1846 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
INQUIRIES. 
Disease in Fowls. —“A Subscriber”—(St. John, 
N. B.) The disease you describe, is no doubt what is 
called roup, or “ sore head.” As soon as a fowl is dis¬ 
covered to have it, it should be separated from the rest of 
the flock; the head should be first washed with castile 
soap suds, and afterwards with a solution of acetate (su¬ 
gar) of lead. If the fowl is badly attacked before any¬ 
thing is done for it, the surest and best remedy is to cut 
off the head . 
Egg Plant—Junius.— Cut the bulb in slices a third 
of an inch thick; take off the outside skin, pack up the 
slices one above another, having first scattered fine salt 
between each layer—put a light weight on the top, and 
let the whole stand for eight to twelve hours. Then 
broil the slices on a gridiron, and butter, salt and pepper 
them to suit the taste. It is a delicious dish. 
Bearded and Bald Wheat —A. R., (Middlefield, 
N. Y.)—We believe it is true that bald wheat is gener¬ 
ally less affected with what you call the weevil than 
bearded. 
Potatoes for “ Black Soil” —A. R.—If the loca¬ 
tion is subject to frost, get an early variety—choose 
hardy kinds at all events. 
Cellar for Roots —A. R.—Roots are injured by 
wilting. The cellar should be as cool as possible with, 
out freezing. 
Curing Butter —A. R.—We can give no better 
information on this subject than you will find in our 
February No., page 49. 
Setting Fence Posts —A. R.—See the communica¬ 
tion of D. P., in the February No., page 46, current vol¬ 
ume. 
Sowing Grass Seed —“A Subscriber ”—(Cornwell, 
N. Y.)—We should prefer the latter part of August for 
sowing grass seed. We would not “ plow in the seed.” 
A light harrow will bury it quite deep enough. You 
mention no grass but Timothy. If that is the only kind 
to be sown, we should sow half a bushel of seed per 
acre. As to clover, it will do sown at that season of 
the year, if the land is quite dry and not likely to be 
thrown up by frost. If, on the contrary it is inclining 
to be wet and cold, clover will not do very well, sown 
at. any time, but sowing in March, on a light snow, 
would be preferable,—six to eight pounds of seed per 
acre. (See vol. 1, N. S., p. 271—vol. 2, p. 187—cur¬ 
rent vol. p. 94.) 
Breeding Mares— R. B. (Watertown N. Y.) — 
Breeding mares may be kept at moderate and light 
work for the first five months of gestation. They should 
not be “ turned into the yard to pick with the cattle,” 
nor should they be confined wholly in the stable. They 
should be allowed an open shed or yard, where they 
can do as they like, undisturbed. If they are expected 
to foal before going to grass, they should have plenty 
of room with litter, and must not be tied. They should 
have good sweet hay, free from must or dust; or they 
may be fed with chopped hay and good straw, mixed 
with shorts, and a little corn and cob or oat meal. It is 
best not to grain them too highly ; carrots or potatoes 
may be beneficially given in small quantities—say six 
or eight quarts per day. We should be glad to receive, 
from some experienced horse-breeder, an article on the 
best management of young horse stock, from their 
birth till they are broken and fit for labor. The kind 
of shelter and description of food best adapted to make 
the best and most serviceable horses, should be stated. 
Multi cole Rye—Spurry. —G. N., (Hobart N. Y.) 
—We do not remember to have seen any particular re¬ 
sults in regard to the culture of this kind of grain, and 
cannot refer to any account giving the amount produced 
in this country, from a given quantity of ground. It 
has the reputation of being very productive in Europe. 
Spurry is described by Johnson (Farmers’ Encyclope¬ 
dia) as belonging to a genus of herbaceous annual or 
perennial plants. There are four species, the most 
common of which is the rough-seeded corn spurry, an 
annual. This is a common weed on sandy soil in some 
parts of Scotland. It is devoured greedily oy cattle and 
sheep, and is thought very valuable food for them. A 
large smooth-seeded variety is cultivated in Flanders. 
Thaer thinks it the most “ nourishing in proportion to 
its bulk of all forage, and gives the best flavored milk 
and butter.” 
A. D. C., (Herriotsville, Pa.,) asks, 1st. “What kind 
of manure is best to apply to the corn crop in our creek 
bottoms, where barn-yard manures cannot be had? 
Soil, heavy loam.” [Straw, leaves and turf from the 
forest, and clover together with plaster and lime, if the 
latter are found to operate well on that soil.] 
2d. “Should lime be mixed with barn-yard manures?” 
No, it disengages the ammonia, which will escape un¬ 
less kept down by a covering of vegetable matter.] 
3d. “ Could tares or millet be profitably cultivated 
here?” [It is very probable they could—try them.] 
4th. “What is the difference between the “Paular” 
Merino and the common Merino?” [We don’t know 
what kind of Merinos you call “common.” Compared 
with other varieties of Merino, Mr. Youatt says the 
Paulars “ have a more evident enlargement behind the 
ears, and a greater degree of throatiness, and their 
lambs have a coarse hairy appearance, which is. suc¬ 
ceeded by excellent wool.] 
“Stony Land,”—Lime —(J. T. R. Kingwood, N. 
J.)—Stones in land operate as a drainage, to some ex¬ 
tent, and attract heat. In some cases they may favor 
fertility from both those causes. “ Sandy land ” usual¬ 
ly contains but a small portion of lime. To ascertain 
whether the stones you mention have (C lime in them,” 
break them, and apply a few drops of muriatic or ni¬ 
tric acid. If an effervescence is produced, there is 
lime. 
«IS IT BENEFICIAL TO CORN TO BREAK THE ROOTS.” 
—A. M. D., (Green Co. Tenn.)—We think not. It is 
beneficial to stir the ground well, but this should be 
done mostly in advance of the extension of the corn- 
roots. As the plant increases in size, we should not 
work so near the stalks with an implement that runs 
deep. See an article on the “culture of Indian Corn,” 
in the April No. 
ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF FUNGI. 
The common theory is that fungi, and parasitic plants 
spring from seeds or sporules, which vegetate on bodies 
that are adapted to their growth. A writer in the 
Gardener's Chronicle, takes a different view of the mat¬ 
ter. It reasons thus:— 
“ In the mineral kingdom we find that metals in 
crystalizing assume frequently an arborescent form. 
The same thing may be observed in water crystalizing 
into frost, on the panes of windows. When a small 
quantity of paste is allowed to stand for a few days till 
it begins to undergo decomposition, it becomes covered 
with a multitude of white fibres or threads shooting up¬ 
wards into the air, having all the appearance of a veg¬ 
etable production.” 
He then goes on to argue that this vegetable-like sub¬ 
stance grows up in paste, “even when excluded from 
the direct action of the atmosphere,” although “the 
previous process of boiling and preparing the paste was 
sufficient to destroy any ordinary power of germination 
which a seed or sporule in it might possess.” In con¬ 
sideration of these circumstances, therefore, the writer 
suggests that fungi may originate in accordance with a 
aw, which, when organized bodies cease to exist in 
one form are by certain influences impelled into othe 
forms. To use his own language—“ it would appear, 
that whenever a plant becomes diseased, or its juices 
unnaturally expelled by atmospheric or other causes, 
the law now indicated might send up part of these ex¬ 
udations in a shape resembling fungi, and that the new 
vegetable thus produced, appearing almost at the same 
instant with the disease which gave birth to it, might, 
by some, be considered as a new being arising from a 
seed or sporule, instead of its being merely an extension 
of the existing vegetable in a new form.” 
