The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-11-13
Editorial NOtings.

ENCoURAGING.-An active parasite
of the Goblin worm has recently been
discovered by Professor +. A. Popenoe.
OF this parasite five Larvae were found
in group feeding externally upon the
back of one of the abdominal segments
of an apple worm taken from the in
terror of an apple. The larvae spun
yellow cocoons after arriving at full
growth. 1t is one of the many species
of chalcid flies, and it is to be hoped
that it will increase sufficiently to hold
the great pest of our orchards in check.
THE strike in London has brought
out the fact that there are yet many
American vessels carrying live cattle to
England. 1t has been commonly sup
posed that the dressed beef trade has
entirely superseded the trade in cattle
on the hoof, but that is not so. The
expectation of beef cattle has greatly
increased, and in June, July and
August of this year the whole number
of cattle exported was 80 800, represent
ing over 127 100000 pounds of beef on
the hoof, worth over 100000. In
the same months there were over forty
million pounds of dressed beef sent
abroad, besides over thirty-three mill
ion pounds of canned or cured beef.
A BUsuEL BoX.-Here is something
that has many times been reprinted,
but perhaps we yet have readers who
have not made minute of a very use
full fact A box 13Xl3Xl6 holds
bushel when level full. Cut places in
the ends for the hands, and what can
be more convenient than twenty or
thirty Of these boxes for gathering po-
tatoes, in setting them in the wagon, one
tier after another, instead of emptying
them? How it would facilitate hand
ling over the old-fashioned way of
shoveling so much, and prevent bruis-
ing the potatoes. The potatoes can be
sent to market in this way or carried
and emptied into the bin, as may be
desired.
SHEEP IN THE ORCHARD.-We re-
Gently suggested that sheep, as well as
hogs, might be utilized to pick up
wormy apples in the orchard. The
Troy Times, referring to the subject,
says that sheep can be safely trusted
to run in an orchard and pick up the
windfalls, if the trees are coated with a
mixture of lime wash, common or
whale oil soap, and sheep manure
freely applied with brush. But sheep
are not as good as young hogs, for the
reason that they run in close flocks and
tread the earth down under the trees,
making it almost impervious to water,
while the shotes keep more apart and
are disposed to turn up the soil with
their noses, thus letting in the rain and
air. If the soil in orchards were occa-
sionally broken, without injury to the
roots of the trees, it would be better for
them"
THE chemistry of the silo is still a
subject of general discussion; as it
ought to be, until it is generally under
stood. An exchange says: 1T is now
too late to deny that fermentation in
the silo does not occasion loss of nutri-
tive elements. Furthermore, it changes
some of the heterogeneous elements into
amides, which are indigestibe. But ii
is still question as to whether the loss
in the silo is greater than that incurred
by curing cornstalks in the field. TIC
offset the amides formed in the silo is
the woody fiber formed by curing in
the field. Then the dried stalks suffer
more or less from mould and rot, which
is an offset to some of the same kind OF
loss on the top, at the sides and in the
corners of the silo." We do not re-
member ever having seen a denial il
print of the fact that there is loss OF
nutriment in the contents of silC
where fermentation, or heating" has
taken place. No heat could possibly
be produced there, except by the oxida
ton of the carbOnaceous matter O
the ensilage. The heat is produced
solely by the slow combustion of a par
of the silage. But this part is the leas
valuable part-the part which is nat
urally much in excess; and certainly il
the North we can well afford to lose
little of this to keep the rest from freez
ing. If there were no heating in the sill
we should have our silage frozen, an,
thus made useless, and worse than use
less, for winter feeding. AS to tn
statement that the change of " nitroge
elements" into amides renders ther
indigestible, there is no positive ev
dence of the fact, and we notice tha
the best chemists speak of it mos
doubtfully. Even if this were true
however, it would take but triae MOI
action eoo1 p,ao1 ~, hmm 10 p,aLa =,