1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FAR]\IER. 



271 



Taking these cases, which I call exh-eme ones, 

 and lookin.t: at the plan of putting on twelve loads 

 manure to the acre, and leaving it upon the surfoce, 

 expose to wind and sun, and ploughing it under 

 eight and twelve inches deep, I can hardly see 

 where such extremes will' meet. One says the 

 gases of the manure work upwards ; another that 

 the rain washes the essential part of the manure 

 into the soil. If then, we plough manure in from 

 four to six inches deep, shall we not get the ben- 

 efit of the manure both upwards and downwards ? 

 This, at anv rate, is my way of farming, as it is of 

 the generality of agriculturists in England, and 

 of some, at least, in this country. By plough- 

 ing in manure as advised by Mr. H. Poor, I do not 

 see why wheat might not be raised plentifully in 

 New England. 



Another word as to the proper depth of plough- 

 ing. This depends upon the nature of the subsoil, 

 and may vary from six to cigliteen inches ; but in 

 generarfrom six to eight or ten inches will be fully 

 adequate to any useful purpose. The depth of 

 good .'■oil is usually very limited, and below this 

 the phnigh should' never go, or the manure will 

 lose its effects. Good farmers do not deem it best 

 to go to the full dfpih of good soil oftener than 

 once in twj years, and upon the whole advise 

 shallow ploughing. In England the manure is 

 ploughed in for all kinds of grains and routs, and 

 and nianure and compost heaps are managed in 

 manv respects different from what they are here. 



Jegersonville, Vt., Feb., 1868. E. h. 



DISEASE IN HORSES. — ANASARCA. 



Our correspondent, "D. F. J.," of Newark, who 

 made an inquiry in the Farmer of April 4, may 

 be interested in the following reply of Dr. Murray, 

 Veterinary editor of the Western Rural, to a Mr. 

 Carr, of Wisconsin. Mr. C.'s horse "was taken 

 suddenly sick soon after commencing work, one 

 morning. lie appeared to be in pain, and in five 

 minutes was in a foam. He was put into the sta- 

 ble and appeared to be getting better, but in about 

 a week it was noticed that he was swelling under 

 the belly. It continues to grow, running from his 

 fore legs back about half way. fs pretty hard ; if 

 it is pressed with the finger it makes a dent, and is 

 some time in filiing up. To all appearance the 

 horse was well when taken from the bam on the 

 morning alluded to, — he had no cold." 



The Dr. gave the following description of the 

 disease, and directions for its cure : — 



The disease your horse has is anasarca, which 

 arises from a general debility of the system. This 

 debility produces effusion and swelling. It is to 

 be removed by liberal diet and regular exercise. 

 Take two ounces each of sulphate of iron, pow- 

 dered gentian, and powdered ginger, make into 

 eight pill.'', and give one daily, and by those means 

 your horse Avill be restored to health. 



REMOVING •WILD BEES. 



I would like to inquire through your paper when 

 is the best time in the year to removea wild swarm 

 of bees, from the tree to the hive, with the view of 

 keeping them. c. m. s. 



East Westmoreland, N. H., April 5, 1868. 



YELLOW "WATER IN HORSES. 



I saw by the last Farmer that a certain disease 

 was manifesting itself among the colts of Ver- 

 mont, which 1 call yellow water. We had two 

 horses troubled with it last spring, and two or 



three of the neighbors, one or more. I took three 

 quarts of blood, and then gave the horse two or 

 three quarts of a tea made of cedar bough«, twice 

 a day, in his provender, with some mild physic, — 

 I used salts and sulphui , — and the result was they 

 all got well in a short time, and were put to harder 

 labor last summer than ever they were before, an5 

 have not seen a sick day since. 

 April, 1868. Down in Maine. 



WHY YOUNG MEN LEAVE THE PARM. 



There has been considerable said in the Farmer 

 about young men leaving the farm, and engaging 

 in other pursuits. One of your corresponaents 

 appears to think it is owing to the girls leaving 

 their homes and going to work in the mills, &c. 

 But I do not think that is the only reason. Many 

 farmers will not take an agricultural naper for 

 their children to read, because it costs so much. 

 Then, when their boys are old enough, they are 

 sent to some school where almost everything is 

 taught but a knowledge of agriculture. The result 

 of such an education is that they return home, but 

 not to work on the farm. No, they have got just 

 enough of the "high school" to raise them above 

 that. So they leave tfie farm for some more gen- 

 teel employment, and the old gentleman has to la- 

 ment that none of his sons will stay at home to 

 help him carry on the farm, and he blames them 

 instead of himself for the result. Now if he had 

 taken two or three agricultural journals, and in- 

 terested his sons in farming ))efore they left home 

 to attend school, they might have improved their 

 opportunities in such a way as to have increased 

 instead of destroying their interest in agriculture, 

 which after all is as noble a calling as any young 

 man can engage in. Adopt this course and I be- 

 lieve fewer parents would be left alone in. their old 

 age. Some may say all this is the dream of a boy- 

 ish imagination, but I am personally knowing to 

 cases similar to those to which I have alluded. 



Biddeford, Me., March 20, 1868. J. W. 



house-paper worms. 



Many of us farmers live in the "old homestead," 

 and the "slick worm," or "book worm," as it is 

 often called, make sad work with the house paper, 

 especially in rooms not much used. As this is the 

 season in which the good wife wishes to "fix up," 

 can you, or some one of your many patrons, tell of 

 some way to destroy the wonii, or how to make 

 the paste and paper distasteful to them ? Will 

 some kind of poison in the paste answer the pur- 

 pose ? I know of several rooms in which the 

 paper would look well were it not for the ravages 

 of this pest. R. 



Sotnerset, Mass., April 2, 1868. 



SORE NOSE IN SHEEP. 



When my sheep went to pasture last spring, one 

 of them had a sore nose. By the first of June it 

 had spread all through the flock. Just at the right 

 time an article in your valuable paper came to 

 hand, and as it benefited me, and may benefit 

 others, I will here repeat it. It was simply smear 

 the nose with tar and r.ulphur. In my case it^ured 

 them at once, and I shall never let my sheep^o to 

 pasture again without it. Down in Maine. 



April, 1868. 



— Every garden should have a well assorted bed 

 of useful herbs, such as sage, mint, balm, and 

 other perennial herbs. There are also several 

 medicinal herbs which may be planted with much 

 advantage to the cultivator. 



