Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-08-14

two brothers-in-law. Indians seldom engagt
in a fight during the night. They prefer
surprise about the break Of day. They stea
during the night. The Indians that are about
there are stragglers from the reservation al
Fort Siil-principally Camanches, kInwat
and Apaches. Mr.. Chism, one of the largest
cattle dealers in that region, started with
| four thousand head of stock for Fort Sumner
on the Picos in New Mexico He had force
of twenty-five drivers, twenty-five extra
armed men, and twenty-five soldiers detailed
at Fort Concho, making in all seVenty-hv
men. Even with this force he was followed
four days by the Indians, but the latter failed
IN their purposes and fell back to try theil
luck on the next herd. They attacked a
drove day or two behind Chism and carried
off 200 cattle and all the horses except two.
| The " Indians > referred to are very often
Mexicans, who disguise themselves and sneak
along after the droVes in cowardly fashion
waiting for chance to make an attack or to
steal. Another danger 20 the cattle is found
in crossing the plains. 1t is thus described
g After leaving the Concho, the cattle
trail for New Mexico crosses the Staked
Plains a barren, sandy desert, without
grass or water for seventy-fv miles. \ Mr..
Campbell last year lost one thousand five
hundred head in crossing this desert, simply
by not knowing how to handle his cattle.
He had between two thousand and three
thousand head, The big cattle push ahead
on Che march across the plains, while the
smaller ones, travelling slower, linger behind.
The big cattle instead of being allowed to
follow their instincts and get to water, were
held back to wait for the Bmaller onet, and
by milling around in circle, made twice
the distance, and all persisted before getting
to water. Mr.. Stanton thinks that the
cattle supply will greatly diminish, and in a
few years will nearly stop. Instead of
driving to Eastern markets, many prefer to
drive to New Mexico and Utah. 1t costs
nothing to keep them on that route, while
the dealer gets the appreciation in the growth
More rain has fallen in Western Texas this
season than before in twenty years"
DRAINING- Mr. Harris, in his . Walks and
Talks, in the American Agriculturist, says /:
Autumn is the time to work land, and
spring the time to drain It. Winter is the
time to draw the tiles, to make manure, and
to do everything that will facilitate the work
of the spring and summer. In the spring.
while the ground is wet and loose from the
effect Of the frost, and underdran can be dug
with one third less labor than in the fall
When the plans are all laid and the tiles on
hand, good deal of draining may be done
in the FIVE or SIX weeks in spring before we
need to plough tor corn. Some enc writes to
the AgrlcuB,ria that ne thinks :. Walks and
Talks has undertaking on the BRAIN" If
have, and the disease IS contagious, should
like to communicate it to half a dozen of the
most intelligent farmers in every town in the
country. Undertaking. will be the great
farm work of the next quarter Of a century.
Wherever draining is needed-and | have
never yet happened to see a farm where some
portions OF 1t did not need draini ng-nO
real and permanent improvement can be effect.
ed until this work is done. | recon mend no
extravagant expenditure Of money. Those
who have the capital to drain their land |
completely at once, would find 1t to their
interest to devote year or two principally
10 this work But there are few such men.
Most of us must drain a few acres each year,
as we can afford the time and money. Only
commence and do the work thoroughly as
far as you 20, and there Is scarcely man
who will stop until his whole farm Is drained
wherever needed. If | could induce every
reader Of this paper to make up his mind to
let year 20 past without making few rods
Of ditch, should feel that | had accom-
pIished something worth living for. Put in
stone drains if you cannot get tile but the
latter, where they can be obtained at any
reasonable price, are far cheaper and better.
have some stone drains that work well, and
two or three bush drains that do more or
less good, but / have one stone drain that II
stopped up, and several bush drains that
does not do dood service. l have some that
are not deep enough, but was bothered to
get good outlet. Some Of nv neighbors
have nor :" IN Outstanding on the brain, and
1t Is not always easy 10 persuade them to
try cutting bitches deep enough to carry off
the water. The only cure for this is. more
light, more agricultural writing. AMI more
neighborhood Farmers Clubs.
APPLICATION OF MANUREs.-The effort to
work manures in deeply with the idea of
fertilizing the subs)il which was extensively
held but few years ago, is now PRETTY
generally given up by most practical farm
ers. That idea was, if we mistake not,
advanced and maintained by Prof. Liebig
and others. Now the most intelligent scien-
tifc, as well as practical men believe it
most tor the farmers interest to keep ma
nures near the surface. At recent meeting
of the Farmers Club, at London, Prof.
VOelcker said, in reply to some statements
made by Alderman Mechi, - Don't manure
subsoil of any kind, light or heavy; manure
the topsoil, and keep the manuring elements
as near as you possibly can to the surface, so
that the young plant may derive immediate
advantage from the food prepared Tor II.
This, we take it, is the true doctrine very
forcibly expressed, and we believe it accords
with the experience of the most careful
observers both in this country and in Eng
land. This position does not imply that
lands should not be deeply ploughed and
mellowed, only that manures should not be
buried deeply. We like deep ploughing.
We like, in turning over the sod, to lay up
to the sun and air a sufficient depth Of
earth and mold, to have the after cultivation
easy and light without bree king up the turf
and sod But we do not like to turn under
the manure too deep, and we think great
deal of manure has been comparatively lost
and wasted If the sod is turned over deep
ly, there is some satisfaction in manuring
and fertilizeng the loose and mellow earth
that is turned up. This is practical point
Of very considerable Importance and is worth
careful investigation.-Mass. PI0ugHmdn,