rOij- X.tll. NO. 33. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER, 



251 



out keeping cattle wRrin in winter, which lie 

 nsidered a uinst important point, he litters liis 

 ttle every night with straw which keeps them in 

 od order: his barn is warm, the boards matched 

 d painted, with a cellar under it. Sheep would 

 e without water, but it was belter that they 

 iould have it if they wished; horses, also, woidd 

 e without water, but it was infinitely belter that 

 jy should have it. Mr Merriani spoke of the 

 ution which farmers should exerci-se in letting 

 eir cattle drink stagnant water from pools, &c., 

 lich are to bo found in fields— and alluded to the 

 ath of a fine colt, which was occasioned by his 

 inking impure and stagimnl water. He was inlhe 

 bit of salting part of his hay, but not lo a greater 

 lent than liis cattle needed ; he also put salt 

 th hay, which was carried into thi; barn in bad 

 ndition. As to roots, he raised some, and fed 

 3 cattle on them in the spring ; he did not give 

 em to cows before calving, but after calving he 

 lowed them to have them. lie let his calves go 

 th the sheep — did not confine tliem, but let them 

 p in and out where they pleased; he also allow- 

 them to drink when they pleased. 

 Mr Graves, of Dcerfield, said he had listened 

 th interest to the remarks which had been made ; 

 1 had some experience in raising calves, and his 

 actice varied but little from those who had spn. 

 ;n upon the subject. He takes the calves direct- 

 from the mother, lets thPin know nothing about 

 eking, and finds that by doing so there is less 

 fliculty in learning them to drink milk. He gives 

 8 calves new milk two or three weeks, then skim 

 ilk, and soon as they will bear it, meal. Rye 

 eal is the best, which should not be bolted ; they 

 c not liable to scour when thus treated, and do 

 nter than when they are permitted to suck. When 

 X months old they are in better condition than 

 hen fed in the usual way. The first winter he 

 avc them oats in the sheaf chopped up. If he 

 ad no oats he gave a little meal every day through 

 le winter with good hay. 



Hon. Mr Allen, of Pembroke, remarked, that he 

 iffered a little from the gentleman on the subject 

 f raising calves. He was a child of nature, and 

 (ved to follow her and let his calves be with their 

 am. When the calf is able to lake all the milk 

 e should be turned into the pasture with the cow, 

 nd will learn from her how to eat in the pasture, 

 nd drink too. In three months he suffered them 

 ) run ivith cattle that were fattening, and found 

 difficulty ill their wintering well. 



As to keeping calves very warm, said he must 

 iffcr from some of the speakers. He thought it 

 Tiportant that cattle should be exposed as well as 

 •an. Calves want air, and they are not apt lo 

 ufler with cold, if they have liberty to go under a 

 bed. He remarked that if he should be kept in 

 his house for a few months, by a long session, 

 vhen he returned home to his farm, should be very 

 infit to face a northwester : he could not endure the 

 ihantre but should wilt down under the influence 



.f it." 



(Concluded on editorial page.) 



From the Mass. Ploughman. 



WILL POTATOES MAKE MILCH COWS 

 POOR? 



.Mr Editor — I notici'd in the Ploughmiin of Dec. 

 22d, in a communication from your correspondent 

 " Cui," the following statement: "Potatoes will 

 make a milch cow grow poor." And in your re- 

 marks following, you say nothing about it, thus 

 tacitly giving assent. I would like to know if it 

 is indeed so ? What means then the hue and cry 

 we heard but a short time ago, " roots for slock" ; 

 " roots for stock"? Were all our wise heads mis- 

 taken about this, and some of them still in igno- 

 rance, blindly leading the blind into the ditch ? 

 Are roots, or any one kind of roots commonly giv- 

 en to stock, really of no benefit ; nay, worse than 

 that, a positive injury ? 



One fact and I have dc ne. I have a small dairy 

 of four or five cows: they are, and have been for 

 many winters past, kept principally on meadow 

 hay, (of which your correspondent speaks very 

 slightly,) with other coarse fodder and about a 

 peck of potatoes, carrola or turnips to each cow 

 per day. It is a fact they are not poor, notwith- 

 standing they eat potatoes. It is a fact, too, that 

 by using the thermometer and churning the cream 

 at a proper temperature, that no witches ever trou- 

 ble ; the butter is not obstinate and " wont come." 

 And it is a fact too that the butter is abundantly 

 fit to cat when '' it has come." S. F. P. 



Q^J^It is a very prevalent notion that milch 

 cows will not gain flesh on potatoes : many think 

 they grow poor by eating them. But what then ? 

 They give out more milk, and we continue to give 

 them. Does any one doubt that cows will be 

 poorer in the spring for being milked through the 

 winter, instead of going dry for four months ? Yet 

 we milk them. 



There is much difference in cows in this re- 

 spect. Some will convert their potatoes to milk, 

 and some will convert but a part of it, and the rest 

 goes lo sustain, or lo fatten the cow. 15ut suppose 

 that all cows become poorer for eating potatoes 

 while in milk, it by no means follows that we suf- 

 fer a loss by giving them potatoes. — Ed. 



It is stated that 40 or .50 vessels have gone 

 >0t to bring Guano from the rocky islands on the 

 west coast of Africa. If it he true that guano only 

 dispenses its virtues where there is little or no rain, 

 the speculation is like to be a losing one. — London 

 pap. 



From the Albany Cullivalor. 



THE CARROT. 



Messrs Gaylord if Tucker — The improvements 

 in the ancient and honorable art of agriculture in 

 New England, within the last ([uarter of a century, 

 are truly obvious, and particularly for the last few 

 years it has become a subject of interesting con- 

 templation to every lover of his country. 



Though the writer is desirous to contribute his 

 mite to the laudable object of the pursuit of agri- 

 cultme, it is because it is so intimately connected 

 with the interest and well being of his country 

 and the community. Within the last iew years 

 the cultivation of the carrot has engrossed a great- 

 er share of his attention than that of any other 

 vegetable. If then the few ideas which are hastily 

 thrown together upon this subject, shall ultimately 

 lead to the best method ol cultivating this valuable 

 and nutritious root, he will be richly rewarded for 

 whatever pains he may have taken in observing 

 and superintending its growth. We are satisfied 

 from experience llial this plant may bo brought to 

 great perfection in any part of New England, and 

 with suitable attention will abundantly remunerate 



the husbandman for all his necessary care and la- 

 bor. Were our farmer.') who keep a large slock, 

 lo devote a spare acre to the cultivation of this 

 root, we make no doubt they will at the harvest, 

 find them.-clves in possession of a large store of 

 feed, of valuable and rare qualities for sheep, hor- 

 ses, and cattle, which will Siive largely of hay and 

 other fodder, in times of scarcity of such crops. 

 The three varieties of carrot that constitute the 

 subject of these observations, and the long yellow, 

 the large field, and the Altringham white. Scarce- 

 ly any vegetable during its growth presents a richer 

 appearance than the carrot, whether wc contem- 

 plate the young plant or the mature root. Hence 

 it may be said in truth, to be an ornamental as 

 well as profitable crop. 



For the table, the long yellow is preferable. Its 

 surface is smooth and fibre very compact. In pro- 

 portion to its size, it doubtless yields the greatest 

 amount of nutriment. Next to this is the largo 

 field variety, on which the horse feeds and thrives 

 well, and it gives lo the hair a peculiar smooth 

 and glossy appearance. This root is short and 

 rough, often sending off large radicles or branches 

 of roots. When it grows luxuriantly, it is fre- 

 quently hollow at the upper part. It yields a lar- 

 ger crop than the former, but is better adapted to 

 stock than the table. The Altringham white is a 

 long beautiful root, much less nutritious than either 

 of the other varieties, and resembles some of the 

 finest specimens of the long while turnip. It is a 

 hardy plant, requiring less care in i ts cultivation 

 than the other varieties. Stock feed and thrive 

 well upon it. 



The soil best adapted to the carrot, is a deep 

 rich loam, free from gravel or sand. If it be too 

 adhesive or lumpy, ashes or lime may be mixed 

 with it. If manure be used, it should be entirely 

 decomposed or rolled, and intimately mixed with 

 the earth. The ground should be plowed or spa- 

 ded fine and deep, the whole being made mellow. 



The seed should be planted early in April, in 

 drills not less than 22 inches apart. When the 

 plants spring up, they should be early freed from 

 weeds and the earth loosened around them. The 

 feeble plants should be pulled, leaving only the 

 most hardy ones. At the second weeding they 

 should be thinned again, leaving the most healthy 

 to grow, and thus continue, leaving the most thrif- 

 ty ones not less than 20 inches apart, so as to give 

 large room for the tops. In this manner, the wri- 

 ter has raised the yellow carrot no less than seven 

 inches through, and at the rale probably of COO or 

 700 bushels to the acre. 



Middktown, Ct., Dec. 23, 1843. 



Several persons in Yai'mouth, in this State, have 

 been severely poisoned by sitting in a room where 

 peat was burning, supposed lo have in it the roots 

 of ivy or dogwood. — .Vnit. 



Leave the bucket of your neighbor from whoso 

 well you draw, half full of water — the ice in the 

 morning will remind him of your visit, without 

 leaving your card. 



" I can't imagine," said Alderman A , " why 



rny whiskers turn grey so much sooner than my 

 head." " Because," observed a wag, " you work 

 80 much more with your jatcs than wiih your 

 brains.'' 



