4G 



Spring-tooth Horse-rake. — The Alpaca. 



Vol. XL 



cereal grains.* What, in particular, these 

 elements are, remains for agricultural chem- 

 istry to discover. The philosophers have 

 approached the promised land, but have not 

 yet got possession. — Colmmi's Tour. 



Spriug-tooth Horse-rake. 



Seventeen years ago we met with a Re- 

 volving Horse-rake which was left by some 

 one, interested in the patent, witli Mr. Wil- 

 liam Marshall, of Bowman's Point, Hallo- 

 well, who then owned and carried on an ex- 

 tensive farm at that place. It was the first 

 one ever introduced into this State. We 

 had one made, and carried it on to a farm 

 which we then cultivated in Starks, Somer- 

 set county, and although we met with some 

 good natured ridicule for attempting to do 

 raking by horse power, we have had the sat- 

 isfaction of seeing it come into general use. 

 It is an admirable instrument on smooth 

 lands, and at that time we never expected 

 to find any thing of the rake kind that 

 would equal it. 



Last week, for the first time, we tried 

 Dewey's Patent Spiral Spring-tooth Horse- 

 rake, manufactured by Duncan and Paddle- 

 ford, Lyman, N. H. We were determined 

 to put it to a severe test, and we did so. 

 We had a piece of rough land that had 

 never been ploughed, and where the stumps 

 were still standing, and the "cradle knolls," 

 as they are called, all over the surface. The 

 grass was mowed in the morning, averaging 

 from half to three-quarters of a ton per acre. 

 In the afternoon the Spring-tooth Rake was 

 applied, and the ease and despatch with 

 which all the hay was raked up, astonished 

 not only those who did not believe it would 

 work, but those who thought favourably of 

 it before trial. It scraped it all up clean, 

 excepting now and then a lock of the bay 



* Professor K^ne, in his instructive work on tlie In 

 dustrial Resources of Ireland, remarks, that " it is by 

 the gradual formation and decomposition of this body 

 (nitrogen), that the organic matter of the soil becomes 

 so powerful an agent in its fertilization. The roots 

 and fibres of a crop left in the soil, gradually rot, and 

 become thereby the means of absorbing from the at- 

 mosphere a quantity of nitrogen, which is rendered 

 available for the sustenance of the next generation of 

 plants. In estimating the fertility of a soil, therefore, 

 it is most important to determine the quantity of these 

 organic matters, and particularly the amount of nitro- 

 gen which they contain. The mere presence of organ- 

 ic matter indicates nothing ; thus a peaty soil may be 

 absolutely barren, if the decomposition of its organic 

 matter has been carried on under water, where the 

 oxygen and nitrogen of the air have not access, and 

 consequently only inert ulmine, destitute of the power 

 of evolving carbonic acid and ammonia, be produced." 



that would be caught by some snag of a 

 stump as the driver had to "haw" or "gee" 

 to avoid going over them. We counted the 

 stumps on one of the acres which we raked 

 over, and found eighty-two of them, averag- 

 ing a stump to every two square rods. It 

 was amusing to see the iron fingers of the 

 machine accommodating themselves to the 

 inequalities of the surface, apparently as 

 accurately and as faithfully as the fingers of 

 the human hand. 



On level land it will rake as clean as the 

 other kind. We do not think it is held quite 

 as easy as the revolvers, nor is it discharged 

 quite so easily, but then it can be used in 

 situations where the revolvers could be 

 hardly moved. Next week we shall try it 

 on a bog-meadow, and see how it will rake 

 among the tussacs and brake roots, and will 

 report the results. — Maine Farmer. 



The Alpaca. 



Description, Habits, Food, fSfC. — The Al- 

 paca, when fully grown, is about 37 inches 

 high to the shoulders, and 59 inches to the 

 top of the head. It possesses many proper- 

 ties in common with the Llama — belongs to 

 the same natural family, to the same coun- 

 try, possessing a similar disposition and man- 

 ners, and bears much resemblance in figure, 

 but is smaller in stature. Its legs are short- 

 er, with larger muscles, and its wool finer, 

 and more abundant ; but it is less robust in 

 its habit, being able to carry a continuous 

 burden of only 50 to 70 pounds. 



In a wild state it is never known to asso- 

 ciate with any other animal, but keeps toge- 

 ther in herds of 100 or more in number, 

 feeding, through choice, on a sort of rushy 

 grass or reed, called ycho, which grows in 

 abundance on its native hills, where, it is 

 said, these animals are never known to drink, 

 so long as a sufficiency of green, succulent 

 herbage, can be obtained. They resort to a 

 particular spot to drop their dung, which 

 greatly resembles that of the goat, the sheep, 

 or of the giraffe, and which often proves fatal 

 to them, from betraying their haunts. When 

 domesticated, they possess the same grega- 

 rious habits, and are strongly attached to 

 their birth-place, to which they return at 

 night, evincing little or no inclination to 

 stray away, or to mix with other flocks. 

 They are gentle, docile, and contented in 

 their dispositions, and are as readily re- 

 strained as the common sheep, with which, 

 it is said, they perfectly agree. They adapt 

 themselves to almost any soil or situation, 

 provided the heat is not oppressive, and the 

 air is pure. They will live and thrive on 

 the same sorts of food as eaten by cattle and 



