190 
THE CULTIVATOR 
June. 
Inquiries and Answers. 
Ditching Machines.— (“A Subscriber ,” Scotts- 
ville , N. Y.) There is at present no good ditching ma¬ 
chine, that performs all the work of excavating. Pratt’s 
operates well where there are no stone, but its high 
cost excludes it from most farmers. There have been 
several subsoil plows manufactured for this purpose, to 
run deeper as the ditch increases in depth, and to loos¬ 
en the earth for shoveling. We are unable at present 
to give the manufacturers’ names, but we are informed 
they have proved efficient helps in excavating. The 
labor of loosening or picking the hard subsoil, is two- 
thirds or three-fourths of the whole amount; and a 
good subsoil drain-plow, with two stout horses, would 
loosen the earth as fast as eight or ten men would throw 
out with shovels. We have been informed on good 
authority, that where the soil has been thus loosened, 
one man would shovel out ten rods three feet deep in 
a day—making the expense only about fifteen cents a 
rod. The two machines proposed by our correspon¬ 
dent, we think would not work well for several rea¬ 
sons which we have not space here to explain, as when 
made properly in all their parts, they would become 
quite complicated. 
Plows—Lime and Muck. —Will you oblige a sub¬ 
scriber with the desired information on the following 
points—1. The best plow for either ridging up or turn¬ 
ing under stubble, on the stiffest character of clay soil. 
Some of my land is so exceedingly stiff and waxy, or 
putty-like, that I can procure no plow which will work 
efficiently—2. I have a piece of thin sandy land, too 
far distant to improve conveniently by hauling ma¬ 
nure from my residence. On it, however, I have a 
bluff of lime-rock, overlooking a swamp containing 
much undecayed vegetable matter. Do not this lime- 
rock and vegetable matter furnish the means of im¬ 
proving the adjacent soil, and if so, please state the 
best manner of preparing and applying it. Inquirer 
Miss. [Burn the lime, and make a compost with the 
vegetable matter. If a small portion of stable manure 
could be added to the compost, it would be much bet¬ 
ter. If the vegetable matter is undecayed, like fresh 
straw, it will not make a good compost with lime, and 
could only be used to advantage on barn-yards. But if 
like fibrous or coarse peat, it may be used as proposed. 
We do not know a better plow for the purpose named, 
than that made by Ruggles & Co., at Worcester, for 
stubble plowing. There may be others as good which 
we cannot name.] 
Grafting. —Please inform me through the Cultiva¬ 
tor where I can get a book that will contain full in 
structions for grafting , &c.—the price also, and you 
will oblige A New Subscriber. [In our Illustrated 
Annual Register for 1855—price 25 cents, sent by mail 
post-paid.] 
Food for Pigs. —Occasionally I read in your columns 
an article on raising spring pigs, and the advice given 
to feed with milk. This is without doubt the very best 
thing. But suppose a man has not the milk, and is not 
in the circumstances to procure it, what is the next 
best food for them I W. Iowa. [We invite our cor¬ 
respondents to furnish such practical information as 
they may possess on this subject. 
Lime Brick—its Value.— In the Co. Gent of 26th 
April, I see an article headed “ Lime Brick,” an in¬ 
quiry for information. I will answer his first question • 
by saying that a friend of mine living at Fond du Lac, 
Wisconsin, writes that they are building large blocks 
of stores with the lime and sand brick, and he says he 
prefers it to burnt brick, as it is better and cheaper. 
He says that it will take but very little more lime to 
make the brick and lay up the wall, than it will to lay 
the burnt brick. I have a letter from a man near 
Kingston, who is making the same brick. He writes 
that after they stand one month to harden, the wet and 
frost will not affect them in the least. Another advan¬ 
tage is, they are large ; the size of the brick is five 
inches thick by ten inches long and four inches wide, 
which makes a wall ten inches thick, leaving a space 
of two inches in the center, making a hollow wall, and 
only requiring one light coat of plaster on the wall, as 
it is as smooth almost as glass. I did intend to build 
with the granite brick, and sent to Wisconsin for a 
press, but it did not come as soon as I expected, and I 
had a chance to purchase at a sale, burnt brick at $1.25 
per thousand, so that I have the machine on hand, and 
will sell it for for what it cost in Wisconsin, which is 
$100. The press will make 1,200 to 1,500 per day. It 
will take two men and a boy to work it to advantage, 
but two men can work it very well. If your corres¬ 
pondent will give me his address, I will send him a de¬ 
scription of the press, and the manner of making brick 
—1,500 will be a little more than equal to 4,000 burnt 
brick. It will take one-eighth lime and seven-eighths 
sand. John S. M. Wilcox. Whitby, C. W. 
Tender Mouthed Horses. —Can you or any of your 
readers inform me what will cure a tender mouth of a 
horse. I have a noble mare that is so tender bitted 
that she will hardly bear the weight of the lines, and 
if any of your subscribers will inform me how to cure 
her, they will oblige H. p. L 
Dederick’s Hay Press. —Permit me to state, in an¬ 
swer to an inquiry, that the price of this Hay Press is 
as follows—No. 1, $165—No. 2, $140—No. 3, $130. w. 
Disease in Young Sheep. —My flock of lambs or 
yearling sheep, have been visited with a fatal brain 
disease within a few months past, that I cannot account 
for. Symptoms: dizziness, hard and quick breathing, 
sometimes panting. They live from 12 to 36 hours 
after taken. They are fat, have wholesome food, pure 
air, but not pure water. Would this be a sufficient 
cause for the disease ? Upon examination after death, 
in one instance the brain seemed to be entirely con¬ 
sumed—nothing left except the sack of the brain, which 
contained a bright blue substance. In other cases were 
found the ordinary works of fever, or inflammation of 
the brain. Any information upon this subject would 
be most thankfully received. G. G. Benton. Man¬ 
chester. 
Galloway Cattle. —Can you furnish the address of 
the gentleman in Canada who breeds the Polled Gal¬ 
loway Cattle? [We cannot Perhaps some of our 
Canada subscribers can.] 
Guano for new Grass Land. —I have about 20 
acres which I wish to sow in oats, and seed down with 
orchard grass and clover, and wish to apply upon half 
of it 200 pounds of Mexican guano to the acre, for the 
benefit of the grass seed. I shall drill in the oats with 
Bickford & Huffman’s drill, which has guano attach¬ 
ment and grass seed sower, but I fear if I apply the 
guano with the drill the oats will get nearly all the 
• benefit, and I shall not get an even stand of grass. 
