lO 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
liquid rnerisme of 1!53 gnllons, and is al^o used to des- 
ignate a large cask. Ton is written fur quantities by 
\T»iglit. Though both are derived from llie same Anglo- 
Saxon word, llie distinction in speiiins is a convenient 
one, and is sanctioned by good usage. 
Ciraiu-1>ov for Slacep Fceaiuft. — 
Tlins. B. Powell, of Ontario Co., N. Y.. wriles : " Lust 
winter I made a box for feeding grain to sheep, wliich I 
like well. It holds about half a bushel, is about 26 Inch- 
fs Ions on ^1"^ bottom and 23 on tlie lop; the back end 
square, the front sloping. The front end has a projection 
or guide (ff,) on 
tlie lower end to ~ - -~-^j-^t^^i_ _.. - --. ^^^j^ .y- aa;^}': "^-s^ 
run in and clear ^|^ - . \ Wi^v^^^ 
llie ttough; back 
of this is a par- 
tition or false 
front (;>,) still 
more slanting, the top of which is 5 inches and the bottom 
3 inches from the front. In it, in the middle of the lower 
part, is cut a hole 2 inches wide and about 3 or four inches 
high. Over this is a slide (s) for opening or closing the 
hole. Through the bottom, back of the guide, close to 
ihe front, is cut another hole, 2x3 inches in size. About 
half of the top s-hould be covered, as shown in the sketch. 
To use it, take it by the back end in one hand, the other 
holding the slide, and shove it along in the trough open- 
ing or closing the slide and raising or lowering the back 
end as may be needeii. For oats the hole may be larger." 
Is tlierc any Oootl in Coru Col»s ? — 
"J, W. H." — For our own use we ne\"er would grind corn 
and cobs together. We believe cobs of ripe corn arc 
often productive of batl results ; but those of soft corn 
and nubbins do contain some nutriment and are not so in- 
jurious, nor difficult of digestion. There is a vast ileal 
of steam and water power wasted in grinding cobs, but 
we presume, were the facts known, this would not com- 
))are as 1 to 10 with the power wasted in digesting them. 
Cri*ain-l>iu VcHtilators. — Every Graiu- 
bin should have ventilators in the bottom. Those of the 
style figured are easily made .and put in. A bin 12 feet 
long and 4 wide, should liave three ventilators. They 
may be made of sheet-iron punched full of small holes, 
or of fine wire-cloth, 
tjent into a conical form. 
A sheet of iron is cut in- 
to semi-circular pieces, 
of about two feet radius : 
the holes ate punched, 
the pieces are run be- 
tween tinners' rollers 
and the edges riveted or 
locked together like 
stove-pipe. The boUoms arc turned to form narrow 
flanges for nailing them to the floor. Holes are then 
sawed in the floor and the ventilators nailed over them. 
It is not necessary to make the holes in more than half 
the diameter of the ventilators. 
Subsoil I*lo\>^— "E. B.," Lyon Co., Kausas, 
inquires where ho may obtain one of Mapes' Subsoil 
Plows?" We camiot tell; and if we could we would 
not recommend such a plow as lias formerly been sold 
by that name. The form of that plow is decidedly objec- 
tionable, as it does not raise the subsoil sufficiently high 
to effect good pulverization. The share is so thin that it 
runs through the ground, pressing through, and not 
breaking up its solidity. On page ISI of the Ag:ricultnrifit 
for 1865 is an illustration of lUo best form nf subsoil plow 
now in use. The cost is $10.00 to $15.00. 
Hot*' to C^atclt Moi-!«c.«i. — Horses ougbt 
to be trained when colls, to be easily caught. When a 
horse is incorrigibly bad to catch, never turn him loose 
without a halter headstall on. Then, always carry some 
oats, roots, me;iir^alt, sugar, or something else that he 
likes, and after lie has t:isted a few times, tnk© hold gent- 
ly of the halter. Whipping or any harshness immediate- 
ly after a horse is caught, makes a bad habit worse ; 
but even if hard to catch, reward liim when caught. 
Stripping;.— J. E:. mal^e*s Queries. 
" C. C," of Foxcroft. IMe., wiiies in answer to the queries 
of Mr. Blake (page 366, December AsricuUurist) as fol- 
lows: — I have been a milker for more than forty years, 
and all that lime have noticed that ne:uiy all cows, as the 
flow of milk abates at the end of the grazing season, fail 
to yield all the milk continuously to the hand of the 
milker. If this condition of things is a "habit," allied to 
vices sometinies observed in cows, I lliink it one tliat wc 
shall never see abated. For more lh;m twenty years I 
have had "a way of my own" to get over the tliflirulty 
without any tax on my patience. It is to sit down to 
^^owNo. I just as though oothingfwfls to htippfa b'.\t p. 
speedy milking. I draw the milk from all the teats, and 
when it ceases to flow re'adily, I move to cow No. 2 and 
treat her in the same manner. At the end of one or t«o 
minutes I return to cow No. 1 and find the milk well 
down in the udder and ready to be drawn quickly. When 
done, I find cow No. 2 equally ready to be milked, and 
thus milk two cows well in less time than one could be 
by a continuous operation. If but one cow were to be 
milked 1 uoulddo something else, after drawing the first 
milk, and before finishing In reply to the other inquiry 
of J. E. B., I think it best, more agreeable to the cow, as 
well as easier to the milker, to milk all the teats equally 
— changing (he hands often, so as to relieve the pressure 
from all parts of the udder evenly. 
Farmers" Cluljs.—Wlierc the farmers and 
others interested in the cultivation of the soil, huit-rais- 
ing, clc, (and who is not?) cnn be induced to meet 
socially (or even formally) for a free discussion of agri- 
cultural topics, great good always results to the whole 
district. There is probably no man in the town w ho does 
not think he knows how to do some things better than 
any boJy else. Why not get together and each tell his 
way, his notions, the results of his experiments. If one 
knows so much now that lie is sure he will not learn 
anything, then it is cruelly selfish for him to stay at 
home, for he might du a great deal of good : and if on« 
does not know quite so mucli as that,— then he will 5^f( 
good if he goes. Well managed Farmers' Clubs are rare. 
The Concord Farmers' Club is one, however, as we 
judge by hearsay evidence. They circulate a printed pro- 
gramme for this winter's ivork, (if such pleasant employ- 
ment may be so called) which gives the name of the 
member at whose house such meeting is to be held, from 
Nov. 9th to April 19th, with the subjects for discussion at 
each meeting, addresses and essays to be presented, etc. 
Agrienltiirnl Colleges.— AVe have many 
inquiries about Agricultural Colleges and must answer 
them in general terms. The only institutions of this 
kind in actual operation are those of Pennsylvania and 
Michigan. Of the former we have had but little knowl- 
edge since the death of its former president, Dr. Pugh, 
and know nothing about it beyond what our readers can 
learn from a circular, which can be obtained by addres- 
sing the President of the College, Center Co.. Pa. It hap- 
pens that we know rather more about the Michigan Col- 
lege, being well acquainted with its prebident and most 
of the faculty. We know that it presents unusual facil- 
ities to the industrious student, an'l that it deserves to 
have a much larger number of students, than it has yet 
received. Those from other Stales are admitted, but were 
the institution properly appreciated by the people of 
Michigan, there would be no room for the students from 
abroad. An advertisement of the Michigan College ap- 
pears this month. For those who desire to delve deeper 
in the sciences which underlie the principles of good 
agriculture, the courses of instruction at the Shefllield 
Scientific School of Vale College, the agricultural de- 
partment of which has received the " Agricultural Col- 
lege Fund," are unsurpassed. Prof. Geo. J. Brush 
(New Haven) will respond to requests for information, 
A JBrancli I^og'-diain. — The illustration 
here given represents a very convenient and useful chain 
for hauling tiniber or logs on the ground. Each piece is 
about three feet long, attached to a strong ring of an 
elliptical form. The other ends are provided with 
"dogs" of the form 
^^ 
^^ 
^-^3^^" 
\^i' 
shown, which are driven 
into the sides of a log or 
stick of timber, when it is 
to be hauled upon Iho 
ground. When a chain 
is wrapped around a 
log, it makes the draft much harder than if there were 
no chain beneath it . besides, when a chain cannot easily 
be put around the log. as it rests on the ground, a branch 
chain will be found very convenient. Tlie branch chain 
may be fastened near the lower side .of n. Jo^, jind tims 
require less force to haul it, than when one chain is used 
especially if the hitch is on the upper side of the log. 
rVe^v YorK State €'Iieese IVlannf*ar« 
turers' Association. — Tlie third annual meeting of 
the New Yoik State Cheese .Manufacturers' Association, 
will be held at the Ciiy of Utica, on Wednesday and 
Thursday, January lUlh and 11th. ISOG. The number of 
persons engaged in cheese dairying in New York alone, 
and who are directly or indiiecily connected with the 
associatitm. is more than 20.000, and it is believed the 
meeting will be the largest and most interesting that has 
ever been heretofore held by the farmers of the Slate on 
any special branch of industry. Delegations are expect- 
ed from the Eastern and Western States and from the 
Canadus, and subjecis of vast importance to dairymen 
are to be discussed and acted upon. The annual address 
will be delivered by X. A. Willard, A. M., of Herkimer 
County, AVednesday Evening, January 10th. Reports 
fiom 400 factories, and a large number from private 
dairies, are expected, of operations the past season, and 
various subjecis of interest to dairymen will be discussed. 
Xo Prevent Horses Slipping- l>o*wn. 
— We have had a horse shoe engraved to show black- 
smiths how to " lit up" shoes to prevent horses slipping 
down on smooth and slippery pavements. The heel 
calks sliMuId lie not less than 1\' inches long from the top 
of the shoe lo the end, and instead 
of being hanuiiered to an eilge 
like an iron wedge, the ejidn ■ 
should be fully ?„ of an inch wide 
and broad as the w idlh of the iron. 
The toe calks -should be much stronger than when they 
are made only ?,' an inch long. A horse shod with such 
calks will rarely slip on pavement, nor at all on ice. 
Xhe Cattle Pla;rnc or ^^Rinder- 
pest,-'— Congress has very wisely and promptly passed 
a law (the first law of the session) forbidding all impor- 
tation of domestic animals from Europe. It is right. Witli 
so great danger llneaiemng us we ouglit to take the 
promptest and most efficient measures. It will be no ev- 
idence of undue haste in passing this law, if subsequent 
consideration of the Subject should, as it probably will, 
lead to an establishment of a rigid quarantine, wherever 
foreign cattle enter the country. The distress and loss 
occasioned by this terrible " pest," has not been exagger- 
ated. The losses by death being 80 to 90 in 100 of the 
cattle attacked, and not under the most skillful treat- 
ment from the first. Should the plague come here, what 
we should do as we are without veterinary surgeons, it is 
easy to foretell— we should stand by and see the stock die 
in spite of our best eflxirts. It is well known that this dis- 
ease effects both neat stock and sheep, hence llie word 
"cattle" in the law doubtless covers both. The act is as 
follows : 
An Act to prevent the spread of foreign diseases 
among the cattle of the United States, 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-. 
fives of the United States of America in Congress as- 
sembled, that the importation of cattle be, and hereby is, 
proldbited. And it shall be the duty of the Secretary of 
the Treasury to make such regulations as will give Ihiri 
law full and immediate effect, and to send copies,i)f them 
to the proper officers in this country, and to allofllicers 
or agents of the United States in foreign countries. Sec. 
2. And be it further enacted, that when the President 
shall give thirty days' notice, by proclamation, that no 
further danger is to be apprehended from the spread of 
foreign infectious or contagious diseases among cattle, 
this law shall be of no force, and cattle may be imported 
in the same way as before its passage. Passed the House 
Dec. 11th ; the Senate passed it unaltered, and it re- 
ceived the signature of the President December 16th. 
Southern Farming— Chances for good Men. 
As postal facilities extend over the Southern States, we 
are constantly in the receipt of letters from our old 
subscribers and others, which, (however diverse may the 
views of the writers in regard to the vexed and important 
questions of the day, touching the political status of the 
Southern Slates and peoide, of all colots), breatlie the 
same spirit of improved agriculture. Wu dispute vvith 
nobody, who is in favor of better farmins. Advancement 
and improvement in one direction is close akin to that in 
every oiher. When we know that the whole Soulh is 
sprinkled over with such men, anxious, now at least, to 
try fairly tlic experiment of moi e intelligent labor, and of 
belter systems of farming, we can have little anxiety for 
the future, whatever throes and pains may attend the 
new birth of half a continent. Surely we will do what- 
ever is in our power lo aid men who write such letters as 
the following, lately received from Charlotte Co., Va. : 
* * * "I have unexpectedly been placed in 
charge of an estate of 3000 acres of fertile land, located 
as above, and desire to have it cultivated to the best ad- 
vantage. I have deicrmined to divide it itdo several 
farms, and my great need is intelligent and reliable labor 
and educated and experienced superintendence. The 
Frcedmen are attached to the place, and have warm 
fiiendship for their late master, who is so diseased lliat 
he caimot attend to his own business ; and 1 am anxious 
to spare no cfl^ort that will benefit thern and make them 
good, orderly and happy citizens. They (io not ni»w know 
th'-^ir rights or duties and must be inshucted in them 
gradually, and I believe will be most oatily informed as 
\o them by seeing honest, industrious and steady laboreis 
from some of the Northern States, working with them or 
in their vicinity, will learn from them that the interests of 
employer and employees are identical, and that good 
order, and a ^heerful obedioncfr lo lawful orders, are 
