Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 June 1884 — AGRICULTURAL. [ARTICLE]

AGRICULTURAL.

Sheep Husbandry.—l have been engaged in sheep-raising for fourteen years. In this and all old settled prairie countries 300 to 400 sheep do well. 1 One hundred per cent gross profit is a fair statement. The profit diminishes 10 per cent, per 100 head as you go ever 100. My flock has ranged from 300 to 1,000. I put up annually 100 pounds of prairie hay and one bushel of cotton seed to the sheep, and have good shelter provided.—Correspondent, Navarro County, Texas. Acorns, Chestnuts, and Beechnuts. —I have had some experience with planting nuts. I find that acorns, chestnuts, and beech-nuts and that class of nuts lose their vitality without allowed to become dry. I keep chestnuts and horsechestnuts, for spring planting, in moist sawdust in a cool place. I place them in the sawdust as soon as gathered. Nuts thus kept and planted in the spring have succeeded well. It is drying, not freezing the nuts, that prevents their sprouting when planted; at least my observation so teaches me. —Samuel Broad, Paicnee County, Kansas. Persimmon and Sassafras Suckers. —I have found that the following treatment will kill persimmon or sassafras suckers; in a word, it will kill any tree. Cut off the suckers close to the ground in the spring, then Again about the Ist of July; cut again in the middle of August. At each cutting be careful not to lose any green leaf. The next year the growth will be very feeble and cutting them will kill it out entirely. Destroy the foliage repeatedly and you are bound to destroy the life of the tree. Of course there may be roots that are missed one season which will come up the next, but care should be taken not to miss one.— C. C., Cooper County, Mo. Compost for Tobacco. —I cannot speak practically of any formula, except the following one, for tobacco; it is splendid and many of our largest farmers are using it extensively. I have not heard of a man who has used it but says it is the best fertilizer he has tried. Some of us have been afraid it might keep tobacco growing too long on rich land for it to yellow sufficiently before cutting it, but it yellowed last season beautifully and in good time. The formula is as follows: 1,000 pounds of stable manure, mould, etc.. 300 pounds sulphate of potash, 100 pounds sulphate ammonia, 100 pounds sulphate magnesia, 400 pounds dissolved bone and 100 pounds land plaster. No general rule can be given about the amount to be used per acre. It should vary with the soil, from 400 to 500 or more pounds per acre.— S., Milton, S. C. Farming Too Many Acres.—ln a recent journey through a good portion of the State for agricultural purposes we are more satisfied than ever, from the observations we were enabled to make, that it would be better for the farmers to cultivate less land and to work it more thoroughly than they do how. If they would be satisfied to farm a fewer number of acres, and put as much work on the less number as they do now on the whole, they would make more money and make it easier than they do in cultivating so much land, and in consequence of so much ground to go over it cannot receive the consideration it should. We no doubt that the more grain produced to the • acre the less it will cost per bushel. Farmers in many instances do not consider the difference between a bountiful and a small yield. With less acreage in crops, the better opportunities are afforded the farmers to bestow more work on that which is in cultivation. It is seldom that a man who has 500 acres in crops gets as good a yield per acre as the one has who cultivates 100 acres.— Minnesota Tribune. Good Butter.—lt requires care, taste, and good judgment to make good butter. The milker must be cleanly, the handling of the milk must be careful, the vessels pure and clean. The churns must be scalded and kept sweet. Churning must be done quickly with the temperature of the cieam about 63 degrees Fahrenheit. Never pour cold or hot water to get the required temperature. Use artificial heat, as top of range, or in ovens—any place where it will gradually get warm if too cold, and if too warm, put in cold or ice water. The flavor of butter depends on the flavor of the food to a very great extent. Mouldy cellars spoil butter or milk. Feed your cows good food, free from strong flavors, milk quickly and always cleanly, keep your milk in cellars free from mold or vegetables. churn quickly, don’t keep cream over three days, and scald and keep clean all your Vessels. If farmers make these directions a part of their dairy gospel, they can sell their butter from five to ten cents per pound more than their neighbors who do not follow them. Regularity in feeding is more important than is usually appreciated, with horses as weW as with milk-producing cows. Wholesome food and sufficient quantity at stated times is essential to healthful growth and efficient service. The amount of rations is governed by The age of the animal, and whether at work or idle. No rule in pounds and ounces of hay and grain can be laid doWn for any horse, and the one in charge needs good judgment to keep the horses in a strong and healthy condition. A knowledge of the requirements of a locomotive would help many horse owners to a better understanding of the laws of feeding. The amount of coal, water, etc., depend upon the easy movement of every part of the engine and upon the work being done. The horse is an engine, and, more than that, because it is a living creature and has additional wants. Plenty of food and are only a part of the needs of a horse. There should be a comfor&We' stable and all those little attentions which add so much to the health of the animal. Good grooming is essential to good digestion. Cleanliness of the skin is as necessary for the health of a horse as fqy that of a man. The irritation of the brushing stimulates the healthful functions of the skin; but the brushing may be too severe. There is strong objection to the use of a harsh curry comb. If a good stiff brush is used daily there will be no use for a wiretoothed comb or other harsh imple-

ment.' The rubbing of the “running gear” of a horse is as essential as that of an engine.