406 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



Sept. 



SrPERPHOSPnATE rOR TVENirS. 



About the first of July, last year, I plowed about an 

 acre and a quarter of old mowing land ; soil, a sandy 

 loam on the higher part, good strongloam lower down 

 the slope, and running to the edge of a peaty swamp. 

 Spread on 400 poundsof Coc's superphosphate of lime, 

 haiTOwcd it well, sowed fourvarieties of turnips, about 

 one-half in rows with a seed-sower, and the other half 

 broadcast and harrowed in. The season was dry for 

 several weeks afterwards, but the seed came up well. 

 When the young turnips had very slowly put oat 

 about four leaves, the tips of the leaves began to blight 

 and became dry and crisp, and so continued through- 

 out the season. At harvesting, the whole <crf>p was not 

 worth half the cost of the superpliospliate. All the va- 

 rieties of the turnip, on all the varieties of soil showed 

 the same appearance of blight. This was my first ex- 

 perience with superphosphate of lime as a fertilizer for 

 turnips ; and I leave you to decide whether this ef- 

 fect should be attributed to the superphosphate, to the 

 dryness of the season, or to some other caxise. 



'Concord, July 9, 1860. Minot Phatt. 



IS FARMING PHOFITAHLE ? 



If Mr. Pinkham is not satisfied that farming is prof- 

 itable, I would commend to his attention the following 

 facts. About ten years ago, a lady in this vicinity was 

 left a widow in the occupancy of a farm incumbered 

 with some .$1800 of debt. She has hired all the work 

 on the place, and has, in the ten years, reduced the 

 debt to $'300, besides educating two daughters to the 

 ages of eleven and twenty-one, respectively, and bear- 

 ing the extra expense of two severe sicknesses in her 

 own person. As to repairs, improvements, &c., I onl.v 

 know that I have sold her several thousand feet of 

 lumber in the last four years, for fences, ncv/ roofing 

 barns, &c. She has sold some timber, but only enougii 

 to cover the expense of a family carriage, and a piano 

 for the eldest daughter, which articles she has pur- 

 chaf cd in the meantime. If that farm has not aflord- 

 ed a profit, I hardly know what business has or can. 



Arlington, Vt., July 9, 1860. A. B. CoxE. 



CROPS IN CONNECTICUT. 



The last week in June was a hot sultry week with 

 us. Since then the weather has been changeable, a 

 few days hot and then cool again, with easterly winds. 

 We had a fine rain on the 5th of July which will carry 

 out the grass crop. As a general thing, grass is a fair 

 crop in this section as far as I have seen, though old 

 meadows will be light. P^ye and oats look well on the 

 gi-otmd, oats in particular. Corn and potatoes stand 

 well at present. There is a prospect for a fair fruit 

 crop. Apples look well on the trees. Cherries and 

 strawberries have been good. L. Dlrand. 



Derby, Ct., July, 1860. _ 



■WATER PIPES. 



I have seen several comunications in the Farmer re- 

 lating to pipes for conducting water, and I wi.>h to in- 

 quire through the Farmer more fully. I wish to know 

 the best kind where the water stands in the pipe one 

 hundred feet and is drawn from thence by pump, and 

 the price per foot for one-inch pipe ? Also, if wood 

 will not injuriously affect the water where it stands so 

 long a distance in it ? Any other information relative 

 to the subject will be gratefully received. 



Daniel Hill, 2d. 



Goodwin's Mills, York County, Me., 1860. 



Rkmauks. — See editorial remarks in another col- 



CURE FOR HOLDFAST IN CATTLE. 



In reply to the inquiry of "N. Mathews, of Henni- 

 kcr, N. H.," for an article for the cure of what he terms 

 "Holdfast," I think that oil of spike applied once or 

 twice a day, for three days, and leave ofi'the use of it 

 for three days more, will cure in a short time. Oil of 

 spike is composed of sulphuric acid 1650 sp. gr. and 

 spirits of turpentine, equal quantities. Put an ounce 

 of spirits of turpentine in a strong bottle and add sul- 

 phuric acid in small quantities till you have added an 

 ounce. 



Ripton, Vt., July 7, I860. 



SOWING GRASS SEED. 



I noticed in the monthly Farmer a piece written by 

 0. L. Dow, on "Seeding grass land." In sowing the 

 seed before plowing, I wish to inquire if he sows his 

 grain at the same time he sows his grass seed ? I have 

 a piece I wish to sow with wheat and grass seed in the 

 fall, and aa answer to this question will much obhge 

 me. Lt?KE Newell. 



Mason, July, 1860. 



GETTING the VALUE OF HAY. 



Seeing an article in the June number of the Farmer 

 entitled "Value of a Load of Hay," reminds me of a 

 more simple method which I have found very useful; 

 viz : multiply the price per ton by five, and you will 

 have the price per cwt. For example, suppose the 

 price per ton to be i^'15, multiply 15 liy 5 and you have 

 75, which is the number of cents per cwt. Perhaps 

 you have heard of this, but I have found many men 

 who had not. A Subscriber. 



cow SUCKS HERSELF. 



Can you tell me the best way to prevent a cow from 

 sucking herself? I have a good one that will occasion- 

 ally do it, much to my loss and inconvenience. 



Orange, Vt., 1860. A Subscriber. 



Remarks. — A bow on the neck, with shtirp pins in 

 it, or a muzzle of leather above the nose, with picked 

 iron pins, and fastened to the horns, will prevent this 

 bad habit. 



TO cure "WENS ON CATTLE. 



Soft soap made thick Mith salt, and rubbed on smart- 

 ly, will ciu'c wens on cattle, if done in time. 

 Brownsville, Vt., 1860. Hoh.\ce Spalding. 



A big calf. 

 Mr. Eustis Baker, of West Dcdham, owns a cow 

 that dropped a calf on the 7th mst. weighing 126 lbs. 

 Durham bull. Ayrshire cow. 



■WHITE DORKING EGGS. 



Can you inform me through the Farmer where eggs 

 of the White Dorking fowls can be obtained, .^nd at 

 what price ? s. s. 



Stonghton, July, 1860. 



Remarks. — Probablj- at some of the agi-icultural 

 warehouses. 



VrS\N7" OF OHIO AGmCUIiTU.KE. 



The Annual Report of Norton Townsend, the 

 President ol the Ohio Board of Argiculture, to 

 the Legislature of the State, is published in the 

 Ohio Cultivator. lu respect to the amount of 

 staple agricultural products, he thinks the past 

 year cannot be regarded as favorable. The spring 

 gave promise of an abundant harvest, but severe 

 frosts in the month of June blighted the prospect. 

 Although the north-western part of the State 

 nearly escaped this destructive visitation, the in- 

 jury to the wheat crop in other sections "was so 

 great, that not less, probably, than one-fourth of 

 what had promised to be an unusually good yield 

 was destroyed, involving the loss of perhaps eight 

 millions of bushels. The corn crop also suffered 

 severely from the frost, but by prompt replanting, 

 the crop may have been neaidy up to the general 

 average. Oats and barley have been better than 

 usual. Potatoes much better than -was anticipa- 

 ted in the early part of the season. The grass 

 crop the past season was injured by the frost to 



