294 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
Feed lor Horses.— Robert H. Martin, Sus- 
sex Co., Del. Oats are universally considered the best 
grain for feeding to horses. If the straw be well cured, 
and Hie mithreshed bundles be run through a straw-cut- 
ter, the feed cannot well be surpassed. The straw so 
used should be free from rust, and it is considered an im- 
provement to slightly wet the whole just before feeding. 
Currycomb Substitute.— W. B. "Waldo, 
DutLhess Co., N. Y., writes to the Agriculturist that a 
case-knife, with the edge made smooth but not sharp, is 
equally effective with a currycomb in removing dust and 
scurf skin from the horse, and pleasanter for the animal. 
Garget in Cows.— S. S. Moody, Hampshire 
Co., Mass. This disease is the result of Inflammation of 
the lymphatic glands of the udder of the cow. It may be 
produced by neglecting to draw off the milk, by external 
injury, fevers, etc. If neglected, matter may be formed, 
and a bad abscess result. In its first stages it may usually 
be relieved by washing the bag with warm water, and 
then after wiping it dry, applying to the entire surface 
melted lard, as hot as the animal can bear it. If ab 
scesses be formed, they should be lanced. 
Grass for Sheep.— James McCollum, Ni- 
agara Co., N. Y. The grass best suited for sheep pas- 
ture must depend on the character of the soil. Where 
blue grass will flourish, nothing is more suitable ; in other 
sections wc should prefer timothy, or if exposed to much 
drouth, should try orchard grass, which bears very close 
feeding, and is much relished by sheep or cattle. 
Freeing" Poultry from Vermin.— Ed- 
ward A. Lewis, St. Charles Co., Mo., writes: "Last 
year my hens were so infested with vermin that they 
died on their nests, and even on the roosts. It was im- 
possible for a person to step into the old hen-house, even 
for a moment, without bringing away colonies of the de- 
testable insects in his clothing. Upon transferring the 
hens to the new building, they were all rubbed with a 
mixture of lard and Scotch snuff. The old house was 
fumigated with tobacco stems and thoroughly white- 
washed. Sassafras roosting-poles were adopted in the 
new house, from a suggestion found in the Agriculturist. 
To all which, together with the burning out of the nests, 
may be attributed the fact that there has not been the least 
appearance of the pests on my premises the present year. 
regions, would be greatly benefitted by such information 
from those who have "been through the mill." 
Snbsoiling.— W. C. Pierce, Clinton Co., N. 
Y. Subsoiling would undoubtedly benefit a clayey loam 
resting on a gravelly hardpan, but permanent draining 
with tiles would be a more lasting improvement. We 
can not name the best subsoil plow ; several good pat- 
terns may usually be found at any agricultural ware- 
house. It is not necessary nor advisable to bring up the 
subsoil to the surface where the soil is eighteen inches to 
two feet deep. Driving the plow through it will open it 
to the action of air and moisture. 
Prevention of Smut.- Jamea R. Boyd, 
Ontario, Wis., writes to the American Agriculturist, that 
last Spring he sowed Scotch Fife wheat, after having 
washed the seed with strong salt brine and rolled it in 
lime until it was well covered. The crop was entirely 
free from smut, while neighboring fields without this ap- 
plication, were badly infected. We have used with 
success a wash of dissolved sulphate of copper (blue 
vitriol) ; perhaps common salt would be equally useful. 
Orchard Grass -with Clover.— William 
Shockley, Jr. Orchard grass sown with clover makes 
an excellent mixture, as the two ripen together, and the 
hay produced is of the first quality. It may be sown with 
winter grain, the same as timothy. A bushel per acre 
is sufficient seed when to be mixed with clover. We do 
not know that it would be less injurious than timothy to 
the wheat crop, but the experiment is worthy a trial. 
Time for Plastering* Clover.— James 
McCollum, Niagara Co., N. \\ We prefer to sow plas- 
ter upon the young growth of clover in the Spring. It 
then has an opportunity of expending all its virtue in 
forwarding the plants, before being partially washed 
away, as it would be if applied in Autumn. 
Practical Questions arc often .is valuable, 
because suggestive, as direct Information. E. J. Judd, 
Ontario Co., N. Y., sends the following for answer in the 
American Agriculturist : "What does it cost per bushel 
to grow corn along the line of the N. Y. Central Railroad, 
and what is the average product per acre ? What weight 
of ears of the 8 and 12-rowed varieties will yield 60 lbs. of 
shelled corn? In the same section, what is the cost per 
rod, to thoroughly underdrain land, two feet deep, with 
good tiles of \)i inch bore ? Also, w hat is the experience, 
in these matters, of those living along the line of the 
N. Y. and Erie Railroad?" As these roads run through 
districts varying in character along their routes, some 
of the answers would present widely different figures; 
still they would contain useful information. 
Xo Keep Bees from Over-swarm- 
ing-.— several Inquirers. Mr. Quinby writes on this 
subject for the Agriculturist: "With the ordinary box- 
hive, there seems to be no practical way to prevent over- 
swarming. When there are but few stocks kept, it is 
possible to remove the queens of the after-swarms, and 
return the bees to the parent hive. But in large apiaries. 
it is common to have several swarms issue at once, and 
cluster together, making it impossible to return each 
swarm to the hive to which it belongs. In the movable 
comb hive, the following management will control tliein: 
A week after the first swarm has issued, take out the 
combs and cut off all the queen cells but one, and the 
work is done. It will not answer to wait until some of 
the queens mature, and then do it, as by that time the 
bees get up the swarming fever, and they will sometimes 
come out with the last queen they have. Over-swarming 
is disastrous, even when an increase of stocks is desira- 
ble, as the old one is often ruined, and perhaps only one 
of the new ones suitable for Winter. By a little manage- 
ment, two, and even three powerful colonies may be 
obtained from one in a single season, and not impoverish 
the old one at all. The queens may be reared artificially. 
The Italians work much better in this way than the 
natives, and introducing a mature one to the old stock 
almost immediately after the first swarm, will result in 
one or two additional swarms without leaving the old 
stock almost destitute of bees, during the season of the 
best yield of honey.'' 
46 Northern Honey." — Several inquirers. 
This is an old invention, secret recipes of which were 
peddled about the country several years since, at from 
ten dollars to twenty-five cents, according to the verdan- 
cy of the customers. The directions for making it, pub- 
lished in a former volume of the Agriculturist, are as 
follows: Dissolve 20 lbs. of coarse sugar in 3 quarts of 
warm water. Stir into it one-fifth ounce of cream of 
tartar, first dissolved in a little water, and also five or six 
pounds of good honey, and half a teaspoonful of essence 
of peppermint. Boil the whole slowly for 12 minutes, 
stirring it all the time, and it will make 30 lbs. of a mix- 
ture which with some may pass for honey. 
llreaking Up Prairie Lands.- "Min- 
nesota" desires someone practically familiar with the 
operation, to give in the Agriculturist details of his ex- 
perience in breaking up prairie land, as to the best sea- 
son, what is preferable for the first crop, method of culti- 
vation and the result. He asks " Does the sod rot better 
when laid flat and even, than when rough and exposed to 
the weather ?'* Many now seeking homes in Southern 
Minnesota, Northern Iowa. Wisconsin, and other prairie 
Preserving- Cheese from Flies.— S. E. 
Ogden, Austin, Mich. New cheese should be anointed 
with butter or oil made from whey-cream, which rises 
from whey set apart for the purpose after being drawn 
from the curd. It is skimmed off and churned like other 
batter. In hot weather a sprinkling of cayenne pepper 
mixed with it will repel flies. A little beeswax added, 
hardens the mixture, and is better for the hot season. 
The " Wine-Plant" Hnmbug.-From 
the frequent advertisements and notices now appearing 
in the newspapers, we feel constrained to again caution 
our readers against investing money or time in any so- 
called "wine-plant." Last year it was the "English 
wine-plant ;'"' now there are several names. The gist of 
the matter is, that from the juice of any variety of rhu- 
barb, it is possible to make an alcoholic drink, by adding 
sugar, and fermenting it. The same is the case with the 
juices of a great number of other plants and fruits. But 
there is no essential difference between cider whiskey 
or cider brandy, and the so-called " rhubarb-wine," ex- 
cept in the amount of alcohol, and that the latter has a 
different flavor. There is little if any difference in the 
different kinds of rhubarb, so far as their capability of 
producing alcohol with sugar is concerned. One of the 
best varieties of rhubarb for cooking or any other pur- 
pose, is the Linnaeus, or " Myall's Linnauis," as the same 
plant is sometimes called, from Mr. Myatt who first 
raised it from seed. This variety is now abundant, and 
has been advertised in the American Agriculturist the 
present year fur $18 per thousand roots ! If anybody in- 
vests in it at $25 per hundred (that is *'250 per 1,000 !) be- 
cause some speculator names it ;t " wine-plant," he pays 
pretty dearly fur neglecting to invest a dollar a year in 
the Agriculturist, in which paper the imposition was 
shown up some lime since. We see it staled that nearly 
4,000 gallons of this (rhubarb) wine is produced from one 
acre, and that it readily commands $2 per gallon ! Ore 
dat JudtBus! Pray tell us what responsible party i*. 
ready to contract for the product of ten acres (25,000 to 
40,000 gallons,) at a dollar a gallon. 
Souring of Wine. — Benjamin F. Hunting- 
ton, ■ . Wine and other fermented drinks will sour 
from exposure to the air. Fermentation is produced by 
the oxygen of the atmosphere uniting with the sugar ot 
the juice, at first changing it to alcohol, and ultimately to 
vinegar if the process be continued long enough. Cork 
bottles or casks tightly when the first or vinous stage of 
fermentation is completed, and it cannot sour. The ves- 
sels should be full, otherwise enough air may be present 
to induce a change. 
Cover tli© Spinach.— O. L. Allen, Berks 
Co., Pa. Spinach sown early in Septernher should be 
covered with hay, straw, or other litter, just before the 
ground freezes up. A covering of an iiwh thick is 
sufficient, and the straw should be removed when danger 
of hard freezing is over in the Spring. Thin the plants 
before the covering is put on. 
ISlaclc Knot on Plum and Cherry 
Trees.— "F. T.," Delhi, N. Y. This is not caused by 
an insect. It is very well explained and figured in the 
Agriculturist for April. 
English Ivy.— H. P. Rogers, Fulton Co., 111. 
We cannot tell whether the Ivy will flourish with you. 
We should try it on the northern rather than on the- 
southern side of the wall, as it will be less exposed to 
alternations of heat and cold. 
Magnolias in Michigan.— O. M. Wood, 
of the Botanic Gardens and Nurseries, Clinton Co., 
Mich., states that Magnolia acuminata grows well with 
him, and is as hardy as an oak, while the Catalpa is in- 
variably killed to the ground every Winter. 
American or ^few-Jersey Tea.-Some 
one in Columbia, Pa., sends us a specimen of the leaves 
of this plant, which was described in the September Agri- 
culturist. He thinks it will never suit the palate of an 
old tea-drinker. There was money in the letter, but no 
signature. The number of the letter is 95093. The paper 
can not be sent unless we have the address. 
E£T$r Plants I>elicions if Cooked 
Rightly. — Many readers say they do not understand 
how others can like the egg plant. We can ; cooking is 
everything. The best directions are given to the Ameri- 
can Agriculturist by one of its housekeeping readers. 
Cut the plant across into thin slices, say H inch thick; 
salt and lay these together over night ; in the morn- 
ing take them from the brine and sprinkle finely pow- 
dered cracker over both sides of the slices j then fry- 
brown (not black) in just enough fat to keep them from 
sticking to the griddle. Some use Indian meal instead 
of cracker, hut the cracker is best. We eat them thus 
cooked, and esteem them a really cheap delicacy, though 
we once thought them poor stuff. A subscriber at our 
elbow says : " Cut them into slices nearly % inch thick ; 
sprinkle on salt, lay them together with a lightweight 
on the top ; in the morning drain from the brine, roll 
in flour and fry in butter, and they can't be beat." 
Hfot Quite ISight "Vet, Mr. lBimil>ii£> ! 
One of the swindlers in Philadelphia sends out his 
" gift" and other enterprises, under the name of Messrs. 
"Bane <k Co." Right so far, for the operator is a 
bant to society. But having exhausted his list of known 
names, he is now putting up envelopes, printed with a 
neat mechanical device, which he sends to different 
parts of the country, addressed : " To any mechanic, in 
the Town of , County of , State of ," and re- 
quests the Postmaster to deliver the letter to some me- 
chanic. Enclosed and sealed up are a lot of schemes, 
tickets, etc., with great inducements for investing from 
25 cents to $1 or more. We suggest to Mr. Bane, that 
his letters would be more appropriately addressed: " To 
the Greatest Fool in the Town of, etc." 
Pronunciation ot" Names. — J. M. Por- 
ter, Roxabel, Ohio. The names of the authors mentioned 
in your inquiry are pronounced as follows: Boussingault, 
Bo6-sang-go ; Brandt, Brant ; Buist, Bu-ist ; Chorlton, 
Ch soft, as in cheese: Gooilale, GooUlale ; Guenon, 
Gernnon, (G hard, as in get:) this is the nearest ap 
proach we can give to the French sound of the u in the 
first syllable. Leuchar, ch hard, as in chasm. Licbig, 
Lee~l>t% ; Ynualt, Yoii-at. 
