AMEBICAN AGBICULTUBXST. 
REARING CALVES. 
In rearing full-blooded, high-priced animals, 
when the object is simply to raise fine calves, 
without any regard to cost of keep, allowing 
the calf to run with the cow is probably the 
best course to pursue, as it certainly is the most 
natural. But in ordinary cases, when butter 
commands a good price, we should never allow 
rearing calves to suck the cow. Fresh milk is 
eminently nutritious, and furthermore, is just 
adapted to the wants of a young animal. Until 
the calf is a week or so old, perhaps nothing 
can be substituted for fresh milk, but after¬ 
wards a gradual substitution may take place 
with no detriment to the calf; and it is certain 
that the same amount of nutriment can be ob¬ 
tained in a variety of substances at much less 
cost 
In England it is generally customary to give 
rearing calves “ linseed tea,” mixed with skim¬ 
med milk. Many think that calves do better on 
this food than on fresh milk alone. The linseed 
is soaked in water for forty-eighty hours. It is 
then placed in a cauldron, with seven quarts of 
water to one of seed, and boiled gently for two 
hours, and constantly stirred, to prevent burn¬ 
ing at the bottom. It becomes gelatinous on 
cooling. About half a pint of j lly is given to 
each calf, thoroughly mixed with warm skim¬ 
med milk, twice a day. Instead of linseed, oil¬ 
cake meal is frequently used. Two large table- 
spoonfuls are given to each calf twice a day, 
increasing the quantity with the age of the calf. 
It is easily prepared. Moisten the meal with 
cold water, and then pour over it a quantity of 
hot water, and let it simmer on the stove for a 
short time, just precise y as in making porridge. 
It is then stirred into the milk with the hand, 
crushing all the lumps. The calves are ex¬ 
ceedingly fond of it. For calves of six weeks’ 
old, we prefer it even to linseed itself. It is 
more nitrogenous, and it would appear to be 
better calculated to favor mus' ular development 
and bone formation than linseed or fresh milk 
alone. Pea-meal or Indian corn meal is also 
employed for mixing with skim milk, as a sub¬ 
stitute for the loss of butter in the milk. Rice- 
ineal, sago, and many other rich carbonaceous 
foods, are also recommended; but for rearing 
calves, linseed, oil-cake, or pea-meal, in our opin¬ 
ion, is far preferable to other substance. 
Rearing calves should not be tied up. They 
require exercise. A small paddock or orchard, 
with a warm shed to run into in stormy wea¬ 
ther and nights, is best When calves are 
young, green grass generally produces looseness 
or diarrhoea. As long as they are lively and 
take their food well, there need be no apprehen¬ 
sion from a thin discharge of foeces. Milk 
thickened with wheaten flour, or a li tie pre¬ 
pared carbonate of lime, is good for looseness, 
and if the case is serious, a few drops of lauda¬ 
num may be given. In case of costiveness, 
rhubarb is the best aperient for calves, though 
castor oil and epsom salts are frequently given. 
But the less medicine a calf, or any other animal 
gets, the better. A little care in regard to their 
food will generally render medicine unnecessary. 
If they are troubled with the louse, give them 
a little sulphur; it will purify the blood, and 
rid them of the parasite at the same time.— 
Wool Grower. 
THE WHEAT CROP OF CALIFORNIA. 
One of the most gratifying indications of the 
permanent prosperity of California, is the great 
and rapid increase of her agricultural resources. 
Two years ago we were known only as a mining 
country, and the impression was, that, but for 
our mineral resources, the State would be val¬ 
ueless. This idea has not only been proved 
erroneous, but the fact has been fully established 
that this is one, or can be made one of the best 
agricultural States in the Union. Nowhere can 
wheat, oats, barley and most kinds of vegeta¬ 
bles, be gro.vn with less labor and expense than 
here. The soil is fertile and the climate une¬ 
qualed. What is called the wet season, during 
which crops grow without irrigation, is much 
longer than what is called the growing season 
in the Eastern States. In addition to this, 
prices in mining countries are generally higher 
than in any other. It is true, that we have no 
foreign market for our surplus agricultural pro¬ 
ducts, and whenever the market becomes glut 
ted with an article that will not bear long trans¬ 
portation, (as is now the case with potatoes) 
the article becomes nearly or quite valueless. 
But when the agricultural interests and the 
general business of the country, become more 
thoroughly settled, such extremes in prices as 
we have witnessed will not be likely to occur. 
Because potatoes are a dollar a pound this year, 
farmers will not again plant nothing but pota¬ 
toes, and thereby render the crop not worth 
carrying to market. That wholesome monitor, 
experience, will learn them to divide their crops 
so as to meet the wants of the people. By pur¬ 
suing this course, we have no doubt but farm¬ 
ing will prove a more remunerative and reliable 
business in California, than it is in any other 
State in the Union. 
It is now estimated that sufficient wheat will 
be grown in California to supply the entire de 
mand until the next year’s crop. If this bt- 
true, the quantity of flour now on hand can 
hardly be expected to advance in price, nor can 
ic with what shipments have been and probabh 
will be made, be expected that flour will be ex¬ 
travagantly high during the present year. 
While we like to see every man fairly and hand¬ 
somely rewarded for his capital and labor, wi 
dislike to see forestaling in the necessaries o 
life, thereby compelling the many to pay exor 
bitant prices for the benefit of a few. Every 
person must sec how much better it is that 
steady and remunerative prices should rule, 
and that the money should be paid to out- 
own people, than it is for fluctuating prices to 
prevail, and the money sent out in the country. 
We trust that we have reached a point when 
the necessity of relying unon others for flour 
has ceased .—California Exchange. 
able. Many neighboring farmers cultivate 
largely of carrots, beets and turnips for stock 
and teams.”— Tribune. 
TO DESTROY VERMIN ON ANIMALS AND 
TREES. 
One of the editors of the Hew-Orleans Pica¬ 
yune, G. W. Kendal, in his letter from Paris to 
that journal, gives the subjoined recipe for des¬ 
troying vermin on animals, plants and trees. 
The remedy is simple, easy of application, and 
worthy of at least a trial: 
The celebrated Raspail, well known as one of 
the best French chemists, has given an import¬ 
ant recipe for destroying vermin on animals, and 
also on plants and trees—important, at least, if 
true. The process he recommends is to make a 
solution of aloes—one gramme of that gum to 
a litre of water—French measure—and, by 
neans of a large brush to wash over the trunks 
and branches of trees with this solution. This 
simple process, says Raspail, null speedily des¬ 
troy all the vermin on the trees, and will effect¬ 
ually prevent others from approaching. In 
order to clear sheep and animals with long hair, 
they must be bathed with the solution, or well 
washed with it. Raspail mentions several trials 
be has made with this mixture, all of which 
have been attended with the most complete suc¬ 
cess, and he recommends it very strongly to 
general use. I can only say th->t if a simple 
solution of aloes and water will kill or. drive 
iway ants from peach and other trees in Texas 
and other parts of the South, the diseove- y will 
be hailed with pleasure. At all events there is 
no harm in trying the experiment. A French 
'itre is a little less than three of our pints—a 
gramme is the five hundredth part, of a F ench 
pound. A little aloes, if used at all, will thus 
go a great way. Were I troubled with ants and 
other vermin in Texas, I should certainly try 
Raspail’s solution. 
BASIS OF GOOD FARMING. 
Mr. Isaac Moore who farms one hundred 
and fifty acres of clay loam, with limeston 
diffused through it and in position (and surely 
no better soil could be desired than this) on 
Clover street, Brighton, Monroe County, N. Y. 
writes us that his usual average per acre are as 
follows: 
Indian Corn —75 bushels; extra yields, 80, 90 
to 100. 
Potatoes —formerly 250 to 400 bushels ; latterly 
200 . 
Wheat —(50 acres,) 25 to 35 and 40 bushels, 
rarely 50. 
Oats —(little sown,) once 489 bushels from five 
acres; seed 22 bushels. 
Hay —2 to 3 tons ; once 44 tons. 
These are large crops ; and we are not sur¬ 
prised to learn that Mr. Moore has built the 
“ Clover st. Seminary,” and endowed a Profes¬ 
sorship out of the profits of such farming 
But how he does it is the important point. The 
natural richness of his soil is undoubted ; but a 
majority of farmers on just such soil do noi 
obtain half so large crops. Here is the expla¬ 
nation : 
“ I never sell straw ; this goes back in some 
shape to the land. My barn-yard yields me 
many hundreds of wagon-loads of manure; 
what I fail to get on to my lands in the spring 
of the year, I keep as ; bank deposit’ till au 
tumn. 
“.But clover and plaster are the great fertil¬ 
izers of the soil of Western New-York. When 
I sow wheat, oats or barley, I sow ten to twelve 
pounds of clover to the acre. Any farmer who 
will follow this process for fertilizing neednevei 
go to Peru to obtain guano. His form will 
never run down. I have cultivated roots but 
little. What I have done, I have found profit¬ 
DEEP PLOWING. 
The season having again returned when 
farmers are busily engaged in turning the sod, 
or stirring the soil, I will add my testimony in 
iddition to others, in favor of deep plowing. 
Four years ago I purchased the farm on which 
( now reside. Being a stranger in this section, 
I commenced plowing my land with deep fur¬ 
rows—which some of my neighbors noticing, 
they remonstrated, saying that I was turning 
up ground so poor that nothing would grow. 
1 will remark here, that the farm has been ten¬ 
anted for 20 or more years, till the soil was 
supposed to be exhausted. My faith being 
strong, I continued to plow as deep as I could, 
and, I believe, with good results; from 32 acres 
of land I gathered over 1,500 bushels of corn. 
In the fall of the same year I plowed a lot of 
some 9 acres of wheat. This was contrary to 
common custom, as the old fallow system was 
then, and is yet to some extent, in vogue. 
From this field I had cut a light crop of grass. 
When I was plowing thi< field, some inquired 
what I was plowing for. I told them for 
wheat. The reply was, “Y>u will not get 
vour seed. The last crop did not yield 5 bush¬ 
els to the acre.” Well, that was discouraging; 
but T let the teams goon—the first team draw¬ 
ing the Eagle C, and the next a sub-soil. I will 
remark here, that the field should have been 
plowed earlier, as this was the last of August 
and the first of September. The wheat was 
sown without any manure, the last of Septem¬ 
ber, and the yield next season was over 22 
bushels per acre. The ground was seeded, but 
did not take well. 
The next season I pastured it till after har¬ 
vest, and plowed it with a double or Michigan 
plow, followed by a sub-soil, and sowed the 
24th of September with Huthinson and Soule’s 
wheat; and the yield, I think, was not less 
than 33 bushels per acre. The only manure 
for the last crop, besides the poor and closely 
oaten grass sod, was 30 loads of leached ashes, 
