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PRACTICAL FARM SCIENCE. 
BY JAMES A. WHITNEY. 
An Error In Ternm. 
Thos. Taylor, Chairman of the Scientific 
Committee of the Potomac Fruit Growers’ 
Association, should have been more careful 
in his statements reported on page 218, cur¬ 
rent volume of the Rural New-Yorker. 
He speaks of caustic potassium and sodium, 
instead of caustic potash and soda. Potas¬ 
sium is a metal which, in combination with 
oxygen forms potash. Sodium is also a 
metal which, by combining with oxygen 
forms soda; and combined with chlorine, a 
greenish, bad smelling gas, forms common 
salt. Caustic potash and soda do not natu¬ 
rally exist as such in the soil, but dissolved 
ill water combine with carbonic acid to form 
carbonates. Mr. Taylor in his remarks ad¬ 
vocates the use of caustic lime for preparing 
the flesh of animals for manure, which is all 
bosh. 
Glinrconl in Ihe Manure Ilcnp. 
In those cases where charcoal or charcoal 
waste can he cheaply obtained, it is found a 
most, valuable thing for composting with hot 
manures. The lighter and more porous 
charcoals arc the best for this purpose, but 
not for fuel. Charcoal from pine, poplar and 
willow will absorb nearly one hundred times 
its volume of ammonia. 
Ammonia an Gallic Medicine. 
One of Prof. .Johnston’s hooks on chem¬ 
istry has a loot note explaining a use of 
hartshorn, a solution of ammonia in water, 
of much interest to cattle raisers. When 
cattle eat too abundantly of clover or other 
succulent, food, fermentation takes place in 
the stomach and “ bloat” ensues. The fer¬ 
mentation produces carbonic acid gas, which 
is tlie immediate cause of the undue disten¬ 
sion of the stomach. By administering 
hartshorn diluted with water the ammonia 
combines with the acid to form a carbonate 
much reduced in bulk. It. also stops further 
fermentation. It is said to he much heller 
than Jiinc water, sometimes used for the same 
purpose. 
Circulation of Minernl Solution* In Plnutn. 
Plants frequently take up from the soil and 
circulate in their sap a great deal that is 
not assimilated by them. This is the case 
with the rank odors of night soil, hog manure, 
etc., which often taint root crops, tobacco 
and other plants so as to render them unfit 
for use. A more notable example is found 
in sodic compounds. It is found that sugar- 
beets grown on the alkaline laud of Califor¬ 
nia grow large, hut contain an excessive 
quantity of soda in the juice and are unlit, 
for sugar making. A few crops are said to 
remove the alkali from the soil and make it. 
fit for ordinary tillage. The quality of man¬ 
gel-wurzel is also changed when grown on 
land manured with salt, but the crop is much 
increased. English experimenters have 
found that, cabbages on sailed land will take 
up in their circulation so much saline matter 
that the salt will effloresce in white crystals 
on the leaves. From two to five hundred 
pounds of salt is as much as any land will 
bear per acre and this should not all be ap¬ 
plied at mice. 
Solution of Plaut-Fooil in the Soil. 
The necesily of having fertilizing material 
in a soluble form is evident when we con¬ 
sider the extreme minuteness of the little 
passages by which they make their way 
through spongiolc and rootlet into the plant, 
It was calculated by L.VWES, the English 
chemist, that two thousand grains of water 
pass through a plant, in at the roots and out 
through the green parts, for every grain of 
solid or mineral matter deposited. A Ger¬ 
man scientist, Knaf, states that one-half this 
degree of solution, or one part of mineral 
matter in a thousand, is quite as much as 
a plant can bear without, injury, even of 
those substances which in a more diluted 
state nourish the plant. Practically, tie 
requisite solution of fertilizers is best secured 
by their thorough and uniform distribution 
in a deep and finely pulverized soil. 
Aslic* ami lion Manure, 
A correspondent asks if lie shall mix ashes 
with lien manure, for manuring corn in the 
hill. No. If covered with moist earth, the 
escaping ammonia might perhaps be caught 
and utilized ; but it will be better to mix the 
hen droppings with plaster for use in the 
hill, and to apply the ashes on the surface 
when the corn is eight or ten inches high. 
The nitrogeuized manure will be sufficient 
to start the plants, and the potash and silica 
will help it most when the stalk is growing. 
Snlt ami 9oils. 
Salt can he used to advantage on light, 
sandy soils, but not on stiff clays. It is sup¬ 
posed to net mainly as a chemical agent, in 
dissolving silica, which gives strength to the 
straw, by forming the hard, shining, external 
coat. This has been shown by experiments, 
in which the ash of wheat straw gave about 
five per cent, more silica, when grown on 
land manured with salt, than that from straw 
grown on precisely the same soil without 
salt. Four hundred weight per acre was 
applied in installments, at different seasons 
of the year. The relative yield was as seven 
of good to five of inferior grain In favor of 
the field manured With salt. Voklckek’S 
experiments on a calcareous clay loam—a 
clay containing some carbonate of lime— 
showed that salt on such soil produced 
scarcely any gain in the yield of grain, 
while it slightly diminished the weight of 
the straw. Mixed with nitrate of soda, a 
substance containing much nitrogen, it pro¬ 
duced better results than the nitrate alone. 
It may therefore he laid down as a general 
rule that, except on true sand, salt should be 
mixed with tlm nitrate which is imported 
from South America, under the names of 
cubic niter and Chili saltpeter. 
-♦♦♦- 
ECONOMICAL NOTES. 
Applying Muck to Sanity Land. 
S. A. Scott asks the Rural New-York¬ 
er if it will do good to apply muck to sandy 
loam, and if so, in what way he shall prepare 
and apply it. Yes, it will do good. We 
have applied it in the following mannei, 
with excellent results:—Haul otiL the muck 
and spread on the land late in fall or early in 
winter; let the frost act upon it. In spring, 
if it is not completely disintegrated and 
sweet, top dress Lhc land with lime; then 
harrow thoroughly and plow. This is a 
cheap way. A better (though more expen¬ 
sive) way is to haul out your muck and com¬ 
post it with barn-yard and stable manure, 
and such refuse as can he gathered from the 
farm. Lime may be added in small quanti¬ 
ties, to aid decomposition, and will work no 
injury, provided plenty of muck is used. 
Kninitc A New Fertilizer. 
The Journal of Applied Chemistry says: 
“A new fertilizer called kainite has been 
introduced into this country from Germany. 
It is a refuse product from the manufacture 
of salt, at the mines of SlrassfurL, and it is 
said to occur in great quantities. No two 
samples of the commercial article would be 
likely to show the same constituents. One 
specimen was analyzed with the following 
results:—Sulphate of potash, 30; sulphate 
of lime, 20; chloride of magnesium, 5 ; chlo¬ 
ride of sodium, 35; sulphate of lime, 10— 
total, 100.” 
arm Impkmrnts. 
G. WESTINGHOUSE & 00.’S 
Improved Thresherft and Gleaners. 
George Westinghouse of Schenectady, 
N. Y., is a veteran in the manufacture of 
Threshing Machines and I lorse Powers, hav¬ 
ing commenced the business in the year 
1836, and devoted his inventive genius and 
mechanical skill to their perfection ever 
since, for a period of thirty-live years. His 
success in this line of manufacture is well 
attested by the popularity which he has 
achieved, in a life time of integrity mid fail- 
dealing with the agricultural public. And 
yet, with all his successes, Mr. Westing- 
house has t he true spirit of progression, and 
seizes upon new ideas of improvement which 
a long and extensive experience suggests, in 
the form ami working of his machines. 
The gearing of the West inghouse Thresher 
is peculiar in some respects, particularly in 
its attachment to the Horse Power, where 
there is a double adjustable bevel gear to 
which the Lutnbling shall Is attached, so that 
the Power can he located in any desired po¬ 
sition in regal'd to the Thresher, either in 
front or anywhere alongside, as convenience 
or the lay of the land may require; also, by 
the use of an extension rod in the tumb¬ 
ling shaft, the distance off may he varied six 
feet in selling the machine. This extension 
consists of a heavy square bar of wrought 
iron, sliding in a hollow east shaft, which 
can beset at any distance of its entire length. 
Those accustomed to “setting down” ma¬ 
chines, will readily see the advantage of this 
arrangement, as they can put the machine 
in position to work much more quickly and 
at just the place they want it, which they 
cauuoi do with fixed gearing. Another 
feature of this gearing is that lhc weight of 
the tumbling shaft tends to keep the wheels 
in mesh, 1 hereby avoiding the friction and 
wear of collars. This machine lias a very 
large capacity for separating the grain from 
the straw and for cleaning the grain. It has 
a peculiar length wise vibration of the sieves, 
which is much less than ordinarily used, re¬ 
quiring less power and gives six inches more 
width to sieves, than with a side shake. The 
shake and jar attending a different motion 
is avoided, and the other parts of the machine 
haviug a balanced and uniform motion, no 
bracing or blocking i«t necessary to put the 
machine in condition for work. The spikes 
in the cylinder and concave do not. require 
daily tightening of the screws to keep them 
in place, as 1ms been shown by many ma¬ 
chines being run until the spikes were worn 
out without any breaking off or coming 
loose. This machine lias a Belt Straw Car¬ 
rier, -which hikes the straw and grain all 
clean on the slide, without the use of a cloth 
bottom. As a very curious and convenient 
accompaniment, they have an apparatus for 
holding the bug. weighing the grain, and 
keeping tally of ihe amount. 
Of Horse Powers, two principal kinds are 
made—the Lever or Sweep Power, and the 
Endless Chain or Tread Power. The Lever 
Powers are of two kinds; one is a Triple 
Gear or Planetary arrangement, the other is 
a Double Pinion, bevel gear. Both have an 
excellent reputation wherever they have 
been introduced. Their arrangement, lot- 
oiling is such as to require less attention than 
is usually required for lever machines. The 
Swee;vs require no bolting,and can be taken 
off or replaced without, loss of time, and are 
attached the same way in both powers. The 
Double Pinion Power is arranged for two 
motions of Tumbling Shaft, one for Cotton 
Gins and the other for Threshing and other 
usual work. 
The Endless Chain Powers are for two or 
three horses; they are double geared; the 
hands The Continental is bound to succeed. 
Address Brinkerhoff Manufacturing Co., 
Auburn, N. Y. s. d. h. 
4 ♦ »- 
The Swivel Plow. 
P. It. Ingraham asks if either the editor 
or any of the readers of tlie Rural New- 
Yorker have used the swivel plow on level 
land; if so, “is there any advantage in its 
use?” A. well inside and properly shaped 
swivel plow we should think a great con¬ 
venience and a saving of time and muscle 
for both man and beast. We have never 
westing house’s improved thresher and cleaner. 
gearing and hand wheel secured in a simple 
manner and changeable from one side to the 
other. They are made in the most, con¬ 
venient form for moving from place to plac e, 
and have given general satisfaction wher¬ 
ever used. ~ 
Besides these principal machines, Wkbt- 
inohouse «fe Co. manufacture! a Riddle Sep¬ 
arator of less capacity, to he run by a two- 
Iioihc power. Also a very complete Clover 
Duller and Cleaner, which will do the whole 
work of threshing, hulling and cleaning, at 
the same lime. 
The manufactory of G. Westinghouse & 
Co., is a large stone building, located along¬ 
side of the New York Central railroad, in 
the suburbs of the city of Schenectady, w itli 
every facility for the manufacture and ship¬ 
ment of machines, in the most expeditious 
and economical manner. We learned a 
good many thingsofthoscienceof mechanic!} 
in the course of a tour through these works, 
under convoy of ihe veteran proprietor, who 
seems to he as close a student of invention 
as if lie had yet a reputation to make, in his 
favorite vocation. 
-- 
CONTINENTAL WASHING MACHINE. 
Several years ago Mr. Brinkerhoff of 
Auburn, N. Y., invented one. of the best, ro- 
tary churns t7i<)world, and now, to supply 
another demand for a perfect household im¬ 
plement, lie lias gone and invented a Wash¬ 
ing Machine, which he lias named The Con¬ 
tinental. We have seen a great many 
washing machines in our day, and after a 
brief trial, sent them to the barn for making 
hens'nests in, but this Continental is not one 
of that kind. 
The working parts of the Continental, 
which are imperfectly represented in the 
cut below, consist of a large, fluted roller, 
which is turned by a crank, and a fluted 
wash hoard, geared to work against the roll¬ 
er, in the most natural manner possible, so 
that at every turn of the roller the clothes 
get a squeeze and a roll and a rub, which is 
sure to take out the dirt and not to wear or 
tear the fabric. 
Another nice arrangement of The Conti¬ 
nental is that when the pressure comes on 
the turn of the roller, the handle of the 
crank is just on the downward stroke, which 
makes it easy to work. The capacity of 
the wash-box is readily adjusted to take in 
a large or small quantity of clothes, and 
will wash any article from a double bed 
quilt to a baby's apron. It will also wash 
shirt collars and wrist hands ns neatly as 
they can be done by hand. At the great 
trial of Washing "Machines, at Utica, N. Y-, 
under the auspices of the New York State 
Agricultural Society, on the 22d of Septem¬ 
ber, 1870, the Continental won the First 
Premium, and was awarded the Bronze 
Medal. 
Mr. Brinkerhoff is associated in the 
manufacture of this machine with Mr. A. 
H. Goss of Auburn, a gentleman of large 
capital and good business qualities, in whose 
used one, but shall whenever we have oc¬ 
casion to use any, provided we can find one 
easily adjusted, durable, and of as good form 
as a plow ought to be. 
SWEENY. 
In common parlance, a horse is said to be 
sweenied when the muscles of the shoulder 
appear to have perished away, and the skin 
seems to he attached closely to the shoulder 
blade. These symptoms may arise from 
chronic lameness in the foot, or other part, 
of the limb. In such case, of course it is of 
no use to apply remedies to the shoulder. 
Cure the fool, and the shoulder will come 
right, although stimulants and rubbing will 
expedite it. But genuine sweeny, as I un¬ 
derstand it, is quite different from the above, 
although tlie appearances are the same. It 
is caused by hard drawing in a collar that 
is too large ; or where no whiffletree is used, 
hut the traces are hitched directly to the 
thills, as in “ jumpers," as they are called; 
or by jumping fences, or the like. 
Real sweeny may ho discovered by mov¬ 
ing the horse, in a circle, or causing him to 
step over bars, when you can generally de¬ 
termine the. seat of the lameness. For such 
cases irritants, with friction, is the proper 
treatment. Blistering liniment, or seton, or 
a piece of leather inserted under the skin, 
will cure, with rest. The writer once cured 
a horse by blistering, and upon turning him 
out, some time afterward, he jumped a high 
fence, and the operation had to be gone 
through again. 
About Heaves. 
Horses sometimes in spring, from injudi¬ 
cious feeding on dusty or musty hay , present 
symptoms which, to many ordinary observ¬ 
ers, would indicate heaves. Such can gen¬ 
erally he cured by a dose of physic, followed 
by bran mashes and clean, dusted, timothy 
hay, or bright, clean straw. We have also 
evidence to satisfy us that genuine chronic 
heave have been cured in many cases. It is 
well known that horses which, at the East, 
have hud the heaves, have been cured by re¬ 
moval to our Western prairies. This has 
been attributed to feeding upon the rosin 
weed. But whatever the cause may he, the 
fact is undisputed, it is recorded a horse 
was cured bv being turned into a pasture 
where the only source fur water was the bot¬ 
tom of an old lime kiln. 
The writer relieved a favorite horse very 
much, by feeding wild turnip and sumac 
hobs in mashes, and finally cured her per¬ 
fectly with lime-w ater and ginger. A barrel 
of lime-water was placed in the barn, and 
one or two quarts of water were drawn into 
the pail every time she was watered—never 
allowing her to drink more than bail or two- 
thirds of a pail at a time—of course w ater¬ 
ing her frequently. The ginger was given 
a table-spoonful at a time, twice a day, in 
bran mash. Feed, corn and bright wheat 
straw, until a perfect cure was effected ; af¬ 
terwards, as you would feed any horse.—E. 
G. P., Toledo 0. 
--—- 
NOTES FOR HORSEMEN. 
, , , 
Hoof Quarter Cracked. 
I have a horse that has just quarter 
cracked his hoof. Please inform me what to 
do, and if it can be cured, and how long be¬ 
fore the horse can be used. — H. a. F.. 
See that no dirt has worked in under lhc 
hoof; cut away the loose parts of the horn ; 
apply a pledget of tow saturated with sul¬ 
phate. or chloride of zinc, or tincture of 
myrrh, and bandage carefully to keep it in 
place and keep out the dirt. As soon as lhc 
new horn has grown down a lit lie, draw a 
line across the top of the crack with n draw¬ 
ing knife and apply a little tar, or hoof oint¬ 
ment. The animal should not he used until 
well; the length of time required for cure 
we cannot predict. 
Irarg 0f u Emralrsi 
DAILY RURAL LIFE 
From the Diary of a flontlrinan near New 
York City. 
April 10.—Pruned Black-Cap raspberries. 
I commenced pruning them last November, 
and after about one-half the field (two acres) 
had been gone over, I noticed in (lie Farm¬ 
ers’ Club reports, as given in the Rural 
New-Yorker, that Mr. Crane of New Jer¬ 
sey, said that if the canes of raspberries were 
cut back in the fall, they would die down to 
the ground. Of course 1 stopped pruning 
immediately; but upon examination to-day, 
I cannot see that any of the pru"°.cl plants 
are injured in the least, and the leaves are 
coming out rapidly. Perhaps as a rule, it is 
better to defer pruning raspberry plants until 
spring; but mine are not injured, although 
they were severely pruned in the autumn. I 
say severe pruning, because 1 fully believe 
and practice this operation upon all fruit 
bearing plants, and know Hint I obtain as 
many quarts nr bushels by following this 
course, as those who practice the opposite. 
April 11.—Early spring flowers are com¬ 
ing out rapidly. The little mild anemone 
{ThaUdruin anemonoides) is in full bloom, 
also Ihe CnltJia palustris in low, wet grounds. 
This plant is often, hut wrongly called cow¬ 
slip, and is much used for early greens. In 
the garden I find the following herbaceous 
plants are in bloom this morning: Saxifraga 
crassula, S. aordatn, and several species; Oro- 
bus vermes, Coiydalix nobilis, Vinca mi non, 
sometimes called periwinkle or creeping 
myrtle; Paehysandm procumbent, and any 
number of violets, among which the Czar 
stands unrivaled, not only for it-s large double 
flowers, but for delicious perfume. I cannot 
understand why this beautiful plant is so sel¬ 
dom seen in gardens or mentioned in florists’ 
catalogues. 
Among shrubs and small ornamental trees 
the following are in bloom :— Magnolia con- 
spicaa, M. Soulangcana, Andromeda Jlorihun- 
da, Cassandra calyculata ; the t wo last are 
dwarf evergreen shrubs and little gems, ap¬ 
parently little known, although native plants. 
Forsythw.vivid imina and F. snspcnsn are hand¬ 
some early flowering shrubs, provided one 
admires n yellow flower. Shcphcrdia argen- 
tea, (Buffalo Berry,) Amdanchicr Canadensis, 
(June Berry,) Cercis Japonhca and C. Cana¬ 
densis, and last, least, but the most beautiful 
of all, the Trailing Arbutus ( Egiga> repens.) 
April 12—Strawberry plants beginning 
to bloom, Wilson’s Albany showing the first 
blossom. Last year the Nicanor was ahead, 
but the plants were young and more thrifty 
than this, while the Wilson’s now in bloom 
first, are growing in a new bed planted last 
year, which shows that earliuess of bloom 
depends somewhat upon the vigor of the 
plants. One swallow is said not to make it 
spring, neither is an experiment sufficient 
foundation for a general rule in gardening. 
April 13—Quite a hard frost last night, 
hut I can see no injury to vegetation, result¬ 
ing therefrom, this morning. Fruit buds not 
sufficiently advanced lo be injured by a frost, 
although a hard freeze would doubtless de¬ 
stroy them. The prospects are good for an 
abundant crop of fruit, but it will not do to 
count profits thus early in the season, ns we 
may yet have severe frost, and insects may 
destroy all later in the season. We are not 
sure of anything in this world until we get 
it, and then a sharp lookout is required to 
enable us to remain possessors. 
April 14.—Pie-plant leaves large enough to 
pull for use, from open ground, without any 
forcing. Asparagus, shallow planted, is 
above ground, but roots covered six inches 
to one foot deep, will he several days later. 
It is a great pity that those who depend 
upon the markets for their supply of this 
vegetable, cannot be taught to purchase 
nothing but green stem asparagus, and there¬ 
by relieve the grower from the heavy ex¬ 
pense of planting the roots deep, in order to 
out t he stems below the surface, and thus ob¬ 
tain a tough and almost useless article. 
April 15.—Received a quantity ol Early 
Ruse potatoes from Vermont. I shall plant 
them in preference to those grown in this 
vicinity. Having proved to my own satis¬ 
faction, nmnv years since, that a change of 
seed potatoes, at least every alternate year, 
is advisable, and usually very beneficial, I 
practice it without regard lo the season or 
condition of the preceding crop. The po¬ 
tato is a native of a tropical country, where 
the soil seldom freezes, and yet it succeeds 
bet ter in a cool climate than in a warm one, 
and the potato comes to its highest perfec¬ 
tion in localities where the growing season 
does not exceed three months. 
April 16.—April showers are still in order, 
and vegetation seconds every motion of 
wind and water by rapid growth. Who can 
look upon all this unfolding of hud and 
blossom, accompanied by clioric songs of 
birds and insects, without asking himself, 
“ What is life?” For myself, one month in 
the country during Hie jolly days of spring, 
is worth a decade of time in the dry, dusty 
city. The chorus which the robins are 
pouring forth this Sabbath morning is far 
more grand, pure and holy, than anything 
that was ever wafted from the chimes ot 
Trinity. 
