226 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



^s 



^ one or both hoofs, -j^liirli are never properly re- 

 placed. It must, therefore, be considered as an 

 object of the lirst importance to restore tlic se- 

 cretion and discharge, without allowing a sup- 

 puration. Tiiis done, tlie cure i^ cll'octed ; and, 

 since the course has been followed, no bad case 

 has occurred in a very considerable slock of cat- 

 tle, and the men attending thenri are quite famil- 

 iar with the cure. If, from want of attention, 

 or the violence of the attack, the gathering is 

 formed, and breaks, it must be treated like any 

 other tedious ulcer, and without any violent or 

 harsh measures. The animal should be kept 

 quiet, fed well, and occasionally purged. As 

 soon as the discharge has ceased, a salve of 

 flower of zinc, and hog's lard appears to be the 

 best dressing. 



" It cannot be too strongly impre'^sed on the 

 minds of those who have the care of cattle that 

 not a moment is to be lost; and that the corro- 

 sive sublimate produces no other inconvenience 

 than pain for a few minutes, even if it should be 

 applied in a case of lameness, which afterwards 

 proves to have arisen from other cause?. 



" An account appeared last season, of the 

 cure being effected by cutting otT the point of 

 the hoof witti a chissel, till it bled considerably. 

 Of the efficacy of this remedy, no opinion is 

 given, as it has never been tried here ; but the 

 impression is not favorable, as it must occasion 

 temporary lameness, and, in unskilful hands, 

 prove something more than temporarv. 



" All such barbarous modes of treatment as 

 hair ropes drawn backwards and forwards be- 

 tween the hoots ; hot irons; cutting out the part 

 affected, and pouring into the wound, so made, 

 hot pilch and other ingredients ; scraping out 

 the wound, and applying spirits of turpentine ; 

 in short all remedies of torture, should be at 

 once discarded, and a simple mode of ascertain- 

 ing the cause, and then removing the evil in 

 the most e.xpeditious and humane maoner be 

 substituted. 



" No inconvenience is known to occar from 

 keeping an ox at irork, if the lameness is not 

 so great as to impair his condition ; and it gen- 

 erally yields to three or tour applications in the 

 foot where it began ; but frequently it must be 

 followed round all the feet in succession." 



We have been the more particular in our 

 description of this disorder, and the remedies 

 recommended, on account of its alleged fre- 

 quency in the United States. If the simple and 

 cheap remedies recommended by Dr. Skellett, 

 Tiz. soft soap, (omnion turi>entine, tar, and spiriis 

 oi turpentine will answer the purpose, attribu- 

 ted to them by that writer, the discovery will be 

 highly valuable. 



From Sinclaii's Code of AgricuUiire. 

 On ihc making of Watering Ponds. 



Various modes of making ponds have been 

 adopted, with a view of simplifying the process, 

 and lessening the expense ; but the unproved 

 ■practice, which, if followed, will be found to an- 

 swer in almost any situation, in any country, is 

 as follows : 



Let a circle be marked on the ground sixty 

 feet in diameter, more or less, as the person 

 chooses, or the size of the pasture may require 

 a supply of water, and if of thut diameter, let 

 it be hollowed out into the shape of a bason or 

 bowl, to the depth of seven teet in the centre ; 

 '^hen the surface of this hollow has been raked 



smooth, let it be well beaten over, so as to re- 

 duce it into as even, uniform, and (irm a sur- 

 face as the nature of the ground will admit ot : 

 on this, well fallen, skreened lime, must be uni- 

 formly s|)read, with a riddle, to the thickness of 

 two or three inches ; the more porous or open 

 the ground, the greater will be the quantity of 

 I. me required ; this lime must then be slightly 

 watered, to make it adhere firmly to its place, 

 and great care must be taken, to spread it equal- 

 ly, so that no place may remain uncovered, as 

 on the lime, depends more than any thing else, 

 the success of the work. On this lime must be 

 laid a bed of clay, to the thickness of about six 

 inches, which being moistened sufficiently to 

 render it ductile, is to be beaten with mallets or 

 beetles into a compact solid body, capable of 

 being trod upon without impression or injury. 

 Great care is to be taken in laying on uniformly 

 this mass of clay, and beating it into a compact 

 body ; for which purpose, no more must be 

 spread at a time upon the lime, than can under- 

 go the beating, while it retains a proper temper 

 or consistence for the purpose : after the whole 

 is thus finisheil, it is gone over several times by 

 the beaters, and sprinkled each time with wa- 

 ter, and care is taken, to prevent any cracks 

 being formed, which might entirely destroy the 

 power of retention. 



Pure brick-clay is not required, but any tena- 

 cious earth, that by beating will become a solid 

 compact body, will answer the purpose. As 

 soon as this operation has been duly performed, 

 the whole surface of the clay is covered, to 

 about the thickness of a foot, with broken chalk, 

 tine gravel, or the chippings of mouldering 

 stone, or limestone, to prevent any injury being 

 done by the treading of the cattle. It is neces- 

 sary to observe, that coarse stones must not be 

 made use of, as they are liable to be displaced 

 by the treading of cattle. They are also liable 

 to be pressed into, or through the bed of clay, 

 or to be rolled down to the bottom of the pond ; 

 under all which circumstances, the beds ot clay 

 and lime are liable to be broken, and the water 

 consequently let out of the pond. Sometimes 

 the clay is covered with sods, the grass side 

 being laid downwards, as a support to the grav- 

 el, by which some saving of covering may be 

 made ; or several inches thick of common earth 

 is laid upon them, or upon the clay without the 

 sods, by way of bed for the covering, where 

 gravel, or such like materials, may be scarce, 

 by which, something may be also saved. 



After the clay has been well beaten, some 

 workmen water the surface of it, and fold sheep 

 or pigs, for a considerable time upon it ; the 

 treading of which, is found to be serviceable in 

 rendering it more compact. 



Soiiie people, instead of using slaked lime, 

 have good mortar, made of lime and sand, well 

 worked together, and cover the surface of the 

 ground with it, to the thickness of about an 

 inch ; this, if carefully done, is thought to be 

 the most effectual mode of rendering the bot- 

 tom retentive ; but the mortar is liable to crack 

 before the clay gets bedded over it, which must 

 be carefully guarded against. Ponds have been 

 made, where a coat of mortar has also been 

 spread over the surface of the clay, as well as 

 under it, an approach perhaps as near as possi- 

 ble to perfection ; but where lime bears an high 

 price, the expense is thus considerably aug- 

 mented. 



.« 



The best seasoi; for making th.se ponds, 

 thought to be in autumn, as they are then lik^§»'' 

 ly to he filled the soonest, and the least babli 

 to crack before they are tilled. .Should thi 

 weather prove dry at the time they are finish P" 

 ed, it is well to cover their surface with straw t> 

 or litter, to hinder ihem from cr.icking. 



These ponds are u^u.illy made at the foot o 

 some declivity, where, after heavy rains, a sligh 

 run of water may be conveyed into them, fron 

 some road, or other tirm surface ; but many art 

 placeu without any such assistance for tilling, oi 

 with very little, it being found, that the rail 

 that falls upon their surface is, in general, suf 

 ficienl for a supply, after they have been onci 

 filled. As it is desirable to get them filled a^iii 

 soon as possible after they are finished, snow U s/. 

 frequently collected and heaped upon them 

 possible in large quantities, the first winter af^ 

 Icr they are finished for that purpose. 



Ponds of this kind, are usually made by what 

 m;y be called professional people ; men who 

 go about for the purpose, and are chietly or en- 

 tirely engaged in it, and usually contract" for the 

 job. One of the diameter of sixty feet, and 

 depth of six feet, may in most situations be ex- 

 ecuted for about 15/. ; one of forty-five feet by 

 five feet for 10/. or 12/.; but some allowance 

 must be made for the different prices of lime, 

 or the distance it may be necessary to convey 

 it, as well as the clay, or the other materials 

 for the work. A pond of sixty feet diameter, 

 by six feet deep, will contain upwards of 700 

 hogsheids of water ; one of forty-five feet by 

 five feet, near 400 hogsheads — a vast supply, 

 when obtained at so small an expense. 



Experience now of many years, and the uni- 

 versal use of ponds in this district, wherever 

 wanted, have proved them, when carefully 

 made, s) effectually to retain water, — to pre^ 

 >erve i: of so good a quality, when not fouled 

 by the treading of cattle, — and to be applicable 

 to many situations, that they cannot be too strong- 

 ly recoininended in all high situations, where 

 water may be much wanted, or in all other situ- 

 ations whose the water may be of bad qualify t 

 they are eqi^Uy applicable to our dry wolds, 

 downs and herfhs, which are without water, as 

 to every fenny u-act which has too much of i^ 

 but of a brackish or unwholesome quality. 



i! 



From .\itin's Atheneum. 

 Account of a Sticcessfd Experiment in making 



Soap, bij the operation of Steam, instead of an 



open fire ; communicate:! by Count Rumford ta 



the French A'ational Insti'.ute. 



The steam was conveyed into the vessel, 

 which contained the lie and other materials for 

 the soap, by a pipe arising from a close boiler, 

 and again descending into the vessel; the action 

 of the steam in condensing in the cold lie, oc- 

 sioned a succession of smart shocks, similar to 

 blows of a hammer, which caused the whole 

 apparatus to tremble, but which gradually sub- 

 sided as the liquid became warm. Count Rum- 

 ford supposes, that the beneficial action of the 

 steam depends for the most part on the motioo 

 described, caused by it, and therefore proposes 

 dividing the vessel into two parts by a horizon- 

 tal partition of thin copper, and causing a slow 

 current of cold water to pass through the lower 

 division, and to-*i^^^e steam into this lower 

 [lart, vvhen th^upp^%ecame too hrt lo admit 

 of a continuation of the strokes from ttjg coo- 



