190 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



cable to the lining of cisterns and water pipes, its 

 vitreous qualities insuring cleanliness. Its extreme 

 cheapness is also a matter of consideration to those 

 who require ornamental additions to houses. 



HOW TO CATCH A SHEEP. 



In catching sheep, never seize them by the wool 

 on the back, as it hurts them exceedingl}-, and has, 

 in some cases, been known to kill them, particulaidy 

 in hot weather, if they are large and fat. Indeed, the 

 best waj' is to avoid the wool altogether, and to 

 accustom yourself to take them by the hind leg, or, 

 what is still bettor, by the neck, placing one hand 

 under the jaws, and the other at the back of the 

 ears : by lifting up the head, a child may hold almost 

 any sheep. But much depends on how a flock is 

 treated. Few people are sufficiently gentle with 

 sheep. In Maryland, and south of it, sheep are 

 rarely approached near enough to touch or catch 

 them, except as farmers arc themselves treated, in all 

 countries, and alike by tyrants and demagogues, 

 when they are to be sheared or slaughtered. 



When, for the first named purpose, sheep are to 

 be caught, in the region referred to, they are huddled 

 up in the corner of a large pen, as often as there are 

 sheep in the flock ; each time frightened and worried, 

 until the shearer runs in and grabs by the wool the 

 first one ho can catch. The residue of the flock is 

 then left until that one is divested of his wool, and 

 small bits of his skin here and there, and then 

 turned loose, as the farmer is after the election, until 

 the next shearing time. When brought up to be 

 slaughtered, the only difference is, that the sheep is 

 attracted by a grain of salt, or a handful of corn, 

 while the farmer is charmed with the sound of the 

 drum and fife, and liberty and glory ! 



By kind and gentle usage, and occasional salting, 

 a man may have his sheep so tame that he may 

 play with them, as every man that has a heart will 

 sometimes do with his dog. At any rate, the feeling 

 and thoughtful farmer will never suffer his sheep, or 

 any thing else under his guardianship, to be unneces- 

 sarily terrified, or otherwise ill treated. 



" I would not enter on my list of friends, 

 Though graced with polished manners and fine sense, 

 Yet wanting sensibility, the man 

 Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm." 

 — Model American Courier. 



SALT FOR CATTLE. 



In giving salt to neat cattle or sheep when stall- 

 feeding, care should be taken not to give too large 

 a quantity, or so much as would relax the bowels. 

 If hay that is given to animals has been salted when 

 storing, every farmer should be aware that this would 

 be sufficient salt for the animals consuming it. One 

 gallon of salt put to the hundred bundles of hay 

 when storing, will never act injuriously upon any 

 animal fed on this hay, as some of the salt may 

 be lost. For hay that has been injured in curing, 

 perhaps double this quantity of salt might bo applied, 

 but damaged hay should not be given to animals 

 that are stall-feeding for the butcher. The object 

 of giving salt to animals confined in stalls in winter, 

 and fed on dried food, is to keep their bowels in a 

 proper state, withotit scouring them. When such 

 animals get a proportion of roots, however, there is 

 not much danger of any thing wrong with the 

 bowels. We have unquestionable authority that a 

 due proportion of salt may be given to stall-feeding 

 animals with excellent effect ; but, of course, the 

 farmer requires to be careful that too large a quantity 

 is not given, whether in the hay, or in any other 



way. There is no part of the farmer's business which 

 requires closer attention than the stall-feeding of cat- 

 tle, to make it profitable. Without this, food may be 

 wasted, and the animals not improved ; and unless 

 they are constantly improving by the food given to 

 them, and the mode of management adopted, some- 

 thing must be wrong, and a loss is almost certain to 

 be incurred, instead of a profit. — Agricultural Journal. 

 (L. C.) 



HOOF-AIL IN CATTLE. 



The disease, sometimes called " foul in the foot," is 

 most common in open winters, or when cattle are 

 obliged to travel or stand much in mud. It is 

 known by lameness, soreness between the claws of 

 the foot, with inflammation, and, in advanced stages, 

 discharge of fetid matter, which issues from between 

 the hoof and the foot. A separation of the hoof 

 after a Avhilc takes jilacc, and if the disease is not 

 checked, the hoof sometimes comes off. Though the 

 disease, like foot-rot in sheep, is believed sometimes 

 to originate spontaneously, there is good reason to 

 believe that it is contagious ; and, on this account, an 

 animal, as soon as it is aft'ected, should be kept by 

 itself. The best remedy, if used when the disease 

 first manifests itself, is blue vitriol or sulphate of cop- 

 per. First wash the foot in soft soap suds, and then 

 apply the solution of vitriol to the affected part twice 

 a day. If the disease is of long standing, the hoof 

 should be pared away from the upper edge, the 

 offensive matter taken out as thoroughly as possible, 

 and an ointment of corrosive sublimate and lard ap- 

 plied. The animal should be kept from wet, and, if 

 the foot is much sore, it should be protected by a 

 bandage of strong cloth. — Albany Cultivator, 



BLOODY MILK. 



Messks. Editous : When I was quite small, my 

 mother had a cow that gave bloody milk. I had an 

 uncle who was in the habit of doctoring his own 

 cows, and occasionally his neighbors', if requested, 

 with pretty good success. He was sent for. He 

 inquired on which side the cow gave the bloody 

 milk. I went to the stable with him to see the 

 operation. He bled the cow under the belly, on the 

 side from which she gave the bloody milk. He di- 

 rected that bittersweet ointment should be freely 

 used about the udder for a few days, and said the 

 cow would give " no more bloody milk." I state 

 this to show that he had confidence in the remedy. 

 Last spring, I had a heifer that gave bloody milk. 

 She had a fine calf by a Durham bull, and bore the 

 marks of a good cow, so much so that I refused the 

 highest price of good cows for her before she had her 

 calf. I recalled to mind, as near as I could, the pro- 

 cess by which I had seen a cow cured of the same 

 disease, when a lad. I tied a cord around her body, 

 raised the vein by the help of a twist, and drew 

 probably three quarts of blood from the vein leading 

 to the diseased side of the udder. I procured some 

 roots of bittersweet, the bark of which was boiled 

 in water until the strength was extracted, then 

 strained, and the liquor simmered with lard until the 

 water was nearly evaporated : this ointment was iised 

 freely by rubbing it well over and about the udder 

 with the hand three times a day, after milking, for 

 several days. I do not say that she gave " no more 

 bloody milk." By letting the strippings remain in 

 a vessel by itself for twelve or twenty-four hours, 

 and carefully poiiidng off the milk, it was found that 

 a slight sediment had been precipitated containing 

 bloody matter, which continued for four or five days 

 after the bleeding operation was performed ; since 

 which time not the slightest trace of blood has been 



