150 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
May. 
Stanchions for Tying Cattle in Stables. 
At page 156, present vol. of the Co. Gent., J. Cope, 
of Westchester, Pa., wishes to learn the “exact dimen¬ 
sions and descriptions of slip stanchions.” For his 
benefit we will attempt a description of a good and 
cheaply constructed set we have recently seen. 
The sills of the stanchions are of oak joist, six by 
two inches ; the top timbers are of hemlock, of the 
same dimensions; the stanchions of ash, one and a half 
by four inches ; one of each set of stanchions is pinned 
between the sills and the corresponding top pieces. 
From the bottom of the sills to the top of the stanchions 
is five and a half feet. The slip stanchions are of the 
same size and material as the first named, but only 
pinned at the botton, which allows of their sliding back 
at the top about sixteen inches, to admit the animal’s 
head ; it is then pushed to an upright position and fas¬ 
tened at the top by a drop-button or clapper, which is 
much more secure than when fastened by pins. 
For oxen and large cows, there is allowed a space for 
each of three and a half feet; for younger cattle about 
three feet to each. We have frequently seen the sill 
and top piece for stanchions made of solid timber, and 
mortices made for the stanchions. But there is much 
labor required in morticing, especially the top timber, 
so as to allow of the sliding back and forward of the 
slip stanchions. The kind we have attempted to de¬ 
scribe, can be readily and cheaply made by almost any 
farmer. 
Chains, wooden bows, and leather straps, are used by 
different farmers for tying up their cattle in the hovels. 
It is thought by some that such fastenings are easier 
and more comfortable for the animals than slip stan¬ 
chions. Perhaps it may be so. Others object to the 
use of chains, bows, &c., as they give too much lee¬ 
way to the cattle while in the hovel, as they are very 
apt to lie back in their dung, and the milk of cows thus 
tied up is too apt to “ taste of the barn ”—a flavor not 
usually relished by the lovers of good milk. 
In our own experience,* we have given bows, chains, 
leather straps, and slip stanchions, a fair trial. Ap¬ 
parently our cattle are as comfortable in the slip stan¬ 
chions as when tied in any other way, never getting 
loose and goring each other, as was too frequently the 
case when bows or chains were used. In a rightly con¬ 
structed hovel, cows cannot (when in stanchions) lie 
back in the filth of the hovel. Our cows have not laid 
out of the barn a single night for over two years, and 
all the while they have been as clean—bags, teats and 
flanks, as if they had laid in the pasture. In warm 
weather, the hovels are well ventilated by leaving the 
doors and windows open. They stand upon a raised 
platform, which is well littered with some dry material, 
such as dry muck, sawdust, leaves, or straw, &c. 
As already said, the cattle stand on a raised plat¬ 
form, with a water-tight gutter in the rear, which- is 
about 14 inches wide and 4 inches deep. The manure 
and urine falls into the gutter, the ends of which are 
closed so as to retain the urine, which is daily mixed 
with the litter, and all placed under cover. A gutter 
would be unnecessary where there was a manure cellar 
under the hovels; but the raised platform is neces¬ 
sary in all cases, if it is wished to keep the stock 
clean. The length of the platform in one of our ho¬ 
vels is just five feet in length from the bottom sill to 
the gutter. This is long enough for 7 feet oxen. In 
another hovel for cows, the length of the platform is 
4f feet. This is quite long enough for large sized cows. 
From the edge of the platform to the bottom of the 
gutter is six inches. In this hovel our cows could 
scarcely be cleaner if they always stood upon their 
feet. They are always milked in the hovel, conse¬ 
quently there is no racing about the yard, hooking 
each other, and upsetting the milk-maid, as was occa¬ 
sionally the case when our cows were milked in the 
yard. [We have a reply to Mr. Cope’s inquiry, from 
W. M. White, Esq., of Allegany County, with a de¬ 
scription of his barn, for which he will accept our 
thanks. It will be inserted soon.] 
-©—*-o- 
Use cf Poultry Manure. 
Messrs. Editors —I send you my way of preparing 
and using hen manure on corn. 
I have been in the habit for several years of getting 
together all the clear manure from the hen roost that I 
could, and a few days before planting (say three to 
six,) mix an equal quantity of wood ashes and about 
half as much plaster thoroughly together, wetting it 
enough to moisten the whole. When my ground is 
ready and marked both ways, drop a small handful to 
each hill, or one large handful for two, planting the 
corn as soon as may be, after dividing the compost 
with a slight motion of the hoe, before dropping the 
corn, and covering up with good mellow dirt. 
Wetting the compost helps much to pulverize the 
hen manure, and insures the corn coming up immedi¬ 
ately, which it would not be likely to do until after a 
rain if planted in its dry state. 
I have never tested by actual experiment the in¬ 
crease of crop, but am well satisfied that I get enough 
more corn to keep my hens during the winter and 
spring, (giving them all they will eat,) besides lots of 
pumpkins in the bargain. 
Perhaps something else would do better in the room 
of ashes. I think I shall try some with muck this 
year, and note the difference, if any, in the yield. A 
Small Farmer. Ballston. 
—- • - +■ * - 
Notes from tlie Census of New-Yorlc. 
Market Gardening. —In 1854, 12,591 acres in the 
different counties of this State, were occupied as mar¬ 
ket gardens, the value of the products amounting to 
$1,138,682—being an average of $90 43 per acre. 
Queens county devoted to the this object, 3,187 acres, 
producing $337,503, or an average of nearly $106 per 
acre—the next highest is Kings, 1,414| acres, produc¬ 
ing $273,552, or about $193 50 per acre—next comes 
Albany, with 1,113 acres, with a product of $97,461, 
or an average of a little over $85.50 per acre while 
the 187 acres in New-York produced an average of a 
little over $420 per acre. 
Hay.— The hay crop averaged something less than 
one ton to the acre, the 3,384,440 acres producing but 
3,256,949 tons. 
Tobacco. —786J acres—produce, 946,502^ lbs. 
Sugar and Honey. —The product of maple sugar 
was 4,935,816 lbs., and of maple molasses, 85,092 gal¬ 
lons. The honey saved was 2,557,876 lbs. 
Poultry. —The value of poultry sold was $1,076,598, 
and of eggs, $1,360,673. 
Wool. —The number of fleeces shorn was 2,630,203, 
the weight of which was 9,231,960 lbs. 
