ran n {gcDttnmg. 
HEN MANURE FOR CORN. 
C. B. Fisk wishes some of the readers of 
the Rural New-Yorker would give their 
practical experience in composting hen ma¬ 
nure for manuriug com in the hill, when no 
other manures are used. In 1869 and ’70 we 
published many letters on the subject from 
practical farmers, and received many more 
for which wc could not find space. From 
the latter we select, one written by E. C. 
Long, Erie Co., N. Y., in March, 1869, from 
which we extract, as follows : 
“ I notice, an inquiry in relation to the best 
way to use hen manure to manure corn in 
the hill. If my experience is of any value, 
you are welcome to it. To carry out my 
method to advantage, the hen-house is con¬ 
structed with a tight board floor beneath 
the roosts, and an apartment near by that 
will hold several loads of dry earth, or, bet¬ 
ter, muck. In the latter part of summer, 
when 1 can get the muck dry, I draw in 
several loads, and, at intervals of a few days, 
scatter a few shovelfuls of muck beneath the 
roosts. 
“ Muck is a great deodorizer, and those 
who have never tried it. will he agreeably 
surprised to find how sweet and ordorless it 
will keep the house. I think this fact is of 
considerable importance in a sanitary point 
of view, as concerns the fowls, besides sav¬ 
ing all the valuable constituents of the ma¬ 
nure, which would be lost in the shape of 
gases and liquids.” 
When spring arrives and I wish to use 
the compost, I shovel it over several times 
at intervals, when it will become fine and 
about as odorless as earth, and ready for ap¬ 
plication. 
Last spring (1868) the rain caught us with 
about an acre of corn yet to plant, and it 
continued wet, so we could not plant for ten 
days. My neighbors told me that the later 
planted would not catch up all the season, 
but I thought I would try the virtue of my 
home-made guano, and accordingly dropped 
a handful in each hill, and plauted directly 
upon it. The corn came up green and 
thrifty, and seemed to grow so fast that the 
cut-worm had no chance at it, soon out¬ 
stripping the first planted, and yielded better 
at harvest. I also tried ike experiment of 
putting some on the surface after planting, 
but could see no effect whatever, but this 
was probably owing to the very dry seuson 
we had here last year. 
“ The manure alone would probably kill 
the germ if applied directly in contact with 
the seed, but by mixing muck in the way 
described above, this is obviated and the 
corn finds the manure just where it needs it, 
to push it forward and give it that vigorous 
start so necessary for an early ripening of 
this our most important cereal crop.” 
-♦■»♦ 
HOW TO LOAD A WAGON. 
T. G. S., East New York, in answer to 
some correspondent, gives, in a late Rural 
New-Youker, the scientific method of load¬ 
ing a wagon, which will not. work out in 
the country. What he says in regard to the 
wheel as a lever and the allowance for fric¬ 
tion is practical. The rest is not. Wheels 
are used on vehicles to diminish the friction 
of the road. The larger the circumference 
of the wheels the more readily it will over¬ 
come obstacles in the road. A large wheel 
is attended with two additional advantages. 
In passing through holes and ruts it requires 
a less expenditure of power, because it sinks 
less than a small one. The wear of large 
wheels is less than that of small ones. 
But wheels must be limited in size by two 
considerations, i. e First, the strength of 
the materials, and second, the center of the 1 
wheel should never come higher than the 
breast of the horse, or other draught animal, ' 
otherwise the animal would have to draw ' 
downward, as well as forward, and expend * 
a portion of his strength drawing agalust * 
the ground, which would be useless. The 
bind wheels of all vehicles used on the road, 1 
are built larger than the forward ones because ' 
the farther the load is from the draught ani¬ 
mal, the more power it takes to move it. f 
Consequently the little forward wlieelsskould ^ 
be made to carry about 3-5 of the load, and ( 
the bind ones 2-5. Load well forward, is a ( 
rule among farmers and teamsters. i 
W. Stevens, i 1 
manure that is thus applied. I think there 
is no crop that wc raise the roots of which 
go deep enough to reach the manure —that 
is, not much of it; and when they plow that 
up again the strength has gone down with 
the rain. 
My way is to plow the land first and then 
put the manure on and harrow it in, if put 
on plowed land; if on meadow, spread on in 
early spring on the latest seeded piece. That 
ground is mellow; and when it rains it car¬ 
ries the manure down around the young 
roots, and the result is a heavy crop of grass. 
I have bad a number of arguments with 
my neighbors; they cannot “see it as Ido; 
if I am wrong, I will give in. Please let me 
bear from you. —James Harris, Chautau¬ 
qua co., w. y. 
You are right, unless the soil is a very 
stiff clay, and the manure is coarse, and the 
mechanical effect upon the soil is of more 
importance than the manurial. 
ECONOMICAL NOTES, 
Stock on n 160 Acre PriUrfe Farm. 
A correspondent of the Rural New- 
Yobker, at Mishawaka, Ind., asks “how 
many head of cattle can be kept upon 160 
acres of prairie land ?” It will depend upon 
the mode of culture and manner in which 
the stock Is fed. 2. “How much would it 
cost to stock it?” That would depend upon 
the kind of stock purchased. 3. “ Do you 
think it would pay a young man to run a 
farm of that kind, the land being within two 
miles of the railroad station, and within 
eighty miles of Chicago?” Yes, if he knew ‘ 
hoio\ no, if be did not. And we don't be¬ 
lieve the young man who asks such ques¬ 
tions as the foregoing, of a newspaper, with 
no other detailed specifications, can do it, 
until he learns more than he seems to know. 
Superphosphates. 
A Subscriber, Ionln, Mich., asks if any 
readers of the Rural New-Yorker have 
Imd experience with Baugh’s raw bone su¬ 
perphosphate of lime; if so, is it, favorable 
or otherwise? We should be glad to pub¬ 
lish testimony from disinterested parties 
concerning these commercial manures; but 
our advice is that farmers make and use all 
the barn-yard manure they can, and they 
will not need to buy phosphates of any sort. 
There is a great deal of humbug in these 
fertilizers. 
A l’ump for a Forty Feet Well. 
J. T. Crawford writes the Rural New- 
It orker that he has a well fifty feet deep, 
and wishes to “procure a pump that will 
bring the water out.” Asks what kind of a 
pump is best. There are many good pumps 
that will do it. Some double-action pump 
is necessary. Correspond with any pump 
manufacturer near you. Through the hard¬ 
ware or implement dealers in your neighbor¬ 
hood you can learn who best to apply to. 
How to Thresh Beans. 
G. A. A., Holley, Orleans Co., N. Y., 
writes that he has tried threshing beans 
with a machine, flail, and by treading them 
out with horses on a barn floor, and thinks 
the latter mode preferable, since by it two 
men and a span of horses will thresh forty 
to sixty bushels per day. 
The average yield of wool for the above 
skins would lie 2% pounds each skin, or for 
the 150,412 dozen 4,061,124 pounds. 
If the quantity of wool yielded had come 
in the fleece, the Government would have 
received $955,176.34, or $659,077.60 more 
than when imported on the skin at. 30 per 
cent, duty, The same kind and cost wool 
imported in the fleece, would pay duty equal 
to 23 62-100 cents per pound. 
raps 
FIELD NOTES. 
Norway Outs lu Iowa. 
J. Peters, Van Bureu, Iowa, writes, in 
response to the article from D. W. Rams- 
dell & Co., in Rural New-Yorker, Feb. 
“ - — — ^ iV.Vli Alii W * A VltarjiV, JL LU. 
There were imported from Europe into 25, page 122, that in his own township alone 
am VavL I ^ _1 <1. . .. . . .. . 
New York in 1870,1,533,988 pounds unwash¬ 
ed Buenos Ayres sheep skins, costing say 11c. 
per lb,, number of skins not given on in¬ 
voices; 371,353 pound# washed Buenos Ayres 
sheep skins, costing say 20c. per lb., number 
of skins not given on invoices; 862,939 
pounds unleashed Cape sheep skins, costing 
say 1 le, per lb., number of skins not given on 
invoices. 
These skins will average about lbs., 
there are more than 3,000 bushels of so-called 
Norway Oats, produced from seed sold the 
farmers by Ramsdei.l & Co. Two brothers 
in an adjoining township have 1,500 bushels, 
and many farmers from 300 to 300 bushels. 
Mr. Peters also furnishes us a list of names 
of men who have bought oats of the agents 
of Ramsdell & Co., giveu their notes there¬ 
for, payable in December, with 10 per cent, 
interest per annum ; the agent (Anderson) 
« /as -1 -***"• * -WWW ....... | yil XX l J IVOVlii f 
each, and yield say 3 lbs., of wool each. The sold them to a third party in Muquoketa, 
Government receives duty for these skins 
$28,476.96, or 3 80-100 cts. per lb. Say 15,- 
980 dozen will yield 575,280 lbs. This quan¬ 
tity of wool imported in the fleece would pay 
the Government $64,488.88. 
This kind and cost wool imported in the 
fleece would pay duty equal to 11 21-100 
cts., per lb. 
There were imported from Europe into 
New York, in 1870, 57,674 pounds unwashed 
Australian sheep skins, costing say 13c. per 
lb. Number of skins not given on invoices. 
These skins will average about 5% lbs. 
each, and yield say 4 lbs. of wool each. The 
Government received duties for these skins, 
$2,999 04, or 5 20-100 cts. per lb. Bay 874 
doz. will yield 41,952 lbs. This quantity of 
wool, (41,952 lbs.,) imported in the fleece, 
would pay the Government $5,340.47. 
This kind and cost wool, imported in the 
fleece, would pay duty equal to 11 43-100 
cts. per lb., and 10 per cent, additional, This 
10 per cent, additional is a discriminating 
duty, assessed on all products grown in a 
country east of the Cape of Good Hope, and 
shipped from a country west of the Cape. 
These, being Australian skins and purchased 
in England, were liablo to the 10 per cent, 
additional duty. If coming direct from Aus¬ 
tralia here, the duty would be 11 43-100c. 
per lb. 
Recapitulation. 
Pounds. 
Unwashed Merino, Buenos Ayres.1MM.404 
w “>i ? d « ;; 
Unwashed •* Cape.few! 
Australian. 57,674 
, . 23,4111,083 
6,540,077 lbs. washed. 
16,870,005 lbs. unwashed. 
--»-*■» ■ 
FOREIGN IMPORTS OF WOOL 
PREPARED BV JAMES LYNCII. 
imsmsipffs 
9 -EL X 3 
3 3£'35 2 - • 72 = 
■>«: 
.a ■ ' y O *1 
:::::::::: S: 9 
• *.. • • LJ . • 1 “ 
wlio presented them on maturity and col¬ 
lected the money for the same; but the 
farmers still have the product of that seed 
on hand. These oats were bought, Mr. 
Peters avers, of Ramsdell & Co.’s agent, 
as Norway Oats. 
Here this subject must drop, so far as our 
columns are concerned. 
SuiiTord Corn, 
N. Hubbard, Ashtabula Co., O., writes 
us he has grown the corn two years. The 
past season lie planted it May 16; cut it 
Sept. 15; cribbed it Oct.; product,one hun¬ 
dred and fifty bushels of ears per acre, and 
he adds, “ this result could have been in¬ 
creased with better treatment. An English 
farmer who raised this crop (on shares) had 
a piece planted to ‘gourd seed’ on a lighter 
and warmer soil, which, up to cutting time, 
he had Insisted would give the largest yield ; 
but holding up a stalk of the Sanford with 
four full cars upon it, he exclaimed ‘ This 
beats me; l was wrong in treating it so 
meanly.’ This is the testimony of a well 
known, reliable man living near me. An¬ 
other farmer having a ' ridge farm,’ about 
three miles distant, planted both Sanford 
and Gourd Seed on like soil and with like 
culture, and states that Hie product of the 
former was fully one-third more per acre, 
although the time of ripening was the same 
with both kinds, which he attributes to the 
Unusual fuvorableness of the season for ri¬ 
pening the gourd seed. It is said that the 
expectations of a few who planted the San¬ 
ford were not realized, and cases coming 
under my notice satisfied me that the fault 
was not lu the variety; any sort with the 
same culture and circumstances would have 
been unsatisfactory. After two yearn’ trial, 
I have gained the opinion that, in ordinary 
corn seasons, the Sanford will come up to 
the standard claimed for it, even hero in 
Northern Ohio; at any rate, I do not know 
of any other variety grown here that has 
produced one hundred bushels per acre the 
past season.” 
Iptep |}uslmnfrrr). 
SHEEP SKINS 
Imported into New York in 1870. 
uuwm 
m i § m ggsss sss&t 
APPLYING MANURE. 
There is one question that 1 would like 
to have you decide for me:—When and how 
to apply manure to land ? I am in a dairy 
coiflltry and the way most farmers apply it 
is to chan it out in the latter part of winter, 
or early spring, and spread on grass stubble 
and then plow it under from four to eight 
inches deep, according to their belief in 
shallow or deep plowing. The laud is 
sowed lo oats or planted to corn or potatoes. 
Aow, my theory is that when it rains it 
carries the strength down with it, so they 
lose from one-fourth to one-half of all the 
There were imported into the port of 
New York from Buenos Ayres, in the year 
1870, paying80 per cent, ad valorem duty: 
192,076 dozen Unwashed A/mno sheep skins, 
weighing 14,424,404 lbs., averaging 75 lbs. 
per dozen, or 6)£ lbs. each skin, at a cost, in 
Buenos Ayres, including all charges and 
commissions, say 8c. per lb., gold, which at 
30 per cent, duty, and 10 per cent, extra for 
freight, insurance, &c., would be 40 per cent, 
on 8c. per lb., making cost to land in New 
York, 11 20 100c. per lb. The Government 
received duties for the above skins, $346,- 
185.69, or 2 40-l00e. per lb. 
The average yield of wool of the above 
skins would be 4% lbs. each skin, or for the 
192,076 dozen, 10,948,332 lbs. If the quantity 
of wool yielded had come in the fleece, the 
Government would have received $1,191,- 
178.51, or $844,993.82 more than when im¬ 
ported on the skin at 30 per cent. duty. 
The same kind and cost wool imported 
in the fleece would pay duty equal to 10 88- 
100c. per lb. 
There were imported into New York from 
Buenos Ayres, in 1870,150,412 dozen washed 
Merino sheep skins, weighing 6,168,724 
pounds, averaging 41 pounds per dozen, or 
say 3}^ pounds per skin, at a cost in Buenos 
Ayres, including all charges and com mis- 
i siohs, say 16c. per pound, gold, which, at, 30 
per cent, duty and 10 per cent, extra for 
freight, insurance, Ac,, would he40 percent, 
on 16c., making cost to land in New York 
22 40-100 cents per lb., gold, The Govern¬ 
ment received duties for the above skins 
$396,098.74, or 4 80-100 cents per pound. 
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Slock of Wool ill New York, prepared by 
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H0VEN OR BLOAT. 
Allow me to add my testimony in favor 
of remedies for hoven or bloat, in cattle, con¬ 
tained in Rural New-Yorker of July 31st 
1869. In August last. I had a fine Durham 
four-year-old cow, bloated very badly, 1 
applied the remedy as given on page 486, 
which is a round billet of wood placed in 
the mouth of the animal; it was a perfect 
success, the cow was entirely well in half an 
hour. 
This day, Feb. 13lli, I had a Durham calf 
taken in the same way; it was very bad 
when noticed—so bad I thought him past 
cure. 1 turned my attention to my friend 
the Rural New-Yorker for advice and in 
the same number (No. 31,) at page 489 I was 
informed by one .John Hodges of Rockdale, 
Crawford Co., Fa., that half a pint of salt 
covered in water, laid on the back of the 
animal, over the kidneys, thoroughly impreg¬ 
nating the skin with the brine, would cure. 
I tried it and in three minutes the animal 
was relieved; and in twenty minutes was 
well to all appearance and chewing its cud. 
These two simple remedies pay me for 
subscription to the Rural New-Yorker 
to the amount of $100, at least. The animals 
would have died before I could have got a 
doctor to them, I have no doubt. 
This is my third year at farming, and I 
find your paper of great benefit to me in pro¬ 
ducing crops, and also in the management of 
my stock.—P. L. Wescott, Chenango Co., 
iV. Y., 1871. 
-»♦ » 
HOLLOW HORN. 
If the horns of animals are cold in the 
morning, you may expect they have the 
horn ail. If the eyes look dull and heavy, 
and matter gathers in the eye, and the nose 
is dry and does rot sweat, it is another evi¬ 
dence of horn ail.* If the hair is dry and | 
tands out straight, and the droppings are 
dry and hard, it is a third indication. 
Take a common teacup half full of good 
strong vinegar, put in a tablespoonful each 
of fine salt and black pepper, ground fine, 
and let it soak. In tho morning put a table¬ 
spoonful in each ear of the animal affected ; 
the next morning repeat the dose. If the 
case is not a bad one, two applications will 
generally effect a cure. As soon as the 
natural warmth returns to the horns, then 
the cure is effected. 
1 would recommend not to bore the horns 
nor cut them off till the above remedy has 
been tried. 
In applying the medicine, it will be neces¬ 
sary for ouc person to hold the head and 
another to apply the medicine. Be sure to 
hold the ear up, so that the liquid will run 
into the head. I have not known a creature 
to die with the horn ail that has been treated 
with this, for thirty years. 
Iioso, N. Y. Er.izmi Flint. 
Scientific anti (fistful. 
erbsinan. 
STEAM FOR FARMERS’ HOUSES. 
As steam is successfully used for warming 
buildings, driving machinery and cooking, 
why might, not a six, eight or ten-horse en¬ 
gine he used profitably by farmers for those 
purposes, and thereby do away with stoves, 
with the dirt they incur, tho expense of pipes 
and chimneys, and the danger they cause 
from fires? Rooms warmed by steam are 
easily kept at a steady temperature, while if 
boiling, roasting and baking can be clone, 
certainly at little risk of burning, there would 
he a decided advantage. A smaller engine 
would answer, unless it was lo he used lor 
threshing, <&c. What say you, editors and 
farmers ?—E. E. S., Churchmlte, N. V 
The use of steam, under these circum¬ 
stances, involves the expense of fire chim¬ 
ney, pipes for heating, &c. Unless consid¬ 
erable power is required in a farmer’s house, 
and the machinery to utilize it is provided, 
the economy of an engine, of the power 
named, is doubted. A boiler, without any 
engine, may supply tho needed heat. How 
economically, comparatively, will depend 
upon the size of Hie house to he heated, and 
the use made of the steam in cooking, etc. 
- 44 ^ - 
TO MEASURE THE WIND’S VELOCITY. 
Daniel Slovkr writes the Rural New- 
Yorker “ Cannot you or some of your 
readers tell me how to make some simple 
contrivance for measuring the velocity of the 
wind ?—so as to tell how many miles it 
moves in an hour?” 
There are several kinds of anemometers, 
or instruments for measuring the velocity 
and force of the wind, and they are generally 
made self-recording. Most, of them consist 
of a windmill, connected with clock-work 
gearing which registers the number of revolu¬ 
tions, or records the motion on a slip of 
paper. Of this kind are Robinson’s, Whe- 
well’s, and ot hers. Oslees’ anemometer is 
on a different, principle and is made to record 
both the direction and velocity. It consists 
of a flat plate, attached to a vane so as to 
always bo perpendicular to the direction of 
die wind, which is pressed back upon a 
spiral spring by the wind ; the force of which 
is recorded by means of clock-work on a 
cylinder below. Still other kinds record the 
force of the wind by the displacement of a 
column of water in a tube. 
Most of these instruments, as made by the 
regular instrument makers, are somewhat 
expensive; hut more or less elaborate mod* 
ficalions of some of these plans can be made 
by any ingenious workman, and an approxi¬ 
mate or even tolerably accurate scale ran 
be easily constructed. With observation 
and practice even much simpler means may 
he made to serve the purpose. A simple lly 
or pendant, such as is used on board vessels, 
of bunting or some other light material, 
made In the form of a long, tapering bag or 
funnel, the end kept open by a hoop and at¬ 
tached to a slender slick ; t.he whole raised 
by halyards to the top of a flagstaff, will 
often serve to indicate the approximate 
force by the inclination of the stick. 
- *-*■■* - 
A Foretaste of Ilie Millenium. 
The grand results yet to be achieved by 
the activities of the human intellect are be¬ 
yond the comprehension of the present gen¬ 
eration of man. Much luu been accom¬ 
plished already, but more remains behind. 
Among the latest achievements of science 
and ingenuity is the invention of a process 
by which castor oil is made palatable, and 
may he eaten on bread like so much honey. 
It. is confined, we are told, with a “concrete 
or buteiacious fat” in such a way that its 
taste is agreeable to old and young, and all 
its curative properties are retained. This is 
grand news for tile children, and we trust 
that it will lead to the founding of a new 
school of medicine, all whose drugs and 
curatives shad he of the same agreeable and 
efficacious character. 
rJKs^ 
