tlie clover for manure instead of making it 
into hay. 
Improved long wooled sheep are not 
adapted to a primitive system of farming. 
They never can take the place of the Merino 
on extensive ranges of cheap land. It is well 
that such is the case. There, is leas danger 
of the market being glutted and prices forced 
down below the cost of production. They 
are the sheep for the grain growing farmer, 
whose lands will grow an abuudauce of 
pigs cleverly leave the shells on the ground. 
One writer says:—I was once very much 
surprised to see a fine cow, in fine condition, 
eating acorns and crab apples alternately, 
with impunity; there was plenty of grass 
and water in the pasturage ; and wonderful 
to relate, six young beasts in the adjoining 
pasture, died from eating acorns in the Au¬ 
tumn of 1868. _ 
Compost Heap. 
A North Carolina correspondent asks 
the fertility of the soil. In this class we 
place upland hay, straw, leaves, hair, sweep¬ 
ings from woolen mills, waste hops from 
breweries, and coarse litter from the barn¬ 
yard. 
2. Tanbark. sawdust, hay from low, fresh 
or salt water bogs, pine leaves, and wood 
shavings. 
Upon soil that needs enriching, mulch¬ 
ings of the first class should always he used, 
as they will add in fertility to the land suf- 
crtrswtm 
connmn 
THE CATTLE DISEASE. 
ABOUT MULCHING. 
[From the New EtiRliinil Farmer, Jan. 14 .] 
The Board of Commissioners on Contagi¬ 
ous Diseases among cattle of Massachusetts, 
consisting of Lion. Levi Stoekbi'Ulge, II. W. 
Jordan, Esq., and Dr. E. F. Tluiycr, have 
issued the following circular to the city aud 
town authorities of the State: 
The undersUrnod, Commissioner* on Contafrtoua 
Diseases among Cattle, call the attention of the 
Mayors and Aldermen of cities, and the Select¬ 
men of towns, to the fact that a highly conkigi- 
oub disease-, Known ns Riiizootie Aplithn, or Fool- 
and-Mouth Disease, lias broken out in this Slate, 
and is rapidly sfll'eacllne-niiion# the cattle of very 
many of our towns. Till! disease Is not of such 
an alarmmif and fatal character as the pleuro¬ 
pneumonia, yet, by Us ravages, there is great 
datiKor that it will tntliot immense losses an our 
cattle owners, and possible to some extent, In¬ 
jure the health of our people. Tim disease is 
communicated by the contact of healthy- with 
the sick annuals, by all Inanimate thincs that 
have become contaminated, and by yarding 
healthy cattle mi the same land, or driving-1 Imm 
on roads previously trodden by those diseased. 
The cattle yardaof Urluhtuu a re apparently con¬ 
taminated with I In* virus ol' Uie di-ease, and 
animals driven thence carry anil comninnieaio 
it wherever they go. In view of these facts, and, 
If possible, Hint the contagion may liocrndicnted 
from the Commonweal Ih, wo would most earnest¬ 
ly recommend that yon, In each municipality, 
perform your duty as defined In Chapter 820 of 
the Arts of UJtjO, by Interdicting all driving of 
cattle lo, from, or within your respective limits, 
(soo Section 5 of said Act,) and by a must ihor- 
0119I1 and radical purification of the yards amt 
buildings which Imvc- tjeon contaminated b.\ it. 
The Domtiiisslonors will, at l.lrn k>i me time. ninUo 
regulations to prevent rmy further importation 
1 of it front abroad Notwithstanding the great 
extent to which tbo disease has already insidi¬ 
ously spread, we milerluiii tin! hope Hull, by Hie 
united energetic null on of the authorities, and 
Hie co-operation of our people. Mils disease may 
be squelched, and I lie losses if lias mulcted on 
the stock-grow ing regions of Koropc bo averted. 
Notice to Cattle Dtwvrs, Dealers. amt all. Ceriums 
interested in the Truffle of Cattle. 
In consequence of Hie prevalence Of Epizootic 
Aphtha, Or Koul.-mid-Mouili Disease, the Com¬ 
missioners on Contagious Diseases among Cattle 
hereby prohibit the driving or transporting, to 
or from Brighton, t-iimbridgo, or (ho Cattio 
Yards at. the Med fiord Railroad Station, until 
f urthcr notice, all <Jow8, Store Cattle, and Work¬ 
ing Oxen. 
The Selectmen of Brighton and Medford, and 
the Mayor of 1 lie City of Cambridge are directed 
to enforce I ho above order. 
The miiulcinaJ authoi iUoBof the several towns 
and cities in thu Commonwealth arc requested to 
oo-oppral0 In making tho above order effocUinl. 
As tlie disease is very contagious, tho com¬ 
plete separation of sueli animals as have 
been exposed, or which it is feared have the 
disease, is of first importance. This com¬ 
mission, of which Dr. Thayer, au experi¬ 
enced veterinary surgeon, is a member, ad¬ 
vise the following treatment: 
1st. The animals to he kept in a comfort¬ 
able, dry place. 
2d. A solution of alum, one pound to three 
gallons of w ater; the mouth to be washed 
with it daily. 
8d. A solution of sulphate of copper (blue 
vitriol,) one pound to two gallons of water; 
to be applied to the sores on the feet. 
In this connection we republish from the 
Farmer of Dec. 24 the substance of what Dr. 
Law said at tbo meeting at Framinghamt 
The disease was a. kind of eruptive fever, 
the symptoms being a hot mouth, costiveness, 
lameness, tightness of the skin, or “ hide-bound, 
in the farmer's phrase. After the Wrst symptoms, 
blister* appear in the mouth and on the teats, 
and in t im parting of tho hunts. These degen¬ 
erate Into ulcers, which are liable, though not 
certain, to result, in permanent. Injuries, espe¬ 
cially to the. feet and udder. In some cases 1I10 
hoofs have come entirely off. The animal in¬ 
i'uses its food, ftplnu'OUlly from soreness of Hie 
mouth rather than entire loss of appetite. The 
milk beaomes diseased and unwholesome, and 
when drank by manor other animals produces 
a similar state of disease in them. In some eases 
it has proved fatal to children, and swine and 
dogs have both bOOll badly nUi-oH-d byllio virus. 
It. appears to originate in most cases in tho hoof 
of animals, and is not contagion- Himugli tho 
air. It continues through a period of fifteen nr 
twenty days. No immediate cure can be ex¬ 
pected, buttlie isolation of the diseased unimuls 
was tho first tiling to be done. 
The Professor recommended treatment ns fol¬ 
lows : 
Wash the month with vinegar or some cooling 
liquid, such as a dilution of ca rbolic acid, one 
part Of acid Di ono bundled ami fifty of water; 
and for the leats, a wash of one part, of cnrholle 
acid to one hundred and fifty of glycerine may 
boused. Tho hoof should be cleaned and the 
space between parting of the hoof cleared of 
detached scurf, skin aud horn by drawing a 
strong rag roughly through it. Then apply to 
the raw surface pure carbolic acid, and bind 
with :t rag covered with tar, tied between tho 
bools and around the pastern. 
Ah tbo inability of the animal to eat re¬ 
sult*! from soreness of the mouth rather tlmu 
loss of appetite, good nut,slug Is of much im¬ 
portance. 8ofl food, such as boiled corn, 
Indian meal gruel, should he given, to 
preserve tho strength of Hie animal. In batl 
cases it may he poured down from a bottle. 
A correspondent of the same paper says: 
In the year I was keeping a dairy Of sixty 
cows, which grazed a very nice lull pasture. In 
the month of June, the foot-rot broke out in 
tho flock, which I found to la* a very revere dis¬ 
ease. When a cow commenced being lame she 
would nearly dry up her milk mi the best of 
feed, and bo reduced m flesh very rapidly. I 
commenced doctoring- In various ways, and with 
various medicines, such ns alcohol, saltpeter, 
blue vitriol, spirits of turpentine, various kinds 
of painkillers, &c. Finally 1 commenced wash¬ 
ing the sore feet with brine as strong as could bo 
made of tlu* best dairy salt, dissolved in bulling 
water. After washing twice u day for two or 
three successive days, in order to i Icanso t tie 
sores thoroughly, I covered the sore thoroughly 
with pitch tar, and soon the sore would be well, 
and the cow come to tier usual uiesH of milk 
again. Tho disease wool nearly through my 
herd ttiai season, before I found a, mean* of 
cheeking Ha run, which f old by feeding salt- 
Coyering the si if face of the soil in which 
plants are growing, with any kind of fibrous 
material, is termed in horticultural language 
“ mulching." The results sought are various, 
but they are usually some one or all of the 
following: 
1. To prevent a too rapid evaporation of 
moisture. 
2. Keeping the soil about the roots cool 
and porous, thereby admitting air, and, 
as a natural sequence, condeusiug or extract¬ 
ing moisture therefrom. 
8. Protecting the roots against any ex¬ 
treme in temperature, either iu summer or 
winter. 
4. Preventing the frequent freezing and 
thawing of the soil, causing a separation of 
the roots of small, delicate plants and cut¬ 
tings therefrom. 
5. To enrich the soil by the decay of the 
materials used as a mulch. 
6 To prevent fruit from becoming dam¬ 
aged by bciug splashed with earth during 
heavy rains, as usual with strawberries that 
are cultivated in rows or hills. 
7. To prevent the larger fruits, (for in¬ 
stance, pears,) being bruised when blown 
from the tree. 
Mulching, upon the whole, is only a pre¬ 
cautionary measure, and as sueli, the circum¬ 
stances under which it is to he applied, as 
well as the results sought, should lie care¬ 
fully studied and understood before its adop¬ 
tion. Upon a naturally dry soil, and in a hot, 
dry climate, mulch may be used more indis¬ 
criminately than where the conditions are of 
an opposite character. 
If we could only foretell the weather, and ! 
know positively what it would be in each 
succeeding season, mistakes might be avoid¬ 
ed ; but as future conditions cannot he 
known, we must take our chance in apply¬ 
ing or withholding mulch. Neither will it 
do Lo adopt any general system of mulching 
all kinds of plants, grown in any one locali¬ 
ty or soil, for there are species like the grape, 
which requires a warm, dry soil, while 
others, like the currant and gooseberry, de¬ 
mand a cool and moist one. Throughout 
the Middle Stales, and in a large portion of 
the Northern, it is positively necessary to 
success in currant aud gooseberry culture, 
especially in dry seasons, and even in a wet 
one they are seldom injured thereby. Straw¬ 
berries do not require a cool soil, hut a large 
amount of moisture is required, ancl we do 
not know of a more economical method of 
furnishing a supply than by applying a lib¬ 
eral quantity of mulching. 
Fruit growers should observe the effects of 
mulching upon each and every kind of soil 
where applied, and then they will know from 
practical experience whether the benefits are 
sufficient to pay the cost. Every experiment 
should be made in such a manner that some 
practical information nmy he gained there¬ 
from. For instance, if a man has a field of 
raspberries that do not succeed as well as the 
conditions seem to warrant, a portion should 
be mulched and the remainder carefully cul¬ 
tivated during summer, and then notice the 
difference in results. It is certainly a very 
easy matter to ascertain the value of mulch¬ 
ing upon any plant or in any particular 
locality, provided the seasons are not too 
variable. We have found mulching of in¬ 
estimable value on a light loamy soil, partic¬ 
ularly in the following instances. 
Upon the soil, around the roots of all 
newly planted trees, applied as soon as pos¬ 
sible after they were set. Evergreens are 
not exceptions, although we object to the 
use of coarse barn-yard manure for the trees. 
2. Small evergreens planted in rows, and 
whether obtained from tho woods or nur¬ 
series, will be greatly benefilted by being 
liberally mulched the first season. 
3. Cuttings of all wood plants, such as 
currants, gooseberries, ornamental shrubs 
and trees, require a large amount of moist¬ 
ure while producing roots, and mulch is a 
great assistance in furnishing a supply. 
4. On localities and soils where raspber¬ 
ries and blackberries are liable to fail from 
high temperature, and a deficiency of moist¬ 
ure at the time the fruit is ripening, mulch¬ 
ing should he liberally applied early in the 
spring. 
Although we are strongly disposed to favor 
the liberal use of mulch, still we are aware 
that there are two sides to this question. Its 
constant use will cause the roots of plants to 
grow near the surface, and, in such a posi¬ 
tion, he liable to injury in time of drouth or 
by extreme cold. Mulching should, there¬ 
fore, he used continuously, or every alternate 
season, and cultivation intermediate. Mulch¬ 
ing also becomes the harbor of insects, and 
they will often become more abundant 
where used than elsewhere. 
Murci-ials Cor lUulcli. 
The materials used for mulch may be 
divided into two classes:—1. Those which 
contain a large amount of nutriment, and 
will, upon their decay, add considerably to 
PRINDLE’S -AG^ICTJIVTXJRAX. CAULDRON AND STEAM BOILER.. 
fioient to pay for their total cost. But upon 
rich land the latter will be preferable, inas¬ 
much as they seldom contain weed or grain 
seed, or aid those which may bo in the soil 
to make a vigorous growth, and if applied 
in liberal quantities will prevent the growth 
of all noxious veget ation. 
We have always practiced mulching quite 
extensively, and believe that if used judi¬ 
ciously aud upon deep and well drained 
soils, that the losses which almost annually 
occur from severe drouth would be entirely 
obviated. 
clover, rather than for the owners of land 
well adapted to dairying. They afford us 
the opportunity of turning our clover to 
good account, and of making rich manure 
with which to grow rich grass and heavy 
crops of wlieat .—Hearth and Home. 
enrsntum 
IIow to Look n. TVmton. 
“ Clod Hopper ” writes:—“ Say to T. G. 
8., (Rural New-Yorker, Jan. 7, page 11,) 
that liis theory may he good in some places, 
but in practice, it will not work well in mud¬ 
dy roads, ruts, or prairie sloughs.” 
Lines Three Abrenst. 
Please say to your correspondent, (page 
9, Rural New Worker, Jan. 7,) that the 
best plan to arrange lines for three horses 
abreast, that I have tried, is simply the com¬ 
mon double lines, put on the furrow and 
middle horse, the third horse only needing 
to he tied by the halter to the large trace 
buckle of the middle horse, the halter being 
tied just long enough to allow him to travel 
even with the others. Try it.—C lod Hopper. 
Colic ill Horses. 
I here hand you a prescription for colic 
(of any land) in the horse or mule, that lias 
stood the test of seventeen years’ actual ex¬ 
perience), without a case of failure. I will 
here obligate myself to pay $50 for every 
horse that dies from this treatment, if the 
owner agrees to pay $10 for curing the 
horse *. 
"Laudanum. 7 , % 
Chloroform. /, \ 
Gunpowder .. Z Iv 
Whisky (Good) .Pt. q 
Wuier. Pt. X 
Mix and drench through the mouth once 
in two and a-lndf hours ; never oflener. 
After one drench the horse will eat in 
twenty minutes. — T. S. Mitchell, M. D.' 
Remedy for Poll Evil. 
Mr. Geo. S. Parsons asks some one to tell 
him how to cure poll evil. I will tell him 
how I cured one on my horse. I let it come 
to a head; when I found it was full of cor¬ 
ruption, or matter, I lanced it on the top, let 
it run for ten or twelve days, but washed It 
off every day with soap and water. 1 then 
got a hickory stick the size of a wheat straw, 
made it round, the end also rounding; I then 
burned it lightly in a candle to make it 
smooth; rubbed it with tallow, and probed 
the poll evil as deep as I could (without 
hurting the horse too much;) bad lunar caus¬ 
tic ready, took a piece as long as I had in¬ 
serted tbe probe; but I found It would pop 
out. I got a pressure and tied it on; left it 
so two or three days. If it got dry and crusty, 
I poulticed it. 1 could then draw out a long 
core. If not cured, I waited two or three 
weeks, and then repeated the process.— Wy¬ 
oming , Fulton Co., 0. 
When I was a boy in my teens, my father 
had a beast that had a poll evil There was 
a pipe formed in the pore, that discharged 
corrupted matter, He cleansed the sore, and 
then put some corrosive sublimate as far 
down tins pipe as- lie Could get it. It killed 
the spurious flesh, and it, separated from the 
live flesh, and made a permanent cure. I 
am now a little over seventy years old, and 
do not remember of ever seeing a poll evil 
since; but I have used the same remedy in 
other sores of the same nature, and it always 
had the same effect. —L. K. Patchin, Jeffer¬ 
son Co., N. Y. 
ECONOMICAL NOTES. 
Agricultural Cauldron utid Steam Boiler. 
The ingenuity of farmers and mechanics 
has for years been taxed severely to con¬ 
struct something whereby cooking food for 
domestic animals, as well as other farm aud 
mechanical operations, could be performed 
by steam. The most ingenious, though 
simple and practical invention for the pur¬ 
pose, as far as we are advised, is the cauldron 
and steam boiler invented by Mr. D. R. 
Prindle, of which illustrations are given 
herewith. 
Figure 1 represents the boiler ready for 
use. It is constructed of two cauldrons 
having broad rims on the top, which are 
turned together, between which is placed 
rubber or felt packing, to render it steam- 
tight. The cauldrons are held together and 
tightened by clamps, which arc made tight 
by driving along a scries of inclined planes 
cast on the flange of the upper half Into 
the upper half are drilled orifices for the re¬ 
ception of a tube for filling the boiler, for a 
pipe to conduct the steam where wanted for 
use, for an ingenious and effective safety- 
valve to prevent explosions, and a try cock, 
all of which are apparent in the cut, and the 
uses of which will ho readily understood. 
The two cauldrons thus clamped together 
can be placed in t.he furnace, as here shown, 
or set in a brick arch, as desired. When 
placed in the furnace, the whole is readily 
portable when change of location is desired. 
Fig. 2 gives a sectional view of tho caul¬ 
drons as connected and set in the furnace. 
The vacuum and pressure valve, with 
weights, is shown at letter A; water in 
cauldron at letter B; try cock with pipe 
to water at letter O, and tbe steam pipe and 
connections at letter D. This cauldron and 
boiler are not new to the readers of the 
Rural New-Yorker, its good qualities hav¬ 
ing been heretofore mentioned therein, be¬ 
lieving, as we do, that its use in the many 
capacities for which it is well adapted should 
render it the favorite with farmers aud small 
manufacturers requiring steam for the seve¬ 
ral purposes so well supplied thereby. Par¬ 
ticulars are furnished in advertisements, and 
ample circulars furnished by the inventor or 
his sale agents. 
Acorns and Stock. 
The effects of acorns upon cattle, is a ques¬ 
tion still discussed in England. There is so 
much tannin in the acorn, that it has a ten¬ 
dency to do harm when taken in too large 
quantity. Possibly one reason why acorns 
harm cattle and not hogs is, that the bovines 
swallow shells as well as kernels, while the 
usbanirrn 
WOOL WASTE AND ASHES AS MANURE. 
As I have an opportunity of using wool 
waste from a woolen factory, what is the 
best means of applying iL and in what quan¬ 
tities? IIow does it succeed with grain? 
Also, would au application of aslies he bene¬ 
ficial to an old, well cultivated garden which 
has been well manured for a number of 
years with barnyard manure, but does not 
yield as much as it used to ?—A. H. [Wool 
waste is usually valuable as manure, but its 
value will vary considerably with the quan¬ 
tity of dung, earth, and other foreign ingre¬ 
dients contained in it. A larger or smaller 
quantity of the clippings of wool will in¬ 
crease or diminish its richness. It may be 
spread over land, like common manure, well 
harrowed into the surface soil, and then 
plowed in with shallow furrows. Spread in 
the fall or early winter, it. may be plowed In 
in spring. If there is much wool in it, it 
may he prepared for garden purposes, by 
composting with an equal or greater quanti¬ 
ty of muck, turf, or pulverized peat. It 
may he applied in about half as great a 
quantity as good stable manure, although it 
varies considerably. Wood ashes arc valu¬ 
able as a manure in many cases, or where 
the soil needs it—to ho determined only by 
experiment. Filly or a hundred bushels per 
acre may he applied. We liave known 
them in extraordinary instances to double 
tlie crop; more commonly to produce a 
moderate effect; and sometimes none at all. 
Trial is the only test.]— Country Gentleman. 
WOOL AND MUTTON. 
We need more combing wool, and we 
need better mutton, and there is no way of 
providing them but by keeping the English 
long wooled sheep; and whatever difficulties 
there may he in the way, can be overcome 
by intelligent study and observation. High- 
priced land and high-priced labor demand 
high farming; and high farming requires 
high feeding; and high feeding is only 
profitable with improved stock. Lambs that 
at six months old can be made to weigh one 
hundred pounds, will pay for a little grain 
or oil cake; and if during a scarcity of pas¬ 
ture we feed such sheep all the clover hay 
they will eat, it is certainly no more waste¬ 
ful than it would have been to plow under 
