Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1895 — FARMS AND FARMERS. [ARTICLE]

FARMS AND FARMERS.

PREPARING WOOL* FOR MARKET. / Farmers’ Voice. y : - The experience of recent years has shottfn conclusively that American wool growers must pay more attention to the manner in which their wobls are prepareil for marlket. The increased importation of foreign wools, in spite of higher duties, was due in a measure to the superior maiiner in which these foreign wools are prepared for the inspection of the buy er. W ith the du ties nowentirely removed, the domestic grower iftust inevitably improve his method of* preparing wool for market. Keep out of the fleeces all dung locks, loose tags, sticks and stuff from the floor of the shearing pen. All of these tags and refuse should be packed separately, as also the bucks’ fleeces, and sold on their merits. If dung Tocks adhere to the wool in shearing, either clip them off and throw them away, or pack them separately. The grower will get an immediate advantage in price by following this course, as well as by keeping out of his fleeces the refuse of the shearing shed. Many growers still fail to realize the injury to their wools by the use of sisal twine. This sisal costs only 5 or G cents a pound, but it is weighed with wool costing from 10 to 30 cents a pound, 60 that the manufacturer has not only to make a reduction in price sufficient to protect himself against loss in weight, but also to guard against the damage to the goods by the sisal fiber. This unsuitable twine causes a. loss all the way from the fleece to the finished garment, which must be sold at a lower price because of the imperfections caused by the fibers of the twine getting into the cloth. American hemp twine possesses many advantages for use in tieing fleeces, and, everything concost, etc., is, perhaps, to be preferred to any other. It has strength, lightness and a glazed surface, while its cost is very much in its favor. Growers are also cautioned against using tar or paint in marking or branding their sheep, as the paint and tar locks must be clipped off and thrown away before the wool can be used. Sulphur dips are also to be discouraged, as they make the wool hard to scour. In preparing your wools for market, roll up the fleece without the use of a box, keep out the tags, use a smail quantity of light twine, and you will take a very important step toward improving the popularity of American wools.

KEEP THE OLD SQWS. Property managed there are few animals more profitable on the farm than a really good sow. And when one is secured that after a fair trial has proved herself a good breeder ini every way that goes to make up a good mother, it is in nearly every ease good economy to keep her as long aS she continues to farrow and raise good litters. It is not always best to condemn a young sow if she floes not farrow a large litter of pigs the first time, if she proves herself a fairly good mother and raises those she farrows. In a majority of cases it will be best to breed her again, giving her a good rest between times so that she can fully recuperate. If she does better with her second litter keep her for a third and as much longer as-she continues to do well. It is certainly a mistaken plan of management to depend upon young sows, allowing them to farrow one or two litters of pigs and then fattening for market and depending again upon young sows. Of course it is necessary to use young sows for breeding, but t! lis should only be done as the old sows are discarded, and it will be an exceptional case when it will be advisable to discard all of the old sows and depend upon young, untried ones entirely. In a majority jf cases the old sow will farrow more and better pigs and be able to make them grow faster and thriftier than a young sow, while the fact that she has proved herself a good mother is an inconsiderable item. As the best bred,,sows occasionally prove valueless as breeders, and while pedigree is important, the real value of the best blood must be determined by an actual test, And when a good sow is secured she is too valuable an animal to fatten and market as long as she proves herself a good breeder. It is a good rule to select sows for breeders from the litters of old sows that have proved themselves good breeders. While such sows are not always the best, the chances are greatly in their favor TO PACK BUTTER. Our way of packing butter for our own use, says a writer in The Dairy World, is to have a perfectly clean jar, if possible a new one. Then we use salt and granulated sugar, half arid half, to put between the layers, which we make about three inches thick, to make nice pieces when cutting for use. In making butter we use a barrel churn and make granulated butter. Wash it in the churn until the Water runs off clear; salt it to taste, which, with us, is not very salt; drain it and take it up in the butter bowl .and let it stand over night. Then work it just enough to make the granules stick together, and then pack. Do not fill the jar quite full, Put a white cloth on top and about a half inch of salt on top of that. Cover well and keep in a cool, clean place. If every stage of ivocedure from the cow to the jar

has been clean and sweet, the buttei ought to keep a reasonable time. SPRINOOHfHk Fltf®!... : . The teams wiH sodri be busy, and with all the usual preparations for ; busy season,, do not overlook the collars and harness. It is importaii' that the collar-of the horse should bi comfortable when the service is being performed. Many poor animal: labor with pain because of the chat lug of the collar or harness. Some plants prefer a moist ioca tion, but no crop can he grown or wet land that is at all times cold and tin drained. Ditch es are necessary, and should be kept open and clean, or the land should be tiled. There u much waste land that could bcmadf. serviceable at a small cost for draining. Many plants are said to “run U vine” on rich 'land. This is due tc such land being rich in nitrogen and lacking in an abundance of potash or lime. A well-balanced fertilizer, or the application of potash and lime, rather than substances containing nitrogen, may give good results on all kinds of soils if other conditions are favorable. Cabbage are Lardy. Trans pl an 1 the early kinds as soon as it can b< done. Kale is a plant that alsc grows early in the season, and give; a supply of greens when other kinds are not ready. Let yous crimson.clover grow' until the apple tree blossoms', then turn it under. It cannot competi with red clover as a hay crop, but it grows up so rapidly in spring that it can be made to provide food for j crop that is to follow. If you wish to add nitrogen to your soil the crimson clover will be found verj useful.

Lima beans cannot be planted until the growing season . opens, but poles should now be prepared 01 made ready. Wire may also bt used as supports for lima beans. For an early supply grow the dwarf lima, which requires no poles, but the standard varieties are those that grow upon poles. Do not buy trees over a year old. They do not have sufficient roots tc supply them with plant food compared with younger trees. Cut bacli the tops, so as to give the roots lesj work to do. A young tree wit! plenty of roots will overtake those s year older and also be more thrift} and free from disease. Rhubarb roots should be set ou| early. Only a few plants are necessary for a family supply. The soil should be rich and well manured Once established on a farm or garden rhubarb will cost but little foi for labor thereafter. For a few rows in a garden the planting of onion sets may be done carefully, bur where they are growi) extensively the rows are quite shallow and the sets scattered along thi row without regard to their position in the rows. In this market th( Denvers, or yellow variety, is preferred. When plum trees are grown in th< poultry yard, relying on the hens to keep down the curculio, the process of jarring the trees must not bt overlooked. Treat the trees in the usual manner and when thedepreda tors reach the ground the hens wil; prevent their escape.