THE GENESEE FARMER. 



19 



A FEW WORDS ON MANUEES. 



Feikxd Harris: — Several weeks since, I received 

 a copy of your Rural Annual. Of lute, I have 

 been much from home, and liave not found time to 

 acknowledge the receipt of it, and to thank you for 

 your kindness, till this late period. I beg you will 

 excuse the seejiiing neglect, for I assure you it has 

 not been intentional. 



With much satisfaction I have perused the first 

 article in tlie Rural Annual^ on "Manures for tlie 

 Orchard and Garden." The subject of manures is 

 one of great interest to farmers everywhere, and 

 more especially to those of New England. Our 

 soils originally were not generally of tirst-rate qual- 

 ity, especially when compared with the new and 

 fertile lands of the great AVest. The long time our 

 soils have been under cultivation, (and that mostly 

 on the "skinning system,") has pretty much used 

 up the plant-food which nature had kuidly stored in 

 them ; so that now, on these old lands, the farmer 

 gets but small returns in produce for his labor, 

 unless he aj>plies heavy dressings of manure in the 

 course of rotation. But the great difficulty with 

 most of our farmers is, to obtain enough annually, 

 for but a very few acres. This deficiency of manure, 

 we think, is more for want of proper refiection, and 

 lack of knowledge in this |>articular part of farm- 

 ing, than for lack of means within the reach of 

 most tillers of the soil. 



There is abundance of materials within the reach 

 of most farmers. Most of them, however, need 

 composting (before applied to the land) with animal 

 manures; but the composting serves a three-fold 

 purpose: First, it neutralizes the acids in the de- 

 caying vegetable matters; second, it retains the 

 valuable gases eliminated from the decomposing 

 uianure; third, it absorbs and saves for use the 

 m'ine of the cattle, the most valuable portion. AVe 

 will here enumerate a few of the materials within 

 "hailing distance" of most farmers. There are the 

 leaves and leaf-mold of the wood-lot, (we put these 

 down as No. 1, being the result of our own experi- 

 ence,) swamp muck, wash of the road, turf on the 

 roadside, earth under the wood-shed and other 

 buildings (rich in nitre). Then there are the liquid 

 manures from the house, bones, and the trimmings 

 of vegetables, etc., cleanings from tlie vault, ashes, 

 weeds from the garden and fields before the ripen- 

 ing of the seeds, refuse wool from the carding 

 machines and woolen manufactories. Horn jjitlis, 

 lime, tleshiugs, hair, and leather shavings, from the 

 tanneries, can often be obtained at a trifling cost. 

 Beside all these, there are various other articles, 

 "too numerous to mention," that farmers can obtain 

 toward increasing their croi)S and enriching their 

 fields; and we are happy to say, that some few, 

 at least, of the enterprising farmers in nearly all 

 our towns, are awake to their interests in this 

 matter, and prosper accordingly; while, on the 

 other hand, in our rambles about the countrj', we 

 are often pained in witnessing the wasteful manner 

 in which hundreds of farmers manage the winter- 

 made manure of their farm stock. The manure is 

 thrown out of the hovel doors or Avindows, and 

 exposed to all the washings of rains and melting 

 snows, for mcjnths together. The li(|uid po*-tion is 

 generally lost by draining through the cracks of a 

 leaky floor. Most farmers of this class never think 

 of looking beyond the limits of their barn-yards 



for materials for enriching their fields; and they 

 usually complain of high taxes, short crops, and 

 hard times; and if they do not think forming a 

 poor business, their sons generally do, and they flee 

 from tlie farm as they would from a "wrecked 

 steamer," and leave the "old folks at home," to get 

 along as best they may. 



However, we trust a better time is coming, when 

 both the science and practice of farming will be 

 better understood, than at the present day. The 

 agricultural press of our country is doing much, 

 very much, to bring about a better state of tilings. 

 In plowman's phrase, "God speed the good work." 



Warner, N. II. LEVI BARTLETT. 



SHEEP ON THE PEAERIES. 



Editors Genesee Farmer: — In the fall of 18.55, 

 I bought seven sheep — six ewes and one buck, the 

 buck a half-breed Merino; wintered them on prairie 

 grass and clover, about half and half; stabled them 

 at night; had eight lambs the next spring; and 

 sheared 28 lbs. of wool. During the summer of 

 1856, I pastured them on clover and prairie, they 

 choosing for themselves, and staying about two 

 hours each day in the clover, the balance of the. 

 time running on the prairie and in the woods pas- 

 ture. I killed three lambs, during the summer, and 

 got from each lamb a six-quart pan full of tallow. 

 They were wintered as before, except giving a few 

 oats every day, with bean and buckwheat straw 

 occasionally. Last spring, each ewe had a lamb, 

 and the sheep averaged five pounds of wool. 



This winter, I am keeping twenty head, and feed- 

 ing in a rack (slieltered) copied from the Genesee 

 Farmer^ with bean straw, prairie hay, oats in sheaf 

 and a few- beans each day. I give them good shel- 

 ter at night, with the privilege of shelter during the 

 day, if they desire it. 



Sheep of the same flock, wintered last season with- 

 out shelter, only gave two pounds of wool each, — 

 that is, those that survived — for many were fruzen. 



My sheep have, at all times, winter and summer, 

 free access to good spring water, both iron and 

 lime. They will not drink creek water as long as 

 spring water can be had. Salt they get at will. 

 1 have never had one sick, though I have lost a few 

 from being kicked by my horses, c. brackett. 



Eoc?uiHtei; Fnltcyn Co, 7;k?., 1S5S. 



Butter Making. — Some of your readers mav 

 not be aware tliat it is a great improvement to scald 

 milk, after the grass is covered Avith snow. If tliis 

 plan is followed, the butter will come quicker and 

 better. As for coloring butter, a good way is tc^ 

 take say two common-sized carrots to six or eight 

 pounds of butter, wash and pare them nicely, and 

 grate them into a quart of milk. Let this stand 

 over night, and, in the morning, before churninL^ 

 strain it into the churn. J. 0. Dawes. — Le Rayti- 

 ville, Bradford Co.., Pa. 



Cure for the Ague. — A gentleman recentlv from 



Central America — a great place for the shakes 



informs us that he has seen many obstinate cases 

 cured by wearing finely pulverized rock salt be- 

 tween the feet and stockings. We can not vouch 

 for the value of this remedy, but consider it worthy 

 of trial. G. — Plain Farm., III. 



