1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 
Chronic Diarrhea in a Cow. 
I. T. C., Hayt's Comers, N. Y. —I have a cow five 
years old that dropped he^ calf on March 6 and gave a 
good mess of milk for about a month ; since then she 
has gradually failed in her yield. I feed her clover 
hay three times a day with ground corn and oats twice 
and beets once a day. She seems very thirsty and 
drinks quite often. Her bowels have been very loose 
all winter and the excretions are very thin and watery? 
Ans. —From your history of the case I suspect you 
may have a case of tuberculosis. I would advise call¬ 
ing a competent veterinary surgeon to make a per¬ 
sonal examination of the cow, and if found tuberculous 
she should be killed. If not tuberculous, the veter¬ 
inarian could probably ascertain the cause, and could 
then prescribe the proper course of treatment. Your 
description gives me no other clue as to the probable 
cause of the diarrhea, so that I would be unable to 
advise a satisfactory course of treatment. F. L. k. 
Split Hoof and Ringbone. 
L. M. W., Covesvllle, Va. —1. My six-year-old mare 
cut her leg very badly on a wire fence when about 
one year old. The cut was just between the hoof 
and ankle. It healed up, but after working her on 
the road the hoof splits and peels off. What should 
be the treatment ? 2. Also what is a good prevent¬ 
ive or cure for ringbone in a mule ? 
Ans. —1. If the horn-secreting structure at the top 
of the hoof is permanently injured, there is little or 
no treatment for the hoof. But if the splitting is due 
to dryness of the hoof, this can be corrected by an 
active blister applied around the top of the hoof, and 
the daily application to the hoof of an ointment of 
equal parts of pine tar and vaseline melted together. 
2. To prevent a ringbone one should avoid or prevent 
the cause, usually some injury to the pastern. The 
most satisfactory treatment is firing with the hot 
iron, and this should be performed only by a compe¬ 
tent veterinary surgeon. f. l. k. 
Look for Tapeworms in the Sheep. 
J. O. L., New Alexandria, Pa.— I have several sheep 
afflicted with a disease the first symtom of which is a 
soft swelling, generally under the lower jaw, which 
sometimes continues for several weeks, and in other 
esses passes away in a day or two. They do not ap¬ 
pear as strong as usual, but continue to eat well. In 
most cases scouring follows, and when this continues 
long it so weakens them that it proves fatal. The 
cases generally occur in the spring, but there have been 
a case or two among lambs in August after they have 
been weaned. They have been wintered in a shed 
open on the east side, with all the early-cut clover 
and Timothy hay they would eat and a grain ration 
of equal parts of corn and oats, one-half to three-quar¬ 
ters of a pint each per day, and they have had access 
to salt at all times, and ran in a 10-acre field in fair 
weather. What ails them and what is the remedy ? 
Ans. —The swellings are due to an anaemic or de¬ 
bilitated condition of the system. This condition may 
arise from internal parasites, want of a suitable diet, 
or to mismanagement of various kinds. Make a care¬ 
ful examination of the fourth or true stomach and in¬ 
testines of the next sheep that dies. If small, round 
worms or tapeworms are found in large numbers, the 
anaemia is probably due to their presence, and the 
following treatment may be given. Take of oil of 
turpentine one part, and raw linseed oil eight parts, 
and shake well together. The dose is two to four table¬ 
spoonfuls, according to the size and strength of the 
sheep, to be given as a drench. Only a small quantity 
of the medicine should be mixed at once, and that 
kept well shaken that the oils do not have an oppor¬ 
tunity to separate. The dose may be repeated after 
three or four days. If but few worms are found, you 
will look for the cause of the trouble in the diet or 
management of the sheep. A change of diet will then 
be desirable, and the sheep should be given special at¬ 
tention to see that the management and surroundings 
are as favorable as possible. f. l. kilborne. 
To Cause “Big Head” in Cabbage. 
J L. Myers, Decatur County, Ind.— The inclosed clip¬ 
ping is from the “ agricultural page ” of a noted politi¬ 
cal newspaper: 
J. J. H. Gregory recommends to go frequently over the ground and 
star„ every cabbage that appears to be about to mature, by pushing 
It over sideways. Heads thus started are said to grow to double the 
size they attain when about to burst. 
Did Jas. J. H. Gregory ever make that statement? 
What does The R. N.-Y. think of it ? It seems to me 
it would be a good deal like trying to make a full- 
grown man commence a new growth and double his 
size. 
Ans —Though it strikes our friend as queer, never¬ 
theless it is true, as every cabbage farmer knows, that 
if cabbages on the eve of splitting are started a little 
either by being pushed over on one side or pulled just 
sufficiently to start the roots, the heads will continue 
to increase and grow much larger than the size normal 
of the variety. I have known the Early Jersey Wake¬ 
field under such treatment to make heads of nearly the 
size of a two-gallon water-pail. Perhaps the philo¬ 
sophy of it is that while a rapid growth favors the 
pushing of the seed shoot and the consequent bursting 
of the head, a slower growth with plenty of plant- 
food at hand has not the power to develop the shoot, 
and all the vigor goes consequently into the head. 
Those with me that grew largest were started two or 
three times. We usually push first on one side suffi¬ 
ciently to start the roots slightly; in a week or fort¬ 
night push over from the other side, and, finally, half 
pull perpendicularly from the ground. J. j. h. Gregory 
Sawdust In the Potato Trench. 
M. B W., Middlebury, Vt .—I have read the New 
Potato Culture: wouldn’t sawdust do well in the 
trench in the place of chopped straw ? 
Ans. —We have never tried it, but the use of saw¬ 
dust impresses us unfavorably. It absorbs lots of 
moisture and is a natural harbor of various insects. 
Marsh Hay for Sweet Potatoes. 
Subscriber, New Jersey. —Would cut marsh hay be 
of value to sweet potatoes, and would it be better 
when rotted ? 
Ans. —Land suitable for sweet potatoes is usually 
benefited by the addition of organic vegetable matter. 
A ton of the dried hay would contain, on the average, 
1.18 per cent nitrogen, .25 per cent phosphoric acid, 
.72 per cent potash and .37 per cent lime. One ton of 
the dried product would probably be equivalent to 
about four tons of the green. Whether it should be 
applied green or partially rotted is largely a matter 
of convenience. The rotted material would be pro¬ 
portionately quicker in action. The addition of 
potash and phosphoric acid is advisable also, if maxi¬ 
mum crops are desired. Muriate of potash will 
answer the purpose for potash, and S C. rock super¬ 
phosphate or fine ground bone for phosphoric acid. 
Various Fruit Questions. 
H. H P ., Carson City, Mich. —1. Are the Garber and 
Keiffer pears and Abundance plum suitable for plant¬ 
ing here ? 2. Does the Abundance on peach roots 
make as good a tree as on plum roots ? 3. What is the 
proper distance apart for setting the Japanese plums ? 
Ans —1. In our opinion you will find either the 
Garber or Keiffer worthless except for canning, and, 
in your climate, inferior for that purpose. 2. Probably 
not—possibly yes Only few varieties thrive on the 
peach. 3. From 10 to 12 feet. 
Getting: Shape on the Pear Trees. 
C. S. B., Fairport, N. Y .—What is the best form 
in which to train standard Bartlett pears ? Should 
they have a main central branch, or should the head 
be formed on four or five main branches ? What 
should also be the form of the dwarf Angoulgme ? 
Ans. —Pears and most, if not all fruit trees, should 
have the heads formed from several branches ar¬ 
ranged as evenly around the tree as possible By 
starting the heads right, so that the branches will 
not interfere with each other or become crossed, little 
after pruning is necessary. There is practically no 
difference in this between dwarf and standard trees. 
Tired of Lugsting Water in a Sprayer. 
F. H. C ., South Haven, Mich. —I have several thou¬ 
sand currant and gooseberry bushes to spray every 
year and am getting tired of lugging a lot of water 
around all the time in a Knapsack sprayer, and think 
from The Rural’s account of Leggett’s Paris-green 
gun that one of them would make it easier for me. 
But I am in doubt as to whether the dry powder will 
stick to the dry leaves sufficiently to be as effective 
as when applied with water. I cannot get over my 
patch while the dew is on. 
Ans. —We have not the slightest doubt that our 
friend will be fully satisfied with the Leggett gun 
even though the bushes are dusted when the leaves 
are not moist. Enough hellebore will adhere to 
destroy the currant worms. 
What Killed These Hens ? 
C. M. S-, Rock Stream, N. Y .—Sixty of my fowls 
died last week, leaving only seven alive. They were 
very fat and well kept all winter, mostly on coru, 
and when taken sick most of them were laying. 
Some of them were dead on their nests. The drop¬ 
pings were a bright yellow, and looked like Indian 
meal. They were sick only a few hours before 
death. What was the matter and was there any cure? 
What is the best remedy for gapes in chickens ? 
Ans. —We know of no disease which would take 
fowls off like that excepting cholera, and you give 
no symptoms like those of cholera. Fat fowls some¬ 
times die of apoplexy, but only now and then one ; 
they are not carried off in such a wholesale fashion. 
Under the circumstances given, we should suspect 
that some poisonous substance had been eaten by the 
fowls. We can account for the loss in no other way. 
The best remedy for gapes is prevention. We have 
always been able to prevent them by feeding chopped 
onion tops in the soft feed every day, by not feeding 
sloppy feed, and by keeping the chicks dry and warm. 
The Hen Mixes Bone with Manure. 
J. S. F., Plainfield, N. J .—I have fed large quantities 
of cut bones to hens ; I have carefully stored manure 
from them under cover. Ought it to be mixed like 
Mr. Johnson’s, as described in a late Rural ? I think 
the bone ought to make it richer than such manure 
generally is. We have fed a specially large quantity 
with good results as to eggs. 
Ans. —Think what the bone contains, nitrogen and 
phosphoric acid—no potash, while the manure is weak 
in this substance anyway. Such manure, if well kept, 
sprinkled with plaster, will need less bone than Mr. 
Johnson uses, but just as much potash. You might 
use it alone on corn with 200 pounds per acre of muri¬ 
ate of potash broadcasted after it. 
“Odorless Phosphate” In Fertilizers. 
H. D , Greenwich, Conn. —What about “ odorless 
phosphate?” What should it be mixed with to be a 
complete fertilizer ? What quantity of ashes and 
nitrate of soda wo aid be right? 
Ans. —This substance, also known as basic slag, is a 
product of the extraction of iron from the ore. It 
contains phosphoric acid and should be a cheap source 
of that element. At present the price is too high for 
its fertilizing value. There is a question among chemists 
as to the value of the phosphoric acid in it. We should 
not use it to mix with ashes and nitrate, but should use 
it alone on grain or grass. At ordinary prices for ashes 
we should not use them for mixing. Two hundred 
pounds of muriate of potash will provide as much 
potash as a ton of ashes. 
Rates To The Fair; What Line ? 
A. S., Auburn, N. Y .—Will the fare to the World’s 
Fair be reduced May 1, and which will be the cheaper 
—the Grand Trunk or N. Y., L. E. & W. road? 
Ans. —We believe no reduction has been made by 
the Trunk lines from inland towns to Chicago to ac¬ 
commodate World’s Fair visitors. The railroad mag¬ 
nates met some time ago, and agreed to keep rates up. 
The reduction made from New York is so trifling as to 
be scarcely worth considering. Don’t be in any 
hurry to pay full railroad rates to the fair. It 
is only a matter of time. The rates are sure to 
be reduced. Wait till the railroad officials come 
to their senses. They are yet blinded by greed to 
fleece the public. Give them time to get the scales 
from their eyes. Accidents are of late too frequent 
on the Erie to give that road the preference. Besides 
the dirty, crowded cars, and frequent delays make that 
route undesirable when there is a choice between it 
and some other road. The Erie is sadly in need of an 
efficient passenger department. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
W. C., Minnesota City, Minn — Stone’s Hardy black¬ 
berry is about as hardy as Snyder or Taylor. The fruit 
is of medium size, often imperfect and of fair quality. 
Leather Ashes. —F. R F., Plainville, O.—Such ashes are 
very rich in phosphoric acid. It is a product very seldom 
met with. If you can get them at $1 per ton, you are 
safe in hauling all you can get at that price. We 
should broadcast them and harrow in for corn or 
other grain, or use them to topdress grass or growing 
grain. 
The New Grapes. —Several Subscribers.—The Bril¬ 
liant is the result of a cross of the Delaware on 
Lindley. The vines are prolific, and said to be free 
from disease. The color varies in the same bunch 
from a greenish-purple to the color of Catawba. 
Pulp tender, somewhat meaty. Skin thin. Seeds two 
to four, of medium size. Juicy, not of the highest 
quality, but pure and pleasant. Berry medium in 
size, somewhat obovate. The Carman ripens about 
with the Catawba. The Fern Munson is very hardy, 
prolific, and of the finest quality, we are told by the 
introducer, Mr. T. V. Munson. It ripens with the 
Catawba or later. 
What State ? —E. D S , no address, says : “ My neigh¬ 
bor keeps sheep, but I do not ; am I obliged to fence 
against his?” The fence laws differ in different 
States, and hardly a year passes without some statute 
change in them in one State or another. In some of 
the States they vary in even adjacent counties ; as the 
question of “fence” or “no fence” is left to local 
option in the different counties. It is impossible, 
therefore, for us to answer the above question, as 
neither the county nor State is given. Where the 
laws vary so widely in different States and are liable 
to constant change, it is no easy matter for a person 
residing in one State, to keep track of the fence laws 
in that as well as in all the others. It is advisable, 
therefore, for each to seek information on such pain’s 
from some local authority. 
