166 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



he says, "my brother soaked his wheat before sow- 

 ing, in strong brine, and then rolled in lime ; while 

 I sowed mine without either. Now mark the re- 

 sult. At threshing time my yield was 13^ bush- 

 els to the acre, which was about an average yield 

 in the neighborhood, while my brother's aver- 

 aged 22^ bushels to the acre. Still further, my 

 wheat was damaged with the smut, while my 

 brother's wheat was entirely from free smut and all 

 foreign seeds." 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 

 ^ LEGHORN FOWLS. 



The inquiry of your correspondent for the best 

 fowls for laying and for cold weather induces me 

 to say that the Leghorns have done the best with 

 me of any I have ever kept. The Black Spanish 

 are good layers in warm weather ; but these lay 

 in warm or cold Aveather. They commence to lay 

 when about four months old, and have continued 

 without offering to set, till now, February 7 ; and 

 although ihey have froze their combs, they have 

 laid all the time. I have had but eight hens, and 

 they have laid thirty dozen eggs since the last of 

 November. They hatch well ; and I have never 

 lost one by disease. I consider them very hardy. 



Foxbor?, Feb., 1860. L. R. Hewins. . 



Remarks. — Our correspondent states that ho 

 has no Leghorn fowls to sell, excepting two or 

 three roosters, but can furnish a few eggs. He 

 ■will please inquire of nurserymen for the grape 

 vine he wants. 



ABOUT feeding BEES. 



Friend Brown : — I noticed in the last Farmer, 

 a gentleman in Salisbury wants to know how he 

 shall feed his bees. I will tell him how I feed my 

 bees when they are short of honey. Go to some 

 one who has taken up a swarm of bees, and get a 

 few jyounds of honey in the comb ; that from an 

 old swarm is the bet, because there is more bee- 

 bread in an old swarm than a young swarm. Take 

 about one pound of honey and comb and place it 

 on a plate, put two little sticks under the honey, 

 in the plate, so that the bees can go under as well 

 as over the honey, and if it is too cold for them 

 to come down on the bottom board, carry them 

 into a Avarm room, and they will come down and 

 carry it up into their comb. It will last them 

 about two weeks. I think this a better way than 

 to ftt'^d them on candy, unless they lilte it better 

 than I do. R. 



Chester, K H., Feb. 7, 1860. 



f 



CLOVER HAY FOR MILCH COWS. 



Some say that clover hay is in no way suitable 

 for cows ; but brother farmer, I will tell you what 

 one of my cows did one week on clover hay. Her 

 feed consisted of clover hay, first crop, one peck 

 carrots, and three quarts of cob meal per day. The 

 result was fifteen pounds butter. Some days her 

 milk weighed fifty pounds. I doubt not but if 

 her hay had been cut it would have amply paid 

 the cost. The cow is about five-eighths English, 

 the rest native. A Subscriber. 



Buerjidd, Mass., Jan. 26, 1860. 



take care of the eyes OF Yomi HORSES and 



CATTLE. 



Should your horses or cattle injure their eyes, 

 so as to bring on a white substance or film, as it 

 is sometimes called, do not, as I have seen some 

 do, spit a mouthful of tobacco juice, or blow a 

 quill full of snuff", into the eye ; but let me tell 

 you a better way. I take fresh butter newly 

 churned, melt about one table spoonful, and turn 

 it into the ear opposite the eye injured, being care- 

 ful to hold the ear tight together so that they 

 shall not by a violent shake of the head throw it 

 out of the ear. This remedy may be safely ap- 

 plied if you do not use them when the film is 

 coming off". c. A. 



I\^eiv Haven, Ct. 



INDESTRUCTIBLE WATER PIPE. 



An inquiry was recently made in your paper as 

 to what is the best kind of pipe to convey water ? 

 I would recommend the indestructible water pipe 

 as the best and cheapest. Pipe of one inch bore can 

 be delivered an the steamboat wharf at Camden, 

 Me., all. complete, for ten cents per foot ; elbows 

 ten cents extra ; other sizes in proportion. 



George Collins & Co. 



Camden, Me., 1860. 



SUGAR BEET SUGAR. 



Can any one give me the process of manufac- 

 turing the juice of the sugar beet into sugar ? It 

 is said that lime is used — but in what state the 

 lime is, or in what condition the juice of the beet, 

 whether before or during the process of evapora- 

 tion, and in what proportion, I have not learned. ' 



New Ipswich, Feb. 11, 1860. w. D. L. 



planting AND PRUNING PRIVET HEDGE. 



Will the editor of the Farmer, or some one who 

 has had experience in growing the privet hedge, 

 inform me how near together the plants should 

 be set, and of the time and manner of trimming. 



North Bridgewater, Feb., 1860. J. T. B. 



Remarks. — We have never cultivated the priv- 

 et, and leave the reply for those Avho have. 



DISEASE AMONG CATTLE. 



I have a disorder among my cattle that some 

 call scurf, or runrounds. PlQpse tell me what will 

 cure it, and oblige John J. Lang. 



HINTS ON SHEEP MANAGEMENT. 

 Mr. L. W. Green gives in the Michigan Far- 

 mer the following ways and means of getting up 

 the right kind of a flock : 



Fii-st, then, I allow my ewes to breed tUl the' 

 spring they are three years old. I never desire^ 

 to see twins. If they make their appearance, I 

 give them an extra chance to keep them up with' 

 the rest of the flock. I never breed from any old' 

 broken-down evfes. I never allow my buck or 

 bucks to run with the flock at any season of the'; 

 year. I had rather tend my buck with one hun- 

 dred ewes than turn him in with twenty-five./ 

 This course is very beneficial to the buck, andj 

 still more so to his stock. These are points tha| 



