I860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



63 



stray change in its huge pocket, that it can find 

 no better use for, let it pay its debts, and wean her 

 offspring before it has the power to kick her over. 



Let the fai'mers put on and M'car a clean dicky, 

 become more familiar with the slate and pencil, 

 and learn the difference between profit and the 

 prime cost of an article, and in five years not a 

 man among them could ha found who would be 

 willing to acknowledge that they were ever under 

 guardiansliip to the State. Further, let the law- 

 yers, doctors, preachers and the soft-hand gentry 

 generallj', observe the familiar adage, "shoemak- 

 er, stick to thy last," and if they happen to feel 

 the need of any thing in our line, and have got any 

 loose change in the their trov.'sers pocket, and will 

 call around and be civil about it, they can bo ac- 

 commodated. T. J. PlNKHAM. 



Chehnsford, Mass., Dec. 19, 1859. 



Fur the Nozv EttgSmid Fanrwr. 



TUKNIWO- CO"WS TO GRASS— COST OF 

 KEEPING. 



Mr. Editor f— Looking over your con-espond- 

 ent T. J. Pinkham's article on raising milk, I no- 

 tice he does not propose to turn out his cow to 

 grass till the fh-st of June. This is not the time 

 of ycai" to talk about turning out cattle, but as it 

 brought the subject to my mind, I will Avrite a few 

 lines on it. 



I consider it best to turn out stock early. From 

 the 10th of May to the 10th of June is usually the 

 best feed month in the year. I turn out just as 

 early as I can, or as soon as the grass gets started, 

 for two reasons ; that the stock does better, and 

 the pasture does better. I know that many good 

 fai-mers say, let the pasture get a good start. I 

 have found by experiment that if I kept my cattle 

 up late, till the feed got rank, they were sure to 

 scour badly, while if I turned out early, they would 

 not scour at all, and after a few days would eat 

 hay again. 



By turning out early, the cattle go into the low 

 places, where the grass starts fu-st, and eat them 

 down ; whereas, if you turn in late, they do not 

 go into the low places, and that grass, not being 

 as good, is sufiered to go to seed. If the low 

 ground is fed down early, it starts up fresh again, 

 and they will keep it fed all the year. 



I have known many cows injured, and some 

 spoiled by turning them from hay into rank clover. 



Hollis, Dec. 17, 1859. Ed. Eaierson. 



P. S. — As I do not think much of selling milk 

 at 2 cents per quart, I will not go into the profit 

 or loss, but should like to keep 40 or 50 of Mr. 

 P.'s cows at 8 cents a day, or 56 cents per week. 

 On most of the inilk farms out of the villages, 

 from 3 to 4 cents is as high as is paid per day. 

 Two and a half tons of hay and five bushels of 

 meal, looks large. His cow may eat it, mine will 

 not in one winter. 



Timothy Seed. — In Lee county, Illinois, this 

 seed is grown successfully on the prairies. In 

 one case six hundred bushels were harvested on 

 eighty acres. Three successive crops are recom- 

 mended, producing some fifteen dollars per acre. 

 With reapers and threshing-machines the crop is 

 cheaply hai-vested. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 SCRATCHES IN" HORSES. 



Wlrat are "scratches" in horses, and what will 

 the most speedily and assuredly effect their cure ? 

 The first portion of the question, it is well to an- 

 swer, although seldom advanced. But the remain- 

 der is so often placed as an inquiry in your col- 

 umns, Messrs. Editors, that if one knows a reme- 

 dy, I hold he should make it public, as indeed he 

 ought all knowledge that he thinks may be of 

 value to his fellow-man. 



. "Scratches" or "selenders" is a cutaneous dis- 

 order, exhibiting itself between the hinder postern 

 joints and hoofs of the horse, consisting of cracks, 

 soreness, and at times attended with suppuration. 

 They are generally most troublesome in winter 

 and spring, while the roads are muddy, (which ob- 

 structs the perspiration of the parts,) together with 

 snow water, which is very unfavorable. They are 

 a source of great irritation to the animal, and even 

 of acute pain ; and if long neglected, ultimate in- 

 to lameness, and almost an entire loss of the ser- 

 vices of many a fine horse. Such are scratches or 

 selenders. 



Now as to their cure. Being strictly of a cuta- 

 neous disorder, cutaneous remedies are most ap- 

 propriate ; still other alleviators are desirable, if 

 not needed. First, the afl^jcted parts ought to be 

 thoroughly cleansed, and well washed in warm cas- 

 tilc soap-suds, and thoroughly dried with a clean 

 cloth ; then a decoction made from the plant I 

 will hereafter designate, and all parts bathed, say 

 twice a day, for a few minutes, allowing the same 

 to cb-y well in, untjl a cure be effected. In some 

 conditions of the ailment, it may a little keenly ir- 

 ritate, but this is mere momentary, and should not 

 be regarded. The diet of the animal ought to be 

 cool and loosening, but no internal medicines are 

 required. In fact, the dosing with salts, nitre, 

 brimstone, and very many other articles, are seri- 

 ously pernicious, tending to debilitate the animal, 

 and thus weaken the recuperative powers, so 

 greatly needed in all healing processes. Potatoes 

 fed raw, are most useful, their efl'ect being not on- 

 ly laxative, but "anti-scorbutic." So with various 

 other vegetables in a degree. 



The wash, (before alluded to,) is made by ob- 

 taining the twigs, leaves and blossoms of the plant 

 known as "lamb kill," growing so abundantly in 

 most of our fields, and steeping a quantity of the 

 same in clear water, that is boiling and simmer- 

 ing it, and suffering the same to stand and cool, 

 but making the decoction quite strong. This in 

 fusion, applied, as before directed, (paying some 

 measure of regard to the diet of the animal, as be- 

 fore given,) is a speedy, sure and effectual cura- 

 tive of scratches or selenders in horses. In no in- 

 stance, wherever applied, have I learned of its fail- 

 ure or cure. At least, the whole process is a harm- 

 less one, and worthy the trial of any regarding the 

 goodly condition of the suffering beast. It would 

 be well, that this valuable "plant" be gathered in 

 its appropriate season, and carefully marked, as if 

 taken by any one inwardly by mistake, its effects 

 w"ould be most dangerous That all may under- 

 stand fully what this product is, I copy from 

 "Thatcher's Dispensatory." "Lamb kill, is an 

 evergreen common on cold, wet land. Blossoms 

 reddish, variegated, June and July. The leaves 

 prove fatal to sleep. From an inaugural experi- 



