1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
37 
funds  for  its  support  is  continued.”  Well,  the  postal 
service  is  pretty  nearly  all  paid  for  in  postage. 
About  half  the  deficit  (supposing  it  to  be  distributed 
among  the  various  sources  of  revenue)  is  paid  by  the 
taxes  on  liquors,  tobacco,  oleomargarine,  the  sale  of 
public  lands  and  the  seigniorage  on  coinage.  The  rest 
of  it  is  paid  by  customs  duties.  A  majority  of  the 
leading  and  best  men  of  all  parties,  from  George  Wash¬ 
ington  down  to  Benjamin  Harrison,  have  agreed  that 
these  were  the  best  ways  of  raising  money  to  pay  the 
expenses  of  the  government,  otherwise  they  would  have 
changed  the  revenue  system  when  they  had  the  chance. 
I  believe  they  were  right.  F.  hodgman. 
Do  Farmers  Want  Free  Delivery  ? 
Yes  !  some  of  them  ;  some  also  want  the  earth.  But 
will  they  get  it  ?  And  in  the  event  of  a  rural  delivery, 
how  long  would  it  be  before  a  majority  of  the  horny- 
fisted  sons  of  toil  would  order  their  mail  to  be  left  in  the 
office,  where  there  would  be  some  chance  of  their  get¬ 
ting  it  within  a  reasonable  time.  As  a  rule,  farmers 
are  not  usually  so  overwhelmed  by  important  missives 
that  they  do  not  know  just  when  to  look  for  them,  and 
if  their  mail  matter  is  really  important,  they  certainly 
don’t  want  it  to  be  jogging  around  the  country  on  a 
mule-power  mail  cart — after  the  fashion  advocated  by 
J.  W.  Newton,  on  page  894 — at  a  rate  of  five  miles  per 
hour  in  good  weather  and  much  less  in  bad.  Why  ? 
Because  the  last  man  on  the  route  is  just  as  apt  to  have 
important  mail  as  the  first,  and  it  would  be  hard 
to  convince  him  that  the  system  was  not  a  delusion  and 
snare.  In  any  contemplated  line  of  improvements  some 
difficulties  will  be  encountered.  In  this  case  perhaps 
the  expense  comes  first,  and  the  views  of  C.  F.  C. ,  on 
page  895,  on  this  point,  will  be  indorsed  by  thousands. 
Aside  from  expense,  a  prompt  and  satisfactory  service 
could  not  be  given  in  country  districts.  The  assertion 
that  only  farmers  who  never  have  any  mail  to  speak  of 
oppose  free  delivery,  will  fail  as  an  argument,  for 
apparently  there  is  no  unanimity  of  opinion  on  the 
subject,  even  among  the  readers  of  The  R.  N.-Y.  I 
would  like  to  ask  why  the  special  delivery  stamp  can¬ 
not  be  brought  into  use  for  farmers  who  are  afflicted 
with  such  desperately  important  mail  matter,  and 
would  it  not  be  much  cheaper  than  a  general  free 
delivery  ?  A  system  differing  in  some  respects  from 
the  special  delivery,  whereby  it  should  remain  optional 
for  a  man  to  avail  himself  of  its  benefits  as  he  saw  fit, 
and  to  pay  for  the  same  or  not,  accordingly,  would 
meet  with  great  favor,  and  would  be  the  system  to 
advocate,  if  any.  Then  the  intensely  literary  farm¬ 
ers  could  have  their  almanacs  and  price-currents 
brought  to  their  doors,  pay  for  the  service  and  be  con¬ 
tent.  8.  c.  HAI.I.. 
ANSWER  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every  query  must  be  accompanied  by  the  name  and  address  of  the 
writer  to  insure  attention.  Before  asking  a  question,  please  see  if  it  is 
not  answered  in  our  advertising  columns.  Ask  only  a  few  questions 
at  one  time.  Put  questions  on  a  separate  piece  of  paper.] 
Three  Whys  and  Their  Wherefores. 
Subscriber,  (address  mislaid.) — 1.  How  does  the  squir¬ 
rel  know  where  he  buried  the  nut  after  the  ground  is 
covered  up  with  snow  ?  He  hops  over,  digs  right  down, 
and  hauls  it  up  every  time  without  seeming  to  take 
any  bearings.  2.  Why  do  animals  know  of  a  storm 
ahead  while  the  weather  is  still  fine,  and  provide  for 
shelter  against  it  ?  3.  Why  does  water  rise  in  creeks 
and  rivers  just  before  a  rain  ? 
Ans. — 1.  It  is  an  assumption  to  say  that  the  squirrel 
takes  no  bearings  in  hunting  for  his  buried  treasure. 
The  sphere  of  his  knowledge  is  limited,  but  he  has  been 
provided  with  means  to  secure  a  living  both  in  summer 
and  winter.  2.  Because  of  a  change  in  the  condition  of 
the  atmosphere  preliminary  to  a  storm,  that  their  acute 
nervous  organization  warns  them  of  hours  before  the 
duller  senses  of  man  perceive  it.  3.  Because  of  the 
diminished  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  before  a  storm. 
At  the  normal  figure  of  30  inches,  that  is,  when  the  at¬ 
mosphere  is  in  a  state  of  equilibrium,  the  pressure  is 
14  pounds  to  the  square  inch,  or  2,016  pounds  to  the 
square  foot.  When  the  barometer  falls  to  29  inches, 
the  pressure  is  decreased  to  1,948  pounds,  or  68  pounds 
less,  and  this  lower  pressure  to  the  square  foot  invites 
the  water  to  rise.  If,  instead  of  one  inch,  the  barome¬ 
ter  falls  one  half  of  it,  the  pressure  is  reduced  one  half 
or  nearly  that,  and  a  reduction  of  34  pounds  in  weight 
is  worth  considering.  b.  f.  Johnson. 
-  Corn  Fodder,  Clover  Hay  and  Heaves. 
F.  M.,  Powellsville,  0. — I  am  feeding  my  horses  corn 
fodder  morning  and  noon,  and  clover  hay  at  night.  I 
wet  the  hay  so  thoroughly  that  there  is  no  dust  on  it. 
My  horses  cough;  why?  I  fear  it  is  the  beginning  of 
heaves.  My  two-year-old  colt  had  been  fed  on  fodder 
and  grain  alone;  I  gave  it  well  dampened  clover  hay  at 
night  and  next  morning  it  was  coughing.  My  hay  was 
cut  when  ripe  and  seems  to  be  nice  and  bright,  but 
some  dust  rises  when  handling  it.  Is  the  coughing 
caused  by  the  hay  and  should  I  cease  feeding  it? 
Ans. — I  cannot  say,  from  this  description,  whether 
the  horses’  cough  is  due  to  heaves,  or  to  some  cln-onic 
throat  trouble  caused  by  some  other  disease,  or  ex¬ 
posure.  In  the  case  of  the  colt  it  is  probably  due  to 
the  latter  and  not  to  heaves.  Make  a  liniment  of  two 
parts  of  sweet  oil,  and  one  part  of  strong  aqua  am¬ 
monia  well  shaken  together,  and  with  it  rub  the  whole 
region  of  the  throat  every  third  day  until  the  skin  is 
quite  well  blistered.  If  this  liniment  fail  to  blister 
after  several  applications,  add  more  ammonia,  so  as  to 
make  equal  parts  with  the  oil.  Feed  less  bulky  feed 
and  more  grain.  If  the  clover  was  cut  when  ripe  the 
hay  is  not  suitable  for  horses;  but  if  cut  when  in 
blossom  and  properly  cured,  without  rain,  it  should 
make  good  horse  hay.  For  the  feeding  of  horses  with 
heaves,  see  page  297  of  The  Rubae  for  April  11,  1891. 
[dr.]  f.  e.  kilborne. 
Worms  in  Sheep. 
J.  N.  B.,  Galesville,  Conn. — I  have  a  few  sheep,  some 
yearlings,  some  older,  that  I  can  do  nothing  with.  They 
grow  poor  in  spite  of  excellent  feed.  The  smaller  in¬ 
testines  of  two  or  three  which  I  killed  and  examined, 
were  in  the  coating  quite  full  of  hard  lumps  about  the 
size  of  a  pea.  These  spots  contained  a  green-colored 
substance.  I  found  nothing  wrong  with  the  liver  ex¬ 
cept  a  very  few  hard  spots.  Two  or  three  have  had  soft 
tumors  on  the  lower  jaw  or  throat.  What’s  the  matter  ? 
Ans. — The  nodules  on  the  intestines  are  due  to  a 
small,  round  worm,  the  CFsophagostoma  Columbianum. 
There  is  as  yet  no  satisfactory  remedy  known  for  this 
parasite.  Having  but  a  few  sheep,  the  best  course 
would  probably  be  to  dispose  of  them  and  restock  from 
some  uninfected  flock.  If  possible,  do  not  use  the  old 
quarters  and  pastures  occupied  by  the  diseased  sheep, 
within  a  year  for  other  sheep.  Keeping  the  animals 
always  in  good  condition,  and  allowing  free  access  to 
salt  will  diminish  the  infection. 
Tumor  on  the  Tail  of  a  Mare. 
S.  A.  H.,  Richmond,  Ind. — My  six-year-old  mare  has 
a  lump  like  a  pigeon  egg  on  the  underside  of  the  tail 
just  above  the  hair.  It  frequently  bleeds,  but  no  mat¬ 
ter  ever  comes  forth;  several  smaller  lumps  seem  to  be 
forming.  The  veterinarian  gave  me  a  lotion  to  apply 
and  thinks  the  disease  of  cancerous  nature.  The  ani¬ 
mal  seems  in  perfect  health  and  flesh  and  is  quite 
lively.  She  has  been  fed  on  corn  for  a  year;  but  I  have 
changed  to  oats,  bran  and  linseed  meal. 
Ans. — If  the  mare  is  gray  or  white  and  the  tumors 
black,  they  are  due  to  a  condition  known  as  melanosis, 
which  is  very  common  in  such  horses.  These  tumors 
are  sometimes  cancerous  in  their  nature,  and  often  re¬ 
appear  after  removal.  I  would  advise  having  them  re¬ 
moved  with  the  knife  and  the  surface  thoroughly  caut¬ 
erized.  This  treatment  will  apply  equally  well  in  this 
case,  if  the  tumors  are  not  melanotic.  If  possible,  em¬ 
ploy  a  regular  veterinarian  so  that  the  operation  will 
be  thoroughly  and  properly  performed. 
[dr.]  f.  l.  kieborne. 
Broadcasting-  Chemical  Fertilizers. 
S.  M.,  Harlan,  Ind. — The  Rural  says  it  is  just  as 
good  to  sow  fertilizer  broadcast  as  in  any  other  way.  1. 
Can  we  sow  it  evenly  by  hand?  It  seems  to  me  that  it 
is  so  much  like  dust  that  it  would  be  hard  to  scatter  it 
evenly.  2.  I  would  like  to  fertilize,  this  coming  spring, 
eight  acres  seeded  to  clover  and  Timothy  last  spring  ; 
will  it  pay?  3.  Which  will  be  the  better — to  sow  it 
broadcast  or  drill  it  in  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  dry 
enough?  4.  If  I  broadcast  it,  I  suppose  it  might  be 
done  soon  so  as  to  let  it  get  soaked  into  the  ground  by 
spring. 
Ans, — 1.  Yes,  sufficiently  so.  A  good  plan  is  to  mix 
a  bag  of  fertilizer  thoroughly  with  an  equal  or  greater 
amount  of  damp — not  wet — soil.  This  will  hold  the 
dusty  part  of  the  fertilizers.  In  windy  weather  we 
have  often  used  a  sprinkling  pot  with  a  fine  rose,  turn¬ 
ing  the  fertilizer  constantly  until  the  mass  is  suffic¬ 
iently  dampened  not  to  blow  away.  2.  We  cannot 
say.  Only  a  trial  can  answer  the  question.  3.  Sow 
broadcast.  4.  No,  not  if  you  have  soluble  nitrogen  in 
the  fertilizer.  The  potash  and  phosphate  might  be 
sown  now;  the  nitrate  in  the  spring. 
Flash  and  Fire  Test  for  Kerosene. 
J.  H.,  East  Aurora,  N.  Y. — There  are  two  kinds  of 
kerosene  oil  for  sale  here,  both  refined  by  the  Buffalo 
companies.  One  is  stamped  by  the  inspectors  150  fire 
test ;  the  other  100  flash  test,  and  by  the  company, 
150  fire  test.  Which  is  the  better,  and  what  is  the  dif¬ 
ference  between  “  flash  ”  and  “  fire  ”  test. 
Ans. — The  oil  which  is  correctly  stamped  150  degrees 
fire  test  is  the  better.  Oil  that  flashes  at  100  degrees, 
is  equivalent  to  about  130  degrees  fire  test.  The  test 
in  common  use  is  about  as  follows  ;  In  an  iron  vessel  is 
placed  a  quantity  of  oil.  Across  this,  and  above  the 
surface  of  the  oil,  poles  of  a  battery  are  brought  nearly 
together,  so  that  when  an  electric  current  is  sent 
through  them,  an  electric  spark  flashes  from  one  pole 
to  the  other.  The  vessel  containing  the  oil  is  then 
subjected  to  heat  and  a  spark  is  flashed  through  the 
wires  at  frequent  intervals.  The  temperature  (Fah¬ 
renheit)  of  the  oil  when  the  vapor  from  it  flashes  from 
contact  with  the  electric  spark  is  the  flash  test.  The 
temperature  at  which  the  oil  itself  takes  fire  is  the 
fire  test. 
What’s  in  the  Strawberry  ? 
C.  T.  S.,  Swanton,  Md. — Where  can  I  find  analyses  of 
strawberry  plants  and  roots  and  fruit  ? 
Ans. — Dr.  E.  II.  Jenkins  gives  the  following  as  the 
average  of  19  analyses  of  the  fruit  alone  : 
Per  cent.  Per  cent. 
Water . 90.8  Crude  liber .  1.4 
Ash .  0.6  Carbohydrates .  5.5 
Protein .  1.0  Fat .  0.7 
The  fruit  therefore  is  about  nine-tenths  water,  with 
only  three-fifths  of  a  pound  of  ash  in  every  100  pounds. 
On  page  67  of  the  report  of  the  Connecticut  Experi¬ 
ment  Station  for  1879  is  an  excellent  article  on  this 
matter.  The  ash  of  the  strawberry  fruit  is  about  40 
per  cent  potash,  16  per  cent  lime,  8  per  cent  oxide  of 
iron  and  11  per  cent  phosphoric  acid — the  total  ash,  as 
has  been  stated,  being  less  than  one  per  cent  of  the 
total  weight.  This  article  also  gives  the  following  state¬ 
ment  of  figures  made  by  Pierre,  it  French  chemist. 
They  show  the  number  of  pounds  of  the  substances  in 
the  total  yield  of  one  acre  of  strawberries,  taken  on 
June  30,  and  also  the  leaves,  stems  and  runners  (not 
roots)  taken  in  the  middle  of  August.  The  total  yield 
of  fruit  was  a  little  over  10,000  pounds  : 
Plants,  lbs. 
Fruit,  lbs. 
Total,  lbs. 
Nitrogen . 
.  88^ 
16 
104^ 
Phosphoric  acid . 
.  85.3 
5.4 
40.7 
Lime . 
7.9 
110.6 
Potash . 
.  89.1 
19.7 
108.8 
The  plants  contained  62.3  per  cent  of  water.  We  do 
not  know  of  any  analysis  of  strawberry  roots.  Taking 
the  above  figures  as  an  object-lesson,  Dr.  S.  W.  John¬ 
son  says  that  the  important  substances  removed  by 
this  crop  of  fruit  are  quite  similar  in  amount  to  those 
contained  in  1,000  pounds  of  good  Timothy  hay,  which 
are,  15)4  pounds  of  nitrogen,  20  pounds  of  potash,  4% 
pounds  of  lime  and  7)4  pounds  of  phosphoric  acid.  Of 
course,  if  the  whole  plant  is  considered,  the  amounts  of 
these  substances  must  be  increased  nearly  five-fold,  but 
the  old  vines,  runners  and  roots  all  go  back  to  the  soil, 
so  that  all  the  fertility  that  is  exported  from  the  ground 
is  the  comparatively  small  amount  in  the  ash  of  the 
fruit.  According  to  analysis  and  theory  two  tons  of 
well-rotted  stable  manure  should  supply  all  the  crop  of 
berries  taken  away  from  an  acre.  Yet  the  strawberry 
ranks  as  an  “exhausting  crop”  and  requires  high 
manuring  to  make  it  successful.  Dr.  Johnson  says  that 
this  high  manuring  is  usually  necessary  because  the 
plants  grow  very  rapidly  at  the  fruiting  season,  and 
must  therefore  be  highly  fed  at  once  with  soluble  forms 
of  nitrogen,  potash  and  phosphoric  acid,  and  the  great 
bulk  of  the  manure  is  needed  to  supply  these  soluble 
forms.  Much  of  the  manure  also  is  needed  in  regu¬ 
lating  the  water  supply  and  equalizing  the  tempera¬ 
ture.  “  It  is  certain  that  a  skillful  irrigation  would 
take  the  place  of  a  good  share  of  the  yard  manure  now 
generally  regarded  as  indispensable.”  That  is  to  say, 
a  perfect  control  of  the  water  supply  and  a  proper 
mechanical  condition  of  the  soil  are  supremely  im¬ 
portant  in  the  culture  of  products  that  are  largely 
water,  and  which  grow  and  develop  rapidly.  When 
water  and  tillage  fail,  the  extra,  or  even  the  needed 
manure,  is  not  beneficial. 
Miscellaneous. 
Old  Hot-Bed  Soil  Good  Enough. — W.  F.  H.,  Waquoit 
Mass. — In  your  hot-bed  in  which  you  raise  cabbage 
plants  year  after  yqp,r,  there  is  no  necessity  for  a 
change  of  soil.  Every  year  a  small  part  of  the  manure 
of  the  hot-bed  should  be  mingled  with  the  soil  after 
the  vegetables  are  taken  out.  It  would  be  well  just 
at  that  time  to  add  a  small  quantity  of  high-grade 
complete  fertilizer  to  the  soil — such  a  complete  fertil¬ 
izer  as  is  offered  by  dealers  for  cabbage,  lettuce  and 
the  like. 
Fine  lar  for  Horses’  Hoofs. — E.  L.  S.,  North  Truro, 
Mass. — In  answer  to  your  question,  “Would  an  occa¬ 
sional  application  of  glycerine  be  beneficial  for  horses 
that  stand  on  a  plank  floor  and  travel  on  dry,  sandy 
roads,”  I  would  say  that  pine  tar  or  an  ointment  of 
pine  tar  and  vaseline,  equal  parts,  melted  together 
would  be  much  better  as  an  application  to  the  hoofs. 
As  a  rule,  however,  healthy  hoofs  that  are  not  unduly 
pared  in  shoeing,  require  no  ointments.  Many  of  the 
popular  hoof  ointments  in  use  are  injurious  rather 
than  beneficial.  [dr.]  f.  d.  kilborne. 
Old  Gas  Lime. — W.  C.,  Olympia,  Wash. — Gas  lime 
that  has  been  freely  exposed  to  the  air  is  nothing  but 
a  mixture  of  “  plaster”  and  lime,  and  would  be  useful 
wherever  these  substances  are  needed. 
9 
