cats don’t multiply very rapidly, but there are 
always plenty to be given away. I find that 
a cat can’t be a pet and a good mouser at the 
same time. A cat kept for business should be 
kept at the barn, fed there and not coaxed 
away by the children. H. s. J. 
Berrien Co., Micb.__ 
A CONVENIENT COTTAGE. 
Thk plans shown at Figs 317-320 (see page 
559) are taken from Building. The cost of the 
cottage is estimated at $2,000. These plans 
can be compared with those published a few 
weeks ago. Both are convenient for small 
families. __ 
fit'It) Crops, 
SOME DIRECTIONS FOR WHEAT 
SEEDING. 
WALDO F. BROWN. 
Twenty bushels an acre required for profit ; 
a well-prepared seed-bed essential for suc¬ 
cess; deep and shallow plowing ; pulverize 
at once after plowing; when to seed; shal¬ 
low seeding best; a mount of seed. 
If farmers, when preparing to sow fall 
wheat, would keep in mind that all they can 
do to insure a good crop ends with the putting 
in of the Beed, it seems to me that there would 
be less slipshod, sloveuly work in connection 
with the wheat crop. Through a very large 
breadth of our country where the Rural 
circulates, a drought of such seventy has pre¬ 
vailed that farmers have been unable to plow, 
and while usually a large part of the breaking 
for wheat is done in July, a week of August 
is now gone, and little or nothing has been 
done towards preparing for the seeding. 
Under these circumstances many farmers will 
be tempted to do the work hurriedly aud nu- 
perfectly in order that they may get in the 
usual breadth of wheat in time, 1 wish to 
caution them agaiust this. With wheat sell¬ 
ing as low as it now is, and probably will bo 
another year, the only possibility of any profit 
from it is to grow 30 bushels or more to the 
acre, and the farmer is foolish who will seed 
poor land, or put wheat, in good land so poorly 
prepared as to make a good yield doubtful, 
The most important thing m the prepara¬ 
tion of a seed-bed is that it be fiue and solid. 
There may be suiiicient plant food in a soil to 
grow 80 bushels of wheat to the acre; but if it 
is plowed up rough aud cloddy and the wheat 
is sown without thoroughly pulverizing, the 
young plant cannot get enough nourishment 
to give it sufficient vigor to produce a profita¬ 
ble crop. Remember that the period of fall 
growth is but a few weeks, and that during 
this short time the plant should grow enough 
leaves to furnish it with its own winter protec¬ 
tion, and enough roots to get a good hold on 
the soil to keep it from being heaved out by 
the frost, and also to enable it to find aud ap¬ 
propriate the plant food, I spoke above of a 
solid seed-bed. I have seen thousands of 
acres of wheat frozen out and entirely 
killed because the seed-bed was loose 
and open, aud held too much water, which, 
freezing aud expanding in the soil, broke the 
roots of the wheat and threw the plants to the 
Surface. Deep plowing for wheat is safe when 
it can he done early, aud is followed by heavy 
rains to settle the land; but it is very risky 
when a heavy growth of weeds or clover is to 
be turned under and when the wheat must be 
sown immediately thereafter. If you must 
sow as soon as plowed, plow shallow, aud in 
all plowing after the middle of August pul¬ 
verize each day as you plow. Keep either a 
roller or a heavy plank drag in the field, aud 
while the land is freshly plowed, before the 
clods have bad time to harden, go over it and 
crush them and smooth aud compact the land. 
Not only is this best for the laud, but it is also 
a great saving of labor; for a team will do 
more work in three hours when the land is in 
the right condition, than in a whole day after 
it has baked and dried out. Again, a field 
that is mellowed and compacted retains its 
moisture, and will be put in good condition 
for the seed by ft rain that would not make an 
impression on the rough, cloddy field. I have 
always succeeded best with wheat when I 
made the field as fine and mellow as a garden, 
and I aim to do this no mutter how many 
times I must, go over the land with drag and 
harrow. This fine seed-bed is of more import¬ 
ance than early sowing, for the growth will 
be more rapid on it and consequently the 
plant will be in better condition for winter. I 
am in favor, however, of early seeding, but 
would never make it an excuse for putting the 
seed into a badly prepared seed-bed. 
There can be no cast-iron rules laid down 
as to when to sow, for the best time varies 
with the season. I do not like to put in seed 
when the land is dry and the weather unseas¬ 
onably hot, as there is danger of loss from in¬ 
sects; but if the weather is seasonable, any 
time during’the first 10 daysof September is 
my choice for this latitude. I am much in 
favor of shallow seeding. It is a scientific 
fact that the young plant gets no nourishment 
from the soil until the blades reach the sur¬ 
face and expand in the sun and air, the plant- 
food stored in the seed furnishing the nutri¬ 
ment before this. If the seed is covered deep, 
the nutriment in it may be exhausted before 
the plant reaches the surface; or if not ex¬ 
hausted, it may be so near it as to give a weak 
plant. Carefully-conducted experiments 
seem to indicate that one inch is the best 
depth at which to cover the seed, aud many 
of our modern drills have, attached to the 
hoes, a gauge to regulate the depth. 
The amount of seed to the acre which will 
give the best results, has been a matter much 
debated aud experimented upon. My own 
conclusions, based on many experiments of 
my own and on a careful study of the State Ex¬ 
periment Station’s work, is that on a rich, 
well-prepared seed-bed, sown early, one bushel 
will produce a full yield, and with small- 
grained varieties three peeks will suffice, aud 
five pecks is n liberal amount for any soil. 
My best crops of wheat for some years back, 
have grown from three pecks of seed to the 
acre, but the variety was Fultz which has a 
small berry. 
Butler Co., Ohio. 
farm Cctwowij. 
QUICK PROCESS OF CIDER-VINEGAR 
MAKING. 
Any farmer can easily chauge all the cider 
he is likely to have into vinegar by the follow¬ 
ing quick process. The requirements are, first, 
a cask; second, a box made of four wide 
boards, 15 to 18 feet long with a bottom board 
“full Of holes;” this is to be placed upright, 
above, and leading into the cask; third, above 
aud leading into this box there must be an au¬ 
tomatic fountain. These provided, each per¬ 
son can determine where it will be most con¬ 
venient to improvise the factor}', whether in 
barn or woodbouse. If he has no better place 
he can put the fountain in his house at a second 
story window, the box and cask being outside 
under the window. Instead of the box, I used 
(with first-rate success) two headless salt bar¬ 
rels, one above another, the lower one with 
one head full of holes. It may be possible 
that the barrels are better than the box, be¬ 
cause air is admitted where they join, and 
they do not allow the porous contents to settle 
readily and pack as a straight box would. 
Cross-pins through the box would be a remedy 
against the settling aud packing. Next 1 
put in a half bushel of cobs and filled to the 
top of the upper barrel with oak sawdust. 
Then, from the fountain I turned on a stream 
of cider nearly or quite as large as a common 
pen-holder, but reduced to a mere dripping 
through the night. The sawdust absorbed 
more than a barrel before any began to run 
into the lower cask. The fountain was kept 
running with cider till the lower cask was 
nearly full. Then the fountain was supplied 
from the contents of this cask till the liquid 
had made three or four circuits through the 
saw-dust and corn cobs, and had become excel¬ 
lent vinegar. 
Most of this was barreled, aud the rest was 
used, alternately with new cider, to replenish 
the fouutuiu. Sometimes I used twice as 
much of one as the other, but as fast as it be. 
came good vinegar 1 kept ou barreling all 
except what was wanted to mix with new cider 
in continuation of the process. When there 
was no more cider to work up, the vinegar in 
the saw-dust was got out by putting water in 
the fountain, and as it descended in the saw¬ 
dust it “displaced” or pushed the vinegar 
downward. When the water began to come 
through tasting only a little of vinegar, it was 
turned olf. 
This last lot of vinegar may be mixed with 
that previously made, aud the total measure 
will be fully equal to the original quuntity of 
cider; and if the cider was pure and un watered, 
the vinegar will be so intensely strong that it 
may be largely diluted. 
Dur ing the process considerable heat is gen¬ 
erated, the sawdust and liquor becoming 
quite warm. It may be that this heat may be 
increased or diminished to advantage by turn¬ 
ing on n large amount of cold cider at once, 
or by having the cider warm wtmu it is turned 
on—more especially ut the beginning when 
everything is cold. However, without warm¬ 
ing the cider, I succeeded us above. The origi¬ 
nal recipe prescribed mixing a small quantity 
of honey with the cider. This is not neces¬ 
sary. The recipe also called for beech-wood 
shavings as though nothing else would answer. 
The fact perhaps is that the shavings and saw¬ 
dust of all kinds of wood that will not com¬ 
municate taste or color, are about equally 
good. Dead-ripe, cut straw washed free from 
rust and smut would probably answer. The 
theory of the quick-process is based ou the 
diffusion and exposure to the air, of the cider 
(or of any other fluid that will make vinegar), 
so that all portiousmay absorb oxygen simul¬ 
taneously. If the theory is correct, then it is 
almost a certain fact that crushed charcoal or 
coarse sand that will admit circulation of 
air would answer. 
Some people object to the quick-process 
cider; but there is no reason why the simulta¬ 
neous absorption of oxygen by all parts of the 
cider from the pure external air should make 
a vinegar lest wholesome thou that which is 
one or two years in “making iteslf” by absorb¬ 
ing oxygen through a bung-hole from the 
poor quality of air in a cellar where the cider 
is fermenting. Fresh-made, quick process 
vinegar is free from auimalculee and will re¬ 
main so for many years without “dying,” be¬ 
coming “mothery" or “ropy,” if in full vessels 
tightly corked. s. D. h. 
North Lansing, Mich. 
R. N.-Y.—As a free circulation of air in the 
barrel is of first importance, more air can get 
into it if within 10 to 14 inches of the bottom 
6 or 8 half-inch holes are bored at a slightly 
descending angle, so that the vinegar trickling 
down the sides may not escape through them. 
In order to thoroughly aerate the interior of 
the barrel, wooden or glass tubes may be in¬ 
serted at a slight downward angle in down¬ 
ward-inclined holes bored so that the vinegar 
can’t escape through them. Experience seems 
to prove that beech-wood shavings, rolled 
pretty closely, are the best filling for the 
barrels while maple and basswood are valu¬ 
able in the order named. Clean coru-eobs will 
answer; and if they are thoroughly washed 
in warm water the second season, they are 
more effective than the first. Chips of beech 
wood, charcoal,'and other porous bodies may 
also be used iustead of shavings. Charcoal, 
broken in pieces the size of a walnut, sifted 
from dust, washed and dined, when saturated 
with vinegar, act like beech shavings; but the 
pores of the coal absorb five to six times more 
of the fluid. If corn-cobs are used they 
should be put in layers, each layer crossing 
the other, to prevent their packing too closely. 
They should be first thoroughly soaked or 
washed in water, then dried and boiled in 
strong vinegar. Shaviugs and other mater¬ 
ials used for the same pnrpogfl should lie 
treated in like mauner to produce the best 
results. To acidity the material, hot aud 
strong vinegar should be repeatedly poured 
into the top of the barrel or “generator,” so 
as to be evenly'distributcd throughout its con¬ 
tents through tbe'numerous small holes bored 
in the top. The vinegar thus extracts what 
soluble matter is left undissolved by tbe 
water. Unless removed, this matter tends to 
produce putrefaction in tbe vinegar. Next to 
an abundant supply of air in the generator, 
an equable temperature is most important. 
The limits of temperature should be 72'-' for 
the lowest and 100° F. for the highest, aud 
within these limits the higher the temperature 
the more rapid the fermentation and the 
tra isforination of the cider into vinegar. At 
a higher temperature than HXW some of the 
acetic acid deconq>oses, and there is likely to 
be a serious loss of alcohol, of which prime 
cider-vinegar contains six per cent.; pure 
cider containing 10 per cent. The reduction 
is accomplished by the addition of jrure, soft 
water which is mixed with the cider before it 
enters the generator. 
MORE ABOUT ENSILAGE. 
JOHN GOULD. 
Ensiloing the entire corn plant; digestibility 
of the ears; economy of silage; the silage 
of the future; a mixture of field and fod¬ 
der corn for the silo. 
The latest plan with ensilage is to cut the 
entire corn crop, stalks, ears and all, into the 
silo. Some persons are doubtful about the 
digestibility of the kernels. Tbe kernel of the 
corn will be wholly digested by the cattle, as 
it does not dry out, nor does it lose its milky 
character, which gives it natural succulence 
for rapid aud easy digestion aud assimilation. 
Last winter I saw samples of corn taken from 
silos that it was hard to believe hud beeu “cut 
in” for over five mouths, so white aud 
“milky” did they appear, and it was difficult 
to detect by the taste that they were acid to 
more than a slight degree. For the past three 
winters 1 have made this point one of especial 
inquiry and investigation, aud in every in¬ 
stance have verified that there is not a visible 
trace of the corn in the voidiugs. While I 
was in Sheboygan Falls, Wis., in March last, 
Mr . Leland was feeding silage made from a 
large variety of sweet coni, heavily eared, 
aud it was most satisfactory to him. The 
condition of the cars will vary somewhat in 
appearance in different layers of the silage 
and in different silos. In some cases they 
chauge very little in appearance, keeping for 
months their white look aud milky character. 
In other samples.they will shrink somewhat 
and tbe kernels become somewhai browned, 
but to all appearances sound and hearty food. 
The silo presents this problem for the farm¬ 
ers to solve, a saving of the hard work of 
husking aud grinding the corn, costing 
fully one-fourth of the grain value of the 
crop. When all this labor and expense have 
been incurred, we do what; Rut the meal 
made from the corn back upon the stalks from 
which it has been separated: and has any gain 
been made? If wo are to go on ftS we have 
—husking and grinding—had we not best 
call a halt, if wo still insist that the silo 
doesn’t pay, and feed the corn fodder, un¬ 
husked, to our stock, and let the pigs run be¬ 
hind the cattle, and give our feeding a West¬ 
ern turn. 
Every one whom I have seen that lias tried 
this plan of putting even the field corn into 
the silo, has fully indorsed the idea that the 
grain thus fed is increased in feeding value 
over'the dry meal system, quite as much as 
good silage is better than dry corn fodder. 
1 am getting my belief confirmed almost daily 
that the silage of the future will be a com¬ 
promise between field corn and fodder corn— 
that we will drill in about eight or 10 quarts 
of our best varieties of Northern corn per 
acre, instead of the Southern white corn, aud 
will put it into the silos unhusked, not “snap¬ 
ping” the ears. That a great amount of grain 
can be secured, as well as a large growth of 
stalks, is evident from this year’s “accident.” 
The Southern corn sent here was poor, and 
only about two-thirds of it grew, but the 
balance—about eight quarts per acre ou my 
fields—is now putting out a wonderful growth 
of oars, while the amount of foliage is not 
much behind that in former years. Last year 
several of my neighbors mixed loads of field 
corn with the regular ensilage fodder, alter¬ 
nating them in proper proportion, and the 
result was so satisfactory that the experiment 
will be repeated this season. In cutting the 
fodder into inch lengths, I am now convinced 
that the clean cut is best; and that splitting or 
shredding the stalks or the ears, is not 
the better way. The clean cut leaves the 
husk about the pieces of ears, and seems to 
protect them, and keeps the grain brighter 
and “plumper” than when divested of their 
natural “jackets.” 
Experience in Corn and Fodder Raising. 
—We are trying an experiment on raising 
corn aud fodder, that bids fair to prove a suc¬ 
cess. We planted in check rows 3 )4 feet 
apart, cultivating both ways until the plants 
were about one foot high, and then planting 
another row between the hills one way. The 
prospect is fair for a full crop of corn with 
double the amount of fodder. The advantage 
gained over drilling is the cross cultivation in 
the fore part of the season. D J. J. 
Waldo, Wis. 
a bag holder. 
The holder shown at Fig. 832, as shown lie- 
low, is used by F. S. Needham, of Addison Co., 
Fig. 322. 
Vermont. No description is needed, ns any 
farmer can see from the picture how it is made 
aud used. It is very handy aud can be folded 
up aud put away when not in use. 
