244 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



]\Uy 



ELASTIC HORSE SHOE CUSHION. 



This invention, concerning which we have had 

 some inquiry, is shown In the accompanying en- 

 gi-aving. Wc have seen some very favorable evi- 



dence of its value in cases of corns or tender feet, 

 and one gentleman who had tested it for lameness 

 caused by excessive paring of the foot, stated to 

 us that it proved immediately effective in remov- 

 ing all ti-aces of lameness. It is also said to be a 

 sure preventive of "balling up" in winter, or pick- 

 ing up stones, and in summer breaks the concus- 

 sion when driven over pavements or hard roads. 



MILKIXG cows BEFOKE CALVING. 



I have practiced taking it away for four years, 

 in every case but one, which was a heifer that 

 calved unoxpcctedly in the pasture. H er bag be- 

 came considei-ably inflamed, but none of the others 

 were so. A heifer coming four years old, dropped 

 her second calf last night, March 20. Four days be- 

 fore the IGth, I took three quarts ; on the 17th, three 

 quarts; the 18th, 6 quarts; 19th, twelve quarts, 

 and 20tli, ten quarts, and the milk all right for use 

 now. She had heen milked thirteen months, and 

 had been dry thirry-tive days, previously. She 

 has a very fine and large half Ayrshire calf. 

 In my obsciwation, milk rarely comes into the 

 udiler, much more than thirty-six hours before 

 calving; but when it does I think it is better to be 

 taken Out, and bj' so doing have not known any 

 injurious elFects ever to follow. What say others ? 



Randolph, Vt., March 20, 1868. Lactis. 



AYRSHIRES — PROPORTION OF SEXES. 



In your quotation from the Country Gentleman 

 in relation to the proportion of "75 to 80 per cent, 

 males," I think you mistook Aldcmey lor Ayr- \ 

 shire ; but the statement is probably as true of one 

 breed as of tlie other, and in fact of all breeds. I 

 allude to this subject now because I am a believer 

 in a theory <>f producing sex to order; and I wish 

 to have it tested as thoroughly as may be the com- 

 ing season. It originated in Germany, and was 

 explained in riart i)y Prof. Agassiz at the New 

 England Fair at Springfield. My experiments 

 witii cows and sows tor tlie last three years, lead 

 me to think the theory is correct, Ijuttherc is some 

 difTuulty in rendering it practicaljlc for lack of 

 certain physiological knowledge, which I think 



will yet be attained. My experiments have re- 

 sulted in securing at least tln-ee-fourths of the 

 births of calves, females. Without repeating the 

 theory here, I wish to say to all stock raisers, if 

 you desire to raise females, cause impregnation at 

 the Jirst possib/e moment; if males, at the latest 

 possible moment. There is one circumstantial 

 evidence supporting the theory, in the observation 

 of nearly all neat stock breeders ; that is, as it is 

 generally considered that impregnation at the 

 latest moment is more sure of causing conception, 

 it is generally deferred till then ; consequently the 

 theory of 75 to 80 per cent, males. Try It. 



Vermo7it, March, 18G8. 



HOW TO MAKE A SMALL MANVRE HEAP. 



Some twelve years ago I bought twenty acres of 

 land, for which I paid $600. licmg a mechanic, 

 my neighbors said, "Baker, you're sold." The 

 land had been neglected, and yielded but little. 

 Having no manure except what" I needed for my 

 garden, I asked my neighbors what I should do. 

 Some said, "send l)clow,"and buy fertilizers." Be- 

 lieving that what had been done by one man might 

 be done by another, I thought if they can make 

 fertilizers "below," I can make them here. So I 

 hired a man, a good farmer, and put him at work 

 on the land in fair weather, and in foul, I took him 

 into the shop. Upon about one-fourth of a cord 

 of backhouse accumulations, I threw one peck of 

 lime. This destroyed all unpleasant effluvia. 

 Portions of this were then put into water in a half 

 hogshead and stirred up. Having about a cord 

 of muck under my shed, I spread a layer of this 

 upon the ground and saturated it with the water 

 from the cask ; then more muck and more liquid, 

 until I had worked into one heap the manure, 

 muck, one bushel of lime, four liushels of ashes, 

 four pounds of coptjeras, and half a bushel of salt. 

 This laid until by thrusting in a stick I found it 

 was heating, when it was shoveled over. In this 

 way it was ovei hauled three times. 



I then ploughed up about three-fourths of an 

 aci-e of land which had not paid for planting, sow- 

 ing or mowing (or fifteen years, to my certain 

 knowledge. After harrowing it, and fun"o\\ing 

 very shallow, a little of my manure was scattered 

 where I wanted a hill of corn. I made it last like 

 the widow's oil, and until the whole field was ma- 

 nured. It was hoed twice, and I harvested forty 

 bushels of corn which was as good a crop as I 

 have generally raised from the same quantity of 

 land by putting on fifteen or twenty loads of green 

 manure, and ploughing it in and then manuring 

 in the hill. 



Cr. 

 40 bushels of corn , worth 75c per bushel at that 



time $30.00 



Dr. 



1 bushel lime $1.00 



4 bushels ashes 1.00 



4 pounds copperas 33 



yi bushel salt 1 60 



1 cord rauck 1.00 



Ploughinc '-.i day 1.50 



Hoeing twice 4.00 



Hilling 2. CO 



• $12.33 



Profit, — fodder paying for harvesting $17.67 



Not so badly sold that time. One year ago next 

 March, with what there was left of me, I turned 

 farmer. I tried the experiment with hen dung 

 and loam, putting in the lime, &c., as before. I 

 put it on the corn after hoeing, on about tliree- 

 fburths of a two-acre piece. During its growth I 

 did not discover a marked clFecr. In harvesting I 

 was assisted by my ncighljor, Mr. Alvord; and we 

 concluded there was one-tliird more in weight of 



