296 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
it cannot be done in the spring, but it is safe to say 
that in nine eases out of ten it will not be done. 
After we are through sowing wheat, say the 
middle of September, we can from that time until 
winter sets in, very profitably employ our teams 
in getting the land ready for spring crops. 
“ But we are very busy,” remarked the Deacon, 
“ cutting corn and digging potatoes.’ 1 '. 
True, but it is better to hire an extra man than to 
let the team lie idle. Get a three-horse plow with 
a good poiut, and recollect that you are doing the 
work principally for the sake of breaking up and 
pulverizing the hard spots. You want a faithful 
man, who will take pains to do good work, especially 
where it is most needed. There is a great deal of 
poor plowing done on our farms. 
Last fall I plowed my potato land, and this 
spring harrowed it and drilled in barley. It was 
not plowed in the spriDg, except a strip of rather 
heavy laud, running diagonally across the lot. This 
was plowed. In drilling, the drill crossed this 
plowed strip, and there was unplowed land on each 
Fig. 1.— A PORTABLE PIG PEN. 
side of it. 1 noticed that the seed did not come up 
as soon on the plowed strip, as on the unplowed 
land on each side. And the barley on the unplowed 
land was decidedly of a darker color. This was not 
owing to the difference in the character of the land, 
for some of the unplowed land was just as hard and 
stiff as the portion that was plowed, and some that 
was plowed was as light as the land adjoining. -I 
am fully satisfied that the difference was due to the 
fact, that in plowing we turned up soil that was 
much colder than the unplowed surface soil that 
was merely harrowed. The latter had been exposed 
to the sun, and was warm enough to give the bar¬ 
ley a good start. 
Now, instead of plowing this strip of hard land 
once in the fall and once in the spring, it ought tb 
be plowed twice in the fall. And the work should 
have been done while the land was dry and hard. 
Plow as soon as the crop is off, and harrow and roll 
until the hard and lumpy spots are reduced to the 
finest condition. This is the important point. It 
may not be necessary to harrow, roll, and cultivate 
the whole field, but do not leave it until the whole 
surface is worked as fine as if you were going to 
sow it. ’ Then, before winter sets in, and if possible 
while the land is still quite dry, plow under this 
fine, mellow surface soil. This will bring -up the 
hard, lumpy soil underneath to the surface, and I 
would leave it rough for the winter. In the spring 
these clods will dry out quickly, and a good har¬ 
row will reduce them to powder. A cultivator fol¬ 
lowing, will mix this fine, dry, warm soil with the 
colder and damper soil underneath, and soon give 
you a warm, mellow seed-bed. 
------ 
A Portable Pig Pen. 
Where a single family pig is kept, provision for 
Fig. 2.— yard to portable pen. 
changing the locality of its pen is often necessary, 
so that the pig may be kept wherever it is most con¬ 
venient. It may be placed in the garden, at the 
time when there are waste vegetables to be disposed 
of, or it may be penned in a grass lot. A portable 
pen, with an open yard attached, that will be found 
useful for a pig or a few chickens, is shown in the 
accompanying illustrations. At fig. 1 is the pen, the 
engraving showing it so clearly that no description 
is needed. At fig. 2 is shown the yard which is 
placed with the open space next to the door of the 
pen, so that the pig can go in and out freely. The 
yard is attached to the pen by hooks and staples, 
and both of them are provided with handles, by 
which they can be lifted and carried from place to 
place. Both the yard and pen should be floored, and 
the flpors should be raised a few inches from the 
ground,that they may be kept dry and made durable. 
The Narragansett Turkey. 
The popular bird kuown as the Narragansett Tur¬ 
key, originated on the shores of the bay of that name j 
some years ago, and is very largely raised in Rhode 
Island and Eastern Connecticut. It is a large gray | 
variety, with lighter or darker shades, according to j 
the fancy of the breeder. The most striking and i 
uniform feature about the markings of the feathers, 
pains has been taken to breed them to a feather, as 
the chief thing looked after is size. There is 
probably no other section, in this country at least, 
where turkey raising receives so much attention 
among farmers, and where the average weight of 
flocks runs so high as in the above named localities. 
The soil and climate are admirable, no disease pre¬ 
vails, and the turkey crop is about as sure as any¬ 
thing grown upon the farm. This breed is the re¬ 
sult of careful attention to the selection of parent 
birds, and good breeding, continued through many 
years. The earliest and best formed birds are se¬ 
lected for breeding every year. The practice of 
breeding from two and tliree-year-old bens, is gain¬ 
ing in favor with the more intelligent farmers, 
though it is still the exception. Great importance 
is attached to the selection of the male bird. He 
must be perfectly formed, with a straight breast¬ 
bone, rather coarse, stout legs, and a proud carriage. 
A young cockerel, weighing twenty-six to twenty- 
eight pounds at the beginning of the breeding sea¬ 
son, is the model bird to lead the flock. The young 
hens should weigh thirteen to fifteen pounds. It 
is not uncommon for farmers in this region to get 
three or four hundred dollars for their turkeys sold 
at Thanksgiving and Christmas. If one is going 
into turkey-raising, it will pay to get eggs or birds 
from a stock that has been bred for a score of years 
or more, for their size. The Narragansetts are a 
well-tested breed, and are hard to beat. 
In starting a flock, we have invariably had the 
best success with birds. It takes a little more capi¬ 
tal to start the enterprise, but a year in time, and 
advantage of seeing the stock, and knowing what 
sort of birds are likely to be raised, are gained. We 
have now conscientious poultry breeders, who have 
given years to the study of their business, and when 
we buy their birds we reap the advantages of their 
long experience. Connecticut. 
Home-Made Corn-Sheller. 
A Canadian correspondent sends a sketch and 
description of a home-made Com-Sheller, which 
may answer a very good purpose where there is 
leisure to make it, and means of purchasing any of 
the manufactured shellers are wanting. As a gen¬ 
eral rule, we do not think it wise for a farmer to 
spend the time necessary to make a poor, inefficient 
substitute, for a cheap, substantial implement or 
machine, when that time can be put to more profit¬ 
able use. If there is an acre of waste land about 
the farm, or a swamp to be drained, weeds to be 
rooted out, stone to be picked off, or any other 
Work to be done that will add to the productive 
capacity of the land, these should be done first, 
and if there is time to be spared, then other things 
may not be left undone. During the winter season, 
or in wet weather, it may pay very well to fix up 
such useful contrivances as are frequently described 
or suggested in the American Agriculturist , but we 
know of a case where a farmer who spent a day in 
Fig. 1.— side-piece. Fig. 2.— side-piece. 
making a splint broom, on the same day lost a calf 
which fell and was smothered in a sink hole which 
one hour’s work would have closed. For a 25 cent 
broom a calf worth several dollars was thus thrown 
away. “Everything in its place and season,” is 
the rule to be observed as regards all such things. 
The corn-shelier referred to is described as fol¬ 
lows. A circular piece of plank, (figure 1), 2 inch¬ 
es thick, is studded with wrought nails, driven 
so as to leave three- 
quarters of an inch pro¬ 
jecting upon the face, 
and the points are 
clinched upon the re¬ 
verse side. At figure 2, 
is a similar piece of 
plank, furnished in like manner with projecting 
nails. The first piece of plank has a round hole in 
the center which fits the end of the crank, figure 3; 
the other piece has a square hole, which fits the 
square portion of the crank; so that when the 
crank is turned, one piece of plank only revolves, 
the other is held stationary by being fastened to the 
frame. The two discs are fitted into a rim, made 
from part of a cheese-box, one being nailed to it 
Fig. 4.— CORN-SHELLER COMPLETE. 
and one being loose. A hole is made in the rim 
to receive the corn ears, and as they are shelled, 
the shelled corn and cobs fall out of an opening 
in the bottom of the rim. The whole is fitted in 
a frame (fig. 4) similar to that of a grindstone. 
How to Mix Cement. 
In the American Agriculturist for Dec., 1874, we 
gave some directions, with several illustrations, for 
building in concrete. Since then we have had fre¬ 
quent inquiries in regard to various details, especi¬ 
ally as to the proper method of mixing the concrete. 
As this is a very important part of the business, we 
now give some directions both as regards mixing 
concrete, and the cement alone. The article to be 
used is the Rosendale cement, which is manufac¬ 
tured at Kingston, on the Hudson, N. Y. This is 
nearly as good as the imported Portland cement, 
and much cheaper. The cement is made from what 
is known as hydraulic lime-stone, that is, a rock 
which contains, besides ordinary lime-stone, some 
clay, silica, and magnesia. Pure lime-stone con¬ 
tains only lime and carbonic acid, in the propor¬ 
tions of 56 parts of the former to 44 of the latter in 
100 ; when this stone is burned, the carbonic acid 
is driven off by the heat, and pure or quick-lime is 
left. When this is brought in contact with water, 
the two combine, forming hydrate of lime; during 
the combination, heat is given out; the operation 
is called slaking. When the water is just sufficient 
to form the combination, a fine, dry powder is pro- 
t 
Fig. 3.—HANDLE. 
