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Show material on a road until they have a solid road bed, and a solid road bed ' j results from an absence of water. I Give us drainage. I THE FARM AND HOME. Vf THE DIFFICULTIES AND DARK JJ SIDE OF SHEEP RAISING. , Every One Cannot Make Money on Sheep J --' How to Select Oats la and M ; the Mole Farm Notes aatt IY Household Illnta. Cottonseed Meal. Cottonseed meal is considered to be more valuable for fattening animals and for cows in milk than oil meuU The latter is better adapted to young growing animals, having less fat and more bone and muscle producing elements. ele-ments. Experienced feeders state that both for fattening and for milk and butter it has a higher value than corn meal say 20 to 25 per cent, it keeps fresh and sweet for a long time, a point in its favor. It is usually fed with other meal or wheat bran. Care should be taken not to overfeed, ns it may taint the milk or beef. A pint at a feed to a cow is enough to begin with and a ration made up of one-third wheat bran, one-third corn and oat meal, say three to four quarts once a day this amount having been reached by pradual additions will give good results in milk' and butter product. It is not considered safe food for oows within two or three months of calving or for some little time afterwards, and over-feeding nt any time is quite likely to induce in-flamatlon in-flamatlon or a gargety condition of the udder, often resulting in the loss of a quarter or more of it. Cottonseed meal is sometimes adulterated with plaster of Paris, and there is little doubt that tho injurious effects of feeding it in many cases may be attributed to the foreign deleterious substances mixed with it by unscrupulous dealers. When pure and judiciously fed it is one of the most valuablo foods for the dairy. The I'eai and the Sloles. Peas, moles and Paris green aro certainly cer-tainly a strange mixing of things animate ani-mate and inanimate, But tho "better half" of a Stockman subscriber who has lost not a few plantings of peas in past years, which loss she vohemontly charges on tho moles, recommends using tho poison on the peas before sowing; suggests that if the moles do not like them then they can let them alone which is what sho most earnestly earn-estly desires. The modo of proceeding would probably bo to soak the peas in water for a day or so, then roll in Paris green and flour (about half and half) until each pea is thoroughly coated and sow at once. The plantiug should be fully four inche3 deep, so that even if the chickens chick-ens get into the garden now and then which wo are free to say they should not there will not be much danger. But any who happen to scratch down to the peas will never do so again! Now who will try this? Not the latter part, but that about dosing the moles. (Dark Side or Kheep Husbandry After reading so many rosy pictures and bright-sided or usually one-sided views on sheep husbundry.it is but fair to the beginner that he have the dark side also, and then let him determine . for himself whether or not the busi- ness is bo very profitable as some of 'Our writers would have them believe. It seems to go without saying among agricultural writers that any one can make money on sheep, no matter about the adaptability, or in fact any qualifications quali-fications or conveniences, (io into the .sheep business and the profits will t 'Come out all right anyway. Dne writer remarks that dogs and politicians are the only serious draw backs to the business, and while these may be serious enough, yet there are imany obstacles. And after a careful inquiry among a great many shoop-brecders shoop-brecders we believe, says tho Stockman, Stock-man, there are more men in the circle of our acquaintance who have lost money than who have made money on sheep. One case in point A very successful success-ful farmer remarked to tho writer that, he paidilO for one hundred good breeding ewes, and in four weeks' time they broke out with scab, and, all tilings considered, he had better thrown the money in the stove. Another ca. A very Huccessful farmer and breeder of fine horses got the sheep fover and bought a fine Hock of grades. One year after the purchase the scab appeared, ap-peared, which was followed by foot- ( rot, and the writer visited the flock during tho process of treatment, in which two men had worked faithfully four days, and the worst was yet to come. After an excessive use of grain they were shipped to market in poor condition, and tho owner remarked that he cursed the day that he ever 6aw a sheep. Another serious drawback is t,he strange fatality that some times occurs among young lambs, A neighbor has lost eight out of twenty-six this winter. Another lost fourteen in one day last spring with paralysis. Rheumatism Is generally and whito scours . always fatal to say nothing of ticks, stretches, sniffles, etc These are a few of tho many diseases the sheep is subject to and from which nearly all other animals ani-mals are exempt Selection of Oats. Oats aro sold very generally," says the author of Through Stable and Sad- ' lle-rooin, "by the 'quarter' as it is termed. A quarter consists of two sacks, and a sack consists of four bushels. bu-shels. A bushel of oats should not weigh less than thirty-eight pounds, exclusive of course of tho weight of tho bushel measure. In order to test f the weight of oats, adopt tho following t , plan. First carefully weigh the bush el measure, then fill it with oats as ( rapidly as possible; brush off the oats ; level with the top of the measure by means of a stick turned edge-wise a broom-handle will answer tho purpose ' and weigh the measure fulL Subtract the weight of the measure from the i full weight and tho result will give you the number of pounds to the bushel. bush-el. Oats weighing thirty-eight pounds to tho bushel may be considered as fair, forty pounds as good, and all above that as very good. Oats, like . hay should never be used before the end of the year in which they have , been grown, and a second year ( oat is ' better than ' a last-season one. In " selecting oats, first smell 4 them to ascertain if thoy are musty, " ' then strip a few and examine them, ' and test them by pinching them with the nail. They should be crisp and j flowery. Finally take some and chew j them. They should have a pure, . fresh, milky taste. If such oats are ; proper weight, yod may safely buy them. Corn-dealers are great adepts in making up oats for the market, and j of bleaching and drying them if they 1 have become damaged. If any doubt t exists as to their having been dried in a kiln for bleaching purposes, it may be easily sot at rest by rubbing some of the oats quickly between the palms " " of the hands. Oats which have been kiln-dried, even if not bleached, shrink unduly from the points of the husks, and so can readily be detected, and they have a brown appearance also. llorae Scraps. ( Eternal vigilance is the price of success hi the horse business. Well arranged stables are as good testimonials test-imonials as a farmer can offer. Clean the watering troughs every day. Impure water is a fruitful source of disease. dis-ease. Most cases of sore shoulders are attributable attrib-utable to carelessness on the part of the driver. , r Lime scattered in the stalls will destroy the impurities arising from the decayed matter. , Give the horse that is losing flesh fastest fast-est the lightest work, or tho advantage in a longer end of the double-tree. Household Hints. Two or three rose geranium leaves put in when making crab apple jelly will give it a dolicious flavor. In flavoring puddings, if the milk is rich, lemon flavor is good; but if the milk is poor, vanilla makes it richer. Use vaseline or oil upon boots and shoes. Either will keop the leather in better condition con-dition than blacking, and make the footgear foot-gear warmer. For simple hoarseness take a fresh egg, beat it and thicken with pulverized sugar. Eat freely of it and the hoarseness will soon be relieved. A new and delicious dainty is prepared by taking the stone either from dates or prunes and substituting a bit of the kernel of an English walnut. When your face and ears burn so terrible terri-ble bathe them in very hot water as hot as you can bear. This will be more apt to cool them than any cool application. Cover half a peck of lime with cold water and when it slakes dilute to the consistency con-sistency of thin cream tffid stir it in a small cupful of salt and you will have a good whitewash for outside work. The pungent odor of pennyroyal is very disagreeable to ants and other creeping things. If the herbs cannot be obtained get the oil of pennyroyal and saturate something with it, and lay. around places infested with these pests. Farm Note. A sharp hoe saves time and does bottei work. Choice products command the highest prices. ' Mixed farming, if done well, generally pays well. . Stunted pigs do not make as good use of food as thrifty ones. If the fences are kept in good repair tho stock will not be breechy. Feeding liberally at night will induce the turkeys to come home regularly. f The advantages in having a good variety - riant Foods and Soils. The fertility of soil depends not ; solely on the composition of the soils, but also upon the availability of the food existing therein that comes within with-in the capacity of the plants to appro-i appro-i priate. either by the effects of chera- leal reaction, or by the power of the roots to change the composition of i ' the soil itself. When the soil Is turned ovor with a plow the warmth of the sun, the uir and moisture Is thus given free access; and certain changes are ' ' effected which render soluble some . portions of the soil that are inert, and ' V by the changes thus effected others J are induced, the processes being nearly identical with those occuring -J in the laboratory, the difference being that the changes in the soil are not . ' -always apparent Silicates and other " insoluble matter are changed Rnd con- t verted into materials that become plant-food, some rapidly and in some " ' soils slowly. - 4 0.- n "f- Boad Drainage. t . f , Carry the water iaway from the road I ; V: bed as rapidly as possible after rains, j and the problem of road making is ' half solved. No water should be allowed to stand in ditches on the kT-"s es ' tbe roe- Perfect drainage '! Is the first and most important item. Can we not get our supervisors to act on this idea? It Is not a new one, but Its practical acceptance would be very new. Lot them quit hauling ' ' -- ' ' IssbbsbS!bw (" . ,..J ;eW--JEi-'s' .' " "''""- - " ' ' ' 1 of food in the winter should make it an item to save everything during the summer. sum-mer. One of the advantages of clover, as a green manure, is that the whole plant can be used and will add to the fertility of the oil. Clover Is the first crop cut for hay and in many cases it will be a good plan to sprinkle salt between the layers in storing away. Qtvhsrd should not, nnder any circumstances, circum-stances, be cultivated deep during tho summer. If cultivation is needed only tir the surface thoroughly. In feeding grain of any kind to hogs, care should be taken not to feed in the dust. A clean floor is best and next to this, a grass sward is preferable. As fast as one crop in the garden matures, ma-tures, plant another; keep the ground occupied oc-cupied all through the growing season with a crop. . It is easier to cultivate a crop than to keep out the weeds. w i "W tr ;x : . , ii 'if |