VOL. XXXII
INDIANAPOLIS. IND.. JULY 10. 1897.
NO. 28
EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
Care and Feed of Bheep From Lamb-
log to Market.
1st Premium.—The first thing to consider in sheep raising is a good breed;
the second is good pasture, which should
be bluegrasa, sown on a rolling, naturally drained piece of land with plenty of
good water.
Sheep will make money for the farmer
out of weeds, which can't be utilized by
any other stook. Buying sheep for
breeding and feeding should bo done in
the fall, and always select sheep not too
old, and in a thriving condition.
Pastures for sheep should be kept free
from Spanish needles and another kinds
ot bnrrs whioh stiok to the wool, causing
a loss on the fleece and effects the appearance of the sheep. Sheep will eat
nettles bnt not thistles. Sheep to fatten
for the market should be in good flesh
in the fall and kept improving on good
pastures until winter when they should
have shelter and good food for fattening,
suoh .as olover hay, fodder, hay, corn,
grass and rye pasture when the weather
will permit.
If the lambs are all dropped within a
short period the labor of caring for them
will be much lesa than if they are drop-
ed throughout a long period of time.
In feeding all kinds of stock we shonld
try to have them of uniform size it possible, as an uneven lot of stock will not
sell as well as a lot that is uniform in
size.
Sheep shonld be bred so as to have thoir
lambs not later than February or March.
Grain and roots should not be fed ln very
large quantities before lambing as it will
cause their udders to beoome hard and
inflamed. The lambs should be well fattened, no matter how large and thrifty a
lamb may be it will not sell for the highest prloe if it is not fat Comfort.
Corydon.
2d Premium—The sheep is the oleanest
and nicest animal we have, and it is so
often neglected beoause it does not need
so much attention. They shonld have a
good, comfortable honse to go In, in the
bad cold weather, with a lot attaohed to
walk aronnd in the sun and get fresh air,
as stock need sunlight and air the same
as people. They shonld not be allowed to
rnn to the straw stack, as they will get so
much dirt and chaff in their beautiful
fleece and that will ruin it. The ewes
shonld be bred so as to have lambs In
January or early in February. The earlier we get lambs ready for market the
better price we get for them. There is no
need of any better roughness for sheep
than good sweet clover hay with now
and then a mess of corn fodder for a
ohange. If they are supplied with a
little shelled oats once a day, and a little
oorn meal the same way they will give
plenty of milk for the Iambs nntil they
can get on the early pasture that has been
prepared ln the autumn by sowing some
rye, which Is an excellent early pasture
for both lambs and mothers. But the
dogs are so numerous in onr part of the
country that a sheep's life Is in danger
night or day. Dingy.
Harrison Co.
8d Premium.—We, living among the
hills of southeastern Indiana, have a
splendid sheep conntry, and on these
hilly, bluegrass pastures they will grow
and thrive for nine or ten months eaoh
year without even a smell of grain.
Its digressing from the subject slightly, bnt in regard to breed we have a mix'
tnre of Cotswold and Shropshire, and for
• good general-purpose sheep these can
hardly be beaten. Some years ago we
clipped a fleece that weighed sixteen
Pounds from a Cotswold ram, and a cross
of Shropshire ewes with a fellow Uke
this will make fine large lamba that will
weigh as well if not better than pnre bred
Shropshires or Southdowns, and will
produce a good large fleece of medium
wool.
We generally have pasture in Maroh,
and most of the lambs come In February and Maroh; so after the lambs get a
start the ewes can be turned on pasture,
and will do well with only a feed of grain
twioe a day. We nearly always feed
corn. A few hours after lambing the
ewes should be oaught to see If the lambs
have suoked, and If they have, all ls well,
but If not, one person should hold the
ewe while another coaxed the lamb to
take some nourishment. This is very important. One evening last wintsr a
neighbor announced to his wife that
there were two new lambs at the barn.
"Don't yon think it wonld be a good
idea to see that they get some supper before you go to bed?" she asked.
"Oh, no," he replied, "nature will oare
for them.
Well, nature cared for them. In the
morning they were dead. Another good
way to spoil the profits is to let the ewes
go wlthont milking after the lambs have
been sold. This will soon rain a flock.—
We always milk at least onoe a day for
several days after separating the lambs
from their mothers. S. B.
Jefferson Co.
REVIEW.
Many writers say "keep a few sheep on
every farm." To my notion a tew sheep
are a nuisance. If one has many aores
in pasture and can keep them away from
other stock they are good to have.
A friend pastured his cow in the road,
finally a bunch of sheep was turned out
and the oow quit "using" near home and
went far enough to miss the sheep range.
Some farmers olaim that sheep will
browse where cattle won't. 1 trisdall In
one woodland pasture; the sheep ate the
grassy spots close enough to starve the
cow to death before they broused. They
leave an odor of greasy wool on the
grass that cattle mnst be forced to eat.
If I kept sheep I'd keep them as my
principal stocK, and try to keep my
milk cow in a lot to herself.
Onr feeders depend largely on grass to
fatten sheep. In the winter they are fed
fodder ln every shape, with clover hay
as a best oholce. Also oats shelled corn
or fodder with corn on it. A sheep may
be fattened in half the time a steer requires and is a good feeder.
They do not seem to need warm shelter
bnt dry and free from wind. Ifyon go to
the yards they will sell you "culls" at
yonr own price, and will "month" a
bunoh at a suffer prloe. To "mouth" a
sheep is to catch him and tell his age by
his teeth.
"Old Nannies" as the toothless sheep
are called are often good feeders If well
bred, and can always be bought for a
song and a dollar ahead. One of onr
feeders had 18 lambs.
One neighbor paid (some years ago)
three dollars a head for some old "Nannies." In the spring they bronght as
many lambs. He sold the lambs for
three dollars and then the ewes for three
dollars and the fleeces for $160.
A steer feeder near here says the dogs
don't ever kill his sheep because he
keeps cattle with them, and he says if he
can manage to keep a cow and calf in the
pasture that she will rnn all dogs away.
Sheep in a near by pasture are easily
Mnght to come up every night, and a
barnyard  may be made dog tight.
A wolf, or a dog which came from a
wolf, catches prey by the neck by choice.
His second choice is the thigh. If he
catches by the thigh and throws his prey
his next grab is at the throat. Why not
nse a neok band with nails in it?
One keeping sheep shonld always dip
for ticks at shearing time. Soab and
foot rot are controlled by dips, if they occur.
I notloed ln the wool growers' association last winter great loss reported by Intestinal worms. The worm eggs are
dropped on the grass with the manure,
usually in July. If the season la dry
they mostly perish; if damp like last
July they live several weeks. The sheep
take them in the stomaoh with
the grass. Hence last year we had
a heavy loss by clogging with
worms. A change of pasture or very
large range would have saved thousands
of sheep.
The association also talked of remedies
for grub ln the head. This Is a maggot
from an egg laid ln the nostrils. The
remedy Is preventive. Salt ln a V
trough, and smear the sides with tar, so
the sheep will get lt on their noses.
On the train one day I heard an Idaho
sheep grower, who oarrles 35,000 head, say
that he once had a buck that he thought
was "horn heavy" and sawed them cff.
He then saw that his frontal sinews was
full of maggots. He turned his head
down and knobked lt on a stone and they
rolled out. He says that from that he
now trephines any sheep's skull and Jars
out the maggots. This may seem like a
fish story,bntyou might think of lt twioe.
First, they are easily 1_rred off from
flesh. Second, it would not be a serious
operation. Third, some weak preparation containing turpentine would make
them wriggle loose, and be easily Jarred
out.
In last week's experience department
the printer made C. E, N. say near the
olose "A response that <I do not know' is
sufficient to relieve us the tremendous
responsibility for the immorality that is
abont us." The word "sufficient" should
have read "insufficient." Don't miss Mr.
Hart's three articles elsewhere on diseases of swlne. E. H. Collins.
Girl Life ln a Mill Town.—A Touching*
' Incident of Tenement Life.
When Ellen was ten years  old she was
badly burned ln the legs by an acoldent
with a lamp, and  she has never walked
since!
I asked her If she ever went out-doors.
"Ob, no," she said, pleasantly.    "Sometimes,   when  It's  very  hot, I get downstairs to the back door.   I've  never been
down street.   I've never seen the town.
I wish I could see  what  Main  Street is
like.   I  was  only   ten years old when I
was  burned,  and I'd  hardly ever been
down street before that time "
I asked her if she could go to drive If I
came for her wllh a carriage.
"I haven't any olothos of my own," she
sald,ubutl could wear my sister's things."
The mother showed no especial Interest
when I told her tbat I was coming to take
her crippled daughter out. When she was
all dressed for her little Jiurney, the
driver took her in his arms and placed
her in the open phaoton.
It was a shabby little town through
which we drove, but in It Ellon saw the
kingdoms of this world and the glory
thereof.
"I don't know how to thank you for
your kindness," she said, gently, as she
found we were finally returning to the
tenement house which she called her
home.
It soemed cruel to take her back. The
driver lifted hor with added tenderness
out of tho oarrlage, and insisted on carrying her up the outer steps into the house.
Ellen called out goodbye and waved a
timid farewell from the stairs, and I
scarcely noted the mother's face or voice,
for the girl's eyes were shining, as 1
think I never saw any other human eyes
shine.—Lillie B. Chace Wyman in the
September Atlantic.
Na 71, Jnly 17.—Renovating an orchard.
In writing don't fail to noto new points
not generally known; also other points
of real experienoe. Address all copy 10
days before publication.
Let subscribers write experienoe only
on practical topics. We do not desire
essays but a pithy, chatty experience. A
sort of heart to heart talk, such as yon
enjoy with a neighbor.
Carmel. K. H. Co_._.i_ra.
Tampering With Sin.
A yonng lady going home from her father's store,ln Morristown, N. J .grasped
the guy-wire on the electrio light pole ln
front of her father's house, to see if she
conld get a slight shook. Her hand was
suddenly contracted by a powerful current which swept throngh her body. The
yonng girl screamed in agony. She
writhed and fell to the ground, bnt she
could not relax her hold npon the live
wire, which was burning her hands, for
she had reached np with her left to tear
her right hand away. Men and boys ran
toward her, but not one dared to put out
a hand to save the girl. Then her mother
ran ont, ' O, mamma," cried the girl,
"save me! My hands are burning np?"
The mother qnickly grasped her daughter aronnd the waist, bnt she was hurled
to the ground as it by the blow of a club.
Finally a man came up with presence of
mind enough to take an ax and sever the
wire. He was ln time to save the girl's
life, bnt she was fearfully burned. The
Incident suggests tragedies that are taking place every day before onr eyes.
Many people are willing to tamper with
sin, and rnn the risk of a slight shock. A
boy likes to drink a glass of wine that
will make his nerves tingle, and many
are asking themselves, How far can I
go In the wrong way without being
thrown? That is the way the devil fishes
for men and women. People grasp his
wires and get a slight shock, and only
laugh at danger, bnt some day they take
hold of a live wire, that has all the fire of
hell ln lt, and they are struok throogh
and through with death. It ls better-not
to play with the devil's wires at all.—Ex.
How Nails are Named.
Two accounts are given ot the origin of
the term "sixpenny," "eightpenny,"
"tenpenny," and so on, as applied to the
various sizes of nails. Acoording to one
statement, when nails were made by
hand, the penny was taken as a standard
of weight, and six were made to equal
the weight of a copper penny. This ez-
planation ls opan to criticism on aocount
of the very small size of the nails of
which six were needed to balance even the
large-sized old-faBhioned copper penny.
Others are much more probable. One
explanation holds that tenpenny nails
originally sold for tenpenoe a hundred,
sixpenny nails for sixpence a hnndred,
and so on, the smaller nails selling for"
the lower price. Another explanation is
that 1,000 nails of the tenpenny size used
to weigh ton pounds, 1,000 of the sixpenny size six pounds, and so on for other
sizes. Of the ordinary sixpenny nails
there are eighty to the pound; of the
eightpenny there are fifty; tenpenny,
thirty-four; twelvepenny, twenty-nine.
Manchester Merchants a Century Ago.
A recently issued work on "Mercantile
Manchester" states that in the 18th century opulent merchants frequented an
evening clnb, at which "the expenses of
eaoh person were fixed at fonrpence halfpenny, viz., fonrpence for ale and a halfpenny for tobacco." Later a sixpenny-
worth of punch and a pipe or two were
esteemed "fully sufficient for the evening's tavern amusement of the principal inhabitants." The worthy host Invariably turned out his guests punctually
at 8 o'clock, sometimes with the assistance of a whip, for which he frequently
received the thanks of the ladies of Manchester—Westminster Gazette.
The way to banish red ants Is to wash
the pantry shelves with hot water and
soap. The ants find nothing ln common
with the absolute cleanliness of the freshly washed shelves.—New England Farmer.