54 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[February, 
Preparing the Ground for a Lawn. 
The success of a lawn depends upon a vast deal 
of work that is quite out of sight. We expect 
more of the soil devoted to the lawu than we do of 
any other part of the grounds, for we are continu¬ 
ally cropping it, and it can only give a constant 
succession of grass when the roots have a deep 
soil and sufficient nourishment. As it is desirable 
to have the grass well established before hot weath¬ 
er comes, the seed must be sown early, and to this 
end the soil must be prepared as early as the season 
will allow. Only small areas, such as fruit yards, 
croquet and tenuis grounds, should be perfectly 
level. A slightly undulating surface is more pleas¬ 
ing to the eye than a dead level, and it may be 
made to give the impression of a greater extent if 
the surface is laid out in gentle swells, and will 
give a better effect if slightly higher as it approach¬ 
es the house. Of course there must be nothing 
like abrupt hills and hollows, and if any such oc¬ 
cur where the lawn is to be, they must be either 
cut down or filled in. If the lawn is such that it 
would require draining to fit, it for garden crops, 
then it will n-'ed draining for a lawn. Indeed, all 
but very light sandy soils will be improved by 
draining with tiles. The depth and distance apart 
of the drains should be 
such as are found best in 
the fields of the vicinity. 
The next requisite is a 
deeply worked soil. In 
England the soil is thor¬ 
oughly trenched two 
spades deep, but we can 
hardly expect our people, 
who avoid the use of the 
spade wherever possible, 
to trench the ground 
for a lawn. The most we can hope for is the deep¬ 
est practicable plowing, with the use of the sub¬ 
soil plow. If the soil is poor, a generous coating 
of manure should be turned under, but if in fair 
condition, top-dressings may be depended upon for 
fertilizing. After this preliminary work, the 
ground should remain as long as possible before 
sowing, in order that it may properly settle. If in 
any place the ground settles uuevenly, then fresh 
soil must be added, where needed, to bring the low 
spots up to the proper level. Whether the lawn is 
to be laid down with seed, or as is sometimes prefer¬ 
able, if the area is small, with turf, the preliminary 
preparation must be equally thorough, if a fine and 
permanent turf is desired. 
Silk-worms—Their Food- 
Some of the inquirers as to where the eggs of the 
silk-worm can be procured, add the question, 
“What is best to feed the worms on?” This 
shows that the matter has not been properly con¬ 
sidered, and that the writers are not prepared to 
undertake the raising of silk. ^Practically, the food 
of silk-worms is reduced to the White Mulberry and 
the related Osage Orange. Unless one has estab¬ 
lished Mulberry trees or Osage Orange hedges, the 
first step is to provide a food supply. As the Mul¬ 
berry must be well established before its leaves can 
be gathered, the first step for those who would un¬ 
dertake raising silk-worms, should be to set out the 
trees the coming spring, and postpone buying the 
eggs until next year, when there will be something 
on which to feed the worms. The common White 
Mulberry has several varieties, for some of which 
superiority is claimed. Trees may be had of the 
nurseries, or they may be raised from cuttings or I 
from the seed. Perhaps the cheapest method of 
getting a stock of trees, is to set out cuttings 
about six inches long, three or four inches apart, 
in well-prepared soil, leaving but one bud above 
the surface. The preliminary step in silk culture 
is, not to procure eggs, but to provide food. 
Water Questions.— “ M. Z.,” Montgomery 
Co., Ohio, writes us that coal-tar leaked from a 
barrel, and found its way into the well in the 
horse-stable. At first, the horses refused the 
water, but now they seem to relish it. He asks : 
“Is there any remedy?” As this occurred last 
summer, any evil results would have manifested 
themselves at first. It is quite likely that by this 
time all the soluble matters have been dissolved 
out, and the coal-tar is now an inert mass with no 
further effect on the water. The* case does not 
seem to call for any action ... .There is an abund¬ 
ant spring near his stable, but the water has an 
inky taste, and there is a rusty deposit after it has 
stood awhile. M. Z. asks if the water is good for 
animals ?—If the water has a marked “inky taste” 
we should not like to use it. It is likely that if ex¬ 
posed to the air for a while, the iron would be 
changed to an insoluble form, being converted 
into the oxide which forms iron-rust. If, after 
standing, the taste disappears, then the water 
may be used, provided it can be exposed in an 
open tank before it is given to tbe animals. 
A Cheap Sliding Gate. 
“A Subscriber” sends a sketch of an easily made 
sliding gate. The upper of the seven bars com¬ 
posing the gate slides upon a cross-piece fastened 
near the top and between a pair of posts. The con¬ 
struction and action of the gate is readily under¬ 
stood from the engraving, which is given above. 
Early Cabbage Sprouts or Greens. 
The method of keeping cabbages during winter 
by laying them down and covering the heads with 
earth, is effective and easy. It has the disadvan¬ 
tage that the stumps, being exposed to the weather, 
are killed. Many will regard this as a small loss, 
but those who are fond of cabbage greens will re¬ 
gret it. It is one of the advantages of keeping 
cabbages in trenches where they are set upright, 
that the stumps come out sound in the spring. 
Where late cabbages are marketed from the field, 
the heads are cut off and the stems are left. Some 
gather up a quantity of these and keep them 
over winter in a pit or trench as roots are kept. In 
early spring, as soon as the frost is out, the stalks 
are set out about a foot apart, placing them down 
into the soil for about half their length. Sprouts 
will soon start from the buds at the upper part, 
and are cut for use when they are about two inches 
long, or while they are yet tender. After the 
first cutting other buds will start and each stump 
will afford several cuttings. Since the introduc¬ 
tion of kale, or German greens, or sprouts, cab¬ 
bage greens are not grown as much as formerly. 
Improvement of our Domestic Animals. 
For a century or more past, and particularly 
since the year 1817, so many superior animals have 
been imported into the United States from different 
countries, that we can now say that we possess a 
good and highly liberal foundation stock for a 
rapid increase, and also for keeping it up pure and 
unalloyed. But what is more important, perhaps, 
to farmers in general, is, that they will be able, 
henceforth, to obtain, at a moderate price, a grade 
stock which for all ordinary purposes is just as 
good, and possibly in some instances better, than 
the thorough-bred. We see an example of this in 
the late Live Stock Show at Chicago, in grade fat 
cattle, sheep and pigs; and also throughout the 
country in dairy herds. 
A SLIDING GATE. 
The climate and herbage of different districts 
vary so greatly, even in the same country, that dif¬ 
ferent breeds, or at least modifications of them, are 
absolutely requisite to a successful production and 
rearing of domestic animals. This is particularly 
the case in Great Britain. Here we find, on par¬ 
tially barren hills and mountains, rising abruptly 
from the bordering fertile lowlands, hardy, thrifty 
animals growing up to maturity, on the coarse, 
scanty herbage they painfully find in these lofty 
regions. If the animals bred on the rich lowlands 
were placed there, instead of thriving, they would 
soon starve. In some districts, the selection of 
breeds of animals depends upon the elevation 
above the sea, the choice varying with about every 
500 feet of altitude. We are now rapidly stocking 
the vast Rocky Mountain region, and, to do so suc¬ 
cessfully, it will be necessary to adopt, on a large 
scale, the same course which has been pursued in 
the narrow limits of Great Britain. 
To show the necessity, also, of modifications of 
even the same breeds of animals in different coun¬ 
tries, that of Merino sheep bred in the Eastern 
States and in California may be cited. In the 
former it is insisted that the legs, down to the toes, 
and the head, down to the nose, shall be thickly 
covered with wool, as on the body ; while in the 
latter, on account of the prickles and burs in the 
pastures, wool on these parts is so objectionable as 
to compel the flock masters to breed their sheep 
with naked heads and legs. As the settlement of 
the country advances, breeders will find it ueces- 
sary to make changes in the character of their do¬ 
mestic animals, not only in order to rear them 
profitably, but also to suit the home and foreign 
markets, and thereby ensure prompt sales at good 
prices. To accomplish all this, they must resort to 
various crosses, to carry out which successfully 
will require a study of animal physiology, coupled 
with that of nutrition, climate, shelter, and exercise. 
The breeding and rearing of domestic animals 
are unquestionably destined to be the most impor¬ 
tant interests of our country, to which all other 
rural productions will be subsidiary. We not only 
want these animals for food, but require their labor 
for the tillage of the land, and for innumerable 
other purposes. We must also depend on them 
for much of the means of fertilizing our 6oils. 
Farms are being rapidly exhausted by the produc¬ 
tion of wheat, corn, and cotton, and their shipment 
to foreign countries. A great waste is going on, 
which ought to be curtailed, that the means of 
keeping good the fertility of our soil, of which we 
are now deprived, might be left to us. 
A Stream Fence. 
“ A Subscriber ” sends us a drawing and descrip¬ 
tion of a “ water gap,” used by many in the West¬ 
ern States. He writes : “ We place a good strong 
post on each side of the creek, 3 or 4 feet deep, 
theu lay a log 12 or 16 inches in diameter across, 
fastening it to these posts on the upper side with 
spikes, or long bolts ; the log must not be more 
than 20 inches from low water. Then take full- 
length rails, sharpen one end, and about 6 or 7 feet 
above the log drive them in the bed of the creek, 
one foot apart, in a slanting direction, so that the 
other end can be spiked on this log. The rails 
should extend beyond the log about a foot. The 
brush, etc., coming down will wash over, and dis¬ 
turb nothing. The “trick” of making them i=, 
not to get tbe log more than 20 inches high. I 
know a fence of this kind that has been in use for 
ten years, never needing any repairs, and is as good 
to-day as the day it was built. 
