1876.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
TT 9 
same as we call white walnuts.” This is a very mixed 
case. The three-cornered nut of the shops is not to our 
knowledge ever called “ Butternut,” though it is often 
called “Cream-nut,” but more frequently “Brazil-nut,” 
and “ Castanea.” It comes from Brazil, and is unlike 
the true Butternut in every respect; it is not known to 
our nurserymen, and you could no more succeed with it, 
than you could with the Banana. The “Butternut ” is 
closely related to the Black Walnut, but has a longer 
fruit fboth of these differ from the “ White Walnut,” or 
Hickory, in having very rough nuts, to which the husk 
adheres, and does not break away as in all the hickories. 
If any one has sold you a tree that would bear the three- 
cornered nuts of the shops, he has committed a fraud. 
Indigcslion or Staggers in Pig'S. 
—“ P. B. R.," Portage Co., O. The symptoms of what 
are called “ staggers ” in young pigs are, turning around 
and staggering about, seeming blindness, and turning of 
the neck to one side. It is caused by indigestion, and 
congestion of the food in the stomach from over-feeding 
or weakness. The remedy is to give a tablespoonful of 
linseed oil, or the same quantity of Epsom salts, dissolv¬ 
ed in warm water, and feed very lightly for some time 
with thin oat-meal gruel, given cold. The trouble may 
be prevented by shortening the feed to about half the 
usual ration, as soon as the pig begins to look unthrifty, 
and when it begins to grow again, increase the feed 
gradually. More pigs are starved by over-feeding, than 
by short commons. 
English Sparrows.—H. McIntyre, Ala., 
asks what the English sparrow could do in ridding them 
of the “cotton caterpillar.” The sparrows are domestic 
birds, and live around dwellings. They require houses, 
or if building, a dense growth of ivy or a thatch afford 
convenient places, they will build their.nests in these. 
They have about three broods a year, and as they feed 
their young on animal food, the number of insects they 
destroy is very great. So far, all is in their favor, but 
the old birds do not live entirely, if largely, upon insects, 
and the young, when fledged, also require other food, 
and they devour grain, seeds, and small fruits, and in 
Europe do so much mischief that they are classed among 
the pests. They do not migrate, but remain all the year 
round, and when there is much snow they must be fed. 
In Europe they are charged with attacking and destroy¬ 
ing the buds of fruit and other trees; this might be pre¬ 
vented by supplying them with food and water, and per¬ 
haps in your State they could find food every day in the 
year. European farmers who regard them as a nuisance 
strive to reduce their numbers by destroying their nests, 
and do not take into account the good they may do early 
in the season. Having both sides of the question in 
brief, you can judge if the balance is likely to be, in your 
case, in favor or against the introduction of the birds. 
'I'lae Cheapest Feed for Cows.— 
“Amateur,” Hudson, Wis. Wheat bran at $8 per ton is 
the cheapest and best feed for milk-cows. It contains 
the salts needed for the milk, and a large proportion of 
fat which goes to help make cream. It is more valuable 
than shorts at double the price. 
Reducing' Rones by Sulphuric 
Acid.—“ C. W. C.,” Richmond Co., Va. The method 
of reducing bones by sulphuric acid in a small way is as 
follows: The bones, broken as finely as possible, are 
heaped in a shallow box of plank, and thoroughly wet¬ 
ted. Some of the acid is then poured over them, taking 
great care to avoid splashing. The mass is then shoveled 
over and mixed. More water is poured over it, and then 
more acid, until about 36 or 40 lbs. of acid to the 100 lbs. 
of bone has been used. The heap is then left to heat 
and decompose. After 24 hours it may be worked over 
with the shovel, when it will be pasty or soft. It may be 
dried by the addition of earth free from lime. Some of 
the mills described on page 456, of the present number, 
may be used to grind the bones fine, in which condition 
they are more easily reduced by the acid. The process is 
very disagreeable and somewhat dangerous to those not 
accustomed to chemical manipulations, and one that few 
will care to repeat. When a good phosphate can be pro¬ 
cured for the same price as ground bone, we can not ad¬ 
vise farmers to make it themselves. We would rather 
use the fine-ground bone. 
Poultry Keeping and Gardening 
by liadies.—“ Subscriber.” There is no reason why 
a lady should not undertake the business of gardening 
and poultry keeping, if she takes a fancy for it. It is as 
respectable and proper a way of securing a livelihood for 
a woman as for a man. 
Size of a Market-Garden.—“ J. B. 
Q.,” St. Louis, Mo. Twenty-five acres is ample for a 
market garden. By good management an average of at 
least $400 an acre ought to be taken every year, as two 
or three successive crops should be grown in each season. 
Success in this business, however, depends not so much 
upon hard work as upon good and skillful management. 
Irritation of the Kidneys or Blad¬ 
der. —“ O. T. R.,” Montgomery Co., Kansas. When a 
horse is suffering from irritation of the bladder or kid¬ 
neys, the symptoms are as follows: lie makes ineffectual, 
frequent efforts to stale, turns his nose towards the flank, 
which is the seat of pain, groans, lies down and rises 
frequently and repeatedly, these spasms recurring every 
20 or 30 minutes. Hard work brings on or increases the 
spasms. This affection generally becomes chronic, and 
appears after taking cold, or any severe labor. We have 
relieved it, in the case of one of our own horses, by giv¬ 
ing one dram of nitro-muriatic acid and four drams of 
tincture of rhubarb, in half a pint of rain water, daily, 
and have prevented its recurrence by avoiding corn as 
feed, and using rye and oats, ground with some linseed- 
oil cake, and being careful not to over exert the animal 
at any time. Nitro-muriatic acid is made by mixing 
Nitric Acid with twice its bulk of Muriatic Acid. A 
slight effervescence takes place when they are mixed; 
when this has ceased it should be kept in a glass stop¬ 
pered bottle and handled with care, as it is more corro¬ 
sive than either acid by itself. 
“A IMsease Mice Founder.” —“ W. 
M. S.,” Aiken, S. C. To give any reasonable advice 
about your hogs, we must know the symptoms, and what 
has been their feeding and treatment for some time past. 
The above phrase is so vague that we can suggest no 
remedy. We surmise that paralysis is meant, but can 
form no judgment about the case as it is presented. 
Winter Oats,— “G. S. C.,” Fishers, N. Y. 
We are not at all sanguine as to the success of Winter 
oats, in a locality so far north as yours. They are largely 
grown in the Southern and Middle States, and if they 
can be acclimated in the northern portion they would 
without doubt be valuable. Where the winter tempera¬ 
ture is not only low, but remains so during long periods, 
these oats should be planted only as an experiment. 
Prize Essay on Ikiseases of Swine. 
—The Berkshire Swine Association has announced an 
offer of $100 for the best approved essay on diseases of 
swine, their causes, prevention, and remedies. The 
competing essays are to be sent to the office of the Secre¬ 
tary of the Association, at Springfield, III., before Jan. 
1st, 1817. The essay to which the premium may be 
awarded will be published in the forthcoming second 
volume of the “Berkshire Swine Record.” The award¬ 
ing committee are Prof. Law, of Cornell University, Prof. 
Smith, of the Toronto Veterinary College, non. T. C. 
Jones, of the National Life Stock Journal, and E. G. 
Bedford, Esq., of Kentucky. 
Rutter Floating' on Milk. —“M. M. 
M.,” Clandboye, Manitoba. It is not uncommon for 
small particles of butter to be formed during the milking 
of cows that give more than usually rich milk. The but¬ 
ter globules become broken either in the udder or in the 
pail, the thin pellicle which covers them being ruptured, 
and the minute particles of butter cohere and form small 
masses, visible to the eye. It is not a defect, on the con¬ 
trary, it indicates that the cow is an excellent butter- 
maker. It sometimes happens with ordinary cows, when 
the milk front neglect has not been drawn at the usual 
time. The pressure in the udder may then cause the 
globules to become broken and the freed butter to gather. 
Hay an«l Cotton Press. —“ P. R. F.” 
Barton, Ark. The hay presses in general use may also 
be used for pressing cotton. Information about these 
presses may be procured of Messrs. Dederick & Co., Al¬ 
bany, N. Y., who manufacture several kinds. 
'Flterjiiometer Churns.—“R. F.” There 
is no necessity to have a thermometer fixed to the churn. 
The risk of fracture is probably the reason the churns 
having fixed thermometers have gone out of use. For a 
family churn, the “ Blanchard ” is chosen by many; the 
“Bullard Oscillating Churn” is well liked by others. 
Perhaps the best plan would be to write to the parties 
who advertise churns, and procure descriptive circulars, 
and choose that which seems most suitable. Out of 
about 1,000 different kinds of churns in use, and many of 
them really good ones, it is a^difficult thing to justly de¬ 
cide which is the best, 
Weakness in Ckickens. —“ C. D. J.,” 
Livingston Co., Mich. When fowls, otherwise healthy, 
become weak on their legs, stagger and droop their 
wings, it is a notice that they need some new blood, and 
the roosters should be changed at once. The chickens 
would be helped by having a small pinch of copperas each 
daily, and plenty of red pepper in their food for a few days. 
Reports of tine Judges at tlie Ceu> 
temital,—“ V. W. K.,” Winne Co. The reports of the 
judges at the Centennial will no doubt be officially pub¬ 
lished at some future time—probably not before Congress 
meets. As to the relative merits of the machines tried 
there, it woidd not be fair for ns to make any statement, 
lest undue weight should be given to it. There was no 
competitive trial, but the machines were merely exhibit¬ 
ed, and that under very unfavorable circumstances. 
Basket Items con¬ 
tinued on page 473 0 
The First Prize Jerseys at the Centennial. 
The owners of the principal prize Jersey Cattle, 
at the Centennial Exhibition, have favored us with 
photographs of their animals, from which the en¬ 
gravings upon our first page have been made. 
We present these portraits as an instance of what 
can be done by photography in contrast with the 
fanciful drawings of certain artists. That there 
are defects and distortions in photography is known; 
but the practiced eye can detect these and make 
allowance for them. There are, however, no deceits 
in this process. The form of the body is not chang¬ 
ed, nor its rounded portions altered into straight 
lines and squares, nor the resemblance of the por¬ 
trait to the animal only to be discovered when the 
spectator exercises his fancy or is told by the label. 
Generally it is recognizable at once, although the 
work has passed through the hands of the artist 
who finishes the photograph, engraver, electro¬ 
typer, and the printer since it left the camera. 
The portraits here given are of great interest, as 
they represent what are probably the best Jersey 
cows in the world. The Jersey cattle collected at 
the Centennial Exhibition were remarkably select. 
They competed not only for a valuable premium, 
but for a high honor, and the race was well and 
numerously represented. Doubtless no better col¬ 
lection of Jerseys were ever gathered together, and 
our formerly expressed opinion, that in this country 
we have better Jerseys than are to be found else¬ 
where, we consider as justified by this exhibition. 
From this collection the prize winners were select¬ 
ed with painstaking care and deliberation. The 
scale of points of the American Jersey Cattle Club 
was the test of merit. Color, very properly, was 
entirely ignored, for a good cow may be of any 
color, and cows can not, ordinarily, be bred for 
beauty, in preference to usefulness. The premiums 
competed for were offered by the American Jersey 
Cattle Club as follows : $300 for the best herd, con¬ 
sisting of one bull and four cows ; $250, each, for 
the best bull and cow, and $100, each, forthe second 
best bull or cow ; in all $1,000. The competition 
for these prizes, and for the honors attached to 
them, brought out a very large number of the best 
animals, more in fact than the aggregate of all other 
breeds on exhibition. 
The Herd Prize was awarded to Mr. Charles L. 
Sharpless of Philadelphia for his bull “Chetten 
Duke,” and four cows, “Milkmaid,” H. R., “Black 
Bess,” H. R. 1788; “Tiberia,” H. R. ; and “Lady 
Maud,” H. R. 3795. The portraits of all of these 
cows are shown in the engraving, and we regret that 
we are not able to give the portrait of the bull, as it 
was not possible, after many endeavors, to procure a 
photograph, on account of the animal’s restlessness. 
“Chetten Duke” is out of Mr. Sharpless’ “Duck- 
ess,” a noted grand cow, and inherits his dam’s 
grand qualities. These cows are all heavy milkers, 
and butter makers, “ Lady Maud,” for instance, the 
past summer, as a two-year old only, gave 92 quarts 
of milk in 7 days, from which 91 lbs. of the best but¬ 
ter was made. She was giving a month ago, on 
grass alone, 10 quarts of milk per day, 61 months 
after calving. The first prize cow was “Niobe,” H. 
R. 99, who is the property of Mr. Samuel J. Sharp¬ 
less, also of Philadelphia. This cow, a model 
Jersey, is 18 years old, but still in prime condition 
of health and usefulness. She seemed to us the 
Jersey, par excellence, of the whole exhibition, and 
recalled the style of cow which used to be popular 
before breeders gave so much attention to beauty 
