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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
465 
land, France, Germany and the other great nations which 
have demonetized silver but still use it for “tokens ?” 
Why, then, stigmatize it as a “ barbarian circulating 
medium ?” 
With regard to the apprehended disasters from the re¬ 
monetization of the white metal in this country, were not 
the same woeful prophecies made with reference to the act 
of 1878, providing for the coinage of $2,000,000 per month, 
and again with regard to the act of 1890 increasing the 
amount of silver to be bought every month by the govern¬ 
ment to $4,500,000 ? Have any of the horrible disasters 
then so confidently predicted occurred ? 
It must not be inferred that The Rural New Yorker 
is in favor of the free coinage of silver in this country at 
present; but when prejudiced questions are put to us 
by opponents of such a measure, we feel bound to answer 
them as fully as space will admit. There are two sides 
emphatically to this question, and neither all the intelli¬ 
gence, knowledge, reasoning ability, honesty nor patriotism 
is on one side or the other. 
BEAUTIES OF THE PROPOSED “ LAND LOAN.” 
Our National Party has been at last fairly started by the 
Cincinnati Convention, and if the farmers North and South 
will only cordially support it, we may reasonably hope to 
secure great benefits from it in the future. One of the 
things promised and which we need the worst is Govern¬ 
ment loans at two per cent interest, payable in 20 years’ 
time. Of course, it would suit us better to have the 
money given us outright, but the difference in the long 
run is so small as to be hardly worth considering, and, as 
the mathematicians say, may be neglected as of no 
consequence. 
Another thing we want is to have the government buy 
our crops of us or at least advance us money on them, 
which is not very different. When the government has 
got our land and our crops and we have got the money, we 
will do what we please with it; maybe put it out at 
interest. 
Some one in The Rural suggested that this might be 
class legislation, as if that were any objection. Why, bless 
your soul, my dear sir, that is the only thing about it that 
gives it any value. Don’t you see that if I can borrow 
money at two per cent and my friend Jones who makes 
hay scales cannot get it for less than seven, I can make a 
good thing by borrowing of the government and lending 
to him. There is more money in it than there is in farm¬ 
ing. Suppose the government does take my farm away 
from me at the end of 20 years, I will not care for I will 
have a better one before that time, all paid for out of the 
money the government has lent me on my farm and crops. 
That is the beauty of the whole thing—this class legisla¬ 
tion—and the smaller the class the better for those in it. 
In fact, it would suit me pretty well if the class consisted 
of nobody but Senator Stanford and myself. Senator 
Stanford has some millions of acres of land which we gave 
him, that he could use as collateral for a loan to go into 
business with, and I have two or three acres that I could 
use in the same way, and between us I think we could 
make some money. 
By all means, brother farmers, let us do everything we 
can to secure the legislation demanded by the Cincinnati 
platform, and, hark in your ear, let us see to it that the 
class benefited is not unduly large. Michigander. 
Tax Reform Association.—T his organization requests 
us to print the following platform of principles, which 
they have adopted in their campaign for tax reform. Com¬ 
ment or criticism is called for: 
“ 1. The most direct taxation is theoretically the best, 
because it gives to real payers of taxes a conscious and 
direct pecuniary interest in honest and economical gov¬ 
ernment. 
“2. Mortgages and capital engaged in production or 
trade should be exempt from taxation; because taxes 
on such capital tend to drive it away, to put a premium 
on dishonesty and to discourage industry. 
“3. Real estate should bear the main burden of taxa¬ 
tion ; because such taxes can be most easily, cheaply and 
certainly collected. 
4. “ Our present system of levying and collecting State 
and municipal taxes is extremely bad and spasmodic, and 
unreflecting tinkering with it is unlikely to result in sub¬ 
stantial improvement. 
5. “No legislature will venture to enact a good system 
of local taxation until the people, especially the farmers, 
perceive the correct principles of taxation and see the 
folly of taxing personal property.” 
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.] 
SIRING WITH A SAW. 
Several Subscribers.— The R. N.-Y. has spoken several 
times of the effects of dishorning on the calves. Can horns 
be bred off by dishorning for several generations ? Can we 
make a polled breed by sawing or blistering the horns 
from parents ? 
Ans,— These questions were submitted to a number of 
practical men who have for years practiced dishorning. 
Their names were found in Mr. Haaff’s circular. This 
would seem to settle the matter. 
It Is Possible ; Dishorning Rams. 
While dishorning has not been practiced for any great 
length of time in my neighborhood, it is meeting with 
favor and I do not know of any case where dishorned cattle 
have produced hornless calves. I am inclined to doubt 
the theory of “dishorned cattle” producing “hornless 
ones,” yet, after several generations, some calves may be 
dropped whose horns may not be perfect, but I cannot be¬ 
lieve it will be the case. For instance, we have always cut 
the tails of both rams and ewes, and we must continue to 
do so from year to year, and I never knew a Merino ewe to 
drop a lamb without a tail. G s. c. 
Fairfield County, O. 
R. N.-Y.—Dr. Cartwright adds the following : 
“ I keep a few sheep. I have been greatly annoyed at 
the rams fighting. Last month I picked out four rams 
aged from four to seven years, with very large horns. I cut 
them off as close to the head as I could with a sharp saw. 
They have all done well. Did not lose a feed. 1 know it 
has completely stopped their fighting. One pair of horns 
weighed 4% pounds. Total weight of the four pairs, 15% 
pounds.” 
A Batch of Adverse Testimony. 
My experience during five years is too short to tell 
whether dishorned cattle, after being bred together for 10 
or 15 generations, will breed hornless cattle or not. How¬ 
ever, too much cannot be said in favor of dishorning cat¬ 
tle. It is growing more and more in favor every year. 
Rochester, Minn. E. J. G. 
I have practiced dishorning for about four years. I have 
used both males and females that were dishorned, and I 
can see no difference in the horns of the calves from what 
they were before I ever dishorned at all. F. w. c. 
Wapella, Ill. 
I have had experience in dishorning for some year3 
past; but I have not seen any effect in the offspring. I 
think that it would take many generations to produce a 
hornless animal. I have been using “horn killer” on the 
horn buds of young calves with surpassing results, and I 
think I could have hornless cattle in every case if all 
would keep on applying this substance to every calf. One 
application is sufficient. I do hope that the time will 
speedily come when all horns will cease to grow. 
Benedict, Neb. J. F. T. 
I have dishorned something over 3,000 cattle in the last 
three years, but I know of no instance where dishorning 
the parents produced hornless calves; but then, three years 
would not be long enough to test the thing, so I am unable 
to give an opinion on the matter from experience; but It 
seems to mo that it would not be according to the laws of 
Nature to produce hornless calves from stock that had 
once had horns. In order to produce a hornless stock of 
cattle from horned stock, the horn must not be allowed to 
grow In the first place. I have five yearling heifers on 
which I used the chemical dishorning fluid when they 
were calves, and they are now as fine mulleys as you 
would wish to see, and thera is no doubt in my mind that 
horned stock treated In this way will produce a hornless 
race of cattle. H. mce. 
Independence, Kan. 
For the last four years I have dishorned hundreds of 
cattle: cows In all stages of pregnancy, heifers not yet 
bred, and also many bulls, and I have never known of a 
case where the practice had any effect on the calves, and I 
do not believe that it ever will have any in preventing 
horns any more than cutting off lambs’ tails will cause 
lambs to come without tails. I think the man who cuts 
off the horns expecting to produce a hornless calf will be 
disappointed, though he may live to be a3 old as 
Methuselah. j. q. b. 
Whiting, Kan. - 
Howto Feed a Horseand Cow. 
J. H. G., Bristol County, R. I.—l. What is the proper ra¬ 
tion for an ordinary family horse of about 1,100 pounds ? 
Both the hay and grain are to be purchased in the open 
market at current prices. 2. What is the proper ration 
for a grade cow having very little pasturage ? The cow 
is kept for profit. The bulk of the milk, cream and but¬ 
ter is used in the family. 
Ans.— 1. A horse of 1,100 pounds live weight requires for 
performing ordinary work a daily ration equal to 22% 
pounds of dry food. For light work this may be reduced 
1% pound, and for hard work should be increased to 25% 
pounds. As ordinary hay and grain contain about 15 per 
cent of water, it is easy to calculate the additional weight of 
the food to make up the difference. But the digestibility 
of the food resulting from its condition has an influence 
of about 20 per cent, so that if the hay is cut and the 
grain ground and both are mixed by wetting the cut hay, 
20 pounds of the food will go as far as 25% pounds given 
whole. A good ration for an ordinary family horse would 
be 15 pounds of hay and 12 to 16 pounds of grain or 14 
pounds of oats and corn mixed. There is very little choice 
in the selection of grains for horses, as the market prices 
are always about equivalent to the feeding value. But 
whatever difference there is, Is generally in favor of corn, 
which, on account of its large supply, is usually the cheap¬ 
est grain. For instance, just now corn sells for 67 cents 
per bushel and oats at 54; the corn is equal to $1.25 per 
100 pounds, and oats to nearly $1.75, while the comparative 
feeding value of corn is $1.11 per 100 pounds with oats at 
98 cents per 100. Bran may therefore be substituted for 
oats in many cases with profit, Its feeding value being 
$1.03 per 100 pounds. 2. The method of feeding a cow de¬ 
pends partly upon the locality, which may afford con¬ 
veniences for procuring cheap foods. If pasture is not 
sufficient to afford enough bulky matter to fill the stom¬ 
ach, and brewers’ grains can be procured, they are a very 
excellent and cheap food, but should be used fresh and 
sweet. Gluten or glucose meal is another excellent food 
which is often to be procured for much less money than 
corn meal. In general, the best food for a family cow is 
corn meal and clover hay; with half enough pasture, six 
or eight pounds of hay and five or six pounds of fine corn 
meal per day would be sufficient for an 800-pound cow. If it 
is possible to grow some sweet corn to be cut green 
for feeding, that would be better than hay, if it is cut 
when the ears are in cooking condition. As a rule, good 
clover hay and corn meal will give richer milk than any 
other food except a good pasture. 
Dishorning Shears; “ De ” or “ Dls.” 
F. A. R , Academy, West Virginia.— In alate Rural were 
a description and a cut of a tool for taking horns off cattle. 
Where can that tool be purchased ? I have been using 
the saw for three years, and of course will continue its use 
until a better device Is brought out. It seems strange to 
me how any objections can be made to the de or dishorning 
of cattle. 
Ans.—W e do not know where the tool is sold. We took 
the cut from the Patent Office Gazette to show what was 
to us a new idea. We have had no experience with the 
shears and cannot say from personal experience how they 
compare with the saw. Mr. H. H. Haaff says that the 
shears are apt to splinter and crush the horn and cause a 
sore head. He ought to know. As for “ de ” or “ dis,” 
the “doctors” disagree. In this country the majority of 
people evidently say “de.” The English spelling is always 
“ dis.” Webster in the new International Dictionary gives 
“ Dehorn to deprive of horns; to prevent the growth of 
the horns of (cattle) by burning their ends soon after they 
start.” It also gives “ Dishorn to deprive of horns as to 
dishorn cattle.” In the“de” case the Farm Journal Is 
quoted as authority, in the " dis ” case, Shakespeare. Wor¬ 
cester does not mention dehorn but gives dishorn—“ to 
deprive or strip of horns.” We cannot find dehorn In any 
of the dictionaries except the new Webster and there it is 
used to define the destroying of the young horn and not the 
sawing or slicing process. 
Am I Feeding Properly? 
D. C. T., Jasper, N. Y.—I tested eight of my cows in 
March ; they calved In October. Here are the results ; did 
I feed correctly ? 
No. 1 2 3 4 5 fi 7 8 
Pounds of milk por day.... 234* 27% 28% 25% 18% 17% 26% 21% 
Pounds of butter per day.. % % 1% 1% 1% % 1% 1 
No. I is sold. As will be seen, the average was one pound 
a day. The feed consisted of silaged peas and oats, 35 
pounds, and what hay they wanted ; corn meal, two parts, 
flax seed meal, one part, mixed, and from five to six pounds 
mixed feed to each cow. 
Ans. —The result of the feeding indicates that It was all 
that could be desired and no change can be suggested, 
unless it may be that a trial might be made of a little 
more of the mixed meal to test the possibility and profit 
of a still better yield. This mode of keeping accounts with 
the cows is seen to be instructive and valuable. It shows 
how cow No. 1 was very inferior to the others and with 
one-third more milk than No. 5 gave only two fifths as 
much butter. It was very wise to discharge No. 1 from 
the herd. 
Blackberry Rust. 
E. M. C., Pittsburg, Mass.— Will lime and sulphur ap¬ 
plied dry or with water to blackberries early in the spring 
prevent orange rust ? I have tried digging and burning, 
but the trouble increases every year. It is also on the wild 
berries. 
Ans. —The lime and sulphur will not prevent the rust. 
The fungus is within the substance of the cane over-win¬ 
ter, and breaks out In spring and early summer as the 
foliage develops. These substances applied to the rusted 
plants will tend to check the sproidof the rust through 
the aid of its many spores which make up the orange 
blotches. The best treatment is to root out and burn the 
infested plants. Be sure to take out the roots, as new 
shoots arising from infested roots will become rusted. 
Grass for Marsh Land. 
J. K., Manistee County, Mich. —What kind of grass seed 
would be best to make a permanent meadow on marsh land 
composed mostly of rotten leaves, sticks and grass which 
have lain so long that there is a peat deposit t It Is always 
wet. Even now when we are having our driest time Tim¬ 
othy grows four to five feet high, but I think the hay 
could be improved by having different kinds mixed. 
Ans.— For marsh land that will produce as good Timothy 
as this, the following varieties may be sown for a pasture: 
five pounds of Timothy, 10 pounds of Fowl Meadow Grass 
(Poa serotina), five pounds of Yellow Oat Grass, 10 pounds 
of Meadow Fescue, two pounds of White Clover and four 
pounds of Alsike. This mixture has made an excellent 
meadow in drained swamp land which consisted almost 
wholly of peat, and made a sod firm enough to bear a two- 
horse team and wagon loaded with hay. It is an excellent 
mixture for hay as well as for pasture. 
Frost On Tiled Land. 
II. P., Kenton, 0.— Why have the frosts of May done so 
much damage where the land is tile-drained, while where 
there was no tile frost has done no damage ? I have one 
field of 70 acres in onions, on muck land. Where it is tiled 
the frost has done great injury, and where the land is wet 
or damp it was not touched by It, and I find on up land 
where there are tiles the frost was the severest. 
Ans.— Water may be used as a protection against frost, 
as when cranberry bogs are flooded in frosty weather to 
protect the berries or when grapes or other fruits are 
drenched with water for the same purpose. This Is fre¬ 
quently called a water blanket. There was naturally more 
water in the undrained land and it consequently took 
longer to freeze it. Take, for example, a deep tub and a 
shallow pan. The water in the pan will freeze solid before 
the water in the tub is well frozen over. Water In freez¬ 
ing must give out heat. The greater the amount of water, 
the more heat must be given up, and the longer, compara¬ 
tively, will it take to freeze. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Raspberry Rust.— C. E. P., Lakeville, N. Y.—See answer 
to question regarding Blackberry Rust on this page. As 
stated therein, the cause is a fungus or rust plant of a low 
order. It may be said that no kind of soil prevents the 
growth of the rust fungus—known as Cmoma nitens. 
