84 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



Feb. 



or how many old sheep had died in the field, which, 

 aftor their carcases had been torn by the crows, 

 were charged to the dogs ; and, worthless as they 

 were, sold at a high price. 



But, to leave this subject, we arc sure that every 

 lover of turkey and chicken ]jie will thank us for 

 suggesting an act for the protection of poultry and 

 tlie destruction of its enemies. Do not gi-ant this 

 protection, however, by taxing the farmer for the 

 skunks, foxes, woodchucks,and other vermin that 

 squat upon his farm, to raise a fund to l)uy turkeys, 

 &c., for those who like them, because they are 

 scarce and dear. Reduce the tax on the faithful 

 house and farm dog one-half from its present 

 amount, and the object of the law would lie fully 

 answered, and skunkdom would be shaken to its 

 centre, while turkeys would gobble a merry requiem 

 over the remains of their adversaries. 



Richmond, Mass., Dec. 1866. W. Bacox. 



AX old StTBS.CKinER'S FAREWELL. 



To the Editor of the Xew England Farmer, — 



My Dear Sir: — I exceedingly regret that I must 

 stop taking your valual)le paper, the New Eng- 

 land Farmer ; but I would advise all young men 

 to take the paper liy all means. It is worth all that 

 it costs. I have sold my farm. I can't work; am 

 nearly eighty years old"; and I mufit give it up. I 

 have had mv day, and I have been highly favored 

 by a kind Providence. Just say to every man 

 under seventy, take the New England Farmer ; 

 it is the most honest, l)cst conducted, most useful, 

 and gives the most valuable information of any 

 paper within my knowledge. So says old 



Geo. Vining. 

 Plainfield, Mass., Dec. 8, 1866. 

 Remarks.— We prize very highly the good opin- 

 ion of the aged, and it is with feelings of regret 

 that we erase their names from our subscription 

 books. In this case, we are especially reluctant to 

 comply with Mr. Vining's request, because he was 

 not only a reader of the Farmer, but a valued con- 

 tributor, and because we fear that with the sale of 

 his farm, and with the conviction that he "cannot 

 work, — is nearly eighty years old— and must give 

 it up," he Avill allow his mental faculties to fall 

 into inactivity . When men find that they are freez- 

 ing from cold, it is certain death to sit do^m with 

 the feeling, "I must give it up." Is it any less 

 dangerous for those who are exposed to the chills 

 of age, to "give it up," and penxiit themselves to 

 fall into the stupor of "second childhood ?" 



be used if the horse is young, as they will in a 

 short time wear the tumor down by degrees, which 

 is much better than trying to remove it at once by 

 severer methods, which often have a very bad ef- 

 fect, and produce Avorse consequences than those 

 they were intended to remove. But in full-gro-wn 

 horses other treatment is necessary. The follow- 

 ing ointment is probably the best that can be used : 

 2 ounces of Cantharidcs ; 4 ounces of Mercurial 

 Ointment ; 3 oimces of Tincture Iodine ; 4 ounces 

 of Turpentine ; 3 drams CoiTOsive Sublimate ; mix 

 with 2 pounds of lard. Cut otf the hair from the 

 part affected, and grease tlioroughlj' with the oint- 

 ment thus made, rubbing it in well with the naked 

 hand. Let it remain two days, then grease the part 

 with lard. In two days more, wash it off with soap 

 and water and then apply the ointment again. Con- 

 tinue this till a cure is effected. But if this treat- 

 ment fails recourse must be had to firing. Before 

 you fire a horse for the bone spavin, be careful to 

 take the vein out of the way, for it generally lies 

 over 'the spavin, and you cannot tire deep enough 

 to come at the callous substance without its re- 

 moval. In order to destroy the vein, cut carefully 

 through the skin upon it just below the spavin, and 

 then just above it, and put a crooked needle 

 under the vein, and tie both ends ; then cut the 

 vein across between the tyings, both above and be- 

 low, and you may either drav/ the piece of the vein 

 out or leave it in. Let the iron you fire with be 

 ]nctty sharp ; cut four or rive nicks upon the l^one, 

 and let the 'iron take hold of the superfluous bone, 

 in order that it may waste away by matterating ; 

 and whenyoti have done, lay on soiiic white pitch, 

 pretty hot"; put a cloth round it to keej) it on. In 

 three" days open the place and dress it with yellow 

 basilicon. 



THE BLOOD OR BOG SPAVIN. 



As soon as you discover the vein puffed or form- 

 ing a l)ag, lay' on some blistering ointment; in four 

 days aficr luitlie the swelling well with hot vine- 

 gar, Avitii a little saltpetre dissolved in it ; then put 

 a bandage round it to disperse the swelling as much 

 as you can. If this method does not succeed, you 

 must make two incisions in the skin, lengthwise, 

 as the vein runs one just above the other just be- 

 low the joint ; lay the' vein i)are ; put the end of a 

 bucks' horn under it to raise it up, then fasten it in 

 both places with waxed thread ; cut the vein in two 

 at both places within the tyings, and if you think 

 pro])er draw the vein out. This method of pro- 

 ceeding will cure most bog spavins at the beginning. 

 Blood spavin may be cured l)y applying the same 

 ointment used in" bone spavin; only it should be 

 applied once in six days instead of four. This 

 spavin ointment is very pov.-crful, and wlien prop- 

 erly used is the best ever invented. m. d. 



^outh Framingham, Mass., Due. 25, 1866. 



THE nONE SPAVIN. 



Although tliis is a common disorder ampng 

 horses, yet it is little understood by either breeders 

 or farriers. The bone spavin is a long excrescence 

 or hard swelling, on the inside of the hock of a 

 horse's leg, and sometimes owes its origin to kicks 

 and blows, and sometimes to natural causes. In 

 the former case it is much more easily cured than 

 in the latter; and those that grow sjKintaneoTisly 

 on colts or young horses, are not so bad as those 

 that ai)pear"in horses that have arrived at their full 

 strcnglli and maturity. In old horses they are 

 generally iucurable. Sometime the liorse is very 

 lame wlien the spavin is first coming out, but when 

 it has conic out is better for some time, and then 

 grows lamer again as the Ijonc hardens. I would 

 advise you to apply a blister as soon as you iuivc 

 any suspicion that a hoi-se is likely to put out a 

 spavin, and to continue blistering, every fortnight 

 for some time, \>y which means you may stop a 

 spavin in a young horse. Mild medicines should 



A SINGULAR POND. 



Silver Lake, formerly called Sandy Pond, is situ- 

 ated in the north-westerly part of Wilmington, 

 Mass. No l)rook runs into it or out of it ; only an 

 artificial ditch, supposed to be dug by the owner of 

 the mill liclow it. A natural mill-brook runs 

 alongside of this pond for aiiout half a mile, vary- 

 ini;- from ten to forty rods from it. The water in 

 this brook is from live to ten feet lower than the 

 water in the pond, from which it is separated by a 

 ridge of laud suitable for cultivation. The water 

 in the i)ond is extraordinarily clear, and is good 

 to drink. 



According to the tradition handed down from the 

 Indians to our forefathers, and fVoni thcni to the 

 present generation, where this pond now is there 

 was once high, dry ground, covered with a growth 

 of wood. One strong proof of this still exists. I 

 am told that men in a boat, at the present day, in 

 ihc middle of the pond, can look down into the 



