196 
LARGE CONSERVATORY. 
dried as preferred, we used 6 to 8 quarts. Many 
of our farmers are prejudiced against the use of any 
salt at all in putting up their hay, contending that 
it provokes the stock feeding upon it to an unnatu¬ 
ral thirst; but we know from considerable experi¬ 
ence on this subject, that when salted to modera¬ 
tion such is not the fact; for we have often made 
the experiment in feeding unsalted hay to our 
stock for a week or two in succession, and then 
such as was salted as above, and we could not 
perceive that the animals fed upon the latter 
drank more at the time than upon the former ; and 
we are certain that they relished the salted hay 
better than the unsalted, eat it up cleaner, and 
seemed to thrive more from an equal quantity. 
We observe that Mr. Pell, of Ulster county, has 
been somewhat sneeringly and rudely attacked in 
a cotemporary paper, for using one bushel of salt 
per ton in curing his hay nearly green. W e beg 
leave to say, that Mr. P. has good authority 
(though probably unknown to him) for his prac¬ 
tice. One of the best farmers in Massachusetts, a 
real working man, who has acquired a handsome 
independence from the sweat of his own brow , in¬ 
forms us that such was his system in curing clo¬ 
ver hay upward of forty years ago, which he has 
continued to a greater or less extent, much to his 
benefit, to the present day. The practice of high 
salting is not uncommon in England, and on the 
Continent, especially in Germany; half a bushel 
of salt to a ton being the least quantity recom¬ 
mended. Old straw or hay, at the rate of one 
half to one fourth, is also advised to be mixed in 
with the new hay thus preserved, according to its 
greenness, as it is contended that “ such will be 
brought back toward the state of green stalk, by 
the salt juice absorbed gradually reacting upon its 
organic constituents, rendering them, in a great 
degree, soluble, digestible, and nutritious.” When 
old hay or straw is not to be had, bran is recom¬ 
mended instead; first mixing it with the salt, and 
then strewing it on the hay as it is put up. The 
following curious method of preserving green 
grass has lately been tried in Germany:— 
Pits are dug in the earth from ten to twelve feet 
square, and as many deep. These are lined with wood, 
and puddled below and at the sides with clay. Into 
this the green crop of grass, clover, or vetches is put, 
just as it is cut. Four or five cwt. are introduced at a 
time, sprinkled with salt, at the rate of one pound to 
each cwt., and if the weather and consequently the crop 
be dry, two or three quarts of water should be sprinkled 
on each successive layer. Each layer of four or five 
cwt. is spread evenly over the bottom, is well trodden 
down by five or six men, and rammed as close as pos¬ 
sible at the sides with wooden rammers. When the 
pit is full the topmost layer is well salted, the whole 
then covered with boards, or a well-fitting lid, which 
has a quantity of earth laid above it for the more per¬ 
fect exclusion of the air. The grass speedily heats and 
ferments, and after the lapse of about six days, the 
whole has sunk to about one half its original bulk, 
when the lid may be removed and the space filled with 
fresh grass. When thus fermented, the grass has the 
appearance of having been boiled, has a sharp, acid 
taste, and is greedily eaten by cattle. The pits should 
be kept covered for at least six weeks, after which 
they may be opened successively as required, and may 
fee kept open till their contents are consumed, without 
suffering any injury from contact with the air. One 
experimenter says, that by giving only 20 lbs. a day of 
this salted fodder, along with chopped straw, he kept 
his cows in condition during the whole winter; another 
states that, on a daily allowance of the same quantity, 
his cows gave a rich and well-tasted milk. 
We commend the above extract to a careful peru¬ 
sal, and instead of sneering at experiments (even 
supposing them to be carried to an immoderate 
extent) we wish gentlemen were more in the 
habit of making and recording them, successful or 
unsuccessful, as in the latter case they will at least 
be a beacon of warning to others. Professor John¬ 
ston, of Scotland, proposes the following:— 
1st. What weight per day of green food, newly cut, 
is necessary to keep a full-grown animal in a given 
condition? 2d. What weight of the same green crop, 
cut in the same state, is necessary, when preserved 
moist and salted after the German method above de¬ 
scribed ? 3d. What weight of the same grass, when 
made into hay, after the quick or English method ? 
4th. What, weight, when won after the protracted Scotch 
method? 5th. What relative weights when in the state 
of newly-made hay in August, of winter-hay in January, 
and of old hay in the ensuing summer ? 
LARGE CONSERVATORY. 
Mr. Vale, of Carolina Hall, Flushing, Long 
Island, has recently erected one of the largest 
conservatories to be found in the United States. 
It is 25 feet wide, 21 feet high, and 180 feet long ; 
with a glazed span roof running nearly north and 
south, and 3 feet of perpendicular glass in the 
walls, rising from the ground 3 feet. The archi¬ 
tecture of this magnificent conservatory is ex¬ 
tremely tasteful, light, and airy; and yet, unites 
in it great strength. We had a sketch of the 
same, but the artist having failed in doing it jus¬ 
tice in the engraving, we do not insert it. With¬ 
out the conservatory, on each side, is a border 12 
feet wide from the edge of this, near the walls, 
choice grape vines are planted, which lead through 
holes left for the purpose, and are trained up the 
roof on wires inside. At the sides, within, are 
shelves running all round the walls for potted 
plants ; in the centre is a trellised arbor, over 
which are trained apricots, nectarines, and early 
peaches. This is a new feature, which we have 
no recollection of before observing in a conservato¬ 
ry ; but we have no doubt of the success in grow¬ 
ing fine fruit in this manner, and as it is a great 
economy in room, we wonder it has not before 
been resorted to. In addition to this, Mr. Yalk 
has other conservatories of smaller dimensions, 
and a very fine garden. His son, Dr. Valk, sailed 
for Europe last April, on an amateur horticultural 
expedition, and with a view also of procuring 
stock for this conservatory. He will probably re¬ 
turn as early as August or September. He was 
accompanied by Mr. Robert Parsons, of the firm of 
Parsons & Co., who have such extensive nurseries 
and gardens at Flushing. We have no doubt that 
these gentlemen will be highly entertained and in¬ 
structed in their tour, and come back richly laden 
with information beneficial to the horticulture of 
their country. We could wish that such expeditions 
were more often made by our intelligent citizens. J 
