128 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
April’ 
Information Wanted. 
We invite the attention of readers to the following 
inquiries, and solicit from, them the information desired: 
Ruta Baga. —Will you' or any of your nume¬ 
rous readers, inform me of the best system of raising 
ruta bagas, (called Swedes in England,) and the com¬ 
mon field turnep, upon a strong, loamy soil ? Which is 
the best method of cultivation, the best time for sow¬ 
ing, the best kind of tumeps—how much seed per acre, 
and which is the best manure, and how much of it to 
the acre ? 
Has any one ever sowed Rape (called Cole in Eng¬ 
land) for feeding sheep in the fall, and the result? 
Can the seed be procured in this country, and when is 
the time to sow it ? J. R. C. 
Big-IIead in Horses. —I wish to be instructed by 
some of your numerous readers relative to the disease 
called the “big-head”—the first symptoms, progress, 
general treatment, and remedy, if there is any. Is the 
disease contagious? Will other colts running in the 
same pasture be likely to have the disease ? If any 
one has had experience in the matter or ca» give the 
desired information, I shall certainly be very thank¬ 
ful. Now I hope no one who can oblige, will wait for 
some one else. Suppose there should be two or three 
that send in an answer; the more the better, possibly. 
An earnest Reader. 
Paint for Barns, &c. —I intend to paint my barns, 
out-buildings, &c., in the spring, and shall be greatly 
obliged if you or some of the readers of your papers 
will inform me as to the cheapest and most durable 
paint for a brown or tan color. Do you know any 
thing of a kind manufactured by Dr. Salisbury? j. 
H. Parks. 
Breaking Colts. —I am about to break a three 
year old colt, and have never had any experience in 
the business. Will you or some one Of your correspon¬ 
dents, please to give me a few hints upon the subject 
as soon as convenient? I wish to train the colt to be 
a horse of all-work—to work on the farm, and also to 
be used as a carriage and riding horse. How much 
will it answer to work her the coming summer ? What 
is the best manner of bitting ? What is the best kind 
and they most economical food for a young horse ? I 
have a steady old hors# with which I intend to work 
the colt. Information upon the above subjects will 
doubtless be acceptable to many besides myself. H. 
N. E. Remsen, Feb. 21, 1854. 
Elders, Canada Thistles, &c. —I wish to inquire 
as to the best method of destroying the white elders, 
red raspberry and Canada thistle, on ground that is in 
no condition to plow, (new pasture.) A Subscriber. 
Red Clover and Rape. —Will you be so kind as 
to inform me where I can obtain the large late red 
clover seed, and the price ? Also inform me if the cul¬ 
tivation of rape is profitable in this country. I am 
told it is very profitable in the British Isles. Where 
can the seed be obtained, and the price? (You can 
procure the clover seed of J. Breck & Son, Boston, at 
from 12 to 15 cents per lb. Possibly they may supply 
you with rape seed. We know of no one who culti¬ 
vates it in this country.— Eds.] 
Abortion. —I have a cow combining'many very 
valuable qualities that has had four calves ; the second 
and fourth sheJdst by abortion when four or five months 
gone. Is there any preventive ? 
Saw-dust placed two or three inches deep under cows 
in the stable, is an excellent litter to keep them clean. 
A Subscriber. Gilsutn, N. H. 
Cider Mills. —You mentioned recently, a wonder¬ 
ful little cider mill, made or exhibited by John Jones, 
of Little Falls. Have you any personal knowledge of 
the machine ? Can it do one-half as much as there 
represented ? If so, I think there would be a demand 
for some of them here; for in this place where there ■ 
used to be seven mills, there is but one left, and that 
nearly worn out. Those who were so lucky as to have 
a few apples last year, had to go six miles to get them 
made into cider. Tell Mr. Jones to let us know where 
and how his mills can be had, and not to keep all the 
good things to himself. Luther Butterfield.— 
Tyngsboro, Mass. [We know nothing more of the 
mill, than was there stated.— Eds.] 
Churning Milk, &c. —Will any one of your nu¬ 
merous subscribers give us an account of churning 
milk when sweet, and of making the buttermilk into 
cheese, and its comparative results, as I wish all the 
information I can get upon the subject. G. A. Han- 
chet. West Stockholm, N. Y. 
Vetches and Rye Grass.—I would like to be in¬ 
formed if the English “Vetch,” and the “Italian 
Rye Grass,” are cultivated here—how they have suc¬ 
ceeded in this climate, and where they may be had? 
Answers to the above questions will much oblige a 
Subscriber. 
Wire Fences— Inquiry —Not many months ago, 
the Cultivator talked much about wire fenees. Time 
enough has now elapsed for a test of their value, for all 
the purposes of a fence. Will some of your correspon¬ 
dents who have tried them, give the result. I am very 
anxious to learn something reliable in reference to them, 
as I am destitute of rail timber, and lumber is so high 
jn price, that a farmer may carry on his back all the 
post and board fence his wallet will make. There are 
hundreds in the same predicament, and reliable infor¬ 
mation would be a boon to us. C. B. Burr Oak , 
Extirpating Wild Onions — Inquiry. —Pray will 
you be kind enough to inform the readers of your val¬ 
uable periodical of the most practical way of eradica¬ 
ting wild onions from the soil. Yours very respect¬ 
fully, I. S. C. New Brunswick, N. J. 
Mill for Grinding Feed. —Will you or some of 
your readers, inform me if there is any good portable 
mill for grinding feed for stock, and whether it will 
grind corn on the cob, the price, Ac. A. C. 
Stabling Cows. —I saw in the February Cult., a 
letter from a correspondent, giving a plan for stabling 
cows so as to keep them ont of the manure. He says 
—“ it is simply to confine my cows with stanchions, up¬ 
on a platform elevated four inches above a gutter im¬ 
mediately behind them.” Will he be so kind as to 
state where and how these stanchions are placed so as 
to confine the cows upon the platform ? This is to me 
a very important matter, and any information on the 
subject will be thankfully received. C. V. Pikesville. 
A Movable Fence. 
Eds. Co. Gent, and Cult. —As I am a reader of 
the Cultivator, and have been for some years, I take 
the liberty for tha convenience of others, to make 
known my experience in the use of a movable fence ; 
which I have found of the greatest convenience sfbout 
my barns, in separatmg flocks of sheep, &c. 
Take two sills four feet long, four inches thick, for 
one length, thinning the ends, and with a large auger 
bore two holes in the middle, and put two tough sticks, 
four feet high, one inch apart, so as to let a board be¬ 
tween them. Take a half inch auger and bore the tops, 
put through an iron bolt with a nut to hold the top of 
the fence. The board placed between, can be of the 
length and width convenient for the place it is design-*' 
ed, Two make a good fence ; if wanted high, a piece 
of board can be placed between the sticks, thus rais¬ 
ing the upper board. In this way boards are not in¬ 
jured for after use, no nails being used. It can be 
I kept stationary by making a hole in one end of the 
sill and driving a pin through into the groiind. Mark 
I Gridley. Farmington , Ct., Feb. 10, 1854. 
