1868 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
129 
The Department of Agriculture. 
—We have before us three documeifts which show that 
Col. Capron is earnestly attending- to agricultural inter¬ 
ests. One is a report on the manufacture of Beet Sugar, 
showing its importance in other countries, and the ne¬ 
cessity of an investigation that will facilitate its introduc¬ 
tion here. Another report is in favor of a remission of 
duties on animals imported for the purpose of improving 
the stock, and a third for the removal of restrictions 
upon the importation of new plants, seeds, etc. 
Standard of Excellence in Poitl- 
Iry. —We have received from Mr. A. M. Ilalsted, Secre¬ 
tary of the American Poultry Society, a pamphlet con¬ 
taining minute descriptions of all the breeds of poultry 
recognized by that Society. It is the same as the stand¬ 
ard adopted by the London Poultry Club, and published 
in Tegetmeier’s Poultry Book, with “ Alterations and Ad¬ 
ditions adapting it to America.” Accurate knowledge of 
poultry is a rare qualification of judges of poultry at our 
fairs, and this publication, or something like it, should be 
placed in the hands of every one, as a guide in deciding 
upon the merits of fowls exhibited at our fairs. 
The Buckeye Mower and Reaper. 
—We offer as a premium one of the best, if not the very 
best machine in the country, regarded either as a mower 
simply, or as a combined machine. Every year our judg¬ 
ment in selecting the “Buckeye” is confirmed by the 
prizes which are awarded to it at fairs and trials in all 
parts of the country. It was not sent to the Paris exhibi¬ 
tion last year, because the proprietors have not taken out 
European patents, but it is a satisfaction both to them 
and to us that the machines which received the grand 
awards use those peculiarities which distinguish the 
Buckeye here. This is one of the most important pre¬ 
miums we offer, and a few weeks of energetic work for the 
Agriculturist may put several young farmers in posses¬ 
sion of one of these excellent implements, with all desir¬ 
able improvements, before haying and harvest time. 
Blrreireiug- Tile.— “R. E. W.,” of Wyom¬ 
ing Co., Penn., says he has been reading Draining for 
Profit, and, of course, has the fever. Col. Waring recom¬ 
mends only round tiles. These are not to be had nearer 
than Albany. What is to bo done? Do the next best 
thing—use sole tiles, and if you cannot do better, use 
horse-shoe tiles. If these cannot be had, two four-inch 
boards nailed together like a roof or a V inverted, will 
last a great many years. The use of boards was recom¬ 
mended by our correspondent “ H.,” of Morristown. The 
views of our Morristown correspondent are usually right. 
Market Friee for Corm Masks.— 
“ G. T. E.” This differs much in various parts of the 
country. The husks are used extensively in upholstery. 
A good clean article ought to bring ten dollars and up¬ 
wards at the mill. The husks are run through a hackle, 
and then pressed in bales about the same size as hay 
bales, and in this condition are sent to the New York and 
other markets, where they bring about fifty dollars a ton. 
The commission merchant sells for seventy dollars a ton. 
It will be seen from this that the manufacturer and the 
merchant have the largest share of the profits. The rem¬ 
edy is a neighborhood hackle mill, owned by farmers. 
A Feat Swamp Burnt ©ret.—“I. O. 
D.,” of Lansing, Cook Co., Ill., writes: “I have about 
eighty acres of peat land that took fire in August last, and 
has continued to burn to this date, with no prospect of 
stopping until the marsh is all consumed, unless copious 
rains quench it. There was about two feet of peat, and 
there is now, (March 4th,) where it is burned, fifteen 
inches of ashes lying as light as newly fallen snow. What 
shall I do with it ? The subsoil is sand, and the fire has in 
most places burned all but the sand. As the land is not 
fenced, and as I am not flush of funds, do not like to risk 
seed, labor, and fence, unless there is a good prospect of 
getting a crop.” Ans — One thing you can surely do— 
that is, lot it alone. This we advise, unless you can as¬ 
sure yourself, before time to set out cabbages, or plant 
turnips, or possibly plant corn or potatoes, that the out¬ 
lay will pay. Let it lie, and try a few experiments with 
it. We presume it will prove very valuable land. 
If* the New York Independent 
shall hereafter advertise itself as a “Religions Journal,” 
or lay any claim to that character, after placing before its 
readers such an advertisement as filled out the whole of 
its 5th page in glaring type, on Feb. 20th, we think 
the American Bible Society should promptly send to the 
office of the paper a large type edition of the Scriptures, 
to the end that its editors or publishers may be able to 
learn the first principles of true religion, Christian prin¬ 
ciple, and common decency. We have no quarrel with 
the Independent, on general grounds, but in behalf of 
outraged public morals we should feel obliged to adviso 
every family in the land to shun the paper, and to provide 
a long pair of tongs with which to seize and thrnst into 
the fire every copy that may chance to find its way to their 
dwellings, unless there is at once a guarantee that its ad¬ 
vertising pages shall not hereafter eounteract and render 
ridiculous the religious teachings of its reading col¬ 
umns. We are glad to see the Christian Intelligencer’s 
earnest protest, and to know that its own advertisements 
are usually so guarded that it is not compelled to hesitate 
to throw the first stone at the Independent—as, alas 1 too 
many professedly religious papers are obliged to do. 
Distillation, Brewing, and Malt¬ 
ing. —A small volume with this title, issued at San Fran¬ 
cisco, we have read through, expecting to find some useful 
information for a novice, but are disappointed. It con¬ 
tains general statements, but lacks the minuti® and illus¬ 
trations required to make it generally useful. The book is 
not particularly recommended by such statements as the 
following: “ During the continued and despiseably puer¬ 
ile maladministration of the British revenue officials, 
while they, by erroneous, pertinacious, and persistent 
official oppression, fast blighted the growth of revenue, 
—while they paralyzed and ruined the licensed distiller, 
precisely as the United States’ rule is now doing,” etc. 
Here, as elsewhere in the book, the adjectives are piled 
on with a vengeance, for a pretended scientific treatise. 
GrasS Seed far Reclaimed Salt 
Marsli.—W. S. Hayes, Del., wishes to know the quick¬ 
est way to get salt marsh into the fresh grasses after the 
tide gates have been put in. It is not necessary to plow, 
as many suppose. The surface of the marsh is a soft 
and spongy bed, where the seeds readily sink and ger¬ 
minate. Any grass seed that is desired will grow. We 
have used White and Red Clover, Red-top, and Timothy, 
and they have all done well. Wo prefer a mixture of 
grasses, to make the largest yield and the bGSt quality of 
hay. Sow the seed from 15th of March to 15th of April, or 
in August. It is better to have the sea water shut off six 
months before the seed is sown. This whole subject has 
been frequently discussed in back numbers, which can bo 
forwarded by mail on application to interested parties. 
Bringina 1 Water into Iloreses rend 
Barns. — F. S. Hill, N. J. Where the fountain is 
higher than the house, the water may be carried 
in wood, metal, earthen, or cement pipes. If the 
stream has sufficient fall, the water may be brought 
in by a ram from a point lower than the house. For 
this purpose an iron or lead pipe is more desirable 
than wood or cement, and the difference in cost is not 
worth estimating. Cement pipes do very well for carry¬ 
ing water from higher points to lower, and are rapidly 
gaining in popular favor. , We should not like to trust 
them to bear the constant shocks of a ram. Parties who 
have water rams for sale generally keep pipes to go with 
them, and can furnish reliable information as to com¬ 
parative cost and durability. With a reservoir in the house 
large enough for a day’s supply, a small pipe will answer. 
Mow to <Get Blgf Crops. —As a rule, 
farmers are much more anxious to get big prices than big 
crops. There are few farms whose average production 
could not be doubled in a very short time by more capital 
and labor. It is safer to use capital in farming than in 
almost any other business. The credit of the plow is 
quite as good as that of the loom or the anvil, and the 
capital will come if it is called for. Use more manure, 
and get thirty bushels of wheat where you now get fifteen, 
and eighty bushels of corn where you now get forty. The 
quantity of grain grown per acre is mainly a question of 
manure and tillage. A big compost heap makes a full 
grain bin. With high manuring, the soil needs deeper 
stirring and a gradual bringing up of the subsoil to the 
surface. With the present horse harrows and cultivators, 
nearly all the cultivation can be done by horse power, at 
a great saving of expense, and a great increase of the 
crops. Plan for big crops this season. 
Migli Farming without Stock.— 
“ J. M. B.” of Marylapd is fully satisfied of the advantage 
of clean and thorough culture for com, and of high fann¬ 
ing, but would like to see a series of articles discussing 
restoring and keeping up land by commercial manures 
withont feeding stock. They have not barns and other 
conveniences necessary to feed cattle in winter, and as 
every negro is privileged to keep two or three worthless 
curs, sheep feeding is attended with much care and anx¬ 
iety. A farmer is apt to start every time he hears a dog 
bark. We will not give advice on the subject, but have 
little doubt that. Peruvian and Swan Island guano of go.od 
quality might bo used with profit on barley, to he follow¬ 
ed by wheat, seeded down with clover. But, of course, 
if the straw and com fodder, and especially the clover, 
were sold off the farm, the system would soon impoverish 
the land. And it seems to ns that with easy access to the 
best markets in the world, some plan of feeding stock 
might be discovered that would be profitable. In the 
meantime one thing is certain: as long as large crops of 
clover can be grown, we may be sure, by plowing it under, 
of raising good crops of corn, barley, and wheat. 
Information about Fertilizers.— 
Mr. B. asks: “Cannotthe editors of the American Agri¬ 
culturist give us correct information in regard to the 
merits of different commercial fertilizers without fear or 
favor? The manufacturers might be angry, but the farm¬ 
ers would be benefited.” We would gladly do so, but the 
subject is surrounded with difficulties. The best plan is 
to buy only from responsible parties, and insist on a guar¬ 
antee in regard to the composition of the manure. Keep 
a sample in a tightly corked bottle, and if there is after¬ 
wards reason to suspect that the manure was very poor, 
have it analyzed, and if it Is inferior sue for damages. 
Condensed Milk Factories.—“F. 
L.,” Vt. The use of condensed milk is greatly On the 
increase, both in this country and in Europe. The “ con¬ 
densing process” is patented, and several different com¬ 
panies are engaged in the business, using different pat¬ 
ents. The condensing is done in the country, in dis¬ 
tricts where milk is cheap. There is the same advantage 
to farmers in one of these factories, as in a cheese or bnt- 
ter factory. It makes a home wholesale market for milk, 
and saves much labor in the house. 
Maple Sugar. —According to the last Unit¬ 
ed States census, about forty million pounds are made in 
the whole country, and one and a half million gallons of 
syrup. The New England States, New York, Michigan, 
and Ohio, make the most. Nearly one-half of the whole 
•quantity is made in New York aud Vermont. The value 
of this product at the present market prices is not far 
from eight millions of dollars. There is no good reason 
why more system should not be introduced into this in¬ 
dustry and the business be greatly extended. Why should 
not better varieties of the sugar maple bo sought out and 
multiplied by nurserymen, and orchards be planted on a 
large scale? There is no danger of a glut in the sugar 
market, and if the product were multiplied ten fold the 
price would still be remunerative. The tree will flourish 
in elevated positions and on rocky land quite too rongh 
for tillage, and its cultivation requires very little care. 
Landretlis’ Garden Seeds. —Messrs. 
Landreth & Son send us a series of specimens of the prod¬ 
uce of their seed farm. The reputation of these gentle¬ 
men is such that we shall sow the seeds in full confidence 
of obtaining excellent results. 
Early Cultivation of Potatoes.— 
Much labor may be saved by running a bush harrow over 
the ground just as the shoots are breaking throngh. ' This 
will disturb the whole surface of the ground, and is equiv¬ 
alent to a good hoeing. A week or ten days later go 
between the rows with a cultivator, and if the young 
shoots are covered deeply with dirt it will not harm 
them. The early sorts will only need cultivating once or 
twice more, and this can be done by horse-power. Early 
and frequent cultivation makes cheap potatoes. 
Triplets.—“J. B.” writes: “J. H. Dickman, 
near Richmond, Indiana, has a cow upth triplet calves, 
which are fine, healthy animals, and at last accounts the 
dam aud trio were ‘ doing well.’ ” 
The Sabbath School Index, by R. G. 
Pardee, published by J. C. Garrigues, ($1.25,) is a useful 
book for all Sabbath school workers, and may well be se¬ 
lected by all who feel, or should feel, the importance of 
this field of labor, and desire to secure all the aids pos¬ 
sible. It “ points out the history aud progress of Sunday 
schools, with approved modes of instruction, examples in 
illustrative, pictorial, and object teaching; also the use 
of the black-board, management of infant classos, teach¬ 
ers' meetings, conventions, institutes, etc., etc.” 
Sugar Consumption.—“ G. B.,” La. 
There is no danger of an over-production of sugar for 
many years. The United States and Great Britain con¬ 
sume abont 1,420,000 tons annually, or forty-one pounds to 
each inhabitant. In Southern Europe, the consumption 
is about twelve pounds per head, and in Germany, about 
seven pounds. If the consumption were to be brought up 
to the standard in this country, it would take at least 
three times the present crop to supply the demand. 
