260 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



JUNB 





A MODEL HEX-nOUSE. 



I have had, as the doctors say, a pretty exten- 

 sive run of the hen-fever, so that I think I can sub- 

 mit to your correspondent one of the cheapest and 

 best plans for a hen-house. My plan is 9 feet high 

 on the front, facing the south, with 3 feet pitch to 

 the north— 10 feet wide— and 27 feet long— roof 

 shingled, and battened on the outside — glass in 

 front to suit fancy — for roosts, two-inch scantlings 

 raised 3 feet from the ground, and 18 inches 

 apart ; for nests, boxes 12 inches square, one side 

 open, made in this form so as to whitewash easily. 



In a house of these dimensions one can keep 

 from fifty to seventy-five hens. E. 



Maiden, Jipril 6, 1857. 



INDIAN WHEAT — PINE STRAW. 



Can you give me any information respecting the 

 cultivation of Indian wheat? Is it a profitable crop 

 for feeding swine, and if so, to what kind of soil is 

 it best adapted ? Where can the seed be obtained, 

 and at what price per bushel ? 



Has Italian rye grass ever been tested in New 

 England as a forage crop, and with what success ? 



Browne, in his "Muck Book," recommends the 

 use of pine straw for bedding cattle, with the view 

 of increasing the amount of manure. I suppose this 

 straw contains spirits of turpentine, which is inju- 

 rious to the growth of plants ; will the fermenta- 

 tion occasioned by mixing the straw with the ex- 

 crements of cattle expel the noxious quality ? 



Finally, the New England Farmer is doing 

 much to raise the standard of agricultural educa- 

 tion among us. Its healthful moral tone, its com- 

 pendium of weekly news, and its firm adhesion to 

 the cause of liberty, render it useful, attractive and 

 entertaining. Moreover, the engravings are quite 

 a treat to the young folks, from Morgan Horse, Jr. 

 down to Morris — no, not that — Chinese Sugar 

 Plant. "May it live and prosper a thousand years." 



Ameshunj, March, 1857. J. Pressey. 



Remarks.— The questions of our correspondent 

 are interesting, and we hope some of our friends 

 will be able to reply to them. 



-CElSrENT- ■ ON ■ "WALES. 



Will some one who has had experience in the 

 business, inform me if a house walled up and then 

 coated over with cement will answer the purpose 

 of underpinning rocks ? From one that I know was 

 treated in this way last fall, the cement has pleaved 

 off so as to be useless, whilst another man informs 

 me that he has had a coating of cement around his 

 chimney for six years, and it remains firm yet. Is 

 this owing to a difference in preparation ? 



Kennebunk, March 22, 1857, A. A. Wells. 



CURE FOR WENS. 



Mr. Editor: — I saw in a late number of the 

 Farmer an inquiry what would cure wens on cattle ; 

 and as I have had a little experience in wens, I will 

 give m;^ remedy. One year ago last fall, I had a cow 

 which "from all appearances had a wen growing on 

 her neck ; I at first administered a plaster of salt 

 and tar, and drew it to a head, and in the spring I 

 procured fi-esh green cicuta leaves, and boiled them 

 up and bathed the wen in the solution, leaving the 

 leaves in ; it wholly dried up in four weeks, so that 



she fatted sufficiently for beef. I have known others 

 in this vicinity to cure them with the same remedy 

 and keep them for years. Should you consider 

 this of sufficient worth, you are at liberty to insert 

 it in your valuable paper. M. C. Peck. 



West Cornwall, Vt., March 30, 1857. 



THE MORRILL HORSE. 



I noticed that a correspondent in your Decem- 

 ber number gives a graphic description of this 

 horse. He says, he thinks he is, with the excep- 

 tion of one of his colts, the most powerful horse 

 that we have any account of in America. 



It was my good fortune to see this noble animal 

 not many months since, and from personal exami- 

 nation and observation, I think your correspon- 

 dent's description is just and applicable; viz., that 

 not only Vermont but America may well be proud 

 of rearing this noble and powerful horse. He is 

 very docile having the appearance of being a pet. 

 He is a perfect model for a draft horse, and was 

 used in that capacity by his present owner, French 

 Morrill, while young, for a number of years, until 

 his qualities as a roadster were tested. He is now 

 used occasionally for draft and carriage purposes, 

 but is kept mainly for breeding. His colts are nu- 

 merous, and sell very readily at a high price. J. 



Winchester, April, 1857. 



SEED CORN. 



Mr. Editor : — Will you please to inform me 

 where I can procure seed corn which I can rely 

 upon ? Also, your opinion of the King Philip vari- 

 ety ? Subscriber. 



Milford, A*. H., 1857. 



Remarks. — The best varieties of seed corn may 

 be found at Nourse, Mason & Co.'s Quincy Hall, 

 Boston, or at Nourse & Co.'s, 13 Commercial 

 Street. The King Philip corn is an excellent varir 

 ety, especially for the Northern States. 



pears on quince stock. 

 In the Monthly JVew England Farmer for ^larch 

 there is an interesting article headed Re-bottom- 

 ing Pear Trees, which speaks of grafting the pear 

 on the quince. Would the author of that article 

 please to inform me through the JV. E. Fanner, 

 what kind of quince he used. I have seen a num- 

 ber of pear trees grafted on the orange quince, but 

 never knew one to do well more than three years. 

 If there is any kind of pear which succeeds well 

 on the orange quince, I would like to know it, and 

 should feel very much obliged to any one that 

 would inform me of it. E. A. G. 



' Filchburg, March 28, 1857. 



mill for grinding bones. 

 Will some one inform me through the columns 

 of the Farmer, where I can obtain a good milj for 

 grinding bones, the amount of power required to 

 run it, and the cost of the same ? 



J. H. Moore. 



JVorf/itoro', Worcester Co., Mass. 



A rascally imposition. 

 For the information of Mr. C. Whiting, who 

 wrote a piece in the last No. of your paper, headed 



