1368 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
171 
TI«.e Best Machines — Consistent 
“ Notices.” —We were amused the other day by re¬ 
ceiving from a Western subscriber two “ notices ” cut 
from handbills, but both credited to tlio Agriculturist— 
one recommending one machine, aitfl the other speaking 
just as strongly of another, as the best. It happened 
thus: Some seven or eight years ago we commended a 
machine as the best we knew of; a year or two later a 
new machine came out which was decidedly superior, and 
we then spoke of that as the best. It seems that the re¬ 
cipient of the first “notice ” still continues to quote the 
recommendation, but without giving the date, while the 
manufacturers of the later machine also quote our opinion 
of their machine.—We have noticed this same thing in 
other cases—especially in sewing machines. We cannot 
follow up all the advertisements and handbills in the 
land, to keep them straight. Having no pride of opinion 
(often styled “conservatism,”) we are ready to adopt the 
newest thing, z/the best, and'to say so. Those who read 
the Agriculturist regularly will find no discrepancy, but 
rather a steady consistency, and will know our latest ex¬ 
periences and observations. We claim to progress in 
knowledge, and expect to find improvements, good, new 
things, coming out every year, and to talk about them. 
Saw»d.nst as Manure. —The common 
practice of throwing this article into the the streams on 
which saw-mills and shingle-mills are situated, is repre¬ 
hensible. It would not pay to spread it upon a muck 
swamp, but upon any sandy land, or light, gravelly loam, 
deficient in vegetable matter, it would prove a good 
dressing, and in time would show good results. The best 
use we have ever seen it put to, was bedding for animals 
in stables. It is an excellent absorbent, and will keep 
cows clean, even better than straw. It is also a very 
light, handy article in the hennery, and more cleanly to 
handle than muck in common, open, privy vaults. The 
article is merchantable in cities, and is quite extensively 
used upon floors in eating saloons, and for other pur¬ 
poses. At country mills, it can generally be had for the 
carting, as mill owners are glad to bo rid of it. It is a 
good substitute for straw, and this is now worth so much 
for manufacturing purposes, in many parts of the country, 
that no thrifty farmer can afford to use it for bedding. 
Icc IProfitalile.—Some curious figures about 
ice in N. Y. City are given in another item. We have 
often spoken in the Agriculturist of the utility of ice to 
farmers, aside from its comfort and convenience. Any 
one having access to a pond of clean fresh water, in a 
region cold enough to give 6 inches or more of clear ice, 
can readily construct a rude receptacle that will retain it 
during most of the summer, and store a family or dairy 
supply at a few dollars’ expense. The writer has delivered 
at his residence 20 to 40 lbs. of ice per day from May 
1st to Nov. 1st, at a cost of $3 per month in May, June, 
September, and October, and $4 per month during July 
and August, or $20 in all. A somewhat careful calcula¬ 
tion shows that the saving in less frequent bakings of 
bread, in milk, potatoes, and other vegetables, which 
are kept much longer from souring or becoming dry or 
stale, and especially in meats, which can be provided in 
large quantities without loss, amounts to much more than 
the 11 cents a day paid for ice. The better quality of the 
ice-kept food makes it go further, and saves in butter and 
other materials. The only drawback is the temptation 
to drink too much of the nicely cooled water, with meals 
and at other times, in hot weather. This must necessa¬ 
rily be controled by the exercise of reason and the will. 
Logs without dims.— “Saw- 
log,” (not the “Saw-log Man” of fame, we presume,) 
writes us from Chautauqua Co., N. Y., how he loads logs 
in a simpler way than that described by “ L.,” of Iowa, 
in a previous number. His process is exceedingly sim¬ 
ple. Two ropes or chains extend from the sled around, 
under, and over, the log, and back over the sled, where 
they are united. Skids are laid, and the team hitched to 
the ropes or chains. “ Saw-log” says: “ Then go ahead 
with your team, and if they wont roll on any log that they 
can move after it is on the sled they arc not like our 
teams. We use chains the same as we bind with, and 
when one team is alone, take along an extra chain.” 
Shall We liaise (Corn at She East ? 
asks “V. D.,” Mass.—Yes. The average cost of rais¬ 
ing it in the Connecticut River valley does not exceed 
seventy-five cents a bushel, and at present prices there is 
about that amount of clear profit. The cost of raising 
can bo a good deal diminished by using the horse more 
in cultivation, by planting in drills, and by applying more 
manure to the acre. It pays a great deal better to raise 
eighty bushels of corn to the acre, than it does to get. 
forty. It takes more manure and a little more labor,.but 
it makes the cost of the corn perbiishel, a good deal lc^s. 
Just try on well-prepared land, drill planting, the stalks 
to stand one foot apart; the application of three hundred 
pounds of fish guano per acre to the growing plants at 
the second cultivation; and cultivate with horse power 
at least six times. This last is practicable on all smooth 
lands, and gives big crops at a small cost per bushel. 
Use of Plaster in. Stahles.— “Will it 
pay to sprinkle plaster in the stables daily ? If so—how 
much?” It pays to apply simple plaster to most soils ; of 
course it pays better to use the plaster beforehand, to fix 
ammonia, as it does when used in stables. Enough only 
is required to dust over the surface, which is moistened 
daily by the droppings and urine, and to sprinkle along 
the liquid manure gutters—say half a pint to each stall. 
Land Plaster oi* dyjismiim.—“ J. II. 
W.,” Beaver Dam, Wis., asks: “ Will land-plaster lose 
strength by lying exposed to the weather?”—It will not 
lose strength, but will go to waste. Water at ordinary 
temperatures dissolves it slowly; hence it would bo wash¬ 
ed away more or less, if left exposed. It requires about 
400 pounds of water to dissolve a pound of gypsum. If 
a heap, which covered ten feet square, were to be expos¬ 
ed to the action of two or three hard rains, during which, 
say four inches of water should fall, there would be only 
about five pounds of plaster dissolved and washed away, 
for four inches of water, covering one hundred square 
feet, would weigh about 2017 pounds. 
Co-operative Farming. —“II. K.,” Wa¬ 
tertown. We have no acquaintance with the working of 
these enterprises in this country. They have been tried 
in England, and are said to be successful. We see no 
reason why the plan would not work just as well upon a 
farm as in a manufacturing establishment. The capital 
invested in the land, buildings, tools, stock, etc., must 
first draw interest. Then the overseeing and labor must 
be paid. After allowing a small sum for depreciation of 
buildings and tools, the balance of profit might be di¬ 
vided among the laborers. It would, of course, be better 
for the workmen to own a part of the capital, but this 
would not be necessary. This plan would give every man 
a personal interest in the success of the crops, and make 
him faithful. It would also prevent strikes, and the 
jealousy that so often exists between the employer and 
the laborer. There is a farm of this kind at Haliburton, 
Peterborough county, Canada West, and a little personal 
observation of its working would be desirable before 
starting a new enterprise on the co-operative plan. 
Experiment In Els’ Feeding-.—“ A. 
S.,” Mt. Pleasant, Pa., writes to the American Agricul¬ 
turist: “I took a pig that weighed 12 pounds, put him in 
a tight pen, and fed him three bushels of corn chop [coarse 
meal probably—E d.] and gave him cold water to drink. 
After eating the three bushels of corn his weight was 72 
pounds, showing a gain of GO pounds.”—With com at $1 
a bushel, this is five cents a pound for pork, live weight. 
Cows at Calvin,"'. — A correspondent 
writes: “ 1. Do you make it a point to be present when 
your cows calve, or to have some body present ? 2. What 
harm in having a cow pretty fat when she comes in ? 3. 
My cow is now dry, will calve in three weeks, has one 
pint of oil-meal a day—shall I feed her more ? 4. She is 
good beef, but not fat—snppose the cow calves in her 
stall with her head tied—whatharm?” 1. Itiswelltobe 
present yourself or to have some trusty person present, 
but in forty-nine cases out of fifty the cow would do just 
as well alone. It fact, far more cows are injured by the 
hasty officiousness of the attendant than by neglect. 2. 
No harm in having a cow moderately fat when she comes 
in. It is far better than to have her poor. She will be 
stronger and healthier, and the calf will be fatter. If 
she is a good milker, you will get back all the fat in the 
form of nice, yellow butter. 3. Give her enough to keep 
her bowels slightly relaxed. Two quarts a day will not 
hurt her. We have frequently fed four quarts a day. If 
she is costive, you may give her linseed tea—two quarts 
of flaxseed boiled in two pails of water. 4. We frequent 
ly have them ealve so, but it is better to have them free. 
Capons of Slac Largest Size.—“ Y. 
Y. C.,” Carroll Co., Md. Wo have no doubt that the use 
of a Grey Dorking cock with cither Brahma or Cochin 
hens would give you the fowls you desire for early Capons 
of very large size—handsome, compact, and heavy. AVe 
would prefer to own Dorkings and Brahmas. The hen 
imparts size and plumage, the cock color of flesh, apti¬ 
tude to fatten, and also,in a great measure,style and shape. 
Bleport of tlac Maine Commission 
on Fisheries.—This is a document of 127 pages, 
showing the present condition of the fisheries in Maine, 
Stud wbqt needs to bo (lone to restore fish to the rivers in 
their former abundance. There are twenty-seven rivers 
in the State emptying into tide water, besides smaller 
streams, in which salmon, shad, alewives, and other val¬ 
uable fish, were once found in abundance. From many 
rivers salmon long ago disappeared, and only in the 
Penobscot, which is least obstructed by dams, are they 
caught abundantly. In this stream about 12,000 salmon 
and 2,500,000 shad are caught annually. In the Kennebec, 
where 200,000 were formerly taken, not more than a hun¬ 
dred are caught in average years. The causes of this 
diminished yield of fish are mainly the building of 
dams, cutting off the fish from their breeding grounds, 
and overfishing. Maine is better supplied with rivers for 
breeding shad and salmon than any other State, and the 
restocking of these streams is a matter of the highest im¬ 
portance to her people, and indeed to the whole country, 
as there is hardly any limit to the consumption of these 
fish. With suitable legislation for all our rivers, pickled 
salmon and shad will be as plenty as cod and mackerel. 
King 1 B&ng'ohert Fowls.— A Paris cor¬ 
respondent of The Nation has the credit of putting a 
curious tale in circulation; it is this:—The Abbe Denis, 
curate of a church in the Faubourg St. Antoine, Paris, has 
just erected a church on what is said to be the site of an 
old chateau of King Dagobert; beneath the ruins was 
found a hen’s nest full of eggs, where no hen for the past 
1,200 years could have laid them. They were hatched , and 
a new breed of fowls is the result. The benevolent Abbe 
is about to organize a sale of Dagobert eggs for the bene¬ 
fit of the poor of the parish. Our readers need hardly to 
bo informed that eggs could never keep so long, even if 
we admit the story of the mummy wheat. Whether any 
one among our readers may be found to endorse this 
“ pious fraud ” or not, we all must admire the ingenuity 
of the French in “ getting up ’1 marvellous stories and 
palming them off as facts. This is much like the story of 
the great horse-flesh hennery of Mons. Do Sora, which was 
so widely believed and so many times proved to be false. 
fi'ommils of Icc have 
been stored the past winter by only five of the New 
York City ice companies—nearly two-thirds of it by the 
old Knickerbocker Company alone. If we allow the odd 
200,000,000 lbs. for waste, we still have 1,000 lbs., or half a 
ton , for each of the million inhabitants of the city; or ton 
(500 lbs.) each,for the city and its suburbs of Brooklyn, Jer¬ 
sey City, etc.—an average of nearly G lbs. per day for every 
man, woman, and child, during the six summer months. 
The distribution is by no means equal, however, for a 
large proportion of the poorer classes use no ice directly, 
except in the drinking shops—though the meat they con¬ 
sume is generally kept on ice, or in ice-cooled rooms 
or boxes... .It would, at first thought, seem as if so large 
an amount of ice brought to the city, would in some meas¬ 
ure reduce the general summer temperature. IIow slight 
the effect may be judged from the fact that all this ice 
has been gathered from about 400 acres, the area of a 
moderate-sized city Ward, and we know how soon such 
a field of ice would disappear under a July sun... .If we 
allow for the unused ice and that exported, and estimate 
for only half of the amount now in store to be used and 
paid for, at an average price of cent per lb., we shall 
still have the respectable sum of one and a half million 
dollars paid this year by New Yorkers to “keep cool.” 
<JMIve Culture.—“G. C. H.” writes: “I 
have read what you say about “The Olive and its Cul¬ 
ture,’’and having resided many years in Syria, where the 
olive grows luxuriantly and lives to a great age, I may 
be allowed to add my mite to your statement. From all 
I can learn, the climate of Syria approaches nearer to that 
of California than to any other part of the United States. 
The soil in which it flourishes best is a chalky marl or 
cracked strata of limestone. It seems to delight in pene¬ 
trating its roots into the clefts of the rock and crevices of 
flinty marl. If the mould is so deep as not to allow its 
roots to reach the rock beneath, it is said to suffer in con¬ 
sequence, and the berries become small and juiceless. In 
places where the soil is sandy, a good supply of chalky 
marl is applied to the trees; no manure is necessary when 
the tree can have this marl, which seems to be its natural 
soil. The tree requires but very little labor or care of 
any kind; it hardly yields a crop of any consequence un¬ 
til it is fifteen years old. It bears an abundant crop 
generally every other year. In Syria, it does not flourish 
more than 3,000 feet above the sea, and in the interior not 
so high. It does not flourish in Egypt, which is warmer 
than Syria; probably because the soil is not suitable. 
A New H>iseasc nmosag- Fowls.—<7. 
W. Stafford, of Cleveland, O., has had two hens that swell¬ 
ed up very large and died. He says: “ I opened them 
and fou. .1 a large swelling that looked more like sheep’s 
pluck than anything else I can compare it to, but it was 
harder. It seemed to fill the whole inside.” Have any of 
ottr readers had experience with anything similar? 
