328 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
A Plan lor Irrigating. — "A. H.," Sau- 
gatuck, Mich. It would nut pay to go to the expense of 
pumping water into tanks and distributing it by moans of 
pipe buried in the ground to which hose may be attached. 
But if the water could be distributed in furrows as it ia 
elevated from a pond or stream, it would certainly pay 
thus to water grass land. The produce of grass may bo 
doubled, and more, by Irrigation. Probably one ol 
the best wind-engines is that made by the U. S. Wind- 
Engine Co., Bat ivia, 111., which is made sufficiently large 
to drive a grist mill. 
Scales of Points for Horses.— 
lk H. E. H.," Howell Co., Mo. There are no scales of 
points for judging horses as ar9 in use by judges of cattle 
at agricultural fair*. The chief or only point recognized 
in a trotler is speed ; with roadsters or farm horses, the 
general appearance, condition, and style, which to the 
eye of a horseman amount really to the same thing as a 
ecale of points, constitute the standard of excellence. 
The scales of points of cattle generally used arc not 
unanimously accepted by breeders, by any means, 
allhoirgh they are content to be bound by thcin in 
exhibitions. 
Roots r<yv Hogs.—" Q. II.," San Jose, New 
Mexico. Jerusalem Artichokes, (Bdianthus tuberosum), 
and the chufa or earth almond, yCypervs escnlentus) have 
both been recommended as permanent root crops for hogs. 
The seed (tuber/) of these can be procured at the seed 
stores, though the latter, not so much used, is not so 
generally kept. The culture of the Artichoke is similar 
to that of potatoes. 
Pasturing or Plowing; TJnuer 
Clover.—" O. W. P.," Union Co., 111. Whether or not 
It is best to plow under or pasture clover depends on the 
condition of the soil. In the district in question it would 
probably pay the best to pasture the crop while there is 
a full bite, and then leave the clover to grow and Beed 
before plowing it in for a following wheat or corn crop. 
It is evident that the prairie farms would be benefited 
by more frequent seedings of clover, If only to smother 
out some of the prevalent weeda which by and by will be 
found to be a pest to be got rid of by troublesome culti- 
vation only. 
Plowing Orchards.- " M. B.," Clinton, 
La. In plowing an orchard short single-trees should be 
used, and the- trace-chains and the ends of the single- 
trees should be wrapped with straw or hay ropes, le^t. by 
accident the trees should be barked. But a plowman 
\vho persists in skinning the trees should bo kept out 
of the orchard. 
Manure Tanks.-"J. M. F.," Darien, 
Wis. A tank on the plan described in the Agriculturist of 
May, 1872, for liquid manure may be used on any scale dc- 
Bired. One 10x14 and 8 feet deep would be amply large 
for 50 head of stock if it could be emptied when necessary 
and the rain from the roofs was conducted into it. In 
this case a method of using the liquid would have to be 
in regular use. Stone may be used instead of plank for 
the lining of the tank. The manure need not be piled in 
the tank, but above and around it so that the drainage 
can be saved. If plenty of dry peat is used as an absorb- 
ent, there is no need for a tank unless the liquid manure 
is an object. 
IIow to AppI j Gaano.-" T. G.," Gran- 
ville Co., N. C. The better way to apply guano to tobac- 
co plants or to any crop grown in hills or drills ia as you 
judge, by scattering it around the plant after planting 
rather than putting it in the hole in which the plant is 
Bet. Iu the first case the fertilizer is carried in a diluted 
etate to the roots by the first rain, while in the latter 
case 'he fibers of the young roots may receive injury by 
t"o close contact with the undiluted guano. No plant or 
eeed should come in direct contact with so pungent a fer- 
tilizer as guano. 
Commencing Farming, — ll J. TV." 
Writes: "I came on October 1st into possession of a farm 
of 100 acres sandy and loamy soil which has been cleared 
of its timber and laid in pasture for 8 or years. I want 
a paying crop the first season to help build a house. 
Shall I break up the land this fall, plow it deeply, sow oats 
nnd barley in the spring with roots and corn and timothy 
for stock-feeding? The land has been neglected. "—Reply. 
In this case it would be unwise to look for any consider- 
able returns the first year, or the second or thkd. The 
farm is d as good a condition or belter for bringing into 
a fair slate of cultivation than the average of such farms, 
being all in grass. The sod will be a great help to it. 
D-sep plowing, however, should be done cautiously: tha 
probability i? that thin farm does not need it and might 
be seriously injured by it. Also fall plowing is not often 
wisely done on sandy loams in sod. Barley is not a pay- 
ing crop except on rich land and with the best manage- 
ment. Corn, oat*, and potatoes are the crops which 
would meet the conditions of the case in the best manner. 
The oat ground may be plowed this fall as a saving of 
time only when the oats can be sown as early as the 
grouud is in proper condition. The potato ground may 
be also plowed in the fall, but the corn ground had bet- 
ter be left until immediately before planting time in the 
spring when it should be plowed, harrowed, and planted, 
without any interval of delay. The oat stubble and po- 
tato ground will then be in good condition for wheat or 
rye and seeding to timothy with clover in the spring. 
Oats will follow the corn. 
Barn-Yard Manure ts. Ammonia 
Salts.— An esteemed correspondent writes: "* Walks 
and Talks ' says that Lawcs and Gilbert got for nineteen 
years successively more wheat from 82 lbs. of nitrogen 
in ammonia salts than from 200 lbs. of nitrogen applied 
in 14 tons of farm-yard manure. This might be the case 
for one year, before the yard manure bad time to decom- 
pose and form ammonia; but every cotton-grower who 
uses artificial manures knows that without vegetable 
matter in the soil concentrated fertilizers have no effect, 
but as a supplement to cow-peas, or clover, or farm-yard 
manure plowed iu they pay more than 200 per cent on 
their cost, and when composted with muck and drilled in 
with the seed the yield is much larger than if sown 
broadcast."— All this may be true. But it does not touch 
the question. Lawcs and Gilbert's experiments were 
continued nineteen years on the same land, wheat being 
grown every year. All that "Walks and Talks' 1 quoted 
the experiment for was to show that when manure was 
plowed under on clay land it took many years to decom- 
pose, and that consequently it was desirable to decom- 
pose it as much as possible before plowing it into the 
Boil. Read what ho say3. It will bear a careful perusal. 
Lime for the Turnip-Flea.— "G. W. 
S.," Wobnrn, Mass. Lime slacked dry with water in 
which carbolic acid has been dissolved at the rate of one 
part of acid to 1,000 of water will drive off the little black 
fleas which cat the cabbage and turnip plant*, and the 
lime alone will do it. There is no danger of injuring the 
plants. A simple dusting is all that is needed. The 
carbolic acid generally sold at the drug-stores is a liquid 
consisting of 20 parts of water to one of acid. This 
dilution should be considered in using the acid. 
Sewage Pipes.— "M. J. W.," Warwick, 
Mass. The best barn drain-pipes are the glazed drain- 
tiles. Pine or hemlock logs will answer a good purpose, 
but the bore should be at least three or four inches, and 
the inlet should be protected by a grating. An occa- 
sional flushing during a rain by turning the spout from 
the roof into the pipe would be necessary to carry off 
any deposit where the fall is not great. 
White Lupin and Lncern. — "J. G. 
C," Knoxville, Tenn. Tho white lupin, although grown 
to Borne extent in Europe as a fodder and manuring crop, 
is not to be compared with red clover in value for either 
purpose. It may be grown as a fancy crop or in those 
very exceptional cases in which it is not desirable to 
sow clover for any reason. It is more valuable than 
buckwheat, but less so than peas. Lucern is a valuable 
forage crop which succeeds well on a rich, dry soil, and 
may be cut several times in ft year. In California it is 
called Alfalfa also Chili clover, and is raised for forage 
aud pasturing. On good soil it remains several year-*. 
The quantity of seed needed is 12 to 20 pounds per acre 
in drill or broad-csst. Drill-sowing 9 inches apart is tho 
best method, as the rowscan be cultivated. The eeed can 
be procured of any importer of seeds in New York. 
Paint for Old Buildings.— "J. J.," 
New York. The best application for the sides of old wood- 
en buildings is crude petroleum. If they are very rough 
and weather-worn, possibly a coat of lime-wash colored 
brown or drab by some of the cheap earth paints would 
be the cheapest and most serviceable. It Bhould be re- 
newed each year. 
Buckwheat for Cows, — u Farmer," 
Celina, Ohio. Buckwheat, when ground and fed to cows 
with cut fodder, produces a greatly increased quantity 
of milk; but the butter in our experience is white and 
of a poor flavor. When ground with an equal quantity 
of corn-meal this eff ct is not so apparent. 
White and Yellow Corn.— "G. 8. N., M 
Moon, Pa. It is a disputed puint whether white or yel- 
low corn is the most valuable food. The opinion amongst 
millers and many farmers of your State is that yellow 
corn is the " strongest food," but there is no evidence to 
support their opinion. If there is any difference it is 
not sufficient to overbalance the greater average yield of 
white corn; and in many places the white is preferred, 
| both for its better yield and for its better feeding quali- 
ties. Ilcrc is a good chance for yon and others to experi- 
ment nnd decide this question in a way that will be the 
most satisfactory. 
Pleasant Words from Bermuda. — 
A subscriber writes: u My gardening operations on a 
small scale (the result of my own labor In the early 
mornings) have been quite successful. Outlay, $50; net 
result, §200. I had the first potatoes, cabbages, and 
melons, and got the highest prices for them. First melon 
cut on July 1st. Since then, I am the only person that 
has put melons in the market, which to present time have 
been sold at twelve cents the pound. I must say I have 
received a good many hints from the Agriculturist, parti- 
cularly respecting thorough cultivation and saving 
manure about the house and land; and if our people 
would only read your paper with an intention to find 
something good iu it, and act upon it, they could not fail 
to make Bermuda very prosperous.' 1 
Undigested rood.— 44 Inquirer" asks for 
a remedy for indigestion in a mare, whose food, in & 
great measure, passes through her whole. The troabls 
1b that the mare bolts her food. Her grain should bo 
ground and given with cut fodder, and some salt added. 
That will probably set the matter right. 
Bran and Corn-JIcal tor Pigs.— 
" J.W. P." writes: ll I notice that iu Lawes and Gilbert's 
experiments, as reported in * Harris on the Pig,' better 
results were obtained when pigs were fed on a mixture 
of bran and corn-meal than when fed on corn-meal alone. 
Can you tell me whether the bran was coarse bran or fine 
shipstufff "— It was coarse bran. The general results 
of the experiments do not lead us to place a very high 
value on bran as food far fattening- pigs. It is well to let 
the pigs have all the bran they will cat, but not to com- 
pel them to eat it. That is to say, supply the pigs with 
all the corn they want, and let them have access to all 
the bran or Bhipstuff they will cat in addition. Tho 
more food you can get them to eat and digest tho faster 
they will fatten. A change of food, or more variety, is 
for this reason very desirable and advantageous. 
The Stinging Stable-Fly.— " W. L .,'* 
Northampton Co., Pa. The fly which troubles hordes and 
cattle so much at this season in the stable and in the field 
is not the house-fly supposed to be identical with the 
European (Musca domestica), hut a different species 
known as the Stomoxys calcitrans. The house-fly laps 
liquids with lips formed for that especial purpose; the 
stable-fly punctures the skin with its long and slender 
proboscis, and sucks the blood. This proboscis projects 
horizontally beyond its head. We have found but few 
resources against this pest. The most effective are to 
wash the stable floors with water occasionally, and to 
keep them clean ; to have fresh pine saw-dust when pos- 
sible for bedding l or at any rate, clean straw; to wash 
the animals' legs clean with carbolic soap, allowing 
it to dry upon the skin at the last, and to keep the stable 
doors closed, the windows protected with mosquito nets, 
and to have ventilating tubes from the stables through 
the barn, to keep up a current of fresh air. These flies 
breed in the manure, and clean barn-yards, free from 
manure in the summer, will help to keep them down. 
Not the least advantage of soiling stock is their conse- 
quent immunity from this pest. 
Remedy for Lanipas. — "Bermuda" 
sends a method of curing lampas or swelling of the bars 
of the mouth In horses in use in the island of Bermuda, 
as follows : " The lampas is cut, holding under t'ne horse's 
head a bucket in which is a handful or two of salt. The 
horse is allowed to slobber In the salt, which he will 
readily do, and the effect of the salt upon his month 
seems grateful to him. Another method is to apply a 
red-hot iron to the swelling, having gagged the horse 
and withdrawn the tongue, and then to rub the part with 
salt. The horse docs not appear to suffer any pain from 
the operation, the gums and bars of the mouth not being 
very sensitive. Soft feed should be given for a few days 
afterwards. 
"Hog Cheese'* for Pigs.— A New 
Jersey correspondent writes: "lam feeding 70 spring 
pigs. I can buy 'hog cheese' (scrips) for 1?.£ cents per 
pound, and corn at 50 to 55 cents per bushel. 'Will it paf 
to buy the hog cheese and make rich swill to feed with 
corn, or had I better feed soaked corn alone T " — Corn at 
the above rates is the cheapest food, and will make the 
best pork. The hog cheese will make the richest manure. 
