AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
it pay. But he -will not find it a sinecure. If his 
time is already fully occupied, or if he is averse 
to the business, lie should not attempt it. But 
if he has a taste in that direction, and is willing 
to plan, and labor with his brain, he can find a 
great deal of pleasure and sure profits in culti¬ 
vating the soil. The amount of the dividends 
will depend a good deal upon the skill of the 
operator, the seasons, the facilities for market¬ 
ing, and the contingencies which affect all other 
industries. Farms located near cities and vil¬ 
lages usually rise in value, and this consideration 
often determines capitalists to these enterprises. 
places where horses could not. Then there is 
no danger in using it, for if anything should 
break or slip, the operator is not in the way. 
If a knot on the log prevents its.rolling, one of 
the levers resting against the cross-piece II, will 
hold the log while the obstruction is removed.” 
DEVICE FOR LOADING HEAVY LOGS, 
Loading’ Heavy Logs. 
In response, we suppose, to our suggestion 
made not long since, we have from Mr. Win. 
Louden, Jefferson Co., Iowa, a description of 
a way of rolling heavy logs upon a sled by hand, 
which he has found useful. Items and hints of 
this kind, especially if accompanied by sketches, 
are always very welcome. Mr. Louden writes : 
“ In return for hints, I send a sketch of an ap¬ 
paratus which I used the past season for load¬ 
ing logs upon sleds. It consists of a supporting 
frame [properly a “gin.” —Ed.] composed of three 
poles, A, B, C.—A and B are ten feet long, and 
maybe made of 3 by 4-incli scantlings; the 
pole, C, is 1G feet long. The windlass, D, is 3 feet 
long air; 7 inches in diameter, and has a 1-inch 
iro _ pin 11 inches long, driven into each end 
about 8 inches. The ends of the windlass are 
made conical, and it is fastened upon the frame 
by vo pieces of wood, 3 inches square, and 2 
feet lorn;, spiked or bolted to the scantlings, A and 
B, about 4 feet from the ground, as shown in the 
sketch. Two 2-inch holes at right angles with 
each other are bored through the windlass, into 
which the handspikes, S, work loosely. A rope, 
is passed around two little pins in the windlass, 
placed so as to prevent the rope from winding 
over the holes for the handspikes. The ends of 
the rope aie passed through two pulleys, P, then 
over, around, and under the log, thence back to 
the sled, to which they are fastened, one to each 
end. By turning the windlass with the hand¬ 
spikes, the log is rolled up the skids on to the 
sled. The skids, I] an made with a notch, so 
as to carry the logs clear of Jhe fender. A 
logci.i ne loaded r„s quickly by this arrange¬ 
ment as by horses, and ilcau lie worked in many 
Shall We Keep Tip Our Flocks? 
We regret the tone of despondency which per¬ 
vades so many'of our exchanges in regard to 
wool growing. Wool is down, notwithstanding 
the protective tariff, and it is very natural for 
men who have been receiv¬ 
ing sixty cents a pound to 
look upon forty cents as 
poor pay. Some are reduc¬ 
ing their flocks, and others 
are selling out entirely. A 
few, and we think they are 
the wise ones, are taking 
advantage of the low price 
of sheep to increase their 
flocks, and be ready for the 
rise which they think is 
sure to come. The tem¬ 
porary depression in the 
■wool market should not 
lead flock masters to aban¬ 
don their plans, and change 
their stock; if favorably 
situated for sheep husband¬ 
ry, they should hold on 
patiently, and wait for bet¬ 
ter times. We want to see 
this business put upon a 
permanent basis, and pur¬ 
sued as steadily as beef or 
pork making. The demand 
for its products, mutton 
and wool, is quite as steady, and as likely to in¬ 
crease in the future. Nothing can be more certain 
than that this nation will continue to wear wool¬ 
en garments, and to eat mutton, and in increasing 
proportion as the market is better supplied with 
these articles. It is not strange that these prod¬ 
ucts are cheaper than they were last year. 
Wool and mutton vary no more in price than 
pork and butter. A variation of twenty or thirty 
per cent, in these articles in the course of a year 
is not uncommon. But farmers ought not on 
that account to give up the raising of butter and 
pork. If they keep on steadily with the in¬ 
dustry their farms are adapted to, they will be 
ready for the rise when it comes, and make 
money. Almost every kind of business has its 
periods of depression, and there is no reason 
why sheep husbandry should not take its turn. 
Wool, we think, has about touched bottom, 
and farmers may look for better prices another 
year. There were very large importations of 
wool and woolen goods during the war, and the 
year that followed, in anticipation of the high 
tariff that was called for. This immense impor¬ 
tation still affects the market. Shoddy has also 
been very largely used in the manufacture of 
woolen goods, and the unfortunates who were 
once taken in with this article are in a temper to 
cry aloud for garments made of the last clip, 
fresh spun and wove. Pantaloons that do not 
last out half their days are not the article to 
make sheep look amiable in the eyes of the pub¬ 
lic. Shoddy, we trust, has had its day, and is 
hound to the compost heap, where old woolen 
garments should bring up. Another hinderance 
in the way of wool growing, the dogs, is likely 
to be removed very soon. Several of the States 
have efficient dog laws, and the sheep killing 
curs arc greatly reduced. All that is wanted 
now, is a steady policy on the part of flock mas¬ 
ters, and concert of action, to secure a national 
dog tax, and to put wool growing on as firm a 
basis as it has in England. The introduction of 
the middle and long wool sheep has greatly in¬ 
creased the consumption of mutton among us, 
and these animals are so well appreciated that 
we shall have to raise them, if we get pay for 
their flesh only. Though the present price of 
mutton is low, it cannot be a very bad business 
to raise South Downs and Cotswolds, at the 
prices they bring. We say then to the flock 
masters who are planning for the future, do not 
be in haste to abandon sheep husbandry. The 
flocks arc steadily enriching your pastures, and 
if you hold on steadily, they will enrich you. 
Cropping the Aftermath. —It is claimed 
for this practice that all the manure made from 
the grass is returned to the field, and the old 
stubble is kept out of the way of the next year’s 
mowing. In a recent conversation with a very 
successful farmer in Connecticut, he branded it 
as a ruinous practice. For twenty years or 
more he had kept all cattle from his meadows 
after they were mowed. The grass makes a 
thick covering for the roots in winter, so that 
they are not injured by the frost. It starts 
earlier in the spring, and even if the season 
happens to be dry, there is a fair crop of hay. 
The decaying old grass is a good mulch, and 
eventually a fertilizer. The hard cropped 
meadow in a dry season is generally a failure. 
He keeps up his fields to two tons of hay or 
more to the acre, and is satisfied with one crop. 
He top-dresses with muck compost and sea¬ 
weed,and sells hay,though he keeps a dairy farm. 
Post-Hole Borers. 
We have inquiries about these implements by 
those who are anxious to relieve themselves of 
severe hand labor by the use of convenient 
tools, so far as possible. The implement is of 
the form we figure it, 
having a handle about 
four feet long and a 
bit six inches wide- 
It is of use in mellow 
soils having few or no 
stones, and tenacity 
enough to hold to¬ 
gether. In very sandy 
soil we know of no 
way of avoiding the 
danger of having the 
walls give way and 
the holes fill up, and 
upon very stiff clays 
and on stony land it 
is quite useless. It is 
hard work to use it, 
but with it a strong 
man can dig post holes 
much faster than with 
a spade. In many soils 
the most rapid work 
may he done by start¬ 
ing the holes with the 
spade and finishing 
with the auger. The bit consists of two blades 
having flanges on the outer edges, and set spi¬ 
rally like the thread of a screw. This is no new 
invention, but has long been in use. Most agri¬ 
cultural stores keep these articles, but there 
has never been a very extensive sale for them. 
POST-HOLE AUGER. 
