382 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Dec. 
ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES. 
Red Cedar .—“ Subscriber,” Ontario county, N. 
Y. We are not in possession of any information in 
regard to the cultivation of this plant for hedges, essen¬ 
tially different from what is given in our May number, 
je. 164. 
Spiked Roller. —H. A. W., Providence, R. I. 
This implement is sometimes used on sward-bound 
grass-grounds, but we do not know where it is made 
for sale. A harrow with .thin, sharp teeth, answers 
a3 good a purpose as the roller. 
Breed of Hogs for Early Fattening. —H. A. 
W. The Suffolk is unquestionably a good breed of 
hogs to kill young. They would give good weight at 
six months old. (See Cultivator for March last, p. 
94, 95.) A cross of the Berkshire and grass breeds 
would do well. 
Breed of Hens for Laying. —The top-knot va¬ 
rieties, known as Polands, silver and golden top-knots, 
&c., are good for laying. We should prefer these, or 
a cross of them and the game fowl, for eggs, merely. 
Agricultural Papers at Philadelphia. —“ A 
Subscriber,” Brooklyn, L. I. The only agricultural 
paper published at Philadelphia, so far as we know,, is 
the Farmer’s Cabinet , a monthly octavo, of 32 pages, 
published by Josiah Tatum, North Fourth-street, at 
one dollar a year. 
Preserving Eggs. —R. G., Connecticut. We have 
no more than what we have published on this subject, 
except the following: H. A. Pitts, of Winthrop, states 
in the Maine Farmer , that he has tried many me¬ 
thods of packing eggs, and that the best mode is to put 
them in charcoal. The charcoal is pounded and the 
eggs packed in it in the same way that it is usual to 
pack them in salt. They keep perfectly good, and 
when used after several months, were not to be distin¬ 
guished from those just layed. 
Storing Sweet Potatoes. —In answer to a cor¬ 
respondent who requests information in regard to the 
keeping of sweet potatoes through the winter, we give 
from Norman’s Southern Ag. Almahac, the following: 
11 The sweet potato should not be gathered till there 
has been frost sufficient to kill the vines. We have 
always hitherto stored in pumps or cocks, and have had 
abundance of fine yams until mid-summer. Whilst the 
potatoes are being gathered, two or three trusty old 
hands are engaged in preparing the pumps, hauling a 
quantity of dry crab-grass, previously gathered, and of 
dry corn-stalks. A piece of high dry ground, under 
good fence, is necessary. A circular bed is formed, 
six or seven feet in diameter, by drawing the earth 
from the middle all around, making a saucer-like bed. 
In the centre of this, a small triangular chimney, made 
by nailing together three pickets, six or seven feet 
long and as many inches wide, is set on end, and the 
potatoes are carefully emptied round it from the bas¬ 
kets, being careful not to bruise them, and to leave a 
foot in length of the chimney protruding above. A 
sprinkle of fine, dry straw or crab-grass hay on the 
bottom, is necessary. Build the potatoes up as high 
as possible, so as to form a steep-sided cone. Over 
this, put a thin covering of dry crab-grass; then cover 
with cornstalks, carefully laid on, with their butts on 
the ground, to the thickness of five or six courses. 
The whole must then be covered with earth; at first, a 
light c overing, to be increased by another coat when cold 
weather sets in; smoothing off each time by patting with 
the spade. The earth to cover with, is taken from 
around the pump, forming a ditch, with an outlet from 
which the water drains. The warm, damp air gene¬ 
rated by the sweating of the roots, escapes through 
the chimney, which may be closed with a wisp of 
straw, if the weather sets in very cold. A slight roof 
of clapboards should be placed over each pump, not 
resting upon them.” 
Preparation of Manure. — 0. O., Haddam, Ct. 
If the fermentaion of manure takes place in such cir¬ 
cumstances that the valuable portions are not thrown 
off and wasted, we have no doubt that it is an ad¬ 
vantage. At any rate, its action is rendered more im¬ 
mediate and effective. It may have been on this ac¬ 
count that effect of the manure-in the first case cited 
by you, was so conspicuous. 
Ellsworth’s Syphon Ram. —F. R., Milwaukie. 
We hope to be able to answer your inquiry shortly. 
Stalls for Cattle. —R. D. H., Nelson, N. Y. 
We would refer you to the June number of our current 
volume. Feeding boxes to stand in yards, for feeding 
coarse fodder and straw, may be made by fastening 
planks five or six feet long, to four upright joists or 
posts, so as to form a square box, three feet high. A 
bar eighteen to twenty inches above the planks, will 
serve to keep the fodder from being thrown out by the 
cattle tossing their heads. 
Disease in Swine. —J. A. F., Newport, N. Y. 
We think it probable that the disease which has at¬ 
tacked your swine is the mange. The malady is iden¬ 
tical with the scab in sheep, and the itch in man. Mr. 
Youatt, in his work on swine, lately published, says, 
“ Where the mange is recent, a tolerably strong de¬ 
coction of tobacco, or digitalis, will often prove an effi¬ 
cacious wash for the diseased parts, or el solution of 
corrosive sublimate; but. if the eruption is of long 
standing, and has degenerated into scabs, a solution of 
arsenic, in the proportion of one ounce to a gallon of 
water, or, what is still better, sulphur and mercurial 
ointment in the proportion of an ounce of the former to 
a drachm of the latter, carefully and thoroughly rubbed 
into the skin, must be resorted to.” 
Raising Forest Trees. —J. W. C., Springfield, 
Mass. The walnut and chestnut must be planted as 
soon as they are out of the hull, or kept in moist earth 
till it is convenient to plant them. The “ seed of the 
oak” (acorns) may be kept for some time in a damp 
situation, but should not be allowed to shrink much be¬ 
fore being planted. The white oak is the most valua¬ 
ble of this family, and of the hickories, the soft-shelled 
or “ shag-bark,” is best. The white pine is readily 
raised from seed. There are many plantations in the 
eastern part of Massachusetts, produced in this way. 
The seed must be gathered as soon as the cones drop, 
or the cones should be gathered and placed under cover 
till the seeds will drop out. If they open in the woods, 
squirrels, mice, and birds often get the seeds. The 
seeds should be put in the ground as soon as practica¬ 
ble after they are obtained. 
Locust for Timber. —E. Q., Salubria, N. Y. The 
species of acacia, which is preferred for timber, is the 
yellow locust as commonly called. It is best adapted 
to light or loamy soils. The seed may be obtained of 
most seedsmen. They may be sown in spring in beds, 
as beets or other vegetables are sown. They may be 
transplanted from the seed-bed when a year old, and 
placed in rows as apple-trees are in nurseries; and when 
they attain to a proper size, which will be in two or 
three years, may be planted permanently. They re¬ 
quire to fie placed in hot water before being planted, in 
order to soften the hard covering with which they are 
enveloped, and insure their immediate germination. 
Pour the water on the seeds, and let them remain till 
the water is cool. 
