4=3B 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
I*one-I»ust. — "A, C. W.," Tazewell Co., 
III. Lister Bros, of Newark, N. J., manufacture bone- 
dust which they guarantee to be pure. Their price is 
$35 per ton. 
Snow-Shoes and Kirch Canoes. — 
' "E. W. C\," Bnittleboro, Yt. These articles are very 
difficult to make by an unskillful white man. It is not 
every Indian even who is a good enow-shoo maker. 
The bows are prepared by the men and the raw hide by 
the squaws, who also do the filling of the shoes, and very 
few of them can make a really neat aud light shoe. The 
Indian women also do the most of the work upon the 
birch canoes, and we doubt very much if the most in- 
genious white man can successfully compete with these 
people, who are trained from their early youth to do this 
work. It would be cheaper to buy them at the very 
moderate price asked for them, about $"2 for a pair of 
snow-shoe*, and $S to $12 for a canoe. 
If andViflill lor Grinding; Wheat.— 
" W. F. C," Galena, 111. There are some very efficient 
hand-mills adapted to grinding wheat into meal or flour, 
which cost from $8 to $12, and which may be procured 
of almost any agricultural implement dealer in any part 
of the country. The Howard Mill No. 1, price $8, is one 
of the best of these that we know of. 
Experiments in Sowing Wheat. — 
11. Branch, Loudon Co., Va., sends us a statement of the 
results of experiments iu sowing wheat, of which the 
most interesting portion is that which shows the effect of 
thin sowing of seed. One of the experiments was in 
planting Fultz wheat in drills 12 inches apart, and sow- 
ing the grains singly 3 inches apart on one pkit, and 6 
inches apart on another. The result was that this seed- 
ing, equal to one fifth and one tenth of a bushel, yielded 
at the rate of 25J.-J bushels per acre with the least seed, 
and not quite 32 bushels per acre with the larger quantity 
on an average of tea plots planted altogether. This, 
however, is only what has been proved many times al- 
ready. 
Breeding; In-and-Iu.- T. G. Hopkins, 
Sctauke t, L. I. It is sometimes advisable to breed a bull 
;o his own progeny when it is desired to establish some 
particular point or characteristic aimed at. But, as a rule, 
we would advise the bull to be changed and new blood 
introduced every second year, and no young bull to be 
raised for use upon related sLock. 
Salt as afflannrc- " H, P.," Schuylkill 
Co., Pa. Salt is used to benefit clover, to stiffen the straw 
iu wheat and oats, and as a fertilizer for asparagus. It 
may be used on clover aud wheat or oats, at the rate of 
three to six bushels per acre, and for asparagus a peck 
to the square rod may be used with benefit. 
"Over-Ripe Wheat." — J. H.," St. 
Glair Co., 111. There can not be any such thing as over- 
ripe grain. When grain is ripe its growth is complete, 
and it is then in a perfect condition for seed. Wheat cut 
before it iB ripe will ripen in the shock, but if it is cut 
too early will Bhrink in the ripening. Shrunken wheat 
should not be used for seed, because although there may 
be a perfect germ formed, there will be lack of nutriment 
for the growth of the young plant. 
Ringbone* — " F. M.,' 1 Annaton, Wis. In an 
old horse ringbone is generally incurable, and is only 
made werse by attempts to cure. Whenthe bony growth 
is completed there is seldom any lameness, and stiffness 
of the joint is the only bad effect. In a young horse it 
has often been cured by the application of an ointment 
of bin-iodide of mercury and lard, but'this remedy should 
be nsed with caution. 
Wants Draining:. — " G. E. B.," Misha- 
waka, Ind., has a farm which eight years ago was under 
water, but since then has been dry. Corn planted upon 
thvs land comes up well at first, but soon turns yellow and 
stops growing. What is the matter with it?— We should 
say this land wants draining ; it is very probable that the 
stoppage of growth occurs just when the roots reach the 
point where the soil is saturated with water, as this is 
exactly the way corn behaves under such circumstances. 
Try draining a few acres. 
Color of Onrham Cattle.— U W. H," 
Lacrosse, Wis. Pure blood Durham animals of a rod 
colorare not at ail unusual. The general color of this 
stock is red and white mixed, and entirely white or en- 
tirely red animals are common. 
Keeping Eggs.— "W. T. L.," Portland, 
Me. The air bubble in the eg^ has nothing to do with 
their preservation or decay. The shells of eggs are porous 
and permeable to air. As they become old the moisture 
evaporates from them to some extent, and air supplies 
the place of the moisture. The access of air tends to 
cause the egg to spoil. If by any means the evaporation 
can be prevented the egg may be preserved for a longer 
or shorter time. Ey smearing the shells with linseed oil 
eggs have been kept fresh for sis months, but no mere 
position in which they may be placed can have any pro- 
longed effect iu keeping them fresh, if it has any at all. 
Wc have no confidence in any statement made by the 
London Farmer upon any matter whatever. 
Jersey and Alderney.— " W. H.," La- 
crosse, Wis. Jersey and Alderney are generally used to 
designate the same breed of cattle, but wrongly so, as 
there may be Alderney cattle that are not Jersey. Alder- 
ney and Jersey are two islands of the group known as the 
Alderney or Channel islands. Some years ago the stock 
from this group of islands were known as Alderney cat- 
tle ; but now those from the island of Jersey are known 
solely as Jersey cattle, and those from the island of 
Guernsey as Guernsey cattle. 
Bremen Agricultural Exhibition. 
— We have received a circular of the Executive Commit- 
tee of the International Agricultural Exhibition to be 
held in Bremen, in June, 1874. Information may be pro- 
cured by addressing the Committee at their office, Bree- 
denetrasse, Bremen. 
Switching the Tail.-* 1 J. R. J.,"Holden, 
Mo. The habit of switching the tail is often caused by 
the presence of worms ki the horse; they are generally 
situated in the lower intestine. An injection of a weak 
solution of salt in water is often successful in causing 
them to be discharged. Two ounces of salt to a gallon 
of water is sufficient. Their presence may be known by 
the appearance of scales of dry mucus around the anus. 
Soiling Crops.—' 1 S. A. W.," Baltimore 
Co., Md. After the full-sown rye is consumed in the 
spring there should be a crop of clover or orchard grass 
ready to follow, then early sown oats would be the next, 
or oats and peas, or a crop of fall-sown tares might be 
prepared to follow the rye. Corn would follow the oats. 
Wild Flax.— *' G. E. B.,'*' Mishnwaka, Ind. 
There is a common species of wild flax which is a per- 
ennial plant, and which can not therefore be destroyed 
by cutting. Plowing and burying the roots or gathering 
nud carrying them oil" would be the best plan of riddiDg 
fields of this weed. 
The Morgan*. — It is certainly to the credit 
of the class of horses known as Morgan horses that it is 
selected as the type of the perfect horse by that very 
capable horseman and intelligent writer, the Rev. W. H. 
II. Murray. And now we read a well authenticated ac- 
count of a Morgan horse recently exhibited at an agri- 
cultural fair, which beneath the well-borne burden of 27 
years steps out upon the ring actively and as gayly as a 
colt of three years. The value of the old Morgan horse 
to the agriculture of the country in founding this race of 
hardy, active horses is hardly to be computed in dollars. 
destroying Old Stnnips.— " W. A., 1 ' 
West Charlton, N. Y. There is a method of saturating 
stumps with saltpeter or petroleum and making them so 
inflammable that they will burn away ; hut wc know of 
none by which they are destroyed by acids. The plan is 
to bore a hole to the heart of the stump aud pour a 
quantity of petroleum into it, or put a qnarterof a pound 
of saltpeter therein, and when the stump is well soaked 
with it to 6et it on fire. 
Oressing tor Sores. — There is no better 
dressing for sores on any animal in warm weather or fly- 
time than common clean pine tar. 
Steam I?umping Engines. — W. A. 
Cuming, Wilmington, N. C. There are a large number 
of American engines suitable for light work, such as 
pumping for irrigating purposes, and which may be 
geared directly to a rotary pump. A modern invention 
known as the Pulsoraeter, which works without any en- 
gine and by the direct action of the steam, is probably the 
best irrigating or pumping machine known at the present 
time. It lifts the water and also discharges it with what- 
ever force may be required. 
Tumor on the Jaw. — "A. M. W.," 
Mitchell Co., Iowa. A tumor on the jaw of a heifer or 
other animal is generally the effect of a blow or other in- 
jury. As it arises from injury to the bone no outward 
application is of any avail unless for the purpose of in- 
ducing suppuration and discharge. A diseased growth 
of bone, hewever, almost always occurs, which ends final- 
ly in a permanent enlargement or necrosis which at 
length terminates fatally. If a surgeon can not be pro- 
cured, we would advise the application of common iodine 
ointment twice a day to the swelling. If it is not the 
effect of an injury it is likely to be the result of a scrofu- 
lous condition in which case a cure is very uncertain. 
Marl.— U B. F. R.," Windsor Co., Vt. What 
is known in your locality as marl is not lime in the con- 
dition in which it should be used to mix with muck for 
manure. The lime bhould be caustic or free from carbonic 
acid. Marl is an impure carbonate of lime, and is quite 
inert as a decomposing agent for muck. It may, however, 
be mixed with the muck, and after a year's or even a sea- 
son's exposure may be usefully applied to the land. But 
caustic lime is much more rapid and effective than marl. 
I>eep Cans. — "A Farmer's Daughter," An- 
dover, Mass. The deep cans used in setting milk are 8 
inches in diameter and 20 or 25 inches deep. They are 
made by the Iron-clad Milk Can Company, of New York. 
The method of using them and skimming the cream, with 
an engraving of the skimmer, is described in the Agricul- 
turist for May, 1872. 
Farming in West Virginia. — " R. G. 
A.," Pittsburgh, Pa. We would advise any person de- 
siring to change his location to visit the place he pro- 
poses to settle in, and examine, not only the soil but the 
character of the farmers and their ways of doing things. 
A man of sufficient judgment to run a farm would make 
a very satisfactory guess as to the propriety of removing 
thither. We do not wish to adviee as to making invest- 
ments of money. 
I>airy Questions.— " H. S. 8.," Washing- 
ton. It depends somewhat upon the management of the 
milk whether or not milk set in deep cans will yield as 
much cream as miWv set in shallow cans. The tempera- 
ture has more to do with the yield of cream than the 
shape of the can. A cow that would yield a pound of 
butter a day for a lengthened period wottld probably 
bring in New York $75 or more if the right purchaser 
should happen to bo on hand. The lactometer was 
described in the Agriculturist of October, 1ST2, to which 
please refer. 
Rape.-"W. B. E., n Plymouth, 111. We have 
no doubt that rape might be successfully cultivated in 
Central Illinois, although it thrives best in moist climates. 
It is largely grown in Great Britain as food for olieep and 
green forage for other animals, and in the drier climate 
of France and Germany, a closely allied plant under the 
name of Colza is extensively and profitably raised for 
the 6eed from which oil is expressed. Probably the 
winter rape would be the most successful in Illinois, 
sown in August for fall and early Epring feed. 
Sewing: Machine Patents. — U W. B. 
E." We do not know that any of the patents on sewing 
machines have yet expired. There are a very large num- 
ber of patents on recent improvements which will con- 
tinue the monopoly practically for several years even if 
none should be extended. But there are some cheap 
machines which arc very good. The Beckwith machine, 
described in the Agriculturist often of late, is 6old at $10 
to $20, and will do satisfactory work. 
Rancid Butter.- 11 W. M. 8.," Vancouver, 
W. T. There is no way of sweetening rancid butter to 
make it entirely palatable. It may be improved by wash- 
ing in sweet milk in a churn, and then in pure water, 
and finally, by working over again with a quarter of an 
ounce of fine white sugar and three quarters of an ounce 
of salt to the pound of butter. It must then be consumed 
at once or it becomes as bad as ever again very soon. 
Charcoal for Hogs. — " W. F. L.," 
Shelby Co., Ind. Charcoal in small quantities maybe 
prepared by simply burning hard wood in a fire, and when 
it is thoroughly ignited plunging the brands into water 
If a larger quantity is desired, the wood may be put into 
a heap closed packed and set on fire, and when briskly 
burning it should be closely covered with sods and al- 
lowed to smolder for two or three days, when it is to be 
covered with earth and left to cool. The result will 
be very fair charcoal. 
Protection for Cattle.— The act of 
Congress for the protection of animals in transit went 
into effect on October 1st. It provides that all swine and 
stock transported over railroads and by water, where 
there a$e not sufficient accommodations for rest and 
feeding, shall in every twenty-eight .hoars be stopped, 
rested, and fed for five hours. There is a penalty of from 
one to five hundred dollars for violation of the act. 
