1891 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
25 
that politics should not be mentioned at institutes.” We 
do not think any general answer can be given to this. 
The money required to carry on these institutes is taken 
from the public funds, coming from all. It is not right to 
use these funds to advance the interests of any special 
party while members of other parties contribute a portion 
of them. What is meant by “ politics ?” In many in¬ 
stances a good definition of this word would be: “The sci¬ 
ence of calling a Democrat a liar, a Republican a thief, and 
a Prohibitionist a blockhead 1” Such “politics” should 
certainly be kept out of the institutes, We see no harm, 
however, in a fair, just and accurate discussion of the 
principles which underlie political economy. These prin¬ 
ciples are as exact as.those met with in chemistry or 
botany. 
Those Immigration and Lard Bills.— It appears to me 
that the immigration bill The Rural has given a sketch 
of and which Mr. Lodge has introduced into Congress, is 
as objectionable as his Federal Election Bill. All that is 
needed is to lighten taxation through the tariff and other¬ 
wise, and the requirement of strict educational and moral 
qualifications in voters, and the destruction of the boss 
corruptionist—the liquor traffic—root and branch. The 
revenue tax clause of the Conger Lard Bill comes under 
the same condemnation, Why tax compound lard ? If it 
is wholesome and the poor are ready and glad to purchase 
it, after seeing it plainly labeled with its real character, 
why tax it and thus add unnecessary expense to the poor 
man’s living? Believing that‘'the Paddock Pure Food 
Bill takes the proper and sensible position in embracing 
all food adulterations, I earnestly hope to see it pass. 
Pleasant Valley, Ill. W. s. s. 
Trusts and the Tariff.— I am very glad that The 
Rural Is printing a page on “Farm Politics.” Farmers 
here are protectionists generally. We are near enough to 
Canada to see and receive a direct benefit from that policy. 
We would also find a benefit in a restrictive immigration 
law. No doubt the tariff on some manufactured articles 
is too high, and trusts, etc., are an abomination; but there 
are trusts and rich combinations in foreign countries I 
understand, and I, for one, would prefer to be at the 
mercy of a trust at home which we may perhaps soon reg¬ 
ulate by law under our own government. G. w. davis. 
Macomb County, Michigan. 
More About the Tariff.— My idea with regard to the 
tariff is that if everything were protected equally it would 
be equivalent to no protection ; if unequally, it would be 
class legislation. About 25 or more years ago an excessive 
tariff was put on paper through the combined influence of 
the paper manufacturers under the plea of the necessity of 
protection. Our manufacturers put up the price so that 
the printing of papers at the established prices was im¬ 
possible, and the protective publishers howled as loudly as 
all the rest, so that in six months’ time the tariff was re¬ 
pealed. It is only a question as to whose bull is gored. 
Union Village, Ohio. L. G. 
The Farmers Club. 
ANSWERS 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.] 
Head Scab in Sheep. 
0. E. P., Charlotte, Mich .—Nearly all my sheep, a flock 
of nearly 100, have recently been attacked with a disease 
which resembles the scab, but it is confined to the outside 
of the mouth, principally on the lower lip. Large scabs are 
formed, under which I find a considerable quantity of pus. 
I have removed the scabs, and used diluted carbolic acid 
on the sores, but as I have never before seen sheep afflicted 
in the manner, I am anxious to know the correct mode of 
treatment. What is it? 
Ans. —The disease is probably due to the “ head scab” 
insect of sheep, a form of scabies or “ scab,” which is 
usually confined to the head, especially the lips and nos¬ 
trils. In advanced cases of long standing the disease may 
extend to the other portions of the body which are but 
partially covered by the wool, as the fore limbs, under the 
belly, etc. An examination of the fresh surface under the 
scabs with a pocket or tripod lens should show numbera 
of the small, rounded insects, which are barely visible 
to the unaided eye. The treatment is simple, but should 
be thorough to be effective. First soften the scabs by an 
application of sweet oil, then with warm, strong soap¬ 
suds break up and remove the scabs and crusts. Finally 
apply a lotion of one part of oil of tar, well mixed with 25 
parts of sweet oil. Clip the wool from around the scabs 
and rub the lotion well in, making sure to cover all the in¬ 
fected surface. Repeat the course of treatment in six or 
nine days. The two applications should be sufficient to 
rid the sheep of all of the parasites. Following the treat¬ 
ment, whitewash the quarters occupied by the sheep with 
slaked quicklime, or, preferably, remove the sheep to 
new quarters for two months. 
“Hybridized” Potato Seed-Balls. 
J. A. R., Shiremanstown, Pa— Where can I get hybrid¬ 
ized potato seed-balls ? 
Ans.— The flowers of the potato plant yield less and less 
pollen as cultivation continues. We now-a-days rarely see 
seed-balls, which, of course, cannot form without the 
pollen. It would not pay any one to cross the flowers and 
sell the seeds. We do not believe it would pay even 
though a dollar a seed were asked, except in some places 
where the vines fruit freely, and The R. N.-Y. cannot say 
where such places are. It is true some varieties seed 
freely, Wall’s Orange, for example. But we should not 
prize seed especially of which that variety is one of the 
parents. The R. N.-Y.’s advice is to procure seeds from 
the best known varieties like Early Rose, Beauty of He¬ 
bron, Empire State, R. N.-Y. No. 2, etc., and raise seed¬ 
lings from them. As a matter of technical fact there is no 
such thing as “ hybridized ” potato-seed. It is cross-bred 
seed merely: a union (e.g ) of the tomato and potato would 
be hybrid seeds. 
Prickly Comfrey. 
J. J. B., Terre Haute, Ind. —Where can I get informa¬ 
tion about Prickly Comfrey ? 
Ans. —Prickly Comfrey grows abundantly and yields 
heavy crops. Some stock like it from the start, others 
have to learn or be taught to eat it. It has been “ boomed ” 
a good deal now and then for years in some sections ; but 
it has never become popular, though here and there men 
can be found who praise it. If it were really worthy of 
general cultivation, it has been before the public long 
enough to make its merits known. The R. N.-Y. has for 
years told all about it, and given every new item of infor¬ 
mation concerning it. For further particulars write to 
Dr. Peter Collier,'Director of N. Y. Ex. Station, Geneva, 
N. Y. 
Nitrate of Soda. 
O. H. M., Twinshurg, Ohio. —1. Where can I get nitrate 
of soda and what does it cost per 100 or 200 pounds ? 2. 
Would it be advisable to use the Mapes’s Potato Fertilizer 
with it ? 3. What ingredients in a fertilizer give corn 
a good start; and what aid in ripening it ? 
Ans. —1. All fertilizer firms sell nitrate of soda. The 
cost is about $50 the ton. 2. Yes ; but if you use as much 
as 1,000 pounds to the acre, we should not advise additional 
nitrate. Try a small quantity, say, five pounds on a forti¬ 
eth of an acre, or a plot 33 feet square, after the regular fer¬ 
tilizer has been sown and the tops are above ground, and 
mark the effect, 3. We cannot say further than that all 
plants require the several kinds of food in a soluble form 
just so soon as the seed has germinated. When seed be¬ 
gins to form on such plants, then more nitrogen and phos¬ 
phoric acid will be required. 
Peaches From Pits, Etc, 
O. H., Plymouth, Mich.— 1. Are some varieties of peaches 
more likely than others to produce the same sorts from 
pits ? 2. Will plums produce the same varieties from pits? 
3. Where can peach pits free from the yellows be obtained? 
4. Is Moore’s Diamond Grape any better than the Niagara? 
Ans. —1. Yes, there are a few varieties of peaches which 
usually reproduce themselves from seed without essential, 
or even perceptible variation. Wager and Hill’s Chili 
rarely vary perceptibly when grown from pits. Old Red 
Cheek and Barnard usually vary but slightly if at all. 
Early and Late Crawford vary so slightly that large or¬ 
chards have been planted from selected seedlings by 
merely rejecting those which, when of only a year’s growth 
from the pit, indicated variation. With such weeding out 
of variations the type has been very closely maintained. 
Pits of these can, no doubt, be secured during the fruiting 
season from such orchardists as grow the varieties. 2 
There are very few, if any, plums which can be relied on 
to reproduce from seed without variation. The ’bamson 
is probably as likely to do so as any other, but it usually 
varies more or less. 3. “The yellows” is not known to 
exist among the seedling peach orchards of Tennessee. 
Many nurserymen for this reason procure their annual 
supply of peach pits from that region. 4. Moore’s Dia¬ 
mond Grape is yet comparatively new. Most of those who 
have fruited it consider it as promising to be, in some par¬ 
ticulars at least, somewhat preferable to its rival—the 
Empire State. It will probably be found superior in 
quality to the Niagara, though very probably not as prof¬ 
itable for the market. 
Choice Hardy Trees and Shrubs. 
Name lost, Illinois (?). —What hardy shrubs and trees 
would The R. N.-Y. advise me to plant about my premises 
—about one acre in extent ? 
Ans.— Trees: Sycamore Maple, tricolored leaves, 
Tartarian Maple, Double-flowering Horsechestnut, Cercis 
Japonica, Double Red Thorn, Weeping Beech, Magnolia 
Soulangeana, Lennei, Golden Oak, White Fringe and 
Yellow-wood. Shrubs: Purple-leaved Barberry, caly- 
canthus, cydonia in variety (quince), deutzias In variety, 
weigelas in variety, Forsythia (Golden Bell), Rose of 
Sharon in variety, Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora, 
upright honeysuckles in variety, Mock Orange (Philadel- 
phus), spiraeas in variety, lilacs, Viburnum plicatum 
and Xanthoceras sorbifolia. Evergreens : The R. N.-Y. 
is not well enough acquainted with your locality to know 
what species of conifers will thrive there. Better consult 
Robert Douglas & Son, of Waukegan, Ill. We fear, too, 
that some of the kinds of deciduous trees and shrubs we 
have mentioned are not suited to the climate. 
Damaged Beans as Feed. 
Subscriber (no address.)— Would the meal from slightly 
damaged beans make good feed for milch cows or horses ? 
We feed such beans whole to sheep, and cooked to hogs to 
advantage. Would they be a complete grain ration ? If 
not, with what should they be mixed ? They can be 
bought at from $10 to $12 per ton. Shorts cost $20, and 
corn meal $25. 
Ans.— It would depend very much indeed upon the 
nature of the damage. If it is such as to injure the 
flavor, that would be objectionable for their use in feeding 
milch cows, and If they have soured in any way they would 
not do for the horses. If they have been merely discol¬ 
ored in the harvesting and have thus been spoiled for do¬ 
mestic use, that will not hurt them. Beans are not a well- 
balanced food. They are too rich in nitrogenous matter, of 
which they contain 25)4 per cent, making a ratio of 1 to 
2)4 carbohydrates, while corn is 1 to 8)4, but if mixed 
equally with corn and ground, the meal would have a 
ratio of 1 to 5)4, which is exactly right. It would be ad¬ 
visable to mix them; alone the beans would disturb the 
urinary organs of a horse, although a cow might escape. 
Manure Queries. 
E. H. C., Carmel, Indiana. —1. Why doesn’t cow man¬ 
ure heat? 2. How can we cheaply prevent horse manure 
from fire fanging ? 3. How much loss does bran sustain 
in manurial value from feeding ? 4. Does it pay to use 
Plaster a la Terry ? 5. When should manure be hauled 
out and should it be on sod or wheat ? 6. Should it be 
rotted or fresh? 7 and 8. There is not a cement stable floor in 
our community. If manure is applied raw, and does not 
contain enough straw to dry out the crop, and if the 
ground be kept constantly covered with a green crop, is 
there any loss ? 
ANSWERED BY DR. T. H. HOSKINS. 
1. Because it contains too much moisture. It does heat 
a little, and mixed with horse manure it will heat per¬ 
ceptibly ; yet usually not enough to harm it. 2. By keep 
ing swine on it, or by keeping it too wet to heat strongly. 
Throwing snow on it in the winter is a good way. A little 
heating does no harm, but is rather a benefit. The horse 
manure from beneath a gardener’s hot-beds, though it is 
prepared so as to heat all it can be made to, is still very 
rich. The earth put upon it seems to absorb part of the 
volatile matter, while the rest is retained. The loss by 
heating, especially in mixed manure, is much less than is 
generally believed, greatly less than from leaching, when 
it is thrown out under the eaves of the stable. 3. The loss 
varies considerably, but with dairy cows properly fed the 
net loss need not exceed 20 per cent, while if the urine is 
all saved the loss is practically nothing, digestion adding 
more than is taken away. 4. I think it does, but it will 
pay better to mix some fine bone with it. 5. It is best to 
draw out manure as often as possible. The swing plat¬ 
forms under stables, which are becoming popular, require 
the manure to be drawn out weekly, and this method is 
strongly urged by experts of experience. 6. Manure is 
never worth more than when It Is dropped. Keeping it is 
not for the improvement of the manure, but for the con¬ 
venience of the farmer. It is only in some gardening 
operations that old manure has preference over that 
which is fresh. There is always a loss in rotting—usually 
greater, for the farm, than the gain in fineness. 7 and 8. 
Without a cemented floor or pit, there must be very thick 
bedding to save the urine. But where there is plenty of 
straw (which is much better cut into four to six-inch 
lengths) most of it will be absorbed. The saving of all the 
fertilizing material made by our live stock is essential 
to a satisfactory profit from farm operations. It will pay, 
in the lofig run, much better than any kind of farm poli¬ 
tics, and depends for success on nothing but the man 
himself. 
Property Rights of Married Women in Illinois. 
M. W. A., Sparland, III .—If a married woman owns 
property in her own name, can she make a will disposing 
of it, if her husband refuses to sign it? In such a case 
could the husband, if he survived her, overthrow the will? 
Ans.—I n Illinois a married woman may own in her 
own right real and personal property obtained by 
descent, gift or purchase, and may manage, sell and con¬ 
vey the same in the same manner as the husband can deal 
with property belonging to him. She may sue and be 
sued. Her contracts and liabilities may be enforced 
against her the same as if she were unmarried. She may 
buy goods and give notes in settlement, but she cannot 
enter into any copartnership business without the con¬ 
sent of her husband. She may control her own earnings. 
She is not liable for the debts of her husband, incurred 
either before or after marriage, except that the 
property of both husband and wife is chargeable 
with the expenses of the family and the edu¬ 
cation of the children. A married woman can 
make a will just the same as if she were single. Her hus¬ 
band’s consent or signature is not, therefore, necessary for 
its validity. He cannot break it after his wife’s death on 
the ground that it was made even in opposition to his 
wishes and protests. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
R. R. S. Parkesburg, Pa.—Which of the two following 
fields should be put in potatoes and which in oats : No. 1 
was in wheat in 1888. In 1889 it was mowed, and pastured 
in the fall; manured in the spring of 1890 and planted to 
corn. No. 2 has been under Timothy for four years. This 
year it was so weedy that I thought the hay would not be 
salable and so I pastured it. 
Ans.— Had No. 2 been plowed last fall we would have 
preferred it for potatoes. As it is, we would choose No. 1 
for that crop. 
Subscriber (address mislaid ).—Would it be advisable 
to use lime in my garden, which for some years has been 
well manured ? 
Ans.— Very few garden soils are deficient in lime. Better 
use unleached ashes, which will furnish potash and 
phosphoric acid as well as lime. Then add nitrogen in some 
form. We would not advise you to use lime. 
A. H. S., Spokane Falls, Wash .—What are the two best 
early and late varieties of strawberry for the market ? 
Ans.— The Crescent, Cumberland, Parker Earle, Haver- 
land, Pearl and May King are all from early to medium, and 
are highly praised in many districts. Bubach and Sharp¬ 
less are midseason. Gandy is the best late we know of. 
Kentucky is too soft for market. 
A. J. B., Youngstown, N. Y —What is the best way 
to blanch long green celery for market m a house cellar ? 
Ans.—I n boxes, with the soil about the plants—the soil 
to be kept only moderately moist. 
“ When we find a paper- that has hack-hone 
enough to tell the truth, let us have hack- 
hone enough to help it along.” —l. w. lightly. 
