A Cheap Silo. —Mr. Jameson informs the 
Vermont Watchman that his silo is 12x12, 
and a good frame of sprnce timber is set into 
a pit about eight feet deep. When he dug 
eight feet of tolerably mellow earth out he 
eame to the top of a bed of clay perfectly 
level, aud that is the floor of the silo. No 
cement, no planks, no boards, but the corn 
fodder fell from the cutter upou the naked 
clay floor, and when, in feediug, he came to 
the floor, the ensilage had kept equally well 
down to the bottom leaf; on the under side 
of the bottom leaf a little earthy brownness 
adhered. Compact earth or clay floor is good 
enough, but he does not know that a sand 
bottom would lie as good. The sides of his 
silo between the studs he filled with dry saw¬ 
dust, between the saw-dust aud ensilage is 
only one thickness of matched boards (tongued 
and grooved I. As a pressure, he had 25 bar¬ 
rels of earth on the cover, 12x12 feet square; 
part of it was in a heap ou the planks; it was 
easily cleaned out. He says his cattle like 
ensilage, and he has wintered a large stock 
and has hay to sell. * 
-»♦«- 
Spare the Forests.— Mr. Meehan remarks 
that the Michigan Farmer presents the follow¬ 
ing excellent bit of of common sense in regard 
to the common newspaper cry of, “Spare the 
Forests:” “Of what use is a forest if you do 
not utilize it' It produces nothing, and pre¬ 
vents anything else from being produced. Cut 
it down and turn it into cash, and in its place 
grow crops that will feed the people and en¬ 
rich the grower. If timber is wanted, grow it 
as you would any other crop, aud when it is 
ready to cut put it in market with as little 
compunction as you would a crop of wheat. 
Let us look at this question in a practical way, 
and do away with such sickly sentimentality ?” 
Moles.— The inventor who discovers a 
method of catching moles that is certain will 
deserve the reward of—a good conscience at 
least. That is tine as a writer in the N. Y. 
Times remarks. The writer goes on to say 
that every inventor fortunately and happily 
does not wish to tax every other man for the 
use of what is perhaps an accidental discovery. 
He does not for one, and he has made a useful 
discovery he thinks. It is how to make a mole 
trap certain in its operation. There arc sev¬ 
eral mole traps and all of them based upon 
the same principle, viz., a sharp {minted fork 
which is forced into the soil by a strong 
spring, or a weight which is let loose by a 
lever that is raised by the mole as it passes 
under it in its burrow, and so lifts the soil aud 
the pan of the lever with it. But the trap is 
set, and set, and is a snare only to the hapless 
owner whose patience is exhausted day after 
day as he sees the moles go olf on their accus¬ 
tomed business, while the trap won’t go off at 
all. The trouble the Times writer thinks, is 
in the pan, which is always too narrow, and 
when the soft soil is raised by the mole it is 
lifted and forced on each side of the pan; hut 
the pan is not raised. He avoids this by put¬ 
ting a piece of slate or tin, as large as cun be 
put between the prongs, on the soil under 
the pan, aud when the mole passes under 
he never fails to lift the pan, and is caught 
every time. He has caught five in his garden 
already aud has not missed one, and caught 47 
last year in less than an acre of ground. With 
this device any trap of the kind is sure, but 
without it not one mole in ten will lie caught. 
And yet this writer does not want a million 
dollars for his invention. The above is well 
enough as far as it goes. The writer has not 
investigated the matter far enough, as we 
shall show in a few weeks. There is a trap that 
will catch ’em every time that has no “pan” 
to be raised. 
BOILED DOWN AND SEASONED. 
It is very true, as the Weekly Press states, 
that fruit culture will rarely be profitable, ex¬ 
cept to those who make it a study and make 
the best use of capital and intelligence. The 
hap-hazard and shiftless sort of growers who 
measure their profits by the number of acres 
they put out, without regard to manure or 
culture, will soon find that it pays but little... 
Director Sturtevant last year received 
12 different kinds of wheat wliicli were 
planted one kernel in a place at one foot inter¬ 
vals. He calls special attention to the fact 
that the “ much-vaunted Black-bearded Cen¬ 
tennial wheat” gave the smallest percentage 
of vegetation, aud the smallest number that 
survived the Winter, and in his last year’s 
trial as a Spring wheat he also met with 
failure. We can add a word as to this “ much- 
vaunted” B-b C. It is that after raising it 
for four years at the Rural Farm on Long 
Island as a Winter wheat, every plant has 
failed during the past season on the New 
Jersey Ex. Grounds of the Rural. If the 
Rural and Director Sturtevant lived in Col¬ 
orado, both might ha ve reason to think that 
THE BUBAL WEW-YOBiEB. 
JUNE 23 
the “ much-vaunted” merits are real as does 
Prof. Blount... 
“Our vast railroad system,” says Ben Perley 
Poore, “by which individuals control millions, 
lias grown up within the past fifty years and 
presents at the present time the great problem 
to bo solved at the ballot box by ttu> Ameri¬ 
can people. The railway kings claim that 
they make Presidents, secure the appointment 
of Judges of the Supreme Court, elect Sena¬ 
tors and Representatives, and control State 
Legislatures. The agricultural, the manufac¬ 
turing, aud the mercantile interests of the 
country demand relief and protection. 
Do not he afraid of overworking a lazy man. 
Get all you can out. of him... 
Pro if. Bunn found a new race of currants 
iu Russia with black and red fruit—decidedly 
sweet—called Ribes Alpina.. 
Mr. Stewart remarks that a “ belief iu 
luck is the worst of all heresies.” Men make 
their own luck. They take risks knowingly, 
taking the chances, and when they fail they 
blame their “ luck”. 
President McCann according to the El¬ 
mira Husbandman, once tried salt aud ashes 
put ou the hills to keep cut-worms from at¬ 
tacking the plants. The salt made the young 
corn yellow and sickly in appearance; it took 
several weeks to get good color again: while 
the application made no difference, so far as 
cut-worms were concerned. 
The Philadelphia Weekly Press which con¬ 
ducts a sprightly agricultural department, de¬ 
votes a paragraph or so to those writers who 
are troubled with what it calls “ Crowphobia.’’ 
It thinks the time employed in trying to ex¬ 
terminate the race of crows might be more 
usefully employed in farm work. There are 
bigger leaks on most farms than that made 
by crows, aud it might he well to see to them 
and give the crow question a rest.. 
The Action of Manures. —From a pam¬ 
phlet entitled “ An Attempt to Explain the 
Action of Manures.” by Sir J. B. Lawes, we 
make a few notes: 
“ It is the duty of an}' one who pursues the 
science of agriculture, to trace the reasons 
why practice has established such and such 
rotations; and why certain manures are used 
for certain crops, and not for others.. 
My own view is that the success attending 
th© use of phosphate becomes more marked, 
the nearer the sowing of the seed is to the 
period when the active above-ground growth 
of the crop commences. 
Rapid growth of wheat above ground is not 
a thing to be desired in the Autumn: and be¬ 
fore it commences in the Spring, the roots of 
the wheat should have spread sufficiently far 
underground to obtain all the phosphate they 
require..... 
It would be a great mistake to suppose that, 
because turnips are often grown without a 
direct supply of nitrogen in manures, they 
are lass dejiendeut upou a supply of this 
substance than corn crops. If any farmer 
feels a doubt upon this point, let him try to 
grow roots for a few years in succession ou 
the sumo laud, using mineral manures alone, 
and removing the produce; a rapid decline iu 
the crop will soon convince him how de¬ 
pendent the turnips are on a liberal supply of 
nitrogen in the soil... 
At Rothamsted, this is the fortieth year in 
succession in which we have grown wheat 
upon the same land. Our experiments have 
established the following facts: The annual 
liberation of nitric acid from soil, together 
with any amount of this substance, or am¬ 
monia, which the plant can obtain from the 
air, is competent, at the end of this long 
period of time, to grow a crop of from 12 bush¬ 
els to 13 bushels per acre. We find that we 
may supply potash, phosphate, or any other 
mauures—provided that they contain no 
nitrogen—but, it ls all iu vain, as we can pro¬ 
duce little or no increase in the crop. 
We thus come to the conclusion that the 
crop stands still for want of more nitric acid. 
Nbw, without any change in the circum¬ 
stances of the case, by means of adding a 
sufficient amount ol' nitrate of soda—or nitrate 
of lime would be equally effective—we can 
grow a crop of from 30 to 40 bushels per acre 
every year.... 
It appears to me that, from what we know 
of the action of salts of ammonia and nitrates, 
we must consider tliat their influence is 
chiefly confined to the crop to which they are 
applied, unless a second crop is grown in the 
same year: and that the increase of the crop, 
and that of the roots underground, may be 
the sum of the value.”. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Illinois, 
Rock Falls, Whitesides Co., June 4.—My 
thermometer only fell to 28° below zero last- 
Winter, but it remained at 10° to 15 u below 
for more than a week at a time, and I think 
it was this continued cold weather that proved 
so destructive in this vicinity. Most of the 
apple trees are either dead or so badly injured 
that it is doubtful if they ever recover. Rear, 
peach, quince ami chestnut trees are in 
the same condition; so are grapes. Cherries 
and blackberries are not killed, hut will bear 
no fruit. Miner’s Prolific is the only variety 
of strawberry which seemed to be winter- 
killed, and none wore covered. I have seen 
no raspberries which I thought were killed by 
the Winter, but the Black caps (except the 
Gregg), and Philadelphia and Reliance were 
so much diseased that they could not stand 
even a mild Winter. Citthbort and Caroline 
seem to be equally hardy with the Turner. 
Taylor is undoubtedly more vigorous and 
hardy than Snyder. Early Harvest Black¬ 
berry is too tender for this latitude, but per¬ 
haps it will bear a covering of corn stalks. 
Yucca. Narcissus, Japau Lilies, Tulips and 
Pansies came out all right without covering; 
also the English Double-flowering Thorn, and 
Hydrangea. But the Althea, the English 
Walnut, the Tulip Tree, Irish and Swedish 
Junipers, all the roses, except, yellow and 
moss, are just able to “get around.” 1 am 
testing a number of seedling strawberries and 
raspberries which have been scattered all over 
my place by the birds. I am sure 1 shall find 
several varieties worth propagating. (You 
may, hut there arc 100 chances to one against 
you. Eds.] I tmve planted a peck of Rural 
Blush potato aud n jieck of Rural Dent corn. 
I have rigged my "Gem of the Garden" to 
work with a horse, using five cultivator teeth 
and the two mold boards at once, and T never 
used a better implement for strawberries, 
peas, corn aud potatoes. 1 wish those who arc 
using any hand cultivator by pushing would 
try reversing the teeth and drawing it. I can 
do much better work and that more easily. 
I have noticed that uiy neighbors who do not 
allow chickens iu their gardens are complain¬ 
ing of the depredations of white grubs in the 
strawberries. I have two hens wit h 22 chick¬ 
ens, five to ten robins, half as many catbirds 
aud thrushes to help in the garden and a 
swarm of blackbirds in the field, and am never 
troubled with grabs or wire-worms, g. w. 
liiillann. 
Sanuborn, Knox Co., June 4.—Wheat in 
this vicinity not more than one-third of a crop 
owing to the Hessian fly; much being plowed 
up. Corn a fair prospect with a large acre¬ 
age on account of wheat land being put to 
corn. Meadows good. Fruits promise fair 
crops, which were not expected as we had un¬ 
precedented crops last year. Pastures good; 
wheat, corn, hogs and cattle our staples, j. h. 
Raiimam. 
Parsons. Labette Co., June 1. — Season 
three weeks late. Some nights are on the 
point of freezing. Peaches are a good crop 
and small fruits also. Grass is rather poor. 
Close pasturing aud burning during Summer 
seem to destroy the prairie grass. It is the 
same in Texas. Wild pastures are fast being 
replaced by weeds. Tame grasses can, will 
and should replace them. I have to speak 
with emphasis on the growing Winter wheat. 
Southeastern Kansas will have to buy all hei 
seed wheat. The stuff on the ground, if cut, 
would not yield two bushels of wheat to the 
acre. Corn is promising and the acreage 
large; the same of oats. A pples w ill l e few 
perhaps owing to slight frosts; vegetables 
good. Land rising; farmers still pretty 
strong; town growing fast—a thrifty, beauti¬ 
ful town of 6,000 people. j. B. 
<i!)c (-Querist 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(Every query must be accompanied by the uame 
and address of the writer to Insure atteutlon.l 
LIGHT OR HEAVY FEED FOR COWS BEFORE 
CALVING? 
E. A. II. Mason, N. II., In the “Querist’ 
Department of Rural of March 81, the ad¬ 
vice is given that grain should not bo fed to 
cows for at least a month Indore calving; 
while Col. F. D. Curtis, in the Rural, of 
April 7, says that for at least a month before 
calving cows should lie fed one to two quarts 
of oil meal, according to the size of the cow, 
once a day with other feed; what does Henry 
Stewart say on this matter. An agricultural 
paper is published mainly to give advice to 
its subscribers iu just such cases us this, why, 
then, after giving one kind of advice itself 
does the Rural publish an article giving just 
the contrary advice? I followed the advice 
of Col. Curtis; but 1 shall not do so again in 
this matter. 
ANSWER BY HENRY STEWART. 
While I dislike to disagree with my friend 
Col. Curtis, yet I must say I think his advice 
is wrong. The way I look at the remark 
made by E. A. IT. is this. Each contributor 
to these columns is responsible for his own 
upiuious given under or over his own name. 
I do not wish the Editor to lie held responsi¬ 
ble for my opinions; but give them as I have 
learned by long experience. And theso are, 
that it is not safe, in a general way, to feed 
any grain food at all to a cow for at least a 
month before she calves, nor for at least four 
days afterward. I have not done so for many 
years, and have not in those years had a siu- 
gle case of garget, or any trouble with the ud¬ 
der, or the cow in other ways, excepting once 
when the cow was otherwise diseased. There 
is a good reason for this abstinence. As soon as 
a cow is dried off, the necessity for grain 
food Ls past. A cow is a grass or hay-feeding 
animal aud not a grain feeder. We feed 
grain food to increase the yield of milk and 
for no other purpose, for milch cows. There¬ 
fore the extra food is not required w hen she is 
dry. Again, a cow about to calve is in a 
critical condition. Her circulation of blood 
is much larger than usual, because all that 
circulates through the calf goes flirt, through 
the dam’s veins. To stimulate the system of 
the cow' by an imneessary excess of food is to 
put her in a dangerous condition, and it is 
a fact that the frequent troubles at calving 
time all occur with high-fed cows or with 
cows that have been fed grain too long. Of 
course, I refer to cows that are well fed as a 
rale and ore always iu good condition, as 
dairy cows usually are. I have seen poor 
cow's that would seem to be much benefited 
and strengthened perhaps by some rich food 
at such a time; but in their case such food 
would be even more dangerous than with 
well fed cows, because an animal not used to 
high feeding is more affected by rich food 
than one accustomed to it. Therefore, as a 
rule, I advocate light feeding for cows, and, 
in fact, for all other animals at this critical 
period, because it is safe: aud “itis better to 
be safe than sorry.” A farmer cannot have a 
better motto than that, pinned into the lining 
of liis coat or bat, to study now and then. 
Some cows may stand it; but the risk is more 
than I personally care to take. 
CONVERTING BONKS INTO A FERTILIZER. 
J. II. (X, Sanford's Corners, N. Y .—Though 
a farmer, I do a great deal of butchering 
through the season, aud accumulate a good 
deal of bones. These I can sell at $10 a ton, 
but 1 think I can use them more profitably as 
a fertilizer; what is the best recipe for prepar¬ 
ing them for this purpose? 
Ans. —In your locality you should be able 
to procure wood ashes, we presume. If so, 
make a pit in the ground: put a few inches of 
ashes—uuleached—iu the bottom and then a 
foot deep of hones; put on ashes and work 
them down among the bones aud leave two or 
three iuches above them, and so go on until the 
pit is filled, and a pile of convenient bight is 
made altove ground; then throw on water 
enough to moisten the whole heap, but no 
more; or it may be better to moisten the 
ashes thoroughly as the heap is made. It will 
help to mix a little fresh air-slaked, lime 
among the ashes. Then cover the heap with 
the earth thrown out, leaving a hole in the 
top to pour in a pailful of w’ater or two 
once a week. A considerable heat will bo got¬ 
ten up which will soften the bones, and after 
two mouths in the heap they will be found 
soft enough to break up easily with the back 
of a shovel or a masher. If any strong odor 
is perceived, u pound of copperas (sulphate of 
iron) should be dissolved in each pailful of wa¬ 
ter added to the heap. This will absorb and 
lix the ammonia. The whole, earth and all 
together, may bo shoveled over and will make 
a complete and most valuable fertilizer, worth 
as much as any superphosphate iu the market. 
STARTING A STOCK FARM. 
A. M. II., Itajp'itle, Aid. I have a farm of 
77 acres—17 acres in wood and 60 cleared, di¬ 
vided into seven fields, 1% mile from the rail¬ 
road station. Laud thin but capable of easy 
improvement. T desire to keep a milk and 
stock farm besides selling grain. I would use 
mill feed aud help out with hay enough to keep 
the stock during Winter. How many cattle 
could I keep on the farm ? What system of 
rotation would be advisable i Would it be 
well to “soil” the cattle? Whut grain will 
pay best? Would this sort of farming pay bet¬ 
ter than keeping sheep, and how many sheep 
could lie kept ? 
Ans — In your district where markets are 
near and good, a mixed kind of farming would 
no doubt lx) better than growiug grain or rear¬ 
ing sheep. By a short rotation with fodder 
crops and using all the straw as feed with pur¬ 
chased mill stud’s, you should keep 12 or 15 
cow's on such u farm By thiuniug out the 
timber and seeding it to Orchard and Blue 
Grasses an excellent pasture may lie provided 
aud the stock increased perhaps to 20 cows by 
good management. A suitable rotation would 
be clover, wheat on the clover stubble, corn. 
