4 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
evil. The old patriarch Jacob, who, after many 
days of prosperity, clouded occasionally with a 
trifle of adversity, being brought in deep affliction* 
and questioned by Pharaoh of his life, answered : 
“few and evil have been the days of my pilgrim¬ 
age.” So a great many of us may say now ; yet, 
with all the warnings of wise men for some time 
past, like Jeshurun of old, we “ waxed fat and 
kicked ” at the shadow of calamity afar off; and 
with the homely proverb, having danced, we now 
must pay the fiddler. In short, we have to square 
accounts—those who can—-and for those who can 
not, they must do the best they can, and get “clear 
of the ropes,” somehow. In sober truth, we 
must “ settle up,” and again go to work. We must 
cease importing goods we do not want; we must 
abandon superfluities we do not need; we must 
stick to our farms, our workshops, and our trades, 
whatever they may be—if we can get a living by 
them—and if we can not do that, take to those 
at which we can. Instead of earning one, five, 
or ten hundred dollars a year, and spending more, 
we must earn all we can, and spend less. That 
is the only true and honest way to fortune. A 
great master of human life has said : 
“Sweet are the uses of adversity. 
Which, like a toad, ugly and venomous 
Hath yet a precious jewel in its head.” 
He did not know much about toads, however, 
for they are decidedly good things in a garden. 
-- . —- 
Cme for Lice on Cattle, Colts and Pigs. 
During winter, farm stock are apt to get lousy, 
fhe following articles will drive away, or kill the 
ice : 
1st. Soft grease, of any kind, and Scotch snuff— 
an ounce of snuff to a pound of grease—mixed 
and rubbed in amoug the hair, on the affected 
parts. If you have not the snuff, use the grease 
without it. It will effect a cure. We have tried it. 
2d. Powdered charcoal, or coal dust, sifted into 
the hair. 
3d. Ashes from the blacksmith’s forge, sifted 
into the hair. 
For lice on swine, or pigs : Pour buttermilk 
along their backs, freely, so that it will trickle 
in little streams down their sides. 
These have all been tried, with entire success, 
so that no one need have an excuse for lousy 
stock. 
If sheep get ticky during the winter, open the 
wool along their backs, and sprinkle in a little 
Scotch snuff, from the head to the tail. A table¬ 
spoonful is quite enough for the largest sheep, 
and from that down to a teaspoonful for a lamb. 
--WS-S-SK®- - -- 
The Use of Dour ah Cora. 
in reply to this query of Olando Bodfish, of 
Barnstable Co , Mass., we answer: Its seeds are 
used as a feed for various animals, especially for 
fowls. It is raised somewhat extensively at some 
points in the Southern States and in Mexico. We 
raised a small plot as an experiment two years 
since, but was not impressed with a very high 
opinion of it for Northern culture. The stalks 
grow large, of the size and resembling Indian 
Corn, with a large single seed head, which bends 
over with a graceful curve of th® upper stalk. 
The main objection appeared to be too much 
stalk for the grain. This plant is sometimes 
called the Great Millet, also Indian Millet, and 
Negro Guinea Corn. In Arabia, where the flour 
is used for cakes, it is named durra corn. There 
aie two varieties, the one very white, the other 
bordering upon yeflow. We are not sufficiently 
advised as to its real value, to say that it js supe¬ 
rior to the common millet, especially when we 
take into account the value of millet straw. 
----■ 
Riding on horseback is not only a very necces- 
sary exercise, particularly in the Western, or 
newer portions of the country, but it is also a 
most healthful one in all places—for women as 
well as for men. Yet after having seen 
two ladies thrown from horses, with a foot fast in 
the stirrup in each instance, we confess to a spe¬ 
cies of shrinking fear, whenever we see one of the 
gentler sex upon the saddle, on even the most 
docile animal; and we are utterly unable to enjoy 
a social gallop when there can be the remotest 
chance of again seeing a riding companion whirl¬ 
ed along at a fearful pace, dangling by the horse’s 
side with all lineaments of beauty horribly dis¬ 
figured or effaced by the iron hoofs. We cannot 
therefore do otherwise than hail with pleasure any 
invention promising to render riding on horse¬ 
back less dangerous ; and such an invention we 
think is Dr. Neil’s safety stirrup. The en¬ 
gravings, with a brief explanation, will give a 
clear understanding of the form and operations of 
this stirrup. 
As shown in figs. 1 &2, and in fig. 3 below the 
lower part of the stirrup is of the ordinary form. 
The saddle-strap is fastened to the piece A, which 
turns in a joint at B (fig. 1 & 2). When in use, 
the other end is held in at C, by an iron pin, fast¬ 
ened to F (fig. 3). D and F constitute one piece, 
turning upon the pivot E. A concealed spring 
around E keeps the part D in the position shown 
in fig. 1, and, consequently, the piece C holds the 
end of A firmly where it is shown in that figure. 
But suppose the foot to turn, in the manner 
shown in fig. 3, as it would be, in case of falling, 
it then presses against D, throws out the upper 
end F, withdrawing the pin from C, and the piece 
A is then thrown up, and, of course, the stirrup is 
at once released from the strap. We have ex¬ 
amined these stirrups carefully, and find them well 
adapted to secure the desired end, and yet admir¬ 
ably guarded against danger of being loosened 
during ordinary use. The apparatus is simple, 
easily made, and not likely to get out of repair. 
At present they are held at some $3 to $5 per pair. 
The price varies with the style, silver plating, &c. 
Chicken Meat Cheaper than Pork. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist . 
Everybody loves chicken, roasted, boiled, fri- 
caseed, or broiled. By itself, or in pie, it is pro¬ 
nounced first-rate by all who ever sat down to a 
Thanksgiving dinner of the olden time. But 
chickens always taste of the silver if you buy 
them, and if you raise them, they are thought to 
cost more than they come to. “ Very nice is chick¬ 
en, but the dearest food upon the farm I Poultry 
is more plague than profit, and the less c.are be¬ 
stowed upon them the better.” This has not been 
my experience. I intercede for the “ biddies,” 
and beg for them a little of the attention that is 
bestowed upon their more gross and less attrac¬ 
tive neighbors, the pigs. Give them a fair trial, 
and they will pay any farmer for his care much 
better than pigs, and will supply his table with 
greater luxuries, and at a cheaper rate. And to 
establish this position I will tell you a tale, quite 
as literal as some others, founded on fact. In the 
year 1850 my poultry yard cost me— 
In stock.. $39 96 ) » 7Q 77 
In food for fowls............... 39 81 5 ® 
It produced in eggs.$34 92 
• • in manure... 5 00 
•• in stock at close.... 50 00—$89 92 
Deduct expense ... 79 77 
Profit.. ............$15 15 
It produced in this time 91 fowls, weighing 
about 300 pounds, paying ten dollars above what 
they cost. In other words, the yard paid for it¬ 
self and three cents a pound premium for all the 
poultry used in the family. When did a porker 
ever pay you for the privilege of eating him 1 
Even Charles Lamb’s roast pig will have to knock 
under to the biddies. 
In 1851 the yard cost—In stock.$54 50 
•• •• In food.. 65 56 
Total............$120 06 
It produced 268 dozen eggs, worth. $48 76 
5 loads of manure.. 5 00 
• • Stock on hand at the close.. 113 00 
Total...$166 7f 
Deduct. .... 120 06 
Profit... $46 79 
It produced 61 fowls, weighing about 200 
pounds. In other words, the poultry paid 23 cents 
a pound for the privilege of being eaten. Was 
roast pig ever so gracious as this 1 I have tried 
pork growing repeatedly, and have never been able 
to reduce the cost of production below five cents 
a pound. I shall eat poultry henceforth. 
Connecticut Yankee. 
A lady fixed the following letters in the bottom 
of her flour barrel, and asked her husband to read 
them: OIOURMT 
