358 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
The dumber ofX^eet, ISosird Meas- 
ure, in a Log.— An old lumberman giveB us the 
following rale for ascertaining the number of feet in 
.1 round log. It is not absolutely accurate, but near enough 
for practical purposes : ''Take off 4 inches for slab; then 
square half the diameter, and on a 12-foot log multiply 
by 3, on a 14-foot log by 3 %, and on a lfi-foot log by 
4. etc." Thus, suppose you have a log IS feet long and 24 
inches in diameter: Deducting 4 inches for slab, leaves 20 
inches. Square half the diameter 10x10=100 feet. Mul- 
tiply by 3, 100x3^000 feet. If the log is 14 feet, multiply 
by 3';=350*fect; if 10 feet, multiply .by 4=400 feet. IT 
the log is 36 inches in diameter and 12 feet long it 
would contain 768 feet, board measure. Thus 36 — 4=32. 
Square the half, 1UX16«=23dx 3=763. 
Turn iu;* in Clover for Wheat, — 
"O. A.." Harrisonvillc, O., asks: "Will clover plowed 
under while In full bloom be sufficiently rotted by the 
last of August or first of September to bring to the sur- 
face as a preparation for wheat ? In what way would you 
plow it under, to what depth, and with what plow r 1 
Clove t turned under in full bloom is full of sap, and very 
soon disappears in the soil. Nothing of it would be left 
by the end of summer to hinder the plow or harrow. The 
proper depth to plow will depend a good deal upon the 
character of the surface and sub-soil, and the quantity of 
manure to be used. We always like to air an inch or 
two of the subsoil. In turning under clover, say six or 
eight inches deep, we should not bring it to the surface 
again in cross plowing for wheat. Ally good sod plow 
will turn in clover, and if the plow clogs, it can be reme- 
died by heavy chains fastened to the end of the beam and 
to the lower part of the right plow handle. The best 
farmers of some sections often feed off the bulk of their 
clover before plowing. They claim that the manure left 
upon the field by the cattle is worth nearly as much as if the 
whole clover were turned in, while they gain the pasturage. 
Muck I>eposlt. — " W. W.," Burlington, 
W. Va. " I have an accumulation oT vegetable matter, 
made by a spring running over a flat, causing weeds and 
grass to grow and rot. What is the best way to use it as 
a fertilizer?'' 1 It can be used in a variety °1* ways to good 
advantage. 1. As an absorbent in barn-yards, stables, 
sties, and privies. 2. For composting with stable ma- 
nure, three loads of the mould to one of manure, upon the 
ground where it will be wanted next spring. 3. For com- 
posting with lime or with ashes. 4. For spreading upon 
light sandy or gravelly soils as a top-dressing for grass, ©r 
to be plowed in for hoed crops. For any of these pur- 
poses it will be better to draw it out upon dry land and 
expose it to the frosts of one winter. 
Bone Mill.— D. B. Sebold, N. J. If you have 
a bone mill that will grind twelve tons a week, that will 
go by horse or water power, and that you can sell for 
$200. you will do well to put it in the market at once. 
We know of no mill suitable for this work that can be 
made for twice this sum. Hundreds of farmers would be 
glad to own such a mill if they could afford it. They mm 
get bones cheap in the villages, but the trouble is in re- 
ducing them. The mill would sell well if advertised. 
Distributing: Manure in Pastures. 
— " C. T. S.," Richfield. " My sheep and cattle drop most 
of their manure near the gate where they lie at night. 
Is there any remedy V The sheep can be managed by 
putting them in pens at night in different parts of the 
field. The cattle will change their place of rest by salt- 
ing them in various parts of the pasture. A little extra 
feed frequently offered will draw them to almost any re- 
quired spot, if it is dry. It is very desirable to have the 
manure as evenly distributed as possible. 
Poultry Breeding- In and In. — "B. 
H.," Jamaica, L. I. This practice is carefully avoided by 
the best poultry men. Fowls of the same parentage 
should not be sold for the purpose of breeding together. 
The cocks should be changed every spring. 
RooUs.-'L L. G.," Bordcntown, N. J. We 
are not aware that the rook has ever been brought to this 
conntry. The rooks are highly prized by British farmers 
for the protection they afford to their fields. They live 
largely upon larvae dug from among the roots of grass, 
and only plunder the grain fields when forced by hunger. 
The Mark Lane Express says in a recent number: ''The 
experiment has been tried to destroy or banish these 
birds, but it has always been a cause of bitter regret, for 
the immense increase of the insect tribes that followed 
their absence inflicted more injury than the rooks them- 
selves would have done. Such is the case at this very 
moment in France, where, owing to the war waged 
against these birds, the communes are paying for the 
destruction of the cockchafers, which in myriads are 
ravaging the fields and woods." We have a great excess 
of insects in all the older parts of this country, owing no 
doubt mainly to the wanton destruction of offr birds by 
amateur sportsmen. Insect depredators are among the 
worst enemies the farmer and fruitgrower have to con- 
tend with, and we need a great increase of birds to keep 
them iu check. The birds are easily kept within bounds, 
but the insects are too mighty for man. Literally he is 
" crushed before the moth." 
Cutting Corn by the Boots. — U J. G.," 
Morristown, N. J. This practice has been steadily gain- 
ing for the last twenty years, and this is one of the best 
tests of its economy. The grain is heavier than when 
the stalks are cut as in the old method ; the labor is 
much less; the fodder, taken as a whole, is more valu- 
able. If cut as soon as the corn is glazed, the whole 
stalk will be eaten when chaffed. It is highly prized by 
milkmen, and many consider it equal to the best upland 
hay for producing milk. 
I^inta Beans nn<l Corn.— "F. H.," 
Lynn. Mass. Limas may be shelled when of a size fit 
for cooking and dried. They arc to be soaked over night 
when used. Those that approach maturity had better be 
allowed to ripen. If you can afford to use them, con- 
sidering the high price they brine as seed, try some pork 
and beans made with Limas. It is the old Yankee stan- 
dard dish Glorified.— Or, boil until tender and fry brown 
in butter. Sweet corn has been fully discussed in past 
months m the household columns. 
The Cultivation oT Sorghum.— "F, 
II. C," Ludlovj', Mass. " Does the Sorghum crop pay ?" 
The cultivation of this crop made rapid progress during 
the war, on account of the high prices of sugar and mo- 
lasses. It has probably gained a permanent foothold in 
the northern Slates, especially in the West, as a paying 
farm crop. Large quantities of syrup are made, which 
find a ready home market. The general impression is 
that the crep this year is a small one, but the Sorgho 
Journal claims that the quantity planted the present 
season is much greater than the last, though not quite 
equal to that ef 1866. The crop fails frequently through 
poor seed, and those who save their own seed should be 
careful to guard it against frost. The seed may be gather- 
ed before it is fully mature, and if kept from frost, and 
thoroughly dried, it will vegetate much better than that 
which is frosted, and afterwards ripens upon the stalk. 
Early IKose Potato— Premiums. — 
In another item will be found some account of the suc- 
cess of the Early Rose Potato. Since that was in type we 
have had abundant testimony from others, all of the same 
purport. In view of the great interest felt in this variety, 
the publishers have placed it upon the list of premiums, 
upon terms which will enable those who desire to make 
a trial of this remarkable potato to do so, with a very 
little effort expended in procuring subscribers for the 
Agriculturist .—Sac Premium Lists. 
The Hfow England Fair.— The great 
Fair and Cattle Show of the New England Agricultural 
Society occurred the first week in September. The show 
of neat stock was magnificent, the best herds of each 
prominent breed being well represented. There was also 
competition enough to excite interest, and the decisions 
of the judges, though made with no little perplexity in 
some cases, met with general approval. No doubt mis- 
takes were made, but on the whole, so far as we are aware, 
all went smoothly and pleasantly. It was, moreover, a very 
even show, each breed. Short-horns, Devons, Ayrshire?, 
and Jerseys, being from several exhibitors, and most of 
the animals of marked excellence. The great Dutch 
breed (in color, spotted black and white, in size excelling 
the largest Short-horns, and in coarseness rivaling a post 
and rail fence, great feeders and great milkers) were a 
novelty to most spectators, and attracted much attention. 
The show of working oxen, usually the conspicuous fea- 
ture of Connecticut fairs, was not large, but it was 
very fine, some of the best pairs and " strings" coming 
from other States. Mutton sheep were the great attrac- 
tion of the small-cattle department, but some of the 400- 
pound Cotswold can hardly come under this designation. 
.This breed was shown in lar^e numbers, a"nd of a quality 
we have never seen equalled. There were some good 
Southdowns, but the average was low, and Merinos were 
there with wrinkles and grease enough to have satisfied 
even a Hammond. The show of swine was unworthy of 
the Society, and a pair of Windsor Suffolks were all we 
remember as above mediocrity. A single exhibitor from 
New Haven redeemed the poultry show from utter failure, 
and his collection was excellent and instructive. The 
important feature of the horse show, and one which 
should be everywhere encouraged, was the exhibition of 
stallions with their progeny. The high-bred trotting 
stallion " Ashland " was shown, with, we should judge, a 
score or more of his colts and fillies of all ages from four 
or five years old to yearlings, showing a very stron* fam- 
ily likeness. There were an unusual number of fine 
breeding horses shown, among them some noble thorough- 
bred mares. The Implement Department was not very 
extensive, but literally filled with meritorious articles. 
There have been great improvements in horse-rakes. An 
invention applicable to all mowing machines enables the 
driver to lift the cutter bar quickly and easily with his 
foot, without using his hand. We noticed an admirable 
safety win file tree trace hook, several good hay tedders, 
and one of them possibly good. and. if so, very cheap and 
handy-, and a self-loading "rigging' 1 for hay wagons, 
which we think will work. This will, with a man to tend 
it upon the ground, pitch on its own hay faster than two 
men can possibly take care »f it on the load. A reversible 
plow upon a new principle, for use upon level land, struck 
us as very good. Two shares and mould boards are fitted 
up«m one large plate which is the landside for both, and 
this is easily turned over tke iron beam, and thus the im- 
plement becomes either a right or left-hand plow. In the 
Household Department there were many interesting 
things also. The New Haven carriage makers made a 
grand display, but not particularly agricultural. Fruits 
and vegetables were a meagre show— the only interest- 
ing article to us being the new grape "Eumelan," shown 
for the first time. The floral show was in one of the fine 
halls of the city, and was most admirable. The walls 
were hung with pictures of great excellence, chiefly loan- 
ed, and the sides and center of the halls were filled with 
choice flowers, bouquets, foliage plants, ferns, etc., of 
rare beauty, in great profusion, and tastefully arranged. 
There is usually complaint at such gatherings, and some 
grumbling is expected, often justifiable and frequently 
not. but on Ibis occasion there was the most obvious 
mismanagement on the part of the chief officers of the- 
Society. In the first place, the Society had apparently sold 
itself out to a jockey club and turned its meeting into a 
horse race, with an agricultural attachment. The Presi- 
dent fried weakly to give dignity to the agricultural part. 
In his great pavilion he maintained a solitary majesty, 
his tables being occupied by a few reporters who escaped 
from the jam of the race course for quiet. The show of 
vegetables and fruits was, as we have said, very meagre. 
We heard of exhibitors in this department, who were 
turned away because their contributions were judged In- 
sufficient to give them admission, though competing for 
the published prizes. The grounds were occupied in some 
of the most conspicuous places by side shows of fat 
women, learned pigs, and all sorts of monstrosities. 
Spirits were sold freely, and the accompaniments of a race- 
course bar, drunkenness, profanity, and noisy ribaldry, 
were thrust before the refined and decorous parties of 
city and countrymen and women, lads and lasses, who 
came to the show. Here, too, was the open sale of "racing 
pools " at auction. Pool selling is regarded as the very 
worst form of horse-race gambling, and it is a burning 
disgrace to the officers of the N. E. Ag'l. Society that 
they allowed it. If this is the Boston way of managing 
a Society of this kind, it is high time there was a change. 
These associations are not such as the wives, daughters, 
and sons of New England farmers should be accustomed to. 
Fittions; for the Nursery Business. 
"D. K.M.," Magnolia, (no State) says: u I wish to fit 
myself for the nursery business ; please inform me what 
books I had better read." Reading will be a good prep- 
aration to enable one to learn the business intelligently. 
Barry's Fruit Garden, Warder's Pomology. Fuller's Small 
Fruit Culturist, Thomas' American Fruit Culturist, 
Hoopcs' Evergreens, and Fuller and Mohr on the Grape, 
all contain much that would be a great help to a begin- 
ner. We assume that of course Mr. M. intends to learn 
the practice with some competent nurseryman. 
CJas Limo.-"A. N M " Nashua, N. BF. This 
article is to be used with caution, as it contains deleterious 
matters with the ammonia and gypsum, which are useful. 
It may be spread upon mowing or pasture laud, at tho 
rate of three tons to the acre, with good effects upon the 
subsequent crop. At the rate of eight tons to the acre it 
kills vegetation. It might be used to eradicate weeds in 
very foul land, and in walks. 
Farmers 1 Clubs. — "G. N. T.," Nicholson, 
Pa., asks: u Can you tell us how these clubs are organ- 
ized and managed ? The less machinery you have about 
them, the better. Meet around at the farmers' houses, if 
there is no better place, appoint a chairman for the meet- 
ing, and a secretary for a longer time, three months or a 
year, propose a subject for discussion, and let each man 
give his experience and ask his questions. The more 
familiar the meetings can be made, the better. A dozen 
farmers meeting once a fortnight, for discussion and 
to inspect stock, crops, and buildings, could not fail to 
help one another to be better farmers and housekeepers. 
