304 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



month of August, to be effectually killed. "My 

 friend," said the colonel, "I beg of you never again 

 to bring in the moon in any of your operations of 

 culture. She has no more to do with them than 

 the man in the moon." The farmer was dumb, and 

 never again opened his mouth in the presence of 

 the venerable Old Man. 



JJpril 1, 1857. 



INTERESTING CHEMICAL DISCOVERY. 



It is notorious that horses, more especially racers 

 and hunters, are subject to inflammatory diseases, 

 and it is observed that grooms are short-lived. This 

 has been ascribed to the air of unventilated stables 

 being strongly impregnated with ammonia, an al- 

 kali that may be classed amongst the most power- 

 ful stimulants, the constant respiration of which pre- 

 disposes to aff"ections of the lungs. Various means 

 have been tried with a view to the absorption of 

 this subtle poison, but hitherto without attaining 

 the desired result. During the last session of the 

 Royal Agricultural Society of England, a paper was 

 presented to the council by Mr. H. Reece, descrip- 

 tive of a plan for purifying the air of stables, by a 

 mixture of gypsum or sawdust with sulphuric acid. 

 This mode is said to be at once safe, simple, and ef- 

 ficacious. Mr. Reece made some experiments in 

 the extensive stables of Mr. Evans of Enstone, the 

 results of which are stated to be quite satisfactory. 

 The stables were, in the first instance, strewn with 

 gypsum (crystallized sulphate of lime) coarsely pow- 

 dered ; but though the ammonia was evolved with 

 the wetted straw, no trace of it was visible after 

 two days' exposure, when examined with slaked 

 lime. The stables were then strewn with the gyp- 

 sum, moistened with sulphuric acid, and when ex- 

 amined next morning, every portion was found to 

 have absorbed sufficient ammonia to emit its pecu- 

 liar pungent odor when brought in contact with 

 slaked lime. The stables had lost their close un- 

 healthy smell, and, to use the words of the grooms, 

 appeared to be quite sweetened. As it was evident 

 the gypsum acted merely mechanically, affording a 

 convenient absorbent surface for the acid, some fur- 

 ther experiments were made, substituting sawdust 

 for gypsum, which were attended by still more fa- 

 vorable results. The prepared mixture should be 

 laid upon trays, as the acid is considered likely to 

 injure the horsf s' feet. One part of sawdust will 

 readily absorb three times its weight of acid solu- 

 tion, which should be mixed in the pre portion by 

 measure, of one part of sulphuric acid to fifteen of 

 distilled water. The ammoniacal salt makes an ex- 

 cellent manure, but it should not be mixed with 

 the s' raw until after removal from the stable. 



Western Land Speculation. — The Detroit 

 Tribune calls the attention of eastern capitalists to 

 a system of pine land swindling which is practised 

 by unscrupulous parties at the West, who operate 

 through itinerant agents in the Eastern States. The 

 Tribune says thousands of acres of almost worth- 

 less scrub Norway pines have been sold to eastern 

 men for from four to ten dollars an acre, that are 

 not worth ten shillings altogether. Even if parties 

 buying send an agent to examine the lands, the 

 resident operators have a cunningly devised scheme 

 by which they show the agent through really valu- 

 able tracts, and yet sell him worthless property. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



A YOUNG ORCHARD. 



I have got into a quandary, and the thought oc- 

 curred to me that your well informed correspon- 

 dents might give me some useful instruction. 



On the farm, of which I have just come ir.to pos- 

 session, is an orchard of large old trees, which a 

 few years ago, bore well and produced hundreds of 

 bushels of excellent apples. For the past few years, 

 a few poor, half-grown apples only have been gath- 

 ered. The cause remained a mystery to the for- 

 mer owners ; I think I have discovered it. The 

 trees are covered with bark lice. But what can I 

 do ? Were they small trees, I could wash them 

 with soap suds — but now, nothing short of a 

 Noah's flood of soap would do it — and the possi- 

 bility of doing it is out of the question. 



A young orchard by the side of the old one has 

 caught the lice, and is also very lousy. Must I 

 burn up the old trees, or what shall I do? 



Piiisfield, Mass., 1857. W. Noble, Jk. 



Remarks. — Large as the orchard is, if the trees 

 are sound, it will pay to put a gang of hands into 

 it, and wash and scrape and dig and manure. Try 

 it. 



TEESWATER SHEEP, &C. 



I would like to obtain a little information through 

 your paper about the Teeswater breed of sheep. — 

 What are their qualities for wool and mutton, com- 

 pared with the Southdown ? 



What is the best kind of sweet apple for keeping 

 late in the spring ? An Earnest Farmer. 



Cummington, Jlpril 23, 1857. 



RemarivS. — The Teeswater sheep are now scarce- 

 ly to be found. They were a tall, clumsy animal, 

 and not at all equal to several other varieties. 



The Winter Green sweet apple will keep and be 

 good until June. Prichard's Sweet is also good. 



PLUM TREES. 



I have been highly pleased with the experiments 

 on the plum. 1 had a few plum trees, but could 

 not raise a perfect plum until I tried the following 

 experiment : I sowed on one side of the tree, while 

 wet, after a shower, and when in full blossom, fresh 

 ground Nova Scotia plaster. Now for the result. 

 There was not a limb on that side of the tree that 

 received the plaster, that was not loaded with fine 

 plums ; but on the other side of the tree not a per- 

 fect plum. T. C. Branch. 



Cornwall, Vt., 1857. 



COPPERAS AND CHLORIDE OF ZLNC. 



Your valuable paper has been a welcome weekly 

 visitor at my fireside for several years. 1 have a 

 few loads of manure that copperas and chloride of 

 zinc were thrown upon quite liberally last summer 

 for disinfecting purposes. Will that be injurious 

 to my garden crops ? A Would-be Farmer. 



Lawrence, Jlpril, 1857. 



Remarks. — If not in too large quantity the cop- 

 peras will be useful. Chlorine must be used with 

 extreme caution — though it may be useful on 

 some crops, perhaps the small grains, in very 

 small quantities. 



