1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



581 



grass is thicker for it, and that where it is fed closely 

 and by licavy animals, the worms do not injure 

 the grass as ihcy do where eatclc are kept olF. 

 Will the farmers who have acres of grass destroy ed 

 by worms please make a note of this lenndy, and 

 see if the ]:oitions of ilieir liclds which ij-cuped 

 the deprcda.ions of the worms were not tho-c 

 where the cattle i'cd the most. After carefully 

 considcsimj ihe evidence in the case, we have con- 

 cluded to ad 'pt the fasiiiins for once, and feed our 

 field- this fdl, and will report another season, if 

 there is an\ tiling tliscovcn d worth a n cord. We 

 shall fied iciih a compost of soil mixedby hogs with 

 stable mainue. f. 



New Hampshire, Oct., 1867. 



Remarks. — Until ''F." takes out a patent for 

 his invention, we suppose it is open to the whole 

 world. 



MEASURING HAY IN BULK. 



I have seen statements in the Farmer of the 

 nnmhcr of cubic feet of a hay mow which are gen- 

 erally allort-cd lo be equal to a ton. As I have 

 forgotten the ligun s, you will olilige me and per- 

 haps otheis by republishing ihe Catimate. 



BrigJdon, Mass., Nov., ItidT. J. Lane. 



Remarks. — The rule which we have publi-hed 

 two or three times is, that /;o/?j/bMr<o^re hundred 

 cubic feet of a tcell packed mow of tolerably fine hay 

 are equal to a to7i. In the Monthly Farmer fur 

 1860, page 2G, Thomas S. Fletcher of Reading, Vt., 

 stated that "at the bottom of a large mow 4j0 feet 

 will make a ton, and that one whole barnful that 

 was weighed out averaged a little less than 500 feet 

 to the ton." On the same page, Mr. M. J. Peikins, 

 another of our correspondents, stated that farmers 

 in his region esiimaie that from 400 to 500 cubic 

 feet, according to the po^itioll in which the hay 

 lies, is sufficient for a ton. Meadow and other 

 coarse hay is lighter, will not pack as closely, and 

 more feet must be allowed for it. Another concs- 

 pondenc of Hope, Me., writes that ''a mow of hay 

 that is well stowed, wiil weigh out a ton to every 

 five hundred cubic feet ; or, if it is of very fine 

 qualiiy from four to live hundred feet will make a 

 ton." 



On publishing the above, the Country Gentleman 

 remarks that "ihis agrees with the report of one 

 of our subscribers at the West, who found the 

 lower layer of some three f^et of a considerable 

 bulk on a seafiuld, to average 510 feet." Wm. J. 

 Pcttee, of L ikevillc, Ct., says in the same paper 

 that if the hay be closely pressed, as at the bottom 

 of a bay, 450— if lightly, as on a scaffold or top part 

 of a bay, 500 feet. 



I see that our friend "R." criticises my criticism 

 of his arii le on carbon, and while acknowledging 

 the spirit of kindness witli which I am met, must 

 say 1 am not entirely sati-fied with his explanation. 

 Dr. J. L. Coiiistuck, in his Introduction to Miner- 

 alogy, paffc 55, euiiion of 1848, says: "Carbon is 

 ft>und ill abundance in the earth, being the chief 

 element in the composition of coal. It is also 

 found combined wiih iron, forming a carburet ot 

 that metal. Tlie diamond is composed entirely of 

 carbon." Without questioning the authority ot 

 Dr. Ure, may we not ask, does not the fact that 



Graphite give« nearly the same proportions of iron 

 and carbon, the world over, prove incontestably 

 that it is not an "accidental im|iregnaiion< f iron ?" 

 One iliing more, and I am done. This same Dr. 

 Ure is not stiiitlv exait in his statements, as 

 quoti d by "R " He says : "/« the diunumd it is 

 colorless." If he had said generally coloiless, that 

 would have hi^ the mark. Com-tock— page 327, 

 edirion o 1 1818— describes diamomis as follows: 

 "Coloress, or of a y( llowi.-h, blueish, yellnwish 

 green, clove brown, browni h bla k, Prussian blue, 

 or rare red color," &c. Finally, vshirc dot tors 

 di-agreo who can decide ? Risxicus. 



Ripton, Vt., Nov. 4, 1867. 



Remarks. — It appears to us that our correspon- 

 dents, substantially agreeing upon facts, are dis- 

 puting mainly about words. In this, however, 

 they have the example of dislingnij-hcd controver- 

 sialists in theo'ogy, policies, morals, &c., as well 

 as in science. Perhtips both parties will thank us 

 for appending Webster's definition, as found in 

 the "Unabridged:" "Graphite; Carhon in one 

 of its condiions, di-tinguished by its usually 

 crystallizing in foliated six-sided prisms, though 

 often mastive, by its softness, its metaliiL; lustre, 

 and by leaving a dark lead colored trace on 

 paper. It sometimes contains iron, but this is not 

 essential. It is used fur pen ils, and is often called 

 plumbago or black lead. — Cleaveland." 



gladiolus. 



We have had good luck with this beautiful flow- 

 er this year. They come late, are very .••liowy, 

 and last a good while. They are e.isily ciiltiviited 

 and ra| i( ly increase. But we made a great mis- 

 take, Ave fear, in setting our liiilbs out scattering, 

 last spring. We have just gathered our bulbs in 

 great abundmce and fine condi.ion, and are satis- 

 fied that another spring to make the finest 

 display, we should set them out in clumps. 

 Can liny ( ne tell us how near to set the bulbs 

 lo each other to have them do the best .' 



November, 1867. Inquirer. 



Remarks. — We have had very good success with 

 this beautiful flower, which we planted in beds, 

 placing the bulbs in rows eight inches apart one 

 way and nine inches the other. A friend plants 

 four to six about a stake, so that they are six or 

 eight inches apart. We have found them very 

 easy of cultivation, and look upon them as indis- 

 pensable to the flower garden. Our friend will 

 find a bed four by eight or ten feet in dimensions, 

 the luilbs planted as above, and staked with sticks 

 four f.et long and three-fourths of an inch square, 

 will make him as fine a show as he can desire. 



is labor disreputable ? 



What is f h^re to keep the boys on the farm, and 

 the girls in Ihe kitchen ? Is farming less respecta- 

 ble than it usid to be, or has labor become a fjur- 

 den and a disgrace ? 



"Ill fares the land, to hastenins il's a prey, 

 When wealtli accumulatL-s and men decay." 



I look for some advantage from the college, if it 

 shall not make the students despisers of labor. 

 We cannot all l)e farmers. We must have consum- 

 ers as well as producers; but what right have the 

 former to despise the latter, because the-e eat what 

 thoac have raised. Benj. G. Kimball. 



