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NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



SEPT. 7. ISIO. 



'iiese fi 'Ids, «liicli has been cut sixteen times in 



three years- 



Tliere was a pulilic wasliing-Iionse adjoinin:; 

 the il.iirv, all the soap snils from wliicli was car- 

 tieil into a well or tans, ami applied in the same 

 way as iirina ; an 1 sometimss the two liquids 

 were mixed together, or if the weather was very 

 dry the urine was ili'ufd with water. If private 

 families ware to prereri'e tlieir soap suds, and the 

 urine of their oow, if th.'V have one, it would be 

 found of essential benefit in manuring their gar- 

 dens. 



The provender commonly used at Willovvbank 

 consisted of hay, straw, grass ami green barley ; 

 also Svv.-dish tiirnip^, and the different varieties 

 of Aberdeen yellow, rc<l tops, &c., also mangel 

 wurlzel, carrois, cahhagc, ground oil ealce, bruised 

 beans, and other grains. 



Mangel wurtzel was recommended to the pro- 

 prietor as |irovender for his cows upon an eco- 

 ooinieal ground. Ha aec irdi igly made a trial 

 of it in 1314, but the result did not answer his ex- 

 pectation. It. was not prodiietive as a crop, ex 



(pianiities, at the rate often of a bushel after being 

 cut, to a cow per day. Some gentlemen, for whose 

 skill anil eX|)erience I have great respect, have 

 used and highly approved it. J(din Lowell, Esq. 

 speaks of its use for milch cows in terms of .strong 

 commendation. To ruta baga 1 have no <d)jec- 

 tion to be urged excepting the tasle, which Cub- 

 bett, in his enthusiasm for rura baga. ins sted upon 

 it, that this pecu iar flavor was alisnintely agreea- 

 ble ; but to many persons it is extremely nau- 

 seous. If the turnips are sound and no decayed 

 parts are given, this taste is not always percepti- 

 ble ; but it becomes so as soon as it is heateil, the 

 butter being melted on the cream or milk applied 

 to tea or coffee. There is said to be a remedy 

 for this taste, by using a very small quantity of 

 saltpetre and water, in the milk as it comes from 

 ihe cow ; but 1 cannot in this case speak from ex- 

 pe;"ience. 



Mr Ilarley coniinues his account by saying, that 

 instead of attempting the ill-judged economy, 

 which pinches the c: Itle of their food, every at- 

 tention was paid to make each cow eat as much 



for the interest of the seller to inquire too partic- 

 ularlv. — Aeu) York Fanner. 



ce,\ in particular soils, such for instance as suited as possible, without running into the opposite ex- 

 carrots. Besides it did not stand the frost, and it | treme of over-feedin - ; an I for that purp.se the 



was found necessary to be taken up in the fall, the 

 tops cut off, and the roots used during the winter, 

 mixed with other provender. A trial was made 

 with this root and Swedish turnips ; a correspond- 

 in" wpi"lit of each was given to two lots of cows 

 of equal numbers, an<l great attention was paid to 

 the quantity anil quality of mi k produced, and the 

 improvement in the condition of the cattle. In 

 these respects, however, there was found to he lit- 

 tle or no variation. The quantity anil quality of 

 the milk, and the improvement in the condition of 

 the cattle were much the same ; but as the man- 

 gel wiirtze! did not staml ihe frost, and moreover 

 required a deep soil in the cultivation, the Swed- 

 ish lurnips were necessarily preferred. 



,\bout this time, .Mr Coke of Norfolk, lost .some 

 cows, and other agrieuhurists had their cattle 

 iniclj injured by cuttins mangel wurtzel ; a cir- 

 cumstance which excited intense interest, not un- 

 mixed with serious apprehensions, and gave rise 

 to much discussions in the periodicals of the ilay 

 on the merits of that root. There was no instance, 

 however, in the VVi lowliank Dairy of any bad ef- 

 fects resulting droiii the use of it. The quantity 

 given as a mixtlfre, however, was comjiaratively 

 small, except on th^ occasion just noticed, when 

 trial was made of it with the tiirnips; und before 

 that trial was made, the roots had la^d a consid- 

 erable time in a dry cellar, wlieress Mr Coke's 

 rattle liad the roots and leaves when full of 

 juice. 



These statements by Mr Ilarley, soem to me of 

 considerable importance. I have had considera- 

 ble experience in rai.<ing br>tli the niaMgel wurtzel 

 ftnd the rilta baga. The rn lUgel wurtzel is a far 

 less certain cro,) tlian the ruta baga. it yields of- 

 ten a great amount to the acre, though cither 

 through the sj^eds not germinating, or the plants 

 being cut off after it came up, there were alvvays 

 large vacancies, however, I usually filled up with 

 ruta baga. The mangel wurtzel was liable to be 

 injured by the frosts, and in my own experience 

 it has not kept by any means so well as the 

 ruta baga. As feed for milk cows, I have found 

 them always very fond of it ; that it greatly in- 

 creased their mi k ; but at the same time rather 

 disordered their bowels and very much reduced 

 their flesh, I have giving it however in good 



mixture was occasionally varied ; and sometimes 

 a few raw potatoes or turnips were given by them- 

 selves, which tended to whet theirapjietite. There 

 is a Scotch proverb which says, " the cow milks 

 by the mow," and as the object of tli ; llarleian 

 Dairy was to latte i as well as to yield, the more 

 care and good management were exercised in their 

 feeding, the sooner these objects were accom- 

 plished. 



Young grass and green barley, but particularly 

 young clover, contain a great quantity of juice, 

 and fixed air, which has often proved injurious to 

 CJttle. The irrigation with urine made these 

 crops luxuriant and rich ; the first cutting was 

 therefore mixed with a large proportion of old hay 

 or straw, to which was siii)eradded .i good quan- 

 tity of salt, to prevent the cows from swelling or 

 blowing. When wet, a greater proportion of these 

 ingredients was used j this mixture was allowed 

 to stand from twelve to twentyfour hours, and was 

 frequently turned and shaken to prevent heating. 

 Young or wet clover was ne>'er given without a 

 mixture of dry provender. By this means the 

 rich juices of the green food were absorbed by the 

 dry fodder, which enabled the cattle to feed free- 

 ly, without the risk of injury. 



In proportion as grass decreased in the autumn, 

 turnips became a substitute. .As the season ad- 

 vanced when grain and distiller.s' wash were plen- 

 tiful and cheap, which was generally the case in 

 winter, a large proportion of these were given 

 with the more succulent food ; but they were apt 

 to make the cattle grain sick, an 1 to prove injuri 

 ous to the stomach of the animal. It Irts been as- 

 certained, if cows are fed long upon grains of dis- 

 tillers' wa:h, th-ir constitution wil; be ipiickly de- 

 stroy<;d ; cattle thus fed slneild not be kept longer 

 than eight or ten months. One effect of this co- 

 pious feeding upon di -tillers' wash, as we have 

 learned at the New York city esiaSlishment, is, 

 that alter a while the teeth of the cows thus kept 

 become ooseued, and th 'V are iin able to misiicate 

 any hard or long food. It s.-em-i to be a i retiy 

 fair inference, that where the constilutioii of an 

 a'linial iiecomes thus affecte.I or diseased, the 

 qua ity of the tnilk is likely in a correspondent 

 Measure to be injured. Of this, however, the 

 buyer is not able to know unyihing, and it is not 



Sf.ed Whe.\t. — To obtain good seed wheat, 

 take the bundles and shake or slightly beat them 

 over a box, and the earliest and plumpest kernels 

 will fall oiii, which wid be the best for seed. This 

 method will tend to improve wheat, and it is at- 

 tended with very little trouble. — Yankee Farmer. 



Thk Weevil. — We understand that this de- 

 structive insect has done considerable damage to 

 wheat in some parts of this State. Some fine pie- 

 ces have been nearly destroyed. Fanners have 

 been apprised of a remedy in sowing broadcast 

 upon the wheat, just as it is heading out, fine 

 slacked lime, when the wheat is wet or Ihe dew 

 on ; but they have in general neglected to apply 

 this remedy, ami suffered the insects to feed upon 

 their hard earnings. This is to be regretted as 

 the remedy is very simple and cheap, and it would 

 have saved much grain in this season of scarcity. 



A farmer in Kennebunk, in a communication 

 to the Kennebunk Gazelle, states that as soon as 

 he found these insects making ravages among his 

 wheal, he sowed on it common wood ashes, when 

 the dew was on, and in a few <lays, on examining 

 his wheat, he found that they had entirely <lisap- 

 peaied, and that his whe it lookijd full and heavy 

 lieaded. Farmers, remeinher this and do like- 

 wise. Will that farmer phase inform us how 

 much ashes he sowed to the acre ? — lb. 



Farm:"rs might easily .save the flesh of horses 

 and cows, and confer great kindness on their ani- 

 mals, in preventing the usual annoyance of flies, 

 by simply washing the parts with the extract of 

 Pennyroyal. Flies will nit alight a inoment on 

 the spot to which this has been applied. Every 

 man who is con passionate to his bjast, ought to 

 know this simple remedy, and every livery stable 

 and country inn, ou;,'!!! to have a supply on hand 

 for travellers. — lb. 



HoRSKS. — Flies are a great trouble to a horse 

 at this season. They will eat al. the skin off the 

 inside of their ears, and then feed upon the flesh, 

 producing a great deal of piin and uneasiness. 

 Phis evil may be prevented by rubbing upon the 

 inside of their ears a little grease or oil, which 

 shoulil be repeated occasionally. Every merciful 

 man who has a horse, wi I be merciful to his 

 beast and prevent this injury. 



General Tarinadge has sent from France two 

 sam[)les of paper made from husks of corn, to the 

 American Insiitnte. It is stateil to cost not more 

 than one fourth of what is expended in making a 

 similar quality from rags. 



.\ gentleman who has lately traversed the coun- 

 try between Q lebec and Maine, informs us that 

 frost about ten days since was very severe in that 

 quarter, and had caused much damage to the po- 

 tatoes, (n some fie ds the vines were all withered 

 by this chillin; influence, and it was f-areil the 

 crop won d be much reduced in consequence. — - 

 B'jslon Journal. 



The editor of a Micliigin pap;!r acknowledges 

 the receipt of a ripe, beaulifiil and fine flivored 

 apple measuring 9and 5-8 inches in cinuuiference. 



