*314r 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[August, 
Keeping tnhusked Corn.— “ T. K.,” St. 
Jo., Mu. When coni is cribbed with the husks on, the 
husks gather dampness in wet weather, and if the corn is 
not perfectly dry when cribbed, it moulds. It is better 
•to husk the corn before it is cribbed. 
Preparation of Bones.- “ C. A. J.,” David¬ 
son College, N. C. Making superphosphate of 
bones by using sulphuric acid, is only dangerous as a 
sharp axe is ; care in handling is all that is necessary for 
safety. Bones can be reduced to plant-food more readily, 
however, by composting them with stable manure, or with 
muck. Even large whole bones will be reduced to a fine 
powder, and their constituent parts become plant-food, 
after six months in a properly prepared compost. 
To Wend Iron Pipes Burst by Frost. 
—“ D. & C., ” Willowdale, Col. A burst pipe 
may be repaired by wrapping it very tightly with a strip 
of tarred canvass, or covering the injured part with a 
piece of sheet rubber, and then wrapping it firmly with 
copper wire or tarred cord. 
Potato-Bugs Made Useful.— Aunt Sue passes 
her summer months on an island in Long Island S»und, 
where she follows fishing, shooting, and other out-door 
exercises that many women might, but do not. We let 
her tell her experience in her own way: “ I have found 
a nse for potato-bugs : Eureka! The other day a young 
lady said to me, ‘Aunt Sue, let’s go for black-fish.’— 
‘ Come aiong,’ said I—‘ but have you got any fiddlers for 
bait?’—‘Yes—a few.’—On our way, to the boat, we 
passed a potato-patch; and, of course, there sat the 
potato-bug. Said I, ‘Fannie, I’m going to try some of 
these potato-bugs for bait.’—‘ Oh ! do you believe the fish 
will touch the vile things ?’—‘ We can but try.’—I fished 
with two hooks—baited one with a fiddler, the other 
with a P. B.—Up came a big flounder. ‘ Fannie 1 he 
chose the potato-bug 1’—‘No!’—‘Yes!’ ....A glorious 
pull!—Up came a big black-fish, and he elected the P. B. 
• Tell the American Agriculturist! ’ said Fannie.—‘I will,’ 
I replied.—Hence these lines (these fisli-lines).—Yours 
exultantly, Aunt Sue.” 
Fine Bone or Superpliospkate.— “H. W.,” 
Lime Mountain, Pa. If the fine bone-flour is used, there 
is no need to add sulphuric acid, the plant-food of the 
bone being sufficiently available without reduction by 
the acid, for light soils. And composting with stable 
manure for 3 months, will fit it for any land. 
How to Accustom Colts to tlie Halter.— 
A correspondent from Delaware gives the following 
•directions for breaking colts to the halter: Put a head- 
halter on the colt. Never halter it around the neck, be¬ 
cause when frightened it is apt to pull the neck out of 
place, which has happened in many instances. Secure 
■the halter to the manger; allow no more length of halter 
than will permit the colt to lie down, lest it should be¬ 
come entangled. Halter it about half an hour in the day¬ 
time; increase the time upon second and third days, then 
let it remain haltered all night; go and see it a few times 
before retiring. By this method I accustomed one to the 
halter at six months old with success. 
Uetnoval of a Bain’s Horn.—“P. F. L.,” 
Tuolumne Co., Cal. If the horn is about to destroy the 
rani’s eye, the end of it must certainly be removed. If 
cut off with a fine saw 2 or 3 inches from the head, it is 
probable that the ram will suffer no injury nor any in¬ 
convenience. If the horn should be hollow there, a horn 
plug should be inserted, cut off level, and the end touched 
with a hot iron, which will fasten the plug in its place 
securely to the horn. 
Old Pasture—Irregularity In Milk.— “M.,” 
Hamburgh, N. J. To renovate the apparently exhausted 
pasture, you should plow under the “ five-finger, running 
blackberries, sumach, etc.,” with a strong team. Then 
sow rye—with which you might use some of the com¬ 
mercial fertilizers—plowing it under just before it would 
be ripe enough to harvest. Then the land would proba¬ 
bly be in good condition to raise any crop by use of ma¬ 
nure.—The falling off in quantity of milk, in the morn¬ 
ing, twice a week, may be due to the cow's being milked 
by other parties , or possibly from failure to get water. 
Wool-tying Box.— “M. M. C.,” Davenport, 
Iowa. Descriptions and illustrations of wool-tying 
boxes were given in May, 1872, and June, 1877. 
Blue Devils is the popular name for a very hand¬ 
some weed, of which the botanical name is Echiurn ml- 
gare. It is very abundant in Virginia and the Middle 
States, and has gradually worked its way northward. In 
a recent visit to Orange Co.. N. Y., we saw several 
places where it iiad become well established. It is 
scarcely less to be dreaded than the Canada Thistle, and 
<ve warn all those, upon whose farms it has obtained c 
foot-hold, to prevent its spread. Otherwise they will be 
looking out for new farms, where this pest is not known. 
“Blue Devils , Echium mlgare, “Canada Thistle,” C/r- 
sium arrense, “Toad-flax,” Xdnemavulgare , and “Horse- 
Nettle,” Solatium Carolinense , are the weeds that are most 
to be dreaded by farmers of the Northern and Middle 
States. The farmer or the weed will have possession of 
the soil. There can be no compromise; it must be a 
successful fight, or a surrender. 
Railroads ill tlie United States.— Interest¬ 
ing and suggestive figures are given in “ Poor’s Railroad 
Manual” for 1S78. At the close of 1877 there were in 
operation 74,112 miles—about enough to make three con¬ 
tinuous lines around the world. Six years previous, 
there were only 44,014 miles, an increase of nearly 30,000 
miles within the present decade. (We remember riding 
on one of the first railroads, 20 miles long, consisting of 
flat strips of iron, like wagon-tire, spiked on the top side 
of scantling string pieces). What a saving of wagons 
and horse-flesh these 74,112 miles of railway effect!_ 
The cost of these railways is set down at $4,568,597,24S. 
The total value of the farm lands in the United States, by 
census of 1870, was $9,262,803,861. Thus, then, the cost 
of the railroads would buy half of all the farms in the 
country. Take away these railroads and the value of the 
farms would doubtless be diminished fully one-half or 
more... .Those jealous of the railroads, should note that 
while the value of farms and the property has been 
doubled and quadrupled by the railroads, those who have 
furnished the money to build the roads get a poor return. 
The profits of running the railroads during 1877 were 
$170,976,697. This is only a little over per cent on 
the money invested in them. In 13 States the railroads 
paid no dividends (viz., Col., Fla., Iowa, La., Minn., 
Miss., Mo., Neb., Oregon, Tex., and Vt.) 
New Process Flour.— “A. G. A.,” Florence, 
Mass. A few months ago the so-called new process 
of grinding wheat was described in the American Agri¬ 
culturist at length. It is simply a double grinding; 
the first separates the bran, the stones being set as wide 
apart as possible, and breaks the kernel into coarse 
fragments. These are sifted from the bran and re- 
grouna By this process the second layer of the grain, 
is all retained in the flour, to the great improvement of 
its quality. In ordinary grinding, this second shell goes 
out with the bran as middlings, and is lost to the flour. 
Making Clicese.—“Yonng Housekeeper,” Har¬ 
rington, Conn. In the American AgHculturist for Sept., 
1875, is an article fully describing two methods of mak¬ 
ing cheese, with accurate measures of the quantity of 
rennet to be used, the mode of preparing it, and how 
to handle the milk for cheeses of particular size. 
Bone-Ask, Bone-Black, or Bone.—“R. 
R.,” Baltimore Co., Md. Bone-ash has no organic matter, 
but often contains as high as 40 per cent of phosphoric 
acid. Bone-black contains no nitrogen, but has about 30 
per cent of phosphoric acid. Of the two, bone-ash evi¬ 
dently possesses the highest value : either, to be of 
much use, should be treated with acid, or better for the 
farmer, composted with stable-manure or muck for three 
to six months. Pure bone contains from 2 to 4 per cent 
of nitrogen, and about 20 per cent of phosphoric acid. 
This is perhaps the best form of the three for farm nse, 
on account of the nitrogen, and because it is readily de¬ 
composed in a light soil, or in a compost heap. 
Value ol Gas time.- “A. J. H.,” Crawford Co., 
Pa. Gas lime, when fresh, is positively injurious to vege¬ 
tation. After exposure to the air for a time, it is useful as 
a fertilizer, but bears no comparison with barnyard ma¬ 
nure in this respect. After gas lime has remained ex¬ 
posed for a year, 59 bushels to the acre may’be used upon 
heavy land prepared for fall grain and grass, or for corn. 
Draining ol a Springy Meadow.—” P.,” 
Ridgway, Iowa. A ditch, as a matter of course, should 
have its size fixed with reference to the quantity 
of water to be carried off. It is better to make it too 
large than too small. Its depth will depend upon the lay 
of the land, the fall required, etc. A width of 4 feet may 
be necessary in soft soil, the sides to slope to 2 feet wide 
at the bottom. With a good fall this would carry off a 
large quantity of water flowing only one inch deep. In 
throwing out the earth, it is best to have it all on one side 
i of the ditch, as it can then be removed easily, and if the 
ditch needs widening there will be no earth to move twice. 
Butter Factories.— “ D. McN.,” New Bruns¬ 
wick. A butter factory for 100 cows could not be 
carried on so profitably as one for 600. The cost of the 
ground, building, churns, labor, fuel, water, and many 
other things for the small factory, would be equal, or 
nearly so, as those for the larger one, while the returns 
would be but one-sixth. Still, where the number of cows 
is limited, it will pay better to churn for 100 in one fac¬ 
tory than in 10 or 12 farm houses. Plans and estimates 
for creameries would, perhaps, be furnished for a rea¬ 
sonable compensation by O. S. Bliss, Secretary of Ver¬ 
mont Dairymen’s Association, Georgia, Vt. 
Typkoid Pneumonia.— “ P. K. S.,” Durham, 
Me. The symptoms which occur in a case of this disease 
arc a changeable pulse, eyes dull and prominent, cold 
horns, excrement dark, bowels sometimes constipated, 
and at other times loose; loss of appetite, dullness and 
disinclination to move, and a dry, hot muzzle. When 
opened after death the lungs are found dark in color, and 
the stomach and intestines are dark-green, or lead-color, 
with the skin or membranes so nearly decomposed as to 
loosen and become detached at a slight touch. This 
disease is very virulent and difficult of cure. 
Pruning Evergreen Hedges.— “S. G. H.” 
It all depends upon the condition of the hedge. If the 
hedge is young, and it is desired to promote its growth, 
a trimming of superfluous shoots in October will he all 
that is needed. On the other hand, if the hedge is well 
established, and it is necessary to check its luxuriance, 
new shoots maybe cut back early in June, in addition 
to the October pruning to preserve the proper shape. 
Fourteen Thousand New Books, written 
by Ten Thousand different Authors, are reported to have 
been published in Germany during 1877, of which 2,400,- 
000 copies were printed, or an average of only 171 copies 
of each new book, and only one copy of the whole num¬ 
ber for eacli 20 inhabitants. Statistics show that only 
one out of each 50 of the people bought one of these new 
books. About half of the 2,400,000 copies printed were 
sold outside of Germany. On an average, then, these 
German Authors had only 86 readers among their coun¬ 
trymen. There were, however, some six million Almanacs 
printed, and these are usually larger than with us. 
The (i AVkite Grub ” and Strawberries.— 
Here comes a most pitiful letter from Pictou, Nova 
Scotia, to the effect that if the ravages of the “Grub” 
can not be stayed, they must give up the culture of the 
strawberry. It is the same sad story that we get every 
year from various quarters. “Tlie first intimation that 
we have of the mischief is by the plant suddenly wilting, 
and if taken up at once he (the grub) is found at the 
roots.” Then, of course, follows a request for a remedy. 
Our White Grub is the counterpart of tlie Hannetoil, such 
a pest to cultivation in France, and for the destruction of 
which the Government some years offered a prize, which 
has not yet been awarded. Our “White Grub” is the 
larval state of the common “May Beetle” (Lachnosterna 
fu-sea), which bounces about our rooms in the evenings 
of May and June. The grubs are usually three years in 
the ground before they come out in the perfect or beetle 
form, and it is probable that most of their mischief is 
done in their last year, when they destroy everything that 
comes in their way—even nursery trees as large as 
one’s finger. They have many natural enemies, but 
enough survive these to make them in some places a 
calamity. All that our Pictou friend can do is, when a 
strawberry plant wilts, dig for and find the grub, and pre¬ 
vent that one from further mischief or increase. When 
the perfect insects,, or May-bugs, are abundant, they 
generally collect on fruit or other trees, from which they 
may be shaken in early morning, caught on cloths, and 
destroyed. If the grubs are found abundant in the soil in 
plowing or spading, it will pay to employ children to 
pick them up as they are exposed by turning the soil. 
Tims far, these mechanical means are the only ones 
known for the reduction of this most serious pest. 
Protection for Trace-ckains.— “ T. P. B.,” 
Evansville, Ind., describes a little “Yankee notion” 
that is used “out West” to keep the trace-chains from 
rubbing the shoulders, sides, and legs of horses when 
plowing, harrowing, or to the wagon.—“ We get worn-out 
gum-hose; about 1-inch hose is the proper size to take in 
a trace-chain. It costs nothing, as our city friends are 
always glad to get rid of leaky hose. We cut this hose 
in pieces to fit; one from the hame to the back-band, 
another piece from the back-band to within a foot of the 
single-tree, taking four pieces to rig each horse. It 
works like a charm. The horse will not have a hair 
amiss if worked with chains thus enclosed.” 
His Compost Heap.— A correspondent in Ontario 
refers to the article in June last headed “A Warning to 
Every Housekeeper,” which refers to tlie common neglect 
of privies, and asks if he is to apprehend danger from his 
compost heap, in which he prepares manure for his 
garden. The use of dry earth, as suggested in that article, 
will prove equally efficacious with the compost heap. If, 
after turning the heap, the surface is covered with a few 
inches of dry earth—sufficient to prevent the escape ot 
unpleasant odors—we do not think that any gases will 
arise from it detrimental to the health of his household. 
