No. 



The Way to Plant Trees. 



251 



and, to my misfortune, in a very short time I 

 found tliat the horses kept in tliose stables 

 had been subject to the dreadful disease called 

 the mad staggers for several years. Some 

 horses had died, and the horses then there, 

 and which had been for some time kept in 

 the stables, were in wretched condition. 

 Two fine fresh horses which were put into 

 them, were within a few montlis seized witii 

 tiio mad stag^gers, and one of them literally 

 killed himself by knocking- his head about 

 against the manger and stall ; the other was 

 saved by copious bleeding, and removed into 

 a fresh stable, but was so reduced as to be 

 lessened in value one-half My neighbours 

 advised the pulling down the stables, consi- 

 dering the disease infectious ; but having, on 

 going into the stables early in the morning, 

 been almost suffocated and blinded by ob- 

 noxious gas, I examined the floor and drains, 

 when I found the former to consist of large 

 burr stones, laid on a stiff clay ; and the floor 

 sunk so low below the drain, as not to admit 

 of the draining away of the urine. This 

 struck me to be a sufficient cause to effect 

 the brain of any animal confined in it, the 

 same as it had the horses. I therefore had 

 the floor taken up, relaid, and properly 

 drained ; and the walls and ceiling, manger, 

 cribs, &LC., washed with quick lime ; and 

 from that time for ten years, I never had a 

 diseased horse." 



The mad staggers is undoubtedly a violent 

 inflammation of the brain of the horse, pro- 

 duced in all probability by inhaling noxious, 

 acrid gases, such as are the product of foul 

 stables ; for we never see cases of this dis- 

 ease among horses who breathe a pure, uncon- 

 taminated atmosphere. Horses which are 

 kept in confined stables in cities, where the 

 manure and urine are deposited in cellars un- 

 derneath them, are most subject to this dis- 

 ease. The remedy, or rather the mode of 

 preventing the disease is so obvious, that 

 every person who has charge of so valuable 

 an animal as the horse, should be apprised of 

 the importance of keeping a clean stable, so 

 as to insure a pure atmosphere, that the lungs 

 or brain may not suffer injury by inhaling 

 ammoniacal gas, or spirit of hartshorn, which 

 tend to produce irritation and inflammation 

 of th'j fine, tender membranes, which line 

 the nasal processes and the lungs of all ani- 

 mals. 



The disease called hollow horn in cattle, is 

 inflammation of the interior of the head and 

 horns, which communicate with the nasal 

 processes, and very probably proceeds from 

 the same cause which produces mad staggers 

 and glanders in horses; to wit, foul acrid 

 gases, inhaled in sufficient quantities, and for 

 a time sufficient to irritate the very delicate 

 membranous structure of the interior of the 



head, so as to excite inflammation, and finally 

 suppuration, mortification and dcatii. This 

 is rendered the more probable as horses and 

 cows when stabled are generally enveloped 

 in one common atmosphere, and the disease 

 does not often show itself till the season is 

 considerably advanced, when tlie foul ma- 

 laria has had a long time to operate on the 

 tender parts to which it is constantly applied 

 while breathing. Milk cows are generally 

 more closely confined than bulls or young 

 cattle, and it is believed they are much the 

 most frequent subjects of the disease. It is 

 hoped this subject will claim the careful ex- 

 amination of all intelligent farmers, and it is 

 desired that their observations may be re- 

 corded and published, whether they go to 

 sustain the above theory or to de'stroy it. Of 

 one thing we are all certain, that to breathe 

 pure, uncontaminated air is more conducive 

 to health, than to inhale that which is foul 

 and irritating to the lungs. An occasional 

 smell of a hartshorn bottle may not be disa- 

 greeable or unwholesome, if it is not too con- 

 centrated ; but to be enveloped in an atmos- 

 phere of it for half our time, during the win- 

 ter season, which is the case with a very 

 large proportion of our horses and cattle, can- 

 not be expected to promote the healthy ac- 

 tion of the system, but on the contrary to 

 produce disease and premature death. 



A lazy, careless, thoughtless lout 

 Neglects to clean the stables out. 



AORICOLA. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 The "Way to Plant Trees. 



Observe nature's plan and imitate her. 



As the season for planting fruit trees is 

 now near at hand, it would be well for all to 

 recollect to dig the holes very wide ; yea, much 

 wider than the roots extend for the time 

 being ; remembering that during the season 

 they will be expected to go in search of pro- 

 vender for the nourishment of the branches; 

 and if the soil contiguous to the tender fibres 

 of the roots be left firm and hard, they will 

 not be able to travel very rapidly, and of 

 course will glean but little nourishment, and 

 will possibly become starvelings, or die be- 

 fore winter. Also be careful not to plant 

 your trees deeper in the ground than old mo- 

 ther nature would do, if she performed the 

 operation herself: she has been engaged in 

 this kind of work ever since the days of Adam, 

 and no doubt by this time has learned how 

 to do it properly; imitate her example, look 

 at some of her planting, and observe how 

 deep she puts the roots in the ground. She 

 don't go to work as if she was making post 

 and rail fence, I can assure you, for I have 

 watched her operations often. She knows 



