1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



169 



CHARCOAL DUST IN APPLE OPvCHARDS. 



Will you be kind enough to state how charcoal 

 dust may be best used in the apple orchard ? 

 also, whether, in your opinion, said fertilizer, in 

 consequence of the large per centage of carbonic 

 acid contained in the apple (36 or 37 per cent.,) 

 is not peculiarly adapted to the purpose ? By 

 so doing you will confer a favor upon many 



SUBSCRIliEES AND READERS. 



Boston, Febniary, 1858. 



Remarks. — We have never given special at- 

 tention to this particular point — but have long 

 observed that grass and bushes grow with great 

 thrift on and near old charcoal pits. There is no 

 doubt, hov/ever, on our mind, that charcoal dust 

 in an apple orchard would be useful, not merely 

 of itself, l)ut as receiving fertilizing matters from 

 the atmosphere and holding them in readiness 

 for the foraging roots of the trees. 



WINTER BUTTER. 



A few days since, I received from our old 

 friend, Sheldon, of W., a box of about 20 pounds 

 of winter butter, as delicate, pure and nice as any 

 butter that I ever saw. It keeps as firm and hard 

 as a brick. I presume it was the product of his 

 premium cow. A brief description of the process 

 by which this butter was made, by the ladies who 

 made it, (for be it known there are ladies on 

 farms as well as in parlors,) would be of more 

 value than any of the speculations of your corres- 

 pondents. I will guarantee that no otter or car- 

 rot juice was used to color this butter — it needed 

 no such artificial appliances — but, like woman her- 

 self, is, "when unadorned, adorned the most." 



MANURES— BEANS— CORN FODDER— CORN ON 

 MUCK-LAND. 



It gives me pleasure to hear from those cor- 

 respondenls of your paper who are warning the 

 tillers of the soil of the (so called) fertilizers, 

 which many are duped by purchasing. INIost 

 farmers here have been induced to try some one 

 of the famed fertilizers, and, like myself, find 

 that there are none so profitable as those that 

 every farmer can make on his own farm. 



That which can be made in the hog-yard by 

 carting in turf, muck and refuse hay, during the 

 summer, while the pigs which I am to fatten in 

 the fall are made to work in the yard, will con- 

 vert its contents into good manure in sufficient 

 quantity for a piece of land upon which I raise 

 enough corn and roots to fatten those who take 

 their place, and to raise beans to use with the 

 pork. 



I Avill give your readers an account of money 

 received from one-half pint of beans which were 

 planted in tbe spring of 18-36. I gave for the 

 one-half jiint twenty-five cents. Sold five dollars' 

 worth, and saved four quarts for seed. In 1857 I 

 sold what brought me twenty-five dollars, and 

 have one-half bushel for seed. Those last were 

 planted Ijetwixt my squash hills. I also raised a 

 crop of turnips on the spare ground amongst 

 them. 



"How does it happen," says my neighbor, 

 "that your cows give a large mess of milk and 



mine so small ? You feed on corn stalks and 

 roots, the same feed which mine have, except 

 mine have English hay part of the time." My 

 reply was, "Examine my fodder, it was cured in 

 the shade, and did not ripen and bleach in the 

 sun and rain." 



Will corn grow so as to make it profitable (on 

 muck where it is two feet in depth and well 

 drained) and ripen ? S. P. Maybery. 



Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 1858. 



Remarks. — Corn will undoubtedly do well on 

 such land as you describe, a in hot season. 



A GOOD cow. 



The following statement was handed to me by 

 Jonathan E. Morrill, Esq., Representative from 

 Fall River, who assures me that there is no mis- 

 take about it : 



"Quantity of milk given by a cow five years 

 old, owned by Ex Mayor Edward P. Buffinton, of 

 Fall River, in twelve months, ending December 

 15th, 1857. 



January 15th 509 quarts. 



February 15th 469 " 



March 15th 430 " 1 pint. 



April 15th 470 " 



Mayiath 422 " 1 pint. 



June 15th 448 " 



Julyl5th 413 " 1 pint. 



August 15th 39(5 " 



September 15th 372 " 



October 15th 330 " 1 pint. 



November 15tli 280 " 



December loth 223 " 



4764 quarts. 



Or an average of 13 19-365 quarts per day for 

 365 days, which milk was sold at 6 cents per 

 quart, amounting to $285,84* 



Cost of cow $74,00 



Cost of food 124,45— $198.45 



Deducted from 285,84 



$87,39 



Net profit in one year, over cost and food. 

 This cow was fed all the time on shorts and hay. 

 She had five bushels of meal during the year. 

 James F. C. Hyde. 



Newton Centre, Feb, 15, 1858. 



HOW IS BRUSH IN PASTURES TO BE DESTE.OYED ? 



I wish to inquire the best method of destroy- 

 ing brush, as I have about 15 acres of pasture 

 land, which is nearly covered with brushes, viz. : 

 barberry,wortleberry, and low or sweet laurel, and 

 the earth about as full of stone, (both great and 

 small,) as an egg is of meat. What I wish to 

 know is, what is the best method to extricate the 

 brush so that I can bring it into feed? 



N. E. Middleboro', 1858. ExrsH Whacker. 



Remarks. — A knotty question. Who can an- 

 swer it? 



OIL soap for BORERS. 



Two years' experiment has satisfied me of the 

 utility of oil soap on, the trunks of trees near 

 j the ground for the destruction of the borer. No 

 i injury is done the trees by its use in an undiluted 

 state. The best time to use it is the month of 

 June ; rub it in well and stop up all the holes. 

 I Sippican, Mass. Natil^n Bkiggs. 



