©EPT © 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
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active an absorbent of oxygen that it will 
sometimes heat so much as to take fire spon¬ 
taneously ; and charcoal burners are obliged to 
use strict precautions against this danger. 
The following suggestions may be useful in 
the proposed remodeling of the ice-house: the 
bottom should be quite dry and no surface 
water should ever enter it; it is better, as a 
rule, to have the ice-house on the surface 
Drainage of Ice House.—Fig. 294. 
rather than partly beneath it; there should be 
at least, a foot of packing under the ice on 
the floor; an cq air trap is subject to the danger 
of the syphoniug of the water out of the bend 
and so of the letting in of the air; a safer trap 
is made by having the pipe discharge into a 
basin which can never be emptied, thus, at 
Fig. 294 the water escapes from the basin in an 
open channel. An air-space is a very poor 
non-conductor,being equal to about one-fourth 
the value of a filling of sawdust. If the 
charcoal had been put in the space between 
the walls it would have done more good tba i 
inside. It is well always to cement the floor 
thoroughly; the growth of weeds in this case 
proves that this is needed. To secure the ad¬ 
vantages from ventilation there must be an 
inlet as well as an outlet and the current of 
air should be made to pass over the top 
packing. The illustration (Fig. 295) gives 
a typical method of ventilating, in section. 
The air enters under the eaves and pastes 
Ventilation of Ice House.—Fig. 295. 
over the packing out of the top. It would be 
better to have no ventilation at all than to 
have it defective. As regards the packing 
around the ice, this is a secondary matter 
when the walls of the house are well made; 
the large icehouses have no iDside packing, 
the ice being packed close to the inside walls. 
But when packing is used it should be of a 
porous character and such as will retain this 
character and not become solid; the lighter it 
is the better this effect is secured Not know¬ 
ing precisely how your house was constructed 
or how the ventilator was arranged or the 
nature of the floor, all we can do is to make 
these suggestions instead of saying positively 
where the defect exists. 
FEED FROM STARCH AND GLUCOSE FACTORIES, 
ETC. 
A. N. R., Branchville , N. J. —1. In brief, 
how has corn been treated that comes to us 
from the starch factories under the name of 
feed and from the glucose works as sugar 
meal ? 2, How can farmers procure the list 
of freight rates issued each mouth by the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture i 
Ans.— 1. The corn is ground into meal and 
is washed to separate the starch; the husk and 
fiber left are the corn feed, starch feed, starch 
waste, sugar meal, glucose meal, or by what¬ 
ever other name it may be known, ‘*by any 
other name t’would smell as sweet,” or sour, 
as the case may be. All the talk about the 
poisonous nature of the waste is ignorant and 
stupid bosh; no acid is brought into contact 
with It, and it is simply corn meal that has 
had the starch taken out of it by washing. 
That is all; nothing less and nothing more. 
It is the starch which is treated—boiled—with 
dilute sulphuric acid to change it into grape 
sugar or glucose, and it is the glucose which 
has some free sulphuric acid left iu it and 
not the waste meal. This waste, so long as it 
is sound, is not uuwholesome or injurious, but 
it heats and ferments rapidly and then be¬ 
comes seriously impaired in value as compared 
with the fresh waste. 2. The information 
forms a part of the pamphlet containing the 
crop reports issued every month by the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, and this can be ob¬ 
tained by application to the Congressman for 
your district; and sometimes by pplieation 
direct to the Department But why uot ap¬ 
ply at the next railroad depot ? Full inform¬ 
ation will be given there with regard to 
freights on your own line—and that’s all you 
want. 
GARGET. 
“A Lady," Manchester, Mich.: A 10-years- 
old grade cow of ours ordinarily gives about 
50 pounds of milk a day. About a month ago 
a quarter of her udder became swollen, and 
little milk was obtained from that part at 
night; the next morning the swelling would 
have gone and the milk would be thick. This 
would continue for two or three days and 
then all signs of the ailment would disappear, 
but it would return in about a week. Now, 
however, the udder is swollen nearly all the 
time. When the milk becomes sour there is a 
ropy, yellow sediment that looks like cream. 
What is the matter and what should be tbe 
treatment ? 
Ans. —The trouble is garget, or congestion 
of the udder in that quarter. This may be 
produced by water that is not pure; by the 
cow lying on the udder when full of milk and 
disturbing the circulation; by the cow run¬ 
ning or over exerting herself; or by many 
similar and very common causes. Be careful 
to draw out all the milk from the affected 
part, and if it does not come easily, rub and 
work the udder gently with the hand, or in¬ 
ject a teacupful of solution of carbonate of 
soda and after working the uddtr gently for 
a few minutes, milk it out. When the attack 
comes on give one ounce of saltpeter pounded 
fine in a little molasses,smeared on tbe tongue 
or teeth, or added to some bran slop once a 
day until the trouble disappears. Milk the 
gargeted quarter on to the ground, as the milk 
is not fit for use. 
PROPAGATING RASPBERRIES. 
G. B. A., San Gabriel, Cal. In the absence 
of a hot-house, what is the best way to pro¬ 
pagate the Cuthbert Raspberry ? 
Ans. —You may preserve all the suckers 
instead of hoeing them up as if they were 
weeds. Or you may take up the roots in the 
Fall and cut them into pieces two inches in 
length. Place a layer of these in a box—cover 
with soil—then another la 3 r er of roots—then 
sandy toil,etc., until the box is full. Itis well 
to bore holes here and there for drainage and 
to cover these with bibs of stones or flower 
pots. You are then to bury this box in a well- 
drained soil and cover it with litter or straw 
to prevent the roots from freezing. In the 
Spring the cuttings should be planted in drills 
two or three inches deep—the drills to be 
farther or nearer according to the cultivation: 
if by horse, three feet will be near enough; if 
by hand two feet or less. It is well to cover 
the drills and between the rows with coarse 
material of some kind to act as a mulch. 
Instead of this method, the roots may be cut 
iu the Spring and planted the same as we have 
described. If properly mulched they will 
grow about as well unless drought sets iu 
early. The advantage of the Fall method is 
simply that the cuttings will form a callus 
during the Winter and form roots in less time 
alter they are planted in the drills. 
WHEN TO CUT MILLET. 
-4. L. L., Ocean Co., iV. J, —When is the 
best time to cut millet for feed? 
Ans. —That d-pends somewhat upon the 
purpose to be served in feeding it. If the 
millet is desired only as coarse fodder, then 
its value would be obtained by cutting it in 
flower, as it would then really have all the 
nutriment afterwards contained in seed and 
stalk. But if it is intended for fattening 
cattle, it must lie remembered that cattle can¬ 
not fatten on hay alone, because they cannot 
digest enough of it to lay on fat profitably. 
Ground millet seed, however, is a fattening 
food aud a steer will fatten satisfactorily with 
about 12 pounds of millet meal even if fed 
millet straw with it. To get the same amount 
of nutriment from good millet hay, the steer 
would have to eat at least 35 pounds of it—too 
great a bulk to be eaten by a fattening steer. 
When the ripened seed is ground a full 
ration for fattening may be given in a form 
not too bulky. As the seed shells very easily, 
however, it shouldn’t be allowed to get too 
ripe. The long heads ripen first at the top 
and as soon as the tip becomes yellowish, the 
millet should be cut. for the seed will be just 
as good as if allowed to ripen fully, and it 
will not shell, while the straw will make bet¬ 
ter fodder. 
SHEEP OR DAIRY COWS—WHICH? 
& E. .4., Glen wood, N. F,—I have a dairy 
of 18 cows aud as my health is not the best 
and tbe care of the dairy is laborious, the 
nearest factory being two miles away, I have 
thought of substituting sheep for cows, which 
would be tbe more profitable? 
Ans. —It would be a dangerous change to 
make. Sheep are much more difficult to man¬ 
age than cows, require more watchiug and are 
less able to care for themselves. But if 
you determine to “go intV sheep, by all 
means avoid the Lincolnshire and Oxford 
Downs and all other so-called English breeds, 
more especially the former which requires as 
much nursing as a sick child. In 99 cases out 
of 100 these sheep “go to the dogs” in more 
senses than one and expert shepherds often 
fail with them. Choose the best native sheep 
you can pick up and if you want wool cross 
them with a good Merino; if you want mutton 
and lambs use a Cotswold, or a Shropshire ram, 
or an acclimated Hampshire. On the whole, 
if we should offer you advice it would be to 
keep to your dairy and get some help to work 
it, or if you cannot do this to be exceedingly 
cautious about making a change and begin it 
gradually and not to break up your dairy 
until you have felt your way with a small 
flock first. 
SCOURS IN A YEARLING CALF. 
P. J. S., Sublette, Mo.—I turned a flue year¬ 
ling steer on pasture this Spring in good condi¬ 
tion. About three weeks ago it began scour¬ 
ing badly, It seems to throw up every thing 
it eats, whether green or dry feed, and it is 
growing thinner each day. What is the mat¬ 
ter with it, and what can I do for St? 
Ans.— The probability is that the steer has 
eaten some injurious plant, or is suffering 
from an attack of gastritis from some cause 
which the information given is insufficient 
even to surmise. Give the animal one pint 
of linseed oil and a mess of linseed, or linseed 
oil cake meal, steeped iu hot water, but given 
cold twice a day. One quart will be sufficient 
at each mess. Do not be anxious to force him 
to feed, as any food he may take in his present 
condition only exerts an irritative effect and 
does m.t nourish him at all. Keep him quiet 
and give him plenty of pure fresh water to 
drink, warmed iu the sun Tor half an hour if 
drawn from a well or ipring; add tothe water 
a pint or so of the linseed gruel. If the diar¬ 
rhea continues, injections of the linseed gruel, 
considerably diluted with warm water, will 
be useful. 
NAVEL RUPTURE IN A COLT. 
W. H. K., Knoborosta, Mo.: How can navel 
rupture in a colt be cured ? 
Ans. —You should have given the age of the 
colt, as upon this depends very much the man¬ 
ner of treatment. A colt may be all the way 
from a day old to three years or more. Per¬ 
sons making inquiries of ihis nature should be 
particular in this respect. If the colt isyoung 
the rapture will very probably unite as the 
colt grows; if it is old, clamps should be used; 
and even with a young animal this simple 
means would be advisable. Get two pieces of 
wood a quarter of an inch thick, half an inch 
wide, and long enough to inclose the skin on 
each side of the rupture. Put the colt on its 
back without force and be sure the girt is 
withdrawn; then pinch the sides of the rup¬ 
ture together between the clamps quite tight 
and draw the ends together with small bolts 
and nuts or a strong cord. Leave it on until 
it drops off with the enclosed skin, when the 
rupture will have been closed. Keep the colt 
quiet meanwhile. 
ILL-EFFCTS OF SEDGE PASTURE ON SHEEP. 
J. W. t Painville , Va. —My flock of sheep 
have good old field pasture and sedge in the 
day and a good grass lot near the house at 
night besides a small ration of corn, yet in 
tbe last two mouths I lost three fine ewr, 
Though fat and seemingly in good health they 
die suddenly—often in a few hours from the 
first attack They are very much swollen 
when found dead: but when opened nothing 
appeal's amiss. What is the matter and the 
remedy ? 
Ans. —The sedge pasture is doing the mis¬ 
chief. If you had examined the third stom¬ 
ach, it would probably have beeu found 
filled with dry food and inflamed. Broom 
sedge aud old field pastures are very apt to 
have injurious weeds in them, and the sedge 
itself is too hard and dry to be safe feed. See 
that the sheep get a teaspoonful of salt each, 
twice a week, while on such pasture, and give 
a little bran in place of corn, if you can. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL WORKS. 
N. A. Austin, Neb., asks for the name of 
the best practical work on entomology. 
Ans. —We wottld place “Harris's Insects In¬ 
jurious to Vegetation” as first on the list of 
works on economic entomology. “Packard’s 
Guide to the Study of Insects” is good, but 
not quite so satisfactory. Next come the 
State Entomogists’ reports of the different 
States. Those of Missouri, by Dr. Riley, and 
those of New York, by Dr. Fitch, are out of 
print, as is also part of those of Illinois, but 
we think the last six of the last-named State 
can be had of the Secretary of the State 
Board of Agriculture. 
Miscellaneous. 
W. S , Green Valley, III. 1, Where can 
full-blood Guernsey cattle and Morgan horses 
be obtained? 3. What kind of grass is adapted 
to sandy soil? 
Ans. —There are not many Guernsey cattle 
in the country as yet; they have not been 
popular until very recently, but there is con. 
siderable excitement growing in regard to 
them and they are rising in price very rapidly. 
It would not pay a farmer to buy pm e-bred, 
stock of this kind at the prices asked for it 
A very good bull calf can be procured for 
$50. or $60. and that would soon be tbe mak¬ 
ing of a herd of half or three quarter-bred 
cows which might be just as good as pure-bred 
ones. Mr. Simon Betts, Camden, N. J. or 
Lawrence Farm, Groton, Mass.,could probably 
supply a good bull calf at a reasonable 
price. Morgan horses are bred mostly in 
Vermont. 2. Orchard Grass succeeds weilon 
light soil and if sew n with Red Clover makes a 
good pasture for many years. Sow 20 pounds 
of seed per acre with six pounds of red clover. 
M. B., N. Y. City .—What way is the best 
to rid a field of the stumps of sycamores, 
plane trees or button-woods? The stumps of 
most other trees may be expected to rot, but 
these pests continue to throw up suckers, cut 
them off as often as one may. 
Ans. —One of two things must be done—the 
sprouts destroyed in early Summer or the 
roots grubbed up. Do uot wait until Fall to 
destroy the sprouts. If we would destroy 
the roots we must deprive them of nourish¬ 
ment. The water forming the crude sap 
comes from the ground, of course, but it is 
changed into food or elaborated by the leaves 
We must destroy the leaves therefore before 
the roots have had time to store up nourish¬ 
ment. Probably tbe best and moat expeditious 
way would be to blow them up with giant 
powder, as frequently explained in the Rural. 
R. M. M., Rushxille, 111. 1, Is the Rural’s 
T horoughbred Flint Corn as good as ordinary 
corn for feeding stock and fattening hogs? 2, 
Will it yield as much per acre as our common 
field corn? 3, Will it “pay” to raise it as a 
general crop here? It is early—mine was 
tasseling on June 10. 
Ans. —1. We should think so. 2, This 
question will soon be answered by the reports 
of our subscribers. 3. It has been raised for 
40 years in the Rural family in preference to 
the other kinds of flint corn tried from time 
to time. It will be seen that while it yields 
well, its suckering propensities make it highly 
valuable for fodder. 
J. C. M., Felton, Del., sends for name a 
large, horned caterpillar found on a walnut 
tree. 
Ans. —It is the larva of Citheronia regalis 
Dr., a large and beautifully colored Bombycid 
moth. It is not rare in the more southern 
portion of the United States, feeding on 
hickory, walnut, persimmon and sycamore, 
There is an account, with illustrations, of this 
moths in Harris's treatise on Insects Injurious 
to Vegetation, p.p. 399.402 (Flint). 
T. R. H., Moorescille, Ind., sends, 1, a sam¬ 
ple of a weed and wishes to know its name: 
it spreads more rapidly for cutting; thrives 
anywhere; 2, insects for name. 
Ans. 1.—This is probably a kind of Solidago 
or Golden Ro.l, There are no flowers to de¬ 
termine the species. There are several kinds 
of Golden Rod that horses and cattle will eat 
as readily as Timothy. 2, Insects not yet re¬ 
ceived. 
E. W. G., Tallahassee, Ela. Will cabbages 
planted in the hill where they are to grow 
head as well as those that have been trans¬ 
planted? 
Ans. —We are trying this experiment. Our 
report will be that seeds planted in the open 
ground which are left to grow without being 
transplanted, will not head so well as when 
transplanted. 
T. G. L., St. Louis, Mo. —Is the Lombardy 
Poplar an evergreen and where can seed be 
obtained? 
Ans. —No, it is not evergreen. It holds its 
leaves late. We do uot know that the seed is 
for sale. It grows very readily from cuttings. 
H. .4. P., Zanesville, Ohio. Why havn’t 
my heliotropes bloomed? They have had a 
rich, warm soil and plenty of water. They 
are a mass of foliage. 
Ans.—T he soil is too rich. Cease giving 
them water. 
S. S., Xenia, III., sends for name a sample 
head of giain found in 1SS0 among some 
Russian Spring wheat. 
Ans. — This seems to us to be a kind of 
barley. 
H. S., Kenton, O. Where can I get tbe 
Centennial wheat in quantity ? Is it hardy ? 
Ans. —We purchased ours of the Colorado 
State College, Fort Collins, Col. We have 
raised it as a Winter wheat for four years. 
J. W. R., Chicopee Falls, Mass .—Are the 
Manchester Strawberry and Hovey Seedling 
identical ? 
Ans.—N o. 
In reply to inquiries, it may be seen that 
Mark W. Johnson & Co , 27 Marietta St., At¬ 
lanta, Ga. (a trustworthy house), have tho 
genuine Dallas wheat for sale. 
COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED EOB THB WEEK ENDING 
Saturday, Sept. 2,18SA 
E. S. Abbott, you are right; tbe editors of the R. N.- 
Y. wish to be considered as mefrleudsof every read¬ 
er.-J. S.-A. F. G.-G. H. F.-T. M. B.-E. S.P-R 
Canfield, for prize competition—Profitable Farming 
for a Poor Man—Solomon Sim rover, beads received— 
an Ingenious plan of sending such things through the 
malls-S. H , Mich., answer In two weeks—I. J. B.—M. 
B. P.-T. M L.-E- D. C.-W. B. N.-H B- >L, thanfcs- 
J. G. M - J. P. P.—A, E. S—S. E. A.-P. A- S.-G tV. 
Grant, thanks. G. R. D.-F. A. Y.—X. S-R. c. C.— 
“Ermepgarde M —W. F.—X. A. W -C. M. H.-C. Eros.— 
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M.—H. Sk— Pansy—W, F.-I. N. M.-T. W.-G. D. K. 
thanks— G. Hr S., thanks—A. M. W.-W. A. D.-J. A. 
—I. P. R.. thanks for thls-C. S. O.—S. O. J., There are. 
good points in your S1SS.—P. D, U il. R. L,—S. T. L 
