1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



il 



raising, I think, could not exceed four cents per 

 bushel. 



With my turnips in my cellar, and winter upon 

 us, I will give my way of disposing of them. I 

 give my cows and working oxen one peck each, 

 once a day, and find that my cows increase their 

 milk, and oxen gain in flesh. The cows and oxen 

 show thrift so well that I am going to try their 

 fattening qualities by feeding them to some two- 

 year old steers, and will give my experience at 

 some future time. A. J. ll. 



Holliston, Dec, 1862. 



SUPERPHOSPHATE OF LIME. 

 I wish to ask if you know how to make super- 

 phosphate of lime ? If so, Mill you give a receipt 

 in your paper soon ? T. Glover. 



Remarks. — Superphosphate of lime is bones 

 dissolved by the use of sulphuric acid. When 

 made in large quantities, all the fatty matter is 

 first driven out of the bones by heat, and is a thick, 

 pungent fluid. When cooled, the bones are 

 ground, the fatty matter returned to the ground 

 bones in liquid form as it comes from them, and 

 then a certain quantity of sulphuric acid is added. 

 This induces a strong heat and ebullition, or boil- 

 ing, and when this subsides, the mass is spread, 

 and partially dried, and is then ready for market. 



The preparations necessary for this work are 

 quite expensive, and would only be justified by 

 doing a large business. Bones may be dissolved 

 by packing them in pure wood ashes in casks — 

 but it requires several months to do it. 



CULTURE OF JHLLET. 



In answer to "A Young Farmer," of East Wal- 

 lingford, I will say that I once sowed four quarts 

 of millet on one-quarter of an acre of land, togeth- 

 er with four quarts of a mixture of herds grass, 

 clover and red top. I raised one ton of good fod- 

 der, as good as herds grass hay, and will add, that 

 the grass seed was as good a catch, sowed with 

 the millet, as that sowed with barley alongside. 



Hungarian grass and millet, are identical. I 

 •would like to purchase a report that has an article 

 on draining swamps. S. K. Given. 



Kittery, Me. 



Re>l\RKS. — Hungarian grass is a different plant 

 from that of the common millet. It is sometimes 

 called Hungarian millet, but there is little resem- 

 blance between them. The seed heads are entire- 

 ly diff'erent. 



Purchase French's Farm Drainage, and you 

 can soon become master of the subject. 



SO- 



A Cheerful Spirit. — When the celebrated 

 Haydn was asked how all his sacred music was so 

 cheerful, the great composer replied : "I cannot 

 make it otherwise. I write according to the 

 thoughts I feel; when I think upon God, my 

 heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap 

 as it were from my pen ; and since God has given 

 me a cheerful heart, it will be pardoned me that I 

 serve him with a cheerful spirit." 



VERMONT STATE AQRICUIiTlTRAIi 

 CIETY. 



The annual meeting of the Vermont State Ag- 

 ricultural Society, was held at Bellows Falls, on 

 Friday, the 2d day of January-, 1863. 



The Treasurer's Report showed a balance in the 

 Treasury of about four thousand dollars. 



The following gentlemen were elected officer* 

 for the ensuing year : 



President— Vj-Dwis Hammond, of Middlelmrv. 



T'jce Presidents— 3 . \V. Coliuun, ol' Spriripficld : 

 Henry Kkyes, of Newbury- ; D. K. Potteii, of St. 

 AIl)ans, and H. G. Root, of Bennington. 



Correspondintj and Recording Secretary— TtAyi^i. 

 Nebdham, of Hartford. 



Treasurer— 3. W. Colburn, of Sprinjrtield. 



Z)/rectors— Frederick Holbrook ; K. IJ. Chase ; 

 Henut S. Morse ; Danikl Hill ; John Gregory ; 

 Elijah Cleaveland ; Nathan Ccsuinu; George 

 Campbell and Henry Heywood. 



Mr. Campbell, of Westminster, introduced the 

 following resolution, which was unanimously 

 adopted : 



Resolved, That the interests of the wool growers of 

 this State would be greatly ad. -anced by the publica- 

 tion of a paper devoted exclusively to "the suliject of 

 wool ; that, as the production of stock, sheep and wool 

 have become pre-emitiently a leading feature in the 

 agricultural industry of the State, some such medi- 

 um of communication among our own people and with 

 the people of our sister States is imperiously demand- 

 ed ; that we pledge the inlluence of our State organiza- 

 tion to the sustaining of such a paper, whether estab- 

 lished in our own State or elsewhere ; and that we re- 

 quest the Secretary of this Society, to correspond with 

 the view of establishing a paper at as early a day as 

 practicable. 



Daniel Needham, Esq., of Hartford, Secretary 



of the Society, read his annual report, which was 



ordered to be printed. We make the following 



extract from it : 



"The passage of a dog law, must he regarded 

 as a substantial advance in the legislation of our 

 State. The great damage to our sheep by the 

 canine race can hardly be estimated. Few sheep 

 raisers but that have suffered some, and many 

 have suffered a great deal. There is reason to 

 believe that the dog law came as the legitimate 

 result of our action at the Wool Growers' Con- 

 vention. It is estimated that there are seventeen 

 thousand dogs in our State, at the present time. 

 That this number will be greatly lessened by the 

 tax imposed by the new law, there can he no 

 doubt. It would seem to be a wise disposition of 

 this money, that the revenue accruing under the 

 act be allowed to remain in the town treasury of 

 each town respectively, as a fund to meet dam- 

 age done by dogs whose owners are not responsi- 

 ble, or where neither owner or dog can be identi- 

 fied." 



We are glad that our Vermont friends have 

 taken the initiative to protect themselves from the 

 scourge by dogs. They have suffered long and 

 patiently, — the day of deliverance is near. 



Fine Porkers.— Mr. William R. Stearns, 

 of Foxboro', has dressed two Columbia and Ches- 

 ter county pigs, which weighed at nine months 

 old, one 300 lbs. and the other 303 lbs. 



