NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



347 



system and accurate information in our practice, 

 and in alluding particularly to Massachusetts, ad- 

 ded, 



"Our lands are limited in extent and more in fer- 

 tility. Poor at the ouset, they have been long un- 

 der the plow. And unless intelligence and sci- 

 ence shall do something, and something seasonable 

 and effective, to supply the deficiencies of nature, 

 and arrest the progress of exhavi.stion, we shall 

 leave little but desolation and destitution to our de- 

 scendants, — so fiir, at least, as our own Agricul- 

 ture is concerned. Our Commerce may continue 

 to extend itself, and to spread its wings over every 

 sea; — our Manufactures and Mechanic Arts may 

 flourish and thrive; and our population may have 

 bread enough and to spare, — purchased in ex- 

 change for the profits of other pursuits. But if we 

 mean to retain within our borders a prosperous and 

 numerous Agricultural class, — an intelligent, in- 

 dependent, and virtuous rural population, — 



'A bold yeomnnry, their country's pride, 

 Which, once destroyed, can never be supplied,' 



We must take good care to hand down our soil 



as well as our liberties, — unimpaired to posterity.*' 



The reports on Poultry, Butter, Bread, Cheese 

 and Horses are well drawn and contain many val- 

 uable suggestions. 



WIRE WORMS. 

 Professor Mapes, in the Working Farmer, says, 

 that three bushels of salt applied to an acre of land 

 will entirely prevent the ravages of the wire worm, 

 and that salt is sure death to that enemy. We 

 should be happy to know that this were so; but a 

 friend from Exeter, N. H., tells us that the kind 

 of wire worms afforded by the Granite State are 

 not so easily got rid of. He has tried various ex- 

 periments, such as putting a small quantity of salt 

 in the hill and sowing it upon the surface, but 

 without effect. Finally, he made a brine as strong 

 as it could be made, and placed several wire 

 worms in it, and let them remain three or four 

 hours. Upon examination, they were found not 

 only alive, but in excellent spirits and not at all 

 affected by the pickle they had been in. Salt is an 

 excellent manure, but we fear it will not kill wire 

 worms. 



WITCH GRASS. 



Mr. Samuel Ricker, of Wells, Me., writes us 

 in reference to this grass, that he thinks the meth- 

 od of extirpating it, described by "L. W." in the 

 September number of the "Farmer," would al- 

 ways be slow, and oftentimes impracticable, on ac- 

 count of frost. Mr. Ricker's plan is, to plough, 

 harrow and level, and then follow with a brush 

 harrow, which he says separates the roots from 

 the soil and leaves them in a condition to be gath- 

 ered up easily with the rake. He thinks two oper- 

 ations of this kind will entirely clear the ground 

 of this tenacious grass. 



1^ People seldom improve when they have no 

 other model but themselves to copy. 



KNAPP'S PATENT COW MILKER. 



This invention, patented in Nov., 1849, consists 

 of an India rubber sack, silver cup and piston, which 

 are operated in the following way: 



1st. Open the mouth of the sack, and fold it 

 back so as to expose the whole of ilie upper por- 

 tion of the tube as far as the silver cup. 



2d. Take the lower portion of the piston and 

 ring between the thumb and fore finger of the riaht 

 hand, holding it firmly. '^ 



3d. Take the teat of the cow in the left hand 

 press a little milk out, just sufficient to see the ori- 

 fice of the milk passage, then slip the tube into the 

 teat as far as it will go, and with both hands 

 stretch up over the teat as high as it will extend! 

 This will hold the tube firmly in the teat. 



4th. When the instruments are thus applied to 

 all of the teats, place the pail under the bag of the 

 cow, then take hold of the lower portion of The tube 

 close to the teat with one hand, holding it up firm- 

 ly; and, with the other, take hold of the lower end 

 of the piston, just where the rino passes through 

 It, and withdraw it; when this is withdrawn the 

 milk will flow in a forcible stream from the teat 

 at once. 



5th. In a short time the cow will be milked 

 clean, and as soon as the milk begins to cease flow- 

 ing, or as soon as it begins to drop from either teat, 

 the instrument should be removed in the following 

 manner: with one hand take hold of the lower part 

 of the instrument, and with the other grasp the teat 

 about midway of the sack, and withdraw the in- 

 strument, carefully pressing the last drops of milk 

 froni the teat through the instrument as it is beiiio- 

 removed. *^ 



The advantages of this method are said lo be, 

 that it does the v.'ork in half the time usually re- 

 quired in milking by hand, draws the milk entirely 

 clean from the bag, requires no labor to milk wiii, 

 it, is not injurious or disagreeable to the cow, aiiu 

 does not allow dirt from the hag and teats of the 

 cow to drop into the milk. Cows having sore teats 

 or swelled bags, can always have their milk drawn 

 easily by this milker. 



