THE CULTIVATOR. 
337 
not raise it from the skin to disfigure the fleece. In its 
use in any weather there is no risk to the life or health 
of the animal, neither has it any bad effect on the wool, 
and although it stains the wool for the time being, yet 
when the fleece is washed, such stain then entirely dis¬ 
appears. It should be borne in mind by all owners of 
sheep, that there is no better preventive for scab, than to 
wash the sheep after being shorn, with strong brine and 
a brush. Yours very truly, Grazier. 
PLAN OF A STABLE AND CARRIAGE HOUSE. 
The size may be made to suit the wants of the builder. 
I would dispense with racks, 
as they add to the expense 
and are unnecessary. If the 
mangers be placed about two 
feet from the partition, the 
space will be sufficient to 
hold all the hay needed at 
one time. 
From the feed-room, oats, 
corn, cut hay, &c. may be 
placed in the manger, through 
openings in the partition, without entering the stable 
or passing from stall to stall. The second story is the 
hay loft from which the hay may be dropped at once 
into the manger, through openings. In the December 
number of the Cultivator, 1844, p. 385, are some inte¬ 
resting suggestions relative to the size of stalls, materi¬ 
als, mangers, &c., suitable for this plan. 
References. —A, Feed-room B, C, Stalls. B, Har¬ 
ness and saddle room. E, Carriage-house. F, openings 
from the feed room. Mangers indicated by parallel 
lines; windows by double marks. Yarrow. 
CONSTRUCTION OF ICE HOUSES. 
“ What is the most approved plan of constructing an 
ice-house where the springs at certain seasons of the 
year are within four feet of the surface of the ground.”— 
Cultivator of Sept., 1845, p. 291. 
Our plan for building an ice-house in any situation, is 
this:—Lay a good stone foundation in lime mortar, as 
you would for any other building, raising it about 18 
inches above the surface of the earth—10 feet by 15 feet 
is large enough for the necessities of almost any private 
family. Have your studs 12 inches broad by 2 inches 
thick—,rafters the same—10 feet from the sills to the 
plates. Run a partition around the corner, that the en¬ 
trance may be about 5 feet square—doors 2\ feet wide. 
Fill the space within the foundation wall 3 or 4 inches 
above the top of the sill, with tan bark, so that it shall 
be at least two feet deep after being well stamped down. 
Then board the inside tight with well seasoned boards, 
roof and sides;) nail on a board all round the outside 
and fill the space with tan bark well jammed in, and so 
proceed till you arrive at the ridge, making every space 
and vacancy tight with the bark. Afterwards shingle 
and clapboard as you like. Thatch, well put on, would 
probably be best, but shingles are well enough. The 
partition should be double, and a space of 6 inches filled 
with tan-bark. The doors should be so constructed as 
to be filled four inches thick with bark. The whole, ex¬ 
cept the doors and casings, may be of rough hemlock 
lumber. This is much after the West Intlia manner of 
building ice-houses, where ice is kept many months, 
always entirely above ground, with the thermometer 
averaging about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 
Great care should be taken in packing in, which should 
be well covered with straw, with water sprinkled over 
it, and stowed away during the coldest weather. The 
doors of the ice-house should be left open during some 
of the coldest days and nights immediately succeeding— 
then close all tight— 
“ Till tyrant heat, dispreading through the sky, 
With rapid sway, his burning influence darts 
On man and beast, and herb and tepid stream,” 
when you will find yourself possessed of the luxury 
laid by in store. Farmer C. 
Manlius, Sept. 22d, 1845. 
BOG CUTTER.—(Fig. 95.) 
Mr. Editor —In your September number, under hints 
for the season, page 286, I saw an inquiry made respect¬ 
ing a tool for cutting bogs or 
tussocks. We have formerly 
used the bog hoe as there 
mentioned, but this is both 
slow and hard. Two years 
ago I invented a tool, (which 
I believe I have mentioned 
before, calling it an ox-joint¬ 
er,) that does the work well. 
It is a triangular knife. 
The hypothenuse is four 
feet, made of a bar of iron, 3 
inches wide, five-eighths of 
an inch thick, laid with good 
steel, with the face side down, 
that it may keep close to the 
ground; the ends of the two legs are framed into a short 
sled, on the under side, and shod over these ends with an 
old worn cart tire; (the sled is four feet wide and the 
same in length.) An upright knife is screwed into the 
angular point of the knife and the hinder beam of the 
sled, which steadies the knife, and divides the tussocks, 
making them lighter to remove. I hitch a chain to the 
end of each runner of the sled, put on one pair of oxen, 
and ride on the sled. In this way I cut 3 or 4 acres per 
day. Where the tussocks, knobs, or bunches, are thick, 
the knife must be ground quite sharp. It will not work 
among stones. Samuel Camp. 
Explanaion.— a. Forward beam of steel— b b. The 
two wings of the knife— c. Upright knife— d. Hind 
beam of sled. 
Plainville , Ct., Oct. 11 th, 1845. 
REMARKABLE CALF. 
Mr. Tucker —I paid a visit a few days since to the 
Messrs. Root, who are among the best of our Genesee 
farmers, to see a calf in their possession, which has be¬ 
come quite a subject of remark in this region, and is, in 
truth, a very remarkable animal. He is now over two 
months old. He weighed 101 lbs., at birth; at the end 
of four weeks, 203 lbs ; and in two months time, 312 
lbs. These weighings were attended by suitable wit¬ 
nesses. His color,is a deep red, and so perfectly formed 
is he, that the best judges say they find not the slightest 
room for censure. He is very matured in appearance, 
though by no means dwarfishly disposed, as you have 
already learned from the foregoing. The insertion of 
his tail, especially resembles very much that of a fat ox. 
He is four feet in girth. He was sired by a two year old 
of the Durham and Devonshire breeds, seven-eights of 
the former, and measuring seven feet. His mother is a 
cross of the same breeds. They are both unusually fine 
animals. The calf is visited quite frequently from all 
parts, ladies and gentlemen. We think him quite a 
wonder here. Some go so far as to say that no such 
animal can be found in the country. At any rate we 
should be glad of any information you may be pleased to 
give us on the subject. An Amateur 
| York, Livingston Co. 
APPLES FOR HOGS. 
Mr. Editor —I have kept my hogs on apples every 
fall and winter for ten years past. I put rather more 
meal with my apples than people usually do when they 
boil potatoes; but not enough to keep the hogs alive if 
they had no apples. My hogs usually look better in the 
spring than any of my neighbor’s, that are fed on pota¬ 
toes. In fact, they thrive and keep fat all winter. I lay 
my apples in a large bin in my hog-pen, let them freeze 
when the weather becomes very cold, then cover them 
up with rye straw and keep them frozen all winter. 
When I want to use them, I put them on my stove in a 
large pot or kettle, let them be on just long enough to 
take the frost out of them and feed them to the hogs 
warm. Some people only turn warm water on them and 
