1875.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
199 
♦irages 80 bushels shelled com per acre. Has raised aa 
high as 9j bushels per acre. Oats do not do well. Haa 
never raised peas. He wants to sow some crop on the 
corn stubble and follow it with winter wheat. He asks: 
let. "Would potatoes, if manured with well rotted ma- 
nure, leave the land in good condition for wheat ? "— 
Yea ; unless it is too light and sandy, but your manure 
should bej-ich, and you should use it freely, say 15 tons 
per acre.— 2nd. " Would mangel wurzel be off In time to 
sow wheat f'' — No. — 3rd. ' Would oats and peas be apt 
to succeed. Have raised oats six feet high."— I cannot 
say. but I ihink you would be warranted in trying a few 
acres. — 4th. 'If oats are sown, would itnot be better /or 
the land to cut them greeu and cure as hay? "'— Thio is 
the prevalent idea, but I doubt if it is true. The grain 
in ripening gets its nutriment from the straw, and not 
directly, to any considerable extent, from the soil.— 5th. 
"Would the oat-hay be worth as much as the ripe 
Oftts?"— I suppose you mean ripe oats and straw to- 
gether. This may or may not be the case. If I could 
get a good crop of heavy oats I would let them stand ; 
but if, as you say, you can grow straw, but not grain, I 
would cut and cure as you propose.— 6th. ** Do you feed 
mangels cut or uncut ? "—I cut them for sheep and cows 
and young pigs. Feed whole to large pigs.— 7th. 
"Would you drill the mangels or raise the plants in 
beds and transplant ? "—I have rarely had " good luck " 
in transplanting mangels. I do not think the plan a 
good one in our dry climate, and with our high wages. 
UxDERDRAiNiNG.— "G. R. S.," Whitcside Co.. 111., hss s 
rolling farm. The water accumulates in the intervales 
and sometimes destroys the com and other crops. He 
aeks about underdraining it. I should dig holes in the 
land three feet deep, and if the water remains in them 
four or five days after rain, it will probably pay to un- 
derdrain. But if not, I would try to get off the water by 
plowing a deep dead furrow through the lowest land. 
Seeding Down a Young Apple Ouchard. — "J. F. 
K.," Pa., writes: ''My orchard has been very much 
neglected. Last fall I set out a lot of young trees. I in- 
tend to manure and lime it well, and then seed down 
with rye and •rchard grass, after which I intend to 
pastnre with calves and hogs."— Put the lime on the old 
orchard ; plow it shallow eaihj in the f-pyHng^ or late in the 
fall. The youn^: orchard I would keep in fallow for two 
years, and work it thoroughly. Then seed down with 
grass and white clover alone, without the rye. 
Artificial Manure for Corn. — " An Old Sub- 
scriber," Wis., ^vritee : " I have 40 acres sandy clay soil, 
which has been in wheat every year for five years. Plow- 
ed last fall eight inches deep. Shall plant it to corn this 
spring, in hills 4 feet apart each way, and keep well cul- 
tivated. What artificial manure would yon advise me to 
apply to the corn ? "—I know of no artificial manure that 
you can apply with profit. Corn is too cheap with you, 
and manures too dear. Sow a bushel of plaster per acre 
on the hiUs after the corn is up. This will probably pay. 
Grow less wheat and more clover. 
Fonr Calces at a Birth.— "W. J. C," 
Indiana Co., Pa., reports the birth of four calves by one 
cow in one day. The first two are now alive and doing 
well, the other two were dead. The weights were 57, 56. 
52. and 46 lbs., in all 211. The cow is raising the two 
calves successfully. 
Trouble tvitli Poultry.—" C. G. M. B." 
If wood ashes are strewed upon the floor of the chicken 
house, and allowed to mingle with the droppings, there 
will ebon be trouble in the house. The escape of am- 
monia caused by the ashes will injure the eyes of the 
fowls, and they will suffer greatly, and in the end become 
blind. The cause of your trouble is obvious. 
Veterinary Practice.— " Dr. H. J. R.,'' 
Utah It would be of immense service to farmers if 
country physicians would study veteriuaiy surgery, and 
practice so that they could give advice In regard to 
troubles with farm stock. It would tend to rid the 
country of hosts of quacks and " cow-doctors,'* so called, 
who are veiy ignorant of what they profess, and would 
save much suffering that is now inflicted upon animals. 
Dr. Dadd's Horse Doctor, and Dr. McClnre's Diseases of 
Cattle, would be useful books to have. Chauveau's 
Anatomy of the domesticated animals, is a highly scien- 
tific work, of value to both veterinary and other practi- 
tioners, but useless to any but educated amateurs. 
Where noes the Rain Come From? 
-Somesnppose that the rain clonds are driven over us 
from mm ichere else, and drop down the water. The 
fact is, the rain is in the air over ns at all times, even in 
the clearest weather. The air takes np water in the form 
of invisible vapors. The warmer it is. the more water 
it can t^us retain concealed, cool it, and it gives up some 
of this concealed water : the particles coalesce to form 
visible vapor or clouds, or mists, or fogs, and if the cool- 
ing goes on, the vapor drops unite and fall in larger rain 
drops. If a portion of airabove us is at 50°, and contains 
800 grains of invisible vapor, and another similar amount 
of air at 30'^, containing 200 grains of vapor, comes along 
and mixes with it, the whole air will then be only at the 
temperature of 40% and will be able to hold only 800 
grains, and as the two portions contained 800+200 or 
1,000 grains, 200 grains of water will become mist or 
clouds, or iu part fall as rain. Thus it is, that the mix- 
ing of warm and cold air, or the cooling of the air from 
any cause, squeezes out of it. so to speak, the water that 
was before held entirely concealed as invisible vapor. 
PotasU Tor Potatoc.*.— " W. J.," Jack- 
sonville, Fla. There should be no diflficulty in getting 
plenty of wood ashes in Florida, without buying potash. 
Palmetto stems yield a larger amount of it than any other 
vegetable substance. If, however, potash must be 
bought, it is best to procure the German salts, (Kainit). 
It may be purchased of the dealers in fertilizers lu New 
York and elsewhere. 
How to use Hen ^launre. — ''D. P. 
M.," Brooksville. Vt. The manure from the poultry 
house is valuable for any crop. It may be spread on 
grass very thinly, about two barrels per acre is enough. 
One way to get it fine, is to spread it upon the barn floor 
and trash it with a flail, but a wet cloth should be tied 
around the mouth or nose while this is being done. 
It is nselei^s to write for our opinion about 
sowing seeds, killing pigs, or having calves bom in the 
light or the dark, the new or the full, the was or the wane 
of the moon— or whether water can be found by the use 
of a witch-liazel or other rod— or if "wheat will turn into 
chess— or if a doctor who advertises his cures, or war- 
rants to core will do what he promises. It is a waste of 
time, stationery, and postage, to write us upon any such 
matters, as we have better use for space in the paper 
than to reply to such there, and better use for our time 
than to reply by mail if postage is sent for an answer. 
Itlany Keys iu One. — It is often con- 
venient to have a key that will wind more than one 
watch, and J. S. Birch, 37 Maiden Lane, N. Y., makes a 
key that will wind anjt watch. It is adjustable at once, 
by a mere touch, and is one of the clever little inventions 
that add much to one's convenience. 
t'onil Muclc.— "A.B. K.," Lancaster Co., 
Pa. The sediment of mill ponds and races is generally 
of the same character as swamp muck, and will answer 
the same pui-pose for an absorbent or a fertilizer. It 
should be dry and allowed to drain for one season, if it is 
to be used in the stables. If not, it may be mixed with 
lime as it is dug. 
An Inch ofRain. — An acre of land con- 
tains 43,560 square feet of surface. A cubic foot of wa- 
ter weighs 6'2^ lbs.— A wine gallon of water contains 931 
cubic inches, and weighs about 8J lbs., (or accurately, 
8.3;38882-2 lbs.) This is the Winchester or standard gallon 
of the U. S. [The N. Y. standard gallon weighs 8 lbs.] 
—A barrel of 3H gallons standard, weighs 262| lbs., (ac- 
curately 262.674>;9 lbs.) Therefore : An inch deep of rain 
on an acre supplies 926,875 lbs., or over 113 tons, or 863^ 
barrels of water. Every one can readily tell how much 
water is supplied by each inch of rain-fall upon his farm, 
or village plot, or city lot, or upon the roof of his dwell- 
ing. For example, if his house be "20 by 30 feet, there 
will be 600 square feet, allowing nothing for projecting 
eaves, and each inch of rain will give 600x144-^1728, or 
50 cubic feet of water, equal to 3,135 lbs., (over H tons,) 
or nearly 12 barrels, and -12 inches rain per annum, would 
give about .500 baiTcls At our country residence, 
over 5 inches (5.183 in.) of rain fell during March 1S75, 
This amounted, on a single acre, to over one million, or 
1.175,893 lbs., or 4.473 barrels ; that is. about 580 tons, or 
4,473 barrels of water-fall on each acre for the month of 
March alone. In all cases ^now is melted, and its water 
reckoned in the rain-fall A drain-pipe, 2 inches in di- 
ameter, if the water all moves in it at the rate of 3 miles 
per hour, will discharge about 347^ cubic feet per hour, 
or in 10-1 hours would caiTy ofl" 1 inch rain-fall on an 
acre — The average annual rain-fall at Cambridge, Mass. , 
is 38 inches; at Philadelphia, Pa., 45 inches ; at Western 
Reserve Collese, O., 36 inches; at Marietta, O., 41 inches ; 
at Fort Crawford, Wis., 30 inches: at St. Louis. Mo., 32 
inches; in the British Islands, 32 inches; in Western 
France. 25 inches; in Eastern Franco. 22 inches : in Cen- 
tral and Northern Germany. 20 inches ; while in some 
tropical regions, the amount runs up to 100. and in a few 
localities, to over 200 inches. At Catskill, N. V., July 
26, 1819, 18 inches fell in 7^ hours Takina: an average 
of 40 inches rainfall a year, we have of rain-water, on 
every acre, 9,075,000 lbs., or 4.2.37i tons, or 34.533 barrels. 
Salt l*oi-li for Cows.— 'J. A. W./* 
recommends a few slices of salt pork to be rolled iu rye 
bran or corn-meal, and given to a cow that is ailing, hav- 
ing a poor appetite, or having " lost her cud," or is suffer- 
ing from indigestion. This is simply a ready substitute 
for a dose of linseed oil, which is quickly effective In 
such cases. The stomach seems to sometimes need fat 
as well as salt, to assist digestion, and the salt of the 
pork is both useful in itself, and acts as an inducement 
to the cow to swallow the pork. 
W^liy Sparro'W's ? — ^A gentleman writes 
from Richmond, lud., inquiring if European sparrows 
can be procured, as it is proposed to introduce them into 
one of their city parks.- Have the Richmond people 
duly considered this matter ? The birds have now been 
long enough in this countiy for us to estimate them at 
their true value. If the trees of a park, or in the streets 
of a city, are infested by caterpillars to an injurious 
extent, and ordinary birds, and other means of destruc- 
tion failed to get rid of them, then, and only then, should 
we try sparrows ; but where there is iio special need for 
them, we consider their introduction a great mistake. 
In the rural towns around New York, to which these 
birds have migrated, they have driven out every native 
bird, and where the songs of our warblers, song sparrows, 
and other singing birds were frequent, now nothing ia 
heard but the incessant and monotonous twitter of innu- 
merable foreign sparrows. They will break up the mesta 
of other birds, and even build their own nests over the 
eggs of the other birds, and by these acts and constant 
warfare, they soon drive off the more peaceful natives. 
In a large and crowded city like New York, where few 
native birds come, this objection has little force, but 
smaller cities and rural towns better keep clear of them. 
Salicylic Acid. — This, though not a new 
substance, has all the interest of a new one, on accotint 
of the recent discovery of properties possessed by it 
which were heretofore unknown. It derives its name 
from salicin, the bitter principle of the willow, (salix), aa 
it was first obtained from that ; and it is an important 
constituent of oil of wintergreen. More recently sali- 
cylic acid has been derived from carbolic acid, but the 
chemistry of the substance will hardly interest the gen- 
eral reader. It is white, in minute crystals, has no odor, 
a slightly sweetish taste, and is but little soluble in wa- 
ter, an ounce of that taking np only a grain and a half of 
the acid. The remarkable thing about it is its ability to 
prevent decomposition of all kinds, whether in anlmai 
or vegetable substances. The chief use made of it 
thus far is in dressing wounds, where it completely pre- 
vents all offensive odor. If all the accounts given of it 
are true, it is the most powerful antiseptic yet discover- 
ed, much superior to carbolic acid, and without its disa- 
greeable odor and poisonous qualities. Thus far its use 
has been mainly confined to surgeons. It now sells for 
about $1 an ounce, but when it becomes cheaper, as it ia 
likely to be, a great number of uses will be found for it 
in common life. 
The Saez Canal cost $95,(X)0,000, ($23,000,- 
000 more than the Erie Canal.) of which the Egyptian 
Government contributed $31,000,000, leaving the net cost 
to the share-holders $i>4,000,000. The tolls and other re- 
ceipts for 1873 were $4,945,000, the expenses (23 percent) 
$1,125,000, leaving a net revenue of $.3,820,000, of which 
$2,345,000 were appropriated to interest on bonds of 
$20,000,000 ; sinking fund, $450,000, etc., leaving $1,475,- 
000, or 3J per cent, for dividends to the share- holders. 
The receipts for 1874, and future years, are expected to 
show continuous increase, so that the enterprise is near- 
ly certain to be a paying one. These figures are not only 
interesting as connected with this great intematioDal 
work, but as indicative of the value of the proposed ship 
canal across the Isthmus of Darien. Our Minister to 
China, in 1872, reported the United States trade to be 
about 37 percent of the whole foreign trade of China. 
In that year tea was brought from China to Boston, via 
the Suez Canal, at a cost of 4 cts. per lb. ; via steamship 
to California, and thence by Railroad, 7 cts. per lb. 
Xaile and tlie "CUiuee.^''— ' F. W. W.,'^ 
Wis., sends ,in item iu which it is stated that the Chinese 
in California have found the roots of the Tule, (pronounc- 
ed Toolay). valuable as food, and that they find a ready 
m.arket at 6c. per ponml, and wishes to know what it is, 
etc.— The rivers of California have hundreds and hun- 
dreds of acres of their margins occupied by a sedge 
known to botanists as Scirpus lacustris. and to the Mexi- 
cans as luli; a name which Americans have adopted for 
the plant, and the places where they grow are called tule 
lands. But the Pacific Rural Press, which is no doubt 
well informed, says it is not the tule root at all that the 
Chinaman is after, "bnt a species of artichoke that arrows 
among the iul6s." — Evidently some tuber-bearing He^lan- 
thus, related to the Jerusalem Artichoke. 
