good education, came to his assistance. This 
young lady volunteered to go to England in 
search of fresh information on cheese making. 
For one season she worked in the different fac¬ 
tories and farm-houses in the Midland Counties, 
not merely taking notes, but working at it with 
all the energy of & dairymaid, and studying all 
the different systems as practiced in the various 
districts, namely, Cheddar, Cheshire, Stilton, 
and Derbyshire. The result of this was, that 
she was enabled to master the difficulties which 
had hitherto troubled them so much. With her 
season’s experience of English cheese-making, 
together with tho good wiaheH of all who came in 
contact with her, she returned to her own coun¬ 
try. built new factories on improved plans at a 
cost of £2.000, and commenced making English 
cheese in March, 1875, which cheese was con¬ 
sidered equal to the best in the markets; so 
good, in fact, was last year’s production, that 
dealers are anxious to secure the whole of next 
year’s make. 
Having become personally acquainted with | 
Miss Timireff and Mr. Vereshagen, I paid them | 
a visit. The first place I visited of special inter- 1 
e«t was the dairy school, which is supported by ! 
the Government, under the superintendence of | 
Mr. Yeyesliagen. assisted by Miss Timireff. 
From 30 to 40 young men and women are here 
taught the art of cheese and butter making, by 
experienced teachers from every part of Europe. 
The pupils are sons and daughters of ministers 
and farmers from every part of Russia. After 
two years' study in this school, they become 
managers of cheese factories or private dairies. 
After a thorough inspection of tho school, we 
proceeded to visit, various cheese factories in the 
neighborhood. The first was situated about 6 
miles from the school, in tho center of a milk- 
producing district They have a somewhat dif¬ 
ferent system of conveying- the milk to the fac¬ 
tory from what we are accustomed to in England. 
Instead of each milk-supplier bringing his own 
milk to the factory, a cart or wagon belonging 
to the factory is sent to a central place at a 
stated time, at which place it is met by fanners 
with their milk. This i consider a good plan 
where farms are small, as in Russia. On exam¬ 
ining the books, I found milk much richer than 
in Eugland in caseine and fatty matter. In 
some months milk had as much as 25 per cent, 
of cream on it, and 9 lbs. of milk will make 1 lb. 
of cheese, when at the same date in England it 
took 11 lb. The system of farming in Russia is 
primitive, but the introduction of cheese facto¬ 
ries and the selling of laud by the Government 
to peasants on easy terms are very much improv¬ 
ing it. Three other factories were visited, but 
as they were similar to the one I havo men¬ 
tioned, I need not go into details. 
The greatest praise is due to MisB Timireff and 
Mr. Vereshagen for their indomitablo persever¬ 
ance, and also to tho Russian Government for 
supporting them ; and I venture to say that in a 
few years we shall have as great an opponent in 
the market from the East as we have from Amer¬ 
ica in the West. 
Iljrqj IjirshitkiJ. 
Opacity of the oomea is frequently associated 
with inflammation of the membrane of the eye¬ 
lid, and a purulent discharge issues from the 
eyes, often causing their lids to adhere together; 
this affection is, however, quite distinct from 
the ono above described—it is, in fact, ordinary 
ophthalmia, and its spreading among the flock 
leads to a suspicion of infection; there is uo 
doubt that the discharge from the eyes in oph¬ 
thalmia of tho human subject is charged with 
infecting matter iu a high degree, aud it ia not 
unlikely that the same characteristic may belong 
to the disease in the sheep; but in the case of 
simple opacity of cornea, unaccompanied with 
discharge, there is no ground for referring the 
spreading of the disease to infection. 
Many speculations have been advanced to ) 
account for the appearance of tho “blinds" in 
a flock. The affection is more common during a 
hot summer than at any other time, and there- | 
foro it has been assumod that the rays of the. 
sun. reflected from tho hard and heated ground, 
have caused inflammation. 
Attacks have occurred under exactly opposite 
conditions, during the prevalence of cold windB 
and rain, and tho sheep which havo been keptiu 
tho most exposed situations Buffer most severely; 
but there remains the probability that the 
disease which occurs under tho latter conditions 
ia more allied to ophthalmia, than to the 
peculiar disease which commences by a white 
apeck in the center of the eye. 
Another explanation of the occurrence has 
been offered. The appearance of a minute 
point of opacity in the first instance has led to 
the suggestion that one of tho gadfly family has 
deposited an egg in this situation, in the same 
way that it often docs on the skin and other 
parts of animals; and the prevalence of the 
disease in the summer months gives color to 
this suspicion. It has been asked, in reference 
to this theory, why tho matter has not been 
decided by the aid of the microscope; but the 
answer has always been ready. In very rare 
cases is tho affection detected in the first stago; 
when it is, tho eye cannot ho examined iu the 
living animal, and no ono has thought it worth 
while to sacrifice a sheep for the purpose of 
seeking what is very likely to bo absent. The 
malady ia not ono which threatens the animal's 
life, and the opportunities of post-mortem 
examination aro therefore rare, in fact, never 
present themselves at the time when they would 
be useful. 
In the way of treatment much may be done, 
for tho purpose of prevention very little, in tho 
absence of any definite ideas on tho subject of 
causes. As Boon as tho disease is detected, tho 
sheep should havo a dose of cooling medicine 2 
to 4 ounces of salts in half a pint of water; tho 
eyes should be dressed with some styptic solu¬ 
tion, as Bulphato of zinc, 5 grains to an ounce of 
water, or lunar caustio, 2 grains to the ounce of 
water. Either solution may be applied daily 
for a few days, by means of a camel's hair 
•pencil. It will bo well to protect the diseased 
animals, as far as possible, from strong light, by 
keeping them under cover until the disease is 
cured. 
-«-•->- 
MORE WOOL AND MANUFACTORIES. 
BLINDNESS AMONG SHEEP. 
To what extent the eyes of sheep in the 
United States may be affected by disease we 
have no means of ascertaining, but that they 
are not wholly free from eye diseases ia pretty 
well known to most sheep breeders. The En¬ 
glish Agricultural Gazette, in referring to what 
ia technically called “ blinds," among sheep, 
says, that it sometimes occurs as an epizotie, 
but more frequently appears here and there, 
attacks a few animals of tho flock, affording iri 
its rise and progress no indications which assist 
the inquirer in his search for the causes of the 
malady. It haB long siuce been remarked that 
sheep are peculiarly subject to inflammation of 
tLe membrane which covers the front of the eye 
and lines the eyelids (conjunctive). 
Youatt, in his well-known work on the sheep, 
published nearly 40 years ago, remarks on this 
tendency, and adds that the disease commonly 
goeB on to blindness. Several diseases of the ( 
eye, as ophthalmia, cataract, and loss of nervous 
power, are all crowded in one description as 
causes of blindness ; but there is no doubt that 
the affection which Yohatt refers to as inflam¬ 
mation of the conjunctiva-, is closely allied to, if 
not identical with the disease which, in the 
present day, is known Lv the term “blinds/’ 
or, in scientific language, opaoity of the cornea. 
In the early Btages of the affect icy the symp¬ 
toms are not very marked, and it ia not probable 
that the shepherd will suspect anything wrong 
until it has so far advanced as to interfere with 
the animal’s vision, and cause it to blunder in 
traveling. A small spot of opacity first appears 
nearly in the center of the ooraea in many oases, 
and from this point the white cloud gradually 
spreads until the entire surface of the cornea is 
covered and the sheep becomes totally blind. 
J. H. Bkunxeh of Harrison Co., Ind., in 
writing to the Ohio Farmer about wool and 
manufactories, tells some wholesome truths 
about what wo are doing and what we ought to 
do in producing wool and woolen goods, and 
while wo agree with him we must not forget 
that there are quite a number of our cotempora¬ 
ries who seldom, if ever, speak of our manufac¬ 
tories, except to call them “ bloated monopo¬ 
lies,” which should bo exterminated. A few 
more manufacturing towns, such as are found 
in tho New England States, would enable us to 
use up all the cotton produced, as we now do 
our wool, besides having to import a large 
quantity of the latter to keep the wheels going. 
Rut we will let Mr. B. tell his story, and our 
readers can draw thoir own conclusion. 
Last year, Mr. Robb of London, O., bought 
8900 worth of sheep, 235 of which were ewes. 
From these ho raised 238 lambs, which, with his 
wool, he sold for S1.24G, a return of $138.33 for 
each $11)0 invested. This showing speaks very 
highly fur the profits of sheep husbandry when 
the right kind of stock is purchased and proper 
care is given it. We need millions more of 
sheep in this country before our supply of wool 
will meet the present demand, and if thorough¬ 
bred sheep only are kept, they will be found far 
more profitable than will common natives. The 
thoroughbreds will cost but very little more, 
they will require no more food or care, and will 
bo much more valuable for both wool and mut¬ 
ton. 
Although the United States in claimed to be 
one of the best wool-growing countries, last 
year we paid to foreign countries immense sums 
for wool and woolen goods which might much 
better have been produced at home. When we 
have 20,000,000 more sheep than we now have 
we 6hall only produce the wool we need for our 
own use. We are approaching a full home 
supply yearly. In 1860 the wool clip of the 
country was only 61,000,000 pounds, in 1875 it 
was 200,000,000 pounds, and it will soon be 
unnecessary for us to go abroad for $61,000,000 
of wool and woolen goods as we do now. 
We should also raise our owu supply of flax, 
and notdepend upon other countries to make up 
our deficiencies. We send abroad each year 
largo amounts of gold for articles which can 
just as well be manufactured at home and thus 
give employment to thousands of idlo citizens 
who are unable to fiud work. Let us turn over 
a new leaf iu this respect, mid rtaow to the 
world that wo mean business, by erecting manu¬ 
facturing establishments in different sections of 
the country, and thus give employment to 
thousands of industrious citizens who are now- 
idle because they cannot find work. In the 
fertile valley of tho Mississippi tiiero is room for 
scores of manufactories which would give 
remunerative employment to thousands of wil¬ 
ling hands. In tins country wo are getting a 
very fair supply of excellent blooded Btock, but 
wo need more manufactories to use our surplus 
material at home. There is hardly a State in 
tho Union where more manufactories are not 
needed. 
TRADES’ UNIONS AND FARMING. 
The “Trades' Unions" or laborers societies 
have not as yet become go abundant in tho 
United States as to affect to any considerable 
extent farm labor, but this point will soon be 
reached unless some step ia taken to prevent It. 
But in all of our larger cities, “Unions" exist 
in almost overy branch of labor, and their in¬ 
jurious effects upon the various industries of the 
country aro severely felt, and to them more than 
any other cause do wo owo the present so-called 
“hard times." 
If capitalists attempt to build a vessel, dig 
coal or iron from the earth, or even erect a block 
of buildings, they aro in constant danger of a 
“strike" ori the part of the laborers employed, 
and there appears to be no help for it, under 
our present laws governing such matters. Con- 
tractora make estimates of what it will cost to do 
a certain thing, no matter what, from the weaving 
a hundred J;ud» of silk, up to tho boring of a tun¬ 
nel through a mountain; baaing said estimates 
upon the amount of labor required, and its price 
in market at a certain date, but just so soon as 
tho work is begun and tho laborers think their 
position sure, they demanding an increase in 
price per day or fewer hours' labor, tho result in 
either case being disastrous to tho contractor, or 
tho capitalists employing him. Now this sort of 
thing after awhile makes both capitalists and 
contractors wury or placing themselves in the 
power of men too ignorant to think for them¬ 
selves, but who implicitly obey the mandates of 
some officer of a society to which they have 
united, with the vain hope of bettering their 
condition, without considering results. As we 
have said tho pernicious influence of these 
trades’ unions has not aa yet been felt to any 
considerable extent among our farmers, but to 
show what may be expected in the immediate 
future, we make a few extracts from a late 
speech of Mr. C. 8. Read, M. P., before a Farm¬ 
ers’ Club in England, only regrotting that we 
cannot give the gentleman's remarks in full, 
for what ho says in regard to tho agricultural 
laborer in England to-day will no doubt soon be 
applicable to those in tnin country, and especially 
if tho Trades’ Unions continue to increase, and 
their influenco extend to tho country. Mr. Read 
is a landowner and had been an advocate of in¬ 
creased wages to farm laborers, but we will lot 
him give liia owu experience as follows : 
“Ten years ago, I advocated an increase of 
pay to the agricultural laborer, and I must say 
that since my advice has been adopted, either 
by force or by choice, I won't say which, I have 
been miserably disappointed. I contend that 
our experience has been this—the moro pay tho 
less work, shorter hours, and, what is worse 
than all, a worso quality of labor. Now, Mr. 
Huskinson, only the other day at the Institute 
of Surveyors, j at the increase in the wages of 
the laborer at thirty or forty j;cr cent., but he 
says this is uot the full increaso to the farmer, 
because a seriouB deterioration exists iu the 
qualify of tho labor, and a man in tho present 
day is uot to be compared wiih his fellow of 
twenty years ago, either in tho quantity or 
quality of his work. I havo talked on tho eub- 
jeot with gentlemen from all parts of tho king¬ 
dom, and they tell me that it now takes three 
men to do the work that two did twenty years 
ago. 
Wherever I go I see this universal deteriora¬ 
tion in tho husbandry of the farm, whether it is 
plowing, or mowing, or sowing, or stacking, or 
thatching, or ditching, or harrowing. Any such 
kind of skilled labor is done worse than it was 
three or four years ago ; and when you come to 
such commonplace operations as rolling or har¬ 
rowing, or even spreading manure, you find it is 
done in a slovenly and uneven way. The truth 
of it is the young laborers will not learn and the 
old laborers will not teach them. You will say 
that the education of a laborer ought to make 
him a more intelligent man. I hope it does, 
but unfortunately it does not make him a more 
intelligent agricultural laborer. His education 
takes him to the North, or to a town in tho dis¬ 
trict, or to America; anywhere in fact, but to 
his work upon the farm. 
* * * When my men first joined tho Union, 
I called them together and showed them a rough 
balance-sheet. In tho first place, there was the 
rent. I pointed out to them that it was a very 
moderate and reasonable rent—no reasonable, I 
believe, that if the estate was sold to-morrow 
tho net income from tho rent I pay would not be 
much more than two and a-lialf per cent.—and 
that I could not go to my landlady and ask her 
to reduce my rent. I showed them how much 
I paid for labor, which rather astonished them— 
namely, 40s. for every acre of arable land I had 
—and although, they knew exactly to a quarter 
or two how much corn I grew, not a single man 
seemed to have any idea as to huw muc t wages 
he had actually received in tho year (applause). 
Bnt I wont further into It, and showed them I 
had only Just a living profit; bnt, then, this 
was some five or six years ago ; anti if it came to 
tho last two years, I should unfortunately have 
been ablo to show them a direct loss. I asked 
the men, “Have yon any fault to find with me 
aa an employer ? What in tho world do you 
want mo to do ?" They said they had no fault to 
find with mo; that I was a fairish master ; and 
yet they would join tho Union. What was tho 
result ? Six month* afterwards, after all tl*i elo¬ 
quence I had expended upon them and the nice 
balance-sheet I had laid before them, I had two 
strikes on my form. One was in the season of 
turnip hoeing, when there were some fifty or 
sixty acres of turnips ready to be set out. 
“ I loft on Monday morning to come to London, 
aa I generally do at that season of the year, and 
on leaving told my steward that I thought a 
certain price was enough to bo paid for this 
work. Tho men, however, without even looking 
at tho turnips, rhouldered their hoes aud walked 
home. When I returned on the following 
Saturday the turnips were iu a miserable state, 
but I got all the odd hands I coukl and set them 
on, and one man and a boy, to whom 1 paid the 
sumo rato aa I offered these men, earned 80s. in 
tho week. Well, in tho noxt twelve months I 
told llio men I would ho even with them and I 
would reduce my labor bill, which I did by £100 
for the year, but my hedges and ditcheB were 
untrimmed, and there were some ugly weeds 
standing up in tho autumn among the turnips. 
I let some seeds lay two years, I grew less roots, 
and I kept moro sheep. It was thus that I saved 
the hundred pounds. 
“Siuce then we have had two or three men 
returning to our district from tho North with 
broken health and empty pockets, although 
they had boon earning some fabulous Bums. I 
havo in a measure conquered their aversion to 
picco-work, and now my labor bill is just as 
mfioh as it was before, while my farm is as neat 
and trim ns any of my neighbors', and, perhaps, 
I may say without egotism, a littlo better 
(applause). You will Bay, “Then you are all 
happy and comfortublo now." No such thing. 
W o havo no faith in each other ; tho old bond is 
broken; wo have an armistice; like the Turks 
and Servians, wo have an urmed neutrality 
(laughter); they still say I am a good and 
liberal employer, and I believe there is not a 
man that works forme, who, if any calamity befell 
me, would not rise iu the night to servo me, of 
that I feel confident; but if the order came 
from tho Union that they were to striko they 
would strike, even if it ruined me. I havo only 
six or eight men on tho farm—and they are non¬ 
union men—whom I can depend upon to stand 
by me in a case like that, and 1 say it ia not a 
very pleasant placo for any farmer to bo in." 
The position of tho farmers of Grout Britain is 
bnt the counterpart of that of nearly all the manu¬ 
facturing companies and other great industries 
requiring a concentration of capital, and wo are 
daily hearing of strikes hero and there, through¬ 
out tho country. The weavers iu tho cotton, 
woolen, aud Bilk millB Btrike whenever they 
think they have the manufacturer in a tight 
place. Tho bricklayers an d stone mason s Btrike, 
so Boon as they get a building fairly under way, 
aud lately wo havo had an Ice-gatherers' strike, 
because the Crop was excellent, and tho men 
thought the ice companies would stand a pinch. 
Now, no ono wid deny tho right of men to get 
all they can in a legitimate way for their labor, 
but thesa Unions do not stop at this point, but 
' ‘ dog - In-the- manger-like," they will let no one 
elao do the work which they refuse to do them¬ 
selves. Here is where danger lies, for In pre¬ 
tending to oppose monopolies they become the 
very worst ami most dangerous of rmraopoiists. 
Wo only hope our farmers may never have to 
content! with these Union# which have, and are 
still, paralyzing bnainess iu all of our larger 
cities, and forcing capital to lie idle, or be 
invested in securities which do not yield more 
than threo or four per cent, per annum. 
