AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
169 
should suspect something of the kind in this 
new “ discovery.” 
We have just now learned from an English 
paper, that Prof. J. II. Pepper, Chemist to the 
Royal Polytechnic Institution, has produced 
even a greater weight of bread than was ob¬ 
tained by the French (secret) process. His re¬ 
sults were obtained by adding to the flour about 
one-ninth part of its weight of rice. He tied 
up in a thick linen bag one and a half pounds 
of the best American rice, allowing it ample 
room to swell. This he boiled from three to 
four hours, until it became a smooth paste, and 
then dusted in and most vigorously kneaded 
with it fourteen pounds of the best flour, add¬ 
ing the usual quantity of yeast and salt. The 
rice certainly cannot render the bread unwhole¬ 
some, while it will cause it to keep moist a lon¬ 
ger period than ordinary bread; but if pur¬ 
chased it should be remembered that the real 
worth of such bread is not more than about 
two-thirds as much as the same quantity of 
bread made from flour only. 
- ••• -. 
State of the Crops. —The weather of the 
present spring is so unusual, that it is especially 
desirable to gather as full information as possi¬ 
ble from week to week, in regard to the state of 
crops, fruit, &c., throughout the country. We 
shall endeavor to keep our readers posted up 
on these matters; and we especially request all 
who may have occasion to write us on business 
or otherwise, to send on a separate slip of pa¬ 
per, a brief statement of the condition and 
prospects of crops and fruits in their vicinity. 
How much Sugar do we Eat.— Eight or ten 
months since we wrote a short article under the 
above head, which has since gone the rounds 
of the American and English press, and now 
comes back to us in the W. Y. Observer credited 
to the Western Christian Advocate. 
SALE OF IMPROVED STOCK, 
We desire to call attention to the advertise¬ 
ment of Mr. J. M. Miller, of his regular sale 
of stock. It is a great convenience to breeders 
and the farming community to hold such sales, 
and they ought to come off at least twice in the 
year—once in the spring and once in the fall. 
Here those who wish to sell can meet with those 
who wish to buy. If well patronized, it may 
ultimately grow up to a great stock fair, such 
as they semi-annually hold in Great Britain and 
other parts of Europe. 
The place selected for the above sale is very 
convenient of access. Mr. Bathgate can fur¬ 
nish every accommodation desirable to those 
who send their stock there for sale. His stables, 
fodder, and pasturage are ample for all. 
TO START CORN AND GIVE IT A RAPID 
GROWTH. 
Owing to the cold weather and long-continued 
rains the two past months, corn planting is un¬ 
usually late this season. It is of great impor¬ 
tance, therefore, to start it quick, and make it 
grow rapidly. For this purpose there is proba¬ 
bly nothing equal to Peruvian Guano. A pro¬ 
per application of 150 to 300 lbs. of this valuable 
fertilizer to the acre, will often secure from 20 
to 50 per cent, greater crop; the grain will be 
heavier and of superior value per bushel; and 
what is most important, it will ripen from five 
to fifteen days in advance of the unmanured. 
If early frosts come in the fall, this advance in 
ripening may save the crop. Let every farmer 
consider this well. Three days advance in ri¬ 
pening is often very important. 
We trust our article in last week’s paper, on 
the subject of cultivating corn for fodder, will 
also be duly attended to. We hope every 
farmer will plant enough at least for a three 
month's supply for all his stock. He will then 
be on the safe side in case of drouth, or an ad¬ 
vance in the prices of grain and fodder. The 
farmers of this country have every inducement 
to raise an extra quality of grain and fodder this 
season. Prices for all their products rule high, 
and bid fair to keep up for some time to come. 
- • 9 « - 
Seasonable Premium. —The Royal Agricul¬ 
tural Society have offered a premium of $1000 
(£200) for a steam cultivator, which shall do 
the work of the spade or plow more economi¬ 
cally than either of those time-honored imple¬ 
ments. 
DR. WATTS ARRIVED—IMPORTATION OF 
SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 
It will be recollected that this gentleman, in 
company with Mr. Waddell, went out to Eng¬ 
land several months since, for the purpose of 
importing more cattle and sheep, for one of the 
Ohio Stock Companies. Dr. Watts returned in 
steamer Europa, on the 19th inst. Mr. Wad¬ 
dell was to follow him from Liverpool the next 
day, with the cattle, in a ship for Philadelphia. 
Dr. W. informs us that he found improved 
stock of all kinds very high throughout Great 
Britain and Ireland—for their purchases ex¬ 
tended to the sister isle—and that the breeding 
of these is extending as fast as the means of 
farmers will permit, all over the United King¬ 
dom. 
The weather in England had been uncom¬ 
monly fine for the past two months. The crops 
had been got in well, and such as are up, are 
highly promising. 
Dr. W. expresses himself highly delighted 
with this his second visit abroad. The farmers 
there are a noble, hospitable race, and the coun¬ 
try never was so rich and prosperous. 
They purchased about thirty head of Short¬ 
horns in all, mostly young animals, and a lot of 
South-down and Long-wooled sheep. We hope 
to announce their safe arrival in two or three 
weeks. 
Improved stock is in great demand here this 
spring. We have had more inquiries, and 
heard of more sales than usual. England has 
accumulated vast wealth from this source alone, 
and America may follow rapidly in her foot¬ 
steps, if she will only make use of the same 
means as the mother country has, to bring 
about so desirable a result. 
- - 
For the American Agriculturist. 
CAKED UDDER IN COWS, (Garget.) 
East Hampton, May 16, 1854. 
Will you please inform me through the me¬ 
dium of your weekly journal, what I shall do with 
a cow whose udder is very much caked ? The 
cake appears to be in one teat. I use cold wa¬ 
ter freely, and have in a measure succeeded in 
bringing it down; but before milking again it 
is as bad as ever. The calf is about three 
weeks old. A. Farmer. 
The best remedy for the above is, to let the 
calf run with the cow and suck it as often as 
possible. The next best which wc have prac¬ 
tised is, to take the roots of the bitter-sweet — 
which is common in all our forests—cut them 
up fine, and steep them in hot water, making 
the decoction quite strong. Pour off this liquid, 
then mix it half and half with lard, and rub the 
cow’s udder and teats well with the mixture 
twice a day, and milk her at least three times 
each day. Cold water is very good as applied 
by our correspondent, so is rubbing the udder 
with milk fresh drawn from the cow. But the 
bunting and frequent suckling of the calf is 
best of all. The cow should be turned into 
pasture, if not already there, and be allowed no 
other food than the young, tender grass, so long 
as the caking continues. 
The proper name of this disease is Garget. 
For tile American Agriculturist. 
LUCERN—WEEVIL—DR1LL. 
Will you oblige me through the medium of 
your paper, with information as to the means 
of getting rid of the weevil—the culture of 
Lucern, and whether there is any drill for 
small seeds such as parsneps ? 
A Subscriber. 
We are sorry to be unable to recommend any 
sure means of getting rid of the weevil. 
We refer “A Subscriber” to the seventh num¬ 
ber of this volume (April 26th) for an article on 
Lucern, with the remark that in this latitude 
the seed may be sown later than there directed, 
perhaps as late as May 25th or June 1st. 
There are a variety of Seed-Drills operating 
very well, which may be procured at most agri¬ 
cultural stores. A small Hand-drill for garden 
seeds may be procured for $3 50. A larger one, 
costing $6, will answer both for a garden and 
field drill, and another still better costs $10. 
Then there are still larger drills, to be drawn 
by a horse, which are used for sowing grain. 
We unhesitatingly recommend the use of a drill 
for all kinds of seeds. The saving of labor will 
soon pay for the cost of the drill; and the 
more equal distribution of the seed, and the 
more uniform depth at which it is buried, will 
in a great majority of cases produce a crop ten 
to thirty per cent, better than the hand sown. 
Another important item is that one-third less 
seed is needed when the drill is used. 
Croton Milk.—I t is intimated that the scar 
city of milk in New-York a few days ago was 
occasioned by the break in the Croton dam.— 
The milkmen indignantly deny the rumor. 
Lyons Manufactures. —The chief business 
of the French city of Lyons is the manufacture 
of silk goods, and it is said that the annual 
value of the goods exported from that city to 
New-York does not fall far short of $25,000,- 
000 . 
-• • • - 
Marks on Newspapers. —Lines drawn around 
or marks made on a paragraph of a newspaper 
merely to call attention to the particular article, 
are not held, in the Post-office Department, to 
subject the said newspaper to letter postage. 
