414 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



for sheep bells. He said the only way he could 

 protect his lambs against the depredations of the 

 ioxes, was by putting bells on a few of the sheep 

 in his flock ; when this was done, the lambs were 

 safe. VVe thought the hint wonh remembering, 

 and have put it down here for the benefit of our 

 readers. — Farmers^ Gazette. 



SPLEKDID INSECT. 



From the Baltimore Amnrican. 



There is now at the B iltimore Museum an in- 

 sect of the glowworm tribe, that surpasses every 

 thing of the kind of which we have any record. 

 It will be recollected that the common glowworm 

 is about half an inch long, and that it is only lu- 

 minous on a portion of its abdomen. The insect at 

 the Museum is two inches and two-thirds in length, 

 when fully extended, and is still growing ; it is 

 one-third of an inch wide ; has 12 rings, the first, 

 the second and third ot which are furnished with 

 a pair of legs each ; and like the Scholopendra of 

 naturalists, (of which this is supposed to be an 

 undescribed species,) its light is not confined to 

 one part, put proceeds from the whole body. 

 When examined at night in a perfectly dark 

 place, its luminous rays extend two feet each way. 

 In such a situation it is one of the most beautiful 

 objects imaginable. We have seen the celebrated 

 ^re-flies of the West Indies, but they are very (ar 

 inferior to this in all respects. It appears to be 

 filled with its peculiar greenish fire of the most in- 

 tense brilliancy, which is emitted through every 

 pore and aperture of the body. As before stated, 

 it has but six legs, and in this it differs from the 

 family of Scholopendra. By day light it resem- 

 bles closely, in form and color the worm that is 

 found in many kinds of wood, particularly hickory ; 

 but it is vastly larger, and its head is also different, 

 being much smaller and of different form. The 

 head is capable of being retracted or drawn en- 

 tirely within the first ring. Probably this descrip- 

 tion will enable some naturalist to astertain what it 

 is. The insect was found near Deer Creek, in 

 Hartford county, in this state, on the surface of the 

 ground. 



CLOVER HAY. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Allow me to call the attention of my brother 

 farmers to two articles published in Vol. i. of the 

 Register, the first at page 169, on clover hay, the 

 second at page 1G2, by C. W. Gooch, on hay 

 making. In the management of my clover hay 

 this year, I followed strictly the instructions therein 

 contained, and I have every reason to be satisfied 

 with the result. The hay is sweet, with green 

 stems, cured without loss of leaves and blossoms, 

 and is eagerly devoured by the horses. Notwith- 

 standing my two great disadvantages of bad wea- 

 ther and great distance of the clover field from the 

 homestead, the whole crop was secured with less 

 trouble and loss than it could possibly have been 

 done by any other mode of management. As 

 many of your present subscribers may not have 

 the first volume of the Register to refer to, I will 

 briefly slate the plan I pursued. 



The mowing was commenced each morning as 

 soon as the dew was off. The clover laid as cut 

 in ewath, until about 2 P. M., by which time it 

 was fallen or wilted. The cocking then com- 

 menced, and all was put in cock which had suf- 

 ficiently wilted, say all that was cut prior to 3 P. 

 M. The cocks were made about 4 to 4|- feet in 

 diameter at the base, and about 5 feet high. When 

 about 3^ or 4 ftet high a skewer, as recommended 

 by Mr. Gooch, was run perpendicularly into each, 

 and the hay cocked upon it. In cocking, the hay 

 was left loose and light. The object of the 

 skewer is to prevent the cocks being upset, or 

 the tops blown off by high winds, which it did 

 far beyond my fullest expectation. 1 did not use 

 the skewer at all the first day of my operations. 

 On the second a storm of wind and rain came, 

 and the top of nearly every cock was blown off. 

 After adopting the use of the skewer, which was 

 immediately done, there was not a single cock in- 

 jured by wind. Besides, with the skewer, the 

 cock can be built higher, and the hay seems to 

 remain looser, and thus permit a freer circulation 

 of air. I think the use of the skewer a matter of 

 the utmost importance. The second and each suc- 

 ceeding day, as soon as the dew is off, the mowing 

 is again commenced, and in two or three hours 

 afterwards the women begin to put into cock the 

 clover cut on the latter part of the previous day, and 

 by 2 P. M. they get to the cutting of the same 

 morning. My object in always wailing till the dew 

 is off', before beginning to cut, is to save all trouble 

 of turning it, for it is necessary when put into cock 

 that it should be free from any dew or rain water. 



This mode of curing hay is much the saliist in 

 bad weather, for if a rain comes after the hay is 

 in cock, it does not penetrate so deep but that it 

 will readily dry again, and if it, comes before, the 

 clover being in a green state is very slightly da- 

 maged. After standing in cock four or five days, 

 if tfie weather is good, the hay is ready for hous- 

 ing. I have begun the third day to put it loosely 

 in open lolis, without damage. The only loss I 

 sustained this year with all the disadvantages of a 

 very wet season, was in the very bottoms of the 

 cocks. Where the hay remained long in contact 

 with the wet earth, it became mouldy. The cocks 

 were always opened, and the hay exposed to the 

 sun two or three hours just before being hauled to 

 the house or stack. 



For skewers I used tobacco sticks, which are 

 four feet long, sharpened at each end. R. J. 



ON THE EFFECT OF CARROTS ON HORSES. 



From the New Genesee Farmer. 



(Sir.— In answer to a query in your excellent 

 paper of the 10th inst., respecting feeding horses on 

 carrots, I am unable to give your correspondent any 

 lengthened experience on the subject; but since 

 I have given my horses (twelve in number) car- 

 rots, I have not percfeived any ill efl^ects from 

 them, neither have I ever heard the root accused 

 of injuring horses' eyes before ; but the chief rea- 

 son of my replying to your correspondent, is to 

 inform him that the parsnip, a root having great 

 affinity to the carrot, is thought to have this effiect, 

 as he will perceive from the following quotations 

 from Quayle's Agriculture of the Islands on the 



