1874.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
167 
Artificial Manures upon Poor 
JLand.—“R. H. S.,” Fayette Co., Pa. It would not 
pay to buy guano or superphosphate to apply to a corn 
crop without there was something in the soil to aid the 
effect of those fertilizers. They start the crop and it 
looks promising, hut if the soil is not able to carry it on 
to maturity they can not do it alone, and the crop falls 
off and fails to pay their cost. This is beginning at the 
wrong end. The first thing to be done is to save the 
manure you are now wasting as you say by exposure to 
rain. It would certainly not pay to borrow money to 
buy guano in this case at $110 per ton ; but it might pay 
to buy some extra feed for your stock and improve the 
quality of the manure, and to make improvements in 
your stables and yards to prevent its waste. 
Experiments with Waste from 
Wool-scouring Vats.—“ G. P. L.,” Philadelphia, 
favors us with ttie following experience with the waste 
from vats in which wool had been scoured. He pumped 
the water into a tight wagon box, holding 10 barrels, and 
hauled it bn to the fields, where it was spread. A ti¬ 
mothy meadow, to which it was applied, yielded 3 tons of 
hay per acre, and very good fall pasture. The crop of 
corn was increased by it one fifth, in yi Id of grain and 
largely in fodder. Potatoes failed partially; mangels 
failed entirely, and Hungarian grass, sown upon the same 
ground as a substitute, also failed. The waste contained 
tlie loss of 20,000, in shrinkage of 50 per cent on 40,000 
lbs. of wool, which consisted of yolk and sand mainly; 
5 casks of soda ash, 10 barrels of urine, and 5 barrels of 
cotton seed oil soap. (We should like to know upon 
what extent of land this was spread.) 
Agricultural Plaster.— “J. V. V.,” 
Salado, Texas. The sulphate of lime used for manure, 
is not calcined, but is simply the rock, crushed and 
ground fine. It is worth about $7 a ton in New York. 
Bones.- “E. R. S.,” Greenbrier Co., W. Va. 
The best method of reducing bones for use in a garden 
is to place them in barrels in layers along with unleached 
wood-ashes and keep them moist for several weeks, when 
they may be readily pounded fine enough for use. 
Plaster for Market Gardens.— “M. 
J.,” Cherry Grove, Pa. We have no reason to believe 
that plaster would be of great service upon market gar¬ 
dens. It is a special manure valuable upon clover, peas, 
com, and other broad-leaved crops grown in the field, 
but it is not sufficiently stimulating for the purposes of 
the market gardener; certainly not if used alone, but if 
used along with others it might be worth while trying with 
cabbages, potatoes, or corn. When sprinkled upon young 
cabbage plants, beans, melons, or turnips, it is often of 
use to drive off the flea or the squash bug. 
Ashes for Top-Dressing Wheat. 
—“ R. W. T.,” Wicomico Co., Md. Wood-ashes may be 
applied to wheat as a top-dressing at any time. They 
will not injure either bones or superphosphate that may 
have been applied at the sowing of the wheat. 
Shallow Plowing for Corn.—“ R. 
H. S.,” Dunbar, Pa. It was once said by an intelligent 
farmer that the soil should not be plowed deeper than it 
could be manured. There is much truth in that idea. 
Upon that principle it would not be well to plow a sod 
for corn so deep that the sod is buried beyond the reach of 
the roots of the corn. The depth of the plowing depends 
altogether upon the character of the soil, and tvhat may 
be right for one soil may not be so for another. 
Peas. — “ L. W. F.,” Chambersburg, Pa. 
There are two varieties of peas known as Canada peas, 
one the Black Eye Marrow Fat and the other the Gray 
pea. The first is suitable to a rich soil, upon which it 
makes an extraordinary growth of fodder. The second 
is a pea with a less developed vine and smaller seed, but 
it will yield a crop where the first would be unprofitable. 
Any produce dealer or seedsman in New York could 
supply the seed. It arrives in this market in barrels, 
and is now quoted at $1.25 per bushel. 
Poland China Hog's.—“ L. G. C.,” 
Hawcahon, HI., writes that he has sold his last July 
Poland China pigs in February of this year, and they 
weighed from 225 to 240 pounds. The spring pigs of 
the same breed were sold in the fall, and averaged 300 
pounds each. • 
The Slide Gate.— “J. A., Jr.,” Morrow 
Co., Ohio. The simple plan of sliding a gate upon a 
roller or a bar placed between two posts has been in use 
for many years. But there have been many patents 
taken out for peculiar rollers to be adapted to the slid¬ 
ing gate. We have frequently cautioned our readers 
against giving notes to swindlers who claimed patent 
rights which do not belong to them, etc. If any device 
has been in use two years before a patent covering it was 
procured that patent can not be sustained, and if any 
person claims a patent right upon a gate, simply sliding 
upon a bar or an ordinary roller, which has been procured 
within 20 years past, he claims more than he can sustain 
at law. When one of these patent claimants comes 
along do not be frightened or let him bully you into 
paying anything. Ask to see his patent. If he can not 
show it, get the name in which it was issued and precise 
date of issue and tell him to call again. If he is an im¬ 
postor he will bluster and will not be heard of again. If 
he is a real owner of a patent that you have uninten¬ 
tionally infringed, he will behave like a gentleman and 
give every opportunity for you to find out if his claim is 
a just one. For a small fee a copy of the patent can be 
had from the patent office. Recollect that the farmers 
have some rights that even owners of patents are bound 
to respect, and that the law was not made to oppress 
honest and innocent people. 
Cnrdy Milk. —“ A. A. B.” When a cow’s 
milk curdles while sweet and her yield suddenly falls 
off three fourths, it is evident that her health is seriously 
affected, but how or why, it is impossible to say without 
knowing something more than this bare fact. 
Catarrh im Sheep.— “R. S.” Wayne 
Co., Michigan. Sheep if kept too warm in the winter 
will take cold and run at the nose. There is danger that 
this may affect their lungs and cause fatal disease in the 
spring. The remedy is to keep them during nights in an 
open shed with a yard attached to it, so that they may 
have the choice of in-doors or out-doors as they desire. 
They will generally choose the outside of the shed. A 
tea-spoonful of pine tar placed upon their tongues and 
one upon their noses will be some help. During the 
day they should have, at least, some hours’exercise, in a 
field or in a large yard in which there is no manure. 
Pure Light Brahmas,— “A. L.,” 
York, Pa. The description of a pure Light Brahma, ac¬ 
cording to Tegetmeier, is as follows : Head white, neck 
white with black stripes down the center of the feather, 
breast, belly, and thighs white, back and shoulders 
white, saddle white striped with black, wings white 
with a black stripe on the edge, formed by the black 
feathers known as “primaries,” tail black, legs bright 
yellow, feathered with white feathers slightly mottled 
with black. 
To Destroy Eice.—“J. H. F.,” Colony, 
Mo. There is no really effective method of destroying 
lice upon any animal without oil or grease of some sort. 
In some recent experiments in England a mixture of 
one part of sulphur with three parts of lard and a mixture 
of one part of oil of tar with three parts of linseed oil 
destroyed the lice to which they were applied almost im¬ 
mediately, while corrosive sublimate, mercurial ointment, 
arsenious acid and carbolic acid were without any effect at 
the end of two hours, and tobacco water destroyed the 
vermin at the end of an hour. We have found a mix¬ 
ture of lard and kerosene oil to completely destroy lice 
both upon poultry and calves without any injury to the 
animals whatever. Kerosene oil alone will severely in¬ 
jure the skin. 
Feed, lhr Pigs.— “H. D.,” Madison Co., 
Iowa. There are no roots so valuable for feeding to 
hogs, cooked, as potatoes. The prolific coarser varieties 
as the Ilarison, Peerless, or Garnet Chili would be the 
best to plant. The best green crops for summer feed are 
clover, peas and oats mixed, vetches or cabbages. Rye 
would answer for early spring feed. Hogs might, no 
doubt, be profitably pastured within hurdles, as is com¬ 
monly done with sheep. 
Care of tke Poultry Yard.—“ S. P. 
T.,” Susquehanna Co., Pa. We have not sufficient room 
here to give full directions for managing a poultry-yard 
with all sorts of fowls and under all circumstances. Few 
books even can do all that, but “Wright’s Poultry 
Book” will be found to contain as much as any other 
book we know upon these matters. Price $2.00. 
Food for Sheep and Lambs.— 
“E. P.,” Otsego Co., N. Y. Roots should always be 
provided for sheep, yet they must not be fed in excessive 
quantities during the winter, as they then become in¬ 
digestible and dangerous from the large amount of water 
they contain, which reduces the temperature of the 
stomach, and in the case of ewes in lamb have often 
caused death. For 100 sheep two bushels of roots, sliced 
and sprinkled with bran, may be given at a feed. Hay or 
straw should always be fed between the feeds of roots. 
The best roots are sugar beets and ruta-bagas. Mangels 
are considered less valuable than these. Young Iambs 
may be fed a small quantity of bran and ground 
oats, scattered thinly in a broad flat trough so that one 
can not get more than its share. 
Impregnation of Turkeys’ Eggs. 
—“T. Burr Marsh,” Tewkesbury, Mass., states that in 
the spring of 1870 he purchased a flock of hens and with 
them a hen turkey which laid 15 eggs, and then wanted 
to set. The eggs were placed under hens ; the turkey 
was broken up, and soon commenced to lay again. The 
second laying of eggs upon being set under hens proved 
fertile although there was no turkey cock in the neigh¬ 
borhood. Several other correspondents have related 
similar experiences, which shows that one impregnation 
fertilizes the eggs of a second brood of a turkey hen. 
Yests for Esirly Chickens. — “J.,” 
West Vincent, Pa., says that hens’ nests for early hatch¬ 
ing at this time of the year should be lined with clay. 
They are thus made warmer, being air-tight, and are 
cleaner than if of any other material. 
Beans for Feed.— “ Inquirer,” Clinton, 
Co., N. Y. Old or discolored and unmarketable beans may 
be ground and fed to stock, cither cows, hogs or poul¬ 
try, with profit. But unless ground they are not readily 
eaten. For hogs or poultry the meal should be cooked 
and fed in thick mush, cold; for cows the meal should 
be stirred in hot water and given as a drink when nearly 
cold, or may be mixed with cut hay. 
Sheep in. tke Orchard.— “B. S. H.,” 
The obviously best cure for a sheep that barks apple- 
trees is to keep it out of the orchard. It is their nature 
to do this whenever they have an opportunity. 
Duration of Scab.—“G. W. C.,” Potter 
Hill, N. Y. It requires at least two years before the pas¬ 
ture or the yards which have been occupied by scabby 
sheep will become safe for the occupation of a healthy 
flock. Those places where the sheep have rubbed them¬ 
selves hav^ become infested with the insect which causes 
the scab, and in bad cases the ground itself may be in 
the same condition by means of dropped locks of wool; 
so that even careful whitewashing of the yards and 
fences may fail to make the place secure. 
Slow Killing of Meat.— Philip Mick. 
The length of time occupied in killing an animal has no 
ill effect upon the meat; on the contrary, it is said to 
make it tender. For this reason, as well as to make the 
flesh white, butchers used to bleed calves to death so 
slowly that they were often twelve hours in dying, and 
the same practice was in use with turkeys until the cruelty 
was stopped by law. I. is more likely that the diar¬ 
rhoea complained of was due to some unhealthy condition 
of the animal, possibly from its possessing some para¬ 
site in its flesh, as “measles,” which always produces 
this effect. 
A Poultry House for Young 
Chicks.—“J.,” West Vincent, Pa., describes a house 
in which he successfully raised a large number of early 
chickens last year as follows: It was ten feet long by 
eight wide, made of boards except the front, which was 
glazed. There were four corner posts, a floor in it, and 
it was kept warm by a stove. The sash for the glass 
was made of laths, and the whole cost of the material 
was a few dollars. In fine weather the chicks were al¬ 
lowed to run out in a small yard exposed to the sun. 
In this house there was room for two hundred chicks. 
By giving good care to the chicks they may be taken 
from the hen very early, and the hen put to laying again. 
Cure for Balking. — “W. P.,” Port 
Chester, N. Y. There is no specific cure for a balky 
horse. Gentle treatment and extreme patience have 
often effected a cure of this vice. Violence and punish¬ 
ment only make matters worse. 
Millet lor Soiling. — “H. K. G.,” Rock¬ 
land Co., N. Y. Millet makes a very good soiling crop. 
We do not know that it is any better than fodder corn or 
so good, but it has the advantage of making a variety 
which is very agreeable and desirable for cattle, whose 
appetite it is necessary to stimulate in this way. The 
seed is very small and should be lightly harrowed in 
upon mellow soil. This crop succeeds better upon well- 
drained rich soils. If the soil is moist we would rather 
choose oats and peas mixed for a fodder crop. 
Removing Turnip Flavor from 
Milk.—Mrs. “C. C. E.,” Randolph, Wis., sends us the 
very old information that a pinch of saltpeter dissolved 
in the milk will remove the flavor derived from feeding 
turnips. As this may be new to some of our more recent 
