1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARIVIER. 



181 



a circle," oi- rather a nnmhor of them ; and if pos- 

 scsticd of the power, v/oiild remove witli a will all 

 P. M.'s from othcc — whieli may mean, in their case. 

 Post Masters or Poor Mammas ; it makes but lit- 

 tle ditFcrcncc, in that state of mind, which. 



I will say no more of their propensities or hab- 

 its now, but 1 shall look with eagerness for that 

 part of "Domestic Economy" which treats of plants 

 — especially "the young olive plants" which were 

 in old times considered as blessed gifts to a poor 

 man. Although it is getting to be very unfashion- 

 able to have a troop of boys, yet as there are some 

 boys now, some hints from those who have been 

 successful in this department of agriculture would 

 no doubt be gratefully received by many others as 

 well as myself. 



I am not the Old Woman that lived in a shoe, but 

 have so many children that I've enough to do. No 

 doubt you think I'd better be doing it. M. R. C. 



West Boxford, Mass., Feb., 1867. 



GOOD PIGS ON COOKED FOOD. 



I saw a statement in a late Farmer, of a pair of 

 nice pigs fatted on uncooked food, iu Derry, N. H. 

 I will now give you a statement of a pair of pigs, 

 fatted on half middlings, half Indian meal, with 

 skim milk, cooked every time. The pigs were 

 bought of Mr. William Pickering, one of my neigh- 

 bors, July 3, 1866, at six weeks of age; one weigh- 

 ing 19 1-2 and the other 20 1-2 pounds. They were 

 slaughtered Jan. 23, 1867, making them thirty-five 

 weeks old. Weights, 331 and 31.5 pounds. 



Wilmington, Mass., Feb. 3, 1867. J. A. Ames. 



A BRAHMA COCK AND HIS LEGS. 



I have a very line Brahma cockerel which I value 

 very highly, it being the onl}' full-blooded fowl of 

 the kind in this vicinity. He has very suddenly 

 lost the use of his legs, or nearly so ; he appears to 

 be all right every other way, but his legs don't 

 serve him. Will you, or some one else, please tell 

 me through your columns, what ails him, and how 

 to cure him ? and oblige a subscriber. 



F. H. Lander. 



North Auburn, Me., Jan. 28, 1867. 



WHAT IS IT ? 



On opening a hog recently dressed, I found 

 something resembling in shape and appearance, a 

 flax seed, loosely attached to the fatty portion of 

 the entrails. Sometimes several of them were con- 

 nected together slightly by a sort of mucous, some- 

 times they were entirely distinct from each other, 

 were varying in size, always retaining the same 

 oval shape, pointed at one end, and were quite sol- 

 id in substance. None have been discovered yet 

 in the meat. Not having ever noticed them before 

 in other hogs killed, I wish to- inquire what they 

 are, the cause, &c., &c. The hog was fed with 

 com on the ear until a few weeks past ; its food 

 has been meal scalded at each time of feeding, and 

 then cooled to a milk warmth. G. b. 



Remarks. — Who can tell ? 



SCRATCHES ON HORSES. 



I have a span of valuable black horses, which 

 have the scratches so badly as to render them en- 

 tii-ely unfit for use. Will you, or some of your 

 correspondents, inform me, through the columns 

 of the Farmer, of a reliable remedy and speedy 

 cure ? R. p. T. 



Pittsburg, N. H., Feb. 3, 1867. 



Remarks. — If the disease is in its first stages — 

 that is, has not ulcerated — wash the parts affected 

 perfectly clean with castile soap and warm water; 



rub dry with the hand or warm flannel. Then, 

 with a soft sponge, bathe freely with brine from 

 the beef or pork barrel, three or four times in 

 twenty-four hours. Exercise the animal, by walk- 

 ing him about, two or three times in the course of 

 the day. Give but little grain, and that in the 

 form of a mash ; but green food when it can be had, 

 such as grass, or roots, and especial 13' carrots. 



If the disease has assumed the ulcerated form, 

 the hair must be cut off, and the parts cleansed as 

 stated above. It is doubtful whether the brine 

 would be efiieacious in this ease, — but it would be 

 well to try it. If not, prepare a lotion as follows, 

 and wash three times each day with it, viz : — 



Chloride of zinc, one ounce. 



Creosote, four ounces. 



Strong solution of white oak bark, four quarts. 



There is a tendency to this disease in some 

 horses, so that on the slightest appearance of it, 

 measures should be taken to prevent its progress. 

 The hair about the ankles should remain there, 

 certainly through the winter. "Cutting it away, 

 and thereby exposing the heels to the operation 

 of cold and of wet is no uufrequent cause of grease. 

 In winter, when the legs most require warmth and 

 protection, the heels are depi-ived of the cover 

 which nature intended should protect them ; and 

 parts where the blood flows most tardily are laid 

 bare to the effects of evaporation and frost," 

 Dashing cold Mater on the legs of a horse, when 

 he returns from his work, and then sending him 

 to the stall, is a miserable practice. It suddenly 

 chills the legs, which is considerably increased by 

 the greater evaporation caused by wetting them. 

 Wash the legs, if soiled, and rub them dry, before 

 putting the horse into his stall. It will requii-e a 

 little time, but less than to lose the services of the 

 animal while curing him of scratches. 



CHANGING SEED. 



We hear much about changing seed, especially 

 potatoes; which, doubtless, is all very well. But 

 I wish to know why it is not just as practicable for 

 me to plant a certain field on my farm with pota- 

 toes which were raised on my own premises, say 

 50 rods from the field to be planted, as it is to go 

 to my neighbors, across the way, about the same 

 distance and purchase my seed ? 



I can readily see why 1 may not plant the same 

 field annually with flic product of the preceding 

 year, but why I may not take the product of anotii- 

 er field for seed, I acknowledge I f;iil to perceive. 



Salisbury, Conn. W. J. Pettee. 



Remarks. — We can see no hai-m in changing 

 seed, provided we get that which is good. We 

 have planted potatoes through a period of fifteen 

 years, on the same farm, and on fields adjoining 

 each other, — selecting small potatoes for seed, — 

 and we can perceive no deterioration yet, either 

 in size or quality. They are of the "Irish Cup," 

 "Dover," or "Riley" variety, — the former being 

 their true name. 



In plants that "mix" freely, such as com, 

 squashes, &c., it is well to change, if we can pro- 

 cure pure seed. The idea that frequent changing 



