130 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
of five dissections the lungs were found greatly 
inflamed; some parts in a state of suppuration, 
others in a putrescent state. The one whose 
lungs were not marked with inflammation, was 
a young horse of two years old, whose lungs 
had never been injured by hardships. 
Query.— Why this inflammation, &c., on the 
lungs 1 
The irritation arising by the action of bots 
in the stomach, may produce a general inflam- 
matory disposition in the system: but as the 
lungs of horses, by hard usage, are more pre- 
disposed to inflammation and its consequences 
than any other given part of the body; the in- 
flammation fixes there, and in nrany (it not 
most) instances seems to be the immediate 
cause of death. 
Experiments to remove Bots from the Stomach. 
— Aloes, rum, mercury, jalap, brine, linseed 
oil, pepper, tincture of tobacco, decoction ol 
pink root, &c., are all ineffectual. This will 
not appear strange when wa consider how te- 
nacious they are of life. Nothing is more in- 
jurious than rum, and other heating things, to 
the irritable state of the stomach, whose texture 
is nearly perforated in numerous places. 
Almost every farmer in Massachusetts has. 
some specific, and frequently one ol the above 
named, or those of less consequence. A farm- 
er’s horse sickens with cold, or pain in the sto- 
mach, from hard travelling perhaps: he asks 
his neighbor, what is the matter 7 He answers, 
the bots. What shall 1 do 7 Give him rum. 
The rum is given, and the horse recovers im- 
mediately. Well, what is next? Why, rum 
has cured the bots. In like manner other things 
obtain credit for killing bots. 
Experiments to make Bots let go their hold with- 
out the Body. — The stomach laid open, the fol- 
lowing things were applied to no effect, but in 
some instances they appeared to hang the 
stronger — rum, brine, lime, fish oil, British oil, 
burntalum, corrosive sublimate, spirits of tur- 
pentine, tincture of aloes, decoction ol tobacco, 
pepper, volatile spirit, elixir camphor, w'eak 
elixir vitriol, &c. &c. Actual fire would cause, 
them to let go, although not in all cases, some- 
times certain individuals would cling the faster, 
and die like a good soldier at his post, before 
they would relinquish their hold. They will 
live hours after they are considerably scorched 
by a candle. Strong vitriolic acid would imme- 
diately cause them to let go their hold. This 
acid, joined with oil or water, (equal parts,) 
would answer the purpose, though not so effec- 
tually as the acid by itself. This acid was 
found to be more effectual than aqua fortis. 
Experiments to destroy Bots mthout the Body. 
—The following experiments were made at dif- 
ferent times, and on bots that were three quar- 
ters grown, or more 
h. m, 
J other.s not 
so Ion 
f Ram, 
I Decoction of Tobacco, 
Strong elixir vitriol, 
j Volatile spirits, 
.2 Spirits of turpentine, 
Essentia! oil of mint, 
£ ! Decoction of pink root, I 1 
"• Fish oil, / } 
Linseed oil, 
Solution of nitre. 
Elixir proprietalis. 
Beef brine. 
Solution of indigo, 
^Elixir camphor, j 
h. m. 
f25 
I 
2 18 
I 56 
45 
I 1 5 
10 
49 
10 
2 
ro 
10 
10 
1 10 
7 no effect. 
J 
The experiments which had no effect were 
discontinued at the expiration ef the time spe- 
cified. Bots cannot endure the cold so intense 
as to freeze. 
Preventive Means. — Scrape off" the eggs when 
laid on the horse, every eight or ten days. A 
much longer interval will answer the purpose, 
even once in twenty days ; but there is a greater 
certainty of destroying the whole in short inter- 
vals, as some maybe overlooked at one time 
and not at another. This practice must be con- 
tinued through ihe-season of them, and may be 
performed with ease with a sharp knife. The 
eggs should not be scraped off where the horse 
can feed, as in that case the young bots might be 
taken in. It is difficult to remove those eggs 
laid under the throat with a knife, but they may 
be destroyed with a hot iron, made for that pur- 
pose. 
Palliative Means.— Fiom what has been 
said, it appears exceedingly difficult to remove 
bots from the stomach-; they are covered as 
with a coat of mail, and seem to be proof against 
anything that can be thrown into the stomach 
with safety. 
As no certain method has been found effectu- 
al in removing them from the stomach, the 
whole indication seems to be to remove irrita- 
tion and inflammation, and this to be done by 
blood-letting and a free use of mild oils. Blood- 
letting has a tendency to remove the inflamma- 
tory disposition, and oils lubricate the fibres of 
the stomach, and tend to obviate the effects ol 
the stimulus which produces inflammation and 
death. However, all this ought to be done in 
the early stages, and even then the event is very 
uncertain. 
In most instances it appears that the imme- 
diate cause of death was the local affection in 
the lungs; and in most instances where the lo- 
cal affection of the lungs did not exist, it ap- 
pears that the irritation occasioned by the bots 
introduced convulsions ending in deaih. 
When the lungs are much affected death is 
always certain ; but in those instances where 
the lungs are not affected, there is considerable 
probability, that by blood-leHiag and afreeuse 
of oils, the effects of the insects may be warded 
off for some time, perhaps Umg enough for them 
to come to maturity, at which time they cease 
to act.- 
;Frcm Thaer’s Principles of Agriculture. 
K Y E . 
Secale cereale (common rye.) Of this grain 
we have but one species, and all its numerous 
varieties are distinguished by no botanical eha- 
.racteristic, but merely by some difference in 
their nature, occasioned by peculiarities in the 
mode of cultivation. 
Autumnal and spring rye acquire the proper- 
ties that give rise to these appellations, in the 
same way as autumnal and spring wheat do ; 
we have already described this. The tollowing 
are the properties of autumnal rye: It remains 
longer in the ground, grows more bushy, and 
does not put forth its stems or seed stalks until 
late in the season. We have one variety which 
came originally from the Russian provinces on 
the shores of the Baltic, and which has all the 
properties of autumnal rye. Those varieties 
known by the names of Archangel Rye, Nor- 
wegian rye, St. John's Rye, &c., are one and the 
same, and no dissimilarity between them can be 
discovered. 
I cannot yet make up my mind whether or 
not the kind termed Wallachian rye is of a dif- 
ferent nature. It is more than probable that 
there has been some mistake respecting it ; lor 
fifty years ago Silberiac barley (hordeum ere- 
leste,) was regarded as a species of rye, and 
called Wallachian rye; and not six years ago 
some of it was sent to me under that name. 
The real Wallachian rye has nodistinguishing 
characteristic. Every kind of grain which is 
for some years subjected to a mode of culti- 
vation -similar to that pursued in gardens,, 
and the seed of which has been carefully select- ’ 
ed, undergoes some changes in its nature; but 
it is not difficult to foresee that when it comes 
to be again cultivated in the open field, the ex- 
istence of these alterations will be of short du- 
ration. 
That kind of rye which comes to us from the 
Russian provinces on the borders of the Baltic, 
and the German name of which may be trans- 
lated “ bushy rye,” is far superior to others. It 
re.sists inclement weather better, grows fuller 
and higher, is not so easily laid, and when 
sown on a good soil with proper care, always 
yields a large amount of produce. It must, 
however, be got into the ground before the end 
of September. If sown later, or on poor 
ground, these advantages will not be so mani- 
fest. It puts forth its blade and stems, flowers, 
and ripens much later than common rye ; and 
in order to have it ready for reaping about the 
same lime as the other, it must be sown very 
early. This Variety undergoes no alteration. 
1 have been unable to perceive the slightest de- 
generation even when it hasgrown near enough 
to other kinds of rye to receive the pollen blown 
from their stamens. 
Land containing a large proportion of sand 
is btst adapted for rye, which is the only grain 
that can be cultivated on a soil containing 85 
parts in 100 of sand, or more. With us, land 
of this nature is always called rye-land. Soils 
containing less than eighty five parts in a hun- 
dred of sand are also adapted to the produc- 
tion of rye. 
The richer the land the more vigorous ard 
luxuriant will the rye be. This grain, howev- 
er, answers on poor land, which wheat does not. 
But this deperds much upon the nature of the 
land. Sandy soils par. with their humus so 
much more easily than clays do. 
If an exhausted field or portion of land be left 
in repose for some years, it will colled sufficient 
nutrition to enable it to bear a crop of rye, 
though it must be admitted that it will only be a 
poor one. 
Neither is rye so liable to be injured by any 
acidity in the soil as wheat or barley would be, 
and, consequently, it may be cultivated on 
marshy, or heath and furze land, which has 
been drained. 
Rye may therefore be regarded as the most 
precious gift of God to the inhabitants of sandy 
and poor countries ; without it, many districts 
would have been uninhabitable. 
The degree of preparation bestowed on the 
soil, and the nature of the, crop which precedes 
the rye, are not of so much consequence as 
these points would be if wheat were tube sown. 
A saixiy soil, such an one as is best fitted for 
the production of rye, requires but three plow- 
ings, while more tenacious soils amply repay 
the expense of a fourth, by the increased amount 
of produce w'hich they then yield. 
Those preparatory crops which are advanta- 
geous to wheat, aie equally so to rye when it 
is sown on the soils on which they can be cul- 
tivated. A diminution in the produce of the 
rye crop is almost invariably observed when it 
is made to succeed potatoes or linseed. 
Rye bears being sown on the stubble of some 
other gtain, or even on its own, much better 
than wheat dues. It is also well known thalin 
some countries rye is sown three or four times 
in succession on the same land; but the crops 
thus raised are so miserably poor that all un- 
prejudiced persons have discarded such a rota- 
tion. Not even rich and repeated ameliorations 
can prevent the produce in grain from falling 
off sadly, although the straw may vegetate lux- 
uriantly. All those isolated cases which are 
brought forward for the purpose of proving 
that the second crop has been hner than the first, 
and of defending this mode of proceeding, can- 
not overcome general experience, and might, if 
investigated, be very easily explained away. 
New manure buried a short time only before 
the sowing took place, and the decomposition of 
which had been prevented by drouth or humidi- 
ty, would always be injurious to the first crop, 
while it would favor the vegetation ol the suc- 
ceeding ones. 
This mode of proceeding may, however, be 
excused, where the ground is only fit for the 
production of rye, and where straw is worth as 
much or more than grain. 
It is true that it is not absolutely necessary to 
pay so much attention to the choice of the seed 
for a r}te as for a wheat crop; nevertheless, 
perfect and r-ipe seeds, free from disease, will 
always fully repay the attention bestowed on 
their selection. Rye can only bear a very light 
covering: if sown too deeply in the ground, and 
especially where the soil is tenacious, it will 
often be unable to germinate, and will perish. 
This is the reason why it is so dangerous to 
bury rye with a plow; 1 have experierced this 
to my cost. If the soil is very dry, and remarna 
so after the sowing has taken place, rye sown 
in rows may have some advantages over that 
