190 



XEW ENGLAND FARjNEER. 



Aprtl 



and two planks. One post is set up by the cow's 

 shoulder and the other a little back of her hind 

 legs, as she stands in the stanchion. On the inside 

 of the posts spike on one plank so that the middle 

 of it will be even with her shoulders and rump, 

 and the other plank as low down as may be with- 

 out being in the way of milking. Then make a 

 mortice through the hind post and a correspond- 

 ing one into the side of the stable opposite, for a 

 slat to come up just above the cow's gambrels. 

 This slat is to be put between her legs when milk- 

 ing. Another slat is mortised into the upper plank 

 and the opposite side of the stable, — to pass over 

 the cow's back and low enough to depress her 

 back two or three inches. These slats are mova- 

 ble and are to be put in place after the cow is 

 fastened in the stanchion. This done, cut your 

 finger nails and as gently as possible go to milk- 

 ing. The top slat is designed to prevent the cow 

 holding up her milk, and will be needed but a 

 short time. In this "fiddle," as the boys call it, 

 the cow finds she cannot kick and soon gives up 

 all attempts to do so, and both slats may soon be 

 left out. R. Pabkek. 



Corinth, Vf., Jan. 10, 1869. 



Remarks. — After receiving this letter we wrote 

 to Mr. Parker saying we should fear that a spirited 

 cow put into such a "machine" would be likely to 

 injure herself, and especially her bag, on the slat 

 placed between her legs. To this he replied that 

 he had never known of one being injured. He 

 says, "the worst cow I ever saw was put into such 

 a stall, and in three weeks all that need be done 

 was to drive her in and she would stand perfectly 

 still." 



My method of treating kicking cows is to make 

 a slip noose in the middle of a good sized rope of 

 suflicient length; slip the noose around the right 

 hind leg and tie the end to a ring in the stable 

 floor in such a manner as to prevent the cow from 

 moving her leg towards the milk pail. She will 

 soon find herself outwitted, and may be milked 

 without the rope. I have broken a large strong 

 cow of kicking and running in summer, by tying 

 her in a similar manner to a fence post, so situated 

 that she could not run around it. After a few at- 

 tempts to run, she became thoroughly subdued. 

 I never had a cow lamed or injured in this way. 



c. 



Bt'PERPHOSPHATE. 



Your correspondent, "W. S. A.," asks some 

 reader of the Farmek to give some information in 

 relation to the use of superphosphate. I purchased 

 one barrel of Bradley's last spring and tried it on 

 various crops. And in no case could I see any 

 benefit from its use, except on corn. On green 

 sward, just turned over, I spread my green stable 

 manure liberally, and harrowed thoroughly. As 

 an experiment, I planted eight rows, four with and 

 four without the phosphate. In applying the 

 phosphate I dropped one tablespoonful in each hill 

 and mixed it well with the soiL 



All through the season, there was a marked dif- 

 ference in color and growthof stalk, and when stook- 

 ed in the fall, (each four rows were cut and stooked 

 by themselves) there was a marked ditference in the 

 iize and heighth of stooks. Thus much in favor of 

 the phosphate. But the true test, to my mind, 

 was yet to come. 1 husked each row of stooks in 

 the field, and there were just 18 bushels of ears 

 in each row ; so I conclude that I am out 

 of pocket seven or eight dollars, except the 

 value of a little more fodder. I shall pay no more 

 such prices for such articles. I shall make my 



own fertilizer this year, recommended in the Bos- 

 ton Journal of Chemistry, (a monthly publication, 

 by the way, every farmer should haVe, at only 50 

 cents a year). One barrel of fresh, raw ground 

 bone, and the same quantity of good ashes wet 

 with water to a proper consistency. Use a hand- 

 ful to a hill. Timothy Wheeler. 

 Waterbury Centre, Vt., Feb., 1869. 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



Will the Farmer, or those who know, inform 

 all who have sons at the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College who are trying to work their way 

 through that institution single handed, why they 

 are paid only ten cents an hour for their labor on 

 the farm, while other help receive three dollars 

 per day for the same labor. One Interested. 



Dudley, Mass., Feb. 6, 1869. 



Remarks. — Want of funds, we have no doubt, is 

 the true answer to your question. Much of the 

 labor of the students is probably expended upon 

 the improvement and preparation of the land and 

 premises, from which no immediate cash return is 

 received. We must refer you to a comunication 

 from "N. S. T.," in the Farmer of February 6, in 

 which he alludes particularly to this point, and 

 says one of the immediate wants of the college "is 

 money to pay the students for their work." Am- 

 herst has a fund of $100,000 for a similar purpose. 

 Who will step forward and give the Agricultural 

 College a like or larger sum, the interest of which 

 shall be devoted to paying the students better 

 prices for their labor ? We understand that the ac- 

 tual running expenses of Harvard College, with all 

 its accummulated facilities, are about $150,000 a 

 year. Why should the Agricultural College be 

 expected to make brick without straw, or to edu- 

 cate young men much cheaper than other iastita- 

 tions ? 



reciprocity. 



The following statement of imports from the 

 Province of Canada, taken from the Report of the 

 Secretary of the Treasury, for the fiscal year, end- 

 ing 30th June, 1867, illustrate the sulyect of Reci- 

 procity and the interest which our farmers have 

 to oppose such a policy. 



Total imports exclusive of specie : — 



1865 $27,595 661 



1866 40,989 661 



1867 19,758,474 



Therefore, the abrogation of the treaty reduced 

 imports from the province of Canada over 50 per 

 cent. Yet in 1857, and under the present tarifl'ihe 

 following are some of the items of farm products 

 that were imported, and show our farmers what 

 they have at stake in the settlement of this question 

 of Reciprocity : — ' 



Live animals of all kinds, 1,902,360; butter, 

 3,629,837 lbs.; cheese, 50,195 lbs. ; fruit, $27,469; 

 hides, $73,912 ; hops, 79,258 lbs. ; beef and pork, 708,- 

 628 lbs.; bacon, 368,145 lbs.; potatoes, 181,020 

 bushels ; lard, 38,720 lbs. ; vinegar, 1 19,220 gallons ; 

 wheat, 1,923,524 bushels ; flour, 232,966 bbls. ; rye, 

 242,538 bushels ; barley, 3,247,005 bushels ; oats, 

 681,440 bushels; oat meal, 13,374 cwt. ; boards, 

 413,375 M. ; rough timber, $413,401 ; other timber, 

 $1,539,314; wood, 139,318 cords; shingles, $(J5,- 

 OGl ; tree of duty, $7,482,726 ; wool, imports large, 

 but much was shipped to England, where they get 

 their supplies of foreign articles. 



The amount paid into our treasuiy for duties in 



