1872 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
209 
CJuaaM>„— M. Eckendorfif, Erie, Pa., asks seve¬ 
ral questions about guano, to which we reply: That 
guano of the best quality is worth $90 per ton ; 150 to 300 
pounds may be used per acre on any crop with advantage, 
but especially on grass, wheat, corn, potatoes, etc.; with 
stable manure at two dollars per ton, we would rather 
buy guano at first, and make our own manure afterwards. 
Marsh Hay.—“ F. F. V.,” Louisville, "Wis., 
asks if it would injure the growth of wild marsh-grass 
to cut it for hay early every year. It will not injure the 
grass, and it will improve the hay. 
Weeds ire. Iowa.—“ J. M. P.,” Fremont 
Co., Iowa, writes that it is difficult to raise timothy and 
clover, as the weeds choke the young crop before it gets 
a start.. This will be found a difficulty for many years on 
rich prairies which have been seeded with a variety of 
the worst weeds a farmer can have to contend with—viz., 
those winch spread from the root. But they will have to 
be fought down and choked out. We would suggest 
mowing the weeds often, and keeping them down a3 
much as possible until the grass and clover get a start. 
Perhaps some of our readers have had experience which 
might help our correspondent. 
Crude Petroleum. — “E. J.,” Spring 
Valiev, N. Y., asks where crude petroleum can be pro¬ 
cured. It is generally kept at all country drug-stores, or 
wherever lubricating oils are sold. Its wholesale price in 
New York is about $4 per barrel. 
Cashmere Croats.— 1 “ A. F. L.,” Lebanon, 
Mo., sends us a sample of Cashmere goat’s-hair.with a re¬ 
quest to learn its value. We find there is no market in 
New York for this wool; the skins, with the fleece on, 
are bought in a small way, and used for trimming ladies’ 
dresses. It is not likely with the present inconsiderable 
production that any regular market will be established 
for the wool, and we would not advise any investing in 
these animals. Our correspondent thinks his goats a 
nuisance ; some others probably agree with him in this. 
A Windmill Wanted. — “J. B. R.,” 
Thomson, Ga., sends us the following brief and pithy 
letter—viz.: “What do you ask for a windmill 1 ”—Wind¬ 
mills cost all the way from $100 to $1,000, or more. A 
simple mill (see page 177, last month) may be built for 
much less,possibly $40 or $50, that will do light work, as 
churning, pumping, etc. We do not make or sell them. 
Cheap §4tsmp»I®Mller.—“A Subscriber ” 
has a field which he desires to free from stumps, and 
asks if there is not an easier way than to dig or grub 
them out. Small stumps may be pulled out with a block 
and tackle and a pair of horses or oxen, and quite large 
ones if they are partly rotted. For larger stumps, a 
machine figured in American Agriculturist forSeptember, 
1871, page 338, will be fonnd useful. It will cost from 
$15 to $30 to make it, including chains. 
Winy don’t tiae IBntter Come?— 
C. Wade, Fairview, Ky., asks what is the reason that 
sometimes butter can not be obtained in churning. This 
is one of those things it is difficult to understand. Our 
experience has been that it occui'3 only when cows have 
been long in milk, and never when they are fresh, and 
therefore maybe due to a change in the quality of the 
milk; but it only occasionally happens even then. Who 
can explain it, and say how it may be obviated f 
Cabbage ILice.—“M. A. II.,”Pische, Nev. 
Soap-suds, tobacco water, and vigilance are the remedies. 
Taken at their first appearance, it is but little trouble to 
exterminate them, but they spread with great rapidity. 
Break off the lower leaves that are badly infested, and 
use either of the above liquids on the remainder. Salt is 
said to be efficacious, but we have not tried it. 
I B raoiiiaj^.—“A. B. W.,” Mich. Pruning may 
be done at any time with proper care. See article in 
March. The most unfavorable season is when the trees 
are making their spring growth. 
l*rices of BBaitteiv—“ P. W.,” of Putnam, 
Ohio, complains that we “ tantalize Western farmers by 
such fabulous prices for butter,” as Mr. Sargent’s $1.15 
per pound. The fact, nevertheless, remains, that the but¬ 
ler in question was (and is) sold for this price. We did 
pot say that others could get the same price. We stated 
a simple fact of agricultural interest. Would it tantalize 
our correspondent if we were to tell him that we know a 
man who does not do a tenth part of the work that lie 
does, yet whose salary is over $70 a day ? P. W. thinks 
he can buy as good butter in Putnam, Ohio, for 22c. per 
pound. We have no doubt it is even better butter, meas¬ 
ured by our correspondent’s standard. By the standard 
of Mr. Sargent’s customers it would be considered very 
poor trash. They pay the price, and they have the right 
to decide. 
To S>ye Green.—E. R. Shields, Wasioja, 
Minn., asks how to dye cotton apermanent green. A really 
permanent green can not be got with ordinary domestic 
appliances. It is a nice operation for a professional dyer. 
A fair green may be got by dying blue with sulphate of 
indigo first, and then immersing the goods in a bath of 
quercitron bark. Put the bark, tied up in a cloth, into 
cold water, along with the blued goods ; gradually bring 
the bath to a boil—an hour should be occupied in this 
process; when boiling, permit the cloth to remain in 
only a few minutes, or the green will be dark and dingy. 
5Saclc Volw9M.es. — M. A. Huil, Nevada. 
Bound volumes of the Agriculturist are $2.00 at our office, 
$2.50 by mail. Volumes unbound $1.50, or $2.00 by mail. 
A Good. Cominon Cow.—J. Coonradt 
sends us the following account of what his cow Katy did. 
She is nine years old, of the native breed, fed on grass in 
summer, and some ground feed in winter, with corn, 
straw, and stalks, and in nine months yielded 336 pounds 
of butter, easily churned, and good. Her largest mess of 
milk was 14 quarts. Katy did well, and a heifer caif from 
Katy by a good Jersey bull would be worth having. 
Soiling' Crop. —T. S. Sturge, Monroe Co., 
N. Y., asks which is the earliest spring-sown crop he can 
raise for the purpose of soiling cows. Oats and peas will 
come in first, then corn. Oats and peas should be sown 
in succession, at intervals of two weeks. 
ESytlrMstlie Ccasnerst. — “W. E. P.,” 
Brunswick, Ga., asks what is the cost of hydraulic 
cement in New York, how many feet of twelve-inch wall 
one barrel will build, and if stones can be dispensed with 
and sand substituted ?—The price of cement is $1.75 per 
barrel. The proportion of sand to cement is three to one 
for the best work, and as it loses one third of its bulk 
when mixed, the calculation of wall built is easily made. 
If no stone is used, give a longer time for the cement 
to set, and the sand must be sharp, clean, and coarse. 
Tlie Moots.—C. W. Cumber, Jr. In years 
past we have discussed this Moon question, and prefer to 
use our space for matters relating to the planet Earth. 
The instances you cite are as old as ignorance itself. 
When these lunatics have any new points, we shall be 
glad to hear of them, but this pork and potato business 
belongs to the past generation. 
SS.saim for :a Stride SSjaalcIisEgv—L. B. 
Harrington, Bryan, Ohio, wants the best stain fora brick 
building, and the proportions of the ingredients. We 
suppose he means paint, as there is no method of staining 
brick, which would not be washed off by rain, unless it 
be oil-painting. Venetian red, mixed with raw linseed 
oil, is used for painting brick-work. Brick-work is often 
cleaned and the color brightened by rubbing with a soft red 
brick and water. If any other color than red is wished, 
the mineral or iron paints and the various ochres might 
be used in place of Venetian red. 
Claickeii Cholera. —“ T. H. R.,” Tenn., 
writes, Is there any certain cure for chicken cholera ?— 
We know of no certain cure, but consider proper atten¬ 
tion to feed, water, dry quarters, and perfect cleanliness 
as sure preventives. When it comes to the cure for this 
complaint, great difficulties and uncertainties arise. 
To iPsaclc —“ R. H. Thorn, Juno, 
W. Tenn., wants to know how to pack “ May ” butter so 
that it will keep sweet until May following. It is not 
alone the packing which makes butter keep, although 
good butter may be spoiled by bad packing ; but the best 
packing will not make poor butter good or keep sweet. 
Therefore first make good butter. Full directions are 
given in the American Agriculturist of May, 1872, in the 
“ Ogden Farm Papers,” for making the best butter. When 
that is made, it may be packed, nsing a double allowance 
of salt for packed butter, in new oaken tubs, which are 
first scalded, then soaked in brine, and the butter 
closely pressed in until quite full and level with the edge; 
then sprinkle a handful of salt on top, and cover with a 
piece of muslin, dipped into brine; nail down the 
cover and put away in a cool, sweet cellar or spring-house. 
It should then keep perfectly for a year or more. 
Mineral IPIaospluates.— “EL C. A.,” 
Brownsville, Tenn., asks what is meant by the statement 
in the “ Agricultural Report ” for 1859 to the effect that 
mineral phosphates may be treated with acids similarly 
to bones with equal efficacy, excepting that they may 
contain salts, which are absent in the bones. This is 
said in reference to the “Apatites ” or phosphatic rocks 
of New Jersey and New York,which contain fluoric acid, 
which would of course remain as an ingredient in the 
resulting superphosphate. The Charleston phosp -ates 
have been largely worked since that period, and h. ve 
furnished superphosphate equal to that from bones. 
Directions for dissolving bones arc given in American 
Agriculturist for April and May. 
SMaoenix Island. Guiino. —“J. W. C.,” 
Newtonville, Mass., asks how he should use Phoenix 
Island guano. As this guano contains less soluble mat¬ 
ter than Peruvian, it may bo used in rather greater quan¬ 
tities, say 200 to 300 pounds per acre, on corn, potatoes, 
and tobacco, harrowed in just before planting or spread 
broadcast on grass. 
Slow to Feed Forn.StalSts.—“ E. M. 
A.,” Forsyth Co., N. C., wants to know how to feed corn¬ 
stalks. The best way is to cut them up into pieces an 
inch long, wet them, and sprinkle a little salt and a quart 
of meal to a bushel of them, and -give a bushel twice a 
day to a cow, with some hay or straw at noon. 
Western. Fanning.—“Western Wilde” 
writes that he does not agree with the Western farmer 
who thinks we should not mention peat, bone-dust, etc., 
but is satisfied that farmers in the West need to give more 
attention to these and other fertilizers. He says farms 
in the West are running down fast, and need something 
to bring them up again. 
Bickles.—“M. F. M.,” Sioux City, Iowa. We 
have frequently stated that attractive appearance of the 
pickles found in stores is due to the use of colorless 
vinegar. It is called white wine-vinegar, but it is made 
from whisky. 
WSaa.E is a. Maximum Crop of 
ISeans ?—Forty bushels per acre have been grown. A 
farmer in Western New York raised over 1,800 bushels 
from CO acres, or over 30 bushels per acre. 
Soda for I>ecoscsgBOsia«g' Bones.— 
“A. J. B.” asks what kind of soda was referred to in 
the December number of American Agriculturist as used 
in decomposing pounded bones. It is common sal-soda, 
and is known in stores as washing-soda. 
Iron Flowei’-Vases. — “Mrs. M. C.,” 
Johnson Co., Mo., has some tops of parlor stoves which 
she wants to use for flower-vases, and wants to know how 
they may be painted to look like stone. First heat them 
to get rid of any grease, then, while hot, paint them with 
a coat of linseed oil, which when dry cover with a coat 
of drab or brown lead paint, and before the paint dries 
sift on them powdered sandstone. 
Wliat is Maaclk?—“A.” asks: Is tnud or 
dirt from the bottom of a branch or small run, muck ?— 
No. Muck consists of vegetable matter which has accu¬ 
mulated in a swamp or boggy place by the fall and decay 
of grass, leaves, or plants which have grown there dur¬ 
ing a long series of years. Wash often collects in ponds 
or creeks, and'c.onsists generally of sand or earth, with 
some vegetable matter ; but it is not muck. Muck con¬ 
solidated becomes peat. This is the sense in which the 
word is used in America. 
SSisat for MecSta.BB.Ies. — Ed. Skinner, 
Middletown, N. Y., says by rubbing a piece of chalk on 
a square the lines and figures are filled up, and can be 
much iflore plainly read. This is especially *seful for 
near-sighted persons. 
For other Basket Items see page 233. 
Tlae Department of Agriculture. 
—The Maryland Farmer. It is pleasant to be criticised 
when it is done in the gentlemanly manner of a corre¬ 
spondent of the Maryland Farmer. It is a luxury to 
which we are not often treated—this having our views 
controverted in a fair and above-board style. The 
writer alluded to, reviews our notice of the Report of 
the Department of Agriculture for 1871, given in our 
February number, ne does the best possible for the 
Commissioner, but we are not able to see that he invali¬ 
dates any of our statements. Some portions of the 
report were so ridiculous, that a mere statement of them 
was all we needed to make. These awkward matters 
our reviewer gets over by assuming that they were the 
work of subordinates, and probably the Commissioner 
never saw them until they appeared in print. As our 
critic assumes a Latin name, “Vindex,” we will ask 
him if he is not familiar with the Latin adage, Qui fadt 
per alium fadt per se (“ Who does a thing by another, 
does it himself ”) ? Would he accept it as an excuse if 
