1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



53 



^ YIELD OF MILK. 



Having been a subscriber to the N. E. Farmer 

 for years, I have often seen statements from per- 

 sons, of the quantity of milk given by cows in 

 stated periods. I annex a statement of the quan- 

 tity from one cow that I have milked for one year, 

 from Nov. 21, 18G0 to Nov. 21, 1861. We used 

 in mj- family what milk we wanted, and sold the 

 balance at a store in the neighborhood, at 5 cents 

 per quart. You Avill see she gave 4,967 quarts in 

 one year, being about an average of 13 G-10 quarts 

 daily. 



She calved Nov. 15, 1860 ; commenced milking 

 her Nov. 21, 1860. 



10 days in November sold at store 87 quarts. 



December " " 30(i " 



January " " 348 " 



February " " 308-2 " 



March " " 338-2 " 



April " " 369 " 



May " " 351 " 



June " " 354 " 



July " " 379-2 " 



August " " 354 " 



September " " 302-2 " 



October " " 210 " 



21 days in November " " 110 " 



Used in family 1146 " 



4967 quarts. 

 5 cents. 



$248,35 



Henky R. Congdon. 

 Providence, R. I. Dec., 1861. 



Rem.'VRKS. — Here is a product worthy of imita- 

 tion. 



TO PREVENT LEATHER FROM SOAKING WATER. 



As the season has come when farmers are apt 

 to have wet feet, unless they constantly wear rub- 

 ber boots, — a practice which can hardly be con- 

 demned in too strong terms — I give you below a 

 method for treating leather boots and shoes, which 

 I know, from wearing them so treated, to be first- 

 rate for keeping the feet dry and maldng the boots 

 or shoes wear much longer than they would other- 

 wise. It is as follows : 



Melt together in a pot over a fire, a pound of 

 tallow, a quarter of a pound of rosin, and an ounce 

 of beeswax, to which add a teaspoonful of lamp 

 black ; when melted and mixed, warm the boots or 

 shoes, and apply the hot stuff with a painter's 

 brush, until neither the sole nor upper leathers 

 will take in any more. The only caution to be 

 observed is, not to apply the mixture so hot as to 

 burn the leather. j. c. G. 



Boscawen, N. H., Dec, 1861. 



WOOL SALES — FINE WOOL. 



Our sales, since April last, from 175 sheep, of 

 the same blood, have amounted to two thousand 

 dollars, without diminishing our numbers, while 

 at the same time we have improved the value of 

 the flock by reserving the best. Were I accus- 

 tomed to writing for the press, I think I could say 

 some things that would be a benefit to some of 

 my brother farmers, and I may possibly attempt 

 it some of these days. Nathan Bottum. 



Shaftshury, Vt, Dec, 1861. 



Remarks. — With the above note we had a sam- 

 ple of the wool alluded to, wliich is very beautiful. 

 The tliistle's down could scarcely be softer. We 



hope our correspondent will regard the promptings 

 of his mind, and write for the Farmer. Our read- 

 ers want the facts of practical men. 



AN earlier onion WANTED. 



Our farmers very generally tried the flat onion 

 seed, sometimes called the Rhode Island onion, to 

 a greater or less extent, the ])ast season. The re- 

 sult was not at all satisflictory ; the yield l)eing 

 generally mixed to a considerable degree with the 

 red onion, and the crop, withoitt, an exception, 

 ripening later than our standard, the Danvers Yel- 

 low. Some of the seed planted came directly from 

 Rhode Island, — a portion was raised in the State. 

 Can any of your readers inform us where we can 

 obtain flat onion seed that is as earhj as the Dan- 

 vers Yellow? J. J. H. GUEGOIJY, 



Marblehead, Mass., Dec, 1861. 



GOV. nOLBROOK AND AGRICULTURE. 



I notice in the last Farmer an article from the 

 Providence Journal which speaks of Gov. HoL- 

 brook's imnrovements in agricultural implements, 

 and his numerous articles on practical farming, 

 from which I think I have received considerable 

 benefit. 



I constructed my cow stables in 1860 according 

 to Gov. Holbrook's plan, published in the Farmer 

 at that time, with a trench in the rear of the cows 

 to put muck and other absorbents in to save the 

 liquid manure, and I do not hesitate to say the 

 improvement has saved me enough to pay for the 

 Farmer several years. Dan Richardson. 



Westfield, Vt, Dec, 1861. 



Stoddard's self-oferating horse rake and 



COCKER. 

 Can you inform me where the horse rake, no- 

 ticed in the November number of the monthly 

 Farmer, is manufactured, and by whom ? 



A Subscriber. 

 Stratham, N. H., Dec, 1861. 



Rejl\rks. — The above rake was invented, and 

 is manufactured, by Mr. J. C. Stoddard, of 

 Worcester, ^lass., and is well worth your atten- 

 tion, if you intend to have raking to do next sum- 

 mer. 



For the Neiv England Farmer. 



LASTINa EFFECT OF MUCK ON CROPS. 



Mr. Editor : — Right in front of my house there 

 is a fifteen acre lot of sandy land. Forty-four 

 years ago, a portion of tliis lot was treated to a 

 heavy dressing of meadow mud. On this portion 

 of the lot the crops have been from one-quarter to 

 one-tliird greater than on the other part of the lot, 

 although it has all been treated alike ever since. 

 All my neighbors, for miles around, have noticed 

 the difference in the growth of the crops on this 

 lot, and I have explained to them the cause, and 

 invited them to go into their swamps and draw 

 out muck and make a compost, or spread it on 

 their land in the fall and plow it in in the spring, 

 in the same manner that a part of this lot was 

 treated, and they would have no cause to go to the 

 city for manure and cart it from six to ten miles. 

 But from all that I have shown and said to them, I 



