SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR 
77 
him had he been in perfect health. We concluded to discard 
all, and to place him under the attention of Dr. Nurse. 
Great care was taken never to work him to perspiration — 
he was blanketed whenever the weather was chilly — he 
was fed regularly and moderately on succulent food, all 
such food partaking of the character of expectorants, and 
favoring a free discharge from the lungs — and all his other 
wants were observed as well as we able to, and prompt- 
ly supplied. In six weeks he was perfectly well. Had 
gome nostrum been employed, it might have injured him 
and prevented recovery ; or if it had not. Dr. Nurse might 
not have been called in ; but if he had, and the medicine 
had not greatly retarded his recovery, and he had got 
well in six months, it would have been regarded as an ex- 
traordinary cure. 
At another time, a valuable mare, eleven yeers old, was 
badly sweenied by hard work — the worst case of 
sweeny we ever met with. It was generally regarded as 
a hopeless case — but various remedies were proposed and 
offered, costing from S20 down to We concluded that 
our friend. Dr. Nurse, should be again called, to the ex- 
clusion of all tnese fellows, and the consequence is that, 
with simply careful, moderate treatment, the animal is 
well and the sweeny filled up. 
The majority of sick horses get well; every owner 
tries some remedy; and that particular medicine that he 
happened to be using at the time, gets all the credit— 
although, as a general thing, it retarded, more or less, his 
recovery. 
We must make one exception in the general rejection 
of medicines — there is one which, if given moderately, 
can scarcely ever injure, and may often do much good. 
This is powdered charcoal — a powerful antiseptic and ab- 
sorbent of bad matter, while, unlike most other medicines, 
it does not irritate — a most important advantage. A clear 
illustration of this advantage recently occurred in the case 
of a fine call, five months old, which had become bloated 
by eating too many apples, blown down by a violent gale. 
Its sides became distended by wind to an almost incredi- 
ble size; a solution of salersetus was poured down its 
throat repeatedly, and as often thrown out violently on 
account of its irritating action on the throat of the young 
animal. It continued for eighteen hours with little or no 
improvement, when a large tablespoonful of powdered 
charcoal, mixed with half a pint of water was given. 
The dose was swallowed without any difficulty, and in 
four hours the calf appeared to be perfectly well. Charcoal 
may be given in nearly all cases of derangement of the 
digestion, whether with men or beasts, with great advant- 
age. Oiie-hulf to a teaspoonful is a full dose for a man, 
and as much more for an animal, as its food exceeds that 
of a man. 
We do not mean to say there are not other medicines 
that occasionally prove eminently useful; but un- 
less they can be given understand! ngly — with a full com- 
prehension of their mode of action, and with an undoubt- 
ed knowledge of the exact nature of the disease — and 
their use sanctioned by very clear and distinct previous 
success— it would be much safer to discard them. — Coun- 
try GenLleman. 
USE OF SALT IN AGRICULTURE. 
The beneficial effects of salt in agriculture have long 
been known and its application practised by many of the 
best farmers in this country and in Europe. Mr. John 
Johnston, of Geneva, New York, has regularly applied it 
to his wheat land for many years, and with the most 
beneficial results. Besides imparting a strength and vigor 
to the plant that insures a largely increased yield, it forces 
the plant to maturity several days earlier than wheat on 
similar land, not treated with salt. 
The precise action of salt as a manure has been a. ques- 
tion of some interest to agriculturists. Mr. A B. North- 
cote has communicated to the London Philosophical Maga- 
zine, a paper detailing some experiments he has under- 
taken, to ascertain the rationale of the action of salt i* 
increasing the fertility of certain lands. We have noi 
space to give in full the experiments as conducted by Mr. 
N., but we give his conclusions; — He says; the results, 
then, at which we must arrive are, that agricultural salt 
is a most energetic absorbent of ammonia, both in virtue 
of its chloride of sodium and of its soluble lime-salt, and 
that the proportion of the latter, especially, most power- 
fully affects its action ; but that, at the same time, its 
agency does not seem to be altogether a permanent one; 
it will collect the ammonia, butst is questionable whether 
it can retain it for any great length of time, because in 
the very decompositions which happen, in order to render 
the ammonia more stable, salts are formed which have a 
direct tendency to liberate ammonia from its more fixed 
combinations. It may, however retain it quite long 
enough for agricultural purposes, if the young plants are 
there ready to receive it. Its state of gradual liberation 
may be for them the most advantageous possible; and to 
this conclusion, all experiments on the larger scale appear 
most obviously to tend. It is described as an excellent 
check to the too forcing power of guano ; and from Mr. 
Barral’s experiment we see that it either prevents the too 
rapid cremacausis of the latter, or stores up the ammonia 
as it is formed. 
As manure for growing crops, all experience and all 
theoretical considerations, therefore, show it to be most 
valuable ; but when employed to mix with manure heaps 
which have to stand for considerable periods of time, 
theory would pronounce, as practice has in many cases 
done, that its power of retaining ammonia, under those 
circumstances, is at best doubtful. — Valley Farmer. 
AN IMPROVED BREED OF MEN. 
An experienced stock-raiser who will notice carefully 
the build and general appearance of the human beings he 
meets in the streets of a large town during half an 
hour’s walk, or at a county fair, if he will notice 
them as he would other animals, with reference to their 
healthiness, working ability, soundness of wind and 
limb, speed, strength, or even their capacity for fatting, 
will soon come to the conclusion that there is a strong 
necessity for some movement to be made for the improve- 
ment of the breed. Other kinds of stock may profit by 
the importation of other breeds from abroad, and this 
process is going on very extensively among us at the pre- 
senttime; but when we reflect that for all the uses of life our 
own native blood is, perhaps, the very best known, we 
must come to the conclusion that foregn importations will 
not do all, and our experiments can be most profitably di- 
rected to the better management of that. 
There is, indeed, great room for human stock managers^ 
to wit : the fathers of families throughout the land, to im- 
prove in their way of operating. It won’t do to begin by 
killing off the puny ones— for however good and perma- 
nent an effect such an operation might have, there are ob- 
jections to it in a moral point of view. The next best 
thing might be to forbid ministers from marrying mean 
looking men; but, as ministers might not always possess 
sound judgment in such matters, the only thing left us is 
to labor the improvement of the race as it is. We want a 
race of tall, broad-shouldered, thin-flunked, clean-limbed, 
clear eyed, sinewy, firm-muscled men, with women to 
match, and in order to get it we must use a little of the 
same common-sense that we employ in the managemeat 
of the inferior orders of animals. 
As we said above, the points that we attend to first with 
regard to them, cannot be brought into consideration heae, 
but the particulars of cleanliness, food, proper Bhelter, we- 
