382 



NEW ENGLAND FAR:MER. 



Aug. 



hay, until grass, and then are turned into the 

 woods upon wild grass, weeds and vines. At 

 five months old I weighed half" a dozen lambs. 

 They varied from sixty to eighty-five pounds, 

 — one extra fine one weighing ninety pounds 

 at four months, live weight. I have no doubt 

 they eould be made to weigh one hundred 

 pounds at five months, with proper feed and 

 care. 



EXTRACTS AND EJEPLLE3. 



BRAHMA CHICKENS FOR MARKET. 



Mr. Editor :— In the Weekly- Farmer of March 

 28, and in the Monthly Farmer, page 234, I gave 

 j'ou some of the reasons why I prefer the Brahiuas 

 to any other fowls. 



As I have the past week sold my first lot of 

 early chickens, I thought I would give j'ou some 

 of the tigures. My tirst brood came out the first 

 day of March. I Lave six hens now sitting, and 

 have, besides the seventeen sold, about one hun- 

 dred and thirty-five of all ages, from one day to 

 fifteen weeks "of age. At first, during the cold 

 weather of February and March, it took nearly 

 three eggs to bring one live chicken, but since the 

 weather has been warmer, I have not lost more 

 than three or four out of a sitting. Last Thursday, 

 June 18, I sold to a dealer who buys for the Boston 

 market, seventeen roosters at fifty cents a pound, 

 live weislit, with the crops empty. The largest 

 pair weighed eight pounds. The seventeen 

 weighed tifiy-four pounds, or three and three- 

 sevenths pounds each 



The ^aine day I sold mine, a load passed my 

 house that were bought for forty cents each. 

 They were of all sizes, complexions and breeds. 

 Some of them have white skin and legs, and some 

 had skin and legs of a bluish color ; and all, except 

 a few white Leguorns, had colored feathers. 



Now I think the dealer who bought mine will 

 make inure money than the other will on his mixed 

 up lot. Ths cheap lot may find more purchasers, 

 but mine will go where the buyer is not as particu- 

 lar about the price as the quality. 



A pair of chickens weighing six or seven pounds, 

 with legs and skin of a Ijright gold color, and with 

 the little pin feathers that are too small to pluck. 

 of a color so light that they will not show through 

 the skin, if fattened not over four months old, do 

 not have to go a begging for buyers in Boston this 

 time of j'ear. And as yet, I have found nothing 

 equal to the White Brahmas tor making up such 

 pairs of chickens. A. W. Cheever. 



Hheldoncille, Mass., June 22, 18G8. 



BLOODY WATER. 



I have a cow that was in good order when she 

 calved, April lltb, which is now sick, and appears 

 to be growing worse. SoJnetimes her water is 

 bloody, at ofticrs it has a pinkish hue. Can you 

 tell me what to do for her ? A Subscuibek. 



Richford, 17., June 20, 1868. 



Remarks. — There has been considerable pub- 

 lished in the Farmer upon this subject during the 

 last six months, but probably our correspondent 

 is one of our many new subscribers, and may not 

 be able to refer to past articles. We therefore 

 copy the substance of what Mr. Allen h.os to say 

 on "Bloody Munain, Red and Black Water," in 

 Lis new look on "American Cattle." 



"The red water and black water arise from a 

 preternatural quantity of blood being determined 



to the kidneys, and a consequent rupture of some 

 of the minute blood vessels of those organs. This 

 undue determination of blood to the kidneys is 

 very frequently induced by turning cattle, in the 

 spring of the year, into low pasture grounds, or 

 woodland pastures, where the air is moist, and 

 lessens perspiration, occasioning the blood to be- 

 come too watery. The balance of circulation is 

 deranged from the perspiration being suppressed, 

 and a too great quantity of blood is in consequence 

 determined to he kidneys, which gives rise to the 

 disease. On removing cattle, thus atfected from 

 the state of the atmosphere, into a more elevated 

 situation where the air is dryer, the beast will 

 frequently be restored without the aid of medi- 

 cines. It very often proceeds from cattle being 

 removed from good to bad land, sometimes from 

 their taking cold from the changeable state of the 

 weather, or driving them long distances in the day, 

 and turning them into fields at night, where they 

 take cold. The red and black water is most pre- 

 valent in the spring and summer, when the grass 

 is nutritious and produces a plethoric state of the 

 system, or what is commonly called a redunda7icy 

 or overjloicing of the blood, which favors an un- 

 equal distribution of the blood, when they are 

 afiected by the causes above mentioned. The red 

 water is sometimes attended with a lax state of 

 the bowels, and in some instances a considerable 

 quantity of blood is evacuated with the thin dung, 

 and none with the urine. 



Purgative medicines are the best remedies in 

 these disorders. The following is recommended 

 as a safe and efficacious purge : castor oil, six 

 ounces; nitre, one ounce; epsom salts, four ounces; 

 whey, or thin gruel, one quart mixed. After this 

 gentle purge, the following to be given : roche 

 alum two ounces; tincture of cantharides, two 

 ounces. To be given in a quart of lime water. 



Mr. White observes, that an experienced farmer, 

 whose cows were atfected by the red water, gave 

 them half a pint of the juice of the white-blos- 

 somed nettle, which speedily cured the disease. 

 When the animal is perceived to be frequently en- 

 deavoring to stale, voiding only a small quantity, 

 with considerable pain and difficulty, mucilaginous 

 drinks, such as infusion of linseed and decoction 

 of marohmallows, arc most likely to atford relief." 



HAT vs. CORN. — EARLY CIT GRASS. 



Since the days of canals and railroads, the ne- 

 cessity for New England farmers to raise corn and 

 grain has liecome le.-s. At no time has the value 

 of our grain crops been equal to the value of the 

 grass. Grain is an exhausiive, while grass is are- 

 cuperative crop. Why not cea^e diggiig among the 

 rocks, stumps and wuch-grass, Ibr a little corn that 

 we can buy with less labor than is required to raise 

 it, and apply our manure directly to the grass crop, 

 at least, such portions of it as have been u,-ed for 

 corn ? We shall, of course, have less planting and 

 hoeing to intcrftre with cady haying, and more 

 and better hay, with which to pay for the corn we 

 must have. The time usually devoted to harvest- 

 ing the com might be devoted to profitalile farm 

 improvements. To these add the increase ol all 



