1872.J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
287 
Rend Tax in Ohio.— Referring to some 
remarks in "Walks and Talks" in the June number of 
the 'American Agriculturist, Jno. S. Bowles, of Ohio, 
writes: " Here in Ohio a man is taxed so many dollars 
road-tax according to property, bnt he has the privilege 
or working it out at $1.50 per day, or $3 per day for a 
man and team, aud wagon, or scraper. No supervisor of 
road6 ever objects to a man's working his road tax in the 
spring. On the contrary, he very often insists on it. It 
is the rarmcrs who generally object to working out road 
tax until fall, when they have nothing else to do. Some- 
times, however, they do the work in May. When we 
plow and scrape we only have as many teams as there are 
scrapers. When we draw gravel, in which most or our 
work consists, we have a number of teams and wagon s 
at ii. aud enough extra shovelors to keep the teams on 
the road, and not at the gravel-pit, nearly all the 
time. Every man has a poll-tax of two days' work 
to perform yearly. The supervisor can either allow 
one day with a team, or call for two days at shovel- 
ing gravel. IT he needs shorclers, he will do the latter. 
Mine work can be accomplished at the same expense by 
the teams being constantly on the road than if every 
man's team stood still until he filled his own wagon."— 
No doubt about that. Wo fear, howevei, that every dis- 
trict is not favored with such a sensible supervisor. 
Road-making or repairing requires some experience aud 
much good judgment, and we can not but fear that a 
good deal of time ia lost in doing work at the wrong 
season, and in not half-doing it. The commonest mis- 
take is in not providing good drainage. Three inches of 
well-screened gravel laid on a thoroughly-drained and 
rounding road-bed will make a far better and more en- 
during road than a foot of unscreened gravel laid in the 
wet spots. There is dirt and sand enough on our roads 
without drawing them from a gravel-pit. 
IVlghl-Soil.— " C. C." asks how he shall use 
two loads of night-soil.— Mix it with a few loads of fine 
earth, and put a handful or two into each hill of corn. 
The Wisconsin State Dairymen's) 
Association has decided to establish the coming 
eeason semi-monthly market days at the city of Water- 
town, for the sale of dairy products. 
What is tltc Matter -with the 
Horse ?— " A.L. B.," Trenton, Pa., has a horse which is 
st npid and dull, as though something were the matter with 
the head. Possibly there is : if there is redness of the 
eyes, it may be caused by inflammation of the brain, or 
it may becansed by overfeeding, or a too tightly fitting 
collar. Books in such a case are useless, and the trouble 
is so ill-defined that we can not offer any advice except 
to consult a veterinary surgeon about it. 
A Patent Wanted.- •' S. S.," Bedford, 
Pa., scuds us a sketcli of a farm-gate which he claims is 
n new thing, and wants our opinion about it. As the 
claimed improvement has not the least novelty, we give 
our opinion, and would not advise " S. S." to spend any 
money over it. We think that the gate business, being 
already hampered with over 100 patents, should now be left 
in peace, and inventors turn their attention to methods 
of doing without gates at all ; and fences as well. 
nuffulo Bnlls.— If "P. B. B." will send 
bis address (former one mislaid), we will give him the 
address of parties who can furnish him with a young 
buffalo bull, or he can apply to the party who advertised 
them for sale in the July Agriculturist. People often 
don't know that they want many such things until they 
discover that they can get them, and the "Basket" is 
not exactly the proper vehicle for carrying buffalo bulls 
and the like between seller aud buyer. 
Shall He Buy or Hire a I»nl! ?— 
"P. M.," Pleasant Run. Kansas, asks if be shall buy a 
thnrongh-lmd Short horn bull at $200, on a year's credit, 
or take him on shares ofhalfthe value of his services. He 
lias 20 good native cows. We would advise the latter 
course, lest when pay-day comes inconvenience should 
arise in meeting it. A farmer, as a rule, should never run 
in debt, except to drain or manure his farm, and then only 
in rare cases. When the funds are in hand, then buy a 
bull as soon as possible* 
To Improre nn old Meadow.— 
"J. F. R.," Norwftlk, Ct., wants the best manure to 
i :..i". the graBs on an old, ran-out meadow, in the absence 
of stable manure. Wo would harrow the meadow with a 
sharp, heavy harrow, and spread 8C0 IDs. of fine bone- 
dnst early In spring, witli a littlo timothy seed where the 
ground Is bare, narrow satin with a Tory lleht harrow 
era bush. If swamp mticlt could he daj through (hi 
summer, a top-dressing in the Mil wonld be useful, 
Is it too Late to Sow Mangcl- 
Wurzel ?— It is too late to grow a large crop. But if 
the ground is rich, mellow, and clean, a fair crop may bo 
grown, sown as late as the first week in July. Seed- 
growers who raise moderate-sized roots for the purpose 
or setting them out for seed next spring, often sow as 
late as the first or middle of July. They sow in rows, 
say 2;j feet apart, and leave the plants six inches in the 
rows, ir the ground is moist and the seeds are sown by 
hand, a week or so may be gained and much weeding 
saved by soaking the seeds for 4S hours before sowing, lak- 
ingcarc to change the water at least every 12 hours. If, after 
soaking for 48 hours, the ground is not ready, pour off the 
water and keep the seed moist unti I you arc ready to plant. 
It can be kept two or three days, or even until it sprouts, 
without injury, provided ike sprouts are not knocked 
off in planting. 
"T^Tliat is a Hogget? "—It is an Eng- 
lish term applied to sheep, and, like many other similar 
terms, does not seem to have any very definite meaning. 
Webster, quoting from the American agricultural writer 
Skinner, says, " A hogget is a sheep two years old." As 
we understand the matter, however, the general meaning 
of the term as used by English farmers is a sheep, male 
or female, from the time it ceases to be a lamb until it is 
shorn for the first time. After it is shorn it is a " shearing" 
or "shearling ;" when shorn the second time, it is a "two- 
shear" sheep, and when shoru the third time, a "three- 
shear" ram, ewe, or wether, as the case may be. A "hog- 
get," then, is a lamb, without regard to sex, from five to 
fifteen mouths old, or until it is sheared. After that it 
ceases to be a hogget and becomes a shearling. For 
the sake of distinction it is, we believe, proper to say ewe 
hogget, wether hogget, etc. 
Artificial Cider.—" D. P. B." Wo have 
no formula for artificial cider, and if we had, should not 
publish it; we do not believe in sophisticating. 
Roaches — Insect-Powder. — L. G. 
Hedge. If you can get fresh Persian Insect-Powder, you 
can get rid of roaches or cockroaches. Here let us state 
that all the various " lightning," "electric," andother bug- 
powders are only this done up in small packages. The Per- 
sian Insect Powder is the ground flowers of Beveral spe- 
cies of Pyrethrum, and is put up in chests in the Cauca- 
sus. Its value depende upon its aroma, and consequently 
upon the care Willi which it is kept. The importers, when 
they open a case, immediately put the powder into pound 
bottles, securely corked. We get ours of Lasell, Marsh 
& Gardener. No. 1" Gold St., New York, in pound bottles, 
at $1.25 each. It is sure death to every cockroach it 
touches. We use a bellows and blow it into all the cracks. 
Get your druggist to order it for you. 
<loTcr amongst Corn. — "A Young 
Farmer " in New Jersey is engaged in raisinggreen corn 
for the city market and wishes to grow a crop of clover 
between the crops of corn. The corn is off by the first 
of August, and some of it by July 20th. He asks if clover 
will do well sown at this season of the year; if so, be 
can grow corn every alternate year. — Yes, it will do well, 
sown in July or August, provided the land is clean, moist, 
and in good condition. Sow seed enough, say 8 to 10 
quarts per acre. If the crop can be removed and the 
land got in good condition by the middle of August, we 
should prefer to wait and plow, and thoroughly harrow 
the land before sowing the seed, and then roll. But 
otherwise it will be better to sow the seed among the 
corn after the last cultivating. 
Buggy Pcas.-"J. Ii.," Wayne Co., N. Y. 
We know of no remedy. All you can do is to feed out 
your peas to the pigs early in the fall, before the " bugs " 
grow large enough to eat their way out of the peas and 
escape. If fed out before the first of November, there 
will be little loss of nutriment, as the pigs will eat peas 
and bugs together and grow fst on them. 
Pig-s for Choice Family Porlt.— A 
Jersey farmer writes : " I raise quite a number of pigs, and 
sell them to people who get the city slops, and who want 
them to fatten at from six to ten months old. Have got 
my name pretty well up for raising the right, quality of 
pigs, so that orders come in from three months to one 
year ahead. This with a common stock of bogs, lightly 
crossed with Chester Whites, such pigs ranging from Tio 
to 300 lbs. at ten months old. Last fall I thought to still 
further improve part of my stock by using a Jefferson 
County boar,which has perfectly disgusted me with them. 
The pigs are now six weeks old, and I could put any of 
them in my overcoat-pocket, while my other pigB go from 
23 to 35 lbs. at eight weeks old, Now, what I wan't to 
know is, whether yon think a thorough-bred Essex boar 
put to Chester White or other large sows would give mo 
pigs that would srrow faster while young and mature earlier 
that! others In w hloh there is no Essex brood f "— The pigs 
from such a cross may not weigh any more at two or 
three months old than the Cbesters, but they wilt be finer 
boned, smaller eared, fatter, aud more stylish-looking. 
At any rate, this is our experience and observation. A 
second cross, if you select the best and most vigorous 
suwa, will improve them still more. And if well fed. the 
quality of the pork can not be excelled. But it should 
be understood that such pigs will not stand starvation and 
neglect. They are bred to grow rapidly and mature early, 
aud must have something to grow with. 
Chester Co. Mammoth Corn. — "D. 
n. B.," West Brandywine, Pa., disagrees with Thomas 
Wood, of Doe Run, Pa., when be states that the Chester 
Co. Mammoth corn is simply the result of good culture. 
He asks if heavy feeding would make native cattle equal 
in size to the Kentucky Shorthorns, and if not, could heavy 
manuring change an inferior grain into one of great, ex- 
cellen e ? Tile theory and practice of culture and breed- 
ing are against the views of "D. H. B.," aud in favor of 
those of Thomas Wood, and they prove that " the careful 
cultivation of one distinct variety" does not deteriorate 
it, but within certain w f ell-defined bounds improves it. 
The highly-bred Shorthorns are the result of the careful 
and long-continued culture of a race of native British 
cattle, and are totally different in character from the un- 
cultivated progeny of the same race now existing. Besides 
it can be shown that corn cultivated without change of 
seed for sixty or eighty years, at least has not degenerated. 
Yet great improvement often results from the introduction 
of new or fresh varieties. 
Talne of Bonc-Black.— " W. A. G," 
Washington, asks what is the value of bone-black and 
Guanape guano as compared with raw bone and Peru, 
vian guano. Bone-black having by burning lost its 
animal matter, contains little or no ammonia, and its 
value is therefore less than that of raw bone, probably 
one fourth or even more. Guanape guano is bo variable 
in composition that its actual value can not be stated. 
Generally, Dr. Voelker states it to be less in the best 
samples than Peruvian guano. What the poorest sam- 
ples are worth it is impossible to say. 
How to Smoke Meat. — "T. M. D.," 
Baden, Mo., wants to know which is the best weather in 
which to smoke meat, wet or dry. It is quite immaterial 
as far as regards the dryness or juiciness of the meat. 
This is affected by the degree of heat in the smoke-house. 
If the house is kept cool the smoking will leave the meat 
juicy, but if the temperaiure becomes too high the meat 
is dried. Damp weather affects only the surface. 
Stripping Cows.— W. H. Barns, Oak- 
wood, Kansas, has heard of folks stripping their cows 
into a small pail, and putting it directly into the cream- 
jar, claiming it is nearly pure cream, and always thought 
il absurd. It is true, nevertheless, and we supposed 
everybody who bad a cow knew that the laBt drawn milk 
is much richer in cream than the first. 
About Borrowing. — A ' Subscriber " 
asks if we would advise a farmer who has. :•- good rami of 
one hundred acres to borrow $2,000 to pu.cnase stoCK 
for a butter-dairy farm. If the farmer t-n„ ,,-s enough to 
lay out the money judiciously, the stock ought to be al- 
ways worth the cost, so mat tie really is not in debt; 
and we don't nesitate to advise any fanner to borrow 
money to improve the productive capacity of bis 'arm. 
The Sawdust, or "Queer," Humbug, 
This has been shown up often in these columns. The 
most extensive operator in this line now sends out the 
following circular, under seal, with no name attached, but 
a name is written and inclosed in it on a separate slip. 
As all letters to swindlers are stopped at the New York 
Post-Office, this fellow uses a great variety of names, 
changing them faster than they can be followed tip by 
the Post-Offlce clerks. Thus, in a lot of the same circu- 
lars before us, we find slips with the following names and 
many others, all giving the address of 22 West 4th street 
or 16 South Fifth ave., New York : Wm. Dal ley, S.Yetter, 
Jonas Phillips, Wm. Coombs, Joel Jewells, John H. 
Klnkkard, Darius Driscoll. David Curran, Rollin Bur- 
dick. Henry Oatmsn, Martin Bowker, Lemuel Haines, 
Ezra Whitcomb, Joseph Hoffman, Jonas Moore. Herman 
Andrews. David Currau, etc., etc. As a curiosity, we give 
the circular entire. It will be understood that nothing is 
ever returned for the money Bent, the sender not daring 
to expose himself as a would-be dealer in counterfeits. 
If one comes to the shop he Is scared out of his money, 
or has it taken from him by a bogus policeman. If par. 
eels are sent out by express, C. O. D., they »re filled with 
" sawdust " or other ttash, tho character of which is not 
known until the recipient has paid a large bill and taken 
