1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



679 



ed beyond measure," says Dr. B., "are the New 

 England flock masters who have not this enemy 

 to contcndwith." 



— In the annual report of the managers of a 

 horse railroad in New York, it is stated that 279 

 hoi-ses out of 988 died during the year. The aver- 

 age life of a liorse in this service is said to be only 

 3^ years. The average price paid by this company 

 was about $1.56. For those sold in a broken down 

 condition, it received a trifle over $30 each. 



— A gentleman in Geneva, N. Y., informs the 

 Country Gentleman that he has kept his currant 

 bushes entirely free of the currant worm, and his 

 quinces of the borer, by the use of coal ashes. 

 The ground under the currant bushes was covered 

 in the spring to the depth of five inches, and a 

 mound was made about the stems of the quinces. 



— Mr, S. D. Ingham, Ripley, Ohio, after torment- 

 ing his horse to madness with the various prescrip- 

 tions of horse doctors for the cure of Fistula, re- 

 sorted to cold water, which was poured from a 

 watering pot upon the sore, and a complete cure 

 was effected in five weeks from two daily applica- 

 tions. 



HDSKING. 



The yellow suns of autumn fall 

 Across the orchard and the wood; 



The still air echoes every call, 



The vine lies paii ted on the wall. 

 And all the maples drip with blood. 



The neighbors corne from f<ir and ne^r. 

 And gut hi r on the broad barn iloor; 

 To ceU'ln-dte the ripened year, 

 And 6ttip the hu^k from off the ear. 

 That turns to go d the farmer's store, 



—Riverside Magazine. 



«^*The following paragraphs were received in 

 connection with a longer article from one of our cor- 

 respondents. If other farmers would follow his ex- 

 ample, our items column might be filled with facts 

 and suggestions fresh, seasonable and instructive. 

 The idea of producing an elaborate dissertation is 

 the grand stumbling-block in the way of writing 

 for a paper. Almost all farmers can talk plamly 

 and to the point ; but the moment they undertake 

 to write they fall into the sermonizing style, and 

 too ofttn, getting stuck in the first sentence, they 

 throw down their pens in despair. We submit the 

 following four communications as models for the 

 study and imitation of all who have been bafHed in 

 their attempts at writing for agricultural papers : 



— Four dollars a barrel is being paid in Acton, 

 Mass., for number one Baldwin apples. 



—A barrel of dry wood shavings thrown into a 

 hog-pen will absorb more wet than a cart-load of 

 moist earth. 



—Fruit trees have made a large growth this 

 year and have the appearance of being in an unu- 

 sually healthy condiiiun. 



—Apples keep best w hen cool and dry. Sudden 

 changes of tem[jcraturc induce the collection of 

 moisture on the skin, which dissolves the delicate 

 vanii>h with which the skiu of the apple is covered, 

 and it soon decays. 



EXTRACTS AND BEPLIES 

 "bloodkd" native cows. 



I saw in the last Farmf.ii a brief statement of 

 the product of a .Jersey cow, owned by Mr. Daniel 

 S. Brown, of Arlington, that made ditring Ibtir 

 months of last year, frcmi the first nf Jttne, an 

 average of 9.\ poiiufls butter per week. I now 

 write to say tliat I have a native cow that is eight 

 years old, and calved the last of last March, that 

 made during four months of this year, from the 

 first of June, an average of 10 4-9 pounds of butter 

 per week, as near as we can estimate it. If any 

 thing, it would exceed this rather than fall short 

 of it. Most of this time she was kept in an ordi- 

 nary pasture, and fed the amount of one quart of 

 corn Tneal per day. During August and September 

 she received a feed of fodder corn. If, in the first 

 case, "blood" tells, does it not also in the second ? 



I liave another native cow, seven years old, that 

 calved a year ago last May, and again the first of 

 last August, th<>.t gave an average of five quarts of 

 milk per day, from the first of May till she calved 

 again ; and then gave an average of five quarts per 

 day, besides what the calf took ; but it was butch- 

 ered at the age of four weeks and one day. The 

 calf weighed 81 pounds dressed meat, and the cow 

 gave an average of 14 quarts per day during Sep- 

 tember, and now gives nine quarts per day. She 

 has been kept with, and fed the same as the other. 



From my experience with native cows, I would 

 say that they do not give large quantities of milk 

 and little cream, but that they give fair quantities 

 of milk, well interspersed with cream ; and for 

 butter will compare favorably with any other breed. 

 One thing is certain, much depends upon care and 

 keeping. We cannot get what we do not give. 



Tpigsboro', Mass., Oct. 28, 1867. S. Barker. 



APPLYING COAL TAR TO BARN ROOFS. 



In the New England Farmer of Oct. 19, there 

 is a communication from Mr. Stephen Chandler, 

 wishing for information "as to time and manner 

 of applying coal tar to the roof of a barn." There 

 are two ways in which it may be done. 



First. Di'ive two forked stakes into the ground, 

 and lay a stick across, on which hang an iron pot, 

 into which put the tar, and build your fire. When 

 the tar is boiling, dip your shingles into the tar 

 six inches, (weather end,) and sjiread them about 

 in the sun to dry, and they are soon ready for the 

 roof. 



Second. After your roof is shingled, take a lad- 

 der and hook it to the ridge-board. Carry the tar 

 up to the top, and pour it gently over the roof; 

 let another person stand upon the ladder, with 

 an old white wash brush, and as the tar flows 

 down, brush it crossways of the shingles. The tar 

 should be hot and the weather warm, in order to 

 have the work done well. 



One barrel of tar will be sufficient for a roof 

 2Jx40. Shingles tarred will lastmuch longer than 

 those laid without it, and it is strange that so few 

 persons are willing to economize in this way. 



Thomas Bridge. 



Xorth Tewlcsbury, Mass., Oct. 29, 1867. 



THREE GENERATIONS OF APPLES ON ONE TREE — 

 WINTER PEARS, 



Enclosed please find sample'of my winter pears ; 

 also a sample of apples, name unknown to me. I 

 raised only eleven apples this year of this kind 

 that sot ripe. Hope to raise more another year, 

 for I think they are the best sweet apple I ever 

 tasted. The tree was in blossom May, June, July, 

 ;.nd August. 1 enclose specimens of the fruit from 

 the blossoming of each of these four months. Per- 

 haps you can give me a name for it. If you can 



