13:J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
Pea»com1>ed Fowls.-" Subscriber," of 
New London, Ct., does not understand the term "Pea- 
combed. 11 It is used with reference to Brahma fowls 
only, so far as wo know, and refers to combs which show 
a triple character, the central comb being the largest, and 
the other two growing uniformly on each side of it, and 
each distinct. The points should not run into confusion, 
as in many rose-combs, and nre often quite small. 
Hanure Scarce Ira Illinois. — "Gar- 
dener, 11 writing from Manito, 111., says : " I want a sub- 
stitute for stable manure for my garden * * * Cannot buy 
manure for love nor money.'" We would throw no doubt 
on the veracity of our correspondent, but still we do think 
money enough will buy a little manure, even in Illinois, 
within hauling distance of our correspondent, which is, 
about 4 miles, if a return load, or 2, otherwise. Still it is 
cheering to know that manure is valued in a State where 
we formerly had so many subscribers complain that the 
Agriculturist had too much to say on this subject, which 
was of no importance whatever to them. 
Beet Swgitr Factories.— "H. K.," St. 
Louis, Mo. The making of sugar from beets in this 
country is receiving increased attention, from the partial 
disorganization of labor and the small crops of cane 
sugar in Louisiana. It is estimated that one-third of the 
sugar used in the world is made from this root. In 
Germany, where the owners of the factories work large 
plantations to grow the beets, the men are said to get 
from 16 to 19 cents a day, and the women from 13 to 15, 
working 14 hours a day. When the capitalist has to pay 
six or eight times this price for labor, it changes the 
problem very much. If it can be made to pay anywhere, 
it will be in the West, where land is cheap and pro- 
ductive. A large capital is required, and expensive ap- 
paratus, buildings, etc. Beeves are usually fattened on 
the waste products, which, in turn, furnish manure for 
the fieldB. The establishment of a beet sugar factory is a 
great undertaking, but, while the price of sugar remains 
anywhere near present rates, it. would seem to offer an 
attractive investment for capital. 
fi£oil<><l Cwrain for Fowls. — " E. C," 
Vt. It will pay to boil corn and barley, as experiments 
show. Less is gained in boiling other kinds of grain. 
Potatoes should be boiled and mashed, and fed warm. 
Potato Experiment. — S. N. Beers, of 
Fairfield, Conn., writes to the American Agriculturist: "I 
planted side by side, of the Early Goodrich variety, 1st, 
sets or cuttings made entirely from the seed ends of 
medium-sized potatoes, the cuttings containing about two 
eyes each, and planted two in a hill; 2nd, two-eye cut- 
tings, made entirely from the stem ends of potatoes; 3d, 
vjJiole large potatoes. The whole potatoes came up first, 
and kept about a week ahead of the others through the 
season. Between the cuttings made from the Beed and 
stem ends, no difference could he perceived cither through 
the season or when they were dug. If the cuttings from 
the tips had consisted of as large pieces as those made 
from the buts, it might have been different, but as the 
eyes were thicker on that end, they could not be made so 
large. But when the rows that were planted with whole 
and large seed were dug, it was found that the yield was 
one-seventh larger by measure, but that the increase was 
mainly In small and unmarketable potatoes, and that the 
large ones were not as smooth in appearance as in the 
other rows. I also tried cuttings from the seed and stem 
ends of the Harison, side by side, and saw no difference." 
Fish Ponds. — An old subscriber wishes to 
know about the construction of fish ponds. No great 
skill is required in making the embankment. The point 
of difficulty is the outlet, which should have a gate to 
drain the pond at pleasure, and a place for overflow, 
sufficient for the largest freshet. Each side of the gate, 
for a considerable distance, will need to be fitted with 
battened plank, to prevent leakage. If the soil is sandy 
or light gravel it will need to bo puddled with clay upon 
the inside of the embankment. If the object is to i-aise 
young trout by artificial hatching, several ponds will be 
needed for the successive broods of fish, and the stream 
should be fed with copious perpetual springs. If one has 
natural facilities for raising fish it maybe made to pay 
very well and add variety to the table. Dr. Garlick's work 
upon fish culture is out of print, and we know of no other 
good manual upon the subject. 
55i*os in April, l»y Win. IV. Cary. — 
All colonies should be examined early this month, hives 
should be cleaned of all dead bees and filth, and queen- 
less stocks added to others. Treat very weak and puny 
swarms in the same way, otherwise they will be very 
liable to be robbed by stronger colonics. A few pounds 
of sugar syrup fed now will stimulate breeding and will 
pay well. Much care must be used in handling bees at this 
season to prevent robbing. An ounce of prevention is 
worth more than a pound of cure. I gave directions last 
month for feeding uubolted rye meal as a substitute for 
pollen ; it now remains to say a few words about feeding 
honey, or sugar syrup, cither to stimulate breeding or to 
prevent starvation. A bee feeder that does not in its con- 
struction provide for replenishing the feed without ex- 
posing the operator to the attacks of the bees, is not a 
whit better than a piece of old comb placed under the 
cover of the hive, the cells of which can be readily filled 
by pouring the feed upon it. Some of the patented de- 
vices for feeding bees are not nearly ■ so good as this 
simple way. Many stocks arc lost this month for want of 
sufficient food for a few days, or until they can get fresh 
supplies from natural sources in sufficient quantity 
to supply their daily wants, and for developing their 
brood. To advance breeding, give what the bees will use 
in feeding their brood. This maybe ascertained by ex- 
amination in the movable comb hive, and made sure of 
in others by feeding more liberally, say a half pound 
daily. Increased interest has been awakened on the sub- 
ject (if ft-eding bees by the publication of the results frum 
practical men, and also by the efforts of patentees to sell 
their feeders. The advantage depends upon scarcity of 
early forage, and the condition of the stocks. I advise 
all to feed a stock or two, note results, dak- of swarming, 
and amount of surplus honey, and judge for themselves. 
The Ayrshire Herd ltool* is in course 
of preparation by Mr. -T. N. Bagg of West Springfield, 
Mass., who is a member of a committee appointed by the 
Association of Breeders of Thorough-bred Neat Stock, to 
superintend its issue. Some 700 pedigrees have been 
passed as approved. After receiving the record of this 
spring 1 a calves the work will probably be published. 
Immigrant* as Farm Laborers. — 
If a man would be sure of faithful service, he must be a 
good master, or " boss,"''' as the phrase is with those who 
think the name servant is derogatory, and that the 
name master should not be used because the other is 
implied. Of all servants, or hired farm "help, 11 the im- 
migrant responds most quickly to kind, generous treat- 
ment. He should find that in America the relation 
of master and servant is one of mutual dependence— and 
if he sees that you recognize that fact and treat him as a 
man and independent citizen, and fairly in all respects, 
you will be loved and honored by him. The way to get 
good farm hands is to get a neighbor coming to the city 
to make the selection for you, if you cannot come your- 
self. We cannot attend to this business. 
3Tew Kinds of Oats so largely advertis- 
ed and held at such high rates, are sure to give disap- 
pointment if any one buys them with the expectation of 
getting any snch crops as are reported in the circulars 
and advertisement*. We do not very much doubt that 
the statements may be in the main true, and if any of our 
readers wishes to be able to tell just as big stories, let 
him take a few large, plump oats, and sow them in drills, 
two feet apart, in good garden soil, pull the weeds, top- 
dress with some fine compost or ashes, hoe them or rake 
the ground over two or three times, find count the kernels 
at harvest time. Oats respond quickly to good soil and 
culture, and such as have it are worth two or three times 
as much for seed as others, no matter how well selected. 
Hens ibr a I^arg^e Hennery. — Wm. 
B. Shiner. Calculate to raise your own fowls for next 
winter and spring's laying, especially if you are going to 
raise a great many. Select fine old birds and breed 
carefully. Subjects connected with the profits of, and the 
best arrangements for, large poultry establishments, have 
been recently discussed in our pages and probably will 
be again. We have few records of experience to refer to. 
Rapid Ciro>vt3a of Salmon,- "E. C. P." 
Mass. The statement that a 10-pound salmon gained 
ll 1 .], pounds in a visit of 37 days to the sea is exceedingly 
improbable. The Duke of Atliol, in March, 18J0, caught 
three salmon on their way to the sea, weighing 10, ll 1 ;, 
and 12V£ pounds each ; these same fish having been mark- 
ed by a copper band round their tails, returned in six 
months, and were again captured, having increased to 17, 
IS, and 10 pounds each. This is a little over a pound a 
month, and it will be noticed that the gain is very nearly 
the same in each instance. This shows gain enough, 
and, as it is well authenticated, there can be no doubt 
about the facts. It is ascertained that the size of these 
fish depends very much upon the extent and richness of 
their feeding grounds, the largest fish being found in the 
largest rivers. The fish is exceedingly voracious in its 
visits to the sea, and in its early years grows very rapidly, 
Feeding Scraps, or Scrap 4 'a ke*. 
,l B. F. B., 11 North Bridgewatcr, Mass., asks : " Is it safe 
to feed scraps to swine? Does the process of separating 
the fat destroy the Trichina! ? " We do not like the. feed- 
ing of hog to hog. The feeding of beef scraps is not 
subject to this objection. Both beef and pork scraps 
have been exposed to a temperature far higher than boil- 
ing water, destroying all trichina? and other parasites. 
How to Steady a Fan Mill.— George 
R. Schamp of Illinois, who hopes to be a reader of tho 
American Agriculturist as long as he can read, suggests 
a very simple way of holding a fan-mill firmly upon tho 
barn floor. He simply puts under each of the two rear 
legs a fourpenny or sixpenny nail. The heads sink into 
the feet, and also into the floor, and hold the mill steadily. 
When Will a Mower Pay ?— C. L. Neal. 
It will not pay for ten or a dozen acres of meadow, if you 
have any neighbor, with a machine, whose services you 
can procure in haying time. If you can cut hay for your 
neighbors as well as for yourself three or four weeks, it 
will pay to buy a mower. A good machine will cut an 
acre an hour, and soon pay for itself if you have work. 
Animals Earned. — John N. Clark, Old 
Saybrook, Ct. The "queer little mole" yoit sent is one 
of the shrews, and not a mole. Judging from the specimeu 
sent, it is Forster's shrew (Sorex Forstcri) figured in the 
last volume, page 283, (August No.)— The animal sent from 
Maine arrived in a state of decomposition, and the letter 
was lost. It was originally a very fine specimen of the 
star-nosed mo\e(C'ondylura cristata), described and figured 
in the last volume of the Agriculturist, p. 53, (January No). 
Sulphuric Acid as a Fertilizer. — 
The price of Oil of Vitriol was given with the fertilizers, 
not so much because of its intrinsic value as a manure if 
applied alone, as of its extensive use iu the preparation 
of superphosphate from bones. It has, however, value 
used alone, but it is difficult to say exactly what it is, be- 
cause in economical experiments it is used in the cheap- 
est available forms found in the market, namely as sulphate 
of lime, (Gypsum,) or sulphate of soda, (Glaubers salt). 
l>rilling in Corn vs. Planting: in 
Hills.-" J. W." We agree with yon that more corn 
can be raised per acre on rich land from drilling in corn 
than from planting in hills, and certainly a good deal 
more fodder. The question is, whether the seed should 
be drilled continuously in the row, or dropped two, three, 
or four, together, every twelve, fifteen, or twenty inches 
apart. The planter we use drops the seeds in the rows 
every twenty inches. The rows arc three feet four inches 
apart. Continuous drilling, dropping the seeds say six 
inches apart, might be better. Where fodder is not a 
special object, or where the land is poor and weedy, wo 
think it better to plant in hills, equally distant each way. 
It is very convenient to drill in corn, because you can put 
in the seed as fast as the jand is plowed and harrowed ; 
.whereas in planting in hills both ways you must finish 
preparing tho whole field before planting a kernel. 
Feeding Milch Cows, 
There is a large class of dairymen who are 
engaged in supplying large towns and cities 
with milk. Not less than thirty millionsof gal- 
lons are sold by this class in this State alone, and 
the quantity is very steadily increasing with the 
growth of our city population. As they have 
to supply families daily whose wants are nearly 
uniform, it is an object of great importance to 
secure in their herds a uniform flow of milk 
througbout the year. This is done by a regular 
succession of new milch cows, coming in every 
month, but this is very expensive, if } r ou have 
to purchase new cows or to exchange your 
own extra milkers for what you can find in the 
market. In the recent Agricultural meeting at 
Hartford, Conn., the discussions turned quite 
largely upon this topic. We found that all the 
milkmen present agreed upon three things, viz.: 
the importance of a good selection of cows, all 
to be extra milkers; the cows to calvcin regular 
succession, so far as that matter could be con- 
trolled ; and extra feeding, especially in the win- 
ter. All agreed upon the. importance of good 
shelter, but some preferred a couple of hours of 
sunshine for their cows in the middle of the day, 
while others kept them in the barn from fall 
