1858. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
159 
using them at all —and states the account in favor of 
the common scythe ; and as to which kind is the best, 
the inexperienced farmer is left to grope in utter dark¬ 
ness. Do let us have light and assurance, that we may 
know whether to buy any, and if any which kind. J. 
W. W. [The articles published, show, we think, that 
there are several good mowers, though no one which all 
agree in pronouncing the best. Some think one the best, 
and some another; and there is really so little differ¬ 
ence between several of them,that it is doubtful whether 
there will ever be any very general assent to the opin¬ 
ion that either one of them is the best. But no farmer 
will be disappointed who purchases either of the well 
tested machines manufactured in this state. Mr. John¬ 
ston showed pretty clearly in our last no., (p. 193) the 
advantages of the mowing machine over the scythe. 
The fact that the mowing can be done at less than one- 
half the cost with the mower, that it can be with the 
scythe, to say nothing of the advantage of having it 
done at the proper time, would seem to settle the mat¬ 
ter pretty satisfactorily ] 
Hungarian Grass. —There is a rumor here that the 
“ Hungarian grass ” is a crop very difficult to eradi¬ 
cate from the fields it is planted in. I wish to plant a 
few acres of it this season, but if this report is true, I 
cannot afford to try it till I have more land to waste 
than I now possess. Will you advise me in the mat¬ 
ter ? F. W. B. Iowa. [The Hungarian grass or 
millet is an annual, the seeds of which, according to 
Loudon, will not survive the winter in the ground, and 
consequently would not liable to the objection alluded 
to. | 
Lame Horse. —I have a young horse which is lame 
in the fore nigh leg. It came on very gradually at 
first, and I could hardly tell which leg was lame. He 
does not limp any until driven a mile or two. I know 
he has not been foundered with grain or water. What 
will cure him ? I had a mare that was lame in the 
same way apparently, about four years ago, which- is 
not lame much now, if any. The best horse doctors 
we have do not know what ails them. j. s. m. 
Bone Dust.—D o you know where pure bone dust 
can be had from the manufacturer, and the price? 
II. L. T. [The genuine article can be procured at the 
manufactory of Thomas Coulson in this city. The 
price varies, according to fineness and quantity taken, 
from $1.75 to $2.75 per bbl.} 
Farm Book. —I will be obliged to you to send me 
the name of a good agricultural book, wherein I can 
obtain a practical knowledge of farming—that is, where 
I can get an idea of the first rudiments of farming, com¬ 
mencing with wild land. C. M. F. St. Louis. [We 
know of no such book. Allen’s American Farm Book 
comes the nearest to it of any work we have—price by 
mail post-paid, $1.25] 
Hungarian Grass. — G. W. L ., Mary's Garden , 
N C. You will have seen in the later numbers of the 
Co Gent., what this grass is, and where the seed can 
be obtained. It may be sown in your section from the 
middle of June to the middle of July, and if the seed 
can be obtained without too much cost, we would re¬ 
commend you to make a trial of it. You can order 
the seed under the name of German Millet, of J. M. 
Thorburn & Co, New-York. 
P. S. Since writing the above we have received the 
April number of the Farmer and Planter , published 
at Pendleton, S. C , whose editor, Geo. Seaborn, Esq., 
says—'‘The Hungarian Grass is nothing more or less 
than the Millet which we have been raising now two 
or three years, and of which we have spoken hereto¬ 
fore. We have any quantity of seed to sell two dol¬ 
lars a bushel—just half what we sold at last year.” 
Mules —In answer to the inquiry of C. P. R., (p. 
209,) Mr. Solomon Vanderren, Newton, N. J., informs 
us that he can supply mules of his own breeding, of 
first quality. 
Broken Wind. —S., Cleves, Ohio, inquires for a cure 
of broken wind or heaves in horses. I will give my 
experience for what it may be worth. Some years ago 
I had a horse which had the heaves very badly. I fed 
him cut straw and meal wet. I put with his feed a 
lump of mutton tallow the size of a hen’s egg, to each 
mess, until I fed about 15 lbs. I knew him three or 
four years after the cure, but heard of no more heaves 
from him. 
I had a horse that got a large wrought nail in his 
foot by the side of the frog—made him very lame— 
had to pull hard to get it out. I cleaned out the hole 
with a knife ; put on beef gall and a large slice of fat 
salt pork, tied up the foot with a large piece of leather, 
and in one week it was well. D. P. Schoharie. 
Oats for Sheep. —Are oats injurious to ewes with 
lamb ? A neighbor fed several a pint each per day for 
some time before lambing, and every lamb died soon 
after birth. Other instances of like kind have come 
within my knowledge. Young Farmer. 
Manuring Grass Lands. —When is the best time 
to apply barn manure to grass lands? Some say 
spring; others autumn—others still think early au¬ 
tumn the best time, saying it will start a good coat of 
grass before winter, which protects the roots and gives 
a much better yield the second year. If applied in 
the spring, should the turf be harrowed at the time ? 
I wish those who have experimented on the subject 
would report on these and' other particulars interesting 
to graziers, dairymen, and, in fact, farmers general¬ 
ly. H. 
-- 
Improvement in the Rod Fence. —As the season 
is now at hand when the fences will require more or less 
attention, I will advert to an improvement in the “rod 
fence” that has come under my notice. A description 
of this fence will be found on page 277 of the Cultivator 
for 1855,and in Co. Gent.,vol. 6, p. 58. The improvement 
to which I allude is the addition of a stake on the inside 
joint of each panel, and between the two upper rails. This 
may be said to save a rail,(is it raises the fence in height 
more than the thickness of a large rail, and at the 
same time renders it secure against the wind, which 
sometimes overturns these fences, (when unprotected,) 
in a wholesale way. The length of the stake must of 
course correspond with the height of the fence, and the 
hole in the end of it must be bored to suit the angle 
at which it is set in the ground; a little practice will 
make this all plain. I have seen a good fence with a 
slight bank under it, made in this way with five good 
rails to the panel, and six will be found ample. The 
worm should be about four feet, where the rails are 
eleven feet long. If these hints shall be of service to 
any of the readers of your valuable papers, my end 
will be answered. C. Salem County , N. J. 
