V 
1894 THE RURAL NE vv-YORKER. 5^3 
question. Since the Cornell people have verified the 
declaration, I refer to it not as an unsettled problem, 
but one subject to price modifications. On the other 
hand, dry grass will sustain the animal’s carcass in 
fair condition, but cannot, at the same time, keep up 
the normal fats in milk as upon a succulent pasturage; 
consequently, the latter half of July found our cows 
shrinking in both milk and butter fat. During three 
weeks’ feeding of cut rats on this dry pasturage with¬ 
out a single rain to increase pasture, the shrinkage 
was only slight, while the increase of fat was extra¬ 
ordinary, being from 4.6 during the last half of July, 
to 5.6 for the first half of August, making an increase 
of just one per cent of fat in favor of the cut oats. 
At the beginning of the last half of August the fet d 
ration was changed to ground feed composed of two 
parts of oats and one part of wheat, fed two quarts to 
each cow twice a day, with a small amount of hay in 
the morning. Tests made the last wee k of the month 
averaged five per cent, sustaining a loss of six-tenths 
per cent, with a pe rceptible decrease in the flow of milk. 
The latter was partly attributable to two cows going 
dry and no rain to freshen up the quality and quantity 
of the pasture. 
For Eastern Ohio, the lot of the dairyman has not 
t een a pleasant one since the open nj of spr ng, and 
many things have cceiirrei that seldom come so close 
together, that have not only caused him reflacticn, 
but financial Iosf. Firs", there was too much rain 
after May 1, cont nuing 18 dajs in very c'ose succes¬ 
sion, starting a heavy growth of rank, tasteless grass 
cn the pastures, wh:cb, after months of constant sun¬ 
shine and drought, had but little added to its value as 
a milk producer. Again, crjught started in at such 
an early date, June 15, tnat most da rymen we re i ly 
prepared for such an exigency. Again, the outrageous 
Texas horn fly has caused heavy loss to them ia its 
merciless daiiy attacks upon the cows in pasture. 
Often cows were kept up daring the day in darkened 
stables and pastured at night, most y upon dewless 
grass. Without doubt, this is the greatest drought 
that Ohio has ever experienced in her dairy history, 
but it has brought lessons that, wh le hard as they 
may seem to bear, cannot help to forearm us in the 
future. GKO- K SCOTT. 
Jefferson County, O. 
LEG WEAKNESS IN POULTRY. 
WHY CANNOT HENS WALK ? 
I frequentlf find In my flock, a hen that cannot walk. Hens bo 
affected appear to have no use of their legs. Some have recovered 
after a considerable time, others are still helpless. I feed principally 
wheat, with an occasional feed of corn. They have an unlimited 
range. What Is the trouble ? u. e. f. 
Th3 Trouble Not in the Legs. 
X do not think that the trouble is with the legs of the 
hens at all. X never had or saw a grown fowl, kept 
under these conditions, with leg weakness, which is an 
ailment of growing chickens, kept and cared for im¬ 
properly in some respect. X suspect and believe that 
the hens of E. E, F. are fat, and the symptoms are 
those of‘‘egg-bound” hens. If they get tid of the 
egg, they recover. Or they may by accident in flying, 
get an egg broken inside, which generally results in 
death. Fat hens are often injured by an over heavy 
or too officious male bird. It is likely that he keeps 
too many roosters, or too many dogs, soma of which 
chase the hens. h. s. bubdick. 
Rheumatism; Too Many Males. 
There are several causes from which hens lose the 
use of their legs. In the case of E. E. F., I do not 
think that the weakness is caused by variety of feed, 
his hens having as they do, a large range, but over¬ 
feeding and the consequent over-fattening may have 
something to do with the trouble. The causes to 
which X would attribute the weakness, are rheuma¬ 
tism and two many male birds, both of which are 
often the causes, either independently or jointly. 
Dampness of their quarters, will very often cause 
rheumatism, and the hens will be unable to rise from 
the ground. 
In the middle and latter part of summer, the drain 
on the system by the production of feathers, some¬ 
what weakens the hen. If a number of young vigor¬ 
ous cockerels are allowed to run with the flock the 
result is usually loss of leg power. As remedies, give 
good dry quarters, reduce the grain feed if the hens 
are fat, and feed largely of vegetable and animal 
food. Remove all male birds from the flock. 
C, R. WHITE. 
A Number of Causes. 
Leg weakness in small chickens is most frequently 
caused by too rapid growth. The bird becomes too 
he.avy for his bones to support. Too rapid feathering 
also causes iS as does bottom heated brooders. The 
remedy is to feed more bone forming and less fat en- 
ing foods, and to heat the brooders from the top— 
have the heat overhead ins*, ead of under foot. Chickens 
that have free range, are rarely troubled wi h it. It 
is always advisable to add a little bone meal or animal 
meal to the food of yourg, growing chicks, especially 
those hitched very earl7 in the spring and late in the 
■^all. About three times a week will be often enough. 
Leg weakness in full grown hens is most frequently 
caused by injury to the back by heavy males. The 
remedy is to remove them. If the hen is a valuable 
cne, plice her in a I'ght, dry, roomy coop, and feed 
1 ghtly of wheat, oats, larley and veaetables, but no 
corn. Gi^e her plenty of sharp gr t, old chinaware or 
flin’y stones Irokentotbe s'ze of grains of wheatand 
corn, pure wa’er, and a dust bath. Medicines and 
condition powders are of no use. Leg weakness in 
o'd fowls is occasioraliy caused by over-fatness, in¬ 
jury to the bcnes by jumping down from high perches, 
or rheumatism. If over-fat, stop feeding grain. If 
perches are high, get them down to 18 inctes above 
the floor. If rheumatic, give them a dry place, fiee 
from draughts, to sleep in. eked grundy. 
Bred It Out. 
I must say that I know very little about the cause of 
leg weakness in poultry, my only experience being 
some 10 or more years ago, when for two or three years, 
always during the venter, when my fowls were con¬ 
fined most of the time, I was continually having some 
hens troubled with leg weakness or rheumatism. They 
would, while apparently in the best of health in every 
other respect, lose the use of their legs so as to be un¬ 
able to walk or stand. They would seem to feel well, 
would eat and drink, and even continue to lay eggs for 
several days after they were taken. Their quarters 
were warm and dry, and I could see no cause for the 
difficulty. I removed them from the flocks and tried 
various so-called remedies, but all to no effect so far 
as a permanent cure was concerned, although the most 
of them would appear to get better, only to go down 
again in a short time. When sufficiently cared for so 
as to keep them alive until spring, they would nearly 
always get well and be useful throughout the summer, 
but were sure to be afflicted again if kept the follow¬ 
ing winter. 
The fact that only a small proportion of my hens 
ever had this trouble, and also that those once afflicted 
were particularly liable to a second attack after being 
apparently cured, led me to believe that the way to 
get rid of it was to breed out of it. I accordingly 
adopted the plan of rejecting from my breeding flocks 
every bird that showed the slightest sign of leg weak¬ 
ness at any time during the year, with the gratifying 
result that I have not seen a single symptom of this 
trouble in either fowl or chick in my flocks, for the 
past six years. c. h. wyckoff. 
[Every query must be accompanied by tbe name and address ot the 
writer to Insure attention. Betore asking a question please see If It Is 
not answered in onr advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
A White-Leaved Geranium. 
Mrs. 1. P., Slloott Springs, Va. —Is there a geranium 
bearing white foliage ? If so, where may it be obtain¬ 
ed, and what would be the price ? I cannot find men¬ 
tion of any such in the catalogues. 
Ans. —No, there is no white-leaved geranium (pelar¬ 
goniums). Every now and then, if one raises the 
variegated kinds from seeds, he will get a white shoot. 
But this white shoot, if cut from the mother plant, 
cannot be propagated. It needs chlorophyl—the 
green coloring matter. The nearest to a white-leaved 
variety is Happy Thought. The leaves have a margin 
of green; the rest of the leaf is yellowish-white. It 
was introduced about 18 years ago. Most florists offer 
it—H. A. Dreer, of Philadelphia, Pa., for instance. 
Moving Faeonies. 
0. C. M., Union City, Mich. —I am obliged to move 
my paeonies that have become very large. Will it be 
necessary to lift the whole mass that has become so 
very woody ? Or can I take a part with the top of the 
crown, without loss or injury ? I am anxious to re-set 
them as soon as possible. 
Ans. —The herbaceous pmonies are easily increased 
by dividing their bundles of carrot-like tubers now or 
a little later, or in the spring. Tne tree paeonies are 
generally increased by grafting them on the her¬ 
baceous sorts. 
Seeds for Nursery Stock. 
L. B. D., \Vaterpa)-t, N. Y. —What kinds of seeds shall 
I plant for nursery stock—plum, pear and peach ? Will 
the seeds of the plum and pear do in this locality ? 
Ans. —Seeds of the natural fruits are used by nur¬ 
serymen for growing stock. Seeds of the cultivated 
plum and pear such as grow in your locality would 
not answer the purpose. Peach pits are mixed with 
sand in the fall, and exposed to the frost during the 
winter, and planted out in rows in the spring. The 
seedlings are budded in late summer or early autumn. 
Fertilizing Substances in Mississippi. 
W. J. Q., Long Beach, Miss. —1. Which is cheaper, 
green fish at ^4 per ton, hauled one mile, or stable 
manure from horses at $1.25 per bon, hauled oue- 
quarter mile ? 2. What is the fcrmula for making 
potato and bean fertilizer from cotton-seed meal, 
kainit and acid phosphate to be used on rather sandy, 
yellow pine land ? 
Ans. —1. It depends a good deal upon the amount of 
water in the fish. Ordinary fish, as taken from the sea, 
will give cheaper nitrogen and phosphoric acid at $4 
than stable manure at $1.25, but you must use some 
form of potash with it. 2. We nevtr advise the use of 
kainit for mixing fertilizers when muriate of potash is 
available. The kainit contains but 12)^ per cent ot 
potash, and the freight on its great bulk and weight 
adds heavily to the cost of the potash it contains. We 
cannot make what we would call a high-grade potato 
fertilizer from these ingredients. A mixture of 1,200 
pounds cotton-seed meal, 1,200 pounds acid rock and 
1,100 pounds kainit or 300 pounds muriate of potash, 
will give the potash, phosphoric acid and nitrogen 
found in a ton of high-grade fertilizer. That is about 
the proportion in which we would use them. 
Weight and Value of Ashes. 
W. O. M., Fern Bank, 0.—What is the weight of 
ashes from a cord of the different kinds of wood ? 
What is the money value as manure ? 
Ans. —Experiments conducted seme years ago, 
showed that lO.OCO pounds, or five tons, of wood of 
various kinds, contained the following : 
POUSTDS FROM FIVE TOKS. 
Wood. I’otash. I'hos. acid. Lime. 
Ash. 11-5 
Red oak. 14 t> 27^ 
UlCKOry . 14 6 18j4 
Georgia pine . 5 1]4 18 
Veltow pine. 4^ 1 15 
Chestnut. 3 1 8 
Of course, the total weight of ashes will be heavier 
than this, but we have given only the elements that 
are of fertilizing value. We don’t know the weight of 
a cord of wood. As compared with the same substances 
in other fertilizers, potash in wood ashes is worth 
cents a pound and phosphoric acid five cents. 
J. H. Hale on Crimson Clover and Peach Sorters. 
J. W. B , Dresden, 0. —1. What does J. II. Hale think 
of the use of Crimson clover as a soil euricher in peach 
O’chards? 2. Would it in any way be injurious to the 
trees? 3. What kind of a sorter does he use for 
peaches? 4. Does it pay for the average grower to 
use one, and also for the grower of fancy peaches? 
Ans.— 1. What I think of Crimson clover in peach 
orchards is best answered by saying that for three 
years past I have plowed under each May, about 50 
acres of clover in young orchards, always to their ap¬ 
parent; ad vantage. 2. The only objection, especially 
in bearing orchards, would be that turning under so 
much nitrogenous matter, stimulates an enormous 
wood growth, which sometimes might not mature 
early enough in the summer for the best maturity of 
the fruit buds. I doubt if I should care to use it to 
any great extent in bearing orchards in this latitude. 
3. My business is that of producing very fancy fruit, 
allowing it to come to full maturity on the trees and 
then reaching the customers as promptly as possible. 
For handling such fruit, there is no machine made 
that will grade the fruit so perfectly and with so little 
injury, as a bright, intelligent woman. Even if fruit 
is not thoroughly ripened, any of the machine sorters 
that are made, give it a mussy appearance, and take 
off the handsome bloom, which can only be had with 
the most careful handling. 4. I cannot conceive of 
any conditions under which I would recommend the 
use of a peach sorter, if bright women can be had to 
do the hand work at any reasonable cost. Better pay 
double men’s wages for such work, rather than do it 
by machine, if the best results are to be obtained. 
J. H. HALE. 
What Is Subsoil Plowingr P 
E. C. J., Pine City, N. Y. —Just what is meant by sub¬ 
soil plowing, and how is the work done ? 
Ans. —Subsoil plowing means loosening the subsoil, 
or the hard, light layer under the surface soil. It does 
not mean throwing the subsoil up to the surface, but 
simply breaking or shaking it up. The subsoil plow 
has no moldboard for turning a furrow. It has sim¬ 
ply a piece of steel so shaped as to force its way like a 
burrowing animal. For this reason, it is often called 
a mole plow. Usually, in subsoil plowing, a second 
team follows the first one in the same furrow and 
drags the subsoil plow at least six inches beneath the 
ordinary turned furrow. 
Early Cluster and Early Harvest Blackberries. 
D. C. 0., Southampton, N. Y. —How does Early Clus¬ 
ter compare with Early Harvest blackberry as regards 
size, productiveness and earliness ? 
Ans. —Early Harvest is earlier than Early Cluster. 
The berries are rather small, but beautifully regular, 
the drupes being all of tbe same s.ze, and jet black. 
They are as uniform as if cast in tbe same mold. Tne 
variety is not hardy at the Rural Grounds. Early 
Cluster is inferior to other varieties npening at the 
same time in size of berry and in quality. It is not 
much hardier than Early Harvest, and we see nothing 
about it to make a fuss over. 
