AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
265 
HAY CAPS. 
In January last we advised farmers to pre¬ 
pare a supply of hay caps at that leisure 
season, to use at this time. Our suggestions 
were followed by several persons, and we 
hope to hear from them in reference to the 
result. Our article is now being copied by 
several agricultural journals, and for the 
benefit of a large number of new readers, we 
will reprint a portion of our suggestions. It 
is not too late to procure those caps ; and il 
such frequent showers as we have had for a 
few days past continue during the haying 
season, they will be found highly useful. 
Most farmers are doubtless aware that on 
an average one-fourth of the value of all hay 
gathered, is lost by its exposure to rain and 
heavy dews. This loss may be saved by 
simply being provided with a supply of hay 
caps. These can be made of pieces of cotton 
sheeting, say a yard and a half square, with 
the torn edges hemmed, and a loop of tape 
or string sewed upon each corner. They 
would be rendered more effectual if slightly 
coated with oil; or by dipping in water made 
quite milky with chalk, or whiting, and after 
drying dipping them into alum water. Il 
prepared in the latter manner, they will shed 
water quite freely. 
When grass is cut down and put up in 
small stacks of two to four hundred pound.' 
each, it can then be protected by one of these 
cloth coverings, the corners of the cap beiiu 
fastened down by thrusting little wooden pin.- 
through the loops into the sides of the stacks 
Protected in this way, hay can stand in tin 
field unharmed through rain and dews till n 
is thoroughly cured. Let us estimate brief!} 
the cost and profit of this process. 
If we allow one of these caps for 200 lbs 
of hay, ten will be required for a tun. 
the cloth may be quite coarse, the expense <>: 
each will not exceed 10 to 15 cents. Tin 
caps may be used two or three times in a 
season, and if taken care of they will Iasi 
for five or six years, or longer, and then the 
paper-makers will buy them at one-fifihof 
first cost; so that every two caps, costing 
25 cents, at most, will serve for curing at 
least a tun of hay. 
No one will deny but that hay thus cured 
will, on an average, be worth at least a dol¬ 
lar more on the tun, than if subjected to the 
usual damage of rain and dew. We advise 
every person raising hay to prepare a few 
dollars’ worth of these caps during this 
leisure month, and have them laid away in 
readiness for the haying season. The same 
caps may be used to protect shocks of wheal 
and other grain. They will very often much 
more than pay for themselves in a single 
season. If not quite satisfied as to thei. 
utility, prepare 20 or 30, and try them one 
season, and see if they do not pay. If they 
do not, the cloth will not be lost. 
There is no particular necessity for any 
preparation added to the cloth, as a piece of 
simple cotton thrown over a rounded hay¬ 
cock will generally conduct off even the 
heaviest shower of rain. 
c inquiring for Drain Tile Machines , 
1,Jia something of interest to them in 
our advertising columns. Ditch Diggers and 
Brick Machines are also announced. 
RH0DE-ISLAND SOCIETY FOR THE ENCOURAGE¬ 
MENT OF DOMESTIC INDUSTRY. 
The above Society is making extensive 
preparations for a Horse and Cattle Show 
to commence on Tuesday, the 11th of Sep 
tember, and continue through the week. 
The sum of Seven Thousand Dollars is ap¬ 
propriated for the premiums and expense.- 
of the Horse and Cattle Show alone. Ex 
hibitors and competitors are invited fron 
oth^r States. Judging from the past exhi¬ 
bitions of this Society which we have at 
tended, and from what we know of the met 
engaged in the enterprise, we predict t 
splendid and successful show. It will tak< 
place earlier than most other State exhibi 
tions, which will give exhibitors of animal- 
from other States an opportunity to partici 
pate in its exercises without neglecting theii 
own. 
In addition to the special Show for Horse,- 
and Cattle, liberal premiums, to be awardee 
at the same time, are offered for the bes> 
cultivated Farms, for agricultural experi 
ments, and for a variety of agricultural pro 
ductions. We give a few of them—as fo) 
lows : 
Best Cultivated Farm, $100; 2d do., $60. 
Best cultivated acre of Corn, $15; 2d do 
$10. For best acre of Rye, Rutabaga, and 
Potatoes, and for best £ acre of Carrots. 
Parsnips, and Onions, $10 each. $20 each 
for best experiments with £ acre of Cranber¬ 
ries upon bog land, and for best comparative 
experiments in keeping Apples in quantities. 
$30 for best experiments in feeding Cattle, 
Sheep and Swine. Premiums of $10 to $15 
are offered for experiments with ’Yellow 
Locust Trees, Fish Manure, Irrigation, Top- 
Iressing, raising and grinding Madder in 
New-England, Use of Lime, Phosphate of 
Lime, Feeding one kind of Animals, Superi¬ 
ority of onejbreed of Hogs over another, &c. 
Inquiries may be addressed to the Presi¬ 
dent, Joseph J. Cooke, Providence, or the 
Secretary, C. T. Keith, Providence. 
The Dutchf.ss County (N. Y.) Agricultu¬ 
ral Society will hold its next annual Show 
at the Society’s grounds in Washington Hol¬ 
low, September 25th and 26th. Letters of 
inquiry and previous entries to be addressed 
to the Secretary, Mr. Geo. Sweet, at Wash¬ 
ington Hollow. 
From the premium regulations (for a copy 
of which we are indebted to Mr. George W. 
Coffin, Treasurer of the Society,) we select 
the following : 
“ Premiums on Milk Cows to be determin 
ed by the following trial, viz : Time of trial 
from the 10th to the 20th of June, and from 
the 10th to the 20th of August ; cows to be 
kept on grass only during the experiment, 
and for 15 days previous to each trial. State¬ 
ment to be furnished of the age, breed of 
cows, time of calving, quantity of milk in 
weight, and also of butter made during each 
period of 10 days. Samples of butter made 
to be exhibited at the Fair, and statement to 
be verified by the competitor’s affidavit. 
California State Agricultural Society. 
—Our agricultural friends in the golden State 
are preparing for a State Show, to be held 
it Sacramento, in September—the precise 
lay is not yet announced. As money is 
nore abundant with them, they are going 
ihead of their brethren of older States in 
the amount of premiums offered. As an ex- 
tmple, we give the following : 
For the best Farm, $200 ; for 2d do., $100; 
or best Imported or American Stallion, $150; 
2d do., |£75; for best Bull, $100; 2d do., $50; 
for best Vineyard, best Nursery, and best 
Steam Engine, each $75; for best 10 acres 
>f Wheat, $100; for best 5 acres of Pota- 
oes, best 10 acres of Barley, do. Oats, do. 
Corn, do. Buckwheat, &c., each $50; best 
Threshing Machine, $50. Other premiums 
are in similar proportion. 
Squirrels. —The Boston city authorities 
have procured a number of red and gray 
squirrels from Vermont, and set them at 
iberty upon the celebrated Boston Common. 
This is the finest city Park in this country. 
It contains nearly 50 acres of beautiful un- 
lulating lawn, well stocked with magnificent 
elms and other trees, and is provided with 
graveled walks, fountains, miniature artifi¬ 
cial lakes, &c. The new inhabitants thus 
introduced will be vigilantly guarded from 
boys and dogs, and will add much to the life 
and animation of the grounds. This plan 
was adopted some time since in the Phila¬ 
delphia parks, and the squirrels have be¬ 
come so tame as to take food from the hands 
of visitors. 
To Prevent Metals from Rusting. —Melt 
together three parts of lard and one part of 
rosin. A very thin coating, will preserve 
Russia-iron stoves and grates from rusting 
during summer, even in damp situations. 
The effect is equally good on brass, copper, 
steel, &c. The same compound forms an 
excellent water-proof paste for leather. 
Boots, when treated with it, will soon after 
take the usual polish when blacked, and the 
soles may be saturated with it. 
Young Salmon. —The papers say it has 
been discovered that young fry of salmon 
must remain in fresh water two years belore 
emigrating to the sea, instead of one year, 
as has been heretofore supposed. We can 
not learn where or by whom the discovery 
was made. Is the statement true ? 
BOOK NOTICES. 
LEAVES FROM THE TREE IGDRASYL ; By Mar 
tha Russel. John P. Jewett & Co., Boston. 
“ I like, too, that representation they [the 
old Norsemen] have of the tree Igdrasyl. 
All life is figured by them as a tree, ig- 
drasyl, the ash-tree of existence, has its 
roots deep down in the kingdom of Hela or 
Death; its trunk reaches up heaven-high— 
spreads its boughs over the whole universe; 
it is the tree of Existence. Is not every 
leaf a biography—every fiber there an act or 
word I”— Carlyle. 
This is a pleasant summer-book of sketch¬ 
es, well written, abounding with fine senti¬ 
ments, and gentle, womanly thoughts. Here 
is indeed a portraiture of the affections, for 
