90 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
U-iOO&c after tine Spittle Fig'S.—Thou¬ 
sands of little pigs are frozen to death every spring. 
Where the pens are not suitable, it would be better not 
to have them come until the weather is warmer; but still, 
much can be done to make an ordinary pen comfortable 
for the occasion. Batten the sides, or pile a quantity of 
straw or litter on tho outside. Anything that will keep 
out the cold air will answer. Place some rails or 
boards across the sleeping apartment three or four feet 
from the bottom of the pen, and cover them with straw 
packed in tight. If the pen or sleeping apartment is 
large, we have found it a great advantage during a cold 
night to hang, after the sow has made her bed, a couple of 
horse blankets from the top of tho pen around the sow, 
somewhat after the fashion of curtains on an old-fashion¬ 
ed tent-bedstead. In this way we have saved a litter of 
pigs in the coldest weather. A few bags of steamed chaff 
placed around the bed inside the curtains, would be a 
great help, or, in the absence of these, a pailful of boiling 
hot water will raise the temperature of the pen several 
degrees. In a few days, and often in a few hours, if the 
pigs are strong, the danger i s over. 
Brittle Figs losing their Tails.—“W. 
O. J.”—We think this is caused by a kind of fungus 
which grows around the tail and “ girdles ” it. When the 
tail is girdled all around, there is probably no remedy. 
But if taken in time, the tails may be saved. Try a little 
crude petroleum. It may prevent, if not cure, the trouble. 
Mesa ILico osa Morses ami Cattle.— 
Hen lice never stay long upon a human being, hence it 
is no wonder that people argue that they do not long an¬ 
noy horses or cattle, if by any means they get upon them. 
This is a mistake. Cattle, horses, and hogs, kept near 
chicken roosts which are infested with the little wander¬ 
ing louse, are often greatly annoyed. Dr. Liautard as¬ 
sures us that he has known a horse to bo infested with 
them for one or two months, and that they were present 
in such numbers that he felt at the time that they must 
be breeding. He compared them under the microscope 
with lice from hens, and proved them identical. Hogs 
will scratch and rub themselves almost raw, if similarly 
annoyed, but cattle do not seem to mind it much. We 
think any kind of soap-suds will remove them from other 
animals, and carbolic soap banishes them for weeks from 
both tho hens and their roosts. 
ISrsisli Chopping: Machine.—“ D. L. 
II.,” Ohioville, N. Y. Tim Bunker is not in the habit of 
drawing upon his imagination for facts. Parties manu¬ 
facturing these machines to go by horse or steam power, 
should put them before the public by advertising. They 
have a good thing and should let the world know it. 
Ilcsi ©il for Carriage 'Wheels.— 
“F. S. C.,” Cambridgeport, Mass.—We have used castor 
oil, and think it better than any other oil for smooth-run¬ 
ning axles. For wagons and carts, tallow is equally good. 
Carriage TToips ainul Curtains kept 
soft, witil neats-fpot oil, will not crack. Patent leather, 
should never be used about carriage tops or harnesses iu 
places where it has to bo bent. 
EMacls IBsass.—“B. Ii. E.,” Pine Plains. The 
host months to stock ponds with black bass, are October 
and April, hut it can he done at any time when the fish 
can be caught. They liybernate in holes, and do not 
take tlie hook in winter. In hot weather it is difficult 
to remove them, but with ice and care it can be done. 
d>il ISarrels for Carter.—“ E. R ,” Rush- 
villc, O., wishes to know if barrels which have contained 
carbon oil, can he rendered proper to use for cider. 
Comparative Aaliae of Bga.w and 
Cooked Food.—A correspondent in Illinois, asks for 
a table showing the comparative value of raw and cooked 
food. We know of no such table that takes a sufficient 
account of attending circumstances, to he reliable. So 
much depends on the condition of the animal itself,— 
on the conditions under which it is kept,—and the quality 
of the food before cooking, that it is very difficult to de¬ 
termine to a nicety, just how much benefit is ascribabio 
to the cooking. At the same time, — in tire opinion of all 
practical men who have tested tho matter in their own 
operations,—thorough cooking is held to save from one- 
quarter to one-third of the food. Gronvon,—a German 
farmer, — steams food for SO head of cattle. He gives the 
food at about the temperature of the blood. His brother, 
Dr. Grouven, says: “Had it been served cold it would 
take the cattle from half an hour to an hour to raise their 
food to tho temperature of that which was steamed. The 
food is thus rendered not only easier, but quicker of diges¬ 
tion. Scalding, allows cattle to swallow food quickly, hut 
doc's not make it more digestible. Steamed food is al¬ 
ready half digested, therefore, rapid swallowing is not 
injurious.” Boiling food, lies between the two methods ; 
it has tlie disadvantages of the one, without the advan¬ 
tages of the other. 
Igeiraicrties for Wlaite ©rialbf*.— A cor¬ 
respondent writes: “A good coat of unrotted manure, 
plowed in six or eight inches deep, is almost a specific 
against white grubs in com or potatoes.” We suppose 
the grubs work in tlie manure and leave the corn plants 
alone. Plowing under clover, immediately before plant¬ 
ing, often lias the same effect. The same writer also 
says: “ I once had a piece of meadow that had been de¬ 
stroyed by grubs. I turned some pigs into the field and 
they devoured the grubs with a will, and left the meadow 
in good condition to re-sccd.” 
Wlaat to «!o witii Gas Ijimc.—1st. 
Haul it upon the land and spread it, breaking the lumps, 
at any time, when it can lie exposed G or 8 weeks. 2d. 
Compost it in a big flat heap with sods, muck, leaves, or 
wood mould, where it can he occasionally stirred or 
worked over with a plow. 3d. Lay it in heaps and shovel 
it over now and then for two or three months before using 
it upon or near growing plants. 
^tatsMffss laflsom Notes.—“ Many Farmers.” 
The provisions of the law are as follows : Bank Checks, 
Drafts, or orders on Bankers, or other parties, payable at 
sight or on demand, for any amount , require a 2c. stamp; 
Bills of Exchange, Drafts, and orders for tho payment of 
money otherwise than at sight, all promissory notes, 
checks, receipts, memorandums, printed or written, show¬ 
ing evidence of an amount of money to be paid on de¬ 
mand, or at a time designated, for one hundred dollars 
or less, require a 5c. stamp, and for every additional hun¬ 
dred dollars or fractional part thereof, another 5c. stamp. 
64 Market €3arrte^aer, ,, Rockford, Ill., 
in growing market and seed crops, has much of bis land 
unoccupied from August 1st until June, and wishes to 
know what lie can sow to plow nnder as a green crop. 
Buckwheat would answer, as would peas and oats, sowed 
together, to be turned under in the fall. Rye would do best 
for those parts which are to be plowed under in spring. 
Slertge-laasiremcriimg BSosaes.—This is 
easy to write, but, work at it an hour, and see what a 
small heap of broken bones you will have for the labor. 
Bones will decay somewhat in a good hot compost heap, 
and in overhauling tlie heap, may be pitched out, and, 
when dry, will crumble under tlie sledge. On the same 
principle they may be put into half a molasses hogshead, 
covered with hard-wood ashes and pretty well moisten¬ 
ed. Those which do not soften after two months, so as 
to he easily mashed, may lie sledged. 
Ebimie aaart Ssslt Mixtaare.—“A. C.,” 
who has mixed 100 bushels of oyster-shell lime with 12 
bushels of refuse salt, wants to know how long before 
the mixture will be fit to use, and what to do with it. 
—The true lime and salt mixture is made by using- a 
strong brine to slake lime, in which, parts Of each under¬ 
go chemical changes. In such a mixture as our friend has 
made, the ingredients remain unchanged, and it is but lit¬ 
tle, if any, less in value than if made as above. It may he 
used at once, and applied directly to the soil after plow¬ 
ing, or mingled with muck or other vegetable compost. 
<|saestl©ais A1»«ast Aslies.— “Subscrib¬ 
er ” asks, 1. “ Are strong unleached ashes good to put in 
the hill with potatoes No. Put them on the hill 
when the plants begin to break the ground. 2. “ Are 
they good to put in the hill with corn Yes. 3. “Are 
they good manure for cabbages?”—Excellent. 4. “Are 
they good for sweet potatoes?”—Doubtless. 5. “Are 
they good to compost with animal manures ?”—No ; ex¬ 
cept in small quantities, when plenty of dry muck or soil 
is employed. From strong nitrogenous manures ashes 
liberate ammonia. It is a good plan always to mix soil 
with ashes before using them in contact with seed. 
BJesa-laoaase Ufaraaii-e is best preserved by 
being mixed with dry soil and worked over as often as it 
heats, until it is fine. It must be used with caution, even 
if mixed with four times its hulk of earth. 
Cost of Keeping - Slaeep.—Tills depends 
on tlie kind of Sheep and how they are kept. Wc recently 
heard a farmer remark that his sheep last summer cost 
him nothing. They lived on tho summer-fallow, aud this, 
lie said, produced more feed than his pastures—which is 
saying little for his system of fallowing. When pasture 
costs little or nothing, and when sheep are wintered 
principally on straw, with say a bushel of grain a day for 
100 sheep, most farmers would not estimate the cost of 
keeping a sheep at. over $3.00 a year. But when sheep 
are pastured on grass, that could he cut with a machine, 
and a good crop of hay obtained at slight expense, the 
cost of pasturing a sheep is very considerable. The 
English farmers estimate that good pasture will keep 5 
Long-woolcd sheep per acre, which would he equal to 
about 8 ordinary Merinos. In the winter, a sheep will 
cat about 3 lbs. of bay per day for each 100 lbs. of live- 
weight. This would keep them in a fair store condition. 
If fattening, they will require one ib. of grain or oil-cake 
per day in addition. On farms where straw is abundant, 
comparatively little hay is fed, and the cost of wintering 
is much less. Charles W. Taylor, in an essay, written 
for the Report of the Department of Agriculture, for 
18G4, states that he bought 100 grade Southdown and na¬ 
tive Cotswold sheep, in November, for $5.00 each. They 
averaged 100 lbs. each. He fed them for 12 weeks. They 
then weighed 125 lbs. each,and lie sold them to the butcher 
for $12.50 each. He gives the cost of feeding as follows: 
17 tons of hay, @ $10 per ton. ..$170.00 
1.38 bushels of Indian corn @ $1. 138.00 
1.050 bushels Swedes and Mangels @ l()c.. 105.00 
Three months labor and attendance.___ 45.00 
$458.00 
This is over 38 cents per week for each sheep. In Mr. 
Julian Winne’s experiment in fattening sheep in winter, 
the food of the Lcicesters cost 44 cents a head per week ; 
that of the Merinos 3fi cents—be has fattened sheep for 
many years and has found it very profitable. 
IBaartey oast Mareky ILaBad.—“ L. II. R.,” 
Mich., asks if barley will do well on mucky land with a 
clayey subsoil.—No. It is the worst crop that could be 
sown on such land. Oats or corn will do far better. 
“ What is tlie Cheapest Way of 
Cutting' Hint-side ©Itches ?»-Wc really cannot 
answer this question. It is precisely what we would like 
to find out. We know of no better way than to get the 
most skillful man that can bo found, mark out one of the 
ditches, commencing at the outlet or main ditch iu tho 
lowest land, and running at right, angles up the slope. 
Let him dig one ditch, you being with him to see that lie 
works faithfully and energetically. In this way yon can 
ascertain how much it is worth a rod to dig the ditches, 
and can make a bargain with this man and with others 
for the performance of tlie work by tho rod. This is al¬ 
most always cheaper than having it done by day work. 
Let them do all the work except laying the tiles. This 
you had better do yonrself, or have it done by a careful 
man by the day. But let the men who dig the ditches 
understand that they must make the ditch ready for the 
tiles. If they do not do the work right, let the man who 
lays the tiles make the bottom of the ditch smootii and 
level, and deduct (he cost from the pay of the ditchers. 
Let them understand this, aud they will soon learn to 
make the ditch deep enough, and ready for the tiles. 
Unless the land is very stony, you ought to get a three-foot 
ditch cut and filled in for 25 cents a rod. But very much 
depends on the character of the soil. In the spring, 
when the ground is saturated with water, it is much 
easier digging than when tlie ground is dry and hard. 
Water Falters.—Samuel Pitclifortli, Utah. 
—No filter will remove sulphate of lime from water im¬ 
pregnated with it. A filter made by putting layers of 
gravel, sand and gravel in a tight keg with a faucet in tho 
bottom, will remove any “ muddiness ” and almost any 
turbidity. It is well to employ a layer or two of charcoal, 
not smaller than wheat, on each side of the sand layer, 
so that the filter will be gravel, coal, sand, coal, gravel. 
This removes organic impurities to a great extent. 
May or Straw ISaskets for Start¬ 
ing Plants.—Numerous devices have been suggested 
to hold earth in which to start vegetable and flower seeds 
in window boxes or in hot-beds. These arc designed to 
contain a portion of earth in which the plant grows until 
it can be removed to tlie open ground where it is placed 
without disturbing its routs. We have published a num¬ 
ber of these; boxes with loose partitions, paper boxes, 
shells of turkey’s eggs, [birch-bark boxes, and hollowed 
turnips are among those that recur to ns now,—not for¬ 
getting small squares of sod, tho simplest of all for hot¬ 
bed use. “Sheet-Anchor,” a retired sea captain who is 
an enthusiast in horticultural matters, sends us the fol¬ 
lowing: “ Take a tin quart can, prick a small hole in the 
bottom and fill with rich earth. Lay three wisps of salt 
hay, straw, or similar material upon tho earth so that 
they will cross one another, bend the ends of tlie hay 
down around the sides of the can, and bind it there with 
twine or straw. Turn the whole bottom upwards and 
cut tlie ends of the hay even, withdraw the can and you 
have a neat little basket of earth. These baskets are to 
be placed in a box close together, and when tlie time for 
transplanting comes, knock oft’ a side of the box and 
slide them out.”-We should think a smaller can than 
a quart one would answer. Tlie can must have straight 
