? s M 
in ? s mmm miw-yoeemi 
^9 
a^ss ' 
hffp fhtsbanbri). 
obtained is potash, which is recovered in a 
state of great purity. It is computed that if 
the fleeces of all the sheep of France, esti¬ 
mated at 47,000,000, were subjected to the 
ii. s. randall, Li#, d., editor, new treatment, France would derive from 
Or Cortland Villasb, Cortland County, Nit York. this SOUl'CC alone, all the potasll she reCpi'lIOS 
- - " - in the arts, enough to make about 12,000 
HISTORY OF WOOL MANUFAC- tons of commercial carbonate of potash, eon- 
TURES IN ENGLAND. vertable into 17,500 tons of saltpeter, which 
- would charge 1,870,000,000 cartridges. So 
England, from a very early period, has that the inoffensive sheep, the emblem of 
produced sheep of two distinctly marked peace, can be made to supply the chief mu- 
classes—a short, comparatively fine wool, nilionof war. The obvious lesson from these 
adapted solely for making fulled cloths, and facts, to the sheep farmer, is to wash his 
which supplied the cloth manufactory es- fleece at home, in such a manner that the 
tablished at Winchester In the time of wash waters, so rich in potash, may he dis- 
the Romans, and a wool characterized by tributed upon the land as liquid manure, 
greater length, strength, and luster, and its J. L. Hayes. 
moderate felling properties, fitted Ibr making -4-*~*- 
serges and other stuff fabrics, adapted es- WOOL GROWING IN URUGUAY. 
pecially for female wear, was called comb- _ 
ing wool from the instrument used 1.0 make [From Monthly Rop. Dept, of AgricuRuro.] 
the fibers straight and parallel, preparatory Mu. E. W. Loogin of Uruguay, gives the 
to spinning. Until about, the lime of Eliza- following account of the method of feeding 
both, England worked lip herself the greater and managing sheep in that country: 
portion of combing wools, far the most vain- sheep arc kept in large flocks of one to 
able ot her agricultural products, which were t |„. ee thousand, and are taken care of by a 
made up into says and serges by the work- mau on horseback. They arc gathered on 
menol the Low Countries. In the time of one spot at night, ami by constant watchiiw 
Elizabeth the persecutions of the Duke of for a mo .,lh or so, arc taught to stav there. 
Alva drove the say weavers, skilled in work- Iu winter they are not allowed to go oil to 
ing up the combing wools, from the Nether- ftiea lIIllU Ul0 (i(nv is off Ul0 ;IS u is 
lands into England. The worsted manu- supposct i to make them very thin. The 
facturc, or that of the combing wools, was rams arc pilt into these flocks (whic h gener- 
thus engrafted upon the industry of England, ally havc a considerable percentage of well,- 
and prepared the way for the consumption ers) earIy in October, thereby bringing the 
of all her wools upon her own so,I. lambing on in JIarch and April. Forty per 
The domestic consumption of all her wools cent, of lambs to a mixed flock is considered 
was made a national necessity by stringent very good, but a flock consisting onlirely of 
laws prohibiting the exportation of wool, breeding ewes will give 70 to 00 per cent, 
which wore in force I nun 1000 to 1825. The it. has been the custom to havc two lambing 
prohibition of exportation was especially of- seasons, one in March and one in September, 
fieaeious in developing the worsted industry, but it is now generally allowed that one 
as it compelled the manufacture at home ot lambing is more advantageous, bringing as 
the combing wools lonnerly exported. The large an increase in the long nm, and the 
number ot sheep during that period was sheep keeping in better condition, 
ncarljr U'oMod, mid llic production of wool In Tlw s ,, ccp are „ cmss „ f t|l0 
each animal was doubled. A» the wonted slu . , , lf am „ „ l„„ 3 e,lo„- 
industry became developed, and airrloutlure sll( , , , ik0 lllc bta0 £ 
became more, pneporou. from the borne mar. fac „, i„ ScMl and, regarding the liber 
Item oponed for .la prod,tela, the woolen m. „ r tho ! ah „ uU { ! nM> i, 
dually and agnen hire rontmnod to react every other respect, it being alimwl. impoaal- 
upou each oilier, the wool mannlactmvs nut- feue# Tl , ia< . . . „. cr „ c ,.„ ss . 
Itmg Increased demands for combing wools; , vitl , K U | cc>u .,. s „„ Ul . 
or dial produced by t ie heaviest sheep, and ,, an( , Mer ,„ 0 t |„, En „. 
flgricii 11me taking a ,1,reel,on to supply tins lia|l s0 
den,I,„d. 1„ the meanlra.o thenruaefalor H , unl „,„ iMul „, ok Uiclr place, producing a 
tuiaiipbusbnndiywiuimlroducedby Villian, although a not very long wool, 
ot Orange, and (he means wore provided for Md |CI| , of u f„ ^ ,j„ cli 
trebling lbe number ol sheep which an acre „„ ot f „„ r 
ofg,could support, flie results,,l the „ lc „ „ f „ rl! L,.,,. Wa . „ h ,, ltl 
present time to the English woo cn nnuiii- ' , • , . . , , 
® , , * after shearing, but to-day would scarcely 
faeture are, that the worsted manufacture for . , ^. , , 
. , , command 12d. Saxony rams have been m- 
surpasses the clothing wool manufacture, the ,, , 
*, ,, ;? . . J' trod need of late vears and lmve proved very 
two together supporting a population of over „ , , „ , v .. . / 
inortAnn i , , , remunerative, being very fine and c ose n 
1 ,000,000, and tiie towns which have been \ . ,•#•# , 
’ ’ , . “ ' their wool, and shearing up to tittccn pounds 
the centers of the worsted manulaoture, have „,. M , To „ „' g0 a „ e „., a 
made , more rapid progress than any m , 00 ,, Llf-hreed Merino 
ta, , , , . , selling m Montevideo at lOd. to Is. per 
I tie stal ls .ics ot domestic animals nub- ■; , . ,, . . . . , 
,. , , . „ „ , , . , , ‘ pound; hut this class ot wool is not nearly 
lislied by Ihe Itoyill Agrmi.l ural Socloly, „ ,„„ oh „ 0 a longer staple 
sliniv Ihat Great Brlta,,, had m 1800 30,- w lirefo ,,. c d, a „d cousequontly wool has 
7 1,300Sheep; 5,423,081 salt e, nnd 2,808,- MoLo SO. per pound. 
530 pigs, riiesheepare literally the basis of ct , • 1 / , . „ . a , . 
Euglisl, husbandry. The ugricultnre of , f U abont 1 fartllm «» » 
Eilgland, as a whole, is very simple. Four f tormet has 
erops in regular rota,ion, and mainly in the “ “ ’ ?“ n “f 
same order, constitute her great' staples, m,dfor catcilii,,*. tying and bag- 
Turn inn ti.irkv ...... , ... & a S or haling, as the case may be. A fat 
erops in regular rotation, and mainly iu the 
same order, constitute her great staples. 
Turnip*, barley, grass and wheat are said to 
be the four magical words at which the earth 
unlocks her treasures to the British farmer. 
The four field, or four-shift system, which 
pervades the greater part of the kingdom, 
consists of this succession. The profit is in 
the barley and wheat alone; the turnips and 
grass serve mainly to feed the sheep which 
furnish mutton and wool to support them in 
their most important function, that of ma- 
ewe is worth 2s. 6d. ( and a fat wether about 
3s. 41. for market; st good average wether 
weighing about fourteen pounds to the 
quarter. 
--- 
FRENCH SHEPHERDS. 
glass sci \ e mainly to locii me sheep which The pictures of Rosa BoNnEUR have 
furnish million and wool to support them in made us well acquainted with the singular 
l.ieii most important function, that of ilia- habits which the shepherds of the lands 
nuiing the turnip field upon which they are south of Bordeaux have adopted of passing 
folded, for the four years’ rotation. It is the greater part of their lives on stilts. The 
this function which I wish to bring into first time that a group of these people are 
special prominence. Recent agricultural seen, there is a curious emotion in the mind 
English wiiteis a fill in this to bo the main a g of a strange prodigy. Dressed in shcep- 
ohjoct ot English sheep husbandry. Prof, skins, worn by time, knitting stockings or 
Coleman of the Agricultural College of Cir- spinning thread, they gravely pass over the 
ccnstei, iu a paper lecently read before the reeds and furze — tho spectator buried, as it 
Royal Agricultural Society, on the brooding were, in the bushes; they lifted nearer the 
and feeding ot sheep, says:—•“It is not diffi- sky, on the verge of the horizon. The loiv 
cult to show that sheep alone, apart from stick, which they handle with so much ad" 
tlieir influence on the corn crops, will not dress, serving as a balancing pole or a sup- 
pay a living profit, after all the expenses ot port for the arm, contributes still more to 
growing the crops are considered.” Other the strangeness of their appearance; they 
practical writers for the same journal de- i ook i ikc gigantic, crickets, preparing to 
clare that i here is no profit iu growing sheep spring. In the lands of Medoc, not only the 
in England simply for their mutton and wool, shepherds, hut every one uses this style of 
but that the culture of sheep is still an in- locomotion; the children have no fear, and 
dispensable necessity, as there is no other die women, who are invariably dressed iu 
means of keeping up tho land. The same h|, lcki resemble large ravens perched on 
lesson is taught by the heat practical agri- dead branches. The origin of stilts is nn- 
culturists ot the United States. known, but it is probable that they were 
There are other relations of the woolen not in use before the Middle Ages, as ancient 
industry to agriculture, much less broad in authors make no mention of them. In the 
their scope, hut so interesting and illustra- patois of the country they are called change, 
five that I cannot pass them by. The first which would seem to fix their origin in the 
which I allude to, because connected with period of the rule of the English, deriving it 
'lie topic which we have just considered, is from our word shank; probably some in¬ 
die achievement which chemical science has ventive British mind gave them lids scrvicc- 
leccnlly effected in saving the potash eon- able mode of progression. Perched on these 
tained hi the yolk of fleeces, in such a form borrowed logs, the shepherd watches over 
1 ut it may bo returned to the soil or used iu his charge, concealed in the brushwood, 
the arts. The most important of the alkalies crosses uninjured the marshes and quick¬ 
sands, fears not to be torn by thorns or dry 
twigs, and can at any time double the speed 
at which he ordinarily walks. Whether it 
lias any effect oil the character cannot he 
denied; but certain it is that these people 
are distinguished by their wild, savage na¬ 
ture. They havc a horror of strangers, and 
when they perceive a traveler coming to¬ 
ward them, they hasten to lice into conceal¬ 
ment.— Chamber's Journal. 
- 
LOOK TO THE INCREASE. 
For two or three years past the owners 
of some of I lie largest flocks in the country 
have omitted to breed a large proportion of 
their ewes. As the supply of fine wool in 
our principal markets is generally admitted 
to have been in excess of the demand, such 
a course may have been a wise one—cer¬ 
tainly much better than neglecting the flock 
altogether, and letting disease and casual¬ 
ties adjust the supply to the demand. But 
is it Ihe part of wisdom to pursue such a 
policy any longer? We think not; and 
would urge every flock master, even though 
lie should desire to still further reduoe liis 
number of sheep, to continue to breed all 
his best animals, and bring about a reduc¬ 
tion by selling off the older and more in¬ 
ferior ones. Any other course will as assur¬ 
edly bring down the standard of excellence 
in quality of fleece as it will prove detri¬ 
mental to constitutional vigor, and, as a con¬ 
sequence, increase the cost and labor of 
handling. Good rams can now tic. bought 
for their actual worth, and lie who fails, be¬ 
cause of any temporary depression in prices, 
to keep up the standard of his flock, may 
not. realize wlmt a mistake ho has made 
until it. is too late to rectify it, or recover 
from its consequences.— A. M. Garland , in 
Western It a ml. 
• -4-^4- 
A benevolent citizen of Brunswick, 
Germany, supplies blankets to the poor dur¬ 
ing the winter months. They are stamped, 
to prevent, their being sold or pawned, and 
are returned in May of every year. The 
system has been in operation six years, and 
no‘ a blanket has been lost,. 
The arrivals of wool at Detroit from all 
quarters for the present year, is staled at 
4,772,045 pounds, against 5,560,314 for the 
corresponding period of last, year, showing 
about.three-quarters of a -million of pounds 
difference.— Michigan Farmer. 
-- - - - ■ — — ■ ■ — ■ 
Correction. In tills Department, week before 
lust, an article of ours Is hearted:—“ Shall the 
surplus sheet) be starved or petted?” The last 
word should have been printed rKt/ruo. Wo 
usually leave without correction ihoso minor 
typographical errors which creep into all mut¬ 
ter printed from Indifferent manuscript—such 
as modemie Inroads on grammar or slight de¬ 
viation from the maiming. Pul the difference 
between pdllilO fin animal and xkin- 
Hliig it, is rather (no wide to be accounted a 
minor one. Wo think Urn sheep, If they could 
talk, would pronounce the process very deci¬ 
dedly unlike! 
In my letter of October 15th, ns published tn 
the Rukal Ngw-Yoiikeii of November 5ih, I 
am made to say* “ TebUSAJtPF told thorn it was 
useless to spend tho time iu examining thorn," 
&o. It slmuld read Mr. COLE instead of Mr. 
Tkllkampf. John P. Ray. 
.pitman. 
BEE NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Artificial H>vnriiiinar. 
Having seen artificial swarming exten¬ 
sively advised, I desire to learn the process. 
Will some person answer, through the Ru¬ 
ral New-Yorker, the following questions? 
1. How early in the season will it do to 
form new colonies? 
2. Is there no danger of taking the only 
queen from the old swarm, thus leaving it 
penniless? 
3. How many swarms may be taken from 
the parent swarm in one season? 
4. By what means may the queen be oap- 
tured ? 
5. Can a swarm be artificially obtained 
from a common board hive ? — Frank 
Sawin. 
A Woman in Trouble with Her Bees. 
I have it colony of bees that got tipped 
over, and consequently, in righting up again, 
the whole comb broke from the top and fell 
t.o the bottom, causing tho honey to run out; 
the other bees Look advantage, and carried 
off the honey. This was five weeks ago. 
Since then they have commenced making 
comb at the top of the hive again, and now 
have three or four pieces about ns large as 
my baud. Can you or any of your subscrib¬ 
ers tell me bow 1 can winter these bees? 
Had I better take out the old comb ? How 
and wlmt shall L feed them, and when com¬ 
mence? Reliable information on the above 
will he gratefully received. —Mrs. Freder¬ 
ick Locke. 
- 4 . 4 . 4 .-- 
Inquiries for Aparinint, — Will Herbert A. 
Rone 11 bo kind enough to tell us how to swarm 
bees artificially ?— A Reader. 
ilie Naturalist. 
THE WALKING STICK. 
It is not a cane, such as old gentlemen 
lean upon, or a rattan in the gloved hand of 
a dandy, that we are going to talk about, but 
a live, creeping insect, that looks like a small 
green twig or stick with legs. We give his 
portrait, and presume that many of the hoys 
and girls who read the Rural New-Yorker 
will recognize this “dandy long legs,” from 
his very slim waist,. Quite a number of these 
“ Walking Sticks” have been received from 
different localities the past season, with ac¬ 
companying requests to give the name and 
something of their habits. 
The scientific name of this insect is rather 
a long one to pronounce or spell, but. lu re it 
is:— ■Diupheromerafsmaruta. It belongs to 
the same great order of insects as the locusts, 
grasshoppers, cockroaches and crickets. 
These " Walking Sticks” feed upon tho 
leaves of plants; but they arc so few iu num¬ 
bers that we seldom notice their depreda¬ 
tions. Iu tropical countries, this family of 
insects is far more abundant than iu our 
cool climate. Some of the species grow to 
nearly or quite a foot long; and those that 
are destitute of wings, iook so much like 
sticks that it requires a careful search to find 
them, while resting upou the green brandies 
rape seed slightly moistened, a little hard- 
boiled egg, and cracker grated fine is excel¬ 
lent ; by observing these simple directions, 
birds may he kept in fine condition for 
years. Bad seed kills most the of birds that 
die.” 
- <►♦4 - 
NOTES FOR NATURALISTS. 
Protection nsrniina Moles. 
Ground moles are often a serious pest to 
the farmer and gardener. Many expedients 
have been tried to prevent, their destructive 
ravages. A correspondent of the Cincinnati 
(0.) Gazette, thus tells his method “ This 
spring I planted a small patch of ground to 
squashes. '1 hey came up and looked very 
nice. I noticed iu a few days that the moles 
were going to destroy them if I did not do 
something. The squashes had been planted 
in hills, eight, feet apart, each way. Tho 
moles went from hill to hill all through my 
patch, and many of the plants wilted and 
died. 1 took my one-horse shovel plow and 
plowed the ground over close to every hill, 
plowing both ways. As a result 1 saw no 
more moles among my squash vines this 
summer. 
This fall they commenced on my Osage 
oranges. L Jiavo about sixty rods, which 
looks very nice. The moles got to running 
through it the whole length each side, and 
right, under tho jflants. I put my plow to 
work again each side of my hedge, and I 
have not seen any more signs of Mr. Mole 
in my hedge row. However, they got ahead 
of me in my turnip patch, and l do not 
know how to manage them. IT some one 
could tell me I would lie much obliged.” 
flow to (fitIcli n Sic 11 alt. 
A \ osemite traveler makes the following 
contribution to natural history, which may 
do for theory if not. practice ” On my way 
up there the other day, I saw two Indians 
up in a ravine slowly and stealthily ap¬ 
proaching each other, with their eyes rivet¬ 
ed on an object which proved to be a full- 
grown Skunk. The one who was behind 
held out Ids hand, and kept moving it round 
in a circle, the animal watching him all the 
while. Jt, prepared to fire several times, hut 
the Indian’s revolving hand scorned to dis¬ 
tract, its attention, and it did not. execute the 
threat. All at once the Indian dashed upon 
it,, twitched it up by the end of its uplifted 
fall, and held it high up at arm’s length. 
The other one ran up and cracked its neck 
with a stroke of his hand. The whole 
operation was performed without the effusion 
of any stench whatever, which appears to 
be the main point iu the killing, and the 
captors bore it, away in triumph. The ani¬ 
mal seemed to feel Itself so iguominiously 
discomfited and disgraced in being hoisted 
by the end of the tail, that it abandoned its 
usual means of defense.” 
vs:' 
MAD ITCH IN CATTLE. 
A correspondent of the Cincinnati Ga¬ 
zette, in answer to an inquiry as to the cause 
- iti twionu iw tut uiuuu y uo IU lllC CitllbU 
of a shrub or free. Others belonging to this of ^ disease, says:-” The disease doubt- 
family are provided with wings resembling lc8S originates from green corn being cut up 
the leaves of the plants upon which they U ud thrown to hogs. When *ey Lavo eaten 
eed, and are known as “ Walking Leaves.” the coni, they then chew up the stalks, and 
There are many strange things in the in- after obtaining the com juice, they spit out 
sect world, and we have only to keep our the chewed stalks. Several weeks afterward 
eyes and ears open to learn much that would cattle pick up this chewed stuff, which lias 
otherwise be overlooked. become dry, and cat it; and this going into 
- their stomachs, and there not being sub- 
CARE OF CANARY BIRDS. stance enough about it to cause dlgostioi, 
-- the result is a fever is produced iu the stoiu- 
I hay E had several of the little pets, and ach, which goes to the head and affects the 
been successful with them. 1 hey must have brain. This, from my observation and cx- 
hglit, pme air, plenty ol food, and fresh perience among cattle, produces the ‘ mad 
water. The food they like most is canary itch.’ 
seed, to which a little rape and mustard seed «1 bavc a i S6 noticed that cattle being fed 
may sometimes he added. limy are fond of hi the woods iu the fall and winter seasons, 
lettuce, cabbage leaves, chick weed, cuttle- where there are leaves from trees, the cattle 
ioiic, sweet apple, cracker either dry or j n picking up their food take into their stom- 
Rimken in lmt Mr.iln,._41... ..P . ... .... 
soaked in hot water—the yolk of a hard- 
boiled egg, and the seed of plantain, which 
may be gathered, dried, and given to the 
bird in the winter season. 
During the period of moulting, which is 
from two to four months, when thev lose 
their feathers and cease singing, it is well to 
put an iron nail in the cup of water for a 
tow days; also, give them red pepper seeds. 
They should bathe often in tepid water. 
The cage should be lning iu a warm place, 
out of the reach of pussy, and kept clean, 
dirty perches often causing swollen and 
irritated feet. To keep off vermin, it is a 
good plan to hang a little bag filled with 
sulphur in the cage.— a. h. 
S. & G. Favonaiuus, bird fanciers, Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa., send the Rural New-Yorker 
the following directions for keeping canary 
birds in good health“ Place the cage so 
that, no draft of air can strike the bird ; give 
nothing to healthy birds but canary and 
rape seed mixed, water, cuttle-fish bone, and 
gravel on floor of cage, also, occasionally, a 
little water toi bathing; the room .should 
not he overheated ; when moulting (shedding 
feathers) avoid drafts of air; give plenty of give it.—u. o. 
achs some of these dried leaves, and these 
operate in a similar manner to the dried corn 
stalks, in the stomachs of the cattle. I have 
lost several cattle from this disease, and after¬ 
ward I cut them open, and in their stomachs 
I have found dried chewed corn fodder and 
dried chewed leaves. I am of the opinion 
that tliis disease is not contagious. Tho 
spasmodical twitching of the neck is caused 
by fever being in the bruin of the cattle. 
Fever in an a nimal operates in a similar man¬ 
ner to brain fever iu a man. I have never 
known this disease to attack cattle only on 
the head; and 1 have never known nnv other 
stock than cattle to have this disease." Alter 
losing some of my cuttle, I have ndminis- 
tore-d hog's lard and soft soap pretty freely to 
others that were diseased, and a cure was ef¬ 
fected. But when the disease runs too long, 
there is no cure, so far as my observation 
and experience extends.” 
-444- 
Remedy for Hollow Horn, 
I HAVE never known Ihe following to fail j 
Two lablespooufulH of vinegar, one teaspoon- 
fill each of pepper and salt; mix and pour in 
the ear. If a cure is not effect (id in a few 
days, repeat the dose. If any one else lias a 
better remedy, 1 would like to Lave them 
ii 
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