1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FARI^IER. 



369 



sames his milk in the manufacture of butter and 

 cheese ? From the same article we learn that at a 

 certain stage of the gi-owth of the corn, the whole 

 value of a ripened crop is found in the green stalks. 

 If that is so, will it exhaust the fertility of the soil 

 as much to grow a crop of green corn, as it would 

 to ripen the same crop ? We need a substitute for 

 grass late in the season, and notwithstanding the 

 discussion of the cow-forn subject in the Farmer, 

 we prefer to try our luck with green corn, rather 

 than with t-quash vines and weeds. f. 



MasUjard, N. H., June 10, 1868. 



SALT FOR HYB. 



In 1865 I sowed about eleven acres of land, 

 which had been entirely impoverished, con- 

 sisting mostly of light sandy soil, with rye — 

 two bushels of seed to the acre. The field 

 had been in white beans the year before, and 

 had not returned the cost of seed and labor. 

 For the rye it was ploughed in July, and 

 buLikwheat sown, -syhich was turned over when 

 in blossom and rolled down. The rye was 

 sown in October, broadcast, and after harrow- 

 ing, ten barrels of refuse Saginaw salt was 

 spread over the field. The result was, in 

 some respects, extraordinary. Before ger- 

 mination, a tremendous gale, lasting through 

 several days, carried volumes of sand off the 

 field, reminding one of the simooms of Sahara. 

 The following winter was open, without snow 

 sufficient at any time to cover the rye. During 

 the succeeding summer and fall several severe 

 gales prostrated the timothy and corn in 

 neighboring fields, but did no injury to this 

 rye, which was of very rank growth and at- 

 tained an unusual height, yielding a trille over 

 thirty bushels to the acre. The rye crop in 

 my vicinity that year was almost a total failure. 

 In the spring of 1866, clover was sowed by a 

 machine on tlae young rye, and produced as 

 even a lay and good yield as could be desired. 



My deductions from this experiment are, 

 that the salt gave increased growth and stout- 

 ness of straw, and increase of yield and plump- 

 ness of berry, fully confirming, to my mind, 

 the soundness of our revered friend John 

 Johnston's views on the use of salt as a fertili- 

 zer for wheat and rye. — E. N. Wilcox, Wlilt- 

 woocl, Mlcli., in Qountrij Gentleman. 



HEALTH OF AMEKICAW CATTLE. 



Among the curious things which we should 

 like to see explained, is the reason why 

 American cattle, of late years, are more af- 

 flicted with disease than formerly. The cen- 

 sus reports do not show such a marked 

 increase in numbers as to warrant the assump- 

 tion that it proceeds from any such increase. 

 We are constantly hearing of fatal maladies 

 breaking out among cattle in various parts of 

 the country ; — in the Eastern States, in the 

 Middle States and now at the West. The 

 so-called "native cattle" of the country were 

 singularly free of disease. Of late years 

 there has been a general desire to improve 



our stock by strains of imported blood. We 

 do not say that this has been the direct or 

 indirect cause of disease, but the fact stands 

 boldly out, so far as the Central counties of 

 New York are concerned, that the trouble 

 among the herds commenced with the admix- 

 ture of thoroughbred blood in the herds. 

 The old stock of the country was far more 

 hardy and vigorous than are the improved 

 breeds of Great Britain. The climate of 

 Great Britain differs materially from that of 

 this country. How far a change of climate 

 and the infusion of blood from a less vigorous 

 race has affected the health of our stock, the 

 physiologist is best able to explain, but it 

 would be reasonable to suppose that all the 

 circumstances combined might have more or 

 less influence upon the health of American 

 cattle rendering them less able to resist dis- 

 ease. — Utica Herald. 



APPLYIWQ MANURE. 



After a variety of experiments running 

 through forty years of close application to ag- 

 riculture, I have adopted the following prac- 

 tice : 1st. Make and save all the manure you 

 can. 2d. Apply the winter's production to 

 the spring crops, so far as its condition will 

 allow its admixture with the soil ; and that 

 which needs decomposition, apply to winter 

 grain and top-dressing of meadows in autumn, 

 in applying manure to winter crops, I prefer 

 to fit the fallow well fii'st, then spread the ma- 

 nure as even as can be done ; sow the grain 

 and work the land thoroughly with a cultivator 

 and harrow. The manure being so near the 

 surface, protects the young plants from the 

 frosts and winds of winter, and places the very 

 food they want within ready reach of the plant, 

 and assists the grass seeds to a good catch. 



In applying manure to spring crops, I put 

 the heaps at such convenient distances apart 

 that there is no difficulty in a careful hand 

 spreading it evenly over the ground, and spread 

 it only as fast as you are ready to plough it 

 under, to prevent waste by evaporation, and 

 ploHgh no deeper than is necessary to protect 

 the manure from waste by the elements, the 

 land having previously been thoroughly worked 

 by deep culture. It is seldom that a good 

 catch of seed fails by the foregoing practice, 

 unless the land has been cropped so much that 

 the vegetable mould is exhausted. Seed down 

 with the second crop, with a good application 

 of manure, and you will not have "worn out 

 lands." — Hiram Walker, Mexico, N. Y., in 

 Country Oentlemayi. 



— According to the Monthly Report of the Di- 

 rector of the Bureau of Statistics of the Treasury 

 Department, Alex. Delmar, Director, it appears 

 that the importation of raw and fleece wool in 

 March, 1868, amounted to 1,866,820 pounds, and 

 in March 1867, 3,808,402 pounds. 



