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The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
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a price for the heifer, but very likely he reasons 
that if the animal is worth $1,000 to some one else 
she must be worth that to him. At any rate, we all 
admire his pluck in buying her, and we all hope he 
will make good as a breeder. 
A Talk on Scarlet Fever 
I would like facts from proper authorities regarding 
symptoms and contagion of scarlet fever. There are 
several cases in the vicinity. s. j. 
V ll*.\VS with regard to the spread of scarlet fever 
have changed materially within recent years. 
It was formerly thought that the particles of des¬ 
quamating skin carried the infection; uoav it is be¬ 
lieved that these rarely, if ever, do so, but that the 
contagion resides in the secretions of the mouth, 
ilbse and throat, and in the discharges from running 
ears. The actual germ responsible for the disease 
has never been discovered, though the nature and 
course of the malady makes it 'practically certain 
that it is a germ disease. This being the case, it is 
not the flaking skin that is to be feared, but the dis¬ 
charges from the patient’s head, occurring long be¬ 
fore the child begins to pool. These discharges may 
contaminate clothing, books, toys, etc., and thus 
convey the disease to a distance, or those who have 
the very common mild and unrecognized cases or 
children, while now the majority of epidemics are 
of a mild type. 
About DO per cent of the deaths from scarlatina 
occur iu children under 10 years of age, and it is 
still one of the dread diseases of childhood. In many 
cases that do not prove fatal, com plica tiQiis seri¬ 
ously cripple the victim. In view of the possibilities 
inherent in eveii the mildest cases, scarlatina is not 
£ disease for amateur diagnosis and treatment. 
m. b. D. 
Fumigating to Kill White Fly 
Would you give me information regarding fumigation 
with hydrocyanic acid gas? Potassium cyanide and 
sulphuric acid are used. Will sodium cyanide take the 
place of the potassium cyanide? If so. is it used in the 
same quantity? I wish to use this to kill white fly on 
plants iu the greenhouse. IIow much can I use with 
safety on plants such as ferns, palms, Dracaenas and 
Chrysanthemums? w. K. {!. 
H YDROCYANIC acid gas is used in greenhouses 
for the destruction of white fly and plant lice. 
The gas is generated by placing either potassium 
Cyauide or sodium cyanide in dilute sulphuric acid. 
When potassium cyanide is used the Ingredients are 
combined in the following proportions: 
Pure potassium cyanide (9S per cent). 1 ounce 
Sulphuric acid . 1 fluid ounce 
ater . 3 fluid ounces 
1487 
latitude. As only the water freezes, the other in¬ 
gredients will be condensed, and the ice that thaws 
iu the Spring will have but little value. 
Illinois. BEXJAMIN ETJCKMAN. 
A “Blight-Proof” Potato Variety 
S EVERAL years ago we received a number of 
samples of potatoes from our readers. They 
were mostly from friends who wanted us to try 
varieties or strains which have done well with them. 
Among otlirf'i’s we received a red or dtirk colored 
potato which was said to be blight-proof. We 
planted these different potatoes side by side, and it 
turned out that the variety was really blight-proof, 
or practically so. It remained green and thrifty 
through the season, while all around it the other 
varieties went down with the blight. We produced 
a fair crop and sent a few samples out to friends, 
and iu every ease the potato has gone through the 
season without serious blighting. Unfortunately we 
mislaid the name and address of the person who 
sent us these potatoes, so that we are unable to tell 
just where it came from or its name and history. 
A number of these potatoes were sent to the Con¬ 
necticut Agricultural College for experiment, and 
Mr. B. A. Brown. Assistant Agronomist of that col¬ 
lege. has just sent his report. He says that, although 
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Me hear much about rat exterminators, rat virus and all the rest—now page the best of them all. Atloek Bess of the Atloek Farm. We see the results of 
her work hung out on the clothesline to air. Count ’em I We make 21. and as a result of her work Bess should be allowed to vote. She got most of them under 
a wood or brush pile, where the rats thought they were safe, but a good Airedale knows what to do in such cases, and she went right in after them. She is always 
ou the job. Some folks say a dog will not work, but catching and killing 21 rats certainly means the expenditure of energy on the part of something. We think 
Bess, right on her record, is entitled to carry the full name of Elizabeth! 
who are getting well, but have not yet lost their 
power to give the disease to others, may be respon¬ 
sible for its spread. It is probable, too. that there 
are carriers of this disease, as there are of diphthe¬ 
ria. By "carriers" is meant healthy people who. 
nevertheless, carry infective genus in their noses 
and throats. Anyone who comes in close contact 
with a patient suffering from scarlatina or diph¬ 
theria may, for a time, become a carrier, even though 
lie is able to resist the disease himself. There is no 
reason to believe that the contagion of scarlatina is 
carried through the air. except as it may he sprayed 
for a short distance into the air by the coughing of 
a patient, and the reported cases of contagion by 
means of soiled clothing, handkerchiefs, etc., that 
have laid in trunks or bureau drawers for years are 
to be accepted with considerable reserve. Like 
other disease germs, those of scarlet fever soon per¬ 
ish wheu exposed to light and air. Scarlatina may 
also be conveyed in milk that has been contaminated 
by the discharges from a patient. 
The characteristic symptoms of scarlatina are the 
bright red eruption, the fever, the sore throat and. 
later, the peeling of the skin. There are other minor 
symptoms and various complications, among the lat¬ 
ter being running ears, scarlatina rheumatism, pneu¬ 
monia and acute Bright's disease. There is no erup¬ 
tive disease, however, in which symptoms may be 
more deceptive. In some instances there is almost 
no fever, the rash is so scanty and faint that it is 
not observed, and the throat symptoms arc so mild 
that the child is not recognized as being ill. On the 
other hand, scarlatina may be of a malignant type, 
killing before the rash has had time to appear. For¬ 
tunately. the very severe and malignant cases are 
now rare and. like smallpox, the disease has lost 
much of its former terror. Older people will remem¬ 
ber epidemics 50 or more years ago. that swept 
through communities, wiping out whole families of 
When sodium cyaiule is used the proportions are: 
Sodium cyanide. 1 ounce 
Sulphuric acid . 114 fluid ounces 
M ater . 2 fluid ounces 
The sodium cyauide varies in purity, hence it is 
hard to know the exact amount to use. In generat¬ 
ing the gas the water is placed in au earthen jar. 
Then the acid is added slowly. If the water is 
added to the acid, heat is generated so rapidly that 
an explosion may result. Thus it is recommended to 
add tlie acid to the water, The cyanide is placed in 
a paper sack and dropped into the jar. the operator 
leaving the room immediately. Gas it given off 
install till and it is faint for linmans to breathe. 
For destroying white fly the potassium should be 
used at the rate of one ounce to 3.000 cu. ft. of 
spaee. When sodium cyanide is used, three-fourths 
of au ounce is recommended. 
Fumigate only on dark nights when there is no 
wind, having the plants on the dry side. It is cus¬ 
tomary to leave the house closed all'night, t. ii. t. 
Keeping Cider Frozen 
A S I have drank cider, sweet and otherwise, for 
00 years. I give the following as my best way 
to use it up sweet. Make it as late in the Fall or 
November as you can get it made, and on a cold day. 
IMace the barrel made on the north side of a build¬ 
ing. and upright, with a hole bored on the top for a 
rubber siphon. Cover the top and all sides with 
two thicknesses of old carpet. Keep it so covered, 
except when siphoning off a pitcher (or other ves¬ 
sel) of eider. Wheu zero weather comes, see to it 
that the barrel is only three-fourths full: then the 
barrel will not burst from freezing. 
When the eider finally freezes into a slush, a 
wooden rod may be punched through the ice so that 
the siphon may be used most of the Winter, in this 
they sprayed with great care, there was more or less 
blight on most of the varieties, but these blight- 
proof potatoes seemed to be entirely immune to the 
disease, and were as green as ever at the time the 
vines were killed by frost. The yield of this variety 
was at the rate of 347 bushels to the acre, with more 
than s4 per cent of them United States Grade No. 1. 
Mr. Brown says that if the quality of this potato is 
good it ought to find a place on the farms of small 
growers who do not have the equipment necessary 
to give thorough spraying. 
We gave the potato another hard test this year. 
It was planted in the middle of a patch of Irish 
Cobbler and Green Mountain, on either side. None 
of the potatoes were sprayed or dusted, the object 
being to see just what would happen to them if left 
alone. By the middle of August the Cobblers and 
Green Mountains were practically dead. The blight- 
proof potatoes kept ou growing, and remained strong 
and green until early iu October, or nearly up to the 
first killing frost. The quality of the potato is not 
high, however, and it does not rank as a good eating 
tuber. We think, however, that it is practically 
blight-proof, or as nearly so as anything we have 
ever seen. We have only a very small stock of the 
potatoes on baud, and it will be absolutely impossible 
for us to supply friends with samples of the tuber 
this season. Iu another year we hope to have some 
for distribution. 
It seems to be the prevailing style to start the fire 
from the top of the pile. A far better plan is to start 
a: the bottom, and as the fire rises you know you have 
got ’em. 
M ater is a substitute for “hot air.” Throw it over 
the human dispenser and keep a pan of water in the hot¬ 
air heated room. Moist air holds its heat longer anil is 
better for the lungs. 
Tun superiority of clover or Alfalfa hay for cattle 
feeding is not entirely due to the superior protein com¬ 
position. These leafy crops contain vitamiues—as nec¬ 
essary for our brute friends as they are for humans. 
