1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FAR]MER. 



275 



the manure heap, but brook water, turned out of 

 its natural channel, both on low meadow and dry 

 land, will increase the hay crop greatly. The lit- 

 tle streams which course down our hill sides, in 

 spring time, if turned out of their natural courses 

 and allowed to spread over the barren knolls, 

 would be found to be great fertilizers. Old pas- 

 tures are benefited by this mode as well as fields. 

 I have tried both draining and flowing wet grass 

 meadows, and unless they can be drained dry 

 enough to plow, say turn on the water. If possi- 

 ble, let sand be washed on with the running wa- 

 ter. T. P. Bailey. 

 Newbury, VL, April, 18G1. 



For the New England Farmer. 



"WASH FOR PEAR BLIGHT AND 

 CURCULIO. 



Mr. Editor : — In the latter part of July, 1859, 

 I noticed the leaves on a Beurre Diel pear tree, 

 (of some dozen years growth,) wei'e beginning to 

 turn black, and in a few days when I next saw it, 

 I was surprised to find nearly three-fourths of its 

 foliage in the same condition. Thinking it might 

 be the work of some minute insect, which I tried 

 in vain to discover, I syringed it with a lime 

 wash which I was using to protect my plums from 

 the curculio. This I repeated every morning for 

 three or four days, which arrested the further 

 progress of the disease, but left my tree de- 

 nuded of most of its foliage, while a fair crop of 

 fruit remained on the tree, but did not mature, 

 and was quite worthless. In the spring of 1860, 

 the tree blossomed, leaved out, and presented its 

 usual healthy appearance ; but again in July, the 

 same disease reappeared, and I at once com- 

 menced the same treatment as the previous year, 

 saving the foliage and fruit, which matured in its 

 usual perfection. The wood and bark appeared 

 to be perfectly sound both seasons, and although 

 this tree was surrounded by many others of dif- 

 ferent varieties, none of them were similarly af- 

 fected. I have been unable to detect any adequate 

 cause, or to recognize any disease described by 

 Downing in his book on Fruit Trees, in the case 

 I have mentioned, and my only object in bringing 

 these facts to your notice, is to ascertain if I may, 

 from you, or some one of your contributors, learn 

 the probable cause of the malady, while I give 

 you the result of my treatment. 



I will here remark, that I have found that a 

 wash, made of a piece of quicklime the size of a 

 quart measure, put to a half-barrel of water, stand 

 two days and then well stirred, is a sure protec- 

 tion for the plum, from the attacks of the curcu- 

 lio. It should be applied very soon after the 

 blossoms fall, and repeated as often as once a 

 week or ten days, until the fruit is fully grown. 

 With a common garden syringe, a good sized 

 tree may be completely covered with the wash in 

 a few moments ; I believe the failure of this rem- 

 edy will be owing only to its imperfect applica- 

 tion, or the solution being made too weak to be 

 distasteful to insects. I raised a fine crop of 

 Blue Gages last season, on a tree which has been 

 stripped of its fruit every summer for several 

 years. I believe the frequent use of this wash 

 promotes the health and vigor of the tree. 



BrookUne, April 16, 1861. j. R. B. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



CORN AND COB MEAL. 



There has been much said in the Farmer in re- 

 gard to using corn and cobs ground together for 

 feed. I do not pretend to know how much nu- 

 triment there is in the cob, but I cannot say as 

 Dr. Brown does, that it is worthless for hogs. For 

 the last twelve years I have fatted my hogs (or 

 rather pigs, for I winter no hogs) on cob and corn 

 meal. I buy my pigs early in the spring, say in 

 March, feed milk the first month, then add a little 

 of the corn and cob meal, and increase it as they 

 will bear it until I slaughter them, about the first 

 or second week in December, weighing from 300 

 to 350 lbs. I feed them no other meal. I am a 

 miller, and grind my own feed. It is the univer- 

 sal practice of my customers to have their corn 

 ground in the ear. Some of our best farmers 

 have ground twenty bushels of clear cobs at one 

 grist for feeding their store hogs, giving them no 

 other meal, clear cob meal answering a good pur- 

 pose. If the corn and cobs are ground as they 

 should be, there will be no sharp, flinty scales or 

 shells, and it can be fed as safely as corn or 

 shorts. A. p. 



Buckland, April, 1861. 



AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF A LARGE HOG. 



Not having seen any notice in the N. E. Far- 

 mer of the large hog raised at Oak Hill Farm, 

 owned by Richard S. Rogers, Esq., South Dan- 

 vers, lam induced to hand you annexed, a minute 

 account of his weight, &c., for the columns of the 

 Farmer. 



2 years 10 months old. 



7 feet '2 inches girt. 



3 " 3 " height. 



8 " from tip of his nose to root of his tail. 

 10 " from tip to tip. 



lies lbs. live weiRht. 

 1C60 " after being bled. 



43 " loss of blood and water. 



1060 



1051 lbs. after being dressed of his bristles. 



6 lbs. loss by bristles. 



1054 

 944 lbs. when dressed. 



110 lbs. loss by offaL 



944 

 40 lbs. rough tallow. 



984 ; 



16 lbs. harslet. 



ICCO lbs. net weight of hog. 



IIOS lbs. live weight. 

 1000 " net weight. 



1C8 lbs. shrinkage, or only 9^ per cent. 



The hog was slaughtered by me, and if the 

 weather had permitted, might have been made to 

 weigh 200 to 300 pounds more, in being kept a 

 few weeks longer. Charles D. Tilton. 



Souili Darners, March 29, 1861. 



cook's sugar EVAPORATOR. 

 In reply to your correspondent from Henniker, 

 N. H., I will say that Messrs. Blymgers, Bates & 

 Day, of Mansfield, Ohio, manufacture ^^ Cook's 

 Sugar Evaporator," and they can be obtained of 

 them, or from A. S. Clark, agent, Be]lov,-s Falls, 

 Vt. The kind I use. No. 3, galvanized iron, costs 



