1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



207 



IS CLAY DUG FROM BENEATH THE SUKFACE A 

 FERTILIZER ? 



In digging a cellar, I threw out a quantity of 

 stiff, hard clay, which was exposed to the air a few 

 months before winter, and then was frozen and 

 covered with snow. In the spring I set some cab- 

 bage and turnip plants in it, and they grew as 

 well, looked as rank, and produced as much as if 

 set in good rich soil ; cucumbers, also, flourished 

 exceedingly well. If this proves clay to be a fer- 

 tilizer, those owning clay farms have an inexhaus- 

 tible source of manure, and a great inducement to 

 plow deep. J. H. M. 



Westford, VL, 1862. 



Remarks. — Clay is an important fertilizer, es- 

 pecially when it contains magnesia, "potash and 

 lime, which it sometimes does. From the investi- 

 gations of Mr. Thompson and Professor Way, "On 

 the Absorbent Power of Soils," it has been ascer- 

 tained that a subsoil, abounding in clay, loam, or 

 mould, has not only the power of arresting ammo- 

 nia, but of absorbing and retaining "everything 

 which can serve as a manure for plants." The 

 common, yellow earth, on the banks of the road- 

 side, is a fertilizer in a considerable degree and 

 will sometimes bring fine crops. 



PROFIT OF POULTRY. 



Please publish the following account that I have 

 kept with my hens the past year, from March 1, 

 1861 to March 1, 1862. 



To 13 fowls $7,67 



To keeping 38,63 



To the use of house and land 2,00 



$43,30 



By 40 chickens sold $14,00 



By 2484 eggs 39,34 



37 fowls on hand 20,00 



11 chickens % grown 3,63 



5 barrels of hen manure 6,25 



$83,83 

 Deduct the cost 48,30 



Net profit $35,53 



Berlin, March, 1862. W. H. Paige. 



WEATHER IN VERMONT. 



We have had, for a few days past, by far the 

 nearest approach to a thaw of anything Ave have 

 seen since old Sixty-One left us ; and this can 

 scarcely be called more than a "sign of a thaw ;" 

 it has, however, relieved most of the roofs of the 

 snow that has been accumulating upon them for 

 the last eight weeks ; no small amount, I can as- 

 sure you. The month of February was, with us, 

 decidedly snoAvy. Snow fell on tliirteen different 

 days ; the whole amount was 48.5 inches ; the 

 greatest fall in twenty-four hours was 13 inches, on 

 the 19th; the greatest consecutive fall was 14.5 

 inches on the 19th and 20th. We have had but 

 very little snow thus far this month. 



I see by the last Farmer that "T. S. F.," of 

 Felchville, has a cow that seems to be in a very 

 bad way. Now to save him all further trouble 

 with her, (and she must be exceedingly trouble- 

 some in a large dairy,) I propose that he shall 

 send her up this way, and we will exchange with 

 him, as we have plenty of cows around here that 



can safely be warranted never to give so great a 

 quantity of milk as to trouble any reasonable man. 

 But if this should not chance to meet the mind of 

 the gentleman, a friend suggests that he feed 

 plentifully on cob meal ; if this does not cause her 

 to "dry up," it may be considered a hopeless case. 

 Calais, VL, March 13, 1862. Jake B. 



CULTURE OF LEADING CROPS. 



I have thought you might advance the interests 

 of your readers by inviting, at this season of the 

 year, a series of communications on the culture of 

 some of our leading crops. The hay and corn 

 crop have always been more or less written about, 

 as well they should be — but we ought, as farmers, 

 to pay more attention to the culture of the root 

 crop. Allow me, then, to ask you to call for the 

 experience of your readers in the culture of the 

 beet and carrot for feeding purposes ; also, of the 

 turnip for same use. I mean short, pointed arti- 

 cles, as to kinds, manner of managing and mode 

 of culture. Also, the experience of our vegetable 

 farmers as to the best kind of early potatoes, and 

 their manner of raising the same. 



Fall River, Feb., 1862. Alex. B. Macy. 



CURE FOR RINGBONE. 



Will some of the readers of the Farmer inform 

 me what will cure ringbone on a horse's foot ? 

 March, 1862. Young Farmer. 



Remarics. — ^Mr. W. H. Chaffee has communi- 

 cated to the Bural New-Yorker the following: 

 "Make a bag of strong linen cloth, about two 

 inches broad, and eight inches long ; fill it with 

 copperas, and tie it on the foot just above the 

 ringbone, and wet it twice each day. Keep it on 

 about four weeks." 



The Ohio Valley Farmer aa.ys, — "Dissolve 1 oz. 

 camphor in 8 oz. spirits of wine ; add 1 oz. of oil 

 of turpentine, 1 oz. of spirits of sal ammoniac, i 

 oz. of oil oreganum, one big table-spoonful of 

 liquid laudanum ; rub well in with the hand for a 

 quarter of an hour, four times a day, and a cure 

 will be effected." 



FAT heifer AND HOG — CORN COBS. 



Mr. A. Benton, of this village, a man seventy- 

 five years old, fattened and slaughtered a heifer in 

 December last, 25^ months old, Aveighing 710 lbs., 

 dressed ; also, a hog, 18 months old, weighing 

 596 lbs., dressed. 



Farmers wiU do Avell to save their corn cobs to 

 put into their hay, next hay season, as they are 

 valuable to absorb the moisture from hay not suf- 

 ficiently dry to keep avcU ; mix in the cobs with a 

 little salt at the same time ; it well pays. 



Isaac K. Drew. 



Barton Village, Vt., March 10, 1862. 



pickles FOR MARKET. 



Will some one of your readers engaged in rais- 

 ing and preparing pickles for market, give an ac- 

 count of their management and success in this de- 

 partment of husbancby ? Farmer Jim. 



Deerfield, 1862. 



