423 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
CI;f (fiimst, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Cough in Cows. 
C. II .—Will the Rural please (1) give a reme- 
edy for a severe cold in a cow : (2) please tell 
what is a reed bird ? 
Ans.— Cough in cattle is too frequently ne¬ 
glected until the quantity of milk is seriously 
lessened or the animal is rapidly losing flesh, by 
which time treatment is often unavailing, as a 
foundation has been laid for confirmed consump¬ 
tion. If the cough does not pass oil'of itself in 
a few days, it is Imperatively necessary to adopt 
proper measures to cure it. If the animal still 
feeds well, and her muzzlo continues moist, 
a couple of nights spent in a warm house, 
together with a warm, nourishing mash or 
two—such as one of bran, with a few oats 
in it, will generally set her all right. But if 
the muzzlo is dry, the root of the horn hot. 
the coat somewhat rough, the eyes red, and the 
flanks heaving, she should bo at once bled, but 
the quantity of blood taken should rarely ex¬ 
ceed two quarts. Then administer a dose of 
Epsom salts with half an ounce of ginger in 
it, to prevent griping and promote perspira¬ 
tion. Afterwards give her warm mashes, warm 
drinks aud a warm cow-house. 
If feverish, a good drink iB: emetic tartar one 
drachm ; powdered digitalis half a drachm; nitre 
three draohms. Mix and give in a quart of toler¬ 
ably thick gruel. 
If costive; take Epsom salts, one pound ; pow¬ 
dered caraway-seeds, half an ounce; dissolve in a 
quart of warm gruel and give. 
If purging, take tincture of opium, half an 
ounc ; antimonial powder two drachms; powdered 
gioger, throe drachma ; camphor, one and a half 
drachms. Give in oatmeal gruel; and repeat in 
eight to ten hours if necessary. 
If there is diflicultv in swallowing, rub well 
about the throat the following ointment: Mix 
sal-ammoniac, half an ounce; oil, of turpentine, 
one ounce; common oil, one ounce. On re¬ 
covery feed generously and do not for some time, 
at any rate, expose the animal to bleak or rough 
weather, 
(2) The reed bird of the Middle Slates, is the rice 
bu d or ortolan of Georgia and Carolina aud the 
bobolink of the North and Northwest. 
L. 11. B., Toledo , Oregon. —Will the Bubal 
please tell me how to germinate rose seeds ? 
An's.— They should bo planted as eoon as 
gathered and first well soaked iu hot water. 
Mrs. M. A. Boss, IE. T .—How shall I plant 
Anemone and Oxalis seeds and how soon do they 
bloom ? 
Ans.—S eeds may be sown in pots or boxes, 
taken up the next summer, replanted in fail. 
Many of them will bloom the following Bpring. 
A Subscriber wishes to learn how to fumigate 
a poultry house. 
Ass.—A full account of the best method of 
doing this, was given by Mr. Hales in our issue 
of the 15th inst. 
J. S. B. and A. J. F ,—In our issue of Nov. 
17, inquiries were made, under those initials Cl) 
about the cost of hiring a man to break up 
prairie land so as to prepare it for seed, in 
Kansas; (2) How much per acre for sowing. 
(3) How mneb per acre for harvesting and 
threshing. (4) What is the general average per 
acre for sowing ? 
Ans. —Among several answers to these ques¬ 
tions, sent us from different parts of that State, 
that of W. E. Murdock, Groat Bend, seems the 
fullest and most accurate, aud is therefore hero 
condensed. (1) The price paid for first break¬ 
ing, last spring, was 42.50 per acre; for cross- 
breaking, 41.50, after which the ground was 
ready tor wheat. (2) 25 cents. (3) For har¬ 
vesting, *150 per acre with board for men and 
horses; for threshing. 5 cents per bu&hel with 
board for men aud horses. (4) For sowiDg 
broadcast, 1 % bushels per acre ; tor drilling, 1 \ 
bushels. From information in our possession 
it was said that the average yield of wheat in 
Kansas whs about 15 bushels per aero, Mr. M. 
says that the average yield is at least 20 bushels 
per acre, while some would claim more. 
S. Lehman.— 1 want to build a hog-pen largo 
enough to fatten ten hogs, with a room for 
breeding sow and pigs. It is to be elevated bo 
that the manure can be under it- Should any 
of the readers of the Rural tare a pen of the 
kind, I would feel obliged, if they sent a descrip¬ 
tion of it to the Rural for publication, with all 
the iuternal arrangements so clearly set forth 
that they eau he easily understood. 
B. f Watervliet, Mich.—I wish to ask if you 
could spare one page of your valuable paper for 
the use of subscribers; that is, to allow any 
questions asked in that column to be answered 
by any one who has the desired information. 
There is such a page in our Detroit paper and 
we find it very convenient. 
ye _ 
I would like to ask the readers of the Bural. 
(1) Whether any of them has a convenient 
arrangement for hanging up heavy hogs while 
butchering, so that two men can handle a 400 
pound hog without lifting till they can see stars. 
(2) Can any one tell me if there are any kettles 
of proper shape and size so that fence poRts can 
bo dipped in coal-tar in them. (8): Will tam¬ 
arack make good fence posts. 
Ans. —The very abject for which we set aside 
here as much of our spaco as may be needed, is 
to meet the convenience of our friends in the 
way above indicated. In all cases we give the 
best information in onr possession or conveni¬ 
ently within our reach on all questions asked; 
but we are always ready to publish any further 
information on the same subjects, that may bo 
supplied by our readers. 
(1) Will some of our readers, please, give infor¬ 
mation on this subject ? (2) Yes ; they Con be pro¬ 
cured through auy prominent hardware-house 
(3) The tamarack, known by this name chiefly 
in the South aud West, as the hackmatack in 
New England and Canada, And specifically as 
the larch (Larix Americana) although making 
very strong timber, highly valuable for rafters 
and for all building purposes as well as for ship¬ 
building, is not generally considered good for 
posts, and our own limited experience with it is 
to the same effect. Some, however, assort that 
used for this purpose, it lasts a long time, but 
in such cases the tree has been generally grow n 
iu the uplands of the far North, where it is 
much superior to that grown in swamps, Sts solo 
original habitat within the limits of the United 
Stales. Of late years, however, it has been ex¬ 
tensively cultivated in some sections of the 
Western StateB, and as our own experience with 
it haB been confined to that grown on marshy 
ground, wo should be pleased to learn as to its 
adaptability for posts from those who have tried 
it more extensively than ourselves. 
J. N. Allen, Vrbana . Neosho Valley, Kansas. 
—1 would like to know if there is any one that 
has a flock of one thousand sheep that shear 
ten pounds per head, and if so would like to know 
his mode of feeding and handling. 
COifM U NICATIONS^RECKI VKD FOR THE WEEK ENDING 
Saturday Dec. 22nd. 
W. W. O.—R. H. C.—C. A. S.—S. F.-F. H. D.— 
M. E, A.— O. P.—T. B. M.—A. T. M.—F. 8. T.— 
“ VlelUard”—M. O. K.—C. Ed. Wllllams-L. R., 
thanks-J. W.—E- M. M.—A. G.—T. B. M. (?)—W. 
C. L. D.—II. F. S.—W. F.—C. C.-E. S.-J. V.—. 
Old Reader—8. S. P.—S. P.—A. S. D.—Mrs. E. J 
8.—Mrfl. M. N. B.—“ Yankee Bill”—J. M. W.—A. 
H B„—“Hope Evermore.”—8. R. M.—P. H.— 
“Brownie.”— W. F.—G. M.—J. F. L. B.—J. O. T.— 
E. s.—Dr. G.—“ Fameuse.”—“Oceola.”—J. M. B. 
ftftos of ffjt Merit. 
HOME NEWS PARAGRAPHS. 
Every fanner who has any money or can bor¬ 
row it, out West, is buying stock to reed his nr- 
teen-cent corn to. 
Gjrard College, Philadelphia, has been enlarg¬ 
ed so as to accommodate BOO students, and Is now 
open to non-residents or Pennsylvania. 
Colton Seed Oil is now largely made Into “ pure 
olive oil,” the manufacture being carried on both 
in this country and Europe. Porgee oil Is also 
made Into “ olive oU” ror table use. 
American Inventors have the opportunity offer¬ 
ed them to secure a valuable prize. For a new 
process to extract the juice of the sugar-cane at a 
cost not exceeding 40 per cent, or the market vul- 
ue of the product, the council general of Guade¬ 
loupe offer a reward or $ 20 , 000 ; the descriptions 
to bo submitted by the 1 st of June 1330. 
A woman in St. Louis, crazed by the death of 
her husband, resolved to kill her baby and her¬ 
self. She raised a knlle over the child’s cradle, 
but her arm was held by her tcn-year-old hoy. 
During a whole day t he lad defended the baby 
from his motlier’s repeated attempts to take Its 
life. At length she relinquished her efforts and 
poisoned herself. 
On Thursday evening last an engine In the 
basement of an extensive manufactory of con¬ 
fectionary goods in this city, exploded, causing 
an Instant conflagration. Two dead bodies have 
already been found in the ruins, at least eight 
more are supposed to be still burled there, the 
list or wounded amounts to 42, aud the loss of 
property to $423,000. 
An old seed dealer in Philadelphia says that 
never tn his experience has he known timothy 
seed to be as cheap as at present, lie exports 
considerable quantities or various Held seeds to 
Europe, and says by the car-load he could sell 
timothy as cheaply as Si 45 per bushel. Its cheap¬ 
ness Is owing to the extraordinary yield this year, 
and to the large area under cultivation. 
Nevada dogs seem to be made of " sterner stuff” 
than other American curs. Lately one fell down 
a ninety-uve foot shaft—struck with emphasis on 
hard rock, lived sixteen days without food or 
water, was taken out after that time and imme¬ 
diately ran down and totally destroyed a rat that 
presumed too much on appearances and approach¬ 
ed rather too near the slckly-looklng animal. 
Two hundred and fifty millions of capital are 
intrusted In the shoe and leather industries In 
this country, and one hundred millions palre of 
boots and shoes are turned out every year. It 
has become (he most Important industry next to 
agriculture, having exceeded in value the Iron, 
coal, woolen, or cotton interests. 
Indiana la still a pretty well Umbered State. 
The lowest area of Umber tn any county i3 In 
Benton. 2.6 per cent. The highest per cent, of 
timber Is in Perry county. 65.1 per cent. The gen¬ 
eral average of timber area of the whole State is 
89.5 per cent. The proportion of hard-wood Um¬ 
ber, valuable In the arts, Is probably larger in 
Indiana than In any other State In the Union. 
A Baltimore dealer calculates that there are at 
present 200 ,uoo, 000,000 oysters living along the 
Atlantic coast of the United states, uot counting 
Chesapeake Bay, which be regards merely as a 
Baltimore hothouse for the producUon and mas¬ 
sacre or the blvalmlar Innocents. If his figures 
are correct, other cities beside the metropolis of 
Maryland should be doing a good business in the 
oyster line. 
In Mexico, Oswego Co., N. v„ the merchants 
formed a protective society against persons who 
contracted debts and did not pay them. They 
published a list of the " dead beats" in the village 
newspaper. Thereupon the house of the secre¬ 
tary of the association was burned, the Presi¬ 
dent's drug store was set. on fire, and the editor 
was warned t hat he would have neither house 
nor ofllee If he published the list again. 
» ••- 
Chicago, ill., Dec. 14 —The firm or J. D, Easter 
& Co., manufacturers of agricultural Implements 
Nos. 14 to ls;nonth ('anal-street, suspended to-day 
The supenslon was quite unexpected on the out¬ 
side, but was the result of a complIcaUon oUcaus- 
es to which the firm was forced to succumb 
During Its existence In Chicago, some n 
years, none of Its paper had ever gone to 
protest until the day before yesterday, when 
a draft, for two thousand dollars, through the 
First National Bank or tills city was thrown out. 
Hie bank, to protect itself, brought suit for 
judgment yesterday morning, but all legal com¬ 
plications were avoided by the firm's confessing 
judgment for the amount.. The firm to-day as¬ 
signed all their property for the benefit of their 
creditors. The failure to collect notes amounting 
to nearly $ 250 , 000 , which the firm held against 
farmers all over the State and tlirougoui the 
North-west, has heen the immediate cause of the 
suspension. The liabilities are estimated by well 
Informed parties to be between $ 500,000 and $%o,- 
000 . Mr. J. D. Easter declarr-3 that the creditors 
will be paid in full with ten per cent. Interest. 
. ■ - - ■ - 
FOREIGN NOTES. 
Over one million acres of land In India are de¬ 
voted to the growth of the poppy. 
The total yield of the vintage for champagne 
this year is not to exceed 2 , 200,000 gallons. 
Every deer shot 1 u the Scottish Highlands Is said 
to cost, in one way and another, about $250. 
From the Doomsday Book or 10Y0 to that of 1ST5, 
England had no authentic work on land tenure. 
Marshal MacMahon has been particularly lav¬ 
ish this year in bestowing upon foreigners the 
Legion of Honor. 
Z Compulsory religious Instruction in the public 
schools of Genoa has been unanimously abolished 
by the authorities. 
Great excitement Is reported in British Colum¬ 
bia over alleged gold discoveries In Cariboo, yield¬ 
ing from $40 to $90 to the ton. 
The Carman farmers arc complaining of large 
Importations of Russian grain, which are swamp¬ 
ing German markets and depressing prices. 
Russia’s captures during the war, as compiled 
from official sources by Le Monde Russe, aggre¬ 
gate 29 pashas, 704 cannon and 72, 12 s officers and 
men. 
A French tailor nas been fined JlOO and costs, 
and sent to Jail for Blx months, for parodying Mac- 
Mahon's proclamation as a business advertise¬ 
ment. 
In 1859 there were i.flOO miles or railway In 
Italy; on Jan. I, 187T, 8,00 miles of rail were In 
operation. The total cost of these railways was 
$473,436,260. 
Iu Queen Victoria’s crown there are 1,363 bril¬ 
liant diamonds, 1278 rose diamonds, and 147 table 
diamonds, one large ruby, 17 sapphires, 11 emer¬ 
alds, 4 small rubles, and 237 pearls. 
Jamaica began quinine planting In isco, and 
now has SO, 000,000 trees, of which experienced 
chemists report most favorably. The experiment, 
made by Government, Is regarded as a complete 
success. 
The tramp In France seems to possess as ready 
wit as does hla American cousin. Met with the 
response that there was nothing for lflm to do, 
he answered: "Oh, madame, it you only knew 
how little w ork would occupy me I” 
The Italian Government, listening to friendly 
remonstrances, have determined to restore to the 
Neapolitan dynasty the dowc-r of Queen Marla 
Sophia, wife of Francis 11., and the property left 
by the late queen, Marla Theresa. 
The little island of St. Barthlcmew,' lately 
sold by Sweden to France, has 3,400 Inhabitants. 
It belonged to France until 1784, when It was 
ceded to Sweden In exchange for the right to es¬ 
tablish at Gothenburg a market for French 
goods. 
English Is becoming the court language of Ger¬ 
many. It is a proud moment when a Briton or 
American visiting the palace. Is saluted by 
princely or Imperial Ups with, ** Dot vas a booty 
schplentlt morning, ain't It 7" 
A selection of 45 abort-horn bullocks and heifers 
400 South Down and Cheviot sheep, and TO large 
bacon hogs fattened at the Prince Consort’s Show 
farm at Windsor, and belonging to the Queen.are 
to be sold as Christmas fat stock. 
A memorial to Qnecn victoria upon the distress 
prevailing in the district of Dean Forrest has 
been signed by ten dames of the Forrest, each 
about eighty years of age : ten mothers, each of 
whom has ten children; ten widows of ten col¬ 
liers, ten orphan girls, and ten ladles. 
It is a curious fact that notwithstanding the 
sure destruction, sooner or later, of houses built 
near the base of Mount Vesuvius, the Italians do 
not cease to build there. The tow'n of Terre del 
Greco, containing nearly 10,000 Inhabitants, is 
construced on the lava streams of 1631. 
The Registrar-General’s return shows that In 
the year 1S01,19.1 percent of the population of 
Ireland spoke Irish, namely 1,105,536 persons. In 
1371 this proportion had sunk to 15.1, namely, to 
817,875 persons. Thus it, appears that the Irish 
language la dying out at the rate of more than 
200 ,000 persons a year. 
The latest performance in London, and one 
which draws a salary of $500 per week, Is the 
terrific leat of Zagel, a young girl wLo dives 
through the air and strikes In a net ninety feet 
below. She diops head first, but gently and 
gracefully swerves In her flight until at last she 
strikes on her back In the net and arises un¬ 
harmed. 
Mr. Darwin must look sharp to his laurels. A 
Japan correspondent, says that he saw wrought 
In Inlaid wood, la the great Temple ol Llgmeto, a 
scene showing first a monkey, then an ape, then 
a gorilla, and so tn up by gradual development 
until the final one of the series was a perfect man 
surrounded by elephants and curious birds. The 
door was several hundred years old. 
A cloth made from the down of all kinds of do¬ 
mestic fowls and sea birds ls.now quite the rage 
In Paris, Eight hundred grammes ol down suffice 
for a square meter or cloth, which Is five times as 
light In weight, and thrice as w arm as woolen 
cloth. This cloth Is easily lulled, takes every 
color, and is waterproof. The demand for this 
elegant rabrlc is In excess of the supply. 
Ireland lias, as compared with England, but 
one-hair the number or land owners in proportion 
to population, and if purely agiieuliuraldistricts 
are compared, It will be found that for ten own- 
era of laud in UDgland of about one hundred 
and flfty acres, there Is only one such owner in 
Ireland; and yet about one-third of the land of 
Ireland has been tn the market since 1345. 
Pltury is an^exceedingly powerful and sustain¬ 
ing stimulant, used by the Austratltan aborigines 
just as the Peruvians use coca. The plant is 
known in scientific botany as the Dubolsla Dop- 
woodll, and Is only found In certain parts of the 
Australian continent. It has attracted the at¬ 
tention of the head of the Melbourne Botanical 
Gardens, and is likely to be turned to valuable 
medical use. 
Jerusalem has furnished a battalion of Jewish 
volunteers to the Sultan’s army. They have a 
fleld preacher of their own fait h, and cook their 
rations strictly In conformity with their dietary 
laws. Jewish soldiers arc also In the Roumanian 
armies, and those in the Turkish host doubtless 
surve with as much more zeal and cheerfulness as 
their treatment under the Sultan’s army has been 
more humane. 
In 1876 there died In England a gentleman 
named Strode, to whom ft friend left a vast es¬ 
tate to the prejullce of his own kith and kin. 
Mr. Strode accepted the bequest, but only to Im¬ 
prove the estate in ever}' possible way, and to 
accumulate the income for the disinherited rela¬ 
tions. I$e even went so far as to regularly pay 
into the estate fund the rent of the manor-house 
in which he lived, and at his death left every 
farthing of the property back to the family. 
In France each inhabitant drinks, on an aver¬ 
age, '.three-quarters of a gallon of spirits! annual¬ 
ly. Sudden deaths, the consequence of drink, 
are most frequent In those departments In which 
spirit is drunk ; they are rare where wine only is 
consumed. Cases of intoxication, suniclent to 
bring the drinker under the notice of the law, 
are also nve times more frequent in the depart¬ 
ments which consumemueh alcohol than in ll-oie 
In which wine Is consumed. So, also, with respect 
to alchobolle delirium; the number of cases 
stands In almost direct relation to the amount of 
spirit consumed, and particularly to the amount 
of manufactured spirit, which Is taken. 
Iu uddiiltiM to 800,000 Universal Almanacs Just 
published by the extensive seed house of D. M. 
Ferry & Co. of our city, the firm are now pub¬ 
lishing ror gratuitous distribution an edition of 
100,000 Seed Annuals. Their rormer publications 
have been unsurpassed, but t he present one prom¬ 
ises to excel all others la utility and general ex¬ 
cellence, it will be mailed free to all applicants* 
—Detroit Free Press. 
-eM- 
Reliable help for weak and nervous sufferers. 
Chronic, painful and prostrating diseases cured 
without medicine. Pulvermacher's Electric Belts 
the grand desideratum. Avoid imitations. Book 
and Journal, with particulars, mailed free. Ad¬ 
dress Pulvkrmacher Galvanic Co., Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 
