JULY H 
23 
salts, and even on these is shown only after a 
dry season when the fodder is at its worst. Dis¬ 
eases of digestion and assimilation will also, ex¬ 
ceptionally, determine it. The parts that pri¬ 
marily Buffer are bones of the haunch, the dis¬ 
ease resembling in this respect tho es!<x> malacia 
of women who have borne children. 
Symptoms. —Lameness, difliculty in rising, 
with some alteration of form in the quarters are 
the first signs, aud an examination of the pelvic 
bones by the oiled hand introduced through the 
rectum, will detect a want of symmetry on the 
two sides, from bulging, irregular swelling at 
different points. In more advanced stages the 
bones break and crumble under the body’s weight 
aud the animal remains constantly down, unable 
to rise. A depraved appetite and a tendency to 
oat all sort of unnatural objects, though a com¬ 
mon symptom in breeding cows, is excessive in 
many cases, and the patient mostly loses fiesh 
rapidly, though Borne will remain for a long 
time. 
Treatment.— Change tho locality to one with 
a richer fodder or bring the wholesome fodder 
to tho animals, and add, liberally, grain (barley, 
maize, oats, beans,) from sound localities. 
Fresh air, sunshine and dry resting places are 
all important. Avoid breeding again until health 
is fully established, or, better fatten for tho 
butcher. 
SoFTRNiNa ok Bonks in Houses.— Tho big- 
lioad of tho Mississippi valley is a manifestation 
of general fault in nutrition, showing itself in all 
bones of the body more or less. Like tho affec¬ 
tion of cows it consists in a Htoady increase of 
the canals and cavities in bouo, with their con¬ 
tained soft or plastic matter, at the expense of 
hard bony structure. With the continuous en¬ 
largement of tho bone there is an extreme thin¬ 
ning of tho microscopic bony plates, until tho 
structure can bo easily cut with a knife or 
crushed under tho pressure of tho finger. Tho 
interspaces are tilled by a red bloody mass, with 
tho natural elements more or loss modified and 
the addition of many spherical colls, or later of 
fat. As tho disease advances tho bones cau no 
longer afford a firm attachment for the ligaments 
and tendons, but crumbling dislocations and 
fractures are inevitable. There is some funda¬ 
mental fault in assimilation, aud though it may 
be determined primarily to tho face by tho hard 
work of grinding flinty maize, or its development 
may be precipitated by poor feeding, unwholo- 
sorne stabling, overwork and abuse, yet its true 
primary cause is unknown. It is mainly or alto-' 
gather a disease of early life, under seven years 
old. 
Treatment should be directed to the improve¬ 
ment of the general health by tonics, (cinchova, 
nux vomica, cascariila, bonesot, willow bark, 
myrrh, oxide of iron, phosphate of iron, etc.,) 
carminatives, (ginger, pimento, fonnol, feenu- 
groc, cardamoms, coriander) pepsin, sound nu¬ 
tritious food, (given soft boiled or steamed if 
necessary) pure air, exercise in suushiue, groom¬ 
ing, etc. No good can bo expected of advanced 
cases, but ouly of those seen in tho early stages, 
with some stiffness, and swelling of bone, and 
tho passage of phosphates, and excess in the 
urine. 
THE USES OF THE SEVERAL KINDS OF 
WOOL. 
Thebe is always a satisfaction to the producer 
of raw material in learning the uses to which his 
products are put when manufactured. Many 
people keep different breeds of sheep, and have 
oiten but a misty notion of tho purposes to which 
the wool of each variety is applied. In this con¬ 
nection, Leonard Duane lately read, at the an¬ 
nual meeting of tho Kentucky Wool-Growers’ 
Association, nn address on wool aud its classifi¬ 
cation lor market. Besides a full account of the 
special subject which ho proposed to treat of, 
the speech was rich in other information con¬ 
nected with sheep husbandry, aud we have there¬ 
fore here condensed it for tho benefit of our 
readers. 
It has been asked of manufacturers, “ What 
is the most pressing necessity of your manufac- 
ture i and answered, ‘‘ Wo want more domestic 
wool; but I would Hay, wo want more domestic 
wool improved to suit tho manufacturer. There 
are forty-six mills in the United States that use 
foreign wool entirely, and seven hundred aud 
sixty-seven that use both domestic and foreign 
wool, or nine hundred and thirty-one milks using 
Beventy per cent, of foreign wool. Would manu” 
facturers import wool if they were supplied at 
homo with the various kinds they want to use ? 
They would not. 
I have condensed the uses of wool into three 
classes from Mr. J. L. Hays’ report to the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture in 1872. Merino wool 
is used in opera aud common flannels, blankets, 
shawls, Bhirts, Yosts, skirts, drawers, cardigans, 
hose, fancy cassimores, meltons, overcoatings, 
light coatings, fancy cloakings, some varieties of 
delaines, coburgs, cashmeres, ladies’dress goods, 
and all mixtures of wool with shoddy; tho long¬ 
est and finest Merino wools tiro used to carry 
wool substitutes. The peculiar excellence of 
Merino wools is found in the soundness and 
strength of all goods they are used in. 
Combing wools are used in Bhawls, fancy knit 
goods, ladies’ fancy cloakings, serges, moreens, 
alpacas, cloth linings, mohair lusters, lasting, 
damasks for furniture, furniture oovoring, cur¬ 
tains, table-cloths, reps Tor furniture and cur¬ 
tains, webbing for reins, girths, suspenders, 
flags, military sashes, cords and tassels, nubias, 
braids, bindings, etc., etc. 
Coarse wools are used in common flannels, 
blankets, also tho noils of combing wool. The 
warps of ingrain carpets, two or three-ply, con¬ 
sume our coarsest long wools ; the shortest sta¬ 
pled coarso wools are used for filling. 
We should grow in lvontueky best pure Lin¬ 
colnshire, Cots wold. Bam bon Hut Merinos, and 
Southdosvns, and cross them on our native sheep 
and each other until we establish new races. 
Kontucky stands fourteenth in number of 
sheep, compared to other States in 1870 In¬ 
diana, 1,250,000; Iowa, 1.003,900; Missouri, 1,- 
284,*200; Wisconsin, 1,02,800; Illinois. 1,311,000 ; 
Miohigft(1,3,450,000; Ohio. 4,540,000 : California, 
0,750,000, and Kentucky, 088,600; in tho United 
Stales, 80,000,000 to 36,000,000. There are throe 
.States that Iuiyo more sheep than Kentucky pro¬ 
duces pounds of wool. No animal pays bettor 
profit. Tho clip of tho United States for 1876 
was about 200,000,000; of England, Ireland, aud 
Scotland, about 102,000,000, mostly combing ; of 
the Continent of Europe, about 102,000,001); or 
Australasia, about 350,000,00(1; of Buenos Ayres 
and River La Flata, about 207,000,000. These 
are the principal wool-growing countries of the 
world, and produced 1,282,000,000 out of tho es¬ 
timated 1,119,(XII),000 on the entire globe. 
The value <>r all kinds of wool is determined 
by its strength, luster, working qualities and 
shrinkage. Wool is divided by governments for 
tariff, and wool merchants, into three classos: 
Clothing, Combi ug, and Carpet, and is produced 
iu quantities in this order. Kentucky wool 
should bo classed as combing, delaine, medium 
coarse and black. Wool merchants separate each 
division into as many classes, as there arc dis¬ 
tinct qualities of staple iu each division, to suit 
tho purchaser. Manufacturers take tho fleocoa, 
putting them into as many classes as there are 
distinct qualities of staple in each lleeoo, accord¬ 
ing to its length, color, luster, otc., except tho 
gumming locks, which they will not buy un- 
washed. 
Clothing wool is generally divided into three 
classes—fine, medium, aud coarso. Tho average 
price for lilly-throo years, since 1824, for each 
class, per washed pound, is for line, Ol'jts.,- me¬ 
dium, 50{£o,; course, 51c., or nearly 5!.o. per 
pound less on each class as it grows coarser. Av¬ 
erage price per washed pound Australian in Lou¬ 
don, from 1802 to 1870, inclusive, as estimated 
by Mr. Bond, 43,'j'c. gold. Counting freights, 
commissions, etc., for same period, tho average 
price in currency for washed Australian, would 
bo 80c. per pound in New York, or 19c. more than 
any of our clothing wools, and 29c. more than 
for our coarse wools. Card or X wools are re¬ 
quired to he tine, short in staple, “ full of spiral 
curls and serrattlres.” Combing wool consists in 
drawing out tho fibers straight and parallel; 
then twisting into yarn, called worsted, •• the ends 
m spinning being covered, make the yam smooth 
and lustrous.” Tho staple should be generally 
five to eight inches long, having a few “spiral 
curls and serratures," with distinct luster. 
These qualities are found in tlie English in 
their order of perfection, as follows—The Lin¬ 
colnshire, Leicester and Cotswold breeds. De¬ 
laine wools are shorter and finer, and can be 
used as short as 2)7 inches, but it must bo very 
Hue and nice. The coarser the staple the longer 
it must be. These are not classed in the trade 
as combing wools. There are line, medium, and 
coarse combing wools. The duty on this wool 
will equal 11c. per pound, and ten percent ad 
valorem. Poorly-bred wools are very objection¬ 
able, having long, coarse, pen-pointed tops, with 
a iiue downy bottom and coarse uneven fibers. 
Tbeso are generally sold for carpet wools. I need 
only say to tho wool growers of this State that 
there is a wider field iu the expansion of combing 
wool fabrics than your imagination can take iu. 
GOOD FENCES ESSENTIAL FOR SHEEP 
HUSBANDRY. 
Goon, substantial fences which sheep cannot 
creep through or clamber over, should be pro¬ 
vided before buying the animals, because they 
can then be distributed to greater advantage, 
and they do much better when put iu several 
lots, and moreover, if a shepherd lias to spend 
his whole time tending them, it becomes expen¬ 
sive and necessitates koeping all ages and sexes 
together. It is also necessary that a comfort¬ 
able barn or shed should bo iu readiness, and 
bedding and food likowise. Thou, with perfect 
fences and a warm shelter for winter, there is a 
fair prospect of success in sheep husbandry. 
Suppose a flook of ewes was kept solely for rais¬ 
ing and fattening early lambs, no separation of 
the sexes would then be necessary, because there 
would be but the ewes and tho ram or rams till 
the lambs came. Iu such a easo all tho loss 
from bad fences would bo tho extra wages of 
the shepherd after deducting tho time it would 
bo necessary to spend with them in case the 
fences were good. 
And now having mentioned early lambs once 
more, it may not be uninteresting to add that 
since my last communication I have received a 
letter from one of the oldest importers of cattle 
and sheep in America—a gentleman who lias 
most deoidodly had more experience in this di¬ 
rection for tho last thirty years than any other 
person. I had some idea of importing Dorset¬ 
shire owes, but was not aware of how very much 
it costs to got them across the ocean. I will 
give an extract of what is said after explaining 
this to me: 
*' Your intended object is to raise early lambs 
for the Now York market. My idea is that to 
import ewes would bo too expensive. I should 
not do anything of tho kind. You would find 
the Southdowus and cross-bred Merinos quite 
likely to mate with the ram as early as tho 
Dorsetshire. You Bhould buy some two or 
three-year-old owes, and use good Southdown 
rains; put the owes at once on good fresh Teed, 
rape, etc., and iu two or three weeks put tho 
rauiB with them. I had, one year, ten lambs iu 
November, the ewes having taken the ram in 
Juno whou Buckling lambs. They were pure¬ 
bred Southdowus. 1 had no idea they would 
havo takon the rams when suckling, hut such 
was tho case.” 
About twenty-five years ago, I had somo Dor¬ 
setshire ewos myself, and they did the same, 
only it was in January they were suckling, and 
thoy had mostly twin lambs. But at the time 
they were being fed very high to fatten tho 
lambs. This was in England, and T found tho 
Dorsetshirea such extraordinarily good breeders 
and sucklors that nothing but such strong evi¬ 
dence as tho above from such an undoubted 
source, would have made mo believe other broods 
wore equal to them ; but we livo and loarn. 
Gkokok Gaudneu. 
% foulfqj jjari 
MALIGNANT FEVER AMONG FOWLS. 
There have latterly come to my notice some 
eases of severe fever among fowls, whiuli proved 
very fatal. Numbers of tho liens died, very sud¬ 
denly, on several farms in the neighborhood. 
The birds were iu good condition, with crops 
well filled, but not too hard, with food when at¬ 
tacked. 'The first symptoms were mopishnoss 
and entire suspension of digestion. There was 
no appearance of diarrhea or cholera. Yet, I be¬ 
lieve tills disease is sometimes takon for the lat¬ 
ter on account of its rapidly fatal character. Tho 
hints were very hot., drank very frequently, and 
kept very still. Many died in a few hours, some 
the second day, and others ou the third or fourth 
day; and after death, their combs turned quite 
black. 
In looking around tho promises to see if there 
was any local cause for the sickness, J found, in 
tho hot ami, a pool of foul, thick, stagnant ma¬ 
nure water, that had settled into tho fowls’ yard 
from a pile of manure close by, after a hoavy 
rain. The fowls were shut up in tho yard and 
had fresh water supplied daily in their drinking 
vessel. But hens will always drink from any 
dirty puddle that happens to be in their way; 
and under those circumstances, sickness would 
very likely be produced. 1 have read of many 
cases, similar to this one, but they were supposed 
to be cholera, and iu most instances such stag¬ 
nant water was found. I think this worth noting, 
so that readers of the Rural may look out and 
prevent any occurrence of the kind ou their 
farm, and thus save their fowls. I did not see 
tho stock in the ease 1 mention, until it was too 
late to save any. Most of them wero already 
dead; in all, seventeen died out of twenty. 
Taken in time, 1 Bhould have given tho birds a 
dose of about half a small teaHpoouful of castor- 
oil each, with boiled rice, bread soaked in milk 
or water, oatmeal, and other food of the sumo 
light sort. If they cannot bo tempted to cat, 
cram them a littlo whou their crops get empty; 
but this must be done very sparingly. 
Henry IIaxes. 
RAISING CHICKS OF DIFFERENT COLORS. 
It is a curious freak that many hens show a 
preference for chicks of some social color, and 
when a poor, innocent, little thing of a different 
hue appears, they seem to ho greatly excited, 
and vent their fury on their tiny victim, killing 
it instantly that it comes within reach. If one 
hatches a lot of White Leghorn chicks and coops 
them out under hens, and should also hatch a 
setting of black chicks, and turn them out. Into 
tho same yard; some hen d will manifest a great 
aversion to them, and the probability is that 
they would soou bo all billed. A neighbor of 
mine who broods Silver-Penciled and Black Ham- 
burgs, always puts a few oggB of tho black into 
each nest to reconcile tho lions to both colors, 
and it works admirably. 
I know of a case iu which tho stock raised wore 
White and Brown Leghorns, and tho lions wero 
very gontlo to both kinds, which wore running 
together, whou the owner procured u sotting of 
La Flecho eggs, tho chicks from which are black, 
with a littlo white. As soon as tho boos having 
chicks of tho other colors, gut at those, they killed 
every one in a few days. Now tbeso chicks might 
havo beon easily saved by cooping them out of 
reach of the hostile hens. h. h. 
- ♦ » * 
HOW LATE SHOULD EGGS BE SET! 
I frequently hour inquiries as to what date 
it is best to coaBo sotting hens for tho season. 
As a rule, 1 find this to ho at midsummer, or 
about Juuo 21. Eggs set as late as that, hatch¬ 
ing J uly 12, produco quito late chickens. Asi¬ 
atics, Dorkings, as well as aud ducks ought not 
to ho sot later than tho 1st of Juuo, as their 
large frames do not fill out before the cold 
nights not in and will not mature before winter. 
Leghorns, Hamburgs, and other small breeds 
may bo set to the end of June, while Bantams, 
which arc wanted small, may bo set as late as 
the 20th of July. 
Chicks hatched too lato are poor stock: thoy 
generally got sick in cold Weather ; most of them 
die or drug out a miserable existence, some till 
near spring, and then die after all. If any sur¬ 
vive, thoy are always puny. 8uoh birds often 
produco inoro mischief than they are worth, by 
generating disease iu tho poultry liouso. n. n. 
TREATMENT OF HONEY. 
A correspondent hcihIs to the Cincinnati Ga¬ 
zette tho following directions for separating 
honey from wax Put tho honey, comb and all, 
in a tin pan ou a moderately warm Htove, adding 
to each pound of honey a tablospoonful of water. 
Ktir it occasionally with a piece of wire when the 
contents of tho pan are perfectly liquefied. It 
must riot boil. Hot whore it can cool undisturb¬ 
ed ; then pass a knifo carefnily around the pan 
to detach tho cake of wax on the top, and rapidly, 
with groat care, lift off tho cake. Don’t let it 
drain into tho pan an instant, but placo it in 
another utensil. 
Anyone thus clarifying honoy, will find, on 
putting aside tho cako of wax, that tho impuri¬ 
ties adhere to tho cako of wax, while the huncy 
beneath is clear. If the honey should, m timo, 
candy, boat it with a very little water Bngar. 
Keep in jars tied up in a cool place. Break up 
tho wax cako and wash it iu cold water till 
cleansed of honey; then melt and strain it. To 
bleach tho wax, boil it, after straining it, for an 
hour in plenty of water, in which usu a few drops 
of chloride of soda. When quite cold, lift off the 
wax and loavo it to dry and whiten iu the open 
air. 
L. O, Boot, in the Country Gontleman of Juno 
6, says:—“ This is the season when the practical 
bee keeper will he equalizing and strengthening 
hit colonies. It is well understood that somo 
will be ready to swarm during this month, while 
others will have all they can do to build them¬ 
selves up aud gather honey enough for the win¬ 
ter, without casting a swarm or securing any 
box honey during the entire season. The stronger 
ones should keep the weak uulil all bcoomo 
strong. A colony at this season may contain a 
good queen, but have so Tow bees to protect and 
care for tbo brood that they will make but littlo 
progress. As soon as tbo weather becomes suf¬ 
ficiently warm, which, in most sections, will bo 
by this date or before, combs containing Bealed 
brood should he taken from tho host swarms aud 
exchanged for empty combs in tbo weaker ones. 
I’laco tho combs of brood in tbo center of tho 
weak hivo so that the bees can protect them, and 
place tho otnpty ones In the center of the strong 
colony, that the queen may fiM them at once with 
eggs. This may be repeated at mtorvals until all 
become strong. Care should bo taken not ts add 
brood combs to weak swuruis faster than tho 
boos they have can protect them. Hee to it that 
all hives contain honey. There is usually a timo 
between tho blossoming of apples and white clo¬ 
ver when bees will gather littlo. if any, honoy. 
At such times, it would be best if a regular 
amount could bo fed each day, as by so doing 
breeding could be continued. 
Apart from the honoy used in tho family, 
koeping bees is generally so profitless an under¬ 
taking that it is only by paying close attention to 
details that satisfactory results cau bo obtaiued. 
