.859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



217 



An abundant supply of well-seasoned seed was 

 dropped, and the surplus plants were thinned out 

 so as to leave about one plant to each square 

 foot of land. It was carefully cultivated, and 

 kept entirely clear of grass and weeds. Pota- 

 toes, pumpkins or beans were among the corn, 

 and none were wasted there. 



I have never seen a more rational and satis- 

 factory account of corn culture than this, and al- 

 though I have heretofore been slow to believe 

 that one hundred bushels of useable corn could 

 be grown upon an acre, still, by the application 

 of the same industry and fidelity that Mr. Wil- 

 lard applied, I believe that most of our farmers 

 could double their crops. Let them begin by 

 plowing as deeply and fertilizing and pulverizing 

 as well, and with the blessing of Heaven, their 

 crops will be as good. P. 



South Danvers, March 4, 1859. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



PLUM ON TUE PEACH. 



A writer in a recent Cultivator, signed "E. 

 W.," says "that in visiting a Mr. Allen's nursery 

 he learned a fact relative to plum trees worthy 

 of the notice of our horticultural brethren. Near 

 the house are several plum trees of some twenty 

 years' growth, which were entirely free from 

 warts or excrescences. Mr. A. imputed this en- 

 tirely to the fact, that all his plum trees are on 

 peach bottoms." 



This is altogether new to me. Having a few 

 years since cultivated this fruit to some extent, I 

 had a good opportunity, with upwards of fifty 

 distinct varieties, to have seen this ; on the con- 

 trary, those varieties grafted on the peach root. 

 viz., Bolmar's Washington and Prince's Imperial 

 Gage, all being on this root, were greatly affect- 

 ed, so much so that those trees were ihejirst we 

 were obliged to cut down. I was troubled with 

 these unsightly excrescences to such an extent 

 as to render the growing of the plum out of the 

 question, and at once discarded its further culti- 

 vation in my soil. j. m. I. 



Salem, Mass., 1859. 



WATER THROUGH LEAD PIPES. 

 I have repeatedly noticed in the papers ac- 

 counts of fatal effects to persons, resulting from 

 the use of water conveyed through lead pipes. 

 Does lead water hurt farm stock ? A neighbor 

 whose cattle for many years had been watered at 

 the barn through logs from a spring thirty rods 

 distant; the logs getting leaky, he pushed a lead 

 pipe through them, thereby saving much digging. 

 Since that time, his cattle, with as good food and 

 care, appear more lean and less thrifty, and do not 

 shed their coats and look sleek so soon by more 

 than a month after being turned to pasture. Cat- 

 tle have died soon after swallowing paint, lead 

 and oil, and is it not possible that lead and wa- 

 ter may be hurtful to animals ? What material 

 is best to convey water through, to quench the 

 thirst of man and beast ? An Inquirer. 



Remarks. — We have no doubt that water im- 

 pregnated with lead is hurtful to man and beast. 

 Water is not injured by passing through logs, 

 and where there is a constant stream, so as tL 



keep the logs continually wet, they will last for 

 many years. Conductors, bored, and ready to 

 lay, are sold in this city ; they will undoubtedly 

 last many years, if kept all the time wet. Cement 

 pipes are excellent, but must be kept from the 

 frost. 



BEES — CRITICISMS. 



I see by the i^armer of Feb. 26th, that Mr. 

 Kidder has given in his book a plate like Mr. 

 Langstroth's — "The honored queen of a happy 

 family." The subject is a beautiful one. It is a 

 pity that in copying from Mr. L. he did not 

 correct some errors. Both of them, (Messrs. L. 

 & K.) have over-drawn the matter, it is not ex- 

 actly true to nature. It is true a few bees will 

 usually give the attention represented. But I 

 never saw such eagerness — such devoted atten- 

 tion by so much of a crowd. It would hardly 

 seem possible for her to move ; and among the 

 rest, a drone is making his way into the crowd 

 (an occurrence not often seen,) anxious no doubt 

 for a salute. Another error should have been 

 avoided relative to the shape of the bee ; the 

 head is too small, and the body too large, &:c. 



>S'^. Johnsville, N. Y. M. Quinby. 



feeding stock. 



I have one hundred sheep, three horses and 

 eight head of cattle, and am, like a good many 

 of my neighbors, short of hay. Hay is now worth 

 here $15 per ton, corn $1 and oats 50 cts. per 

 bushel. Now I wish to know which is best, all 

 things considered, to purchase hay, corn or oats- 

 at the foregoing prices. 



If grain, how shall I feed it, and what quantity 

 would be equal to a foddering of hay, say for 

 one hundred sheep? 



Will corn meal or oats, fed to ewes with lamb, 

 be injurious? A Subscriber. 



Woodstock, VL, 1859. 



Remarks. — Situated as you are, we should 

 purchase all three of the articles, hay, corn and 

 oats, and feed them judiciously to all the stock. 

 A moderate quantity of corn or oats fed to the 

 ewes with lamb, will be beneficial to them. 



gas lime. 

 Please give an article on gas lime, the soil it 

 is adapted to, with its value as a fertilizer. 

 Ilarlford, 1859. Samuel Mather. 



Remarks. — The refuse lime of gas works con- 

 sists principally of a mixture of carbonate of 

 lime, plaster, and other salts of lime containing 

 sulphur. It may be used upon old mossy pas- 

 tures, or sprinkled on the furrows in the spring 

 with advantage; or, when greatly diluted, sprin- 

 kled on grass lands. As it does not contain 

 much caustic lime, it may be mingled with barn- 

 yard manure in small quantities. 



COMMITTEE OF PRODUCE. 

 It has seemed to me that in each nf our rio-ri- 

 cullural t!Ocifiie?, fcivornl with the buuii;\ uf 



