1869. 



XEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



233 



struck into the ground at an angle of about forty- 

 five degrees, the turf raised sufficiently to tlip a 

 potato under it and back of the lioe, which was 

 then withdrawn, and the "hill" stamped wiih it in 

 the usual manner. A fair crop of very clean and 

 nice potatoes was the result. 



SUGAR MILLET. 



In a late i<sue of the Farm er I noticed a recom- 

 mtndation \>y Dr. Lonng of sugar millet as green 

 food for cows during the dry ."-eason. Doubtless 

 many of your readers are entirely unacqiiainied 

 wiih the cultivation of ihis ai ticl , who realize the 

 imporiance of si'raethingof the kind to carry cows 

 through the f-eason of short pasiure. Will you 

 have the kindness to give all mcessary informa- 

 tion on I he subject, wiih price of seed, and where 

 obtained ? p. x. 



Guildhall, Vt., March, 1869. 



Remarks — There are many varieties of millet. 

 They all belong to the family of the Panic grasses. 

 The two varieties that are chiefly cultivated in this 

 country for forage, are the common millet, Jf'awi- 

 cu7n Miliaceum ; and the Hungarian grass, Panicum 

 Germanicum. They both yield large crops of grass 

 that are excellent for soiling or for hay. Millet 

 requires a rich, rather moist soil, which should be 

 free from weeds, as the plants at first are small 

 and grow very slowlj', and are apt to be choked 

 by weeds on old ground that has not been kept 

 clean. It is rot an early crop, but is one cf great 

 value. We know of no variety called "sugar mil- 

 let.'" We presume that Dr. L. would be happy to 

 answer any inquiries upon the subject. Millet 

 seed costs about ^"2.50 per bushel. When sown 

 for fodder about half a bushel per acre is generally 

 used, and about twelve quarts when sown for seed. 

 It is sown the last of May or first of June. It is 

 cured much like clover. It is an annual, and 

 must be sown, like oats, corn, &c.. every year. 



treatment of dry, sandy loam land. 



I have a piece of dry, sandy loam land on which 

 I raistd aoejut seventeen bu>htls of corn to the 

 acre last year. I want to get it into mowing. It 

 is too lar off to cart barn munnre to it, if I liad it 

 to spare. How would it do to pur, on about a bar- 

 rel ot ainn.oniated guano, or Bradley's superphos- 

 phate of lime tu the acre, and ( ultivate it in with- 

 out iiloiiyhii/g, and sow buck>\heat about the first 

 of June; ttien plough under iind sow winter rye 

 and clover to pi /ugu under with the stubble after 

 the rye comes of! ? 



Would yeiu advi-e to sow winter wheat and hay 

 seed, or seed without any grain ? Would I be 

 likely to get rye enough to pay for my l.ibor and 

 hay enough lb pay for cutting for two or three 

 years ? s. a. 



Chatham, Mass., Feb., 1869. 



Remarks. — We certainly recommend to plough 

 the land, for that, in itself, is equal to a moderate 

 manuring. The rest of your plan is not a bad one, 

 but would it not be a better one to omit the rye ? 

 You would get three months' growth of clover to 

 plough under by the first of September, when the 

 wheat and grass seed ought to be put in. Then 

 put in wheat, timothy, and red top grass seed, and 

 it seems to us. that you would have a fair founda- 



tion for good crops. Sow clover seed early in the 

 following April. Any lands may be reclaimed in 

 a manner similar to this; even poor, sandy, plain 

 lands, that have produced s-carcely anything but a 

 few straggling blackberry vines and stemis of "Ev- 

 erlasting white." It is a slow mode of fertilizing 

 poor lands, but it can be done without taking a 

 shovelful of manure upon them. 



SAWDUST FOK BEDDING. 



Iwish to inquire through the Farmer if any one 

 has ever used sawdu'>t(tiom the scasliorc)f )r bed- 

 ding lor stuck, anel if so, whether its value will 

 warrant one in drawing it eiaht or nine miles. 



Biddeford, Me., Feb. 25, 1869. J. W. R. 



Remarks. — It will depend very mu h upon cir- 

 cumstances. If you have an unoccupied team, 

 and can occasionally spend half a day without in- 

 terfering with regular farm work, we think it will 

 pay for drawing it eight or nine miles. It is worth 

 something in the first place; because the cattle and 

 horses lie easier upon it than upon bare plank; 

 and whatever tends to the comfort of the cattle, 

 makes them more productive in one way or 

 another. It is worth much as an absorbent in the 

 stalls, and is valuable in the soil in two ways : — 

 first, by tHking there what manurial agent it has 

 absorbed, and secondly by its mechanical action 

 as a divider in compact or heavy soils. 



THE "bishop" breed OF HOGS 



In reply to John Dimon, in the Farmer of March 

 13tli, in leuavd u> the best breed of hi>gs f t r rais- 

 ing pigs for sale and making pork, I will say that 

 I ihink we have the best breed hire, all things' 

 con>ielered, called the "Bishop" breed. They are 

 all white, small bones, with very ttiin rind, easily 

 fittti ned, and make very large, hand-ome hogs. 

 The lollowing are the weights often killed here 

 last fall, vavj ing Ironi twelve to eighteen months 

 old, that V ere kept till within about two months 

 of killing, on raw stuff and slop from ths house, 

 and the lemuinder of the time on boiled potatoes 

 and meal,— viz. 400, 400, 450, 450, 405, 470,500, 

 510, 560, and 625 pounds, — average 483 pounds. 

 Pigs could be obtained in this neighborhood some 

 lime in May. h. m. b. 



Curtis Corner, Me., March 15, 1869. 



Remarks. — We are sorry our corre?pondent did 

 not give some account of the origin of the "Bish- 

 op breed," as nearly every one interested in the 

 subject will naturally desire information on this 

 point. 



HOGS IN ORCHARDS. 



I have thought for several years that a barn cel- 

 lar reeking wiih offensive gases was not the best 

 place to keep hogs through the hot weaiher. 1 

 have made pens under shady apple tn es, and have 

 enjoyed seeing my swine on fresh earth aud breath- 

 ing pure air. 



Last summer I went a step further and enclosed 

 half an acre of apple orchard. My oiject was 

 two-fold. I wanted ihe range and exercise for the 

 swine, and I longed to see them root up and extir- 

 pate the witch grass, which I could not kill by any 

 common means. 



One old Sachem among the four turned in soon 

 tried his tusks upon the tender bark cf one of the 

 apple trees. I put on coal tar. This this the hogs 



