146 
£ 
A M ft ft l C A K A (} ft X (i U L T U ft l B f. 
erately rich. The plants came up well and 
made a tolerably fair growth, but not equal 
to either of the other kinds. Not a vestige 
of a flower had made its appearance on the 
21st of September, when we had a frost that 
killed the plants, while the Stock pea had 
ripened a few pods, and the Japan had so 
far matured a portion of its fruit as to leave 
no doubt of its vegetative power. In fact the 
Japan was but little affected by the frost 
which completely killed the foliage of the 
Oregon pea. Like the Japan, the stalks and 
branches of the Oregon are half woody, but 
not of so vigorous a growth. Neither were 
they, apparently, affected by the drouth, but 
presented a green and healthy habit. The 
plants of both varieties have more the look 
of giant bush beans than of peas—the Japan 
having much the largest leaves, which with 
the stems, pods, &c., are hirsute. It maybe 
the Oregon is an excellent renovator of the 
soil, but where one will have to depend on 
seed from a distance, it seems our northern 
farmers can find other plants more reliable, 
better tasted, and far cheaper. T. E. W. 
WEEDS-COUCH GRASS. 
On reading a book on the “ Weeds of Agri¬ 
culture,” in 1830, I have made this memoran¬ 
dum. Although the true secret of destroy¬ 
ing weeds has been known and partially 
practised for ages, yet we frequently have 
questions asked what is the best and surest 
way of getting rid of this or that weed which, 
by long neglect or improper husbandry, 
has got full and uncontested possession of 
the soil. The Couch or Twitch grasses are 
plants of the Agrostis family ; they are the 
most destructive of all root weeds. If any 
part of them is left in the ground they grow 
most vigorously, and appropriate to them¬ 
selves everything that is within their reach, 
devouring the food applied by the farmer to 
the ground as food for the plants he cultivates, 
and if they are not restrained by his utmost 
vigilance and the most unremitting exertions, 
they soon become the supreme occupiers of 
the soil. The White Couch (the quickens 
of Scotland) pushes out its strong white 
roots under the surface in every direction in 
the deep soft black land of Norfolk, Cam¬ 
bridge, and Lincolnshire. In this pretty soil 
it riots in many instances in uncontrolled 
possession of the whole field, particularly 
where the land is over-plowed; here the 
White Couch sends forth its strong, creeping 
roots, where it meets with little or no ob¬ 
struction. It increases with astonishing ra¬ 
pidity, and also defies the vigilance and in¬ 
dustry of the best farmer to master it. In 
the soft, light, sandy soil of Norfolk, near 
Holkham, I once saw a rick of the roots of 
this White Couch grass, which had during 
the dry, warm months of May and June 
been taken out of a light sandy field of about 
4 acres, and dried and stacked at a public 
house for litter; there were from 12 to 15 
tons of it. The inn-keepers said that it made 
excellent litter, and the horses liked it, for 
they eat some of it. The Black Twitch, 
Surface Twitch, or Black grass, is the Ag¬ 
rostis stolonifera ; this is a most destructive 
weed, it abounds on the light stone-brashy 
soil of the oolitic formation, particularly on 
the Cotswold Hills, where the soil has been 
reduced by over-cropping. The farmer must 
be on his guard, for this Twitch is not only 
propagated by its seed and roots, but as its 
stems are long and trailing, every joint or 
stolon sends out roots like the Strawberry, 
and it soon becomes a most numerous family 
of destructive weeds, spreading themselves 
far and wide over the field, covering the 
whole surface with its thick mantle, so that 
it is difficult for any plant to live where this 
weed abounds. If the smallest and most in¬ 
significant part of this plant is allowed to 
remain in the most remote corner of the 
field, it will soon by its rapid growth extend 
itself into the possession of the whole field 
again ; and it is most difficult to plow the 
land when it is covered with this black 
grass, nor can it be done properly till it has 
been breast-plowed. We can not get rid of 
these weeds in any other way than by taking 
them out root and branch, drying them and 
burning them ; and this is done in the Cots¬ 
wold Hills by what they call “ smother¬ 
burning,” and thus converting the ashes of 
an enemy into a valuable manure for their 
wheat or turnips. But “ prevention is better 
than cure and therefore, high farming, as 
it is called, will best prevent the growth of 
these or any other weeds. First clear the 
land of all weeds, and always keep it clean ; 
apply large quantities of manure, which, 
with good cultivation, will produce large 
crops of roots ; and by consuming these on 
the ground, and adopting the alternate sys¬ 
tem of cropping, there will be no difficulty 
in keeping the land free from the white or 
black Twitch or any other weed. About the 
year 1805 the value of the Agrostis stolon¬ 
ifera, as a rich and most productive and nu¬ 
tritious food for stock of all kinds, as green 
food during the whole of the winter months, 
was sounded forth by a Doctor Richardson, 
and it got the name of Agrostis stolonifera 
Richardsoniensis ; and as it was very easily 
propagated, the doctor sent it into Ireland as 
the most valuable of all the grasses, all that 
was required being to mow the crop at any 
time of the year, then carry it from the field, 
and cut it in lengths of about 2 inches long 
with a chaff-cutter, then sow the cut grass 
over the field (which has been previously 
plowed), and then harrow and roll it, when 
each of the joints or stolons took root, and 
a large crop sown covered the ground of 
what the doctor called “ the most nutritious 
food for the stock.” .1. M. 
Agricultural Gazette. 
ON THE MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG RABBITS. 
The little rabbits are born blind and help¬ 
less, covered only with a short velvety down. 
On the fifth day they open their eyes ; on 
the sixth, the liveliest fellows among them 
begin to peep outside the nest. At a month 
old they eat alone, and partake of food to¬ 
gether with their mother. At six weeks old 
they no longer require the doe, and ought 
to be weaned. After weaning, two modes 
of feeding have been adopted with equal 
success ; the first is, to introduce all the 
weanlings, from time to time, into a large 
hutch or common apartment, in which they 
are tended carefully, kept warm and clean, 
and fed several times in the course of the 
day. At each feeding time, every particle of 
victuals which has been trampled upon, is 
scrupulously withdrawn ; and it is found 
that, by observing these regulations, the 
losses are very few or none. When two 
months and a half old, they are placed with 
those that are destined for the table. They 
will fatten on carrots, oats, hay and bran, 
with a few peas now and then. 
The second plan is to keep together all 
the young rabbits of the same month ; that 
is to say, they are distributed in six large 
hutches or apartments, care being taken to 
separate the males from the females by the 
end of the third month. From the fifth to 
the sixth month, all those intended for sale 
are disposed of, after selecting the handsom¬ 
est and best tempered does to serve as 
breeders. Does continue prolific until they 
are five years old. Beyond that age it is 
rare to meet with rabbits surviving in a 
domestic state. The duration of their na¬ 
tural life is said to be from six to eight years, 
Buffon extends the term to nine. 
Rabbits are sometimes injuried by being 
handled clumsily. The proper way to take 
hold of them is, to grasp the ears with the 
right hand, and to support the rump with the 
left. To seize them by the leg is apt to dis¬ 
locate a limb, especially in the case of a 
creature that is shy; an injudicious gripe 
round the neck or the body may prove un¬ 
expectedly and suddenly fatal, by injury to 
the vertebra, compression of the lungs or 
breaking of the ribs ; a hasty clutch at the 
tail may cause the fur of that ornamental 
member to come off in one piece, and spoil 
the animal’s beauty for life. The instanta¬ 
neous way in which an adroit hand will kill 
a rabbit, apparently by the merest touch, 
gives a forcible hint of the caution we should 
use in allowing a favorite animal to be cap¬ 
tured and pulled about by inexperienced 
persons. 
Rabbits should be fed twice a day ; at 
morning and night. If they are on green 
food, it ought to be thoroughly dried before it 
is given to them. This diet (green food) 
should principally consist of the refuse of 
garden vegetables, giving only a moderate 
quantity of cabbage, lettuce, or other cold, 
watery plants. Wet herbage is deadly poi¬ 
son to rabbits. The leaves and roots of car¬ 
rots, all sorts of leguminous plants, the 
leaves and branches, or the primings of trees, 
wild succory, parsley, pimpernel, &c., may 
be the diet of rabbits during the summer. 
The great point of all seasons is to have the 
dry preponderate over the moist. We even 
believe that, where the more costly kinds of 
dry food, as hay and corn, are not attainable, 
sawdust and withered leaves might be given 
to keep rabbits in health. A variety of food 
is a good thing; and surely the fields and 
hedges furnish this variety—all sorts of 
grasses, strawberry leaves, and ivy. They 
should have oats once a day. When the 
doe has young, feed her abundantly with all 
sorts of greens and herbage, and with car¬ 
rots and the other things mentioned before, 
and do not think because she is a small ani¬ 
mal that a little feeding or a little care is 
sufficient. [Poultry Chronicle. 
-i. i pnyifcTnnrw———- 
Cholera Panacea. —The first physician of 
the poor dead King of Saxony has published 
a preventive of the cholera, which may be 
useful to our “ go-ahead ” countrymen. It 
lacks Latin, and so may be unintelligible to 
our Hippocrates, but its plain English can 
not harm “ the people.” Here it is : 
Of warmth.20 parts. 
Of cleanliness. 5 parts. 
Of morality.22 parts. 
Of activity. 1 part. 
Of good sleep. 2 parts. 
Of pure air.10 parts. 
Of tranquillity of mind-40 parts. 
These 100 parts united form the great chol¬ 
era panacea. [Boston Trans. 
Periods of Gestation of Animals. 
Mare_11 months. 
Jenney. ..11 “ 
Cow. 9 “ 
Goat.... 4£ “ 
Ewe. 5 “ 
Sow.4 “ 
Bitch_ 
Cat. 
Rabbit_ 
Rat. 
Mouse_ 
G’nea Pig 
2 months. 
8 weeks. 
4i “ 
51- “ 
4k “ 
3 
The period of incubation of domestic fowls 
is as follows : 
Swan_0 weeks. 
Furkey.. 4 “ 
Goose. . . 4 “ 
Duck.... 4 “ 
Pea Hen. 4 weeks. 
G’nea hen 3 “ 
Hen..).. 3 “ 
Pigeon . . 2 “ 
Preserve carefully the droppings from 
your hen-roosts, and by the mixture of a 
little plaster of Paris as you put them away 
in a dry place, you will have a manure 
very little inferior to the best Peruvian 
guano, and at one-tenth the cost. 
