1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



405 



years has sufficient power to operate it, if he knew 

 how to apply it. At a future time we shall make 

 further notice of it. 



EXTRACTS AND EEPLIES. 



HOW TO BRING MILK FROM A CLOSED TEAT — 

 HAYING — CROPS. 



I wish to make a suggestion to your Pennsyl- 

 vania correspondent. When I was a lad, my fath- 

 er had an excellent cow, and one spring when 

 she had been dry through a cold winter, we found 

 it almost impossible to g^t any milk from one 

 teat. I think he first worked a fine knitting- 

 needle into the orifice in the teat and afterwards 

 the quill end of a hen's feather, after cutting off 

 most of the feather end, and winding a waxed 

 thread firmly round to prevent it from slipping in 

 too far ; by keeping this in a few days except 

 while milking, the difficulty was removed. I had 

 occasion to try the same process last winter, and 

 only had to keep the quill in one night and one 

 day. 



We were just going at haying this morning in 

 good earnest, but the weather is wet ; still it is a 

 good day for mowing, and as most of us have to 

 use the scythe yet, we have not been idle ; grass 

 is good ; grain bids fair to be an average crop. 



W. I. SiMONDS. 



Boxbury, Vt., July 15, 1861. 



SHEEP — PLOWS — CRANBERRIES. 



I make the following inquiries, hoping you will 

 answer all of them. I am also very desirous that 

 they be answered by others — farmers of experi- 

 ence. Many who are silent could give much val- 

 uable information. 



What sheep are most profitable to raise on 

 Bandy loam lands in the neighborhood of a good 

 mutton and lamb market ? Information in re- 

 gard to price after shearing, with location, would 

 be acceptable. How many of the kind mentioned 

 will consume the feed of one cow ? (1.) 



For land as above, what kind and size of plow 

 is the best — a plow to be drawn by oxen or two 

 horses ? (2.) 



Would such kind of land be benefited by sub- 

 soil plowing ? (3.) 



What is the price of subsoil plows ? (4.) 



I have a few acres of swale meadow upon which 

 cranberries are scattered here and there. Good 

 English hay once grew upon it, but from neglect 

 the surface drains have become clogged, and now 

 only fresh meadow grass and cranberries grow. I 

 can flow it for cranberries, or drain it and there- 

 by make a valuable meadow. Which would you 

 advise to be done ? The sod is black and tough, 

 filled with strong grass roots ; underneath is a 

 whitish sand. The land is dry enough in a dry 

 time to plow. It used to bring very heavy grass 

 of good quality. Any suggestions relative to its 

 treatment will be very acceptable. (5.) 



I have an abundance of easy land to work, but 

 I think this the strongest, and am determined to 

 reclaim it in some way, so as to make it pay. 



New Bedford, 1861. G. w. H. 



Remarks. — (1.) There is no person in our re- 

 collection better able to give definite and reliable 



opinions in this matter than John D. G. Wil- 

 liams, Esq., of Raynham, Mass. He was a mem- 

 ber of our Legislature in 1859, and at the agri- 

 cultural meetings at the State House, during that 

 winter, spoke upon the subject of sheep culture, 

 and showed that by figures and observation com- 

 bined, he had gathered much valuable informa- 

 tion on this subject. We hope he will reply to 

 the queries of our correspondent. 



(2.) Plow number 1\h, Nourse, Mason & Co.'s 

 pattern, would be an excellent one for the land 

 you describe. 



(3.) Subsoiling such land would undoubtedly 

 be useful. 



(4.) Send for a catalogue, which will be sent 

 free of charge, and then you will find, not only 

 prices of implements, but illustrations of them. 



(5.) As the cranberry crop, when successfully 

 cultivated, is a very profitable one, we should ad- 

 vise you to plant cranberry vines on one or two 

 square rods of this land, and if they succeed well 

 gradually extend them over the piece. Take thrif- 

 ty vines from some meadow, and set them in holes 

 prepared in the grass as near as six inches to 

 each other. 



It was too late to send the scions called for in 

 another note ; but they will be furnished next 

 winter or spring, if wanted. 



A BIG WORM. 



I discovered the curious worm which accompa- 

 nies this letter, on my grape vine in Charlestown, 

 and as I can find no one who seems to know its 

 name or nature, I submit it to your inspection ; 

 perhaps it is the "army-worm" whose recent ap- 

 pearance in New England has been noticed in 

 the daily journals. Wm. L. Williams. 



Boston, July 20, 1861. 



Remarks. — The worm you kindly sent us, so 

 nicely boxed, is not the "army worm," nor do we 

 know its name and habits. It evidently belongs 

 to the family of those that feed upon the carrot 

 and parsnip. When the new edition of "Harris* 

 Insects" is out, we hope to be able, by the aid of 

 the engravings, to decide upon the names of 

 many of the insects sent us. 



cutter's seedling strawberry. 



Will you inform me, through the Farmer, in 

 what respect Cutter's Seedling Strawberry is su- 

 perior to older varieties ? Also, if Longworth's 

 Prolific would be as well as Early Scarlet, to plant 

 with Hovey's Seedling, and if it is better to culti- 

 vate in hills, instead of beds ? s. E. C. 



Worcester, July, 1861. 



Re>l\rks. — We did not mean to say that Cut- 

 ter's Seedling is better than older varieties. We 

 told what we knew of the Seedling, purposely 

 leaving comparisons to yourself and others. We 

 cannot answer your second question. 



