1868. 



NEW ENGLAIH) FAK^DER. 



515 



STACKING HAT ITT THE FIELD. 



A correspondent of the Country Qentleman 

 ■who was raised near the rivers Severn and 

 Avon, gives the following plan for facilitating 

 the business of haymaking adopted by farmers 

 ■who own from 200 to 300 acres of meadow ly- 

 ing on those streams, and whose homesteads 

 were often a mile or two away, and few of 

 whom had more than one team : — 



The mowing was commenced early, and pro- 

 ceeded with without any delay, and as f\ist as the 

 hay became dry it was put in what they call "wind 

 cocks," being about a ton or less in each cock, 

 which were well made by a man building them as 

 the others pitched the hay up to him. They were 

 round and so well made that for a few weeks they 

 were perfectly safe. Thus the work went merrily 

 on, and in any damp parts of the lields the team 

 would be. in request to cnrry the crop from there 

 to a sound and safe spot. Then, when all was 

 mowed and made into hay, there was none but the 

 regular constant men retained, probably only a 

 couple of men and a boy, and these would then 

 fetch home the whole of the cocks, and put them 

 in large ricks in the stock-yard, where ihcy would 

 be thatched with straw according to the custom of 

 the country. This is a plan which might be adopt- 

 ed in this country, where there is a great deal to be 

 done and few hands to be employed, for a very few 

 men v/ould make perfectly safe in this way all that 

 could be cut with two machines running from 

 light till dark ; for, with the aid of a tedder and 

 some horse-rakes, tha cocking would be nearly all 

 to be done with those using the forks. 



The Texas Cattle Fever. — John J. 

 Keller, a veterinary surgeon of St. Louis, who 

 is spoken of as a well educated and intelligent 

 practitioner, attributes this disease to the gen- 

 eration of microscopical fungi or animals. He 

 believes that they are in a state of incubation, 

 whilst on, and when leaving the Texas cattle ; 

 that they are specifically attracted to our na- 

 tive cattle, and that they mature in and upon 

 them, and ultimately (if not arrested in their 

 course) destroy them by preying upon the vi- 

 tal parts of the blood, while these microscopi- 

 cal fungi or animals perish in their feast, and 

 consequently cannot pass from one of our cat- 

 tle to another. This idea. Dr. Keller believes 

 is in accordance with what has been ascertained 

 to have occurred amongst the fungi of the 

 vegetable kingdom, and hence may safely be 

 supposed to happen in the animal — both being 

 so intimately allied. 



Dog vs. Sheep. — The Vermont Record 

 and Farmer reports the case of H. N. Bur- 

 nett vs. G. W. Ward, tried at the late session 

 of the Windham County court. The plaintiff's 

 evidence tended to show that seven of his 



sheep and one lamb were killed and others in- 

 jured by the defendant's dog. A verdict of 

 $202.50 damages was awarded to the plaintiff 

 under a statute of that State which authorizes 

 double damages against the owner of any dog 

 that shall worry, chase or kill sheep. The at- 

 tempt of the defendant to show that his dog 

 was of peaceable habits and disposition, and 

 was never known to worry or kill sheep, and 

 that said dog was always at home, and was at 

 home every day during the weeks defent^ant's 

 sheep were killed, seems to hwe little influ- 

 ence on the minds of the jury, who assessed 

 the damages as above stated. 



A Remarkable Confession. — One of the 

 agricultural editors of a New York city weekly 

 paper says, "The most remarkable thing about 

 Darwin's theory of the variation of animals 

 and plants is, that it teaches us more than we 

 knew before." 



S'WEET Cider. — To all lovers of this ex- 

 cellent and really healthy beverage, I have a 

 piece of useful information to give. Cider, 

 if taken when first made, brought to a boiling 

 heat, and canned, precisely as fruit is canned, 

 will keep from year to year without any change 

 of taste. Canned up in this way in the fall, 

 it may be kept half a dozen years or longer, as 

 good as when first made. It is better that the 

 cider be settled and poured off from the dregs, 

 and when brought ip boiling htat the scum 

 that gathers on the surface taken off"; but the 

 only precaution necessary to tie preservation 

 of the cider is the sealing of it up air-tight 

 when boiling hot. 



Last fall my wife canned several gallons of 

 sweet cider in this way, and kept it perfectly 

 pure and sweet tintil opened lor use in the 

 spring, so in making the above statement, "I 

 speak what I do know." — North West. Far. 



Galled Shoulder. — In reply to a corres- 

 pondent who asks for a remedy for a two- 

 years old gall on a horse's shoulder, the vete- 

 rinarian editor of the Western Rural, after re- 

 marking that a gall of such long standing will 

 require very careful and persevering treat- 

 ment, advises as follows : In the first place, 

 you must dispense with the use of a collar. 

 The following lotion should be applied daily to 

 the sore : — Sulphate of zinc, one drachm ; ace- 

 tate of lead, one drachm : water, one pint. 

 Where it is very difficult to dispense with the 

 use of a collar, some of the stuffing may be re- 

 moved from it, so as to make a hollow oppo- 

 site to the sore part, which is thus relieved from 

 pressure. 



