THE SOUTPIERN PLANTER. 



671 



We have never recommended the practice off 

 cuttinf^ corn butts fine and mixing something i 

 good with them to induce cattle to swallow the i 

 whole mass. Indeed, we have long doubted! 

 whether it is not better to let cattle chew their | 

 food and eat it slowljs than to make artificial 

 messes to be swallowed in haste. 



It is true that cows will yield more milk on 

 cut feed and slops than on the best of hay 

 alone, and when the hay is not of so good qual- 

 ity as to induce cattle to fill themselves with 

 that alone, it may be profitable to cut the hay 

 fine alid mix meal of some kind with it — for if 

 it is nut cut it cannot be well mixed. 



The simplest food is best for all animals, and 

 they will live longer, and continue more healthy 

 on such, than on any artificial feeding. Vari- 

 ety of food is useful, and we see how cattle 

 thrive on the variety of herbage which is found 

 in all our summer pastures. But cut feed with 

 much grain to make it go, is a different thing. 

 Cows that are kept on the richest food never 

 live long. There are not many that will stand 

 two quarts of Indian meal per day for a great 

 length of time. 



We ought to contrive to have a greater varie- 

 ty of dry fodder through the winter. Corn 

 husks are of much importance, and all farmers 

 who keep stocks of cattle ought to have a good 

 supply. This they can have by planting an 

 extra acre of corn for the single purpose of 

 saving the stalks for winter feed. One acre 

 will yield a great supply without a large quan- 

 tity of manure. Still it may be a better course 

 to plant for the purpose of securing the corn 

 as well as the husks. 



A little more time spent in increasing the 

 manure heap, and in stirring the ground be- 

 tween roAvs of corn, will aid farmers to procure 

 winter food quite as much as the growing of 

 acres of roots Avhich must be wed at much 

 greater cost than is usually expended on corn. 



Oat straw, wheat and barley straw, are all 

 good to increase the variety of winter feed — 

 and all these may be profitably mixed with 

 husks at the time of harvesting. All may be- 

 come a little mouldy, but eating this is no worse 

 than eating mouldy cheese, which many prefer 

 to that which is green or dry. 



Buckwheat straw is another article, which 

 was formerly burnt in the field as soon as it 

 was threshed, in order, as it was said, to pre- 

 vent the scattering of the seeds among the ma- 

 nure, in the solemn fear that when once scat- 

 tered over a farm it could never be rooted out. 

 It was thought to be a greater nuisance on a 

 farm than thistles or witch grass. 



But look around you, farmers, and find any 

 wild fields of buckwheat if you can. This 

 grain never flourishes without cultivation, and 

 you may exterminate it if you wish, as easily 

 as you may rye or wheat. 



The straw of buckwheat is really worth 

 something as a variety for cattle in winter. 

 They will eat some of it at any rate, but ihey 



will eat more when you mix it with husks at 

 the time of husking. People err more in let- 

 ting this grain stand late in the field than in 

 letting corn or rye stand late. They are de- 

 ceived by the late blossoms which are not to be 

 regarded. Look to the main chance, and cut 

 early. 



Massachusetis Plouglwian. 



Oil From a Few Source. 

 An important branch of manufacturing 

 at Marseilles is the production of oil from 

 the peanut, and for making soap it is said 

 to be preferable to the other seed oils. The 

 shell is not removed, but is crushed with 

 the kernel. In the process of extracting 

 the oil, the nuts, are subjected to seveial 

 operations. They are first passed through 

 a series of crushing cylinders, and then 

 are crushed again under millstones. After 

 being thus treated, they are placed in 

 wrappers made of hogs' or goats' hair, and 

 then put into hydraulic presses, which ex- 

 press the oil, and it flows off into a bucket. 

 In the centre of the bucket rises a tube 

 nearly to the height of the rim, which 

 tube passes through the bottom of the 

 bucket, and fits as a socket upon a large 

 tube or pipe, from which the oil is con- 

 stantly being pumped into very large casks. 

 The nsv. of the tube in the bucket is to 

 cause the heavier parts of the oil, together 

 with all refuse matter, to sink to the bot- 

 tom, while none but the purer parts of the 

 oil pass into the large tube or pipe. There 

 is no process of clarification. The oil re- 

 mains in the casks from six to ten days 

 without being touched, at the end of which 

 time it is tbund to be clear. The nuts are 

 crushed and pressed three times, at each 

 pressure that the cake is formed. The oil 

 resulting from the first pressure of the nut 

 is used for eating; that from the second 

 pressure for burning; and that from the 

 third for making soap. 



Eight Hundred Sheep Poisoned. 

 Tlie Gardener's Chronicle states that 

 Mr. Bird, of Benton, England, had a flock 

 of eight hundred and sixty-seven sheep 

 which were dipped in a chemical solution 

 to destroy ticks, lice, etc., and turned out 

 to grass. It is supposed the solution was 

 washed off by a shower of rain and eaten 

 by the sheep, as in four days only 26 out 

 of the whole flock remained alive. 



