130 



NEW ENGLAND FAIIMER. 



Makch 



which are inclined, and project into the circular 

 {grooves on the spike roller. These wires strip the 

 husks from the spikes. 



The spike roller is revolved by a band and pully, 

 and so is tlie saw spindle, and the endless feed ta- 

 ble, C. Tliis machine is adapted for being worked 

 by a foot treddle, like a common hand lathe. 



The operator stands in front of the table, B, and 

 •while he feeds the unhusked ears into the clamps 

 on the apron, C, with his hands, his foot vibrates 

 treddle, I, at the back of which it is connected to a 

 crank, which gives motion to a pully, from which 

 by straps, N, M, the spike roller, II, the band 

 wheels, J and K, receive motion, and through them, 

 the small circular saw, D, and the feed table C, are 

 rotated. The husks, as they drop from the spikes, 

 are ready for use, to be put into mattresses, with- 

 out further preparation. All the parts of this ma- 

 chine are strong and simple, and not liable to get 

 out of order. 



For the Neto England Farmer. 



POTATO PLAHTING-APPLE SEEDS. 



In reference to raising potatoes, and especially 

 in regard to the amount and kind of seed, I think 

 there is a popular error. Much that has been writ- 

 ten about the kind of seed to be used to secure the 

 greatest crop, whether it should be large or small, 

 big end or seed end, has arisen from a mistake as 

 to the quality of seed. I will explain. Many 

 have condemned the seed end of the potato for 

 eeed, claiming that this end produced "small pota- 

 toes," and less bushels, stating experiments and re- 

 sults. "Well, I will make a guess how they cut their 

 potatoes, which is of some importance. I doubt 

 not they cut the seed end right off, leaving in one 

 piece from six to eight eyes. I haven't any doubt 

 that those potatoes grew spindling and produced 

 the results mentioned, and why ? Verily, because 

 they were thus cut, and expected to grow "all hud- 

 dled up together" in a heap. 



Last spring I took large potatoes and planted 

 two rows of the seed end, two of the large end, and 

 two of both together. But mark ; I cut the seed 

 end of the potato lengthwise into about three 

 pieces,taking care that there should be no more than 

 two or three eyes to a piece, and four pieces to the 

 hill, separated a little in the hill, as they always 

 should be, to give them room to grow. In the re- 

 sult this fall 1 could see, positively, no differenee. 

 The yield on the piece (old pasture) was about one 

 hundred and fifty bushels to the acre. By the way, 

 the size of potatoes which we plant is about the size 

 of a hen's egg, eating the large and avoiding the 

 small. 



The true rule of planting potatoes is, not to use 

 a certain number of bushels on an acre, but a par- 

 ticular number of eyes on a piece, and pieces in a 

 hill. Do not overstock. I saw the evil effects of 

 this last fail on a neighbor's plai^^^tion where I could 

 count from 20 to 25 stalks to a hill. The result 

 was a good many little ones. One-third the seed 

 would ]iroduce as many potatoes and less small 

 ones. Too many throw in their seed too promiscu- 

 ously, and had better throw a part away. 



It is the theory here that apple seeds will not 

 grow unless they are frozen. Last spring 1 sowed 

 two short rows with apple seeds taken directly from 

 apples in the cellar which had not been frozen. 



which came up and did well. Another humbug, I 

 believe, though I should not plant them dry. 

 Hinsdale, Mass., 1857. c. G. 



For tlie New England Farmer. 



WELLS' SEED SOWER. 



INIr. Browt> : — My dear Sir,— I think it would 

 be well to republish the engraving and description 

 of Wells' Grass Seed Sower, given in the Monthly 

 Farmer for April, 1854. This little sower is one 

 of the most valuable inventions for the farmer that 

 I have ever seen. It is so simple and effective that 

 anybody, after a very few minutes' practice, can op- 

 erate it perfectly, sowing any desirable quantity of 

 seed to the acre, and distributing the seed very even- 

 ly and rapidly over the land, — indeed, it is not in 

 the power of man to sow by hand in the common 

 way, anything like as evenly and rapidly as may be 

 done by using this sower. 



When one's land is all prepared and waiting for 

 grass-seed, it often happens that more or less wind 

 will rise with the sun, and perhaps for several days 

 so interfere with the proper sowing by hand broad- 

 cast, that the work, to be done well, must be done 

 at early dawn or in the evening, which is an incon- 

 venience and delay, where there is much land to 

 sow ; but by using this sower, and carrying it pret- 

 ty low on the body, the seed may be put on the 

 land quite well even when there is a moderate wind, 

 as it will reach the ground so directly as not to be 

 much diverted from its proper resting-place. This 

 sower will not deliver unclean red-top seed : but 

 if this kind of seed is thoroughly separated from 

 chaff, so as tobe what the seedsmen call "fine top," 

 and is then suitably mixed with clover or herd-grass 

 seed, or both, there will be no difficulty in sowing 

 it with the machine. I advise my brother farmers 

 to avail themselves of the aid of this invention ; and 

 with it the seeding of land to grass can be done 

 with so much dispatch, that one sower may serve 

 a neighborhood of five or six farmers. 



Very truly yours, F. Holbrook. 



Brattlehoro\ 1857. 



Black Teeth in Swine. — We have received two 

 or three more communications in relation to this 

 so-called disease ; and they all recommend the bar- 

 barous remedy of knocking out the teeth with cold 

 chisel and hammer! We protest against such a 

 practice, as cruel and barbarous. If there is such 

 a disease in swine as "the black teeth," it is proba- 

 bly not a disease of the teeth, but that they are af- 

 fected through disease in some other organs. We 

 have consulted the books in vain to find some ac- 

 count of such a disease, — and the veterinary sur- 

 geons are as ignorant of it as ourselves. It is al 

 of a piece with knocking out the "wolf teeth" in 

 horses ! 



