1869. 



NEW ENGLAND FAIlMER. 



477 



EXTKACTS AND REPLIES. 



TETOFSKY APPLE. 



Of Russian origin, like the Red Astrachan. 

 Both are among the earliest of apples. Both are 

 extremely Lardy, and adapted to a wide extent of 

 country, even the northern limits, where lew but the 

 crab apples succeed. 



The Tctofsky is now ripe, August 3, 1869, and is 

 remarkable lor beating while very young, even 



trees the second year from bad in the nursery now 

 bear one to six specimens, clustering six inches to 

 three feet from the ground. 



The tree grows very stout, has reddish yellow 

 bark, naturally takes a dwarf habit, remarkably 

 large leaf, sets very full of fruit spurs. It is a tree 

 that once seen is always remembered without 

 label. Bears every year. Fruit of medium size-, 

 pale pellow, with dull red stripes covered with 

 white bloom ; ribbed, short stem in deep cavity, 

 calyx often closed in broad basin, surrounded 

 with knobs ; flesh white, small core, few seeds ; 

 slightly acid, excellent for table cooking ; not new, 

 well tested in many parts of the country ; in great 

 demand on account of hardihood in the great 

 J^orthwest; adapted also to North New England 

 and Canada. J. VV. Manning. 



Reading, Mass., 1869. 



DAMAGED LIME AS MANURE. 



I have some ca^ks of lime that have been dam- 

 aged by water. Can you inform me of the best 

 way of applying it to land for agricultural pur- 

 poses ? 



"Will it do to spread on and plough it in ? If so, 

 in what quantities should it be used to the acre ? 



Will it be of any use to put on land about to be 

 sowed down, without being made into a compost ? 

 How will it do lor trees ? C. H. B. Breck. 



Boston, Aug. 10, 1869. 



Remarks. — Let it air-slake, and spread broad- 

 cast. That is the least trouble. If slaked with 

 water, as masons do, a smaller quantity will 

 answer, when applied immediately, as in this 

 state it is quite soluble, but very slowly so, after it 

 has been exposed to the atmosphere and become 

 like chalk. The use of lime promotes the per7na- 

 nent fertility of the land, for unless washed out by 

 floods, it can only be removed from the soil by be- 

 coming the food of plants. Some writer has stated 

 that "on poor, peaty soils, no other manure can 



be compared to it, cither for powerful effect, or for 

 rapidity of action; and Its influence is nearly as 

 great on the stiffest clay land." 



The amount used on an acre should vary with 

 the kind of soil ; that which contains most organic 

 matter will bear a larger proportion than that 

 which is more free from vegetable or animal re- 

 mains. In England, very large quantities are 

 sometimes applied ; but unless upon old pastures, 

 or moist lands covered with mosses, we think it 

 entirely unnecessary. Twenty-five bushels per 

 acre answers an admirable purpose, if repeated 

 once in three or four years. If too much is ap- 

 plied, the land becomes tired of it as it is termed 

 in England, and instead of being beneficial it seems 

 to have the contrary effect. We have heard it 

 stated that five bushels of quick-lime, slaked, and 

 spread upon the surface, is all that the plants will 

 use in a single year, and that it will prove highly 

 beneficial on most soils, 



horses' peet injured by standing on a hard 



FLOOR. 



What shall I do to restore my horse's fore feet to 

 a natural state, (if I may use this expression,) as 

 they have become dry and hard by standing on a 

 dry plank floor in my stable, and which 1 think 

 has caused a little lameness in one foot ? Would 

 it be advisable to make a bag of sufficient dimen- 

 sions and fill it with fresh co>v manure, and sink 

 the whole toot in it in order to moisten the walls 

 of the foot all around equally ? Please advise me 

 as to the best method. Permit me to say that I 

 do not find as much on the management and treat- 

 ment of horses in the Farmer as I should be 

 pleased to. Will not some of our experienced 

 horsemen be so kind as to contribute more on that 

 subject ? Subscriber. 



East Taunton, Mass., July 30, 1869. 



Remarks. — We have no experience with respect 

 to the use of cow manure in the treatment of ten- 

 der feet. A few years ago we had a horse in the 

 condition described above. We took away about 

 four feet of tbe floor, on which the fore feet stood, 

 and filled up the spice with clay and sand well 

 bedded down. It took three cartloads. Since that 

 time our horse has stood on this, instead of a dry 

 floor, and has done the better for it. When the 

 heels have become contracted from standing on a 

 dry floor, it is diffltult to find an effectual remedy. 

 If you try the cow dung, some day please report 

 the effect. In this connection it may be well to 

 reprint the following, which we copied a few 

 weeks since : "An old stable keeper in England 

 says he has never had a bad foot on his horses 

 since he commenced the practice of bedding them 

 on a thick layer of sawdust. Pine sawdust bo, 

 finds the best, oak the worst." 



If we had any word that would enforce our 

 correspondent's appeal for more frequent contri- 

 butions on the management of horses, we would' 

 give it a hearty expression. But how is it, .Mr. 

 Stibscriber, with yourself. =■ Might not you wm-. 

 municate some fact from your own observation 

 and experience that would not only be of service 

 to some, but call out others who may perhaps, li^e^ 



