106 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



usual and greater error of " feet square." Thus, 

 in like manner as elsewhere, at page 77, it says 

 that for the brood from 5 oz. of eggs, in the 4ih 

 age, "the space which the worms must occupy is 

 412 feet square"— which is more than 4 acres 

 space of shelves, when the worms are not half 

 giOwn, and will require twice as much space when 

 liilly grown. 



In D'Homergue's recent volume on silk-culture, 

 we expected to find that he, at least, as a foreigner, 

 from a silk region, and professing to be entirely 

 acquainted vviih the subject, would discover and 

 expose the errors of Dandolo's earlier translators 

 and their copyists. But his treatise is, like several 

 others, almost a copy of the translators; and this 

 gross error of space was not even suspected by 

 him. It is true that in most places he directs 

 "square feet" instead of "feet square." But in 

 that he has merely fallen into one error instead of 

 the other. Moreover, in one place, he takes the 

 opposite and greater error, and gives his directions 

 so explicitly and fully, that the error cannot be 

 ascribed to inadvertence. At page 69, he says, 

 " Fourteen feet eight inches square of table or 

 wicker hurdles are needed for the accommodation 

 of the worms from one ounce of eggs, until the 

 accomplishment of the second moulting." And 

 by his elsewhere, as to the alter ages, staling 

 " square-leet" instead of " leet square," it only 

 shows that he went not only into one, but into 

 both of these great and opposite mistakes, and 

 without suspecting the existence of either of them. 

 ~Ed, Far. Reg. 



more. When at work he kept thera more gene" 

 rously than common, and he invariably milked 

 them three times per day. It was a common 

 remark that they allorded more butter and cheese 

 than any oilier two cuvvs in the town. If it should 

 prove irue that, cows in general may be worked, 

 say six hours during a summer's day, and by the 

 help of a little extra keep, aHord as much or more 

 milk and butter ihfin if not worked and ordinarily 

 kept, there certainly is a saving to work them. 



We are not so very strongly opposed to the sys- 

 tem as to be blind to (acts, and if experiment, 

 (iihly tried, shall prove it to be both economical and 

 profitable, we should recommend it. 



A good stanch yoke of oxen suits our ideas of a 

 team better than any thing else, but lliere are 

 many who are not able to own such a team, and 

 the time spent in running round to hire often 

 makes quite a tax to those who are under the ne- 

 cessity of doing il. If such persons can get up a 

 cow team, and not abridge their supply of cream, 

 it may prove a convenience to them. It is worth 

 a carelijj trial. 



HAY TKA FOR SWIIVE. 



WORKING COWS. 



From tlie Maine Farmer. 



Sorne people are strong advocates for working 

 cows in the same manner that we do oxen. We 

 have once or twice expressed ourselves opposed to 

 this, inasmuch as we think that the cow has 

 enough to do to attend to the dairy, and to impose 

 the burdens of tlie yoke upon her, too, is requirin"- 

 a double duty. ° 



We are however willing that facts should be 

 known. We have no doubt that the cow is very 

 kind and patient in the yoke, (or we have seen 

 them in that situation, and know that they did well. 

 In conversation with Mr. Francis Wingate, ol 

 Hallowell, the other day. upon this sut'ijcct he 

 gave us the following narraiive. 



A Mr. lloyt, of Amesbury, Mass., many years 

 ago, wasin the constant habit of working his cows. 

 He was a small farmer, having about twenty-five 

 acres of land, which, with the aid of liis two cows, 

 he cultivated well, and obtained a good liviui; lor 

 himsell'anil family. His mode of operation was as 

 ibilows — He usually obtained the help of a stronger 

 team for breaking up and other heavy operations, 

 but the ordinary work he did with his cows. He 

 worked them about three hours early in the morn- 

 ing, and then let them lie by until three o'clock in 

 the afternoon, when he worked them three hours 



From tlie New England Fanner. 



To Elias Phinney, .Esq. : — I should not thus 

 publicly have called upon you for any information 

 which your long experience in swine breeding 

 might suggest, but lor the fact that your liberality 

 is no less proverbial than is your opinion in these 

 matters worthy of credit. 



V/ilhin the last two or three yeare, 1 have bred 

 and raised a considerable number of hogs, but, un- 

 til vviihin the last [h\\ months, I have been among 

 the unbelievers touching ^Hmproved breeds''' so call- 

 ed, and which are now circulating so much more 

 generally than heretofore in our country. In Sep- 

 tember last, my attention was arrested by the pic- 

 torial representation of a Berkshire hog, at the 

 head and advertisement in one of our agricultural 

 publications — \\\(i picture of which pleased me so 

 much that I determined (brlhvvi:h to try them. I 

 purchased at your establishment two sows of your 

 iiivorite and well known Berkshire and Mackay 

 cross — 1 obtained a pair of Chinese sows out of im- 

 ported stock — my Berkshires were from the slock 

 of Caleb N. Bemeni and others — and in the early 

 part of November last, my establislimenl consisted 

 in paitof fifteen breeding sows of the Berkshire, 

 Chinese, Berkshire and Mackay, and other crosses, 

 together with two Berkshire boars, and one large 

 Mackaj', Berkshire and Mocha boar. As occasion 

 presented, I tried various experiments with these 

 animals, and, in most cases, was pleased with the 

 results. 



Towards the latter part of December, 18.39. a 

 work enliiled ihe " /hncrican Swine Breeder'''' was 

 published. Amongst ihe variety of articles recom- 

 mended therein as (iiod for swine, I noticed that a 

 " Mr. Saunders, of Stroud, Gloucestershire, Eng., 

 had made use ot hay tea with much success." Thia 

 gentleman " fed a stock of four hundred head of 

 hogs, and in the course of his experiments used 

 some 1500 hogsheads of the wash — maintained 

 them at the very low rate of one penny per day — 

 many of them were fit lor the butcher." &c. &c. 

 Economy in \hefood (or swine being among the 

 first considerations with me, I forlluvilh adopted 



