398 
AMERICAN AQRICaLTURIST. 
[OCTOBEK, 
soon enlarge, rise in the center, ana m ten days form a 
pustule, wliicli contains first a clear fluifl, but altoi^vards 
a thick pus. There is a red ring around the base of the 
pustufe, antl it is depressed or sunken al the point or sum- 
mit. This hitter peculiarity is a special characteristic of 
the disease. The pustule dries up and forms acrust, which 
in about ttn (hiys more is easily removed, leaving a red, 
ehining spov" on the skin. The proper treatment is to 
use a milking tube, to draw off the milk, to keep the sick 
animals by themselves, and to have separate attendants 
for them. Unless the stables are thoroughly disinfected 
by whilewashing with lime, the disease will be apt to re- 
appear every year. It is rarely that this disease is very 
troublesome in this country or Canada, and good nurs- 
ing, warmth, and administering half an ounce of ivlpkiU 
of soda daily, during the first stage of ten days, will 
generally prevent very ill eftVcts. The milk of -cows af- 
fected with this disease should not be used for food, ex- 
cept for caiveB and ?igs. 
"CJrMl> in flie Head.*'— "R. S. F./' 
Litchfield Co., Conn. It is not proba-^le that the death 
of your sheep has occurred from grubs in the head. 
These parasites rarely, if ever, cause -leath. They annoy 
the sheep while crawling up tlie nostrils to the nasal 
sinuses, where they live quietly until the time for their 
change topiipie, when, in crawling down, Ihey again ir- 
ritate the sheep and cause violent sneezings and stamp- 
ing with the feet. In all cases of sickness among ani- 
mals, it is necessary to send a full statement of the 
symptoms, in order that we may form a judgment of the 
true cause of the trouble. There is a serious and fatal 
disorder of the l)rain caused by a parasite known as 
hydatid, which is a tape-worm in one state of its develop- 
ment, and is not uncommon. This appears as a watery 
bladder in the brain, bat it is not what is known as 
'*grub in the head." 
Poultry and Es^gs for I*rofi».— "J. 
P. W.," Biiff"aIo, N. Y.— One man out of ten thousand 
might probably go into the business of raising eggs and 
poultry for market profit-ably ; but the chances are that 
every one of the others would fail. It is a business that 
requires as much tact, patience, practical knowledge, and 
hahits of close and careful observation, as bee-keeping. 
A suitable place is also needed, and a locality where 
fresh eggs and spring chickens l)ring a good price. The 
knowledge of what is required can come only through 
experience, and can not be communicated, except with a 
great deal of detail. That there is profit in the business 
is certain, but only when the riglit man goes into it in 
the right place. 
Xomato Catsup, — (When tomato catsup is 
desired, the following ie the beat recipe wc have yet 
found, judging from the taste of the many who havo 
tried u enong wMh other varieties.) For four or fivo 
quarts of catsup, boil 1 peck of ripe tomatoes 15 min- 
utes witnoQt removing the skins, and strain through a 
sieve. Put into a little bag 1 teaspoonf ul ot wtiole cloves, 
1 tablespoonful eac"n of unground cinnamon, allspice, and 
black pepper, and put these with 1 pint of good vinegar, 
into the strainefl tomatoes, and boil the whole carefnllj* 
3 to 5 hours. When sufficiently boiled and condensed, 
stir in 1 tablespoonful of gronnu mustard, and 1 tea- 
spoonful of gronnd Cayenne pepper. Salt to the taste, 
and keep in well corked bottles. 
I>oii1>le Furrow Moiviuft.— "B. O. 
C," Los Angeles Co., Cal., writes, *'■ On the big farms of 
this state a man with two pairs ot mustangs, (these are 
the light native horses of the country), and a gang-plow 
catting two feet wide will plow4 acres a day at any time, 
and of ten as much as 5 acres per day." Moat of the plow- 
ing in California is done with gang-plows, and we havo 
not as yet learned half the value of these plows, on suit- 
able soils, in the eastern part of the country. (Wc re- 
cently saw a i aero "Dariasomely plowed in 45 minutes 
with one of these plows, with one pair of heavy horses 
and one driver, and the horses were not overworked). 
Effects of* Impure Water.— '' W. W. 
S.," Rockford, m. The too rapid souring of milk infre- 
quently the efi'ect of impure water which has been drank 
by the cows. When the stock water Is derived from 
ponds and sloughs, it ts always contaminated with num- 
berless microscopic vegetable forms and myriads of 
germs or spores of this minute vegetation. These ac- 
company the decomposition of organic matter contained 
in the water. When this impure water is drank by a 
c'lw, these germs or spores arc absorbed along with the 
water into the blood, being so exceedingly small that 
they pass through the absorbing glands and vessels of 
the intestines -with case. In the blood these Bpores or 
fields grow, and if very numerous may become the cause 
of those blood diseases commonly known as "murrain," 
"blackleg,''' "red water," &c. In any case as they pass 
into the circulation they must necessarily afi'cct the milk 
which is derived from the blood. When tlie milk is ex- 
posed to the air, these minute orgauisms grow very rap- 
idly and change the character of the milk, causing the 
formation of acid and then rapid decomposition, The 
spores and plants cannot be destroyed at a less heat than 
that of boiling water, and it is doubtful if that heat will 
destroy all of them. A heat of 1'^ degrees assists their 
growth instead of arresting it, and this may account for 
the fad that heated milk sours more rapidly than the 
cooled milk. The only remedy is to use well water for 
the cows, or water from deep underground cisterns. 
directs orForost?!i on lUc leain-rall. 
—" A. S.,"' Olathe, Kansas. The character of the pres- 
ent season will probably have the effect of modifying the 
views of those persons who have been led into the error 
of supposing that the quantity of rainfall depends 
upon the existence of forests. The past summer has 
been one of extraordinary moisture in parts of the conn- 
try where there are no foreste. as in Kansas, Nebraska, 
and Eastern Colorado^ and of drouth in places where 
forests abound as in Northci-n Minnesota and Canada. 
The truth probably is that the development of meteoro- 
logical effects, such as the fall of rain, the course of the 
winds, etc., depends upon causes which are notbounded 
by small areas, or o^'en such n large aroa as that of our 
own continent. The destruction of a thousand or two 
square miles of woods is but a small thing in comparison 
to the other influences which affect the rain-fall of the 
whole world. Forests act as reservoirs of moisture, hold- 
ing it until it is distributed gradually by means of springs, 
streams, and slow evaporation, and thus prevent floods 
which never occur disastrously in wooded localities. 
They also moderate the heats and colds of the season 
just as they moderate the distribution of water. They 
also act as a ban-ier against the excessive force of the 
winds. They are therefore indispensable to our comfort, 
and where they do not exist naturally, should be planted 
as rapidly as possible. The whole surface of the earth 
cannot be given up to cultivation, any more than a mane's 
whole life can be given up to work ; some portion must 
be left (allow and to rest ; and to gi'ow timber is an actual 
rest to the land. 
"Wlieai to nioAv llntler Clover. — 
" E. J. H." If oats are to be sowed on a clover sod, wc 
would plow the sod in the spring and sow the ground 
immediately while the soil is mellow and fresh. Oats 
do very well on a newly turned sod. 
foe House. — *'R. P./' Woodbury, Md. Plans 
of ice bouses were given in the Agriculturist ot October, 
IBTO, November, 1871, and October, 1874. These are 
of different style of construction, but the principle is the 
same in all of them. 
The Use of i:.ime.— "E. N. S.," McMU- 
ian's Station, E. Tennessee. It is impossible to say 
whether this or that soil can be improved by lime with- 
out experimenting. The proper way is to scatter a cer- 
tain quantity of lime, say ten bushels upon a quarter of 
an acre of land and wait to see the effect. If it is found 
to pay try again in a larger way, on a whole field. Gen- 
erally clay soils and those full of peaty or vegetable mat- 
ter are improved by lime; hut it is not a cure-all or 
panacea for all sorts of poor land. As in human diseases, 
so in sick or defective soils, there is no cure-all ; the 
claim that certain fertilizers are good for all soils, is as 
mnch quackery as the same claim for a medicine. Ex- 
periment with observation is needed. The investi.gations 
of science are coming to help ua to less hazardous and 
less costly experiments, ere long. 
"Walks and Talks" Correspondence. 
Which IS the Best Ghain BrtllJ— "W. H. H.," 
Milton, Pa., writes : "■ I have no grain drill, and want to 
get one of the best. Of the many kinds, which shall I 
select ? The agent for the ' Champion ' will convince 
one that their's is the best."— If ho "convinces" you 
of this fact, buy it by all means. It is a good drill. — 
" The agents for the 'Farmer's Favorite* tell you to buy 
no other than a double force-feed drill, while those of 
the 'NewGearless Buckeye,' would have you believe 
that in all essential points their's excels all others. Now 
how can a farmer determine which is the best?" — You 
must hear all that is said, examine carefully for yourself, 
and act according to your best judgment. I have seen 
the "Champion" at work, have tried a "Buckeye" 
d: ;il belonging to a neighbor, and own and use a " Far- 
mer's Favorite." These are all good drills, but I cannot 
undertake to decide which is the best. One thing I can 
say, you had better get a drill that has a good manure 
attachment, and if you have many stones in your fields, 
you had better get rubber springs to the coulters. 
Manuring Corn.— "W. J. S.," Calhoun Co., Iowa 
asks how I manure corn in the hill, whether the manure 
is put under or over the corn, or on top of the ground. 
I have not manured corn in the hill for several years, and 
sliould not think it would pay an Iowa farmer to do so. 
[The fine roots of corn spread out through the whole 
surface soil, and find manure anywhere in it. A liUU in 
the hill, on poor soils, sometimes gives the young plants 
a good start.— Ed.] 
Sowing Wheat on Good Land.— "J. W. W.," of 
Wisconsin, writes that he "lives in the Chinch-bug re- 
gion, but believes that good farming will arm ua against 
them."— He sends me a sample of the Diehl wheat. It 
is whiter than my own. He has twice taken the first prize 
at the Wisconsin State Fair with it. He also raises the 
Fultz wheat. It is good this year.— '* The one lesson I 
have learned thus far," he writes, " is not to sow winter 
wheat on ground which I do not believe is fitted for it. 
This may seem trite to you, but it is something for a 
western farmer to learn."- It is something which farm- 
ers everywhere would do well to think about. I try to 
live up to this rule myself. 
The Trials of Farming.— We know that trials lead 
to patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, 
and if it was not for hope, what ehonld we amount to ? 
Now trials are the common lot of farmers. And it does 
not matter where we farm, east or west, north or south. 
A fanner and minister in Nebraska has favored me with 
several letters, giving his experience, and telling me of 
his hopes and disappointments. Last year the grass- 
hoppers did him a great deal of damage.— "This year," 
he writes, "I rented my farm, but by the wet weather 
some 2.5 acres got into sunflowers, so that the renters 
did not harvest the wheat, and now they refuse to cut off 
tlie sunflowers. The balance of the crop ie very poor, on 
account of the wet weather and weeds. Some 20 or 25 
acres of barley was taken away by the flood. Now I wiH 
farm myself another year."— That is right. What is 
needed is a better system of farming. 
Mangel Wtjrzel or Beets vs. Carrots and Pars- 
nips.— Steele Brothers, La Porte, Ind., ask the following 
questions: Ist. " In what respect do you consider man- 
g<n wurzel better than Lane's improved sugar beet ? "— 
I do not suppose there is now any difference —2nd. " Do 
you consider beets better, pound for pound, than parsnips 
and carrots for milch cows ? "—No. Precisely the oppo- 
site.— 3rd. "Or do yon prefer the mangels because so 
much more food can be raised per acre?"— Yes; and 
because they require less labor in weeding and hoeing. 
Grass FOB Wooo L:>t.— " R. S. E.," Akron, Ohio, 
says that I once gave him advice that was of use to him, 
and DOW he wTitcs that he has a piece of wood -laud, high 
and dry, and not heavily timbered, still so heavy that 
grass does not grow upon it. He is short of pasture, and 
wants to get it into grass ; he asks: "Would it pay me 
to clean out all of the underbrush, logs, and rubbish, 
drag it thoroughly, and sow it to grass seed, and if so, 
what kind or kinds would be best ?"— I do not know, I 
have just such a lot, and my own plan is to sow timothy, 
Kentucky blue-grass, and red-top, without harrowing or 
other preparation. 
Please Write Again.— WiDiam Denny, of GreenvUle, 
wTitee me a letter enclosing a stamp for reply, but he 
forgets to tell in what state he lives, and the postmark 
on the letter, as usual in such cases, is illegible. There 
areas Greenvillcs in the United States. [An astonish- 
ing number of letters go unanswered for this very rea- 
son \ we get stamps to pay for a reply "by return mail," 
and have no idea where the writer lives.- Ed.] 
When to Applt Lime. — "C. H. S.," of Richfield, 
writes that he has " a fifteen acre field lying on top of a 
limestone ridge. It laid under blue-grass 8 or 10 
years until 1873. I then fallowed it in the spring and 
cultivated four times through tho summer, and sowed 
wheat, and seeded with clover in the spring of 1G71. The 
wheat winter-killed, and tho hot, nry weather in July 
burnt np the clover, except on a few small Bjwts of 
lighter soil. Now there is nothing on tho field but blue- 
grass and wild turnips. Myohjcctistogctitintoclover, 
and I thought of sowing it with oats next spring and 
seeding dowTL There is a heap of 1,C00 bushels of lime 
in the field which is to be spread upon it. Would you 
haul the lime on the field now, and plow it in tho spring, 
or would you plow now, and put tho lime on in the spring 
and cultivate it?"— The better plan, perhaps, would 
have been to have summer-fallowed the fielJ, plowing it 
three titaes, and then after sprinkling tho lime and har- 
rowing or cultivating it m, sowed to wheat and seeded 
with clover In the spring. The next best plan would be 
to break it up aa early as possible in the fall, cultiorate 
and harrow the surface and then plow it again in Octo- 
ber or November, and leave it rough for the winter. 
Sow the lime on in the spring and seed do\vn with barley 
or oats. Mr. C. H. S. asked me to answer his letter by 
I mail, but he did not tell me what StaU ho lives in. 
