24r6 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[June, 
“I Do Earnestly Desire Information,” 
is the ending of a letter which wo could have answered 
on a postal card, and it would have reached the writer in 
time to be of use. But the writer, though he so strongly 
expresses his “ desire for information,” takes very good 
care that we shall not give it to him, for he signs himself 
“Young Gardener.” He has cut us oft' from reaching 
him by mail, and as for the paper, we have a rule not to 
answer anonymous letters. If those who write us do not 
sign their names, the letter goes into the waste-basket, 
unless, as in the present case, we make use of it as a text 
to remind new subscribers of this rule. A number who 
have lately asked a variety of questions, and have not 
given their names, should, if the answers are of import¬ 
ance to them, repeat the questions over their own signa¬ 
tures. It so happens that one at least of “ Young Gar¬ 
dener’s” queries is answered in this paper, the same 
having been asked by one who gave his name. It should 
be understood that we do not publish a name when we 
know that the writer prefers that we should not do so; 
this he could have indicated by placing his real name 
after or below the signature “Young Gardener.” 
Another Veteran Peach 'JTree.— C. Thomp¬ 
son Adams, Norfolk Co., Mass., sends an account of a 
Peach-tree that he had just cut down. “ The tree was on 
the land when my father bought it in 1840. It came up 
from a hole made by lightning, at the foot of a large Oak 
that was struck and killed, the seed having probably been 
planted by a squirrel. For the past 10 years it has borne 
more or less fruit, though previous to that time it bore 
but little.” Forty years and over is old for a peach tree. 
Hay Caps are usually made of common unbleached 
cotton, and it is best to buy that which is fully a yard 
wide, as it, when cut into squares, makes the most 
economical caps of the most handy shape and size. The 
raw edges should be hemmed, which can be done very 
rapidly on a machine; at the same lime the corners 
should be turned up two or three inches, thus making 
a fold in which a cord may be inserted. This cord 
should form a loop, by means of which the cap can be 
pinned down with short wooden pins provided for the 
purpose. These caps are of great value, as a large quan¬ 
tity of hay may be secured against a sudden storm at just 
that time when a rain is so damaging to the curing hay. 
Liquid Manure.— To answer several inquiries at 
once, we may say that either horse, cow, sheep, or hen- 
manure may be used, and no definite rule can be given 
beyond the caution to not use it too strong. Where there 
is a provision for saving the drainage from stables, this 
may be used upon the garden if sufficiently diluted. A 
cask or barrel may be prepared by putting some straw in 
the bottom and half or two-thirds filling the barrel with 
horse, cow, or sheep-manure. This is to serve as a leach, 
pouring water in at the top and draining off the manure 
“lye ” at the bottom. The old direction to dilute this to 
41 the color of boarding-house tea,” is perhaps as definite 
as any. Where gnano is used, one pound to five gallons of 
water is abundantly strong, and with the best Peruvian 
Guano, twice the quantity of water to a pound would be 
safer. In the use of liquid manure, some precautions are 
to be observed. It is not to be applied to the foliage, but 
to the root of the plants. In dry weather, draw away the 
surface soil, apply the manure, and when this has soaked 
in return the soil. This is to prevent the baking of the 
wet soil and forming a crust. A better way to accom¬ 
plish this is to place a mulch of straw, litter, or chips, on 
the surface around the plants. The manure may be ap¬ 
plied through this mulch. In a dry time, do not use the 
liquid manure unless the plants can be kept watered as 
needed until rain falls again. 
Swedish or Alsike Clover.— Several have writ¬ 
ten us from different parts of Pennsylvania, stating that a 
person was selling seeds of the Swedish Clover, and ask¬ 
ing our opinion about it. None of these reported any 
thing beyond the bare fact, and as our “ opinion ” of the 
matter would depend altogether upon what was repre¬ 
sented in regard to the clover, it was difficult to reply. 
There is no special reason why one should go about 
selling this seed any more than he should that of Hun¬ 
garian Grass, Buckwheat, or any other seed kept by all 
the regular dealers, and we were curious to know what the 
vender claimed for this clover. At last Mr. S. Stouffer, 
of Huntingdon Co., has sent us a circular, and a remark¬ 
able document it is. We are told that the clover “ takes 
its name from the Alsacian districts of Stockholm,”— 
which is about like saying that. Buckwheat gets its name 
from Bucks Co. in Rhode Island. We are told that the 
clover is “ extensively cultivated by the leading agricul¬ 
turists of Great Britain,” which is not true. We read in 
the circular of “ Its Great Hardiness, for no winter can 
kill it, capable of resisting the extremes of drouth and 
frost, and the certainty of the plant when other varieties 
fail.” The latest authority on this point that occurs to 
us is Mr. Root, who is, as was Mr. Quinby before him, 
much interested in this clover as a honev-producing plant, 
and would gladly have it succeed. In bis recent “Bee- 
Keeping,” he says: “But experiments indicate that in 
dry sandy soils it is not permanent, and will not survive 
the second winter.” Our correspondent sends us a 
sample of the seed to know “ if it is genuine;” we can 
only say that it looks like the seed of Alsike Clover, but 
when Mr. Vosburg says “ Sold only by” himself, he tells 
that which an inquiry at any seed store will prove to be 
as much a work of his vivid imagination as some of the 
other remarkable statements in his very remarkable cir¬ 
cular. We are told that the peddler sold his seed at the 
rate of $45 per bushel. As this is just two and a half times 
the retail price of the regular dealers, it is not difficult to 
see why he should peddle. We have frequently cautioned 
our readers that new and valuable seeds and plants were 
not hawked about the country by peddlers; such things 
are first to be had of the regular dealers. This clover is not 
at all new, nor is it, in this country, especially valuable. 
“ Making Roads.”— The repair of roads is much 
more costly than it should be because the system—if it 
can be called a system—of their construction is extreme¬ 
ly faulty. An earth road, rounded up in the center, can 
seldom be more than passable for at least a third of 
the year. The repairing of such a road usually consists 
in adding more earth, and this is usually done in the 
worst season of the year. It is not to be expected that 
American roads, constructed so rapidly, can be made like 
the hard, smooth, and lasting road beds of older coun¬ 
tries, but the work that is done on them, from year to 
year, should be of such a kind as to make an approach 
to a perfect road. Broken stone is the best material for 
road-making, and as this is a common material, it should 
be much more generally employed. Just how this stone 
is to be used and where, are matters which each town or 
road district must decide. Whatever is done, let it be 
done well, and make a finish of the work as far as it goes. 
The most used and worst part of the thoroughfare should 
have the first attention. A little good road made each 
year will in time see the whole in a satisfactory shape. 
Grinding Tools.— The value of an edge-tool de¬ 
pends very largely upon the cutting edge, or, in other 
words, upon the kind and frequency of the grinding. An 
instrument that is “as dull as a hoe,” ought not to be 
very dull. The ease with which weeds may be cut with 
a hoe kept sharp by occasional grinding, compared with 
the trouble given by a hoe that is never sharpened, 
ought to lead to the practice of keeping them sharp. We 
know that turning the grindstone is back-aching work, 
but when a few minutes of it makes the reaper or mower 
go much easier for several hours, the grinding should 
not be neglected. It is a saving of labor to keep the 
tools sharp; it pays in every possible way. 
The Buckwheat Crop is the last crop of the 
season, and in the latitude of New York, is sown the 
last of this month or early in July. It is frequently a “ fill- 
-ing crop”—that is, sown in some place where some early 
crop has failed. It is often used to kill weeds, as it is a 
rank grower, and completely shades the ground, thus 
acting as a “cleansing crop.” As a means of bringiug 
up the fertility of poor or partly exhausted soil, buck¬ 
wheat is specially good, as it is a close and pretty deep 
feeder, and will produce a large crop of green material 
that may be plowed under, thus increasing the organic 
matter and thereby enriching the soil. The quantity of 
seed to be sown is from two to three pecks per acre. 
Michigan Timber. —The “Peninsula State” 
leads all others in the production of timber, but at its 
present rate, its valuable wood-land must be diminishing 
very rapidly. The “ crop ” for 1879 is reported as follows: 
Saginaw District. 736,106,000 feet. 
Huron Shore District. 410,646,000 “ 
Interior Mills. 518,670,000 “ 
Lake Michigan Mills.. 1,338,127,000 “ 
Total..3,003,549,000 “ 
Australian Competition.— The shipment of 
meat from Australia to England has been successful, and 
that great island-continent, with its 7,000,000 head of cat¬ 
tle, enters the contest for supremacy in the British Meat 
Market. In this matter, we, as a nation, are deeply inter¬ 
ested, because any competiton like this, leads to ques¬ 
tions that are vital to the meat producers of our great 
grazing interior. Can the growing of cattle be cheap¬ 
ened? This is a question which is the natural out¬ 
growth of rivalry; and this will lead to an improvement 
in the kind of animals ; the production of more and bet¬ 
ter meat. All this is natural, and leads to good results. 
The matter of transportation will not be behind other 
interests, and a reduction of the present high rates will 
follow. Not the least among the benefits, will be a 
serious handling of the question of the necessities of 
the middlemen, with a reduction of the number of bauds 
through which stock now must pass, each one taking a 
portion that ought to go by good rights to the producer, 
or at least, be divided between him, and those who con 
sume the meat. There are a number of important prob¬ 
lems involved in our present production of meat, that a 
healthy rivalry will lead us to solve, to the best good oi 
all concerned. With our large, vast grazing country, and 
a proper adjustment of transportation rates, a better class 
of animals, etc., we may hope to compete with Australia 
or any other country, in supplying meat to England. 
Dipping; Sheep.— The effect of a Dip is to free the 
sheep from all external parasites, as ticks, scab, etc., and 
skin diseases, the causes of some of which are not fully 
understood. A Dip of 12 lbs. of Tobacco and 6 lbs. of 
Flowers of Sulphur, to 50 gallons of water, is one that 
has been so generally used, that it can be recommended. 
Some add to this a little Concentrated Lye, a pound or 
so, and about the same quantity of Arsenic. If arsenic 
is used, proper caution should be exercised, and the poi¬ 
sonous nature of the mixture kept in mind. The sheep 
are to be dipped while the mixture is warm. Those who 
have had experience claim that the dip of tobacco and 
sulphur will do all that can be accomplished by the 
use of arsenic. It may not be generally understood that 
sulphur does not dissolve in the Dip; hence, in order 
that each sheep may get its share, the mixture while in 
use, should be frequently stirred up from the bottom, and 
the sulphur be thoroughly diffused through the liquid. 
Coal-Oil Barrels.— In answer to an inquiry as to 
the best method of preparing kerosene and other such 
barrels, so that they may be used for cider, etc. “ C. K. 
C.,” Beliot, Wis., writes: “Take one head out of the 
kerosene barrel, start a fire in the bottom, and put a 
bushel of dry straw, or long shavings, in to keep it burn¬ 
ing long enough to draw the kerosene out of the wood ; 
let it burn a few minutes, and just before the wood com¬ 
mences to burn, turn the open end to the ground, and 
the flame will be smothered. Use the barrels for water 
a couple of weeks, put the head in again, and they are 
ready for cider, or anything else one chooses to put into 
them. The barrels will be worth double the price of 
common ones.” C. K. C. omits to state that the other 
head that is removed should also have the same treatment 
and be burned, etc_Another correspondent, “R. P.T.," 
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recommends to first burn thorough¬ 
ly, then scrape, and scald them with hot water, then fill 
them up with clay, letting them stand with the clay in 
them for 4 or 5 days.” R. P. T. omits to say what kind 
of clay, whether dry or moist. As it is to act as an ab¬ 
sorbent, we suppose it should be dry. Would not dry 
earth answer as well as clay?_W. Scott, Kankekee 
Co., HI., says that he has cleaned fish barrels and made 
them sweet enough for packing butter by half filling the 
barrel with lye and rolling it occasionally; when the lye 
has taken up all the grease, it is emptied out and the bar¬ 
rel filled with water and allowed to stand for several 
days. We doubt if this method would be of much utili¬ 
ty with coal-oil barrels....“C. A. E.,”Bridgeport, Mich., 
says if the barrel is so placed that the steam from the 
exhaust pipe of a steam engine will pass through it, that 
no smell of oil will be perceived after a few weeks. He 
also says that they will become sweet if used for a few 
months as rain-water barrels. 
Pipes for Conveying Water.—“I wish to 
bring water from a spring to my house (or barn), what 
kind of a pipe shall I use ?”—is in brief the substance of 
several letters that have come of late; though some ex¬ 
press fears of lead pipe, others ask if iron pipe can be 
used with safety, and so on. Probably in regard to cost, 
ease of laying, etc., lead pipe is cheapest, so far as out¬ 
lay goes, but it may be dear in the end, as in some cases 
its use has caused serious illness. For all soft water, 
lead pipe should be avoided, but for hard water it may 
be, even for domestic purposes, used without danger. 
Hard water soon forms a coating over the interior of the 
pipe, and the water no longer acts upon it. Where wa¬ 
ter is flowing continuously through the pipe, or where 
the precaution is taken to first draw off all the water that 
has stood for some hours iu the pipe—a precaution so 
easy that it should always be taken—there is little or no 
danger in the use of lead for any but the softest water. 
Iron pipe is quite safe ; it soon becomes coated with the 
oxide of iron, and if some of this be taken into the sys¬ 
tem no harm can follow. “ Galvanized iron,” so called, 
is iron coated with a film of zinc, to protect it from the 
action of the water. This it does effectively, but the 
zinc itself is acted upon by the water, and is more or less 
dissolved by it, hence galvanized iron pipes should not 
be used for water. Tin-lined lead pipe would be excel¬ 
lent were it not for the fact that tin is very brittle, and 
is liable to crack ; when this takes place the lead is dis¬ 
solved more rapidly than were it not so coated, and as 
there is always danger from this source, such pipes are 
not advisable. Of course there can be no objection to 
glazed earthenware pipes, but they can not be used 
where there is much pressure, and the cases in which they 
are available are comparatively few. On the whole, fot 
soft water, iron is the best material, while for waters too 
“hard” for washing, lead may be used with entirtf 
safety if the precaution above mentioned be observed. 
