19-4 
[Mat, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
will make a cord of wood, if it ingrowing in close tim¬ 
bers, and the limbs are not heavy. If the limbs are large 
and spreading, such a tree will make 114 to 1)4 cords. A 
tree one foot in diameter will make only a fourth as 
much as one twice the diameter. In estimating, it is 
necessary to remember this fact. 
€SreeB& —“C. E. S.,” Lewiston, 
Me. Plowing in green crops is a good way to begin in 
renovating a run down farm, but more than that is needed. 
It is difficult at first to get a heavy crop to plow under, 
and a light crop does little good. It isuest to use some 
artificial fertilizer, such as Peruvian guano, or the pre¬ 
pared chemical manures, to help the first crop. When 
land will produce a fair burden of clover, and that is 
plowed in, a very good beginning is made ; but that must 
"be followed by a regular course of manuring and cropping, 
«lse the benefit will soon be lost again. 
ISofting of §<>d.—“R. P. H.,” Towah, 
Wis. Sod from a natural meadow decomposes very slow¬ 
ly, nor do we know of any rapid method of hastening the 
process, except the addition of plenty of lime. If the 
partly rotted sods are intended for the fertilizing of light 
land, we would suggest that they be spread upon the sur¬ 
face now and plowed in as early as possible. They will 
rot more quickly in that way than any other. 
Artificial Fertilizing. — “G. W.,” 
Northampton Co., Pa. We do not doubt that a farm may 
be very easily carried on with but little live stock and 
grain sold yearly to pay expenses, by a system of chemical 
fertilizing, with an occasional green crop plowed in. But 
the most profitable branch of agriculture is raising live 
stock, either for meat or dairy purposes, growing grain 
to feed them, adding some purchased foods, and using 
some artificial fertilizers to help out what is made on the 
farm; while the poorest business is growing grain for 
sale only. Different fertilizers are compounded by the 
dealers to suit the needs of various crops. 
Questions for Discussion,— TheYolina 
<Mich.) Farmers’ Club have the following programme of 
subjects for discussion for the present year, viz.: Breed¬ 
ing and management of hogs; clover and its management, 
farm stock, kinds, proportions, and management; 
(a volume might be written on this subject); corn, its 
varieties and cultivation; sheep shearing, show of stock 
and implemeuts in May; wheat, varieties and cultivation ; 
Town Fair in October; experience meeting in Novem¬ 
ber ; and in December an address by the President. 
The Oxlbrd.Wown limn “ Free- 
land.”— T. S, Cooper, “Linden Grove,” Coopersburg, 
Pa., writes in regard to the noted Oxford-Down Bam 
” Freeland ” as follows: ‘In your issue of last Novem¬ 
ber appeared a portrait and sketch of ttie celebrated Ox¬ 
ford-Down Ram ‘Freeland.’ Will you kindly allow me 
to state tiiat ‘ Freeland ’ was bred by and belonged to Mr. 
A. J. Milton Druce, Eynsham, England, who, in 1875, 
hired him for the season to Mr. John Treadwell for 50 
guineas. In 1876 1 hired him at public auction from Mr. 
Druce for 85 guineas, and in 1S77 purchased him outright 
for a long price from that gentleman. lie is now at 
Linden Grove, where I intend he shall end his days. I 
have forwarded you my Catalogue by this mail, from 
which you will be able to gather some interesting parti¬ 
culars concerning the breed generally, as well as a his¬ 
tory of ‘Freeland,’ and the number of prizes won by 
him in England. He has done excellent service in my 
flock of imported ewes this fall, a number of which I 
have retained for my own breeding, so convinced am I of 
the superiority of the breed for general purposes in 
America. With my Oxford-Downs 1 won the flock prize 
of $100 at St. Louis last fall, a pretty good tribute to the 
excellence of the breed, and my correspondence has of 
iate been largely increased, owing to the numerous in¬ 
quiries received respecting them, which also shows their 
growing popularity. In booking orders for spring lambs 
I shall soon have reached the length of my tether.” 
Cam fl»otatoes 1»e Kaised Ferpctii. 
ally on the Same Soil ?—“F.,” Aroostook Co., Me. 
There is no reason why potatoes should not be grown 
year after year upon the same soil, if proper fertilizers are 
supplied. But there is no necessity to do this. Potatoes 
may be grown once every four years, by making a rotation 
of grass and clover, potatoes on the sod, and wheat, rye, 
or other small grain or perhaps a crop of peas, or oats, 
intervening. On 10(1 acres there may then be 20 to 25 
acres of potatoes yielding $1,000 each year, which is a 
handsome money income. Potatoes take from the soil 
chiefly potash and lime, and if the waste and vines are 
returned, there is little exhaustion. 
The Cultivation of Cranberries.— 
We hear occasionally of large profits from cranberry cul¬ 
ture, but rarely of the losses. That many undertakings 
in cranberry growing have been altogether the reverse of 
profitable, is as true as that many have paid handsome 
returns. There is no culture which requires such pecu¬ 
liar conditions, and unless these are naturally present, 
or artificially provided, failure is very sure to follow. 
Because cranberries often grow wild in abundance, many 
think they need but little care, while the fact is, their 
natural localities are of a kind very difficult to imitate. 
No one should invest money in an attempt to grow this 
fruit, without first thoroughly understanding its require¬ 
ments, and making sure that he can meet them. The 
essentials are: a soil of peal or muck ; an abundant sup¬ 
ply of sharp sand, without admixture of clay, and water 
under control. The water system must bo so arranged, 
and the supply sufficient, to allow the meadow to be com¬ 
pletely flooded at will, and on the other hand the drain¬ 
age must be such, that no stagnant water will remain 
around the roots of the plant, but there must be free 
drainage to 12 or 18 inches below the surface. Every 
one of these conditions is essential, and relates to the 
locality. This will serve as a general answer to the in¬ 
quiries that come each spring, concerning cranberries. 
These points, with all other matters in regard to estab¬ 
lishing and managing a cranberry meadow, are given in 
full detail in ‘‘Cranberry Culture,” by J. J. White, a 
practical New Jersey grower, which is a remarkably com¬ 
plete work on a special culture, and should be thoroughly 
studied by every one who proposes to undertake cran¬ 
berry growing. Like other practical and impartial works, 
a part of its usefulness consists in showing the folly of 
attempting the culture unless all the conditions may be 
met. Sent post-paid by Orange Judd Company, for $1.25 
fpJIjisiievijB.—A friend kindly calls our atten¬ 
tion to the fact that Iasi month we inadvertently, not 
ignorantly, wrote Scotland, instead of Ireland, in speak¬ 
ing of a well known Botanic Garden near Dublin. 
S21Fect of Aslies—Salt..—“E. D. S.,” Or¬ 
leans Co., N. Y. 20 bushels of ashes per acre drilled in 
with grain, would almost certainly destroy the seed, or 
at least the tender sprout when it germinates. Ashes 
are always best scattered upon the surface. As ashes are 
not so quickly soluble as most commercial fertilizers, a 
larger quantity needs to be used, and as they dissolve 
slowly, the effect is more permanent. Salt is used as 
a fertilizer at the rate of 1 to 5 bushels per acre. 
Sheep Sheurs. —“G. B. S.,” Cooper Co., 
Mo. After having tried several so-called improved sheep 
shears, we prefer the common kind. Those with teeth, 
or guards, to protect the sheep, give no protection in un¬ 
skilled hands, and they gum up so much that the work 
is very tiresome to the wrist and arm. If there is a 
better shears than the common one, we want to find it. 
Flat Cultivation of Corn. —“ G. W. 
W.,” Memphis, Tenn. The flat cultivation of corn is 
generally considered preferable to hilling or plowing up 
to the rows. We have practised the method for some 
years, and prefer it to plowing up ridges or hills. Plant 
ing in drills is not only more convenient, but there can 
be more corn grown upon the same ground than when in 
hills or squares, and the cultivation on the flat will be 
found cheaper, and, if properly done, equally cleanly. 
Troailble With Field Mice. —A note 
from Coles Co., Ill., states that the district is over-run 
with field mice, to the great loss of the crops. How 
many boys are there in Coles Co. of the age of 12— 
Indeed how many men “ big enough, old enough, and 
ought to know better,” who will not go out of their way 
to kill everything in the shape of a snake—for no other 
reason than it is a snafee, and consequently no bu-iness 
to live ? The harmless reptile is, in reality, fulfilling the 
object of its existence quite as well—to say the least, as 
the boy or man who kills it. How many boys (or males 
big enough to be men), who own, or can borrow a gun, 
will not shoot at, or indeed, spend half a day in hunting 
every little owl, or Sparrow-hawk, or Mouse-hawk ? the 
last of these lives almost solely on field mice, which also 
form the principal food of most of the smaller birds of 
prey. If we will persist in killing, or in allowing to be 
killed, the insect-eating birds, we must expect insects to 
increase. If we will destroy or drive away the birds and 
snakes provided to keep field mice in check, we must 
kill the mice ourselves, or suffer the loss of our crops. 
Catalogues Received. 
Generany the list of Nurserymen's, Florists, and 
Seedsmen’s catalogues ceases with Ayril, and is not re¬ 
sumed until the announcements for the fad trade come 
to hand, but here are several that have been belated or 
omitted from one cause and another. Very full lists 
will be found in our issues for March and April. 
NURSERYMEN. 
A Dance & Son. Red Bank, N. J.. send special list of 
a surplus stock, and one describing the Honeywell Peach. 
Yoakum & Co., Larissa, Cherokee Co., Texas. It will 
do our Texas friends little good to notice this catalogue 
now, but we would call attention to an excellent feature 
in it.. For each kind of fruit they give a “ Superlativo 
List” of varieties thoroughly tested and commended for 
Texas, and besides a “ General List.” 
SEEDSMEN. 
B. K. Bliss & Sons, No. 34 Barclay St., N. Y.—An ex¬ 
tra catalogue, which should have reached us last month. 
It contains important novelties in field seeds (including 
potatoes), vegetable and flower seeds; abundantly and 
handsomely illustrated. 
Crosman Brothers, Rochester, N. Y.—The catalogue 
of this long-established house is as full and as neat as 
usual, and we fear that it is our own fault that it was not 
noticed last month. 
C. H. IIovey & Co., 22 Tremont St., Boston, Mass., 
besides the catalogue of plants, noted in March, send 
another of seeds and plants, compact and comprehensive. 
E. L. Meyer, “ Druggist and Seedsman,” Hutchinson, 
Kas., a full, useful catalogue of garden and farm seeds. 
FLORISTS. 
Greenbuook and Paterson Nurseries, J. Grieves, 
Sec., Paterson, N. -T.—Very full in the way of descrip¬ 
tion and cultural directions, mostly for greenhouse stock. 
Long Brothers, Buffalo, N. Y., send their list of Dol¬ 
lar Collections, of which there are 30, and very cheap 
they are. Besides this, they send their general catalogue 
of plants, very neat and compact, with a list of seeds. 
J. Warren Merrill, Cambridge, Mass., makes a 
specialty of native and exotic Ferns; his list is very full; 
those desiring to exchange or purchase, may address his 
gardener, A. B. Gilbert, Cambridgeport, Mass. 
AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL MA¬ 
CHINERY AND APPLIANCES. 
Adriance Platt & Co., No. 165 Greenwich St., N.Y.. 
send two publications relating to the “ Buckeye ” Mower 
and Reaper. The same perfection attends these publi¬ 
cations that characterises the machines they describe. 
One illustrates the mowers and reapers at work and on 
the road, and each picture is a work of art. The horses 
are at work, the men are driving, and there are no “lay 
figures.” The other gives every extra part lo each ma¬ 
chine, from the driving-wheel down to the smallest 
screw, showing a wonderful attention to details, and 
making a work valuable to every owner of a “ Buckeye." 
The Beecher Basket Co., Westville, Conn.—An illus¬ 
trated catalogue of their well known baskets and crates. 
The Belciier Taylor A’g'l Tool Co., Chicopee Falls, 
Mass.—Full illustrated catalogues of the “ Bullard Hay 
Tedder,” and “ Prout’s Hoeing Machine,” both of ex- ; 
cellent reputation. 
Boomer & Boschert, Syracuse, N. Y.—We described 
their remarkable cider and wine Press, as seen at the 
Centennial, in the American Agriculturist for July, 1877. 
This fully illustrated catalogue gives every detail. 
Wiu. L. Boyer & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., Farm grist 
mills for grinding all sorts of grain ; fodder-cutters and a 
clover-seed gatherer which harvests one acre per hour. 
Gardner B. Weeks, Syracuse N. Y., Dairy Apparatus 
and supplies, including steam-boilers and engines. 
H. B. Gripping, 60 Cortlandt St.. N. Y., all sorts of 
machinery, fertilizers, and tools for the farm ; including 
the popular Kirby mower and reaper, with hay and 
straw-presses, and the new manure-baling press. Also 
city stable manure put up m small bales of 300 lbs. each. 
Hubbell & Cheeseboro, Geddes, N. Y.—A stone¬ 
ware package, glazed inside and out, for butter. 
John L. Kipp, No. 103 Eldridge St., N. Y.—A catalogue 
of the wares made at the “ Kipp Wagon Works,” includ¬ 
ing carts and trucks, hand-carts and wheel-barrows in 
ah astonishing variety, each style illustrated. 
New York Plow Co.. Beekman St.’, N. Y,. make the 
Nishwitz Harrow, the Adamant Plow, and various other 
improved farm machines. 
N. Page, Jr., Wakefield, Mass., continues to make his 
Pump and Sprinkler, illustrating it in two catalogues. 
B. W. Payne & Sons, Corning. Steuben Co.. N. Y — : 
An illustrated catalogue of the various forms of portable 
and stationary steam-engines made by them. 
Rumsey & Co., Seneca Falls, N. Y.—This catalogue, 
of 160 large pages, might well be called an illustrated | 
treatiseon Hydraulics. Almost everything contrivcdfor 
raising water, from the simplest Pitcher Pump, through 
all sorts of force, hand and steam pumps and Water . 
Rams, up to the large Fire Engine, including every pos¬ 
sible accessory, from a screw, up to the trumpet of the 
Captain of the “ niaslieen,” is here given in full. 
The Yale Vertical Grist Mill, made by the Yale 
Iron Works, New Haven, C't., also engines for small ; 
boats and yachts, lathes and other machinery. 
J. R. Whittemoiie, Chicopee Falls, makes, and Whit- 
temore Brothers, Boston-, also sell, the Victor Feed Cut¬ 
ter and the Champion Horse Rake, of which they send - 
illustrated descriptions. 
J. C. Wood & Brother, Fishkill. N. Y., send an illus¬ 
trated catalogue of berry baskets, crates, and other fruit 
packages, including the small peach basket which we in¬ 
troduced to Eastern fruit dealers a few years ago. 
LIVE STOCK. 
Herbert Merriam, Cherry Brook Farm, Weston, 
Mass., Ayrshire cattle; Yorkshire and Berkshire pigs. 
Belleview Stock Farm, Dundee, N. Y. Celebrated 
Stallions for the season of 1878. Details are furnished 
by N. Powlison, Supt. of the farm. 
Edward Lutz, 80 5th Avenue, Pittsburg, Pa., Brown 
Leghorn fowls. 
J. II. Morrison, Marlow, Cheshire Co., N. H., Ply¬ 
mouth Rock fowls. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Agricultural Insurance Co., Watertown, N. Y.— 
Insures only farm property and private residences. They 
