Ifi65.j 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
209 
The Red Fox.—iVulpesfulvus.) 
We give here an engraving of one of the great- 
est nuisances to farmers living in the vicinity of 
ledges, in which a fox can readily burrow in the 
rocky debris. The nocturnal depredations of a 
pair of old foxes, who have their young to pro- 
vide for, will often extend over an area of several 
square miles, and so sly are they, and so well 
do they cover their retreat, that it is very difli- 
cult to find where any particular fox has his 
hole. These animals secrete a powerful odor 
which is in a gland near the base of the tail, 
and the odor being diffused more or less where- 
ever they go, it is very easy for dogs to track 
them ; but wary and fleet, they usually succeed 
in baflling their pursuers, leading them a long 
chase, and getting away at last. Wherever 
met, the fox is an enemy, and is killed if possi- 
ble, j-et they abound in well-peopled districts 
both of this country and Europe. They will 
eat fruit, and small animals wliich they kill 
themselves, not unfrequently killing lambs sev- 
eral weeks old. They eat also fresh meat, pro- 
vided it has no scent of man upon it. By means, 
therefore, of poisoned meat, it is often practica- 
ble to destroy them. Those who are most suc- 
cessful use strychnine, which they insert in 
small quantities by means of a quill, in many 
places in a fowl or small animal of some kind, 
handling it with gloves, which are sometimes 
scented with oil of Rliodium, a flavor of which 
most animals are very fond. Such poisoned 
meat is of course equally deadly to dogs and 
cats as to foxes, and some family pets might 
thus be sacrificed, unless care were taken so to 
suspend it that it shall fall in the way of foxes 
only. There are statements, which we deem 
reliable, of strychnine having been used with 
excellent effect in protecting sheep from other 
canine animals besides foxes and wolves. And 
if any of our readers thinks he would rather 
iOse a few sheep than poison any neighbor's 
dog, which might visit his sheep pastures, we 
warn him that strj'chnine is surer diJath than 
even lead to any dogs that may swallow it. 
Eiiropean Sparrows in America. 
Every one who has visited Europe may liavc 
noticed the sparrows which are so abundant in 
the cities and villages. They live upon insects, 
bits of otfal of various kinds, grain, crumbs, etc., 
being regular scavengers, and, especially iu 
breeding time, consume immense numbers of 
insects, which are said to be the chief food of the 
young birds — though the appetites of old birds 
crave a greater variety of food. In some parts 
EUROPEAN SPARROWS. 
of England there exists a prejudice against the 
sparrows, because, like the other finches (for 
they belong to the finch tamil}'), they eat grain, 
and a price is set upon their heads. Some few 
years since, quite a large number of these birds 
were imported and set loose in the Central 
Park, with the anticipation that they wijuld 
multiply and make themselves at home in this 
city, where we so greatly need something to ( 
destroy the insects which are 
such nuisances upon our shade 
trees. They did not stay where 
they were, but drifted across 
the Hudson, and took up their 
abode (at least some of them 
did) in Jersey City and Hoboken, 
where they are now quite nu- 
merous in some parts of these 
cities. Tlie prejudice agaiust 
tliem is probabl}' unfouuded, at 
least if their great destruction 
of insects be taken into account. 
They are lively, chattering crea- 
tures, very active, somewhat 
larger than our ground spar- 
row, and darker colored. They 
have little or no beauty, and no 
agreeable song, but stay with 
us all winter. 
Eaising Turnips, on Heavy 
Soils and Stumpy Grounds. 
On some soils and exposures 
large crops of excellent turnips 
may be raised with little labor, 
while in many other places 
much labor and manure are es- 
sential to produce even a small 
crop of only fair quality. On 
some soils turnip seed may be 
sowed broadcast after a crop of 
barley or oats has been remov- 
ed ; and the yield will be four 
or five hundred bushels or even more per acre, 
having but little or no cultivation or weeding. 
On otlier farms, where the soil will yield 50 
bushels of barley, 70 of oats, or 3.5 or 30 busliels 
of wheat, a farmer might despair of producing 
a crop of turnips that would half pay the ex- 
pense of cultivation, after one of these crops of 
cereals has been removed. Ill adaptation of 
the soil to turnips is one chief difticully ; an- 
other is the turnip fly. To guard against the 
ravages of these insects, through some sections 
(as in Central New- York) it is customary to sow 
the seed more tlian twenty times as thick as 
necessary ; and then, as soon as the turnips 
appear in seed leaf, 
scatter dry ashes over 
them with a fine 
sieve. Most of the 
thinning is done with 
a broad hoe, as soon 
as they are large 
enough, and out of 
danger. This is done 
in the heat of the 
day, as the plants 
>^; that are rooted up 
^ " will die readily. The 
^-^ hoe is drawn across 
the drills, leaving 
groups about 10 inch- 
es apart. The thin- 
ning is then finished 
by hand, leaving the 
best plant iu the 
group stauding.Those 
that .are pulled up, are placed around the stand- 
ing ones, and operate as a mulch to keep the 
soil moist. We have found that after turnips 
form six or eight leaves, and are as large as 
the little finger, the occasional application of 
weak liquid manure, after sundown, is produc- 
tive of excellent results. It is sometimes desir- 
able during this month, to sow turnip seed on 
" slashing " or new ground that cajinot be 
