Ijrqj tjusbanbrn. 
EPIDEMIC CATARRH, 
CULPKPPBR, Vn., Doc. 8,1870. 
H. 8. Randall, TJj. D. — Dear Sir; Rcinp; n 
reader of the UtiuAii Nkw-Yorkbr, and par¬ 
ticularly of your “ Department," l take the lib¬ 
erty of writing you in regard to a disease which 
prevails to n general extent, among the sheep in 
this State; people here call it by the vulgar 
name of “Snots.'’ The animals have a hard 
cough in ilie advanced state of the disease, 
sneezing violently at limes, ejecting quantities 
of m nous from nose, frequently quite bloody (or 
I wish you would give me a more detailed tides of flesh or fat as possible. Lay it upon 
account, of Llie disease as it appears in your the barn floor, and sprinkle it liberally with 
flock and those of your neighbors. State salt, and if the time can be spared, rub the 
what arc its first observed symptoms, and salt well in with the hand. Fold the skin 
what the succeeding ones, in Ihc order of with the flesh side in, and lay it away where 
their occurrence—giving the intervals of it will not be molested by dogs, cats or small¬ 
time between the occurrence of each. Some er vermin. As the stock accumulates, if the 
of the symptoms to which I would call your 
attention are the conditions in respect to ap¬ 
petite, rumination, evacuations, the pulse, 
weather is not very warm, one pelt can he 
laid upon the other, and very little room will 
be required for their storage. In about two 
respiration, nasal discharge, cough, color of weeks they will be sufficiently seasoned, and 
the caruncle and lids of the eye, loss of con¬ 
dition, languor, debility, duration of the dis¬ 
ease, circumstances of recovery, remedies 
administered and their apparent effects. Are 
arm (bronontti. 
GRINDING SUMAC. 
In the Report of the Department of Agri¬ 
culture for 1869, we find an article on 
American sumac. We copy what is said 
about the mode of harvesting and grinding 
sumac: 
ready to hang up for drying. If bright, dry | “ i n the United States, where the sumac 
red); it soems to affect them materially, not all breeds of sheep attacked equally? Ave 
taking on flesh as they ought. I do not know sheltered sheep attacked equally with those 
that they die from effects of it, but it certainly is which have no shelter ? 
a great detriment to a flock. My neighbor's 
whole flock are suffering from it, and i have 
two or three animals in mine afflicted since I 
brought them in contact with his. 
Do yon think it contagious, and is there any 
cure for it? I ask this on the presumption that 
you arenequainte-d with the disease. 
I shall fed under great obligations to you for 
an early reply, as I hav6 a very valuable flock 
which T am feeding for market,. 
Will you be kind enough to inform me where 
I can get your work on “Sheep Husbandry," 
Yours very truly, Henry S. Randall, 
- ♦ ♦ ♦ 
WOOL 
Iu lu 1'nssnge to Velvet Carpeting. 
The material passes from the wash to the 
combing machines, which separate the long 
from the short fibers. The long are passed 
through rollers, and assume a form called 
“sliver" which falls into a hollow cylinder 
nml the “Diseases of Sheep," if you have pub- set for i(3 rf , een . ioll wll5 | p (1)P shm , t fll)r „„ 
lished a work on the latter subject. , . reception, wane the snoit fibres 
With much respect, yours, B. A. Cox. 
A nxwrr. 
Cortland Village, N. Y., Dec. 10, 1870. 
B. A. Cox, Esq —Dear Sir : As you ask 
for an earlier reply than I can give through 
the Rural, T answer you by letter. You do 
not sufficiently describe the symptoms to 
enable me to identify the disease you men- 
vauish in a mysterious-looking box at one 
side of the room. These slivers are then 
passed through a drawing-frame, twenty or 
more of them united and drawn out so as to 
equalize the thread; eight or ten of these 
threads are again subjected to the drawing 
process and reduced to one. This operation 
is repeated as often as it is necessary to pro- 
tion, with entire confidence, though I have <lucc Miformlty. T1,eso lon S foni1 
not much doubt it is cabin I., and from its warp of ,Jlc Ciirpft,s > " 1,ilc the sho, t arc 
prevalence in your Stale, it must’be of an for the “ w ° o1 ” or “ fi|lin S" ln the 9 P in * 
epizootic (equivalent to epidemic among ning-room both staples of the wool are placed 
human diseases) character. L have no idea 011 tl,c “ s P iunin S which operate with 
it is “ contagious," hut where ii appears in - 1?real ra P idit y- Wlien it leaves the “jacks" 
a flock, it is likely to spread, because Ihc il is iu U,e fomi «>*' coarse yarn, tightly rolled 
epizootic influence is present and liable to ou lftr S c spools, then wound into skeins, 
affect, all. I supposo that influence might w,,eu iL is mu ty tbr the dye-house. By the 
be intensified locally—in a stable or yard— Araerican system of “folding” part of the 
by a number of diseased sheep. At all y um slioins an ; subjected to a parti-colored 
events I would prefer to separate the dis- dj'^ing. Parti-colored yarns are used for 
eased from the healthy ones, if practicable 
I thus described catarrh, iu the “ Practical 0thei ' Indies of yam are submerged in 
Shepherdrolling steaming floods of colored liquids of 
“Catarrh Is an inflammation of the mucous CVCI ^ ,U J C ' 8 , ulp,1Ur is " sed to bleach lhc 
membrane whloh lines the nasal passages, and P 0r,10n intended to represent white. From 
it sometimes extends to tho larynxand pharynx, the (lye-room t he yarn is conveyed to the 
In the first instance—whore tho lining of' the dl'vilUM'OOm and thence to the winding- 
\immk 
mm***- ....yum?-.., , 
vJ / 
list E 
SUMAC MILL. 
it sometimes, extends to the larynx and pharynx, the dye-room the yarn is conveyed to the weather, but a few days in the sun will be 
In the first instance-whore tho lining of the drying-room and thence to the winding- required When drv thev are rea.lv for 
ima.il passages is alone mid not very vlolent.lv rr>, .. , , , , leqmrcu. vv nen illy, they ate icady lor 
affected -it is merely accompanied by an in- ro ” ni ‘ " cads are here wound onlarge shipment to market, or can be piled, or what 
creased discharge of mucus, and Is rarely at- cylinders for the printers and each filling ol bo I ter, hung in some dry place to await 
tended with much danger. In this form it is the cylinder makes lmt a single, thread in the the coming Of a buyer, 
usually termed auutHes, and high-bred English warp of a pattern. These skeins, after being Peita handled as above will be ormthird 
mutton sheon, m tins country, aro apt to manl- ■ . , , . . , , 7. * ena muiuiui ns anove, Will he one-tliucl 
feat more or loss of it. nrier every sudden l ,l ' nt( 'd wiili one hundred or more shades ol larger than if cured by hanging across a 
change of weather. When ihc inflammation co * in< in twxes on a little rail fence, or in a tree, and subjected to the et* 
extends to tho mucous lining of the larynx and road car are shoved into a boiler, where from fects of alternate rains ami sunshine and 
f " 1 ’ 01 ’: f,)Ur 10 Hix p° l,nd9 pressure of steam is ap- nicl.tlv dews. This is quite an iten.-aa the 
mutton Sheop, in this country, arc apt. to mani¬ 
fest more or loss of it. after every sudden 
change of weather. When tho inflammation 
extends to tho mucous lining of Hie larynx and 
pharynx, some degree ol fever usually Biipor- 
voul-s accompanied by cough and some loss of 
appetite. At this point the English veterinarians 
usually recommend bleeding and purging. En¬ 
larger than if cured by hanging across a 
fence, or in a tree, and subjected to tin: ef¬ 
fects of alternate rains and sunshine, and 
nightly dews. This is quite an item—as the 
plied. When the colors arc thoroughly fixed looks of almost every article largely control 
the skeins are dried and pressed through 
birch rarely attacks tho American flue wooled setting machines, when the yarn is ready for 
sheep with Biitllclent violence, in summer, to re- the Bigelow loom. These have on the end 
nilil*A tit** •’vli i Kif L-\n ,.f I .-...i.. ... . 
which, while it, weaves, cuts the pile and 
makes it velvet.. The fabric is next subjected 
to the processor “ shaving,” and after that 
quire the exhibition or remedies. I earlv found e C' ,.,1, • , . . 
that depletion, in catarrh, in our severe wilder '‘ ,u b (,t ,l,de wires U!je( ' t0 11BG 
months,, rapidly produced that fatal prostra pdc °* lb<: R n, SSPls carf 
tion from which ft is next to impossible to ro- which, while it weaves, 
co\ nr the sheep—entirely impossible, without makes it. velvet. The fahr 
££JiSr mo hT “ r0 " ‘0 «!>« P'fcoss or ". tliavlr 
cosiing uu inoio Loan the price ol any ordinary 111 * r _ 
ehoop. Tho best way Is to prevent rho disease to tliC rolling IflilcLinti; T 
by judicious precautions." * ♦ * * * rolled, marked with the 1 
The above opinions in respect to treat- tern °f eac ^ roP . number 
Jnent are still entertained by me. I would ftre t,ins prepared for rer 
merely smear the noses and faces of the dis- ,10use -— Y-, Economist . 
eased sheep freely with tar and pour as - - 
much of il as can be taken up on a table- SHEEP PE' 
spoon down the throat of each, without re- vvhiu to »o wt 
sorting to any other medication. The llock * „ 
«l,„„l.l I„. ___ 1 . A CONSIDERABLE atttO 
siioulil not ho exposed to snow or rain i . .. 
storms, or cold piercing winds. At this ;\!'V if t° l0si0ap,i ‘ 
time of the year, H elmeM l,„ .. at S ' y ““l?.?"’ 0 '?'. .“r 
niglit. Tiio houses or shelters should ho ' *!1" nes ''',° 
alumihmUy spacious go U.orougl.ly veu- f " r , w,n "“'.mulate 
til.de,I, that alter the coufluemenl of the 'mmh«s„,K,n the bauds, 
lluiks iu them all night lhc temperature r ' Pclls a| e of two < 
would not rise above 05‘ or 70’. Bui. the '""""n™ ’ y 10 n '*l , “ 11 
venlllaUon should he ohtalued wllltput suh- , ,,. ’ '’ r , Ul “° t * k ™ 
jecling tho sheep to strong currents of cold ' tU 7 m0a , 1 ' ? nd mm 
air. They should have dry, elean straw lo 7™ sheep dytng rrom , 
lie on—he fed with perfect regularity-mid ‘T, ’ """f™ 
have convenient access In nutter. Vlcr i? l "° wo “ '« 
the price to be obtained for it. A proper 
treatment also adds to its value intrinsically 
—as the skin of a properly cured pelt has a 
commercial value much in advance of one 
pile ol tin.* Brussels carpet, a small knile, improperly handled. The first is always in 
demand by some of the multifarious manu¬ 
facturers using sheep skin—such as book¬ 
binders, trunk and valise manufacturers, boot 
to the lolling machine. The carpets m o then and shoemakers and hosts of other indus- 
Uft1L..1 - * i 1 . At..._1_ . i? il . ' 
rolled, marked with the number of the pat¬ 
tern of each roll, number of yards, etc., and 
are thus prepared for removal to the ware- 
SHEEP PELTS: 
VVhar. to Do with Thom. 
A CONSIDERABLE amount of money is 
yearly lost to the sheep raisers of this coun¬ 
try, by the improper handling, and in some 
instances, total neglect of their sheep pelts; 
for these will accumulate iu greater or less 
numbers upon t he hands of every flock mas¬ 
ter. Pelts are of two classes—known to 
commerce by the respective terms, “slaugh¬ 
ter pelts," or those taken from sheep killed 
tries; while the latler goes to the glue fac¬ 
tory, and “ sells for a song." 
A properly cured pelt should sell from first 
hands for as much as the wool upon it would 
bring if sheared and placed upon ilio market 
washed—the skill remaining as a profit to 
the puller of the wool. On the other hand, 
if the skin Is nearly or quite rollon, and con¬ 
sequently valueless, the puller’s profit has to 
come from the wool, and the farmer foots 
the hill for one more lesson iu the school of 
experience. — A. M. Garland , in Western 
Rural. 
- ■»»+- 
NOTES AND QUERIES, 
Wot veu in 111 i iioiM. 
The Prairie Farmer reports that, wolves 
jeetihg the sheep to strong currents of cold ? >r lUei . r in *f’ and “ murrftin pc ' te ” or ,ho8C ™ ™ ri f. F'^'^^/eports that wolves 
nil- Tlievahonhihnvo i . ! from sheep dying from natural causes, oc- are troubling the sheep in Illinois, and is in- 
lie'on—he fell will, peritelWg'ilnrily-'^d oWc " 18 . | of, '“S s .,* lc - »«« K lncr|Kli. formed.hat a fnrmot living„« ir Fmeport 
have convenient aeee^ m \t ! urn the most valuable, lor several reasons, lias lost, quite a number of sheep by wolves 
i t iulcr They are generally larger, and freer from the present season. In some instances they 
Whether epizooticZ wmtSkq!^ b«t their enhanced prico bad been hold enough to venture into the 
m, . ’ l i r ' Is as much owing to their manipulation after, yard adjoining the house. 
‘, 8 - V!" l XP» of epteoolic „ thd, cnn.lltion at, tho Urns of removsl! „ -- 
catarrh which h.a ..illy malic its ap- The Imtchcr who daily hnndlcs from half a of Vmnmlw rai.nc. 
pear,ince in vnnons portions of the North- dozen lo one handrail pelts, duds it lo his ,., A "T' 88 , lm ' "'“'erpronllng all tax- 
ern States, and proved very fatal in its ef- tiiL-reci u. „ , . ,,, tile fahnes, from the coarsi-st carpet to the 
fects. I do not now remember ever to have _ P " ,Gm i' U< ,lie lHiSt possil,]o Hnest silk, has been patented bv Wm. A. 
i.m.. =o ; ., m n . em ' )er . CV . (n to havc i condition, and those flock masters who will | Drown & Co., Philadelphia. It' is simple, 
pearance in various portions of the North¬ 
ern States, and proved very fatal in its ef¬ 
fects. I do not now remember ever to have 
heard of it iu the South; and from what 
you say of the disease now prevailing in 
Virginia, and especially in respect to its not 
resulting in death, I am satisfied it Is not 
the malignant form of the malady. You 
will find a description of tho latter in the 
“ Practical Shepherd”—the work of mine 
you inquire after.* 
But even the influenza now prevailing in 
join State may, under neglect or had man- 
trv the experiment, will find it equally ad- ' effective and inexpensive, and can be up- 
ig m vantiigeous. To those we will offer a few 
i not suggestions. 
- not Remove the pelt, from the sheep as soon as 
A 0,1 possible after death, as every hour it remains 
i fhe on the animal damages its leather properties, 
mine We have also found that those pelts sell best 
that, have the feet and legs ns high ns the 
ig in knee left, on them On inquiry, ns to the 
mau- cause of this, we were informed that this was 
plied to made-up articles as well as to the 
fabric in the piece. Paper cloth, lasting for 
ladies' shoes, silk, etc., treated by this pro¬ 
cess are not altered in appearance or luster, 
and become highly rcpellant and impervious 
to water. 
——■— 
Wool Mature**. 
TniRTr pounds of wooi makes a good, 
generous mattress. It. should be thoroughly 
washed and carded before being put in the 
agement, especially should the weather be the style la which butchers’ pelts were usual- lick - Ip iy a good quality of ticking, and in 
fold, damp and changeable, prove very ly sold, and that dealers liked them best in ! en - OI * lpc ' ,: ‘ n youmay find it. desirable 
HR. i c.rs, yearling sheep, and old crones, pieion that the temptation to grade the best be as good as new. You need a mat- 
i inn eh reduced by it in flesh and strength, class of murrain pelts with those expected to tress needle about, eight inches long. Nine 
will require good management—good feed bring a higher price, is not always success- y arcls of ticking (yard wide) is a pattern for 
and shelter—to get safely to next grass. fully resisted by speculators and dealers in &• ! l is W °? t0 
° J bedstead for which you are making a tick, 
t» an obt!l ' n this by addressing d d T moorf f llis a'ffd of property. Avoid cutting or tear- an( i ] lave j t q t j ust Wool in mat- 
|1 Park Row, New York city. K ’ mg the skin, and keep it as free from par- tresses never wears out .—K Y. Tribune. 
How, New York city. 
ing the skin, and keep it as free from par- 
has never been cultivated for use, its leaves 
are gathered by stripping or beating them 
from the shrub, at any tftne from the middle 
of July to the appearance of autumn frosts. 
The leaves arc collected in the manner most 
convenient, and after being dried and sep¬ 
arated from the branches and twigs, are de¬ 
livered at the mills in the fall, the average 
price paid for them being $1.75 per 100 
pounds, 
“ A mill for grinding sumac leaves consists 
of a heavy, solid, circular bed of wood, 
(marked Ain the accompanying engraving,) 
fifteen feet in diameter, with a depression 
around the edge (B) a few inches deep and a 
loot wide, for the reception of the grouud 
sumac from the bed, and two chasers, or 
rollers, (CO) weighing about 2,500 pounds 
each, five or six feet in diameter, and pro¬ 
vided with teeth of iron, or preferably of 
wood, thickly iuserled. If the axle of a cart 
were set upon a pivot, in its center, the 
wheels of the cart would describe a com¬ 
pound revolution similar to that of the 
chasers of a sumac mill. Most mills have 
to be stopped to allow the unloading of the 
bed, but a process, exhibited in the accom¬ 
panying engraving, obviates this delay. 
“ The apparatus consists of an angular arm 
(I)) attached lo a scraper, (EE,) and worked 
by a lever, (F,j which passes through the 
hollow shaft (Q) ami extends to the room 
above, where it terminates in a handle, ns 
seen in the section at the lop of the engrav¬ 
ing. The sernper carries the ground sumac 
to the opening, (II,) whence it is carried by 
an elevator, such as is common in flour mills, 
to the revolving sieve or screen, in a room 
above. After screening, the sumac passes 
down through the tube, and is packed in 
bags, fifteen to the long ton, (2,240 pounds,) 
this article being always sold by that weight. 
Tli« chasers and beds arc inclosed in a huge 
case or drum, ami the grinding is done 
by the application of power to the upright 
shaft (Q) between the chasers, and which 
moves them. The mills arc fed from above. 
The packing is sometimes done by machinery 
alone, This description is of the best mills, 
which cost about $3,000. In Europe, nml in 
some parts of the South, sumac is still ground 
by stones revolving on a stone bed, and the 
sifting is oflen done by hand. 
“ The high estimation of onr native sumac, 
and its increased demand, have convinced 
manufacturers that cultivation of the shrub 
will soon bo necessary to give the needed 
supply. As the sumac possesses remarkable 
vitality, and flourishes upon the poorest soil, 
its cultivation may, and probably will, be¬ 
come a profitable branch of agricultural 
industry.” 
To Rcodem.— We desire eur readers to feel 
free to write for this and all other departments 
of the paper—giving experience, exchanging 
facts and asking questions at will. 
CIDER MAKING, PRESSES, Etc. 
The enormous crop of apples in the 
Northern Atlantic States has brought out 
many inquiries for and about cider mills. A 
part of these have been answered in the 
Rural New-Yorker and other agricultural 
journals. Many of the answers to the 
queries have advised tho use of iron graters, 
iron presses and other machinery employed 
in making cider, constructed of iron. I 
have no patent press of my invention, nor 
any axes to be sharpened by tho writing of 
this, but will state, as the result of my ob¬ 
servation and experience, that, the more 
iron in the machinery and the shorter time 
the crushed, grated or ground apples remain 
with impressed juice, the lighter colored and 
poorer flavored will be the cider. 
With your permission, I will inform the 
Rural’s readers how I prefer to have my 
cider made. The apples should remain 
upon the trees until there is danger of in¬ 
jury from cold weather; then they should 
lie carefully and cleanly picked and assorted 
by rejecting all the unsound fruit. They 
should ho put in small quantities in some 
dry place and kept until November, or until 
they begin to decay badly, and then crushed , 
not grated, for that cuts up the seeds, and 
thereby imparts an unpleasant flavor to the 
cider, but finely crushed —and then permitted 
to remain from ten to forty-eight hours, if 
the weather he sufficiently cool. Then the 
pomace should be placed upon the press, 
where it should remain for a short time be¬ 
fore pressing. In neither crusher nor press 
should there be any iron with which the 
juice can come in contact. 
Make as late as you can, before cold 
weather, immediately convey to a cool cel¬ 
lar, and after permitting it. to ferment for a 
week, strain the eider and rinse the cask. 
After putting in tho cider again, tightly 
bung, and you will have good flavored and 
good colored eider, without mustard, alum, 
beet or anything except a clear cask and 
eider made as above directed. 
This communication will be rather unsea¬ 
sonable for practical purposes this season, 
but my object in writing it was to give a 
word to “ the wise” who were expecting to 
purchase or construct a mill and press for 
another season. a. k. d. 
Now Hampshire, 1870. 
-•» ♦ » 
HOW TO LOAD A WAGON. 
Some three or four weeks ago the question 
was asked through the columns of the Rural 
New -Yorker whether a wagon should ho 
loaded heavier on the hind than on the front 
wheels. Your reply, though not asserted to 
be conclusive, implied that the load should 
be equally distributed. 1 propose a scientific 
elucidation of the subject, which will prove 
that the load should be heavier on the hind 
wheels, in the proportion of their diameter 
to the diameter of the front wheels. 
A wheel is a lever, whose long arm, theo¬ 
retically, is the distance from the ground to 
the center of the axle; the short arm is a 
pivot ; but, practically, it, is impossible to 
construct a. lever of such proportions. Hence, 
ln calculating the advantage of tho lever, a 
wheel or a lever, allowance must he made 
for the size of tho axle, and for friction de¬ 
pendent on size, other things being equal. 
Without going into too elaborate a discus¬ 
sion, it will he sufficient to say in general 
terms that the power gained by a wagon 
wheel is in proportion to its semi-diameter, 
and hence that, the load on a wacron should 
be placed proportionally to the diameters of 
the front and hind wheels. 
Suppose the front wheels are four feet, 
and the hind wheels five feet in diameter— 
then live-ninths of the load should rest on 
the hind wheels and four-ninths on the front 
wheels.—T. G. 8., East New- York, N. Y. 
MANURE ER0M A TON OR HAY. 
I see in the Rural New-Yorker, a ques¬ 
tion from II. Ost rum, as to what is the value 
of the manure from a ton of hay. It is im¬ 
possible to give him an answer, as to how 
much It is worth to him, individually, as that 
depends on how cheap he can make or pro¬ 
cure it from other sources. But I will at¬ 
tempt to give him the value of it, in propor¬ 
tion to commercial fertilizers, and that made 
from some other farm products, ns derived 
from the experiments of J. B. Lawes, Roth- 
amstend, England. 
Clover Hay .Bran, wheat .$14.50 
Meadow “ . 0.43 CX>ni. 0B5 
W heat Straw. 2.08 Oats. 7.70 
Oats “ 3.00 
He must remember that this is not the 
value of a ton of the manure, but the manure 
produced from the consumption of a ton of 
the article. They may not really he worth 
this amount to Mr. Ostrum ; hut if lie con¬ 
templates purchasing fertilizers, then they 
are worth this much. 
It, would be well enough to state that the 
bran owes its increased value over clover 
hay, to the presence of phosphoric acid, the 
most needed and most valuable article in our 
fertilizers. Of all the articles we can the 
least spare, at the prices generally prevalent, 
if manure is any item is, first, bran, and sec 
ond, hay, especially clover.— j. h. b. 
