1871. 
AMERICAN 
i 
AGRICULTURIST. 
287 
most miserably. To cure and prevent, use common mer- 
curial .ointment mixed with four times its balk of lard, 
rub it on the skin in a Hue from the poll to the tail, and 
on lines four inches apart on the sides of the animal. A 
mixture of lard, sulphur, and carbolic acid, in the propor- 
tions of one hundred parts of lard, twenty-five of sulphur, 
and one of pure acid, may be rubbed on the sores, and 
the flies will be kept off. Common creosote may be used 
in place of the acid, doubling the quantity. 
Glycerine.-" M. L.," Jersey Shore. We do 
not know "how" glycerine can be used in ' sealing 
canned fruits." Can any body tell her? 
Plaster. — W. P. T:ite, Clearfield, Pa., 
wants to know how to use plaster. Plaster for corn 
should not he used in the hill ; it should he scattered 
over the corn when a foot high, a handful to three oi four 
hills ; it acta best im moist weather, and when the leaves 
are damp with dew or rain. It is now thought best to 
plaster clover early in the spring, and again when it 
covers the ground, using fifty lbs. per acre each time. 
Alfalfa.— J. R. R. Moore, Worcester Co., 
M-l., asks about alfalfa or Chili clover, and where the 
seed can be procured. It is Lucern, and nothing more. 
H:ivingbeen cultivated for ages by the Spaniards as a 
forage plant, it was doubtless introduced by them into 
their American colonies, north and south. The seed can 
be procured at any seed store for about fifty cents per 
pound. Twenty pounds broadcast, or nine pounds in 
drills, nine inches apart, is the quantity per acre. 
Lime vs. Ashes. — A correspondent from 
Nottoway Co., Va., asks how much ashes (unleached) 
would be equal to a bushel of lime. This is like asking 
how much cheese a pound of butter is equal to. A bushel 
of ashes contains, in eighty pounds of weight, from thirty 
to sixty pounds of lime, but it is not in the condition in 
which it is used in agriculture, viz., quicklime ; and the 
things arc therefore not comparable. Ashes are valuable 
for the potask and phosphoric acid they contain; lime 
for its solvent action on all vegetable and many mineral 
substances. The commercial value of ashes is double 
that of lime under ordinary circumstances. 
Docking Lambs. — Isaac S. Batch tel, Stark 
Co., Ohio, docks his lambs as follows: He takes them 
between his I.-gs with the rump before him, holds the 
tail between the thumb and two fingers, pressing up the 
Bkin as much as passible; then, with a stout pair of 
shears, cuts off the tail about two inches from the root. 
He continues the pressure until the blood u clots," when 
the bleeding will stop. We would suggest the applica 
tion of blue vitriol (sulphate of copper), powdered, which 
not only cauterizes the wound, hut keeps off the flies. 
The additional pain is only momentary. The earlier 
docking is performed, the better. 
Harvesting; Peamil8.-J. H. Tarnall. 
Peanuts are usually harvested immediately after the first 
frost, bnt where it is desirable to get the crop to market 
early, they are sometimes pulled earlier. The later the 
crop can grow, the greater the yield of nuts, while on the 
other hand, the vines are more valuable as forage if pull- 
ed and cured before they are touched by frost. 
Oxford, I»a., Fair.— "T. F. W." We do 
not publish articles of the kind you sent unless the name 
of the writer is attached. It would seem to be as easy to 
write a full name as to append initials. 
Currant Worms.— W. G. Barton, Salem, 
Mass., writes that he finds air-slaked lime a " sure cure " 
for the worms that attack the foliage of the currant and 
gooseberry C. A. Morse, Leominster, Mass., uses with 
equal success a solution of one ounce of copperas (anl- 
phate of iron) in a gallon of water. By " surface applica- 
tion" in the article referred to, the surface of the soil 
•was intended. 
A Laclometer.-A. M. Walker, Randolph, 
Wis., made use of the tubular portion of the chimney of 
a German student's lamp, and closed one end by filling 
the cover of a tin box with wetted plaster of Paris, and 
setting the tube in it. He attached a strip of paper grad- 
uated to 100 parts, as a scale, and had a serviceable milk 
tester. The hint may be of use to those who live far 
away from druggists and glass-dealers. 
How Long will Seeds Keep?— "R. 
G. L." asks to what age do certain seeds arrive ''be- 
fore they become valueless?" — Much depends upon how 
they are kept. The practical point, and probably what 
our correspondent wishes to know, is the age to which 
they may be kept and still be stnvn with the probability 
of their germinating. Various tables of this kind have 
been published, the English and French authors differing 
widely. Of those mentioned by our correspondent, 
oo ion and parsnip arc only safe for one year; carrot and 
sage for two years ; cabbage and turnip for four years; 
beet, squash, and encumber, from five to ten years. 
Oreeu Sand Marl.— Chaa. L. Smith, 
Rah way. Marl may be applied to grass lands with bene- 
fit in quantities of from one to five tons, or even more, 
per acre. One ton or thereabouts is generally applied 
annually for three or four years in succession , when its 
effects become less apparent, a dressing of lime is found 
to restore the fertility. It is best to haul the marl during 
winter and deposit it in heaps, and let it be exposed to 
the atmosphere until spring, when it is spread. We 
lately saw a field that had been dressed with one ton of 
marl per acre three years ago ; the good effects were 
abundantly visible in a heavy growth of clover, while on 
undressed lacd. adjoining, the clover was decidedly poor. 
A Bhovelful put Into the hill in planting potatoes is found 
to be very beneficial. 
Pollen.- 11 J P. S.," Springfield, Mo. The 
package of yellow dust sent is the pollen from the flow- 
ers of some pine ; showers of this pollen often fall, and 
to the ignorant and superstitious they are the cause of 
much fear, many imagining that it is sulphur, and that it 
is the forerunner of some terrible calamity. 
Foul in the Foot. —A Subscriber, Clif- 
ford, Pa., wants a cure for foul in the feet of cows. This 
disease is most often caused by uncleanlincss. In such 
cases, cleanliness will produce a cure, assisted by an as- 
tringent lotion or ointment. Wash perfectly clean with 
carbolic soap and water, and especially between the 
claws of the hoof. Apply an ointment of lard four parts, 
sulphate of iron and sulphur, finely ground, one part 
each ; smear the raw or suppurating parts with it, and 
keep the cows in a clean, dry stable. If the cows are out 
of health, give half a pound of Glauber salts and one 
ounce of sulphur afterwards, daily for a week. The sul- 
phur may be administered with some salt. 
Lime on Oat Stnhhle.— I. G. Burger, 
Clearfield Co., Pa., would like to know how to apply lime 
to oat stubble which is to be plowed for wheat, and the 
proper quantity. Lime must be kept near the surface, 
therefore it must not be plowed in. When the last plow- 
ing is finished, spread the lime on the plowed ground and 
harrow it in. Fifty bushels per acre is the usual quanti- 
ty. It must be properly slaked, so that it is in a fine 
state of division, or its full value will not be secured. 
To slake it, put it in small heaps in the field where it is 
to be used, and two showers of rain will do the business. 
To Kill Milk- Weed. — W. G. Mathes, 
Okamau, Minn., asks how to destroy milk-weed. This 
is a difficult weed to kill in some places, in others it does 
not seem to be troublesome. The main trouble lies in 
the roots, which are long and penetrate deeply. It can not 
be eradicated without labor and patience. If it is in 
large patches, we would mow it often through the sum- 
mer, and plow the ground in the fall, carefully picking 
up the pieces of root brought up by the plow or harrow. 
If in small patches, we would dig out the roots with the 
spade. If prevented from seeding it will not spread, but 
if the seeds are allowed to ripen, they will scatter widely. 
How to get Land into Grass. — 
U B. B.C.," Baltimore Co., Mil., has five acres of land 
which he wants to seed to grass, part for a lawn, and the 
remainder for feed and hay for a horse and cow. The 
land should be plowed and harrowed fine, with plenty of 
manure well incorporated; the part reserved for a lawn 
should be leveled, made smooth, and sown with a mix- 
ture of grass seeds — for instance, one bushel of red-top, 
four qnarts of blue-grass, with a little white clover, say 
two or three pounds per acre. For mowing land nothing 
is better than six quarts of timothy and a peck of clover. 
If the land is inclined to be wet, replace three qnarts 
of the timothy with a peck of red-top. 
Thrashing- Buckwheat.- Harvesting 
buckwheat is subject to so many accidents, and must 
necessarily be done at so short a notice, that it is valua- 
ble to know any glan by which it maybe readily and 
quickly performed. Where it must be thrashed by hand, 
a floor may Ik- prepared in the field by scraping and sweep- 
ing a piece of ground, or laying down sheets. Lay over 
this a bed of rails an inch or two apart, raised from the 
ground sufficiently to make room for the grain when it is 
thrashed. On these rails throw the straw as it is brought 
from the stooks, and thrash out the grain, which falls 
through the openings between the tails. The straw can 
thus be removed and separated from the grain very quick 
ly. When all Is thrashed, remove the rails, and Ihegrftln 
may be cleaned on the ground ii desired, without mov 
ing it to the barn. It is absolutely necessary to clean 
buckwheat as soon as thrashed, or the chaff, being damp 
will heat and spoil the grain in a few hours. 
Carrots and Onions on Sandy 
Laud.- George Cassels, Saratoga Co., N. T., has four 
acres of poor, sandy loam, but he has plenty of green 
manure. He asks how to manage so as to put onions 
and carrots in next year. The green manure must be 
rotted, by piling and turning several times, until it is re 
duccd to a fine state. Early in spring the land should 
be plowed deeply, the manure spread as abundantly as 
possible— 25 two-horse loads per acre would not overdo 
it — and the land cross-plowed and harrowed. Another 
plowing would be a benefit, when the ground may be 
harrowed, the seed sowed, and a rolling given, which 
will compact the soil and secure germination. 
Corn-Husking- .Machine. — T. T. Rob- 
ertson, McLaughlin's Store, Pa., asks if there has been 
a machine invented that will husk corn and doit right. 
A husking machine is advertised in the Agriculturist of 
this month, which we have seen in operation ; if under 
the test of actual work in the field it acts as well as we 
have seen it in the manufacturer's hands, we should say 
it is a valuable machine. 
Thomas' Smoothing Harrow. — I. 
A. Rogers asks what we know of Thomas' smoothing 
harrow, and how it will harrow corn. It is doubtless a 
valuable implement for finishing the surface of land laid 
down to grass— when free from stone. It does not work 
well on stony land. We have successfully used it to har- 
row wheat in the spring, but our corn was badly injured 
by it. Others have used it satisfactorily. 
Farm CJates.— A. C. Drury, Copper Creek, 
111., asks if there is a patent on the common sliding-gate. 
There is a patent on the rollers on which it works. The 
form of gate and the sliding movement, having been in 
common use for many years back, we should say, with- 
out knowing positively, would not be patentable. It 
would be safer, however, to be certain of this before 
using it, by writing to the Patent Office, Washington. 
Feeding Fodder Corn.— Ghas. Strange, 
Grass Valley, Pa., asks how fodder corn should be fed, 
whether green or wilted. He says his grandfather, when 
he wanted to dry up a cow, used to put her in a lot and 
feed her all the green stalks she would cat, and did 
not milk her ; in a few days she would be dry. If this is 
correct, it shows that we nowadays have improved on 
old-fashioned modes, for we feed green corn fodder and 
get more milk. There is a difference in opinion among 
dairy men as to the relative value of wilted and fresh 
fodder, but so far as the experience of the writer goes in 
feeding, and in our conversations with dairy men, we 
have learned that it is best to feed it when wilted by 
some hours' exposure to the sun. What is cut in the 
morning is fed at night, and the morning's feed is cut 
in the evening. The cows eat it with more relish, prob- 
ably for the reason that fermentation of the juices has oc- 
curred to some extent. 
Raising Little Pigs l>y Hand. — 
"W. H. B., 1 ' Fremont, O., writes: "I wish to inquire 
of you, or some of the many readers of the Affteriean 
Agriculturist, how to raise little pigs taken from the sow, 
when only a few hours old. I have a fine sow that has 
bad luck raising her pigs, and I have tried to do it for 
her by feeding the pigs cow's milk, from one to two ta- 
blcspoonfuls every hour, using for one lot the milk of ia 
fresh cow ; for another lot that of a cow not fresh. Bat 
I failed in both cases." We should be glad to hear from 
our readers. Except in the case of valuable thorough- 
breds, it will not pay to raise pigs by hand. 
Green Fly on the C^nince.— "H. B. 
H." Use strong tobacco water, either by syringing er 
bending down the shoots and dipping thera. 
Bin Iter Malcing.— Mrs. N. J. Fisk, of 
Minnesota, sends the following short statement of her 
process of butter making: "I first rinse the pans with 
cold water, then pour boiling water in them and let tkem 
scald about five minutes, then ponr out the water and 
turn up the pans to dry. Let the milk stand 24 hours, and 
then skim and set the cream in a cool place. Churn 
every other day. and keep the churn sweet and clean. 
Never let sour milk stand in a wooden churn. Rinse the 
butter well, salt it. and stand it away nnttl the next day ; 
then work it well, until no more brine can be got from 
it. Work fast, and yon need not be afraid of its being 
oily." The directions arc good for such short ones, but we 
would add : Always use your brain*. Good bntter can not 
be made in a variable climate by any fixed rule. Sometimes. 
