84S 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
SEPT 2® 
down of the lumps gradually covers the 
roots with fresh soil, and thus prevents the 
heaving out of the crop. On the contrary, a 
good growth in the Pall, covering the ground 
with an abundance of foliage, and filling the 
surface soil with a mass of fine, fibrousroots, 
is the most certain means of enabliug the crop 
to endure alternate freezing and thawing, and 
in no other way can these conditions be in¬ 
sured so well as by thoroughly pulverizing the 
surface, and if manure is to be used, working it 
into the surface soil and making it very fine. 
There is no implement that iu the same time 
will do so much to break up the clods and pul¬ 
verize the surface, or that will so effectually 
break up lumps of manure and mix it into the 
upper two or three inches of earth as the 
plank pulverizer, shown at Fig. 410. The de- 
Fig. 410. 
vice is not a new invention by any means; 
but it is so little known that we give an illus¬ 
tration and description of it, so that any one 
handy with saw and square can make it. 
To do this, get three pieces of oak or other 
tough, hard wood scantling 3x4 inches 
and five feet long; from tne front end of each 
sa w off a wedging piece incli thick at the 
front end and running out at TO inches from 
the end. as shown at A. Nail this wedge on 
the back end, as shown at B. Then cut a 
notch one-half inch deep and of the proper 
slant, so as to be two inches from the stick, 12 
inches back from the deepest point of the 
notch, as shown at C. Bore a hole, three- 
quarters of an inch in diameter, in each of the 
two pieces for end pieces, 20 inches from the 
front end, as shown at D. Next procure six 
planks 12 inches vride, two inches thick and 
eight feet long; put these on as shown, com¬ 
mencing at the rear end, letting the plank 
project one inch back of the scantling, and 
lapping each forward plank inch over the 
next one back of it; the one next to the front 
should have its front edge notched to inch 
thick where it comes on the scantling, and 
the front plank, of course, reaches withiu a 
half inch of being flush with the top of the 
scantling. Two clevises are put on, as shown 
at E. E., to which a chain is hitched for draw¬ 
ing. No more effectual pulverizer could be 
made, and it is also a capital tool for covering 
grass or clover seed wben sown, if the soil is 
in proper condition. 
A POST-RAIL AND-W1RE FENCE. 
The advantages claimed for this fence (Fig. 
414) are: First, the posts having 16 inches of 
“worm,” the fence is thereby greatly strength¬ 
ened; second, by nailing the rails on the in¬ 
for the nails to reach through. This work 
can he done any time during the Winter. Use 
the new steel nails, as they cost but little 
more, and are vastly better than the old kind. 
Clark Co., Ind. S', L. piers. 
A HOME-MADE CORN-SHELLER. 
Our friend, J. G. Benson, Coryell Co., 
Texas, writes us: 
“This (Fig. 411) is a cut of the best home¬ 
made corn sbeller I have ever seen, and beats 
anything I have ever beheld for sale for less 
than |5. To make one, take tough, hard wood 
plank lj^xC inches, and 30 inches long; cut a 
slot two inches wide, two-thirds of the length 
of the plank; across the upper part of this 
slot drive eight steel wire staples, and bend 
them dowu a little in the center. The cut 
fully explains the whole matter.” 
Dairy Art.— The Dairymau (Montreal) has 
an essay on Art in the Dairy. The popular 
conception of Art is bounded by an acquaint 
auce with picture galleries. The humdrum 
life iuto which many of our people fall may 
well blunt the higher feelings. The study of 
better methods and hetter stock will tend to 
increase one’s love for order and beauty. The 
majestic, well proportioned bull, or the beauty 
of the well bred cow, will teach an unconscious 
art lessou that cannot be forgotten. Biology 
shows us what grand results can be obtained 
through careful breeding. Man can, by work¬ 
ing out the laws of Nature, win wealth and 
distinction by breeding a bigher race of cat¬ 
tle. For every improvement that he makes, 
the finer and better qualities of his nature will 
be strengthened. There will come to him a 
legacy of beauty and adornment that no deco¬ 
rative skill could improve upon. The modesty 
that comes with improving kuowledge and 
the keeu desire to excel and to do better every 
day, are the best conditions of soil for plant¬ 
ing successfully the seeds of art education in 
farm life. 
Calf Feeding. —At the Munster Dairy 
School (Ireland), experiments were begun 
some months ago to determine, if possible, 
the cheapest mixture for calf feeding. 
Skimmed milk, separated milk, aud various 
other preparations were tried. Up to date, 
the cheapest mixture has been that prepared 
by pouring 24 quarts of boiling water on 
four quarts of bean meal and three quarts of 
Fig. 414. 
side of the posts, the rough ends do not project 
to “snag’' stock; third, though the nailsshould 
get broken, the rails will remain in place; and, 
last, the single strand of barbed wire drawn 
on the outside of the posts, one foot above the 
top rail, secures a rigidness and strength 
that cannot be had in a straight Teuce. 
To build It: Clean off the site, aud grade 
down all abrupt ridges. If the ground be 
uneven, try to have the fence a little nearer a 
level than the surface—at least do not try to 
conform to slight irregularities. With a suffi¬ 
cient number of stakes, six feet long, setoff 
the line of fence; then measure off the post- 
holes (I put mine nine feet apart), setting a 
stake (A. A. A. A.) 10 or 12 inches long at 
every post; see that they are in perfect line; 
drive them down tight, aud leave them until 
the posts are set. A piece of board eight 
inches long.held against the stakes alternately 
on opposite sides,will indicate where the posts 
should be set every time. This is a good plan 
with a struight fence also, as it saves a deal of 
“sighting.” 
To prepare the rails: place two chopping- 
blocks as far apart as the posts are to stand, 
having the upper edges perfectly level; select 
a flat surface on one end of the rail to be 
dressed; place it, face downward, on one of 
these blocks, witb the other end resting outlie 
other; hold it firmly in place, and with a 
foot-adze, level off the opposite end directly 
over the other block, and you will have, as the 
carpenters say, “taken it out of wiud.” In 
this way, any kind or size of split rails may 
be used, provided they be chopped thin enough 
linseed meal, covering up, and after 24 hours, 
boiling for half an hour with 24 additional 
quarts of water. These experiments seem to 
do away with the old idea that a calf must 
have new milk in order to grow. 
Ensilage at Rothamstkd.—I n conclud¬ 
ing his account of the ensilage experiments 
made at Rothamsted, Dr. Lawes says tbat, 
upon the whole, the analytic results clearly 
show that the milk of the mangel fed cows 
throughout contained higher amounts of both 
total solids and butter-fat, than that of the 
silage fed cows. Yet, quite consistently with 
the observation of others on the same point, 
the milk of his silage-fed cows was judged, 
both by color and by taste, to be richer than 
that of the rnaugel fed cows. The milk of the 
silage-fed cows possessed a slight, but not at 
all disagreeable flavor, which may be de¬ 
scribed as hayey, and which could readily be 
detected by some, but not by others. The 
bulter from the milk of the silage fed cows 
was also much yellower than that from the 
mangel fed cows; but there was no perceptible 
distinction between the two as to taste. 
Milking Bueep.— Several English papers 
seriously advise their readers to milk the 
ewes. After the spring lambs are sold, the 
ewes could bemilked with profit for six weeks 
at least. The pnlk of the ewe iB particularly 
rich in caseine aud salts. It contains about 
the same percentage of butter and sugar as 
cow’s milk. Iu Europe it Is used in making 
the high-priced cheese so much enjoyed by 
epicures. The milk yield from a lot of well- 
fed ewes would probably be considerable* 
Whether it would pay to go to the bother of 
obtaining it is a question. It seems to pay in 
Europe, but most farmers in this country 
would be apt to look upon it as rather “small 
business.” As time wears on, however, the 
things tbat look small now will be magnified 
into importance. We shall have to go back 
to many of the stock practices of the old 
Patriarchs before we can boast of a perfect 
agriculture. 
The editor of Our Country Home quotes 
the following from the Rural New-Yorker: 
“A small plot of Diamond Wheat, Wheat of 
Taos, Mouutaiu Rye, etc., etc., was again 
sown last Fall at the Rural Grounds. Not 
one plant survived the Winter. Now remem¬ 
ber this, kind readers, and don’t be cheated by 
the oiler of this splendid looking grain under 
any name whatever.” The editor adds that 
an experiment which be tried with this wheat 
(obtained from J. J. H. Gregory, as Giant 
Spring Rye, and known also as Polish Wheat) 
indicated that it would make a good crop if 
planted in Spriug. 
Cattle Health.— The Western Rural has 
some positive ideas on the treatment of ani¬ 
mal diseases. Most of these diseases can be 
cured in the feeding box before they break 
out. A great deal of the work that veteri¬ 
narians are called upon to perform, is really 
needless. A diseased condition of animal life 
is produced by some violation of Nature’s laws. 
The great study of the people should be not 
how to cure diseases so much as how to pre¬ 
vent them. In the old times, cattle and horses 
seemed to require much less doctoring than at 
present. The single cow of to day that is 
treated almost like one of the family, is hardly 
ever sick. Animal health is easy to maintain, 
if those who handle stock will use judgment 
and care. The farmer’s children are generally 
models of health, yet they get little doctor’s 
care besides what their mother gives them. 
Her remedies are simple, yet they succeed be¬ 
cause they are given in time,and because con¬ 
stant attention is given to the children’s con¬ 
dition. If farmers would doctor their animals 
on this same principle,there would be much less 
disease. There are too many herds of cattle 
iu this country that are pampered into disease. 
They get too much care. Their owners mean 
to give them the best possible treatment, but 
the matters of feeding aud shelter are badly 
overdone. These with the victims of expos 
ure and rough treatment, and those weakened 
by in-breeding, make up a grand army of in. 
valids that yearly increases. Buck Fanshaw 
stopped a riot before it had a cbuuco to break 
out. ilis example is worthy of imitation in 
the stock business. It is well to cure diseases 
before they break out, aud this can only be 
done by careful treatment. 
Liquid Manure. —A writer in the Scottish 
Gazette writes his experience with liquid 
manure. It was conveyed by drains into 
tanks, and afterwards carted, without any 
mixture with water, to the grass lauds. It 
works very much like nitrate of soda. It 
increases the mowing crop greatly. It 
stimulates growth in pasture anil attracts cat¬ 
tle to graze greedily upon the grass whero it 
has been applied. Two parte of a pasture 
were used in an experiment. To one was ap¬ 
plied liquid manure, while the other was 
manured by the droppings of lambs and ewes 
that had been fed on lioseed cake. Cattle 
were turned in, and it was found that they 
preferred the grass grown from the liquid 
manure. Experience has demonstrated iu 
this case that the action of the liquid manure, 
though rapid, is short lived and rather ex¬ 
haustive of fertility iu a meadow from which 
the crop is removed. 
College Expenses. —The Speculum prints 
a list of figures showing the estimated expense 
to be incurred in taking a course at 18 of our 
prominent colleges. The average aunual ex¬ 
penses range from $800 »t Columbia and 
Harvard, to $200 at Kansas and $250 at the 
Michigan Agricultural College. The lowest 
annual expenses range from $600 at Columbia 
to $100 at Kansas and $130 at Michigan. In 
the agricultural colleges, these expenses would 
be cut dowu somewhat by money earned by 
working on the college farms. As most of 
these colleges bold their vacations during the 
Winter, many students are enabled, by teach 
ing school, to pay their full expenses. 
SHORT AND FRESH. 
The “dairy belt" seems to be breaking 
away from its original proportions. From far 
Maultoba comes the report of successful dairy 
operations. Creameries are in operation 
utmost to the Gulf of Mexico. The truth is 
that there Is hardly a spot in the world where 
milk and its products cannot be handled so as 
to bring u fair amount of profit. 
I What proportion of milk or butter is 
spoiled in the cow’s mouth? We lay most of 
the adulteration of milk to the pump, with its 
first cousin—chalk. Oftentimes it is the pump, 
but the cow driuks the water, and the adult¬ 
erating matter goes through her into the milk. 
Consul Mason, of Marseilles, in his report 
on the nature of Asiatic cholera, says that the 
disease is most precise m its choice of victims. 
They geuerally beloug to the following classes 
of persons: Those who live under bad hygienic 
conditions in respect to food aud lodging; 
those who are imprudent as regards euting, 
drinking and exposure; those weakened by 
alcohol ic excesses or cb ronic d igestive troubles. 
Driukingcold water after having eaten raw 
fruit, is a direct challenge to the disease. 
No animal can fight and eat at the same 
time. All crowding at feed time should be 
avoided. The desire to steal food is about the 
only tblDg that will make ordinary cows 
fight. Keep them out of temptation by feed¬ 
ing them separately... 
A farmer “out West" has discovered that 
the hired man will sit down on a barbed wire 
fence. He proposes to break up the habit by 
charging the wires with oleetrieity. There 
will be some tall work done on that farm. 
“A wife can throw out with a spoon faster 
than her husband can throw in with a shovel.” 
Some sour-minded mau wrote the above, aud 
called it smart. He ought to look about him 
a little. There are hundreds of men throwing 
out with the shovel, and then blaming the 
wife because she can’t keep the treasury tilled 
with the spoon. 
The Southern Cultivator thinks base-ball 
players might teach farmers’ societies a les¬ 
son or two. When the hall players want to 
make money and fun, they organize aud push 
their game iuto promiuence. How many 
farmers’ clubs do this?... 
TnK Michigan Farmer says the Ox eye 
Daisy is getting its feet well-planted iu the 
soil of the Wolverine State. It is only through 
the carelessness of farmers that this weed is 
allowed to grow. The farm boys and the 
sheep might keep it down. 
It is not the largest or the finest-looking 
fruit we want for our tables; it is the sort that 
leaves the best taste iu the mouth. 
The men who feed a nation should rule it. 
The Journal of Health deems peaches the 
most delicious and digestible of all fruits. 
Nothing, it says, is more palatable, wholesome 
and medicinal..... 
Raw apples stewed are hetter for consti¬ 
pation than some pills. Lemonade is the best 
drink in fevers. Tomatoes act on tb" liver 
and bowels, and are much more sale and 
pleasant than blue mass.... 
Dr. Hexamer, of the Garden, reminds his 
readers that the winter radishes make an ex¬ 
cellent relish for winter use. Bow at once in 
deep, rich, mellow soil, if you would have 
them crisp and tender. California Marumoth 
White and Rose colored China are good kinds. 
These muy still be planted. Plant the seeds 
deep. 
It would be far better if our farmers would 
eat less bacon and grease at breakfast, and 
more fruity..... 
It is time to plant strawberries unless you 
prefer to wait until Spring. Poor potted 
plants are worthless things. If well potted 
they will give you a crop next seusou . 
The Prairie Farmer has been taking a 
“strawberry vote." Notes of inquiry were sent 
. to six Western States. The vote on the most 
profitable strawberry stood, Crescent, niue; 
Wilson, four. The vote on second best was, 
Wilson, four; Crescent, three; and the others 
scattering. 
Well says the Home Farm, how much to 
be envied is the man who has a home of his 
own that he can beautify and make to his lik¬ 
ing, over the mau who is forever unsettled 
and has no idea of staying anywhere more 
thun a year or so. Where the good home is 
there are to be fouud the good farm aud the 
good citizen.. .. 
Stephen Powers says that a sheep may 
yield the best meat or the worst. Muttou 
partakes more of the flavor of the foo l than 
does pork or beef. The ‘ ‘sheepy” flavor, so 
much disliked by good judges, is imparted by 
bad feeding (or no feeding at all) and by the 
delay in the removal of the viscera. Skin and 
dress the sheep at once. 
Physical superiority—“I eau drink more 
whisky than you can.’’ Moral superiority— 
“I can let more of it alone than you cau.".... 
One of the best ways to loosen a rusted 
screw, says the Patriot, Is to apply heat to the 
head. A red hot iron held at the head of the 
screw will render its withdrawal easy. 
There are too many agricultural cowards 
in the country. They are afraid to give the 
needed help to their fields. They want 
immediate results. They don’t dare to 
plow under a field of clover. They want 
