1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER, 



129 



those whose thoughts and fingers have not been 

 trained to work together, are apt to be discour- 

 aged by the difficulties of the doulile task, and 

 after a few trials they give up in disgust with the 

 balky team of throught and pen, which they 

 find worse to manage than a span of green colts. 

 A little perseverance, with a share of indifference 

 as to the style of composition, and some faith in 

 the editors to make it all straight, will generally 

 help one out of the ordinary snarls of composition, 

 where the main object is a simple statement of 

 facts. An English Essayist once said he always 

 intended to halve the matter of thought with his 

 readers ; why, then, may not inexperienced writers 

 halve the matter of composition with their 

 printers ? 



But as farmers are becoming better educated, as 

 they are more generally taking part in the exer- 

 cises of clubs and associations, the habit of ex- 

 pressing their thoughts on paper is becoming more 

 generally formed. This is shown by the more fre- 

 quent contributions from their pens to agricultural 

 and other papers than formerly, which is one of 

 the most encouraging features of the times. 



"We may, therefore, hope that some of our read- 

 ers who have fought the good fight of a two-thirds 

 mortgage, and come off" victorious, — "having done 

 it all on the farm.," — will encourage "C. B. R.," 

 and those young friends of his "who have bought 

 farms and run in debt for one-half or two-thirds of 

 the purchase money," by such facts as their own 

 experience or "story" may aiford. 



RED "WATER IN COWS. 



Please inform me through the Farmer what 

 remedy will help a cow that is troubled with the 

 bloody water. l. 



Rumford, Me., Dec. 24, 1867. 



Remarks. — In his "Milch Cows and Dairy 

 Farming," Mr. Flint says this disease demands 

 treatment, for it is apt to prey upon the health of 

 the cow. Purgatives are usually employed with 

 much success. Take a pound of Epsom salts, half 

 an ounce of ginger, and half an ounce of carbonate 

 of ammonia. Pour a quart of boiling water on 

 the salts and ginger, stir thoroughly, and when 

 cold, add the ammonia. If this fails to act on the 

 bowels, repeat a quarter part of it eveiy six or 

 eight hours till it succeeds. Then a nutritious diet 

 should be used till the appetite is fully restored. 



Generous feeding, and careful tending is the 

 best way to prevent the disease. 



CORN COBS. — seed FOR PASTURES. — ASHES AND 

 PLASTER. 



Does it pay to grind cobs for cattle and horses, 

 if we have to pay the money, 8 cents per bushel, 

 for grinding? How much spring wheat shall I 

 sow to the acre on new lands ? How much tim- 

 othy and clover seed per acre for pasture ? 



Is it good policy to mix ashes with plaster for 

 corn ? Hazen N. Savage. 



White River Junction, Vt. , Jan. 8, 1868. 



Remarks. — The economy of grinding cobs is a 

 mooted question. "We think it doubtful if it is 



profitable for horses and cattle ; but there is no 

 doubt that it is profitable to be fed to poultry, espe- 

 cially to laying hens. We hope the question will 

 be thoroughly tested by some of our intelligent, 

 painstaking readers. 



In another column the reader will find the opin- 

 ion of a writer for the Missouri Rural World, who 

 has large faith in the nutritive value of cobs by 

 themselves and when ground with the corn. 



The quantity of spring wheat to l)e used as seed, 

 per acre, will depend somewhat upon the quality 

 of the soil. On a medium soil, from one bushel to 

 one and a half bushels will be suflScient. On a 

 poor soil more. 



Eight quarts of timothy and ten pounds of 

 clover seed is the usual quantity used per acre. 

 We err too often in not using seed enough. 



We can see no olijection to mixing ashes with 

 plaster for corn, and using it immediately. 



management of hens. 



Can T make a good hen house on the side of a 

 dry hill, by digging in a little way and lianking it 

 up to the roof, except the sunn}'- "side, and have it 

 so warm that it will not freeze .? Would it not be 

 much better than our cold barns and sheds ? 



If one should keep twenty-four hens would it 

 not be better to muke two such houses than to 

 have them in one ? A Young Farmer. 



Great Falls, N. H., 1868. 



Remarks. — A hen house made as you suggest 

 would be a good one. The excavation should ex- 

 tend some way into the hill, and should have a 

 good ventilator up through the roof. The front 

 should extend out two or three feet from the bank 

 and be covered with glass, and the whole front 

 end be of glass. Then, with an ample yard at- 

 tached, the biddies will have a fine home, and 

 yield you a profit of one dollar per head, annu- 

 ally, if you tend them well, to say nothing bf 

 the convenience of fresh eggs and fine poultry 

 when you want it. Fowls do best when not 

 crowded. 



scratches and warts. 



We have taken the Farmer several years, and 

 greet it with pleasure every week. The Extracts 

 and Replies are a great benefit to us farmers ; and 

 if my experience can benefit any, I shall be happy 

 to impart it. 



We have found the following an invariable cure 

 for scratches on horses. Bind a liijeral quantity 

 of fresh cow manure uj^on the parts aff'ected, and 

 let it remain until it is dry ; then wash thoroughly 

 in castile soap. Two applications will generally 

 effect a cure. 



For warts, take fresh new pitch from pine trees, 

 and smear them thoroughly. When thje pitch 

 comes off the warts will be cured. I have never 

 known it to fail. b. w. 



Stratham. N. H., Dec. 31, 1867. 



GAS tar on roofs. 



The price of shaved shingles being so high, 

 when repairing my house, in 18-58, I concluded to 

 test the virtue of gas tar. My roof was two-fifths 

 pitch, and sawed spruce shingles were used, for 

 which I paid $2.25 per thousand. With a barrel 

 of gas tar, costing two dollars and fifty cents, and 



