1860. 



NEW ENGLAKD FARMER. 



265 



EXTRACTS AND BEPLIES. 

 THE WEEPING WILLOW. 



Will the Avee])ing willow flourish upon plain or 

 sandy land ? Where can they be obtained, and 

 at what price ? Ezra B. Kx\app. 



Haverhill, N. H., 1860. 



Rejl\RKS. — This willow will undoubtedly grow 

 on plain lands, but not flourish as it will in its 

 native habitat hy the water-courses. Its name, 

 "willow," means "near the water." Linnaeus gave 

 it its specific name, Bahylonica Salix, under the 

 idea that it might be the tree so touchingly re- 

 ferred to in the 137th Psalm : "By the rivers of 

 Babylon, there we sat down ; yea, we wept, when 

 we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon 

 the willows in the midst thereof." Nurserymen 

 usually have it for sale. 



A cow AND HER CUD. 



A cow that I have had the care of in part, the 

 past season, has shown symptoms of disease in a 

 manner that is uncommon in these parts. In De- 

 cember last, while clearing her manger one morn- 

 ing, I found about a peck of cuds 

 that had been thrown vip the 

 night previous. Each successive 

 morning, for two or three weeks, 

 there were found some, not as 

 many as at first ; have seen no- 

 thing of the kind for the last six 

 weeks. She has been hearty and 

 regular to eat and drink from the 

 first, but has gradually grown 

 weaker, so that now, when tied 

 in the stable, she cannot get up 

 alone. By the way, from the 

 first, she changed her manner of 

 getting up, so that it is like that 

 of a horse, forward feet first. 



If you, or any of your readers, 

 can point out a cause, or a cure 

 for the disease, you will oblige 

 A Farmer. 



Hanover, N. H., 1860. 



RINGBONE OR TETTER. 



I have had some experience 

 with the ringworm, or tetter in 

 cattle, and never have failed of curing in a short 

 time, with grease rubbed on once or twice. Salt 

 grease or pot skimmings is the best that I have 

 tried. This disease is quite apt to go through the 

 whole stock, if not taken in season. 



George Harney. 



Marlborough, March, 1860. 



SICK hens — LEGHORN FOWLS. 



One of your correspondents wishes to know 

 what will cure his sick hens. I have had them 

 sick in the way he describes, I should think, and 

 g^ve them a tea-spoonful of castor oil, which has 

 cured them in my case. 



I wish some of your Leghorn fowl correspon- 

 dents would give a description of these fowls, 

 whether they are large or small, and their color, 

 whether they are what are commonly called the 



Black Poland. The Poland fowls are mostly 

 black — some white, with top-knots ; small, good 

 layers, and not inclined to sit. 



Hyde Park, April, 1860. Orson Hadley. 



FREEZING AND THAWING. 



Will some of your correspondents inform me 

 why freezing and thawing are necessary in order 

 that the sap may flow from our maple trees in su- 

 gar time ? What are the constituent parts of su- 

 gar " 



Putney, VL, 1860. 



Reader of the Farmer. 



TWO OP OUR COMMON" INSECTS. 



The Katydid. — "The katydid is one of the 

 most conspicuous grasshoppers of North Ameri- 

 ca. In the cool evenings of Autumn its melan- 

 choly song reverberates from every tree in our 

 orchards and forests, and its never-ceasing com- 

 plaint, that katydid, has not only suggested a 

 thousand pleasant recollections, but has often oc- 

 casioned many curious and poetical conjectures 

 as to its origin and significance." 



We are not aware that this grasshopper is in 

 any way hurtful to our plants, unless, like other 

 grasshoppers, it becomes exceedingly numerous. 

 Jaeger, whom we have quoted above, speaks of 

 the significance of this little insect, and says that 

 "he knows nothing in nature that is msignificant." 

 We think this the true view of the matter. It 

 is certainly essential, or it would not have been 

 created. How do we know but the bee, or swal- 

 low, or pigeon, could be spared just as well? 

 "Each animated atom of creation bears the stamp 

 of some great moral or intellectual significance, 

 and appeals to man's universal and unborn con- 

 viction that naught was ever made in vain." 



Alacetious poet has asked this little insect tat- 



