198 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



April 



0' 



part, and oats two parts, the quantity about one 

 quart daily, given in the winter, and while the cows 

 are dry, as much as possible. I think this treat- 

 ment operates as a preventive, for my cows have 

 had only slight attacks, if any, while treated in this 

 way, for three or four weeks yearly. Let others 

 try it and give the result ; it is simple, and the trial 

 will cost but little. A. D. 



Siotv, VL, Feb., 1857. 



BONE MANURE. 



I wish to inquire of you the best thing I can do 

 ■with thirty or forty bushels of bones. I am a cul- 

 tivator of the soil and wish to convert the bones 

 into the best fertilizer. Be pleased to answer the 

 inquiry through the weekly Farmer and oblige, 

 G. R. Spaulding. 



Remarks. — Take a half hogshead tub and set it 

 in some convenient place, and pile horse manure 

 about it nearly to the top ; break the bones a little 

 if convenient, or if not, put them in whole, then 

 add at the rate of four pounds of water to one 

 pound of sulphuric acid, and turn upon the bones 

 and stir them well. If you find the liquid is not 

 strong enough, add more acid and stir again. In 

 this way you will be able to dissolve any quantity 

 of bones you may have, and they will be among 

 your best fertilizers. The acid comes in carboys 

 of a 100 to 150 pounds, and by that quantity will 

 cost 3 or 4 cents a pound. The acid is not lost, for 

 it is highly valuable in itself. The manure about 

 the tub will catch and save what may leak or be 

 spilt out. 



HEN-HOUSE FURNITURE. 



Friend Brown:— I propose to build a hen- 

 house the coming summer, of the following dimen- 

 sions, viz., 27 feet long, 9 or 10 feet wide, and 10 

 feet high on the north side, and slanting to the 

 south, the roof to be mostly covered with my hot- 

 bed glass when not in use. 



The three main objects in view are, first, to have 

 a place to shut them up at any time I wish ; second, 

 to have a warm place in winter ; third, to save all 

 the manure. What is the best plan for roosts and 

 nests ? Will you or some of your correspondents 

 answer. B. F. Cutter. 



Pelham, JV. H., Feb. 23, 1857. 



Remarks. — What man or woman wise in hen 

 houses, will reply. 



drain tile. 



I want you should tell me and my neighbors how 

 •water gets into drain tile, so as to run off? I have 

 maintained that it must soak through the tile ; 

 others say it cannot, for if it did ihey would soon 

 crumble to pieces. Do you know where drain tile 

 can be purchased nearest to Maine ? 



Mercer, Me., 1857. Hannibal Ingalls. 



Remarks. — In using tile for draining, the water 

 finds its way into the joints where the tile come to- 

 gether; they are usually covered with a strap of 

 tin or flat stone, but the water finds its way freely. 

 It also passes through the pores of the lilo, but 



that does not cause them to fall to pieces unless 

 frost finds them. Tile are manufactured by Mr. 

 James M. Crafts, of Whately, Mass., near Green- 

 field, and of the best quality. 



THE trunk apple — POTATOES ON SWAMP. 



I see that some of your correspondents wish to 

 know my P. O. address it is Portland Me. : my 

 residence is two miles out. I am the correspond- 

 ent who wrote in regard to the "Trunk Apple," in 

 Dec, at Harrisburg. 



I have a piece of muck ground which was spaded 

 twelve inches, and drained thoroughly last fall. My 

 purpose is to raise a crop of potatoes next year 

 from it. I have made arrangements to hill it, and 

 put a shovel full of manure in the hill, cover it 

 with muck, drop potatoes, cover, then put a hand- 

 ful of lime upon the hill for the purpose of remov- 

 ing the sourness, as it has been recently reclaimed. 

 Is there any better crop to put on, or any better 

 mode of treating the land than above mentioned ? 

 S. D. Thompson. 



Remarks. — Some of the finest potato crops, of 

 late years, in this region, have grown on bog mead- 

 ows. If the season is favorable you will probably 

 succeed well. 



sugar C.\NE — cold weather — ILLINOIS. 



I see there is quite an excitement in regard to 

 the Chinese sugar cane. I would propose that you 

 recommend extracting the juice from our common 

 sweet corn stalks. I think they contain quite a 

 large amount of saccharine matter of a very fine 

 quality. 



We have had a very severe winter out here. The 

 thermometer, two weeks ago yesterday, was down 

 to 32° below zero, and in Galena, the same day, 

 40" below zero ; but most of the time it has been 

 from 8 to twenty below. Have not had but two 

 or three days that it thawed any since the middle 

 of December. First-rate sleighing all the time. 



This is a splendid farming country, and Illinois 

 is destined to be a number one State as to wealth 

 and population. G. Anderson. 



Rockford, 111., Feb. 2, 1857. 



a fine ox. 

 Allow me to give you the weight of an ox I 

 have raised and fattened, and sold to Messrs. Root 

 & Nash, and Jones & Warner, butchers, of Green- 

 field. He was slaughtered in this place last 

 Wednesday, and weighed this P. M. 



Weight of tallow 258 lbs. 



Weight of hide 153 " 



One side weighed 1032 " 



" " 1019^" 



Whole weight 1462^ » 



Samuel Stebbins. 

 Deerjield, Mass., Feb. 21, 1857. 



mixing of corn. 



We are cautioned against attempting to cultivate 

 the sugar cane in close proximity to "Dorovgk 

 corn, Chocolate corn or Broom corn." Will some 

 one who knows, state whether the sugarcane read- 

 ily mixes with the common varieties of our north- 

 ern Indian corn ? w. 



E. Calais, VL, Feb. 23, 1857. 



I 



