1856. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



455 



that institution for the last j-ear will compare fa- 

 vorably with that of any other in the known world. 

 The two oldest and wisest physicians of Cleveland 

 are — or were three years ago — of the same opinion. 

 One of them absolutely refused to give any more 

 active medicine, and the other only gives a little. 

 I could mention many more such men. In truth, 

 as you justly intimate, the idea of avoiding medi- 

 cine is fast gaining ground, and I, for one, am 

 heartily glad of it. 



1 will not, indeed, say with the Glenhaven doctor, 

 that "no living creature was ever cured by it," 

 (medicine.) It is true that in a certain physiologi 

 cal sense, no one ever ivas cured ; but this is not 

 Dr. J.'s meaning. He is using customary language, 

 I will say, however, that so far as I know, no one 

 ever was so well cured (I do not say so quickly) by 

 medicine as without it. There is a great deal in 

 curing people well. Sumner was being cured, it 

 was thought, but Dr. Perry will tell you, that when 

 he found him, he was far enough from being in a 

 way to be cured well. 



In short, I am glad to see this subject up in your 

 paper ; it is one of great practical importance to a 

 world that dearly loves to be drugged and dosed 



CORRECTION. 



In my "Word of Caution," in your paper of the 

 16th, I made a mistake, as I now see. Messrs. Par- 

 sons 8z Co. did not say they had forbidden Mr, S 

 to use their name in the way he did ; but they told 

 me, in their last communication, that he ought not 

 to use it in such a way. I may also add, that those 

 gentlemen appear to think Mr. S. a fair man, after 

 all ! I am sorry to see such good men as they are 

 mistaken. 



LARGE TURNIP TOP — PERHAPS. 



I have in my garden, a Peruvian turnip, the cir 

 cumference of whose top measures from seventeen 

 to eighteen feet. The size of the tuber is not re 

 markable, not over a foot, I suppose, in circumfer- 

 ance ; and as I am not much of a horticulturist, per- 

 haps the top still is not so remarkable in the eye 

 of your readers as of myself. AV. A. Alcott. 



Destruction of Weeds in Paved Paths and 

 Courts. — The growing of weeds between the stones 

 of a pavement is often very injurious, as well as un- 

 sightly. The following method of destroying them 

 is adopted at the Mint in Paris and elsewhere, with 

 good effect. One hundred pounds of water, twen- 

 ty pounds of quick-lime, and two pounds of flour of 

 sulphur, are boiled in an iron vessel ; the clear part 

 drawn off, and being more or less diluted, according 

 to circumstances, is to be used for watering the al 

 leys and pavements. The weeds will not reappear 

 for several years. 



This plan will prove most effectual, but remem- 

 ber that the liquid will be death to the box or oth- 

 er plants upon the borders of such plots or paths, 

 if it be allowed to reach the roots. — »4ni. ^^sr. 



Fruits and Flowers. — J. S. C. will find Breck's 

 Book of Flowers, already issued in a re\ised edition, 

 and Downing^s Fruit of America, a new edition of 

 which will soon be published, the most valuable 

 works on those subjects. For sale by J. Q. A 

 Warren, 119 Washington Street, Boston. 



For the New England Farmer. 



FATAL DISEASE AMONG HORSES. 



Friend Brown : — I have recently lost a very val- 

 uable mare by some disease unknown to me, or to 

 any who saw her while sick. ^ly object in this 

 communication is to call public attention to the 

 matter, as mine is the third horse that has died 

 within a few days with similar symptoms, in this 

 town. 



It seems to me to be necessary to give you a full 

 account of her treatment, living, &c.,for the past 

 few months, in order that you or your readers may 

 judge of her condition for themselves. She was 

 turned to pasture about the 15th of May, and was 

 not taken out until July ; she had a colt on the 

 24th of May ; her keeping has been the best of 

 pasturage, without grain. I used her to cart my 

 hay, but that all lay within one- half mile of my 

 barn. She has not been harnessed in a carriage 

 more than five or six times within the last four 

 months, and then not driven more than two or three 

 miles at a time. She was in the best flesh, and had 

 the sleekest and most shiny hair that I ever saw a 

 mare have that suckled a colt. She was turned out 

 in the morning, apparently as well and lively as 

 ever she was, and within fifteen or tAventy minutes, 

 returned, with her own accord, to the shed, and 

 was then discovered to have lost the use of her legs 

 to such an extent that she could hardly walk ; she 

 threw up her head and snuffed a few times, then 

 fell to rise no more. After she fell, her legs were 

 stiff and cold, her head and ears were very hot, but 

 she lay without any apparent pain until she died ; 

 she appeared to be conscious as any beast, for at 

 times she would whimer for the colt, and would 

 look up when called by name ; she lay in this con- 

 dition for about eleven hours, then died. We rubbed 

 her for two or three hours and bathed her in white 

 lye, attempted to bleed her, but the blood was so 

 thick (and very black) that it would not run. 



I have a faint recollection of reading in some pa- 

 per of a disease that was prevalent in Indiana, that 

 carried off every horse that was attacked with it 

 within twelve hours after the attack, if a certain 

 medicine or course of treatment was not pursued, 

 all of which I have forgotten. J. B. Farmer. 



Concord, Aug. 23, 1856. 



Remarks. — The mare spoken of was one of the 

 best animals in Middlesex county. Yesterday, the 

 24th, we were called to see another horse, in the 

 same neighborhood, attacked in the ssme way, and 

 presenting the same symptoms that appeared in 

 Mr. Farmer's mare. They are few, and are weak- 

 ness, or giddiness, indicated by a staggering gait — 

 coldness of the extremities, some pain, though appa- 

 rently not severe, with a continual pushing out of 

 the head, and drawing both lips away from the 

 teeth ; the pulse is weak and slow, and an entire 

 loss of appetite, but there is perfect consciousness. 



We have heard of eight or ten deaths by this 

 disease, and fear that it may become quite prevalent. 

 AVhat shall be done to arrest it ? In the case of 

 the horse which we were called to see, we recom- 

 mended gentle, but continued rubbing, and a pint of 

 castor oil. Enough of this not being at hand, a por- 



