V 1873.] 
AMERICAN. AGRICULTURIST. 
367 
Land Sales.— We are informed that the 
Union Pacific Railroad Co. sold 30,599 acres of land at an 
average price of $6.73 per acre during the month of July. 
A ISatl Fatck of Grass.—“ Subscriber,” 
Waverly, N. Y. A seeding of grass and clover that failed 
to catch by reason of the severe drouths of the past sum¬ 
mer can hardly be remedied this season. But the ground 
may he harrowed and seeded again next spring and the 
seed brushed in. If the ground is in good condition a 
fair crop maybe saved, if not some manure will be needed. 
If the ground is weedy a plowing this fall should be given. 
Arlesian Wells.— “A. C.,” Carbondale, 
Pa. There is no work which specially treats of artesian 
wells known to us. The principle on which they are 
made is explained in the Agriculturist for March, 1S73. 
St. JTosepk and lOesaYei* City lSai!» 
road Bonds.—In reply to many inquirers about the 
position of the holders of these bonds, we would say that 
at a meeting of bondholders recently held in New York, 
it was decided to take measures to foreclose the mort¬ 
gages and to procure possession of the road and other 
property covered by it as soon as may be. There is 
ample security to cover the amounts of the mortgages on 
both eastern and western divisions of the road. 
Cats ISiHin" Fkiekens.— “ Nettie A.” 
BranchCo, Mich. It is a natural propensity in cats to kill 
birds, and chickens fall victims thereto. Neither is it 
done to satisfy the hunger, but the native ferocity and 
destructive habits of the animal impel it to kill animals 
smaller than itself. The only remedy we have found 
partially effective is to watch the cat, take it in the act, 
recover the chicken from it, and administer a punish¬ 
ment. But some cats can not be cured of the propensity ; 
and if the chickens are worth more than the cat, the cat 
should be executed. 
The New England Fair.—Whether this 
fair should be called agricultural or not is a question 
which admits of consideration. An agricultural fair 
would by most people be supposed to have for its chief 
object the illustration of agriculture and the exhibition 
of agricultural products. Now a race-horse as such, har¬ 
nessed to a trotting sulky, is not a conspicuous object on 
the majority of farms; nor do farmers thus ride when oc¬ 
cupied with their ordinary avocations. Then when we 
see several thousand dollars offered as purses to be trotted 
for and avast, array of fast horses, jockeys, and racing 
paraphernalia very freely exhibited, and in the corner of 
a tent obscurely laid out as if ashamed of itself a collec¬ 
tion of vegetables and farm products which would no 
more than fairly grace a huckster’s stall in a country mar¬ 
ket, we are in donbt whether we are really in an agricul¬ 
tural fair or not. Thus was it with the fair of the New 
England Agricultural Society, which pretends to repre¬ 
sent the agricultural Interests of six states. New Eng¬ 
land agriculture is said to be degenerating, and the farm¬ 
ers have been charged by a well-known speaker in an 
address before the State Board of Agriculture of one of 
these states with dense ignorance. Although we call 
this a libel upon the farmers utterly without excuse, yet 
were it a self-evident truth, its existence would go far to 
be excused and accounted for by the course pursued at 
these so-called agricultural fairs. The most valuable op¬ 
portunities for informing and educating farmers that an 
agricultural society can enjoy are on these occasions 
wasted, and worse than wasted, by turning them into 
racing fairs, and teaching farmers who attend them the 
idea that there is no other object attainable than this 
questionable amusement. A hor3e is certainly an agri¬ 
cultural animal, but a race-horse is not, and a horse-race 
is not an agricultural employment. Therefore while 
horses are in place at an agricultural fair along with other 
farm stock, they are only legitimately so as such. The 
cattle on exhibition at Mystic Park were better than 
usual, but not nearly eqnal to what should be expected 
from New England. Owners of fine stock do not care to 
become exhibitors in competition with race-horses, espe¬ 
cially when they have such a poor opportunity. The 
poultry was passable, but the fruit and vegatables were 
exceedingly few and far between. On the whole, the 
Society is not to be complimented on its agricultural fair 
of 1873. 
Hen-Manure on 'WSaeat.—“ J. W. P.,” 
Fredericksburg, Va. Hen manure may usefully be ap¬ 
plied to wheat at this season. If the manure is mixed 
with an eqnal quantity of plaster very evenly, and made 
quite fine, it may be sown broadcast at the rate of four 
bushels per acre on the young crop, The more evenly it 
k sown the better will be the effect. 
_ \ 
Cooling Milk.—Mrs. “ W. H. McC.,” 
Stamford, Ct. It is not the cooling of the milk by set¬ 
ting the cans in cold water that prevents the cream from 
rising. If the milk is set in a cellar where there is 
not ample ventilation that is a sufficient cause, but proba¬ 
bly the cause is nearer still and is to be looked for in the 
milk itself. The cow’s feed should be looked to, and 
some that is rich in oil, as oil cake meal or corn-meal, be 
added to it. 
Fontlreite.—“P. B.,” Plymouth 
Co., Mass., proposes to mix hen-manure, night-soil, and 
soap-suds with loam, into the consistence of a mortar 
and then spread it upon boards to dry. He asks is this a 
good plan, and how much of the dry material may be used 
per acre.—We do not approve of the soap-suds, which in 
such a mixture would dissipate some of the ammonia. 
We would add some plaster and dry earth in equal quan¬ 
tities to the other materials until the moisture was ab¬ 
sorbed, and.thcn pack it in tight barrels until used. Five 
barrels per acre would be a fair quantity. 
Tke B>eep Can Systesn.— Mrs. “W. II. 
McC.” In setting milk in the deep can and cooler sys¬ 
tem the cream is skimmed as on any other plan of setting. 
The whole process is explained in the Agriculturist of 
May, 1873, which can be had for 15 cents. 
Skeep B>ip.— “ N. M. K.,” Nevada, Ohio. 
The best sheep and lamb dip is the carbolic dip. It may 
be procured of the Orange Judd Co., 245 Broadway, for 
$3 per 10 lb can, enough for 50 to 100 head. 
Nasal Gleet.— “L. McKie,” Frankfort, Ky. 
Nasal Gleet consists of a discharge from the nose caused 
by an excessive secretion of a liquid whose office is to 
lubricate and moisten the membrane lining the cavities 
of the nose. If not stopped it may very probably in¬ 
crease in virulence and eventually end in death. At first 
small doses or a dram of sulphate of copper given twice 
a day in the food with half an ounce of powdered gentian 
root will often make a permanent cure. If of long stand¬ 
ing and the horse is also out of condition the advice of a 
veterinary surgeon should be sought. It may be taken 
as a sign of a debilitated constitution. 
The Mennoniies.— A large body of Rus¬ 
sians belonging to a peculiar sect of Christianity known 
as Mennonites have arrived in Harvey Co., Kansas, hav¬ 
ing purchased lands of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa 
Fe Railroad. These people will be an acquisition to the 
state of their adoption, being of a remarkably moral, in¬ 
dustrious, and thrifty character. The present arrival is 
the advance guard of the whole community it is said, who 
leave their homes on account of their objection to con¬ 
scription into the Russian army. 
Leg Weakness in Fowls.—“ C. G.,” 
Plymouth, Ct. The cause of leg weakness or inability to 
stand in young chickens is want of proper food to stimu¬ 
late a proper muscular growth. If wheat, buckwheat 
and animal food, as worms or chopped meat, is given the 
weakness will be prevented. It will also probably be 
cured by the same treatment with the administration of 
three grains of sulphate of iron daily in scalded bran. 
Broken bones, crushed oyster shells, and plenty of gravel, 
should be given as a preventive for the future. 
Shall We Flow B>eep“ —“W. J.,” 
Reed City, Mich. If your land has a subsoil of pure 
sand, deep plowing will be an injury to it. If the sur¬ 
face soil is a light loam, the 6tibsoil will only render it 
lighter if mixed with it, and nothing but the surface soil 
need bo stirred. Indeed, there are very few soils that 
are benefited by deep turning, although there are few but 
what are improved by deep stirring. Yours needs.neither 
deep turning nor deep stirring. 
Progeny of Malf SJreds.— “ Inquirer.’ 
The progeny of a half bred mare by a half bred horse will 
as a matter of course be half bred. In this case “ like 
produces like ” exactly. Each parent can not give more 
than it possesses nor can it give less. 
Crops ott Swamp Land.—“ B. A. E.,” 
Craven Co., N. C. The reduction of a swamp to a con¬ 
dition of productiveness can not be successful without 
perfect nnderdrainage. Swamp muck or peat is as ab¬ 
sorbent as a sponge, and if open ditches only, and those 
at considerable distances apart, are made no deeper or 
not so deep as the subsoil of clay or quicksand, the 
swamp is not drained at all. This is a frequent cause of 
failure in reclaiming swamps: and although at first they 
may produce a heavy crop of grass, it is without sub¬ 
stance, poor and wasteful to feed, and it is soon run out 
by wild grass again. The only plan that we have found 
successful is to dig at the head of the swamp deep enough 
below the subsoil to cut off all the springs. This may 
need a ditch six feet deep possibly, but it must be done. 
Then a cross drain from this to the outlet must be made, 
and laterals across the swamp discharging into this cross 
drain. As soon as the subsoil is drained and the water 
table lowered beneath the bottom of the muck, the swamp 
is ready for cultivation. Heavy dressings of lime are 
needed, and sand would be a useful addition to it; but 
with lime grass and clover may be grown for many years 
and no other manure will be needed. After a few years, 
when the muck has been well decomposed, corn or oats 
may be taken, but such lands are not suitable for wheat. 
Excellent potatoes have been grown upon them, however, 
and also turnips, but grass is the most suitable crop. 
Orchard grass, timothy, and clover, would probably be 
the most profitable. 
The Ferfect Horse.— The Rev. W. II. H. 
Murray, who is a Boston clergyman of excellent attain¬ 
ments and reputation, and is also known as an ardent 
lover of nature in her wilder moods, and as the author of 
a work on sporting in the Adirondacks, has written a 
book entitled “The Perfect Horse.” In this book Mr. 
Murray teaches doctrine so sound and so orthodox that 
we can not do a better service to our readers than ad¬ 
vise them to procure and study it. As it comes to us 
just as we go to press, we can only record our favorable 
impressions, and hope to give the work a more extended 
notice another month. 
NorSkern Facilic IE a ill road.— At a 
meeting of the Board of Directors recently the follow¬ 
ing resolution was passed: “ Resolved , That the Northern 
Pacific Railroad Company locate and construct its main 
road to a point on Puget Sound, on the southerly side of 
Commencement Bay, in Township 21, Range 3, east of 
the Wallemeth meridian, and within the limits of the city 
of Tacoma, which point in said city of Tacoma is de¬ 
clared to be the Western terminus of the main line of 
the Northern Pacific Railroad.” 
Linseed Oil-cake for Cows.—“J. P. 
N.,” St. Louis. A reader of the Agriculturist of several 
years’ standing can not surely have failed to read 
much about the value of linseed oil-cake meal for cows 
in milk. If such a one has strangely failed to see our 
repeated mention of this most valuable feed he should at 
once refer to his back volumes. The large business now 
done in linseed in St. Louis should result in producing 
great quantities of cake, which might very profitably be 
used in the dairies and stock yards at home, instead of 
allowing it to be exported to England for that purpose. 
ISoiap in Chickens.— “L. H.,” Steubens- 
ville, Pa. The disease known as roup in chickens, and 
which appears in a discharge from the nostrils and eyes, 
leading to swelling of the head by reason of an accumu¬ 
lation of matter which can not find esoape, is better pre¬ 
vented than cured. Warm, dry coops, preventing the 
chicks from running in the dewy grass, good feed, plenty 
of fresh water with a little copperas dissolved in it, all 
tend to prevent the disease. A cure is very difficult, and 
as the disease is contagious it is better to kill and bury 
out of sight all roupy fowls as soon as they become af¬ 
fected. At first, washing the head with warm water and 
injecting into the nostrils a solution of 10 grains of sul¬ 
phate of copper in an ounce of water with a syringe may 
bring a cure. 
Co-operative Store. —We learn that a co¬ 
operative Store Society has been in existence for a year 
in Sedalia, Mo., with abundant success. The society was 
organized mainly upon the plan which has been found 
so successful in England and Scotland, and on which now 
over a thousand similar associations are in profitable 
operation. At the end of nine months’ business the daily 
sales of the Sedalia store were over $78, and a stock divi¬ 
dend of 10 per cent and a sales’ dividend of 3 per cent 
were made. The success of this pioneer co-operative 
store ought to lead to the organization of others where- 
ever practicable. 
Farcy anti Catarrh, —“ W. R.,” Carroll 
Co., Md. In an obstinate case of farcy administer an 
onnee of sulphite (not sulphate) of soda to the horse daily 
in the morning feed. In the evening give a dram of sul¬ 
phate of copper with an ounce of gentian root for a week. 
For a week or two afterwards give 30 drops sulphuric 
acid in the water drank night and morning. Dieting in 
this case is very often of more effect than physicing. In 
a case of obstinate catarrh give the sulphite of soda and 
gentian and sulphuric acid without the sulphate of 
copper. Bran mashes, soft feed, and clean, sweet stables, 
will be also helpful. 
See Fisjres J5!)8 anal SO© for Humbugs, 
Fairs, the Great Campbell Cattle Sale, and other items. 
