1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



163 



do\ni easil}' as the cow moves her head, or gets up 

 or lies down. M3' cows milk well, and look well, 

 and are in good order -for the Initeher. I am quite 

 satisfied that the oat feed is Ijetterfor milking cows 

 than hay. Sometimes I change their feed — give 

 more bran and boiled pumpkins and less roots ; and 

 then less of the former and more of tlic latter. I 

 boil the pumpkins fresh every day, and scald the 

 brnn alicajs. I salt the cattle regularly and turn 

 them out every day if not too stormy. I grew up- 

 wards of thirty tons of pumiikins, a part of which 

 I stowed away in a cellar where no frost could 

 reach them, the balance I put in aii old wheat stack, 

 by making a cavitj' in the centre, leaving al)out 

 four feet on the outside. After tilling the cavity, 

 put poles across and covered well with straw, leav- 

 ing at one end a hole large enough to roll out the 

 pumpkins, and stopping it up each time. None 

 have been frozen at all. I am still feeding them, 

 and find a few rotten, but the others are as hard 

 and firm as when first put in. 



In the fall I gave my cows ox cabbages, — grown 

 from seed I imported direct from England. Cows 

 will milk better on eabl)age tlian on any other green 

 food. In very cold days I give milking cows a few 

 uubl»ins of corn each ; but they generally prefer 

 pumpkins raw to oats, corn fodder or anytlung else. 

 I always milk my cows up to the day of calving if 

 I can get any milk, and I don't see that it has in- 

 jured them a Int. I have now the finest six-month 

 calf in all this neighborhood, from a young Dur- 

 ham and native cow, and she was milked up to 

 within twelve hours of her calving. 



John Whatmohe. 



Bridgnorth Farm, III., Feb., 1871. 



RABBIT BREEDING. 



You will olilige a constant reader of your valu- 

 able paper very much, if you will publish in your 

 next issue, something of an account of how rabbit 

 breeding is carried on in London, Canada, an item 

 concerning which you published in your paper of 

 Feliruary 18. 



Please tell me first, what sort of a warren is re- 

 quired, whether wooded or not, — soil hard or soft ? 

 Next what kind of ral)bits are raised, whether 

 "fancy stock" or common rabbits, for an article of 

 food, and lastly where is there a market found for 

 their consumption ? H. c. 



Mvford, Mass., Feb. 8, 1871. 



Remakks. — We are unable to furnish the desired 

 information. We copied the statement from some 

 other paper, and perhaps by publishing our cor- 

 respondent's inquiries, some other paper or person 

 will respond. We have somewhere seen the state- 

 ment that three years after some Englishman put 

 thirteen rabbits on his run in Australia, they had 

 multiplied to such an extent that the destruction of 

 100,000 at a cost of §t3o,000 did not appear to thin 

 out the pests. How will this rabbit stoiy balance 

 the other one .' 



BOTTLING CIDER. 



In reply to your correspondent who asks how to 

 preserve cider by bottling, I will say I think the 

 best way is to leach or filter the cider through 

 sand, after it has worked and before it has soured. 

 Put no alcohol or other substances with it. Be 

 sure that whatever casks, barrels or vessels you 

 put it in, are perfectly clean and sweet. After it is 

 leached or filtered, put it in barrels or casks filled, 

 leaving no room for air ; bung them tight and keep 

 it where it won't ft-eeze till February or March, 

 then put it into champagne bottles filled, drive the 

 corks and wire them. It should be done m a cellar 



or room that is comfortable to work in. The best 

 cider is late made, or made when it is as cold as 

 can be and not freeze. 



Prepared in this way, you may keep it for years, 

 and at any time you may pull the cork, if it don't 

 fly when" the wire is loosened, and in a short time 

 you will have pure cider vinegar, if it is not drank. 

 The cider should be kept from air and heat to pre- 

 vent it from souring. 



It is not every sand bank that will answer for 

 filtering cider, the sand must be pure, and not 

 impregnated with any deleterious ingredient, as 

 the cider will take it up. h. c. 



Woodoille, Mass., Feb. 21, 1871. 



Remarks. — Since receiving the foregoing valu- 

 able communication, we have had the pleasure of 

 meeting the writer and of testing cider prepared 

 and bottled as directed. Without claiming to be 

 an expert in such matters, we can say that it was 

 excellent. He also showed us some of his vinegar. 

 It was clear and sharp. 



CULTURE OF THE Ol'IUM POPPY. — EVERLASTING 

 FLOWERS, &C. 



Will vou be kind enough to print an article con- 

 cerning" the culture of the opium poppy, and the 

 right way of gathering or manufacturing the opium 

 for market ? 



Would there be any opportunity to sell or dis- 

 pose of everlasting flowers and ornamental grasses .=■ 

 They could l)e shipped anywhere, and the grasses 

 dyed any color. We have raised very fine varie- 

 ties, and I see that florists offer them at high rates. 

 Please print soon, as we would like to order some 

 seeds. e. n. s. 



Vermont, Feb., 1871. 



Remarks.— Opium is obtained by making in- 

 cisions into the seed-vessels of the poppy-plant 

 when they are nearly ripe, allowing the milky juice 

 which exudes to thicken upon them for twenty- 

 four hours, then scraping it off. The incisions are 

 made downwards, through the outer skin only. 



Allow us to suggest, that if you will carefully 

 read De Quincey's "Confessions of an English 

 Opium Eater," you will never raise a poppy for any 

 other purpose than as an ornamental flower iu the 

 garden. 



We have no doubt you may find a demand in 

 Boston for all the ornamental grasses you have to 

 spare, if skilfully arranged iu bright colors. 



HOW TO PREVENT HENS FROM SITTING. 



In an essay on "Poultry," in the New England 

 FAI^MER of November 26, it was stated that hens 

 inclined to sit could be broken up in two days. 

 Can any one of vour correspondents inform me 

 throiisli the columns of your interesting paper 

 how this is done ?' A Subscriber. 



Westfeld, Mass., 1871. 



Remarks.— To prevent hens from sitting when 

 you do not wish them to, watch them carefully, 

 and at the frst indication of sitting shut them up 

 by themselves, where they cannot get upon a nesr. 

 At any rate, they must not be allowed to remain 

 on a nest over night. This is Mr. Brown's practice, 

 who wrote the essay alluded to, and that of many 

 other good poultry raisers in his neighborhood 

 and seems to be a successful one. 



