1882. J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
423 
To Old Friends and Readers. 
We Lave appreciated your support in the past, 
and with the great improvements in the paper, 
may we not expect you to continue in our great 
army of readers, and bring very many recruits with 
you for 1883? Thousands of you, in writing at 
different times, have told us you regarded the 
American Agriculturist as the cheapest journal in 
the world. While this has been undoubtedly true, 
the price will continue the same, notwithstanding 
the great improvements made. 
A Cheap Milk-House. 
Mr. “J. D.,” Defiance, Ohio, writes us: “We 
have a milk-house, made of brick, with 20-in. 
walls, and covered with about 18 in. of saw-dust. 
A window (hung on hinges) is situated in the south 
end, covered with a wire-screen. A flue is placed 
in the south end, which acts as a ventilator and can 
also be used to put up a stove, if desired, in winter. 
A low, steady fire will keep the room at a proper 
temperature in very cold weather. At the south 
end is also a trench about 15 in. deep, in which 
flows the waste water from the pump. This is let in 
from the north end by using a piece of pipe from an 
old force pump; the water is conveyed along the 
side by a S7nall trench left in the floor, which is made 
of cement. From the trench a tile goes through 
the yard and garden, having its outlet in a calf pas¬ 
ture, where is placed a box or trough to catch water 
for calves. So we have three things combined, an 
outlet for the water in the trench, a drain for the 
garden and yard, and a watering place for the 
calves. It will very materially aid in keeping 
the building cool in hot weather, to open the 
window in the morning and let in cool air. This 
building, though small in the interior, 6 2 /s ft. by 
8% ft., will hold a large quantity of milk. It is very 
easily kept clean and fresh, and if not wanted as a 
milk-house in winter, can be used as an above; 
ground cellar, by placing on another door and fix¬ 
ing a bundle of straw to just fit between the doors, 
which can be fastened to the outside door and 
swung with the door. The cost of building need 
not exceed $125; it can be built with 8,000 bricks, 
and will never be found a bad investment. Our 
butter is pronounced “gilt-edged,” though the 
cream is raised in common one-gallon crocks.” 
Cleveland Bays. 
Those interested in the breeding of horses, have of 
late years paid little attention to this famous old breed, 
which, among the hills and moors of Yorkshire, has for 
generations been held to embody all that is useful and 
excellent in horse-flesh. They were large, powerful, 
close-knit, stylish horses, and chiefly valued as coach 
horses. The supply long ago fell short of the demand, 
and the breeding stock was drawn upon, and fairly ex¬ 
hausted. It was announced by European writers, that 
the breed was extinct, and it is no wonder that we, in 
this country, accepted their view. Occasionally the 
traveller in England sees a fine stylish pair of coach 
horses on Rotten Row. or at the West End, blood-bays 
of grand presence and carriage, showy action, and neat, 
but powerful-limbed, and hears them called Cleveland 
Bays. On inquiring of the wiseacres, he is told that 
there are a few fine old mares left in Yorkshire, which 
are bred to thoroughbred stallions, and get such horses 
as you see. This was all the information about these 
horses that the writer could get in England a few years 
ago. Last month (August,) the *• Canada.” of the Na¬ 
tional line, landed in New York several valuable con¬ 
signments of live'stock.—Jersey, Guernsey, and Here¬ 
ford cattle; Clyde, Norman, and English draft horses, 
and besides these a lot of Cleveland Bays, going to Iowa. 
The importer imparts some interesting facts about 
these horses, of which he has made a special study. 
This is his third importation, and the lot consists of 
twelve suckling colts (three to six months old,) twelve 
yearling colts, threfe brood mares, ten young stallions, 
and one stallion of 7 years old. They were remarkably 
uniform in appearance and size, the full-grown one 
standing 16-bande high, and weighing thirteen to fifteen 
hundred pounds. They were all of a rich bay color, 
with black points, a few of the young things showed a 
little white, as a star in the forehead, or one white foot, 
which was thought, to come from a thoroughbred cross. 
Their heads were remarkably similar; their necks 
arched, and shoulders sloping. They were close coupled, 
with powerful hind-quarters, high-set tails, and excellent 
underpinning. 
Those horses were not selected to look alike, but. were 
really all the importer could get that had any claim to be 
regarded as Cleveland Bays. A few of these had one- 
fourth thoroughbred blood, but possessed the general 
characterisiics of the Clevelands, and were fine animals. 
They were picked up among the breeders, one or two in 
a place. A good many grand old mares were found, 
some of them 25 years old, of great constitution, and 
bearing a foal every year, owned by poor farmers, and 
doing all their work on the farm, and on the road. 
They boast of their horses going ten or twelve miles an 
hour with heavy vehicles on common roads, but know 
nothing of what we call “speed.” These people think 
they are preserving the ancient breed, with little of any 
intermixture of other blood, and the stock which has 
been, of late imported, is proving excellent, and gaining 
for itself a very satisfactory reputation. The half- 
bloods produced by these stallions, crossed with good 
sized western mares, promise to make fine, large, showy 
spirited carriage horses, of great bottom and constitu¬ 
tion, which is just what the market wants, east and west. 
Liquid Manure.- “N. D. P.,” Nemaha Co., 
Kans., asks : “ Why one can not save the liquid manure 
from his cattle, by allowing the drains from the stalls to 
empty into casks, which can be carted oif as often as 
necessary, and applied to the lands under cultivation.” 
This would be an excellent method. The point is to save 
the drainage, and it is not, as our correspondent has 
been informed, necessary for the liquid to be kept in 
tanks until it gets old. If the method suggested is most 
convenient, adopt it; if found more convenient to have 
the liquid manure taken up by absorbents, adopt that 
method ; any plan that will best save the liquid manure 
and put it upon the land, is better than the usual no 
method, that allows this valuable fertilizer to run to 
waste. 
Greening Pickles.— “H. D.,” writes us a very 
pleasant letter, from the far off Uncompahgre Valley, 
Colorado. Among other matters, he gives a method of 
greening pickles for family use. Place a layer of cab¬ 
bage leaves, the outside leaves are best, in a pan ; put in 
the pickles, and upon these another layer of leaves, and 
cover the whole with cold water. Place the pan upon 
the stove, and let the water come almost to the boiling 
point; actual boiling would soften the pickles. After a 
while the green color will have left the cabbage leaves, 
and will be found to have entered the pickles. Allow 
the pickles to become quite cold, then bottle with the 
best cider vinegar, adding to each quart a tablespoonfnl 
of sugar. If desired to be especially firm and crisp, add 
a piece of alum as large as a nutmeg, to each quart. 
Our correspondent says, that while cider vinegar does 
not make as handsome pickles as the colorless, or “ white 
wine” vinegar, this method of greening is satisfactory, 
and of course quite harmless. We have seen vine-leaves 
advised in European recipes, to be used in a similar 
manner for greening pickles, and have no doubt that 
there is something in the method of value. 
The German Edition.— All the principal arti¬ 
cles and engravings that appear in the American Agri¬ 
culturist are reproduced in a German Edition. It is 
the chief and best German Journal of its kind issued 
in this country. Our friends can do good service by 
calling the attention of their German neighbors and 
friends to the fact that they can have the paper in their 
own language. Those who employ Germans will find 
that Edition a most useful and acceptable present. 
To “ J. B.,” In Burlington, Kas. — Your 
pleasant letter came: fearing that we could not reply in 
the paper, we wrote a reply, and when we came to ad¬ 
dress the letter, found that the only signature was 
“ J. B.” As Charles Reade has it, “ Put yourself in his 
place.” We have so long made it a rule not to notice 
anonymous letters, that we did not suppose that your 
interesting epistle could come from one ashamed or 
afraid to sign it. hence wrote a reply which we found to 
be only waste paper. As a punishment for your wrong¬ 
doing. know that you have one of the worst of all cab¬ 
bage pests, described elsewhere in this paper as the 
“Harlequin Cabbage Bug.’” If your other questions 
did not interest others, we should not notice them, but 
we give them for the benefit of others. You need not 
think that any question relating to plants is “ foolish.” 
You ask, if “potatoes can grow without eyes.” Yes. 
Your “neighbor” is not the only one who has raised 
potatoes from tubers from which all the eyes have been 
removed. A potato tuber is a stem, and, like other 
stems, can form buds when needed, even if those 
normally belonging to it have been removed. You ask, 
when Early Rose potatoes should be dug. When the 
tops die down. If they will rot if dug in hot weather, 
they will rot at any rate. We are all in the dark as to 
the tomato rot. Have it badly on our own place, and the 
experts do not help us 
Profitable Pig Feeding.— “ H.,” Washington, 
D. C. Prooably the best account of pig feeding, is given 
in Coburn’s “ Swine Husbandry.” There the sensi¬ 
ble view is taken, that while the animal is making its 
growth, it does not need a constant diet of corn, but 
good pasturage. The use of Jerusalem Artichokes, (also 
called, as to the best variety, “ Brazilian,”) is highly 
commended. When the frame is built up by giving a 
varieiy of food, then corn is used for fattening. The 
subject of cooked food is fully discussed, various ex¬ 
periments are given, showing that under certain condi¬ 
tions, it is profitable to cook the food. 
Kerosene Barrels.— “ C. G. S.,” Suffolk Co„ 
N. Y.. asks how tubs, made by sawing kerosene barrels 
in two, can be made suitable to hold water for stock. 
This subject came up several years ago, and at our re¬ 
quest for the experience of those who had utilized oil 
barrels, we had a great number of replies. The majority 
of these were to the effect that sufficient soaking in wa¬ 
ter, either by sinking the barrels in a stream, or fre¬ 
quently changing the water, they could be cleaned. 
With tubs, it would perhaps be best to fill them with 
shavings, and burn the interior before soaking. 
About Lucern. —“H. S. S.,” York Co., Pa. Lucern 
is not a humbug, but a most valuable forage plant, if 
rightly treated. It should have the very best land; let 
it follow a hoed crop, such as corn or potatoes. Sow in 
drills 30 in. apart, or the width of your horse hoe, about 
10 lbs. of seed to the acre. Keep it well cultivated un¬ 
til it gets a good stand. You may cut two crops the 
first year, and four or more afterwards. If you can give 
it liquid manure, it will pay. It will succeed in your cli¬ 
mate, and is an excellent soiling crop. It is often called 
Alfalfa, and Chilian Clover. 
Grafted or Budded Trees,— “J. n. P.,” Ash¬ 
land, Va.. asks about the relative advantages of budded, 
and root-grafted trees. As he does not specify the kind 
of tree, his question can only be answered in general 
terms. A skillful nurseryman will produce a good tree, 
it may be by budding, or by grafting. lie will some¬ 
times be compelled to bud. and at others to graft. If 
the tree is a healthy one. and has good and abundant 
roots, it makes no difference how it is produced. Our 
correspondent asks, if in root grafting, more than one 
good tree can be made from a seedling stock. Yes. if 
the stock is a good one, and the grafter understands his 
business. It makes but little difference how the tree is 
produced, if it is well furnished with roots. 
WJiite Mould on Trees.— “ J. H. P..” Alexan¬ 
dria, Va., has found upon the roots of trees received 
from the nursery, “something resembling frost or a 
white mould.” If this is examined by a magnifier, it 
will doubtless prove to be a lot of woolly plant lice. He 
should send such trees back to the nurseryman. It is a 
plant louse known in England as “American Blight," 
though it originated in Europe. A stiff brusji, with 
strong soft soap solution, will kill it. 
Salt for Weeds. —“ S,” Poplar Ridge, N. Y., says, 
with reference to the Bind-weed, described last July on 
page 292, that one of his neighbors finds this a most ob¬ 
stinate weed, and proposes to apply salt very thickly. 
“ S ” says that he has patches of the old Day-lily, and of 
Privet in his grounds, and asks our opinion as to the use 
of salt to destroy them. That it is possible to so poison 
the soil by applying salt, and other articles to prevent 
the growth of weeds, we do not doubt. The trouble is, 
that the soil will be unfitted for the growth of useful 
plants also. So far as we are aware, nothing can be ap¬ 
plied to the soil that will discriminate between weeds 
and useful plants. The plant we regard as undesirable, 
and call a weed, follows the same laws of growth as the 
desirable or crop plants What will prevent the growth 
of the one, will also unfit the soil for the other. We 
have stated often, and repeat once more, that we have 
never yet. met with, or heard of a weed, that can grow 
without, leaves, and that we know that persistent, cutting 
away of all growth above ground, will exterminate the 
most obstinate weeds. The trouble is that the cultivator 
gets tired, and gives out before the weeds do. Let him 
persevere in his strife, and he will conquer. 
