THE CULTIVATOR. 
March. 
Inquiries and Answers. 
Muck for Meadows. —I write for information in re¬ 
gard to applying pond muck to old meadows. If you, 
or any of your subscribers, will be kind enough to give 
mo some advice in regard to it through the Country 
Gentleman 1 would be obliged. T. F. Y. Andover , 
N. J . [Apply the pond mud or muck late in autumn, 
or in winter, as a top-dressing, and it will probably in¬ 
crease the growth of the grass, more or less, according 
to the wants of the land and the nature of the muck. 
An inch will be a proper depth—less will answer, and 
more may be applied, if it is of a light or porous na¬ 
ture.] 
Straw-cutters. —Are there any straw-cutters which 
will cut one-fourth to three-eighths of an inch long ? 
Those in this vicinity, with rollers, cut about three- 
fourths long. Do you recommend cutting stalks before 
feeding I N. D. R. Wisconsin. [All the straw-cut¬ 
ters which are made with knives set on a cylinder or 
roller, and cutting on another roller of dried hide, 
work very easily, but cut too long. There are many 
cutters with knives set so as to cut as short as is de¬ 
sired, but we have never seen any that suited us ex¬ 
actly, although several of them are quite good. It 
will not pay to run these by hand—they must be driv¬ 
en by horses. A friend cuts all his stalks for a large 
herd of cattle, by attaching the cutter to his four-horse 
power, used for his thrashing machine; it cuts with 
great rapidity, as fine as chaff, and in a short time a 
week’s supply may be thus prepared. The cattle eat 
all the stalks, and it is a great saving.] 
Grass Seed. —In reading the notes on Major Dick¬ 
inson’s farming in Steuben County, in your last year’s 
volume, I notice that his meadows were seeded with 
Timothy, Red-top, Kentucky Blue grass, and White 
clover. I wish to seed a few acres in the spring in 
such manner, and I don’t know where to get seed ex¬ 
cept the timothy, nor how much of each per acre should 
be used, nor the cost thereof. If you can give me the 
desired information, you will very much oblige J T. 
R. Lenoxville , Susq. Co ., Pa. [The seed can be 
procured at the seed stores in the principal cities. Will 
Major Dickinson inform our correspondent as to the 
amount of each kind required per acre ?] 
Cutting Rails. —What timber would you reject in 
cutting rails, and what is the best length to cut them'? 
N. D. R. Wisconsin. [We would reject such as has 
been found to split badly or decay soon—or which is 
more valuable for other purposes. Not being very fa¬ 
miliar with Wisconsin woods, we cannot advise partic¬ 
ularly. If cut and split from mid-summer to mid-au¬ 
tumn, rail timber will last much longer, sometimes 
twice as long, as when cut in winter or towards spring. 
Twelve feet is a convenient length for the rails of a 
common worm fence ] 
Machine for Cutting Corn Stalks. —I am request¬ 
ed in the Country Gentleman of 14th, to give some in¬ 
formation respecting my cutting machine. It was 
made by Sinclair of Baltimore, Md.—was purchased 
in New-York some ten years ago, but from whom I 
cannot now recollect—cost, I think, thirty dollars—is 
driven by horse power—will cut, with a light horse, on 
a common railway power, enough for one feed for 35 
^ head of cattle in one hour. There are but two knives, 
thirteen inches long, three inches wide, fastened at the 
ends to iron rims or heads, about seven inches in di¬ 
ameter, and bent in such a manner, that in revolving, 
one or the other is constantly in contact with the stalks, 
cutting them diagonally in inch pieces, j. t. n. 
Artesian Wells. —In answer to an inquiry on this 
subject, I will say, had D. C. M. described his neigh¬ 
bor’s situation, a more satisfactory answer could be 
given. All I can say is, dig a common well in any 
place where the surface of the wator will be higher 
than the part where he wishes to carry it. If the well 
is not more than 34 feet deep, dig a trench two or three 
feet deep, from the last named place to the well; lay 
a pipe in it; putting one end to the bottom of the well. 
Start the water by means of a common suction pump 
at the other, which must be the lower end. Regulate 
the discharge according to the supply by means of a 
faucet, for if the supply is exhausted the pipe will fill 
with air, and the pump be again required. 
If more than the above named depth, then lay the 
pipe so that no part will be more than that distance 
above the water. (Here I might remark that lasting 
water can generally be found by carefully selecting a 
place, by digging less than 25 feet.) 
If he concludes to make trial, he will do well to con¬ 
sult the principles of the siphon, which will make the 
whole appear plain. B. T. C. Carmel, Putnam Co. 
Draining. —Please inform me as to the best work on 
Draining, and the price, j. p. [Munn’s Practical 
Land Drainer—price 50 cents—by mail, post-paid, 60 
cents.] 
Bone Mills. —Are there any bone mills in operation 
that grind bones as fine as meal or flour, and where 
can they be seen ? n. e. c. [One of the best, (if not 
the very best) bone mills in this country, can be seen at 
Mr. Coulson’s establishment in this city. After the 
bones are ground, they are sifted and assorted intodif- 
fqjpnt sizes, some being as fine as meal ] 
Angers Quince Stocks,- Strawberry Plants, &c. 
—I wish to inquire where, and at what price I can ob¬ 
tain a small quantity of Angers quince stocks. I wish 
to get stocks which, if set out next spring, will be of 
suitable size for budding next August. AY ill stocks 
taken from the stools last fall, answer to bud next sea¬ 
son 7 
I also wish to inquire if strawberry plants may be 
safely sent by mail, and what would the postage be 
upon fifty plants? How ought they to be done up in 
order to go safely ? 
Can you inform me where I can obtain scions of the 
Madison and Schuyler’s Gage plums? An Old Sub¬ 
scriber. Worcester. [Angers quince stocks are now 
mostly raised from cuttings in this country. Good 
stocks from stools last autumn, may be budded next 
summer or autumn. The stocks are furnished by 
Hooker & Co., of Rochester, and other nurserymen, at 
$15 per 1,000. The plum scions may be obtained of 
C. Reagles & Son of Schenectady. 
Strawberry plants may be sent by mail with safety, 
if not over a week on the road, by wrapping the roots 
with a very little damp moss, (the expanded leaves be¬ 
ing taken off,) in thin oil-cloth or “oil-silk,” drawing 
it carefully around by means of a thread, from one end 
to the other, and leaving a small orifice at the crown 
end. Half a dozen small plants might be thus wrap- 
ed together.] 
Draining. — I thank your correspondent, Geo. Al- p 
derson of Albany, for the much useful instruction k 
