24r9 
AMEUT CAN A( rlllC ULTUHIST. 
[JULY T 
Yield oi* Cora in r%ebra*ka. — The 
State Board of Agricnlture, of Nebraska, offered a pre* 
miiiiu of $.j0 for the best yield of corn in that State in 
1873. The premium was awarded to M. M. Nelson, of 
Cass Co., whose crop was raised on thirty-live acres of 
ground, which was broken two year.-? before. The state- 
ment -worn to by the grower was as follows : 
Viilt] of corn upon the 35 acres 3,20*2V bushels. 
Average yield per acre 91>i" " 
Weight of com, per bushel G3 pounds. 
Total cost of the crop $106. 26*. 
Cost per acre 4.75. 
Cost of corn, per bushel B l l 10 els. 
The variety grown was known by the local name of 
Mahogany. The cost is made up of the very reasonable, 
or we may say, very low charges of $1.25 per acre for 
plowing, 45 cents for planting, $1.80 for cultivating, and 
$1.25 for harvesting. We suppose the cars were stripped 
from the stalks, which were not " cut up, 11 as is the 
method in the Eastern States. 
Some I>nii-y Items. — "Subscriber," Col- 
orado Territory. The lactometer is not made expressly 
for testing milk ; i f s purpose is simply to test the specific 
gravity of a Eqnid. Used alone, it is a very fallible in- 
strument, and is calculated to mislead as much as to in- 
struct. A cream gauge should be used along Willi it, and 
then, in the hands of a skillful and judicious person, 
who is able also to use other tests in corroboration of its 
disclosures, it may be of some service. Any dealer in or 
maker of scientific instruments, or dairy implements, 
could furnish a trustworthy lactometer and cream gauge. 
We could hardly advise you to purchase at present Short- 
horns of pure blood for dairy purposes, with a view to 
profit. The cost of cows of a good milking strain would 
be such as to preclude any profit, with milk at nine cents 
a gallon. At present, this class of stock is held and 
dealt in by breeders only, and is therefore scarce. It is 
in course of distribution, and by and by, as its nnmbcrs 
increase, it will become reduced in price. But it has a 
large field to extend over, and until that becomes fairly 
occupied, we may expect to sec the best strains of Short- 
horns retain a value which places them beyond the reach 
of a dairyman. However, it is probable that by search- 
ing amongst some of the breeders in Colorado, a young 
bull of good character could be picked up which might 
be Cl'OSSed Upon Ayrshii'o or extra good llttLlYC cows with 
benefit. The Ayrshire and Shorthorn cross has produced 
some excellent dairy cows. In selecting a bull for this 
purpose, one should be chosen from a heavy milking 
dam, and having fine bone, a fine neck, wide chest, a 
loose mellow skin, and fine hair; the heavier beef-pro- 
dncing qualities may be ignored in a bull for dairy pur- 
poses. Butter at 35 cents a pound is more profitable 
than milk at nine cents a gallon, in a dairy of good 
butter-yielding cows. 
Iteceut I>i*?covery of Guano. — A 
short time ago, some extensive beds of guano were dis- 
covered in Peru, to the south of the Province of Tara- 
psca. An examination of the beds has recently been 
made by two surveyors, which were sent out by the Cen- 
tral Board of Engineers of Lima, Peru. Their report is 
of very great interest, as it shows that several large 
beds of guano, of excellent quality, exist in that locality. 
Those which have been surveyed, arc estimated to con- 
tain nearly eight million tons; one of them alone con- 
tains five million tons of fine quality. These fortunate 
discoveries not only remove all fear of a present failure 
in the supply of guano, but indicate that there are yet 
other undiscovered beds in existence, which will provide ■ 
a practically inexhaustible supply. 
Pencil Borers.— "L. F. M., n Piedmont, 
Mo. We doubt if coal oil or any other application will 
destroy the borer, when once at work within the tree. 
The only sure treatment is to kill the grnb by some me- 
chanical means. In the peach districts of Delaware and 
Maryland, *' worming is done as soon as the crop is off, 
as then there is a plenty of labor at hand. Each person 
is provided with a hoc, to remove the earth from the 
■base of the tree, a strong knife, to cut away the bark and 
wood, to find the channel of the borer, and a wire or 
■whalebone, to pass into the hole, and kill the invader. 
As the borer often enters considerably above the base of 
the tree, we can not see how coal oil, applied to the 
roots, will reach it. 
Clean Seed Wheat.— "H. K.," Green 
Bay, Wis. Our course to procure seed free from 
weeds, is- to go through a portion of the field, and gather 
every head of cockle and other weed that could possibly 
be harvested along with the wheat. This portion of the 
grain should be kept separate from the rest, and thrashed 
by itself, and kept.esnrcssly for seed. The usual care- 
less habit of throwing the screenings from the grain into 
the barn-yard, is the source of a great part of the weeds 
upon farms. All such trash should be cither burned, or, 
if mixed with light grain, ground, and fed to hogs or fowls. 
Old. Brood Marcs. — " Horseman," 
Orange Co., N. Y. There have been many cases of 
mares breeding after the age of twenty years. The fa- 
mous Lexington was foaled when his dam was twenty- 
three years old, and the dam of Dexter now has a foal at 
foot, and she is in her twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth 
year. The mare Katydid is recorded as having a foal at 
twenty-eight years. 
Fine Mushrooms. — The finest exhibition 
of mushrooms we ever saw, was seen a few weeks ago 
at the seed-store of James Fleming, G7 Nassau street. 
Ftir size, abundance, and excellent shape, they were 
truly remarkable. We learn that they were raised by 
Samuel Ilenshaw, gardener to J. C. Green, Esq., New 
Brighton, Staten Island, the same successful cultivator, 
WhOSe improved Mi^tlOllPll.^wnQmfnllonod laot month. 
Mr. II. has a cellar arranged for mushroom growing, and 
we hope he will give our readers an account of the 
method, which produces such fine results. 
Grape Scissors.— There have been sev- 
eral contrivances for conveniently picking fruit, without 
handling it, but we have 
seen none better calcu- 
lated to do this than the 
scissors invented by S. W. 
Valentine, Bristol, Ct. The 
stem is cut by the blades 
of the scissors, and there 
is a spring which holds 
the fruit, until it is re- 
k-ascd Vy upcnlng me 
handles. Grapes, especial- 
ly, are much disfigured by 
having the bloom rubbed 
off by handling, and this will allow the picking to be done 
without touching a berry. The engraving shows the 
form of the scissors. 
Rhubarb and Tomato Wine.— 
"N. M. L.," Iowa. Almost any fruit or vegetable juice, 
mixed with an equal measure of water, with about 
three pounds of sugar to the gallon, and allowed to 
ferment, will form an alcoholic liquid. That anything 
bearing the remotest resemblance to wine can be made 
from either tomatoes or rhubarb, we do not believe. We 
have seen many samples, which in the opinion of the 
makers were good, but in our opinion very poor stuff. 
Breaking Tor Hedge Kows-" C. 
C. R.," Barton Co., Kansas. The ground for a hedge 
row should be broken in August. The strip broken 
should he at least six feet wide, and should be plowed 
deeply, with an open furrow in the center. Just before 
frost, the ground should be plowed back again, filling 
the dead furrow, and turning one more furrow of sod 
upon each side. Early in spring, the ground should be 
plowed once more, throwing a ridge in the center of the 
row, upon which the hedge plants should be planted. 
The hedge will thus stand in the center of a ridge, not 
less than eight feet wide, and with a deep furrow upon 
each side, for drainage. If fire is feared, a fire guard, of 
six feet wide, had better be plowed around the fence. 
The fence row must be kept well cultivated. 
now to Make a Root House-" W. 
J.," Reed City, Mich. Full directions for making root 
cellars of logs, were given, with illustrations, in the 
Agriculturist for October, 1S73, page 3T6. 
As to I*icl*les. — ''Gardener,' 1 Albany, Ind. 
The usual market value of cucumbers for pickles is 
about the same all over the country. We have known 
but little difference between the prices in New York and 
the Western cities; if any, the prices in the West arc 
higher. In New York, pickles come to market packed 
either in brine or vinegar, in barrels of forty galls, and 
half barrels. The barrels hold 1.000, *2,000, or 3,500. ac- 
cording to size, and are now worth $14 to $10. The 
half barrels hold 500, GOO. S00. or 1.000, and sell for $4.75 
^o $G.00. The favorite size arc the smaller ones, of COO 
to the half barrel ; these bring $5.50 fit the present time. 
The fresh gathered "pickles" arc generally eWffl [o per- 
sona who pack them, at $l.£o per 1.000. The packers 
put them down in brine, and sometimes keep tttcm two 
years, when the demand is dull. The value in Chicago 
or St. Louis is about $10 a barrel, generally. An article 
on pickles will be found on page 202. 
draining- "Sticlcy" Laud.-'J-N. 
Z.," West Charlotte, Ohio. Black sticky laud, with a 
clay subsoil, would undoubtedly be improved by drain- 
ing. Much of the sticky character would probably dis- 
appear after it is freed from water, and it would become 
looser and mellow. This effect has repeatedly been real- 
ized by draining, and it is one of its most marked im- 
provements. At all events, it would be safe to experi- 
ment upon a strip at the lowest part of the land first. 
Disease amongst Lambs.- ( 'J. E. 
G.*" West Falmouth, Mass. We know of no disease 
amongst lambs, attended by such symptoms as sore- 
ness of the eyes, and swelling or Hie eyelids, un- 
less it be what is known as opthalmia. This is accom- 
panied with considerable general disturbance of the 
system, as shown by a dry, hot mouth, loss of appetite, 
and suspension of rumination. The wool feels harsh, 
and the lambs keep away from their companions. It is 
probably dne to poor keep, and when on a bare pasture, 
the flock is exposed to the reflection of light and heat, 
from the bare ground. Cold, damp, and exposure to cold 
winds, will also produce it. Immediate care is needed, 
to avoid ulceration of the eye. which frequently follows 
the inflammation. The lambs should be kept up in a dark 
stable, and a few drops of a solution of one grain of 
chloride of zinc, in an ounce of water, should be syringed 
into the eye four times a day. Rags, dipped in a mix- 
ture of a pint of water, and two ounces of laudanum, 
should be hung, by means of a string, around the head, 
so as to cover the eyes. A tea-spoonful of Epsom salts, 
dissolved in water, should be given to each lamb, and a 
quarter of a pound of linseed-meal daily, would be a help. 
Bees. — Some one at Dennisport, Mass., sent 
his letter without signing it. Had he given his name, 
we should have sent him Mr. Quinby's circular, which 
would have answered his a"e=t;™«° 
tuo oafry In the North* west. — 
"W. S. S.,'" Chatauqua Co., N. Y. There is no risk 
whatever as to the onality of the product in dairying, in 
cither Kansas Nebraska or Minnesota. The native 
grasses of the prairies arc abundant, and produce excel- 
lent butter and cheese. We have never seen anywhere 
else, than on these prairies, such high-colored or sweeter 
flavored butter or richer milk. The very common grass, 
with narrow leaves, known as Eouteloua, and which is 
frequently mistaken for Buffalo-grass (Buchloe dacfy- 
loides), is productive of very rich milk, and the best of" 
butter. This grass does not disappear, as the Bnflhlo- 
grass does, when the prairie* come to be occupied by 
settlers, and it would doubtless furnish the most valu- 
able, although rather thin, pasture for a number of years, 
if indeed it would not be permanent. The latu- prairie 
grass is also nutritious, and gives a heavy crop of hay. 
The chief drawbacks are want of water and shelter, but 
the first exists only in some localities, and the other will 
soon no longer exist. Already there are abundant open- 
ings for cheese factories and creameries, and in many 
cases tempting inducements arc offered by the farmers 
for dairymen to go in and erect factories. 
Summer-Fallowing; Prairie.— lt M. 
A. C," North Topeka. We would not summer-fallow a 
prairie soil that is rich in vegetable or soluble mineral 
matter. The chief object of summer-fallowing is to kill 
weed's, but. they may be killed without it. Another ob- 
ject is to work up and expose a hardly used soil to the 
air and weather, to mellow it and improve its condition. 
But on a soil that is already in cood condition, yet full of 
weeds, it would be just as well to let. the weeds grow, 
and plow them under before they blossom. If the 
greater part of the seeds can be destroyed, by one or two 
plowing? in this way, a great good may be done, and the 
land may then be put in fine condiiion for a fall wheat 
crop. But we woulA encourage the weeds to grow, and 
keep the ground weft covered until it is again plowed, 
rather than keep it bare by constant harrowing. A well- 
cultivated corn crop -would answer the same purpose. 
What is " I*i " ?— " E. W. C." The word 
'■ pi' 1 means a quantity of type scattered irregularly. In 
the puzzles on the last pages of the Agriculturist it means 
letters out of their proper place in the words, and thus 
meaning nothing ; the puzzle is to so re-arrange the let- 
ters as to make the words read correctly. This gives 
amusement to both children and old folks, and helps to 
make boys and girls think quickly 
