260 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[July, 
to the great west, where they will undoabtedly make a 
working force that will be welcome, and their zeal in 
seeking a new home appreciated. 
Barn Weevils. —These are not, as some suppose, 
brought into the granary in the wheat. It is an insect 
that attacks the grain only after it is harvested. A new 
granary should be so constructed as to afford no crevices 
to harbor the insect, and the door and other openings 
should close so tightly at every point that the weevil can 
not enter, and whatever spaces are to be left open for 
ventilation must be covered with wire gauze, fine enough 
to exclude it. In Prance, the receptacles are often built 
of sheet-iron. In an old granary, known to be infested 
by weevils, there is but one safe course, which is to store 
the grain elsewhere for two years, at the end of which 
time the weevils will be starved out. “ W. K. W..” Lan¬ 
caster Co., Pa., writes us that in two cases within his 
knowledge the insects have been starved in this manner. 
If the wheat is threshed in the barn, care must be taken 
to leave no scattered grain, and straw is to be stored in the 
barn only in case it has been thoroughly threshed. 
Value* of Manures from Feeding Stuff*. 
—“ W. G. L.” Mi'. Lawes, the famous English experi¬ 
menter, has calculated the money values of the manures 
produced from different foods by assuming that certain 
percentages of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash are 
consumed and lost, that the rest go into the manure, and 
that, in the manure they have there about the same value, 
pound for pound, as similar ones in commercial fertilizers 
in which their value is pretty well settled. Below are 
Mr. Lawes’ valuations of the manure from— 
Cotton-seed meal, one ton. $27.86 
Linseed cake, one ton... 19 72 
Beans, one ton.. 15.73 
Wheat bran, one ton. 14.59 
Clover hay, one ton. 9.64 
Indian meal, one ton. 6.63 
Meadow hay, one ton. .. .... 6.43 
Oat straw, one ton. 2.90 
Potatoes, one ton. .. . 1.50 
Turnips, one ton.....86 
This matter has been much discussed. Dr. Voelcker 
considers Mr. Lawes’ valuations, in general, from thirty 
to forty per cent too high, and evidently on good grounds. 
Of course, the worth of the manure is modified by numer¬ 
ous circumstances. Growing or fattening cattle or milch 
cows will retain more of the nitrogen, phosphates, etc., 
from the food and leave less in the manure than 9tore 
cattle. The waste before the manure gets on to the land 
varies in different methods of treatment. But neverthe¬ 
less the figures give a fair idea of the relative values of 
the manure made from different fodder materials. For 
farmers in the older States, who buy commercial fertil¬ 
izers, a deduction of one-third from Mr. Lawes’ figures 
would probably be not far out of the way. 
Coal Oil Barrels.— Suggestions as to the cleans¬ 
ing of these continue to come. “B. J. G.,” Naples, Iowa, 
and “M. L.,” Lansing, Pa., both advise long continued 
soaking in water, the idea being that the water enters 
the pores of the wood and gradually displaces the oil; 
the first advises sinking the barrel in a stream, the other 
to set it under the eaves and keep it filled with rain¬ 
water. “H. W.,” Excelsior, Mo., suggests keeping the 
barrel full of rain-water, adding the wood-ashes as they 
are taken from the fire. Neither state how long it will 
take to remove all traces of oil, and all suggest putting 
the head that was removed edgewise in the barrel. 
"Water for a Bath House.— “E. S.,” Orange, 
Tex., asks what would be the cheapest method of pump¬ 
ing and heating water for a bath house. If the water is 
to be raised from a well, a windmill would be the cheap¬ 
est. The heating of the water will depend upon the 
quantity. If much is to be heated, it may be best done in 
a wooden tank, by means of steam driven into it. If a 
steam boiler must be put up for heating the water, then 
in such a case it may be better to have a steam pump to 
raise the water, and use the exhaust steam for heating. 
Millet and Abortion. —“J. R. E.,” Somerset, 
Kansas, writes that it is a general belief in his vicinity 
that common millet will cause abortion in mares: he 
has three mares in foal and no other hay, and would 
know if it is safe to feed it. We do not think it possible 
for millet to cause abortion directly. When it is cut 
too late, the bristles that grow near the seeds become 
dry and hard, and cases have been known in which these 
bristles had matted together and formed a large ball 
which ultimately caused death. Should this occur even 
in a small way in a brood mare, her general health would 
be affected, as it might be from a score of other causes, 
and abortion follow at a matter of course. 
Hasp berries and Blackberries. - W. C. 
Steele, La Porte, Ind., who has had much experience 
with both these fruits, prefers to keep the canes much 
shorter than is usual. He finds that 18 to 20 inches for 
Raspberries, and 24 to 30 for Blackberries is better than 
a greater hight. He claims that the bushes are not liable 
to be blown over, that he gets just as much fruit, and 
that it is easier to pick, especially if the pickers are 
children. The stopping should be done when the plants 
reach the hight named, by merely pinching out the young 
and tender growing point with the thumb and finger. 
Boulders in Oregon.— “C. M. C.,” Benton, 
Oregon. Geologists account for the appearance of such 
boulders by supposing that at some former period the 
earth in the locality was covered with ice, and that 
glaciers, or rivers of ice, were moving, carrying vast 
amounts of earth, stones, etc., as they are now known 
to do in the arctic regions and in the Alps. The fact 
that the stones your mention are very smooth, as if they 
were polished,gives support to this view of glacial action. 
Locusts In West Va.-“ W. C. S., Jr.,” Volcano, 
W. Va., writes that this is the year of the appearance of 
their brood of 17-year Cicada, and that there is scarcely a 
foot of ground without a hole from whicli an insect has 
come out. He finds that the song of the Cicada becomes 
somewhat monotonous, and compares it to a “ ringing 
in the ears.” To our notion its sound is more like that 
of a threshing machine at work at a distance. We have 
seen it stated that after their long career in the soil, the 
insects cease to do mischief, and in the winged state are 
harmless. This is an error. The female lays her eggs in 
grooves cut in the small branches of trees ; these are 
often so numerous as to cause the death of the twigs and 
branches, which, after a time, are broken off by the 
wind and fall to the ground. They seem to prefer the 
oaks to other trees, but will deposit their eggs on any 
others except those of the Pine Family. When they 
select fruit trees,much damage often results to the orchard. 
(Basket Items continued on page 286.) 
Reform in English Agriculture. 
Mr. Caird, an authority on British farming, in¬ 
stead of grieving at American competition, advises 
the English farmer to make some radical changes 
in his system, and engage more extensively in the 
production of those commodities, that do not admit 
of either long storage, or carriage; such as those 
of the dairy, market garden, etc. He says in a let¬ 
ter to “ The Times,” (London): 
“ The introduction of foreign meat and cereals is 
of immense benefit to the consuming classes of 
Europe. American statesmen believe they are 
rapidly gaining control of this trade, and can main¬ 
tain it even at lower prices. It must be met by the 
production here of articles which will not bear 
long storage or carriage, sucli as milk, fresh butter, 
early vegetables, meat, hay, straw, potatoes, and 
the sugar beet. Grass farms, dairying and market 
gardening—ail the interests in land, whether of the 
owner, occupier, or laborer—must be disenthralled. 
The control of the dead hand must be removed. 
The sale and transfer of land must be simplified 
and cheapened. Encumbered and unwieldy estates 
will then be broken up and subdivided to form 
numerous small properties. 
“ The d rain of agricultural labor and capital to the 
United States and Canada, which has already com¬ 
menced and which nothing can prevent from con¬ 
tinuing and increasing, will alter the existing con¬ 
ditions of agricultural property in England. Our 
agriculture must adapt itself to the change, freely 
accepting the good it brings, and skilfully using 
the advantages which greater proximity to the best 
market must always command.”—This is a very 
clear and thoughtful statement of the whole trouble 
in English agriculture, with a way out of it, that 
the wise farmer must see is the proper one. 
Good vs. Poor Hay. Wien to Cut Grass. 
There are two radical defects in the ordinary 
practice of growing and harvesting grass and clo¬ 
ver. The soil is poorly manured and poorly tilled, 
and the grass is allowed to get too ripe before it is 
cut. It is abundantly proved, by actual analyses, 
that grass grown on land in good condition, is not 
only larger in quantity, but better m qualify, richer 
in albuminoids, the most valuable food-ingredi¬ 
ents, than that grown on poor soil. As to the 
best time for cutting grass and clover, the experi 
ments described by Prof. Atwater, under the head 
of “ Hungarian Grass,” in the present number, co¬ 
incide with the best data from foreign sources, in. 
implying that early in the time of blossom, or from 
a little before that to full blossom, is, on the whole, 
the best period for cutting grass and clover. The 
hay thus obtained is easily digestible, and has a 
good percentage of albuminoids. But as it grows 
older, the proportion of nitrogen decreases, and 
that of woody fibre grows larger, the hay becomes 
less digestible, the digested material is poorer be¬ 
cause it lacks albuminoids, and finally the hay is not 
so palatable. For all these reasons, the late cut 
hay is worth far less for feeding. Timothy and 
clover grown on rich land, cut early, and well cured, 
make excellent fodder. Grown on poor soil, and 
cut late, they are pretty poor stuff. A great deal 
of the hay that lies in barns throughout the coun¬ 
try, is little better in feeding value than good straw. 
Aii Improvement in Churns—The 
Blanchard. 
The churns in common use, operate in two prin¬ 
cipal methods. In one, the cream is beaten with 
something, and in the other, something, so to speak, 
is beaten with the cream. Of the first class are all 
the various dasher churns, in which agitation is 
produced by the alternate up and down motion, 
or the continuous or revolving motion, of a vari¬ 
ously shaped piece known as the dasher. In the 
other set, the something beaten with the cream, is 
the sides or interior walls of the churn. The 
cream is dashed against the churn, by revolving a 
rectangular box, or by giving a similar box a recip¬ 
rocating swashing motion on an axis, or in a tin 
cylinder, by means of an oscillating, or pendulum 
movement. The devices in both classes of churns, 
for effecting a simple object—the agitation of the 
cream, are most numerous and varied. The first 
named class—the dasher churn—is more generally 
used than any other, and no chum in this class has 
acquired a wider or higher reputation than the 
Blanchard. In this there is a revolving dasher, of 
THE IMPROVED BLANCHARD CHURN. 
such a form—though very simple, that it not only 
accomplishes the churning with great rapidity and 
completeness, but allows of the gathering and par¬ 
tial working of the butter before it is removed from 
the chum. The great claim made by the makers of 
the various oscillating or swashing churns, in favor 
of their method is, that the cream is all acted upon 
equally, and that no portions of it can escape agita¬ 
tion, and be less completely churned than the rest. 
The Blanchard churn, as originally made, was semi- 
cylindrical, with a flat top; the small portion of 
cream thrown against the under-side of the top at 
the beginning of the operation might, if left there, 
be imperfectly churned, and if this were mixed 
with the butter at the close of the operation, that 
might be streaked or specked. But only a careless 
dairy woman would leave the cream thus ; no mat¬ 
ter what kind of churn was in use, a stone-jar, or 
a Blanchard, a careful butter maker would 
make sure that the cream was all churned alike, 
and by scraping down occasionally the small por¬ 
tions that were thrown against the sides, top, etc.. 
