363_ AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. [Deosmbi*, 
Insurance on Farm Animals. 
In response to tlie article on this subject, page 
2G8, of September Agriculturist , Mr. Jno. S. Wil¬ 
liams, of Bucks Co., Pa., writes us that in that 
County alone there are at least four associa¬ 
tions which insure animals against death 
by disease or accident. Part of these societies 
have been in operation for some ten years past, 
and have been found to answer an admirable pur¬ 
pose. Mr. W. sends us the Constitution and By- 
Laws of the “ Laliaska Insurance Company,” the 
head-quarters of which are at Doylestown, Pa. 
The Company is a mutual one, insuring build¬ 
ings, personal property, and animals, against 
fire, and also the “ Lives of Domestic Animals 
from Disease or Accident.” The following ex¬ 
tract relates to losses of animals by death. 
“In case of the death by disease or accident of 
any animal insured in the Life Department, the 
owner shall give immediate notice in writing to 
the Secretary; if the Secretary shall deem it neces¬ 
sary to make an investigation, he shall attend to it 
himself, or notify one or more of the Directors or 
Surveyors, whose duty it shall be to attend thereto, 
and examine into the facts of the case and report 
the same without delay to the Board of Directors or 
the Executive Committee. If all is right the whole 
insurance will be paid. This being a life insurance, 
no animal will be paid for until it is dead; but when 
an animal becomes injured by disease or accident so 
that there is no probability of its living, or has be¬ 
come entirely worthless and is likely to remain so, 
or has some very dangerous contagious disease, the 
insured may report the case to the Secretary, who 
may appoint an Investigating Committee, (as here- 
in-before specified,) and said Committee shall have 
discretionary power in such cases, and if they shall 
be entirely satisfied, they may direct to slay the ani¬ 
mal, and the Company will pay the insurance.” 
The following are the annual rates of insur¬ 
ance on each one hundred dollars of valuation, 
against death by disease or accident: 
No. I.—On Horses, Mules, and Cattle, ordinary risk.$1.50 
No 2.—On Stud Horses or Jacks.$2.00 
No. 3.—On Stage Horses.$2.00 
No. 4.—On Livery Horses .$2.00 
No. 5.—On Drove Horses within 6 months after com¬ 
ing in .$2.00 
No. 6.—On Canal Horses, or Mules.$2.50 
One per cent additional for risk against Foaling or 
Castrating. 
Care of Cows before Calving. 
The following extract from a Prize Essay on 
the “ Rearing of Calves,” by Thomas Bowick, 
published in the Journal of the Royal Agricul¬ 
tural Society (Eng.), is applicable to all latitudes. 
“ The health and condition of the cow before 
calving, greatly influence subsequent results. A 
late milked, lean, raking, ill-cared for beast has 
oftentimes an easier parturition than those that 
are better furnished in these respects. But her 
after milking has a tale to tell of neglect some¬ 
where; and the scraggy, “set” condition of the 
calf throughout its after course, often arises 
more from this cause than from any other. 
Hence, we would say, dry the cow a fair time be¬ 
fore calving, and see that she has something bet¬ 
ter than barley-straw to live on, else the calf and 
its owner will assuredly lose by it. But what is 
regarded as a fair amount of time for being dry ? 
If a cow brings her first calf when from two to 
three years old—which the maj ority probably do, 
though all will admit that it is too early—we 
should not care to milk her more than five or six 
months after calving. By this means she wifi 
grow and increase in size and value before her 
second calf. But a cow from the fourth to the 
eighth year, if in good condition, need not be 
dry more than six weeks or two months before 
calving; i.e. if fed with a thoroughly liberal hand 
throughout the year. If more sparingly fed, or 
if the cow exceeds the latter age, then we should 
prefer her being dry three months before calving. 
But, of course, there are exceptions to be met 
with, which can not come under any general rule, 
such as the case of animals whose flow of mjlk 
is so strong as to continue almost up to the time 
when a new lacteal secretion commences.” 
We must add here a point that we have dis¬ 
cussed at length in a former volume of the 
American Agriculturist , viz., that a breeding cow’s 
milk is not fit food for young children; we al- 
A Bag Holder. 
The boys at least, and farmers who have no 
boys, will be interested in the picture here 
shown. It is a sketch of an implement recently 
received at our office from a Western Yankee, 
(Mr. A. M. Olds, of St. Croix Co., Wis.) The 
apparatus is designed to distend the mouth and 
at the same time holdup a bag while being filled 
with grain. It is difficult to show its working 
parts. By pressing down the foot pedal, p, the 
two side boards, b, b , are drawn back. In the 
outer ends of each of these boards is a little 
iron spur. The back board, c, projects be¬ 
low the side board into the bag, and on the back 
of this board (c) are two other spurs. When the 
side boards are drawn back, the mouth of the 
bag is placed over the four spurs, and then on 
lifting the foot, the side boards shoot forward, 
pushing the mouth of the bag open, and holding 
it there. The small frame moves up and down 
on the shaft, s, being held up by the cord, v, 
which runs over a pulley at the top of s, and is 
attached to a weight running down its center. 
This ingenious arrangement keeps the bag up¬ 
right, whether long or short, as the grain poured 
in brings the bottom down to the floor, while the 
weight and cord keep the top raised up to the 
full liight of the bag. After a few minutes prac¬ 
tice we found the apparatus quite convenient. 
It dispenses entirely with a boy or man to hold 
open the bag, while the mouth is readily opened 
wider than can be done by hand. As above 
hinted, the boys will be pleased with this relief 
to them, and a man working alone would cer¬ 
tainly find it convenient. It will doubtless pay 
well for the small interest on its cost. Not hav¬ 
ing consulted with the inventor, we do not know j 
the price, nor whether the implements are yet 
made for sale. It will doubtless be advertsQd- 
Feeding Grain to Colts. 
A subscriber inquires of the American Agricul¬ 
turist whether it is advisable to feed oats to 
colts in Winter • some of his neighbors think the 
practice injurious. It is objected that grain 
of any kind is too stimulating for young ani¬ 
mals, and that they will grow up more hardy if 
kept on scanty feed. We regard this as an er¬ 
ror. The usual food of an animal, including 
grain, is not “ stimulating ” in the same sense as 
the spices and drinks used by man; were that 
the case, there would be no question as to the 
impropriety of allowing grain to young horses 
or other animals. Grain contains more nutri¬ 
ment than the same bulk of straw or hay. If 
fed in large quantity to one not worked suffi¬ 
ciently to keep the digestive powers very active, 
the stomach and other organs will be impaired, 
and the health of the animal will be injured. 
But given judiciously, grain promotes the growth 
and strength of horses either young or old. The 
proper way to harden an animal, is, not to cramp 
the growth of its organs, but to develop them 
to the fullest extent, and nutritious food is 
indispensable to this end. It is the practice of 
some of the best horsemen to allow a small 
quantity of oats or corn to colts, as soon as they 
will eat them, say from a quart to two quarts 
per day during the first Winter, and a more lib¬ 
eral allowance the following year, increasing the 
quantity gradually. Oats are preferable, as corn 
from its oily nature predisposes to inflammato¬ 
ry diseases. Herbert says this treatment will 
amply repay the owner in the quality of bone 
and muscle which the animal will form, and in 
the increased size, beauty, and stamina, which 
will be his characteristics when he is growing to¬ 
ward maturity. He gives his opinion that a colt 
cared for in this way, will be, at two years old, 
the equal of any three-year-old, allowed to take 
his chance without any food but that furnished 
by his dam from her ordinary commons, or 
picked up by himself, in his Summer pasture or 
Winter straw-yard. , 
Truant Bees—Cross Breeds. 
Mr. M. Quinby, while at the office of the 
American Agriculturist recently, related a circum¬ 
stance, showing the distance to which bees wan¬ 
der from the hive. Last year he procured some 
of the Italian Bees. A bee-keeper situated 2i 
miles distant, informed Mr. Quinby that he had 
the Italian variety also, 'without buying it. Mr. 
Quinby examined the hives and found several 
well marked specimens showing a decided mix¬ 
ture of the Italian blood. Subsequently another 
bee-keeper at about the same distance in anoth¬ 
er direction found a cross of the Italian variety 
had been effected in one of his hives. The Ital¬ 
ian drone and the queen of the common species 
had met, and the progeny was of course a hybrid 
of the two. The question remains, was it the 
queen or the drone that made such an extended 
excursion-or did they meet half way ? And 
further: How far distant must any variety be 
kept from all others, to absolutely prevent 
mixing ? 
An ignorant man, recovering from sickness, 
was told that he might have a little animal food. 
“ Humph 1” said he, “ I could cat gruel, but ] 
can not stand hay and oats. 
