1863.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Muug;urlaii GJrass for Sliecp.— H. M. 
Taylor, Cooler Co., Mo., writes to the Agriculturist that 
his experience in feeding hay from Hungarian grass has 
been unfavorable. lie lost eight sheep from a flock of 
one hundred which were kept on this fodder. The seed 
I was ripened and unthreshed. He recommends to allow 
no seed to ripen on grass intended to be cured for winter 
feeding stock. 
Feeding- Slicep with Corn.— James 
McClure, Logan Co., O., in ansu'er to the question: 
“ How much wool will a bushel of corn make, when fed 
to sheep?” says that last Winter lie fed more^corn to his 
flock, and gave them better shelter than ever before, but 
that the fleeces were lighter this season. This appears io 
oe contrary to the general experience of sheep-breeders. 
We should like further details of those having experience 
in the matter, whether favorable or otherwise. 
J&Vool Suit.—The Wool-Grower gives the 
particulars of a lawsuit brought to recover damages 
against a farmer for enclosing “tags” and dirt in the 
centre of his fleeces, and selling them as fine -wool in 
good condition. It was argued that it was customary for 
farmers to roll up the tags in the wool, and that there 
was no intention to deceive; also, that the purchaser ac¬ 
cepted the wool, which he might have inspected if he 
chose, to do so. On the other hand the Court held that 
as the wool appeared outwardly in good condition, it 
presupposed it to be so internally, and that the purchaser 
was not bound io open every package to see if it con¬ 
tained dirt, etc. Judgment, against the farmer, and very 
justly, we think. 
Sale of Good Slieep.— By referring to our 
Advertising Columns, it will be seen that another oppor¬ 
tunity is offered to the public to procure Southdown sheep 
of the choicest quality at the sale of Mr. J. C. Taylor, 
Holmdel, N. J. It will be remembered that this flock is 
largely made up of sheep purchased from the collection 
of Jonas Webb, Mr. Taylor having secured some of the 
choicest animals, among them the prize buck, for which 
$1300 was paid. 
Fice oil Animals.—G. B. Talcott, Tioga 
Co., N. V., writes to the Agriculturist, that he has found 
strong brine a complete remedy for lice upon horses or 
cattle. The animal should be thoroughly washed with 
it, and a few applications, will destroy nits as well as the 
parent insects. [Easily tried, but perhaps hazardous.] 
Gio pliers. —W. A. Vaughn, of Crawford Co., 
Wis., is in trouble w'ith the gopher, a sort of ground 
squirrel, or marmot, with large pockets in each cheek. 
These burrow in the ground and completely undermine 
it. A Minnesota friend informs us that they get rid of 
them in that State by poisoning them with strychnine. 
After the crop is sown, some grain which has been soaked 
in a solution of sulphate of strychnine in water, is strewed 
about for the benefit of the gophers. Strychnine in very 
small quantities is very fatal, and the animals can not 
go far after they have eaten it. 
Striped Bug Antidotes. — Jesse Cen- 
drick, Henry Co., Ohio, writes to the Agriculturist, that 
there is nothing like lime for destroying or driving away 
the squash bug. He punches holes in a tin box, fills 
it half full of fresh slaked lime and shakes it over the 
plants, repeating the process, when necessary. Wirt C. 
Williams, Dane Co., Wis., writes that he has succeeded 
in repelling the bugs by saturating a cloth with kerosene 
oil, winding It on a stick, and placing it in the middle of 
the hill of vines, so that the cloth shall be just above the 
surface. Still another correspondent, “ Jno. F. McE.,” 
highly recommends dusting the plants with powdered 
charcoal, which he says has always proved efficacious. 
Oil Soap for C»l»l»»ge Fleas. -A sub¬ 
scriber has tried this remedy the present season, andsaved 
his plants, while his neighbors lost theirs, even when treat¬ 
ed with lime and ashes. He ties the soap in a bag and 
presses out a little of it into a watering pot, thus 
avoiding the strings or undissolved portions often left 
when the crude soap is stirred into the water. The solu¬ 
tion is then sprinkled over the plants occasionally, and 
the insects Jlee away to more palatable pasturage. 
Turnips vritli Com.— “Beginner,” Berks 
Co., Pa. There is little or no danger of injury to the 
corn crop in sowing turnip seed among the rows, imme¬ 
diately after the last hoeing. The corn is so far advanced, 
and its roots so widely spread, that the little growth made 
by the turnips before the ears are filled, will scarcely be 
any impediment to the full development of the latter. 
The turnips will make the principal part of their grow th 
after the corn is cut and shocked, if that be done as soon 
as it is sufficiently ripe, and thus a second crop of con¬ 
siderable value for market or for feeding, may be raised 
at a trifling expense. The quick-growing varieties, as the 
Red Strap-leaf, Cow-IIorn, etc., should be sown. 
May Caps.— George K. Flower, Alleghany 
Co., Pa. These are made of thick cotton cloth, IX to 2 
yards square, roughly hemmed, and provided with loops 
at the corners for stakes, or with stones sewed into the 
corners, to hold them down. Manufacturers make them 
of cloth prepared so as to be nearly or quite waterproof, 
and also to resist mildew : these are undoubtedly prefer¬ 
able. They might be made large enough to shelter a 
stack, but thatching, if properly done, is a good protec¬ 
tion, and much less expensive. 
KeMovatinig Poor JLjoijJ. — “Amateur,” 
Rockville, Conn. Poor sandy soil cannot be brought 
into good heart by cropping yearly with rye, cutting it 
high, and ploughing the stubble under. Sow it with rye 
and plenty of clover seed, and turn the clover under in 
the Spring following the rye harvest. Repeat this a few 
years, and the land will show an increase of capacity for 
yielding grain. A readier way, if practicable, is to give 
the field a thorough manuring, when any crop may be put 
in with fair prospect of a good return. 
Deptli lor Covering- Wliea,t.—E. 
McMinn, Vernon Co., Wis. Plowing in wheat is prac¬ 
tised to some extent, but there is liability of covering it 
too deep. It should not be buried more than two inches, 
and we should usually prefer a depth of one to one and a 
half inches, depending much, however, on the quality of 
the land. A light sandy soil would admit of the seed be¬ 
ing covered with safety at a greater depth than could be 
done withuut risk on clayey loam. 
Changing Soils.— E. McMinn, Vernon Co., 
Wis. A sandy soil will be improved by the admixture of 
clay, and vice versa a heavy clay may be ameliorated by 
applying a dressing of sand. Usually this would be too 
expensive for application on a large scale ; but where, as 
in your farm, sandy knolls are found surrounded by a 
clay bottom, an exchange would probably pay. It would 
be better to mingle the different soils well by plowing, 
than to open ditches and fill them as you propose. 
akr:i I is s ing FTiieven Land.— R. McMinn, 
Vernon Co., Wis. The texture of the soil, rather than 
the surface, determines where draining will be beneficial. 
A heavy clay, even upon a steep hill-side, would be bene- 
fitted by draining, by freeing the ground of moisture, and 
by opening channels for the rain to pass off in long-con¬ 
tinued storms, thus partially preventing the best soil at 
the surface being washed away. 
Barge Yield, of Beets.— G. Hageustein, 
Le Seur Co., Minn., writes that from the package of 
Mangel Wurzel seed received by him from the Agri¬ 
culturist office last year, he raised seventy bushels of 
roots, on which his calves feasted during the Winter. 
Weight of May in a Mow.— S. C. Pnt- 
tee, writes to the Country Gentleman, that he bought a 
lot of hay, and after measuring it in the bay, it was weigh¬ 
ed, and gave 570 cubic feet to a ton. It was cut late in 
the season and was not us heavy as it would have been 
if cut earlier. 
impure Water.— Rees R. Ellis, Armstrong 
Co., Pa., writes to the Agriculturist that after having 
worked a well fifty feet through solid rock, plenty of 
water was obtained, but of poor quality. It is described 
as being mixed with “motes;” some call it spa water. 
We cannot indicate a remedy without some more defi¬ 
nite knowledge, but judge from the description that the 
water holds some mineral substances in solution. If this 
be the case, there is no way to free it but by distillation. 
If the impurities were held by mechanical mixture, they 
could be removed by filtering. In such a location we 
should advise to abandon the use of well water, and pro¬ 
vide a filtering cistern of the required capacity. 
Detecting- 'Water Courses.— Edward 
Frost, Lapeer Co., Mich. The only way by which to de¬ 
tect where water will probably be found by digging a 
short distance, is to observe the conformation of the sur¬ 
rounding country, the inclination of the strata, course of 
streams, and the locality of springs in the neighborhood. 
The use of a witch-hazel rod, or any other witching for 
this purpose, is pure nonsense, resorted to only by the 
ignorant and credulous. Springs may be struck by dig¬ 
ging horizontally into a hill-side, as well as by going 
downward, in a proper location. 
2Q0 
Fine Fences.— J. J. Winans, Luzerne Co., 
Pa. Of course it is the duty of your neighbor to make his 
share of the line fence cattle-proof, and if damage occur s 
to him, through his failure to do so, he must bear it. In 
this and some other States there are very properly laws 
by which a man may be compelled to keep his pari of di¬ 
vision fences in good repair, and we presume this is the 
case in Pennsylvania. 
Pruning Vonng Frees.— C. J. Wilson, 
Oneida Co., N. Y. The best management is to nip su¬ 
perfluous shoots and shorten rampant branches while 
young and tender; then the use of the knife will seldom 
be needed. The present is a favorable time to take off 
branches that should be removed. Cut them smooth, and 
coat the wounds with grafting wax, or what is better, 
with gum shellac dissolved in alcohol, and they will soon 
heal over, and leave the tree uninjured. 
Tile Ailanthus Tree, versus In- 
sects.— W. J. B., Brooklyn, N. Y., writes to the Agri¬ 
culturist that the maple, linden, willow and indeed almost 
all trees except the Ailanthus are in that city so infested 
with w-orms as to be a great nuisance ; and hundreds of 
citizens after trying in vain to remedy the evil are cut¬ 
ting down the trees. Our correspondent states one fact 
coming under his observation, worthy of consideration. 
In several instances a tree whose foliage was preferred 
by the worms, standing between two of the Ailanthus 
species, remained unmolested. He recommends to act 
upon this hint, and plant the latter kind alternately with 
others which may be desired. If the fact noticed by him 
be general, the plan is worthy of adoption. 
ISaising Forest Trees.— John Waters, 
Dutchess Co., N. Y. It might be a paying investment to 
devote waste andiocky land to raising the more valuable 
kinds of timber, but on cleared land other crops give a 
quicker, and probably a better return. The experiment 
has hardly had a fair trial as yet, in this country, to en¬ 
able one to judge of the actual profits of raising forest 
trees. We should be pleased to hear facts from any who 
have had experience. 
Age of Fruit Trees.— Walter J. Evans, 
Benton Co., Iowa. The age fruit trees will attain and 
continue to produce, will depend greatly upon the treat¬ 
ment they receive. By the neglectful methods usually 
pursued, apple orchards generally become unproductive 
in from twenty to thirty years ; but there are instances 
w-here apple and pear trees have continued vigorous 
for more than one hundred years. The actual limit of 
the life of trees can not be accurately stated ; we know 
of no conclusive experiments made to ascertain the facts 
Cultivating- Horse ESaclish. —F. E. 
Marlowe, Carroll Co., Ill. This plant like most others Is 
greatly improved by careful cultivation. It delights in 
deep sandy soil enriched with plenty of manure. Speci¬ 
mens of roots two feet long, grown in almost pure sand 
which was yearly overflowed by a turbid stream, have 
been exhibited at the Agriculturist Office. In the vicinity 
of a large market like New York City, the crop com¬ 
mands a ready sale and is very profitable. Thousands of 
bottles are grated and put up here every year for supply¬ 
ing vessels, and shipping to other ports, and so great is 
the demand that dishonest parties adulterate the pure 
article largely with turnips. 
Treatment of Bhnharh. —L. II. Warren, 
Orange Co., N. Y. This plant needs very rich ground, as 
it is a gross feeder. The stalks should not be pulled the 
first year after transplanting, nor too closely at any time. 
The season is prolonged by cutting out the seed stalk 
which grows up from the centre of the crow-n. 
Fa Constante Strawberry.— Among 
the many sorts of strawberries exhibited at the Agricul¬ 
turist Rooms, this promises remarkably well. It was 
shown by W. S. Carpenter, June 25th, in great perfection. 
It originated in Belgium, and is in high repute in that 
country, and also in France. Fruit large, conical/very 
regular, dark scarlet, or crimson color, flesh firm and of 
fine flavor. Flowers perfect. Its regular form, and tine 
bright color, make it a favorite late sort. 
Cheap Fruit Boxes. —The call fora cheap 
box, which may be sold with the fruit, is being responded 
to in various quarters. The last noticed, are quart boxes 
made from a thick wood shaving, cut part way through at 
the corners, bent to a square form, and tacked. The bot¬ 
tom is coarse basket work made of splints, set X inch 
from the bottom of the sides. They are manufactured 
by A. F. Newell, of Trumbull Co., O., for $10 per 1000, 
Annual Larkspiu-s.— D. P., Johnstown, 
N. Y. Both the tall branching, and the dwarf “ Rocket” 
