154 
In qualification of Wilson’s statement, a 
leading breeder hag .also remarked that 
“ While good pastures are desirable for most 
breeds of sheep, the Devon Long-wools will 
live hard and on high land ; they have often 
been tried with other breeds, and have been 
found to do well in dry seasons when grass 
is very short, keeping their own and improv¬ 
ing, while other sorts living with them have 
wasted a good deal and lost much flesh. I 
never house them—they stand ail weathers 
out of doors.” 
Lambing commences about the second 
week in January, but is not general until 
towards the end of that month or the begin¬ 
ning of February. Tile period of weaning 
varies much. Borne flock-masters take the 
lambs from their dams as early as the middle 
of April, but they generally wean them in 
May, and a few postpone the matter until 
June, The ewes are very fair nurses, and 
prolific, yielding many twins, although not 
equal in these respects to the Dorset horns 
or cross-bred sheep. It has been remarked 
that, the coarse-bred Devon Long-wools are 
more prolific and better nurses than some of 
the better flocks of higher quality. 
There are many Leicester breeders who 
exhibit these sheep crossed with Leiecsters, 
as Devon Long-Wools arid several high-class 
flocks that furnish annually some of the best 
rams which have been so long bred to pure 
Leicester rams that their owners claim for 
them the more aristocratic designation, al¬ 
though this sheep, from quality, size, and 
bulk of frame and heavy productions of both 
fleece and carcass, are not the kind that take 
prizes as Leiecsters in the Royal Bhow-yard. 
Crossed with Leicester*, these sheep have 
high quality combined with great bulk of 
frame und profitable wool and flesh produc¬ 
tion. Heavy fleeces arc characteristic of 
flocks thus bred, and a Mr. Raumoue’s entire 
flock, it is said, average 12 lbs. of wool per 
head. 
—■-- 
SHEPHERD NOTES. 
QQiving Up Sheep Breeding .—An Ohio cor¬ 
respondent of the Rural Nicw Yorker 
writes ;—1 have got to give up sheep breeding 
in this locality on account of my neighbors' 
dogs, or 1 have got to make enemies of my 
neighbors with whom I desire to live on 
terms of peace and good will. 1 am losing 
more than I gain by cheep breeding by the 
ravages of dogs. Protests do no good, It is 
only the most earnest cultivation of a chari¬ 
table and long suffering spirit that enables me 
to keep the peace. How do other sliepherds 
do under like circumstances ? Will they not 
advise me P 
.WOOBE’S BUBAL IIE r W-70BMEB. 
(flint Horseman. 
NOTES FOR HORSEMEN. 
Other Large. Colts .—Seeing the note of A. 
D. Peeler, Orange Co., N. Y., in Rural 
New-Yorker of Jan. 3, in reference to his 
big colt, I t hought I would measure one that 
I had not stalled or thought of bragging about 
publicly. Mine has not been stabled and is 
thin: one year old last May; is 15V, hands 
high, measures 20% inches around the arm. 
girths 5 feet 7 inches. How is that for a 
wheel ? For the driver 1 have a twin boy, 
15 years last May. Stands 8 feet 11 inches in 
his boots, weighs 187 pounds. He has a 
sister 7 years old, weighs 110 pounds. Now, 
A. D. P., try again.—H. L. Hinklev, John¬ 
son Co., loir a. 
Horse Shedding His Tail. —W. H. W., 
Cleveland, O., writes “ What can I do l o 
prevent the hair coming out from mv horse’s 
tail l Jr, appears to be full of dandruff, and if 
I run my brush over it two or three times it 
comes out covered with hair.” The cause is 
probably' that you don’t keep the tail clean. 
Wash the tail (proper) with warm water and 
soap, then rub dry with a linen cloth and 
immediately rub in a liniment, compound of 
corrosive sublimate (Hyd. bichloride) and 
oxy muriate of mercury, each four grains in 
one ounce of distilled water. This will induce 
a healthy growth, if the stump of the tail is 
kept clean . 
A Remedy for a Horse that hms Eaten too 
much Corn, is to give him two tablespoon¬ 
fuls of salerntus dissolved in one pint of warm 
water—being sure to sec that it is all dis¬ 
solved. In severe eases give a half cup full 
of salaratus and repeat the dose if the horse 
is not relieved in thirty minutes. 
Colic in Horses—A. “sure remedy,” it is 
asserted, is to take a single handful of salt 
and rub it on the back right over the kidneys 
—rubbing briskly until the salt dissolves and 
longer, if necessary. 
DR. HEXAMER RESPONDS TO G. W. 
CAMPBELL. 
Editors Rural New-Yorker: —In your 
issue ol’ Feb. 14, Mr. Geo. W. Campbell, in 
the introductory remarks of an article, bring¬ 
ing his new seedling potato to notice, asks a 
few questions, which I take the liberty to 
answer. M. C’s statements make it. appear 
to the reader that he (C.) was induced, last 
spring, to invest $3.00 in Compton’s Surprise 
Potatoes, by false representations made about 
them, and in corroboration thereof asks : 
2. “ How could I doubt ? Hadn't I seen the. 
picture, with eighteen large potatoes lying 
on the ground under one littlu vine ?” To 
which I can answer that Mr. C. had not seen 
the picture when ho bought the Compton’s 
Surprise Potato, last Spring ; and if he has 
forgotton this fact, bis memory must be 
singularly weak ; for the picture in question 
was not in existence at that time, it was 
drawn from nature by Mr. Fred. Reiler, 
Verona, Essex Co., N. J., after the growth 
of the crop of 1873, who, unsolicited, present¬ 
ed it, with his statements t,o the Prize Award¬ 
ing Committee, and they embodied it, in t heir 
report , in which it was published for the first 
time. True the picture in question, a copy 
of which appears in your advertising columns, 
shows eighteen potatoes, but that any one 
could be so deficient in the knowledge of the 
first principles of drawing as to misinterpret 
the same into a representation of “ eighteen 
large potatoes lying on the ground, under 
one little vine” is surprising. 
3. “ Were not the gentlemen who intro¬ 
duced it of the most marvelous veracity?" 
Judging from the fact that Mr. < tried hard 
to induce t hese gentlemen to manage the sale 
of his late Rose, and from the tenor of Mr. 
C’s many letters, one of as late a date as Jan. 
21, ’74, fri which he assures them of his es¬ 
teem and friendly feeling toward them, I 
should say that t hese gentlemen, Messrs. B. 
K. Bliss & Boss, t,o say the least, were 
reliable business men and of strict veracity. 
3. “Hadn’t it also the endorsement of the 
great Hexamkr of the Tribune ?” 1 do not 
know whom Mr. C. intends to distinguish as 
“the great Hexamer ol' the Tribune,” but, in¬ 
asmuch as 1 have noticed but one Uexamkr’s 
name iu the Tribune, I am tempted to appro¬ 
priate the compliment to myself. Now all 
that I wrote last spring about C. S. was con¬ 
tained In the Weekly Tribune of Apr. 3, '73, 
which, although it makes these replies longer 
than lint ended, 1 cannot state better than 
by copying verbatim : 
“ Compton's Surprise." —“ A seedling by 
D. A. COMPTON of Pennsylvania, grown from 
t he seed of Prince Albert, crossed with the 
Long Pinkeye. Medium earls size large, 
with a small portion of small ones; shape 
oval, with flattened rides mid often squarely- 
cut ends. The Insert ion of the stem is toward 
the flattened side and the terminal bud 
stands likewise sideward, directly opposite 
the insertion of the stem. Eyes small, nearly 
flat, raised toward the stem mid sharnb, 
indented tow ard the bud end ; flesh white, 
with a few purple veins toward the tip end; 
meal very finely grained and cooks pure 
while without a trace of color. 'This variety 
has as yet not been grown outside, of Mr. 
Compton’s farm, The quality <>f the tubers 
raised there is most excellent ; they cook 
through quickly and evenly, dry and mealy, 
without falling to pieces, 1 do not recollect 
lo have eaten purer-flavored potatoes than 
those received from Mr. Compton. With 
their originator they proved healthy, 1 lardy, 
und enormously productive; 82fi bushels hav¬ 
ing been grown per acre, and 13 bushels from 
one pound of seed. How much of these 
extraordinary results is due to the special 
value of this new variety, and what, to the 
congenial conditions, it no doubt found in its 
native place, will require a more extensive 
trial to determine.” 
This is the only “ endorsement” of Comp¬ 
ton’s Surprise I gave iu the Tribune or any¬ 
where else ; and I am sure so shrewd a men 
as Mr. C. ; or even a natural fool, could not 
find therein any overdrawn praise or state¬ 
ment, by which he was induced to invest 
three dollars “for something worth while,” 
4. “And didn’t he (Hexamer) know all 
that could be known about potatoes and 
everything else.” I did at that tune know 
all about Compton’s Surprise that could be 
known by any one, except Mr, Compton, and 
what was known by every one who saw and 
tasted those potatoes, and these facts 1 stated 
so cautiously that unless I had not said any¬ 
thing at all, could not have done more im¬ 
partially. To know everything is a good 
deal, but if we learn a little every day we 
may if we. live long enough, accumulate 
considerable information. So have I learned 
through W. C’s letter several things I did 
not know before. I did not know that scien- 
t ifie or practical facts a re proved or disproved i 
| by puns. I did not know that any one who 
| claims to be a gentleman would, for any 
motives whatever, insinuate base falsehoods 
! when the truth was as plain as day. I did 
not know that any man who considered his 
) reputation and standing among men worth 
anything could be tempted, for the sake of 
gain, to try to defame and slander men 
whose integrity and honor stand so far above 
reproach as those of the gentlemen “who 
introduced Compton’s Surprise Potato.” For 
all this information my acknowledgements 
are due to Mr. Campbell. F. M. Hexamer. 
-- 
OATS A PROFITABLE CROP. 
The following discussion of this subject by 
the Doylestown, Pa., Farmers’ Club is report¬ 
ed : —Mr. Carter was disposed to recommend 
the growing of oats as a profitable crop. His 
conclusion was that the oat crop is not more 
impoverishing to the soil than other crops, 
that it is reasonably profitable, that as a 
feed for working and young stock it has no 
equal, and that its consumption on the farm 
makes a valuable addition to the manure pile. 
Mr. Brower favored fall plowing for oats, 
and he considered it a profitable crop. Mr. 
McNair in resuming the subject remarked 
that lie had made oats his principal feed for 
horses (luring the thirty years he had been 
farming, and ho thought it better for this 
than any other grain, Edward Borer said 
that he had found oats to pay much better 
than wheat. His crop the past year had 
yielded about forty bushels to the acre, and 
lie had sold it for fifty cents per bushel. It 
was stated that, a man can plow and harrow 
the ground and sow and finish up an acre of 
oats in a day. The whole cost, of putting in, 
harvesting, threshing and marketing the 
crop of an acre, including the Interest on the 
price of the land, it. was agreed would be 
about $18. 
Mr. Large had been so unsuccessful with 
the oat crop the last few years that he had 
almost decided to abandon raising it. The 
past season he had succeeded rather better, 
Mr. Barber testified to the fertilizing quali¬ 
ties of oats straw from an experiment made 
in applying it, to a portion of a field of grain 
as a covering during the winter. 
Mr. Trego’s experience ill raising oats had 
not been sat isfactory. It had not paid him, 
and for that reason lie had been seeking a 
substitute i (fids crop. lie had changed his 
seed frequently and had found the common 
white oats as good u»s any. Asa mbstitute 
for oats he had found Hungarian grass to 
answer a good purpose. He had, however, 
found oats a valuable feed for all kinds of 
stock. To on inquiry why oats cannot be 
raised equal to those grown t\\ only years ago. 
Mr. Trego replied that it was owing to some 
peculiarity of the seasons, fr >m the fact that 
some years the oat crop is uniformly good. 
In Wisconsin and Minnesota, the oat crop 
is invariably good. 
Mr. McNair was also of the opinion that 
the season has much to do willi the growth 
of this crop. Mr. Large said he had preferred 
raising corn on the same ground two years 
ago in succession, to having oat follow corn. 
He. thought a crop of corn worth double one 
of oats. 
-— —— 
WHITE PROBSTEIER OATS IN CANADA, 
A correspondent of the Farmers’ Advo¬ 
cate says :—I have raised Probsteier oats for 
three years. The first year I sowed one 
bushel and a half by measure, and harvested 
11 bushels, weighing 40 lbs. to the bushel. 
The. second year I had (as near as I could 
judge without actually measuring them) 
about 70 bushels to the acre. Lagt year they 
were sowed on sod, and the grubs near ate 
them all up. Still they yielded about 40 
bushels to the acre. "With me t he straw has 
been short and st iff, always standing up first. 
Their bad qualities, if any, are that, being 
large and plump, the machine bulls some in 
threshing, and, if not cut till dead ripe, they 
shell some. 1 sold some to a few of ray 
neighbors last, spring, and They were well 
pleased with them. One of them who raised 
other oats in the same field told me that he 
thought the others were as good as the 
Probsteier until he came to harvest them. 
Then he saw by the way the heads of the 
Probsteier sheaves tipped down that they • 
were far the best. lie has not threshed 
them yet. 
-- 
“Orchard Grass in St, Lawrence Co. 
—Ciias. S. Blood asks if orchard grass will 
thrive in his cold climate; also Hungarian 
grass ; and whether either of them are like 
Quack grass. There is no doubt that both 
Orchard and Hungarian grass will thrive in 
St. Lawrence Co. Orchard grass is a peren¬ 
nial and IT 11 ngarian grass an annual. Neither 
of them resemble Quack grass es a nuisance. 
We should prefer orchard grass to timothy 
and clover. The seed can be bought of any 
seedsman. ' I 
EAST TENNESSEE LANDS AND CROPS. 
Dear Rural The beauty of this spring¬ 
like day tempts me to write you a little of 
this region. First, the weather the winter 
through, has been simply delightful ; so 
favorable has it been that but few days have 
occurred in succession when the farmers 
could not plow. The wheat crop looks very 
well and all anticipate a large yield this year. 
The last year’s crop was poor, some farms 
averaging hardly four bushels to the acre. 
At least ten is hoped for this season. 
This place is located at the junction of the 
Clinch, Emory and Tennessee Rivers, and 
the bottom lands on these rivers are very 
rich, the general crop hereabouts is corn. 
The yield varies from 35 to <10 bushels ta the 
acre of shelled grain, some sell the grain and 
Others turn it into pork or mules. Those who 
sell the grain or make pork are this year 
making money, as both bring high prices; but 
mules are of slow sale. The uplands herea¬ 
bouts are usually slate or flint ridges of red 
or gray color; the former are well adapted to 
wheat as they contain a great deal of lime ; 
the latter have warm, loose soils, and make 
excellent fruit farms and are also adapted to 
the growth of cotton. Rome are being put 
to that use. In some of the inner limestone 
valleys liay has been a crop for years by a 
few good farmers ; but only of late have 
farmers on the rivers learned that they can 
make more on hay than on coni. Timothy 
is the grass most preferred ; it is usually 
soavii mixed with a small quantity of herd’s 
grass, and for pastures with orchard grass. 
The usual cut on what are called “second 
bottoms” Is about two tons to the acre. It 
is seldom if ever cut for use but once. The 
nay neks, baled, on the river,,at from $25 to 
$30 per ton. 
The better farmers have pastured their 
grass lands through winter with sheep, and 
the plan seems to work well. In Tennessee 
Valley, (an inner limestone valley thus called 
because it is continuous from Virginia far 
into Alabama, but distant from the Tennessee 
River about six miles,) 1 saw grass lands 
which had been thus pastured every year 
for over twenty five years and wLieli were 
originally set in grass over thirty years ago 
and had not been reset, ( lowed or narrowed 
in that time. They had cost, nothing during 
that time except a little barn-yard manure 
every year and the cutting of the grass, One 
of the uv.nersof these lands made $1,50(1 clear 
profit on his hay alone the past year. .Most 
of your readers know what it costs to pro¬ 
duce grass in the North ; it costs less here 
and the market is sure at a liigh price. 
From estimates of several farmers here I 
place the highest cost of making wheat, 
where decent farming is done, at $1 per 
bushel; corn at 20 cents ; the first sells at 
$1.40 to $1.00 at the barn door ; the latter at 
70 to 75 cents. Thus you sen that the farmers 
hereabouts are this year making money. In 
fact they do or can every year und they live 
easier than any set of people 1 ever saw. 
To one who, like myself, has traveled over 
this section every year for many years, the 
improvement in every respect is very appa¬ 
rent. It may be slow but it is certain. In 
nothing is this more plain than in schools and 
the home comforts of the people. Two 
years ago Tennessee did not have any school 
fund ; now an act of Legislature authorizes 
a certain per centage of the county tax to be 
thus appropriated, provided the counties 
vote it. This county voted 15 per cent, on 
property valuation and all the poll tax ; in 
total this will amount to about $3,500, which 
is an excellent beginning. All schools having 
over 100 scholars in attendance for ten 
mouths, also get $300 from the Peabody 
fund. This place has two very good male 
and female schools and there will be addi¬ 
tions this year, 
As a manufacturing point, this place has 
great advantage and energy and capital 
must, soon take note of them. Two steam 
saw mills are here now, and a foundry and 
machine shop is being put up. Iron ore is 
abundant all around, and coal is brought 
here by navigable streams. The great coal 
• banks are only distant six miles, The woods 
abound in hickory, oak, walnut, prqfl.tr and 
wild cherry trees and the lumber is sold at 
astonishingly low prices. Transportation 
and daily mails are regular by steamboat 
from London on the East Tennessee and La. 
R. R. and from Chattanooga. The proposed 
Cincinnati Southern R. R. will run within less 
than six miles of the town. More Anon. 
Kingston, lioone Co., Tcnn. h. e. c. 
-- 
Our Correspondents for this Department 
must be patient. We value their favors and 
there is a demand for the information they 
give ; but we must limit the space devoted 
to them—hence all cannot appear at once. 
