78 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



Schuylkill with that river of excellent Itind brought 

 into use bj' ditching and dyking out tlie waters of 

 the river. These arc a perfect level ; and on them 

 the cattle luxuriate until they become abundantly 

 fat. 



Philadelpliia Market, May 8. Prices of fat beef 

 14 to 15 cents per pound; veal, larger quarters 

 than connnon, 6 to 8 cents; mutton 8 cents; po- 

 tatoes 80 cents per bushel. Plenty of radishes and 

 turnips, raised in Jersey, in market. 



Between Philadelphia and Trenton, distance 

 twenty-eight miles by land, the soil and cultivation 

 are beautiful. Among tlie bostevidences of wealth 

 here are the commodious and permanent stone 

 houses and barns. Tlie latter are usually upon the 

 declivity of some rising ground; the cattle stalls 

 are in a basement story ; and the upper part is oc- 

 cupied exclusively for hay and srraiu. Around 

 tliese on the larger farms, in the season of liarvest, 

 are numerous stacks of wheat and other grain in 

 the straw. 



The rail road from Philadelphia to Now York en 

 the upper or Trenton route passes the Delaware 

 river over the old bridge wliicli has stood for man}- 

 years ; the cars are transported over this bridge 

 with horses, from the fear that it is too weak for 

 the force of the steam engine. Of consequence 

 the engine and cars are changed on the Jersey side. 

 The route to New York through Jersey by Prince- 

 ton, New Brunswick, Elizabethtown and Newark, 

 was all the way by night; and the prospect of tlie 

 very best agrioiltural part of that State was en- 

 tirely lost. A severe north-easterly rain storm 

 commenced in the afternoon of Friday, May 7, in 

 which at one o'clock on Saturday morning we ar- 

 rived at Jersey City, opposite the island of New 

 York : tills storm continued witii unabated force 

 that day nearly till the time of leaving the city for 

 Boston, at five o'clock, P. M. and returning to 

 Boston on the Norwich route on Sunday morning 

 — resting there on that day, we arrived at our home 

 on Monday evening, May 11. 



Diseases of Horses. 



mtc-Phlladelplda, Ohio, May 11, 1840. 



Hon. Isaac Hili, : /)car Sir— Will the follow- 

 inff be of any use to your readers .> In tlie hclicf 

 that you and they agree with me in the opinion 

 that the preservation of the health of that noble an- 

 imal THE Horse should be more carefully attended 

 to than it is, I copy the annexed extract from a let- 

 ter of a Scientific Veterinary Surgeon, educated 

 in Eni)-Iand,and who for many years resided in the 

 city of Baltimore. On leaving that city he wrote 

 to a friend some letters in regard to the treatment 

 of horses, and while on a visit to this place permit- 

 ed me to take a copy of one which I now trans- 

 cribe for your "Visitor," if you shall tliink it wor- 

 thy of a place. B. M. A. 



"You will be able to distinguish the mouth symp- 

 toms (of disease) by carefully observing the con- 

 trast between those ii/7n/)/o)ns and the healthy color. 

 When you may liave a horse afllicted with excite 

 mcnt of the alimentary canal, you will most easily 

 discover the difference, and that without sqiicetijig 

 the tongue; but by that pressure you will be fully 

 convinced. The true knowledge of the pulse is 

 difficult to arrive at. Was I compelled to lay aside 

 the mouth symptoms or the pulse,l would prefer re- 

 taining those of the mouth as being the most un- 

 erring. But 1 would advise you frequently to ex- 

 amine the pulses of your healthy horses, for there 

 you will be better able to distinguish its action 

 when influenced by inflammation. Pay particular 

 respect to the want of moisture in the moutli, for 

 if that is wanting it is a true indication fertile loss 

 of blood. And should there be with this no other 

 Byniptom than « loss of appctite,h\eeii'\ng will of it- 

 self in all probability remove the disease. Having 

 with strict observation made yourself acquainted 

 with the healthy state of the mouth, that is, color 

 and moisture — you will then be prepared (if your 

 horse loses his appetite) to examine the state of his 

 mouth with satisfactioj;. To know the true value 

 of those symptonis,you must examine the diseased 

 horse. 



I consider the following treatment most advis^i- 

 ble in the disease vulgarly called "the distemper." 

 I premi.L'e that this term is not definite, but if we 

 call it a catarrh when not attended with fever, and 

 if with fever, call it a catarrh fever, we have a def- 

 inite term well to be understood, which will natur- 

 ally lead to a rational treatment. Whatever be 

 the age of the horse, if the following symptoms' 

 appear, you there arrive at the disease. First 

 symptom is a dilBculty in swallowing water — his 

 food he can better swallow, but that' is attended 

 with some pain. There is sometimes a great dilH- 

 • oulty of breathing, attended with much noise. In 

 all cases there is a discharge from his nostril, v.hich 



varies in quality, which consists as froth or food, 

 or which has much the appearance of the white of 

 an egfr — or it may be of abetter quality of matter, 

 whicii is fiir the most favorable symptom. In «ome 

 the swelling ujulor the throat, or up toward the car 

 may be great, but if the breathing is easy and the 

 horse eats,it will be evidence that there is no fever 

 and that nothing will be required but waiting pa- 

 tiently until the part is ready for opening, which 

 yon will know by pulling the hair. If it come out 

 freely, you may safely open it with your penknife, 

 making the incision large enough to admit your 

 finger,"after which the part is to be washed once a 

 day witli hot water for a ievi days. 



In some of these ca«es abscesses form one after 

 another in rajiid succession to the number of eight 

 or ten or even more, from all whicli the ;jks must 

 be discharged by opening. In all those cases in 

 whicli food comes down the nostril, blistering must 

 be attended to, but not until after ajoss of blood, 

 and the physic has done acting. As this disease is 

 a local inflaniniation of the throat, or a more exten- 

 ded fever through the system, blood must be taken 

 if file pitient is a common sized saddle horse and 

 fleshy, to the extent of two gallons, admitting that 

 the fever is great, but if it is not, a less quantity 

 will suffice — a purge must also be given. 



The next day if the disease is severe, there may 

 be considerable excitement which makes it essen- 

 tial that the 'moiii/i ^-i/jn;)/um5 are strictly attended 

 to, so that if a second bleeding is indicated, it is not 

 to be neglected, and tliat to the extent which may 

 reduce lliese symptoms, to accomplish which it 

 may or may not require as much to be drawn as on 

 the preceding day. 



In a severe case of tliis disease the physic ought 

 to operate briskly for two days at least giving at 

 eaeli operation copious and w'ell mixed passages; 

 for if from the bowels there are onl}- watery pas- 

 sages, there is much danger. On the supposition 

 that the physio operates well, I will say there is 

 almost a certainty of a cure without any other 

 trouble. 



On the physic stopping, or in a kw days after, 

 the symptoms may return, and that with much dif- 

 ficulty in breathing, in which case it may be prop- 

 er to take from two to four quarts of blood, giving 

 from half an ounce to three quarters of an ounce 

 of aloes, the only cathartic to be relied oil in any 

 case of disease of horses, to produce another gen- 

 tle purgation, adding a blister to that part of the 

 throat immediately behind the j-aw bone, as where 

 you will by pressing on that part of the throat on 

 "both sides discover the horse will express pain, to 

 which part you will apply your blister (being care- 

 ful in all cases before applying a blister to clip the 

 hair close) and on the following day renew the blis- 

 ter, and even on the third if there is not from the 

 past a considerable discharge. 



I will now presume that the horse has recovered 

 his appetite, drinks witliout any difficulty, and ap- 

 pears to be doing W'ell — but continues to run mat- 

 ter from the nostrils; in which case you will give 

 2 oz. of cream of tartar twice a day in his feed, 

 which must be wet that the powder may adhere ; 

 and this is to continue f"or one week. But should 

 the discharge continue after this and the appetite 

 be good, you will give in the feed ^0 grains of 

 cantharides for 6, 12 and even £4 days. Adhering 

 to the above directions you will avoid the necessity 

 of that troublesome practice of poulticing and the 

 tedious and uncertain course of nostrums. 



One of the terminations of this disease — and that 

 after the horse appears to bo recovered, is the drop- 

 sy, which is first discovered by sweating in one or 

 more of bis legs — and may be so spread as to ap- 

 pear in numerous large swellings all over the body, 

 and his legs and thigse twice or three times, or even 

 four times their usual size. The treatment is re- 

 peated purging, and if the following directions are 

 strictl}^ adhered to the effect will produce much 

 surprize. Give a physic which must be aloes — and 

 in four days after it stojis repeat, but only in half 

 the portion of the preceding one, and in four 

 days after that stops, repeat ; but igain in less 

 quantity than the preceding one. And thus 

 you will continue repeating until you think the 

 point gained, which may be longer or shorter ac- 

 cording to the severity of the disease. Yon must 

 expect the horse to be much reduced, but as from 

 that he will recover, it is better than losing him. 

 As the above succession of purging tends to wea- 

 ken the bowels for a time, as much less portion is 

 required, which is essential to be remembered, as 

 the patient would be killed by super purgation. 

 Therefore in this case purge ought to be in action 

 •as long as in ordinary cases, one day is long enough 

 for its action with each physic." Memo, adose.of 

 aloes 1 1-2 to 1 3-4 oz. to a common saddle horse. 

 Administer it — pulverized — enveloped in a paper — 



raise the horse's head and confine it; then insert 

 the medicine into his mouth — lie will in a few 

 minutes chew and swallow the paper and its con- 

 tents. 



Mouth Si/mptoms. Squeeze the tongue of a 

 healthy horse in your liand hard, the prints of your 

 fingers will be perceived when your hand is re- 

 moved in white indentations or streaks on the 

 tongue — if the hor.se has a fever or if the intestines 

 arc inflamed — squeezing the tongue will leave no 

 marks or white streaks — this almost always indi- 

 cates bleedini^ 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Nourishment of Plants. 



Mb. EnrroK — In the laws of order by which all 

 nature is governed, it appears to be a fixed prin- 

 ple that light and heat are prime agents in the for- 

 mation and completion of all the productions of the 

 vegetable as well as tlie animal kingdom. It is 

 true that seeds of most >vind will germinate in the 

 dark ; but the plants will not grow so well, and 

 will exhibit a pale and sickly appearance ; and if 

 they produce iiny fruit, it will be of a watery con- 

 sistence and very imperfect. Chaptal tells us 

 the principal agents in the germination of seeds ore 

 oxygen, heat and water. The latter by penetrating 

 the covers, or skin of the seed which is generally 

 tough and flexible, enters to its interior which in- 

 creases its size and consequently opens the pores 

 of the skin or cover, and lets in the air, which sup- 

 plies the necessary oxygen. Then a proper degree of 

 warmth completes the operation, and the germ or 

 sprout is pushed into existence. All seeds are more 

 or less composed of starch, mucilage and carbon 

 with other ingredients, and in the process of ger- 

 mination a portion of the carbon being thrown off, 

 the starch is converted into sugar, and by the 

 union with oxygen the mucilage forms a milky 

 substance which united with the sugar has a swee- 

 tish taste. This is according to the laws of order, 

 provided as the first food fur the new born plant, 

 and serves for its nourishment until its size and 

 strength will enable it to take up that which is of 

 a more solid and substantial nature. This will ac- 

 count for the fact that the young leaves like a 

 young infant are very tender and at malurer age 

 become tough and hardy. Seeds destitute of vi- 

 tUity, receive water and air in the same manner as 

 those do that grow, but not possessing the power to 

 throw off a portion of their carbon, instead of sen- 

 ding forth a shoot, they tend to p»trifactlon; and if 

 placed in a proper temperature the process goes 

 very rapidly. 



It is a known fact that many of the seeds sown 

 in tough clayey soil do not vegetate ; and if seed 

 sown in the fall are considerably covered with wa- 

 ter during the spring, after the proper time for them 

 to sprout, they rot, and are said to be "winter killed." 

 This is in consequence of being excluded from the 

 atmosphere, and a proper supply of oxygen cannot 

 be obtained, which is absdutety necessary to the 

 operation of the vital principle. The power of 

 plants to receive that kind of food which is suited 

 to their age and will promote a vigorous growth, 

 and of rejecting such as is injurious to their ex- 

 istence, is among the " beautiful wonders" of the 

 order of nature, and will aflord an amusing topic 

 for the exercise of the mind ol those who delight 

 "to look through nature up to nature's God." 



It is a well known fact that plants derive a great 

 portion of their nourishment from the atmosphere 

 through their leaves. Fruit is never formed until 

 the leaves and stock luis attained its full growth. — 

 The only nourishment taken f.om tlie soil by the 

 roots is water, and such particles of matter as are 

 soluble in water; and if any matter which is not 

 congenial to the plant, is thus taken up, after being 

 elaborated through the stocks and leaves of the 

 plant, it is discharged into the soil. From the e::- 

 pcriments of Dr. Priestley and others it has been 

 clearly proved " that plants absorb the azotic part 

 of the atmosphere, as well as carbonic acid gas; 

 and this principle appears to be tlie cause of fertili- 

 ty which arises from tlje use of putrefying matter 

 in the form of manures." On these gases whicli 

 are destructive to animal life, does the growth and 

 perfection of vegetables depend. It is a fact whieli 

 should inspire our minds with an exalted view of 

 the infinite wisdom of the Creator, that the 

 whole animal kingdom are csntinualiy inhaling 

 oxygen and exhaling carbonic acid gas, arid that 

 this very gas whicli is exhaled is inhaled by the 

 whole vegetable kingdom wliich is continually 

 t'lrowing off o.xygen. Thus one part of creation 

 is made dependent on the other; and neither oould 

 exist in a state of separation, wliich clearly shows 

 us that a complete chain binds together the whole 

 universe, anil no part can be taken away without 

 disoro-ajiizing its harmonious order. S. 



