250 
WASTE MANURES.-A PRODUCTIVE COW. 
of an average of 2£ lbs. We think they will now 
average 3£ lbs. this year, making a gain of about lib. 
per head; a result so satisfactory, that I shall follow 
it up as long as I can have convenient access to the 
slops. I apprehended that the effect of making my 
ewes so fat would be destructive to the lambs. On 
the contrary, though the lambs were rather small, 
they have thriven wonderfully. The ewes having 
great abundance of milk, the lambs have the full 
benefit of it. The difference in the weight of the 
fleeces will more than pay all extra expense and 
trouble in procuring the slops. I have had no loss 
in wintering, and have a superior lot of lambs. 
E. Kirby. 
Brownville, N. Y., June 15, 1845. 
WASTE ^MANURES. 
I am much surprised to see so much waste of ma¬ 
nures as there is amongst the middling class of farm¬ 
ers, in almost all parts of the country. Instead of so 
constructing barn yards as to hold the urine and the 
juices of manure, or making small drains to conduct 
and spread it over a large surface of land, in many 
places it is allowed to run into the ditch by the road 
side, and thence be conducted into the brooks near by. 
Now l am fully in the faith that small brooks and 
springs, or water from the road during rain storms or 
showers, conducted by small ditches along the high 
ground upon almost any soil, especially in the summer 
season, where land generally begins to dry, and upon 
dry sandy or gravelly soil at all seasons of the year, 
would double the crop of grass. I remember once 
seeing the effects of pure water spread upon a side 
hill, by means of troughs from a cistern, at the house 
of a gentleman who had proved the worth of barn¬ 
yard waste, as he called it, also from turning a small 
brook over his mowing land in dry weather. He 
brought water from a spring to his house, back of 
which the land was poor, and descending from it. 
He built a large cistern to contain the surplus water, 
which when full would let out and conduct it by means 
of small troughs over this side hill land, and in one 
season more than doubled his crop; and after one or 
two seasons cut as much grass as could well be dried 
on the ground. Almost all farms have small vales 
where water runs at least some part of the season, 
which might be conducted along higher ground to 
good advantage. I wish any man who can, would 
just try the experiment. 
Another very profitable and cheap way of manur¬ 
ing dry, worn-out lands is, to sow clover, and plow in 
a green crop. I have seen poor pine plain land 
brought up in this way. Clover may be made to 
take root and to grow in almost any dry soil by put¬ 
ting on with the seed a few bushels of house ashes, 
plaster, or lime. Leached ashes will have the same 
effect, only put on more of them. A mixture of 
leeched ashes and lime or plaster operates well. I 
once sowed a piece of sandy land in this way, with 
southern, or early clover, as it is called—put on about 
ten bushels of house ashes per acre. The first growth 
of clover 1 cut in June, and the second when well gone 
to seed 1 turned under and rolled down smooth, drag¬ 
ged it with a light harrow, put on more grass seed 
and rye, and again rolled the field smooth. The next 
crop was as heavy as could well be dried on the 
ground. Wet or clay soil should not be rolled unless 
when dry and lumpy. 
Another fault may be found with farmers general¬ 
ly. They do not put on grass seed enough. If the 
land is poor the grass will not spread to cover the 
ground unless the seed is put on thick; and again, 
if the land is rich and the quantity of seed on the 
ground small, the grass must be coarse and of bad 
quality; whereas, if you put on plenty of seed, your 
grass will be fine and of good quality, and worth one- 
third more than the coarse. Wet or clay soils when 
plowed should be manured with coarse manure, such 
as straw, corn-stalks, and litter from horse-barns. I 
have seen whole straw dropped straightways in the 
furrow by a boy who followed the plow, which had a 
wonderful effect upon the after crops, lasting much 
longer than finer manure. Indeed I am of the opin 
ion that one ton of straw will do more good in this 
way upon heavy ground, than one and a half tons 
when rotted or made into compost. 
Moist grass lands may be best improved by spread¬ 
ing fine compost upon the grass—what I call giving 
my grass land a top dressing. I have in this way, 
with about ten loads per acre, more than doubled my 
grass crop upon my moist lands; and again, by put¬ 
ting up small temporary barns that will hold about 4 
tons of hay, and manuring them every two years, 
have, by feeding to sheep over the field, or by carry¬ 
ing it a great distance from the barn, especially or 
poor knolls and side hills, near the top, found benefit 
I am careful to take up all manure left near the barn, 
and carry it off in the spring. I think that the urine 
from my sheep is worth nearly as much to my lanr 
as the manure. I cannot account for the rapir 
improvement in my grass in any other way, as 4 tonf 
of hay fed out in my yard will not make more thar 
4 loads of good manure; which will not go one 
quarter as far over the same ground that my sheep 
make good every year. E. P. 
Morristoivn, TV. J. 
A PRODUCTIVE COW. 
I have a cow, now eleven years old, tha. calved 
about the middle of January. The calf I fattened in 
the following manner: The first week, gave it one 
teat of the cow ; the second, gave it two ; the third, 
and after, not quite three. I sold the calf for almost 
$6 ; selling milk in the mean time to the amount of 
$1 75 ; and since that time I have realized between 
$14 and $15 for milk sold, besides what I used in 
my own family, consisting of eight persons, making 
the income from my cow, thus far, nearly $23. Milk 
is worth four cents a quart. The cow is fat, and 
messed every day. 
Query —as this cow yields the profit of two ordi¬ 
nary ones, is it not the better way for all farmers to 
keep fewer cows, and keep those few better. It costs 
only one-eighth, or one-quarter more to keep a cow 
fat, than what will just keep one in passing order, 
such as the majority will average. 
Young cattle, too, if well kept, and not allowed to 
fall away in winter, will be as heavy at three years 
old, as those kept in the ordinary manner at four years 
old. Now there is a saving of one year’s feed, and 
interest on the value of the animal. The only ques¬ 
tion to settle now is, w r hich costs most, the little ex¬ 
tra care and feed, or one year’s keeping and use of 
money the animal w r ould bring, and insurance o» its 
life. T. 
Hackensack , N. J 
