1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



307 



backs to the culture of fruit even in Egypt, and 

 that the price of good fruit is eternal vigilance. 

 Well, Howadji, is not the seat of Pomono in Cen- 

 tral Illinois after all the grand flourishes of Egypt. 

 Has the the goddess not been flirting with you after 

 all, and her real lover hereaway. Do let us know 

 about it. We are certainly not so pestered with 

 insects nor half as lazy as you suggest, though we 

 have not forgotten that you descended from the 

 stand and the tripod. Ed. 



*•— 



Insect Pests Upon Animals. 



All of our domestic animals are apt to be annoyed 

 with vermin, which a little of the right kind of 

 knowledge and a little attention will readily dis- 

 perse. In some periods of hot weather, flics, espe- 

 cially of the Tabanidae variety, are particularly 

 troublesome. They will render a spirited horse 

 unmanageable, and will often drive cattle from the 

 pasture. Of sheep, the " Ettrick Shepherd " says, 

 " The flies were at this time settled in the fold in 

 such numbers, that we could with difficulty see 

 each other. The heads of the sheep were swollen 

 and black, and seemed a scab all over, the flies 

 settled on them like a black cloud. A few were 

 anointed with train oil, and no sooner were they 

 turned amongst the others than in a few minutes 

 not a fiy was to be seen." Spirit of tar added to 

 the oil makes it more efficacious, and as the flies 

 will not face these remedies when applied to sheep, 

 horses and cattle should surely be protected by 

 them. 



Fleas are very troublesome to dogs. Washing 

 and combing are not without efficacy. Tobacco 

 water may be used, though it frequently poisons 

 the dog. Mr. Blain says, "The tolerable certain 

 cure, I know, is to make the dog sleep on fresh, 

 yellow deal shavings. Rosin and bran in powder 

 may be usefully appUied ; oil, however, is believed 

 to be a specific. 



Lice on horses, cattie, sheep and dogs, are another 

 pest. For these we have invariably found oil a 

 specific. In horses, the prevalence of this filthy 

 vermin, shows want of proper cleaning, although 

 it is oftentimes connected with poverty and mange. 

 In the slighter visitations, we have invariably found 

 that olive oil alone will cause their disappearance 

 from all the above named animals. Corrosive sub- 

 limate may be used, but it requires great caution 

 in the application. 



Ticks in sheep are another nuisance. A mixture 

 of tar and terpentine with oil is a speedy and cer- 

 tain poison for them. 



Maggots in sheep, sometimes a most fatal vermin, 



require the utmost care and vigilance. As soon 



they are observed, the parts affected should be 



deprived of the wool, clipped as close to the skin 

 as possible, and the part anointed with spirits of 

 turpentine and oil, with tar, or, with a solution of 

 corrosive sublimate, either of which will prove a 

 speedy and perfect cure. 



*—~ 



A Visit to the Oil Wells. 



Having recently returned from a visit to the Oil 

 Wells of Pennsylvania, and supposing that reliable 

 information respecting them will be of interest, not 

 only to yourselves but to the trade in general, I 

 take pleasure in submitting the following remarks . 



On entering the oil district at the mouth of Oil 

 Creek, a new comer, who feels an interest other 

 than ordinary curiosity, is sruck with somewhat of 

 astonishment at the very large numbers of wells 

 that are bored in every direction. A superficial 

 observation would lead to the belief that, as aeon- 

 sequence, the production of oil is enormous. Care- 

 ful examination, however, reveals the fact that a 

 large majority of the almost innumerable number 

 of wells the whole extent of the creek are yielding 

 nothing, and never have yielded a single gallon of 

 oil. At the present time there are not over six 

 wells in the whole district which yield by flowing a 

 quantity in excess of 300 barrels per diem, and 

 these are the New or Farrell well, the CaldwoU, 

 Dalzell, Sherman, &c., all of which names are 

 prominently before the trade. From inquiry among 

 intelligent and apparently well informed parties on 

 the creek, I ascertained that prior to the time when 

 the Farrell Well was "struck," the total produc- 

 tion of oil per day was estimated at 4,500 barrels. 

 At the time when these enquiries were made, New 

 or Farrell Well was yielding 2,800 barrels per day, 

 and yet no one estimated the total product at over 

 5,000 barrels, which is explained by the fact that 

 the Farrell well has "tapped" various small wells 

 in the neighborhood, and also the Caldwell well, 

 which had always been yielding from 1,300 to 1,500 

 barrels. This latter well at the time referred to 

 was reduced to about 400 barrels, and is since re- 

 ported to have fallen off to 100 barrels. Several 

 cases were mentioned to the writer, of wells that 

 had yielded by flowing and pumping from 40 to 

 150 barrels per day that had been completely drain- 

 ed by the Farrell well. 



Hundreds of weUs are being bored in every di- 

 rection, and from this fact it is argued by many 

 persons in the eastern markets who are entirely 

 ignorant of the premises, that in a short time the 

 supply of petrolum will be doubled or even trebled. 

 A few words will set at rest that fallacy. 



The history of well boring, from the very incep- 

 tion of the business, has been that not over one 

 well out of every fifty that have been bored has 

 yielded oil. The boring of a well is not the sim- 

 ple task that many suppose ; it costs from ^900 to 

 $1,300, and takes from two to five weeks to ac- 

 complish the task. Many parties will abandon the 

 task at a depth of 300 feet, if there are no signs 

 of oil ; others will toil fruitlessly on to a depth of 

 600 feet; and one instance was given in person 

 by a man who bored to the depth of 900 feet and 

 "struck" oil, but it was at too great a depth 

 to permit its flowing or being pumped. The bor- 

 ing of wells is generally given out on contract at 

 about $2 per foot. 



