1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



171 



Manures in passing into the air first become va- 

 pors or gaseous in form, instead of going np in a 

 li(iuid Ibrni as jour correspondent supposes. Li- 

 quid nuvniue is talcen up Ijy tlie roots of plants. 

 Tlie greatest sliare of tlic nutriment wliich plants 

 receive is derivetl from tlie air. Suppose a bam 

 witli a hundred tons of hay to be consumed by fire, 

 where do the contents go ? Or where does a for- 

 est, with its hundred tons per acre, go when burned .' 

 Such sulistances mostly go into the air. If they 

 decay they go to the same place, but not in the 

 same time. 



Are these exceptions to C's gcncr.al principles ? 

 If so, let me give another. I have raised lifty 

 bushels of corn to the acre on sward land with a 

 good coat of green manure turned under eight to 

 ten inches deep, with a little swamp muck in the 

 hill, with good lyops on tlie same land following. 

 My land is nearly level, and the soil is a mixture 

 of lime, granite and shite stone. Does this land 

 belong to C's cases of necessary evils ? 



Tlie fact is, animal manures should be covered 

 with soil or composted, the ([uicker the better after 

 they are dropped. Pure earth is the best and most 

 abundant absorbent in nature. .Joel Heksly. 



Williainstown, Ft., March, 1S71. 



ashes, and if so, in what proportion ? Is there any 

 material that can be obtained at a reasonable price, 

 that will add to their value ? 



I regard Dr. Nichols as high authority in tliese 

 matters, and if he will give his opinion through tlie 

 Fakmek on this sulyect, I have no doubt he Avould 

 confer a great favor on many others, as well as my- 

 self. J. K. 



Hew York, Feb. 23, 1871. 



OUK FANNIE JERSEY. 



The brag on her "Moll.y Jersey" by Mrs. 

 "S. B. S.," in the Farmer of February IS, has in- 

 duced me to say that in the fall of 18(58, I bought 

 one full blood and one three-fourths Jersey heifers 

 in Augusta, and took them home, onlj' to be 

 laughed at Ijy all my neiglil»ors wlio saw the little 

 "scrubs." The gratle had what we call a "wolf," 

 and was killed. The other which I now have was 

 two years old last June, and dropped her calf last 

 October. She now gives about live quarts of milk 

 a day. To-day we churned the cream from nine 

 days' milk, after selling one quart of milk a day 

 and using what a family of four persons required, 

 and no pan set over thirty hours, generally only 

 twenty-four hours. We obtained six pounds and 

 seven ounces of butter, as weighed by our grocer. 

 During the month of January we made twenty- 

 four pounds and seven ounces of butter. I am ikjw 

 feeding her two iiuarts of corn meal, a pint of cot- 

 ton seed meal and second quality of late cut hay, 

 but for the past three weeks she had no cotton seed 

 meal. The Initter is made by a woman of no ex- 

 perience in dairying, and who follows directions 

 found in the New England Farmer. Now I 

 would like to inquire, — 



1. Are two quai-ts of corn meal and one pint of 

 cotton seed meal per day heavy feed for a heifer in 

 milk, provided she does not fatten on the feed ? 



2. Can more butter be obtained by churning 

 milk, than bv churning the cream that rises on the 

 milk ? 



Mr. John Bussell of this town fatted a native 

 cow that dressed 790 pounds. Zen. 



Springvale, Me., Feb. IS, 1871. 



SOD ASUES. 



About a year and a half ago, I cut a large drain 

 nearly one hundred rods in length through a swale, 

 somewhat cold and sour, bearing little or nothing 

 but poor grass and moss. The sods, al lout seventy- 

 five cart "loads, were piled together in a long flat 

 heap, five feet high, on dry land. While burning 

 brush last fall, the tire communicated with this 

 heap, and continued to burn for several weeks, un- 

 til the entire mass became apparently a heap of 

 ashes. I have allowed it to remain undisturbed, 

 till the present time. Now, the question is, how 

 can I turn this heap of ashes to the best account ? 

 What shall I mix with them in order that the usual 

 fann crops and vegetables, may derive the greatest 

 benefit ? Shall I mix plaster or lime with the 



FEEDING BEES. 



I saw in the Farmer a piece on feeding bees in 

 the fall. I think that a very ])Oor time. It can l)e 

 done much l>etter in the dead of winter, even in 

 the coldest weather. If fed in the fall there is al- 

 ways danger of setting them to robbing or drawing 

 in j'our neighl)ors' liees. 



I take a small berry liox cover, fill it full of small 

 gimlet holes, make it just small enough to follow 

 the honey or syrup down, and so fitted that the 

 bees cannot get into the feed. Then I heat a brick 

 pretty hot, if the weather is verj' frosty, l)ut not so 

 as to Iium them, cover it with several thicknesses 

 of cloth of most any kind and put the brick and 

 fcQd boxes where the honey boxes formerly were 

 closing all up tight. I think the night is tlie best 

 time. The warming process may have to he re- 

 peated sevei-al times, as when it gets cold they will 

 all go back. I recommend feeding in the spring 

 either Avith all maple or a part West India sugar. 

 I think it helps them in getting out their broods. 

 I hai-dly ever fail to feed my bees a little in the 

 spring whether needed for their preservation or not 

 and hardl}^ ever tail of having some swarms. Last 

 spring, however, I neglected to feed any of them, 

 and though I had ten extra swarms, none of them 

 swarmed at all. J. C. Hill. 



Fast iSauijtis, Mass., Feb. 25, 1871. 



WASHING BUTTER. 



It is rather too late to reply to j'our correspon- 

 dent "C. M. T.," Island Falls, Me., of Juae last, 

 who inquires if it is best to wash butter ^hen it 

 comes hard, and can be worked without the use o f 

 water. In summer and tor jiresent use, whether 

 hard or soft, it is most essential to well wash the 

 butter in one or two waters, then work in fine table 

 salt, and keep drawing the water from it. After 

 sitting in a cool i)lace till hard make it up into 

 prints. If it is to be crocked for winter use, I don't 

 wash it; but work it over well with salt ^Aree differ- 

 ent times, allowing six or eight hours to elapse be- 

 tween each working ; then add one teaspoonful of 

 well pulverized saltpetre and two teaspoonfuls of 

 white sugar to every six pounds of butter, each to 

 be well worked in. After salting to your taste press 

 your butter solid into the crock. When full, spread 

 a fine piece of cloth over the butter, and place 

 about one-quarter of an inch thick of salt on the 

 cloth ; put a board on top of crock to keep out the 

 air. It is not well to begin to crock before the end 

 of August or beginning of September. 



Mrs. Mary Whatmore. 



Bridgnorth Farm, Dunleith, III., 1871. 



CUTTING FEED FOR STOCK. 



In the Farmer for Feb. 18, Mr. W. J. Pettee, in 

 speaking on the subject of cutting food for stock, 

 says, "i fail to see any good reason for cutting 

 feed that an animal will consume economicall}% 

 thoroughly masticate and well digest." If an ani- 

 mal can "consume economically, thoroughly masti- 

 cate and well digest" long hay and stalks, then 

 there is no need of cutting them, — but it can't. Hay 

 is apt to be wasted. And as to corn stalks, the 

 leaves are generally picked off and the buts lefi. 

 Whereas if they are cut up, the whole goes doAvn 

 together. 



