1864.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
5 
Swamp Muck—“ What Prepara¬ 
tion Does It Need ?”—This is the burden of several 
inquiries to the Agriculturist. Some muck may be hauled 
out upon grass land, so soon as it is dry enough to be 
spread evenly, and no bad effects will be noticed. Other 
kinds need to be exposed to the frosts and thaws of Win¬ 
ter, to be, as some farmers say, “ sweetened.” But in 
general it is best to dig the muck when the ground ad¬ 
mits going to it in Summer or in Winter, draw to some 
convenient place, let it freeze a few times, and com¬ 
post it with slaked lime, wood-ashes, oi'lime slaked with 
brine, etc. To this may be added any manorial sub¬ 
stances not containing ammonia, and even these may be 
used after the compost has stood a month or two and 
been thoroughly worked over once or twice. Or without 
adding lime or ashes, the weathered muck may be com¬ 
posted with animal manures, urine, night-soil,'or the 
like. Thus it will be found of much more value than 
in its raw state. There is no better absorbent of liquid 
manure for the stable or barn-yard. 
Canada Thistles Again.— To several 
nquirers. There is nothing to be added to what has 
already been said upon the destruction of this pest. We 
are convinced that persistent mowing will finally subdue 
them. One correspondent writes that he succeeds best 
by allowing them to grow until just about to flower, and 
then cutting them down. 
“ Male® ” Land hy Burying Stone. 
—“ L. L.,” writes to the American Agriculturist : “ Al¬ 
most every body has noticed in his own experience, that 
made ground, as it is called, if the soil is only tolerably 
good, produces most luxuriant vegetation ; yet how few 
act upon the hint. Neighbor D. has just been removing 
the surface stones from his field by drawing them away 
perhaps a quarter of a mile. Why didn’t he open the 
ground a little and bury them ? It would have taken no 
more time, and every ten feet square of land which he 
had thus made, would have been at least doubled in value. 
Never shall a loose stone be carried off my meadow.” 
[Stones only make soil, by their decomposition, effected 
by frost, and atmospheric influences. If sunk in the soil 
decomposition will not go on. Crumbling granite or other 
felspathic stones add potash to the soil and thus enrich it.] 
Bitching Plow.— F. A. Reuz. We arenot 
acquainted with the plow you refer to. Parties having 
such an implement, if good, would do well to advertise it. 
Wliat Kinds oflirain Til® to Use.— 
C. 6. Packell, Randolph Co., Indiana. Former volumes 
of the Agriculturist, have discussed particularly the uses 
of various forms of drain tile. In a good firm “gravelly 
hard-pan,” or any really hard- pan not readily pervious to 
water, the horse-shoe or n-shaped tile does very well 
without a board to stand upon. On steep falls where a 
large quantity of water runs, it is safer to set these tiles 
on boards. The sole tile will admit all the water that 
can run through them, and so will the round tile. Of 
these two sorts, the round tile is now much used for lateral 
drains, and every tile-maker should get dies for them. 
They require a little more care in handling to preserve 
their form perfect. The sole tiles are heavier and more 
expensive But they are valuable, when the ground is like¬ 
ly to wash, and where round tile might be easily displaced. 
Size of Brain-Tile to Use.— Few people 
who begin to lay tile-drains realize the importance of 
having small lateral or minor drains. Two-inch tile is as 
large as are ever necessary, unless living springs are to 
be conducted off; and where the drains are not longer 
than 150 feet, 1%-inch round or pipe tile or sole tile will 
answer perfectly well, provided the fall be as much as 
two or three inches per rod, and the joints and open¬ 
ings be so light that mice, moles, or toads, cannot get in. 
Bad IBahits of Horses.- 11 M: B. P.,” 
Schuyler Co., N. Y., has a 3-year-old mare which has the 
bad habit of hanging her tongue out when the bit is in, 
and asks for a cure. It is probably a coltish trick she 
will get over. Such are not uncommon. Try putting a 
little pulverized aloes on the tongue as often as you can 
find it out, or hitting it with a riding-whip. 
Mutton. Sheep.—“ J. H.,” New-Jersey.— 
Considering hardiness, excellence of the mutton, early 
maturity, and fair quality of the wool, the preference of 
she Agriculturist has long been for the South Down 
aheap. To breed large early lambs, from good sized com- 
B-on ewes, the use of a Cotswold or other long wool 
bock may be desirable—thohgh butchers are very fond of 
{he dark legs and faces which show the South Down cross. 
The Long-wools require more care, and will usually yield 
more weight of wool from the same amount of feed. 
Cross foi* Uim« Wool.— The best cross 
for a flock of common fine wool slieep is no doubt the 
American Merino —whose blood is of Spanish origin. 
The constitution of the breed and fineness of the wool is 
all that can be asked. Select French or American bucks 
with reference to quality of wool, size, and constitution. 
Bichncss of Milk: In. Cream anti 
Cheese. —Luke Hoxie, of Madison County, N. Y., re¬ 
ports to the Agriculturist, experiments with the milk of 
a herd of 16 cows, by which he finds that the milk rich¬ 
est in cream also makes by far the heaviest curd.—We 
regret that he did not repeat the experiment two or three 
times for the sake of accuracy, and extend his observa¬ 
tions on the comparative amount of cream and the 
weight of the curd to the milk of each of the cows. 
More Butter.— Hanson Gardner, of Rens¬ 
selaer Co., N. Y., writes that from four old cows and two 
2-year-old heifers, he made anil sold 1360 pounds of 
butter last year, besides what was used in his family 
consisting of three persons. This was 226% lbs. for each 
cow. At 25 cents per lb., which is less than prime butter 
is now worth, it would amount to $56.66 per animal. 
Sugar in Sorghmm Bagasse.— The 
statement from “ Prof.” Mot which has been going the 
rounds, that the cane refuse (bagasse) will yield under 
certain treatment a great additional quantity of syrup, 
we give no credence to. Bagasse from a good mill, well 
worked, contains but a very small proportion of sugar. 
The important question is: If worked upon a large 
scale, will it be possible to get any marketable cane 
sugar?—that is. sugar which will crystallize and make a 
table article. We have never seen a pound of such sugar 
that we knew was made from sorghum. This does not 
invalidate the value of sorghum for syrup. 
Tlac Spinning Wheel and Cheese 
Press,— Gradually one employment after another is 
taken out of the hands of wotnen-folk, by the innovations 
of machinery and associated labor. Our grandmothers 
spun and wove, made up, and wore the wool of their own 
flocks. Our mothers spun, but they did not weave; our 
wives barely recollect homespun ; they can make up 
their own garments-but now-a-days, little is left for 
our daughters to do but wear them'out. Everything 
else is done by machinery and factory labor. The labors 
of the dairy are going the same way, and for aught we 
can see, a home-made cheese will be as rare a sight in a 
few years as home-spun-and-woven linen is to-day. 
When that day comes, and even now perhaps, we may 
congratulate ourselves that the employments of the dairy 
are discovered to be unhealthy, and ruinous to the con¬ 
stitutions of the poor women who engage in them—in the 
family, not in the factory—according to X. A. Willard’s 
recent brochure, in which he attributes “overtaxed muscle, 
incessant care without relaxation, disease, broken health, 
and premature old age,” to the labors of the dairy. 
Lctiky Roofs.— John Wheclan, Jefferson 
Co., Wis. writes that the cracks often opened between 
a wing or rear addition and the main building, may be 
effectually closed with paint skins or the scrapings from 
old paint pots, prepared as follow's: Boil them in a little 
linseed oil, stirring them frequently, making the mixture 
about the consistence of hasty pudding or mush. Apply 
it while hot with a small paddle, and it will soon harden. 
The application may need to be repeated once or twice. 
Color of Bouses.— J. A. S., Grandsville, 
Md. In matters of taste it is difficult to advise. Pre¬ 
suming that the house is to be some other color than 
white, our method would be to paint the window frames, 
etc., some shades darker than the body of the house, and 
the sash very dark. For out-buildings a similar color, 
but one that would be as little conspicuous as possible. 
Cheap Faints.— The essential part of all 
good paints, properly so called, is Linseed Oil. Oil if 
well boiled, may be applied alone, and affords an excel¬ 
lent protection to hard wood and implements, and upon 
floors. Sundry substances ground very fine, are used to 
mix with the oil, and in proportion as they thicken the 
oil and form an opaque coating, they are said to possess 
“ body.” A pretty good, cheap paint for outside work is 
made by mixing plaster of Paris with white lead, or zinc- 
white, and grind them together in a paint mill with oil. 
Plaster alone may be used, and it is said to form a dura¬ 
ble and very cheap paint. Of course any color may be 
given which is desired. 
Cleansing Tainted Barrels.— John 
Wheelan, Jefferson Co., Wis., directs to throw about 
four quarts of bran into a tainted barrel, pour a pailful of 
boiling water upon it, and leave it covered for half an 
hour. Then scrub the barrel thoroughly with a broom, 
rinse it well with cold water, and itivvill be found sweet. 
This may answer where there is only a slight taint, but 
we should judge some stronger treatment necessary in 
most cases. A thorough soaking with strong lye from 
wood ashes, or putting Hie ashes in with hot water, or 
using lime, we should judge to be effective. The safest 
remedy was recommended by a cooper—buy a new barrel 
What Fears to Flant.—Wm. Howel, 
Decatur Co., Ind. There is a list of select varieties on 
page_17 (Jan. Agriculturist 1863), which will serve for a 
general guide-r-to be modified according to the experience 
of your neighbors. Varieties very good in one place, 
often fail in certain other localities without any assigna 
ble cause, and it is only from one’s own experience oi 
that of others near by, that lie can ascertain with at solute 
certainty what sorts are adapted to his soil and climate. 
Tarred Paper Around Trees—A 
Caution. — J. C. Fenn, Litchfield Co., Conn., writes to 
the American Agriculturist that he has used sheets of 
tarred paper tied around trees to keep off rabbits in 
Winter, and injury lias been done by ice accumulating 
upon the bark under the paper. Care should be taken to 
arrange the covering, so that little water can enter. 
Nebraska t'liims.-R. 0. Thompson of 
Otoe Co., Nebraska, says of the wild plums of Nebraska: 
“ I have 8 fine varieties of good qualities (some as large 
as the Jefferson), of various colors, forms and times of 
ripening. For four years they have stood near Jefferson, 
Kirk’s, and Coe’s Golden Drop, and the Curculio has 
never injured a plum upon them, while the varieties nam¬ 
ed have been invariably destroyed, or at least it required 
much labor to get a single specimen of Kirk’s to re¬ 
main on the tree.” We would like some cions, though 
we should fear that a plum which would resist the eur- 
culio here, would not be particularly valuable as a fruit. 
Thanks for the seeds. 
The Scale on Trees Again.— Quite a 
number of remedies have been proposed by correspond¬ 
ents, and published in the Agriculturist. Here is still 
another from a New Jersey subscriber, who “took some 
lamp-oil, and a little soft soap,” and applied it to the tree 
with the effect of killing the scale and removing the 
moss.” The proportions are not very definitely given 
Grafting the Apple on the Crab.— 
“ M. S. S.,” Lyndon, Vt. It is not probable this woult 
render the apple any hardier to withstand your Winter* 
Evergreens and other Trees lor 
Drairies.—Buel Sherman, Chickasaw Co., Iowa. Do 
not think of moving the evergreens until late in Spring. 
Oaks, hickorys, and othpr hard woods can only be sue 
cessfully grown when the seed is planted where it is to 
remain. Even in favorable climates they need to have, 
while young, the protection of other trees, or to be plant 
ed so thickly that they will shelter each other. The 
thick plantings are gradually thinned out until the trees 
are of proper size to grow for timber. No doubt that any 
hard-wooded trees which will stand the climate, may be 
raised in Iowa, if protected thus during early growth. 
Pruning Roses.—Mr. S. P. Adams, Hamp 
den Co., Mass. The remontant roses are best left until 
Spring. Then cut out the weak and the crowded shoots 
and shorten the others to three or four buds. 
Striiwbei’rics.-Wm, Howel, Decatur Co., 
Ind. Wilson’s Albany is considered good for putting in 
cans, as it is firm and quite acid. A crop can not be ex 
pected from plants set next Spring. Fuller’s Strawberry 
Culturist costs 12 cents by mail and Barry’s Fruit Garden 
$1 50. We can not particularize nurserymen, those who 
advertise in our columns are believed to be reliable. 
Large Yield, of Squashes.—Wm. A. 
Hart, Middlesex Co., Conn., raised on only 1 by 10 feet, 
sixty Boston Marrow squashes weighing 618 pounds 
Asclepias Fibre (Milkweed).—C.F. Bigham, 
Tolland Co., Conn. Specimens of fabric made of this 
and part cotton, were shown at the late fair of the 
American Institute. As they were enclosed ir a glass 
case, we could not form any judgment of them, }.nd have 
not the address of the exhibitor. This is the only at 
tempt we have seen to utilize this very abundant material. 
Botanical .Vournals.— “A. E. E.,” Illi¬ 
nois. There is no botanical journal published in this 
country. Silliman’s Journal has a botanical department, 
