1876 .] 
AMERICAN AG-RIO U LT URIST. 
315 
Some Questions as to 05U>s - s.—“A. 
A. V.,” Summit Co., Ohio. Oat straw is not injurious to 
young pigs ; on tho contrary, being soft, it makes a bet¬ 
ter bedding for them than any other kind of straw. It is, 
however, too valuable, as fodder for cattle or horses, to 
be used for bedding, when earth, sand, leaves, or any 
other dry absorbent can be procured. To decide which 
is the most profitable breed ot hogs lor a tanner to keep, 
is more than one person could do. The whole Swine 
Breeder’s Convention failed to decide this question either 
for themselves or for others. Any good pig is a profita¬ 
ble animal to keep, and there are good pigs of all the 
established breeds. A farmer should procure a thorough¬ 
bred boar of the breed he most fancies, and then raise 
half-bred pigs from the best common sows he can find. 
It does not pay a farmer to keep all thorough-breds for 
the most profit; he should raise grades and feed and keep 
them well. The Essex pigs are entirely black. 
Siid'olk, or Small Yorkshire.—“L. 
P. W.,” Quincy, Ill. The difference between these two 
breeds of pigs would be difficult to decide. Our modem 
improved breeds of pigs are all made up by crosses, which 
have been made to suit the fancy of breeders,and therefore 
different strains show great variety. It would not make 
a Suffolk anything else than a Suffolk, if a cross of small 
Yorkshire was used for a distinct purpose, and the pro¬ 
duce then bred with the Suffolks again, any more than 
the Berkshires or Essex are made other than what they 
were by a “ dash ” of Neapolitan blood ; or a Cotswold 
sheep would be made something else by a oross of 
Leicester blood. If the pigs are improved, much dis¬ 
cretion may be allowed to a capable and judicious breeder. 
SIieep-BSaisiiag - its llie West.— “D. 
F. E.,” Strasburg, Ya. Perhaps the safest plan for any 
person, who wishes to undertake slieep-raisiug at the 
West, would be to spend a year in learning the business, 
and seeking a good location in the locality which he may 
choose. Perhaps Kansas, Nebraska, or Colorado, on tbe 
whole offer the best opportunity. One might visit 
Hutchinson in Reno Co., on the Atchison, Topeka and 
Santa Fe railroad; Salina, Ellsworth, or Victoria, on the 
Kansas Pacific railroad; Lincoln, Neb., on tho Burling¬ 
ton and Missouri railroad, and then look along the Union 
Pacific railroad in Nebraska and Colorado, choosing a lo¬ 
cation where best suited. The cost would be small com¬ 
pared to what might be lost by making a hurried location. 
Com or Wheat for Poultry.—“G. Q. 
P.,” Culpepper Co., Ya. “ Scientific” journals, so called, 
are not always trustworthy as to their statements. That 
corn does not provide sufficient fat or albumen for tbe re¬ 
quirements of a laying hen, while wheat supplies these 
necessaries in abundance, is incorrect as to the corn ; for 
corn contains five times as much fat as wheat, and more 
than three-fourths as much as albuminoids. In fact, corn 
is a richer food for hens than wheat. Also that “ corn- 
fed hens do not lay, \yhile wheat-fed ones do,” is a mis¬ 
take. But a change from corn to wheat is healthful and 
advisable, not that corn is not sufficiently nutritious, but 
that a variety of food is well for all animals. 
Feeding - Grain to Calves.—" G. C. P.,” 
Wapello Co., Iowa. To feed raw grain to a young calf 
would be injudicious ; but to give a well-boiled gruel of 
oat, wheat, or corn meal in moderation, until the calf be¬ 
came at least three or four months old would be useful, 
then it could digest a moderate quantity of meal. 
Croats versus Rats.—“W. L. R,” Chili- 
cothe, Ohio. It is a very prevalent opinion that rats 
will not stay where goats are kept, and if this is a fact, 
we must say we respect their judgment. We cannot say 
from our own knowledge as to this, but a friend who 
some years ago took a farm that was overrun with rats, 
assures us that they have disappeared since some Angora 
goats were brought on to the promises. Our own farm 
was at one time infested with rats, hut they disappeared 
upon the application of vigorous measures, although no 
goat was upon the place. So the question has two 
points of view, and may be considered a doubtful one. 
Kiglit and lie fit Again. — Which is right 
and which is left, in the case of twining vines climbing 
a pole, is still a puzzle to some of our readers. Wo 
thought we had set it all right in the February number, 
p. 75, but one important little matter was left out of our 
explanation, which quite spoiled it. We will do it over, 
raid hope for better success. We should have attended 
to it before, but have been in such a whirl of occupation 
for the last two or three months that we could hardly tell 
our right hand from our left, and the letters of our cor¬ 
respondents got mislaid.—Now then : When we told our 
original correspondent to stand before his bean pole and 
see which direction his bean-vine took, we expected him 
to face the jiole ; but we forgot to tell him to “face the 
music,” we mean the pole, all the time lie was marching 
round. Keep your eye on the pole and go round. You 
will go to the left if you follow your bean-vine, to the 
right if you follow your hop-vino. By omitting to state 
this, and telling our correspondent to “ walk round,” we 
led him into the muddle instead of out of it. Probably 
our correspondent will add that it is an awkward business 
going round a pole crab-fashion. We will save him the 
trouble by asking him to come up to the polo on any side 
he likes. On whichever side ho comes to it he will see 
his bean-vine turning from his left to his right as it 
ascends, his hop-vine from right to left. 
Failure fo Grow Potatoes iu Colo¬ 
rado.— - ‘R. X). R.,” Trinidad, Col., writes, that pota¬ 
toes arc not a sure crop in that locality, the tops growing 
profusely, but the tubers are very small, and lie asks what 
is to be done about it. We should be glad to hear from 
some of our readers in Colorado or Now Mexico in rela¬ 
tion to this matter. A case which might give a clue to 
the cause, and a remedy, happened in our experience. A 
piece of heavily timbered ground was cleared and burnt 
over, tlie ashes being spread upon tbe burned soil, which 
was planted to potatoes. The crop was very large as to 
vines, but nothing as to tubers, except in a small piece 
where the tops were mowed down. Here the crop was 
very fair. The next year, after the ashes had been leach¬ 
ed by a season’s rains, a very large crop of potatoes was 
taken oft". Is the soil in question rich in potash, as a 
feldspattic or granitic soil might be in that dry region? 
If so, copious irrigation might improve it. 
Mow to Mciul a Fowl’s Rrokeu 
Deg.—When a valuable fowl happens to break a leg, tho 
accident may be repaired with the greatest ease. Place 
the bird upon tbe saddle described on p. 9G, March No., 
and carefully adjust the broken limb. If it is the thigh 
bone that is broken, cover the injured part with mucilage 
or glue, plastering the feathers down on to the flesh; 
then cover the leg with a thick coat of the glue or mucil¬ 
age, and sprinkle flour upon it until the moisture is 
absorbed. If the lower bone is broken, do the same, and 
afterwards cover the part with a few thicknesses of brown 
paper, softened in the mucilage or glue. In an hour, or 
as soon as dry, the dressing will lie firm, and the bird 
may be set at liberty. To prevent injury to tho dressing, 
keep the bird by itself in a quiet place for a few days. 
Swiss Cows. —“ G. J. A.,” Worcester. The 
Swiss cows have a good reputation as abundant and rich 
milkers, but we have no information as to the average 
percentage of cream contained in their milk. At present 
the Jerseys and Guernseys stand in this respect ahead 
of all other cows, their milk yielding on an average about 
95 per cent of cream, and some cows of these breeds 
have surpassed this. 
'Fite Best Feeil for tlie Growth ol’ 
Wool. —“Wool-grower,” Beatrice, Neb. For the best 
growth of wool upon Merino sheep, corn is generally 
considered to be tlie best feed. But cheapness and con¬ 
venience are to be considered, as well as healthful¬ 
ness. Corn is tlie cheapest and most convenient feed in 
the Western States, and although some other additional 
feeds might be desired, yet we know of none, unless it 
may bo linseed oil-cake, which is made in tlie West, and 
can be procured cheaply, that could be added to it profit¬ 
ably. For long-wool sheep corn alone is not desirable, 
as it does not produce the silky fiber that is so much 
valued. For these sheep roots should be added to tlie 
corn, and sugar beets and mangels are best in the West, 
where the soil and climate are favorable for their growth. 
Floral Decorations for Dwelling 
Mouses, by Annie Hassard. London and New York, 
Macmillan & Co. All readers of English horticultural pa¬ 
pers are aware that Miss Hassard occupies a high position 
as a floral decorator, as she has taken many prizes for her 
designs, and is a frequent contributor to the journals. The 
present volume (said to have been Americanized), gives 
all the mechanical operations and designates the mate¬ 
rials to be used for table, room, and window decorations, 
the making of hand and button-hole bouquets, and for 
the arrangement of flowers and plants for various deco¬ 
rative purposes. The work is abundantly illustrated, not 
forgetting our old window box of Dracaenas. Some 
years ago we had in our dining-room a window box con¬ 
taining Dracaenas, which we thought effective, and mak¬ 
ing a pencil sketch, had an engraving made of it for 
“ Hearth and Home.” It is very amusing to see how 
that has gone the rounds of books on window garden¬ 
ing. horticultural journals, and now, after tlie plants 
have been thrown out for years, they stare us in the face 
in the present work, where, by the way, they are in very 
good company. 
IVliat is a MomI1i?—“ W. A. H.” When 
a man agrees to work for eight months, tlie time counts 
according to the calendar, as from tlie first of one month, 
orany other day of it, to tlie first of another month, or 
any other day corresponding to that upon which the term 
began. Twenty-six working days may be a month, or 
may not, and there is no binding rule or custom any¬ 
where, that we know of, by which that number of days 
is held to be a month. There are 313 working days in a 
year, and 19 months or 2(5 days each, would give but 312 
days in the year, so that an arbitrary rule making 26 days 
to be a month, would cause a loss of one day to°the em¬ 
ployer. Where a man is hired by the month, it is the 
usual custom, as far as we know, and as we have practiced 
it, to make no deduction for legal holidays. On those 
days tlie hired man is expected to do necessary work, such 
as feeding and cleaning the stock, but no more. Where 
he is paid at a fixed daily rate, all holidays or idle days 
are deducted, and he is paid only for the actual time lie 
has worked. In making agreements there should always 
be a written contract, which would prevent disputes and 
misunderstandings, either wilful or accidental. 
Warm Slops lor “ G. S.,” Ma¬ 
son Co., Ill. Pigs, having a thick protective layer of fat 
beneath their skin, and being fed upon concentrated and 
highly carbonaceous food, do not need to have warm 
feed. We have not found warm feed to agree with them 
and prefer to give it cool, or at most, only very slightly 
warm. But slops given in a half frozen condition are to 
be avoided as injurious and wasteful. In considering 
the question of cooked food fed while warm, as a saving 
of vital heat, we must not overlook the necessity for con¬ 
sulting the nature of the digestive organs and accommo¬ 
dating our practice to their peculiarities. There is a 
“golden mean” to be observed in all departures from 
natural conditions, and wide or sudden divergences are 
seldom w’ise. 
Tumor osa llae Eye. —“A. McF.,” Napa 
Co., Cal. Cows sometimes sutler from tumors of a fun¬ 
goid character, which grow from the corners of the orbit 
of the eye. These frequently originate in the “ hook” or 
membrane, which sweeps and cleans tho eye-ball. 
When the tumor becomes enlarged, bleeds, and is highly 
inflamed, it is sometimes necessary to have it cutaway 
by a surgeon. But this operation, which is rarely entire¬ 
ly successful, may often be avoided by treating the tumor 
with a safe caustic, such as nitrate of silver. A solution of 
10 grains of this, sold as lunar caustic, to one ounce of 
distilled or pure rain water, should be applied twice a 
day to tbe tumor, with acamel’s-hair pencil. This should 
be done as soon as possible. When tlie knife has been 
used, some portions of the tumor remain, and these will 
grow and enlarge if they are not at once removed by the 
caustic. Tho application of tho caustic should therefore, 
in nearly all cases, follow the use of the knife. These 
tumors are known as fungus lummotodes. and generally 
result from a scrofulous condition of the animal. Conse¬ 
quently they are rarely entirely cured, but when repressed 
in one place, they appear in another. An animal troubled 
with them is not a desirable one to breed from, as the 
disease is hereditary. 
Sleep for Seeel Wheat. —“Farmer,” 
Independence, Iowa. No wheat should be sown with¬ 
out being steeped, as a preventive of rust and smut. 
These are supposed, with good reason, to be different de- 
velopements of the same fungoid plant which preys 
upon the wheat plant, and the spores of which adhere to 
the seed and are sown with it. The steep we have al¬ 
ways used is a solution of 4 ounces of Milestone (sulphate 
of copper), dissolved in one gallon of water ; this is 
poured over 5 bushels of seed, which is left to soak for 
24 hours. 
Tin; I’ffect of -a Sow Teatsprratsas'o 
upon Milk, and its Products.— L. II. Agme, 
New York, sends tlie following as a translation of a note 
of M. Eugene Tisserand, of Paris, in relation to the 
effects of a low temperature upon milk, cream, butter, 
and cheese: “If milk, immediately after being drawn 
from tlie cow, be submitted to different temperatures, 
from 32° to 96° Fahr., and be kept at the initial tempera¬ 
ture during twenty-four or thirty-six hours, the following- 
facts arc observed: 1. The separation and rising of the 
cream is proportionately more rapid as the temperature 
is nearer 32° Fahr. 2. The volume of cream is greater, 
as tlie temperature to which the milk is subjected is low¬ 
er. 3. Tlie transformation into butter is also more pro¬ 
ductive when the temperature is lower. 4. Finally, the 
cream, butter, and cheese, are all of better quality in the 
latter case.”—If tlie above observations are well founded, 
it would seem that our gradual progress towards the 
cooler setting of milk and tlie use of ice in dairies is 
justified and proper. Tlie Hardin process, which we re¬ 
cently described and illustrated, is based upon the prin¬ 
ciple involved in the above note, and the results of that 
process, so far as it lias been tested, have appeared to be 
very much the same as above observed by M. Tisserand. 
