1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
22 I 
be cut, and some of them a yard long. We cannot ex¬ 
pect much from a plant that is producing so many 
runners. We might as well expect to fatten a cow 
that is raising two calves. The ideal method is to nip 
them off as soon as possible after they appear. This 
compels the plant to exert its energies in building it¬ 
self up instead of producing a lot of useless runners. 
Cultivation must be frequent enough to prevent 
weeds from growing and a crust from forming on the 
surface. A crust excludes the air from the roots, and 
growth is retarded It also permits the water in the 
soil to escape into the air, whereas an inch or two of 
loose soil would retain it for the use of the plants. 
In the early part of the season, the soil should be 
stirred deep. I use a Planet Jr. with pulverizer 
attached, and this leaves the surface smooth and fine. 
About September 1, deep cultivating must be discon¬ 
tinued so as to allow more horizontal root growth, 
which always takes place when the damp fall weather 
comes. If the soil be too loose, but few fruit buds 
will form for the same reason that a plant rarely 
blooms well until the pot is full of roots. It is no 
less important to keep the surface stirred, but it must 
be shallow—less than an inch if possible. If these 
directions are followed, the ground will be full of 
roots from row to row by Novemberl. Thisnearly com¬ 
pletes the year’s work of the plant. It will, however, 
grow when the weather permits until winter sets in. 
All that remains for the grower to do is to see that 
the plants are not injured by freezing. To prevent 
this, the surface between the plants should be covered 
before hard frosts come. The expansion of the water 
in the soil as it turns to ice, is very injurious, and 
no less so in November than in March. It is only 
because the roots have been pulled and broken by 
repeated freezing and thawing in November, that a 
little more of the same in March is so damaging. 
The safe way is to cover the ground November 1, 
and as soon as winter sets in, cover foliage and all. 
If blown off before it gets settled, it must be replaced. 
When spring comes and before growth commences, the 
covering must be removed from over the plants to 
allow the new growth to come through. In May, be¬ 
fore the fruit is ripe, runners will need to be cut. and, 
possibly, a few weeds may come through the mulch 
and will need pulling. 
Nearly 7,000 plants are required to the acre, if set 
30 x 30 inches, and with this treatment each one will 
do its best if no blossoms are killed by frost. What 
is the best that a plant can do ? A plant of the Jewell 
yielded two quarts of ripe berries at one picking. 
Last fall, The R. N.-Y. told of some one who raised 
over two quarts to the plant on the Parker Earle. I 
have seen over 400 berries on a plant, and have heard 
of 600. Certainly a quart to each plant would not be 
too much to expect, and 7,000 quarts to the acre is a 
good yield, and this with horse labor. Suppose that, 
the first of September, two runners from each plant 
were allowed to root midway between the plants; 
these two would certainly be equal to one of the old 
ones. This would prevent cultivating one way, but 
nearly all the surface would be stirred by going be¬ 
tween the rows the other way, and the crop would be 
about doubled. 
The late J. M. Smith told me that he raised 111 
bushels on a measured quarter of an acre, but there 
was no horse labor in his method. 
I have said nothing about fertilizers in this, but they 
are of no small importance. It would be very unwise 
for any person to go through all the motions of pro¬ 
ducing so valuable a crop, and make a partial failure 
for lack of plant food. The better way is to make 
sure of having enough. A crop of strawberries removes 
no great amount from the soil, but it requires a good 
deal to build up the plant to a heavy fruiting capacity. 
A large amount of potash and phosphoric acid is re¬ 
quired, and any surplus remains in the soil for a suc¬ 
ceeding crop. Enough nitrogen must be supplied, but 
too much is not only wasteful, but injurious. The 
first year it produces too many runners, and the second, 
too rank a growth, and possibly too many blasted 
blossoms. A luxuriant growth requires too much 
water to support it, and the plant seems exhausted 
after bearing. I am still of the opinion that bone 
dust and unleached wood ashes supply all that any 
soil needs for this crop ; and one can well afford to 
use enough—one ton of the former and 40 bushels of 
the latter to an acre. I am not speaking of bone dust 
composed largely of oyster shells, or of bone that has 
had its nitrogen extracted for glue stock. 
Cuyahoga Falls, O. 
Earliest Apples to Bear. 
E. F. C., Watervliet, Mich .—What is the earliest apple tree to 
mature—that is, the quickest to come to bearing from the time it 
is set ? 
Ans. —We would recommend three apples, the Olden- 
burgh, Keswick Codlin and Gravenstein. All of them 
are shapely trees. The Oldenburgh and Codlin are 
early bearers ; the Gravenstein makes the finest shade, 
although all of them have large foliage. 
Fodder Corn and Manure in Vermont. 
H. T. J., Bradford, Vt .—I .am in the habit of planting in drills, 
about an acre of corn for green fodder, to be cut in July and early 
August for my cows. Would I get more and better feed to sow 
oats and peas on this land, and feed the same as I would my corn? 
I have a large piece to break up this spring for corn, and shall 
manure it with barn manure. Would The R. N.-Y. advise me to 
spread the manure on top first, and plow in, or plow first, spread 
and harrow it in with a Cutaway harrow ? I usually plow in fall 
and spread on top in spring, harrowing it well in, for corn ; but 
for potatoes, I top-dress and plow under in spring. 
Ans.—W e believe that you will obtain more fodder 
from the corn well cared for. than from any other 
crop. We prefer, on general principles, to harrow 
the manure in, though no exact rule can be given to 
cover all cases. 
Growing Celery Seed. 
E. L. 11., Tecumseh. Mich .—Can you tell where and how celery 
seed is grown ? Seed corn from the South grows larger stalks, 
and will not ripen here. Seed wheat grows shorter straw and 
ripens earlier. Is there a difference in celery ? If so, is Northern 
or Southern grown seed best for our climate ? 
Ans. —Seedsmen inform us that a large proportion 
of the celery seed sold in America is grown in Cali¬ 
fornia where the soil and climate are well suited to 
this crop. No experiments that we know of, have 
been made to determine the effect of planting celery 
seed grown in a more northern latitude. The follow¬ 
ing account is given of its habit of growth : “Celery 
belongs to the family of Umbelliferte, and like 
parsnip, carrot, and others of that family, requires 
two seasons to perfect its seed. Plants stored in the 
usual way, in cellars or trenches, and set out in rows 
3 % feet apart, with plants 18 inches to two feet 
in the row, will seed freely in this section. One 
essential is to get it started early, and another is 
plenty of moisture. It will yield a good crop on land 
that will not grow a very heavy crop of celery for 
table use. The seed ripens unevenly, the central 
heads ripening first, and must be cut as soon as it 
begins to turn brown to prevent loss. This necessitates 
12 3 4 
CHAIN MAKING BY MACHINERY. Fio. 60. 
going over the field three times, at least, before the 
crop is gathered. It must be handled in some tight 
receptacle, as the seed is extremely small and will 
waste in ordinary baskets. A basket lined with cloth, 
is the most convenient thing for the purpose. It must 
be stored in rooms, where the floors are absolutely 
tight, and yet where the air can have a free circula¬ 
tion. It can be cleaned by thrashing and winnowing, 
but as the seed is so extremely small, it is difficult to 
prevent loss all through the operation. I do not think 
the usual wholesale rates are high enough to make 
the business profitable. It is also subject to the same 
trouble as the parsnip, the roller, or knot worm, will 
sometimes ruin a crop by getting into the seed head 
just as it begins to form, and entirely destroy it. 
Connecticut. ciias. pikkson auguk. 
Pigs Overfed and Pen-sore. 
C. Y., Ilagaman, N. Y .—I have seven pigs about four months 
old which have been ailing one month. I have been treating with 
the prescription for hog cholera, and overfed hogs, given in The 
R. N.-Y. February 16, but they are slowly growing worse. They 
have been fed on middlings, and corn in the ear all winter, about 
all they would eat, and have been in a pen 20 feet square, where it 
has been warm, dry and clean. They have had plenty of water to 
drink which was warmed and mixed with the middlings. Their 
appetites have been good until the past week. When first taken, 
they seemed to be a little stiff in front, which lasted two or three 
days, when they began to get stiff behind and then across their 
backs just in front of the hams. When we tried to get them up, 
they would rise in front and sit on their haunches like a dog, and 
drag themselves along in that position. If placed on their feet, 
they would walk, but very stiff, until they came to some slight 
obstruction, when they would tumble over and stay there until again 
placed on their feet. This sometimes seems to give them great 
pain. If they lie down, as they do most of the time unless driven 
up, they seem to be without pain, and lie and sleep perfectly 
natural. Their bowels seem to be in a good condition, and they 
do not look sick in the eye. 
Ans.—T he trouble is evidently not hog cholera in 
your case, but due to overfeeding, and the pigs becom¬ 
ing pen-sore from the confinement on the hard floor. 
Digs with small bone, or that have been too closely in- 
bred, are liable to become pen-sore from such confine¬ 
ment, especially if overfed. Place the pigs on a dry, 
ground floor, or in a yard, with a dry bed to which they 
can go in case of storm. Reduce the feed one-half, 
especially the corn, until the stiffness has disappeared. 
Drench each pig with four tablespoonfuls of castor oil, 
to which add one teaspoonful of oil of turpentine, and 
shake or stir well together before giving. Repeat the 
dose in three or four days on all in which the bowels 
are not loosened by the first dose. f. i„ K. 
Chronic Liver Disease in Cow. 
H. V. II., New Jersey. —What is the matter with my cow? Once or 
twice a year she has a swelling of the veins and glands under her 
belly ; the skin will hang away down and she will lick it till it 
becomes a mass of bloody sores. She falls off in her milk and 
once when four months from calving, dried up for three months. 
Ans. —The trouble is probably due to chronic dis¬ 
ease of the liver or kidneys. On the first appearance 
of the swellings again, if the cow is in good flesh, give 
one pound of glauber salts, with an ounce of ginger 
dissolved in three pints of water. Repeat the dose on 
the second day if not purged by the first. Also give 
once daily one-half ounce each of chlorate of potash 
and nitrate of potash. f. t,. k. 
Retention of Afterbirth in Cow. 
(I. K., Georgetown, Conn.— What is the remedy for a cow that 
has lost only a part of her afterbirth ? 
Ans. —There are no remedies that we know to have 
any practical use or value, that can be given to cause 
expulsion of the letained afterbirth. Ergot of rye 
would probably be as good as anything that could he 
given for that purpose, as it causes contraction of the 
uterus, which would assist in the expulsion of the 
afterbirth ; but it is rarely used for that purpose. The 
“ old-fashioned remedies” commonly given have little 
or no effect. The best remedy is to keep the cows in 
good healthy condition, and on a laxative diet just be¬ 
fore calving, when the afterbirth will usually he 
dropped within 24 hours. If not, it should then he 
carefully removed by hand. F. l. k. 
Parasites or Impaction in Sheep. 
I). II. J., Nelson, Mo. —My sheep are dying; they get a little 
stiff in the legs, one ear will jerk almost continually, they refuse 
all food, and fall down, and when helped up, almost always run 
backward and fall again. They linger from a few days to two 
weeks before they die. They ran on good pasture, with corn 
fodder, until the snow fell, about two weeks ago. There has been 
no wet weather, And they have had good care, and are fat enough 
for good mutton. 
Ans. —I am unable to say definitely, from your de¬ 
scription, whether the trouble is due to parasites, or 
to impaction of the manyplies or third stomach. Sev¬ 
eral of the given symptoms are common to both. If 
due to grub-in-the-head, in addition to the symptoms 
you describe, there would be a marked nasal discharge 
of a more or less muco-purulent character, accom¬ 
panied by snortings. In that case, nasal injections of 
oil of turpentine can be given, which will usually kill 
and dislodge the grubs. Take of oil of turpentine, 
three ounces, pure carbolic acid, one-half ounce, and 
chloroform, six drams ; mix by shaking well together, 
and always shake before using. Place the sheep upon 
its back and inject one-half dram (one-half teaspoon¬ 
ful) into each nostril. Repeat the injection once a 
week until relieved. Two injections are usually suffi¬ 
cient. In the absence of the nasal discharge, the 
trouble, if parasitic, is probably due to the coenurus 
cerebralis, the cystic stage of the taenia coenurus, 
during the early stage of its invasion of the brain. 
An autopsy only could confirm the diagnosis. If 
present, the parasites, about the size of mustard 
or flaxseed, at this early stage, will be found in 
their channels on the surface of the brain. There 
is no treatment for this disease. It can only be pre¬ 
vented by keeping the sheep where they cannot have 
access to the droppings of dogs, which harbor this 
tapeworm. If due to impaction, give two drams of 
oil of turpentine, well shaken in four ounces of raw 
linseed oil. Repeat the dose every other day until 
relieved. Free access to salt and water should be 
allowed. f. l. k. 
Scaly Skin Disease in a Mare. 
1 V. II. W., North Bloomfield, N. Y. —What is the cause of blotches 
on my mare? When I bought her two years ago, she was clipped ; 
she was not broken out then, but soon became so, and has been 
so most of the time since. She looks well, and feels well. 
Ans. —Such scaly or scurfy condition of the skin is 
usually due to some fault in digestion. It may also 
be due to some disorder of the skin, or simply to lack 
of proper grooming. Give one ounce each of the best 
aloes and ginger, either in a ball or as a drench, as a 
purgative. Follow with a bran mash diet until freely 
purged. Then give one tablespoonful of the follow¬ 
ing powders on the feed twice daily: sulphate of soda, 
and carbonate of soda, of each one-half pound ; 
powdered nux vomica, one-fourth pound ; mix. The 
diet should be light unless the mare is at hard work. 
Feed little corn or other similar heating foods. Daily 
grooming, using a new comb or card that will rub and 
remove the scurf, will be found very beneficial, both 
in removing the condition, and in favoring a healthier 
action of the skin. f. l. kieborne. 
