1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



531 



least the hard crust formed by the ploughing of 

 lands at about the same depth, which every one 

 knows the plough forms in the course of time, 

 must be btneticial, and also to guard in some 

 measure against extreme drought, from which our 

 crops have suffered somewhat this season, but we 

 have had no experience, and doubt if there is any 

 any one in this section who has used a subsoil 

 •plough to any extent. What varieties of soil are 

 most benefited by subsoiling ? 



CROPS AND OTHER MATTERS. 



Our grain crops have been good, taking into ac- 

 count ttie very severe drought we have had. Oats 

 rather light, but potatoes and corn are excellent, 

 almost without exception, and apples plenty. Some 

 orchards of old trees that five years ago did not 

 bear three bushels will produce probably 100 

 husbels this year. There will be some good mut- 

 tun from this town if the owner's corn and patience 

 holds out, as some 1000 good sheep are being fat- 

 ter.ed, of which Mr. Ricker, the drover, and I. W. 

 Winter, a good feeder, will handle about 500, and 

 fat sheep will be the result if there is any virtue in 

 corn. ^- ^- M- 



Peacham, Vt„ Oct. 1, 1870. 



PLANTING POTATO BALLS. 



Will you please inform me through the columns 

 of the New England Farmer the proper times 

 for planting potato halls ? L- M. 



Cabot, It., Oct., ISnO. 



Remarks.— As early in April as the ground is 

 suitable; or, if you wish to gain time, plant them 

 in boxes or pots pretty soon, and watch and tend 

 them as house plants all winter, and transplant 

 into the garden in May. In this way almost a 

 year may be gained in the growth of the young 

 potato. 



TO believe a choked cow. 



Having a cow which got choked with an apple, 

 we tried to move the apple up or down the throat 

 with our hands, but it stuck so fast we could not. 

 We were auout trying to force it down with a 

 stick, when a neighbor told us to throw a handful 

 of dry gunpowder in her mouth. We did so, 

 when she held her nose near the ground and acted 

 as it she was trying to i ject the puwder from her 

 mouth. In about half a minute up came the 

 apple. You know a choked cow holds up her 

 head, and endeavors to swallow. b. l. 



Pratt's Junction, Mass., Sept. 19, 1870. 



CURE FOR G.\.RGET. 



Mr. Editor —I send you a very valuable re- 

 ceipt tor tne cure of what is called garget in cows. 



Take 1 U) of dry garget rout, [ It) saltpetre, 1 oz 

 iodide of potash and 4 oz of powdered mandrake 

 root. Put the garget into 4 quarts of soft water, 

 steep 12 hours over a warm stove, to make 3 quarts 

 when steeped; then add the other ingredients; 

 at.er siiaining the liquor, shake well. For one 

 dosv, take 3 gills of me liquid, and add 3 gills of 

 w.-itfcr; put ihto a junk bottle and turn down the 

 throat oni'e in twenty-four hours, until a cure is 

 ttt cied, which will rake from three to nine days. 



Dexter, Maine, 1870. John L. Jones. 



TEXAS CATTLE. 

 The editor of the Western Btiral says that 

 an extensive dealer in live t.tock at Chicago 

 told him that but for the presence of Texas 

 cattle at that market the price of beef there 

 this season would in his opinion bave gone up 

 to 12 cents per pound live weight, or fcome 

 three cents a pound higher than it has done. 

 This estimate may possibly be a little extrav- 

 agant, but there can be no doubt that the 

 Texas cattle have materially reduced the prices 

 on our native stock, and that New England 

 farmers have received many thousand dollars 

 less for their cattle than they would have ob- 

 tained if there had been no Texas stock in 

 market. 



We have therefore thought that a few facts 

 in relation to the trade in Texas cattle would 

 be interesting to the readers of the Farmer. 

 These cattle come principally from the 

 northern part of Texas. The cost, by the 

 head, when bought by the herd, where raised, 

 is for beef cattle about $11, milch cows S6, 

 three-year-olds $7, two-year-olds $4, year- 

 lings $2 50. The average distance driven on 

 foot is about 700 miles. Cost of driving $2 

 per head, exclusive of 20 per cent, risk ; time 

 about two months. A town on the Kansas 

 Pacific railway, called Abilene, is the point at 

 which most of them are received. This place 

 is 160 miles west of the Mississippi river, 440 

 miles from St. Louis, and 670 mile^ from Chi- 

 cago. The grass and water in the vicinity of 

 Abilene cannot be excelled on the continent ; 

 and the mildness of the climate, and the ab- 

 sence of flies and mosquitoes contribute ma- 

 terially toward the fattening of cattle rapidly 

 and with little risk. The facilities for tbip- 

 ping, and for the general transaction of bubi- 

 ness pertaining to the trade, are also first 

 class ; and there is little reason to doubt that 

 Abilene will become, at no very distant day, 

 the largest cattle market in the whole country. 

 Arriving at Abilene in good order, a mixed 

 drove is held at about the following average 

 ficfures : — 



—At a sale of Short-horns on the 14th of Au- 

 gust, by Mr. W. R. Duncan, of Towanda, Illinois, 

 eighteen cows and heifers averaged $551; and 9 

 bulls $63^. Cows were sold as high as $1500, 

 1150, 1000, 750, &c ; bulls at $1700, 705, 640, &c. 



Beef cattle *"" 



Milch C0W8 



Three year-olds "-^ 



T«^-ytar-old8 , 



One->ear-oldB 



After being "grazed" through the Summer, 

 the same cattle are worth 20 per cent. more. 

 Beef cattle, of average flesh, ready for mar- 

 ket, are valued at $25. 



