No. 12. 



Hos^s — Stock. 



185 



bor, and those so disturbed are lost. But in 

 order to obviate that difficulty, I dropped the 

 slide one and a half inches lower, so that 

 they could not reach from the net work to 

 the paper slides below. I have tried Mr. 

 Whitinarsh's plan for the worms to spin on, 

 and I have substituted small lath for his net 

 work, and the worms appear better pleased 

 with the lath than the net work. I have 

 tried the plan of seven-eighth inch holes in 

 one and three-fourth inch plank. The holes 

 answered a good purpose, but are two expen- 

 sive unless made by a machine for that purpose. 



I have invented a plan, which pleases me 

 better than any I have seen, or read of. It is 

 to take a thin plank, five-eighths of an inch 

 thick, and seven or eight inches wide, with 

 legs about one and a half inches long at the 

 bottom edge of the plank, and form shelves 

 by running grooves in eacli side of the plank, 

 about seven-eighths of an inch apart, and take 

 a thin board, from one-eighth to one-fourth of 

 an inch thick, and slit otf pieces wide enougii 

 to fill the grooves, and to project about seven- 

 eighths of an inch, so as to form small shelves. 

 This gives them just room to form their co- 

 coons. The worms appear better pleased 

 with this plan than any other 1 have tried ; 

 and no litter can fall from one worm to ano- 

 ther, and of course the cocoons are kept en- 

 tirely free from any litter whatever. 



I have made a silk reel after Dales' plan, 

 and have succeeded in reeling about three 

 pounds of silk, and have manufactured about 

 500 skeins of sewing silk, a part of which is 

 said to be as good as most of the imported. 

 The above silk was manufactured on the com- 

 mon wheel, but I intend to get a small spin- 

 ning machine, before I manufacture much 

 more. I do not expect to make much silk 

 next season, but the following year I am in 

 hopes I shall be able to make from 40 to 50 

 lbs. of silk, if I have good luck with my trees 

 and cuttings, as I have Italian and Chinese 

 trees and cuttings sufficient to stock about 

 three acres of land, which I have lately pur- 

 chased for that purpose. I shall have about 

 3,000 Italian trees two years old for sale this 

 fall, or next spring. I would sell them this 

 fall if called for. I have about 160,000 silk 

 worm eggs for sale also, both of which I will 

 sell as reasonably as they can be had at any 

 regular market. 



Hogs and Manure. 



Mr. Cooke : — If you think the following 

 worthy, you may trouble your readers with 

 its appearance m your paper. 



I think that branch of the " farmer's work" 

 which embraces the fattening of pork, and 

 making manure therefrom, is not enough at- 

 tended to by farmers in general. If properly 



managed, it will afford the greatest profit from 

 the same expense and labor. 



My plan is this : — Yard the hogs through 

 the year. Give each hog to work upon ten 

 loads of mud from the swamp. Give them 

 potatoes, apples, and waste food from the 

 house, enough to keep them in good thriving 

 order all the time, till about September. Then 

 attend them regularly, giving them all they 

 will eat, perhaps some extra food, for about 

 four months. 



In this way, the expense will be about $20 

 or |i25 per hog, for the whole time of grow- 

 ing and fattening. 



Some men, thinking to avoid expense in 

 keeping, permit their hogs to " run at large," 

 or in a large pasture. This is a bad practice ; 

 the hogs "run away" so much of their flesh, 

 that it requires nearly as much to keep them 

 in a thriving state, as if they were yarded. — 

 If it did not, the pasture would be much more 

 profitable for other stock. More than this, 

 the hogs will convert about four loads more 

 of mud into good manure, which will more 

 than twice pay the extra cost of yarding. 



THE RESULT — COST. 



Cost of growing and fattening each 



hog, $25 GO 



Cost of hauling mud to the yard, 10 



loads, 1 00 



~$26l]0 



PROFIT. 



There will be eleven loads of first rate 

 manure, (the hog making one at the lowest 

 calculation,) which if applied to the benefit 

 of a corn crop, and the soil, will at least be 

 worth $2.25 per load. This may seem a high 

 estimate, but every experienced farmer must 

 admit it. 



Which will amount to $24 75 



Which sum deducted, leaves cost, $1 25 



The hog, if he has done well, will weigh 



four cwt., which, at present prices of pork, is 



worth ten cents per lb., $40 00 



Who can make $1.25 nett him $40.00 in 

 any other branch of agriculture. — Am. Silk 

 Grower. 



From the Maine Farmer. 



Baru Yards ouglit not to be used as Cow 



Yards* 



Mr. Holmes: — It is agreed among farm- 

 ers, that manure is to farming, what money 

 is to war. There is a very common practice 

 among our farmers, and many of the best al- 

 low themselves in it, which is much to their 

 disadvanlage; that is, to yard their cattle 

 through the summer in their barn yards. 



According to my observation, it is a besetting 

 agricultural sin in this State, and this county 

 in particular. All experience has shown that 

 folding land is not only the cheapest, but best 

 mode of manuring our land. Pasturing is 



