1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



47 



does not tiike the meanest share when he divides it 

 hiiiiseit',) and has his team found luni, expect to do 

 all the ni'cessary worlc and in good season, or only 

 a certain part ? Is there any rule about this, or is 

 it left with the parties to agree ? How is it where 

 nothing is said about every particular part of the 

 work ? Joseph W. Buown. 



Kensington, N. H., Nov. 1, 1866. 



Remarks. — There is comparatively so little land 

 cultivated on shares, or on lease, in this eountrj-, 

 that the relations of landlord and tenant are not 

 well defined, either in practice or law. In England, 

 where a large part of the land is rented, the busi- 

 ness of leasing has been reduced to a system. 

 There they have printed forms which descend to 

 particulars with almost ludicrous minuteness ; 

 many of them, says Mr. Stevens in his Farmer's 

 Guide, include conditions relative to the payment 

 of ''kain fowls," and personal service, such as driv- 

 ing coals for the landlord's use — remnants of the 

 spirit and practice of feudalism. Reservations in 

 relation to the hunting and shooting privileges of 

 the landlord and his friends are constant sources of 

 dispute and litigation. But after all the perfec- 

 tion of covenants and conditions, each party finds 

 its greatest security in the character of the con- 

 tracting parties. 



In relation to the specific inquiries of our corres- 

 pondent, we would say that we suppose the com- 

 mon practice of the neighborhood should be taken 

 as the governing principle. If these questions 

 were put to a judge or jury, the inquiry would not 

 be what is the rule in England, or in Massachusetts, 

 hut how arc the farmers of Kensington, New 

 Hampshire, and of its vicinity, in the habit of 

 managing these things ? As we cannot anticipate 

 what the testimony would show on this point, we 

 cannot answer his questions satisfactorily. We do 

 not suppose, however, the one who takes a field on 

 shares would be justified in omitting to do any part 

 of the work which is usually done by those who 

 cultivate on shares, on the plea that there was 

 nothing said about that particular work in the 

 agreement. 



A BADLY CORKED OX. 



I have a pair of nice workers, one of which, last 

 winter got corked on one claw. It was cut very 

 badly, and now is grown down so that he is lame. 

 I wish to learn through you, or from some of your 

 correspondents, what to put on to the hoof in order 

 to grow it ott' as sewn as possible, and how to have 

 him shod ; and whether a whole shoe in the shape 

 of a horse shoe would work or not. 



Littleton, N. H., Nov. 4, 1866. A St'BSCRiBER. 



Remarks. — One great inducement to the use of 

 oxen instead of horses, is the fact that oxen when 

 lamed or injured may generally be disposed of for 

 beef by feeding them awhile, when not kept in beef 

 order all the time. And this consideration is a 

 strong argument in favor of keeping working oxen 

 constantly in the best possible condition. The 

 horse, however highly fed he may be, is valueless 

 in case of injury which unfits him for further labor. 

 But our correspondent wishes to cure his ox, and 



we wish we could give him the desired information. 

 Wc hope some one who understands the nature and 

 operation of medicines better than we do. and who 

 has had better success in "doctoring" than we have 

 had, will respond to the request of our Littleton 

 "suljscriber." Our own experience and observa- 

 tion has forced upon us the conviction that most 

 people have too much confidence in medicine. One 

 of the best physicians we ever knew, and one who 

 shared largely the confidence of the community in 

 which he lived, once remarked that, when visiting 

 his patients, and realizing how much more they 

 and their friends expected of him than he was able 

 to perfonn, he often felt like throwing away his 

 saddle bags and deserting the neighborhood and 

 his profession forever. Medical science is far 

 less potent for the cure of disease than is generally 

 believed. Nature does the work, while the doctor 

 gets the credit. Our correspondent's ox may get 

 well — his wounded foot may heal, but we doubt 

 whether anything put "on to the hoof" will ever 

 "grow it off." By the spontaneous operation of 

 nature, the old hoof will be gradually crowded ofF, 

 as the new forms, an operation we may facilitate 

 by proper care and management, and by soothing 

 and cleansing applications. Perhaps also it may 

 be necessary that the ox should i-est, and possibly 

 the whole shoe might prove beneficial, — the idea 

 strikes us favorably, — but we have had no person- 

 al experience with it. 



WITCH GRASS. 



Last spring I had about two acres of rich inter- 

 vale land that was so filled with witch grass that I 

 considered it almost worthless for till age purposes, 

 but not for grass, for it makes the best of hay, and a 

 pile of it if you will feed it. But Ijeing determined 

 to eradicate it if possible, I let it lie till the first 

 week in June, when the grass was up, say six 

 inches or more. I then planted it deep and sowed 

 two Ijushels India wheat. The growth was very 

 large, and I threshed 80 bushels of good wheat. 

 To all appearances, I have made a perfect cure of the 

 witch grass. But if this does not prove a pei'fect 

 killer, I will sow as early I can and clear frosts, 

 and at proper time plow in, sow again, and in October 

 plow in again, and by so doing I will give my land 

 a big manuring, and will warrant a sure cure of 

 witch grass. In so doing, I should recommend five 

 pecks per .acre to plow in. 



If the farmers in the Connecticut Valley will try 

 this thoroughly, they will find it worth more to 

 them than the Farmer will cost them for twenty- 

 five years. A. H. Wilcox. 



St. Johnsbury, Vt., Oct. 29, 1866. 



a cow OVER-FED ON CORN. 



Four weeks ago I had a valuable cow eat all the 

 coi-n she wished. Contrary to expectation she did 

 not bloat, yet I physicked her well, and in a day or 

 two she began to cat and has had a. good appetite, 

 ever since, and apjicMrs bright ami healthy, only 

 that she cannut raise herself IVom the ground. She 

 can use her fore legs, but has not sufficient strength 

 m her back or hind legs, I don't know which, to 

 get up. I fixed a tackling and got her up each day, 

 for a while ; she could only bear her weight for a 

 minute or so on her hind feet, then depended en- 

 tirely on the rigging for support. I could not see 

 that she gained much, and thinking perhaps if the 



