THE WISCONSIN FARMER.                                 
            261

              Iowa GleaniMgs.                the sheep of their covering.
I protested that

  Now that the Mississippi river divides the it was not time, but they asserted
Ilya, ya,
Union, viz: the Wis. FARMER and your humble goot time," and so fooled
the animals as they
servant, a few gleanings from the west side of chose. But the example has
its lessons though
the "Father of Waters" may not be amiss to they carried it to an
extreme  It is often the
your readers.                                base that, for the sake of washing
before shear-
                                             ing, we wait for warm water
and weather till
  This is a "great country," like all the rest much of the wool
becomes loose, greatly to
of the great Northwest.  Wheat, corn, oats, the loss and discomfort of owner
and sheep.
barley, sugar cane, pigs, cattle, &c, are the
staple products.  The country through this  Sugar Cane is receiving much
attention.
county is very broken, but well watered. The Almost every man is planting
one to five acres.
streams or rivers-are numerous and very crook- Arrangements have been made
for one man to
ed, especially the Yellow river, rising in the get a mill and work up the
entire stock for the
county west and making an easterly course to neighborhood.  All hands are
taking hold of
the Mississippi but in many places running a | it with a will, evidently
intending to be inde-
distance of four to six miles and really gain- pendent of the world and the
rest of mankind.
ing butione. The timber upon most of these  But one thing northern Iowa very
much
streams resembles that of New York. Mhaplo needs, and must have iil order
to develop her
is abundant, and maple sugar has been made ,full resources as an agricultural
state. HIer.
in large quantities the past spring. One man I prairies are large enough
anl her soil is rich
we met had made nearly 1,00 :lbs. and the enough, btlt there is no market
for the back



season was not then over.
  The prairies are very rolling and broken,
but no gravel to be found. They arc covered
with a rich, strong limestone soil.  Winter
wheat is looking remarkably well, much to the
disappointment of all. The winter was very
open-no snow-and all expected that the
wheat would be ruined. But an abundance of
rain sustained sufficient moisture, quite con- I
trary to a cold dry winter, and the crop now
bids fair for one of the best if not the best



raised for many years. Chinch bugs last year
ruined almost the entire crop of spring wheat,
so that farmers have now great confidence in
the winter wheat crop, as ripening before they
reach it.
  Considerable attention is being paid to rais-
ing sheep, especially among the Norwegians.
And wherever I go now I find the girls busy
at their tread-spindle, working up the this
year's fleece. They taught me a lesson not
without value in the economy of saving wool,
viz: to take it from the sheep early.  They
never wash them, but remove the fleece as early
as April. The first sheep sheating of the sea-
son I saw April Ist. Two women were robbing



counties. Eastern counties find a ready and
convenient market at the river, but to duaw by
teams-frequently cattle-prodlietl 75 to 15)
miles, cats itself up, lcavi" - :.thing for thie
support of the farmer's iatiiily.  Above all is
the moral influence brought to bear upon the
rising generation, as they arc compelled t
travel much upon the road, for weeks and oft-
en months before their surplus produce is all
off. It may be owing ta this drain upon thei
resources that so few agricultural papers ahen
taken. -- t  -ue hu-u-I-U oP TlamlL v 1.-l



visited, not six could show me the "1 Farmer'A
own paper."
  Fruit trees are in bloom and look well. A
slight frost last week, but it lid little di.mage.
                                 0. S. W.
 Alainakee C.., Iowa, May 11, 1863.

 KILLING CANADA TItISTLES.-In the spring
 of 1861 1 bought a few acres of land. That
 part of it on which I intended to make my gar-
 den and plant my vegetables grew so lull of
 Canada thistles that I thought it was entirely
 worthless. But I resolved to try what hoeing
 would do; so, just as soon as the thistles got
 one or two inches long, I hoed them, through
 the whole season.  This year, up to the pres-
 ent date, not one thistle has appeared. Any
 one who will adopt this plan of extermination