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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 6 
put, is the ripening 1 of Keiffer and Garber pears and 
preparing them to go on the market in the best and 
most attractive condition. When growers and ship¬ 
pers take pains to have these two varieties properly 
ripened before placing them on the market, the de¬ 
mand for them will increase enormously. 
When properly ripened, they are the delight of the 
housewife, canner and pie-maker, because they cook 
well, stand up nicely, and are good eating. People 
who are able to obtain all they desire of the fancy 
dessert pears may not care for these two varieties, 
but not one person in a hundred is so situated. The 
Keiffer and Garber have a place they can fill to per¬ 
fection, and in due time, they will fill it. 
The peach crop was generally a failure in this sec¬ 
tion this season, yet three orchards, separated by 
several miles, bore excellent crops. These orchards 
belonged to Messrs. Harrison, Hanon and Crall. So 
far as could be seen, they were not more favored in 
location than many others, and the only ap¬ 
parent reason why they yielded good crops in 
a season of general failure, is because they 
were well cared for. They were properly pruned 
and cultivated, and kept clear of insect pests, 
and as a natural consequence, they were strong 
and thrifty, therefore, capable of resisting a 
greater degree of cold than those that were 
more than half neglected. eked gbundy. 
THE OUTLOOK FOR SHEEP. 
WHAT A MONTANA MAN SEES. 
The very considerable reduction in the num¬ 
ber of sheep in the United States, the very 
great losses in sheep in Australia, the present 
protective tariff, all supplemented by the in¬ 
creased activity of manufactures and trade, are 
potent factors in the present situation. It 
seems to me that even the most hopeless pessi¬ 
mist can hardly fail to feel encouraged as to the 
immediate future of wool and mutton. I feel con¬ 
vinced that both these products will command, in A 
1898, prices somewhat beyond the present selling 
rates. Out on our plains, those present rates are very 
satisfactory, giving us, as they do, double the money 
for wool and 50 per cent advance in mutton. During 
the last four years, careful sheep-owners have been 
able to just about hold their own, even with wool at 
eight cents per pound, and fat wethers at 82.50 per 
head ; but this year, the owner of 3,000 sheep should 
realize, at least 82,000 beyond his receipts of years 
past. Three thousand head of sheep are, perhaps, 
about the average flock here ; very few people run 
as few as 1,000. There are bands of all sizes ; one of 
the larger “outfits” runs 40,000 sheep. 
The sheep business is very different here from the 
same business in the eastern and middle States. We 
have some features not enjoyed by the farmers of 
the East, but they, on the other hand, have some de¬ 
cided advantages over us. How would an Ohio or 
Michigan farmer like to feel that he might, any day, 
lose 20 sheep ? How would he feel if he knew that 
he might lose 500, even with the most careful herding. 
I lost 130 sheep in 10 minutes, some time since, 
from an attack by wolves. A neighbor lost, during 
a severe storm, 2,500 sheep. Our wool nets us about 
half the price which the Ohio man obtains for his. 
On the other hand, we have far less disease among 
sheep, we feed nothing the year ’round except dur¬ 
ing a severe storm, and then only the wild hay cut in 
the immediate region. It is, however, the custom to 
feed oats to rams during December. Our range is on 
unsurveyed government land for which we do not 
pay and, of course, to which we have no title ; still it 
is not usual for others to infringe upon our acknowl¬ 
edged territory. 
Five years ago, nearly all the sheep bred here were 
of the Vermont Spanish Merino blood, the purpose, 
of course, being to get a heavy crop of wool; but 
since that time, nearly every flock has been bred to 
coarser wool sires. At that time, say in 1892, there 
was, to my taste, not an edible sample of mutton to 
be found. Many people settled down to the belief 
that mutton was poor food, myself among the num¬ 
ber ; while to-day, we have the most exquisite mut¬ 
ton, and the old opinion is wholly changed. We fre¬ 
quently have venison and antelope meat, but most 
people prefer the mutton fattened on the wild grasses 
of our ranges, to either. The most prominent breeds 
now in vogue here are Cotswolds, Shropshires, Oxford 
Downs and Lincolns. Sires of half or three-quarters 
blood of the above breeds are usually preferred to 
pure blood, as they are more hardy and produce a 
sheep with heavier fleeces than those springing from 
purebred sires. At the same time, there must be 
some Merino blood left in the flock. There are many 
people in the sheep business who lack steadiness of 
character, who, therefore, pursue one pet idea after 
another to their cost. One year there is no sheep but 
the Cotswold, the next year they-are wildoabout De¬ 
laines ; one year they must have early lambs, the next 
year they want later lambs than their neighbor ; one 
year they decide to shear two months earlier than 
usual. I believe that the man who carries a steady 
head, who has lambs come as near May 1 as possible ; 
who has his sheep sheared early in June and above 
all, sees to it that good reliable men herd his sheep, 
and then carefully watches his herders, is the man 
who, in the long run, will come out best in the sheep 
business. a. s w. 
VALUE OF THE COW PEA. 
Will the cow pea do to sow as far north as Wisconsin, for a fer¬ 
tilizer ? A. P. BRYCE. 
Mr. John Van Loon, of La Crosse County, Wis , 
writes the following account of his experience with 
cow peas : “ In 1896, I sowed cow peas as a manurial 
crop. The crop that followed them was Nutmeg 
melons, and I have noticed with much interest that 
SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION OF ARTIFICIAL ICE. Fig 
on the portion where cow peas were raised last 
year, the crop matured earlier than on other portions 
of the field, and the cow peas were the direct cause of 
it. To strengthen my belief in this matter, I will add 
that an unforeseen circumstance which occurred dur¬ 
ing the season of sowing the peas, contributed largely 
to the final effect, and the results obtained there¬ 
from. A hundred pounds of seed had been obtained 
and were calculated to be sown on one acre of ground; 
on the morning of the day we were ready to sow 
them, I placed them in an ordinary grain seeder, ad¬ 
justed the seeder properly, and after breakfast, asked 
my hired man to go and sow them where I wanted 
them, and not to meddle with the adjustment. In 
about 15 minutes, my man returned stating that the 
peas had been sown as directed j thinking this to be 
extraordinarily fast work, I proceeded to see for my- 
COW PEAS AT THE OKLAHOMA STATION. Fig. 302. 
self, where to my surprise, 100 pounds of cow peas 
had been sown broadcast on about one-fourth of an 
acre. It transpired later that, while we were in for 
breakfast, the boy had changed the adjustment on 
the seeder, hence the quick job of sowing. Later on, 
enough more peas were purchased to sow at the rate 
of about 100 pounds per acre. The portion of the field 
receiving such a heavy seeding showed a marked 
difference in this year’s crop, and at the rate that 
early melons sell in our market, the result has been 
highly satisfactory. Another season, I shall, prob¬ 
ably, sow cow peas and use a very liberal quantity of 
seed.” 
Our own experience with cow peas the past season, 
in northern New Jersey, has been very satisfactory. 
We sowed the Early Black variety which, on very 
poor soil—fertilized only with kainit and basic slag 
—gave a heavy yield. We cut most of the crop for 
hay in August, and secured a heavy second crop which 
has been left on the ground to be plowed under next 
spring. At Fig. 302 is shown a photograph of a cow pea 
field at the Oklahoma Experiment Station, which 
looks almost exactly like our own field. The man in 
the picture is on his knees. 
As a green manuring crop, the cow pea has many 
advantages. It will grow well on very poor soil. It 
is a leguminous plant, and will absorb nitrogen from 
the air. It delights in hot weather, and should not 
be sown too early. The latter part of May is early 
enough. We prefer to let the vines die down before 
working them into the soil. 
AN ENGLISH BARNYARD. 
The barnyard, pictured in Fig. 303, reproduced 
from the Mark Lane Express, looks very odd to 
American eyes, with its hurdled enclosure and 
thatched roof; but it is a familiar scene on English 
farms. It is really a sheepfold, an annex to the 
barnyard itself. The feeding-rack shown in the right 
foreground is of iron, and is a very useful con¬ 
trivance for feeding sheep or hogs with cab¬ 
bage or roots. Each animal must keep to its 
own compartment, and there is little chance 
for the stronger to push the weaker away. The 
rack is, also, a preventive of waste, as the 
food cannot be trampled upon. The hurdles 
shown in the background are made of hazel 
\ or other underbrush, woven basket-fashion 
across stout stakes The stakes project at the 
bottom, the ends being sharpened, so that the 
hurdle may be stuck into the ground when 
used as a portable fence. Hurdles are useful in 
feeding sheep upon turnips or other green crops, 
the animals being confined to one section of 
the field until the crop is eaten clean. Hurdle¬ 
making is a common industry among gypsies 
and other tramping people. 
The straw-thatched roof of the sheepfold is 
still seen in many localities, and such a thatch 
is often seen upon cottages as well as farm 
buildings. It is warm, cheap and durable, 
301. such thatch being easily mended when re¬ 
quired. It is no uncommon sight to see such 
a roof, moss-grown and weather-worn, mended in 
places with bright, clean straw, giving an oddly pie¬ 
bald effect. It is surprising to watch the dexterity 
with which a thatcher works. Thatching roofs and 
thatching ricks of grain are arts which do not come 
within the horizon of the American farmer, but both 
are still necessary upon English farms. 
SOME LIGHT ON THE LIGHT BRAHMA. 
All breeds of poultry have their friends and advo¬ 
cates. The Leghorn man cannot see why one should 
ever keep one of the heavy Asiatic breeds, and the 
Cochin man cannot understand why his neighbor 
should have one of the little, spindle-shanked 
Mediterraneans scratching up his flower garden. The 
Light Brahma fowl has, perhaps, caused more discus¬ 
sion among its advocates and enemies, than any other 
breed. We once met a western man who was down 
on the Light Brahma for the singular reason that it 
could not get out of the way of his hogs. He said 
that, when the ground was muddy, the Light Brahmas 
ran in the hog-yard, and the feathers of their legs 
accumulated so much mud that they could not run ; 
consequently, they fell an easy prey to the hogs. 
This man, of course, would not consider the point 
that, if a hen is worth keeping at all, it is worth 
keeping in a place by itself, where the hogs can not 
touch it. 
It is interesting to turn from such a man to one 
who keeps the Light Brahma from choice. Such a 
man is B. S. Smith, of Closter, N. J. Mr. Smith says 
that he has tried all the breeds, and has finally de¬ 
cided that the Light Brahmas suit him better than 
any other. A picture of a group of young cockerels 
in one of his yards, is shown at Fig. 304. These birds 
may be taken as.typical young specimens of the breed. 
“ But are they not clumsy? ” we asked. 
“Yes,” said Mr. Smith, “they are clumsy, with 
that graceful clumsiness so characteristic of the 
Clydesdale horse or the Holstein cows. You will not, 
probably, find them dancing a jig like the Leghorn, 
or the Jersey calf, but when it comes to solid, digni¬ 
fied business, they are right on deck.” 
“ But will they not sit for three or four months in 
the year ? ” 
“Yes, very likely they will, if fed nothing but 
corn. When fed judiciously with a properly balanced 
ration, they will keep on laying, and only 1 go dry ’ 
long enough to moult and raise a clutch of healthy 
chicks.” 
“ How do they rank as winter layers ? ” 
“I believe that they are unexcelled in this line. 
The eggs are large, dark-colored, and of fine quality. 
The hen does not lose her comb and take cold at 
every little puff of wind, or every little bite of frost, 
j!or Ifatoi.re 1 ’ has provided her with a warm blanket. 
