production, not of the same fungus, but of 
the JEcldlum, while the sowing of the 
spores of this latter fungus on the leaves of 
couch or wheat produced conversely the 
Pnccinia, By sowing the spores of either 
fungus on the plant on which it was itself 
parasitic, he failed altogether to reproduce 
the same plant; and this alternation of gen- 
between wool-growing and the dairy busi¬ 
ness, to be decided by special reference to 
local advantages. 
Early in the Bpring the w-ool trade was 
excited, and prices went up to 75 cents for 
XX Merino, and as high as 82 cents for flue 
staple; but now the market is dull at five 
to ten cents less than these rates. 
RYE FOR SOILING MILCH COWS 
A. W. Cheeyer, Sheldonsville, Mass., 
commenting upon the M r. T. D. G. Nelson’s 
article in the Rural New-Yorker con¬ 
demning rye for milch cows on the ground 
that it imparts a disagreeable odor to milk 
and butter, says, in the New England Farm¬ 
er: 
Now, I consider it my duty, after a two 
years’ trial of green rye for milch cows, to 
say that It does not impart uuy disagreeable 
odor to cither the milk or the butter. I sow¬ 
ed cuough rye last, fail at three different 
times, to give me all 1 could feed to my 
stock while it would be soft and tender. On 
account of the peculiarity of the season this 
spring 11 has not lasted in a feeding condi¬ 
tion as long as it would had the weather 
been different. The spring was extremely 
dry t ill t he 10th of May, so that the rye diil 
not thicken up as it would have done had 
there been more rain, and then when the 
showers came it headed right out and was 
800n too hard for good feed. Last year 1 
commenced cutting the 8th of May, and had 
it t hick enough to makes good swath. This 
year the first was cut on the 201 li of the 
month, and it was too thin to be of the best 
quality. The latter sowings are much bet¬ 
ter. I have cut enough to-dav,—June 5th, 
WRINKLES ON SHEEP 
Georoe Geodes goes for the wrinkled 
sheep in this wise: — “ By common consent 
it has been settled that Merino sheep should 
have some wrinkles, or folds, i ' 
out of the great looseness of the 
various parts of the body 
says that the Spanish, French and U 
breeders have 
i, which grow 
. —) skin on 
Dr. Randall 
erman 
all of them approved of these 
folds in the skin, considering them as indi¬ 
cations of a heavy ffeeoe, and ‘the French 
have bred them over the entire bodies of 
many of their sheep.’ Many of our Ameri¬ 
can breeders fell into this bad fashion of the 
1' i ench, and, as in the case of yolk, they car¬ 
ried a good thing 80 far that, from being a 
merit, it became an ‘unmitigated nuisance, 
both in appearance and reality.’ 1 have 
seen at a State Fair of an agricultural socie¬ 
ty a ram covered all over his body with 
wrinkles, along the outer edges of which 
grew hair, while between the folds tolerably 
fine wool grow—the whole filled with yolk, 
much of it indurated, that looked like the 
secretions of the human ear. A good 
shearer would require fully two hours of 
time to cut off this coat of mingled hair, 
wool and filth, that probably would not 
yield four pounds of cleansed wool. This 
brute was adorned with the ribbon that in¬ 
dicated that he had been awarded the first 
premium. The owner sat with his heels 
and legs on a bench, stretched along one 
side ..f his booth, the very personification 
of complacency. J very much wished for a 
picture of the whole thing -ram, owner and 
the committee that awarded the premium. 
Nothing could have illustrated with more 
force the evil effects of bad fashions when 
they carry even honest judges along their 
lusbaiulm 
made from any kind of feed, ixrccpt the best 
pasture grasses. ! have much faith in rye 
as a soiling crop, and shall continue to raise 
it in the future. It lasts but a few weeks 
almost, but while it is in feeding condition, 
it is one of (lie best crops J raise, judging by 
the quantity and quality of milk ami butte r 
produced, .as well as by the way the cows 
l"*t it out of sight, when II is led to them. 
There can be little risk in putting in a small 
field of it, for if it is not needed to feed 
green it can remain for seed, and with pres¬ 
ent prices of rye and straw it cannot be a 
very unprofitable crop. 
1 cannot conceive how Mr. Nelson could 
have come to t he conclusion that his milk or 
butter was injured by green rye, for it is 
one of the sweetest kinds of feed when 
young and tender, as any one can prove by 
simply chewing a stock of it for a few mo¬ 
menta, and while cutting and handling it. 
It gives off a pleasant odor, very unlike the 
disagreeable, pungent smell of green Hun¬ 
garian grass. 
I have juafc delivered a forty pound churn¬ 
ing of hotter, made this week, cliietly from 
green rye, and several of my patrons ex¬ 
claimed when the boxes were opened, “How 
sweet that butter 
ihe wool-growing States of the old West 
—embracing the region between the AUe- 
ghauies and the Misalesippi-aie showing a 
considerable increase in the number of 
sheep returned in 1872, over that of 1870 
while still further on, in the new West of 
the rocky Mountain and Oregon region, the 
increase in numbers has been nearly double 
the original stock of four or five years ago. 
Better than the increase in numbers of the 
sheep in ( his new West, has been the appro 
elation in value of the fleece, from better 
blood and better handling. By lhe openi 
of direct railway communication with the 
Pacific States, the influence of this increase 
is reflected directly back upon the old West 
the Middle and the A tlantic States. 
In the region of Ohio— the largest wool- 
producing State of the old West—the in 
crease in the number of sheep since 1870 
has been about 12 per cent. But, as affect¬ 
ing the Clip of 1872, there is .-mother element 
which materially increases its volume- tin 
cold weather has put forward th* , 
luce on Swine.—I have a white (’hester 
sow and pigs which arc literally covered 
willi lice, nearly destroying them. Have 
tried tar 
smells! 1 think your cows 
have been at pasture this week;” which 
was a mistake, for i have not yet, turned out 
at all. but have fed only lmy, grain and 
green ryo. And the more rye fed, f lic bet¬ 
ter has been the quantity and quality of t he 
milk and butter. 
grease, sulphur, kerosene, soft 
I soup, etc., but can't eradicate them. Is 
there any remedy ? I am satisfied the Ches¬ 
ters do not suit our climate; the Berkshires 
are much their superiors here.—M. M. 
Moore, Columbus, Ua. 
You must have a new species of lice if 
neither sulphur nor kerosene will destroy 
them. But we think if you use carbolic 
soap to wash t hem with they will leave, if 
they do not, send us a specimen in alcohol, 
that we may study him. We have tried the 
following with success. Wash the pig thor¬ 
oughly with soup and water, and thou apply 
one or two drachms of mercurial mange 
ointment, rubbed in every second or third 
day, as long as may be necessary. < >f course 
the pigs should be kept in clean pens or 
pastures, ivith (if in pens) fresh, clean litter 
often. 
BERBERRY AND RUST ON WHEAT 
Berberry and (hat which produces rust on 
wheat is the same, and that wheat grown 
alongside (he Berberry will rust; conse¬ 
quently, the crop becomes worth leas. Tlu-rc 
arc others who claim that they have grown 
as good crops of wheat alongside the Ber¬ 
berry hedges as could be grown where there 
is none of it. 1 would like to hear from 
some of your corresponden ts on the subject; 
also, il there has ever been any scientific 
experiments ill relation to t he mill ter. We 
need somet hing to fence our prairies, and 
prefer a living lance; and there are advan¬ 
tages in favor of the Berberry, if it can be 
used with safety to the Crops.— n. r. a.— 
Scranton, lown. 
As long ago as 1771—we do not know how- 
much earlier — the injurious influence of 
Berberry on growing grain was noted aad 
written about. Even though botanists have 
refused to believe the theory, the fact seems 
to have been well established that, under 
certain conditions, Berberry does promote 
the distribution of rust upon grain growing 
beside it.. As long ago as 180(1, it had come 
to bo known by (ibsorviug botanists that the 
leaves of the Berberry- were attacked by a 
yellow parasitic fungus, larger, but other¬ 
wise resembling rust on wheat. He Bary, 
the German Fungologist has established the 
truth of a suggestion made by Sir. Joseph 
Banks, in 1800, in the “Annuls of Botany,” 
as follows: “Is it not more than possible 
that the parasitic fungus of the Berberry 
and that of wheat arc of the same species, 
and that the seed is transferred from the 
Berberry to the corn?” He Bari- has es- 
Thumps in Swine. — This trouble is 
caused by sleeping under houses or in old 
beds that have been reduced to powder by 
long and constant usage. A pig in prepar¬ 
ing his bed, where there is much fine dust, 
is sure to inhale it, and entering his lungs, 
it produces the peculiar motion in his sides 
called thumps. J. H. Wentworth may be 
correct; different causes may produce like 
results; but if a dry, hacking cough accom¬ 
panies the disease, its owner may rest as¬ 
sured that its lungs are full of dust. Remo¬ 
val from the old bed, and (if he will eat it) 
a pickled herring out of the brine, every 24 
hours, will effect a cure.— a. 
Thumps in Pigs. — Josiah Penfield, 
Tremont, Ill., writes the National Live 
Stock Journal that he has had success in 
treating pigs with “thumps.” in the follow¬ 
ing manner: — “ I mixed tar and water to¬ 
gether by heating, and gave it to the pigs 
warm for two, three or four successive 
mornings; uud the pigs so affected and so 
treated appear now to be as well and hearty 
as any in my herd.” 
Measles in Swine.—R. F. P. is inform 
ed that we know no better remedy for mea 
sles than feeding sulphur occasionally. 
