1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Ill 



EXTBACTS AND REPLIES. 

 Culture of "White Beans. 



I would like to inquire of you or your correspond- 

 ents what success may be expected in raising white 

 beans as an entire ciop? Are they any more likely 

 to blast when planted alone, than when planted with 

 corn ? How many bushels may be expected from an 

 acre of land, suitable for a crop of corn ? Four years 

 ago I raised twelve bushels on less than one acre, by 

 planting them between my corn at an equal distance 

 from each hill. The corn was planted at the usual 

 distance apart, but only two or three stalks came up 

 in a hill, owing to guano put in the hill. o. 



Westboro', Feb., 1864. 



Remarks.— This crop has been considerably neglect- 

 ed by our farmers, and we are glad to find attention 

 directed to it. We look upon it as a profitable crop 

 when judiciously conducted. There is no good reason 

 why they should not be cultivated as an entire crop, 

 and several why they should not be crowded in with 

 corn. We have just been looking over the transac- 

 tions of the Little Falls Farmers' Club, and find the 

 following, by Mr. A. Wilcox, a member of the club: 



"Alternate hills of corn and beans were dropt about 

 twenty inches apart, in rows; distance between the 

 rows three and one-half feet. The ordinary cultiva- 

 tor was used before hilling and hoeing. Two acres 

 produced thirty-five bushels, while there was no pcr- 

 ceptable difference in the yield of the corn from the 

 rest of the field. The next year I raised 115 bushels 

 from a little less than seven acres, managed in the 

 same way. The seed planted was of the small, white 

 variety. I have raised more than thirty bushels of 

 the same kind, on a single acre, when sown in drills, 

 about two feet between the rows, icithout the corn. 

 The quantity of seed required to the acre, when beans 

 is to be the only crop, should be from twenty-eight to 

 thirty-two quarts ; when planted with corn, sixteen to 

 eighteen quarts per acre. Any soil that is well adapt- 

 ed to corn will produce beans, if the tillage is thor- 

 ough. When convenient, plant on land where corn or 

 potatoes grew the year before." 



Beans are cultivated as an entire crop by some of 

 our friends, and with good success. Sixteen to twen- 

 ty-five bushels per acre is considered a good yield, 

 from good land and good care. 



Salting Hay and Stock. 



In the Farmer of February 13, I find the matter of 

 Salting Hay discussed by your able correspondent, 

 "More Anon," who, no doubt tells the experience or 

 nearly all who salt their hay. Most of the farmers in 

 this part- of Vermont salt their hay more or less, but 

 do so more to preserve the hay than to make the 

 stock- eat it better. As stock will not eat as much salt 

 in winter as in summer, I think that as much salt as 

 some of the writers in the Farmer put upon their hay, 

 would be more than the stock would naturally eat. I 

 have lately used the rock or mineral salt, as our deal- 

 ers call it, which comes in large pieces, one or more o.f 

 which I put in the racks or feeding boxes of my cat- 

 tle and sheep, where they can lick from them at will. 

 I think in that way they get what salt they need much 

 better than mixed with their fodder. My sheep seem 

 to enjoy this method of salting better than any other. 

 I give my sheep a foddering of hemlock boughs once 

 or twice a week, which, with a daily meal of sliced 

 turnips, serves to keep them in health and gives them 

 a better appetite for their other food. J. l. 



St. Johnsbury. 



Sheep Pulling and Eating "Wool. 



I have a flock of about 30 native breed sheep, and 



they pull and eat each other's wool, eating one-third 



part of the wool off of some sheep. One has died of 



cold for want of its natural covering. I have given 



them salt, wood ashes, earth, hemlock boughs, sul- 

 phur and tar, and they seem to do no good, and I 

 would inquire through the medium of your excellent 

 paper, if you, or others, know a remedy for this com- 

 plaint ? I give my sheep an average quality of hay 

 and two quarts of corn daily. By giving a remedy in 

 your paper as soon as possible, you will much oblige 

 an inquiring Fakmee. 



Bristol, N. H., Feb., 1864. 



Remarks. — The habit which sheep form of pulling 

 wool from each other, and eating it, is probably in- 

 duced by some want that is not supplied, or by some 

 disease which has not yet been discovered. We have 

 had considerable personal experience in sheep hus- 

 bandry, but have never seen a flock where this mania 

 prevailed. We are glad to publish this notice of our 

 correspondent, and hope some of the flock-masters 

 who read this will throw light upon the matter. 



A. Mr. Lewis Clark, in the Wisconsin Farmer, says 

 the best plan to keep the wool on sheep is to keep 

 them fat, and that if sheep are "run down" from any 

 cause, and are fed high at once, their wool wHl start. 

 Even a change of pasturage, from a poor to a Timothy 

 and clover pasture, will start the wool from a lean 

 sheep. But the feeding of corn, beans, wheat rye, bar- 

 ley, oats, vegetables, or anything that sheep will eat 

 that makes_/ctf, avoiding sudden changes, will not only 

 cause the wool to stick, but will increase it more than 

 enough to pay the additional cost. Our correspon- 

 dent's sheep seem to be fed and cared for well. 



Manure for Early Vegetables. 



Will you, or some of your numerous correspondents 

 inform me what kind of manure is best to promote 

 the early growth of corn and garden vegetables ? 

 Early growth being of the greatest importance. The 

 soil is a rich, fine, sandy loam, bordering somewhat 

 on the quicksand. Location, Burlington, Vt. 



The land has been in pasturage for several years, 

 until last spring, when it was plowed and corn plant- 

 ed on the sod, with no manure, except a small qantity 

 of plaster in each hill. I had a good crop. 



Burlington, Vt., 1864. Inquirer. 



Remarks.— Manure from the horse stables is un- 

 doubtedly the best for such a special purposes. If the 

 soil is somewhat sandy, some means should be provid- 

 ed to keep it sufficiently moist, as the horse manure is 

 too heating for a decidedly sandy soil. A little guano, 

 superphosphate of lime, or some other specific ma- 

 nure would stimulate an early growth. Wood ashes 

 is excellent to carry out the plants. 



Sprung Knees in the Horse. — The trouble 

 does not always result from an injury of the leg, 

 or strain of the tendons ; it is more often found 

 in horses that have bad corns in the feet, or trou- 

 bled with navicular disease, than any other. The 

 animal raising his heels to prevent pressure upon 

 the tender parts bends the knee, which bending 

 becomes finally, from the altered position of the 

 limb, a permanent deformity. Horses with sprung 

 knees are unsafe for saddle purposes, owing to 

 their consequent liability to stumble. Respect- 

 ing the treatment, it may be said that six out of 

 every ten sprung-kneed horses will be found 

 to have corns. If these be of recent growth, 

 there is a fair prospect of straightening the limbs 

 bv removing the corns as directed under the head 

 of that disease ; by the removing of these the 

 heels are brought to the ground, and the limb 

 becomes straight. Under any other circumstances 

 all treatment proves useless. — Jennings on the 

 Horse. 



