322 
AMERICAN AGRICUI/TURIST. 
[August, 
as to the means at hand for keeping it. So a large¬ 
bodied. deep-uddered Dutch cow will mislead many a 
dairyman into choosing it for his special purpose, 
without a thought about its requirements as regards 
feed, pasture, etc. The same occurs with horses, and it 
is not at all uncommon to find ill-judged selections 
made of horses for farm use. If we were to choose our 
farm stock as carefully as we choose a coat or other gar¬ 
ment, fewer mistakes and more profit would be made. 
It is an American failing to ho easily misled. The suc¬ 
cess of adventurers and humbugs of all kinds, show this 
to be true, if it were not proved so completely by the 
many costly failures resulting from choosing homes 
even without due consideration, and from selecting at 
hap-hazard whatever stock animals may take the fancy 
or may have been bragged over by irresponsible or too 
sanguine persons, leaving afterwards unavailing regret 
at mistakes which take years to rectify. 
Broad Wheels.— It is strange that the popular 
prejudice in favor of narrow tires for wagons and carts 
should be so firmly fixed as to prevent the use of broad 
tires. A wagon or cart with tires three or four inches 
wide may be drawn across a soft, newly-plowed field 
without cutting in, and on wet, muddy roads the surface 
is not cut up, but is packed down. The better condition 
of the roads and the saving of cost in repairs to them by 
the use of broad tires, would be enormous every year. 
Nevertheless, narrow tires are used almost universally. 
Tlie Wheelbarrow is almost as necessary upon 
the farm as a plow. The occasions when a wheelbarrow 
can be used, with both comfort and advantage, are in¬ 
numerable. To be most serviceable, a wheelbarrow 
should be both strong and light. The wheel and tire 
should be made wider than is generally found. Wheel¬ 
barrows on the farm are frequently used on soft ground, 
and if the wheel is wide, it runs much easier. The wider 
the wheel, the more stable the barrow is when being 
moved. The “dump” form is the best for general use, 
as this has no sides to get lost; barrows of this style are 
usually better braced and durable. In getting a wheelbar¬ 
row, get the best, and keep it under cover when not in use. 
Tree Planting in Boor Yards.— It is a mis¬ 
take to plant trees which grow naturally to a large size, 
near a house ; and in an artistic point of view, the force 
of this remark is very evident. The trees when grown 
shsuld be in proportion to the size of the yard, and if 
that be small, the trees should be selected accordingly. 
There are a number of evergreens such as varieties of the 
Spruces and others of small to medium stature, most ap¬ 
propriate to small yards; they are comfortable in winter 
as a wind-break, and handsome all the year round. 
Tlie Cincinnati Industrial Exposition 
has become one of the prominent institutions of the 
country. Its Exhibition this, its seventh, year will be 
held (Sept. 10th to Oct. 11th) in its new building, erected 
at a cost of one million of dollars. But our present, men¬ 
tion is suggested by the receipt of the “General Circu¬ 
lar,” which in artistic execution calls for special com¬ 
ment, and in its contents, giving the classification of the 
objects to be exhibited, shows that this important mat¬ 
ter has been carefully considered, and we have, well in 
advance of the time of opening, a schedule which could 
only be produced by competent hands. The Depart¬ 
ments, distinguished by letters (A to Q), are 14, while 
these are subdivided into classes, numbering in all 85. 
Its Premium List, with plans of the building, and rules 
governing the Exhibition, is in equally handsome style. 
If the adage, “ Well begun is half done,” has force, tlie 
managers may congratulate themselves upon most satis¬ 
factory progress. ' 
Tlie White Ash. at three years, in good average 
soil, will reach a height of 7 to 8 feet and one inch in 
diameter ; at five years, 10 feet in height and two inches 
in diameter. This is, all things considered, one of the 
most valuable timber trees to plant upon fairly good soil. 
Sheet Iron Shingles.— Shingles of wood are in 
such general use with us, that they may be regarded as 
the roofing material of the country. As shingles grew 
more costly, our people did not go back to the earlier, 
cheaper, and in many respects excellent, thatch, but 
sought out new substitutes. These have been, as a gen¬ 
eral thing, a coarse or cheap fabric filled with some pitchy 
or “asphalt” composition, with or without the addition 
of gravel, or other material to give it body. None of 
these roofing materials appear to have come into general 
use, and while they answer fairly for temporary struc¬ 
tures, their general lack of durability unfits them for per¬ 
manent buildings. The most recent substitutes for 
shingles are the “Metallic Slates or Shingles,” made by 
the “ Iron Clad Manufacturing Company.” Metallic roofs 
are among the oldest; lead, copper, zinc, and tin—or 
properly tin plate, having been used for roofing, though 
scarcely any of these except tin plate have been laid 
to any extent in this country. A tin roof well laid and 
properly painted is very permanent upon a flat roof, but 
the difficulty of laying, and of keeping in order increases 
with the pitch of the roof. One great difficulty with such 
a roof is, the sheets being soldered together, it is prac¬ 
tically in one piece, and the contraction and expansion 
with the changes of temperature in such an extent of 
metal, causes the joints to break; besides, however well 
protected with paint it may be above, moisture can roach 
it from below, and rust may cause serious injury before it 
is discovered. These difficulties are avoided in the 
Metallic Shingles, these being in separate pieces, much 
like wooden shingles in size. Expansion and contraction 
being confined to each individual shingle, tlie roof, as a 
whole, is not affected, while they are equally protected on 
both sides from moisture. These Metallic Shingles are 
8X by 1G inches, with tlie lower half, wedge-siiaped, or 
brought to a point. They are ingeniously grooved to 
produce lapping in laying, and this grooving both sup¬ 
plies water channels and strong;hens each shingle. 
These shingles struck us favorably when presented to 
our inspection, but fearing that some defect not manifest 
at first, might be discovered by the storms of winter, we 
have deferred saying much about them until they had 
been properly tested. A careful inspection of roofs that 
have been covered a year or more, shows no signs of 
leakage, or other defect, and we feel safe in advising 
those in search of roofing material to examine the claims 
of the “ Metallic Slates or Shingles.” 
A Firm of Fong Standing.— Time matures 
and ripens many things besides wine. To say of a con¬ 
cern, “ it is one of the oldest houses in its line of busi¬ 
ness,” means something more than to indicate age; it 
implies that the house has a substantial basis, or itcould 
not. have endured the commercial changes and panics; it 
indicates that its dealings have been such, as to hold cus¬ 
tomers, when once secured, and many other things. Tlie 
firm of Chapman & Van Wyclc, Is one of the oldest deal¬ 
ing in Peruvian Guano, in New York City, and when we 
say that they have been in the same business for over 30 
years, those who know the changing character of New 
York business houses, are aware that such stability can 
only be acquired by real merit. This period has seen 
marked changes in the Guano trade, and covers nearly • 
the whole of its history as a fertilizer, in this country. 
Heredity and Variation. — Every living 
thing is influenced by two great and opposing laws— 
First, Heredity , or the tendency to be like the parent- 
embodied in the axiom “ like produces like.” This is 
strengthened by breeding those individuals which are the 
most nearly similar. The second, Variation, or the ten¬ 
dency to be unlike the parent; this is strengthened by 
breeding those individuals which are not similar, but as 
widely different as may be. In general “in-and-in” 
breeding strengthens Heredity , while crossing gives 
scope to Variation. Breeders of stock of all kinds should 
be familiar with, and regard these matters. 
Sun-Stroke is caused by excessive heat; but loss 
of sleep, worry, and general debility will predispose one 
to it. Those obliged to work in tbe hot sun should 
wear a light straw hat with a wet cloth within; a cabbage 
leaf is often used for the same purpose. If a feeling of 
dizziness comes on seek a cool and shady place at once, 
and apply cold water to th? head. Ammonia should be 
inhaled if faintness is felt, but very cautiously. 
Pork-Malting.— Chicago is now the greatest pork¬ 
packing city in the wmrld. She has over forty establish¬ 
ments where hogs are converted into pork, in some of 
which all the preliminary stages of killing, scalding, 
scraping and dressing are gone through with in the space 
of ten minutes. Chicago claims to kill a hog for every 
ten seconds in the year. She is Porkopolis now. 
Pure Coffee.—' This is an age of adulteration, and 
the practice is carried so far that articles used for adul¬ 
teration are themselves adulterated. Coffee suffers as 
much as any other single article from this contemptible 
deception. Almost every kind of seed large enough 
to roast is used for this purpose, and various roots 
from Parsnips to Dandelions are called into the ser¬ 
vice. Ground coffee will float on cold ivater, and not 
soon color the liquid; the adulterations will sink, and 
discolor the water at once. It is best to buy the coffee 
in the “berry,” and grind it at home, or see that it is 
properly done. Even then one may be defrauded, as 
there are machines for making artificial green coffee. 
Feeding - Bran. —Bran is not only an excellent 
food for the production of milk in cow’s, but also for 
feeding young animals. It contains a large proportion 
of the phosphates, which are a most necessary part of 
the food of an animal, but one in which most foods arc 
deficient. In a ton of wheat bran there is 541 Jbs. of 
Phosphoric Acid, and in a ton of rye bran f>81 lbs. Rye 
bran is also richer in Potash than that of wheat, by near- I 
ly 40 per cent; hence for food, and for the resulting ma¬ 
nure, rye bran is preferable. In feeding bran the value 
of the manure should be taken into consideration. This, 
although it may not be seen so conspicuously, nor so 
quickly as the milk in the pail', or the increased thrift of 
a young animal, yet it as certainly exists, and in good 
time will show itself in the field. It is beyond question 
that in feeding a ton of bran, the larger part of the profit 
is made in the manure, and if one is satisfied witli what : I 
he gains directly in the'feeding, he may be all the 
more so with that which he receives in the manure. 
String-Halt. —“W. A. E.,” Arkansas City, Kans. 
String-halt is an affection of the nerves, by which the 
control of certain muscles of the hind leg or legs is lost, 
either continuously or spasmodically. It is incurable, 
but is mitigated sometimes by the use of Belladonna, 
Strychnine, or other antispasmodics or nerve medi¬ 
cines. No horse having this disease, which is an un¬ 
soundness, should be used for breeding. 
Gapes in Chickens.— “ W. F.,” Brooklyn. N. Y. 
Gapes is the result of parasitic worms in the wind-pipe. 
The only cure is to dislodge them. This is sometimes 
successfully done by putting the chicks in a box. cover¬ 
ing the top with a piece of muslin, and dusting fine lime i 
through the cloth. Tlie chicks breathe the lime, and as 
it comes in c mtact with the worms, these let go of the 
membranes, and are dislodged by tlie coughing and sneez- ; 
ing of the chicks. To prevent gapes, the chicks should 
not be kept onground where fowls have previously been, i 
Kopy Cream.—F. D. Young, Altoona, Pa. When 
milk throws up a ropy glutinous substance in place of 
cream, it is an evidence that the cow is not in a healthy r, 
condition. A dose of Salts (12 oz.) may be given, and i 
a few one ounce doses of Hyposulphite of Soda given I 
daily may remove the difficulty. Clover alone is not i 
good pasture for milk, and is apt to disturb theconlition ; j 
of the row; if a few pounds of bran, or two pounds of ! | 
cotton-seed meal are given each day, it will probably help il 
to remove the ropiness. 
Sowing ©rcliard-Gi'ass.— “M. J. B." Thereis ;! 
no other grass that does so well under shade as Orchard- |j 
Grass. If the ground is plowed and harrowed this month. 1 
the seed may be sown either alone or with a bushel of 1 
oats per acre. The oats can be mowed or pastured in : 
October, or will freeze and die down, forming a mulch j 
for the grass. Forty lbs. of Orchard-Grass seed should 11 
be sown per acre. Twenty lbs. each of Orchard-Grass | 
and of Blue-Grass makes an excellent mixture. 
“ Big Head.”— “M. W.,” Davies Co., Ind. "Big 
Head,” is incurable. It is a disease of the bones of the 
head, and can only be treated by removing the bones, I 
which, in that part of the body’, would obviously destroy ;■ 
the animal. The disease consists in the growth of spongy I 
excrescences on the bone, which arise from scrofulous, || 
or other unhealthy condition, which is constitutional. i 
The disease may be mitigated, and the final result post¬ 
poned by the use of Iodine and Hyposulphite of Soda, 
with Iron, but the advice of an educated veterinary sur¬ 
geon should be taken, before using them. 
Stagnant Water.— One of the most fertile sources 
of diseases is a pond of filthy water made so by soakings i 
from the barnyard. Such a breeder of foul gases should I 
not exist, much less be a repository for dead animals 
and decaying garbage. 
Fanibs for Market. —“R. S. G.,”Houston, N. Y. 
Tlie most desirable lambs for market, are a cross of 
Southdown on Merino. These are fat and plump, with j 
small bones, and have the black faces and legs of the ! 
. sires, which are a recommendation with the butchers. 
A cross of Cotswold on Merino, produces a larger lamb, 
but it is looser bodied, and more bony. Either the South- i 
down, or the Cotswold makes a good cross on Merino j 
ewes, the mutton is good, and the lambs are vigorous. 
_ 
Implements. —When the toolsand implements are i 
done with for the season, they should be thoroughly 
cleaned and put away in safe, dry places. It is a good 
plan to protect journals and gearings from dust and rub¬ 
bish, by tying them up in stout paper or pieces of cloth. 
It will save much time and labor in cleaning them in the 
spring when one is busier than now. 
Strangles in a Colt.— “F. K.,” Etna, N. Y. The 
swellings of the glands of the throat near the angles of 
the jaws, are probably “ Strangles,” and not. Goitre, which 
rarely appears in horses. Goitre is a permanent enlarge¬ 
ment of the thyroid gland, supposed to be caused by the 
use of impure water. There is no suppuration, and the 
tumor is fleshy and vascular, and often of a gritty sub 
stance from the deposit of mineral particles. In horses 
and single hoofed animals, Goitre appears as two distinct 
swellings, while in others it is one, and appears in the 
