of the desirable qualities in size, style, ac¬ 
tion and color, having been bred for over 
200 years. They stamp with almost infalli¬ 
bility their characteristics upon their off¬ 
spring.” __ 
Stringlialt. — Walter A. Davis has a 
valuable mare troubled with stringhalt, and 
wants a remedy. It seems to be conceded 
that this trouble is the result of an injury 
ora strain, and as soon as discovered com¬ 
plete rest, is recommended, with light diet, 
nauseating medicines, with an occasional 
light dose of cathartic medicine to clear out 
the bowels, and cold water bandages around 
the body. Chronic cases, of long standing, 
are regarded incurable. It is recommended, 
however, where the horse is debilitated, to 
rub the spine daily with a mixture com¬ 
posed of one pint of linseed oil, two ounces 
spirits of hartshorn and half an ounce of 
fine mustard, at the same time giving, 
morning and evening, a dose of one ounce 
each of powdered golden seal, powdered 
gentian, cream of tartar and charcoal, and 
one-half ounce asafretida, mixed and di¬ 
vided into eight equal parts. 
or carry the most nesn it is 
very true. The Light Brahmas, Plymouth 
Rocks, or Highlanders, may be more profit¬ 
able in the opinion of some people, since 
they carry more bone than flesh. But there 
is another party who has his idea of profit 
—the consumer—who may demur to your 
notions of usefulness, and seek to purchase 
the fowl with the most, flesh and the least 
offal. 
I think our friend of the Hearth and Home 
could study the “Standard" with good ad¬ 
vantage to'himself; and when he shall have 
made himself familiar with the p collar ebar- 
POLL EVIL 
PIGEON PENS 
Poll Evil is a serious matter to those 
who have to deal with it. Last spring one 
of these ulcers began to make its appear¬ 
ance on one of my mares; and, even before 
the bunch was apparent, the neck grew stiff, 
the nose being carried much higher than 
usual. I could get little information about 
treatment, and made no opening until about 
the first of August, when it had boon soft 
for some time. I used injections for three 
months, during which time the ulcer was 
growing worse, and the mare had become so 
reduced that there was little left but skiu 
and bones, notwithstanding I was feeding 
her a peck of grain per day. I then pro¬ 
cured a long, narrow-bladed knife, and 
guarding it with a stick upon the back in 
such a manner as to proven! its cutting any 
further than there was an opening sufficient 
to admit the stick, passed it into the cavity 
and to the end of it, down the neck toward 
the body. As the cavity extended up the 
neck toward the ear, I did the name with 
the other end, when I had an opening at 
least eight, inches long by three deep. Then 
rubbing the inside thoroughly with powder¬ 
ed blue vitriol, left, it for three or four days. 
T also begun feeding the following condi¬ 
tion powder, two teaspoonsful twice per 
day in meal:—One ouneo each of fenugreek, 
cream tartar, gentian, sulphur, saltpeter, 
resin, black antimony, ginger, and half an 
ounce of capsicum. After t wo weeks, giv¬ 
ing once per day, the sore began to kuit to¬ 
gether, and is now nearly all healed. I 
found it necessary, sometimes, when there 
were indications of a pipe forming, to cut 
Just enough to destroy it, rubbing occa - ion- 
ally with vitriol as at first. The powders 
worked wonders inside, and the mare be¬ 
gan gaining flesh rapidly on the same 
amount of grain. She is now in good condi¬ 
tion. with a prospect of being able to go to 
work again. 
I believe the knife to be the surest and 
quickest remedy; and if 1 had known it at 
iirst it would have saved months of valuable 
time, and acute suffering to the. mare. 
The opening should be made as soon as 
the swelling begins to grow soft., and not too 
near the ear or root of the mane—always 
lengthwise of the neck. Every corner of 
the cavity should be examined, and cut if 
necessary, as any hesitation is positive 
cruelty to the animal and damage to the 
owner. If some blood flows, there is no 
cause for alarm. 
The powders are invaluable in any case of 
indigestion or debility. g. e. t. 
West Haven. Vt. 
In pigeon lofts where it. is desirable to 
breed different varieties of birds, pens 
should be provided somewhat similar to the 
accompanying Illustration, (Fig. 1), which 
can be placed in ftl- 
nnct any loft. Tin- .. . 
pen is two feet in f' 
bight, and length, KBE Nnyy 
and eighteen inches iggl f. )H.. 
deep ; half the front, pjmllll 
as shown in the cut, frrjwj ljBH□ 
i s closed with a ■ 
board or blind, and ' o 1 
the other Half with Sflajffl BBBSBfau.. 
a wicket or wire ’ ft 
gate. Inside, from j^.., I . 
i tie blind to the hack F* ■ iju-intgffi’ 
i? llxed a shelf one ‘ 
foot from the floor \k'-fcg£; i „ | 
and the same width, AA 
on to which opens 
t hrough the blind a 
small door for the riounE L 
egress and ingress of the birds, with a ledge 
for them to alight upon. On the shelf is 
placed the nest-pan, and as soon as the old 
birds are ready to lay again, it should be 
shifted with the young to the floor beneath 
and a clean one substituted. 
The England Poultry Chronicle, (from 
which we take our engraving,) says the ad¬ 
vantages of this pen are that, “the young 
birds cannot disturb the old birds while sit¬ 
ting, it puts them entirely out of danger 
when they begin to leave the nest, causes 
them to learn to feed themselves early, so 
that when they are able to ascend to the 
shelf they are ready for removal to the gen¬ 
eral loft* These pens have, among other 
advantages, those of being readily and thor¬ 
oughly cleaned, they gi ve the loft a neat and 
uniform appearance, aud in every way add 
to the pleasure of the faucier in ways un¬ 
necessary to detail.” 
Fig. 2 shows a pen more par- ^ 
ticularly adapted for the trails- 
portatiou of pigeons, or it may .. 
be used as an exhibition coop, |[| |.| j||j 
It can be made 
actcristicH of all kinds of poultry, he will 
not regard the “ horribly deformed feet of 
the Dorkings or Ilondans with so much aver¬ 
sion. I am sorry it is so painful to him to 
see an ext ra toe on a fowl, and a comb to lie 
on one side of the head, and such diversity 
of color in plumage and legs. These are 
mere matters of taste—they do not. cause 
any pain to the bird, and therefore need not 
fear the interference of Mr. Bergh. But it 
is this “high breeding ” (on the part of fan¬ 
ciers) “that causes delicacy of constitution 
and susceptibility to disease.” High-bred 
is to be bred in high life, says Byron. It Is 
the reverse of being bred in low life. To be 
bred in high life, does not necessarily cause 
delicacy of constitution. The low bred arc 
not exempt from such. The gentleman is 
rather unfortunate in the use of his words. 
1 presume he means high-fed. To pamper 
the appetite of an animal is as injurious as 
not t,o fully satisfy it. with food. Inanition 
is as bad as plethora. Good food, sufficient 
in quantity and given at regular Intervals, 
is one of the tenets of physiology. A pre¬ 
mium bird must, be one that meets all the 
requisites of judicious care and feuding, 
large and symmetrical in all ape, (I am not 
speaking of Bantams, nor of that mediae. 
size so admired by the Farmers’ Club,) not 
too fat, but carrying plenty of meat; of 
HYGIENIC NOTES AND QUERIES 
To Break Up Ague.—I noticed an in¬ 
quiry, some time since, for something that 
would break up the ague without quinine 
Take one ounce of wandering milkweed or 
bitter root; put in a bottle with a pint of 
1 ys to get the 
Dose, a table- 
brandy ; let it. stand a few day 
strength Trom the mots. . 
spoonful in the morning, before eating, i 
cannot give the botanical name of the plant. 
It grows very plenty with us on meadow 
land, and resembles buckwheat in appear¬ 
ance.— P. M. M., PrrryriliC, N. I". 
Wk do not know any plant by the name 
given by our correspondent. 
Darkness aitd Small-Pox.—The Lou¬ 
don Lancet says:—If a patient, in the begin¬ 
ning of the attack, be put in a room from 
which absolutely all light is excluded save 
that of a candle, the effect is to arrest the 
disease in the papular or vesicular stage; 
the skin between the vesicles is never in¬ 
flamed nor swollen ; the large scabs of mat¬ 
ter never form over the face; there, is no 
intense pain, and ouly trifling itching, aud 
the smell is either very slight or altogether 
wauting. __ 
To Cure Salt Ilheutn. —I have known 
severe cases of salt Rheum cured by using 
the following: —Two ounces of fresh but¬ 
ter; one tablespoouful of sulphur; one ditto 
oil of tar; half an ounce origanum; half an 
ounce rosemary. Melt the tar, butter and sul¬ 
phur toget her. Be sure the sulphur is melted. 
Let stand until cold, then add the oils aud 
stir until cold. Apply plentifully two or 
three times a day, heating it in. —J. N. 
Allen.__ 
To Remove Tan.—M. B., Santa Clara 
Co., Cal., asks “what will remove tan and 
make the face smooth and keep the skin in 
a youthful state.” We answer, the most 
thorough cleanliness. Frequent and thor¬ 
ough bathing, using soap, according to cir¬ 
cumstances. Keeping the pores of the skin 
open and active is the best preservative of 
beauty we know of, except a good digestion; 
indeed it helps to insure that. 
Frosted Foot.—I should be glad if some 
of your learned correspondents would tell us 
bow to treat frosted feet most safely and 
effectively.—K a tie S. 
Another winter recommends bathing 
desired 
length—a pen three feet, long, 
two wide, and two feet high, 
would be the most preferable size ■ • ~ ■ 
—being easy to handle. The top _ 
aud bottom are made of light, - ■ 
half or quarter inch stuff, the 
back can be tight if desired. For an ex¬ 
hibition pen it should be open, as shown 
in the engraving. Lat h or sawed strips can 
be used for the bars, as they would be the 
cheapest and easiest made, but wire can be 
used instead for rods. That must be decid¬ 
ed by the taste of the builder. 
Figure 2. 
the very instincts have been so perverted by 
the cruel cunning of the fanciers, that ‘ex¬ 
cellence,’ as applied to game fowls, means 
an irresistible passion of the birds to tor¬ 
ment, each other to death.” This is a fair 
specimen of the whole tenor of the article 
I have been answering- It was not the. 
cunning of the “fanciers" that perverted 
the instincts of the game fowl. The same 
NOTES FOR HORSEMEN 
To Cure Colic in a Horse, a corres¬ 
pondent says, “Give one to three drachms 
oil of anise.” 
Sassafras and Heaves.—A correspond¬ 
ent says“ Sassafras is a splendid thing for 
a beavey horse."_ 
Cure lor Ringworms Wanted. —An 
old subscriber of the Rural New-Yorker, 
who has ringworms all over his face, asks for 
a remedy. ___ 
Slabbers in Horses.—We see it asserted 
that u horse can be cured of this in summer 
time by simply giving him a cabbage leaf. 
This will stop it until he eats something that 
will cause him to slabber again. 
To Prevent Ringbones on Colts.—A 
correspondent of the Rural New-Y orker 
says Tell those who wish to prevent and 
cure ringbones on colts to try letting the 
colt suck seven or eight months, keeping 
the mare up by extra food.” 
Breeding from a Deformed Colt. —I 
have a colt, of very good stock, hut de¬ 
formed in his knees. Would like to know' 
if his QCt would be liable to this weekness? 
lie was given to me when about four months 
old. being then very crooked, but seems to 
be growing out of it. His other points are 
said to be good. lie is now seven months 
old, and remarkably large for tiis age. — M. 
C., Mobile, Ala . 
If the deformity has not been inherited 
from sire or dam, there is little risk in 
breeding from him; though, as a rule, a 
PRIZE POULTRY 
The Poultry Savant of the Hearth and 
Home seems to imagine that a set of “ar¬ 
bitrary rules “ which govern judges in their 
awarding of premiums at our Poultry Fairs 
convey false impressions to the uninitiated. 
Who ever heard of arbitrary rules? I un¬ 
derstand arbitrary to be despotic—without 
rule or law—the will of one. A rule is the 
negation of any tiling arbitrary, and pre¬ 
supposes common consent. Rules are the 
expression of principles in concise language. 
They are meant for the uninitiated. We 
are supposed to understand the principles 
of a science before we attempt to teach 
the subject understand!ugly. Law, Medi¬ 
cine, Navigation, Architecture, all have 
their rules. Language has its rules; and 
one of the most important for a w-riter to 
learn is the right use of words. The prin¬ 
ciples of all sciences are grouped in rules. 
What does a “Standard of Excellence” 
mean? asks our champion of the crosa- 
by night, and the starry firmament, the 
ocean aud the land; that gave strength to 
the lion, ferocity to the tiger and savage¬ 
ness to the hyena, also gave to the game 
fowl his cruel instincts. The “Standard” 
judges him by his useful and ornamental 
qualities; the cockerel by his pluck. The 
mass of people do believe that premiums 
are offered for fowls on a basis similar to 
ihat in cases of other live stock, and truly 
so; aud it Is a perversion of the truth to 
allege to the contrary. Why the gentleman 
has striven so desperately to underrate 
pure blood and elevate cross blood in poul¬ 
try, is beyond the comprehension of the 
most astute understanding. He has not 
given us a single good reason; and in the 
face of science, experience and common 
sense, he urges his theory. If there is noth¬ 
ing in blood. History is all a fiction, aud the 
humau race a lie. If there is nothing in 
“The Standard of Excellence," whose will 
he raise in its place? I trust not that of 
the critic of the Country Geutleman. We 
have had Halstead's. We have a Teuet- 
meieu and a Lockwood. Whose shall we 
have next? Isaac Van Winkle. 
Vermin in Fowls. — A writer in the 
London Field gives the following as his 
method of ridding his fowls of vermin. He 
says: — “Daring the past season I have 
fouud common paraffin to be a most effec¬ 
tual cure both for house and birds. For 
the. former, simply sprinkle it about the 
building every other day or so until they 
have disappeared; then a good plan is to 
keep a cun of the same in the house with 
the cork out. For birds (With a common 
small paint brush) apply it from neck t o tail 
ou the back, and again under the wings; 
this will kill them all in an hour or so, and 
not hurt the birds.” 
To Remove IVarts from the Hands, 
wet them two or three times a day with 
common black ink, aud they will disappear. 
