488 A'GRICULTURAI. TEEPOl^T. 



Mr. James Harkiiess, a farmer from Illiuois, beiujjf present at this 

 meeting, was invited to address the members of the l)oard on the subject 

 of foot-rot iu sbeei). lifter exhibiting Ji number of glands taken from 

 tiic feet of sheep afdieted with the rot, Mr. Uarkness'said : 



Mr. Page, a liieud of iniue, had a few veiy lino rams, -wortli Sj200 or 1^300 cacli, that 

 became afflicted with foot-rot. I told him a remedy, and he used it aud got them 

 nearly all well. He took them to Mr. Forsyth's, and they took the disease again. A 

 boy from Texas came along, and said he knew what was the matter; that there 

 Wiis a small worm in the foot. He took his knife and cut out what he supposed to be 

 .1 worm, but which proved to be a gland. 



Mr. Harkuess then exhibited several glands about half an inch iu 

 length, looking like worms, which he had taken from between the cloven 

 hoof of the sheep, in front, and showed the location of the disease. 

 Professor Eiley had examined the matter contained in the gland with 

 the microscope, and found that the diseased gland contained pus, a^ 

 black matter, which caused the disease. The remedy is to take a probe 

 and cut into the gland and let the matter out, and then apply a mixture 

 containing two parts of tincture of calendula and one part of tincture 

 of myrrh. When the sore has spread to the bottom of the hoof, pare 

 away the rough part with a knife, and wash it with sulphate of iron, 

 and bind up the hoof with a strip of cotton cloth, wrapped in the cleft in 

 the form of a figure 8. 



Mr. Riley stated that he was not satisfied with the theory advanced 

 by Mr. Harkness, that this disease of the gland was the cause of the rot. 

 Nor did he think that veterinary surgeons would agree with him. In 

 reply, Mr. Harkness said that the origin of diseases was always difficult 

 to ascertain. In the foot-rot, the matter that exudes from the sore gland 

 would inoculate other animals; one diseased foot would inoculate rail- 

 lions. 



Mr. J. F. Wielandy contributed a very valuable essay on asparagus 

 and its culture. He has devoted much attention to the cultivation of 

 this plant, with wonderful success. In 1870 he exhibited to the mem- 

 bers of the State Board of Agriculture three shoots of remarkable 

 size. They were all cut at the same time from the same plant, and 

 averaged about 8 inches in length and 5f inches in circumference. Their 

 aggregate weight v/as nineteen ounces, which is about the weight ot an 

 ordinary bunch of twenty or thirty such shoots as are usually sold in 

 the markets. His mode is to propagate from carefully selected seeds, 

 setting aside the earliest and most vigorous i)lauts for that purpose. 

 The above variety was produced in this way, and has been cultivated by 

 him for over forty years. Its great size is due to the most thorough cul- 

 ture and to an abundance of rich manure. The jilant requires strong' 

 food, and should not be stinted in this respect. His beds are thoroughly 

 subsoiled and trenched. The roots of the i>lant do not penetrate the soil 

 very deeply, hence the subsoil should not be brought to the surface. Sprin g 

 is considered the best time for setting out the plants — say during the 

 month of April and the early part of May. Trenches should be n^.ade 

 from 8 to 10 inches deep and 3 feet apart, and the plants placed at a 

 distance of from 2 to 3 feet from each other. The ground should be kept 

 loose and porous between the rows, and perfectly clean of weeds, in 

 the spring, as soon as the soil admits of working, it is Mr. AVielandy's 

 practice to give a top-dressing of 2 or 3 inches of light, well-rotted 

 barn-yard manure, being careful to exclude coarse lumps or corn-stalks 

 that might cause obstructions to young shoots in their underground 

 growth. This top-dressing is forked in as lightly as practicable, as it is 

 important that the roots, which are always inclined to seek the surface 



