290 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
the difference between a 10 and a 30 bushel crop is 
nearly all profit. But how shall this extra 20 bush¬ 
els profit per acre be gained ? By the use of suffi¬ 
cient manure, to make the increase. The fact that 
extra manuring makes an addition to the crop 
which is nearly all profit, is a fact seldom realized 
by farmers ; but such ie the case, as most will ad¬ 
mit, after considering the above statements. The 
spreading of sis cords of stable manure on two 
acres of land may not produce a crop which will 
more than pay the expenses of its production ; put 
the same manure on one acre, and the chances are 
that just as much wheat will be harvested, and at 
little more than half the cost. For the generality 
of farmers it would be a safe rule to use what stable 
manure they nave on half the area it is now applied 
to. But to get the largest return from the farm, 
and to utilize every acre, is a laudable ambition of 
every good farmer. To do this, he cannot depend 
—as many do—on the natural fertility of the soil, 
or on stable manure; but he must resort to arti¬ 
ficial fertilizers, which can now be bought with 
safety of reliable dealers, with reasonable certainty 
of getting what is bargained for. This piecing out 
of the farm and soil resources by use of honest 
manufactured manures is working a revolution in 
American agriculture ; and in no department may 
it be better considered than in grain fanning. In 
the use of these fertilizers, however, the same rule 
applies as with stable manure : that while a certain 
small amount per acre may only produce a crop 
large enough to pay expenses, half as much more 
may cause a handsome profit. We would not ad¬ 
vise, however, that a. novice in the use of fertilizers 
should go to large expense at first, but recommend 
small beginnings, though boldness may perhaps 
lead to a surprising success. When practicable, 
the farmer may make a good wheat manure of 300 
lbs. of superphosphate of lime containing ammo¬ 
nia (i. e., made of fresh bone), or the same amount 
of fine bone composted for three months ; this for 
use on an acre. Apply also—not mixing the two— 
all the unleached wood-ashes that can be got. An 
occasional liberal dressing of lime will improve 
wheat land which is already rich in organic matter. 
But to grow wheat at a profit, the question of 
fertility is not the only point to be considered. In 
all the older States, wheat-growing, to be success¬ 
ful, requires the best kind of farming. The best seed 
must be selected : for with poor seed, the best cul¬ 
ture practised can not produce a good crop. The 
variety chosen should be both prolific and hardy. 
The soil, as a rule, should be a fine clay loam, w r ell 
drained, and contain a fair proportion of thoroughly 
decomposed organic matter. The plowing should be 
only 6 or 7 inches deep, the soil thoroughly pulver¬ 
ized and compact, with all the clods on the surface ; 
the seed drilled in early, and rolled, and the row r s 
far enough apart to admit of several cultivations. 
Then, with a good season, and comparative freedom 
from insects and disease, and the use of proper im¬ 
plements in harvesting, a large and profitable crop 
may be expected. In the virgin soils of the ex¬ 
treme West, remunerative crops may perhaps still 
be raised by the old careless methods, but the time 
is close at hand when all these conditions will apply 
there as well as in the older sections of the country. 
Beet Sugar Company of Maine.— An offi¬ 
cial circular from this Company at Portland, is 
evidence that something practical in the way of 
making beet sugar in that State is intended. The 
circular contains directions for cultivation, and a 
statement that more tha i 2,000 farmers have inter¬ 
ested themselves in this enterprise. The produc¬ 
tion of a sugar-beet from which sugar can be manu¬ 
factured at a profit, is still a matter of experiment. 
The soil and climate of any locality are important 
points, and success cannot be assured until these 
are known to be favorable. The business is one in 
which success depends upon the exercise of small 
economies, as well as skillful management—for ex¬ 
ample, the utilization of the refuse pulp is a matter 
of no little importance. The profit in this last 
item alone, has often sufficed in European factories 
to turn the balance towards success, and neglect of 
it, has resulted in a failure of the whole business. 
Laundry Machinery. 
At first thought, one might think that very few 
readers of the American Agriculturist would be in¬ 
terested in steam laundry machinery ; but when it is 
known that this journal is taken generally at all insti- 
Fig. 1.— BALDWIN’S STEAM MANGLE. 
tutions, such as asylums, State institutions,boarding- 
schools, colleges, summer hotels, etc., having farms 
attached to supply the large number of people at 
such places with fresh garden and stable products— 
when this fact is understood, the reason is clear. 
The managers of these establishments find the 
American Agriculturist of great value in their farm 
operations, and also in their large households. As 
of interest to this large class of our readers, wc 
present an illustration of “Baldwin’s Steam Man¬ 
gle,” (fig. 1), made by the Standard Laundry Ma¬ 
chinery Company of Boston and New York. The 
advantages of such an apparatus are claimed to be, 
the saving of labor and fuel, and less damage to 
the clothing smoothed. Only those who kuow the 
Fig. 2.— STANDARD POWER WASHER. 
heat and hard work of ironing for a small family, can 
fully appreciate the relief that a machine like this 
affords when the family numbers hundreds. The 
same concern also manufacture steam washing- 
machines. Fig. 2 represents the “ Standard Power 
Washer,” used exclusively for collars and cuffs. 
This house also makes superior hand-mangles and 
washing-machines for family use. 
Cow Milkers. 
—- 
In the June American Agriculturist was published 
an article describing a- cow milker, which operated 
by means of silver tubes inserted into the cow’s 
teats, and connected with tubes of rubber. There 
are several milkers now offe ed with considerable 
rivalry between dealers as to the claimed merits 
of their respective implements, and a consequent 
large number of inquiries from our readers con¬ 
cerning them. We have so canvassed the mat¬ 
ter as to come to the following conclusion: 
Several have found that, although the apparatus 
worked well at first, after a while it made the cow’s 
teats sore ; others find that the yield is lessened ; 
others still use it, and have for some time, with uni¬ 
formly good results, and are much pleased with the 
apparatus. We have seen some cows stand quietly 
under its working, while others were restless and 
dissatisfied. One of the editors of the American 
Agriculturist has had a milker in use for two 
months, and says of it:—“ The supply of milk is 
steady, and there is no difference in the quantity 
drawn by the tubes or by hand. During the past 
hot weather, when the yield might be expected to 
fall off, It has kept up to the usual amount. There 
is no perceptible effect upon the teats in any way ; 
certainly no injury has as yet occurred. But we find 
it necessary to give some caution as regards the use 
of the tubes. The membrane lining the teats is 
delicate, and if the tubes are not inserted with 
special care, the cow resists, showing that it is pain¬ 
ful to her. By using care, however, and giving the 
tube a screwing motion, there seems to be no diffi¬ 
culty, and the cow shows no objection.” On the 
whole, perhaps the safest conclusion for farmers 
generally will be, that when the milking is done by 
a careful, intelligent man, without prejudice against 
new implements, the cow milker will be a success. 
But when the milking is intrusted to ordinary 
workmen, there are strong doubts of its being of 
any value as a labor-saving apparatus, even if it be 
not a positive injury to the cows. In short, we are 
not prepared to recommend any of the milking 
appliances so far introduced, for general use by 
farmers. As to the three milkers recently placed 
before our readers in the advertising columns of 
the American Agriculturist, we see no special merit 
in any one not possessed by the others, as they are 
essentially the same in principle. If there is any 
difference, it maybe that the tubes described in the 
June number have a smoother surface and large 
holes, and so reduce the friction to a minimum, 
while still allowing a ready flow of milk and easy 
cleansing. 
Some English Notes. 
A Great Estate.— To illustrate the grand scale 
on which some of the English estates are laid out, 
I may mention that the Chatsworth Estate of the 
Duke of Devonshire contains 2,000 acres, which he 
retains for his private park and flower garden, be¬ 
sides thousands more that are rented for farming. 
His park is bounded on all sides by hills, which cut 
I it off from the rest of the world, and no other 
! house than his own can be seen from the windows 
j of his grand mansion. His flower garden alone 
comprises 102 acres, wherein sixty laborers are 
constantly employed to keep it in order. The re¬ 
mainder of the 2,000 acres is all in grass and wood¬ 
land, and stocked with deer. A forester has charge 
of this part of the estate, and the understanding 
with him is, that he shall have at his disposal all 
the produce from the deer—venison, pelts, horns, 
etc.—on condition that he shall keep at least 2,000 
head constantly in the herd. The head gardener as¬ 
sured me that the forester’s berth is a desirable one. 
Tlie Prices of Farm Produce and meat in 
most parts of England seem to be substantially the 
same as in America. In many cases, I found 
them less in the cities than in country towns. The 
farmers here labor under a great disadvantage, in¬ 
asmuch as they seldom own their land, all the farm 
land in England being owned by only a few thou¬ 
sand proprietors ; and they are obliged to pay the 
land-owner an annual rent of from £2 to £10 ($10 
to $50) per acre, including roads, hedges, and other 
unproductive parts, and the payment of taxes. The 
Duke of Devonshire has one of the largest estates 
in England, and rents the whole, excepting 2,000 
acres contained in his Chatsworth Park, to one 
person, at £2 ($10) per acre, plus the taxes, the 
Duke being responsible for merely his income tax. 
Does the American farmer sufficiently appreciate 
his freedom from this burden ? 
Tlie Seasons In England are very different 
from our own. For instance, at this time (June 
10th), the farmers in Kent are in the midst of their 
hay harvest, and yet the wheat is novfurther ad¬ 
vanced than that in New York on May 10, and 
they are now putting in their turnips. Potatoes 
are now in blossom, but new potatoes, from other 
sections, have been in the market for weeks. 
Eniilisli Fanners complain of an unusually 
wet season, and we can not doubt the justice of the 
complaint, for during the two weeks that we re¬ 
cently spent there, but one day passed without 
more or less rain. Many of the crops have been 
injured thereby, particularly the wheat, which is 
yellow and spindling, and the demand upon Amer- 
