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Spaying Hogs.
J. J. B., writing to the Rural Ca¬
rolinian on this subject, says : “lings
to be operated upon should have no
food for at least twenty-four hours
beforehand. I use a stick about one
inch and a half in diameter, eighteen
inches long, a little crooked in the
middle to prevent it from slipping
nidc to side on pole or rail ; on each
end of the stick a strong string of soft
leather, of sufficient length to make
a noose; which is secured to each
hind leg above the hock joints, then
hang up, and, of course, her head will
be down, and so, too, will all the in¬
testines incline down and be out of the
way ; make an incision about two
inches in length in the abdomen, be¬
tween first and second sets of teats ;
from hind part of animal insert thumb
and forefinger, when the ovaries arc
easily found where the womb unites
with the body, which arc clipped off
with a sharp knife. I use in sewing
a needle about two and a half inches
long, and two or three strands of
shoemaker’s thread twisted together
and waxed with beeswax. I have
been at the business for more than
twenty years, and do not think I have
lost one in a hundred, i pay no at¬
tention to zodiacal signs—have been
noticing of late, at the suggestion of
a friend, and am inclined to the
opinion that they bleed less when op¬
erated on the new of the moon. I
never spay in cold weather, but never
hesitate on account of heat or * dog
days.’ Animals should always have
access to plenty of water. Spaying
greatly improves the flesh, and they
arc much easier fattened ”
“Veterinarian,” iu the Western
Farmer, gives the following instruc¬
tions in regard to this operation:
“Place the sow' upon her left side.
Put a cushion of hay or straw under
her side. Make an incision about four
inches in front of the hip or pin bone,
and about three inches below'. Let
the knife be sharp and clean. Cut
very carefully through the skin and
flesh. Insert the fore-finger of the
right hand, feel carefully for the ova¬
ries, which are soft and pulpy to the
touch, draw them to the opening, and
with a knife or scissors, separate f rom
the uterus, (the womb.) Keturn the
severed ends, put in two or three
stitches, then put upon the wound a
little oil and common salt; put Ler iu
a dry place for three or lour di^'s,
after which she may be let out. Hog
flesh, as a rule, does not take on much
inflammatory by action, and soon heals
nature’s own efforts ” •
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Soiling and Pasturing.
Mr. Brown, of Mankle, Scotland,
a farmer of extensive operations, made
the following experiment in order to
ascertain the comparative merits oi
soiling and pastuiing cattle. In the
spring he took loity-eight Aberdeen¬
shire bullocks which hud been w inter¬
ed in his farm )ard, and separated
them fairly into equal lots, one of w hich
he put to grass, while the other was
s died. The latter were fed on Swe
dish turnips until the clover was ready
for cutting, and then the clover was
given sparingly for a week, iu order
*
to avoid danger from over-eating,after
which a full supply was allowed. f i he
animals thrived exceedingly until the
grass got hard and withered. About
the last of July, the clover having
ripened, vetches were substituted,
which were continued until the second
crop of clover was ready for cutting.
Teu of the soiled lot were sold in
August, ?nd the remainder of the two
lots iu September. The results are
thus stated: The forty eight cattle
cost in purchase and wintering, £503
2s. The best ten of the soiled lot sold
at £17 5s. each ; the remainder of
the two lots sold at £14 5s. each ; the
soiled lot thuR bringing £377, and the
grazed lot £342, a difference of £35
in favor of the soiled cattle. It required
one and three quarter acres ofSwedish
turnips, eight acres of clover, and three
acres of vetches to furnish the food
consumed by the twenty-four soiled
cattle. The result of soiling exhibit¬
ed decidedly the larger profit.— Agri¬
cultural Report.
Berkshire Pigs —A contemporary
asks why Berkshire pigs should be
favored with a separate class at the
Royal Agricultural Meeting? There
is. of course, room for two opinions in
such a matter, but we submit that the
Berkshire is a very characteristic and
widely distributed breed ef pigs, that
it is purely bred, and much thought of
in America, as well as at home While
it is somewhat difficult to discriminate
between many white ami black races,
there is never any doubt as to the
Berkshire. Ills short head, turned
up nose, and while points, maik him
as a pig of unmistakable personal
character ; his quick growth and fit¬
ness for both pork and bacon render
him desirable as a profitable animal,
and his hardihood and activity fit him
in his younger days to range stubbles
and ransack fold yards. Surely, when
a breed has definite ai d recognized
points, a large number of promoters
(breeders), and commands a ready
market at Lome and abroad, it is much
better to allow it a class. How*, iu
deod, could a judge decide between
an Essex and a Berkshire competing
together? The heads aloue would
make the task a very difficult one —
London Agricultural Gazette.
Merino Sheep vs. Cotton. -r- As let¬
ters frequently come to me from
Southern planters, asking for a com¬
parison between Merino sheep and
cotton—representatives respectnely of
the Northern and the Southern farms
—these letters I try toauswer, and bv
request shall endeavor to answer one
of them through the pages of the Ru -
rat Carolinian. Tne inquirer’s
plantation consists of three thousand
aens Butler the present admiuistra
tion and home management of the in¬
efficient and demoralized labor, the
planting business is neither profitable
nor pleasant; but we resolve not to
quit; for this is repulsive. We re¬
solve to change front, and take up a
position fiom which we shall be able
to make a stand, and from which we
can advance both the improvem u s
and profits of the plantation. We
will purchase 50 Merino sheep at a
cost of $25 each, $1,520, and 250
Southern sheep of as fair quality as
we can at a cost of about $3 each,
$750; 12 of the Merinos shall be
rams, the balance?of our sheep shall
be ewes. One man can do all the
work connected with these, and much
other work besides. This flock will
soou increase, aud we will gradually
curtail the cotton growing and increase
wool growing until the cotton stops,
aud with only a few hands we grow
wool, and grain, and grass sufficient
for home use. We have now remarked
the small amount of land required to
maintain oue sheep, and the small
amount of manual labor required —
We have also observed that yonder
splendid Merino has an annual fleece
of ten pounds, which commands **0
cents per pouud, $4; that yonder na¬
tive produces Her but a pound and a half,
60 cents. lamb yonder, a fine
two year-old, gotten by a Merino ram,
has just given us a four-pound fleece,
$160. Our fl »ck has now increased
to the coveted number, and we will
advance. We will cull out the worst
and fatten aod sell, and thus improve
our flock; we make another purchase
of Meriuos, and annually cull out.
Wc have found by experience that it
is better to purchase Mei iues from a
breeder who has a strictly fancy flock
rather than from him who has a me¬
dium flock, for we know what we are
get!ing aud what to expect. On a
track of 300 acres this can be done io
the same ratio— John S. Coe, in Ru¬
ral Carolinian.
To Precent Self-Milking. —A sub¬
scriber writes; “If A. H., McLean
couuty, 111., will put a comm >n joint
bridle bit in his cow’s mouth, fasten¬
ing with a cord orstiap over her head,
she will not suck herself. 1 have a
young cow that had commenced
forming that habit last Spring. I put
in the b.t, which she wore some six or
eight weeks; this bit being au old
one, wore in two, and dropped out;
since then she has not sucked herself
without a bit.”
We succeeded with piece of hickory
about eight inches long, say full a
half an inch thick, with a notch cut
round say a quarter of an inch wide
and a quarter of an inch de< p, with a
nail diivcu into each end, made sharp,
and the wood tapered down to the
nail. Then, with a sharp pointed
knife, run through the division of
nostril, and insert this stick until the
notch is embraced by the cut. This
prevents the cow from milking heiself;
the sharp nails deter her. We have
used this for months on a pure Devon
cow.and after put in she never milked.
— Ex.
A n.odical friend of ours iu Phila¬
delphia, advises us of his great suc¬
cess in rein- dying this, by marching
itou Rogers’ Delaware, 15, a very vigorous grow¬
er. The on tnis stock,
made a growth of nine feet the tmt
season. The Clmtou, or sqy other
free-growing variety, ou which the
Delaware may he woiked, may re¬
move the only objection ever made to
this very popular grape.
Sulphur to Kill Vermin in Nests.
—Now that the season has arrived tor
raising chickens, it is well to know
that the powdered sulphur of the
druggists is the cheapest, handiest,
and best thing yet discovered for kill¬
ing parasites that infest sitting hens,
and find their way tq fresh pastures
upon the chickens a3 soon as the latter
are hatched. Many times people
complain that when their chickens aie
a week or two old, they droop and
die from the attacks of large lice,
which literally cover the heads of the
birds. If examination is made earlier
it will be found that the insects have
taken up their abode upon the chick¬
ens’ heads while still in the nest, for
they forsake the hen, preferring the
ehiekeas. It is a bad business to
have to catch the chickens and lien
for treatment after they have left tin*
nest, when tne remedy can be applied
with so little trouble before hatching
begins. A week or so after the hen
has been given her clutch of eggs,
sprinkle them and the whole of the
nest and the straw for a little distance
around it, with the sulphur when the
hen is off. The night following at¬
tend to the heu herself, by lantern
light. Disturb her just enough to
make her bristle her feathers, and
then dust sulphur well down to their
roots. Go over her whole body thorough¬
ly, excepting the parts in contact with
tne nest, and lift each wing and scat¬
ter a piuch, and attend to head, nei k
and tail. It will not injure the hen in
the least, nor the chickens wh^i they
arc hatched. \\*e repeat the operatic i
at an interval of a week (though per¬
haps one application is sufficient), and
have nevt r found the slightest trace
of vermin upon hen or chicks after¬
wards. Use two small nuudfuls. It
costs little either in money or trouble.
Tobacco, snuff, grease, carbolic pow¬
der, etc., are not to be compared with
sulphur for this particular purpose,
and the best dust-bath privileges for
the hen are not to be relied upon
alone.— Aincrican Agriculturisl .
- - —-• * ♦ -------
Sound Wind in Horses —A horse
whose wind is actually broken can
hardly be mistaken, the short, vibrat¬
ing cough that accompanies it being
quite peculiar. The breathing is gen
orally huiried by exertion, and is
made up of three separate motions.—
In the first the bieath is drawn uatu
rally, the flanks distending as ususl.
In the next the flanks rise with a sod¬
den, momentary, spasmodic effort. In
the third the abdominal muscles arc
slowly and forcibly drawn up as if to
expel the air remaining in the lungs,
broken w inded horses are very eager
for water. The malady may he tem¬
porarily concealed, hut it is believed
to be incurable. Thick or otherwise,
defective wind cannot always be de¬
tected without spending some time
with the horse, lie mu.vt bo watched
in reference to breathing high after
moderate exercise, or a change of p< -
sition or temp ratum, aud alter
drinking. Note whether he coughs
when drinking. Roaring may be de¬
tected by forciDg the hoiao to a Wish
gallop, the ear beiug placed on the
windpipe as soop as he is pulled up,
to make assurance doubly sure.