and so on to the end of the pole, where the twine is made fast. About thirty or thirty-six are hung on a pole, onehalf on each side. If this twine gives way it is manifest that they will all be let loose. The poles are put on the girts about fourteen inches apart. In this way the whole building is filled. Skill is now demanded to regulate the ventilation until the crop is cured, which is determined by examining the stem in the leaf, which should be hard, up to the main stalk. Then in damp weather the tobacco can be taken down and laid in piles, with the tips together to keep it from drying, and to secure this, cover over with

Tobacco House without side doors, end boarding, and end doors, to show the manner of hanging the Tobacco. By this time the crop is ready to begin the harvest. This may be known by the suckers which start at every leaf, and when they have all appeared down to the lower leaf, the plant is ready to cut, every sucker having been removed as it appeared. The stalks are cut at the root. In a warm day cut in the morning and evening. In the middle of a hot day, the leaves will burn before they are wilted. The best way is to cut in the afternoon and lay on the ground to wilt. This wilting forwards the process of curing, and so toughens the plant as to make it practicable to hang it without much loss in breaking leaves.

After wilting draw to the house, which should be twenty-four feet wide, fifteen feet high, so as to have three tiers, one above the other. A building of this width and height, thirty-five feet long, will store an acre, or one ton of tobacco. The girts on the side of the building should be five feet apart; a row of posts through the middle is necessary to put girts in, to hold the poles that the plants are tied to. The best poles are made of basswood sawed one and a half by four inches, and twelve feet long.

Tobacco stacked after stripping.

boards. The next thing is the removal of the leaves from the stalks, taking this time to separate the broken leaves from the unbroken ones. They are then made into parcels of 16 or 18, called "hands," and are fastened by winding a leaf around them. Pile these hands tips on tips, the square ends out. This preserves the moisture. The pile should be kept covered with boards, and the sides also covered, leaving the wound ends of the hands exposed to the air. If everything up to this point has been skillfully done, in four or five days the tobacco will be fit to pack

Plant with the suckers growing.

The plants are handed to a man who, standing on a moveable platform made by a light plank, receives them, and beginning at the upper tier he winds a piece of prepared twine around a stalk, fastening the first plant to the pole; the second plant is placed on the other side of the pole, and a single turn is made around the stalk; then again the third stalk is put on the same side of the first, the twine passed around, and the next on the other side,

Hanging Tobacco on the poles. in cases, and take to market. The cases should be of pine, two feet six inches square, by three feet eight inches, and of inch lumber. Place the hands tips on tips, and the wound ends against the ends of the box, press with a lever or screw until 400 pounds is in, then fasten on the top. The tobacco now goes through the sweating process, and will

Nurseries.-There are several nurseries in the neighex-borhood of Cincinnati, all of moderate pretensions. found time to visit only two:

in character. The White Bellflower or Ortley, very fair, and showing little of the scabby appearance so prevalent in other places, and especially at the east. The White Pippin proves one of the most valuable sorts.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] How to Keep Cider.

For the information of "B." (Co. GENT., page 192,) and others who are interested, I will give my experience in keep

ing cider.

Dr. MOSHER'S vineyard occupies about six acres, on the side of a high ridge of land, in a most picturesque position, To a 40 gallon cask of pure juice, fermented to a point to facing the south. The vines are chiefly the Catawba, are suit my taste, I added one bottle of prepared sulphite of lime, planted in the quincunx form, four feet apart, and trained as sold by Messrs. Webb & Walker of Utica, N. Y., (cost 50 to single stakes about five feet high. The cultivation is cents,) stirred it briskly and bunged it tight. On the 10th of effected by hand labor, and in spring the soil is loosened April I drew off and filled six dozen bottles from one of the up by forking. An excellent contrivance is adopted to barrels (keeping the remainder on draught,) and my neighI think it better-it is splenprevent the washing down of the soil on the steep hill-bors say it is as good as wine. side and the formation of gullies. Open ditches are cut did, and as far as I can judge from one season's trial, it is at distances of about five rods, directly down the hill, and all the clarifying necessary. It is not intoxicating, neither will it make vinegar. are walled at the sides, and paved on the bottom with flat most as sparkling. I should in justice add, that I was inIt is as clear as champagne, and alstones set across the channel on edges. These ditches are duced to try this method by a notice of it in your valuable placed at the lowest places, so that the surface water flows paper, and if Mr. B. will look over his back numbers he will readily into them from each side, in slight channels be- find several notices of the method, and in one, if my memory tween the horizontal rows of vines. Although large and serves me, the philosophy of it is explained. rapid currents flow down the hillside through these drains, no injury whatever can be done.

Holland Patent, N. Y.

D.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.]

Flour.

water, two and three-quarter pints, muriatic acid 420 to 560
Wheat meal seven pounds; carbonate of soda, one ounce;
drops. Mix the soda with the meal as intimately as possible
by means of a wooden spoon or stick, then mix the acid and
water, and add it slowly to the mass, stirring it constantly.
Make three loaves of it and bake it in a quick oven.
above receipt is patented in Great Britain.

The

FERMENTED BREAD-Wheat meal six lbs.-good yeast, a teacup full, and a sufficient quantity of pure water-kneed thoroughly. Bake it in small loaves, unless you have a very strong heat.

yeast, each a teacupfull, and a sufficient quantity of pure Another way:-Wheat meal six quarts-molasses and water. Make the loaves half the thickness you mean they shall be after they are baked. Place them in pang, in a temperature which will cause a moderate fermentation. When risen enough, place them in the oven. A strong heat is required P. S. Ransom, Pa.

The Catawba grape is becoming considerably affected by the rot, and other sorts are looked to to supply its How to make Bread from Unbolted Wheat place. Dr. MOSHER thinks the Delaware is going to prove one of the best substitutes. The Venango he thinks will be one of the best wine grapes, being entirely free from rot, hardy, and productive. It is of no value for the table, being essentially a brown Fox, but as late as the Catawba, The Herbemont ripens admirably here, and proves very delicious-about as good as the Delaware. and possessing all the characteristics of an exotic in quality, RICHMOND, IND.-A small but excellent nursery has been established near this city, by J. J. CONLEY, containing a good green-house, ornamental stock, and a fine collection of fruit trees. The Dukes and Morello cherries succeed well, as they do elsewhere through the west, and a trial of several years has been successful with most of the Heart varieties worked on the Mahaleb, and trained low. We observed a large number of nursery trees of the variety known in this region as the Early May, which is neither the Early Richmond, as some have supposed, nor the true Early May or Indulle. It appeared to be a stouter grower than either-it had not the clear slender shoots of the Early Richmond, nor the feeble and dwarf growth of the true Early May. J. J. Conley informed us that he had fruited this "Early May" along side the Early Richmond; that the latter was about ten days later, and decidedly superior in quality. In common with many other fruit growers, he has a high opinion of the White: Pippin, and would select this for its general value in preference to any other winter apple. The Catawissa raspberry fails with him, being small and unproductive. He showed us a seedling of the Ohio Everbearing that he deems much superior to the parent variety-it was loaded with its autumn crop of well formed berries. The Wilson's Albany Strawberry has borne profusely, but as elsewhere is not of the highest quality. We regretted being unable to visit the nursery of E. Y. TEAS, a few miles north, and that of J. C. TEAS, several miles west of this city, both intelligent cultivators and correspondents of this paper.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] Recipe for Grape Wine.

To 1 quart of water add 1 pound of moist sugar-let them be well boiled and skimmed, and to every quart of this liquor put 1 pint of the juice of the grape. The above recipe has been well tried and approved. RUSTICUS. Shipton, C. E.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] Caponizing Chickens.

EDS Co. GENT.-A severe cut in the hand has prevented my replying at an earlier moment, to the inquiry made of me by your correspondent of Arkansas, Mr. BEN COOPER. The operation of caponizing is simple, and may be performed by any one accustomed to the use of a needle and thread and scissors. The chicken should be full four months old, indeed should be just commencing to crow. Now place him across the knee, with the legs pulled forward and firmly held by an assistant. Pluck off the soft fine feathers between the end of the breast bone and fundament, and midway between these two Hedges of Osage Orange abound through this region of points make an incision an inch and a half long, cross-wise of country, in the vicinity of Cincinnati, and elsewhere. the chicken's body, with a sharp pair of scissors. Through Many of them appear to have been carelessly planted, and this incision insert the fore finger to the back-bone, along remain uncultivated and uncut. They are consequently which move for an inch and a half, and on either side will be good for nothing. On the other hand, many others are draw by the route the finger went in. Draw the edges of the found a testicle. Dislodge them by a single twist, and withwell managed, in the manner we have occasionally recom-wound made together, and half a dozen stitches with waxed mended, and form dense and perfect barriers. Some are left too broad at the top, which tends to make them thin and open below. The best hedges were usually cut to a sharp ridge at top, and but little sheared on the sides near the bottom, causing the latter to grow thick inside.

LICE ON CATTLE-I often see inquiries for remedies for lousy cattle I have tried many, but the cheapest, most easily applied, most effectual, and according to my experience the safest, is a little calomel sprinkled on the back. An ounce will exterminate the lice on twenty head of cattle or more.

L. C.

thread completes the operation. The nail of the finger must
be smooth, so as not to damage the intestines. This is an im-
perfect description it must be confessed, but it is my best.
It will give me pleasure to forward a pair of my fowls to
Mr. C., if he will address me at Burtonia P. O., in this coun-
ty, saying to whom in Vicksburgh they may be sent.

It should be mentioned, that previous to the operation of caponizing, the chicken must be deprived of food for eighteen or twenty hours.

The recent long drouth has cut short both the corn and cot-
ton crop in this neighborhood one-third, many think one-half
Ridgeland, Washington Co., Miss.
WM. P. GIBSON.

with the wheel cultivator. On a mellow soil, if not too mellow, it is very useful for covering grain, but for this purpose Mr. F. uses

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] A WHEAT TALK WITH FARMER F. We like, when we meet with an intelligent farmer, to Shares' Coulter Harrow. have the talk turn upon farming-a matter in which we After cultivating his wheat ground, he harrowed it down have long taken much interest; an interest which deepens fine, then sowed on the seed, seven pecks per acre, and every day of our lives. To-day, while riding to town, we covered it with the coulter harrow, going once over the had an hour's conversation with Farmer F., who carries ground. If the harrow teeth were made of good steel, he on some two hundred acres of good land very successfully; thinks the implement one of the best of the recent invenbeing counted by his neighbors a "lucky man" in grow-one is about worn out in a single year, on a large farm, tions, and would willingly pay the increased cost. Now, ing crops and stock, and in disposing of the same.

Among other things (to drop the prefatory shuck and get at the kernel,) he told us about his two fine fields of wheat, just coming up, and looking as though “put in " | in capital good order. They were sown with the

Lambert, or “Weevil-proof " Wheat, originated in Ohio, some nine or ten years ago. It is a light red wheat, from three to five days earlier than the Mediterranean, with a light blade and straw, and easy to thresh. The yield is from 15 to 30 bushels per acre. Mr. F. and his neighbor Mr. S., who joined him in introducing the wheat here, offered $5 to any person who would find a weevil (or larvæ of the wheat midge) in it, but no one succeeded in taking the reward. The fact is, the hull or chaff is double, so that the midge fly does not pierce to the kernel in depositing her egg, and it can never hatch. Our friend is so well pleased with it, in comparison with other kinds, that he says he would pay double price for the seed rather than not sow it. The five bushels obtained last fall gave a return of about 25 bushels per acre, having been sown on five acres of new land early in September. It lodged badly during a heavy storm of rain and wind when just getting into the milk, but we were told by Mr. T., a young farmer a few miles south, who procured seed from the same source, that his crop stood up well. He, too, sows no other kind, as the Lambert wheat turned out much better on threshing than he anticipated in comparison with his Mediterranean.

But to come back (or rather go on) to the wheatfields in question. Mr. F. here followed the practice, quite common in this section, of growing

Wheat after Barley,

having harvested from the two fields (of 8 and 12 acres)
seven hundred bushels of barley the last of July. Both
fields were in corn last year and manured. The ground
was plowed for wheat about the middle of August, and
harrowed down lengthwise the furrow-the harrow passing
twice over the surface. After lying some three weeks
Forty Bushels of Lime per Acre
was applied on the eight acre lot, and a portion of the
other. It costs at the kiln nine cents per bushel in the
stone, fresh-burned. We believe it was placed in bushel
heaps, as drawn from the kiln, and allowed to slake and
then spread with shovels. This lime was applied not only
for the benefit of the wheat, but as a preparatory dressing
for setting out another orchard, Mr. F. finding the apple
crop usually very profitable, though neither of his orchards
bear largely this year. Last year they paid at the rate of
$100 per acre, and can now afford to rest, especially as
apples are plentiful and low this year. There is but little
muck on the farm in question, but from a small bed,
drained several years ago, he drew a few loads on a part
of the wheat lot, and some manure upon other portions
where it seemed most requisite.

For mixing lime or manure with the soil, and also for pulverizing and leveling the same, our friend employs

even if used only for covering grain.

It seems to be Mr. F.'s opinion, that the safety and consequent profit of wheat-growing rests largely on sowing a variety exempt from the midge. To show how opinions differ on the subject, we know a farmer in the next town, east, who succeeds so well with Soules' wheat this year that he has sown only that variety-sowing also after barley. Others will venture only the Mediterranean. Of some further talk about sheep, the clover seed crop, manuring corn in the hill, salt for wheat, and various other have written will never find place in the best farmers' topics, we have not time to write-and perhaps what we paper out-the COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. Western New-York, Sept. 1860.

ALBERT.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] THE USE OF RAWHIDE.

Take a

How few persons know the value of rawhide. It seems almost strange to see them sell all of their "deacon" skins for the small sum of thirty or forty cents. strip of well-tanned rawhide an inch wide, and a horse can hardly break it by pulling back-two of them he cannot break any way.

Cut into narrow strips and shave the hair off with a sharp knife, to use for bag-strings; the strings will outlast two sets of bags. Farmers know how perplexing it is to lend bags and have them returned minus strings.

It will out-last hoop iron (common) in any shape, and is stronger. It is good to rap around a broken thill-bet

ter than iron.

Two sets of rawhide halters will last a man's life-time(if he don't live too long.)

In some places the Spaniards use rawhide log-chains to work cattle with, cut into narrow strips and twisted together hawser fashion. It is good to tie in for a broken link in a trace chain. It can be tanned so it will be soft and pliable like harness leather. Save a cow and "deacon's pelt" and try it.

WILLIAM RHODES.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] HARVESTING AND UNLOADING HAY. MESSRS. TUCKER & SON-In a letter to you the other day, I gave you a description of hooks for drawing hay from wagons. It was a description given me by a man from near Vevay, Ind., viz., the shape of a reap hook, from three and a half to four feet long, including handle. I found in working, I could better dispense with the handle, and had it cut off, and a hole put in the end of the hook for the rope to pass, about four feet long, connecting the two hooks. They are to be pushed down into the load of hay, one aft and the other forward of the load, straight down, and in pulling up by the rope, the points will pull toward each other with such force as to hold all the hay between them, and will take off an ordinary load of hay at two drafts-(there may be a fork full left after the last draft.) I had ropes around the rafters and cross-pieces of the barn, and hitched the block to first one and then another, as needed. Cannot get as much hay in same space as with forks, and it cannot be got out as easily. A good way is to tread it in with a gentle horse.

Ide's Wheel Cultivator, and thinks very favorably of the implement, though he acknowledges it pretty hard on the team. It does much better work than the gang-plow, which he says only operates well where nothing further is necessary-in a light I sold my hay farm a few years ago, and am a little mellow soil. We have used both, and partly agree with rusty on a large scale; I still cut about 30 acre I did him, but rate the gang-plow higher, as with it we think cut near 150 acres. I found I could save my hay prettier one can get a good surface tilth by cross-plowing a par- and better by bauling on wagons than in cocks-took it tially decomposed sod, without tearing it up, easier than up after the rake and got very little wet. Cut first half

the day, and in quite dry weather cut some in the evening
to haul after the dew was off next morning. None out
over Sunday. It should be bright and nice, to sell well.
This summer, though it rained a good deal, I got none
wet. When I have hay cut by machine, (I have none
other now,) and a sudden shower comes on, I rake it, pre-
ferring spreading and turning it to dry, than to have it
bleached by the sun, spread as it is by machine all over
the ground. The rain beats it so close to the ground that
it takes a good while to dry without turning over.
MADISON, IND.

WM. HALL

(For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] Pumpkins Seeds Injurious to Milch Cows.

MESSES. EDITORS-It is asserted by some that pumpkius, when fed to milch cows, are injurious. Different causes are assigned for their bad effects-some think they have a tendency to make the cow "lay on fat," and thus diminish the quantity of milk, while others contend that they increase the flow of urine, and consequently lessen the flow of milk. I am not a believer in either of these doctrines, but think them of great utility late in the fall, after the grass has become frost bitten and dry. But let this pass for the present-I am after the pumpkin seeds-the diuretic. I notice in the Sept. number of the American Agriculturist some remarks of the Editor, upon a "correspondent's letter," in regard to the injurious effects of pumpkins, the seeds in particular, when fed to cows. And, although that journal does not regard the "writer's reasoning entirely sound," yet, thinks the "suggestion " in regard to feeding the seeds, "worthy of attention." I also read a very profound article, not long since, upon this subject of pumpkin |

seeds. The writer endeavored to show that because of their diuretic effect the flow of milk must necessarily be diminished, and greatly deteriorated. Now I wish to be enlightened a Tittle upon one point touching this subject, and, as I am no "doctor," I hope some one who is, will give the desired information, for, as the season is close at band when pumpkins are usually fed, I think no one should be unnecessarily frightened out of the use of so valuable an article of feed for milch cows. The point alluded to is this: Have pumpkin seeds medicinal properties, weakening, or do they cause permanent injury to the urinary organs, when eaten in quantities as small as are usually found in a mess of pumpkins given at one time, say from a peck to half a bushel? Or do they affect the animal more injuriously than any other food, producing a like

flow of urine?

The GENTLEMAN is already informed that I have practiced soiling my cows for the last four or five years, until after harvest, when they have the run of the meadows, but are invariably stabled nights, and fed with some kind of green food night and morning. When soiled exclusively, all their feed is given them in the stable. Now I have found that when kept on clover, corn or sorghum, or any other green food that is quite succulent, the flow of urine is much greater than it is in the fall after hard frosts, and the grass has become dry-the time of year when pumpkins are usually fed. The gutter behind my cows is tight, and all the urine runs back into it, and is taken out with the manure, by means of a scoop shovel and a wheelbarrow that is water tight, and I have always found the liquid part much the largest when soiling crops are the freshest and most juicy. Now is clover, corn, &c., harmless, and are pumpkin seeds pernicious, the former being the most powerful diuretic? That is the question.

I hope to be seasonably informed upon this subject, for most assuredly I shall feed my cows pumpkins, seeds and all, as soon as they stand in need of the article, and according to the theory of some, may find a portion of what should have been in the udder, behind my cows in the gutter.

Practical Observations.-The way pumpkins are often fed to cows, is enough to dry them up-they would be very foolish to "give down" under such treatment. The practice of some is to take a few green, watery things, destitute of richness or nourishment, and break them perhaps into two pieces upon a stone or the end of a rail, and then

leave the cows to eat them the best way they can, and then hope to get in return an increase of milk, and in default thereof give judgment against the pumpkins, or their seeds. Let such slovens take good ripe, sweet pumpkins, and cut them up fine with a shovel, or what is better, with a root cutter, so that they can be easily eaten and relished, and feed them in clean mangers or boxes, so that each animal shall get her share, and, in my opinion, judgment will be reversed, and there will be less fuss about pumpkin seeds. J. L. R. Jefferson Co., N. Y.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator. HOOSE IN YOUNG CATTLE.

By the description given of the symptoms of M.'s heifer, I ani induced to think it a case of the above named disease. It especially attacks young cattle, and usually during the autumn months, induced by the presence in the air or bronchial tubes of a minute filaria, (thread worms,) constituting as it were a variety of bronchitis, causing irritation or swelling of the pitituary membrane. If the symptoms are not relieved, the animals lose flesh very rapidly. For this purpose, give half ounce doses of oil of turpentine, dissolved in three ounces of linseed oil-to be repeated again in two days. Keep the animal in at night, and give oil-cake and good feed; and if the beast is weak, give a few doses-two drachins each-of sulphate of iron and gentian in some warm ale or porter, which may be sweetened with molasses. R. M'CLURE, V. S. Phila.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.]

NATURAL LIFE OF THE HONEY BEE. tain the idea that the worker-bees live many years. Their The majority of persons who have the care of bees, enterconclusion is drawn from the fact, that colonies sometimes inhabit the same domicil a long period-15 or 20 years-never thinking that as fast as the bees die off naturally and from other causes, they are continually replaced by a new prɔgeny. The natural life of the honey-bee worker does not exceed six months, and from recent experiments. I believe does not exceed in the summer season three months.

By the aid of the Italian or Ligurian bee, this may be easily and satisfactorily tested. On the 2d of July last, I gave to a very powerful stock of native bees a pure Italian Queen. To-day, Sept. 15, this stock was examined to ascertain what proportion of the bees were of the Italian race. The stock is in a Langstroth Hive. Taking out the frames one by one, both sides of each comb were carefully inspected, and so far as I could ascertain, at least nine-tenths of the bees were purely Italian.

Also on the 17th of July, I gave an Italian Queen to another stock of native bees. This stock was also examined today in the presence of a friend, who assisted me in the examination. Examing the combs as before, we did not find in this stock a single native bee!

than two months. Since the 17th of July, I have taken out
This change has taken place, as will be observed, in less
of this colony combs of maturing Italian brood-giving them
to other stocks-more than enough to make a good colony of
bees. Thus it will be seen that the natural life of the honey
bee in either of these instances would scarcely exceed three
months; also, that it requires only a few months to change an
apiary of native bees to those of the Italian race.
MIDDLEPORT, NIAG. CO., N, Y.

M. M. BALDRIDGE.

HARVESTING WHEAT.-JOHN JOHNTSON, in a letter to the N. Y. Observer, says-"Wheat ought to be cut in a raw state, as the wheat is of much better quality and much less lost by shelling. The straw is much better also. It ought to be bound up as fast as cut down, and shocked up to dry in the shock, which generally takes eight or ten days of dry weather; but that depends upon how green or raw was the state in which it was cut. If cut just when it ought to be, it would require more than nine days to dry it, but those having a large crop to cut cannot cut it all at the time it ought to be. If a Resident of Connecticut' should let his wheat stand until it was ready to bind up and draw in as soon as cut, he might draw in a good large crop of straw, but a great deal of wheat would be left in the field."