406 
JUNE 30 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
They are now put into the stable at night, and 
each is fed four quarts of fine wheat mid¬ 
dlings, weighing 1, pound to the quart and 
costing $24 per ton of 2,000 pounds. This 
makes a cast of eight cents and four mills per 
day for each cow. I calculate there is a large 
profit in tills extra fowling. If the cows could 
he returned to a good night pasture, meal feed¬ 
ing would uot be so necessary; but even then 
I have no doubt it would pay well. 
CARE OF TURKEYS. 
A subscriber to the Rural writes that he 
has 30 young turkeys and expects to raise two. 
As this is his average luck, the truth is the 
young turkeys are fed too much. They 
always do best when they run with the old 
ones and get no feed. Then they feed ou in¬ 
sects which they pick off the leaves of plants 
and thus obtain the uatural food. Artificial 
food does not agree with them, hence they 
should be given very little ami allowed to run 
about in the grass and weeds to find their own 
food, care being taken to keep them always 
out of the. wet. A little egg boiled hal’d and 
chopped fine, is the best food for them, and 
they require only a few hits early in the morn¬ 
ing until the dew is off; they will take care of 
themselves the rest of the day, unless it should 
be wet, when they should be confined in a 
clean and roomy coop. They should be ex¬ 
amined carefully and frequently to see if there 
is any ver mi n ou them, for venniu is very de¬ 
structive. When these pests are found the 
turkeys should be greasod a little under the 
wings and on the back of the head, to destroy 
the uuisauee. For the first few days after 
ha telling they should lie confined in a small 
space so that they will be hovered all the time 
as they are very sensitive to cold and easily 
dulled. Keeping them warm and dry seems 
to be more important than extra food. 
THISTLES. 
Thistles may be utilized as a fertilizer and 
at the same time be effectually killed by al¬ 
lowing them to grow during the Summer, and 
then plowing them under when the}’ have ob¬ 
tained their growth. The addition of manure 
to produce a rank growth may be an advan¬ 
tage, as it would make them grow hollow, 
thus helping to destroy them. Land thus fer¬ 
tilized may be sown with wheat or rye, and it 
will produce a good crop and at the same time 
lie freed from the pest. 
HELPING THE GRASS-SEED. 
Grass-seed has been sown so late this year 
on account of the backwardness of the season, 
that the usual Summer drought will lie liable 
to tell upon it. If plaster is so An over a 
seeded field as soon as the grain is removed, 
it will benefit the young seediug very much. 
Two bushels are ample for an acre, and may 
sav* the seediug from drying up, as the plas¬ 
ter attracts moisture and also aids the growth. 
The whole seeding at Kirby Homestead last 
year was treated in this way with most satis¬ 
factory results. 
GRAIN FOOD FOR THE PIGS. 
Rural readers should not forget to put in a 
patch of sweet com to feed the pigs. It is the 
cheapest food that can be produced. Last 
year a hog was actually fattened fit for 
slaughter on sweet corn-stalks alone, which 
demonstrated to me beyond doubt their value 
for pigs. The corn should be planted so thinly 
iu the rows that the stalks will be perfect, 
and if little ears are formed, so much the bet¬ 
ter. It can be cut up and fed in the pens or 
on the ground in the pasture. Feeding may 
begin as soon as the corn is well tasseied out, 
and continue until the frost kills it. By using 
early varieties it can be planted in this lati¬ 
tude any time in June. 
farm Ccoaomij. 
THE DIFFERENT USES OF SALT. 
I remember, when a boy, sitting under the 
shade of a tree with a Dutch hoy and seeing a 
hawk circling high in the air. My companion 
says, “ I will tell you how you can catch that 
hawk—put a little salt on his tail and you can 
catch him,” Aside from its connection with 
food, this was my first lesson in the use of salt. 
My last lessons iu the farmers’ clubs and in the 
agricultural papers have been just as valuable 
and just as practical as this first one. In a 
discussion in our farmers’ club, one member 
states that he lias prevented the rust on his 
wheat by sowing salt which killed the insect 
at the root. Now as the rust is not caused by 
au insect at the root or elsewhere, and nothing 
of the insect kind has anything to do with pro¬ 
ducing it, it is plain this farmer is mistaken. 
We now know the cause of rust, and this 
knowledge upsets the old theories. The Mich¬ 
igan Farmer tells us to prevent the pear blight 
by sowing salt under the trees. Although the 
question still admits of some doubt, the strong 
probability is that the true cause of the pear 
blight is now known, and that this sowing of 
salt would have no effect upon it whatever. 
There seems to he a great demand for infor¬ 
mation as to the value of salt as a fertilizer, 
and ou no subject do we see more of condensed 
nousense than on tin's. Oue class of writers 
say they sow salt ou their grain crops and get 
a larger yield. They give as a reason, that 
the salt teuds to keep the ground moist and 
the crop does not ripen so soon, hut continues 
to grow, and the longer time it has to develop 
itself the greater the yield. Iu the discussion 
in our club it was the opinion of nearly all 
the speakers that the salted crops ripened ear¬ 
lier than those uot salted. Here is observa- 
tion against observation, experience against 
experience. We have men among us who 
have t ried experiments repeatedly and who 
say they never could see that salt made auy 
difference. If salt is a valuable fertilizer the 
people of Central New York are deeply inter¬ 
ested in the fact. Our county has millions of 
bushels to sell, aud the wealth and prosperity 
of this county arc due to a great extent to this 
material, I notice a formula going the roimds 
of the pa pel's for making a kind of manure, 
iu which a definite amount of salt is oue of the 
ingredients. The recipe is au absurdity, uot 
because it recommends this or that iugredieut, 
but for reasons that should bo obvious to any 
thinking man. 
One point here needs an explanation. There 
is every probability that the soil of this county 
eontaius ail the saline matter necessary to 
produce abundant crops. There is also reason 
to believe that in many parts of this country 
this material is deficient, and on such lands 
salt will be found oue’ of the best and cheapest 
manures. There is but one way to ascertain 
where this is needed and how much of it will be 
fouud profitable. This must be done by re¬ 
peated and carefully conducted experiments. 
No analysis of the soil will determine this. 
What is true of salt, is true of other fertilizers. 
There is a part of this county where phos¬ 
phates have been tried without benefit; there 
is another part where they are found very 
profitable. This could never have been ascer¬ 
tained by analysis, for the soil in both sections 
has been analyzed by the highest authority we 
have on this subject, and this analysis shows 
that the soil where the phosphates do the most 
good is that where they are naturally the 
most abundant. No manure cau be made of 
universal application except it contains all the 
elements needed in all sections. Barnyard 
manure can always be used to advantage, be¬ 
cause it contains every element of the growing 
crop. He who has not time aud money to 
throw away must not invest largely iu special 
manures until he proves by careful experiment 
that they are adapted to his soil. I would 
advise farmers everywhere to experiment with 
salt and to learn for themselves whether or 
not it is a benefit. There«is no reasonable 
doubt but in many places a certain investment 
in this, will pay better than iu auy other fer¬ 
tilizer, while on other lands,'perhaps even in 
the same neighborhood, it may not be worth 
the labor of sowing. Remember that one ex¬ 
periment proves nothing. One experiment 
has proved this year that the corn on the small 
end of the ear has produced the best results; 
another has proved that there was no differ¬ 
ence: while the average farmer considers it 
unfit to plant. A. M. Williams. 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
POISONING POTATO BUGS. 
After considerable experience, I believe the 
best way of destroying the potato bug is by 
using Paris-green with water. I use a sprink¬ 
ler holding 12 quarts of water iuto which I 
put a slightly rounded teaspoonful of Paris- 
green, which is enough. The mistake which 
many make is in using too much, which will 
certainly injure the vinesand reduce the crop; 
but by using the above amount there will be 
no danger in applying it to tops two or three 
inches high, or even when smaller, when many 
believe hand-picking to be the only remedy. 
Hand-picking is never resorted to iu this vicin¬ 
ity where potatoes are extensively raised, as it 
is considered a waste of time aud labor, and as 
a worthy Hibernian expressed it " for ivery 
wan ye kill there’ll be ten come to the wake.” 
There is much difference iu the strength of 
the Paris-green sold; but a level teaspoonful of 
the best iu 10 quarts of water will kill the 
pests in two or three days, provided there is 
no rain which will, of course, wash the jaiison 
off. If more is used, it will kill them quicker; 
but may injure the vines. The proper amount 
can be liest determined by trial. More should be 
used in the first wad second canfuls, as it will 
not all dissolve at first. Some of the advan¬ 
tages of the use of water over plaster or other 
dry mixtures, are: 1, it is quicker; one man 
cau dose from three to eight acres per day ac¬ 
cording to the size of the vines; 2, it, is cheaper 
than plaster, which may or may not help the 
crop; 3, it is more easily applied and less 
bother. E. S. Miller. 
PURE WATER SUPPLY FROM CIS¬ 
TERNS WITHOUT TROUBLESOME 
INSIDE FILTERS. 
Increasing droughts and the giving out of 
formerly lasting springs and wells to so great 
an extent during the last year, make it of 
great importance to have a sure supply of 
good water in any emergency. This can ho 
in a great measure obtained by a system which 
has been in use on my place nearly 15 years. 
Houses iu the country have more or loss trees 
near their roofs, whoso leaves, blossoms, 
branches, etc., when allowed to enter the cis¬ 
terns are certainly a great uuisauee and will 
spoil the best of water, l therefore constructed 
a filter (shown at Fig. 358) which works 
like a charm and which is attached to 
the leader on the side of the building, whore 
needed, about two feet from the ground. It 
is made of tin or zinc, painted outside, and for 
a good roof surface its size should be about 10 
inches deep and 20 inches high. In Fig. 358, a 
is a pipe fitting the leader from the roof, b is 
the pipe connecting with the cistern pipe, a; 
c, the first sectiou, has a perforated sheet of 
tin, with holes a quarter of au Inch ruuniug 
slanting to within l}4 iueh of the base of the 
opening, d. The water rushing through a, 
wheu fouled with leaves, etc., turns them out 
automatically through d, aud the water itself 
rims into division o, having a level sheet of 
copper or galvanized wire gauze meshes one- 
third smaller thau those in the tin plate in c. 
Fig. 85(5. 
Then the water flows iu¬ 
to f, through a still finer 
wire gauze into g, enter¬ 
ing through the lower 
pipe, a, of the cistern 
in a condition already 
pretty clean and free 
from undesirable mate¬ 
rial. Two sliding, tight- 
fitting doors are shown 
at h h, Fig. 35N, for con¬ 
venience of cleaning 
from time to time, Dur¬ 
ing the heavy frosts in 
the Winter, as all the 
cisterns are then full, I take the filter into the 
house and replace it by leaders, running the 
water from the house, and close the cistern- 
pipe hole with a large cork. 
Now, about the cisterns, Fig. 35(5-7 of which 
I have three; one near the dwelling, a large one 
near the barn and one smaller one near the 
quarters for the farm hands. A (Fig. 350) 
is 10x8; B, 12x8 aud G, 14x9, are Fig. 
357. A, ' Fig. 350, is on the south 
and B and C, ou the north side of the 
dwelling. The last two are connected with 
the pump in the kitchen, there being a shift¬ 
ing faucet in the cellar to change the water 
to either one or the other. This gives a chance 
to clean oue about every five or six years, 
while the other is kept iu use. Either cistern 
gives a full supply to the house for nearly two 
mouths, even if there has uot been a drop of 
rain. Wheu cleaned, 1 leave them empty for two 
weeks, so as to become sweet and well aired. 
The water flowing iuto the cisterns, A B, 
(Figs. 356, 357), passes into filter, D (Fig. 858), 
through pipe, 0 : f> Fig. 357, is a large flagstone 
on the bottom to receive the first water wheu 
empty, and it also serves as a support for any 
ladder used to enter the cistern; e is the pipe 
leading to the kitchen with an ordinary rose 9 
inches above the bottom, to keep out of reach of 
any sediment. The cover, 
E (Fig. 359), admits air, 
keeps vermin out by the 
wire gauze aud has au an¬ 
ti-freezing purnp for out¬ 
side use, which is ulso used 
for cistern, B (Fig. 357) 
when needed. The plat¬ 
form has a hole, corked, 
to facilitate measuring the 
water inside, without mov¬ 
ing it. 
Cistern, B, Fig. 357, re- 
FlG. 358. eeives the water through 
the filter by pipe, a, running to the cen¬ 
ter of the cistern, so that wheu fresh water 
comes in the cleanest water only passes 
through connection pipe, d, iuto cistern, C 
(Fig. 357), in connection With the kitchen, b, 
is the flagstone, asiu A (Fig. 35(5). The man¬ 
hole is covered by a sieve of quarter-inch 
meshes, and the top sides of the wooden cover 
F (Fig. 359), with wire gauze for ventilation 
and to keep vermin out. 
Fig. 359. Fin. 3(50. 
C (Fig. 357), the largest cistern, gets very 
clean water only, from B (Fig. 357), through d* 
and its depth soon makes its contents nearly 
chemically pure, while the curb (Fig. 3(31) G. 
with bucket aud plenty of protected ventila¬ 
tion, keeps it sweet to the last. Half of the 
^ root works ou hinges aud so 
Or /ex. admits of the handling of 
* the bucket or examination 
of the inside. This cisteru 
—• has no direct communica¬ 
tion with the filter of the 
Fig. 3(51. house, aud we have used it 
alone for over three mouths for all purposes, 
without exhausting the contents. All cisterns 
are make of hard brick laid in the best of ce- 
meut and cemented on the sides, with curb¬ 
stones nearly six inches above the ground, and 
they have been in use 1 m years without one 
cent of expense for repairs. Wm. J. Heines. 
Passaic Co., N. J. 
X 
LOADING HAY. 
There is a “how to do it” iu loading hay 
and pitching it upon the wagon, which nearly 
all understand but few practice. I do uot re¬ 
fer now to the various mechanical contrivan¬ 
ces which are coming into use in some parts of 
the country whereby the services of a' ‘pitcher’ 1 
are dispensed with, but to the old-fashioned, 
hack-aching method that 99 out of every 100 
furmers are perfectly familiar with. Iu our 
experience there are but few hired men (and 
they almost always have tins part of the work 
to do) who know how to pitch ou a forkful of 
hay. They stick the fork into the hay-eoek or 
windrow, wherever it happens, and then waste 
their strength iu tugging at an unwieldly 
weight which is more often delivered on the side 
of the load thau on the top. By a little care taken 
in inserting the fork well over on tlvc opposite 
side of the hay-cock but not too deeply, and 
by taking hold of the stale well down toward 
the fork with one hand and with the other 
grasping it alioiit midway, one can lift the 
weight with less exertion thau by auy sort of 
leverage he can devise. Iu this way the fork- 
fid may lie laid ou the load in an inverted 
position and the fork can then bo easily with¬ 
drawn. This is what the “loader” wants, for 
he then can place it easily on auy part of 
the load. 
The forkful being on the load, it is for the 
loader’s interest to take some pains iu laying 
it since he generally “pitches off.” One-half 
the fretting and tugging could be averted by 
laying each forkful iu order upon the load be- 
giuning, for instance, at the forward ladder 
aud loading around, and binding with small 
forkfuls in the middle to prevent sliding off. 
The farmer’s work is hal'd enough at the best, 
and whenever, by using a little thought, he 
can lighten his burdens no oue can blame him 
for so doing. J. Wallace Darrow. 
- *-•-« - 
Easy Way of Using Paris-Green. 
I have seen many methods for destroying 
the Colorado Beetle recommended by various 
writers; but none so easy in the application, 
or so effectual in results, as a plan I have 
practiced for several yearn. I have a half 
barrel, hung by pins between the bundles of 
the frame of a wheelbarrow to hold water 
doctored with a sufficient amount of Paris- 
green. I then lush firmly in the half barrel ou 
the side next to me as I push the barrow lie- 
fore me, a common “Johnson” pump, such us 
every one who owns buildings, has, or ought 
to have. With this arrangement, if there is 
no wind, I can easily sprinkle three rows of 
potatoes on each side of mo; if windy, only 
two; but in either ease it takes hut a short 
time to go over au acre of ground. Oue trial 
will convince the most skeptical of the value 
of this plan. H. L. E. 
Weubam, Mass. 
Si)* ponllri) JJari). 
RAISING CHICKS. 
For years hack I have hatched numbers of 
chickens, each year putting young chicks, as 
they came out, with one hen until each clutch 
has numbered 18 or 20. I always have had 
