44 
A 
to prevent cutting in. A large cultivator tooth 
does tolerably well for a shovel. It works well for 
boy-power, by tying a drag rope to the end of the 
beam. With this a garden can be gone over in 
less than a fourth of the time required to hoe it, 
the same time may be given on different days with 
so much greater result, as the plowing is nearly as 
good as hoeing each time. a. w. a. 
Shakopee, Minn., 185S. 
PROFITABLE FARMING. 
Eds. Rural :—In reading a communication from 
“A Young Farmer,” of Niagara Co., I am led back 
to your “ Hints on Farm Improvement,” Aug. 28th, 
1858. Too much cannot be said to encourage a 
disposition on the part of farmers to improve the 
symmetry of their farms, not only for the pecuniary 
benefit and satisfaction it affords them, but also for 
the tendency it has of creating on the part of child¬ 
ren of farmers, a satisfaction with, and even an ad¬ 
miration of, the homes of their parents. I believe a 
vast amount of good can be done for agriculture — 
in time to come—simply by farmers demonstrat¬ 
ing to their children, that profit and pleasure can 
be derived from its pursuit. 
In forming the basis of profitable farming, it 
seems requisite that every available means should 
be made use of whereby to increase the manure 
heap, but I believe the source from which manure 
can be most cheaply drawn — and chiefly for the 
use of the farm, if the farm is mostly tillable—may 
be found in the pursuit of some general system of 
culture, covering the whole farm. I mistrust that 
what would be considered profitable farming by one, 
might not by another. I consider the farmer, as 
a farmer, responsible for all the land under his 
harge. (I assume to speak of such land as the 
better part of farms in Western New York, and 
that it is mainly tillable.) Although he produces 
yearly, on a few acres, a large yield of corn, or any 
other grain, or crop,—or has reared, during a suc¬ 
cession of years, a herd of fine animals, or all stock 
kept upon the farm may look sleek and fa?,—this, 
it seems to me, is no pi oof of the profitableness of 
his farming operations. 
Profitable, or even paying, farming, must pay 
all the expenses attending the business. Interest 
on, or rent for the land — interest on the capital 
invested in stock, and implements — pay the “ wear 
and tear”—also for all labor, whether hired or 
performed by the farmer himself. To do this re¬ 
quires a lookout on all sides. A system of general 
economy must be practiced. Farmers owning 
farms, paid for, many times make a good show, 
but their farming will not stand the test of figures. 
Out of debt, their income exceeds their expenses, 
and they are prospering, mainly by the aid of their 
farm, not by their farming. 
You say divide the farm into fields proportionate 
to the amount of manure made in a year, &c. I 
don’t like the idea of having the amount of manure 
made fn a year, determine the size of my fields— 
I would rather make the size of my fields deter¬ 
mine, mainly, the size of the manure heap. I 
would adopt a system, or rotation of crops cover¬ 
ing t|ie entire tillable part of the farm. Perma¬ 
nent grass land can be used to sustain that part in 
the rotation. Begin by dividing the farm into 
fields, corresponding in number with the number 
of crops in the rotation — allowing some small 
enclosures near the buildings for convenience — 
making it a rule to support no more fences than 
are needed, and have those complete. A good gate, 
or more, if necessary, to each field. I am not 
satisfied whether five or six enclosures would be 
best, but, fearing it would not conveniently allow 
sufficient for pasture, say six. However, I have a 
poor opinion of a crop of grass the third year after 
seeding. Have three fields in grass and three for 
tillage—pasturing two grass fields and mowing 
one. I would make it a rule to feed upon the farm 
what grows on three-fourths of the whole area, 
and unless the remaining fourth would bring 
twelve or fifteen per cent, more sold than fed, 
would include that for feeding also. From so 
much feeding of animals I should expect a large 
quantity of valuable manure. In spring apply 
the manure, generally, to the field longest in grass, 
and prepare for corn. Take the field last in corn 
for either of several crops. Now, however, as 
potatoes are in good demand, I would use field 
mentioned for corn for potatoes and cattle roots, 
(have acres of them,) and make corn the second 
tillage crop, applying the manure then. The 
third crop should be of sown grain, or such as 
will admit of seeding the land with a mixture of 
clover and timothy. Fourth crop for hay. Fifth 
and sixth for pasture which brings it around for 
tillage again. 
Such a system, properly carried out, would in¬ 
volve considerable expense, and require the exer¬ 
cise of close interest and industry on the part of 
the farmer. I can conceive of no other way of 
making farming profitable on high-priced tillable 
land than to thorougly apply some general system, 
whereby all the land is brought under. If the ap¬ 
plication is thorough, every laboring man and 
every laboring animal made to perform his part 
properly — a placo provided for everything, and 
everything kept in place, as near as may be, I be¬ 
lieve the result will show at least some profit. 
Pavilion, Gen. Co., N. Y. J. "W. Ciiaddock. 
THE WINTER IN MINNESOTA. 
Away up hero in Northland the Frost-King 
reigns supreme. Clear, cold and frosty days are 
followed by clearer, colder, and frostier nights— 
the sun rises clear and apparently warm in the 
morning, shines clearly all day and sets the same, 
but the snow does not give in the least — does not 
thaw a bit, though it does affect things consider¬ 
ably as is shown when it goes down, for then you 
will hear the twigs of the trees snap, and a nail 
will occasionally give away with a musket-like 
crack. A few mornings ago the mercury was down 
to thirty-two degrees below zero, and it has not 
been above for several days. Good fires and good 
sleighing are the order of the day now—there are 
two drawbacks to the latter, however, wo haven’t 
got the sleighs or girls. 
I suppose you think from reading the above that 
it is cold here, and perhaps you have begun to 
shiver and shake, and are exclaiming to yourself, 
‘'I’m glad I am not there,” but when I tell you 
that I have worked out doors all day when it was 
forty degrees below, you will perhaps think we 
have a peculiar kind of cold here. I am not going 
to deny its being cold, very cold, but the air is so 
perfectly pure and dry that the same degree of 
cold does not affect a person here one-quarter as 
much as it does in the seaboard States. And then 
we are not troubled with the terribly cold winds 
sweeping over the praries, as our more southern 
neighbors are, our winters are usually very still. 
I have suffered more from the cold, in a raw, 
chilly wind, with the mercury ten degrees above 
zero, in the East, than I ever did here when it was 
ten degrees below. 
There is one peculiarity of our climate that sur¬ 
prises many, that is, our not having so much 
snow as they do further south. There is not so 
much snow here now as there is at St. Anthony, 
fifty miles further south, and we rarely have more 
than eight or ten inches on the ground — there is 
now about six. The first snow falls usually about 
the middle of November, and by the first of Decem¬ 
ber there is generally good sleighing. In Decem¬ 
ber the cold weather comes on in earnest, but the 
Minnesotian puts on extra shirts instead of over¬ 
coats, and moccasins instead of boots, and “ goes 
ahead.” If it gets very cold, he is careful to keep 
his ears covered, his hands in mittens, and to rub 
his nose once in a while. If the weather is cold, 
there is no ague in it, and he won’t grumble ex¬ 
cept at the hard times. In March the snow begins 
to melt, and by the tenth of April, if not sooner, 
is all gone, and he can go to plowing as “ the 
winter is over and gone, too.” If the winters are 
cold, our climate is the healthiest in the world — 
we have no fever and ague, and consumption and 
coughs are almost unknown. 
Princeton, Minn., 1858. Horace M. Atkins. 
MAD ITCH. 
Messrs. Eds.: — Having read, in the Rural of 
Dec. 11th, that a disease called the “Mad Itch,” had 
made its appearance among the cattle of California, 
I thought I would notify you of the appearance of 
a similar disease, (if not the same,) which attacked 
the stock of Wildman Bennett, Esq., of Bronson, 
Branch Co., in the month of October last, and 
which deprived him of eight valuable cows in the 
short space of seven days. Sabbath evening, the 
19th, two cows were observed to be ailing, and 
upon examining them closely, one was found to be 
considerably swollen about the throat, and was 
supposed to be suffering from the bite of a rattle¬ 
snake. Remedies were applied accordingly, but 
without affording relief. Nothing unusual was 
observed about the other, except an appearance of 
great restlessness, and a constant rubbing of the 
nose against the fences or whatever came in her 
way. Both cows were found dead the following 
morning, and at night of the same day, two more 
were taken, while being driven from pasture, with 
violent itching about the nose and head, which they 
rubbed until the skin was in many places com¬ 
pletely destroyed. Indeed, one of them destroyed 
her eyes in her violent efforts for relief. These 
two died the following morning. The remaining 
fouKTTere attacked in the same manner, and all 
died within the week ending October 26th. An¬ 
other cow, belonging to Oscar Nichols, which 
had pastured with Mr. B.’s, but which was taken 
from the pasture some days previous to the first 
attack, was found dead during the same week, 
making nine cows in seven days. An ox owned 
by a neighbor of Mr. B.’s, died the following week 
of the same disease. The disease was never known 
before about here, and there have been no other 
cases. They were in great pain and badly bloated, 
especially about the head and neck, before death. 
Every remedy that could be heard of was tried, but 
of no avail. If yourself or readers can give any 
information respecting the disease, or any remedy, 
the information would be thankfully received. 
Coldwater, Branch Co., Mich., Dec., 185S. G. r. 
THE APIARY-WINTERING BEES. 
Eds. Rural: —Your correspondent, T. L., of 
Chautauque county, asks information on this sub¬ 
ject. He attributes his difficulties to the variable¬ 
ness of the climate, chiefly. I think his location 
is not worse than ours in that respect, as winter 
and summer, fall and spring, get as much mixed 
here as anywhere on this round ball of ours. In 
other words, ours seems to be the chosen battle 
ground where the contending elements contest 
their rights to supremacy, and, from September to 
July, it seems a rough-and-tumble affair, neither 
party uppermost long enough to gain any advan¬ 
tage. I have kept bees nearly forty years—began 
by bringing home a swarm from the woods. From 
this one I have at times had one hundred on hand, 
and am now wintering over thirty. I have had 
especial bad luck in three ways. First, by allowing 
the snow to pack so tight at the entrances as to 
smother them,—prevention, keep the snow away,— 
brush out the dead bees two or three times during 
winter, so they may not block up the passage; or 
make air-holes near the upper part of the hive, or 
all of these. Sometimes their breath congeals at 
the entrance, so as to smother them; look to it. 
Second, by appropriating the heaviest and richest 
to my own use, and saving the light ones to winter 
—remedy very apparent, reverse action; never save 
any but the very best. Third, by using thin boards 
for hives, subjecting them to every change. Never 
use boards of less than 1 % or inches thick, and 
let them be well made. 
I let my bees stand singly, or in rows under 
shelter, and they come out and go in at pleasure, 
and do not, on an average, lose over five per cent, 
by winter-killing or starvation. Though this is 
not a flush country for honey, and this year not a 
new swarm made enough to winter on, I cannot 
boast of big yields of honey, but am probably 
$2,000 better off for that swarm cut out of a tree, 
when a lad. Benj. Summers. 
Vermilion, Erie Co., O., 1858. 
Growing Onions.—I noticed a piece in the Rural 
in regard to growing onions, and would say to any 
one who wishes to raise large onions, sow them as 
soon as the frost is out of the ground. I sowed 
mine last spring when the snow was nearly two 
feet deep in some parts of the garden, and my 
onions, in the fall, were nearly as large as a common 
tea saucer.—R ural Friend. 
GROWING CORN. 
In the report of the Agricultural Discussions at 
Syracuse, during the State Fair, the question of 
deep or shallow plowing was much debated. Some 
advocated shallow—others deep plowing. The 
writer favored shallow plowing when green-sward 
was plowed in for the crop, if upon light land. 
The practice in his neighborhood has been success¬ 
ful, and larger crops have been thus raised than 
when the soil has been turned under to the depth 
of seven or eight inches. Latterly he has turned 
under a clover ley as late in the spring as possible. 
If the manure that is to be applied upon the crop 
can be put on and spread in the fall so much the 
better. For the next crop deeper plowing is inva¬ 
riably used. On a sandy soil shallow cultivation 
is preferable, while upon a tenacious one deep tilth 
is the only condition of success. 
Many advocate plowing clayey soils in fall for 
the purpose of making them more friable. It may 
well be doubted whether a tenacious soil is materi¬ 
ally benefited by fall cultivation. By those who 
have carefully examined or experimented on the 
subject, a different conclusion has been arrived at. 
The best time to strr a tenacious soil to affect a 
permanent amelioration is in the summer. Let 
any man prove I am wrong if he can.—p. 
-«.<*.*.- 
inquiries an») ^Insuicvs. 
Beans for SnEF.r. —"Wishing for information, and 
not knowing of any source more reliable, I have resort¬ 
ed to the columns of the Bubal. I want to feed a flock 
of ewes some grain, and having understood that oats 
were injurHous to them, I would liko to bo informed by 
you, or some of your correspondents, whether beans 
are injurious or not?—A Subscriber, Darien, N. Y., 
1858. 
Will some of the correspondents of the Rural, 
possessing the desired information, please impart? 
Water Rams. —I noticed in the Rural some com¬ 
ments on the Hydraulic Ram. I wish to make a few 
inquiries. 1st. Where are they to be obtained? 2d. 
What will be the cost of one which will raise the water 
twenty-flvo feet, two and a half feet fall.— .T. If. II., 
Castteton, N. } r . 1858. 
Water Rams can be obtained of all the imple¬ 
ment dealers here and elsewhere. The price is 
$10, $15, and $18, according to size. The •••mallest 
will elevate water as high as the largest, but the 
quantity raised in a given time will be less. If 
you have plenty of water at the spring, and wish 
a good supply at the barn and house, one of the 
two larger sizes will suit you best. 
Tamarac for Posts.— I wish to inquire if the Amer¬ 
ican Tamarac or Larch is a durable timber for fence 
posts, as I suppose some of your readers have proved 
the timber? Is steeping posts in common salt brine a 
benefit sufficient to pay cost? Is white cedar durable 
for posts ?—J. W. D., Bedford, Ohio, 1858. 
Tiie Tamarac is a very good timber and makes 
excellent posts. We know of a fence with these 
posts, now standing, over twenty years old. We 
doubt whether soakingjuibrine would pay for the 
trouble. Dipping'iifiqjJi^Bkrtj# hot tp.r is the best 
cheap preservative Sve^vnow of. White Cedar 
posts are pretty durable, but of course not equal 
to the Red. If any of our readers can give us 
the facts and figures on this question, from experi¬ 
ence, we hope they will do so. 
Crib-Biting. —If you will give me your opinion of 
the cause of crib-biting in horses, and the cure thereof, 
if you know of any, yon will oblige—J. F. T., Yarys- 
burg, Wyo. Co., H. Y., 1858. 
Cribbing, or crib-biting, is a habit, or vice, and 
can only be corrected by the use of such appli¬ 
ances as will prevent the horse from indulging in 
it. Youatt recommends a muzzle, with bars 
across the bottom sufficiently wide to enable the 
animal to pick up his grain or pull his hay, but 
not to grasp the edge of the manger. When such 
an apparatus is worn for a considerable time, the 
horse may become tired of attempting what he 
cannot accomplish, and forget the habit. Dr. Dadd 
recommends that common bar soap be rubbed on 
the edge and outside of the crib, renewing it when¬ 
ever necessary. 
CATARRn in Sheep.— Being considerably interested 
in sheep raising, I wish to make some inquiry in refer¬ 
ence to a disease among sheep, and more particularly 
the coarse breeds, called the snivels or snuffles. Myself 
and brother have between three and four hundred flne- 
wooled sheep—the Merinos—and a few of the coarse. 
I have noticed that out of twelve of the coarso breeds 
there are more affected with the disease spoken of—or a 
continual discharge of a thick mattery substance from 
the nose—than among the whole number of the Meri¬ 
nos. Will you, or some of your numerous correspon¬ 
dents, please inform me why this disease is more 
prevalent among the coarse than the flne-wooled breeds 
—and what is the cause and cure—and very much 
oblige—T. W. II., Hall's Corners, Ont. Co., H. Y. 
The statement of T. W. H., that his coarse- 
breed sheep are more affected with catarrh than 
arc the Merinos, has been noticed and commented 
upon by writers on Sheep Husbandry. Randall 
says that high-bred English mutton sheep, in this 
country, are apt to exhibit more or less of it after 
every sudden change of the weather. The best 
course to pursue is to prevent its appearance by 
care. Good, comfortable, but well ventilated 
shelters, constantly accessible to the sheep, at this 
period of the year, with sufficient food, regularly 
given, is generally all the safe-guard required. 
Heating Water Expeditiously. —Having lived 
several years in Western New York and not hav¬ 
ing heard there of any more expeditious way of 
heating water for scalding hogs than the old way 
of heating in kettles, I think it would be of great 
value to the farmers of that section to know of the 
following manner which I have seen tried and 
know it is more economical, and avoids all danger 
of being scalded by dipping and carrying hot water. 
Fill your scalding tub as full as you wish with 
cold water, and then heat it by means of a heated 
cast-iron—which will be more handy to be in such 
a shape that you can attach a pieco of trace chain 
to it. A small fire built on the ground, of refuse 
wood, will be sufficient to heat an iron of 25 lbs., 
twice, much quicker than the amount of water 
could be heated in a kettle, and after the water is 
once made hot and used, it may be made to boil by 
once heating and submerging the iron. Try it.— 
II. W., Bloomington, 111., 1858. 
Rural Spirit of tljc jprese. 
Agriculture ill France. 
In a period of sixty years, or from 1789 to 
1858, says the Paris correspondent of the National 
Intelligencer, the extent of waste land in France 
has been reduced by four millions nine hundred 
and forty thousand acres, and of forest two millions 
four hundred and seventy thousand acres, while 
cultivated or plowed land has been increased by 
three millions seven hundred and forty thousand 
acres; pastures two millions four hundred and 
seventy thousand, and vineyards by one million 
two hundred and thirty five thousand. The cul¬ 
ture of wheat has increased fifty per cent., artificial 
pasturage has trebled, and the growth of vege¬ 
tables advanced from two hundred and fifty thou¬ 
sand to five millions acres. The cultivation of rye 
has diminished twelve per cent. The produce of 
silk is quintupled; sugar has been introduced, and 
wine has doubled. In 1789 the mean wages of a 
farm hand were nineteen cents per day; at present 
they are thirty cents. The profits of farming have 
doubled; still Franco is half a century behind Eng¬ 
land in agricultural skill and prosperity. 
"Winter Quarters for Sliccp. 
In a recent issue of the Ohio Cultivator, S. 
Lahm, of Canton, an extensive sheep-breeder, 
relates the manner in which he divides and arran¬ 
ges his flock when going into winter quarters, as 
follows :—“ Our breeding ewes are selected and in 
a flock by themselves. This week they be subdi¬ 
vided into flocks of not over fifty, and with each 
flock will be put a buck — selecting of course the 
best bucks, and the ewes with reference to the 
bucks. Next our last spring lambs are divided 
into flocks with reference to age, sex and condition 
—never over one hundred together, usually about 
eighty. Next is what we call our stock sheep, 
not under one nor over three years old. — 
This flock will also bo subdivided according to age 
and condition when we commence feeding. The 
sheep are now in their respective stables at night, 
and will soon be fed regularly. One of the most 
important items in the management of sheep, is to 
have them go into winter quarters in good healthy 
condition. By paying strict attention to this, we 
have not of late years lost over one or two per cent 
during the year.” 
Horses and. StaDles. 
The Scientific American says that blindness is 
very common among horses in cities, and attributes 
it to their confinement in dark stables, and shading 
their eyes with harness blinders. Upon these 
premises it argues that the first should be abolished, 
and that all stables should be dry, roomy struc¬ 
tures, provided with windows to afford abundant 
light, and should be frequently whitewashed. The 
horse is a native of dry, sunny regions, and re¬ 
quires to be kept dry and warm in order to attain 
to the greatest perfection. Close and confined 
stables, just like those which are so common, are 
the frequent cause of that violent disease called 
jjlnndcra. A few jcura; aincc, givnt rnragCij were 
committed among the cavalry horses of France by 
this disease, but it is now almost unknown in that 
country. This result has been brought about by 
simply making larger stables, doubling the size of 
stalls, and securing good ventilation. In propor¬ 
tion to their bulk, horses need more fresh air than 
men, in order to perform the functions of respira¬ 
tion, yet they are commonly cooped up in narrow 
stalls, which are not large enough to keep a dor¬ 
mouse’s lungs at work. 
To ATfilre Grood "Winter Butter. 
At the annual meeting of the Jefferson Co. Ag. 
Society, at Watertown, N. Y., a tub of superior 
winter-made butter was exhibited by Mr. Daniel 
Parker, of that town, for which a premium was 
awarded by the discretionary committee. “The 
butter,” says the Northern Journal, “was quite 
as yellow as much of the fall-made sent to market, 
and the flavor so fine that we obtained of Mr. P. 
the mode of manufacture. He states that as soon 
as he has finished milking, the pails of milk are 
set into kettles of boiling water, where they are al¬ 
lowed to remain thirty minutes, then the milk is 
strained into pans and allowed to stand until the 
cream is ready to be taken off, which will depend 
upon the temperature of the room in which it is 
set. Before churning, the cream must be kept in 
a warm room at least twelve hours; then it will 
require churning less than an hour. He washes 
his butter immediately after taking it out of the 
churn, and at the same time salts it. His cows 
had been fed on clover hay, without grain or roots, 
for six weeks previous to the time of making this 
sample. Butter made in this way is perfectly 
sweet, of a good color, and will bring from two to 
four cents per pound more in market, than that 
manufactured in the ordinary way. It is worthy 
the attention of farmers.” 
Foot-Rot in Slieep. 
Jambs Alexander, of Hawley, Eng., furnishes 
the London Agricultural Gazette with the follow¬ 
ing mode of treatment for this disease:—“Weigh 
equal quantities of verdigris, gunpowder, and 
finely powdered blue vitriol; add as much vinegar 
and sweet oil in equal proportions as will make a 
rather thick paste ; keep it carefully covered in a 
jar or pot, so ns to exclude the air effectually, 
otherwise the strength of the paste will be in a 
great measure destroyed, and the same good will 
not result from the use of it. Be very careful to 
cut away all decayed and ragged parts of the hoof 
without making it bleed, if possible. If suppura¬ 
tion has taken place, carefully clean away all fetid 
matter and with a piece of rag or sponge, a little 
wetted in warm water, wipe the affected parts as 
dry as can be ; then apply the paste and rub it in 
gently, without oausing the blood to run, if you 
can, as I have found that the less irritation is 
caused the quicker will be the cure. If the dis¬ 
ease be obstinate, a dose of salts will expedite the 
cure. The dressing must be repeated pretty fre¬ 
quently at first and then at longer intervals, ac¬ 
cording as the disease seems to require it. When 
the dressing is done the sheep should be kept on 
dry ground, for a few hours at least, to give the 
diseased parts time to absorb the strength of the 
paste before coming in contact with wet or dirt, 
which would at first greatly diminish its good 
effects.” 
^griailtnrnl illisccllnuj). 
Winter Meetings of Agricultural Societies.— 
During the present month most of the State, 
County and Town Agricultural Societies will hold 
their Winter Meetings, for the election of officers 
and the transaction of other business for the pres¬ 
ent year. Now we would urge all farmers, and 
particularly those who think the business of their 
Society has been mismanaged, to attend these 
Annual Meetings, and do all they can for the elec¬ 
tion of the very best men for officers and commit¬ 
teemen. Those who attend and act to the best of 
their ability for the good of the Society, do their 
duty; and if w'rong is done, either ignorantly or 
designedly, those who stay away are responsible, 
and should be the last to grumble. But, with a 
coolness that would surprise an iceberg, as a gene¬ 
ral thing, those who never raise a hand to give their 
Society the right direction, are the first and last to 
find fault with its proceedings. 
Another thing we have noticed which operates 
against these Societies, and that is the unwilling¬ 
ness of the best men to take office of trust and re¬ 
sponsibility. We know that neither pay nor 
thanks is to be expected, for the most faithful and 
laborious discharge of duty, and that censure will 
be meted out with a most liberal hand on every 
convenient and inconvenient opportunity; but the 
man good and true, must be willing to endure and 
suffer for the general good. The consciousness of 
having performed well and faithfully the duties 
assigned by their fellow-farmers, will be sufficient 
reward. We hope, therefore, that all will go to 
these meetings, prepared to yield their own feel¬ 
ings, and to bear all the responsibilities, and dis¬ 
charge all the duties that their associates, in their 
assembled wisdom may place upon them. 
Experience in Draining.— J. K. Walker, of 
Springfield, Vt., gives in the New England Farmer 
his experience in draining “a piece of wet, cold 
and unproductive land.” The drains were cut 
three and a half feet deep, and the bottoms con¬ 
structed of stone, like an ordinary culvert, then 
filled with cobble stones to one foot of the surface; 
upon these stones, shavings or evergreen boughs 
were placed, to prevent the dirt from filling the 
interstices, then covered with dirt, reserving the 
sod for the barn-yard. 
The result is given as follows:—“The piece 
drained contained a little less than four acres. 
Last year it was mowed, and produced but two 
loads of poor, sour hay and brakes, hardly worth 
cutting, but it was an average crop for the land. 
This spring the land was dry, and we were ena¬ 
bled to work it early in the season. We plowed 
under about twenty-five ox-cart loads of barn-yard 
manure to the acre, and planted with corn the 15th 
day of May. The ground was dry and in good 
condition for receiving the seed, while many pieces 
considered ‘ dry land ’ were much too wet. The 
corn was planted three and a half feet apart each 
war, hoed twice, and received a top-dressing of 
plaster and ashes. It was cut up the 10th and 11th 
of September, when it was found ripe and sound. 
We husked from the piece 440 bushels of ears, all 
merchantable corn. 
My neighbors concur with me in opinion that 
this crop is worth more than the aggregate crops 
that the land has produced for the last fifteen 
years. It is now in a condition to produce abun¬ 
dantly for a series of years without any extra out¬ 
lay. This crop has paid mo the whole expense of 
underdraining.” 
Guano Discoveries. — A correspondent of the 
New York Tribune, writing from Washington, 
says:—“ It is known here that further large and 
valuable deposits of guano have been discovered in 
the Pacific Ocean, and formally taken possession 
of by the citizens of the United States, and that 
they have been recognized under the act of Con¬ 
gress passed in 1856. Among these islands are 
Malden’s, Arthur’s, Howland’s, and Christmas; and 
at one of them there is said to be a land-locked har¬ 
bor in a lagoon, six miles broad by twelve miles 
long, which is entered from a bay outside, where 
ships can safely anchor in seven to ten fathoms of 
water. Almost the entire surface of this island, 
more than forty miles long and fifteen broad, is 
reported to be covered with guano from one to ten 
feet deep. Especially is this so for many miles in 
extent around the lagoon, where hundreds of ships 
can lie and thousands of boats work at once in 
loading them.” 
Cattle Transportation—Liabilities of Rail¬ 
roads. — A decision has just been rendered by 
Judge Drummond, in the United States Circuit 
Court at Chicago, upon a claim made for damages 
by Ford vs. Illinois Central Railroad Company. 
The plaintiff shipped 100 head of cattle at Urbana, 
Ill., under a contract for their delivery at Detroit 
in 80 hours. They were detained at Michigan City, 
on the Michigan Central road, 12 hours, and 12 
hours more at Marshall. On arriving at Detroit 
four of them were dead, and the owner claimed 
that the remaining 96 had suffered a material depre¬ 
ciation. Judgment was rendered for the plaintiff 
for $1,250. 
Ornamental Borders.— Rev. Mr. Palmer, in an 
address at the Lebanon Town Fair, among other 
good things, said, “ some farmors are accustomed 
to encircle each lot with a wreath composed (in 
part or in the whole) of raspberry and blackberry 
bushes; docks of various kinds; thistles, both 
Canada and common ; elder bushes, both red and 
white; thorn bushes, yellow top, white weed, &c. 
This may be in keeping with their taste, yet affords 
little profit, except it may be to furnish seeds to 
stock their whole farm in a short time.” 
Illinois State IIorticuituiial Society', — The 
Horticulturists of Illinois met at Springfield in 
December, and organized a State Horticultural So¬ 
ciety. The officers are C. R. Overman, of Bloom¬ 
ington, President; William Yates, of Tamaroa, 
Vice-President; O. B. Galusiia, of Lisbon, Corres¬ 
ponding Secretary; Samuel Edwards, ofLamoile, 
Recording Secretary, and Arthur Bryant, of 
Princeton, Treasurer. 
