40 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jajj. 



manuring, while heavy crops are annually, per- 

 haps twice in a year, taken oflF. The herdsgrass 

 and redtop roots— not being well fed— become 

 weak and die, and nature, hating a blemish in her 

 works, supplies the waste places by the more 

 hardy June grass. 



Now, if land is in good condition when stocked 

 with grass, two crops, and sometimes three can be 

 taken from it and leave the roots healthy and Tig- 

 orous. Then if top dressed in the autumn just 

 before heavy rains set in, two or more crops may 

 be taken off and leave the roots as strong as they 

 were the second year. In this way, heavy, moist 

 lands may be kept in grass for many years, if not 

 perpettially. 



A HOG THAT WON'T EAT, AND ACTS QTTEEE. 



I have a hog about seven mouths old that did 

 well until I commenced feeding him with meal. 

 Since then he will come up to the trough, stick his 

 nose in his food, and leave for his nest where he 

 will sometimes sit up for hours. Occasionally he 

 will start and go around his pen as fast as he can. 

 I have changed his food, giving him ditterent kinds 

 of meal, and ti'ied every thing I could think of, 

 but without any favorable result. If the editor or 

 any of the readers of the Farmer can tell me 

 what to do, I shall be much obliged by the infor- 

 mation. The Farmer comes every wees, and I 

 should as soon tluuk of getting along without a 

 plough as the paper. I have tried eight or ten 

 diGerent agriculturrl papers and am better pleased 

 with the New England Farmer than with any 

 of the others. An Old Reader. 



Barre, Mass., Nov. 26, 1870. 



Remarks.— The hog is about as contrary in 

 sickness as in health. Sometimes he will eat and 

 grow, and sometimes he won't. It might be well 

 to turn him into a pasture or lot, if you can do so, 

 and see if he can't find the medicine that his in- 

 stinct teaches him is suited to his case. If you 

 cannot do that, give him ashes, soot, coal, sulphur, 

 salt, sods, soil, weeds, roots, twigs, rotten wood, 

 chip manure, a few beef scraps, &c., and see which 

 he likes best. Perhaps the change of food at the 

 time you commenced feeding meal caused consti- 

 pation or some other irregularity of the digestive 

 organs; and, perhaps, something else ails him. 

 Who will tell and advise our correspondent ? 



RING-BONE ON HORSES. 



Will you please tell me if there is any remedy 

 for ring jone in horses ? If so, what is it ? I have 

 a young and valuable horse which has a ring-bone 

 that I would like very much to cure. It is now 

 about three months since it first made its appear- 

 ance. SURSCRIBER. 



Pelham, Mass., Nov. 21, 1870. 



Remarks. — The veterinary books agree both as 

 to the cause and treatment of this disease. We 

 copy what Dr. McClure says of it in his new book 

 on the diseases of the horse as most likely to em- 

 brace the latest information on the subject. He 

 confesses that ring-boae Is a serious affection. "It 

 consists of a circle of bone thrown out from the 

 underlying bone. Sometimes, in addition to this, 

 the cartilages of the foot are converted into bone, 



and laid in the form of a circle ; and hence its 

 name, ring-bone. It is most common in the fore 

 legs of heavy, coarse-bred horses, with short and 

 straight up pastern-joints. When it occurs in fine- 

 bred horses, it is usually the hind leg which is 

 affected. Ring-bone does not always cause lame 

 ness. 



Cause. Hereditary predisposition, from a pecu 

 liar formation of pastern-joints, which are found 

 not well adapted to hard work; and hence, an 

 effort of nature is set up to strengthen parts which 

 are too weak, by converting an elastic substance 

 into a hard and unyielding mass, and a moving 

 hinge into a fixture. 



Treatment. If it is of recent origin, and the 

 horse is young, much may be done in the way of 

 a cure, by first removing all heat and inflamma- 

 tion with cold water cloths wrapped round the 

 parts tor three days, taking them ofi"at night. At 

 the end of that time, get one drachm of the bin- 

 iodide of mercury, mix with one ounce of lard, 

 and apply one-half of the salve by rubbing it in 

 well for ten minutes. Tie up the horse's head for 

 a few hours, and the next day wash off with soap 

 and warm water, daily anointing the parts with 

 lard or oil for a week ; then apply the remainder 

 of the salve in the same way, and proceed as be- 

 fore. In old horses, not much can be done with 

 ring-bone, as the bones of old animals contain so 

 much earthy (lime) matter that nothing can act 

 upon it." 



LAXITY IN A HORSE. 



Please tell me through your paper how to feed 

 a horse to prevent laxity, when on the road, sup- 

 posing present feed be dry. Cannot something be 

 added which will remedy this trouble,.' 



Haverhill, Mass., Nov. 21, 1870. SrsscRiBER. 



Remarks. — Possibly too dry food has caused 

 the derangement, and it may be well, contrary 

 to what might at first be thought reasonable, 

 to give the horse roots or some more succulent 

 feed. Perhaps the following directions for treat- 

 ment of diarrhoea, in Dr. McClure's new book on 

 the diseases of horses, may afford you hints that 

 may be of service in your case. 



"First, give twenty to twenty-five drops of the 

 tincture of aconite root in a little cold water. 

 Then give the following powders every two hours, 

 until a change for the better has taken place : — 

 prepared chalk, half an ounce ; catechu in pow- 

 der, one drachm ; opium in powder, ten grains. 

 Allow the animal plenty of water to drink." 



Rice boiled quite soft may be fed if the horse 

 will eat it ^ or a thin gruel of wheat meal. Rice 

 water may be used exclusively for drink. 



TREES BY THE ROADSIDE. 



How many of the readers of the New England 

 Farmer have trees set in their highways? la 

 Germany, all the highways are, by a law of tho 

 land, set to some of the more valuable forest trees, 

 and much beauty and comfort are afforded to the 

 traveller both summer and winter. If there is 

 anything that the generations coming after us 



