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363 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
use of the traction engine has only begun. It is destined 
to aid in the cheapening of production and transportation 
to a wonderful degree. Those of us who like to think 
and talk about “what is going to be,” as well as about 
what has been, can tee a sure place in the future for the 
traction engine. _ _ 
HOW TO WATER TRANSPLANTED TREES. 
Too much water used; mulch very desirable; firm about 
the roots; keep waste uater from trees; the earth not 
made to be baked. 
Some Trees Are Watered to Death. 
In regard to watering transplanted trees, we should 
consider that trees transplanted in a loose soil, with good 
drainage, would need more watering than those planted 
in a stiff clay soil. We believe that more trees are killed— 
with them. When planting in heavy or lumpy soil, bring 
finely pulverized earth from a distance, if ne dful, to put 
the earth into intimate contact with the roots. Water 
after transplanting, in case of continued drought; but in 
such case, make a slight trench to receive the water, and 
return the earth after the latter has been absorbed. 
Prepare the entire ground to the full depth of planting. 
Then dig holes broad enough to receive the roots of the 
trees in their natural or proper position. Never dig a hole 
In a retentive subsoil to hold stagnant water beneath the 
tree after planting. Plant trees, in average soils, about as 
deep as they naturally grow; and on heavy soils, not quite 
so deep, but bring them to the original depth by raising 
the earth about them. On quite light soils they may be 
planted from two to three inches deeper than they orig¬ 
inally grew. The soil should be well tramped about the 
feeding. I feed the lambs until they are one month old 
milk skimmed after standing 12 hours only; then they 
will drink any kind of skim-milk. In cold weather, I 
warm the milk and mix with it ground oats and oil meal, 
and from such feed I can get all the growth I want in 
either lambs or colts. Early lamb raising is profitable, 
when intelligence and close attention are given to the 
business, and in my mind early lamb raising is in its In¬ 
fancy in our country. In the first place, lambs are usually 
dropped in May, so that the ewes can be on grass in warm 
weather and they get no special attention. This is wrong. 
The loss of lambs is too great owing to such neglect. 
Thirty per cent more lambs will be saved if dropped in 
February, while the sheep are in winter-quarters, where 
they can have the shepherd’s care in lambing and have 
their feed regulated as required under different circum- 
HARVESTING IN CALIFORNIA WITH MULE POWER. Fig. 125. 
especially by the small planters—by watering too much, 
than by the neglect of watering. Many families who 
plant a few trees in their gardens are continually throwing 
waste water on them. This, especially if they are not 
mulched, causes the soil to bake firmly around them, so 
that it does not admit moisture when it rains. Our idea 
is that except in unusually dry seasons trees, if properly 
transplanted, need but very little water. 
Mulching is an important thing. Trees should be 
mulched immediately after they have been planted, with 
some coarse litter, straw, manure, sawdust, or something 
of that nature. Then if the weather becomes exceedingly 
dry give them a thorough watering. We believe it is best, 
when watering, to do the business thoroughly, and then if 
properly mulched it will be a long time before the soil will 
get dry around the roots. If planters are careful in trans¬ 
planting trees, to set them at the right depth, and if the 
soil is pressed firmly about the roots when planted, as it 
always should be, and thoroughly mulched, and they ere 
watered only when the weather is exceedingly dry, we be¬ 
lieve there will be very little complaint of transplanted 
trees dying. smiths, powell & iamb 
Onondaga Co , N. Y. 
Too Much Water Injurious. 
We do not consider it good practice to water trans¬ 
planted trees; we prefer to firm the dirt around the roots, 
leaving the soil mellow on the surface, and to mulch with 
coarse manure. Too much water is injurious; it keeps the 
ground cold and damp. Stephen hoyt’s sons. 
Fairfield Co.. Conn. 
Seven Rules for Watering. 
On light soils never wet trees when transplanting, ex 
cept possibly when there is such a mass of small roots, 
that it is necessary to bring the soil into intimate contact 
roots, when the hole is half filled, and again when well 
filled, except when soaked down with water, in which 
case the surface should be covered with dry earth, and left 
to settle naturally. T. T. LYON. 
Van Buren Co., Mich. 
FEEDING SKIM-MILK TO LAMBS. 
Early Lambs with Butter Dairying. 
No department of live stock husbandry has received 
such a “ boom ” of late as the raising of lambs of the mut¬ 
ton breeds for the late winter or early spring market. The 
business has come to that stage when the keenest minds 
may find profitable employment in devising schemes for 
hastening the growth of lambs. New problems of breed¬ 
ing, feeding and care are constantly arising. One of these 
which is presented over and over again is covered by the 
following questions which we have submitted to some of 
our leading sheep men. We shall be glad to have any of 
our readers who are interested in either dairying or lamb¬ 
raising send us their experience : 
Have you ever tried feeding skim-milk for lambs ? If 
so, do you feed it by itself or mixed with grain ? 
Why will not early lamb raising be a good companion to 
winter dairying ? 
Will not the lambs make a more profitable use of the 
milk than pigs ? 
Milk Alone or With Bran. 
I make a specialty of sheep and horses and raise but few 
pigs, and so cannot tell the relative profit from feeding 
skim-milk to pigs and lambs. I keep cows on purpose to 
get both fresh and skim-milk for colts and iambs and have 
done so for some time with favorable results. Such milk 
puts the bone and muscle growth into all young animals 
without making them too fat and without danger of over- 
stances, and where the ewes can be made to mother 
their lambs. Then, too, our people are learning to eat and 
hence demand good mutton, which early lamb growing 
and forcing can alone supply. With pork and mutton at 
present prices, we should raise early mutton lambs and 
feed them liberally with skim-milk, but we should give 
with it, either mixed or separately, oil meal to counteract 
the constipation induced by the milk. g. E. brkck. 
Kalamazoo Co., Mich. 
Lambs Beat Pigs as Milk Consumers. 
I have fed skim-milk to lambs with very satisfactory re¬ 
sults. Care must be taken not to feed too much at a time, 
particularly if their dams are good milkers and properly 
fed. I have also fed some ground oats and oil meal after 
the lambs were two weeks old. I think lambs will pay 
better for the milk consumed than pigs during the winter. 
The great trouble in lamb feeding on cows’ milk is to get 
a satisfactory method of feeding them quickly and abun¬ 
dantly. They can be taught to drink; but will never do 
well when fed in this way, as the milk goes into the 
stomach too fast and too much is taken by some, and the 
digestive organs are thereby weakened. 
Waukesha County, Wis. GEORGE mckerrow. 
“ It is a Failure.” 
Feeding skimmed milk to lambs is a failure, for it does 
not agree with them. The raising of lambs would prove 
a good companion to winter dairying. It is hard to teach 
them to drink milk and it must ba fresh and straight from 
the cow. I. j. williams & SONS. 
Delaware Co., Ind. 
Nothing Like Sweet Skimmed Milk. 
There is nothing like sweet skimmed milk for raising 
early lambs. Teach them to drink all they want when 
they get accustomed to it, and let them go into their 
A PEERLESS TRACTION ENCINE GIVES THE MULES A REST. Fig. 126. 
