the  peculiarity  of 
the  latter  of  being  well  woolled  about  the  head.  The 
wool  is  considerably  finer  and  softer  than  that  of  the 
average  pure-bred  Shropshires.  As  lambs  this  year, 
their  fleeces  averaged  within  six-tenths  of  a  pound  of 
those  of  the  shearling  first-cross  Shropshire-Merino 
ewes  of  last  jrear.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  weight  of 
the  fleeces  of  the  different  crosses  has  not  fallen  away 
from  that  of  the  Merino.  The  rams  I  have  used  have 
been  heavy-fleeced  Shropshires,  and  that  in  my  mind 
accounts  for  the  fact  that  the  weights  of  the  clips  have 
been  sustained. 
IIow  is  the  improvement  to  be  continued  ?  I  tried 
the  method  suggested  by  The  Rural’s  correspondent, 
namely,  the  use  of  a  ram  of  this  mixed  breeding,  and 
it  culminated  in  a  flat  failure.  The  progeny  were 
less  desirable  than  the  parental  stocks.  From  my  ex¬ 
perience,  I  would  advise  the  breeder  pursuing  this 
line  to  continue  the  use  of  pure-bred  rams  of  a  pro¬ 
nounced  mutton  type — those  that  carry  a  full  fleece  of 
fine  wool.  There  is  a  vast  difference  in  the  fleeces  of 
rams  of  the  mutton  breeds,  and  in  no  qualities  do  they 
differ  more  than  in  the  fineness  of  the  fiber  and  den¬ 
sity  of  the  fleece.  By  using  a  ram  of  this  character 
A  Practical  Fence.  Fig.  292. 
and  closely  selecting  the  best  for  the  renewal  of  the 
flock,  my  experience  justifies  the  statement  that  the 
standard  of  profit  may  not  only  be  maintained  but 
decidedly  increased.  john.  a.  craig. 
Wisconsin  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 
• 
FRENCH  OR  RAMBOUILLET  MERINOS. 
Can  you  tell  us  about  the  breed  of  sheep  described 
in  this  note  ?  Have  any  been  introduced  here  ?  Would 
the  climate  and  pastures  of  New  England — Vermont 
— be  too  cold,  or  otherwise  not  adapted  to  the  breed  ? 
There  must  be  a  great  variation  of  climate  between 
the  north  and  south  German  provinces,  and  the  writer 
does  not  say  in  what  part  they  were  kept.  This  would 
seem  to  be  the  ideal  mutton  and  wool  sheep  from 
the  description;  if  possible  give  us  l;ght  on  the  subject. 
Monroe,  Mass.  vvm.  h.  allen. 
This  breed  of  Merinos  Is  both  a  mutton  and  wool  sheep,  making  a 
heavy  carcass  and  yielding  a  fleece  of  long,  fine  wool.  It  has  risen 
rapidly  in  favor  among  the  German  sheep  breeders  during  the  last 
10  years,  taking  the  place  of  the  smaller  races  of  short-wool  Merinos, 
which  have  almost  entirely  disappeared.  One  reason  of  the  popularity 
of  the  Rambouillet  Merinos  in  Germany  is  that,  while  producing  a 
carcass  larger  than  the  English  mutton  breeds,  they  can  be  herded  in 
large  flocks  with  safety,  which  the  English  sheep  will  not  bear.  The 
Rambouillets  are  kept  on  some  of  the  large  estates  in  flocks  of  2,000  or 
3,000.  A  writer  who  recently  visited  Germany  and  had  an  opportunity 
to  inspect  some  of  these  flocks,  dt  scribes  them  as  presenting  a  beauti¬ 
ful  spectacle.  He  visited  the  great  estates  of  the  Minister  of  Agricul¬ 
ture,  the  Chamberlain  to  the  Emperor,  members  of  th6  Imperial 
Parliament  and  several  wealthy  barons,  all  of  whom  keep  flocks  num¬ 
bering  several  thousands.  Many  rams  of  this  breed  weigh  from  250  to 
325  pounds  each,  and  shear  annually  from  18  to  22  pounds  of  the  finest 
delaine  wool,  from  three  to  live  inches  in  length,  and  some  of  the 
ewes  tip  the  beam  at  nearly  200  pounds.  In  some  flocks  no  ram  of 
less  weight  than  275  pounds  is  permitted,  while  a  ram  of  less  than  250 
pounds  Is  generally  regarded  as  below  the  standard. 
I  he  Rambouillet  Merinos,  or,  as  they  are  more  com¬ 
monly  called  in  this  country,  the  French  or  Delaine 
Merinos,  are  a  large-bodied  variety  of  these  fine-wooled 
sheep.  The  Rambouillet  farm  and  flock  were  estab¬ 
lished  about  a  century  ago  by  the  French — not  German 
— Government  for  the  improvement  of  the  flocks,  and 
by  means  of  careful  breeding  without  mixture  the 
sheep  became  fixed  in  type  as  a  large-bodied,  long, 
fine  wool  bearing  breed.  The  result  of  this  enterprise 
on  the  part  of  the  French  Government  was  to  give  that 
country  the  monopoly  of  the  manufacture  of  a  most 
valuable  and  popular  class  of  goods  called  French 
merinos  and  de  laines.  The  latter  were  made  of 
a  fine  cotton  warp,  with  a  fine  wool  filling,  and 
for  many  years  these  two  kinds  of  dress  goods 
were  a  source  of  great  profit  to  the  French  shep¬ 
herds  and  manufacturers.  A  few  years  back  some 
of  these  sheep  were  imported  into  this  country  and 
crossed  on  our  American  Merinos,  the  best  short,  fine- 
wool  sheep  in  the  world,  but  founded  on  the  small 
varieties  of  Spain  and  Saxony.  The  fashion  for  the 
goods  made  of  this  short  wool  changed,  and  a  demand 
arose  for  a  longer  fiber  which  was  supplied  by  what 
are  now  called  here  the  Delaine  Meiinos.  These  are 
larger  sheep  than  the  standard  Merinos,  and  have  a 
fleece  2%  to  4  or  5  inches  in  length,  which  by  an 
improved  method  may  be  combed,  as  it  is  called;  that 
is,  so  worked  that  the  longer  fibers  may  lie  side  by 
side  in  the  sliver  or  roll  and  thus  make  a  much  stronger 
thread  and  more  durable  goods. 
Flocks  of  these  sheep  are  common  in  Western  New 
York,  where  they  go  by  the  name  of  Delaine  Merinos; 
some  flocks  are  kept  in  Texas,  and  there  are  some  in 
New  England.  They  were  of  Spanish  origin,  selected 
for  size  and  length  of  wool,  and  by  long  breeding  in 
France,  have  been  thoroughly  acclimated.  They  have 
done  remarkably  in  America  and  are  firmly  established 
as  a  special  breed  of  this  useful  sheep.  Under  some 
favorable  circumstances,  they  produce  excellent  mut¬ 
ton,  and  are  thus  better  suited  for  farmers’  use  than 
the  smaller  Merino.  Some  exaggerated  accounts  are 
occasionally  given  of  these  sheep,  as  to  their  size  and 
the  weight  of  their  fleeces.  They  are  not  as  heavy  as 
the  English  mutton  breeds,  except  the  smaller  of 
these — 250  pounds  of  live  weight  and  12  to  20  pounds 
of  unwashed  wool  is  a  high  average  for  them.  Selected 
rams  may  exceed  these  figures.  The  wool  has  a  fine 
luster  and  creamy  color  but  is  rather  more  yolky  than 
that  of  the  common  Merino. 
SCRAPING  BARK  FROM  TREES. 
I  have  been  greatly  surprised  at  the  various  remarks 
and  recommendations  in  regard  to  the  scraping  of 
trees  to  remove  loose  bark  and  to  the  washes  recom¬ 
mended  for  use  upon  them.  I  have  never  hesitated  to 
scrape  the  bark  from  apple  or  pear  trees  whenever  I 
have  come  into  possession  of  an  orchard  which  was 
greatly  troubled  with  defective  bark.  But  if  an  or¬ 
chard  is  properly  cared  for,  there  will  be  very  little 
loose  bark — not  enough  to  cause  trouble.  The  shaggy 
bark  on  trees  is  a  good  deal  like  the  cotted  tufts  of 
hair  on  an  animal — an  evidence  of  want  of  proper  care 
and  attention. 
If  an  orchard  is  so  cared  for  and  fertilized  that  the 
trees  make  an  average  annual  growth  of  from  12  to  16 
inches,  there  will  not  be  enough  loose  bark  to  do  any 
harm,  and  if,  in  addition  to  the  above,  the  trees  be 
washed  occasionally  from  the  ground  up,  there  will  be 
none. 
1  have  tried  all  the  washes  recommended  and  many 
others,  and  there  is  none  I  like  so  well  as  caustic  soda, 
of  which  no  one  has  said  a  good  word.  All  kinds  of 
potash  washes  leave  the  bark  smooth  and  soft,  but  I 
object  to  them  because  they  give  it  a  sort  of  reddish 
look,  and  it  soon  seems  to  break  up  into  patches,  and 
I  have  thought  it  loosens  worse  than  if  no  washing 
had  been  done.  This  effect  is  produced  even  when 
soft-soap  is  used,  though  not  in  so  marked  a  degree  as 
when  weak  lye  is  employed.  The  use  of  a  caustic  soda 
wash,  on  the  contrary,  leaves  the  bark  equally  smooth 
and  glossy,  but  of  a  fine,  healthy  green  color,  and  not 
at  all  inclined  to  break  up  into  patches  and  peel  off. 
To  make  the  wash,  dissolve  one  pound  of  caustic  soda 
in  a  gallon  of  soft  hot  water,  and  apply  with  a  brush, 
broom  or  a  bunch  of  rags  tied  to  an  old  broom  handle. 
If  caustic  soda  or  soda  ash,  which  is  the  same,  cannot 
be  readily  obtained,  common  salsoda  can  be  taken 
and  put  into  an  iron  kettle  and  heated  until  it  becomes 
red,  which  will  make  it  very  nearly  as  good  as  the 
caustic  soda  as  sold.  As  this  will  not  be  quite  as 
strong,  a  little  more  should  be  used,  say,  1%  pound  to 
a  gallon  of  soft  water. 
This  wash  may  be  applied  to  the  trees  after  scrap¬ 
ing  (for  this  purpose  I  use  an  old  hoe  or  a  common  box 
scraper)  or  if  an  application  be  made  to  old  trees  of  a 
wash  of  double  the  above  strength,  it  will  cause  the 
loose  bark  to  fall  off.  But  orchardists  must  remember 
that  the  loose  bark  is  a  symptom  and  to  doctor  the 
symptom  does  not  cure  the  disease.  The  trees  need 
better  culture  and  care  and  without  these  the  wash¬ 
ings  and  scrapings  only  make  them  look  better,  with¬ 
out  making  them  any  more  vigorous.  j.  s.  woodward. 
