1861.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
71 
that this is owing to the thorough trenching of 
the land there ? Suppose, then, that subsoiling, 
even less thorough, were practiced over the en¬ 
tire lawn, would not good results follow ? G. 
Sow Grass Seed this Month. 
The grasses have many enemies, and it is fre¬ 
quently necessary to re-sow fields where the 
seed has not taken well, or where the roots 
have been eaten badly by worms. Wherever 
the grass is deficient, whether in pasture or 
meadow, it is a good plan to sow seed at this 
season. As a rule, seed enough is not used 
when meadows are laid down to grass. After 
several years experimenting, we have never 
found seed to take ” so well, as when sown 
upon the frozen ground, say in the morning, 
the latter part of March or early in April. 
The alternate freezing and thawing at this 
early season, open crevices in the soil, and fur¬ 
nish the seed with that very slight covering 
which it needs; the heavy Spring rains also help 
to bury it. The use of the bush harrow and 
the roller would make the covering still more 
sure, but we have never failed of a good “catch” 
without resorting to them. In a few weeks the 
young clover and herds-grass make their appear¬ 
ance, and yield a tolerable crop the first season. 
This is a great deal better than bare patches in 
the meadow, which will soon be grown over 
with sorrel or weeds, if not occupied by grass. 
Mangel Wurzels versus Corn. 
W. D. M., of Warren Co., Mo., writes to know 
if it will pay to raise this root for Winter feed¬ 
ing, where Indian corn can be grown at the rate 
of 30 to 40 bushels to the acre. It pays abund¬ 
antly at the East, where corn is raised at the rate 
of 60 to 80 bushels to the acre. If it were only 
of equal value per acre with corn, we would > 
still raise it, because it gives a variety of food, 
which is as much desired by cattle as by men. 
But one can hardly fail to get double the value 
of fodder from an acre of these roots, that he 
would get in corn. We raised last season at the 
rate of 1600 bushels to the acre, on land that 
would not have produced over 80 bushels of 
corn. The roots at the market price were 
worth $400. The corn and stalks well cured, 
would not have been worth over $100. Land 
that will produce forty bushels of corn to the 
acre, ought to produce from six to eight hun¬ 
dred bushels of mangel wurzels. With thorough 
working and manuring, there is no difficulty in 
getting from twelve hundred to two thousand 
bushels per acre. They should be planted in 
drills two. feet apart, and one foot in the drill, 
thinned out to one in a place, and kept free from 
weeds. The seed is from fifty cents to a dollar 
a pound, and it takes about four -pounds to the 
acre. They should be stored early, and not be 
fed out until after Christmas. 
Experience with Dwarf Broom Corn. 
Mr. Horace Kingsbury, Niagara Co., N. Y., 
writes that having been interested in the manu¬ 
facture of brooms for several years, he last year 
procured an ounce of Dwarf Broom Com seed 
from the Agriculturist office for experiment. 
This was planted about the middle of May, on 
ordinary ground, not very rich. The brush was 
sonnvweeks later in appearing, than the common 
variety, and remained inclosed in the husk, ex¬ 
cept the top end containing the seed, which 
prevented its lopping and becoming crooked. 
The brush was of an extra fine quality, about 
the right length, and destitute of the hard thick 
stalk, frequently found in the middle of brush of 
the common kind. The only objection found 
was, that some of it was nearly worthless by not 
being sufficiently matured, but most of it made 
nice brooms. It was killed by frost on the 28th 
of September, and no seed appeared to ripen 
enough to grow. [Several inquiries are made 
for seed—we have none. Parties having good 
seed, might do well to advertise the fact.] 
-■* -- ——*-•-- 
Stack Stables on the Prairies. 
In the January Agriculturist, p. 8, a brief de¬ 
scription was given of a “ stack "shed,” an im¬ 
provement upon the common method of stack¬ 
ing straw upon the ground for cattle to run to 
in Winter; but, as the writer stated, not the 
best plan. Mr. John Bennet, Ripley Co., Ind., 
describes a structure used on the prairies, as a 
temporary substitute for a barn, which is supe¬ 
rior in many respects to the stack shed: 
A pen of stout rails is: built, 12 feet wide, as 
long as is wanted to accommodate the stock, and 
high enough for them to stand under. Rails 
are' also laid on the top of this pen. An open¬ 
ing is left for a door. A rail fence is erected 
five feet distant from the pen, and entirely sur¬ 
rounding it, except the space left for the door¬ 
way. As the straw is threshed, it is stacked in 
the space between the fence and the pen, and 
upon the rails which cover the inclosure, thus 
leaving a warm dry stable. In this a manger 
can be built, or feeding boxes arranged ; the 
cattle can be tied securely, and be kept comfort¬ 
able. Light may be admitted through a win¬ 
dow in the door. It might be well to set up 
one or two square tubes, made by nailing four 
boards together, to lead from the cover of the 
pen to the outside of the stack, for the purpose 
of ventilation; the straw stacked around them 
would hold them in place. Horses, sheep and 
other stock may be housed in the same way. 
Mr. Bennett rightly says, cattle that live on 
uncut straw are not profitable to the owner. 
The straw, if used for feed, should go through 
a cutter and be mixed with meal, bran, roots, 
etc. This method, added to warm shelter will 
give satisfaction to the stock and their owners. 
----- 
The Blue Jay in the Corn Eield. 
Farmers on eveiy side are complaining loudly 
of the depredations of this handsome bird. It is 
not enough, they tell us, to. quarrel with the 
robin and cedar bird, who pilfer our cherries, 
strawberries, and grapes. Nor is the crow our 
only enemy in the corn field, pulling up the 
grain as soon as planted. They can be frighten¬ 
ed off by a few reports of the musket, or by a 
few objects of art and taste—mis-named scare¬ 
crows—scattered about in the field. But the 
Jay is bold and deceitful. He don’t annoy us 
so much in the Spring as in the Fall, when 
the corn is ripening or standing in the stook. 
Nor does he make such a demonstration as the 
crow. He comes silently, and he keeps coming 
all day. His song has hardly music enough in 
it to compensate for his pilferings. And he 
steals not only what he wants for daily use, but 
lays up stores for cold weather. Deposits of 
corn are often found near this bird’s haunt, in 
hollows of trees, and under the bark of those 
partly decayed. 
What can be done with the Blue Jay? Has 
he commendable traits sufficient to compensate 
for the toll he takes from the field ? What say 
those fully acquainted with his habits ? As far 
as we are now advised, all we can say on the 
jay-subject is that “ Eternal vigilance is the 
price of safety.” * 
From Canada East. 
THE HUBBARD SQUASH—STARTING SQUASH AND MELON 
PLANTS IN POTS—ONION CULTURE. 
[The following letter, dated at La Prairie, near Montrea 1, 
L. C., we give mainly for its suggestions in reference to 
starting squash plants in pots. This mode must be of 
special value to those living in the colder regions of the 
Canadas, as well as in the northern portions of New- 
England, New-York, Michigan, Wisconsin, and in othei 
places, where it is difficult to mature squashes, melons, 
etc., during the short season between Spring and Autumn 
frosts. It will be noted that the vines were not trans¬ 
ferred to the open ground until June 6th. Where a hot¬ 
bed or cold frames are not at hand, the pots may be start¬ 
ed in a well lighted, warm cellar — or better in a warm 
room—they will not flourish in the dark.— Ed.] 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
From your liberal distribution of seeds last 
Spring, I obtained four papers, all. of which 
proved true and valuable; but I write mainly 
to speak of one of them, the Hubbard Squash. 
Owing to our late season here, the seeds were 
not planted until May 23d, and then in small 
pots, three seeds in each, all of which grew. 
The pots were placed in a spent hot-bed, where 
they remained until June 6th, when the balls of 
earth containing the plants were transferred to 
hills in the open ground. They produced a fail- 
crop, with scarcely an imperfect fruit, and were 
housed perfectly ripe Sept. 15th ; the average 
weight 13 pounds. With respect to quality, 
these squashes are beyond comparison before 
any other we have ever tasted; when well cooked 
and prepared, they are truly excellent. They 
have a peculiarly agreeable flavor of their own, 
which we have not found in any other plant ot 
the same tribe. The skin or shell, as it grows 
here, is very hard, requiring a smart blow with 
an ax to open it. Are they not the original 
cocoa-nut squash ? We count this squash the 
greatest acquisition in kitchen vegetables since 
the introduction of rhubarb and tomatoes. 
I also received a copy of the pamphlet on 
Onion Culture. This is certainly one of the best, 
if not the best work on the subject in the Eng¬ 
lish language. Just think: the experience of 
17 straightforward, practical men of common 
sense, condensed into some 30 pages. I have 
been a successful cultivator of onions for the 
last 20 years, yet I have derived from this work 
many valuable suggestions for future practice. 
There is, however, one feature of the work which 
deserves more especial notice,being seldom found 
in works on gardening, viz., the information 
given on raising and saving the seeds. It is 
evident that professional writers on gardening 
withhold much useful information, as to the de¬ 
tails of seed saving; it may be they think it 
would injure the trade, but this is very unsatis¬ 
factory to the inexperienced inquirer. Howev¬ 
er, in these essays on the culture of the onion, 
we have everything required for the informa¬ 
tion of beginners—how to raise good seed—how 
to prepare the ground—to sow the seed, keep 
out weeds, to harvest, and to bring the crop to 
market. In other words they contain, as all such 
works ought to do, plain, practical, reliable in¬ 
formation for the million. 
John Warcup. 
Remark. —What Mr. Warcup says of the 
Onion Pamphlet is undoubtedly true. Our first 
edition of 1000 copies is all gone, and we have 
