174 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
of the cistern are used up. All the absorbing 
materials are made as diy as they can be by sun 
heat, and kept under cover until wanted for 
use. This heap is allowed to remain a few 
days, when with a spade it is cut up and 
thoroughly mixed, and again thrown into a 
heap. The absorbents are used in such pro¬ 
portion as to give about 12 gallons of night-soil 
to the barrel of poudrette. Our correspondent 
values manure made in this way at $2 per bbl., 
the price at which he sold a part of his stock; 
and values his whole product from 350 gallons 
of night soil at $63 50. Poudrette made in this 
way, has, he says, been used along side of that 
sold in the market, and was found to produce 
better results.—We have given several plans for 
utilizing night soil, any of which will answer, 
and we can not too often or too strongly im¬ 
press upon our readers the importance of saving 
all solid and liquid manures, human or other. 
-—.——«■»«—-—«■- 
Corn as Food for Stock. 
Indian corn is not well adapted to feed all 
kinds of stock at every stage of growth. The 
changes of season and variation of climate are 
such that domestic animals like men thrive best 
upon a variety of food, changed according to 
circumstances. Corn contains, in large quant¬ 
ities, those principles which when taken into the 
animal economy prodnce fat and generate heat; 
hence for fattening animals, and maintaining 
animal heat during winter, it exeels all other 
grain. It is heavy and hearty food, and when 
fed in large quantities requires strong digestive 
powers. To make it the chief food of young and 
growing animals, which require a diet rich in 
bone- and muscle-forming principles, is poor 
economy, unless they are fed for market. Eng¬ 
lish and Scotch farmers understand this fact 
well, and they feed large quantities of oats 
peas and beans to promote growth and strength. 
Corn makees poultry fat and plump, but they 
do not lay so well as when fed partly upon oats, 
barley, rye, wheat and buckwheat. My experi¬ 
ence has again and again proved that high corn 
feeding is too hearty and stimulating for cattle. 
Oxen can be forced to perform much labor and 
cows will yield a richer and larger quantity of 
milk upon a generous supply of corn meal, but 
it eventually affects tbeir health. For fattening 
cattle however, this practice is advisable. To 
keep cattle in a condition of sound health 
through their natural length of life, corn meal 
should be fed sparingly. 
The horse can bear, and requires, richer food 
than the ox when at labor, yet corn is not the 
grain under all circumstances. His days will 
be shortened by continuous high feeding upon it. 
The evil effects of such a course are seen in a 
dull eye, dry skin and rough coat. Its tendency 
is to heat roadsters, particularly in warm 
weather when they are likely to be overheated 
by exercise, and it gives a tendency to lay on 
fat, when a diet that goes to simply repair the 
waste of muscle is needed. When giving horses 
cut feed was first and so strongly recommended, 
the practice was generally adopted. But stage 
owners and others found their horses failing 
quicker upon it, than upon oats. Now, oats and 
old hay fed dry with carrots only are advised 
for horses subjected to fast driving. The bad 
effects of meal are not so apparent upon draught 
horses, whose motions are always slow. Still, 
for this class; oats given whole or ground with 
corn, or some 'similar feed is much better. 
“Fine'Feed,” brdn or shorts, counteract the 
bad effect of meal in part, and- are advantage¬ 
ously used with cut feed; using a mixture of 
about one part bran to three or four of meal. 
In those states where hay is a leading crop, 
and a variety of grains are raised, there is not 
that inducement to feed out corn exclusively, 
that exists at the South and West, where corn 
is the great staple. It is difficult to see why 
Southern planters keep their horses almost en¬ 
tirely upon a grain so heating and hearty, when 
the climate naturally requires a diet of an op¬ 
posite nature. Owners of horses living in 
cities, and who buy all their keeping, are too 
often influenced by the fact that corn is the 
cheapest grain in market. True economy in 
feeding stock lies in giving them that food best 
adapted to their wants. It is not intended by 
the foregoing to ignore the value of corn ; but 
it seems to receive among our grains a higher 
value than it deserves, except as a fat producing 
diet. If a few years of scarcity and high prices 
lead to an inquiry into its merits, and in finding 
good or better substitutes, nothing will be lost 
in the end. N. S. T., Essex Co ., Mass. 
A Word from an Old Sheep Raiser, 
The present prices obtained for wool, and 
which are likely to continue for a number of 
years, have induced many farmers to invest in 
sheep, and no doubt a great many inexperienced 
farmers will “ have the wool pulled over their 
eyes,” as the saying is, and in a few years aban¬ 
don the whole thing, jumping into the next 
current of high prices in something else, forget¬ 
ting that “ Care is the mother of Luck.” The great 
art in raising a flock of sheep is to secure for 
them sound healthy constitutions; and next to 
this it is important to get the largest amount 
of wool on a given surface. To accomplish 
these ends, care is required in selecting your 
breeding ewes. A judicious, fine-wool farmer 
will reject all long-legged and bare-faced ewes, 
selecting only short-legged, wool-to-the-toes, 
and wooly-faced ewes, well built and “ heavy 
set.” A ewe can not be relied upon as a kind 
and good suckler befbre the age of three years; 
at the age of four years she may be considered 
in her prime, and her strong and vigorous con¬ 
stitution is imparted to her progeny. The rea¬ 
son why we have so many ill-shaped, and un¬ 
productive flocks through our entire country is 
the hap-liazard, careless manner of too many of 
our farmers in selecting their breeding ewes ; 
they have a certain number of ewes, yearlings, 
two-year-olds, three, four, and indeed often up 
to twelve and fifteen-year-old-ewes. The sea¬ 
son arrives for “ turning in,” and without any 
thought about his business, the careless farmer 
expects to raise a flock of healthy, hearty lambs, 
simply because he is following in the way his 
father went before him. Upper St. Clair. 
Stirring Hay—Conflicting Views. 
American farmers at the present time are in¬ 
clined to look favorably upon any plan for les¬ 
sening or dispensing with manual labor upon 
the farm. Hay can be made and housed the 
same day by letting the grass get pretty ripe, 
cutting it early and “keeping it in the air”— 
that is, frequently turning it—all the hottest 
part of the day. Hay cut before it is ripe and 
containing little or no clover, may be cured in 
the same way, and if well salted in the mow 
may remain sweet—but the practice we think 
can not be habitually followed with the best re¬ 
sults. The Hay-tedding rgacliine , is a very effi¬ 
cient help to farmers who practice the system of 
often turning and thoroughly drying the hay in 
the sun. The only hay tedder that we know of 
which has been successfully used in this coun¬ 
try is the one Mr. Herring advertises. The op¬ 
eration of this machine is very simple and com¬ 
plete, it tosses up the hay by means of spring 
forks which move like grasshopper’s legs—-and 
it falls lightly and evenly spread. Every lock is 
shaken out in a twinkling, and every individual 
straw is exposed to the air. Hay thus worked 
dries with extraordinary rapidity, and is quick¬ 
ly brought into that condition which a majority 
of farmers consider most desirable. It is the 
general testimony of those -who have used it 
that on any good liay-day they can, before dew- 
fall, get in all the grass cut before 10 or 11 A.M. 
Admitting this to be true, the question is still 
an open one whether the hay made thus quick¬ 
ly is worth as much as that cured in the cock. 
Perfect hay is green and fragrant, soft and plia¬ 
ble, the clover even should remain green and 
hold its leaves which should be soft and not 
brittle; there should be not a particle of mold 
or dustiness, neither should the hay be exces¬ 
sively salted ; one barrel to 20 tons being all suffi¬ 
cient. In another article we have given a system 
whereby such hay may be uniformly secured. 
It is not a matter of speculation which hay 
is best; but it is a fact that hay cured in the 
cock is much the best, especially clover or hay 
in which there is a notable quantity of clover. 
Still the question of profit, involving weather- 
risk, labor, quality of hay, should be thor¬ 
oughly considered by every farmer. A dollar 
uniformly saved in making a ton of hay becomes 
at once a very important item of farm profit. 
Late Planting of Corn. 
At the present writing there is every promise 
of favorable weather for getting in the corn crop 
early; many will doubtless be in too great haste, 
and by planting too soon have to replant, but 
others will through press of work and scarcity 
of help find June upon them, and some corn not 
yet in the ground. It is not too late for the quick 
growing sorts like the R. I. Premium and the 
Improved King Philip to mature; indeed they 
frequently give a better crop than that planted 
early in May. It is well where this is done, to 
give the seed a rapid start by manuring in the 
hill with guano, superphosphate of lime or some 
other stimulating manure. Care must be taken 
to keep such compounds from contact with the 
seed, otherwise it may be injured or destroyed. 
It will pay well to go through fields already 
planted and replace all missing hills. * 
Breeding Horses. 
The tempting market which is at present 
open for all kinds of horse flesh has led we fear 
to the sale off the farms, of mares valuable for 
breeding, the loss of which will be seriously felt 
by and by. European governments who from 
experience of numerous wars and the necessity 
of always being able to obtain horses for war 
purposes at short notice, take care that those 
which, being in use by the military, are with¬ 
drawn from' productive labor, are not mares. 
These are left upon the farms. We are satisfied 
that no kinds of stock will pay to raise better 
than horses at present prices, and we have 
many inquiries on the subject. 
The horse breeder should be guided by the 
fundamental principle that like produces like. 
That is, good colts will come of good, sound, 
healthy mares and sires. The judgment of a 
