THE GENESEE FAEMER. 



379 



Inquiries and Answers. 



What amount of Food is eeqdired by a hard working 

 Man? — (M. D.) This depends on the quality of the food, 

 the nature of the climate, and on such a variety of circum- 

 stances that it is impossible to give a satisfactory answer. 

 The average allowance to British sailors in active service, 

 is 302 ounces oi solid food per week, and a pint and a half 

 of rum. Dr. Percy mentions the diet of a prize fighter 

 during a course of rigorous training. He eat 1 lb. of 

 mutton at each meal, three times a day ; at dinner he eat in 

 addition 2 ounces of bread, and at each meal drank half a 

 pint of ale. He walked regularly 17 miles per day. The 

 total solid food contained in this diet is 350 ounces week- 

 ly. We suppose about 3 lbs. of solid food per day in tem- 

 perate climates may be taken as the average consumed by 

 hard-working men. But in the Arctic and Antartic re- 

 gions, the amount of food that can be disposed oft' is truly 

 immense. Thus Ross tells us, that the Esquimaux eat 10 

 lbs. of meat at a meal, accompanied by the same quantity 

 of oil. Parry weighed the food of an Esquimaux lad, 

 scarcely full grown, and found that he consumed, during 

 the day — sea-horse flesh, 83 lbs. ; bread, 1| lbs. ; rich gravy 

 soup, li pint ; raw spirits, S glasses ; strong grog, 1 tumb- 

 ler ; water, 1 gallon 1 pint. Cochrane describes a Yakut 

 or Tongouse as eating 40 lbs. of flesh in a day, saying 

 that a good calf, weighing 200 lbs., " may serve four or 

 five good Yakuts for a single meal ;" and that he has seen 

 three of them " consume a reindeer at one meal." Ad- 

 miral Saritchepp knew a Yakut who consumed " the 

 hind quarters of a large ox, 20 lbs. of fat, and a propor- 

 tionate quantity of melted butter for his drink," in a day. 

 The Admiral tried an experiment with him, by given hiin 

 " a thick porridge of rice, boiled down with 3 lbs. of but- 

 ter, weighing together 28 lbs. ; and, although the glutton 

 had already breakfasted, yet did he sit down to it with 

 great eagerness, and consumed the whole without stirring 

 from the spot ; and, except that his stomach betrayed 

 more than an ordinary fulness, he showed no signs of in- 

 convenience or injury." Barrow states, that three Hot- 

 tentots eat one sheep in a day, and that ten of them eat an 

 ox all but the hind legs in three days. The Samoyedes 

 are stated to consume 8 or 10 lbs. of meat at a meal, fla- 

 vored with a dozen tallow candles, and washed down with 

 a quart or two of train oil. Extravagant as these state- 

 ments appear to be, most of them have been verified by 

 numerous observations. 



"Are Durham Cows good Milkers ?" — (J. M., Elgin Co., 

 C. IF.) There are some strains of Durhams, or, as they 

 are more generally called, Shorthorns, that are good milk- 

 ers, but as a general rule, the Shorthorns have a greater 

 tendency to produce fat than milk. Mr. Harley, author 

 of the " Harleln Dairy System," published in 1829, tried 

 the Shorthorns, but found them far less profitable than 

 the Ayrshires. They gave as much milk as the Ayrshires, 

 but consumed considerablv more food. 



Bees. — Last week I took a bee-tree, hauled a piece of it 

 home and set it up, and they appear to be doing well. 

 How long will they live or work if the queen is killed, or 

 how can I tell if they are all right? Can you tell me 

 where I can get a good work on bee-keeping, and the 

 price? — J. B. D., Manon, Pa. 



We can send you " LangstroflF on the Bee." Price $1,25. 

 i 



Grain Among Fruit Treks. — I observe that in your 

 "Rural Annual and Horticultural Directory," you say "To 

 sow oats, wheat or barley, in a young orchard is the 

 height of folly." No reason is given for this proposition. 

 Doubtless the subject is discussed in dissertations on the 

 orchard, which I have not seen — not having given the 

 subject much attention heretofore. Might I therefore ask 

 you to explain the reason why these crops are hurtful to 

 a young orchard ? Does the prohibition also exclude rye ? 

 I had intended sowing a crop of rye on a piece of ground 

 as a preparation to plant fruit trees this fall and winter. 

 I intended to plant the trees after the rye was sown, and 

 let both grow together. 



My past experience satisfies me that young orchard 

 trees do but little good unless cultivated in someway, and 

 I had accordingly made up my mind to sow oats every 

 spring in my orchard, and hoe immediately around the 

 roots of the trees, and feed the crops to my hogs on the 

 ground. But the opinion expressed in your "Rural An- 

 nual" discourages this idea. — J. F. D. 



Will some of our correspondents give us an article on 

 the above subject? We have not space this month to do 

 it justice. Oats, wheat, barley or rye, draw much plant- 

 food and moisture from the soil and check the growth of 

 the trees. Hoed crops are less injurious, as the soil can 

 be kept well stirred, and will not be so dry as when the 

 plants cover the whole ground. Hoeing the ground round 

 the trees, as proposed, will answer the purpose, provided 

 ii is Twedfor a sufficient space round the young tree.i — say 

 six or eight feet in diameter. This will answer for a year 

 01; two, but as the trees grow the roots will extend much 

 farther, and in the case of peaches and dwarf pears, es- 

 pecially, it is best to let them occupy the whole ground. 



Quinces on Thorns. — I have heard that the quince does 

 well when grafted on tlac common white thorn. Can you 

 or your correspondents give us some information on the 

 subject ? — W. A., Conn. 



We have had no experience on this point, and should 

 be glad to hear from those who have. Some years since, 

 W. Bacon, of Richmond, Mass., gvive an account in the 

 JlortituUurist, of some quinces grafted on the thorn, 

 which succeeded admirably. 



Lime for Fruit Trees. — In the October number of the 

 Genesee Farmer, a correspondent recommends lime as the 

 best manure for fruit trees. Now, I wish to know why 

 lime is the best manure for an orchard ? and if best, how, 

 when, and in what quantities should it be applied to a 

 given extent of land ? Can land be made too rich with 

 stable or barn yard manure for any varieties of plum or 

 pear, so as to prevent them bearing fruit ? — J.K., Vauglian, 

 C. W. 



Planting Peas in the Fall. — In reply to your inquiry 

 in the last number of the Genesee Farmer, in regard to 

 planting peas in the fall, I would state that I have prac- 

 ticed this for twenty years past, and had my peas in mar- 

 ket from the .5th to the 10th of June. I plant in Novem- 

 ber, and from that untill March, as the frost will permit 

 Last year I planted the IGth of February, and marketev 

 them the 6th of June. I have not planted yet as th.- 

 weather is very warm. — Z. Knapp, Plttston, Luzerne Co., 

 Pa. 



Muck. — Will some of your correspondents tell me the 

 easiest and best way to put on muck ? I have a level field 

 (but not wet), which I planted with corn last spring, and 

 find it has too much lime on it. It is clay ground. I 

 would like to draw the muck out of a mill-pond and 

 spread it on this fall without lime, and harrow it well. 

 That is the easiest way for me. Or, would it be best to 

 mix lime with it this fall, and letjit lie until next spring be- 

 fore it is put on ; or is it useless to put such stufi" on the 

 land ? It is a kind of black mud, leaves, small twigs, etc., 

 settled in the backwater, and is dry at low water. Any in- 

 formation will be thankfully received from an experienced 

 applyer of muck. — A. B. W., New Village. N. J. 



