128 



^[]t iTarmcr's iHontl)iij bisitor. 



llier iiironimtion lesptn-tiiiR it. At prestfiit, llie 

 ri^ilit to ih' iiivuiitioii is in ilis|)iiti! iti tlie V. S. 

 roiiit; Imt i\les.-rs. Diiiiraii and Paddlelbiil of 

 Lunaii, N. II., have |)iiicliiised the palenl rifjiil 

 Cor Nt!W lliiiii|isliire, witli llie assent of both con- 

 tending; claiinanls. 



Mr. Duncan in a plat of heavy tiinwii gross pie- 

 gented a sample of «oi-k «iih his rake, hy which 

 he raked np and cocked liay at the rate of four 

 acres to the hour where the crop exceeded two 

 tons to the acre: he also showed us how, in a 

 roui-'h fiehl, stones or xtiunps standing; twelve to 

 fifteen inches ahove the .surtiice could he passe<l 

 over leaving; all exi'ept the passinj; loolli to huf{ 

 the proinid directly, and that, (one or more,) 

 straighteninjj over the ohstacle in its way, and 

 sprin<;in!,' into its proper position after it passed. 



Mr. Duncan, for further trial, left the raUe in 

 our po.«se.«sioM ; and after that our excellent re- 

 volviu!; rake, so lon^ used, ivas thrown aside hy 

 our workmen. With a well trained horse and 

 this rake one man alone has done the work of at 

 least six hands in raking' and cocking. Mr. Dun- 

 can mentioned to us that in the hurryim; hay sea- 

 son on rough, stumpy and rocky land in his town, 

 a lady, (Mrs. Meigs) assislinj: her husliand and an- 

 other single hand, driving and directing her own 

 horse, raked up the hay of one load, « Idle her 

 hnshand with the ox team went to the harn with 

 another, ami afterwards «ith the same rake went 

 after the cart, njaking ipiite as clean a fiehl in one 

 ibnrlli |)art of the time as the most expert hay- 

 raki r. iJy t!;e ordinary exeriion used heliire a 

 shower, an acre of made li.iy may he secured by 

 the spiral rake in fifleen minutes! 



Tli;: spiral tooth is nvule of large wire rods: 

 the;e rods, in the latest improvement, are made 

 of the best ami most Hexihle iron rather than of 

 steel. It hiMug apparent that the spring tooth is 

 equal to any kind o( tooth whatever on the 

 smoothest surOice, and that is the only tooth thai 

 can he used on imeven, rough and stony sm'lace, 

 the use.liilness and superinrity of this rake to fann- 

 ers L'eiK'i.illv will he perceived. 



Mr. Dnnc.in was so good as to leave one of the 

 sniral rakes liir our gratuitous use. The seasoji 

 is now passed for their use the (uesent year. — 

 But we hope liirmers will turn iheir attcntioti to 

 them for another year. Messr.«. (Jurrier & Knox 

 intend keepijjg n supply of these implemet)ts for 

 liie next season. 'I'hey have sold many of the 

 revolving rakes this year : the price of that is eight 

 dollars. The jirice of the Spiral Spring Tooth 

 Rake, including the right to use it, is ten dollars. 



Potato I«ot. — One of the snhscrihers informs 

 lis of a fact, which may he of much practical im- 

 portance, in relation to the rot in [lolatoes. He 

 says that he raised in his gai'deji the last season, 

 six or eight bushels of the " .Schaghticoke," or 

 " peach blow" potatoes. A part of them were 

 carrieil diiectly to tlie cellar, ami put in a barrel; 

 the reru:nn<ler weie put upon the wnod-honsu 

 floor, where they remained tsvo or three days, till 

 they were well dried, after which they were put 

 inio the I'ellar. Tho.<e ivhicli were lirsl put into 

 the cell.ir, in a barrel, decayed entirely, while 

 the ollnus remained sixmd lljrou<.'li the winier, 

 and were gond potatoes fiir cooking. If a short 

 airing and drying, alter the potatoes are dug, will 

 have the ett'ei-t which it appears to have had in 

 this insiani'c, it is a very important Hict, ami 

 ought to be generally known. Farther ex|ieri- 

 meni >\ill probably settle the (pu'siion. — ll'orces- 

 ter (Ms.) Spy. 



(t^A neuileman from the county of Oxford, 

 Maine, iidiM-ins us lliat in all Iht^ norllieiii region 

 of that Slate the polalo crop is excei^dingly injn- 

 red by tin: rot — in some places the vines are 

 growing with very few ami small potatoes and 

 thos(f mostly rotten. 



Oir eaily Ixiauliful ru~ly-coais are now <.'oing 

 to lio.slon market al the rate of a do/en barrel.- 

 II day : they are ripe ami line. 



t^f'lu :\\] exposed posiiioiis the early frost (if 

 the fn-st of June has cli'.siroyed apples and other 

 fruits Ihrough this Slate, so th;it thesis aie ex- 

 tremely scarce. For the fn.si time have o(u- 

 sN'ady oil-mil tribes liiiled upon tint Oincord iii- 

 lervaie, unpposed to be killed by iVosl. 



05='Nevei- were llowers more! In>anlifnl all ol 

 one cidor than the blowing oiii of ilu; cliesnui 

 trees in early July: the trees are full of che.smils 

 ill the bur about hall'giuttn. So are the slitll- 



hark trees full of their uiits. We are apprehen- 

 sive that botli, in this region, are destined to inju- 

 ry from lirosl. 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Iloof Distemper. 



Mr. Editor: — As I was looking over the last 

 '• Visiior," my iiileiiiioii was drawn to an article 

 heade<l, " Hool-ail or Hoof Distemper," a citation 

 from a "writer liir the Wa-sachiiaetts y\gricnllu- 

 r.il Reposit<ny." The above mentioned article 

 may bo (bund in the " Visitor," Vol. Vll. p. 110. 



'I'he writer, under the head of synijiloms, says 

 tirst, ''The Hist indication is usually an uncom- 

 mon degree of warmth, &:c. In the Ibrc loot it 

 generally swells Ibrwaril, and the animal fre- 

 (pienlly licks the from part ot the fool." 



Now, what ure we to understand by Hoof-ail.' 

 I understand it to he ibis: A general lameness of 

 the feet and legs, wilhout any indication of a 

 <li.-ease save an irregular shape of the hoof in 

 addition to a fever. This is the hoof-ail, as it 

 makes its appearance among my cattle. I have 

 three cows (none but I'ows have ever suffered 

 from it ill niy herd) afflicted wiili ii now ; hut 

 the treatment prescribed by a writer in the 

 Ploughiiian, Vol. IV. No. 24, has arrested its 

 progress. 



The gentleman, I think, has mistaken this dis- 

 temper forone similar to ii i-,i\tmi scratches. This 

 is a disiemper that Iroiihles horses— and I have 

 had ccjws troubled in the like manner as horses 

 are. Has he not got an erroneous idea in this 

 part of his commuiiicaiion ? 



In the second pari of his communication under 

 this hea<l (SMiiplimis) he say.s, "Instances fre.- 

 qnently occur of sudden ami extreme lameness, 

 without any appearance of hi'at or swelling in 

 the foot; and these are often the worst cases." 



He has here got a correct idea according to 

 my fancy and observation ; lint the phrase, " Ibr 

 il very rarely commences ils attack on moreihan 

 one font," idashi's with my belief, whii-lj is in .-ic- 

 cordance wiih that advanced by a writer in the 

 Ploughman. 



Speaking of the " Remedies" for this ail, he 

 remarks, ■' Apply as near as may he to ihe cenire 

 of the slit between the hools, from one to three 

 grains ot corrosive sublimate, &,c." This is to 

 be " repealed eveiy twenty-four hours till a cure 

 is effected, or till the liiol shows uneipiivocal 

 signs of a gathering which will break." 



Mr. Editor, I Ciiniiot credit this, alllioiigh 1 

 have not maile a trial of il. I pen these "lew 

 lines, not to criticise in Ihe least, but (iir edifica- 

 tion. J read a cornmnnicalion in tlu' Plou^rhman 

 upon the disease last season hy one " IJbmder- 



bnss," and .-moilier by one " " of Essex Co. 



Mass.; and, irusting to the truth of the theory, 1 

 made a trial of it ami fonud it worked well in- 

 deed. I refer you to the paper. Vol. 1, No. 24, 

 and hope you will give your opinion upon this 

 maiter. 



ODDS AND ENDS. 



N. E. Aug. 1845. 



[If our correspondent will furnish the article 

 in the Phmghman — we have no files of that pa 

 per — we will iiive it in a Inline paper. — tW. Vis.] 



Poultry. 

 iMr. Editor :— As 1 think of making a trial of 

 raising poultry, aiiollier year, permit me to in- 

 rpme what kind you should .idvi.se mi.- to nnder- 

 take with. I vxalil them, not for iheir oviparous 

 pi'oduclions', but lo kill lin' ihe inarkel. 



ODDS AND ENDS. 

 N. E. Aug. 184.5. 



The Crops tliroii^hoiil Ihe Tfiiioii— Our Coun- 

 try—its Varied I'roductiuiis. 



The season has so liir advanced that we are 

 able, lo laki! a ;.'eneral survey if Ihe crops thi'oiiuh- 

 ont the whole conniry. We can now speak willi 

 some conlideiice, because inosi ol the crops have 

 been harvcsled. 



First, as lo the great norlhern slaph', wheal. — 

 The crop is nndoiibledly a l.ii'i;e one — more ihaii 

 an average, and il has been secured in excelleiil 

 conililion. This is the tenoi- of advices from all 

 i|narlers. Even in Ohio, wheie the w he;il crop 

 IS probably less than ail average, the win'nt is 

 very cle.in, and the berry very white. We hear 

 neiljier of rust or smut. riioni;h ihe liuiners 

 have lost in ijuaiitity, they have iindunhteilly 



gained in qnality. In Michigan, Illinois, Wiscon- 

 sin and Iowa, the wheat crop is magnificent. — 

 Every thing has been favorable. So, likewise, we 

 imilersland, is the wheat crop in Pennsylviinia. 

 In Virgini.i, Maryland, North Carolina anil Geor- 

 gia, it has been affected by the (hon;;ljl, some say 

 so seriously as to shrivel the berry. In Ten- 

 nessee, Kentucky and Missouri, the crop is a 

 noble one. In New England and New York it 

 is probably less than an average. 



The hay crop is remarkably light in nearly ev- 

 ey state in the Union. From all sections^ the 

 complaint is almost universal that li.cy is very 

 light. This is pariicniarly the case in .New Eng- 

 land, New Vork, and Ohio. Farther west, and 

 in Michigan, we hear of a heavy crop of bay, but 

 il is not to he disgiiiseil that the hay crop is 

 shorter now than it has been in m.iny years. 

 The protracted spring drought stunted il, and 

 the inlense sniinuer drought nearly killed it. — 

 The liuiners will have to make up this deficiency 

 of fodder, by an increased .sowing of the late root 

 <:rops. 



Rye, oats and barley aie a fair crop, but not a 

 heavy one. Like grass, they have suffered from 

 the drought. 



The corn crop is now ripeninc; it is therefore 

 impossible to speak cimchisively. but it seems to 

 be the general impression th.il it will he less than 

 an average crop, except in the weslerii stales, 

 where the drought li:is not been so severe. Vet 

 it is acknowledged that the quality is uncoiniiioii- 

 ly fine. 



Potaiops are of an exi'ellent quality, and though 

 here ami there may he a tiiilnre, we shall have 

 our usual abimdaiice of one of the finest and 

 most wholesome vegetables ever rullivaled fiir 

 man. The rot has got into it in some sections, 

 but this is not so general as it was last year. 



Our survey wfuihl not be complete unless ive 

 added a few wurils about ihe great crops of the 

 South — Ctitton, Rii-e, Tobacco ami Sugar. 



The cniion crop will be a heavy one — probably 

 reach 2,.i00,000 bales. In South Carolina and 

 Georgia Ihe inlense dion<:hi hiis reduced it some, 

 but this deficiency will he more than supplied by 

 .Mississippi ai.d .Arkansas. 



The tobacco crop is light in Virginia, and in 

 North and South Carolina, but heavy in Keii- 

 iniky anil Missouri, and we think the whole snp- 

 |dy will be a full aver;ige. 



Rice, uhiidi is mostly raised in South Ciirolina, 

 will not he a full crop. If we are to believe the 

 papers id" that state, ihe drought has burnt up 

 evejjlhjng almost like a blast of fire; but these 

 edi'cis are proliahly exaggerated, as the sufferings 

 of hi';it make it seem more intolerable than it 

 really is. 



The sugar crop will be a splendid one. The 

 culture in Lonisjaiia is eMeniling beyond all for- 

 mer example. Il is so much more profiiahle than 

 raising cotton, that ihe cotton planters are rush- 

 in:; into il. The last year's crop was 200,000,000 

 of ponnd.s, by far the largest ever before niised 

 in ihis conniry. The next may reach 2.50,000,000 

 ponnd.s. There is yet a larire room Ibr increase, 

 as ihe consnmplioii of the United States is about 

 5(10,(100 000. 



In tjikiug a survey of the crops of our country, 

 Ihe mind must be struck at once with their woii- 

 deiliil variety. All climates and all prodiiclions 

 .seem contained willnii iini borders. Asia, Eu- 

 rope and .\liica seem lo have thrown their trea- 

 sures Iroin the St. Lawrence on tin- north to the 

 Rio del Norte on the sonlli, and while \^e cannot 

 but li'el a grateful reverence to our Maker for the 

 boHiiliful lijuvesl w Inch blesses our l:md, we can- 

 not bill mingle a just pridi- that we have so noble 

 a conrnieiil to snhdiie to the uses of iviliird 

 man. May we he worthy id' our conniry, should 

 be Ihe aspiration i:fe\ery .American li'om the 

 cradle lo ilic ;;r,ive. — .Hhdi.i/ .Irsiis. 



H!);>I M KK S ni KTIIO ) 



VOR M.WilXr. Vi;c:i:'l'AI!l.K .\.\l< li.Mfril M.WL'UKS. 



SKCrREO IIY LKTTER* PATK.M*. 



fH^III; prnprirlor niwv nflVr.': rlnhlil for vinKk' farms, for $6,00 

 B — ll.r.aiiliin- siilil l",.r S'W.Ol). 



ttinlils f„r tMWiitt mill nmiitn'S, at a prirt- propoTtuninle to 

 tti'-ir .-Miiil luiil nsrii iilMiral impnrlaiK-c. 



I'crsnns (Inly q-mlili-'l ami willln:: to rngaiii', ns sprrial 

 atiflils, r.r ilisitiistiiL' <"f ri:*lils 111 I In- several luvvns in Uie Sratr, 

 ran liL' ailvaiiheifuusly i niployeil. 



/Ill cnl-rs luifl i-nnniric...- in ri-ljitiMM Id Ihr " Method," post 

 puiilt ilirecttd iu the subsrribrr, will he dnlv aflf-mt.-fl to. 

 lU'llli Mil) .\i;vvio.\, 

 Geie-ral .\cenl for Ihr Slate of .N't-w llanipc^hire. 

 .Newport, N. II., lOlh .Vngust, 1845. 



