1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
harrow well in. This will tend to “sweeten” the soil 
by correcting' the acid quality. For fertilizers, use 
muriate of potash and some form of phosphoric acid 
like fine bone or slag that has not been dissolved or 
“ cut.” 
Stock Water Without Wells. 
J. W. F., Alberta, Mo .—How can I get water? I have drilled 
down 120 feet, and not a drop of water. My neighbor has gone 
down about 133, only about 300 yards away from me, and has no 
water. The land is all very level, and mostly a clay and slate. Is 
there any way of knowing where the water is except by going to 
it? I do not believe in witching. 
Ans. —The land is evidently of such a character that 
it does not form a reservoir for water. If so, then 
none can be secured. On a cattle ranch in central 
Mississippi, where the conditions are, so far as water 
is concerned, the same as those noted, no attempt is 
made to dig wells. Large, deep cisterns are constructed; 
during the winter when the rain water is pure and 
cold, they are filled, and then the conductor spouts are 
cut off from them and the water remains pure and 
cold, and is of the very best during the entire summer. 
It will be seen that, in order to store water during 
the summer, the cisterns must be large. 
For stock water, artificial lakes or pools are made 
costing from $20 to $50 each. At the lower end of a 
little “ draw”, a dam is built with a common road 
scraper. These pools may be made from seven to 
twenty feet deep. If of the latter depth, and the 
water is taken from the bottom of them, even in 
Mississippi, it is cool and pure, and perfectly safe for 
both man and beast. 
There is a vast number of places, not only in Mis¬ 
souri, but also in New York, where these artificial 
ponds could be constructed at a very little cost, and 
in the end would furnish water without pumping it; 
also fish and ice, if desired. Perhaps a little of the 
details of building these ponds would prevent their 
being washed out. The dam may be made simply of 
earth, and about two or three feet higher than the 
highest water level ; either on the right or left, pref¬ 
erably on both, at the water level, a shallow, broad 
ditch is scraped which runs in a circular form around 
the pond, and empties into the “ draw” a few rods 
below the dam. This carries off the surplus water or 
overflow, and is very much more satisfactory than to 
dispose of it through a sluiceway in the dam. i. p. r. 
Wireworms Again; Sour Land. 
B. S. K., Mew York .—I am very much troubled with wireworms 
in the soil. How can I get rid of them ? A portion of my ground 
is sour—that is, I think it is—as a green, mossy growth appears, 
unless it is continually cultivated. Would a dressing of lime cor¬ 
rect this condition, and should I use air-slaked or quicklime ? 
About how much per acre ? This ground has never been culti¬ 
vated previous to last year. 
Ans. — I gave “A Talk About Wireworms” in The 
R. N.-Y. for February 3, 1894, and discussed the ques¬ 
tion : “Can We Poison Wireworms?” in the December 
22 issue of the same year. We spent three years here 
at the insectary in trying all the things that had been 
recommended to destroy these pests, and got nothing 
but negative results. But we found that if the in¬ 
sects are disturbed in the fall, many die, and it was 
thus recommended to plow and harrow thoroughly, 
infested ground in the fall, and continue this for two 
or three years Those who practice a short rotation 
of crops, claim that they are not troubled with the 
pests. The worms do not like to be disturbed too 
often. 
Prof. Roberts tells me that a dressing of lime would 
doubtless help that “sour” land. Get the unslaked 
or quicklime, After the ground is put in good 
condition in the fall, place the lime on the surface in 
piles of about five bushels each, and cover the piles 
with a thin layer of soil. In a dry time, it would be 
well to thi’ow three or four pails of water on each 
pile before covering, but usually the moisture in the 
soil will slake the lime. When the piles are thor¬ 
oughly slaked, spread over the field at the rate of 
from 10 to 20 bushels per acre. It will not need to be 
harrowed in, as lime has a tendency to sink into the 
soil. M. y. SLINGERLAND. 
An Anti-ant Remedy Wanted. 
W. 0. B., Lockport, N. Y .—Our house is infested with large, 
black ants. How can I get rid of them ? 
Ans. —If you can trace them to their nests in the 
soil near by, the best way will be to punch holes in 
the hills, pour a tablespoonful oi bisulphide of carbon 
in each, and quickly close the hole with dirt or a sod. 
The fumes of this poisonous liquid will penetrate to 
every part of the nest, and are sure death to all ani¬ 
mal life. Be careful not to get any fire near the 
liquid or its fumes, for it is explosive. If the nests 
cannot be located, you can probably best exterminate 
the pests, or at least discourage them so that they 
will leave, by the use of baits. Prepare a couple of 
sponges by soaking them in sugar-water. Lay one of 
them where the ants will readily find it. In a short 
time, the sponge will be a living mass of the creatures, 
when it should at once be thrown into boiling water, 
and the other fresh sponge substituted ; the streams 
of ants will continue to the new sponge. Those 
plunged in boiling water are, of course, at once 
killed, and it is surprising how soon the ants realize 
that a war of extermination is being waged upon 
them. Continue this process of destruction system¬ 
atically for two or three days, or at most for a week, 
and the house will usually be suddenly abandoned by 
the pests. Any other baits that will readily attract 
the insects will answer the same purpose as the sweet¬ 
ened sponges. m. v. s. 
White Grubs in Corn. 
G. G. G., Vail, M. J .—The white grub is the worst pest that we 
have here this year. It has destroyed the corn crop, and is tow 
devouring the potatoes. As many as 15 of them, each as large as 
the little finger of a 10-year-old boy, have been found under one 
hill of corn, and the corn roots are all eaten off. I have four acres 
of corn that are not worth cutting, and the remaining 16 acres are 
more than half destroyed because of their depredations. The 
most of this land has had no manure for six years or more, so 
they must be able to flourish without that kind of “hotbed,” some 
writers on grubs in the strawberries to the contrary, notwith¬ 
standing. Is there any way successfully to combat them ? The 
ground that I am plowing for rye is infested. Are they likely 
seriously to injure the crop ? 
Ans. —These pestiferous White grubs have been dis¬ 
cussed several times in The R. N.-Y. during the past 
year or two, and will doubtless continue to come up 
for discussion for many years to come, because as yet 
we have no method ofnquickly checking them in their 
destructive work. Hand-picking is the only sure and 
effectual remedy, and is practicable many times. I 
know of no application that can be made on the in¬ 
fested soil that will kill them, and not kill surround¬ 
ing vegetation. In some cases, a commercial fertilizer 
which would furnish quickly available food for the 
plants, might enable them to grow sufficient roots for 
both themselves and the grubs ; but it would not kill 
the latter. Unless the rye land is very thickly infested, 
they will probably do but little injury to the crop ; 
put in plenty of seed. m. v. s. 
How to Keep Ice in Texas. 
0. F. It., Clifford, Tex .—What is a good method of keeping ice 
in this plains country of the Panhandle ? I cannot learn that 
any one has ever made the attempt here. Our conditions are such 
that we can get no sawdust, tanbark, or so far as I can judge, 
A WARM COUNTRY ICE HOUSE. Flo. 190. 
other suitable material with which to pack ice to keep it from 
the air. Our crops consist, for the most part, of corn, sorghum, 
Kaffir corn, Millo maize, millet, with some wheat, oats, etc., but 
forage crops mostly. 
ANSWERED BY T. V. MUNSON. 
I can think of no better method than that generally 
used in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and 
other warmer States. A circular hole 12, 15 or 20 feet 
(according to the capacity wanted) in diameter, like a 
very large well, is excavated in a high, dry piece of 
ground, to the depth of 8 to 10 feet, and where it can 
be drained at the bottom into pervious strata of sand 
or gravel below, or by sewer, pump or siphon pipe to 
lower ground. When the excavation is completed, a 
strong, double-walled wooden framework is put in, the 
outer boards resting against the earth and prevent¬ 
ing caving in ; the inner boards are nailed on the in¬ 
side of the frame, so as to leave an air-space of, say, 
four or six inches all around. This framework is ex¬ 
tended several feet above the common surface of the 
ground, then drawn in conically all around, and roofed 
over with a conical roof. Double doors are made in 
one side of the conical roof ; through these the house 
is filled. When filled, they are closed tightly, and 
when ice is wanted, they are opened, one outward, 
the other inward. Often a stairway leads from out¬ 
side down under the bottom of the icehouse, where 
milk, butter, etc., are kept. When the framework 
and boarded-up sides of the house are completed, the 
earth excavated is graded up around the house, so 
that the water from the roof falls well out upon the 
earth, and runs away outside. The mound is sodded, 
and when such a house and mound are well con¬ 
structed, they are an ornamental object in the back 
yard. Ice stowed in such a house keeps well ; a ladder 
is used to enter when the ice gets too low to step in 
upon it. 
Such a house will last many years. With greater 
expense in using woods that will not readily decay, 
such as cypress, the house is good for a lifetime. A 
sketch is shown at Fig. 190. All doors must fit tightly 
by being rubber or cloth-lined. If dry sawdust, or 
powdered charcoal can be obtained with which to fill 
the air-space in the wall and roof, so much the better. 
6o l 
However, if the walls of the house are made tight, so 
that the air between has no circulation, they are a 
good non-conductor. Shade trees growing on the 
south side over the icehouse, assist it. Such a house 
is somewhat expensive at first, but in the long run, 
will be found cheap. It ought to work well in the 
dry, well-drained soils of the Panhandle of Texas. 
The ice should be cut in blocks, and stacked in solid, 
like bricks, to be pried apart as wanted. 
Some Fertilizers in Georgia. 
J. II. M., Clayton, Ga. —I have a field of black soil but it will not 
produce corn. It was covered with an alder growth, and has a 
yellow subsoil. What kind of fertilizer would be best to make it 
produce corn ? Would leaves and scrapings from the woods, with 
lime, be the best fertilizer for it ? What is night soil, and what is 
it good for ? 
Ans. —Of course we cannot say offhand what that 
soil needs. If it needs potash, which seems likely, 
the leaves and scrapings will not be of much service. 
If you can get cotton-hull ashes, we would advise you 
to use them liberally, and try to get a good growth of 
cow peas on the land. Plow them under or feed hogs 
on them, and then plant corn, using more of the ashes 
and bone if you can get them. “Night soil” is the 
name given to human excreta found in privies. It is 
about as valuable, ton for ton, as common barnyard 
manure, but is better suited for such quick-growing 
crops as vegetables or melons. 
Cows with Stringy Milk. 
J.J. N., llidgebury, Pa. —Our cows are afflicted with a strange 
malady or complaint. After the milk stands 24 to 36 hours, the 
cream is slimy or stringy. It looks good and tastes good. Some 
cows are worse than others. All are high-grade Jersey, except 
one, and she is a Short-horn, fresh in May, and the worst of the 
lot. They are at pasture in the same lot in which they have run 
all summer. The feed is mixed grasses. They broke into an ad¬ 
joining field one night—an oat stubble seeded to clo v . No grain 
is fed. 
Ans. —Stringy milk is due to the development of 
eertain fungi in the milk. The fungi develop from 
spores (seed) which may find their way into the milk, 
either through contamination of the milk after it is 
drawn, or through the system of the cow. The fact 
that the milk is stringy from some cows and not from 
others, would indicate that in this case the spores of 
the fungi find their way into the milk through the 
system of the cow. They are probably taken in, 
either in the food or drinking water, most commonly 
the latter. Examine the pasture to see whether the 
cows do not have access to some stagnant pool or 
water, or to decaying animal or vegetable matter. If 
so, such places should be feneed out. If necessary, 
change the drinking water entirely. Give each cow 
in her feed twice daily, one-fourth ounce each of 
chlorate of potash and hyposulphite of soda. 
F. L. KILBORNE. 
Windgalls or Puffs On a Horse. 
' It. P. McA., Saxon, N. C. —My horse has windgalls on his legs 
which came only recently. How can I remove them and keep 
them off ? 
Ans. —Blister with the cerate of cantharides oint¬ 
ment. Repeat the application two or three times if 
necessary. Windgalls can also often be removed by 
rubbing with some strong liniment ; or in the early 
stages by simple cold-water bandages, by rubbing 
with alcohol, oak bark tan, or other astringent solu¬ 
tions. Rest is neeessary during the treatment. The 
only way to keep them off, is to give the horse con¬ 
tinual rest. Windgalls usually result from severe 
labor, fast driving, strains or other injury. When re¬ 
moved, they are always liable to recur whenever the 
horse is subjected to the same cause that developed 
them in the first case. F. l. k. 
Pigs Weak From Birth. 
M. M., Breckenridge, Mo. —My pigs get lame in the feet, the knee 
joints swell, and the pigs become very lame, sometimes die in a 
week, sometimes in two or three weeks. They are fed dry corn, 
kitchen slops and corn crushed and soaked, and have run with 
the sow in the pasture. They are affected at from one to four 
weeks old; their appetites remain good. 
Ans. —The pigs appear to be constitutionally weak, 
probably due to a lack of proper nourishment from 
the sow. The almost exclusive corn diet may be re¬ 
sponsible for the trouble. I can only suggest that 
you endeavor to improve the general condition and 
health of the sows, and make sure that you are breed¬ 
ing from a vigorous male, and not inbreedhig too 
closely. f. u k. 
Navicular Disease; Helped But Not Cured. 
E. N. S., Plattsburgh, N. Y.— My fine eight-year-old mare is, to 
all appearance, foundered in the feet forward, and probably has 
been so for a long time, say, four months. After she has been 
driven four or five miles, she seems to travel fairly well, but acts 
very sore and tender when first taken from the stable in the 
morning. Is there any way that I can cure her ? 
Ans. —The symptoms indicate that the mare is suf¬ 
fering from navicular disease, an inflammation of the 
sesamoid sheath, or of the navicular bone itself, which 
is situated within the foot, instead of from founder. 
Navicular disease can often be benefited by treatment, 
but rarely cured. Apply a Spanish-fly blister around 
the top of the hoof, and repeat two or three times, 
making a second application as soon as the scabs from 
the first are shed. Remove the shoes and allow the 
mare to run in a damp pasture, or cause her to stand 
two or three hours daily in wet clay or a foot tub so 
as nearly to cover the hoof. An ointment of tar and 
vaseline should be applied to the hoof on removing 
from bath, or bringing in from pasture, to prevent 
drying. f. l. k. 
