1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



411 



the soil in which they are placed. "White oak 

 •will probably come next to chestnut. We have 

 had no experience with other timber for the pur- 

 pose of posts. 



HOW TO DESTROY SWEET FLAG. 



I see by the weekly perusal of your paper that 

 it is customary among quite a class of your read- 

 ers to ask all manner of questions on various 

 subjects relating to the farm. Now I do not re- 

 collect of your being troubled by any of this class 

 of aspirants for notoriety or knowledge in this 

 old town — the home of as persevering and ener- 

 getic farmers as can be found in New England. 

 But there is one thing that troubles us a little, 

 and I doubt not that some of your readers in 

 other localities are troubled in the same way — 

 hence this query .* how shall we manage to kill 

 out a troublesome iceed known as the sweet flag ? 

 We have plowed it and burned it, but to no pur- 



Eose but to increase the evil. One of my neigh- 

 ors suggests salt. What is your opinion ? 

 Chelmsford, Mass., 1858. T. J. Pinkerton. 



Remarks. — We are glad to hear from Old 



Chelmsford — it has many excellent farmers. The 

 fine market at Lowell, where those thousands of 

 hungry girls are to be fed, has stimulated the 

 Chelmsford people to marked improvements in 

 the cultivation of the soil. But our friends have 

 found no way yet, it appears, to destroy the sweet 

 flag, Acorus Calamus, which grows so bountiful- 

 ly in wet places all over New England. Digging 

 will not kill it, burning the surface will not, salt 

 will not, unless large quantities are used, but 

 thorough draining will. It loves water as much as 

 an old toper dislikes it, and where water abounds, 

 is as tenacious of life as a cat. But a warm, dry, 

 porous soil is contrary to its nature, and in such 

 a place it will soon give place to stoeet, nutritious 

 grasses. 



the crops in BERKSHIRE COUNTY. 



Our crops are uncommonly good. Grass more 

 than an average crop. Corn is very promising. 

 Rye, oats and wheat are remarkably good. Pota- 

 toes are uncommonly thrifty, and will in all prob- 

 ability be a large crop, unless the disease should 

 destroy them. In my orchard and fruit yard, the 

 apple and plum set well, but have most all been 

 destroyed by a sting of some insect I have not 

 been able to discover. Even those that remain 

 on the trees have "the mark of the beast," and 

 will be imperfect ; there will be very little fruit 

 in this section. Justus Tower. 



Lanesborough, July 19, 1858. 



preserving corn fodder. 

 As the season for laying in a stock of fodder 

 approaches, I will give you my experience in sav- 

 ing corn fodder. As soon as my corn is all 

 glazed, I cut it up near the roots with a sickle, 

 and before any rain falls on it, bind it and stook 

 it up, in which situation I let it stand till the corn 

 is sufficiently cured for husking, say two or three 

 weeks; after husking I make a mow of my 



stalks, a laying of stalks, say a foot deep, then 

 sprinkle on salt sufficient to preserve from 

 mould, then another layer of stalks. In this way 

 I preserve them almost as green as when cut. I 

 feed them to cattle once or twice a day, and they 

 will eat them up as cleaa as they would good 

 hay. In this way a farmer can save more fodder 

 than he is aware of. His cattle eat up the stalks 

 clean, and keep sufficiently salted through the 

 winter. Just try it once. M. DuEFEY. 



Bristol, Vt., July 10, 1858. 



AVHAT IS THE BEST METHOD OF DESTROYING 

 CATERPILLARS ? 



Thus far I have cut off the infested part and 

 thrown it into very strong soap suds, but this is 

 taking too much of the tree away. I would throw 

 soap suds on the tree, but I have found by sad 

 experience that strong soap and the foliage were 

 not made to live together. I shall be thankful 

 to learn of some cheaper method of destroying 

 this pest, and perhaps there are others who 

 would be as thankful as myself. o. A. C. 



Easthainpton, Mass., 1858. 



Remarks. — There is no better, cheaper or 

 quicker mode of destroying caterpillars on trees 

 than by the use of a good spiral brush made for 

 the purpose, and attached to a pole. Two brushes 

 are convenient — one attached to a long pole for 

 the high parts of the tree, and another for the 

 lower parts — but this is a matter of convenience 



merely. 



a COLT INJURED BY RUNNING. 



I have a valuable colt that shows a propensity 

 to run in the pasture, in consequence of which he 

 has injured one of his gambrel joints, and caused 

 a puffy swelling on the joint, that resembles a 

 spavin on the front side, and causes a large puff 

 on each side where the skin meets between the 

 joint and gambrel cord. I wish to inquire if you or 

 any of your subscribers can inform me whether 

 it is a spavin or not, and v/hat remedy to apply. 

 I am now bathing with cold water, and George 

 W. Merchant's Gargling Oil. H. s. G. 



W^st Bethel, Vt. 



Remarks. — If we had such a case we should 

 consult Dr. G. H. Dadd, Veterinary Surgeon, 

 Boston. 



BLACK POLAND FOWLS. 



Can you inform me where I can obtain pure 

 Black Poland Top-knot fowls, at a fair price ? 

 Stafford, Vt., July, 1858. s, A. E. 



Remarks. — We cannot — do not know. 



SURE CURE FOR COUGH IN HORSES. 



Bleed in the neck three mornings in succes- 

 sion, three pints at each time. Try it. 



Concord, Mass. F. E. Bigelow. 



grubs. 



We do not recognize the grubs sent us by 

 Mr. Broadhurst, of Bridgewater. 



