226 



THE GENESEE FARirER. 



Inquiries and Answers. 



Horn Shavings. — I have means of procuring, at a cheap 

 rate, horu pieces and shavings, winch I tliinl< should be 

 uselul to me, but in their i)if.seiit condition are almost in- 

 destructable. Tliey are cow and bnliot-k horns, cut in 

 pieces, say 2x4 inches, and pressed, siCter beini,' boiled in 

 oil. Some are nearly whole, others are shaved to a feather 

 Btone end. Perhaps two-thirds are shavings, of all kinds, 

 some yery thin and light. All these sorts are mixed to- 

 gether. I plowed some under, three years after they 

 were turnecf up, and some of the thicker" pieces bad not 

 lost their polish. I tried composting, in alternate layers, 

 horn and nnleached ashes. In one vear's time I over- 

 hauled the pile. The thicker ends were untouched, the 

 thin ones rotten, in proportion to their size. Perhaps 

 about one quarter of it was in a condition to be available 

 for plant-food immediately. This I thouitht did not repay 

 me for the loss on the as"hes and the labor. Sulphuric 

 acid will not touch them. IJoiling in potash probably 

 Would, but it will not pay. No ijoiie mill (were one 

 available) could crush them. I intend making a compost 

 heap of muck and horn in about ei|nul parts, and water- 

 ing with urine. Will this, repeated three or four times, 

 do any good? Pray give me your opinion. If I can make 

 them useful, I have a large quantity of good fertilizing 

 material on hand. 



These pieces are got out for making bandies to " ma- 

 chites " (a long Spanish knife like a Roman sword). The 

 dust (of polishing" and filing the handles) I find of value 

 on root crops, corn, Ac, but has no perceptable effect as 

 B top dressing on grass. Should you desire, I will send 

 you a few pieces of the horn. 



I cannot close without again expressing my sense of 

 the high value of your writings. The " Experiments on 

 Sheep Feeding," in the January number, which I have 

 just read, is alone worth five times the cost of the paper. 

 H. S. Collins, ColUmvilie, Ct. 



We have had no experience in the use of horn-shavings. 

 Prof. Wat gives an analysis of a sample which was 

 found to contain 12 per cent, of nitrogen (as much as a 

 good sample of Peruvian guano contains). It sold in 

 London for $.35 per tun. He does not .say how they were 

 used. Johnston is alike silent on this point. He says: 

 " Horn, in the form of horn-shavings, is justly consid- 

 ered as a very powerful manuie. Even in the state of 

 shavings, however, it undergoes decay still more slowly 

 than woolen rags; and therefore, like them, will always 

 be more safely and economically employed when pre- 

 Tioualj rotted by being made into a compost." McIntosh, 

 in his Bookof the Garden, after stating that "horns have 

 been strongly recommended by some," says : "Repeated 

 trials have not led us to a like conclusion." We suppose 

 that the truth of the matter is, that horns are exceed- 

 ingly valuable if they can be decninponeil ; but this is dif 

 ficult to accomplish. If you 8uccee<l in doing so, we hope 

 you will inform us of the method employed, and of the 

 effect of the compost 



the other outside. These are kept closed in the winter, 

 and admittance to the cellar is from the chamber through 

 a scuttle or trap door. All kinds of vegetables, apples, 

 Ac, keep in the best possible manner. On top of the 

 walls sills are framed, and a roof .ihedding the rain on the 

 north and south sides. A double floor was laid over the 

 cellar, and about six inches of Imim spread upon the floor 

 to keep out the frost, &c. I usually cover the potatoes 

 in the bins with a layer of evergreen boughs or with 

 straw. I have suffered very small loss of potatoes some 

 winters when they had no covering to protect them. I 

 use the chamber, or rather garret, for storing away 

 plows, scythes, rake.s, and such like farm tools through 

 the winter— they are safe from fire. I very much regret 

 that I did not put on a story instead of simply having a 

 roof over the cellar. It would have been a nice safe 

 place for storing such tools as were not wanted for winter 

 use.— L. Babtlbtt, Warner, K K, May, 1863. 



The Crops. — In this section the weather has been cold 

 for the season, and corn is very lute. \^heat will not be 

 an average crop. The midge has made its appearance, 

 but it is hoped that the cool weather will check its 

 rav.fges. Grass is good. As yet little has been mown. 

 Fruit is generally abnndant. 



We would call the attention of those interested to the 

 advertisement of "Sheep for Sale" in this number of the 

 Farmer. Mr. Lorillard has luiquestionably the best 

 Shropshire Down sheep in America. We have never seen 

 anything superior to them. 



ALVEKTISEMENTS. 



A FEW short advortisemenis of interest to farmers — and only 

 such— will bo inserted in the Oemxet Fn>-mer\nx tw en ty.flv'e cents 

 aline, or $2.50 per square, each insorlion. payable in advance. 



S. M. PETTENGIIL & CO. 



No. 37 Pnrk Row, \< -iv York. t<; S<« te St., Boston, 



are our Agents for tfie Gr.NreEK Farmku in those cilleo, and are 

 authorized to take Ad»erlisenienls and subscriptions for us at our 

 Lowest Rates. 



THE genesf:e farmer. 



A Monthly Journal of Agricnltnrf wnd TTorticulture, published by 



JOSEPH II.MiKl;^, Rorhosicr, N. T. 



Terms — iNVAaiARi.Y in advance — Sixty Cknts a T£a«; 



Six copies for $3.(i0and larger clubs at the same rate, 50 cents a 



year. 



OoTsiDK Cbllars. — " O. G." of Girard, Pa., inquires 

 about an outside, or as we call them here, an outdoor 

 oeller. Like "G. G." I have a damji cellar under my 

 house, 80 that vegetables, fruit, &c., <h) not keep well in 

 it. Some years ago I constructed an outdoor cellar about 

 fifteen rods east of my house. It is on the side of a hill 

 •loping toward the south. The cellar is 12 by 14 feet 

 inside, and %\ feet deep. The north side and two ends 

 are walled up and pointed with lime mortar. The wall 

 on the south side is about four feet high. From this wall 

 to the plate of the roof it is boarded on the outside, and 

 lathed and plastered inside. At the southeast corner I 

 hare a door, or rather two, one opening into the cellar, 



SCHENECTADY AGRICULTURAL WOEKS- 



G. WESTINGHOUSE & CO., PROPRIETOKS. 



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T-UKE IIKRS .^.M> CI K \NEKS, 



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manntacturcfl by the culiscriliers. 



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NOW READY— And sent rr.c 

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THE SORGO HAND BOOK." 



n :iii|ilii-at'on to appnts or to 

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