1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
435 
sible time when it can be utilized. The straw stack 
should not be a feature of the barnyard, as straw has 
a commercial and feed value in excess of the manurial 
value, and should be utilized in the most profitable 
way. Instead of covering the barnyard, where the 
ultimate object is profit, it would be advisable to 
build a shed and buy potash, phosphoric acid and 
nitrogen in its commercial form, and mix especially 
for each crop to supplement the manure, and the 
profit will be a reality. h. b. richards 
Northampton County, Pa. 
THE USEFUL AND BUSY TOAD. 
A TRUK FRIEND OF AGRICULTURE. 
Bulletin No. 46, of the Massachusetts Experiment 
Station, Amherst, deals with the life history and 
habits of the American toad. This friend of horti¬ 
culture, which revels in the somewhat sonorous name 
of Dufo lentiginosus Americanus , has long been re¬ 
garded as a peculiar creature. We are told in this 
bulletin, how the ancient wise men held curious ideas 
regarding its venomous qualities and medicinal vir¬ 
tues. It was supposed that the toad was poisonous, 
and one instance is given, where a thrifty housewife, 
finding the support of a sickly husband too great a 
burden, decided to poison him with the ashes of a 
toad. The toad was burned to ashes, and these were 
mixed in a cup of warm drink which was given to her 
husband. To her surprise, the poison failed to work, 
and the husband refused to die, and this is, perhaps, 
a fair sample of the results whenever efforts have 
been made to show the evil qualities of toads. 
There is, probably, no living animal which destroys 
a greater number of injurious insects, in proportion 
to its weight, during the season, than the toad. Care¬ 
ful estimates made by Mr. A. H. Kirk¬ 
land, show that, in one single stomach, 
there were found 55 Army worms ; in 
another, 65 Gypsy moth caterpillars, and 
37 tent caterpillars in a fourth. One 
toad, in three hours, consumed 35 full 
grown celery worms. One toad killed 
at 9 p. m., May 11, 1896, was found to 
have in his stomach at that time, nine 
ants, six cut worms, five myriapods, six 
sow bugs, one weevil and one beetle, 
besides other insect food. It was esti¬ 
mated that a toad feeding as heartily as 
this one did, would devour, in the three 
months, May, June and July, the equiva¬ 
lent of 3,312 ants, 2,208 cut worms, 1,840 
myriapods, 2,208 sow bugs, 368 weevils 
and 368 beetles, and some ingenious 
statistician has figured that the cut 
worms alone that were destroyed, would 
have damaged crops to the extent of 
3519 88 ! The toad devours caterpillars, 
potato bugs, ants, spiders, grasshop¬ 
pers, cut worms, and dozens of other 
injurious insects. 
The life and habits of the toad are 
unique. He usually emerges from his 
winter quarters during the month of April, and on 
warm days at this season, toads may be found on their 
way to the ponds and stagnant pools. By July 1 to 
15, the young toads leave the water where they are 
hatched, and spread out over the field. At this stage, 
they are exceedingly sensitive to heat, and secrete 
themselves under rubbish, stones and sticks during 
the day. Once let a heavy shower descend, and out 
they come from their hiding places, until the very 
ground seems alive with them, and it almost seems as 
though it were true that the toads had rained down. 
The fact that the young toad is unable to endure the 
heat of the sun, prevents many of them from being 
killed, as they would be by birds and animals which 
prey in the daytime. 
Many stories have been told regarding the age of 
toads. It has been said that they have been found 
imbedded in rocks or masonry or trees, but all these 
stories lack confirmation. Three toads were placed 
in sealed boxes of plaster, and deposited in the 
archives of the French Academy of Science. Upon 
opening the boxes after 18 months, two of the toads 
were found to be alive. Other experiments show that 
it is possible for the toad to exist one year or more 
without food. It is also reasonably certain that many 
toads live to reach the age of, at least, 10 or 15 years. 
Four or five times during the year, the toad molts its 
skin, and is reported to swallow the molted skin. 
Previous to and some hours after molting, the toad 
remains quiet in some dark or sheltered place. 
The toad cannot endure high temperatures, and is 
not commonly seen in the daytime. It is really a 
nocturnal animal, though when tempted by hunger 
it will venture out during the day, especially when 
the air is full of moisture. Soon after sundown, or 
even before on cool evenings, the toad comes out from 
its daily shelter, and slowly hops about in search of 
food. It covers something of a regular beat, as its 
sense of locality is quite strong. It is stated in this 
bulletin, that in cities and suburban villages, the 
toads hunt largely beneath electric lamps. Mr. Kirk¬ 
land says that he once counted eight large, well-fed 
toads seated under an arc light actively engaged in 
devouring insects which, deprived of wings, fell from 
the lamp above. Another instance is given, where a 
colony of half a dozen toads occupied the sheltered 
space under a piazza. Each summer night at about 
10 o’clock, they hopped forth down the walk across 
the street, and took up their station under an arc 
light, where they remained and fed on the fallen 
insects until the electric current was turned off. 
Many gardeners make a practice of caring for toads 
and teaching them to stay in their fields and gardens. 
This is done by keeping them penned for a while in a 
hole or under stones. Unless provided with such 
shelter, the toad would hop away in the direction of 
its old home. On the whole, it may be said that the 
toad is a true friend of the farmer. He has many 
virtues and no serious vices. 
FROM BARN TO PASTURE; GREEN RYE. 
I. Have you found that winter rye, when used for pasturing 
milch cows in May or June, gives the butter a bad flavor? 2. 
Why is it that butter made at early pasturage in April and early 
May, does not keep as well as that made when the season is more 
advanced ? How can the keeping quality of such butter be im¬ 
proved ? 3. What have you found the best way to change the 
feed of the cows in spring from grain ensilage and cut straw, to 
grass ? Would you wait until the grass is sufficiently grown for 
full feed, or would you put them out for an hour at first, and 
gradually increase their time ? 
Let Grass Get a Good Start. 
Our cows are kept in the stable through the winter. 
They are watered in the stalls and are fed good 
THE AMERICAN TOAD—A FRIEND OF THE FARMER. Fig. 187. 
ensilage, clover hay and grain. They are not turned 
out until there is plenty of feed in the pasture. It is 
better for the pasture if the grass be permitted to 
have a fair start in early spring, and quite as well for 
the cows. The change from ensilage to grass is not 
so great as to do the cows aDy harm. They are 
allowed, when first turned out, to eat as much grass 
as they choose, but are kept in the stable for a few 
nights, and are fed the usual grain ration with all the 
hay they will eat. Managed in this way, there is but 
little disturbance of digestion, and the cows are doing 
their best all the time. c. s. rice. 
Lewis County, N. Y. 
Cotton-Seed Meal with Pasture. 
I have never pastured winter rye, as it is not grown 
in northern Vermont, where I have lived. I notice 
that the milkmen near Albany, where I now live, cut 
winter rye to feed to their cows, and I purpose trying 
this next spring. I do not think that there can be 
any objection to cutting and feeding. If there were, 
the city milkmen would not do it, as they have to be 
very careful to not feed anything which will give the 
milk a bad flavor. As to the keeping qualities of 
butter made from early pasturage, the feed at that 
time is of a very different quality from June feed, 
and immature feed would lack the qualities which 
make butter keep well. The only suggestion I can 
make as to adding to the keeping qualities of butter 
made from early feed, is to try cotton-seed meal or 
pea meal. I would also make the change from barn 
feed to pasturage very slowly, both to tone up the 
quality of the butter, and to benefit the cows. I have 
always sold our butter as fast as made. I prefer to 
turn out the cows a half day at a time at first, feed¬ 
ing them as usual in the barn. But in case the hay 
is scarce, I drop that and feed grain. I have found 
gluten feed to be one of the best for cows in pasture. 
We feed the cows as usual in the foreuoon, turn them 
oat after dinner, and let them eat until night. Then 
offer them a part at least of their usual night’s feed, 
but often some of it is left, and the night and then 
the morning feeds are gradually withdrawn. 
Albany County, N. Y. j. \v. newton. 
Wait for Well-Matured Grass. 
We have never discovered that winter rye gave an 
ud pleasant flavor to butter in May or June. We can¬ 
not tell definitely why butter does not keep as well 
when made in April or May, on fresh pasture, unless 
it be that the grass is very soft and watery, and at 
the same time, the animal’s system is just changing 
from winter feed. We think the keeping quality 
could be improved by feeding the cows, when first 
turned to pasture, dry hay and grain feed, with the 
grass, and leaving them out but a short time, at first, 
until the system becomes accustomed to it. We do 
not turn cows to pasture until the grass is well ma¬ 
tured, and has made a good growth ; we then change 
gradually, leaving them out but a short time at first. 
By this means, we avoid a bad flavor in the butter, 
and have not had trouble about its keeping. The 
custom of turning the cows out early in the spring, 
when grass is very weak, and pastures wet and miry 
is, in our judgment, a bad one in every sense of the 
word, as it ruins the pasture, and is a damage to the 
COW. SMITHS <fc POWELL CO. 
New York. 
Don't Make Butter to Keep. 
1. Rank winter rye does give a flavor to milk ; when 
young and succulent, it does not seem to have this 
effect. We do not pasture it, but feed it in the 
stables and have not observed any bad flavor on milk 
or butter. 2. I have not observed that April and May 
pasture butter does not keep so well as 
other butter, largely for the reason that 
we make butter to eat at once, and not 
to keep. The keeping quality of butter 
may be improved by churning at a low 
temperature ; washing butter to free it 
from the buttermilk ; salting it heavily 
—1 to 13s i ounce of salt per pound of 
butter (a small proportion of sugar and 
saltpeter added to the salt and butter 
will help preserve it); keep in cold 
storage, if possible, at a temperature of 
about the free ziDg point. 3. In chang¬ 
ing from stable feeding to pasture, we 
proceed as follows : Turn out to a piece 
of bush pasture for two or three hours 
for the first week, and reduce the en¬ 
silage and grain about one-half. We 
allow the cows to remain in the pasture 
a little longer each day, until they 
grow accustomed to it. Blue grass 
pasture is the safest for the first grass 
feed. This afternoon, we intend turn¬ 
ing our cows on their regular pasture 
field of clover and Timothy for the first 
time, after they have filled themselves 
first on bush pasture. We are careful 
about turning on clover when wet, or for too long 
a time at first. We are still feeding two to four 
pounds of meal per day, but will reduce this to about 
one pound per day at once h. h. dean. 
Ontario Agricultural College. 
Begin Gradually With Pasture. 
I have had no personal experience in feeding winter 
rye in the spring, or in the keeping quality of early 
butter. I have found the most satisfactory method 
of change of cows from barn feed to grass, to be in 
letting them have a run of the grass as soon as it 
starts in the spring, and keep up the full hay and 
grain ration as long as the cows eat the hay clean. 
Then diminish the hay feed to correspond with their 
appetites, and the grain likewise. In this way, cows 
work off from winter feed to grass so gradually that 
it is not noticeable. If cows are kept from grass 
until they get a full bite, the change is so sudden 
that they are liable to be troubled with indigestion, 
and scour. c. M. winslow. 
Vermont. 
CEMENT FLOORS FOR STABLES. 
Planks Laid on Cement. 
I put a cement floor in my horse barn five years 
ago, and I would not get along without it now for 
four times its cost. I have a plank floor laid on top 
of the cement, leaving a gutter wide enough to put 
a shovel in close to the rear wall. These planks are 
two-inch pine, and have been down ever since the 
cement, but are now about worn through. The 
planks last three times as long on the cement as they 
would if laid upon stringers. There are no foul 
odors arising from this floor as from an entire plank 
floor. I would not think of using the cement floor 
bare ; as, aside from its being hard on the horses, the 
