1885 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
599 
llimit Wwfon* |t. 1. J*tm $ot*jS. 
RAISING WINTER LAMBS. 
SUCCULENT FOOD, ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL 
for breeding ewes, as before stated, is only a 
little less so for winter lambs. Of course, 
where the ewes have an abundance, it largely 
affects (be quality of their milk and its influ¬ 
ence on the lambs through this medium, 
does much towards regulating their systems 
and in assisting in the proper digestion of 
such dry food as they may eat. Yet this is 
entirely inadequate to produce the best results, 
or to enable them to eat largely of rich foods. 
Iu every case where the experiment is tried, 
it will be found that those lambs which are 
liberally supplied with green food will be 
much the healthier, will eat more rich food, 
and, making the most rapid growth, will be 
soonest fitted for market. 
Lambs readily learn to eat cabbage, pota¬ 
toes, turuips, or other succulent foods; and 
any kind most convenient, will bo found much 
better than none, and will produce fair re¬ 
sults. With our experience, we rate them, 
first, carrots, and next mangels or sugar beets. 
Apples are also good, particularly sweet 
apples. We use mangels iu preference to car¬ 
rots or sugar beets, simply because we can 
raise and harvest them so much more cheaply, 
it being less work to cultivate and weed, and 
the yield being so much greater; and, then, we 
cousider them almost as good. It is not so 
much for the nutrimeut which they contain 
as for their sanitary effect, and the assistance 
they are to the better assimilation of other 
foods, that we employ them so largely. We 
have noticed one peculiarity in the consump¬ 
tion of mangels by lamb?, which we cannot 
explain—for some reason, they greatly prefer 
that portion of the root which grows above 
the surface line, and they will not eat the 
under ground portion unless somewhat re¬ 
stricted in their allowance. This is particu¬ 
larly noticeable when they first begin to eat 
them. 
A DESIRE FOR SOMETHING 
difficult to obtaiu is a common attribute both 
of men and other animals. What we have, 
we value uot half as highly as wo think we 
would those things almost or quite beyond 
our power to acquire. So we are always 
neglecting the good which we have, and striv¬ 
ing for those things which we have not. The 
same is true of other animals: the pile of salt 
at which they are eating, is not quite us salt, as 
some other, at which some companion may 
be. In no auiraal is this disposition more 
marked than in young lambs; We take ad¬ 
vantage of this propensity in teaching them 
to eat roots, and afterward iu inducing them 
to eat a large quantity. Thus, if a mangel is 
so placed that a lamb, by crowding its head 
between the boards of the fence to the whole 
length of its neck, can just reach it, it will 
gouge it out with its teeth aud eat it much 
quicker then if it were nicely cut and placed 
in the feeding troughs in the pens. Taking 
advantage of this trait, we have a trough in 
which can be laid a row of whole mangels, 
fastened immovably with a lever, so placed 
that the lambs can just reach them, aud from 
these they soon learn to eat; after which. In 
additiou to these, we give them a feed each 
day of maugels made very cleau and cut flue, 
iu the trough inside their pens. No one need 
have the least fear of their eating more than 
will be good for them. 
MARKETING ALL THE LAMBS 
of a pen, as soon as possible after taking any 
out, will be found the best plan. It is a great 
temptation to go here aud there all over the 
barns aud select the finest lamb from each 
pen; but the shepherd should never yield to it. 
For some reason when a pen is once broken, 
even by the taking of one lamb, its remaining 
inmates will not prosper quite as well as be¬ 
fore; bonce the necessity for the great care 
in the proper sorting of the ewes, and in the 
filling of the pen with such stock as will make 
the whole ready for market at nearly the 
same time. For the same reason it will usually 
be better to let one or two lambs get a little 
larger than desirable while wafting for the 
remainder to become nearly or quite ready, 
before making the first draft from that pen. 
When a quarter or a third at least are ready 
and the rest well along, the first may be taken, 
aud when taking from more than one pen, 
take from those as near together as conven¬ 
ient. 
TO FORCE THE LAMBS FORWARD 
as rapidly as possible, thus getting them into 
market at the earliest practicable day, adds 
materially to the profits; aud especially is this 
so after the first few weeks; aud from each 
peu, after the first draft has been made. No 
matter how much extra feed is given to the 
lamb, nothing will make it grow so fast or 
make it so fat and plump as the milk of the 
ewe, and, as we have before intimated, after 
the first lambs have been sent away, we have 
always found that we could then force those 
desired for the next shipments almost as fast 
as we pleased, by giving them the milk of 
more than one ewe. To do this, select the 
best milkers from the ewes whose lambs 
have been taken, and teach the lambs 
to suck these in addition to their own mothers. 
This is quite quickly and easily done by hold¬ 
ing the ewe and putting a lamb to sucking 
her; one or two lessons teach it the trade, so 
that thereafter by passing into a pen and 
taking the extra ewes by the foretop a Iamb 
on each side will spring for the teats, and in 
one half minute will have taken the last drop. 
Sometimes after her own lamb has gone, 
and she has been compelled a few times to 
let other lambs suck, a ewe will stand of her 
own accord to be sucked by any lamb that 
offers to do so. seeming to be aware that such 
a course will relieve her too full, and conse¬ 
quently painful udder. When the ewes are 
kept in milk for this purpose, they should be 
caught and held for the lambs not less than 
six times in the 24 hours; the first time not 
later than 0 a.m. and the last time not earlier 
than 9 p. M. In this way any number of ewes 
may be kept as assistants, and one who has 
never tried the experiment would be surprised 
at the rapidity with which lambs so fed will 
grow and fatten. 
A GOOD WORD FOR THE NATIONAL 
SEED DISTRIBUTION. 
I rise simply to remark that, as everybody 
seems to be having his say about seed distribu¬ 
tion by the Department of Agriculture at 
Washington, it would be just as well, and 
juster, to remember that a great deal of good 
has been done by this Department in years 
gone by, and recently. I well remember that 
the much talked of sorghum was introduced 
into this country by the Department of Agri¬ 
culture. This is not all, but scores of most 
excellent seeds and plants have been put 
within the reach of the people by the same 
means, which the people never would have 
had, or if they had, it would have been at an 
exorbitant cost. This reminds me that no 
one, as yet, has said anything about the mean¬ 
ness and villainy of those seedsmen who have 
palmed off their old and worthless seeds on 
orders from this Department to furnish seeds 
of value for distribution. I cau see how 
Commissioners have been imposed upon and 
the people robbed. Seedsmen make war on 
the Department, almost all of them, and 
some of them cheat it,and then join most vocif¬ 
erously in the cry of “stop thief.” The law 
is all right, and Commissioner Colman knows 
what it is, aud be means to adhere to it, and 
this is right. Being a practical man, he will 
not be so easily fooled by the importunities of 
the seed sellers. f. d. curtis. 
Kirby Homestead, N. Y, 
WINTER-KILLING IN DAKOTA. 
On April 14, 1SS4, I planted 50 Russian 
Mulberries about 12 inches long, roots and all. 
About 40 grew. They grew from six inches 
to two feet, and in December 1 mulched them 
with a foot of strawy manure. Some of them 
were winter-killed, root and branch, and all 
were winter-killed to the ground, except one. 
On June 27, 1885, the survivors had grown 
about 10 inches, and then a frost killed every 
one back to the ground, but did uot hurt ap¬ 
ple trees from root-grafts, that had made as 
much growth as the mulberries. Iu the 
Spring of 1884 I sowed two ounces of Catalpa 
speciosa seed; they made a fair growth, but 
winter-killed, root and branch—no protection. 
Manchester Strawberries winter-killed with 
one inch of straw mulch, but came through 
all right with three inches of wheat straw. 
Of Bid well nine-tenths were killed with three 
inches of straw ; while Iron clads were all 
right with two inches of slough hay. 
Spink Co., Dak. G. H, PERCY. 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED. 
P. M. Augur & Sons, Middlefield, Conn. 
Circular and colored plate of their Jewell 
Strawberry, showing this flue berry of the 
natural size, as we can testify, having seen it 
both on our trial grounds aud on those of the 
originator. This is eertalnly a wonderful 
strawberry,and we shall be surprised if it does 
not give entire satisfaction. Send for this 
circular aud see as to the great productiveness 
aud uulfovnily good size of this variety, aud 
for once bo assured the fruit bus not been over¬ 
drawn. 
The Report of the Thirteenth Annual 
Meeting of the Wisconsin Dairymen's 
Association, held at Arcadia, Wisconsin, 
February 24, 25 and 26, 1885; compiled by D. 
W. Curtis, Sec’y. Fort Atkinson, Wis. Friend 
Curtis, the Secretary, has succeeded in 
making a fine book of some 200 pageg, con¬ 
taining the essays read, and the full discus¬ 
sion of these essays. It is a work which every 
dairyman in Wisconsin should carefully read; 
and what is good for Wisconsin dairymen, is 
good for others as well. 
O. E. Overbauoh & Co., 265 and 267, 
Broadway, N. Y. An illustrated catalogue 
of guns, rifles, revolvers, ammunition and 
sporting goods generally. We find embraced 
in this catalogue almost every line of desir¬ 
able guns made, and at prices that cannot fail 
to interest those who want a good gun. and 
who does not? It will be gladly sent to all. 
The Foos M’f’g Company, of Springfield, 
Ohio. An illustrated catalogue of their scien¬ 
tific grinding mills. This little book fully 
describes these mills, giving the points which 
are claimed to be new, and superior to others, 
and, in addition, it contains an article on the 
value of corn-cobs as stock-food. It will be 
sent free to all who ask for it, mentioning the 
Rural. 
We cannot “begin to notice” every instance 
of swindling practiced on the unwary in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the country; so we must con¬ 
fine our efforts to protect our friends to plac¬ 
ing before them specimens of the trieks by 
which sharpers most commonly bamboozle 
their dupes, and especially of those practiced 
in country places. The following clipping 
from a New Jersey paper tells of a form of 
fraud, accounts of which appear frequently 
in all parts of the country; 
“A man representing hlinself as George Williams, 
manager of a mill In New Brunswick, has been In 
Patterson for some dajs past employing men an<l 
women to go to work for him in bis factory, at high 
wages. About SO operatives were engaged. Some 
jeft pretty good Jobs, and a number of men had com¬ 
menced to sell their furniture with the Idea of tak¬ 
ing their families with thorn, while a considerable 
number left neighboring farms for work In the 
city. From each be collected a dollar as a guarantee 
that they would meet him at the depot at a specified 
time, and he gave each a card reading as follows: 
‘Gibson Cotton Mills, Marysville, N. B.: Alex. Gib¬ 
son, Proprietor- Geo. Williams, Manager/ The ac¬ 
tion of Mr. William*, however, finally attracted the 
attention of Spencer Smith, the proprietor of the 
hotel where he was stopping, and he engaged a de¬ 
tective to watch hint. It was soon discovered that 
Williams had a con federate/hat he was a fraud.and 
that the two men were making preparations to leave 
town. They were arrested at the Erie depot Just as 
they were leaving town. Williams's right name 
proved to be James J. Perkins, aud his partner was 
Charles Clark Both were from Boston. When ar¬ 
raigned before the Recorder they admitted that the 
whole thing wns a swindle. Of the #50 they had col¬ 
lected from the operatives, about $82 was found In 
Perkins’s pocket when arrested. The Indignant 
victims of the swindle, some of whom had been out 
of employment for mouths and had borrowed the 
dollar tc> pay him, would hr ve torn Perkins to pieces 
If they had got hold of him before he was putlnjalL" 
Quite frequently the parents or guardians 
of youngsters brought up in cities, desire that 
their charges should engage in farming under 
the conditions most likely to insure success: 
often young men who have the control of 
their own careers, wish to embark in the vo¬ 
cation under the same conditions; In some 
cases there is considerable money to be invested 
in the business; in others only a little, which 
the owuers are anxious to lay out to the best 
advantage: but iu no case, of course, is there 
any practical experience. In such cases it is 
always desirable that a sort of apprentice¬ 
ship should be served with some skillful and 
successful farmer capable of instructing the 
novices in the principles, and especially the 
practice of agriculture. Many are quite wil¬ 
ling to pay a premium for the advantage; 
others would give their services gratis for a 
term. Youug meu from Europe, especially 
from the United Kingdom, very often seek 
opportunities of learniug the American sys¬ 
tem of farming in this way, sometimes even 
when they have been brought up on a farm at 
home. Now and then advertisements offer¬ 
ing such opportunities in the different States, 
and especially in Canada,appear in the English, 
Scotch aud Irish agricultural papers, and, as 
we ourselves have had a considerable number 
of inquiries with regard to farmers who would 
be able aud willing to instruct such pupils, 
no doubt such advertisements often meet a 
want. It is always advisable, however, to 
investigate the standing of the parties making 
such offers beforeclosiug with them. During 
the last half dozen years we have heard 
of several cases iu which pupils who had paid 
a good premium, could learu little beyond 
hard work, and were fed and other-wise treat¬ 
ed so badly that they soon left; but we have 
never heard of so disgraceful a ease'as one 
mentioned in a late issue of the San Francisco 
Bulletin, which says: 
“Nine more victimised English boys have turned 
up at Los Angeles ages 14 to 17- Tbelr fathers in 
England were induced to cay £?0 entrance fee for 
tbelr sons as ‘pupils’on fruit farm® In Callfomlaat 
#5 per month, and to be 'treated as members of the 
family/ The firm had headquarters In London. The 
agem gets *12 apiece for providing each boy with a 
home. Their passage, which they pay themselves, 
Is #75. When (lie boy gets here, he finds he could 
have done It a'l himself, and that the promised situa¬ 
tion Is never forthcoming, Nearly 40 cases have 
thus far been discovered." 
The “Bohemian Oats” and “Chinese Hulless 
Oats” swindles have been so thoroughly ex¬ 
posed in this Department, that it is hardly 
possible that any reader of the Rural will 
ever be dnped by them; for, of course, every 
reader of this paper—even those who merely 
borrow it—is sure to be blessed with a fair 
share of common sense! The “Red Line 
Wheat” extensively offered for sale in parts 
of Ohio an! Indiana, and probably elsewhere 
also, is a swindle of precisely the same stripe. 
It is sold by a “Company,” of course. The 
price is only ?15 a bushel’ and the note for 
each lot is to he paid out of next year’s crop. 
The “Company” agrees to sell, next vear, for 
the purchaser, for $10 per bushel, double the 
quantity he may buy this year. You see it is 
exactly the Old Bohemian Oats swindle, with 
a few unimportant: variations. The note once 
clutched by the sharpers, is sold for what it 
will bring to some “innocent party,” and the 
giver is sure to have to pay it, whether he has 
any wheat to sell or not, and at whatever price 
he may have to sell any wheat he may have. 
Usually these companies are so organized that 
every purchaser, ipso facto, becomes a mem¬ 
ber, and as such is responsible for the sale of 
his own wheat or oats. No one can be a mem¬ 
ber of the company for two consecutive years; 
hence the fellows who sell the oats or wheat 
this year, are no longer members of it when 
the crop raised therefrom is ready for sale, 
their places having been taken by those who 
bought from them the previous year, and 
who are now responsible for the agreements or 
contracts made by the sharpers. 
We are still receiving circulars of the 
“Monarch MTg Co., of Chicago.” puffing up 
the “Monarch Lightning Sawing Machine.” 
A couple of years ago we advertised this im¬ 
plement. but received so many complaints of 
its worthlessness, that, on investigation, we 
declined to admit it into our columns. Since 
then there has been no “let-up” in the com¬ 
plaints of those who have been duped into buy¬ 
ing the “machine.” 
We have once before warned our friends 
not to have any dealings with the Crescent 
Art Company, Revere, Mass. This is one of the 
“work at-home” swindles, which we have fre¬ 
quently denounced as the meanest frauds in 
existence, as they all seek to make dishonest 
gain from the distress and hardships of poor 
people in search of something to do to make a 
little money. We have fully explained the 
modus operajuii of these concerns, not one of 
which has brains enough to strike out any¬ 
thing new in the line of cheating: heuce from 
the tricks of one, those of all can be learned. 
We will therefore let a friend, writing from 
Hornbrook, Pa , tell, in her own word?, an ex¬ 
perience with the “C. A. Co.” She says, 
under date of August 18:— 
“Through its circulars sent by mail, the 
‘Company’ promisesto furnish work promptly 
to all parties who engage with it. in making 
the ‘Kensington Oil Paiuting,’ that is. painting 
on silk, plush or velvet-, the ‘Kensington 
stitch.’ One dollar is required for specimens 
of the work, which, when satisfactorily done, 
is bought back by the concern for 25 cents a 
piece, or $3 a dozen; and the would be dupes 
are assured that with ‘two or three davs’ prac¬ 
tice.’ rb“v would have no trouble in earning 
from 87 to $10 per week.’ 
Well, a ladv in this place, having read the 
advertiseoient.sentthe$l and filled in a hlank 
order as directed, and in return received a 
boob of instructions, with a sample of the 
work, already staimwl. and a pattern from 
which to work or paint. With these came 
another blank form of order for 83 for pens, 
paints and brushes. This she sent, thinking 
her work would soon earn that much. Then 
came a recommendation that she should for¬ 
ward 50 cents more for a finished sample, so 
that she migbc know how hers ought to look 
to he accented. Thinking something was 
wrong she did not send the money.but finished 
the work, and forwarded it, after having 
submitted it to the opinion of competent, 
judges, who thought it good. Instead of 
tnauev, she received this notice: ‘The colors 
are too dark. Theshadiug isnot light enough, 
and the nafnt isnot laid on right,’ And so. hav¬ 
ing got $3 for what was not worth $1,tbe rascal¬ 
ly concern got out of its engagement alto¬ 
gether. Since then we have heard of several 
others who were served in the same wav. Now 
aud then, no doubt some goods are accepted, at 
the prices promised or less, for thev must, have 
a few to seud to those who are willing to pay 
50 eouts for them, though the concern only 
pays, at- most-. *25 cents each for them to the 
workers. The ladv was in sore need of the 
money, and would have been content if her 
wo’-k had been accepted.” 
This is a fair sample of the experience of 
99 out of every 100 who have any dealings 
with the6e_“worb-at-home” sharpers. 
