42 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JAN. 4S 
I 
dj-ippa. 
HOOT CROPS IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
The Massachusetts State Board of Agri¬ 
culture at its recent meeting discussed i oot 
crops and we find the discussion reported in 
the New England Farmer aa follows: 
Mr. O. B. Hadwin believes that success in 
stock raising depends upon a thorough knowl¬ 
edge of the needs of stock. Keeping stock 
is said to be the basis of successful agricul¬ 
ture. If this is a fact, the growing of roots is 
good economy. If the cultivation of roots is 
undertaken, one should know which kinds 
will pay best. He grows mangolds, Swedes 
and carrots quite extensively. Of the form¬ 
er, he finds the Golden Tankard very promis¬ 
ing. He would select a sandy loam for this 
root, and it should be preceded by some 
hoed crop the previous year. He would US3 
the swivel plow and leave the land as level 
as possible, then apply a heavy coat of stable 
manure, after which plow again, following 
this with the cultivator and roller, till the 
lumps are all crushed and the seed bed fine 
and light. The seed may be soaked thirty- 
six hours in water quite hot at the staid. 
Plant with a sued sower twenty-two inches 
apart in perfectly straight rows. The first 
hoeing is done with a small hand cultivator. 
The best time to hoe all root crops is before 
the weeds coma forth. The thinning is done 
when the sixth leaf makes its appearance. 
If left too long, those remaining will lop 
over, requiring several days to recover. The 
cultivation should be continued till the 
leaves cover the ground, which will bo 
about the tenth of July. In October he com¬ 
mences to strip the leaves for feeding Btock. 
This operation utilizes a largo amount of 
valuable fodder, and gives tlic crownB of thy 
roots time to dry, ripen and heal over sound. 
They keep a great deal better after tiiis 
treatment, than if the tops are cut with a 
knife at the time of harvesting. Beets grown 
in this way, will keep nearly the year round. 
The yield is often enormous, reaching as high 
as seventy tons per acre in England. Albert 
Fearing has reported sixty tons on his own 
farm at Ilingham. With good care, forty to 
fifty tons may be expected on good land in 
fair seasons. 
The cultivation of carrots is worthy of the 
consideration of farmers engaged in the pro¬ 
duction of milk and butter, a». they inorouso 
the flow of the former and the flavor of the 
latter. For these he would also plow early 
and manure well, but would give the weeds 
time to sprout and bo destroyed by after-cul¬ 
tivation, before sowing the seed. Carrot 
seed should be soaked twenty-four hours, 
and sowed with a seed sower at the rate of 
two pounds of seed per acre. Avoid sowing 
more seed than is necessary, as the labor of 
thinning is thereby greatly increased. From 
early May to the tenth of Juno hoeing the 
ground and not the weeds, should be the 
motto. A crop of flat turnips may be grown 
between the rows of carrots late in summer 
without injury to the carrots. The turnip 
seed should bn drilled in the last week in 
July. Ho prefers carrots which are short 
and thick, rather than those which are ex¬ 
cessively long, as they are easier to harvest, 
and weigh more to tho bushel. Carrots 
should be harvested late in October or early 
in November. Cut the tops off with Bharp 
hoes, and feed to horses and cattle. Then 
run a plow close to the rows, after which 
tho d&rrots may be pulled by hand and 
thrown in piles to dry. Carrots mixed with 
mangolds make a good feed for horses, once 
a day. All roots must be stored with due 
regard for Ventilating in cellars. Rutabaga 
turnips are, on the whole, the cheapest roots 
to raise. They can be put in, cared for and 
harvested, while Other work is not pressing. 
From twenty, to thirty seven Lons may be 
grown per acre. They should be harvested 
before hard freezing, and stored inwell-ven 
tilated cellars. Flat turnips euu be grown 
for less cost than any other root, but their 
value is also less. They often come in well 
as a second crop, after peas and early poto- 
t oes, or they may bo sown on inverted sward 
land after haying, if the land is rich, mellow 
and moist. They often come in as a last 
chance for a crop on land whore other crops 
have failed of success. They are worthy of 
more attention than they receive. 
One gentleman from Rhode Island, Mr. 
Hawkins, reported fifty-two tons of man¬ 
golds to the acre, grown on Seek onk Plains. 
In reply to a question, Mr. Hadwin stated 
that i no ill effects had ever been noticed 
among his cattle from feeding mangold tops 
in moderate quantities, and in connection 
with some dry hay. The discussion here 
took a wide range, including the effect of 
turnips and cabbage on the flavor of milk 
and butter. 
Mr. Arnold, on being appealed to, stated 
that cabbages and turnips would do less 
mischief in the dairy, if fed just after milk- 
ing, as much of the flavor would pass out of 
the system before the next milking. 
Mr. Dillon of the College farm, favored 
Mr. Hadwin’h views on this subject, and 
was not afraid to feed turnips and cabbages 
freely, although his wife detected the turnip 
flavor in the milk from his cows, on the very 
day the first load of turnip leaves were 
drawn to the barm One point, however, 
should bo mentioned in this connection, 
which is, that the cows ate no turnips or 
tops till nearly two weeks after the taste 
was discovered in the milk, and Unit when 
they did feed on them, he heard no com¬ 
plaint whatever of the quality of the milk. 
Mr. Ellsworth had raised ami fed large 
quantities of turnips, tops and till, to his cows 
and although he makes butter winch stands 
high in market, he had never heard any 
complaint about a turnip taste in his butter. 
He feeds just after milking. 
Mr. Dillon cautioned those feeding tur¬ 
nips, agaiut. feeding even a single leaf in the 
afternoon, before milking, as this would do 
more harm than a whole feeding just after 
milking, 
Mr. Arnold explained the reason for so 
many opinions on this question. It is be¬ 
cause tastes differ so much iu different peo¬ 
ple. A sample of milk that one person 
would pronounce sound and pure, would be 
very offensive to another. Ilia own taste 
had been educated, as regards flavor in dairy 
products, and it was very sensitive.' 
Dr. Lori no Closed the discussion, after a 
few remarks f a voile g the use of turnips for 
homes, that are not Beverly worked. Grain 
he finds cheaper than roots, but a few are 
valuable as promoting the health of animals. 
His perfect horse, “Jim,” advertised in tho 
book which jhe and Mr. Murray had pro¬ 
duced, had been kept on turnips every 
winter, without any grain, and he believed 
he was Jthe best horse in the State. Was 
good [for a ten mile drive and back, at a 
lively pace, and that on turnips and hay. 
- ++-* - 
FORAGE GRA8BE8 IN TEXAS. 
A wrttkr located in Austin Co., Texas, 
says 1 have been in search of an article of 
green winter forage for horses and cattle, 
and have mode experiments with several 
grosses. Orchard-grass grows finely on 
uplands, both iu tho Bhade and open fields, 
so also does red-clover. Italian-rye grass 
makes a line winter and spring pasture, and 
is bettor adapted to the climate than the 
orchard or perennial rye-grass, but it re¬ 
quires u rich, moist soil. Being a biennial it 
also requires re seeding, or it will run out. All 
the above grasses succumb to a severe Texas 
drouth. 
1 have been more successful with a glass 
which 1 suppose to be indigenous to this 
latitude. It was brought from Louisiana to 
Texas, during the late war, by the confed¬ 
erate cavalry, and is now spreading over the 
country from the old camps of those troops. 
1 know it only by the name of “ Louisiana 
grass.” Tt is often disseminated by the 
droppings of animals. It takes hold slowly, 
but vigorously. When the seed is sown 
makes but little show till tho second year, at 
which time it forms a complete turf, talc- ' 
ing the sway over weeds and other grasses. 
So far as I have observed, horses, r ow? and 
sheep are very fond of grazing on it, and it 
makes an excellent hay, being about as 
rich in Reed as timothy. Tt stands the close 
grazing of sheep equally with our excellent 
Bermuda-grasR. It j« not affected by sum¬ 
mer heat and drouth, and bears tlio season’s 
tillago. Two horses or mules turn it under 
with case. It is not a winter grass, though 
but little affected by frost, putting up green 
in favorable weather all winter. It makes 
good grazing early hi t he spring an I goes to 
seed in August. From the progress it is 
now making it is destined, at no distant 
day, to take our Texas prairies, and make a 
stock range equal to, if not better than, what 
tho country had in a state of nature. 
For green winter forage in this part of 
Texas, where there is but little frost, many 
persons sow wheat, barley or rye. These are 
all very good, and keep horses and milch 
cows iu line plight. But for this purpose 
the winter oat or what is here called the 
“ red rust-proof oat,” is gaining the prefer 
enco.^ I have seen it, planted in October and 
November, grazed till the 1st of March, 
when the out range becomes good, and then 
yields from 110 to 40 bushles to the acre. 
Stock appear to relish it better ithan other 
small grain. It ripens and is harvested in 
this latitude the 1st of June, The grain is 
of a reddish color, weighing generally 32 
pounds to the measured bushel, has a bright, 
stiff straw, soldom falling from wind or 
storm. It withstands rust almost effectually. 
orscntait. 
FIELD NOTES. 
CURRYING, COMEING AND BRUSHING. 
Big Crops.—It is a good thing to raise 
large crops provided it pays. The question 
is not whether the farmer grew an extra 
good crop of potatoes, com, wheat, oats, 
&e., per acre, but whether he excelled in net 
profits. Where auy one has made a crop 
profitable, give us the figures I We don’t 
care if you grew 8500 worth of corn to the 
acre if it cost you |G(J0 to produce it; but if 
your profit on the crop was double, or one- 
third larger tlian your neighbors realized, we 
shall be glad to know how you did it; so will 
other people. 
Big Pumpkin in Washington Territory .— 
The Department of Agriculture sent some 
pumpkin seed to a fellow in Washington Ter¬ 
ritory and he reports—and the Commissioner 
parades the fact to show how its seed dis¬ 
tribution is beuefitting the country — that 
“One mammoth pumpkin weighed 122 lbs.” 
He ought to have shipped that pumpkin to 
Commissioner Watts who should have the 
opportunity to present it to the Chairman of 
the Congressional Committee on Agriculture I 
®hc 
PIG.FEEDING EXPERIMENT. 
Last spring I bought four pigs on the 13th 
of May ; they wore just four weeks old on 
that day. I began feeding them with new 
milk; feed 14 quarts ; then fed skim milk 
(198 quarts) thickened with com and rye 
meal ; after 1 stopped feeding milk, water 
took its place. This food was continued up 
to the 1st of Sept., after which time they 
were fed new corn slu-Ucd, until they were 
butchered on Dec, 8. The four dressed 947 
lbs. pork. Tho pigs were, 239 days old and 
they averaged 236 lbs. each. They were 
allowed to run in a yard through t.lie summer 
but were shut up to bo fattened. Now I 
want to show you how much they ate and 
what they cost. The account stands thus : 
Dr. —Toll qts. new milk, 84c.; 198 do. of 
skim, #3.94 ; 22% bush, rye, $20.48 ; 58 bush, 
corn, $54.20 ; 411 lbs. ta'.low scrap, $6.61 ; 
sugar, $2.10 ; oats, &c., 90c.: butchering, 83 -, 
cost of pigs, $78—Total. §112.07. Cn—947 
lbs, pork at 10c,, $94.70 ; lard, $2—Total, 
$9(5.70 ; leaving mo about $15 behind, allow¬ 
ing the manuro to pay for taking care of 
them. Grain has been very high this season, 
corn averaging about 90c. per bushel. I 
think the pigs did as well as could lie expect¬ 
ed, making about one pound of dressed pork 
per day for their whole life. I fed them on 
purpose to see what they would cost and 
think the above is nearly accurate ; there 
was a little feed wasted, but not much. 
Westport, Conn, A. S. Nash. 
-♦♦♦ - ■ ■ 
PIG-PEN PAPERS. 
Diarrhea in Young Pigs. —M. D. Mulf'ord, 
M, D., in the American Swine and Poultry 
Journal, says :—“ Many of our swine breed¬ 
ers in the West sustain considerable loss an¬ 
nually by their pigs dying from the effects 
of what is commonly called scours, caused 
by the bad quality of tho sow’s milk. The 
disease is more apt to make its appearance 
when the row has linen fed upon dry corn or 
musty food. It generally attacks them within 
one or two days after their birth and seldom 
after eight or ten days. 1 have never failed 
to cure this disct.se by giving the sow as 
much sulphur of the third decimal tritura¬ 
tion as will stand on a nickel five cent piece, 
once a day. It may be given in a little sweet 
milk or upon a small piece of bread, and 
should be given one hour before feeding. 
The medicine can be procured of any homce- 
opathic physician. I have cured many cases 
with common sulphur, but prefer the above.” 
In-Breeding of Swine .—At a recent meet¬ 
ing of the Mussockusests State Board of Ag¬ 
riculture, Mr. CnEEVER related the expe¬ 
rience of Mr. Levi T. Ballou of Cumber¬ 
land, R. I., in breeding from two Suffolk 
pigs down through a period of ten years, 
raising about 1.100 pigs, and crossing close 
relations in every conceivable manner, broth¬ 
er to Bister, father to daughter, mother to 
sou, uncle to niece, cousin to cousin, and so 
on, and without having, during the whole 
time, a single deformed or imperfect pig. 
Charcoal and Ashes, an Indiana farmer 
says, fed to hogs, are a preventive of hog 
cholera. Whether they are or not, it is 
wholesome for the pig to eat them occa¬ 
sionally. 
There is a deal of absurd talk among 
would-be great horsemen about carrying out 
wbat is good for the horse in regular work 
to the animals being raised during coJthood 
and to idle horses and brood mares. There 
was never anything more ridiculous than the 
trash written about curry-combing being of 
more consequence than good food; for if 
young and breeding stock are treated well, 
they arc far better not to be touched in the 
way of grooming. The same with cuttle 
generally. Cows, if properly cared for 
otherwise, want no unnatural cleaning, and 
everybody who knows anything about beef 
cattle and stock raising on an extensive 
scale, is well aware that the ripest and 
highest priced animals often have manure 
plastered on their hindquarters in such a 
thick mass that it would never fall off t il 
the hair was shed. I do not advocate duty 
surroundings, but merely deny there is any 
benefit in grooming young or breeding stock 
generally, and maintain that if sheltered by 
night and allowed to roam about by day, 
then evil iugtead of good arises ; for I never 
knew an instance of lice hurting well-fed 
and healthy young stock when suffered to go 
out and about daily, whereas, in many in¬ 
stances, I have seen colts and calves which 
have been curried and brushed that have 
swarmed with vermin ami the owner lias 
been obliged to dress with poison to get rid 
of them. 
Sand and dust rubbed into a lousy ani¬ 
mal’s coat will by a few applications ciiuab 
them to disappear, for the animal will shake 
itself, and they fly out witli the dust, the 
same as fleas, &c., arc shaken out of a hen’s 
feathers after she has dusted herself in soil 
or ashes. See, too, how horses and mules 
will roll every opportunity and, by turning 
over on their backs, try uli they can to havo 
Some dust on every part of the body, thus 
proving beyond any question that some dust 
Is gratifying to the feelings of the animals. 
Yes 1 let any gentleman have auy or all of 
his nags, draft horse* or mules cleaned to 
look their very best and then turn them out 
of doors without halter or aught, upon them, 
and if every one of them does not lie down 
and roll in the dustiest place convenient, 1 
would forfeit my reputation as a judge of 
what is good for live htock. 
A Working Farmer. 
NOTES FOR H0R8EMEN. 
Cribbing Horses .—A correspondent of the 
Scientific American says “I had a three 
year old addicted to the habit. I tried vari¬ 
ous remedies without success, the horse grow¬ 
ing worse nil tho time. Seeing the animal 
always kept his head nearly in a lino with his 
body, I so arranged the stable that ho could 
not get a resting place for his teeth except on 
the manger. This I put on the floor of tho 
stall, and kept him confined fora short time. 
This was done two years ago ; and although 
ho has frequently boon allowed to exercise in 
a lot, I have not seen him indulge in tho 
habit. Others have tried tho experiment 
wit h like results.” 
Callus on a Colt.— David Jones writes ho 
Rural New-Yorker, tLat lie has a valuable 
four-year-old colt, which has “a largo lump 
on tho shoulder which seems like gristle.” 
W ants to la low how to remove it. Last year, 
T. L., Scipioviile, N. Y., recommended tho 
following to remove a callus :—“ To remove 
a lump or callus, swelling, etc., apply once or 
twice, butyr of antimony followed Imme¬ 
diately by sulphuric acid, having first greased 
the parts outside and immediately adjoining 
the bunch to prevent the application from 
extending the sore it makes.” He has re¬ 
moved bunches, tumors, etc., with entire 
success in this munner. 
Disposal of Old and Knock-Kneed Horses 
for Food . We have not exactly reached the 
high state of civilization that has been ob¬ 
tained in France, which utilizes old, broken- 
winded, vicious, roaming homes by fattening 
them for the shambles to be sold ns food for 
the millions of meat enters. But why not ? 
In Paris in one quarter of a year 1,555 horses, 
mules and asses were killed, and consumed 
by the epicures of that beautiful city. Are 
Americans more particular eaters ? Let us 
have horse flesh and mule steaks in our 
markets ! 
Importation of Stallions .—Ten stallions 
arrived a few days ago from Glasgow, Scot¬ 
land. They were sired by such celebrated 
horses us Inverness, Garibaldi, Rantin Rob¬ 
in, Barganmie, Crown Prince and Donald 
Dinnie. 
