Ghe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
307 
Various  Feeding  Problems 
Value  of  Buckwheat. 
1.  How  much  value  has  buckwheat 
when  fed  to  all  kinds  or  stock,  also  when, 
at  what  stage  or  condition  should  it  he 
fed?  What  value  has  it,  as  a  soiling 
crop,  to  plow  in,  and  when  would  you  ad¬ 
vise  this?  2.  How  could  rather  light 
soil  be  handled  without  the  use  of  manure, 
previous  to  seeding  for  hay?  This  land 
has  been  cropped  for  years,  and  is  very 
unhandy  to  draw  manure.  W.  s. 
Bloomville,  N.  Y. 
1,  Buckwheat  grain  ranks  with  corn 
in  its  proportions  of  protein  and  carbo¬ 
hydrates.  hut  is  less  generally  useful  as  a 
stock  food.  The  whole  grain  is  a  valua¬ 
ble  addition  to  poultry  rations  and  may 
be  ground  and  fed  to  pigs  and  cows;  for 
these  latter  purposes  it,  is  inferior  to  the 
wheat  products,  however.  Buckwheat 
middlings  are  one  of  the  best  milk  produc¬ 
ing  foods  available  to  Eastern  farmers 
and  should  be  fed  in  preference  to  the 
whole  grain  ground.  Buckwheat  is  a 
readily  salable  crop  and  may  often  be 
profitably  exchanged  for  other  products 
more  suited  to  special  purposes.  Buck¬ 
wheat  straw  makes  inferior  roughage  for 
cattle,  but  much  of  it  may  be,  and  is,  fed 
when  hay  is  not.  at  hand.  As  a  green  ma¬ 
nuring  crop,  buckwheat  is  valuable.  It 
makes  a  quick,  heavy  growth  and  may  he 
turned  under  in  New  York  State  in  rime 
to  seed  to  rye,  or  the  two  may  he  sown  to- 
gethor  and  the  rye  turned  under  the  fol¬ 
lowing  Spring.  The  buckwheat,  will  be 
killed  by  the  first  hard  frosts,  when  the 
rye  will  make  its  appearance  and  live 
through  the  Winter.  If  sown  alone,  the 
buckwheat  should  be  plowed  under  before 
the  seed  begins  to  ripen,  but  not  at  first 
blooming. 
2.  By  the  use  of  green  manuring  crops, 
like  buckwheat  and  rye,  with  chemical 
fertilizers,  soil  lacking  in  humus  may  be 
brought  into  good  condition  for  seeding  to 
grass.  Time  and  labor  will  be  required, 
however,  and  most  soils  will  need  liberal 
applications  of  lime  to  counteract  the  nat¬ 
ural  acidity  and  that  induced  by  plowing 
under  large  amounts  of  green  stuffs. 
H.  B.  D. 
.  Bone  Meal  and  Abortion 
I  should  like  your  suggestion  as  to  the 
use  of  bone  meal  as  a  preventive  of 
abortion  in  COWS,  what  particular  brand 
do  you  recommend?  In  what  amounts 
should  it  be  given?  How  long  before 
parturition  should  the  treatment  begin? 
Is  there  any  ill  effects  on  the  animal  pro¬ 
vided  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  diagnosis 
was  erroneous  and  the  use  of  the  meal  is 
unnecessary?  In  other  words  would  it 
do  any  harm  to  give  the  bone  meal  in 
the  usual  amounts  as  a  preventive  even 
though  there  was  no  apprehension  of 
abortion  in  the  herd?  S.  u.  T. 
Massachusetts. 
We  do  not,  recommend  any  brand  of 
bone  meal,  nor  have  we  any  faith  in  bone 
meal  as  a  preventive  of  abortion.  We 
understand  that  fresh  ground  bone  meal 
has  been  advocated  for  the  purpose.  Con¬ 
tagion  from  a  specific  germ  which  has 
been  isolated  and  cultivated  by  scien¬ 
tists,  is  now  well  known  us  the  cause  of 
abortion;  but  unfortunately  no  specific 
remedy  lias  thus  far  been  discovered, 
When  it  conies  it  will  be  a  serum  or  a 
bacteria,  and  such  biological  products  are 
now  being  experimented  with  by  many 
research  workers  and  veterinarians,  hut 
bo  far  they  have  not  proved  quite  suc¬ 
cessful.  Bone  meal  is  quite  unnecessary 
where  a  cow  receives  an  abundance  of 
mixed  feed,  including  wheat  bran,  other 
meals  and  clover  or  Alfalfa  hay.  Mal¬ 
nutrition,  where  such  feeds  are  supplied, 
indicates  contagious  abortion  germ  in¬ 
fluence,  or  some  other  disease,  and  bone 
meal  would  not  be  a  remedy.  Bone  meal, 
provided  it  were  given  in  fresh,  clean 
form,  not  decomposed,  or  from  diseased 
animals,  might,  however,  be  fed  with 
impunity  in  the  doses  which  have  been 
proposed.  A.  S.  A. 
Feeding  Cotton  Seed  Oil 
One  of  our  readers  in  Maryland  re¬ 
cently  asked  about  feeding  cottonseed  oil. 
He  said  he  was  iu  a  position  to  buy  sev¬ 
eral  barrels  of  this  oil  at  a  low  ligure.  He 
thought  some  combination  with  other 
feeds  could  be  made  so  as  to  use  it  to  good 
advantage.  We  have  corresponded  with 
the  best  feeding  authorities  in  the  South, 
where  if  anywhere  this  oil  would  be  most 
likely  to  find  use.  hut  they  all  agree  that 
such  feed  would  not.  be  economical.  The 
oil  is  sometimes  used  iu  the  place  of  liu- 
seed  as  a  purgative,  but  is  not  consid¬ 
ered  as  a  profitable  food.  In  Alabama  a 
little  work  has  been  done  at  feeding  this 
oil  to  hogs,  but  no  conclusive  results  have 
been  obtained.  In  Georgia  some  experi¬ 
ments  are  now  running  using  cottonseed 
oil  as  a  source  of  fat,  so  as  to  observe  its 
effect  on  the  character  of  butter  fat. 
With  these  exceptions  practically  noth¬ 
ing  has  been  done  except,  a  little  use  of 
the  oil  in  feeding  calves,  and  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  there  is  little  if  anything  in 
the  proposition. 
Wide  Ration;  Sore  Teats 
1.  I  have  a  Jersey  cow  about  10  years 
old,  weighing  about  000  pounds,  which 
was  fresh  September  11,  1915.  She  now 
gives  IS  pounds  of  milk  each  day.  I  am 
feeding  her  daily  24  pounds  of  dried  cut: 
corn  fodder,  *liree  pounds  of  corn  chop, 
214  pounds  of  brown  middlings,  1  Vt 
pounds  bran  and  three  pounds  of  beet 
pulp  soaked  in  eight  gallons  of  water,  (’an 
you  let  me  know  if  this  is  the  proper  ra¬ 
tion.  as  I  wish  cream  and  not  quantity  of 
milk?  We  have,  some  second-crop  of 
Timothy  hay  which  we  wish  to  feed  after 
the  fodder  is  gone  .  Ilow  much  should  be 
fed  each  day?  Torn  chop,  .$1.(15  owt; 
brown  middlings,  $1.25  cwt. ;  bran,  $1,20 
and  beet  pulp,  $1.45. 
2.  I  have  another  cow  which  I  bought 
October  1,  1915;  was  fresh  in  April, 
1915.  and  due  to  be  fresh  June,  1916, 
which  milking  very  irregularly,  giving 
about  15  pounds,  and  dropping  off  some 
days  to  seven  pounds.  She  lias  at  times 
small  pimples  on  her  teals,  whieh  form 
Scabs,  and  drop  off.  I  have  been  robbing 
them  with  carbolated  vaseline,  as  soon  as 
T  think  they  are  healed  they  reappear. 
She  seems  to  be  well  and  eats  well.  Can 
yon  give  me  a  remedy?  c.  E.  i*. 
Maryland. 
1.  You  are  feeding  a  very  wide  ration, 
which  will  not  produce  as  good  results  as 
one  containing  more  protein.  If  you 
would  increase  the.  bran  to  two  pounds 
and  feed  two  pounds  of  gluten  feed  in 
place  of  the  wheat  middlings  you  would 
have  a  much  better  ration.  It  is  impos¬ 
sible  to  state  exactly  how  much  second 
crop  Timothy  bay  to  feed  except  in  a  gen¬ 
eral  way ;  we  usually  feed  all  the  cows 
will  eat  up  clean,  or  with  hut  little  waste. 
2.  Your  cow  which  milks  irregularly 
probably  holds  up  her  milk  at  times 
caused  by  the  irritation  of  pimples  on  the 
teats.  The  best,  remedy  I  know  of  is  to 
wash  your  hands  thoroughly  before  and 
after  milking.  Bathe  the  teats  in  a  -> 
per  cent,  solution  of  creolin  and  when 
dry  apply  carbolated  vaseline.  c.  s.  G. 
Poisoning 
What  is  the  trouble  with  my  horses? 
I  have  had  two  of  the  best  doctors  in 
town  and  get  no  results.  The  trouble 
started  two  years  ago,  when  I  lost  a 
horse  with  spinal  meningitis,  so  one  doc¬ 
tor  said.  The  next  one  to  die  was  ap¬ 
parently  in  good  health,  had  hot  driven 
her  in  some  time.  I  found  her  down 
one  morning  and  she  died  before  night. 
This  was.  one  year  ago.  In  September 
another  died,  in  November  another.  No¬ 
vember  bought,  another  which  is  still 
alive,  but  unable  to  drive  him  since  Feb¬ 
ruary.  March  bought  another,  still  suf¬ 
fering.  The  first,  thing  noticeable  is 
lack  of  spirit  when  driving,  and  restless¬ 
ness  in  barn;  all  kick  stall  with  right 
foot;  ravenous  appetite,  drink  deep  at 
every  trough  when  driving,  but  in  barn 
hardly  any;  they  get  weak,  staggering 
gait,  urine  very  pale,  urinate  every  little 
while  in  barn,  sometimes  on  road,  get 
all  tucked  up  behind  and  wither  away. 
When  driving  keep  pulling  to  the  left, 
will  not  lie  down  and  finally  hind  legs 
swell.  Doctors  say  chronic  indigestion. 
I  say  diabetes.  If  so  is  it  contagious? 
Have  three  straight  stalls,  one  little  mare 
stood  in  same  stall  10  years  and  hasn’t 
caught  it  yet.  E.  p. 
Connecticut. 
These  horses  apparently  are  taking 
poison  of  some  sort  in  their  feed  or  water, 
and  a  careful  investigation  should  be 
made.  In  lead  poisoning  the  border  of 
the  gums  next  to  the  teeth  has  a  blue 
tinge.  It  may  be  forage  poisoning  of 
some  sort  and  moldy  or  otherwise  dam¬ 
aged  feed  should  be  avoided.  Also  see 
that  bay  is  free  from  ergot  and  horse  tail 
( cquisetum ) .  These  hints  may  help,  hut 
au  investigation  should  be  made  by  an 
export.  a.  s.  a. 
Lice 
Can  you  tell  me  how  to  got  rid  of  lice 
on  horses?  I  bought  a  two-year-old  mare 
and  she  is  bady  infested.  Do  they  stay 
on  the  horses  or  should  I  spray  the 
stalls,  too?  Will  clipping  do  auy  good? 
Pennsylvania.  \v.  k.  n. 
Lice  tend  to  pass  off  a  horse  when  he 
sheds  and  is  turned  out  in  Spring.  It 
would  pay  to  have  the  filly  clipped  at 
oriee.  Then  wash  affected  parts  with  a 
1-50  solution  of  coal  tar,  dip  and  dust 
with  sulphur  while  the  skin  is  wet.  Re¬ 
peat  the  treatment  as  often  as  found  nec¬ 
essary.  It  will  also  be  necessary  to 
cleanse,  disinfect  and  whitewash  the 
stable.  a.  s.  a. 
More  Dairy  Dollars 
We  have  found  a  way  to  bring  you  more  dollars  without 
increased  expense.  We  call  this  new  profit  “velvet,” 
because  it  comes  so  easily.  Our  new  book,  “Velvet  for 
Dairymen”  tells  all  about  it. 
Your  separator  is  losing  cream,  no  matter  what  the 
make.  A  famous  experiment  station  says,  “  The  use  of  the 
gravity  can,  a  low  speed  of  the  separator ,  and  an  ex¬ 
cessive  rate  of  inflow  cause  heavy  loss  in  butter  fat.’* 
They  have  proven  that  95%  of  all  farm  separators  are 
turned  below  regulation  speed.  When  the  speed  slackens, 
a  lot  of  the  cream  escapes  with  the  skim  milk — and  with 
the  cream  goes  the  profit. 
The  annual  loss  from  imperfect  separation  is  $47  on  the 
average  farm  and  upon  manyfarmsitis$100and  more.  That’s 
the  tax  you  pay  because  you  can’t  turn  your  separator 
at  just  the  right  speed  all  the  time.  But  with 
THE  NEW 
SHARPLES 
SUCTION  FEED 
Separator  you  get  all  the  cream  at  any  speed. 
A  wonderfully  simple  invention  enables  the  bowl  to 
drink  in  just  the  right  quantity  of  milk  to  insure  the 
closest  possible  skimming.  You 
may  turn  slow  and  make  the  work 
easy  or  you  may  turn  fast  and  get 
through  quicker.  You  simply  won’t 
lose  cream  with  the  “Suction  Feed.” 
You  get  smooth  cream  of  an  even 
grade  whatever  the  speed  of  the 
separator.  Uniform  cream  makes 
fancy  butter  that  brings  top  prices. 
The  supply  can  is  only  knee- 
high.  There’s  no  hard  lifting  to 
empty  heavy  milk  cans. 
The  new  machine  has  all  the 
features  that  have  made  the 
Sharpies  Tubular  famous  and 
many  other  new  vital  and  exclusive 
features  found  in  no  other  separator. 
Send  now  for  our  new  book, 
“Velvet  for  Dairymen,”  and  learn 
howto  secure  this  new  dairy  profit. 
Address  Dept  12. 
The  Sharpies  Separator  Co. 
Also  Mechanical  Milkers  and  Gasoline  Engines 
West  Chester  -  Pennsylvania 
Cbicago 
San  Francisco 
Toronto 
Portland 
n  I  ii  w  I  o  Heavy  brown  waterproof  tarpaulins,  ?X18  fl. 
u  All  I  flu  with  brass  grommets.  it.  to,  fit.  prepaid.  Write 
fo?  samples,  slate  Kim-.  W.tiTAJUJiY,  50  t'burcli  St.,Xrn  York 
SOUTHERN  LANDS  ARE  LOW  IN  PRICE 
but  high  in  productive  value;  wake  two  to  four 
crops  a  year,  and  give  largest  profits  in  grain,  vege¬ 
tables,  fruits,  live  stock  and  dairying;  unsurpassed 
dim  ate,  good  markets.  Publications  on  mpicst. 
HI.  V.  RICHARDS,  Industrial  and  Agricultural  Com¬ 
missioner,  doom  87.  Southern  Railway,  Washington,  0  C. 
only  forces  this  farm,  stork,  tools, 
Olvnllvoo  ),ay  an,j  grain  on  market.  00  acres, 
good  buildings,  school,  church,  and  choose  factory 
near;  good,  productive  farm;  pair  horses,  har¬ 
nesses,  wagons,  mower,  rake,  grain  drill,  sulkey 
plow,  harrows,  U  cows  ami  he) fort.  100  hens,  hay, 
grain,  small  tools.  All  for  A3,fiU0;  part  cash,  for  im¬ 
mediate  sale.  HALL'S  FARM  AGENCY, OwEgu, Tioga  Cu.. N  Y. 
CERTILE  FARMS,  BEAUTIFUL  PEUKI0MEU  VALLEY;  mildelt- 
•  mute,  excellent  market*.  Catalog,  W,  St«v«n»,  Perkuie,  Pi, 
-MOVE  TO  MARYLAND 
Bite  forThrifty  Farmers.  Delightful,  healthy  I 
.  Good  band,  Reasonable  prices.  Clone  to  big 
ets  of  large  cities  of  tie'  East.  Send  for  free, 
escriptivo  booklet  &nuii>, 
STATE  BUHEAU  OF  IMMIGRATION,  I 
_ 62  Hoffman  Building,  Baltimore.  Md. 
1 1  BOOKS  WORTH  BUYING 
\  !  The  Rore,  Parsons .  1,00 
Plant  Diseases.  Massee .  1.60 
Landscape  Gardening,  Maynard....  1.50 
Clovers,  Shaw. . 1.00 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER, 
833  WEST  30th  ST.,  NEW  YORS. 
