1871.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
325 
containing a great variety of Items, including many 
good Hints and Suog^tinns which we throw into stnalltr 
type and condensed form, for want of space elsewhere. 
Postage 13 Cents a Year in Ad- 
vance. —The postage on the American Agriculturist 
anywhere in the United States and Territories, paid in 
advance, is 3 cents a quarter, 1*2 cents a year. If not paid 
in advance, twice these rates may be charged. 
How to Remit :— ChecVs on New- 
York Banks or Bankers are best for large sums ; 
made payable to the order of Orange Judd & Co. 
Poet-Office Money Orders may be obtain- 
ed at nearly every connty-seat, in all the cities, and in 
many of the large towns. We consider them perfectly 
safe, and the best means of remitting fifty dollars or less, 
as thousands have been sent to ns without any loss. 
Registered Letters, under tlie new 
system, which went into effect Oct. 1, 1868, are a very 
safe means of sending small sums of money where P. 0. 
Money Orders cannot be easily obtained. Observe, the 
Rerjislryfee, as well as postage, must be paid in stamps at 
the office where the letter is mailed, or it will be liable 
to be sent to the Dead-Letter Office. Buy and affir the 
stamps both for postage and registry, put in the uwney, and 
seal the letter in the jwesence of the post 'master, and take his 
receipt for it. Letters thus sent to ns are at our risk. 
Special Notice.— Communications giving 
or asking for information are always acceptable. These 
should always be accompanied by the name of the wri- 
ter. The name will not be published whenever there is 
indicated a desire that it be withheld. Writers may 
choose any signature they please, but we must be fur- 
nished with the real name. We are under no obligation 
to return rejected manuscripts. Where stamps are sent 
for their return, we. as a matter of courtesy, try to send 
them back. Writers should retain copies of articles 
which they consider valuable, as, with the best intentions 
in the world, wc may not be able to return them if called 
for after the lapse of considerable time. 
" "Will <5as Lime I>rive away In- 
sects ? " — We fear not. But it is worth trying. An 
Illinois farmer writes us : "A person near Chicago has 
been experimenting with different substances on potato- 
bugs, and claims to have found in gas lime a specific that 
will not only banish the potato-bug, but all other insects. 
I propose to try it next year on my spring wheat as a 
preventive to chinch-bugs." We would spread it on the 
land this fall, aud either plow and harrow it in ; or, if 
necessary, let it lie exposed to the atmosphere all winter. 
In this way, if not applied in excessive quantity, there 
will be no danger of its injuring the wheat. 
Manure a Remedy for the Chinch- 
Bug in Wheat. — Mr. John T. Lawrence, of Lee Co., 
111., writes that he hears many complaints of the damage 
done by chinch-bugs this season to the spring wheat. " My 
own wheat," he says, " has escaped, and is a better crop 
in quality than I have raised for many years, which I at- 
tribute to a liberal application of manure plowed iu last 
fall. Seed sown March 11th. The land is a sandy bluff, 
sloping to Rock River, the ridge being crowned by a row 
of Indian mounds, from which we have taken bones, 
arrow-heads, pottery, etc. Such soil, being dry and light, 
is just suited to the chinch-bug. Some years ago I 
sowed a piece in wheat which had been heavily manured 
for corn, and it was the only wheat in the neighborhood 
which escaped. A small portion not manured was 
destroyed by them, the line of thek ravages being dis- 
tinctly marked." This is an interesting experiment, and 
well worthy the consderation of our Western readers. 
When the midge made such havoc with the wheat crop of 
Western New York fifteen years ago, similar effects of an 
application of manure on dry laud were frequently ob- 
served. It may be that the insects do as much damage 
on the manured crop as on that unmanurcd ; but if wc 
had a piece of laud rich enough to prodncc 35 bushel? of 
wheat per acre, and another piece adjoining only rich 
enough to produce 10 bushels, and the insects destroyed 
5 bushels per acre from both crops, we should get 30 
bushels per acre from one piece, and only 5 bnshels from 
the other. Practically, the insects might be said to have 
nearly destroyed one crop, and to have done little dam- 
age to the other, while, in point of fact, they destroyed 
just as much wheat on the rich laud as on the poor land. 
Common Sense in ill:' House- 
hold is the title of a work by Marion Harland. which is 
publish by Charles Scribner & Co.. N.Y. Price $2. Mrs. 
Harland is widely known as a writer of fiction, and one 
might expect to find her quite out of her sphere as the au- 
thor of a work upon such a matter-of-fact subject as domes- 
tic economy. Whoever prejudges the work in this way 
will make a great mistake, for a more practical, "common- 
sense " household book than this wc do not remember to 
have seen. The recipes, so far as wc have had occasion 
to test them, are excellent; and the whole work bears 
the evidence of having been written by one who has 
" been there.*' The chapters about " Servants," " Com- 
pany," "The Sick-Room, ^ and others, are full of sound 
sense, capitally put. It is not often that we meet with a 
work that we can commend so heartily. 
Drilling' Seed. — A new subscriber, Clarks- 
ton, 17. T., is a novice at farming, and wants information 
about drills and drilling seed.— Drills are of great variety, 
but yet nearly all are constructed on the same principle. 
They can be drawn by a two-horse team, and will sow 
about ten acres of grain in a day, depositing the seed at a 
depth of three inches beneath the surface, more or less, 
as desired. Economy of seed and a better stand of grain 
are among the advantages gained by the use of drills. Our 
advertising columns contain the names of makers of drills 
who would gladly send a descriptive circular to our cor- 
respondent on being asked for one. 
Wire Fences. — W. H. Barnes, Anderson 
Co., Kansas, says a two-wire fence would be of doubtful 
value. He makes a three-wire fence, the lowest wire 18 
to 20 in- ics from the ground, the others placed at inter- 
vals of 1-* oil inches. Thus the fence will be four feet 
high or something less, bnt sufficient to turn stock of any 
kind. Posts ieed to be one rod apart, and between the 
posts stakes tc prevent the wires from spreading. 
Management of Timber Lands in 
Illinois.— A subscriber (Iroquois Co., 111.) has 150 acres 
of timber land which he wants to make the most of. and 
asks how he must manage it. All brash and undergrowth 
must be kept down. If the trees are small, they may be 
permitted to stand six feet apart until they begin to get 
too tall, then one half may be cut out and disposed of and 
the rest will increase in size. In a few years another 
thinning will be necessary, to be continued until each tree 
occupies a square rod of space. In twenty-five years each 
of these trees will probably contain half a cord of wood, 
or from six to eight posts, so that their value will be con- 
siderable. During these years the ground may be sown 
with orchard grass and some white clover, and pastured. 
Clover frith Corn. — A. G. Kirk, Dickin- 
son Co., Kansas, says he saw in Columbus County, Ohio, 
last April, a fine stand of clover in a corn stubble, and on 
inquiry found the owuer of the land was in the habit of 
sowing clover seed when he worked the corn the last 
time, for the purpose of supplying manure for the crop of 
oats, or barley, or wheat, which was to follow. This 
farmer evidently was one of the progressive sort, who be- 
lieves in putting all he can on the land. We have done 
the same, pasturing the clover with sheep, and had a good 
crop of wheat after it. 
Grass for Mountain I, a ml in New 
Jersey. — A subscriber asks which is the best grass for 
mountain land in the north-west part of New Jersey. We 
have seen in Sussex and Warren Counties (which com- 
prise the district referred to) as fiue timothy and clover 
as we have seen any where, and we do not think these 
could be changed with any benefit. Where timothy and 
clover will thrive, wc do not know of any more valuable 
substitute, though we might propose to add some blue- 
grass, which also thrives in that locality, as a help to the 
pasture. 
The Extensive Roofing Works of 
H. W. Johns, which were burned July 96th, are being re- 
built of iron, on a larger scale than before, and will be 
completed by the time this paper goes to press. His 
business of manufacturing Asbestos Roofing has in- 
creased very rapidly, the demand this season having 
exceeded the manufacturing facilities. The enlargement 
of his factory will enable him to meet the requirements 
of his customers. 
Farm Gate. — Asa Hartshorn, Ashtabula Co., 
O., sends us a model of a farm gate very neatly gotten up, 
but unfortunately the patent-right men have a claim on 
that gate. There is a patent on it for the right to manu- 
facture and use, for which parties have been to our 
knowledge charged two dollars. It is hardly safe to make 
or use any ltiIl- that operates by means of roller*, as they 
are all subject to one or more patents. 
Stopping a Hen from Sitting.— 
J. E.Smith, Durham, N. H., writes: il I was quite amused 
some days since by an old sitting hen. Having tried 
all the usual ways to induce her to leave her nest, I con- 
cluded to use ' moral suasion. , I placed two lumps of 
ice in the nest after taking her off. The L old critter,' as 
usiml in such cases, soon returned and took a seat, which 
seemed to disagree with her, and after a few hours Mrs. 
Hen concluded to associate with her fellows. " 
A Model Letter. — "Wm. Johnston, Brook- 
side, Mich., sends us a rare specimen of brevity and per- 
tinence, which we print in full, as an example to others. 
"Hill, forty feet high; pitch of hill. 45"; spring at bottom, 
house at the top ; what is the cheapest fixture you know 
of to raise water to the house ? n One thing is lacking, 
the fall of the spring from source to outlet, and this is 
important, as on it depends whether a ram can be used 
or not. If a fall of three feet can be got in a length of 
forty feet, a ram would work, and would elevate water 
through a half-inch pipe to the hight required. The pipe 
supplying the ram should be l l / 2 inches in diameter. If 
there is not sufficient fall, a windmill is the best thing. 
Soft Butter.— H. S. Dutch, Johnson Co., 
Iowa, has his butter come soft. His cellar is a "West- 
ern" one, not watted, well ventilated. Cows have good 
pasture, water, shade, and salt twice a week. What is 
the matter? August probably is the matter. There is a 
good deal of soft butter comes in July and August. 
"Western '" ceHars are generally rather warm in the hot- 
test part of sirmmer, and ventilation does not mend it 
much. We have g«t good hard butter by putting a mus- 
lin bag filled with pounded ice in the chum just before 
the butter came. But generally, if the cellar is suffi- 
ciently cool, the butter will harden by the time it is ready 
to work over. Butter-making iu summer is attended with 
many difficulties, unless all the accessories are well ar- 
ranged, and even then the cows themselves will some- 
times fail of coming up to the mark. 
Norway Oats* — W. D. Krohn, of Bergen, 
Norway, sends us, by steamer, a sample of his oats. He 
states the native Norway oats had been cultivated for 
some years with great care, but without improvement; 
he therefore procured seed from Scotland, and now has 
a really good oat. The men consume all the crop ; the 
animals get but little of it. The climate of Norway is 
damp, and the oats, having a heavy straw, are apt to lodge. 
We think, as has been generally the case, these oats 
would deteriorate in our hot, dry climate, though the ap- 
pearance of the sampte before us is very different from the 
Norway oats sentont byRamsdell & Co. ; they are plump, 
heavy oats, and would weigh 40 pounds to the bushel. 
Bone Manure. — N. C. Boutelle asks if 
ground bone is profitable to use at $45 a ton, where barn- 
yard manure is worth $10 a cord, delivered on land. We 
think it is, if got pure. A dressing of 250 pounds per acre 
on grass land, especially if it is occasionally pastured, 
would undoubtedly pay. It must be remembered that the 
principal mineral substance carried off from grass land, in 
the shape of fed cattle, is the bone, and if this is return- 
ed to the laud exhaustion is prevented, more especially 
when occasional dressings of barn-yard manure are ap- 
plied. As a dressing for grape-vines, pear-trees, and for 
general garden use, it may be used at the rate of 300 to 
500 pounds per acre profitably. 
Making Cheese-Saving Rennet. 
—Julius F. Bingham, Greensville Co., Va., is making 
cheese in a region where nobody saves the rennet, and 
cau not procure it. Can it be purchased in New York ? 
Is also a novice in making cheese, and has made some 
errors, and wants advice. One cheese leaked badly, and 
is now dry and hard ; some arc hard and tough. Some- 
times the curd comes in thirty minutes, and sometimes 
in an hour. Rennet should be saved by all cheese- 
makers. It is very easily prepared, nothing more being re- 
quired than to take the stomach of an unweaned ealf and 
empty it of its contents without rinsing it ; rub it with salt 
until it is perfectly cured ; then the loose salt may be 
turned out, and a hoop of light twig be inserted, to keep 
it distended, when it may be dried and hung up for use. 
We have purchased rennet, when commencing to make 
cheese, at a -eed store in Philadelphia. We have not 
seen themiu New York. The failures spoken of are un- 
doubtedly due to irregularities in the making of the curd, 
which practice will enable osr correspondent to over- 
come. The temperature of the milk when the rennet is 
added should be always equal. 95 degrees is the proper 
heat If this is exceeded.it will make a hard, tongh 
cheese. The curd should not stand too loDg, or the same . 
effect will he produced. 
