THE CULTIVATOR. 
Sept. 
290 
Way, and seven inches the other. It contained two 
yolks, We are told that the hen frequently lays such, 
but we presume she cannot afford to lay but half as of¬ 
ten as common hens, as her eggs ate twice the com- 
mon size. 
Hand Stocking-Loom.^-A correspondent wishes to 
obtain information in regard to a hand stocking-loom. 
If such a machine is manufactured for sale, we shall 
be obliged if any one will inform us where it can be 
had, stating the price, and whether it could be used to 
advantage by a person unacquainted with it. 
New Plum. -Mr. J, S.Walsh has left us a specimen of 
plums, produced by a seedling tree now growing on his 
farm near this city. Its size is rather small, shape 
round, color reddish purple; flesh tender and sweet, 
with a little astringeney next to the skin: pit small. 
It has an aroma resembling some of the wild plums, 
and from its taste and general character, it is not im¬ 
probable that it is a hybrid between the wild plum and 
some cultivated variety. From its earliness, (being 
ripe the fore part of August,) and good flavor, we 
should think it worthy of propagation. 
Red Astrakhan APPLE.—Mr. Kirtland of Green- 
bush, has left us a very handsome sample of this fruit. 
It is one of the most beautiful apples grown~“of large 
size, deep red color, and of an agreeable acid flavor. 
It was taken to England from Sweden about thirty 
years ago, and from thence was introduced to this 
country. 
The Vernon Agricultural Association, of 
Oneida county, N. Y., will hold an exhibition of farm 
stock, agricultural products, and domestic manufac¬ 
tures, at Vernon Centre, on the 6th of October next. 
Bottling Insects. —The Boston Cultivator states 
that Mr. S. Pond, of Cambridgeport, practices with 
success the following plan, for catching insects. He 
hangs common glass bottles in his fruit trees, filled to 
the mouth with sweetened water, leaving the mouths 
uncorked Wasps, hornets, beetles and moths of vari¬ 
ous kinds., are attracted by the liquid, and having once 
entered the bottles, are unable to escape. Transpa¬ 
rent glass is said to be better than colored—few insects 
being found in the latter, but great numbers in the for¬ 
mer. It is mentioned that Mr. IvEs uses pitchers in¬ 
stead of bottles. * They are filled two-thirds full, and 
are hung by the handle to the branches of the trees. 
Experiment in Pork Making.—B. Dinsmore, 
states in the Genesee Farmer, that he made an experi¬ 
ment in fattening hogs with Indian corn and barley, by 
which the hogs gained one pound, live weight, for eve¬ 
ry four and a-half pounds of grain eaten.. The food 
was cooked by boiling from six to twelve hours. The 
corn was boiled whole, but the barley was first ground. 
He thinks grinding is of no benefit, provided the grain 
is cooked enough. 
Comparative Weight oe Fleece and Carcass.-— 
Fleeces vary so much in cleanness, that it is nearly im¬ 
possible to ascertain the relative proportion of fleece 
and carcass, by merely weighing each at the time the 
wool is taken off. Some have estimated that Merino 
and Saxon sheep would give a pound of wool to 18 or 
19 pounds of carcass. W. D. Dickinson states in the 
Genesee Farmer, that he weighed his sheep' and their 
fleeces this season, at the time of shearing, and found 
that they varied from one pound of wool to eight pounds 
five ounces of carcass, to one to twenty-eight pounds. 
His yearling ewes averaged a pound of wool to 13| of 
carcass; yearling rams, 1 to 16§; yearling wethers, 1 
to 16^; two-year-old rams, 1 to 14; two-year-old we¬ 
thers, one to 174; fat sheep, 1 to 17|; breeding ewes, 
1 to I 84 . The whole flock, consisting of 176, avera¬ 
ged a pound of wool to about seventeen pounds of car¬ 
cass. The wool is said to have been well washed, free 
from gum and nearly so from oil. The greatest weight 
of Wool in proportion to the weight of carcass Was a 
yearling ewe weighing 404 lbs., and which gave 4lbs. 
14 oz. of wool, about 44 inches in length; another 
weighed 504 lbs., an d sheared 4| lbs. wool. 
White Carrots.—Henry Coleman says that the 
Belgian white carrot has come greatly into favor in 
England. A distinguished farmer there finds it thirty 
per cent more productive than common carrots. One 
farmer had grown nearly 32 tons per acre, average 24 
tons ; another usually obtained 25 tons ; another, with 
high manuring, obtained a hundred tons from three acres. 
Another had grown 4,800 bushels or 1,200 per acre on 
four acres. In this country, its comparative produc¬ 
tiveness is as great as in England, and projecting sev¬ 
eral inches above ground, is harvested with great faci¬ 
lity. But it will not endure the winter in the ground; 
which, however, sometimes destroys the yellow carrot, 
when unusually wet. Seeds of the white carrot do not 
ripen so readily, and much bad seed is sold ; hence far¬ 
mers planting this variety, should be on the look out. 
Preventing smut in Wheat.— H. B. Hawley, in 
the Prairie Farmer, says, in speaking of the prepara¬ 
tion of seed wheat, by soaking in brine, and then rol¬ 
ling in lime, u I sowed thirty acres on new breaking, 
the seed of which was prepared as stated, except two 
casts, not prepared ; this was very smutty; a stranger 
could have followed the strip by the smut and chess. 
That which was brined and limed, had a little chess, 
but no smut in it. My other wheat, not prepared, 
sown on stubble, was smutty and had much chess. 
That which was brined and limed, yielded 20 per cent 
more than that which was not ; and brought ten cents 
more per bushel than the other ; it weighed 64 lbs. per 
bushel, although 4 lbs. were gained in part by cutting 
early.” The brine did not of course kill the chess, 
but the increase of wheat repressed it by partial smo¬ 
thering. 
E. D. Smith, of Brown county, Ohio, states in the 
Ohio Cultivator, that neither fly nor rust has injured his 
crop for the last four years, during which time he has 
prepared his seed by brining and liming. Of his neigh¬ 
bors’ crops, what has escaped the fly, has been great¬ 
ly injured by rust. 
To save a load of Hay.—A sudden shower, on 
large western farms, sometimes spoils a load of wheat 
or hay, or a partly finished stack. Solon Robinson 
says, u I have often thought that an oil cloth (tarpau¬ 
lin) large enough to cover a load of wheat or half-built 
stack, would be one of the most useful things a prai¬ 
rie farmer could own. It would be truly a labor-sa¬ 
ving instrument.” Who will remember this till next 
harvest—or procure such a cover now that it may be 
ready ? 
Charcoal as Manure.— I. Dille states in the Ohio 
Cultivator, that he has tried charcoal as manure with 
great success. He had sown wheat on a piece of ground 
three times, in each case with failure. Charcoal dust 
(quantity not stated) was applied as manure, and the 
succeeding crop was 25 bushels per acre, of very fine 
and plump wheat. As “ one swallow does not make 
a summer/’ other experiments would be satisfactory, 
especially as other experiments with charcaal have re¬ 
sulted in no apparent effect whatever. 
Winter-Killing of Grass. “-The Massachusetts 
Plowman says grass is not winter-killed for want of 
depth of root; “ the roots are broken off at the surface 
by freezing and thawing, where the surface is clayey, 
or of a nature to adhere to the plant.” This strikes 
us as being reasonable; but we should like to know 
how it agrees with the observations of others. 
Large Farming.—A writer in the National Stand¬ 
ard says that Robert B. Bolling of Virginia, has nine 
hundred acres of fine wheat., one thousand acres of 
grass, three hundred of oats, and seven hundred of corn 
