INDIANA   FARMER.
TOL.il.]
. Dsvoted to Agriculture, Horticulture. Mechanics and the Useful Arts.
WO. 16.
w. *.■ft'.-hT^t «*'•"• j     ■■■WCHMDNfl. IND., APRIL 15,1853.
Ilvllan-ar * Co.,
PUBLISHERS.
tFor the Indiana Farmer.
Messrs. Editors: We have in the State of
Indiana hundteds of thousands of acres of wet
lands, as'rich as any plow was ever stuck into,
which, if properly improved, drained and cultivated, would make as beautiful, productive and
profitable farms as the eye of a~ farmer ever
dwelt upon. But to effect so desirable an end
a large'outlay of capital will be necessary.
Millions of dollars will haVe'to be buried in
under drains and.open ditches before the Utmost capacity of our soil can be developed.
This being trie fact, every farmer having wet
land to Improve, is deeply concerned to know
how he can most effectually and permanently
clrain it, with the least outlay of capital. In
this once heavily timbered region, where stone is
out ofthe question, wood alone has been used
in making underdrains; but with the owners of
small farms, as well as some others who have
not been very provident, timber is getting
scarce, and it is with a good deal of reluctance
that they take a good fail tree to make ditch-
timber; and every year timber will be becoming
still more and more of an object. It is true
there is yet plenty of timber unfit for making
fence rails, that would.be excellent for covering drains if sawed into plank, but this would
add something like One hundred per cent, to;
the'ir cost, and besides this, our saw-mills can
scarcely fill their bills for other purposes, and
any new demand would be likely to increase
the'ptice of all lumber, and add still mote to the
cost of draining.
. As before remarked, stone is not to be had—
timber suitable for splitting is getting scarce—
plank, if attainable at all, would be very expensive—bricks are too costly, and, in my humble opinion, not just the thing if they were not,
and poles and brush that have been tried by
some are found at best to be but a mere tempo-
vary expedient. The question then recurs Vrith
force, how are we to continue our undet-drain-
ing until all our Wet land is made as dry as is
desirable.
In the course of my agricultural reading, I
have noticed that in England they have machines for the manufacture of tiles for the construction of underdrains, and they are almost
universally used for that purpose, and thought
to be better and cheaper than any thing else.
I have noticed, too, that some years ago one
of these tile machines was imported from Scotland into the State of New York, and they are
how being extensively used there, and they
make underdrains at a cost of thirty cents per
rod, including the cost of the tiles. This is
cheaper than we can construct them here with
split timber, allowing the timber to be worth
nothing, which is far from being the fact.
I am so well satisfied that the extensive intro
duction of tile manufactories in our State would
effect a gieat saving of time, timber and money,
that were 1 a member of the Executive Committee, (which, by the by, I am glad I am not,)
I would ihsist on offering a premium of $100
for the exhibition of one of these machines at
our next State Fair; and I would be willing to
go even further, and offer a premium of $500 to
the first man that would put in operation a drain
tile manufactory in our State.
' These suggestions are thrown together in
haste, and are not expected to receive any other
notice than such on consideration they may appear entitled to. J. M.
Beech Glove, March 18th, 1853.      .   " V
For the Indiana Farmer.
Messrs. Editors: In No. 14 of the Fanner
1st page, in an article written by me, I notice
some typographical errors. In the second paragraph the word "almost," where il- first occurs,
should have been omitted. Again, in the same
paragraph; there is a sentence that reads as follows'. "The opinion then prevalent among farmers was, that after a piece of ground had produced one crop of Has, it was not safe to attempt to raise flax again on the same ground
under a period of some years"—which should
have read seven yearsinstead of, some years.
■'■     •-   J. M.
Care of Cows in Winter,
The Farmer's Companion gives the following
hints: Indian meal is injurious to cows which are
with calf—its heating nature is very apt, if much
is given, to produce inflammation, especially if
they aire in high condition. If they are in milk
and expected to calve in the spring, it must be
remembered that for the double duty, of furnishing milk and of affording nutriment to the growing fcctus, they require a plenty of good wholesome food, otherwise it cannot be expected they
will produce a strong healthy offspring, or afford
much nourishment to the calf after it is dropped.
For a period of three months or more, before
calving, (and the same treatment should be pursued towards all animals in a state of pregnancy,) cows should be supplied with those kind*
of food which contain much nutriment in a
.small bulk; for if they are allowed to distend
their enormous stomachs with masses' of innu-
trilious food, the pressure upon the womb may
be productive of the most injurious and sometimes fatal consequences. The bowels should
be kept in a moderately open state, by a daily
feed of roots or "slop" made of wheat bran.
One ofthe best articles for feeding last spring's
calves we have ever used, is the meal of the
corn and cob ground fine. It preserves the bow-
els in excellent condition, and gives them.a
sleek and thrifty look.