738 



FARMERS' REGIST E R 



\No. 1'2 



times very'pungent, and much too often is applied 

 with a slight, stingy, sparing hand. The great 

 desideratum in the use of this article as a stimu- 

 lant, is its time of application, which, should never he 

 deferred one moment when the ground is in order 

 to work. Even in rainy days it may be used to 

 much advantage. But let me here advise the 

 reader of one thing— and that is, its peculiar lia- 

 bility to evaporation; and the only way known to 

 the writer for guarding against this evil, is to keep 

 it in active service; such at least, are the views 



SIMON PURR. 



From the Southern Agriculturist. 

 IJOOKS IN HORSES. 



Sir — Although the best writers on the veterina- 

 ry art do not recognize such a disease in the 

 horse; your subscriber from Appling, in Georgia, 

 and Commodore Porter from Constantinople,* 

 each relates the almost instantaneous relief af- 

 forded to their sick horses, by the very common 

 operation of cutting off part of the third eyelid; 

 the one calling it. according to the Asiatic nomen- 

 clature, bone eye, the other to the vernacular, 

 hooks. 



These gentlemen, like many other persons, 

 were deceived, and made to mistake the effect of 

 cold, orof some other inflammatory state of the pa- 

 tient for a disease of itself — nothing is more com- 

 mon. I myself recollect five cases of tetanus 

 which occurred in the summer of 1820, not one of 

 which but would have been called a case of hooks 

 by the advocates of that doctrine. The first was 

 that of a gelding in my own yard, attended by the 

 veterinary, surgeon, Dr. Carver. A negro who 

 was in the habit of cutting off the hooks, was 

 anxious to perform the operation. I did not con- 

 sent: the horse died of violent spasms. 



The second was that, of a stallion, belonging to 

 Dr. Joseph Glover. Dr. Carver attended it and 

 performed the operation for the hooks — the patient 

 was cured. 



The third was that of a gelding, the property of 

 Col. Bryan. Dr. Carver attended this last case, 

 and performed the operation; the patient died. 



The fourth was that of a small mare, opposite 

 to my residence; the operation for the hooks was 

 performed in a very early stage of the dicorder: 

 this case terminated fatally. 



The fifth was that of a stallion of value, the 

 properly of the late Major JVlanigault, whose te- 

 tanus was produced by the puncture of a nail in 

 the foot; it was treated by an eminent surgeon, 

 who exhibited opium in large doses, and saved 

 the lile of the horse. I saw the case, and assert 

 that no hooks doctor would have left this horses' 

 eyes untouched. Thus out of three cases in 

 which the operation was performed — one was 

 saved — and out of the two where no operation, 

 one was also saved. 



For better information on this subject, I quote 

 from the Preliminary Treatise to the Library of 

 Useful Knowledge, published in London, under 

 the superintendence of Lord Brougham and 

 others, the most scientific persons in Great Britain. 



* Sec American Turf Register for September, 1S35, 

 and your work for October, 1S35. 



The Treatise is on the objects, advantages, a: d 

 pleasures of science, and attributed to the pen of 

 Lord Brougham. 



After having described the eye of the bifdj the* 

 authof saysj at (p. 80.) "A third eyelid of thrj 

 " same kind is found in the horse, and called the 

 " haWj it is moistened with a pulpy substance: 

 " (or mucilage) to take hold of the dust on the 

 " eyeball," and wipe it clean off, so that the eye 

 " is hardly ever seen with any thing upon it, 

 " though greatly exposed from its size and pos- 

 " ture. The swift motion of the haw is given to 

 " it by a grisly elastic substance placed between 

 " the eyeball and the socket, and striking oblique - 

 " ly, so as to drive out the haw with great veloci- 

 " ty over the eye, and let it come back as quickly. 

 " Ignorant persons when this haw is inflamed 

 " from cold and swells, so as to appear, which it 

 " never does in a healthy state, often mistake it 

 " for an imperfection, and cut it off; so nearly 

 " does ignorance, produce the same mischief as 

 " cruelty! They might as well cut off the pupil 

 " of the eye, taking it for a black spot. 1 ' 



I should be glad if any thing I could say through 

 the medium of your useful work, could prevent in 

 any instance those two very commou, very cruel, 

 and unnecessary operations on the horse — I mean 

 cutting lor the hooks and burning out the lampus. 



JAMES FERGUSON. 



Charleston, November, 1835. 



From the Journal of the Franklin Institute. 



ON THE DIMINISHED PRODUCT AND PRO- 

 BABLE EXHAUSTION OF THE GOLD MINES 

 OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Extract from a review of G. W. Featherston- 

 haugh's Geological Report. 



Mr. Featherstonhaugh states that "gold mining 

 is yet in its infancy in the United States; in truth 

 preparations for systematic mining are only now 

 making." — (note to p. 9 of the report.) Persons 

 most conversant with the subject are, however, I 

 believe, unanimous in the opinion, that it has at 

 least reached its full maturity, if, indeed, it be not 

 already past its prime. The only description of 

 gold mines as yet worked with any profit in this 

 country, are those termed deposite mines; and if 

 we look at the present condition of the gold dis- 

 tricts in North Carolina and Georgia, where this 

 description of mine has been most extensively 

 found, we shall see that this opinion is not without 

 lbundation. In all the counties of North Carolina, 

 south of the mountains, the mines have been 

 worked, and nearly exhausted; in Burk and Ruth- 

 erford counties, particularly in the latter, where 

 the discovery of mines is of most recent date, 

 there still remain deposites, which if worked with 

 no greater force than that at present employed 

 upon ihem, may last lour or five years longer; and 

 the portion of the Cherokee territory situated in 

 the state of North Carolina, where it has been 

 ascertained that the gold may be found, and in 

 which the mines have been but partially worked, 

 is of very limited extent, and its mines are not 

 considered, by persons who have examined them, 

 to be so rich as those in that part of the territory 

 lying in Georgia. The deposite mines of North 

 Carolina will, therefore, be of finite duration, and 

 the quantity of their produce may be expected to 



