10 



THE L'ARiMER'5 MONTHLY VISITOR. 



From llie Fanner's C'abintt. 



Feediii? Cattle. 



Mr. KliiTOK — Yiui will oblige one of your c.oii- 

 stmt readers by puhlisliiiig the foUowinij extract. 

 It is short, but'not less worthy. I would recom- 

 mend to all my hrotlier farmers who have adopted 

 the soiling system, 1o see that their cattle are pro- 

 perly attended to and at regular interval.?. Noth- 

 ing should he permitted to break in upon and de- 

 range your system, for upon this, in a good degree, 

 rests your success. 



" Regularity of feeding cattle is of prime impor- 

 tance. Three times a day, precisely at a certain 

 hour, cattle, according to Mr. Ijawrcnce, should 

 be furnished with their food. — Mr. Dean observed, 

 that neat cattle and horses should not have so 

 much laid before them at once as will (juite serve 

 to fill them. The hay they have breathed on much 

 they will not cat U]> clean, unless they are very 

 hungry. It is l)est, therefore, to fodder them twice 

 at night, and twice in the morning. Let neat cat- 

 tle as well as horses have both light and fresh air 

 let in upon their fodder when the weather is not too 

 cold and stormy to allow the windows to he open. 

 What one sort of cattle leaves should he given to 

 another sort. Those that chew the cud will eat 

 the leavings of those wlio do n-at, and vice vcrsa.'^ 



Summer feeding of cows. 



Hon. Ei.EAZER J.iCKSos, of Cornish, N. H. in- 

 forms us that a neighbor of his three years ago, ac- 

 cidentally bringing home a small quantity of the 

 Southern or Virginia corn which is extensively 

 used near the sea board for horse feed, planted it 

 about the usual time of planting the common corn. 

 it is well known that tin* season in New England 

 is not of sufficient lengtli to ripen Soathern "^orn ; 

 it grows very high and stout. The man however, 

 having a stinted pasture which almost became bare 

 in July and August, fed two or more cows morn- 

 ing and evening upon the green corn, stalks, and 

 ke])t up their milk. Judge Jackson keeps ordina- 

 rily fifteen to twenty co\^'s. For the two last years 

 he has planted two and three quarts of the Virgin- 

 ia corn, on about one fourth of an acre of well pre- 

 pared land ; and this has furnished him abundant 

 product for feeding his herd of cows each morn- 

 ing, say from the middle of July till the season of 

 frost. Cut up a little distance from the ground, 

 new suckers spring jn repeated succession from the 

 original stalk. When, in the latter part of tlie sea- 

 son, the stalk becomes too tough ti3r the cattle to 

 eat all, the hogs will make good use of the remain- 

 der thrown to them. As this corn will not ripen 

 in New England, it will become necessary to pro- 

 cure seed annually irom the south, ^vhich may 

 easily be done in the most of oilr seaports. 



From the description of Judge J. we think the 

 phmting of Southern corn to be a better method for 

 feeding milch cows in summer, than the sowing of 

 Lucerne or French clover, which is practised by 

 some. To those farmers who have arid and dry 

 pastures, this must be an easy mode oi" keeping up 

 their quantity of milk ; and if some of the many 

 in one at least of our villages, who turn their cows 

 upon the street in violation of law to depredate up- 

 on their neighbors' yards and fields, especially when 

 after one week's dry weather the road becomes as 

 barren as a naked barn floor, should plant a plat of 

 Southern corn and take the daily trouble to feed 

 their cows, the present sufferers might well af- 

 ford to be taxed tu pay them for their time. 



So decisive is the benefit to be derived from feed- 

 ing cows in this manner, as realized from the actu- 

 al experiment of our informant, that we trust ma- 

 ny farmers will n(.\tyear follow so good an exam- 

 ple. 



FriMii til- r>il.i:!ilpliia Far.nei's Cabinet. 

 The Roller. 

 This implemoMt w hieli has come into general use, 

 only within the last few years, is of so deservedly 

 an useful character, that it nowranks in importance 

 with the plough and li inow— and no farmer can 

 consider his stock of agricultural implements com- 

 plete, without the possession of one of these. TIrey 

 are principally constructed on two plans, the one 

 consists of a single cylindrical piece of timber set 

 in a frame, in which it revolves, by gudgeons; the 

 other, of two such timbers, eachof which is half 

 the length of the single one. The latter is prefera- 

 ble in the turning of the angles of fields and lands. 

 The objects to which it can be advantageously ap- 

 plied are various : — -Grounds which remain cloddy 

 after being ploughed and harrowed, can be reduced 

 by the roller to a state of pulverization, which with 

 the harrow only, could scarcely be accomplished. 

 Crops, succeeding Indian corn, may be taken off 

 \vith much more facility, particularly if they be 



heavy and lodged, by having the corn stubble and 

 other protuberances levelled down with the roller. 



It is of considerable utility in mowing grounds, 

 by pressing small stones in the ground, which 

 would otherwise impede the scythe in the mowing, 

 and by levelling -weeds to Ihe ground, which great- 

 ly facilitates their decomposition. Grain, which 

 has been frozen out during the winter, may be con- 

 siderably benefitted by passing the roller over it 

 and bringing the fibres of the roofs in contact with 

 the earth again. There is another object to which 

 1 would invite the attention of farmers — in the use 

 of the roller — that is, in the preparing of their 

 grounds for corn. 



The roller may be used to great advantage on 

 any sod after being ploughed, by making the ground 

 more compact, which will facilitate the decomposi- 

 tion of the sod and render it more impervious to 

 drought. In corn ground in addition to the above, 

 it prevents the furrows from being moved by the 

 cultivator in the dressing of the corn and renders 

 the ground in much finer tilth than it would other- 

 wise be with the same labor, without the roller. 



A. 



Chester County, March IGth, 1S3S. 



Use of liiine. 



Lockhart, in his life of Sir Walter Scott, relates 

 the following anecdote : 



'There see' — he continued, 'that farm there at 

 the foot of the hill, is occupied by- a respectable 

 enoKgh tenant of mine; I told him I had a great 

 desire for him to try the cflect of liine on his laud. 

 He said he doubted its success, and could not ven- 

 ture to risque so much money as it would cost. 

 Well, said 1, fair enough; but as I wish to have 

 the experiment tried, you shall have the lime for 

 the mere carting ; 3'ou may send to 'he place where 

 it is to be l-'ought, and at the term day you shall 

 strike oft' the whole value of the lime from the rent 

 due to me. When the pay day came, my friend the 

 farmer came with his whole rent, which he laid 

 down on the table before me, without deduction. 

 "How's this, my man; you are to deduct for the 

 lime, you know." "Why, Sir Walter," he repli- 

 ed, "my conscience will not let me imjjose upon 

 you so far — the lime you recommended me to try, 

 and which but for your suggestion I would never 

 have tried, has produced more than would have 

 purchased the lime half a dozen times over, and I 

 cannot think of making a deduction." 



Fi-oai tlie Fainiei's Cabinet. 



To destroy the Cut M'orm. 



Siu — 1 am not a farmer; but as I take a lively- 

 interest in the prosperity of agriculture, the first 

 and most important of the arts, it is my delight to 

 converse with farmers, especially if they are intel- 

 ligent. I had a conversation with a gentleman a 

 few days since, Mr. A. C. R., of Arneylown, N, J. 

 in which ho stated, that about a year since, he met 

 with a small article in the Cabinet, upon the utility 

 of giving the cut worm something green to eat. 

 He determineu to try it, and accordingly gathered 

 the skunk weed or cabbage, that being the earliest 

 and most easily obtained. He dropped the leaves 

 from six to seven feet apart between the rows ; 

 and found it to succeed to admiration ; as on an 

 examination a few days afterward, he found the 

 corn untouched, but under each leaf or weed he 

 !iad dropped he found from twenty-three to forty- 

 seven worms. The ground under the leaves and 

 the leaves tliemselyes were completely perforated. 

 The worms being thus collectec, were easily des- 

 troyed. Mr. R. thinks it an excellent remedy. 



May 24th, 1S39. J. D. 



To preveut Horses being teased by Flies. 



Take two or three small handfuls of walnut 

 leaves, upon which, pour two or three rjuarts of 

 cold water; let it infuse one night, and pour the 

 whole next morning into a kettle, and let it boil 

 for a quarter of an hour; — when cold it will be fit 

 for use. No more is required than to moisten a 

 sponge, and before the horse goes out of the stable, 

 let those parts which are most irritable be smeared 

 over w-ith the liquor, viz. between and upon the 

 ears, the neck, the flank, &e. Not only the lady 

 or gentleman who rides out for pleasure, will de- 

 rive benefit from the walnut leaves thus prepared, 

 but the coachman, the wagoner, and all others who 

 use horses during the hot months. — Farmer's Jie- 

 eeipt Book. 



properly ground and bolted. The editor of the 

 Boston Mercantile Journal says he lately purchas' 

 ed a barrel of Maine flour senl on sale to that city* 

 by F. A. IJutman, Esq. of Dixmont, wdio raised the 

 wheat on his own farm and manufactured it into 

 flour in his own mill, and he declares th-^t the bread 

 made from it equals in delicacy of color that made 

 from the beet quality of Maryland or Pennsylvania 

 flour. It is true, that as good flour my be, and is, 

 produced in this state, as that procured fVom the 

 southern and western sections of the country. In- 

 deed wheat is better, in point of quality, as also 

 are corn and potatoes, which are raised in north- 

 ern latitudes. 7'here is, we believe, niore subsis- 

 tence in a bushel of Maine wheat, than in the same 

 qiiantity of wheat raised in Virginia or Maryland. 

 It may not be altogether so white, because most of 

 it is summer wheat, but even in this respect, when 

 properly^ milled, it will not come perceptibly behind 

 the southern flour. The time we trust is not far 

 distant, when Massachusetts will look to Maine, 

 rather than to Baltimore and New York for her 

 flour, and when Maine flour shall be as well known 

 and as popular as Genesee now is. 



Should the season prove favorable, there will be 

 a great quantity of wheat raised in Rlainc this year; 

 but not so great as would have been were not our 

 cultivators generally fearful of the risk of the wc- 

 vil. In many instances, where farmers have with- 

 holden wheat from the sowing this spring, they 

 have substituted barley in its place — which hither- 

 to has been a profitable and a sure crop. 



Maine Cutticator. 



Tu remove spots of grease, piteli or oil from toool- 

 len elotli. — In a pint of spring water dissolve an 

 ounce of pure pearlasb, adding to the solution a lem- 

 on cut in small slices. This being properly mixed 

 and kept in a warm state for two days, the whole 

 must be strained and ke])t in a bottle for use. A 

 little of this liquid poured on tb.e stained part, is 

 said instantaneously to remove all spots of grease, 

 pitch or oils, and the moment they disappear, the 

 cloth is tube washed in clear water. 



GUisgoic Meelianic's Magozine. 



Maine Flour. 



We are glad to notice that our western brethren 

 are beginning to have a just idea of the capacity of 

 Maine as the future granary of New England, and 

 especially of the excellence of our flour, when 



Miiiigc. — This Is a cutaneous disease, which is 

 very contagious, for so many cows as come in con- 

 tact with one laboring under the disorder, will be 

 sure to catch it. Its symptonis are, a scarf on the 

 external part of the body, which is always attend- 

 ed with an itching. This the animal shows, by 

 haying a continual inclination to rub the affected 

 parts against any thing she can get at. Some say 

 that it is a kind of animalcula?, which burrows in 

 the skin. It generally attacks those animals which 

 are low in flesh, and have been fed on poor for- 

 age. 



The first step in order to cure this disease, is to 

 take a currycomb and gently curry off the scurf, in 

 order that the medicine may have a better effect. 

 After this, the fbllowingapplication is to be rubbed 

 on Ihe parts aft'ected, which may be repeated every 

 three or four days till a cure is "effected ; and it sel- 

 dom requires more than two or three applications: 

 Flour of sulphur 1 lb. 



Spirits of turpentine 1-2 pt. 



Train oil enough to make it into a thin liquid. 



Scotch snuff or sulphur, applied to the vines of 

 cucumbers, &c., is recommended to prevent the 

 ravages of the yellow-striped bug. 



.Vrilc of securing Tiiiiher from ilcciiy. — Timber 

 lor buildings, especially for ships, bridges, canals, 

 granaries and stables, may be efl'ectually preserved 

 from decay and parliciilarly from the rot, by re- 

 peatedly impregnating the wood with a solution of 

 common salt and green copperas. This simple pro- 

 cess is attended with such decided advantage that 

 wood thus prepared will remain for ages, perfectly 

 sound. 



Wood impregnated with alum, salt or coppei'is is 

 also rendered in a great degree incombus'tible as 

 well as incorruptible. When thus prepared it may 

 be charred or consumed by intense heat, but caji 

 scarcely be made to blaze, and of course would uot 

 readily communicate fire to other objects in its vi- 

 cinity. 



.4 composition for painting /f'oorf, 4'f .— A resjiec- 

 table correspondent sent us the following recipe 

 for a paint which he says is durable and appears 

 well. 



1 quart of salt dissolved in a gallon of hot water 



1 lb. of coarse brown sugar in a quart of hot wa 

 ter. 



5 lbs. spruce yellow. 



a lbs. lime JVcio England Farmer 



