THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Ill 



Lick on Cattle. — A correspondent of the N. H. Jour- 

 nal of Agriculture says kerosiue oil is the best thing in 

 the world for this purpose. It kills them quickly, and 

 does not injure the hair or health of the cattle. 



Underdraining. — A correspondent of the Farmer and 

 Gardener, who visited Scotland last year, says: "Any 

 one who wishes to learn the beneficial effects of under- 

 draining, should go to Scotland, and see what has 

 been accomplished there. Scotland can feed twice the 

 number of persons now that it could fifty years ago — all 

 by draining." 



Flax. — The same writer says that, "owing to the Am- 

 erican war, preparations have already been made in Eng- 

 land and Scotland to sow ten times the breadth of flax 

 that ever was sown before ; and it is said that the ' Gem 

 of the Ocean,' Ireland, will have a fourth of its surface 

 oovered with flax next [this] year." 



Farmeks Seldom Fail. — The Massachusetts Plough- 

 man states that out of 1,112 persons who took the benefit 

 of the late bankrupt act in that State, only 14 were farm- 

 ers. In this State, 2,550 took the benefit of the act, and 

 only 46 were farmers. The profits of agriculture may 

 be slow, but they are sure. 



Sandy Soils can be Stirred too Much. — A corres- 

 pondent of the Farmer and Gardener thinks the New 

 Jersey farmers use the plow, harrow and cultivator too 

 frequently, and the roller too seldom. Sandy soils are too 

 full of air, and require much heavy rolling to make them 

 compact ai,d retentive of moisture. 



"What Branch of Agriculture will Pay?" — The 

 Minnesota Farmei' and Gardener says this is the great 

 question of the day at the West, and the general answer 

 is, to " raise less wheat and more stock, horses, sheep, 

 Borghum, flax, etc." It is thought that sheep and wool 

 growing afford good promise of profits. 



Now is the Time to Bdy Fruit Trees. — The New 

 York World urges farmers to avail themselves of the 

 present low price of fruit trees, to plant largely, and 

 adds: "The demand for fruit is almost illimitable — in- 

 creasing with the improvement of the supplies — i.nd the 

 prices for really good fruit pay enough to satisfy any man 

 of intelligence and energy who applies himself to the 

 cultivation of orcharding." 



Improved Horse Stalls. — The Germantown Telegraph 

 contains the following description of a new plan for lay- 

 ing the floors of horse stall's. It appears to be an excel- 

 lent one. "It consists in making the horse stall floor 

 level fore and aft, and with an obliquity of three-quarters 

 of an inch from each side to the center of the floor, where 

 there is an opening made in the floor half an inch wide 

 and six feet in length, or from a line of the back stall 

 posts towards the manger six feet. The plank of the floor 

 is laid crosswise of the stall, the plank being cut in two 

 in the middle, and so laid that the ends are a half inch 

 apart, thus forming the opening which I have described. 

 This opening is provided for dropping the urine directly 

 through the floor, instead of allowing it to flow on the 

 floor from where it falls to the back end of the floor of 

 the stall, thus wetting the greater portion of the floor, 

 and when the horse lies down, wetting his body and 



clothing, and especially his tail ; for there is generally no 

 provision made for conveying the urine farther than the 

 rear of the stall. 



" I place a galvanized sheet iron urine gutter under the 

 opening in the floor, which has obliquity in itself, the 

 manger end being two inches deep, and the discharge 

 end six inches deep. It discharges into a plank urine 

 gutter six inches deep and ten inches wide, which runs 

 along behind the stalls under the floor, and is carried by 

 a loose floor plank, which may be taken up at pleasure 

 and the gutter cleaned out. This gutter has a good des- 

 cent, so that the urine is discharged from it, but some 

 dirt and refuse will get into it through the narrow open- 

 ing in the stall floor. All the atteution that my arrange- 

 ment requires daily, is just to pass the fork tines through 

 the slat in the floor. 



"Those who use my improvement say that tire bedding 

 will keep drier and cleaner for forty days than it will for 

 four as ordinarily arranged. The iron gutter costs %\, 

 and the wooden gutter behind the stalls and under the 

 floor will cost about 75 cents per stall ; otherwise this ar- 

 rangement costs no more than the common way." 



Loss op Cattte in California . — The California 

 Farmer of Feb. 7th says : " The late severe cold weather 

 has destroyed a large amount of cattle, sheep, and swine. 

 We have information from all sections, of quantities of 

 stock that has perished by the cold, and the late floods, 

 and as the short fed stock were poorly prepared to stand 

 the severe cold weather, they have perished by the hun- 

 dreds of thousands. Sheep have also perished in lamb- 

 ing, by reason of the severe weather following the ex- 

 posure to the flood — and swine also. Horses, also, have 

 perished. It is to be hoped that the trials and losses of 

 the year will teach lessons of wisdom, and induce stock 

 owners to be merciful to their stock, provide them with 

 shelter for the wet season, and raise food for winter 

 feed, such as root crops, and the saving of fodder that 

 for years has been burned." 



When to Plant Sorghum. — The Bucyrus (Ohio) 

 Foium contains an article from the Rev. A. Myers of 

 that place, in which he states that the experience of forty 

 persons of his acquaintance demonstrates that early 

 planting is not practicable. " Of all the experiments from 

 the last of April until the 10th of May, not one matured; 

 those from the 10th of May until the 20th were ripe, or 

 nearly so; and all, without exceptions, from the 20th of 

 May until the 1st of June were perfectly matured, demon- 

 strating, conclusively, that the latter part of May is 

 the best time to plant." It is absolutely essential to suc- 

 cess in making sugar, he says, that the sorghum should 

 be fully matured, and as early planting is not safe, he 

 thinks we must have some preparation to bring the seed 

 up speedily. What that is, he professes to have discov- 

 ered, and will announce in time for planting. We hope 

 he will do so. 



Draught Horses in the West. — A correspondent of 

 the Minnesota Farmer and Gardener urges the farmers in 

 that State to raise more draught horses— not slim-shanked 

 racing horses. Thousands of dollars have been wasted 

 in trying to raise the latter, while substantial draught 

 horses will sell in any inaiket, and will pay. 



