234c 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
•coal (anthracite,) forms no soot proper. Soot consists 
largely of charcoal, various salts, especially those of am¬ 
monia, and peculiar substances related to creosote. We 
•can not put our hand on a good analysis showing the 
•difference between soot from wood and from soft coal, 
and a recent work says such are much needed. There is 
a general impression that the soot of bituminous coal is 
the richer in ammonia salts. In Europe, where it may 
often be procured in large quantities, it is highly valued 
for all crops to which ammonia is beneficial, at the rate 
•of 15 to 30 bushels per acre, on wheat and grass crops. 
In the garden its value as a fertilizer is scarcely greater 
than that of an insect destroyer; its creosotic matters 
'being very fatal to most insects. For the garden it is 
■very economically used as a liquid, 6 or 8 quarts to a 
■hogshead of water. This remarkably stimulates plants 
■that need it, and clears most of them from insects. 
Any gardener who has a good supply is fortunate. 
Yellow Strawberry.— “ J. S. G.,” Day- 
ton, O. There are several so-called “white” strawberries 
that are more yellowish or cream-colored than white. 
■“Lennig’s White” is cream-colored, with a fine blush, 
•one of the handsomest as well as best of berries—when 
you get it. Then there are three or four of the Alpine 
■class with white fruit, including the Monthly and Bush 
Alpines. A poor variety, called the “ White Carolina,” 
was formerly cultivated, and two, at least, of the Chilian 
etrawherries would be classed as white; they have enor¬ 
mous fruit, but would not stand our climate. If you saw 
them “a great while ago,” probably it was one of the Al¬ 
pines, which are still cultivated by those who like them. 
Alfalfa in New Brunswick.— 1 “ F. 
W. H.,” St. Johns, N. B. Alfalfa is a plant that thrives 
beet in dry climates. It was brought from Chili, a dry 
South American country, to California, where the climate 
is very dry. There it has thriven to a remarkable degree. 
But wherever there is moisture enough to produce good 
■clover, alfalfa has not succeeded. It could not be grown 
in New Brunswick so profitably as clover, and it is a 
question if it would grow at all. 
To Kill Wilil Hose Bushes.—“ G. F. 
•C.,” St. Joseph, Mich. To destroy wild rose bushes it is 
necessary to kill the roots, or they will throw up suckers 
■and perpetuate the growth. This is a difficult plant to 
get rid of in most meadows. The best method known to 
us is to mow the bushes when the roses are in bloom, or 
In July, and if sprouts appear later, to cut them down be¬ 
fore they ripen their wood. Later growth will be tender, 
and not survive winter. Next year they will be weak and 
sickly, and this treatment continued will destroy them. 
Very Si range.— “ W. W. Rubottom, of 
Spadra, has a rose tree with green roses upon it. * * * 
This curiosity is said to be the result of buddk.g the 
white rose upon the Weeping Willow.”_A green rose 
is not so strange, as we had one some 20 years ago, and 
have had them several times since. The manner in 
■which “it is said to be ” produced is strange, and would 
be stranger still were it true ; but the strangest of all is 
"that such false teaching should be found in the “ Southern 
■California Agriculturist,” a journal generally so sensible 
in its teachings and so full of excellent promise. 
drawing; Wsiterwlth a Siphon.— 
** G. H.,” Stark Co., Ohio. Water can not be drawn with 
■a siphon over a hight of more than 25 to 28 feet. If the 
pipe is very smooth inside, and the flow of water is 
larger than one inch, a rise of 28 feet m?y be over¬ 
come : otherwise the friction and the adhesion of the 
water to the surface of the pipe, will prevent the flow 
from rising more than 24 or 25 feet. 
Feeding Caltle foe Profit. — A state¬ 
ment, made by an Irish farmer, relative to the feeding of 
calves from birth to ripeness for the butcher, with the 
method of feeding, and the cost, and the profit, is not 
without interest to us, when we consider the importance 
of the profitable feeding of animals, and the value of the 
manure to our rapidly changing system of agriculture. 
The calves cost $10 when two weeks old; that is, the 
■dairy was credited, and the stock account was charged 
.with that sum, when the feeding of the calf was begun. 
Each calf received 4 quarts of skim milk per day, for 108 
days, and for this period a daily average of 10 ounces of 
a mixture of linseed and cotton seed cake boiled with 
■the milk, with four pounds of roots and green feed, and 
■one pound of hay. After four months old, the daily 
ration was a pound and 4 ounces of a compound made of 
one part bran, one malt dust, two rape-cake, two linseed- 
cake, and four cotton seed cake, thoroughly broken and 
mixed together. Each month the ration was increased 
about five ounces per day. H lbs. of roots or green clo¬ 
ver, and 2 pounds of chaffed straw were also given. The 
food cost about 4$ cents a pound, and the expense of 
deeding could thus be closely calculated. The following 
table gives the result of feeding nine head of well bred 
animals, steers and heifers, from 18 to 25 months old. 
Dressed 
Weight. 
Value. 
Value of 
Manure. 
Cost. 
Profit. 
Profit , 
per cent. 
18 
006 
$113.60 
$22.25 
$110.00 
$25.85 
30 
— 
557 
104.43 
20.41 
103.52 
21.32 
27 
— 
492 
92.75 
18.04 
90.25 
20.54 
29 
19 
631 
118.30 
24.25 
114.70 
27.85 
29 
21 
732 
137.25 
29.17 
135.75 
30.67 
24 
22 
660 
123.75 
27.50 
130.50 
20.75 
18 
23 
724 
135.75 
32.30 
148.43 
19.62 
15 
24 
748 
140.43 
36.62 
163.51 
16.54 
9i 
25 
748 
140.25 
38.25 
169.75 
8.75 
6 
The figures show a fact which is neither new nor sur¬ 
prising, viz., that the longer an animal is fed after it is 
mature, the profit decreases ; or to use a well understood 
expression, after it has reached a salable age it begins 
“ to eat its head off.” This exemplifies also the fact that 
without keeping an accurate account of cost, etc., we 
can not hope to know the precise point where profit ends 
and loss begins. Generally the point is about the age of 
20 months; that is, with early maturing breeds. 
Tumors on the Legs. —“ C. S.,” Leo¬ 
minster, Mass. In scrofulous animals bunches, nodules, 
or tumors, frequently form upon the limbs. When 
these are upon a joint, it is sometimes dangerous to 
meddle with them, because in such conditioned animals 
wounds do not often heal readily, andan open joint may 
ensue, to the final destruction of the animal. So long as 
there is no lameness, it would be well to do nothing 
more than to apply a mixture of 7 parts of Glycerine and 
I part of Iodide of Potassium, which may help to the 
absorption of the tumor. 
How to Burn Marl into Lime.— 
“ J. S. P.,” Bonneau’s Depot, S. C. Marl can be burned 
into lime more or less impure according to the nature ot 
the deposit, by putting it into heaps with brush-wood in 
alternate layers upon a foundation of logs, and setting the 
logs on fire. When the heap is thoroughly ignited, it 
should be covered with fine green brush and earth to 
confine the heat. In three days the operation will be 
complete. Shell marl, which is an impure carbonate of 
lime, and not the “ green sand marl,” if thus treated, will 
be made into a valuable fertilizer. 
Soft or Hard Water tor Cattle.— 
"C. H.,” Ontario, Canada. Limestone water is proba¬ 
bly not injurious for cattle and horses. In limestone 
districts we have the best grass, the best grain, and the 
best stock. The choicest localities, such as the bluo 
grass region in Kentucky, Western New York, the 
Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, and the Misouri Valley 
in Ohio, are all in a limostono country with hard water. 
Ho»v Many Calves can a Cow 
Raise.—'“ Q. A. B.,” Meigs Co., Ohio. A good cow 
may be expected to milk during eight months ol the year 
sufficiently to support a call, if she is kept for raising 
calves, and the caives are weaned when 2 months old, she 
can supply four calves. When a calf is 2 months old it 
may be supported upon other food than milk, so that by 
managing well, one good cow can be made to raise 4 
calves, If not more. A good milker, when fresh, will 
yield more than enough to feed one calf, and at least two 
calves can be fed from ner milk for two or three mouths. 
If calves are designed for beet cattle, it Is advisable to' 
procure a good Shorthorn or a Hereford bull to sire them. 
Corn Harvester.— “ M. C. C.,” White- 
side Co., Ill. A harvester that would cut corn and drop 
it in bundles, would certainly be a valuable machine, and 
if sold at a reasonable price, would be generally used. It 
is one of the improvements that farmers are anxiously 
waiting for. There are several machines made for this 
purpose, but none as yet that are satisfactory. 
“ A Hollow Tail.”—“ J. B.Butler Co., 
Pa. In every cow’s tail there is a portion where the 
bone is wanting, and the part is soft. This is natural, 
and not a state of disease. “ Hollow Tail,” and “ Wolf 
in the Tail,” are terms that have no significance, beyond 
the mere fact that something is wrong with the cow. It 
is not in the tail at any rate. 
The German Farmer’s System.— 
The mission of the true American seems to be to chase 
the setting sun. Ever on the march towards the west; 
or ever looking with longing eyes towards that wished 
for but unattainable locality which maybe called his final 
resting place—because there is no beyond to it for him, 
and he can not go back—lie is engaged chiefly in getting 
what he can from his land now, without thinking of the 
future. His successor, when he finally makes a sale, and 
westward flics, is a German farmer, in the majority of 
cases. But the German comes to stay; and having no 
thought of “the West,” he sets about cultivating his farm 
in a methodical manner. He works without stint, and ho 
saves without grudging; being industrious and economi¬ 
cal, he succeeds and makes money rapidly. His chil¬ 
dren are as industrious and as careful as he, and his frau 
takes a hand with the hoe and does not regard the latest 
fashion in her dress. By and by the hoys and girls marry, 
and the son is presented with a farm, the daughter with 
a dowry to start with, and the youngest boy sticks to the 
farm. Where such people live, thrift abounds. 
Value ofGas I.line.— “Ottawa,” Canada. 
Gas lime, when fresh, contains poisonous matter injuri¬ 
ous to vegetation. But when it has been exposed to 
the air for some months, these had qualities are lost, 
and the lime becomes mainly a mild carbonate. It 
may then boused upon clay or peaty soils, or meadows, 
at the rate of 50 to 100 bushels per acre, with benefit. 
Treatment of Hoove.— “J. F. W.,” 
Lancaster Co., Pa. When a cow is “ blown,” or suffering 
from “ hoove,” relief is often gained by giving one ounce 
of carbonate ofammonia dissolved in water, and a purga¬ 
tive soon after. If the cow has eaten too much dry feed, 
it is not well to give much water until the purgative lias 
worked off. If she is “ blown ” by green feed, such as 
clover, the quickest remedy is to use the trochar and 
open the paunch, leaving the tube in the opening until 
the gas is no longer emitted. 
Teasels as Handles.— Not the prickly 
remains of the flower heads, used to “ tease and tear ” a 
nap upon woollen cloths—lively handles these would 
make 1 —but the stems upon which these heads grow. 
These have been imported into England from the Conti¬ 
nent in considerable quantities, and are likely to appear 
os one of the novelties of the season, as handles to ladies' 
sunshades and parasols. These teasel-stems are various¬ 
ly twisted, bent, and furrowed, and made more grotesque 
by the “ fasciation ” or soldering together of the branch¬ 
es, as we often see in asparagus and cockscombs. 
Brices of Ordinary Sliorthorns.— 
We learn that sales of young pure bred Shorthorn bulls 
and calves have been effected to a large extent in Ken¬ 
tucky at about $100 cacli; at this rate business is very 
brisk. 13 young animals were purchased by ono buyer 
from Texas at an average of $75 each. At such prices a 
large demand from farmers and breeders may be looked 
for, and if some breeders would confine their efforts to 
the production of milking strains, a very great demand 
would arise from dairymen. 
Perioilie Ophthalmia in a Horse. 
—“ B. F. A.,” Macon Co., Mo. In periodic ophthalmia 
the eyes become inflamed and covered with a film ; this 
disappears for a time, and again appears, perhaps several 
times in succession. 'The final result, however, is almost 
certain blindness. The only treatment is palliative ; give 
a dose of cooling medicine, as one pound of salts; keep 
the horse in a clean stable; bathe the eyes in a solution 
of4 grains of sulphate of zinc, in one ounce of water, and 
inject a little into the eyes. 
Oil Paintings Bistributed.— A large 
number of persons have sent ns circulars, tickets, etc., of 
“A Grand Testimonial Gift Distribution of Oil Paint¬ 
ings.” It seems that there has been a “drawing” of 
some kind, and those who have “ drawn ” pictures can 
have them by paying $2.10, to cover “ expenses,” and the 
express charges. We have received numerous requests 
to show this up as a “ humbug.” So far as the distribu¬ 
tion is a game of chance, so far we hold it ts he wrong. 
Of course the projectors of the scheme have an object in 
view. They are not afflicted with such a fit of generosity 
as will induce them to send paintings all over the coun¬ 
try at one-tentli or one-twentieth of their value, unless 
they expect to gain something by it in'the end. Now, 
while we utterly discountenance every game of chance, 
no matter by what name it may be called, we have no 
right—and in the question of humbugs we have to con¬ 
sider that both parlies—the accusers and the accused, 
have rights—to set this matter down as a “humbug” 
unless we know it to be such. It all rests upon the ques¬ 
tion : is the painting sent—and recollect that no one is 
obliged to send for it—worth the cost of the $ 2.10 for ex¬ 
penses and the express charges. Now notions greatly 
differ. Let us suppose that all told, the cost of the paint¬ 
ing is $5 to the one who receives it. If asked if an 
oil painting was worth $5, we really could not say. We 
could readily say that if an oil painting was, as such things 
sold at auction in New York, or other large city, and this 
is an excellent test of real value —only worth five dollars, 
or five times five dollars, we should not like to be obliged 
to possess it. But ideas, or notions, differ—we will not 
call them tastes , for they have not readied to that. There 
may be people—no doubt there are—to whom an “oil 
