REMARKS ON TOP-DRESSING, ETC. 
95 
creased their milk 10 lbs. ; in three days 16 lbs., 
[20 lbs. each ?] which latter quantity they main- 
tained during the next twelve days following. Lot 
No. 2. were fed, during this time, with half a 
bushel of sugar beets per day to each cow, 
which terminated with the same result as Lot 
No. 1. 
I then gave each cow of Lot No. 1. four quarts 
of ground buckwheat per day, made into a slop, 
which resulted in the same manner as when fed 
with the ruta-bagas. In the mean time, the cows 
nf T.nt No. 2 were fed with eight quarts of wheat 
bran per day, but without change as to the produce 
of their miik. 
During the time the above-desdribed experiments 
were performing, the cows had as much good hay 
as they would eat, with free access to water during 
the day, and were put up in a warm stable at night. 
1 Corn Stalks for Winter Fodder. — On the 15th of 
June, I planted an acre of Indian corn in drills. 18 
inches apart. On the 1st of September following, 
I cut it up with a reaping hook, let it cure for 
three days in the swath, then bound it in small 
sheaves and shocked, or stooked it up, putting a 
band round the tops of the shocks, leaving the bot- 
toms spread out for the admission of air, to prevent 
moldiness, and about a month after, collected them 
into stacks near the barn. The produce of this acre 
kept thirty cows, for twenty days, from the 1st to 
the 20th of January. 
Value of Root Crops. — For the last three years, 
I have turned my attention to raising parsnips, 
ruta-bagas, and the sugar beet as a field crop. 
The parsnip should be planted as early in April 
as the ground will admit. It has no enemy that 
will seriously injure it, yields well, (500 bushels 
per acre,) and for wintering hogs, is worth twice 
as much as the ruta-baga or sugar beet. 
The ruta-baga, with me, has become an uncer- 
tain crop on account of the depredation of the tur- 
nip flea. The sugar beet is a productive root and 
will pay well for persons engaged in the produc- 
tion of winter milk ; but under other circumstances, 
I doubt the economy of entering largely into its 
cultivation. If fattening cattle or hogs be the ob- 
ject, Indian corn will afford more feed from a given 
quantity of ground, provided it is as richly ma- 
nured. D. 
Orange County, N. Y., January 10th : 1849. 
» 
REMARKS ON TOP-DRESSING. 
The waste caused by the washings by rains and 
melting snows, in my opinion, is the only objection 
to putting manure on the surface of the soil. In 
all other respects, I think it decidedly preferable to 
top-dress, particularly grass lands. If this cannot 
be done in the winter, I prefer to haul the manure 
on in the summer and spread it as soon after the 
hay is off the ground as possible. At that season, 
the rains are not so heavy as to cause much surface 
water ; but at each shower, the soluble parts of the 
manure dissolve, wash down, and act immediately 
on the roots of the plants, causing them to continue 
their growth, until checked by frost. Should there 
be an excess of this liquid manure, it will descend 
be wasted by evaporating in the air, as well as by 
descending too deep into the earth.— Eds.] On very 
porous soils, however, it is often lost below. I 
have known gravelly land, where rotten manure 
has been plowed in before the commencement of 
the fall rains, and much of its strength washed out 
of the reach of the roots of most kinds of grain, that 
could not be brought up again without very deep 
plowing, or by planting, or sowing such kinds of 
vegetables as possess deep-searching roots. 
I strongly advocate top-dressing for winter 
grain, when the snow or frost will admit of put- 
ting it on. If the ground is sufficiently hard to 
bear horses and their loads, no harm will be done, 
either to the land or team, in the absence of snow. 
I have seen this experiment tried, in many instances, 
with great success on stiff clay soils. 
I have tried top-dressing on clay meadows, in 
one instance, by applying several loads of manure 
to the acre, and in another case double this quan- 
tity, and in a third instance treble the amount. 
The former was exhausted the first year — the next 
produced a good crop the second year, but was ex- 
hausted at the end of the season — but in the latter 
case, the crops were equally good for five years ! 
This experiment convinced me practically that 
there was no loss by evaporation, and encouraged 
me to hold the position I now advance. 
W. H. Sotham. 
Black Rock, N. Y., Jan. 10th, 1849. 
QUERIES ANSWERED RELATIVE TO WIRE 
FENCES. 
Since the publication of Mr. Peters' article on. 
wire fences in our January number, numerous in- 
quiries have been made relative to the size, weight, 
and cost of wire, where it may be had, &c, &c. 
For the benefit of those who are interested in this 
subject, we have taken special pains to construct 
the following table, which is based on reliable facts, 
obtained from several importers and wire dealers of 
this city. 
Class of 
Diameter in 
Weight per 
Weight per 
Retail 
wire. 
hundredths 
of an inch. 
lineal rod. 
lineal mile. 
prices per 
pound. 
$0.09 cts. 
No. 1 
0.32 
4 lbs. 2 oz. 
1321 lbs. 
2 
0.30 
3 " 10 " 
1166 '• 
0.09 " 
3 
0.27 
2 " 15 " 
944 " 
0.09 " 
4 
0.25 
2 <: 8 " 
809 " 
0.09 « 
6 
0.24 
2 " 5 l: 
746 " 
0.09 « 
6 
0.22 
1 " 15 " 
627 " 
0.09 " 
7 
0.20 
I " 9 " 
518 " 
0.10 » 
8 
0.18 
1 " . 4 » 
419 " 
0.10 " 
9 
0.16 
1 •'< " 
331 " 
0.10 « 
10 
15 
" 14 " 
291 " 
0.11 " 
* 11 
0.13 
" 10 " 
219 " 
0.11 « 
12 
0.12 
" 9 " 
186 " 
0.HK" 
13 
0.10 
" 6 " 
129 " 
0.12%-' 
If wanted in large quantities, 25 per cent, would 
be deducted from the prices above. There is a- 
great difference in the quality of wire and those 
unaccustomed to its use are liable to have an infe- 
rior article imposed upon them. It is better that 
the wire be galvanized or annealed, as the fences will 
endure for 15 to 20 years without injury from the 
weather. For galvanizing the wire or coating it 
lower into the earth, at every succeeding shower,! with tin, the cost will be only 2£ cents per pound 
and when once deposited there, will never ascend, in addition to the usual prices. See advertisement 
[We cannot concur in this opinion. Manures may | at p. 104 of the present number. 
