Or ^un'isl. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Fistula 
B. Saunders, Essex Co., Va., asks. Can you, 
or Borne of your many readers, give me a remedy 
for a horse that has a bad soro on bis neck, oc¬ 
casioned by being bruised by a careless driver ? 
Some horsemen call it fistula. 
Ans.— As we have stated before in these col¬ 
umns, the main point in treating a fistula is to 
get a dependent opening through which the pus 
can escape from the sore. It is necessary to 
find the bottom of the channels by probing, and 
then to cut down upon this point in such a way 
as to obtain the above condition. A Beton may 
then be insorted to prevent the lower opening 
from closing before it is healed above, and as¬ 
tringent lotions may bo applied once or twice a 
day. These may bo 'made by dissolving one- 
half draehm of either sulphate of zinc or ace¬ 
tate of lead in half a pint of water; some prefer 
a solution made by using one-half drachm of 
the above astringents to half a pint of water. 
In some oases it is necessary to scarify the walls 
of the channels with a long, narrow-bladed 
knife, or to destroy their inner surfaoe by caus¬ 
tics before they can be induced to heal. The 
caustio should bo the last resort, as such sores 
are often needlessly enlarged and deepened by 
cauterizing, when this is not indicated. 
Solution.” 
Dennis FatreU, Dig Slone Co., Minn., asks 
the meaning of the term “ Solution,” and well 
remarks that it is often used very indefinitely. 
Ans.—F or a substance to be in solution in 
water or other liquid, it must be so intimately 
combined with it that the liquid shall be per¬ 
fectly transparent, and that no separation or de¬ 
posit shall occur except on change of temper¬ 
ature. When a liquid has taken up all the 6olid 
it can dissolve in this way, at a given temper¬ 
ature, it is said to be saturated. Most soluble 
Bolida are dissolved more readily and generally 
more liberally in hot than in cold liquids. 
When a substance is very soluble at a high tem¬ 
perature, and less so at a lower oi.e, a portion of 
the substance is deposited as the liquid cools. 
For instance, a pint of boiling water will dissolve 
over a pound of alum, but when the solution 
cools, more than nine-tenths of the alum again 
assumes a solid form. The more finely the solid 
in divided or powdered, the more rapidly is it 
dissolved in any liquid j and to bring each of 
these minute sub-divisions into contact with 
fresh globules of water, the liquid should be 
stirred until the solution or satunzatiou is com¬ 
plete. The expression, “a solution of lime as 
thick as cream,” and similar remarks are there¬ 
fore inaccurate ; for such a mixture is no solu¬ 
tion ; so is the phrase, “ a solutiou of starch in 
cold waterfor staroh is quite insoluble in cold 
water, as may be readily seen by every particle 
of it that may have been stirred into the liquid 
settling at the bottom when at rost. Nearly all 
the lime stirred in water to make it milky, is de¬ 
posited in the same way, when the water has had 
time to rest; a pint of pure water being able to 
hold only eight grains of lime in solution. 
Cows Chewing Bones. 
n. G. T., Hound Mountain, N. C. asks, 1, 
whether it would be right to feed ground bone 
to cows to prevent them from chewing boneB. 
2, the names of firms that sell bird-cages and 
import canaries and gold-fiuohes. 
Ans.— It happens not uufrequently that there 
is two little bone-making material in the food of 
cattle. Among other ways in which this defi¬ 
ciency is showu by the animals, is au unhealthy 
appetite leading them to chew bones, wood, and 
various kinds of ref use. In such cases Btnall 
rations of bone-dust given with their other food 
have a daoidedly good effect. 2. Among the 
best firms dealing in bird-cages in this city are: 
O. Lindemann & Co., 251 Pearl St., and Osborn 
Mfg. Co., 79 Bleecker St,; well-known bird 
dealers are: Conrad Betz, 127 Liberty St., and 
Charles Iteielxe & Bro., 55 Chatham St. 
A Turkey-cock's Harem. 
R. n. Dymer, Cage Co., Ia., asks how many 
turkey-hens can bo kept to one male, where the 
eggs are wanted for hatching. 
Ans.—M any consider *uai the number of tur¬ 
key-hens allowed to ..no tu ey-oook may ne 
unlimited, on the ground that one visit of the 1 
rock will render fertile all the eggs laid by the heD. 1 
The L est breeders, however, have learnt from 
< lose observation, that when even twenty hens 
are allowed to one cock, tire chickens from their * 
eggs are apt to be weak in constitution. Ac¬ 
cordingly the best practice allows only about a ( 
dozen females to one maio bird. The turkey- i 
cock may be used for breeding when two years c 
old, and the hen when only a year; but both t 
are in their prime a year later, and, as a rule, l 
they will be first-class breeding stock for two c 
years more, at the yery least. t 
Rouen and Aylesbury Duc':s. 
E. Mansfield, Westmoreland Co., Pa., asks— g 
What is the relative weights of common, Rouen, a 
and Aylesbury ducks. r 
Ana.—A s a rule, a good-sized, common duck, 
weighs from Bix to eight pounds per pair; the il 
average of Aylesburys is over ten pounds, while 
fair specimens of Rouens should be at least two 
pounds heavier than these. At the English 
poultry shows specimens of Rouens often weigh 
fully nineteen pounds, with Aylesburys only a 
little leliiud them. 
Ration of Indian-meal for a Cow. 
An amateur farmer, New Brunswick , N. J., 
asks how much c-orn-meal can be profitably fed 
to a cow per day. 
Ans.— If intended to bo fattened, she should 
be gradually accustomed to eat more and more, 
so long as her appetite remaius keen, her health 
good and she gams in weight steadily. In all 
cases, the amount a cow can eat depends on her 
size, as experiments have pretty conclusively 
shown that there is a uniform ratio between the 
size of an animal and the quantity of food it 
will profitably consume. A large cow if ratten-F 
ing, would probably eat a half a bushel of meal 
a day for some time; but it would not be well to 
feed so much to a milch cow. The ration should 
be deoided by a little experiment, by being in¬ 
creased until she shows a tendency to become 
too fat. It will vary considerably with differ¬ 
ent breeds of cows, and with different individual 
animals, as well as with the kind of pasture on 
which they are kept, and will range all the way 
from four to ten quarts. 
Honey-Locust Hedge. 
C. O. Gil key, Plainwell, Mich, asks, where he 
can get Honey-Locusts cheapest, and how much 
longer will it take to get a hedge of them from 
seed than from purchased plants. 
Ans.—T he nearest nursery should prove the 
I “cheapest place.” Plants one year old will 
cost about £3.00 per thousand; two years old 
$5.00. It will take one year longer to get a 
hedge from seed than from purchased plants. 
It is best to scald the seeds. Sow in a seed-bed 
and transplant to the hedge row. We would 
remark that much of the efficacy of Honey- 
Looust hedges will depend upon the distance at 
wlych the plauts are set apart and their being 
kept well back by timely pruning. 
Eastman’s Business College. 
Willis Dialer, Stockton, N. J., asks whether 
Eastman’s Business College ia a reliable institu¬ 
tion ; and whether, when one pays his money 
there in advance, the authorities would see him 
through all right, if he paid proper attention to 
his studies. 
Ans.—T his college is one of the best in the 
country, and those having it in charge are cer¬ 
tain “ to see a man through " honorably to the 
full value of his money. 
been stated. Raw and boiled oil with one-fifth 
of benzine, using 'the red mineral powders in¬ 
stead of white load, and shaded with lamp-black, 
is the cheapest and most durable paint we know 
of, if oil is to be used at all. 
2. It is Triticum Polonicum of African origin, 
and baa been cultivated in Egypt and other por¬ 
tions of Northern Africa, from early times. The 
March number of the Americau Agriculturist, 
after a careful investigation, exposes the whole 
thing. 
3. We cannot supply them. 
Communications received for the week ending 
Saturday, August. 17th : 
Win. J. B.—“Clinton Place”—A. L. J.—I.. A.R.— 
“Anon”—A. L. J. No. 2.—D. M. S.—R. H. C.—E. 
L. M.-H. A. J.—W. H.-J. H. L.-S. B. P.-W. C. 
L. D.—S. A. M.—C. O. G.—J. R.—J. S.—W. K — 
Wm. C. H.—R. A. F.—W. J. Y.—D. E. S.—W. H. 
N.—J. F. S.—E. R. C.—Dr. Goodenough. 
Miscellaneous- 
J. L. S.. Attica , Ohio, asks, 1. Why some 
reader of the Rural doesn't write an articlQ.gr 
two on the management of bees; 2. Will pear 
trees boar priming the same as apple trees, aud 
if so, at what season of the year; 3. What will 
prevent sprouts coming up about the bottom of 
an apple tree; 4. What effect will half-rotten 
sawdust have around au apple tree, if applied 
in the fall; and will it pay to haul it one mile. 
Ans. 1.—The Rural has so many departments 
that it cannot always do justice to those who 
are especially interested in any oue department. 
2. Yes, wo know of no difference. For your 
climate, we advise pruning during that period 
of the Bpring when it is reasonable to suppose 
that very cold enaps will no longer occur, and 
before the swelling of the buds. 
3. Often in the ease of grafted trees the 
stock is more vigorous than the cion or the 
union is not perfect. The suppressed vigor will 
seek to expend itself in the formation of sprouts. 
We knew of no other way but to rub off the 
shoots as soon as they appear. 
4. We should not use it at all for this pur¬ 
pose. 
E. U. IT., Cedar Mills, Minn.— Plants for 
name: Orchis spectabilis; Calystegia pubescens, 
Mrs. 11. W. Burton, Lincoln Co., N. 0. wants 
to know what to do with her Fuchsias. They 
are covered with red insects too small to be seen 
with the naked eye, but large enough to suck all 
the sap and vitality out of her floral pets whoso 
leaves soon drop off. 
Ans.— Sulphur fumes will exterminate the 
rod spider which, wo presume, is what infests 
these Fuchsias, but it is a daugerous remedy. 
Frequent syringing with a solution of whale-oil 
soap is effectual, syringing the under as well as 
the upper part of the leaf. 
W. R. Glenwood, Did.—A. R. Yates, Round 
Pond, Me. and others inquire who has Duroo 
Swine for sale. 
Ans.—W e profess to be very careful as to the 
class of advertisements we admit into our col¬ 
umns. But so far as many of our readers are 
concerned, this would seem to bo of little advan¬ 
tage. The advertisement of Duroc Swine offered 
by a very trustworthy gentleman, appeared in 
our columns when these inquiries were written, 
to which numbers we refer onr inquirers. 
Anon, Ithaca, N. Y., asks; 1. For a recipe for 
good, cheap paint—lead color. 2. Information 
about Diamond Spring Wheat. 3. Price of Ru- 
rai.8 from New-Year’s until July 1st last. 
Ans.— 1. We could answer the question better 
if the purpose for which it is to be used had 
WESTERN NOTES. 
The harvest in northern Illinois and through¬ 
out the northwest ia progressing as fast as pos¬ 
sible, considering the late hot weather and the 
tangled and prostrated condition of the grain 
from storms. For the past ten days tho weather 
has been cooler and more favorable, aud the 
harvest will Boon close. The crops are variable, 
and not as good as was anticipated. 
Corn was very backward and unpromising un¬ 
til about the middle of June, when it commenced 
improving, and has since been doing well. It is 
now mostly in tassel, and should the rest of this 
season prove favorable, the crop may be a large 
one. 
Potatoes are also “ doiug well," aud are quite 
abundant, but worth only 25 cents per bush¬ 
el in our markets. The Colorado beetles 
threatened to take the crop on communis¬ 
tic principles, and devour it among them¬ 
selves, but a little timely hand-picking, and 
sprinkling the infested vines with Paris-green, 
subdued the bugs and saved tho potatoes. One 
tahlespoouful of pure Paris-green to three gal¬ 
lons of water, mixed aud applied with a common 
sprinkler or watering-pot, is tho right quantity 
and way to do it. 
Fruit in northern Illinois is not as plentiful 
as appearances indicated at the time of blooming. 
We had some cherries, a good many berries, cur¬ 
rants, etc., and will have a fight crop of apples, 
and a few plums aud grapes. 
Live Stock in general is in good condition, 
but a large number of horses died during the 
late heated term from over-work in the exces¬ 
sive heat. 
Steam Wagons, two of them, have been con¬ 
structed in Wisconsin, aud were tested last week, 
and it is thought they wiU be able to stand the 
hottest of hot spells without sweating. They 
will run on common roads, draw heavy loads, 
plow and do general farm work. Verily this is 
an age of progress, aud Edison is not the only 
inventive genius in Ameriua! 
Tub Illinois State Fait, will be held again 
this year at Freeport, Stephenson County, in 
Taylor's Driving Park. The site is one of the 
host iu tho State and oan scarcely be excelled 
anywhere. Last year the Fair proved a grand 
success, aud it is thought it will be still better 
this fall, as special preparations are being made 
for it. Competition is open to Urn world, and 
we would bo glad to see NewYotk State repre¬ 
sented agaiu. S D. Fisher, of the State Board 
of Agriculture, Springfield, Illinois, lia 9 recently 
issued the premium list, which ho will send free 
to any persons wishing to attend the Fair or 
compete for premiums. Tho exhibition begins 
on the 16th day of Septembur, and this would bo 
a good time for Eastern people to visit the West 
and see our beautiful prairie-land and western 
products. 
Dairying is spreading and improving in the 
West very rapidly. A large number of cream¬ 
eries aud cheese factories have been built the 
past spring. The National Butter, Cheese and 
Egg Association is doing much toward elevating 
the standard of tho American Dairy and improv¬ 
ing its prodnets, through its meetings, dairy- 
fairs and published reports. 
W. B. Derrick. 
Ogle Co., Ill., July 30. 
--♦ ♦- 
WEST VIRGINIA NOTES. 
THE KANAWHA VALLEY. 
Charleston, the capital of this county, is sit¬ 
uated on the Great Kanawha River, about fifty 
miles from the mouth, and, with a population of 
7,000, is the Becoud city in the State. The city 
stands in one of the most beautiful valleys in 
the State and is Burrounded by mountains that 
contain iuexhaustible supplies of coal, iron ore, 
aud timber. As to tho coal deposits, Kanawha 
County has few equa’s and no superiors in the 
Southern States. From Charleston to the 
Kanawha Falla—a distance of thirty-five mileB— 
there is a continuous lino of towns and villages, 
nearly all ruining hamlets. The mines aro 
mostly near the liver and railroad, giving the i 
companies little to do but to dump the coal into 
boats and cars. Tho Chesapeake and Ohio Rail 
Road enables coal companies to ship their coal 
East as well as West. Before it was built, coal 
was shipped exclusively West, to cities on the 
Ohio and Mississippi rivers. It is now shipped 
East where there is always a good market for it. 
FARMING. 
Farming is carried on to a considerable extent 
in the vailey and hills, but the land, as a general 
thing, is very poor, having been worked for 
years in corn, wheat, and oats, without ever hav¬ 
ing a blade of grass on it. Why this has been 
so, I am unable to see, as hay is worth as much 
here per acre as any grain that can be raised on 
it. and dots not require one-tbird as much labor, 
while it makes the land rich, killing the briers 
that bavo a tendency to grow on a poor soil. 
Stock is not raised much here, as a rule, yet 
there is no valid reason why it should not bo. 
Scarcity of land certainly could not he a reason, 
for within three miles of Charleston, hill land 
can be bought for five and ten dollars per acre, 
that will produce blue-grass iu abundance. How 
much easier it would bo for the farmers, if they 
would raise more stook and less grain ! Wher¬ 
ever you see a farmer that raises stock, you 
generally see a good farm and a prosperous 
farmer. d. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Bloomfield, ct., Aug., 1878. 
Dear Rural: —My ramblings have again 
brought me to this place, from which I had the 
pleasure of inditing a few epislles to you last 
year. A New England country town has little 
more chaDge from year to year than have the 
stony features of tho Old Man of the Mountain. 
The wider spreading branches shut out from 
eight some bit of laudecape that has been famil¬ 
iar. and the absence of some old trees that have 
been landmarks for yeats, teaches lessons of 
growth aud decay more forcibly doubtless to 
me than to those who live here. And so with 
faces. I meet the children of those I knew as 
children, aud I miss tho faces of their fathers. 
I look in vain for the old men I onoe knew. 
They are gone, and in their places aro men, gray¬ 
haired and Lent, it is true, but can they be old ? 
It seems but a little while ago when, as a boy, 
I knew them as the young men of the place_ 
then, as now, but a few years my seniors—and am 
I, too, growing old ? Perhaps so. * * * 
The season has been favorable for crops of all 
kinds. The frequent showers gave au abundant 
harvest of grass, which may be considered tho 
staple production of this vicinity, moat of which 
is cut, cured and housed. The warm weather 
of July scorns to have made amends for the cool¬ 
ness of June. Rye and oats ripened speedily, 
and corn is growing apace. Tobacco, of which 
considerable is grown, notwithstanding its low 
price, is spreading itself, aud some pieces already 
bide the ground from view. In another month 
it will he ready to cut. Ih there any other ciop 
that produces so much weight iu I he Bame time 
as this ? The idea that it ruinously impover¬ 
ishes the soil on which it is grown, is exploded. 
True, good crops cannot he grown on poor soil, 
nor can they be successively grown on the same 
land without application of suitable fertilizers, 
but it leaves the ground in good condition for 
any other crop. 
Fruit is lookiug moderately well. The earlier 
apples, such as Germauboughs, Strawberry, Red 
Astracban, Golden Sweet, etc., are marketable, 
but at small prices, say one dollar a barrel. The 
last-named originated in this vicinity, and in 
beaiing years, thousaudsof barrels are marketed. 
Until recently the original Golden Sweet tree 
could be pointed out and although there is little 
doubt all trees bearing tbe name aro more or 
less direct from the original stock, there is a 
vast difference in tho fruit, while all have the 
general characteristics of the original to such an 
extent as to leave no doubt it is properly named. 
But it varies a little in size, juiciness, flavor, 
color and time of ripeniDg. When asked for an 
opinion as to the causes for this variation, I say, 
situation, soil, and, more than either, the stock 
upon which it 1 b grafted or budded. Why will 
not fruit growers root-graft more freely when 
they desire to propagate good varieties of seed¬ 
lings in their purity ? 
Highland Creamery —The proximity to Hart¬ 
ford, the nearest market, and the demand there 
for milk and butter, have induced many of the 
neighboring fanners to become dairymen on a 
more or less extensive scale—those nearer by 
taking milk to customers, aud the more remote 
by making butter which is served by the season, 
usually at a price a few cents in advance of 
store rates. Recently the Highland Creamery Co. 
haH been established a little way from here 
(West Hartford P. O.), which already somewhat 
changes the complexion of affairs. It is found 
more profitable for the farmers near by to sell 
their milk to the creamery at a reduced price 
(say two cents a pound) than to peddle it, or 
make butter. I had the pleasure of visiting the 
oreamery recently, and found it not very exten¬ 
sive (making, say, 150 pounds a day), but a 
model of neatness. By their arrangements, 
which I should like, would your Bpace permit, to 
describe at length, [Our space will permit.— Eds. 
