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NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



APRII. ao, 183S. 



AVORKIBIG OXEW. 



We copy the following remarks on working 

 oxen from the Memoirs of the Pennsylvania Ag- 

 ricultural Society, contained in a letter from the 

 Hon. Levi Lincoln to John Hare Powel, Esq. 



The best broken oxen are those which are 

 early trained and accustomed to the yoke with 

 occasional light work. Tliey are often broken as 

 early as one or two years of age, with gentle and 

 patient usage. At this period they are more do- 

 cile and tractable, and it is tl)Ought become more 

 powerful, by being sooner accustomed to each 

 Other, and to the application of their strength to 

 the draft. I believe they may be taught to travel 

 in almost any gait ; certain it is, the rate at which 

 oxen differently broken will walk with their load, 

 would seem incredible to a person ignorant of the 

 difference in the mode of their training. To ac- 

 custom them to a quick pace, they should at first 

 be driven in the yoke while young, without any, 

 or a very light weight, and never heavily loaded, 

 until they have arrived at full strength and ma- 

 turity. 



A great fault with many people is too much in- 

 difference to the construction of the yoke. Almost 

 any shapeless piece of wood, with holes for the in- 

 sertion of the bows, is made to answer ; but to 

 the case of the draft, the adaptation of the yoke 

 or bow to the neck of the bullock, and the posi- 

 tion of the staple and ring in the yoke, are alto- 

 gether material. For common use, and particu- 

 larly for ploughing, I have found that yokes were 

 generally too short. Cattle of the largest size re- 

 quire a yoke from 4J to 5 feet in length. In short 

 yokes they are a])t to haul, as it is termed, — that 

 is, draw/ro)n each other, and to such a degree, 

 in some instances, as to cross their fore legs, and 

 destroy their power and greatly impede their pro- 

 gress. / once owned a pair made totally useless by 

 this habit, and afttrwards entirely corrected by the 

 application of a yoke 18 inches longer. A short 

 yoke is necessary only in snow paths, where cat- 

 tle would otherwise crowd against each other, the 

 opposite of hauling, but of the same mischievous 

 effect. 



In respect to what oxen are made to do in a 

 short time, or as an experiment upon their strength 

 I must refer you to the results of our i)lough- 

 ing matches. With us they are but little used up- 

 on the road, except in the transportation of heavy 

 loads for short distances in the same town, or be- 

 tween neighboring towns. One reason why hor- 

 ses are preferred for wagoning on the road, may 

 be that they can be made to travel quicker, and 

 that from the construction of the hoof they are 

 less liable to lameness, than the cloven footed ox, 

 by becoming foot-sore. On the other hand, the 

 patient and steady labor of the ox, finds no sub- 

 stitute in the horse; for the service of the farm ; 

 and the latter is seldom seen there except in oc- 

 casional aid of the ox team, or with the light 

 plough between the rows of corn. The value of 

 a yoke of oxen, or a pair of horses, for use in all 

 the business of a farm, admits of no comparison. 

 So decided is the preference for the former, that 

 I do not believe a single farmer can be found in 

 this extensive agricultural county who performs 

 his labor by horses without oxen ; while there 

 are hundreds, I had almost said thousands, who 

 make no other use of horses in husbandry, than to 

 furrow for planting, and plough among their corn 

 for hoeing. 



Our oxen are kept iu a cheaper and less expen- 



sive manner than horses. In the summer they are 

 unifonnly grazed in the pastures. In the cold 

 and winter seasons they are put into the barns, 

 and fed upon the stock hay, as it is called, that 

 which grows in meadows, and upon the fodder of 

 corn stalks, husks, &c. unless indeed they are more 

 severely worked than usual, when hay of better 

 quality is given them ; and in all cases, as the 

 spring advances, their keeping is improved, and 

 with better hay, some grain is added. I speak of 

 the general practice of farmers. There are some 

 who keep their oxen more generously, and others 

 more hardly than I have mentioned. But with a 

 clean and warm stable, ivith daily application of 

 the currycomb and card, and coarse food, without 

 severe labor, the best farmers will at all times ex- 

 hibit teams of most vigorous and powerful cattle, 

 and their best hay and grain will be saved in their 

 beef and pork, and in the produce of their dairies, 

 for the market. 



Destroying worms and insects with spir- 

 its OF TURPENTINE. — I was led to try it by ob- 

 serving that certain plants which have naturally a 

 strong odor, are not infested with insects. 



Wishing some years ago to raise four yoimg 

 puppies, I perceived them when a few days old 

 to be very languishing, and discovered that they 

 were full of insects or lice, which were preying 

 upon them. It was in vain that they were comb- 

 ed new generations succeeded, or where renew- 

 ed from the mother, and the little animals were 

 on the point of perishing. I then took it into ray 

 head to sponge both the mother and the pups with 

 warm water, impregnated with spirits of turpen- 

 tine : and soon found to my agreeabJe surprise, 

 that every turn of the comb brought out numer- 

 ous dead insects. The little animals soon acquir- 

 ed vigor, and were saved by a single repetition of 

 the process during the course of the summer. 



I soon found occasion to try its effects on some 

 of my trees, which were attacked by a multitude 

 of worms. These I destroyed entirely by put- 

 ting into a bowl a few handfuls of earth on which 

 I poured a small quantity of the spirits — then add- 

 ing water, and stirring the whole together, until it 

 had a proper consistence to be rubbed or brushed 

 over the ends of the branches. The insects per- 

 ished with their germs and the odor remained sev- 

 eral days about the tree, repels fresh invaders. A 

 mixture of earth is necessary, because spirits of 

 turpentine swims upon pure water and will not 

 mix with it ; and if used in too great quantities 

 might burn the leaves. 



The drought which occurred a few years ago, 

 in the canton in which I live, produced a mange 

 in Iiorses and cattle, very extensive and injurious ; 

 and those which escaped this infection were filled 

 with lice, from which they were promptly relieved 

 by sponging each with water impregnated with 

 the spirits. This infection caused horses fatigued 

 with labor, to rub themselves so much against 

 their mangers, and the walls of the stables, as to 

 deprive them of much of the rest so necessary to 

 their comfort. 



I cannot therefore doubt from the trials that 

 have been made, that much benefit might result 

 from the use of turpentine in clearing fields and 

 trees from insects of different kinds : and that a 

 mixture of ashes with which a portion of 

 this liquid has been incorporated, would remove 

 by its odor, the ticks and other insects which in- 

 fest turnips. Its odor is more penetrating in the 



open air than that of sulphur and some other 

 materials used for thispurjjose. — Silliman's Jour. 



Beautiful Machinery. — To those who love 

 to contemplate the results of human ingenuity, as 

 manifested iu complicated machinery, a visit to 

 the paper mills of Newton, a few miles from Bos- 

 ton, will afford the highest degree of satisfaction. 

 The rags by the operation of some simple yet 

 well devised combination of wheels, are reduced 

 very rapidly to a sort of paste. This is then 

 spread out by tlie movement of other machinery 

 unassisted by hands, into a thin broad sheet, which 

 goes onward over rollers, and down between cylin- 

 ders, heated by steam, &c. till it finally makes iti 

 appearance at the extremity of a room about twen 

 tyfive feet from where it flowed out of a vat o 

 cold water, in the form of a beautiful ribbon o 

 white dry paper, fit for immediate use. Million 

 of yards might easily be manufactured into onr 

 unbroken piece. For the convenience of th 

 printers however, the paper is cut into any requir 

 ed size, by revolving shears. On the whole, afte 

 having carefully examined this wonderful labor 

 saving machinery, we have come to the conclusio 

 that it must be regai'dedas one of the most extra 

 ordinary productions of the age. — Scientific Tract: 



Shepardia, or Buffalo Berry. — Mr Medar; 



gir Permit me to invite the attention of you 



readers to the Shepardia or Buffalo Berry. 



This interesting tree was discovered by W 

 Nuttall, in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountain 

 in the year 1810, and introduced by him into son) 

 of the gardens in the Atlantic States. It is pe) 

 fectly hardy. In Winship's Nursery at Brigtc«. 

 in Massachusetts, it flourishes as well as in i 

 native sod and climate, and during the lastautuin 

 his trees were literally loaded with fruit, whic 

 hangs in racemes of the size and appearance 1 1 

 red currants. The fruit ripens late in the fall, 

 is sub-acid and palatable in its natural state, am 

 also makes an excellent presei-ve. 



The tree belongs to the Linnsean class " DicEcia 

 and it is said that it is necessary to place hot 

 barren and fertile plants in contiguity, in orde 

 successfully, to raise the/ruit— of this, howeve 

 I have some doubts. . 



Gentlemen of taste could not expend a fe' 

 dollars to better advantage in ornamenting the 

 gardens, than by procuring several of these tree 

 — Ohio Farmer. 



Fat Cattle. — The ancient town of Deerfiel 

 with its broad and fertile meadows, probably fu 

 nishes more heavy cattle for market than almo 

 any other town in the valley of the Connectici 

 Three noble pairs, fatted by Mr David Barnard 

 that place, were weighed in this town on Satu 

 day. The heaviest weighed 4397 lbs.; ne 

 4295 ; and the lighest 4070, making an aggrega 

 of 12762 lbs. — Greenfield Gazette. 



Leaves fob Potatoes.— Leaves piled in 

 pen with alternate thin strata of swamp mu 

 when partially decomposed are found a superi 

 preparation for the Irish potato crop. P 

 around the roots of fruit trees, this compost b 

 been found to produce a healthy and vigoro 

 .rrowth Its operation has been much increas 

 hi its eflicacy by the addition of lime to the ma 

 The finest Irish potatoes that I have seen produc 

 in a southern clime were produced by this co) 

 post. — Southern Lyceum. 



