1869.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
the windows, the sun fulling directly upon the 
board covering of these nests, and adding some- 
what to their warmth. The stone wall has 
been pointed with a cement and lime mortar, 
both on the inside of the house and on its north 
side, a little beyond the end of the house, each 
way. The roof and ends are covered with 
shingles, a board sheeting being nailed to joists, 
on the inside of which, lathes, set at intervals of 
six or eight inches, support a layer of sea-weed, 
which occupies a space equal to the thickness 
of the joists. The bottom of the house is 
banked all around with sea-weed or manure, 
and it would be difficult to conceive of a wann- 
er and sunnier shelter than the whole arrange- 
ment affords. The perches, which are four in 
number, run lengthwise of the house, standing 
on the same level, about two feet above the 
ground. They are simply laid in sockets, and 
can be removed at any time for cleansing, and 
for the spading up or raking of the soft earth 
below, with which it is proposed to mix the 
droppings once or twice a week. The posts 
between the sashes support, on their inner side, 
a light, galvanized, iron netting, which covers 
the whole opening, serving to keep the fowls 
from flying against the glass, and for keeping 
them inside the house in summer, when the 
sashes are entirely removed. The whole cost of 
the house, built in the best manner, has been 
less than $75, and it is large enough to accom- 
modate fifty laying hens, and their early spring 
progeny. It is impossible yet to speak of the 
results of this experiment, but, as it involves no 
new principle, and depends only upon the per- 
fection of methods which have already been 
tried, there is no reason for supposing that its 
success will not be complete. Certainly it will 
not add to the farm expenses in the items of in- 
terest, insurance, and wear and tear, more than 
$7.50 per annum, equal to fifteen dozen eggs at 
the average February prices. 
Milk Cooling and Coolers. 
This is an important subject. The number 
of devices for effecting this object which will soon 
be pressed upon the farming community will, 
we presume, be equaled only by that of wringers 
and washing machines. Already many patents 
have been granted, some of which we know to be 
excellent, and the owners of these patents have 
the use of our advertising columns, in which to 
make known their merits. 
The following description 
of a cooler, which is not 
patented, is sent us by a 
correspondent, W. C, of 
Oberlin, O., who has had 
it in use. "We have no 
doubt it will cool milk 
quite rapidly, in the broad- 
input lied cans such as are 
used in the dairy regions for carrying milk to the 
factories. It may be made by any tinman, and 
is not, liable to be injured in use. Mr. C. writes": 
" For cooling milk in Carrying Cans holding thir- 
ty to forty gallons, take two tin tubes eight inches 
in diameter and twenty inches long, each with 
covers to fit ; connect them at top by means of a 
round, or half round, bowed tin handle, an inch 
and a quarter in diameter, four inches long, and 
at bottom by a strap of double tin of the same 
width. For using, fill the cooler with ice and 
water to within two or three inches of the top, 
and set it in the milk-can. After putting two or 
three pails of milk into the can, lift the cooler 
a little, and turn it half round and back two or 
three times ; this will stir the milk and equalize 
MILK COOLEli. 
the temperature. Repeat this after the addition 
of each successive pail of milk, until the can is 
full enough. If the milk be not quite as cool as 
desired, the process may be continued until the 
desired result is attained, which will not be long. 
In this way we can prepare milk for raising 
cream, or for carrying to the factory or to market. 
It may be kept in good condition twenty-four 
hours, and then give better satisfaction to the 
cheese-maker and consumer, than if transport- 
ed warm, immediately after being drawn from 
the cow. This simple mode of cooling milk 
gives entire satisfaction to all who have tried it." 
White Clover. — In seeding down laud in- 
tended for pasture it is a great mistake not to 
sow a pound or two of white clover with the red 
clover and timothy. It will add greatly to the 
growth and value of the pasture. 
What Lands Shall We Drain? 
In the January number, in an article on Drain- 
ing, several questions were set apart for future 
discussion. The first of these was the one 
which forms the title of this article. 
The question immediately rises, when a farmer 
thinks of draining, Which of my fields shall I 
drain first? and he generally answers it by se- 
lecting the worst. In fact, writers on the sub- 
ject of draining almost always recommend 
that it be first applied to such fields as are most 
in need of it, that is, to utterly worthless swamps 
and very wet brush pastures. Though, at first 
sight, the advice seems to be good, on farther 
consideration, it will be seen that there are some 
good reasons why these fields are not the ones 
whose early draining will result in the greatest 
early profit. The draining of a worthless swamp 
is an acquisition of more land, an extension of 
the actual limits of the farm; and it implies a 
greater amount of work to be done in cultivation 
and harvesting, more capital to be invested in 
implements and labor, and additional acres 
to be manured. The crop resulting from its 
reclamation must pay the charges of interest, 
labor, live-stock, and manure, before it can yield 
us any actual profit; and probably during the 
first ten years after the reclaiming of such land, 
when we come to consider the extent to which 
other land must be neglected for the sake of it, 
there will not be much clear profit resulting. 
Probably the land which it will pay the farmer 
best to drain is the best land on his whole 
farm, if this needs draining at all. Interest on 
value, teams, and labor for cultivation, manure 
for fertilizing, and stock to consume products, 
are already provided ; the field is already pay- 
ing all these charges. Any process that will 
tend to increase its crop will be attended with 
very slight increase of expense, if any ; and the 
entire benefit attributable to the drainage is so 
much clear profit, which, taxed by no charges, 
accumulates year by year into a fund which 
will enable us to extend our improvements to 
other lands. In the draining of the farm, we 
shall come finally to the worthless swamp, armed 
with experience in the work, confidence in its 
results, and means for its execution which will 
insure not only that the draining shall be com- 
plete and successful, but that the improved con- 
dition of the land shall immediately be made to 
yield its fair proportion of profit. 
Of course, there are many fields and many 
whole farms which need nothing more than the 
very complete draining that Nature herself has 
given them in the form of a porous subsoil — 
such lands as are known all over the country as 
"early" and "warm." A few years ago we 
contem; lated the conversion of a field of heavy 
land into a market garden, and on consultation 
with an old-fashioned neighbor were dis- 
suaded from doing so. " I don't think that'll 
make good garden land." " Why not ? " 
" Well, it's kind o' cold and late." " But I in- 
tend to underdrain it." " Well, I know— but it's 
cold." " Is n't it cold because it's wet ?" " Well, 
may be so, partly— but then it's naterally cold." 
Now, if the experience of the last forty or fifty 
years in the use of draining tiles has proven any- 
thing, it lias proven that " naterally cold " means 
wet, and means absolutelynothiug else. Iu pro- 
portion as heavy, wet lands are thoroughly 
drained, in just that proportion do they become 
thoroughly warm ; and while, owing to the 
quantity of clay they contain, it may not be 
possible ever to make them as light and warm 
as sandy land, it is always possible to make 
them light enough and warm enough for the 
most successful cultivation. If we desired to sum 
up in a single expression the whole gist of our 
advice to any farmer who wished to decide 
what fields it was best for him to drain, we 
should recommend him to try, first of all, such 
as are "naterally cold;" and if we wished to 
be more explicit, we should carry out the argu- 
ments which justify this suggestion by en- 
deavoring to convince him that his greatest 
proportion, not of return, but of profit, is to be 
found in the draining of laud which is already 
rich and profitable for cultivation, but is yearly 
subject to those many ill effects of too great wet 
or too great drought, which it is the chief object 
of underdraining to overcome. 
The Pea-nut, or Ground-pea. 
To judge from the number of letters inquir- 
ing about the culture of the Pea-nut, Ground- 
pea, or Pindar, there is considerable interest 
felt in this crop. The plant being a tropical 
one, it can be successfully grown only in the 
warmer States. Small quantities have been 
raised in New Jersey and Southern Illinois, hut 
the main supply comes from further south. The 
best account of its culture that we have seen is 
one given some time ago in the Southern Culti- 
vator, by Mr. N. M. Nixon, of North Carolina, 
a pea-nut grower of over fifty 3'ears' experi- 
ence. "We condense from Mr. N's rather extend- 
ed article the essential points. The best soil is a 
light sandy loam ; this is manured with 30 to 
CO bushels of shell lime to the acre, and 80 to 100 
loads of rotted leaves, or woods' mould ; ashes 
are considered valuable. Coarse vegetable mat- 
er, or "trash," is burned off, the land thor- 
oughly mellowed by plowing, and the surface 
made as level as possible. Rows are laid off 
with a plow or marker, from 27 to 32 inches 
apart each way, according to the quality of the 
land. At the intersections of the markings, 
two peas that have been carefully shelled are 
dropped, and covered from 2 to 3 inches deep 
with a hoc, using fine earth. Planting is done 
from the middle of April to the middle of May. 
Thorough cultivation is required, which maybe 
done with the plow or horse-hoe, assisted by 
band-hoeing, and hand-pulling such weeds as 
cannot be otherwise reached. The crop must 
not be allowed to get foul. Harvesting is done 
in October, and before any frost touches the 
vines. In harvesting, a plow arranged for the 
purpose is run along each side of the row; this 
loosens the vines, which are then pulled up, 
shaken, and placed upside down. They remain 
in this position to cure, which requires from two 
