lSGS.] 
AMERICAN AGPJCI ILTUK1ST, 
283 
Relief* lor rariiior^ UTiTes* — Mrs. 
C. Dudley. Washington county. Tho boarding of farm 
help often comes heavy opera the housekeeper. Tin* best 
remedy is the building of term cottages, and the employ- 
ment of married men for help. A cottage can be put up 
without any targe outlay of money, if there is good timber 
upon the farm. Tho laborer, of course, would expect to 
pay rent, and the Investment in the cottage wonld pay 
better than bank stock, He wonld also be a consumer of 
tho products of the farm, and thus furnish a home mar- 
ket. One-hafjf, at least, of his wages would bo expended 
in the supply of his table. Extra hands, by the day or 
month, could he boarded at the cottage, and thus re- 
lievo the former's kitchen of much of its drudgery. 
Tito ilcw Pii-I;iii«J I'air, with a very 
attractive programme and list of prizes, takes place at 
New Haven, Conn., tho first week in September. Daniel 
Nccdham of Boston is Secretary and business manager. 
Tanning Jjice*— Franklin Forney, of Som- 
eraet Co., Pa., gets rid of lice on cattle and horses by 
making a strung decoction of white oak bark by long 
boiling, and washing the animals with it twice, three days 
Intervening, He says it is tho Burest aud cheapest reme- 
dy ho ever tried. We have sometimes recommended a 
solution of alum, and known ofils being used with good 
success. This is a powerful astringent also, and doubt- 
less acts upon the insects in the same way as oak bark. 
I hi n 11 in- Root Crops. — An obvious 
truth is often better enforced by a simple engraving than 
Fig. 1. — UNTHINNED. 
oven by experience. Year after year men cultivate tur- 
nips broadcast, using too much seed, and never thinning 
out the crowded plants. Turnips almost always do much 
hotter sown In drills than broadcast, and if ,; mercilessly 
thinned" En the rows, so be it the ground is occupied, 
the difference in the crop is very great. This fact we 
^^^^^ have endeavored to 
Hlgk exhibit, so that he 
who runs may read, 
and that be who reads 
may be reminded to 
put the truth of the 
statement to the test. 
Fig. 1 shows the tur- 
nips growing with about tho relative amounts of tops 
and roots upon one alone, and two close together. Fig- 
ure a is n horizontal section, showing still better the 
great difference between thinned and uuthiuned roots. 
Top-dressing* after Mowing;. — "G. 
S. 6i," New Canaan, Ot, Liquid manure applied at this 
time is particularly valuable, Well-prepared composts, 
and coarse, strawy manure, we have also used to good ad- 
vantage, as they afford a mulch for the roots of the grass- 
es. Fresh stable manure we prefer to apply later in the 
aeason. Any mulch is valuable upon the fresh mown 
grass, and the most of it will disappear before the follow- 
ing season, so as not to interfere with the mowing. 
Drilling Wheat.— The advantages of this 
practice are conspicuous in the wheat fields the present 
season. The rcporl of the Department of Agriculture for 
April says, that " in .very locality where wheat suffered 
from freezing, the drill fields are unscathed, while those 
which were sown broadcast arc in miserable condition." 
A < I v a ti I ap ;<• o I" Tltrnslti ug; 31 a- 
chlnetu— J. Stanton Gould estimates the number of 
these machines In the country al 225,000 and that they 
BSVe five per cent more of the -rain, than the Hail. This 
would save to the country more than V.I millions uf 
bushels of grain,* worth at least SO millions of dollars. 
A Btrong argument for the use of unproved machinery. 
The Workshop is the title of an ele- 
gantly illustrated monthly, which, for a few months past, 
has been welcomed to our table, it is the American edi- 
tion of a German monthly, devoted chiefly to the beauti- 
ful and useful in art and trade. We Americans arc too 
much given to half-way approving of the sentiment which 
would divorce beauty and utility. In this journal we 
have a celebration of their nuptials on every page. At- 
ti-tie industry, or " art-industry, " by which we under- 
stand the application of the rules of art and beauty to all 
kinds of manufactures, is the sentiment of tho work. It 
is a i'i page quarto in covers, tilled win, beautiful da- 
sign working patterns, and details. The price is 50 
cents per number. Mr. E, Steiger is tho N. Y. publisher. 
The Miniiesotu State Fair occursat 
Minneapolis, Sept. 29th to Oct. 2d. Charles II. Clarke of 
Minneapolis is Corresponding Secretary and business man. 
Milk Farming;.— " W. E.," Keut,Ct. We 
are not able to state the profit of this specialty over or- 
dinary husbandry. The long railroad freight wonld be 
an objection, but on some roads, they favor those who 
are farthest from market, to induce farmers logo into 
the business. It rs favorable to the making of manure, 
for most milk farmers resort to extra feeding in stalls to 
prolong; the Beason and to secure the largest flow of milk 
possible bom their COWS, The pay comes regularly and 
in considerable sums. An incidental advantage of this 
kind of farming is that it lends to keeping accounts. The 
milk farmer is likely to know how much n quart of milk 
costs, and what kinds of feed will produce the most. 
The Potato IJeelle.— The Colorado Po- 
tato Beetle, the 10-linod Spearman, was figured and de- 
scribed in September, 1SG6, and has been mentioned sev- 
eral times since. No well-tested remedy has yet been 
proposed. Mr. 0. V. Riley. Missouri State Entomolo- 
gist, thinks— and bis opinion is worth considering— that 
a heavy mulching of the soil -would inn great measure 
prevent the egress ( ,f the insect, from the earth in the 
spring, and the few that do come out could be readily 
managed ; but for this to be of effect, a combined effort is 
necessary.— iVofe.— Please do not send us any more spec- 
imens of this insect. We know it by sight thoroughly. 
A few days ago wc received n package which contained a 
crushed box with some hundreds of those fellows all 
alive. Had the paper broken, the insects would have 
found their way out of the mail bag, and their eastern 
march would have been more rapid than it now is. If 
any of these are to be sent East, or elsewhere, let them 
first bo made specimens of by exposing them to the heat 
of boiling water, which will kill them "very dead." 
The New York State Fair is to be held 
at Rochester, Sept. 29th. An important regulation has been 
adopted by the Society, which will be put in force this 
year. It is that all entries for Live Stock and fixed ma- 
chinery must be made two weeks before tho fair, namely, 
on or before Monday, Sept. 14th. The Corresponding Sec- 
rotary, Col. B. P. Johnson, must be addressed at Albany. 
The Ohio State Fair takes place at To- 
ledo on the 21st to 25th days of September. It is under 
the direction of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, of 
which John H. Klippart, Columbus, is Secretary. 
The Indiana State Fair is to be held 
at Indianapoiis, beginning Monday, Sept. 28th, and con- 
tinuing through the week ; $12,000 are offered in prizes. 
The Secretary is A. J. Holmes of Indianapolis. 
What is a Pullet ?— " W. H. L." Questions 
of tho age of fowls often arise at the exhibitions and 
where fowls are sold. An English authority decides that 
" age does not constitute a pullet," saying that fall birds 
of one year cannot be shown in June of the next year 
as pallets, yet that January birds may be shown as pullets 
in December of the same year. This is nonsense ; a hen 
less than a year old may properly be sold or exhibited as 
a pullet, and in common parlance a hen is a pullet until 
she has laid out her first clutch of eggs, or had time to do 
so ; and this would stand in law or equity. 
IHarrlieca in Chickens or other poultry 
may bo chocked by patting them on a floor of dry sand, 
and feeding lettuce leaves, which are better if taken from 
old plants, chopped tine, aud mixed with Cayenne pepper. 
Reclaimed Swamps Relapsing.— 
"I. A.." Livingston, N. J., asks : " What is to be done ?" 
Rushes, and the wild grasses coming in, show tin pres- 
ence of water too near tho surface. The drains should be 
made deeper, and perhaps be doubled in number. Much 
of the draining in such places is only" half done. A sec- 
ond row of tiles, bringing the drains only 94 feet apart, 
wfll often pay better than the first. Plowing is not al- 
ways necessary. Grass seed catches very readily upon 
murky soils, especially if tho sowing is accompanied by 
tOp-dreSSing. While and red clover do well upon rather 
tnoisl soils, and should always be mixed with the grass 
seed, if the object is hay. Reclaimed swamps will not 
take care of themselves any more than upland meadows. 
Miliar Maples fl>ir. — "J. H.,' 1 Prairie 
City, 111., says that Sugar Maples, when set out, " grow 
very well tho first season, but die tho next." and asks 
how i" prevent this. Many such questions go unanswer- 
ed, t)i i ause we have DO '.round- upon which to base a re- 
ply. Take- this for an example. There is no clue to 
several important points. Are they nursery trei s,< i tr 
from the woods ? How were they taken up } Were the tops 
bended back? From what Boil were they removed, and 
in what kind were they planted? Do tho loaves hold 
on until frost, or do they die before maturity? Do they 
come out the second spring, or arc they apparently win- 
ter-killed? One must know all these points, and others, 
before he can, without seeing the trees, give any intel- 
ligent answer to this query and otter- h] il 
Asparagus and Roots.— "C. E. P., 1 
New York. — By all means plow up your sod this fall, an 
then again in spring. Such a soil as yon describe, wellms 
nured and thoroughly prepan d, should give good result* 
Libraries t~<*v Farmers' Clubs. — U G. 
A.," Waukau, Wis. Nothing better could be devised 
to perpetuate these institutions and increase their useful- 
ness than a well-selected library on agricultural tuples. 
A yearly tax of a dollar on each member would furnish 
a fund for its gradual increase, and all the best works 
would be made accessible to the whole community. Ii 
could not fail to be a good investment for every member, 
Tu any of the flourishing farming towns of the West we 
should expect the experiment to be successful. 
Very Early potatoes. — Samples of the 
Early Rose Potato, weighing f > OZ. each, were exhibit- 
ed at the Am>.rir<n, Aqrk'>iUurist Office, July Sth. They 
were grown in Westchester Co., N. Y., in the open field, 
from potatoes planted May 20th. We have seen other 
samples, equally good, grown in from seven to nine 
weeks, which show this to be the earliest variety known. 
Croats in California.— Mr. Landrura, of 
Watsonville, Cal., informs us that on the spurs and in the 
mountain valleys of the Const I.nu.'e and other mountain 
chains of tho Pacific coast, there exist numerous plants, 
which, if eaten by our common domestic stock, are very 
deleterious if not fatal in their effects. These constitute 
even favorite articles of diet for goats of all kinds, neither 
proving harmful to them nor imparting flavor to their milk. 
Abdominal Tumors in Poivls ami 
Turkeys are not of rare occurence. They usually 
arise from some disordered condition of the laying ap- 
paratus, and will be eventually fatal. If you perceive a 
hen or turkey in good condition not moulting, and refus- 
ing to lay, and having a low abdomen, ofl" with her head 
in time— before she becomes diseased and unfit for food. 
Wastes of a Phologrnphie Estab- 
lishment as Manure.— H. Noss. Staten Island, 
asks: 1. "Can hyposulphite of soda which has been 
used for fixing photographs be used as a fertilizer? " We 
should consider it a fertilizer of moderate value if unmix- 
ed with deleterious substances. Mix it with loamy soil 
or muck, and make an experiment upon cabbages and 
turnips.— 2. " How can liquid ammonia bo used ? I have 
some that is too weak to be used in the business. "' Be 
very careful, dilute it freely, and apply it with a sprinkler 
on giass, or almost any garden vegetables. It should be 
so dilute that you can hardly tell it from pure water. 
Canning' Peas ami Corn.— Once more 
we must repeat, to reply bo several, that we know of no 
way In which peas and corn can be canned, with any de- 
gree of certainty, in families. Those who make a business 
of it seal them in cans, boil for a while, {in water or 
steam,) punch a hole in the cans, to let out. the steam, 
solder the hole- up. ami boil again for several hours. In 
the most experienced hands the process often fail-, and 
it is regarded by experts as an uncertain business. 
Check for Crabbers*— Mr. J, B. Knox, 
Of Worcester, Mass., has used the hitching rein and rod 
described on page 189 I Ipril) for several months with the 
best results, aud claims to ehare the honor uf inventing 
so useful an article with the gentleman whom we named 
when it was described, if this were a patent worth half 
a million, there would l>'- n nice chance for a lawsuit. 
Hen Killed by Eating CJIn**.— Mr. 
E. W. W." of Tuckahoc. brought to tho office of the 
Agriculturist several pieces of glass taken from the crop 
of a hen which died suddenly. Hie glass cut the crop, 
andno doubt caused her death. It is probable she had 
been* accustomed to picking np ice and snow for drink 
and made a fatal error .in confounding glass and ice. 
