274 



NEW ENGLAND FARTHER. 



June 



latter, use the tobacco wash, or the common mer- 

 curial ointment; but either with great care. 



For "running at the nose," treat the sheep much 

 as you would yourself or your child for "a bad 

 cold." In this case, an ounce of prevention is 

 worth several pounds of cure. Mr. Morrill says, 

 remove to a warm shelter and give some loosening 

 food or purgative medicine, merely for the pur- 

 pose of aiding nature in its efforts to remove the 

 disease. Dr. Randall remarks, that after having 

 tried a variety of experiments on this disease, he 

 does nothing for ordinary cases of catarrh in his 

 flock, except to take particular care that their 

 quarters are kept comfortaMj, and that they have 

 a regular supply of proper food. 



A TIGHT CELLAR. 



In your issue of to-day, j'ou give me directions 

 for making tight the bottom of my tank, which I 

 expect to profit by, and for which I am very much 

 obliged ; but it must ))e as necessary to have the 

 sides tight two or three feet high, as the bottom. I 

 am told by those who have tried it, that liquid 

 manure will soon destroy cement. Is this so, and 

 if so, what shall I do ? You say, spread the claj' 

 on one side, one inch deep, then pound. At least, 

 I suppose you would have me spread it all over 

 one inch deep before puttiniT on more. d. l. t. 



Marlboro', N. H., March 23, 1S67. 



Remaeks. — A great many barn cellars are ce- 

 mented on the bottom, and last for a long time. If 

 you wish to preserve liquids to the depth of two or 

 three feet, you will probably be obliged to lay up 

 regular brick or stone walls, and cement them. 

 Our directions were plain, we think, about putting 

 on the clay. You must begin somewhere, so we 

 said l)cgin on one side, and added, "and 170 on un- 

 til you get the bottom covered," &c. 



TO prevent sows destroyixg their young. 



I have often thought of giving my method of 

 taming the vicious sow, so as to save the pigs, and 

 as it is about the time to begin operations, I, will 

 give it so as to be understood, if jiossible. I have 

 never known it to lail. When the pigs are due, 

 watch the sow; she will geianilly l)cgin making 

 her nest from 6 to 12 hours Ijctbre j-ou see any 

 pigs, and you can be all ready. Have a basket at 

 hand with some line straw in it, large enough to 

 hold all the ])igs you are expecting, with a few 

 straps that will l^uckle easily and tight ; keep close 

 watch, and if on the appearance of the pigs the 

 mother sciins disposed to destroy them, put them 

 quickly in llie l)asket, and keep them warm. Cover 

 the b;i,-kct with anything at hand, and keep them 

 in heaving of the mother until all is over. Then 

 let two men take the sow and lay her on her side, 

 and straj) her fore legs togoihcr nnd the hind legs 

 in the same wa,y ; i)ut a Miiall lortl in her month 

 with a slip noose on the U|>pcr jaw, miilvc it last to 

 a stake or anything within three or four inches of 

 her nose. Tie the hind legs back, so she cannot 

 kick to hurt the pigs, and the fore legs forward for 

 the same reason, liaise them from the lioor so 

 she cannot turn over, and when all is ready and 

 you see she cannot ))0ssiiily hurt them, jait the 

 pigs with her and leave thei'n 12 hours, and if she 

 is not salislii (1 turn her over and give her another 

 lesson. It camiot hurt the sow if the legs arc not 

 tied too tight. 1 have tried it with the most vi- 

 cious sow I ever saw, and have never known a pig 



lost where it has been tried. If you think it v/orth 

 printing I may try again on some other subject. 

 E. \V. Ormsbee. 

 East Montpelier, Vt., Marchy 1867- 



Remarks. — This process is new to us, but if 

 managed carefully has no objections on the score 

 of cruelty, although 12 hours seems to us a longer 

 period than is necessary to keep the animal in one 

 position. 



We do not think that the tendency of sows to 

 destroy their young grows out of a vicious dispo- 

 sition, but from an unhealthy 01 morbid condition 

 of the system. 



Prevention is better than cure. Let the sow 

 have constant access to the ground ; plenty of 

 space in her feeding and sleeping room ; a variety 

 of food, including some meat or fresh fish ; a little 

 and but little, fine litter on the floor where the pigs 

 are to be dropt. 



Accustom her to being handled, petted a little, 

 and to seeing different persons about the pen. 



Feed moderately, and treat kindly in every re- 

 spect, observing the other rules suggested, and 

 sows will rarely destroy their young. 



diseased poultry. 



I wish to inquire through the Farmer, what is 

 the prpbal)le cause of, and cure for, a disease which 

 Is attacking my hens ? I have a flock of bright, 

 handsome last spring pullets, a mixture of Bolton 

 Grey and Dorking. Within a few weeks one af;er 

 another have sickened and died. We first notice 

 a drooping of the wings and general weak appear- 

 ance, and a swelling on one side of the neck, or 

 partly on the breast, so that the hen is inclined to 

 carry her head on one side. As the disease pro- 

 gresses, the comb grows dark purple, almost black, 

 and in trying to walk she pitches forward, some- 

 times falling on one side. We had a rooster in 

 somewhat similar condition last sunnner, which 

 recovered. They are fed with dough, corn, and occa- 

 sionally a few scraps, pick up a good many seeds 

 from hay, &c., having free access to all parts of the 

 barn, and out of doors, when they choose to go; 

 also, plenty of fresh water. If you, or any of your 

 readers, can throw any light upon the subject, you 

 will oblige a sitbscriber. h. 



Framingham, Mass., March 29, 1867. 



Remarks. — In cases such as ycti describe, a 

 gentleman gave a hen one grain of calomel in a 

 bread pill, and four hours afterwards 1.5 grains of 

 jalap, repeating the latter for four succsssive 

 nights. The cure was perfect. 



A GOOD YOKE OF OXEN. 



I have a pair of oxen that traveled fifty-six miles 

 out and liack, in live and one-half days, loaded 

 one way with one cord of hard wood. 



Andrew Russell. 



Townsend, Mass., March 28, 1867. 



salt for the potato crop. 

 I planted a few potatoes last spring, for an ex- 

 l)eriment. I soaked sawdust in strong brine and 

 put as much in oath hill as I could hold in one 

 hand. In a few hills, with the soaked sawdust, I 

 put from one-half to a tea(ui)ful of salt. 1 wi>hed 

 to finti out if it would kill the jiotatoes. Where 

 the sawdust was, without the addition of the salt, 

 the potatoes grew very rank, the vines spread out 



