This apparatus is intended to economize feed, and go inside and sweep out troughs through the door, E, ¡ to obtain the greatest benefit from it by preventing the without being hindered or delayed by the crowding or sheep from having access to the fodder except at pro- desire of the sheep to get at the feed. The feeding boards can also be turned up in a horizontal position, per times; it is also adapted to other purposes, being so that by merely placing a bar underneath the two capable of conversion into a shearing table, and as a leaves, when so turned up, a table is made which may weather-proof salting house, or shed in the summer or be used for shearing on in the spring; or by partially mild seasons. The engraving represents one side, A, inclining the sides in the form of a roof, and placing of the rack turned in, disclosing the feeding-troughs, a ridge-piece over them, the salt, which it is usual to B, and the internal arrangement of the rack or box, supply the sheep with at certain seasons, can be thrown more properly speaking. These feeders, A, are swung in the troughs instead of scattered around under foot on pivots in the upright bar, C, and when in the posi- and on rocks to be wasted; the inclination of the roof tion indicated in the engraving on the side where the serves to keep off rain and dew, and is thus turned to sheep are feeding, permit them to have access to the good account in this respect. A patent is now pendfodder at all times. When roots or fine feed are used ing on this invention through the Scientific American in the feed troughs, it is necessary to clean them out Patent Agency, by Robert Hale of Fitchburg, Mass.; occasionally; and to do this, the feeder boards, A, are and any information can be had by addressing the inturned up, as shown at D, and the attendant can then ventor at that place.-Scientific American. It is with sincere pain that we have to announce the death, at his residence in Morris, Otsego Co., on the 28th November, of Col. FRANCIS M. ROTCH, in the 42d year of his age, after an illness of three days, terminating in congestion of the brain. The following remarks from the Albany Evening Journal, express so justly the appreciation in which our friend was held by all who had known him, that we copy them at length: a place vacant in many a heart beside those most nearly connected with him, which will long remain unfilled. The third annual meeting of the INDIANA POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY, will convene in Indianapolis on Tuesday Jan. 5, 1864, and continue in session four days. A general invitation is extended to all persons who are in any way interested in fruit culture. Addresses and Essays are promised from the President, I. D. G. Nelson; Wm. H. Ragan, Fillmore, Putnam county; John C. Shoe Col. ROTCH had been a Vice President of the State Agricultural Society, and his friends were only awaiting his own permission to bring forward his name as its Pre-maker, Rome, Perry county; John W. Tenbrook, Rocksiding Officer. When the Department of Agriculture was created under the General Government, his peculiar fit ness to superintend its organization and conduct its operations, led to the hope that he might have been selected to this important post, which he would have filled so eredita bly both to himself and to the country. His death, in the prime of manhood, with so much of promise for his riper years, and so unexpectedly and suddenly for us all, leaves Wm. H. Loomis, Indianapolis; Dr. J. C. Helm, Muncie, the usual ladder-like perches; E., doors; F., cistern faucet; G., chimney, into which is inserted the pipe of a small farmers' boiler, holding about 15 gallons; H., shelves for nest boxes; W., windows. The walls inside are plastered and finished with lime and white sand, thus adding to the warmth of the build [For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] POULTRY KEEPING AND RAISING. Having been for some years a subscriber to your excellent paper, THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, and also having gained some very valuable hints from it and the AN-ing, and presenting a smooth surface for white washing. NUAL REGISTER, I now propose to return in a slight degree the pleasure I have derived from those papers, by contributing the additional information I have acquired by experience on the above subject. As I propose keeping poultry entirely with a view to profit, those who raise them for "fancy" may be somewhat disappointed that I do not sound the praises of their pet breeds. The floor was first paved with brickbats, and grouted, and then floated off with a thick coat of cement, rendering it entirely rat-proof, and easy to remove the droppings. The floor above extends over the rooms C. and B., and is about 20 feet square, and is used for feedbins, (of which there are three,) and for storing coops, nest-boxes, &c., when not in use. The loft is gained by means of a ladder through a trap-door over the room B., thus doing away with the necessity of a stairway; the ladder when in disuse may be hung on hooks screwed into the partition. The grain is hauled up by means of a tackle, and discharged below through shoots as required. The first and most important step in the successful raising of poultry, is the situation and building of their abode, and there are four principles to be borne in mind in the erection-light, warmth, ventilation and cleanliness-and in order to illustrate these requisites the more fully, it is proposed in the present article to give merely The partitions between the different apartments are the plans of the hennery on the writer's premises, reserv-made of slats 1 inch think, 2 inches wide, and set 3 ing for some future time the most preferable breeds, mode of feeding, rearing of young, &c. Entire originality cannot be claimed in the construction of the house, but the plans are the result of observation and ideas suggested in your paper from time to time, and although somewhat resembling the external appearance of fig. 23, page 74, vol. 3 of the ANNUAL REGISTER, I cannot yield the palm of the model poultry house to the editor of the "New England Farmer." A spot as convenient as possible to my dwelling was selected as a site for the building, for the nearer the poultry house is to the habitation of man, the fewer will be the attacks of birds of prey or any destructive animals. The foundation was dug in a side-hill, with the inches apart. This arrangement allows a free circulation of air, and also the heat from the stove in winter, to equalise the temperature. The last, though not the least requisite, is the proper arrangement of the nest boxes. Upon this part of the establishment I have paid more attention than to any other, and after trials of many of the plans advocated have adopted the present one. There are two shelves running each side of the room, the first about 12 inches from the floor, and the other about 18 inches above it; the shelves rest upon brackets which project about 5 inches beyond the shelves, upon which is fastened a bar for the hens to hop upon before going into the nests. The boxes are made of siding 16 inches by 14 inches, planed inside and out, without any bottom, the shelf forming a bottom, thus rendering it easy to cleanse after three weeks' occupation. In order to give an idea of security to the nests, I have nailed laths between the shelves and fastened small hemlock branches between them. There is a yard attached to the building, 36 by 80 feet, boarded close from the ground about 3 feet, in order to keep off cold winds. There is also in it a shed about 75 feet long, and six feet high, under which the fowls con north and west walls banked up to within 2 feet of the There is a cistern five feet square, on the north side, that discharges itself by means of a faucet in the building, thereby dispensing with the necessity of a pump. The interior will more readily be understood by a glance at the ground plan. A., passage way; B., room for preparing warm food in the winter; C., nest room; D., roosting room, with I have now given, as far as I am able, an exact description of the fowl house, and if this article can afford any information or pleasure to your subscribers, I shall feel most amply repaid. Annandale, Duchess Co., N. Y. CHAS. E. SANDS. A GOOD ONION CROP.-Editors of the Co. Gent.-I am informed that HORACE WARE, Jr., of Marblehead, has cultivated fourteen acres of onions the present season, realizing five hundred bushels to the acre. This I consider a very good crop for any season, but especially so at the time when the maggot leads captive more than half that are planted. Mr. WARE is a most intelligent and J. W. PROCTOR. successful cultivator. Agricultural Notes on Cayuga County---IV. Cultivation of Grapes and Vineyards. The cultivation of grapes in Cayuga Co., in some localities is securing a good share of the attention of some farmers; while in most localities our statistics show that this branch of business is almost wholly neglected. On the eastern slope of Cayuga Lake, in the towns of Genoa, Ledyard and Springport, we find the best vineyards, and the largest number of vines of any other town in the county. In some other parts of the county, however, we meet with a small vineyard occasionally, while the great mass of the farmers of the county are contented with only one, two, or with half a dozen vines each. A few individuals in the town of Auburn, have what might be called vineyards of good size, although the vines are at present quite small. The largest number of vines owned by any one individual in the county, according to our Agricultural and Horticultural Statistics, is reported by one of the correspondents of the Co. GENT., Mr. E. A. KING of Genoa, whose vineyard of 20,000 vines is on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. In the beautiful village of Aurora there were more grapes raised, and more domestic wine made, during the past season, than was reported from any other town in the entire county. In some localities warm graperies have been erected at enormous expense, for the purpose of propagating foreign grapes of the choicest varieties, which cannot be matured in our climate in the open air. Dr. S. Willard of this city, has erected a beautiful grapery during the past season at an expense of $3,000. There are also other graperies in this city, but much less expensive than that of Mr. Willard's, which I have not time and space at present to notice in detail. The Best Kinds of Grapes. I think it will not be denied that the best kinds of grapes for this locality, or for any other, are those that will flourish best, and bear most abundantly. Although the Isabella, Catawba and Clinton varieties appear to take the lead in most localities, still the Delaware and the Concord are beginning to assume their proper place in the estimation of the grape growers of our county, as having no successful rivals in point of productiveness and early maturity. When the season is short, on account of early frosts, if any grapes come to perfect maturity, they are the Delaware and the Concord, although many cultivators will stoutly contend that the Isabella cannot be superseded by any other variety that has been well tested. There is one fact, however, which cannot be refuted, which goes to establish the superiority of the Delaware and Concord over other varieties. Where these varieties are cultivated in close proximity to other kinds of grapes, and where the vines are of the same age, and have received the same good cultivation and treatment in every respect, the fruit is superior, and always a little earlier than any other varieties that are cultivated in the county. There are many other kinds of grapes cultivated in the county which we have not mentioned, and which will doubtless never come fully up to the recommendations of the sellers, or to the anticipation of those who cultivate them, except where special care is exercised in the cultivation, and also when the season is favorable, and the vines have been laid down during the winter. Laying Down Grapevines in Winter. In my rambles in various portions of this and adjoining counties, I have been very particular in making observations with reference to the productiveness of those vines that have been laid down when compared with those that have not been laid down during winter, and I have found it an invariable rule that those vines, no matter what was the variety of grape, which had been detached from their supports in late autumn, and laid down and covered with a few inches in depth of soil, or with leaves, until the cold weather had passed in the spring, yielded good crops of grapes, while those that had not been laid down during at all; and when such vines did bear the grapes were alwinter yielded but little fruit, and in many instances, none most always several days later in maturing, and were also of an inferior quality. I could mention reliable instances in the same vineyards, where the vines that had been laid down and left on the trellises during the winter, produced comparaprotected, were loaded with fruit, while those that were tively nothing. People of our county are learning that their vines must be protected from the intense cold of our long winters. Therefore, most of them cut their vines loose from the frames early in November, and lay them on the ground and cover them with leaves or with a few inches in depth of light earth, and they find that the little expense and trouble of performing this job, returns an ample compensation in fruit the next season. I have my mind on a number of choice vines in this city, that had been trained and cultivated with great care and expense, some of which were killed right out by the severe cold of winter, while some others were so seriously injured that they produced no ripe fruit at all. Whereas, had they been laid down during the cold weather, no doubt they would have produced a bountiful crop of delicious grapes. Let every one who owns a grapevine cut it loose from its supports, and cover it with light earth, leaves, or with thin pieces of turf, until the warm weather of next spring admonishes us that it is time to uncover it again, and hang it on the frame. This practice has secured large quantities of delicious grapes, when, had it not been done, there would have been no fruit at all on the vines. The practice is beneficial to the most hardy varieties of grapes, and without it, little or no fruit may be expected when the variety is of a tender sort. Manuring Grapevines. that manure is decidedly injurious, as it produces such a Many men contend that grapes need no manure, and luxuriant growth as to cause mildew before the fruit has ripened. This may be correct in theory, but we have not met with any instances in this county, where mildew could be traced with any degree of certainty, to the influences of the manure that was applied to the vines. who raise the largest, fairest, and earliest grapes, are those I have remarked in many instances, that those men apply the most bountiful dressing of manure, are always who manure their vines most abundantly. But those who careful to have it well spaded into the soil as early in the spring as it can be done after the cold weather is past; and after this, during the entire season, the soil is kept mellow by frequently stirring it with hoes. the vines are laid down. After they have been cut loose The manure is usually applied in late autumn, when from the frames, and pruned properly, they are placed together as closely as practicable, and held down by one man while another one covers them with a thin covering of good barn-yard manure, and then covers the manure with as little of the earth as will be sufficient to hold the vines manuring grapevines is considered far superior to simply S. EDWARDS TODD. Grinding Bones---Top-Dressing Grass Land with Bone. EDs. Co. GENT.-J. J. H. G. asks how I pulverise bones? I have always bought them in the ground state. I have never attempted to grind or pulverise them, and do not think it can be done well or economically upon the farm, as it requires great power and heavy machinery to do it thoroughly. They are ground at two or three establishments in this State, and can usually be bought at the Agricultural stores in Boston at $25 to $30 per ton. It does not injure the bone to boil it. Indeed, the best bone I have used was bought of a tallow-chandler, who had steamed the bone at a high temperature to extract all the grease. I do not think this process added any thing to the value of the bone; but I was sure of getting fresh bones, (which are much the best,) as old and dried bones would not be subjected to this process, though they are collected and ground for manure in large quantities. I can give a reliable answer to the inquiry of J. L. A. as to the value of bone as a top-dressing for grass land. Fermented or rotted by the process described in your paper of June 25th, it furnishes the cheapest, most active and permanent manure that can be thus applied. I have used much of it in that manuer, and can speak with confidence in the matter. I have used it upon old sward and when seeding down to grass. A grass field of 17 acres was laid down to grass in 1854 and 1855, with no other manure than 500 lbs. of bone prepared in the manner stated, and 250 lbs. of guano, to the acre. It has been mown every year since with no diminution of the crop. The quality has deteriorated somewhat by the intrusion of the coarser grasses in the lower parts of the field, but the crop is no less than it was for the first few years. Several neighboring farmers, who made much fun at me, for manuring such a field "out of a water-bucket," have, since seeing the effect upon my land, applied bone in the same way to their grass land with similar results. I can well understand why crude bone should not act advantageously, as Mr. FAILE says. Applied in that state, in a thin body, to the surface of the ground, it was in no condition to rot, and without that it cannot act as manure. Agriculturists seem to have overlooked the obvious truth that organic substances must be disorganized by natural processes before their elements can enter into new combinations. There is no exception to this law. Bone, fresh meat, blood, recently voided urine or excrement, and all vegetable matter, in an undecayed state, are wholly valueless as food for growing plants. They must be placed in conditions to decay-to set the elements of their composition at liberty-before those elements can unite with the growing plant. Ipswich, November 28, 1863. GEORGE HASKELL. EARLY WINTER WHEAT WANTED. MESSRS. EDITORS-Being at leisure at present I concluded to dot down a few lines for the purpose of asking of your numerous correspondents the discussion of the subject of Winter Wheat, the cause of smut, rust, and their preventive, their experience, &c. These are the most fatal diseases to the wheat plant in this part of the western States. As for the midge and chinch bug, they are unknown here, though in other States they are the greatest enemies to the wheat crop, and they seem to fully discuss these two pests; but those of the southwest are but little discussed in your excellent journal. I will give my mite as to the smut. I disregard the smut; it has not injured me in the least, but has rather been an advantage to me. All that is required to prevent the smut, is to thoroughly wet your seed wheat, and then take fresh slaked lime and dry your wheat with it just before sowing. This gives your wheat a good start, and I think partly prevents the rust also, but not entirely. For the last five years I have fully coated my seed wheat before sowing, and have had no smut. Several of my neighbors have tried the same, and have had no smut where they limed thhir seed before seeding. As for rust, the best preventive known to me is a very early variety-could we here in the southwest procure a variety that would mature as early as what is known here as the Hickman or May wheat. When I was a small boy this variety matured by the 15th of May; but it gradually became later, and of late years the same variety is but a few days earlier than the Mediterranean and several other early ripening varieties. Now the question arises where are we to procure seed from that will mature as soon as this May wheat did when first introduced here; but I cannot ascertain for certain where this May wheat was brought from, but the most satisfactory information I can gather is that it came from South America, and I have nearly concluded to have some imported from there; but before doing so I should be pleased to have several of the best practical farmers give their opinions and experience on the subject. other season. Messrs. Editors, give us a chapter on this subject. It would be very interesting to the farmers to think of these long winter nights when they study out their plans for anthe various discussions on various subjects in your journal, I have been much interested in reading and have been much benefitted thereby. Those discussions and editorials of yours have their effect upon the farmers, very visible to the neighborhood wherever the Co. GENT. makes his welcome visits weekly--much neater their mark visible. F. POUND. Jefferson Co., Ky. farms, better crops, finer stock, and happier families make PREPARATION OF CHICCORY FOR USE. to be used as a substitute for coffee, the following direc As a good deal of chiccory was grown the past season, tions for preparing it, from a correspondent of the Ohio Farmer, may be useful to our readers: When the roots become of a fair size, any time during the season, they may be taken out as needed for use; full maturity, when the roots should be lifted during fair but the bulk of the crop should be allowed to attain to weather, dried upon the ground until the dirt will fail off. When desired to be worked up for coffee, the roots, are sliced in quarters from end to end, and then cut being clean of dirt, either by brushing or washing them, across in pieces about an inch in length. In this shape they are to be dried much the same as apples are dried, each piece of chiccory being about the size of an apple quarter. They may be strung upon strings, and hung up to dry in the sun or by the kitchen fire, the same as farmers dry apples; or they may be exposed to the sun on racks or wickers, to be taken in at night. Or, though not so good a way, except in case of necessity, they may be cured in ovens or dry kilns, as apples are some times cured. When this first process of curing is accomplished, and the root is wanted for final use, it is carefully roasted, the same as coffee, till it will break up in a mortar or grind in a mill, after which pounding or grinding, it is steeped or drawn in the usual way, and poured out for a table beverage. cost of the roots ready for the coffee pot is not more In this way all the work is done in the family, and the than three or four cents a pound, while you have a healthier beverage than if you went to the expense of tion of feeling that you are partaking of the fruits of your purchasing imported coffee, with the additional satisfac own home labor. PRUNING AND TRAINING GRAPES. MESSRS. L. TUCKER & SON-Herewith is a further communication in regard to best mode of pruning and training grapevines, from the same gentleman whose views on that subject were briefly given some weeks since in the COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. He says: "I find I did not then express myself fully, and will try to do so now. I have long observed that fruit produced on a stout young cane, is not only of better size, but ripens earlier and more perfectly than that produced on side-shoots from older wood. On a cane two or more years old, pruned to spurs, you will find the shoot in fruit remains green and immature till very late. Indeed you may find the majority of them green to the base, even after the fruit has been gathered and leaves fallen. Can fruit produced on such wood be perfectly developed and ripened? Decidedly not. They may be pretty well colored, but never can be ripe, for the wood and fruit ripen simultaneously. newal system, as adopted in America for the last 25 years, provides this wood. But it often happens you do not get canes just where you want them to keep up the system of alternating and growing shoots. Trellises, only 6 or 7 feet high, do not allow sufficient latitude for the free growth of the canes, and they are pinched and stopped too severely. Not that I object to all pinching, but if you pinch in a healthy growing cane to a length of 6 or 7 feet, you will have the buds for the next year's crop burst, and at the same time get a multitude of green side-shoots and laterals, crowding and injuring both tops and roots. |