1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



175 



that for the largest part of the summer season, 

 they actually suffer in our almost barren pastures, 

 for the want of sufficient food ; and considering it 

 had policy at any time to feed mowing lands ; and 

 supposing that when the feed was the best in the 

 pasture that some hay, by way of change, would 

 be beneficial, I have for several years past fed 

 them with hay during the whole of the pasturing 

 s%ason. With this treatment, they are kept uni- 

 formly in Ijetter fiesh, are more healthy, make 

 more butter, and of better quality than when fed 

 in the usual way. e. b. 



Derry, N. H., Jmi., 1868, 



THAT MACHINE — A WOOL DILEMMA. 



"Will the "Vermontcr" alluded to in the Farmer 

 of Jan. 25, who has a machine used for the multi- 

 farious purposes of a land roller, a clod crusher, 

 a corn planter, a broadcast seed sower and a grain 

 drill, inform us of his whereabouts and the cost 

 of said machine ? 



Can you, Mr. Editor, tell those of us who make 

 the raising of wool a specialty, or nearly so, what 

 to do when labor is $i25 to $30 per month, as it 

 was last season, and $2.00 per day in haying and 

 harvesting ; thereby making the cost of raising 

 wool 75 to 80 cents per pound; whether to hold 

 on, or to let it slide at our highest offer, 40 

 cents per pound, about one half its actual cost ? 

 Be your advice as it may, I subscribe myself, under 

 the circumstances, Retrograding. 



Fairlee, Vt., Jan. 29, 1868. 



Remarks. — The allusion to the machine was 

 copied from a Vermont paper, and we hope the in- 

 ventor will respond to the inquiry. Our idea of 

 the wool market is that the stock on hand is 

 rather light and that the tendency of prices ap- 

 pears at present to be rather upward, still we do 

 not feel competent to advise as to the sale. Our 

 correspondent is not the only one who is seriously 

 considering the alternative of "holding on, or let- 

 ting slide." To some of r •, however, here in the 

 city, another question is '.eginning to present itself, 

 — Have we in reality anything either to hold on to, 

 or to let slide ? If the misery of "retrograding" 

 loves company, it may be found among those who 

 have not a lock of wool to sell. There are clouds 

 in other horizons than that of the wool grower. It 

 may be well for all of us to trim sails, watch the 

 winds, and look out for "a storm about these 



A GOOD VARIETY OF CORN. 



While husking my corn this fall, I more than 

 once asked myself the question. Why is it that so 

 many farmers will persist in raising corn with ker- 

 nels so small as scarcely to cover the big cob on 

 which they grow, when by a little pains they 

 might oljtain a much better and more profitable 

 sort ? I do not think it good policy to raise corn 

 that takes two bushels of ears to make one bushel 

 of shelled corn. 1 have a variety that I have raised 

 for several years, and have taken considerable 

 pains to improve, and which, I think, is a little 

 ahead of any other kind that has come to my 

 knowledge. It is an eight-rowed variety, kernels 

 very large, and cob very small, fills out entirely 

 over the tip of the ear with large handsome kernels. 

 Many of the stalks produce two good ears. It is 

 quite early; has always escaped being injured by 

 early frosts, even when planted as late as the fiist 

 week in June. It is the prettiest corn to husk or 

 shell that ever I handled. In husking, the ear 



readily parts from the stem, even with the lower 

 kernels. After it was all husked out, I shelled 

 one bushel basket of ears, and the product was 

 twenty-two quarts of shelled corn, and there is no 

 reason to doubt but that every bushel in the heap 

 will yield equally as well. In short, it gives to 

 me, at any rate, entire satisfaction, and I think 

 very many of the ears this year came as near to 

 perfection as anything that grows in the form of 

 corn. Along with this note I send you a few spe- 

 cimen ears,— not those containing the smallest 

 kernels, of course, nor yet the largest, but between 

 the two. Please first feast your eyes upon them, 

 and then tell me what they "lack, if in anything, to 

 make them perfect specimens of that noble grain 

 that you so justly designate as the glory of the 

 New England harvest! In your opinion, to what 

 extent would New England be the gainer if no 

 poorer variety of corn than this should be 

 planted within her borders next spring ? Would 

 it not be to the amount of thousands of bushels of 

 this most valuable production of her soil ? 

 Massachusetts, Nov., 1867. I. N. Winchester. 



Remarks. — We have "feasted our eyes" upon 

 your beautiful specimen of the glory of our New 

 England harvest, but do not see as we can improve 

 on your description of it. We have also exhibited 

 it to parties who wish to know your post office ad- 

 dress. 



dutch or holstein cattle. 



A correspondent at Shelburne, N. H., inquires 

 about the Dutch cattle. I can tell him that I know 

 from my own expeiience that the cows are good 

 milkers, and if he or any other brother farmer 

 who is interested in raising good stock, will call 

 on me and look at a pair of steers which 1 have 

 that were three years old last summer, and never 

 had any extra keeping, they will, I think, be sat- 

 isfied that they are "good workers," also. 



I have been engaged in farming for more than 

 twenty-five years, but have never raised any stock 

 that, with the same care and expense, would com- 

 pare favorably with the Dutch in size, form and 

 activity. Their color, too, is generally admired, 

 being black, with a wide white belt around their 

 middle. C. Eames. 



Northborough, Mass., Feb. 3, 1868. 



FATAL POISONS AND OTHER REMEDIES FOR LICE. 



I never before took up my pen to write a sen- 

 tence for publication, but when I see such deadly 

 poisons as unguentum and arsenic recommended 

 for killing lice on cattle, I am constrained to write. 



Your correspondent, M. M. Tallant, East Con- 

 cord, N. H., recommends putting in a piece of un- 

 guentum under the skin near the ear. It is evi- 

 dent that this poison must be taken into the circu- 

 lation in order to kill the lice on all parts of the 

 body, in the incredible short space of four days. 

 Your correspondent probably knows that it is dan- 

 gerous to apply it on the surface, where the animal 

 can lick itself, but if he can only get it under the 

 skin, he regards it as perfectly harmless, — only to 

 the lice. Now let every thinking man decide for 

 himself, whether it is safe to use it or not. There 

 are other things that will kill lice. Kerosene will, 

 but if used freely will blister the skin and the 

 hair will peal off; tobacco wash will kill lice, and 

 I once came very near killing three calves by 

 using it; ashes will rid cattle of lice, but there is 

 danger of its starting the hair ; soap and water is 

 good, when the weather is warm, especially for 

 calves ; but I think we may take a lesson from 

 nature. Every farmer knows that in summer 

 when cattle have access to sand or loam they will 

 rid themselves of lice,— calves excepted. Now to 



