29-4 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
tAUGUST, 
was taken to insure accuracy. The rations in the 
two periods were as follows : 
Table 14. 
The Organic sub¬ 
stance contained 
Albumi¬ 
noids. 
Carbo¬ 
hydrates 
Ibs. 
as. 
(I) 87 fts. green clover and 6.7 fbs. bar¬ 
ley straw. 
3.8 
17.8 
(II) 123 as. green clover. 
5.6 
15. 
The result was that the cows gave as much milk, 
and milk as rich in fat (butter) and casein with the 
smaller ration (I), of which a part was straw, as 
they did with the larger ration (II) of pure clover. 
The cost of the milk, as based upon the value of 
the fodder, was just about 50 per cent more with 
the clover alone, than with the mixture of clover 
and straw. The 3.8 lbs. of albuminoids was suf¬ 
ficient, and in the pure clover, with its 5.6 lbs., 
there was a waste. Part of this waste was due to 
the ad libitum, foddering, but a part was due to the 
unnecessarily large amount of albuminoids in the 
green clover. 
Now the bearing of all this on Mr. Harris’ 
question is simple. To make of his straw a fit 
fodder for his sheep, he must not only add nitrogen, 
but he must add this in the right proportion. And 
it is clear that he will get this proportion with a 
smaller amount of beans or malt sprouts than of 
corn. Perhaps I may be able to give some tables 
of fodder mixtures for sheep. 
snch things the simplest is the best, and a very simple 
affair is shown in the engraving; it consists of a large 
tin or sheet-iron dust-pan, with a back to it, and the 
edge rolled inwards to prevent the insests when once in, 
from crawling out. It is 30 inches long, the other parts 
being in proportion. The operator takes it in one hand 
and a short broom or some kind of brush in the other, 
and passing along the rows, knocks or sweeps the bee¬ 
tles and the larvae into it. Not having bugs enough of 
our own to give it a fair trial, it was taken to the field of 
a neighbor, where it worked admirably. The affair was 
left at our office by the tinsmith who made it, but who 
did not leave his name.Still simpler is the plan of 
I). O. Crum, Portage Co., O., who makes a paddle of a 
shingle, which he takes in one hand, and in the other a 
large tin pan, like a dish-pan, and by the use of the 
paddle knocks the bugs from the vines into the pan, and 
then kills them. He says that he does not think there 
is two pounds of Paris green used in the county. But 
the insects are never so bad after the first year or two. 
Potato-Bug Notes. 
Correspondence in regard to the Colorado Potato-Bee¬ 
tle is voluminous, and some of it rather amusing. We 
glean such matters as give information in addition to 
that in an article on page 304. 
Is the Bus Poisonous ?—There is sufficient evidence 
to show that under some circumstances it is, and that 
some caution should be observed. We have heard of no 
unpleasant results from merely handling them, but a 
case is reported to us in which the bugs being killed by 
squeezing between tbe thumb and finger produced 
swelling and other effects of poisoning. It is reported 
that a child was severely poisoned who mashed a large 
lot of bugs, one at a time, by means of two stones. 
Other cases have resulted from breathing the vapor from 
the bugs while scalding. The exhalation or vapor from 
the insects when bruised or heated, seems to be decid¬ 
edly poisonous, and should be carefully avoided. 
Another “Enemy” to the Potato.— A very intelli¬ 
gent correspondent in giving us an account of his experi¬ 
ence with the Colorado beetle, informed us that he had 
found another enemy to the potato, more active, and con¬ 
sequently more mischievous than that. He sent us some 
specimens of his “ new enemy ” which we recognized as 
an old friend—the larva of one of the lady-bugs, which, 
with other insects, feeds upon 
the larva of the Colorado insect. 
It is a great comfort to know that 
as an insect increases in num¬ 
bers, its natfffal enemies are like¬ 
ly to multiply, and in the western 
states there are a number of car- 
niverous insects which prey upon the larva of the po¬ 
tato beetle. The Asparagus beetle, a few years ago, 
threatened to deprive us of Asparagus, but it is disap¬ 
pearing through the agency of other insects. It is well 
to remember that all insects are not injurious, and that 
in our warfare we should know our friends from our en¬ 
emies. For fear that others may take a lady-bug lar¬ 
va for an enemy, we give an engraving which shows the 
general appearance of them. They are very active, and 
usually of a lead color, with a few orange-colored spots. 
LADY-BUG LARVA. 
Caution.— When the lady-bug larva is about to change 
into the perfect insect, it fastens itself to the potato 
vine, curls up, and appears as if dead. In this condition 
it may be mistaken by a careless observer for a sluggish 
larva of the potato-beetle of the same size, and picked 
off by mistake. 
Mechanical Means are to be preferred to poison in 
destroying the bugs, unless they are so numerous 
through neglect that nothing short of Paris green can be 
of use. Hand-picking is slow, but sure, and if started in 
time and persevered in. will conquer them—but no half¬ 
way work will do. There have been several mechanical 
contrivances for catching the insects. A photograph of 
one was sent ua from Pottsville, Pa., which is like a 
small hand-cart with an opening through the bottom ; 
this is intended to straddle the rows, knock oft' the bugs, 
and catch them on tarred boards. As we have not seen 
it work, we can only describe it from the picture. In all 
The Use op Paris Green.— Many prefer to apply the 
Paris green dry, mixed with flour, as it adheres better 
than when stirred with water, (see page 226, June last). 
Mr. L. B. Goodwin, Rock Island, Ill., sends us a method 
which we have not seen published. He makes flour 
paste as for putting on wall-paper ; one pint of this is 
added to a pailful of water, and then a tablespoonful of 
the green is put in and all mixed very thoroughly. The 
vines are sprinkled with this mixture in any convenient 
way ; our correspondent uses a wisp of straw or an old 
brush, and sprinkles his vines. This strikes us as a very 
sensible suggestion, as the paste in the first place pre¬ 
vents the poison from settling so rapidly as it would in 
clear water, and it sticks the poison to the plant, pre¬ 
venting it from being blown away. Thanks, Mr. G. 
Will the Tubers be Poisoned ?—This question 
comes up very often from eastern correspondents. In 
the western states where Paris green has been used so 
long, they do not need to ask. So far as negative evi¬ 
dence can go, we say most decidedly no. It is true that 
we use a most deadly poison, and the fact that it is dan¬ 
gerous and deadly, should always be kept in mind, but 
we also know that plants are very sensitive to the action 
of poisons, and should any virulent poison come in con¬ 
tact with its roots, the potato plant would be killed. The 
fact that the plant remains perfectly healthy, shows that 
it does not take up the poison ; it could not take up 
enough for the poison to be manifest in the tubers with¬ 
out being itself killed in the attempt. The amount ap¬ 
plied to the square foot is so very small that no danger 
need be apprehended. A city near New York is said to 
be considering a law to prevent the sale of potatoes 
raised by farmers who use Paris green. The effect of 
this foolish law would be to encourage lying, and shut 
out farmers honest enough to admit that they did use it. 
Besides, in this very place potatoes have been sold for 
several years past, which came from western localities, 
where the green is used, and no one has been injured. 
Will Nothing Else Kill Them?— We are frequently 
asked if nothing but Paris green will kill the potato-bee¬ 
tle. Undoubtedly any other equally virulent poison will 
destroy them, but for ten years intelligent cultivators 
from Kansas and Missouri eastward, have been experi¬ 
menting, and have found that no less mild remedy is of 
any use, and have fixed upon Paris green, as of all the 
poisons the most effective as well as the most managea¬ 
ble, and at the same time the cheapest. We know what 
Paris green is—its danger, and all about it—while its 
color is likely to prevent any accidental use of it. We 
do not countenance the use of any secret remedies for 
the reason that they can be no better than Paris green, 
and their composition not being known, accidents may 
occur. One of these, which we know to be arsenic in 
some form, is a white powder, and for that very reason 
all the more dangerous to have about. We will not ad¬ 
vertise such things, and will not in any manner counte¬ 
nance the use of any secret application to plant, insect, 
beast,or to man, so we say let all secret preparations alone. 
Do not use any poison until it is manifest that hand 
picking and other mechanical means are of no avail, then 
use Paris green with the full knowledge that it is one of 
the most dangerous of all poisons. 
Oleo-Margarine Cheese and Butter. 
It is about two years since the preparation of tallow, 
known as oleo-margarine, was brought to the public no¬ 
tice, and offered for sale as butter. Then the American 
Agriculturist took strong grounds against it as a fraud 
upon the consumers of butter, and a dangerous thing for 
dairymen to touch, and advised dairymen, produce deal¬ 
ers, and consumers to avoid it. Since then this stuff has 
been largely used to mingle with skim-milk for the 
manufacture of cheese, and some dairymen have unfor¬ 
tunately been led into the most surprising advocacy of this 
adulturation by officers of the Dairymen’s Association 
and a University Professor, to enter into the manufacture 
of this fraudulent article. As pointed out two years ago, 
and often since, the public refuse to eat this trash ; the 
markets are consequently overstocked with it, and price* 
for genuine cheese are borne down by the pressure of 
the unsalable adulterated article. The wholesale pro¬ 
duce dealers are now very bitter against the “oleo-mar¬ 
garine,” and many manufacturers doubtless feel equally 
bitter against those who induced them to make the un¬ 
salable cheese. The verdict of the public, however, will 
be, “ served them right,” for those who undertake to 
adulterate food, and those who encourage the attempts 
to do it, are both deserving of censure, which the public 
will not be slow to inflict upon the delinquents. In self- 
defence those factorymen, who make genuine butter or 
“ full cream” cheese, should take means to prevent this 
unfair and injurious competition, by procuring the pas¬ 
sage of a law to prevent the sale of adulterated cheese or 
butter, except it be conspicuously branded, and repre¬ 
sented openly as what it really is, a mixture of milk with 
beef-tallow, cotton-seed oil, horse-fat, or whatever other 
ingredient may be used in the adulteration. 
A Plowing-Match at Mineola. 
After long continued efforts made by Mr. Crozier, ef 
Beacon Farm, a plowing-match association has been 
formed, and the handsome sum of $250 raised with which 
to offer attractive prizes. Mr. Crozier, as is well known, 
is an enthusiast in regard to plowing, and spares no ex¬ 
pense to procure the best implements. If he can infuse 
a like spirit into his brother fanners, much good would 
undoubtedly result. The match came oft' at Mineola, L. 
I., in connection with the Queens Co. summer exhibi¬ 
tion, on June 24th and 25th. A number of plows were 
entered, and some excellent work was done. The first 
prize, a silver cup, value $100, was carried off by Charles 
McKav, one of the Beacon Farm plowmen, with a Scotch 
lap-furrow plow, made by Thompson, of Scotland. Ed¬ 
ward Small, of Long Island, gained the first prize, a sil¬ 
ver cup, value $50, lor flat-furrow plowing; the plow 
used was a Collins No. 3 steel plow. The Ames Plow 
Co. took the prize for swivel plows, and sod and subsoil 
plows. In double-furrow plowing the premium was 
gained by George Aiken, from the Beacon Farm, with 
one of Gray & Co.’s (of Glasgow, Scotland,) double fur¬ 
row iron plows. The Deere Gang-plow was highly com¬ 
mended, and did excellent work. In stubble-plowing 
John Small, with the Collins plow, took the prize ; John 
Collins, who competed with him with a Deere G. P. 
No. 5 plow, lost the prize by only one badly turned fur¬ 
row, made by the swerving of the team at the finish. It 
is greatly to be hoped that plowing-matches, now so 
rare, may become general, and lead to a great improve¬ 
ment in the ordinary style of plowing. 
Ogden Farm Papers—No. 66 
BY GEORGE E. WARING, JR., 
Recent investigations into the state of the art of 
house-drainage and sewerage, have brought to my 
notice an English invention that seems to be of 
great value. It is shown in figure 1, and is called a 
“self-acting flush-tank,” (the invention of Mr. 
Rogers Field, of London). It is intended for use 
at the outlet of a house-drain, and wherever 
possible, is best placed close to the waste-pipe 
of the sink, outside of the house, where it will 
answer as a grease trap, and prevent the choking 
of the drain beyond by the congealing of fatty 
matters. For this purpose the whole apparatus is 
made of earthenware, consisting mainly of four 
pieces— A, the reservoir ; B, the grating or screen, 
and a trap for preventing the escape of foul smells ; 
I), a siphon, and F, the beginning of the outlet— 
so arranged that the siphon will be readily brought 
into action, when the tank is filled, by the addition 
of a small quantity of water. An important acces- 
