APRIL 5 
223 
well as auy other business undertaking. Mos fc 
persons of ordinary intelligence can do well 
with a few fowls. Notkiug, probably, on a 
farm, pays better, but ^hen poultry-keeping 
is attempted on a large scale, many difficul¬ 
ties arise. The more fowls are crowded, the 
less percentage of profit per fowl. It is best 
to commence with a few birds. It matters 
little w hether food be bought or grown, as it 
costs about the same. We would not advise 
any one who i< without experience in poultry 
raising, to attempt to make a living out of the 
business until knowledge of its recjuiremeuts 
has been gained by practical experience. 
SPASMODIC COLIC IN A COLT. 
S. J., Alexanderville, Ohio. —Whntis arem- 
edy for spasmodic colic in a colt, and how can 
it be prevented? 
Ans. —Tho most common causes of spas¬ 
modic colic are the application of cold water 
to the surface of the body, drinking cold water 
when in a heated condition, unwholesome 
and indigestible food, costiveness, etc. 
To prevent an attack avoid all provocative 
causes. As a remedy give an injection of Cas- 
tilesoapand water; give internally an ounce 
of nitrous ether, half an ouuce of tincture of 
opium, and half a pint of water mixed, which 
may be repeated in twenty minutes with the 
additiou of half au ouuce of tincture of aloes. 
Rub the belly well with mustard and water. 
Double the above quantities will relieve a 
horse. In a young colt peppermint tea alone 
will often effect a cure. 
BAGGING GRAPES. 
H. C. F., Detroit, Mich. —1. In bagging 
grapes, would it be advisable to put a large 
bag over a branch bearing two or three 
bunches? 2. The Concord usually bears three 
or four clusters on the current year’s cane; 
could the whole number be covered with a 
siugle bag? 
Ans.— 1. Yes, but the bag must be corre¬ 
spondingly strong, and a small hole made in 
the bottom to let any water out that may 
trickle or filter through. The bag must not 
cover leaves, neither is it well to remove leaves 
in order to make room for the bag. The 
leaves nearest the grapes probably do most 
towards developing them. We have bagged 
three bunches in one bag. 2. All grapes grow 
on current wood from last year’s buds. Every 
reader of the Rural should be prepared to 
bag grapes. 
GETTING RID OF SQUASH BUGS. 
.4. W. J., Marine, III.— How can I get rid 
of squash bugs. 
Ans. —If there is a real, bona-fide, never - 
known-to-fail remedy for this pest, we should 
like to know it. Tobacco dust scattered over 
the plants early in the morning is claimed to 
be a remedy. The application must be repeat¬ 
ed when the first has been washed off by rain. 
Squash bugs appear about the same time as 
the young plants, and lay their eggs on the 
under side of the leaves, hence it is well to 
look over the leaves and destroy by hand all 
eggs that can be found. If any of the patches 
of eggs have hatched, the young can readily 
be destroyed, as they have a habit of staying 
iu clusters. Hand-pickiug is the best way to 
control this pest. 
barberry for hedges. 
G. IT. East Branch, Pa — Will barberry 
seed planted where the hedge is wanted, do 
well if cultivated pioperly; will the plants 
have to be cut back, after a few years’ growth, 
in order to make them compact? 
Ans. —Yes. Sow the seed in drills where 
you want your hedge. Better have two drills 
a foot apart, and then thin out the small 
plants in tho hedge to four inches apart. By 
this method you will get a good, thick hedge. 
By heading in, and pruning, you will cause 
the hedge to be more compact Tills, for an 
ornamental hedge. If you are going to fence 
your farm, better grow the plants iu a nur¬ 
sery for two years, and then transplant to 
the rows for your hedge, putting the plauts 
six inches apart in the row. 
ABOUT POTATOES. 
R. S. A., Lorraine, Va .—1. What is a for 
mula for a potato fertilizer? 2. Which is the 
earliest and must prolific potato? 
Ans.—A n excellent potato fertilizer can be 
made of 10 bushels of unleached wood ashes 
and 200 pounds of fine ground bone. Mix dry 
tho day before it is to be used. This will lie 
enough for one acre, applied in the hill and 
slightly mixed with the soil; the seed to be 
dropped upon it. 2. The earliest and most 
prolific i>ouito is not yet discovered The 
earliest is rarely the most prolific. Burbank’s 
aud Early Rose are good early market pota¬ 
toes; the former is the better yielder. The 
Beauty of Hebron is as early as the Rose aud 
generally more prolific. The Early Ohio is 
earlier than either. 
CNDERDRAINING WITH A MOLE PLOW. 
J. C , Hartford, Canada. —How can a mole 
plow Tor'underd raining [be constructed, aud 
.are drains made with such an implement good 
and durable? 
Ans. —Making a drain with a mole plow is 
at best a poor way of doing tbe work Such a 
plow caunot be used at all, except in pretty 
strong clay froo from stones, and even there 
its work is not at all reliable, as tbe least 
amount of frost fills the drain, and the outlet 
is always imperfect. It is much better to do 
less draining, and do it iu tbe best manner 
with tile. It is very hard to give nich a de¬ 
scription of a mole plow as would be of value 
without several cut-. Hee catalogues or auy 
good work on underdrainage. 
CONVERTING CIDER INTO VINEGAR, ETC. 
“ Subscriber,'' Manhattan, Kansas. —1. Are 
the Rural Wheat and Rye, Winter or Spring 
varieties? 2. Of whom can I get chufas? 3. 
How can I convert old cider into vinegar? 
Ans. —1. Winter. 2. Of W, B. Jones, Hern¬ 
don, Georgia. 3. Draw from the cask ten or 
more gallons, and pour it from one vessel into 
another several times, letting it fall several 
feet through the air, and then pour it back 
into the barrel. Take the bung out of the 
barrel and nail a piece of open cloth over the 
hole; also put a few quarts of vinegar from a 
jug iuto the barrel. Cider turns to vinegar by 
the absorption of oxygen from the air, and 
the more it is aired, the more rapid will be 
the change, 
RHEUMATISM IN HOGS. 
S. J. IF., Floyd, N. T .—My hogs act as if 
they had the rheumatism. They have been 
lying ou a wet bed ; they still eat well. What 
can be done for them? 
Ans. —The hogs have the rheumatism, and 
no wonder; sleep over-night on a wet bed, 
with scanty covering, and try how it will be 
yourself. Make tbe pigs a good, dry bed under 
cover, and give them plenty of litter, chang¬ 
ing often so as to keep it dry. Feed some I 
greeu food, like roots or potatoes, if you have 
them: if not, make a slop, using oil meal, 
bran and corn meal, equal parts, with hot 
water. Feed liberally, and hereafter remem¬ 
ber, “A merciful man is merciful to his— 
hogs.*’ 
HARROWING WINTER WHEAT IN SPRING. 
T. G. L., Montgomery City, Mo. —Does it 
improve Winter wheat to go over it in Spring 
with a harrow to loosen the soil, and when 
should this be done? 
Ans. —It all depends upon the weather fol¬ 
lowing the harrowing; if followed by dry 
weather and a drying wind, it rather injures 
instead of improving the grain: but if follow¬ 
ed by a good rain, or even a moderate shower, 
it greatly improves and sometimes doubles 
the crop. In any case, it is a great benefit to 
the young grass, if seeded. It should be done 
as early as possible, after the soil gets dry 
enough so as not to be muddy, aud should be 
done with some kind of smoothing harrow. 
ROOFING. 
A Subscriber, Baden, Pa .—Last Summer I ' 
put on a tar and paper roof, but the tar mostly 
ran off; would it be well to put asbestos where 1 
the tar was? 
Ans,—A sbestos cannot be used in this way, 
as it is worked up iuto the paper. The best 
way would lie to put on another coat of hot tar 
aud sprinkle it thick with dry, air-slaked lime, 
or even sand or gravel, to hold the tar from 
flowing. If the roofing paper is well saturat¬ 
ed with the tar, put on hot ou a cold day. aud J 
treated as above, it will harden and not flow 
down. 
THE BLEEKER’S GAGE PLUM. 
IF. H. B., Faireiiae, Pa. —How does the 
Bleeker's Gage Plum compare with other va¬ 
rieties in hardiness, productiveness and mar¬ 
ket value? 
Ans.—B leekei’s Gage is an old variety of 
plum, above medium size, yellow, and with 
yellow flesh. It is a very good plum aud a 
freestone. The tree is a fairly good grower 
aud as productive as the common Yellow Gage. 
This fruit, however, is larger than Bleeker's. 
It ripens in August, but it is bv no means 
curculio-proof. 
Miscellaneous. 
G. S. Parkeville, Mich. —1. Can a buzz-saw 
for cutting cord-wood be run by a level-tread 
horse-power? Who sells such a power? 2, 
What will kill lice ou cattle? 3. Is hack- 
berry lumber of uuv use? 
Ans. —1. Such powers drive thrashing rna- 
ebiues, an 1 one could easily run a wood-saw. 
The amount of work done would of course, 
greatly depend ou the weight and activity of 
the horses employed. Level tread horse-pow¬ 
ers of all sorts are for sale by Messers. Hebuer 
A Sous, Lausdule, Pa , as our friend may see 
by referring to the standing advertisement iu 
our columns. 2. Rub earth ou them—sand is 
the best—and strew it along their backs, aud 
if one application isn't enough, try a seeoud 
aud even a third. Plaster, ground very flue, 
rubbed ou the backs of the animals has been 
reported as a very efficacious remedy. Dry 
thoroughly on the stove before applying it. 
Washing the infested parts of the animal with 
sti ong suds of carbolic soap is found to be cer¬ 
tain d^ath to the pests To make the snd-, buy 
carbolic crystals at any drug store for eight to 
ten ceuts per pound To a pound of common 
bar soap, placed in a pan with some water and 
melted down, add an ounce of the crystals, 
stirring well, and from the mixture make suds, 
which will bn cHeapor than that made from 
prepared carbolic soap, and at least as effica¬ 
cious. Nearly a dozen different remedies have 
appeared in the Rural duriug the last few 
years, all of which can be readily found by 
refereuce to the indexes we send out every 
December. A washing with carbolic suds, 
however, is as good as any. Of course, with 
all remedies two or three applications at inter¬ 
vals of, say, a week, will be needed, as the nits 
keep hatching. The stable surroundings of 
the infested animals should also be washed, as 
the vermin often barbor there, and thence find 
their way to clean animals. 3. Haekberry 
wood is white, splits easily, but decays speedi¬ 
ly when exposed to the weather. It is some¬ 
times saved into lumber to be used for inside 
work, but it shrinks and swells greatly with 
alternations of dryness and moisture iu the at¬ 
mosphere. Its most important use is for the 
manufacture of flat hoops for flour and fruit 
barrels, for which purpose it is well fitted. 
Novice, Wheeling, W. Va. —1. Is tbe Lake 
Shore Nursery of Erie, Pa., reliable? 2. How 
can a calf be taught to drink, and what should 
be her treatment afterwards, when raised by 
hand? 3. How should a cow be fed for a 
month before she drops her calf? 4. Who is 
Land Agent for Utah? 5. Is the northeastern 
part of the Territory a good fruit country ? 6. 
Which is the better cow for butter and milk 
—the Ayrshire or Holstein? 
Ans —1. Yes. 2. By letting it suck the 
fingers dipped in warm milk until it gets a 
taste of milk and then withdrawing them. 
This plan will soon teach it to drink. Feed 
at first new miik; after a few days substitute 
a portion of sweet skim-milk, gradually in¬ 
creasing the proportion of the latter as the 
calf gets older. As soon as it shows a dispo¬ 
sition to eat solid foods, give it a little nice 
clover hay; also some oil-cake meal, bran and 
corn-meal mixed, lucrease tbe amount of 
food so as always to keep the calf growing 
finely. 3 Feed of grain very lightly. Give 
a daily feed of mangels, turnips or potatoes, 
so as to beep the bowels loose and the system 
cool. 4. Write to Commissioner McFarland, 
Washington, D. C. o. Do you mean the re¬ 
gions east of the Wahsatch Mountains? If so, 
the country is too much above the sea level to 
be favorable for fruit culture, except in some 
of tbe valleys of the Uintah Mountain range. 
Northeast of Salt Lake City, apples, pears, 
peaches,plums and grapes grow well in suitable 
locations. 6 The Ayrshire gives great satisfac¬ 
tion for the amount of food consumed, and is 
better adapted to care for herself where feed 
is scanty. The Holstein is a very fine cheese 
and butter cow where feed is abundant and 
good care is bestowed on her. Moreover, she 
can be more readily fattened when turned off 
for the butcher. Each breed has its admirers. 
S. A. L., Mooresrille, N. C .—I lost some 
three-months-old pigs by a ‘disease under the 
following conditions: They bad dry, floored 
pens with straw for bedding, which was 
changed every ten days. They Mere fed on 
slops composed of three parts corn-meal, three 
parts wheat bran, one part cotton-seed meal 
from a neighboring oil mill, with oats, corn, 
raw turnips, and clover leaves occasionally. 
When first attacked, the pigs panted as if short 
of breath, shoved indications of severe pain, 
and died iu a short time. On examination 
after death all appeared right except that the 
lungs seemed solid, and a whitish fluid oozed 
from them, wheu cut. What ailed the pig-s ? 
2. What is the best breed of hens for eggs in 
this climate, and where can they be had? 
Anh.— 1. The trouble, wo think, is due to 
the cotton seed meal. This feed is too rich 
aud concentrated for pigs, and always pro¬ 
duces inflammatory diseases. The pigs were 
certainly too highly fed. Bran and pea-meal, 
or coru-meal, would have been quite sufficient 
with some chopped turnips and a run at large 
iu a stubble field or grass lot. The disease 
was inflammation of the substance of the 
lungs, or, as it is called, pneumonia. It might 
have been produced by exposure to the cold, 
but was, most likely, caused by plethora, in¬ 
duced by high teediug. It may be, also, 
that the pigs needed earth to eat, or 
hone meal. 2 Iu your locality Plymouth 
Rock fowls would probably be the most 
satisfactory ; but if eggs only are desired, 
White Legborus would be preferable, Ply¬ 
mouth Rocks will rear good chickens aud make 
fine fowls; the others will only produce eggs. 
5. B. II., Sprin y H ill, Pa.— 1. W here can I get 
reliable information about the land grants 
forfeited by railroads, as mentioned in the 
Rural of Feb 0. especially those forfeited by 
the Texas Pacific? 2. What kiud of peas 
should lie sown for hogs, and where can they 
be obtained? 
Ans.—1. Before a bill introduced into Con¬ 
gress becomes a law, it must be passed by both 
Houses, and be signed by the President, or 
passed over his veto by a two-thirds majoritv 
in both Houses. The bill forfeiting the un¬ 
claimed land grants of the Texas Pacific and 
some other Southern railroads, has been 
passed by the House of Representatives only, 
and now lies in the Senate awaiting the action 
of that body. Tbe lands are not yet forfeited 
therefore; and even if both Houses pafv= the 
bill and it receives the President's signature, 
the managers of the Texas Pacific are very 
likely to bring the case before the United 
States Supreme Court, where it may remain 
for years, and until it. is decided by that tri¬ 
bunal no clear title can be obtained for the 
land. Information about the location of the 
land can be obtained from the Commissioner 
of the General Land Office. Washington, D. C. 
2-—Sow the Small Canada June Pea at the 
rate of three bushels per acre. They can be 
obtained of any seedsman 
T. B , Houston. Texas. —1. How do the Hol¬ 
stein cattle thrive in Texas? 2. Where can 
I get Bronze Turkeys, and. 3, Chinese Geese? 
4. A six-year-old cow of mine dropped a calf 
when three years old; but although she get- 
in heat every month, she has never borne a 
calf since; why? 
Ans — 1 . A few- importations of Holsteius 
have been made into the Lone Star State; 
but the result his, so far as we know, been 
onl • moderately satisfactory. Northern cat¬ 
tle imported into Texas are liable to become 
affected with Texas fever, unless care is taken 
to import them iu the beginning of Winter, 
after frost, and to keep them apart from 
native cattle until they are acclimated. Even 
then a considerable percentage of them are 
likely to succumb to the disease or the changed 
conditions of life. Holstein cattle, however, 
are no more liable to these mishaps than most 
other breeds. 2. R. D. Wylie, Washington, 
Pa.; D. L. Evans, Jr.. Watsontown, Pa.; W. 
Atlee Burpee, Philadelphia, Pa. 3. We know 
of no one owning Chinese geese. 4. See 
answer to W. H. C., Decatur, Texas, in tbe 
Supplement of March 15. 
C. G„ West Oneonta, X. T.— L What is the 
Dewberry? Is it hardy and worth cultivat¬ 
ing? 2. I have a small pond hole, which has a 
soil of black muck, which is very fertile. I 
can drain and flood it very easily; ivould it 
be a good place iu which to grow cranber¬ 
ries, and if so, how should I prepare the soil, 
etc? 3. My rutabagas rotted very badly tin's 
Fall, the rot commencing at the crown and 
progressing down into the center of the tur¬ 
nip. The trouble is quite general in this lo¬ 
cality. What is it ? 
Ans.— 1. The Dewberry is a low black¬ 
berry, that grows in rocky and sandy soils. 
It is botanically known as Rubus Canadensis. 
We have known cases in which this berrv has 
been successfully cultivated. By good culti¬ 
vation the yield may be greatly increased over 
that of plants growing in uncultivated fields. 
2. For full information upon cranberry cul¬ 
ture see tbe Rural for December 1. 1883. 3. 
We should think the rutabagas must have 
been frozen too much. They are sometimes, 
however, attacked with a rust or rot on the 
leaves, that works down the stalk into the root. 
G. K. P., IUnggold, Ga.—\. Can I set two- 
year-old peach stocks in the orchard and top- 
graft them two feet from the ground? 2 
Would sulphuric acid decompose a compost 
of stable manure and leaf mold ? 
Ans.— 1. The young peach trees can be set in 
orchard and grafted as proposed, but the op¬ 
eration is rarely satisfactory, and, so far as 
we know, never practiced by experienced 
growers. If used at all, it would be much bet¬ 
ter to bud these trees in the limbs after setting 
them in the orchard aud cutting them in pret¬ 
ty strongly. 2. Ashes unleached would be 
better than sulphuric acid for the purpose 
proposed, and would add more to the value 
of the compost. Iu order to make such a 
compost decay quickly, it should be wet thor¬ 
oughly with hot water, trodden hard, aud 
the pile covered with three or four inches of 
loam. 
L. H., Anderson, Kan.—I. Would buffalo 
bones that have been lying exposed to the 
weather for ten yeai-s or more, be a good ap¬ 
plication to trees and grape-vines ? 2 Should 
the Diehl-Mediterranean Wheat be sow n in 
the Spring or Fall? 3. Is the Phoenix Fruit * 
Invigorator what It claims to be? 4. Would 
pears do well here—on the verge of Kansas 
and Nebraska? 5. If hickory nuts and chestnuts 
are planted this Spring, will they germinate? 
Ans.— 1. A capital thing. Break them 
quite flue with a sledge or old ax and use them 
freely. 3, Fall. 3 It is a humbug. See Eve- 
Opener in last week's Rural. 4 The Ameri¬ 
can Pomological Society says the following 
pears will do well in both Nebraska and Kan¬ 
sas: Howell. Lawrence, Louise Bonne de Jer¬ 
sey, Osband’s Summer, Rostiezer, Seckel and 
