14 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



as feeding anJ fattening hogs exclusively on corn, 

 at the present high prices, it is evident to every 

 one, would be a losing and ruinous concern. It 

 is therefore recommended, that as soon as the har- 

 vesting of potatoes commences, the hogs should 

 be confined and fed with boiled or steamed pota- 

 toes, with a few pumpkins, beets or carrots ; and 

 peas, oats and buckwlieat, ground together, should 

 be well mixpd, when hot, and fed lukewarm, reg- 

 ularly three times per day. Great care should 

 be taken not to cloy their appetites, by fijeding 

 more than they will eat at each time and as they 

 advance, it is recommended to feed them a little at 

 a time, several times in the day. To keep them 

 easy and quiet, much depends on regularity, for 

 they keep much better time than many are aware 



of. 



To harden and give solidity to their flesh, about 

 two or three weeks previous to their slaughtering, 

 they should be plentifully fed wiih corn and pure 

 water, but it would be more economical to have 

 the corn reduced to meal, and if convenient made 

 into mush pudding, adding a little salt by way of 

 relish. A small quantity of fine chaicoal thrown 

 into their pens occasionally, and a small quantity 

 of sulphur, mixed with the (bod, will add much to 

 their health. 



It has been ascertained that one bushel of grain 

 ground and cooked, will go nearly as lar as two 

 in its whole state. The above remarks will apply 

 equally well to grown hogs. 



JVlarch pis;s, well faliened, weighing from 200 

 to 250 pounds, and killed in December, will com- 

 mand in this market the highest price ; but (or 

 consumption on the (arm, an older and larger hog 

 is recommended, say from 300 to 400 pounds. 



Hogs treated as above, if of a good breed, will 

 require from six to eight weeks to (atten them su(- 

 ficiently for slaughtering. 



C. N. Bement Chairman. 



APPLICATION OF MANURES, AND THEIR EF- 

 FECTS. SHEEP. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Orange, December Ylth, 1839. 



My few contributions to the Register, have be^n 

 upon the subject of manures, and my plan of en- 

 deavoring to fertilize therewith a much worn (iirm. 

 The making of manures and their application, I 

 acknowledge to be my hobby ; and one I delight 

 to ride. Therefore permit me to give you my pro- 

 ceedings in this important branch of the (iirmer's 

 avocation during the present year. 



In January last, all the manure that was of the 

 proper description was applied as a lop-dressing to 

 the wheat. About the middle ofMarch, the (iirm- 

 pen manure, which was composed of straw, corn- 

 stalks, weeds, leaves, and the droppings of the 

 cattle, not being sufliciently decomposed to admit 

 of turning in with the plough properly, was heap- 

 ed; giving lime to the heap as the work progressed, 

 which soon reduced it to the proper consistency, 

 and adding greatly to the value of the manure; 

 this was given to the corn land. The ashes col- 

 lected, with plaster in the proportion of two parts 

 ashes and one of plaster, was ap[ilied to our old 

 meadows, at about four bushels to the acre; the 

 meadow previously scarified by a heavy harrow, 



the teeth of vvhich made sharp and curved at the 

 points; this produced a heavy crop. At present 

 the ground being sufiicienlly firm, from the few 

 days of freezing weather, all the manure collected 

 since the spring is now being applied to the wheat, 

 except a su(ficiency of the most thoroughly rotted, 

 for the garden. This being preferred, as the germs 

 of the seeds of weeds, &c., are destroyed by the 

 heat necessary to reduce vegetable matter to muck. 

 The result of my applications of leaves (rom the 

 woods turned in, is very satisfactory. And the 

 grand result of nny hobby is, " the gathering of 

 twoearsof corn, (rom land, which before I mounted 

 my hobby, only produced one." 



Though this branch of husbandry receives much 

 attention, there are others afibrding me great plea- 

 sure and equal profit, viz: in 1834 I purchased 30 

 sheep at 10s. 6(/. — is .'Si52 50. By referring to my 

 sheep account, I find sales of wool at 40 cents per 

 pound, independent of mutton and lambs con- 

 sumed, net proceeds to credit of sheep ^262 70. 

 Number of sheep counted to-day 40. The sheep 

 when purchased were of no particular breed, and 

 very indifl'erent ; instead of selling my lambs at 

 S2 to the butcher, ! select the best for breeders, 

 thereby always having a young flock, and dispo- 

 sing of the old when mutton at ^4, besides gain- 

 ing the yearly fleece, which is nearly equal to the 

 price of the lambs. My flock at present is half 

 Bakewell, which I preli'r, in conseqtience of their 

 fjjttening qualities, length of wool and heavy fleece. 



My sheep have not had a bushel of grain, and 

 no fodder exf^ept when snow prevents their getting 

 grass. Their pasture is frequently changed ; salt 

 twice a week, reserving the best blue grass pas- 

 ture, into which they are turned about the 12ih of 

 December; their shelter is a pine thicket. I never 

 pen Ihem, though their manure is a great tempta- 

 tion to do so, yet I believe it injurious, and they 

 would more probably be stolen. 



J. R. SpOTSWOOD, 



REELING SILK. 



From tlic Journal of the American Sillc Society. 



The ease with which the operation of reeling 

 silk may be performed is not generally known ; in- 

 deed, it is known to none but those who have 

 tried their hand at it, and many even of them 

 have got out of patience belbre discovering it. 

 We have heard many anecdotes illustrative of the 

 facility with which persons who never either reeled 

 or saw it done. An aged jjentleman related to us a 

 kw months since, the following: He had con- 

 structed a Piedmontesc reel from the drawing and 

 description in the Silk Journal, and placed it in a 

 back room for the purpose of giving it a trial. He 

 had carefully studied all the directions for the ope- 

 ration, and prepared himself to carry them out lit- 

 erally; aller some difliculiy he had caught the fibres 

 of as many cocoons as he wished to combine in a 

 thread, had got the two thieads passed through the 

 eyes of the plate, and even passed them around 

 each other twenty times, as directed, belbre passing 

 I hem through the guides of the traversing bar onto 

 the bars ol'lhe reel.' At last all this was ready. He 

 looked at the cocoons, at the threads, wound 

 around each other, and at the reel, with doubt and 

 hesitation. " It will not do," said lie, " surely those 



