110 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
APRIL 5. 
the next spring, and the roots are strengthened 
by allowing tho tops to remain when it can as 
well be done. 
This second cutting should be down to within 
two or three inches of the ground, and here is 
where most persons have erred heretofore. The 
shoots are so strong and numerous that the 
owner thinks it a loss of valuable material to 
cut it all off so close; but experience fully 
proves that to spare the knife is to spoil the hedge. 
The third cutting should be done about the 
middle of June, (supposing the second was done 
in spring,) or as soon as the young shoots are 
about two feet high. Take a pair of hedge 
shears or a Dutch sickle, and cut all off even, to 
within three or four inches of the former cut¬ 
ting, or about six inches from the ground. This 
will cause a very dense growth of lateral shoots, 
filling up the space between the plants, and 
covering the sides with shoots and leaves quite 
down to the ground ; and in no other way than 
by this midsummer pruning can a perfect foun¬ 
dation be secured. The neglect of this point 
has been the chief cause of failure in former 
years. 
The fourth cutting should be the following 
spring, down again to within five or six inches 
of the former cut; and again in June give the 
fifth cutting, adding only about six inches more 
to the height, and taking care to give the hedge 
a proper shape—a wide base at the ground, 
shortening none but the longest of the lower 
side branches, and narrowing towards the top 
like the roof of a house. 
Repeat the trimmings the next spring and 
midsummer in the same way, only a little more 
height may be allowed each time, if a perfectly 
close base has been secured —not otherwise. By 
the end of the fourth year, if on good soil, the 
hedge will be able to afford some protection, as 
well as present a beautiful appearance. In 
trimming now it should be given a handsome 
conical shape, the base about four feet in width, 
(afterwards to be increased to five feet,) and 
narrowing to the top like a sugar loaf; taking 
care to clip the sides as well as the top evenly 
at the spring and midsummer primings. 
After the fifth or sixth year the growth of the 
hedge will be much slower, so that one trim¬ 
ming each year will suffice; but this must al¬ 
ways be sufficiently close to prevent the hedge 
from becoming too high and wide. A short 
brush scythe is found by most persons a con¬ 
venient implement for trimming hedges; but 
some prefer a good sickle, and others use a com¬ 
mon corn-cutter, with a’straight blade about 
two feet in length, made quite §harp. With 
either tool the work can be done quite rapidly 
after a little practice. They have machines for 
trimming hedges by horse-power in some parts 
of Illinois. M. B. Bateham. 
Columbus Nursery, March 25, 1856. 
MAKING MAPLE SUGAR. 
- i 
Noticing in the Rural a sketch on sugar 
making, and differing a little in opinion from 
that, I will give you my way of making it. In 
the first place our pails are wood with iron 
hoops, painted red outside, and white inside, 
tho worth of which are 25 cents a piece. We 
tap with a bit the size of which is seven-six¬ 
teenths or three-eight inches, with spouts to 
fit, thinking that better than larger ones and 
using from one to three spouts to a tree. We 
gather in barrels, boil in sheet iron pans, some 
four feet square and five inches deep, set on 
stone arches. The best way is to have three 
pans on an arch, we put the wood in at the side 
under the first pan eight inches above the 
ground—the wood always seasoned. When 
fixed in this way, one pan is sufficient for one 
hundred trees without boiling nights. We 
strain our sap into a tub which feeds each pan 
separately. Our boiling pi ce and wood pile 
being under a roof, one cord of wood will make 
one hundred pounds of sugar. We general¬ 
ly boil down at night, take the syrup home, 
strain it, and let it settle over night, then do off 
in a pan two feet long, one foot wide, eight inch¬ 
es deep, putting in milk to raise the cloud, if 
there is any, if none, there is no use of milk.— 
When done pour out into earthen pans, stir till 
cool enough to cake, or if preferred, stir it in¬ 
stead of caking. If this method is carefully 
performed, I will warrant you as nice sugar as 
you can buy. Young Farmer. 
Taylor, N. Y., 1856. 
BARNS AND BASEMENTS. 
Mr. Moore :—Your correspondent H. Y. has 
given your readers a chapter on barns, which, 
in most of its details, meets ray views exactly, 
and therefore I have but few remarks to make. 
He dwells a good deal upon the necessity of 
having a bank, or high ground, for its location, 
■which is all well and very convenient; but in 
this fiat country it is often difficult to find such 
a position at the right point from the dwelling, 
<fec., for the convenience of the farm. 
done and have ventilating slats. I should pre- j is easily distinguished by the bristles which 
fertile crib independent of the barn or shed, I proceed from under the glumes or chaff, and give 
and set upon stilts. I would also have a iccll, as 
well as a cistern, both under cover. 
There is great importance attached to the sys¬ 
tem of keeping animals under cover, both in the 
saving of food and manure. One load is worth 
two that is exposed in the open yard to the 
rains and melting snow for six or eight months, 
to say nothing of the comfort and improved 
condition of the animals in the spring. A stove 
requires double the fuel to keep a room warm 
in severe weather that it does in mild, and the 
animal economy may be likened to it. Animal 
heat is produced by the extrication of the latent 
heat of the food by decomposition ; therefore 
when exposed to cold, there must be a greater 
quantity of food consumed to keep up the re¬ 
quired heat, or it will be done at the expense of 
the accumulated fat and muscle. An animal 
properly protected, will not eat over half the 
food to keep in the same order, that one will 
that is only housed by the lee side of a rail 
fence. o. r. 
SPROUTED SEED WHEAT. 
In the Rural of Feb. 23, Wit. Garbutt writes: 
“A. G. P. cannot believe that wheat will sprout 
a second time, for he sowed sprouted wheat 
and it did not grow, his neighbor tried it with 
the same result.” Now, Mr. Editor, a portion 
of this paragraph is literally true, that portion 
which relates the testing of sprouted wheat,for 
not one kernel grew; but, I have nowhere said 
that 1 did not believe wheat would not sprout 
a second time, as any can see, who will read 
my article, nor did I attribute the thinness of 
the wheat wholly to the sowing of sprouted 
wheat, but believe that wheat that was" so dam¬ 
aged, that but a part of it would germinate in 
the first instance, would be poor seed to recom¬ 
mend to my brother farmers. Your respected 
correspondent attempts to invalidate the facts 
by an onslaught on our soil, as though we were 
so green, as to try the experiments in a soil, that 
would be objectionable for the best seed. The 
soil, in which the seed was tried, was sandy 
loam, and of the very best quality; consequent- 
ly, the seed would have germinated, if the 
vitality had not been destroyed by its first 
germination. 
I hope neighbor Garbutt will not think me 
over-incredulous in doubting sprouted wheat 
being as good as sound wheat for seed ; and 
will proceed to answer my inquiry, “Will some 
kinds of wheat retain their vitality longer than 
others, if so, what are they ?” As to the Vir¬ 
ginia farmer sowing three bushels of sprouted 
wheat to the acre, and it appearing as thick as 
that sown from sound see ; I think it lacks 
confirmation. Have we any evidence that he 
examined it closely, and ascertained that every 
kernel was sprouted, then was dried, then sown, 
and came up equally well with that, that was 
sown without ever having been sprouted. 
I saw Mr. Roberts since the publication of 
Mr. Garbutt’s article, and he says his Soules 
wheat was tried in his garden, which is a sandy 
loam soil, and only nineteen kernels grew out 
of seventy, and I still hope some of your scien¬ 
tific correspondents will tell us what it lacked 
to give vitality. It was grown on land that had 
been cleared but a few years, and was in 
good condition fora good crop ; soil, sandy loam, 
and sufficiently dry, that standing water is nev¬ 
er seen on it, unless the ground is frozen to re¬ 
tain it, A. G. Percky. 
Newark, Wayne Co., N. Y. 
VARIETIES OP MILLET. 
to the spike a rough and hairy appearance. 
There is also a species called German Millet, 
(Setaria Germanica,) much dwarfer than the 
Italian. 
SAW-DUST AS A MANURE. 
Editors Rural :—I send two small packages 
of grain, or seeds, in the head ; designated 
No. 1 and No. 2. I suppose they are two 
varieties of millet, but am not sure; and if so, 
do not know their true names. I obtained of a 
lady friend a small bit of a head of No. 1 last 
June, and sowed it in my garden, too thickly ; 
but it was a beautiful sight, as the grain was 
ripening, and indicated a very large return of 
good hay, and gave not less than half a bushel 
of heads. No. 2 has been sold at a high price, 
$8 per bushel in small quantities, by a shrewd 
Dr. in Onondaga County, under the cognomen of 
Italian buckwheat. I obtained near a peck of 
the seed last June. It was sown by a friend, 
on near an acre of land, which, though otherwise 
good, proved quite too wet—full three-fourths 
of the crop drowning out entirely. It ripened 
in a bad time to harvest, on account of the ex¬ 
treme wet, and the straw was considerably 
injured, still my cow and horse eat it better i 
than bad hay. The fourth of an acre gave j 
| eleven bushels of seed. 
Please state through the Rural, what the 
specimens are.— Keyes Coburn, Sennett,N.Y. 
Remarks.—T he common term Millet is ap¬ 
plied to plants which belong to two distinct 
families or genera. 
The Common Millet (No. 2 of the specimens) 
Mr. Moore:— In your No. of March 15, one 
of your writers says that at the Fruit Growers’ 
meeting, held here in January, “among other 
topics agitated was the subject of what is the 
best top-dressing for young fruit trees?—to 
which a gentleman replied that saw-dust pos¬ 
sessed no valuable properties—that it was inert 
and of no more worth than dry sand.” I beg 
to correct the writer of this. No gentleman iu 
the meeting made such a statement as this.— 
The matter came up and was disposed of in this 
way. The subject under consideration was 
“manures for top-dressing fruit trees.” A gen¬ 
tleman was asked if saw-dust was valuable for 
this purpose, and he replied that he regarded it 
of doubtful value on account of decomposing so 
slowly ; but that it was used advantageously as 
a nvidching for fruit trees. This, I think, was 
all that was said on the subject at that time.— 
The gentleman referred to would be the last 
one to say that saw-dust was of no value, be¬ 
cause he knows better. The dust of hard woods, 
especially when mixed with stable manure, or 
whatever else yill hasten its fermentation and 
decay, may form a compost of much value to 
any soil, but more particularly to those of a 
stiff, tenacious character. Applied by itself, 
however, as a top-dressing, I am sure it would 
produce a very trifling effect for a long time. 
Your correspondent says that saw-dust does 
not differ from leaves, twigs and decayed trees. I 
think if he will refer to this matter again, he 
will see that he is in error. Saw-dust is pretty 
much all woody fibre, and hence the difficulty of 
fermenting it. Leaves and twigs, on the other 
hand, contain a large proportion of cellular tis¬ 
sue, which ferments rapidly, and hence we make 
hot-beds of leaves that heat almost as soon as 
stable manure. While saw-dust will remain 
fresh for years, leaves will become pure leaf 
mold in the course of one season. Leaves, par¬ 
tially decayed, make an excellent top-dressing 
for trees. I think he makes the same mistake 
in comparingsaw-dust to dried horse-droppings. 
The latter, when placed in contact with the 
heat and moisture of the soil, dissolves and de¬ 
composes, immediately yielding food to plants. 
Saw-dust will not, under the same circumstan¬ 
ces, but remains sound lor a long time. b. 
NOVELTIES IN FARMING. 
CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE. 
“TUMORS ON CATTLE.” 
Under this head, a correspondent of the Ru¬ 
ral writes :—“ I have a young cow with a 
bunch growing on her under jaw-bone as hard 
as the bone itself.” This bunch is nothing 
more nor less than an ulcerated tooth, called a 
“ Wolf.” It is caused by th i tooth adhering so 
firmly to the jaw-bone that the new tooth can¬ 
not crowd it out, consequently the new tooth 
works downwards, and irritates the nerve, and 
produces the ulcer. I have tried this outward 
application recommended by “ Youatt” upon a 
valuable young cow ; the tumor broke upon the 
outside and became so loathsome that we were 
obliged to kill the creature to get her out of 
misery. “ Black tooth,” or “ Wolf,” as it is 
called, in a horse and hog, produces blind stag¬ 
gers and death, if not removed at cnce, and its 
early removal is the only effectual cure that I 
have ever heard for the above disease.— Chas. 
Shepard, Ogdensburgh, N. Y. 
Some years ago I had an ox with a bunch on 
his jaw-bone, similar to that described by D. 
B., of Cambria. It continued to grow for a long 
time, until it was nearly as large as a man’s 
list, giving great pain and showing no signs of 
getting any better. I concluded to try an in¬ 
cision,—chained the ox to a post, and with a 
sharp knife cut into the abcess. It discharged 
thick matter, and after a few weeks the sore got 
well. I have tried this same thing in other 
cases with success.— S. Pettit, North East, Pa. 
Silk Culture in California. —The last Cali¬ 
fornia Farmer is “ all alive ” about a new and 
superior species of Silkworm found there, “ that 
promises to rival all others yet discovered,” and 
which feeds upon an evergreen that grows lux¬ 
uriously ovei the hills around San Francisco. 
“This evergreen,” it says, “is the Ceonothm 
Californiensis, and is one of our most beautiful 
shrubs, capable of being used as a hedge, or 
planted as an ornamental evergreen, and shaped 
into figures and forms of the most beautiful 
designs with ease. But aside from its use as aa 
ornamental plant, the discovery of its value as 
food for the newly discovered Silkworm of Cal¬ 
ifornia, we esteem almost of as much conse¬ 
quence as the first discovery of gold.” The 
Farmer adds:—“ By the law of progress, the 
Chinese are to be our co-laborers in this great 
work—familiar as they are with the growing of 
the worm and the manufacture of silk—we shall 
soon open to them a field of labor that shall 
bring to our shores a population from the Chinese 
of a better and more intelligent class than we 
have yet seen, and thus we shall begin a work 
the result of wdiich the wildest imagination can 
form no idea.” Any one hereabout who can 
look back a dozen years, will remember the 
«M-sM-s” which was going to dress 
everybody in shining robes, right away. But, 
did it do it ? 
POLAND OATS. 
Eds. Rural :—I wish to say a few words to 
you, and through you to the farming public 
generally, about the much talked of Poland 
Oats. Last spring I bought six bushels of the 
Poland Oats ; sowed them upon about three 
acres of a twelve acre lot, the same day sowed 
the remainder of the lot with our common 
White Oats, not varying much in amount of 
seed per acre. Now for the result: My three 
acres of Poland Oats yielded eighty bushels, 
weighing hardly thirty pounds per bushel. My 
common oats produced over fifty bushels per 
acre, and their weight is about 32 lbs. per bush. 
So much for the forty pound Poland Oats. I 
consider them not only not superior, but abso¬ 
lutely inferior to other oais. I have raised 
common black oats that weighed thirty-six 
pounds per bushel, measured.— Wellington, 
Elbridge, N. Y. 
What has become of the wire fences, about 
which so much was said and written a few 
years past. There are few now in use, and the 
subject has ceased to be agitated ; we therefore 
conclude they have gone to the “ tomb of the 
Capulets.” There are three pretty good reasons 
why wire fences did j^ot succeed. First, the 
wires, from the expansion and contraction of 
heat and cold, could not be made to keep their 
places; secondly, their appearance was so ut¬ 
terly repugnant to our notions of a fence, that 
they were unendurable ; and thirdly, when in 
their best plight, they were just no fence at all. 
What an excitable, credulous population we 
are! Look back for the last twenty years, and 
see how soon the most prudent have been se¬ 
duced by humbug. It is but a short time since 
the world was all agog for California, and as far 
as our acquaintance goes, more have left their 
bones there, than have brought back a dollar. 
How many thousand have put all their available 
means into railroads, not worth, now, fifty cents 
on the dollar. Look at the plank road mania ; 
perhaps there are not ten in the State that will 
ever be renewed, and the stock is not worth one 
per cent. It was a Canada bubble, and has 
long since burst and disappeared in that country. 
Morus Multicaulis and Silk Culture, Tree Corn 
and Rohan Potatoes, are notable instances of 
the vegetable mania, and the Chicken Fever, not 
the least palpable in another branch that has 
prevailed. 
The latest dodge for a shy at our pocket books, 
is the Wyandot Corn, a variety that is to be 
planted six feet apart, with one kernel in the 
hill, and to grow so large and tall that it will be 
impossible to harvest it. This speculator seems 
to expect farmers to believe this, but we are not 
quite as green as his corn will be when frost 
comes. h. 
BARN-YARDS. 
Barn-yards, basin-shaped, have these disad¬ 
vantages :—They will fill with water, especially 
in the spring, and there stand and soak out all 
that is soluble, and additional rain will cause it 
to overflow and carry off this liquid manure into 
the swales and creeks adjoining. 2d. It causes 
the earth to poach up and mix with the manure 
during the wet portion of the year. 3d. It 
makes it very unpleasant in getting about dur¬ 
ing the spring and fall. I had such a yard 
when I came on to my present farm, and I re¬ 
moved my barn to a side hill — built a base¬ 
ment and sheds sufficient to protect all the 
manure from the stables, and put up eave- 
troughs, <kc. I consider it policy to keep ma¬ 
nure as dry as possible. It will retain moisture 
enough to decompose much better than it will 
lying in water.— R. 0. S., North Ridgeway, N. 
Y, March 24th, 185G. 
BLISTERS—SWEENY—EOOT-ROT. 
I wish a recipe for a blister that will not re¬ 
move the hair, nor cause white hairs. I intend 
to use it for a Sweeny. If any knows a better 
remedy, will they please give it. 
The following is worth several times the price 
of the Rural to any one owning a flock of 
sheep affected with Hoof-Ail or Foot-Rot: 
Pare the hoof down until yon have removed 
all that is affected, (don’t be afraid to use the 
knife freely if it does start the blood,) then take 
butter of antimony, and Friers’ balsam, equal 
parts, mix, and with the end of a piece of soft 
wood apply it to the hoof wherever you have 
pared to the quick. From one to three such 
applications I have found to cure in every in¬ 
stance.—S., No. Ridgeicay, N. Y. 
Agriculture in Central Africa.— A Baptist 
missionary stationed in the Kingdom of Yoruba, 
in Central Africa, reports quite an advanced 
state of Agriculture as prevailing there. He 
resides in a city of farmers, called Ijaye, and 
containing some fifty thousand inhabitants, 
many of whom are engaged in cultivating the 
country for fifteen or twenty miles around the 
city, and return each night laden with the pro¬ 
ducts of their labor. They raise corn, cotton, 
yams, potatoes, guinea corn, peas, &c., tfcc., and 
their markets are supplied with a great variety 
of articles of food. “ Every morning from the 
six gates of Ijaye, go out streams of living be¬ 
ings, perhaps ten thousand people or more, to 
work their farms, which are in a state of culti¬ 
vation that would make your heart leap for joy.” 
The only implement of cultivation is a small 
hoe, with a handle two and a half feet long. It 
would seem that they keep no domestic ani¬ 
mals, as none are mentioned by the writer, 
while he speaks of their bringing their corn 
Ac., upon their heads. Probably they are a na¬ 
tion of vegetarians, and this to some would ac¬ 
count for the state of civilization which they 
seem to have attained. 
SOAKING CLOVER SEED. 
I constructed one last year for my own use : 
having the general features of H. Y.’s, though j is known under the botanical name ol Panicum 
MUiaceum, of which there are several varieties, 
characterized by some peculiarity in the form 
not as complete in all its arrangements. It is 
built on nearly a level spot, with a rise on the 
ground of not more than two feet; the base¬ 
ment is low and almost entirely above ground. 
To get on to the barn floor with loads, I built a 
wall on each side of the front mam door and so 
out about 25 feet, diverging and widening con¬ 
siderably, and filled iu with rubbish, stone and 
earth, and graded down till it was a regular and 
easy ascent. I also banked up the basement on 
all sides for warmth, aud I find that it is per¬ 
fectly convenient and meets every contingency 
required. 
My horse stables do not occupy the entire 
end, and the root cellar is cut off from it next 
to the front wall. I should object to making 
the com crib over the shed, as I see no way to 
keep out rats and mice ; in fact it cannot be 
and color of the seeds. Of this family the 
panicle or head of the grain is loose and spread¬ 
ing ; the leaves are long, broad, and slightly 
hairy, the sheath or portion which encloses the 
head is also hairy ; the chaff or scales are sharp 
pointed, and enclose shining seed about of 
an inch long, of an ovate form. The plant grows 
to a height of from 4 to 4]fi feet. 
The name of Italian Millet (No. 1) is given 
to a plant which belongs to the family Setaria 
or bristle grass, several species of which, smaller 
in size, are found in our grass fields and waste 
grounds. The Italian Millet, Setaria Italiea, 
unlike the common Millet, produces its seed on 
a dense spike-like panicle, spreading or nodding, 
as in the genus Panicum. The Italian Millet 
Mr. Editor :—I propose to state some of my 
experience in the preparation of clover seed for 
sowing. About five years ago, I saw it stated 
that it was an advantage to soak the seed about 
twelve hours in a weak brine, and then roll it 
in plaster, and 1 concluded to try it. I then 
had a field of ten acres sowed to wheat and 
rye. I took about one-third of my seed, one- 
half bushel, and soaked from night until morn¬ 
ing, aud then puG in plaster enough to dry it, 
which made about a bushel. This I sowed on 
about one-half the lot, part wheat part rye, the 
other bushel I sowed on the other half, and the 
result was the next spring you could see the 
difference in favor of the soaked seed as far as 
you could see the lot, and it continued to pro¬ 
duce more and better clover until I plowed it 
up last spring. Since that time I have sowed 
no clover without soaking, and have not missed 
a crop, though the last two years have been dry. 
In soaking seed, my practice is to put my bag 
containing the seed into some vessel large 
enough to give it room to swell, and an hour or 
two before using, put it to drain, and it is fit to 
roll and sow. The sowing can be done much 
more evenly, especially if it be windy. 
Towner’s, Putnam Co., N. Y. J. M. Towner. 
COWS EATING HORSE DUNG. 
I have frequently seen cows eat horse dung, 
not the strawy portion spoken of by J. W. C., 
but the dung itself. I think, however, this is 
the case only when horses are fed pretty liber¬ 
ally upon grain, especially oats. I remember, 
when I was quite small, my father had a cow 
that would eat horse dung more greedily than 
roots. I know of no other remedy than to keep 
the dung out of their reach, for if they once 
acquire the habit, they will eat it whenever they 
can get it.—K., Wilson, N. Y. 
North and South Roads. —Snow Drifts .—A 
correspondent offers some suggestions on the 
present state and prospects of our highways, 
especially those running North and South, 
which are worthy of attention. As a general 
rule these roads are quite narrow, and, of course, 
are drifted “to the full” every snowy winter.— 
The most practicable remedy is, first, to give 
them greater width, and next to make the turn¬ 
pike as near as possible to the East fence, tak¬ 
ing all the earth from the West side, and dis¬ 
pensing the ditch between the track and 
the fence on the oilier side. This wide ditch, 
if properly graded* will serve for a road in time 
of light snows. As roads are now made, the 
drifts crowd the track against the East fence, 
making the roads always hard, and during the 
breaking up in the spring almost impassible.— 
The subject is open to further remark and sug¬ 
gestion. 
Willow Hedges. —I wish information respect¬ 
ing the purple willow. Will it make a good 
hedge or wind-breaker for the prairies of the 
West ? Will it grow on dry land, where can it 
be had, and when is the best time to set it out? 
If this willow proves what it is recommended 
by some, it would be invaluable for defence 
against the interminable winds of the prairie. 
A. Bush, Clayton Co., Iowa. 
Salt on Wheat. —Having tried the experi¬ 
ment of sowing salt on wheat, I deem it my 
duty to give the result to your readers, and I 
hope that it may be tested by others, and their 
experience given through your columns. A 
field of ten acres was divided into equal parts 
and sown with spring wheat. After the wheat 
was well harrowed in, one bushel and a half of 
salt per acre was sown broadcoast on half of 
each parcel of ground. Soon after the wheat 
was up, its color distinctly indicated where the 
salt was sown, and the result was, that the 
wheat was ripe for the sickle five days earlier 
than the other portions of the field. Not a par¬ 
ticle of scab or rust could be found, while that 
by its side was affected with both. The wheat 
in the several pieces was all stacked together, 
so that we could not ascertain the increase of 
the yield ; I judged, however, it was from four 
to five bushels per acre. The soil was sandy 
loam, and the field was so divided that in my 
opinion the test was satisfactory.— Theodore 
Perry, in Prairie Farmer. 
Galls on Horses. —What will cure sore necks 
on horses ? Mine have been afflicted six months 
or more, and I cannot effect a cure.—W. H. D., 
Delcvan, N. Y. 
Remarks. —Alum dissolved in whiskey and 
used as a frequent wash, is said to be a sure 
cure for all galls on horse flesh.— Eds. 
A Prolific Cow. —One of your subscribers, 
Mr. G. W. Ogden, of Milton, YVis., has a cow 
which is six years old this spring, and has pro¬ 
duced ten calves. If any of your subscribers 
can tell a bigger yarn, and tell the truth, they are 
welcome to do so.—P. P. L., Lima, Wis. 
Clays Contract in Dry Weather.— At 
the time of a heavy rain, clay lands become 
saturated, sticky, and difficult of cultiva¬ 
tion. After this, if the wind should be high* 
and the sun shining, the soil will rapidly dry, 
become hard, and crack on the surface. This 
contraction, though it admits air to the roots, 
must often give them an unnatural, and too 
great an exposure, and often stretch or strain, 
if not entirely break many of the slender root¬ 
lets. This contraction, which is occasioned by 
an excess of clay, (or alumina,) may, in a meas¬ 
ure, if not entirely, be remedied, by keeping 
the land well set with grass, particularly clover, 
which has a tendency to break and mellow the 
soil, and by dressing the land with liberal coats 
ot lime and farm-yard manure—or, of peat and 
lime, mixed together. An admixture of sand 
would, perhaps, be the most effectual and per¬ 
manent cure of this shrinking, but it would 
generally require such heavy dressings, that 
this mode of treatment would be very expen¬ 
sive .—N J■ Farmer. 
•WM,»«,<•»,M./.w . .ivwwmv. 
