From ihc Cultivator. 



A BIRD STORY. 



MUton, Ulster co. A". Y. Jul;/, 1839. 

 Fricnd Buel — J would not linve ventured to 

 forward the following statement, were it not that 

 the narrator of it, Edward Hallock, of the firm of 

 Wm. Hallock & Brother, ot Wilton, Ulster co. is 

 known to thee, and known to be of unquestionable 

 veracity. I have heard liini before express liis con- 

 viction, that if birds were protected and cherished 

 by farmers and others, we should never be subject- 

 ed to the loss of corn or other crops by g-rubs ; and 

 that other noxious insects would be sensibly dimin- 

 ished. There is a small kind of bird (ilie males 

 nearly black, the females brown,) that is noted for 

 being around and following cattle in the field, as 

 in the case I am about to detail. Mr H. says, "on 

 the 26th of the present month, I was ploughing for 

 turnips, myself with one team, and my son with 

 another; and observing that we were followed by 

 a flock of the above little birds, I took it into my 

 head to notice their motions, to ascertain what was 

 the attraction, when I perceived that their object 

 was grubs. We ploughed up plenty of a small 

 while and a large brown or grey grub, as well 'as 

 some in a chrysalis state, and angle worms ; all of 

 them excepting angle worms, appeared to be accep- 

 table to them ; and as the sequel will sliow, they 

 were capable of devouring large quantities. I 

 should think that one would make way with at least 

 300 per day. I cautioned my son against making 

 any motion towards noticing them, in any way to 

 intimidate them ; as I found they grew mora and 

 more bold in their honest avocation, and as the 

 land diminished in width, they would remain in the 

 opposite furrow when not more than three or four 

 feet distant. At length my son spoke cautiously, 

 and said there was one on his plough beam. I 

 then stopped the teams and told the boy to pick up 

 a grub and show it to the bird that had distinguish- 

 ed itself by its tameness. He did eo : and the bird 

 immediately seized it. Encouraged by this, I told 

 him to pick up the next white one, and hold it out 

 in his fingers near the ground, crawling down, he 

 did so, and the bird came and picked it out of his 

 fingers 1 Afterwards he stood up and held out one, 

 and the bird lighted on his hand and picked out the 

 worm. This was repeated until it lighted on my own 

 hand ; I raised it up and applied my cheek to its 

 wing without frightening it away. The next day- 

 he was not slow in finding us, and practised the 

 same familiarity, in presence of James Sherman, 

 William Hallock, and others of the neighbors ; it 

 came into the corn field w^here the boys were'wered- 

 ing corn, and actually, without any special attrac- 

 tion, perched upon the head of one of the boys ; it 

 continued these visits until one of the boys in an 

 adjoining field, could not repress his inclination 

 to seize and hold it. ! his made him more wary, 

 but he gradually recovered his confidence." I 

 communicate these facts in the hope that they may 

 contribute to produce an examination into the sub- 

 ject, of how far it would tend to the agricultural 

 interests, to fall upon some method to tame and fa- 

 miliarize small birds, instead of frightening, maim- 

 ing or destroying them. E. HULL. 



Horses Slobbering. — Various opinions exist as to 

 the cause of the excessive salivation that horses 

 sometimes undergo, and which must detract serious- 

 ly from their strength and ability to labor, as well 

 as from their comfort. Some have supposed it to 



result from the second growth of grass that makes 

 its appearance in July or August, the Euphorbia 

 macnlata of the botanist ; some to the second 

 growth of red clover, some to white clover, some to 

 the web of the spider that is spread so extensively 

 over the later feed of summer, and some to the ac- 

 tion of the Lobelia. We have had little doubt that 

 it was to be attributed to this last cause, always 

 feeling safe when our horses were in pastures 

 where no lobelia existed, and when afl3icted by it, 

 finding them to be speedily cured by removing them 

 from the fields in which it is to be found. In an 

 Augusta, Maine, paper we find the following, which 

 would seem to go far to confirm the belief that sal- 

 ivation, is sometimes at least, caused by this pest of 

 our meadows and pastures. 



" Our own family jade — a hearty kind old crea- 

 ture — has not enjoyed the luxury of grass for three 

 years, and has always been kept in good trim on 

 hay, with very little provender. In July we had 

 the barn filled with her year's stock of hay, sweet 

 from the field. Soon after the horse began to eat 

 it, she commenced slobbering abundantly. Being 

 quite out of patience, we set our wits to work to 

 ascertain the cause. Some told us it was white 

 clover, some said it must be lobelia. On making 

 strict examination, we found that the last load put 

 into the barn, had much lobelia, and hut little white 

 clover in it. As an experiment, wo, for several 

 days in succession, previous to feeding, were care- 

 ful to cull the hay by handfuls, and pick out the 

 lobelia. Prom this moment the slobbering ceased. 

 On giving the hay again without picking it over, 

 the salivation began again. So that we are satis, 

 fied that lobelia is the cause of slobbering in hors- 

 es. Can any one tell us what will cure this slob- 

 bering, without the pains of separating the lobe- 

 lia from the hay ?" 



(U= "^ f^ord for the Dimb Creation. — If you 

 keep dogs, let them have free access to water, and 

 if practicable take them out into the fields occasion- 

 I ally, and let them have an opportunity of swimming 

 ] whenever you have the chance. If you keep birds, 

 do not, as is too commonly practised, expose them 

 in their cages to a hot sun ; it is a cruel and fatal 

 mistake. If you do expose them out of doors, cov- 

 er the tops of their cages with a piece of carpel, or 

 which is better, a green sod or abundance of leaves. 

 Those who have the care of horses should be es- 

 pecially attentive during sultry weather, to give 

 them water or moisten their mouths. — We have 

 often been shocked to see some of the laboring 

 horses, in sultry and dustv weather, foaming at the 

 mouth and ready to drop under the intolerable tor- 

 ments of thirst. — American Farmer. 



To Cure wounds on Horses and Cattle. — Mr 

 Tucker — I became a subscriber at the commence- 

 ment of the 3d volume of the weekly Farmer, 

 and in the first JSfo. of that volume, I found a re- 

 celpe to cure wounds on horses and cattle, which 

 alone has been worth more to me than ten years 

 subscription, and I think it would confer a favor on 

 thy patrons to republish it in the present volume. 

 Silas Gavlord. 



Skaneateles, 7th mo. 26, 1839. 



The following is the recipe alluded to, in the 

 above note of Mr Gaylord : 



Mr Tucker — As there are many useful receipts 

 hidden from the public, for the sake of speculation 

 in a small way, by many who would be thought 



something of in the world, I ain induced to lay be- 

 fore the public a recipe for making King of Oil, 

 so called, which perhaps excels any other for cure 

 of wounds on horses or cattle, and which has long 

 been kept by a few only in the dark. Feeling a 

 desire to contribute to the good of tlie public, but 

 more especially to the farmer.- of Genesee, I send 

 you the following very valuable recipe for publica- 

 tion : ' 



1 oz. of Green Copperas, 2 do White Vitriol, 2 

 do Common Salt, 2 do Linseed Oil, 8 do West India 

 Molasses. 



Boil over a slow fire fifteen minutes in a pint of 

 urine ; when almost cold add one ounce of oil of 

 vitrei and four ounces spirits of turpentine. 



Apply it to the wound with a quill or feather, 

 which will immediately set the sore to running, and 

 perform a perfect cure. Yours respectfully, 



Stephen Palmer. 



Middlebury, Dec. 10, 1832. 



Beet Sdgau. We learn from the American 

 Silk Grower, that the conductors of that periodical, 

 having made themselves familiar with the process 

 of manufacturing Sugar from the Beet, they con- 

 fidently expect to produce as good and cheap sugar 

 as that made in France. They have five acres of 

 beet now under cultivation, and the necessary ma- 

 chinery for their manufacture into sugar, in the 

 course of preparation. Success to them. We are 

 glad to see this important business fully tried with- 

 in so short a distance of us, by gentlemen who are 

 as likely to succeed as any others in the country. 



There is now growing in this district of country, 

 a considerable quantity of the sugar beet — mfiny 

 of our farmers being determined to test their value 

 at least as food for cattle. We have not, however, 

 heard of any preparation for the manufacture of su- 

 gar ; but we trust the subject will be duly taken 

 into consideration, and at least a theoretical knowl- 

 edge of the business acquired. All it wants is a 

 start-/.and having received this, the sugar manu- 

 facture will soon become sufficiently extensive to 

 make us independent of other countries for this 

 necessary article of domestic comfort — German' 

 town Telegraph. 



The best stump machine I have seen or heard of 

 consists in a wheel and axle. A large but simple 

 frame is supported by two upright posts within the 

 frame, and upon the uprights an axle is made to 

 revolve by a wooden wheel of some ten or twelve 

 feet circumference, with a strong chain passing 

 around its periphery. Two yoke of oxen will turn 

 the wheel, aijd thus another chain fastened to the 

 axle and to the stump under the machine, is wound 

 around the axle until the stump is torn from the 

 earth. The machine though light is somewhat nn- 

 wieldly ; but the difliculty of transporting it from 

 one stump to another triight be removed by affixing 

 wheels to it, and this would in no wise interfere 

 with the operation of the maroine. It is difficult 

 to say how many stumps mi^Jt be pulled up in a 

 day in this manner, for such computation would be 

 influenced by a variety of circumstances, such as 

 the character and size of the stumps, nature of the 

 soil, &c. ; but many hundred acres of the New 

 England territory have been cleared by this ma- 

 chine at the rate of ten dollars the acre ; and in 

 some instances large tracts of land which were once 

 thickly wooded, have been rendered stumpless for 

 the small sum of eight dollars the acre, every stump 

 exceeding six inches in diameter being removed. — 

 JVorthampton Cour. 



