1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
621 
The trouble, and the only trouble, is the rough condi¬ 
tion of the land. Wages are high and improved ma¬ 
chinery cannot be used. The land is covered with 
boulders of all shapes and sizes, in some places so 
thick as to completely hide the soil; in other places 
sufficiently far apart to allow a person to plow a little 
if patient and painstaking. All these boulders can be 
moved, but can it be done cheaply enough to make it 
pay, say at the rate of less than $100 for moving 1,000 
tons of stone ? If it costs more, the money would 
probably pay a better interest invested in a farm al¬ 
ready cleared. I should like to hear the opinion of 
others on this subject. It may be visionary, but I 
have sometimes thought the best plan would be to get 
a rock crusher and crush the rocks where they are, 
utilizing them on the land for whatever mechanical 
or chemical value they may possess. In many places 
the water power could be used to run electric mot rs 
for this work. H. B. 
Barre, Mass. 
[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.] 
Tread or Sweep for Power. 
F. S., Pulaski City, Va —In using horse power for 
farm work, which is the better—the sweep or lever, or 
the tread power on an endless lag-chain ? For the 
sweep power people claim that the price is less and 
that the horses will not get frightened ; against it are 
the objections that a driver and more room are needed 
and that one-third of the power is wasted. For the 
tread (endless chain) power the advantages claimed 
are that no driver is needed, that less room is required 
and that the power is exerted by direct motion of the 
horses and their own weight. Against it are the ob¬ 
jections that the price is higher and that there is no 
chance of increasing the number of working animals, 
that the horses are afraid to walk up the mill, and 
that if the brake should not be put on very promptly, 
serious accidents may happen. 
Ans —The principle of the construction of horse 
powers for farmers' use has been studied for many 
years, and a machine was in operation in 1858 in which 
the modern inclined platform power was used for pro¬ 
pelling carriages, which was done to a large extent on 
small lines, both for moving goods and passengers. It 
has been an accepted conclusion by mechanicians that 
the inclined plane powers are the most economical on 
account of the more direct application of the force of 
the animals. In these powers it is the mere weight 
of the animals that gives the impulse, and the useful 
effect may be easily calculated by multiplying the 
weight of the horses by the amount of inclination of 
the machine and the rate of motion. Thus, if two 
horsep weigh 2,000 pounds, and the height of the plat¬ 
form above the level is two feet, and its motion is at 
the rate of two miles an hour, the power exerted 
would be equal to a little more than 1% theoretical 
horse power, from which is to be deducted tne effect 
of friction and the inertia of the machinery. This re¬ 
sult is more than can be obtained by the lever power, 
on account of the loss of force by the indirect action 
of the traces not pulling in a direct line, and thus wast¬ 
ing power by this loss. This Joss will be all the greater 
proportionately as the power is smaller, and thus for 
light work the platform powers for one, two or three 
horses are used, in which the loss of power is reduced 
to a minimum. The effect of the horses in a tread 
power may be increased 10 per cent by loading each 
with 100 pounds, when the work is continued only for 
a short time. 
By the use of a brake so applied as to be thrown 
into action by the slipping or coming off of the belt or 
any other accident, the motion is arrested at once, and 
in practice the tread power is far safer than the lever 
power, in which the tumbling shaft is always to be 
guarded against. henry stewabt. 
Refuse Salt and Blood. 
IF. IF. IF., Mt. Sterling, Ky .—I have under shelter 
from 150 to 200 bushels of old salt which has been 
used on hides from one to five years. It cost only the 
hauling, which took half a day for a two-horse team. 
I thought from the smell of tne stuff that it must be 
valuable as a fertilizer. About what would be its 
value per bushel, and on what crops and at what time, 
and how shou’d it be applied to the best advantage ? 
I am a gardener and farmer. In the latter part of 
July I applied broadcast over a young asparagus bed 
(which was set out this spring with one-year-old 
roots), about 10 bushels, and plowed it in with the 
cultivator. The catch is about 36 by 450 feet, the 
rows three feet apart, and though the weather has 
een dry ever since, the asparagus is growing very 
nicely. I have a bed of Palmetto asparagus set with 
roots 18x30 inches apart (too closely, I think), which 
frequently gives us stalks seven inches long which 
weigh a quarter of a pound each ; is this not excep¬ 
tionally large ? What is the weight of the largest 
The Rural has seen on exhibition ? I cut mine six 
inches long, and sell all I have at 20 cents per pound, 
from the beginning to the end of the season—that is 
from April 1 to June 10. Is this not a fair price for 
asparagus ? I kill from three to five cattle a week, 
the blood of which I am mixing with soil taken out of 
a pond. I have been making this mixture for about 
six months, and would like answers to the same ques¬ 
tions in regard to the blood as with regard to the use 
of the salt. I am manuring ground for another as¬ 
paragus bed next spring. 
Ans. —Very likely the salt contains a small amount 
of nitrogen from the meat and blood of the hides. We 
could not even guess at its value, but if you will send 
a sample to the Kentucky Experiment Station at 
Lexington, Ky., you can get an accurate analysis. 
Salt is chiefly useful on soils in the interior. With us 
on Long Island or New Jersey it does apparently no 
good, except in very dry times, when it seems to con¬ 
serve moisture. The same is noticed of muriate of 
potash. In the Mississippi valley or west of it, salt 
in small quantities often gives good results. It is used 
chiefly on certain vegetables like asparagus, celery 
and cabbage, or on grain. Many farmers use 250 
pounds of salt on wheat, harrowing it in in the fall. 
We should keep the quantity you have for use on 
asparagus and cel iry. A light dressing on the cabbage 
may also prove helpful. On celery and cabbage we 
should use at the rate of 200 pounds per acre broad¬ 
casted between the rows, and worked in with a culti¬ 
vator in time of drought. Use it in the spring on 
asparagus. We cannot recall the weight of the larg¬ 
est asparagus stalk we have seen. What can our 
readers say ? You cannot help making money at the 
price named. The muck or earth from the bottom of 
the pond, if well dried and crumbled, will make an 
excellent absorbent for the blood. The blood is 
chiefly useful for its nitrogen. You can use it to force 
crops Hke lettuce, beets, sweet corn or melons. We 
should fine it thoroughly, broadcast and work well 
into the soil, in the spring, at intervals, during the 
growing season, if the plants show lack of vigor. Of 
course, dried blood, like any other form of nitrogen, 
can only be successfully used on soil that is rich in 
potash and phosphoric acid. 
“Milk Fever” in a Cow. 
A. L. IF., Sodxis, N. Y .—A cow of mine calved last 
week and everything appeared well with her that day. 
The next morning I found her lying down in the pas¬ 
ture unable to get up and ap Darently very sick ; but I 
could discover no cause for the trouble. She died in 
about 30 hours from the time I found her. What was 
the matter ? 
Ans —Your cow died of parturient apoplexy, com¬ 
monly called “ milk fever.” Such acute attacks occur¬ 
ring so soon after calving, are usually fatal. While 
some cases are treated with success by various prac¬ 
titioners, there i« no special remedy. Each cow must 
be treated according to the symptoms. The preven¬ 
tion and general treatment for this disease have repeat¬ 
edly been given in The Rural and will probably be 
given again in the spring. It is now so late that there 
will be little or no more trouble from the disease this 
season. f. l. k. 
Tumor In Cow’s Eye. 
H. J. K., Oran, N. Y. —1. In one of my cows there is 
a growth about four inches back of the right eye ; it 
swelled and broke, and there is quite a swelling there 
now. The animal eats heartily and gives an average 
mess of milk. What ails her? 2. Would this swelling 
injuriously affect her milk ? 
Ans. —1. A surgical operation will probably be neces¬ 
sary. The swelling being so near the eye, I cannot 
advise you to operate upon it. It will be safer to call 
a regular veterinary surgeon to perform the necessary 
operation. 2. No. A small abscess or swelling that 
does not affect the general health of the cow, will not 
injuriously affect her milk. F. L. K. 
Talk About Bottled Milk. 
A. L. P., Chicago, 111 .—To what temperature should 
milk be reduced before it can be put in bottles and 
corked? What is the interior style of the best milk 
wagon in use for retailing bottled milk ? Which is 
the best bottle-filling apparatus ? Which is considered 
the best aerator ? 
Ans. —Probably the article on “ Certified Milk” this 
week will answer most of these questions. The 
wagon made by the Parsons “Low-down” Wagon 
Company, Earlville, N. Y., is excellent. For retailing 
bottled milk one does not need inside fixtures beyond 
a seat a_d space to pack boxes full of bottled milk, 
each to hold six bottles. A tray made something like 
an egg case with a bail or handle is convenient. The 
driver can take one in each hand and deliver 12 quarts 
before coming back to the wagon. The bottle-filling 
apparatus shown in the picture (Fig. 2 r 8) is made by 
the Vermont Farm Machine Co., Bellows Falls, Vt. 
We do not known which is the best aerator. There 
are two distinct types. In the nill's aerator air is 
forced up through the milk by a sort of bellows. In 
the Heuling’s system the milk slowly drips or runs in 
a thin stream down over the outside of hollow tubes 
in which cold water runs. Both systems work very 
well. Mr. Francisco has used the Powell aerator. 
This is the simplest of all—a device something like an 
inverted colander with a rod fastened to the peak so 
it can be pushed down into the m lk can. The theory 
is that it forces a quantity of air down to the bottom 
of the milk from which it slowly bubbles up through 
the holes in the colander. 
Cotton and Flax Seed Food Products. 
IF. A. McD , Frankfort, Ind —Will The Rural give 
me some information about cotton-seed meal, cotton¬ 
seed hulls, and linseed meal, also flax-seed meal ? Are 
they any good as feed for horses or cows? If so, how 
much should be used at a feed for each animal ? In 
short, how can they be used to give the best results ? 
Ans. —Cotton-seed meal is the ground up product 
left after crushing the oil out of cotton seed. In the 
same way, linseed meal is the ground up product left 
after taking the oil out of flax seed. Cotton hulls are 
the outer coverings of the cotton seed, and flax seed 
meal is the whole flax seed ground up. Cotton hulls 
are not economical for Northern farmers to buy, and 
in most cases flax-seed meal costs too much. We 
should never feed it to horses or swine and, except in 
special cases, never more than two pounds per day to 
a cow. It is a heating and constipating food and is 
best fed with ensilage, pasture, or some other food 
that is more or less laxative. Linseed meal is also 
hearty, but more laxative than cotton seed. A pound 
per day fed with other grain to horses at hard work 
might answer. For cattle, do not feed over three 
pounds per day. If may be fed with stalks or coarse 
hay to balance the ration. 
Roup in Poultry. 
J. E. J., Livonia Station, N. Y. —What should I do 
for my turkeys? There is a swelling on each side of 
their heads and they have difficulty in breathing. 
Ans —The symptoms are those of roup probably 
due to exposure to dampness or storms. It is difficult 
to effect a cure without laborious handling of the 
birds. Mix one part of spirits of turpentine and four 
parts of sweet oil, anointing the heads, face and eyes 
once a day. Keep the birds dry and under shelter if 
possible. 
Alfalfa in Arkansas. 
IF. S., Piggott, Ark. —I live in northeastern Arkansas 
in nearly the very corner. My land is clay upland 
with a moderately hard clay subsoil, dry, but not 
hard pan. Will Alfalfa succeed on such soil? Red 
clover does. What is the value of Alfalfa for hay and 
pasture as compared with clover, Timothy and Red- 
top ? What is the proper time of year to sow it in 
this latitude ? 
Ans —Alfalfa will succeed on the above soil, pro¬ 
vided it is fertile. If it is not naturally so, it must be 
made so before planting Alfalfa. Octooer is the best 
time to sow. Plant in well prepared drills 12 to 18 
inches apart and cultivate for the first three years. 
Success will depend upon the cultivation and the fer¬ 
tility of the soil. Alfalfa is unsuited for pasture and 
will yield less hay in Arkansas soils than Orchard 
grass an> Red clover, when they are given the same 
advantages that it requires. Orchard grass is superior 
to Timothy and Red-top for hay and pasture. The 
above facts have been learnt from four years’ experi¬ 
ments with Alfalfa, clover and grasses on the Newport 
branch station in northeastern Arkansas, where the 
soil is practically like this correspondent’s. 
Director Arkansas Station. r. l. bennett. 
Look Oat for This Cow. 
O. M. C., Schenevus, N. Y. —A cow of mine has had a 
cough since the middle of the summer. She also dis¬ 
charged a thick yellow and bloody matter from her 
nostrils at first. Now another cow shows the same 
symptoms, and several of them are coughing. What 
is the trouble ? 
Ans. —We suspect tuberculosis, and would advise 
you to have the cow examined by a good veterinarian 
at once. 
Fisk for a Fertilizer. 
A. E. L., Chico, Wash. —Would The Rurae advise 
putting anything in with fish to make a fertilizer for 
fruit trees? We can get plenty of what we call dog 
salmon here in the fall when they come up the creek 
to spawn. I caught 700 and buried them in the soil, 
but they did not give good satisfaction. 
Ans —Green fish are not a suitable fertilizer for 
fruit trees. They lack potash which is a very essential 
thing in a fruit manure Probably wo^d ashes will 
be your cheapest source of potash, unless you can buy 
muriate of potash. You nad oetter put the fisn in a 
pile of horse manure and work the pile over we.l be¬ 
fore putting on the trees. If you have no manure, 
muck or black soil will answer. 
