1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



147 



more than ten months. She has gradually dried 

 off, and does not now give more than two quarts of 

 milk in a day, although we keep her well. She is 

 in good eonditioii, feels well and eats well. She is 

 not large, in fact does not look to the casual oljscr- 

 ver like a cow with calf; and yet wc still think she 

 is. She has been kept in the stable most of the 

 time since I have owned her, aljout a year and a 

 half, so that if she had aliorted we should be very 

 apt to know it. My information and knowledge m 

 regard to cows that have aljorted, is that they are 

 vei-y apt to get crazily hi heat, and that, too, quite 

 often ; at least this was true of one of my own, a 

 few years ago, and I have heard that this was true 

 of others in this vicinity. Do cows often go much 

 more than nine months with their young ? J. m. c. 

 Franhlin County, Mass., Jan. 28, 1871. 



Remarks. — The period of gestation is generally 

 stated at two hundred and eighty-four days, which 

 has been known to be extended to three hundred 

 and twelve, or more. 



NO TROUBLE IN CHURNING — MILLET FOR FODDER. 



In reply to the question, What ails the cream ? 

 I would answer, — nothing, very likely, ails the 

 cream, but the trouble is in the place you keep it. 

 I have a cupboard near my chimney where our 

 milk is kept, v.hich is always warm. Our l)utter 

 conies in about the same time that it does m sum- 

 mer, and has the same rich taste. 



Please state in the Farmer the merits of millet 

 as a crop for fodder. l. 



Winchendon, Mass., Jan. 0, 1871. 



Remarks. — Millet has been recommended as a 

 substitute for fodder corn, but practical fanners in 

 our section persist in raising corn instead of millet. 



death-like cold sweats — cause, effect and 



CURE. 



I had a serious attack of bilious fever which com- 

 pletely prostrated me for a long time. After the 

 fever broke, deathlike cold sweats set in about 

 every eight liours. So severe were they that I was 

 brought to (k'.ith's door. When the sweats were 

 on, the excreti(jn thro\\ai off by the cutieular pores 

 stood out on the body in balls as large as small 

 white beans, and had a veiy offensive smell. In 

 twenty minutes I would be lying in a pool of wet, 

 soaking through sheets, English blankets, feather 

 bed and mattress. 



Cause. — A sudden check to the system, l>y re- 

 maining in a deep ravine after sun-set, while sweat- 

 ing. 



Effect. — As stated above. 



Cure. — Three large Asafoetida pills a clay, and 

 common garden sage tea, strong, drank at bed time 

 cold, ill (luanritics of from half a pint to a quart, if 

 it can be swallowed or gulped down. 



The tirst night the sage tea was taken, the whole 

 sj'stem seemed to be undergoing a regular meta- 

 morphosis, and battling for victory over the disease. 

 I got no sleep that night, and only one sweat in the 

 twenty-four hours. The next night I took another 

 good all()\\aiiee of the sage tea, and had a good 

 comfortable night's sleep, and no sweat at all. I 

 drank a little of the sage tea water during the day, 

 sweetened with honey, continuing to take the tea 

 and pills, and in a week was consiilerably better. 

 Some friends coming to see me, I forget to take the 

 sage tea at night. I sorel}' suffered for the neglect, 

 for that night I was again deluged in perspiration, 

 but the smell was not so bad. I continued after 

 that to take the sage tea as regular as I did my 

 meals. The sweats entirely left me, my appetite 

 increased, and I daily gained strength. Any of 

 your readers who wish to ask me for further infor- 

 mation, I shall be happy to answer their inquiries, 



accompanied with a ready directed, stamped en- 

 velope for reply. John Whatmore. 

 Bridgenorth Farm, Dunleith,Ill., 1871. 



Remarks. — Happily, few of the readers of the 

 New England Farmer have any experience with 

 the diseases peculiar to Illinois and other Western 

 States, but to that few, the foregoing may be of 

 value. The writer of these remarks has been pros- 

 trated by the "death-like, cold sweats," described 

 by Mr. Whatmore, which were so offensive to him- 

 self and others that undcr-clothes and bed had to 

 be changed often. If these directions shall help a 

 single invalid to a "good, comfortable night's sleep," 

 the writer and printer of this article will be well 

 repaid. 



PREPARING FOOD FOR STOCK. 



Much has been written on this sul)ject, and your 

 editorial of a few weeks since prompts me to ad- 

 vance an idea in regard to a process by which, it 

 seems to me, a greater gain, with for less expense, 

 could be oljtained than by any of the processes 

 you described. 



Your correspondent, "K. O.," informed me that 

 a man near New Bedford had cut grass and packed 

 it away in its greenest state in ne\f oil casks, and 

 that it had kept perfectly sweet and good, and was 

 eaten with relish the next summer, — a year after — 

 by cattle in jiastui-e. This was only an experiment ; 

 but could nut grass be packed away in bins made 

 air tight, in consideraljle quantities, to be fed to 

 milchcows in winter ? Here you A\ould have the 

 pure article — not simply an imitation; while the 

 cost of securing the hay crop would be greatly re- 

 duced, and the required room for storage vastly 

 lessened. 



Such bins could be easily and cheaply con- 

 structed in a variety of ways. The grass would 

 soon be settled very solid, and the little air let in 

 for a few moments while getting out a day's fod- 

 dering would probably be harmless. 



Everyl>ody knows the great value of green grass 

 for milch cows; and if tlie process has not been 

 thoroughly tried, it would seem to me that it would 

 be well for persons interested in it to make the re- 

 quired experiments. If it has been tried we should 

 like to learn the results of such experiments. The 

 grass should be cut when entirely free from exter- 

 nal moisture, not too soon after "heavy rains, and, 

 of course, no moisture should be allowed to come 

 in contact with it. 



I had a lot of corn stalks a year old which I 

 have been feeding out recently. They were liadly 

 injured while being secured, and were not relished 

 a year ago. I have tilled my feed box with these 

 stalks, uncut, and poured on boiling water ; then 

 covered tight, and after standing twelve hours they 

 were eaten up clean with avidity. No salt, grain, 

 roots or anything else to give relish was used. 



In regard to the use of salt for animals. A phy- 

 sician, who has kept swine and raised pigs for 

 many vears with excellent success, tells me he has 

 never fed a particle of salt, and that he never gave 

 any to his horses, one of which was a most valua- 

 ble animal, in his hands, for several years. f. 



Franklin, Mass., Jan., 1871. 



to kill lice on cattlf. 



Two parts of kerosene oil, and one of any kind 

 of cheap grease, mixed together and ajipliid to the 

 parts infested by the vermin, will* make them 

 "laugh" out of the other corner of their mouths. 

 Give the cattle some corn meal twice a day to keep 

 their bowels regular; comb their hair in the right 

 direction — I have some fears it is growing toward 



