1871.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
209 
result. The cows became poor, though they were given 
all of the very best of hay they would eat, with plenty 
of corn fodder, and two buckets of slop each day ; while 
others that I have on another farm, one-half mile distant, 
and do not get any horse manure, and were fed nothing 
but hay, all the time were in twice as good condition. 
The milk has a very offensive smell, and some of it is 
hardly fit for use. In straining it you may strain through 
the finest cloth, aud after it has stood twenty-four hours, 
there will be found to every gallon milk from one to two 
table spoonfuls, a black sediment, The butter is worse 
than the milk, for it smells stronger, tastes bitter, and 
frequently is of no use for the table. I think that horse 
manure fed to cows has a worse effect on the milk than 
onions, and I am sure that it is bad enough. I would 
recommend all the farmers who keep cows never to feed 
horse manure, as it makes the cow poor, the butter not 
fit for use, and the milk taste very strong." 
Strawberry Sliow at Elizabeth, 
N. J.— The N. J. State Agricultural Society will hold 
an exhibition of strawberries at Arcade Hall, Eliza- 
beth, N. J., on June 14th and loth. If the efforts of the 
committee are properly responded to by the New Jersey 
fruit-growers, the exhibition will be a fair one. 
Xlie Milk Escutcheon in Cows.- 
Puchncwala, Itidgeway, Iowa, asks: "1. What is meant 
by the milk escutcheon in cows? 2. Is it to be relied 
on as a mark of a good future milker;"— The milk 
escutcheon is that part of the hind-quarters of the cow on 
and about the udder, on which the hair grows upward. 
Its boundaries are defined by a quirl, where the up-grow- 
ing hair meets the down-growing. Sometimes it occu- 
pies only a little more than the udder itself, while in 
other cases it reaches well out on to the thighs, and runs 
up several inches wide, quite to the setting-on of the 
tail. Sometimes it lies only on one side of the vulva, 
and again on both sides. Occasionally it is cut square 
across half way up, and again is rounded at the top. Its 
form can usually be seen at a glance. Its future extent 
and shape ca>. generally be clearly determined on close 
examination in even very young calves. The escutcheon 
is quite generally regarded as a valuable indication of 
the quantity of the milk and of the duration of the flow; 
while the softness of the up-growing hair, the yellowness 
of the skin, and the amount of dandruff produced are 
taken as indications of the richness of the milk. GuenoD, 
a French herdsman, who first called attention to the 
escntchenn, made a study of it, and established a system 
almost as intricate as that of the phrenologist ; and there 
is ample evidence that he read with remarkable accuracy 
the characters of large numbers of cattle submitted to 
his examination, by the committee appointed to investi- 
gate his system. Most modern dairy-men attach much 
importance to the escutcheon as a general indication ; 
and although the minute details of Guenon's system are 
little regarded, its general principles are quite commonly 
accepted as valuable. Sec " Gnenon on Milch Cows," 
sent post-paid by Orange Judd & Co. on receipt of 75 cts. 
ISoot Crops for Western Dairies. — 
A correspondent in Illinois asks : " What is the best root 
crop for dairy cows in winter, and when is the right 
time to sow the seed, aud how much to the acre ? We 
at the West feed corn, corn, corn, but I know from ex- 
perience'that roots are cheaper and better if we knew 
how to grow them. About thirty years ago I raised a 
fine crop of mta-bagas, but have failed several times since 
from poor seed, or bugs, or dry weather. If I try it 
again, I shall have to procure seed from the East, for 
they have not grown here for many years. I should like 
to hear from some one who has been more successful." — 
The best crops hereabouts are ruta-baga and mangel 
wurzel. We presume they would both do well in Il- 
linois, especially the mangel. The seed of either crop 
may be sown early in June. The effect of drouth is 
much mitigated by planting not less than one inch deep 
and rolling the ground firmly. The seed should not be 
soaked, unless you can be sure of moist land. The 
amount of seed required for an acre, if planted in drills 
thirty inches apart, is one pound of ruta-baga, or five 
pounds of mangel. This is necessary to safety, but will 
produce fifty times as many plants as are to remain, as, 
with either crop, they should be thinned to from twelve 
to fifteen inches apart in the rows. We like the trans- 
planting system better than the direct growing from 
seeds. If the seed is planted in the rows in the field, 
and thinned to single plants an inch apart at the first 
hoeing, they can be left until as large as a hickory nnt, 
and then finally thinned, the rejected plants being set 
out in other rows. The best way to protect the ruta- 
baga from the skipping beetle, is to dust the leaves with 
sulphur, or lime, or soot; or in default of these, with 
any dust applied while the plants are wet with dew. It 
is a good precaution to plant a double allowance of seed, 
giving enough plants for the bug and the crop too. If 
the plants are growing thickly in a small seed-bed, it 
will be much easier to dust them than if scattered over a 
broad field. The method of transplanting is described 
in the Ogden Farm papers for this month. 
Early Cabbages, Cauliflowers, 
Lettuce. 
BT PETER. HENDERSON. 
and 
I have received letters from many sections of the 
country complaining that the cabbages and cauli- 
flowers sown last September, and wintered over iu 
cold-frames, are now (May 5tli) doing badly. Many 
of the cabbages are running to seed, and the cauli- 
flowers " buttoning," or showing abortive " flow- 
ers." The reason of this will be found iu my ar- 
ticle, under the head of " Dou't Sow too Early," 
on page 222 ; but the remedy is the great point. 
A safe plan — one that need not fail — and one that 
can be better done by any one having greenhouses 
than by the cold-frame method, is the following : 
sow the seeds for early cauliflowers, cabbages, or 
lettuce, about February 1st, in well-prepared soil — 
say one-third each of leaf-mold, sand, aud loam ; 
spread three or four inches deep on the benches of 
the greenhouse, or iu boxes of about that depth. 
Keep a temperature of from 55" to 60°, and in three 
weeks they will be ready to replant — this time in 
boxes — at about 2}{ inches apart each way for the 
cabbages, and 1% inches for the lettuce. By the 
middle of March they will, if the temperature has 
averaged 55°, be strong plants, superior in every 
respect to those wintered over in cold-frames. By 
this date (the middle of March) the weather is 
such that they may be set out in cold-frames, aud 
covered at night either with wooden shutters or 
sashes for five or six days, when they will be suf- 
ficiently hardened off to be planted iu the open field. 
We' have treated a few in this manner for the past 
few seasons, and believe they cau be so raised 
cheaper than in the cold-frames, and without doubt 
much better, without the danger of one plant in a 
thousand running to seed. The conversion of sash 
that has been used on cold-frames into greenhouses 
is a very simple matter: two sashes, of 6 feet mi 
length, give, when placed at the proper angle, a 
width to the greenhouse of 11 feet ; 2 feet of this 
6pace is used as a walk, the remainder, 9 feet, for 
bench room, on which to grow the plants. The 
outer walls may be formed of wood, in the man- 
ner described, in my article on " Roses for Win- 
ter Flowering," iu April last. If heated by a flue, 
the length of the house should not exceed 50 feet, 
and, if more than one is wauted, they should be 
formed in threes, the ends running north aud 
south, on the ridge and furrow plan, as detailed in 
"Gardening for Profit." As written directions to 
a novice are always more or less obscure, auy of 
your readers interested in this matter, when in 
New York, may reach us in less than an hour from 
the office of the Agriculturist ; and to all such we 
will be happy to show our buildings, and give such 
information as is in our power. 
Cultivate the Corn. 
Constant cultivation cannot be too strongly 
urged for the corn crop. As soon as the blade 
appears above ground, pass through the rows 
with a harrow made for the purpose, or with 
the cultivator. Constant stirring of the soil 
will destroy the young weeds and push the 
corn ahead. A week thus gained may save the 
crop from an injurious frost when near ripen- 
ing. An excellent implement for this purpose 
is Shares' horse-hoe; wflli it a careful hand 
may cut out the weeds to within an inch of the 
growing corn. By going twice iu a row the 
crop may be effectually hoed, and much hand- 
weeding saved. The soil does not need stirring 
deeply; one inch is sufficient; deeper would 
injure the corn roots, which love to spread near 
the surface. For this reason all deep cultiva- 
tion should be avoided. The surface should be 
kept level ; the crop will thrive better than by 
burying the roots under a ridge of soil ; there- 
fore, keep the plow out of the cornfield. This 
crop requires heat and moisture, and a level, 
mellow, porous surface will secure these. A 
soil packed with rain and baked by the hot 
sun, cannot be endured ; therefore, if a heavy 
rain should occur, followed by dry weather, 
turn in at once to the exclusion of all else, and 
break up this crust. This maybe done safely 
even after the corn is iu tassel. With level and 
shallow cultivation no check will be given, and 
good results will follow. The roots will be un- 
injured. It is the disturbance of the roots, when 
the plant is iu blossom, that checks the growth 
and injures the corn. Corn need not be laid by 
until the rows become so close that the horse 
can no longer pass through without breaking 
down the stalks. Permit only three stalks to a 
hill. If planted three feet apart each way, with 
one fair ear to each stalk, seventy bushels of 
shelled corn per acre may be counted on. Bet- 
ter cultivate five acres well, than to work aud 
grow weary over twenty acres, and get but 
fifteen bushels per acre for your pay. 
An Egg Farm. 
h. stoddakd.— Second Article. 
A location near a city secures the best advan- 
tages. An article produced daily the year 
through, and which is prized for being fresh, 
should be raised as close to a market as pos- 
sible. Thus the highest rates may be obtained, 
the special aim being to supply the demand for 
better eggs than any cau be that are packed 
and sent great distances. Under the system 
which now supplies to a great extent eastern 
cities, there is the time spent in collecting eggs 
from various sources, to which must be added 
the time for transportation, and the time they 
are in the dealer's hands after arrival. Then 
the jarring is more or less injurious, and after 
it, eggs will keep but a little while. They pass 
through so many hands, that no one iu partic- 
ular is responsible for the character of the ar- 
ticle. Under our plan eggs are delivered cli 
rectly to consumers, families being visited reg- 
ularly once a week. The egg-route has this 
advantage over a milk-route, that it need not be 
traversed so often, only a sixth of the whole 
being traveled daily ; thus the expense of de- 
livery is not great. As a team must be sent to 
town every day to collect waste bits from the 
meat markets, eggs can be sent, when only a 
day or two laid, with no extra trouble. If dis- 
posed of at stores, an arrangement should be 
made with the dealer whereby they may he 
kept in a separate lot, and sold under the name 
of the producer. Consumers readily appre- 
ciate eggs, butter, or other produce that comes 
from a regular responsible source. When a lot 
is mixed with lots from other farms, its individ- 
uality is lost; if good, it may only be helping 
to sell the poor article of somebody else, aud 
the producer does not reap the benefits of his 
pains in increased custom. No produce cau be 
supplied to city dwellers to better mutual ad- 
vantage to seller and buyer, than new-laid eggs 
delivered direct, the dubious ones now in the 
market causing much loss aud vexation. Poul- 
try farms may be established at the West, and 
have the benefits of cheap land and grain ; or 
at the South, where the season is earlier, and 
water transportation available. But the value 
of manure at the East is so great, that it is 
more economical to bring grain here from the 
West than eggs ; the latter being so trouble- 
