1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEIVIER. 



23 



come too rich. In such cases, a monstrous 

 crop can be grown a year or two, and the land 

 re-seeded with advantage. 



But ploughing pastures to reduce their fer- 

 tility should be undertaken with caution, as it 

 is decidedly better to have land too rich than 

 too poor, and by a mixture of stock, most of 

 the feed will be consumed. 



If land is sandy or light and produces nearly 

 nothing, turn it over and sow grass seed and 

 rye and give a dressing of ashes, lime or- com- 

 posts. 



In ploughing steep hill sides it is not advis- 

 able to finish them off with such a smoothness 

 as pleases the eye, as in that case the water 

 from showers and melting snows would run in 

 haste to the bottom, leaving the soil still 

 thirsty. 



If good deep furrows were made horizon- 

 tally along the hill sides to stop the descent 

 of water, the yield of grass would be increased 

 and the soil retain its fertility. j. 



POTATOES FOR STOCK FEED. 



Not one farmer in fifty realizes the true 

 value of potatoes for stock. They are not 

 only good for horses and cattle, but for hogs, 

 calves, and poultry. When storing the pres- 

 ent harvest, all those too small for table use, 

 should be sorted out, kept, and judiciously 

 fed. As to their value for milch cows, ex- 

 periments have proved them to exceed that of 

 almost every other root. Our readers will 

 remember the statement made by Mr. R. A. 

 Hunt, of Euclid, Ohio, some months ago, in 

 regard to an experiment made. While thirty- 

 six quarts of carrots were fed, thirty-two 

 pounds of milk were received daily ; with the 

 same amount, one-half potatoes, thirty-six 

 pounds of milk were given ; and when pota- 

 toes were fed alone, forty pounds of milk 

 were received. The roots were cut and fed 

 raw three times a day, in messes of twelve 

 quarts each. 



The above is heavier feeding than is neces- 

 sary, but very plainly shows the value of this 

 vegetable as a milk producer. We believe, 

 from experience, that they are also a profit- 

 able feed for the making of flesh, and the 

 laying on of fat. 



As a feed for calves, they make one of the 

 very best substitutes for milk, containing as 

 they do sixteen per cent, of starch in a nat- 

 ural state, and sixty per cent, in a dry state. 

 They should be boiled as for table use, the 

 skins removed, mashed thoroughly, and put 

 into milk. Calves eat tbem in this way 

 greedily, and thrive remarkably well. They 

 will not ciuse scours as grain feed does, and 

 tend to keep the appetite regular. 



As a feed for horses in winter time, the 

 potato possesses rare qualities as a regulator ; 

 they may be given once or twice a week, say, 

 in messes of a few quarts. For hogs, they 

 should be boiled, mashed and mixed in the 



swill barrel with kitchen slops and milk, with 

 a liberal quantity of wheat bran or corn meal 

 added. This makes one of the cheapest as 

 well as one of the best early feeds for swine, 

 and puts them in a healthy and thriving condi- 

 tion for fattening, and wonderfuMy saves in 

 pork making, when compared with corn-feed- 

 ing alone. 



Potatoes are profitable as a spring feed for 

 sheep, and especially for ewes raising lambs ; 

 they give strength, health and appetite, and 

 produce milk abundantly. For sheep, they 

 should be cut and fed raw once a day. One 

 of the best methods is to cut fine and mix 

 with wheat bran or ground oats. As a choice, 

 for breeding ewes in spring, we would prefer 

 to have fifty per cent, of the feed potatoes, 

 by weight, than to have the whole amount 

 either oats or corn. 



Potatoes boiled, mashed and mixed with 

 corn meal, and fed hot, are excellent for 

 chickens in winter. We know a poultry dealer 

 who always uses this mixture, and for health 

 of fowls and production of eggs, no henery, 

 to our knowledge, excels his, according to the 

 number of chickens kept. — Ohio Farmer. 



EXTKACT3 AND KBPLIES. 



FOUNDER AND THRUSH IN A HORSE. 



Please tell me what are the causes and remedy 

 of founder in a horse ? Will Hungarian grass 

 cause founder ? What are the signs cf founder ? 

 If you or any of the readers of the New Eng- 

 land Farmer will answer these questions, you 

 will confer a great favor on me. What is the cause 

 of thrush in horses' feet, and what will cure it ? 



East Taunton, Mass., 1870. h. 



Remarks. — In the common language of horse- 

 dealers, there are two kinds of founder; chest 

 founder and founder of the feet. The latter is 

 occasioned by bruising or straining the fleshy 

 plates in the interior of the feet. They are full of 

 blood-vessels and are liable to be inflamed when 

 injured by violence, or long continued action in 

 racing or hauling heavy loads. Founder is also 

 brought on by leaving the animal in the cold after 

 hard driving, or standing long with wet feet in cold 

 weather. After a hard drive, some persons will 

 place the horse in a warm stable, and in litter up 

 to the knees. This sudden transition from cold to 

 hot, will sometimes bring on an attack of acute 

 founder. 



When returned from such a drive, what the 

 horse needs is thorough, gentle hand-rubbing, 

 with woolen rags, or wisps of soft straw. This 

 ought to be continued until the horse is nearly dry 

 all over the body, and is comparatively cool. The 

 circulation of the system is then equalized, and 

 unless there has been some severe local strain on 

 the lamina?, or fleshy plates referred to, there will 

 be little danger of founder. 



Again, over-driving and exposure will some- 

 times bring on an attack of inflammr.tion of the 

 lungs ; this, all at once, will change to inflamma- 



