606 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



correspondent, and we notice by the Governor's 

 Message, that in addition to the payment by the 

 State of an unclaimed appropriation of $2500 a 

 year, due for ten years, an appropriation of #10,000 

 annually for the future use of the Society is rec- 

 ommended, and that the publication of the Trans- 

 actions be made by the Society, Instead of a gov- 

 ernment official. 



In one of the documents sent by "J. H. R." we 

 nodce an article by Col. George N. Lester, Com- 

 missioner of Land and Immigration, in which it 

 is said, "the statement that the present settlers do 

 not want Northern men to come among them and 

 settle, has no foundation in fact. They do not 

 want men to come among them who make politics 

 business, but all laborers, farmers and mechanics, 

 will be welcomed and kindly received." 



We thank our correspondent for his kind atten- 

 tions and hope to hear from him often. 



BLOODY MILK. 



One of my cows, a five-year old, has for some 

 time given from one teat bloody milk ; not every 

 dav, buc occasionally. Can you suggest the cause, 

 '»'• fure, if any, of this complaint ? She is a good 

 cow, and I do not relish the idea of losing her. 



Fitchburg, Mass., Aug. 29, 1870. G. B. w. 



Remarks — The trouble with your cow is prob- 

 ably what is generally known as garget. It may, 

 however, result from some injury. About as many 

 remedies for this disease have been recommended 

 as there are cures for colds or warts. Poke root 

 fed with potatoes is an old prescription. Half a 

 pint of beans once or twice a day is another. Some 

 think tomatoes are good. We have given, with 

 apparent benefit, twenty grains of Iodide of Potash 

 three times a day, in the cow's drink. One ounce 

 will make twenty-four such doses. 



DISEASED LUNGS OF AN OX. 



Saturday evening, about 7 o'clock, August 20, 1 

 saw my oxen — a good pair — in the pasture, appar- 

 ently well, and fur aught I knew perfectly healthy. 

 On Sunday morning I found one of them dead. I 

 skinned him, and on opening him I found the 

 heart of an unnaturally small size and very black, 

 and with very little blood in it. One lung was a 

 great deal smaller than the other, and very much 

 inflamed. The other lung appeared healthy, as 

 did also all the other parts of the ox. I wish to 

 know your opinion of the cause of the sudden 

 death of my ox; whether the disease is likely to 

 spread, and what can be done in case my other 

 cattle are attacked. M. F. p. 



Stralton, Vt., Sept. 1, 1870. 



Remarks.— We can hardly give a guess as to 

 the cause of this sudden death, nor suggest any 

 remedy in case other cattle are attacked. Inflam- 

 mation of the lungs of cattle, as well as of men, 

 occasionally occur, perhaps oftener than is gener- 

 ally supposed, but death in such cases seldom 

 takes place without previous signs of illness. 

 Possibly you might have overlooke'd those signs, 

 and your ox may have been affected longer than 

 you were aware of. In cases of pleuro-pneumonia 

 the diseased lung is enlarged, and generally adhe- 



rent to the diaphragm, and the heart and other 

 organs are usually unaffected. This disease is 

 generally considered contagious. A few years ago 

 Massachusetts lost about one thousand cattle from 

 this disease. In all cases of death of animals 

 from diseased lungs, we think it is advisable for 

 farmers to secure an examination by some physi- 

 cian, in neighborhoods in which there is no edu- 

 cated veterinary surgeon. Cattle are far more 

 valuable than formerly, and the presence of a con- 

 tagious lung disease in a herd is a serious matter. 

 We are, however, inclined to the opinion that in 

 this case the immediate cause of death was some 

 disorder in the heart, possibly brought on by want 

 of ventilation in the stable in which he had been 

 kept at some time in his life. 



IMPROVED IMPERIAL SUGAR BEET. 



Several weeks' since you invited me to give, 

 through the columns of your paper, my method of 

 cultivating the Imperial beet. I have ^Iso received 

 several letters of inquiry in regard to it. I will 

 therefore now comply with your request. Al- 

 though the subject may seem somewhat out of 

 season for this year, it is just in time for those 

 who may wish to prepare ground this fall for early 

 sowing in the spring. 



We first procured our seed of the Hon. Rollin 

 Lane, of Cornwall, Vt., some three years ago. — 

 Since that time we have cultivated this variety in 

 preference to all others, first, on account of the 

 large yield per acre; secondly, from the absence of 

 lateral roots, which renders it more readily 

 cleansed for use ; and thirdly, because it grows for 

 the most part above the ground, and therefore is 

 much more easily harvested than the old variety. 

 The yield varies in different localities and under 

 different cultivation, from eight to sixteen hun- 

 dred bushels per acre. Beets flourish best on rich, 

 moist sandy or gravelly loam. But the amount of 

 production depends largely on the proper pre/jara- 

 tion of the soil, Skudi on clean and thorough culti- 

 vation. Opinions differ in regard to the amount of 

 manure per acre, also in regard to the best method 

 of its application. It may, however, be safely af- 

 firmed that there is not the slightest danger of 

 getting the soil in too high a state of cultivation 

 for a maximum crop. 



We prefer applying the manure on the surface 

 and harrowing it under, as it becomes more thor- 

 oughly mixed with the soil when "ridging" than 

 if ploughed under. We presurne the practice of 

 "ridging" is understood by most farmers, but for 

 the benefit of those not accustomed to its practice, 

 I will say that turning two furrows up together is 

 not satisiactory. It is better to pass through the 

 field with a plough, throwing up a wide, deep fur- 

 row ; in returning let your horse walk on the fur- 

 row, taking such part of it as you wish, aud you 

 have a nice mellow ridge, with the manure thor- 

 oughly mixed with the soil, and the lumps, if any, 

 in the furrow between the riOges. Then with a 

 light harrow or garden rake level the ridge to 

 within two inches of the general surface, and you 

 are ready for the seed, of which about two pounds 

 per acre are required. 



As to the time of sowing, I find, on referring to 

 our ^arm book, that our present crop was sown 

 May 20th, which is as late as it should be sown. 

 The fact is, the earlier the better, if the soil is sutH- 

 ciently warm to render the seed safe from rottiug. 

 Sow in ridges two feel apart, and when the plants 

 are four inches high thin to one foot apart in the 

 row. Hoe often, keep the weeds back aud give 

 the beets the advantage, and with a favorable sea- 



