1872.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
407 
The New R nles of the Jersey- 
Cattle Club.— It has been decided that applications 
for the entry in the Herd-Register of animals whose 
pedigrees need investigation, shall not he received after 
December 31, 1872. After that no applications will be con- 
sidered, except of animals whose ancestors are already 
recorded, or which have been imported from the Island 
of Jersey, with the record of their Island pedigrees duly 
certified. Over three years have now been spent in tracing 
the history of the animals already in the country, and it 
is believed that most of the authentic pedigrees are re- 
corded. All having stock whose pedigrees they think may 
be traced, must, if they wish to have them entered, submit 
them before the end of this year. Those not applied for 
before that time will, with their progeny, be permanently 
excluded from the Register. The total number of entries 
thus far made is about 3,400— constituting a very full 
record of all the principal herds in the United States and 
Canada. A circular, containing full instructions for sub- 
mitting pedigrees, may be had by applying to the Sec- 
retary of the Club at Newport, R. I. 
Horse Education* — "A Young Sub- 
scriber" asks if the works on the education of horses are 
of any use to a young man. — Some of them contain use- 
ful hints as to the management of a horse, but it would 
not do to expect to become a horse-tamer by reading one 
of them. That depends very much on the disposition or 
character of the man as well as that of the horse. 
Potato-Bu^ I>estroyer. — A correspond- 
ent from Oregon writes us that he has found out a pro- 
cess to destroy the potato-bug, and asks, do we think it 
advisable to sell the receipt for 25 cents; if so, he will 
advertise it in the Agriculturist.— If he has got a really 
effective method of destroying this pest, he could not do 
better than to make it known freely through the Agricul- 
turist. For he should remember that all through his life 
he has been receiving benefits from others, directly and 
.indirectly, and it is a small business to ask 25 cents 
for information by which he may benefit others in return. 
Willow Poles for Rafters.— " Rustic," 
Dubois Co., Mich., asks if willow and poplar poles from 
four to Bix inches in diameter will answer for barn rafters. 
'—No, they will be too weak and brittle to safely bear up 
a roof that may be occasionally loaded with an extra 
weight of snow. Sawed in four pieces, lengthwise, they 
would make very good hurdles for fencing sheep-pastures, 
or sawed in halves would do for a light fence, in place of 
boards, or to make panels of a portable fence. 
Bone-Dust for Meadow. — "W. C. 
W., 1 ' Hanover C. H., Va., desires to enrich a timothy 
meadow, and in the absence of stable manure asks if 
bone-dust would make a substitute, and how it should be 
applied.— Meadows need potash, which bone-dust does 
not furnish, but if 900 pounds of bone-dust and 10 bushels 
of wood-ashes could be applied per acre, early in spring, 
the meadow wonld be greatly benefited. 100 pounds of 
ground gypsum per acre would be also a help to the 
bone and ashes. 
Regarding- Butter.— Mrs. "F. H. R.," 
Iowa, sends us her experience in butter-making, more 
especially as regards the difficulty of getting the butter to 
."come" in warm weather. She has avoided this by 
taking pains to separate the cream from the milk, and by 
preventing the milk from becoming loppered by frequent 
stirring. Before churning she has permitted the cream 
to stand a day or a night after the last stirring, pouring 
off the watery matter which collects at the bottom of the 
pan in which the cream has been " set," and generally 
has then had no trouble in getting butter. 
I,i^ til Brahmas and Heavy Eggs, 
— "T. S.," Juno, Ripley Co., Ind., reports the feats of 
his light Brahmas in the way of laying large eggs. Seven 
eggs weighed 84 J4 ounces ; the heaviest one weighed 4 
ounces, and measured !?£ inches one way and G?^ inches 
the other 
l*onltry-Honses. — " E. V." wants plans 
of a first-class hen-house and the best book on poultry.— 
There are many plaus of houses for fowls, and much ex- 
cellent information and advice on poultry matters gen- 
erally, In the volumes of the American Agriculturist for 
1870 and 1871, as well as the present volume. 
Cracked Hoof.— " A. T. D.," Kendallville, 
Ind., has a horse whose hoof is cracked from toe to coronet, 
so that it bleed?. What shall he do for it ?— The horse 
must be laid up from work, if possible. The shoe must 
be removed. The edges of the crack must be pared away 
at the upper part, so that a distinct separation is made 
between the crack and the coronet, or between the old 
horn of the hoof and the substance from which the new 
horn grows. No union can ever he formed of the parts 
separated by the old crack, so that a new start must be 
had. Blistering ointment may be applied to the 
coronet, to encourage the new growth, and the hoof 
should be smeared with tar and bound up, to prevent 
injury by blows or accidents. 
Comfrey.— U E. M. G.," Oneida Co., N. T., 
has half an acre of ground covered with Comfrey, which 
has become worse by having been plowed. He asks, 
What shall he do ?— There is no remedy but perseverance 
in cultivating the weed to death, picking up every root 
after the plow and harrow, and giving it no rest. The 
roots, being perennial, will submit to no other treatment. 
To I>ry a Cow.— "D. M.," Tioga Co., N. 
Y., has a cow which has been farrow for two years, but 
which he can not dry up, as she leaks her milk. — The 
only plan which occurs to ns is to feed her on dry feed 
altogether, such as hay and corn-meal, and fatten her as 
rapidly as possible. She should have only a small allow- 
ance of water, say four quarts three times a day, until dry. 
To Prepare for Soiling.— "D.," Ken- 
dallville, Ind., wants full directions for soiling. As in 
other things, full directions for managing this business 
can never be full enough; something must be expected 
from the common-sense or smartness of the farmer him- 
self. When we say that juBt now a piece of grass and 
clover should be abundantly top-dressed for use in spring 
to follow a piece of 17c to be sown now for the first feeding, 
and that a piece of ground should be generously prepared 
for oats and peas, to be sown as early as possible in the 
spring, and. that one and a quarter or more acres per head 
should be appropriated for each cow, and a constant suc- 
cession of crops be made on that ground, the whole tale 
is told, to be applied as well as may be. 
Hops in England and the United 
States.— There are about sixty-five thousand acres of 
land in hop-gardens in England, which are estimated to 
produce about a thousand pounds of hops per acre, or a 
total of sixty-five millions of pounds. In 1870 the United 
States produced twenty-five million pounds, of which 
New York produced seventeen millions and Wisconsin 
nearly five millions. At the same estimated amount of 
crop there would be only twenty-five thousand acres in 
hop-gardens, which would not seem to be overdoing the 
thing in this country. 
Bronchitis, or Inflammation of 
tUe Air-Passages.— U E. M. A." has a favorite horse 
which pants and breathes with difficulty, does not Bweat, 
and will not eat freely. A neighbor says it is because he 
was foaled in August. Is It so, or what is it ?— It certainly 
is not caused by his being foaled in August. The symp- 
toms are those of bronchitis, or inflammation of the air- 
passages, and may have been caused by overheating and 
sudden cooling. He must be tempted to eat by scalding 
his feed, and giving bran and crushed oats with cut hay. 
A blanket may be strapped around his chest and shoulders, 
and he should be kept In a stable where no currents of air 
can blow upon him. Care and good nursing is about all 
that can be done without the advice of a proper veterinary 
surgeon. No bleeding or physic is needed. 
How to Use Lime- " E. M. A.,' 1 For- 
syth Co., N. C, has 300 bushels of lime, and wants to 
know how to use it. — If it is air-slaked, as is probably 
the case, spread it evenly npon the plowed ground or 
grass, at the rate of 30 bushels per acre. If fresh, slake 
it, so that it is flue and dry, and spread it. 
Farmers' Cltihs.— G. A. Boyce, Prospect 
Depot, Prince Edwards Co., Va., wishes to form a Farm- 
ers 5 Club, and requests secretaries of similar institutions 
to send him copies of constitutions and rules that may 
aid in forming such a useful association. 
A Despondent Farmer.— « G. W. K.," 
Quiucy, Minn., is despondent, and quack grass is the 
cause of his despair. His farm is covered with it, and he 
is tempted to sell it and "go West." — Let him not do 
anything of the kind, for where can he go to avoid 
weeds f He must fight tbem. Plow and harrow, and 
cultivate the ground, and as the roots arc plowed up, 
gather and burn them, and cultivate the young plants out 
of existence while they are weak. Quack of course propa- 
gates by seed as well as by the root, and the prevention 
of seeding and careful and clean cultivation will keep it 
down, and nothing else will. A summer fallow, properly 
managed, may help him, if other menus are not strong 
enough, but it must be thorough, or it will be useless. 
Rotation of Crops.— "Fauquier,'' Fau- 
quier Co., Va., is dissatisfied with the present nsual rota- 
tion of crops, viz., clover, corn, oats, and wheat, for the 
reason that there is not sufficient time to properly prepare 
the oat stubble for the following wheat crop. He Buggesta 
wheat on clover sod, corn, wheat, as a better rotation. 
Very many good farmers besides "Fauquier" entertain 
the same ideas, and arc trying to overcome the difficulty, 
but the proposed remedy will have tfie same difficulty in 
following corn with wheat, when large fields have to be 
prepared ; in fact, the difficulty will be increased, as the 
time for plowing is shortened by a month at least, by the 
lateness of the corn crop. We once tried the following 
rotation with benefit, and see no reason why it should 
not be successfully brought tn, at least in part, viz., clover, 
corn, oats, clover, wheat. This lengthened the rotation 
one year, the clover did very well with the oats, and after 
an early mowing could be very well prepared for wheat. 
There was the advantage of only two grain crops coming 
together in place of three, and the exhaustioa following 
the oat crop was recovered. Suppose "Fauquier" should 
try this. Our experience has been that corn should by 
all means, if possible, follow a sod. 
Orchard Gratis and Clover. — "S. 
D. M.," Warren Co., N. J., says he read lately in a news- 
paper that orchard grass and clover seeds should be 
mixed in equal parts for sowing, and as he wishes to 
sow some orchard grass and clover, and doubts the cor- 
rectness of the above directions, he wants further light 
on the subject—This fact illustrates the danger of taking 
directions from newspapers or other journals not devoted 
to agriculture as a specialty, as to the methods of con- 
ducting farm work. Orchard grass seed is always procured 
in the chaff, and is very light, weighing but fourteen 
pounds to the bushel, therefore two bushels of it is con- 
sidered moderate seeding for an acre. Generally such a 
seeding will give a crop of coarse hay, and if fine hay is 
desired, three bushels will not be found too heavy seed- 
ing when sown alone. When sown with clover, one 
bushel and a half is a proper quantity, with six quarts of 
clover seed. If possible, orchard grass should be sown 
on ground not occupied by any other crop, earlyin spring, 
on rich, well-mellowed Boil. It is of rapid growth, and 
makes an excellent pasture grass, especially for orchards 
or shaded pastures. 
Power for Irrigating.— "F. A. O.," 
Marion Co., 111. There is nothing to prevent the use of 
as common railway horse-power to pump water from a 
creek or stream to irrigate a field. This question is of 
ufflcie nt importance to occupy more attention than we 
can give at this moment, and we shall endeavor to return 
to it before long in another article, with illustrations and 
estimates as desired. 
Summer Fallows. — " Young Farmer," 
Chambersburgh, Pa., asks if we recommend summer fal- 
lows as a regular part of the farm work.— Not by any 
means. He will see by reference to the Agriculturist that 
we have favored summer fallows, all along, only as a means 
of ridding very foul land of persistent and destructive 
weeds. Otherwiseall thebencfils to be derived from fol- 
lowing may be secured by a well-cultivated hoed crop, and 
in the mean time tho land is producing a crop. 
I>i*ease of a Horse's Foot.— "From 
the West," Alleghany Co., Pa., has a mare, lame in the 
foot ; there iB no swelling, but tenderness when tho frog 
is pressed or when she Bteps on a stone, and when in the 
etablc she " points " with the fore-foot. — In such countries 
as Alleghany Co., Pa., where the roads are hilly and rough, 
thiB is a common trouble, and is doubtless caused by dis- 
ease of that part of the foot which centers around the nav- 
icular bone (a small bone in the center of the foot), and is 
caused by constant and irritating jars upon this highly sen- 
sitive part. To the cutting of the frog and the removal of 
that elastic cushion, provided by nature for the protection 
of these delicate parts, is due the prevalence of this dis- 
ease, which unfortunately is rarely curable. An unerring 
symptom is the throwing forward of the foot by the horse 
when in the stable, or pointing, as it is called, mentioned 
as belonging to this case. Absolute rest, with good feed, 
cooling bandages to the leg, stuffing the hoof with cow 
dung, making a soft bed of wet clay for the fore-fett to 
rest in, and rubbing the hoof with glycerine to soften and 
cool the crust, are the best remedial measures. It is a 
mistake to suppose the horse's foot is a solid mass of 
horn ; if one is dissected, it will be found a very different 
thing, indeed, and it should be treated accordingly. 
Bridgemaii's Gardener's Assist- 
ant.— The Virginia Tluralist devotes several columns to 
a review of this book and criticises it with much severity. 
The work was in its time an excellent one, by a most 
competent and respected gardener, but on an unlucky day 
it was revised and oditcd by a man conspicuously incom- 
petent to the task. Instead of being brought up to the 
present time, as it might have been, it is now a singular 
combination of very good old and very poor new matter. 
