432 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



For the New Eti^land Farmer. 

 WIRE FENCES ONCE MORE. 

 How to Make the Posts — A Yankee Invention Wanted. 



Exeter, N. H., Aug. 14, 1858, 

 Friend C. : — In my letter about wire fences, 

 I see, now it is printed, that I overlooked a point 

 that may be important to you, who want a fence 

 that will not disfigure your beautiful grounds. 

 For intermediate posts, you may use tire iron 

 set in stone. There are many such posts used in 

 Exeter, where we run a wire or two through our 

 half-grown hedges to give them strength against 

 cattle. We use iron of about the size of the tire 

 of light wagon wheels. Short stone posts are 

 set, say three feet into the ground, and holes 

 drilled into the tops. The iron cut into suitable 

 lengths, is rounded to fit the holes where it en- 

 ters the stone, and fastened in with lead or sul- 

 phur. The wires are then passed through holes 

 in the iron, previously punched or drilled by a 

 blacksmith, at such distances apart, as you wish 

 the wires to be held. The wires are passed 

 through these holes, and strained at the ends. 

 You may thus make the fence invisible, at a few 

 feet distance, and the posts will have strength 

 enough, so that you may make curves, if you de- 

 sire to do so, and the work will be permanent. 

 The stone posts should rise but an inch or two 

 above the surface. 



Some Yankee ought to invent a strong, cheap 

 spring to hold the wires, at their tension. There 

 is no elasticity to wire strained in the way I have 

 before described, and a very little slackening of 

 it impairs the strength of the fence. The spring 

 should hold a strain of about 300 pounds. Please 

 invent one, pro bono publico, and make yourself 

 famous. Truly, your friend, 



H. F, French, 



For the New England Farmer. 

 INJURIES BY LIGHTNING. 



The simultaneous injuries to persons and prop- 

 erty, that have recently occurred at Salem and 

 the adjoining towns by lightning, in buildings 

 that were supposed to be secured by conductors 

 of copper or iron in the usual forms, has awaken- 

 ed much inquiry as to the sufficiency of such con- 

 ductors. We are pleased to notice that gentle- 

 men of competent ability have taken the matter 

 in hand, and hope they will pursue their inquir- 

 ies, until they, at least, shall be fully satisfied of 

 the cause of the accidents mentioned. 



AVhether it were from the insufficiency of the 

 conductors ; or their improper position ; or from 

 any other cause, is a fair subject of inquiry. 

 There can be no doubt that the community are 

 often greatly abused, by the false pretences of 

 those, who operate for their relief, with little or 

 no knowledge of what they do. We do not pre- 

 tend to prescribe rules of action ; our object will 

 be fully attained, if we can guard against incon- 

 siderate action. We believe that Franklin had 



a very clear apprehension of what he prescribed ; 

 and we doubt whether subsequent alterations 

 have all been improvements. Essex. 



Aug. 16, 1858, 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 

 LEAKING cows' TEATS, 



"A Subscriber" inquires in your paper if there 

 is any remedy for cows leaking their milk ? I re- 

 ply there is. Dip the end of the teat in strong 

 alum water twice a day, for several days, and the 

 leak will cease, 



Milford, 1858, _ 



MUCK, SALT AND LIME, COMPOST, 



In composting muck with salt and lime, I wish 

 to inquire whether the muck should be wet or 

 dry, and in what quantities salt, lime and muck 

 should be used, and how long it should stand 

 before using ? A. B. Franklin. 



tSeekonk, Mass., Aug., 1858. 



Remarks, — Muck that has been lying out of 

 doors, will be sufficiently moist to dissolve salt, 

 or to receive air-slaked lime favorably. Six or 

 eight bushels of lime and three or four bushels 

 of salt thoroughly mixed with one hundred bush- 

 els of muck will form an excellent compost. If 

 the muck has been exposed to the air several 

 months, the compost may be used as soon as 

 mixed ; if not, let it stand three or four weeks in 

 the mixed condition. 



A FINE CALF, 

 I have a heifer calf, a cross of Durham and Na- 

 tive, four months old yesterday, that weighs 370 

 lbs. We are taking measures to raise the very 

 best stock in this vicinity, which has long been 

 neglected. W. P, Hood. 



DISTURBING THE ROOTS OF PLANTS. 



Does it not materially retard the growth of 

 a plant to disturb its roots ? 



And as, after corn has tasselled, its roots and 

 fibres form a perfect network over the field, would 

 it not retard the growth of the plant to cultivate 

 and hoe it, thereby tearing and disturbing its 

 roots, after it had so far advanced towards matu- 

 rity ? / 



The above questions came into my mind after 

 perusing the article in a late Farmer advocating 

 hoeing until harvest, — and if you can enlighten 

 me on this point you will greatly oblige a 



Young Farmer. 



North Billerica, July 26, 1858. 



Remarks. — There can be no doubt, we think, 

 but that rudely distui'bing the roots of a plant 

 would injure it. 



But, is it necessary, in order to keep a crop of 

 corn clean, for instance, to disturb its roots? 

 Would not the good judgment of the cultivator 

 suggest to him that he could plow or cultivate 

 with safety in the early stages of the crop, but 

 that as it advances, the hoe only would be safe, 

 and would be sufficient, with the aid of the hands 



