45? 
JULY 8 
THE BUBAL 
cut for hay which is excellent—if not super¬ 
ior to Timothy—when cut about the first of 
Sapt. Orchards are all too young to bear, 
but thousands of trees are being set out every 
year. There are about five acres of corn 
to one acre of all other kinds of grain, there 
being perhaps twice as much wheat as 
oats and barley. a. V. 
New York. 
Easton, Wash Co, June 18.—Owing to 
the cold, dry spell early in the Spring and 
severe Winter, hay w ill be a very slim crop. 
Corn looks bad; a good many farmers have 
not planted yet as it is so wet and cold. A 
large acreage of oati was sown, but the crop 
is very backward. The worms are eating 
them to a large extent. There will be a very 
large acreage of potatoes; every farmer has 
from two to 18 acres. Not much flax; about 
one-tbird the amount of last year’s acreage. 
Most of the rye is looking well. No wheat or 
barley to speak of. A good many beans are 
being planted. Apples will be an abundant 
crop Peaches, plums aud cherries will bs a 
failure. o. c a. 
North Carolina. 
The Thermal Belt, Polk Co., June 21.— 
This section is now claiming much attention. 
It has been fullv proved this season. Straw¬ 
berries were ripe iu the Belton April 8th with¬ 
out any special attention There were very 
fine ripe peaches on May 28th. L R M. 
Henderson, Granville Co., June 19.— 
The cold, wet Spring gave corn, cotton and 
most kinds of vegetables a sorry start, 
though now we are having fine weather. 
Wheat, with an acreage much above an aver¬ 
age, is the best for many a year. Oats aud 
Irish potatoes good. Corn will probably be 
about au average crop so far as can be seen 
now. Cotton cannot be more than three f ourths 
of a cr..p. Fruit of all kinds a full crop. 
Peaches small on account of number. Apples 
in the same condition. M. R. p. 
Oregon. 
Amity, ZanhiU Co., June 14 —Spring wheat 
will average fmm 15 to 18 bushels to the 
acre aud Winter wheat from 20 to 30 bu-bels. 
There is no rye raised around here. Some of 
the fanne-s say that it does well enough but 
they don’t want it on their farms at any 
price. Oats will go from 20 to 30 bushels to 
the acre; barley from 60 to 75 bushels. 
Timothy is the only kind of grass that is 
rai-ed for hay an i it goes from one to 
three tons to the acre. Corn is a poor crop 
with u j , as the nights are too coll here to 
raise it, and what is raised is eaten green. 
Potatoes are a good crop with us. especially 
tbe Irish potatoes, but 1 don't like them; I 
want a potato that will bake quickly and I 
take the old White KHney m preference to 
all others. Apples will be a good crop this 
year as far as I have seen and heard. Pears 
are a good crop with us; our pear trees are 
small yet. H. H. 
£l)f 
ANSWEBS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention 1 
PUS IN THE GUTTERAL POUCHES OK A HORSE. 
E. A. R., Washburn, Wis —1. In July, 18S1, 
mv yearling colt became suddenly sick, being 
stiff and feverish and having the fetlock joints 
swollen. I applied liniment a id the swelling 
Boon abated; but a few days later a large 
swelliugappeiredonthe point of the shoulder, 
broke in a few days aud discharged matter 
for two or three months. Towards Winter 
the shoulder healed up; but in February a 
swelling made its appearance just where the 
throat latch of the bridle would come. The 
swelling is about six inches long and four 
deep. Sometimes when the celt is breathing 
it makes a rattling aoun ), and on shaking the 
swelling from side to side a sound is heard as 
if it cont dned water. I have run a lancet in 
for two or three inches with no pff-'et except 
bringing a little blood. A discharge of thin, 
greenish color and of offensive smell passes 
from tbe nostrils. The animal is rather stiff, 
but is growiug pretty wed. What is the ail¬ 
ment and what is the remedy? 2. What is 
the best work on diseases of the. hsrse? 
Ans. —1. From th“ description given in your 
letter there is no doubt in our m nd that your 
colt is suffering with collection of pus iu the 
gutteral pouches. These pouebos are prolon¬ 
gations of the membrane which lines the mid¬ 
dle ear and which forms a large cul-rte sac, or 
bag shaped eavisy,situated above the pharynx, 
or cavity into which the nose and mouth 
open. The pus which accumulates therein 
is then thrown into the pharynx and 
passes down the nostrils, forming the dis¬ 
charge spoken of. This di-charge is sometimes 
very abundant and varies in quantity, being 
greater at times than at others and generally 
more abundant while the animal is at work. 
The treatment to be applied is essentially sur¬ 
gical. As the cavity has to be open from 
below it will require the assistance of a veter¬ 
inary surgeon, as surgical work here is one of 
the most delicate operations which tielongs to 
veterinary medicine. The prospects of recov¬ 
ery are doubtful even it the operation is well 
pe-forrned especially when the case has as¬ 
sumed a chrouic form, as we are inclined to 
believe it has in your colt 2. Stonehenge on 
the Horse in Stable and Field is as good as 
any. Price $2. To be had through any book- 
dealer. 
WORMS OR M AL-MASTICATION ? 
C. H. W,, Eaton Rapi'ls, Mich.: Mv team 
of horses began to run down in early Spring:, 
and have become very poor now. Although 
they have a ravenous appetite, and have had 
corn in the ear and ground corn and oats to 
ge'ber with good Timothy hay, the feed doesn’t 
seem to do then any good; the corn passes 
through them whole and their manure emits 
a very foul odor. Tuey are spiritless, give 
out in the mid He of the afternoon, and no 
amount of urging will cause them to work. 
A veterinary surgeon filed their teeth last 
Fall and I have bmn giving them condition 
powders and salt, mix^d with a little fine-cut 
tobacco. Both horses get galled or bruised 
very easily. They are about 13 years old 
and up to this trouble were always very 
easy keepers, though they never could get 
fat—what ails them and how should they be 
treated ? 
Ans. —Among the many causes which give 
rise to the difll lulty described in your letter, 
there are two which seem to us applicable to 
vour horses. The first one is that worms may 
be the causa of the whole trouble. This can 
be detected by careful examination of tbe 
droppings of the horses to see if any worms 
are passed; if so, let us know how they look 
and we may prescribe for them. The second 
is that digestion does not take place properly 
because your horses swallow their food with¬ 
out masticating it—che.ving it in a proper 
manner. Watch them and see if they take a 
reasonable time in eating, and if you find 
that, they do not, emoloy means to in ike them 
eat slowly. One of the best means to that end 
is to place a bit in the mouth while eating 
or to have a rolling stone—a ball made of 
wood—placed iu the manger. We would ad¬ 
vise you also to stop the use of the condition 
powders, as from the description you gave us 
we do not think there is the slightest indica¬ 
tion for their use. 
PERIOD OF GESTATION IN SHEEP. 
W. L., Clinton, Dak .—How long after the 
ewe is with the ram until she drops her lamb? 
Ans. — The period of gestatiou varies some¬ 
what with the breed, the system of manage¬ 
ment and possibly with local infl iences. The 
mean period is about 152 days, tbe extremes 
being 148 an 1 161 days. Tne number of lamb9 
dropped o/er 153 and under 148 days, ho wever, 
in ordinary flocks, is comparatively small. 
According to M. Tessier’s observations, of 
912 ewes, 140 lambed between 146 aud 150days, 
the mean time being 148 days; 676 lambed 
between the 150th au 1 the 154th days, the 
mean time being 153 days: and 96 lambed be¬ 
tween the 154 and the 161 days, the mean 
time being 157 days. In Darwin’s “ Ani¬ 
mals and Plants Under Domestication,” 
it is stated that Merino and South D own sheep, 
when both have long been kept under exactly 
the same con litions, differ in the average 
period of gestation as seen in the following 
table: 
Merinos...150.3 days. 
South Downs.144.2 “ 
Half Merino and South Do *n.... 140 3 “ 
Three fourths blood of S. D.145 5 “ 
Seven-eighths, ditto.144.3 “ 
FREE MARTINS. 
M. M .. Memphis, Tenn .—A cow of mine 
has had twin calves—a male and female. I 
have been told the latter will not breed. Is 
the tale true? 
Ans. —When twins are produced among 
cattle, one a male and the ot er a fe¬ 
male, tbe latter is called a free-martin, and 
is, as a rule, barren. When the twius are of 
the same sex, the reproductive organs are not 
impaired Iu free martins, however, the 
internal generative organs are imperfect, 
partaking of the character of male and fe¬ 
male organs, while in appearance the animal 
usually resembles a steer. In rare instances 
fr«e-martins are lvpor & l to have been capa¬ 
ble ot breediug, their reproductive organs 
having escape! malfor nation; but it is better 
to fit them for the butcher than to keep them, 
reiving upon the chance of such a very ex¬ 
ceptional event. 
BIRD LIME. 
J, M. D , Santa Barbara, Cal .—How can 
bird lime be made? 
Ans —Bird lime (the genuine article) is pre¬ 
pared by boiling the middle bark of the 
European holly, or the young shoots of the 
elder and other plants, such as the Mistletoe 
and other parasites, separating the gummy 
matter from the liquid, and leaving it for a 
fortnight in a moist, cool place to become 
viscid. It is next pounded into a tough paste, 
well washed, aud put aside for a few days to 
ferment. Some oil or thin grease is incorpo¬ 
rated with it, when it is ready for use. It is 
so tenacious that small birds al gating upon 
sticks daubed over with it are unable to es¬ 
cape. It is used for the purpose ot catching 
birds and also for destroying insects. Most 
of it is now produced in Turkey. 
Miscellaneous. 
E. H. W., Charlevoix. Mich.: 1, Are oats 
good for soiling? 3, If they were turned under 
and the ground planted to potatoes, would 
the resulting beneilt pay far plowing, etc.? 
3. Would plow.ng under buckwheat in the 
same way pay? 4, Which is the better way to 
plant potatoes—in hills or drills? How much 
seed is needed? 
Ans —1. Oats produce excellent feed for 
soiling aud follow rye, lasting until the fod¬ 
der corn is large enough for use, Oats, for 
soiliug afford a greater variety of food for 
cows and will prove a profitable crop, We 
consider them one of the best of soiling crops. 
2. We never tried oats as a green manure and 
think rye or buckwneat would be more profit¬ 
able, especially rye, which would be large 
enough to turn under some weeki sooner than 
oats, and on account of its length could be 
chained down aud turned under more per¬ 
fectly. S. We prefer the ea'ly varieties of 
potatoes in drills, but have succeeded best 
with tbe late Peach blow in hills three by 
two-ami a half feet, wbi"h gives 5,S08 bills to 
the acre. The amount of seed varies so much 
witn the size of the potato used, the number 
of pieces to which it is cut and the number of 
eyes to a hill that th^re is no rule. A success¬ 
ful potato grower of our acquai ntance uses 
an average of seven bushels per acre. We 
have grown good crops of Peach blows when 
half that quantity was used. 
J. D., Mavleton, Minn. —1. Which is the 
better—to drill wheat or sow it broadcast? 
2. Which is the best drill and tbe best seeder ? 
3. Can gross seed be put in with a drill, and is 
this way better than to sow it broadcast 7 4. 
Where can 1 get a drill that will plant corn 
and sow all kinds of garden seeds? 5. Where 
can I get a p >tato digger and at what price? 
Ans —1. Careful experiments have shown 
that larger crops have been raised by drilling 
in the seed than by sowing broadcast. 2 Any 
of the drills advertised in the Rural are good, 
and they all have grass-seeding attachments. 
Some of them have attachments for drilling 
corn. 3. Yes; grass seel may be sown with 
the drill and more evenly than it can be done 
by hand. 4 There is no drill that sows both 
corn and garden seeds well. For the corn, a 
oue-horse drill is needed, like the Albany or 
Hoosier, or a two-row planter. For garden 
seeffs a small seed drill is required, like the 
Planet, New York or Matthews. Sand to the 
parties advertising these goods iu the Rural 
and their catalogues will illustrate the matter 
more fully than we can describe it here. 5, The 
best practical potato-digger that we know of 
is a double shovel plow. Try R. H. Allen & 
Co., New York City, for it, 
F. M S ., Fredonia, N. F.—1. What is the 
best fertilizer to be applied to corn when it is 
fairly above g ound? 2. Would phosphate or 
ground boue be too strong for the young 
blades? 3, is there any way by which the 
dead bodies of animals can be prepared for 
fertilizing purposes without incurring too 
much expense? 
Ass.—1. We once sowed chemical corn fer¬ 
tilizer at the rate of 250 pounds to the acre on 
corn when it was a foot high. The season was 
rather wet and we thought the use of the fer 
tilizer paid. Further th an this we have had 
no experience 2. Raw bone flour is rather 
too -low in its action. Superph >spbate woul i 
in j ire the leaves s nnewhut. thou ,'h they would 
soon recover. We should now trust to good 
cultivation. Pat the cost of fertilizers in keep¬ 
ing the surface soil mellow. 3. Should say 
not. 
J. F. B., Envngton, III. —1, Are the Silver 
Spangled Hamburg* as good layers as the 
B aok Hamburgs ? Are they hardy ? 2. What 
is the cause of chicken cholera ? 
Ans —l, From our own experience we should 
say they are not as good Layers: but they are 
equally hardy. 2. Chicken cholera is a con¬ 
tagious disease, and may be introduced into 
flocks by newly-acquired infected fowls or by 
infected manure or feathers The disease 
germs are probably taken into the body with 
food and other matter that has been contami¬ 
nated. Prt ventivo measures are most effect¬ 
ual. See Q uerist Department for June 24 last, 
and Veterinary Department in this issue. 
“A Subscriber," Winchester, Ind.—In a 
late article under the heading ‘‘The Truth 
About It,” the writer spoke of swindles in 
connection with Russian apples: are they all 
frauds? 
ANS. —No; there are several binds of Rus¬ 
sian apples which have proaen of great value 
in this country, as, for example, Tetofsky 
Alexander and Duchess of Oldenburg; others, 
sofaras tried, likeT-chernoe, Drewo, Titouka, 
Arabskoe, are promising. We caution all of 
our readers not to order so-called Russian 
apples from unknown agents. 
R. J. C., Fort Atkinson, Wis, What is the 
cost of tools and machinery for starting fruit 
drying on a small scale and where can I get 
the utensils? 
Ans —The American Manufacturing Co.; 
of Waynesboro, Pa. to whom we re'erml this 
inquiiy, say that from their experience in the 
canning business they could not recommend 
any one to start in it on a small scale, with 
expectation of making it a profitable business. 
Tne evaporating process is the most likely to 
prove l emunerative. 
A “Subscriber," Darien, Conn., says that 25 
per cent, of his Rural seed corn failed to 
germinate, and suggests that su< h failures, 
which are not at ail due to the fault of the 
planter, ought to be taken into account in 
awarding the premiums. 
Ans. —We require that each contestant 
should report how many kernels were planted 
and how many germinated. The premiums will 
be awarded according to merits we can assure 
our friends. 
T. J., Spring Grove, Illinois. —During the 
hot Summer can ice be kept in a cellar built 
on a hill-side four feet above and four feet be¬ 
low tbe ground, cemented and stone walled 
just like a cistern ? 
Ans.—N o. A non-conductor of beat, such 
as saw duit, charcoal, or something of the 
kind, would be necessary to prevent too rapid 
melting. It would also be needful that the 
cellar should be drained and ventilated. 
J. S. B., Stanton, la —What will remove 
soft and hard lumps fr;»m a horse’s shoulders? 
Ans.—Y our inquiry is too vague to justify 
us in giving you proper advice. Soft and 
hard lumps on the shoulder of a horse! You 
must tell us on what part of the shoulder, and 
give us a better description of ihose tumors 
before we can do justice to your inquiry. 
J. A. G., Marion, Va. In the Rural 
market reports do the quotations for cattle 
give the prices for stock cattle or for fat cattle 
fit for the butcher. 
Ans. —The prices for all kinds are given. 
The amount they “dress” to the hundred 
pouud is a fair indication of their quality and 
condition. 
T. B. IF., Oberlin, 0., asks for name of a 
work on common painting. 
Ans. —There is a little work written by J. 
W. Masury, 715 Broadway, New York City, 
which would probably give the desired infor¬ 
mation. It can be obtained of the above or 
of the American News Company, of this city. 
P. IF., Tannersville, Fa.—Where can 1 get 
hay-caps? 
Axs —Anybody can make hay caps as 
cheap as they can be bought, or cheaper. Take 
a square of 54 inch shoe ing, hem it, make a 
loop at each corner by which it can be peg¬ 
ged down to the hay-cock. 
♦S'. A. S'., New Hope, Pa. —What is the proper 
time to inoculate the iifferent kinds of fruit 
trees ? 
Ans.—J ust as soon as the full, plump buds 
form. This varies with d.fferent fruits. 
Many are ready in August. 
E. W. W., New Alexandria, Pa .—What are 
the insect enemies or the hickory and locust, 
and how are they to be combatted? 
Ans. —See article in “Entomologist” De¬ 
partment. 
C. M., Rochester, Wis. Where can I pur¬ 
chase a township map of Westchester Co., 
New York ? 
Ans —From Colton & Co., 182 William st., 
N. Y. City. 
L. P., San Marcos, Texas, asks for infor¬ 
mation about cucumber pickles and how to 
preserve them. 
Ans.— See article by Waldo F. Brown in 
Horticultural Department. 
J. N. S., O-twego, N. Y .—Where can I get 
a gill net in New York? 
Ans. —From Peck & Snyder, 126 Nassau 
Street. 
Will W. B. Nearing please to state what 
kind of locust trees he means in his article 
published in the Rural June 10th, page 387. 
Communications Kkokivkd sob thk Wkkk Ending 
Saturday. July 1.1S32. 
J. A. M.-F. D. C.—G. M. W.—C SI. H.-I. P. R —F SL 
S.—J. G. St.— G W. G.-O. D. SI; answer 1 two or 
•hree weeks -T L - D. C.-W. A P.-D C. W.-H. C. 
B -L. B. G.-W. G E.-H C.-W T B. H. & S.-L. tL 
W.-C. A. G —H. C.-D. E M. O —W I C -J. H. E.-O. 
M,—W T. B.-W. Z. H.—A. H. R —W. D -W. H. T.— 
W. S T -A. B. A.-H. J. S. -A R. N.-H J. R — I. D.- 
J. C. K—R. B.-J. M.—G W -Will C, W -M. H.H — 
H. O. H.—M. W. W.— M. D. A-M b. C E. E -T G — 
H. G.-J. F. M.-W H S.—51. A B - W. C. D - A. C.— 
A. C -J. G.—J. F.-A. G. B-C C. W.-A. C. M.-W. S. 
L, -M B. C.-G. H. S.—Wm C H.—W. H.- S. M. J.— 
H. L. 1L-J. B. G.-H. K. S.-C. W. il.-T. R.-L. H. M 
