1863.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
197 
Value of Goats. —“A subscriber to the 
Agriculturist asks about the value of goats kept for milk, 
with information as to their desirableness, etc. They 
have some excellent qualities, but some that are particu¬ 
larly undesirable. They may be kept very cheaply, as 
they will eat almost any green thing, and many weeds 
which other animals refuse. We have seen a goat eagerly 
feeding on brown paper. Their milk is very rich, and 
considered excellent food for children. But they are also 
very mischievous if allowed to run at large. Not a flower, 
plant, or tree is safe from their depredations. If kept at 
all, it should be in an enclosure where they can do no 
harm. Then if the pasture be rich, a good goat will prob¬ 
ably yield milk enough to be profitable. 
§cal» in Sheep.— O. L. Walter, Luzerne Co., 
Pa. This disease is caused by the presence of a minute 
parasitic insect, which burrows in the skin of the sheep. 
It is very contagious. Infected animals should be sepa¬ 
rated from the flock, the scabs scoured off with a stiff 
brush and soap suds, and afterward dipped in a strong 
decoction of tobacco mixed with a little spirits turpentine. 
To Bestroy Sheep Ticks.— John Scott, 
Niagara Co., N. Y. Immediately after shearing, dip the 
sheep and lambs in a pretty strong decoction of tobacco. 
This will destroy the ticks without injuring the flock. 
Insuring Sheep against Dogs.— 
Geo. I. Evans, Jefferson Co., Ohio., writes that since the 
Legislature of that State refuses to tax dogs, the Trenton 
Farmer’s Club proposes to organize itself into a sort df 
Insurance Co. for protection of sheep. We suppose it 
would only extend to members of the club who would be 
assessed to pay for the sheep destroyed each year. 
Proof against Sheep-Killing 1 Dogs. 
—C. II. Field, Westchester Co., N. Y., writes to the 
Agriculturist that conclusive proof against sheep-killing 
dogs may often be had, by examining their mouths. 
Small pieces of wool will be found between their teeth 
for several days after they have been on a foray. They 
are cunning enough to wash off marks of blood, but can 
not pick their teeth so readily. 
Ring-hone in Horses.— C. D. Wilson, 
Chautauqua Co., N. Y. This disease is often hereditary. 
Colts but a few months old have frequently been affected 
with it. It may be caused by any strain of the ligaments 
in the region of the pastern joint. There is no complete 
cure known. Lameness may be removed by rest, and 
stimulating liniments, or counter irritants, as blistering 
the skin. Prevention is found in careful usage. 
Cure for Sci*atches.— “Non Equus” con¬ 
tributes to the Agriculturist the following remedy for 
scratches in horses, which he says is infallible : Mix one 
ounce of verdigris (sub-acetate of copper) with a gill of 
unsalted lard, and daily anoint the affected parts with a 
teaspoonful of the ointment. The feet and legs of the 
animal should be washed with warm soap suds, and will¬ 
ed dry, before applying this preparation. 
Warts on Horses. — Samuel Thompson, 
Salem Co., N. J., writes to the Agriculturist that he has 
been successful in removing warts from horses without 
resorting to the knife. He uses a mixture of one part 
flowers of sulphur to two parts of Alcohol by measure, to 
be well shaken and applied daily until the wart disappears. 
To Steep Huts from Harness.— Samuel 
Thompson, Salem Co., N. J., recommends to mix a little 
tar with the oil used on harness, which he says w ill keep 
rats from gnawing it. 
Gapes in Chickens.—“ Inquirer.” Preven¬ 
tion is better than cure. Young chickens kept in dry, 
clean quarters, and fed with cracked corn, the size of the 
pieces being suited to their age, are seldom affected with 
this ailment. Many remedies have been published ; the 
favorite one is to dip the feather end of a quill in spirits 
turpentine, open the mouth of the chicken and twist the 
feather in its windpipe. This will remove or destroy the 
small worms which accompany the disease, and some¬ 
times effect a cure. 
A Mischievous Bird.— Noah B. Aiken, 
Lorain Co., O., writes to the Agriculturist , that the Barn 
Wren is a very troublesome bird, throwing out the eggs 
from the nests of swallows and other birds, and thereby 
meriting shooting at sight. We are not acquainted with 
any bird of such habits. It certainly cannot be the com¬ 
mon wren, which though resolute in defending its ow n 
premises, is not. to our knowledge, an invader of the 
rights of others. Can any one give such a description as 
shall certainly designate this mischievous bird, and give a 
warrant for its execution ? 
Sparred Floors for Cattle.— “Farmer.” 
Erie Co., N. Y. We somewhat question the expediency 
of using them, especially in Winter. Tile liquid manure 
will indeed pass away readily, but then the cold winds 
will also blow up through them, making the stalls chilly 
and unwholesome. Manure will freeze worse in such 
stalls than in others. And moreover, a grating makes an 
unpleasant footing for man or beast. 
Red Bnrham Cattle.— L. W. Goodrich, 
Piscataquis Co., Me. Certainly, there are imported Dur- 
hams whose color is uniformly red, and whose blood is 
as pure as the white or roan stock. 
Protecting Bee-Hives from Ants.— 
J. Hills, writes to the Agriculturist that he effectually 
protected his hives from black ants, which had previously 
been very troublesome, by placing the supports of the 
stand in troughs of water. The insects were unable to 
swim over, and the hives w'ere left unmolested. 
Mig-nonette lor Rees.— Walter Fish, an 
Apiarian of Clackamas Co.. Oregon, seeing it recommend¬ 
ed to sow mignonette for bees to make honey of, tried the 
experiment and found the honey made from the blossoms 
had a strong odor like that of buckwheat. Mignonette is 
an annual, worthless, as he says, save for honey, while 
buckwheat blooms all Summer and then gives a crop of 
grain. He says white clover is better than either for 
honey, good for stock, and fine to turn under as a fertilizer. 
Non Swarming- Hives.— In reply to a 
communication to the Agriculturist on the value of non¬ 
swarming hives, by Jasper Hagen, Mr. Quinby writes: 
“ J. II. presumes because he has had some experience 
with a half dozen hives, two or three years, in one place, 
that all other bees in the country will do the same. These 
non-swarming hives, are not to be depended upon as such. 
Until we can get one that will, it seems like a waste of 
time to discuss their profit as compared with the swarm- 
er. I have had no reason to change the opinion given 
ten years ago on this point, in the ‘ Mysteries of Bee- 
Keeping,’ pages 37-8 and I have had much subsequent 
experience on this point. In this locality, I find three in 
eight will swarm, even when put in the dark room_In 
such room, the surplus honey is in bad shape for market. 
A good non-swarmer is a very desirable article, and one 
that would give the surplus honey in good shape for 
market, and could be reliable at all times, or only nine in 
ten, would, to me at least, be worth hundreds of dollars.” 
Bottling Insects. —During an insect dis¬ 
cussion at the New-York Fruit Growers Meeting, Dr. 
Trimble protested against the method of wholesale de¬ 
struction practised by some persons who hang open bot¬ 
tles of sweetened water in fruit trees to entrap insects. 
His argument was, that “in so doing one destroyed more 
friends than enemies ; we should rather encourage the 
increase of the clear-winged fly, the lady bug, etc., as 
these prey upon destructive insects. 
Trap for Wire Worsns.— A correspond¬ 
ent of the London Gardeners’ Chronicle was successful 
in ridding a grape vine border of wire worms by the fol¬ 
lowing plan ; Potatoes were cut in slices half an inch 
thick, and inserted at short intervals along the border, 
about two inches below the surface. A small stick was 
placed to show the locality of each piece. The potatoes 
were regularly inspected every morning for about three 
weeks, and large numbers of worms were daily found in 
them. In this way the ground was ultimately cleaned of 
these destructive pests. 
Scale on Apple Trees. — “ G.,” of St. 
Paul, Minn., refering to the bark-louse question in the 
June Agriculturist, says he had a tree growing on poor 
soil which was completely covered with scale. lie made 
a strong lye from wood ashes, and applied it with a stiff 
wisp broom. The first rain washed it clear of scale, the 
leaves came out healthy, and it bore its first crop of 
fruit that year. He has since used lye with like good 
success, without injuring the trees. 
Bean Weevil.— C. R. Thomas, Warwick 
Co., Ind., and others. We have had no experience with 
this insect, but suppose that it may be destroyed like the 
pea-bug, by scalding the seed before planting. 
Potato Bug-.— S. J. Noble, Dorchester Co., 
Md., says that the most effectual way to destroy the po¬ 
tato bug “is to take a tin bucket or basin In one hand, 
and the potato top in the other ; shake the bugs into the 
bucket or basin and you have got them to burn or bury at 
your pleasure. I have captured gallons of them in this 
way.” We do not know to which particular bug Mr. N. 
refers, but his advice is sensible as regards any of the 
many species which infest the potato. The only way in 
which we can get rid of insects, aside from the help ot 
birds and parasites, is actual destruction. There are no 
specifics or particular remedies for each insect. We 
must study their habits and work for their destruction in 
the stages of egg, larva, and perfect insect. By destroy¬ 
ing the moth, butterfly, or beetle, we prevent their multi¬ 
plication, but as these are the forms in which insects 
appear to be most harmless, we mainly direct our efforts 
toward the larva. Destroy the perfect insect, and the 
destructive larva will cease. 
The Chess Question. —D. Noble, Shaw- 
anaw Co., Wis., thinks that we do wrong to decline dis¬ 
cussion on this subject. We might fill our pages with 
arguments on either side of this or any other public falla¬ 
cy. We are willing to admit even, that the moon is made 
of green cheese, if we can see an authentic specimen. 
If he has an example of the transmutation of one grain 
into another we will not even decide on it ourselves, but 
submit it to the first botanists of the country, and if they 
say that the specimen is partly wheat, or any other grain, 
and partly chess we will give it up. Send the specimens. 
Sweet Potato Tops for Fodder.— 
K. Horner, Wayne Co., Mich., asks if sweet potato tops 
are suitable food for animals. He has had good success 
in raising the crop in his locality and finds that cows mid 
hogs are fond of the tops. We have always lei the tops 
remain until the frost killed them, and have had no experi¬ 
ence in feeding. The sweet potato belongs to the same 
family as the jalap, and we should expect to find some 
cathartic property in the uncooked plants. Mr. H’s ex¬ 
perience is, that the cattle and hogs eat them without in¬ 
jury. We shall be glad to hear from others who have 
tried the experiment. Where the potatoes are dug before 
frost it may be desirable io feed out the tops, if it can be 
done with safety. 
Bond Mud.— James Floyd, Chenango Co., 
N. Y., wishes to know, whether the cleanings of the 
canal every spring, will answer for a top-dressing of his 
meadow? We have often noticed such heaps on the 
canal bank, covered in Summer with a rank growth of 
Canada thistles, dock, etc. The best way to manage 
such mud is to cart it home, spread it in layers from four 
to six inches thick, and cover each layer with a coat of 
lime. Let the heap lie.a few months, and then shovel it 
all together. After laying a short time longer, it may be 
spread on meadows, pastures or anywhere. The lime 
w ill kill most of the foul seeds, and decompose the vege¬ 
table and animal matter in the mud. 
Slow to make a Manure Heap.— 
Wm. Polly, Dark Co., O , writes to the Agriculturist 
that he has an old straw heap, trodden by cattle last Win¬ 
ter, a few loads of manure from the horse stable, a few 
ashes, and that he can obtain plenty of lime. He has also 
a good shed under which lo make the heap, and asks how 
to proceed. Place a layer of straw a foot thick, then 
two inches of ashes or lime, next two inches of muck, 
or rich soil. Add six inches of horse manure, more 
straw and ashes or lime, then earth and manure as before, 
and when the pile is complete, cover the whole with two 
or three inches of muck or earth. Water the heap mod- 
eratly and every two weeks fork the whole over, until the 
ingredients are thoroughly mixed. In the mean time add 
to the pile all the house slops, the contents of the pig pen 
and privy. In two months or less there will be a valuable 
compost heap ready for use next Fall. 
EMsiniectants.— E. H. Morton, Middlesex 
Co., N. J. To deodorize offensive substances, such as the 
contents of privies, sink drains, ic., so as to use the ma¬ 
terials afterward for compost, is an important matter. 
When powdered charcoal is abundant, nothing is better, 
putting it in layer after layer. But when this is scarce, 
dried peat or muck will answer nearly as well. If, how¬ 
ever, the decaying substances still emit offensive odors, 
powdered lime may be added. In ordinary cases, coal 
ashes, tan-bark, saw-dust, or dry soil will absorb refuse 
liquids and turn them into useful fertilizers. It b essent¬ 
ial that the absorbent be well dried. 
Out Boor Whitewash.— E. J. Ham¬ 
mond, Harford Co., Md. We know no betler recipe for 
preparing whitewash for fences and other wood work 
exposed to the wenther, than the following, which was 
published in the Agriculturist sevens! years since. Mix 
unslacked lime with about as much water as will be 
required In use, and add about half a pound of tallow- for 
