4884 
823 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
low underneath. The animal doesn’t rest on 
the heels or toes, but spreads her feet and lies 
down: what ails her? 
Ans. —This trouble is the result of founder 
in the feet, or inflammation of the lamina* or 
“leaves,” which unite the horn to the muscular 
tissue. The distortion, or contraction of the 
hoof can never be wholly removed. Treat it 
as follows: Give a pint of linseed oil to re¬ 
move any remaining fever; thou, at night, 
put on wet bandages dipped in hot water, and 
tie the feet in strips of sacking. After a week 
or two of this treatment, rasp down the rough 
horn a little and apply pine tar to the horn. 
Wash the hoof with hot water and soap occa¬ 
sionally, and renew the tar dressiug. 
REMOVING A FILM FROM THE EYE. 
A. B ., Hartford, Ohio .—What will remove 
a film from a colt’s eye? 
Ans. —Much care should be taken in doing 
this to avoid injuring the eye. A safe and 
generally effective remedy for it is to blow 
into the eye a pinch of burned alum (common 
alum heated on a hot stove and reduced to 
powder by the heat ), using a common quill or 
small tube for the purpose. This is only 
slightly painful, and causes a discharge from 
the eye and the absorption of the film. There 
are other inodes of treatment, as the use of a 
solution of four grains of nitrate of silver in 
an ounce of water applied to the film with a 
camel’s hair pencil once a day; or a similar 
solution of sulphate of zinc used in the same 
way. It is well to give a dose of Epsom salts 
(eight ounces for a colt.) 
CONGESTION OF THE SKIN IN COLTS. 
C. P. P. Valatie, N. Y. —We have two colts 
which are troubled with itch so that they 
gnaw their flesh; when the blood is heated 
they are worse. How should they be treated? 
Ans. —The disease is congestion of the skin. 
Give them a dose of half a pint of linseed oil 
each; also give a bran mash with a dram of 
chlorate of potash daily for a few days. Do 
uot use carbolic acid, which will muketheskiu 
worse, but use salt and water to bathe the 
skin, or a solution of an ounce of common 
baking-soda in a quart of water. Use no curry 
comb, but clean them with a wisp of damp 
straw or a soft brash dipped in the solution. 
Give no grain food until they are well. 
ANTHRAX IN CHICKENS. 
G. H C ., South Vineland, A". ./.—What ails 
my chickens? The symptoms of their ailment 
are, weakness of the legs and blindness of the 
eyes; the combs of several turned black a few 
hours before death. 
Ans.—T he disease is anthrax.similar to the 
same disease in cattle, The black comb is in¬ 
dicative of the disorder. It may be caused by 
over-feeding, and is spread by contagion. The 
remedy is not so plain; perhaps the quick 
slaughter of a sick fowl and its burial deep in 
the ground is the best thing to be done. If any 
medicine is given at all. we recommend tea¬ 
spoonful doses of a solution of one ounce of 
hyposulphite of soda in half a pint of water, 
given three times a day. Feed crusts of bread 
steeped in water and nothing else until the 
bird recovers, and keep it in a place by itself. 
SIZE OF MEASURES 
H. C. It., Sturgis, Mich .—Ho v large, in the 
clear, should be measures for one bushel, and 
also for one-half, one-quarter, one-eighth, and 
one-sixteenth of a bushel ? 
Anh.—F or a struck measure a bushel should 
be 17% x 15 x8 deep, containing 2.1B0 cubic 
inches; by making it 17 11-12 it will contain 
2,150, which is an exact bushel; half a bushel 
is 14% x 10x 7% deep, equal to 1,075 cubic 
inches: a peck is Hx8x8 5-12 inches. For 
heaped measure the depth, length or width 
should be Increased one third, but only one of 
the dimensions should be enlarged, as a heaped 
bushel is one third larger than a struck or even 
bushel, or equal to 2,867cubic inches. 
BLACK KERRY AND RASPBERRY QUERIES. 
./. W. It. L,, Buchanan, Mich. —1. How 
many feet apart each way should Snyder 
Blackberries be set? 2. iiow many canes 
should be left in each hill after they have be¬ 
come old enough to bear fruit? 3. How high 
should the Canes be allowed to grow before 
the tops ure nipped off? 4. is the Hansell 
Raspberry as large as the Brandywine? 5. Is 
it as prolific?, l). Is the Crimson Beauty as 
large as the Brandywine? 7. Is it as prolific? 
Ans,— 1. Six feet by four. This is rather 
close planting. 2. From three to five. 3. 
Five feet. 4 The same size. 5. No. 6. It is 
somewhat larger. 7. It is said to be. Ours 
ha ve uot fruited. 
CUT ON PASTERN JOINT OF COLT. 
It. IF. F., Leonardville —My eight-weeks- 
old colt cut the pastern joint of one of his fore 
feet. By the doctor’s advice 1 applied olive 
i«l and carbolic acid; but the joint swelled to 
a circumference ot 17 inches. The swelling 
was opened. in five places and discharged mat 
ter, but would not heal. After a time he died. 
What should have been the treatment? 
Ans. —The colt died from the exhaustion 
and suffering from the wound. Perhaps the 
carbolic acid helped a good deal, as it is ex¬ 
tremely poisonous when absorbed in a wound. 
A judicious treatment would have been as 
follows:—Use only cold water baths with a 
few drops of pyroligneous acid in the water. 
Apply bandugos kept wetted with cold water. 
If the cut was an open one, strips of rubber 
plaster should have been placed across here 
aud there to keep it nearly closed. With cold 
water dressings, the wound should have heal¬ 
ed very soon; and if not, a few drops of py¬ 
roligneous acid, mixed with vaseline or cos- 
moline, should ha ,T ebeen applied. 
THE BLACK RLISTKR BEETLE. 
( '. If. C., Whitehall, Ky ., sends specimen of 
insect for nume. 
Ans.—T he pest belongs to a very common 
species of Blister Beetles, viz., the Black Blis¬ 
ter Beetle (Epieauta alratn). It is frequently 
met with on various flowering plants; but, un¬ 
fortunately, it is aLso too often fond of potato 
vines and other cultivated plauts, thus occa¬ 
sionally doing considerable injury. Applica¬ 
tions of arsenical poisons as uow so success¬ 
fully used for the Potato Beetle, will speedily 
dispose of the Blister Beetles, while, iti favor¬ 
able localities, they may alsu be driven from 
the plauts they infest into windr ows of straw’ 
and there destroyed by tire. 
-»♦> 
Miscellaneous. 
J. H., West Granby, Conn., sends a number 
of plants for name. 
Ans.—N o. 1 is Hetaria verticillata—Fox tail 
Grass; No, 2, Panicutneapillare—Hair stalked 
Panic Grass; No. 3, seems to be a poor speci¬ 
men of Panicum dIchotoarum—Polyuiorpbus 
Panic—which exhibits many different forms; 
of No. 4, please send a more mature sped men; 
No. 5 is Anmrnutus retroflexus—common Pig¬ 
weed; No. (J, Hetaria glauca—Bottle Grass; 
No. 7 is Kragrostia hirsute—Bearded Meadow 
Grass; No. 8 is Eragrostis poteoides—Htroug- 
scented Meadow Grass; No, 1), Panicum elan- 
destimun; Hidden-flowered Panic Grass. 
No 10 belongs to the mint family, 
and seems to be Melissa officinalis—Common 
Balm; but we are not able to name it posi 
tively from the specimen sent; No. 11 is Paul 
cum depauperatuui var. involutum—a variety 
of Worthless Panic; No. 12 belongs to the 
mint family—Labiata*. The specimen sent, 
showed no flowers, ouly fruit, and we are 
not able to name it. 
K M. ('., Hesperia, Mich. —I, Is spring 
wheat that wus sown last Full, good for win¬ 
ter wheat this Fall, and If not, will it do to 
sow for spring wheat again ? 2. What kind of 
corn produced 136 bushels per uere on the 
Rural Farm? 3. Can the tall of a three-.year- 
old sheep bo cut off without injury? 
Anh.—I, The spring wheat can be sown 
agalu. and after another sowing in the Fall, it 
will become equal to winter wheat. As it is 
now, it is good for either purpose. Fall wheat 
sown in December, or late iu November, will 
not apiout until Spring, and will then be little 
later than earlier sown fall wheat: but it will 
gradually change, us this spring wbeut will 
do. 2. Chester County Mammoth. 3. Yes, if 
care is taken to separate the bone at a joint 
and draw the skin over the bone and fasten it 
by tarring and twisting the wool or putting a 
stitch through the skin. This is not a good 
time to do it, on account of flies, 
G. S„ Parke die, Mich. — 1. Would a clover 
pasture, manured before harvest, be good for 
potatoes—Boil, a sandy loam; would they be 
scabby? 2. Which variety is the best—White 
Elephant, Burbank, Early Rose, or Blush? 3. 
Which would be the better—spring or fall 
plowing? 
Ans.—Y es, We do uot know about the scab. 
If it is caused by wire-worms, probably yes, 
since they like decaying vegetation. If scab 
is caused by a fungus, we cannot say whether 
the clover and manure are favorable to it or 
not. 2. Of those mentioned we should prefer 
the White Elephant. Its quality is better than 
that of Burbank. 3, Fall. 
T. A., Chester, Iowa .—How can 1 propagate 
Scotch Pine and Balsam from seed? For two 
successive years 1 have failed to muke them 
grow. 
Anh.—T he seed was probably imperfect; 
the sound seed should germinate in time, if 
planted iu sandy soil about a quarter of an 
inch deep. But plantscau be purchased cheaper 
than they cun be grown by one who is inex¬ 
perienced, The young plants should be shaded. 
T. K. (J,, Chester City, Pa, —One of my 
cows has small lumps on one of her fore legs 
and on the lower part of her shoulder. On 
opening some of them, they were found full 
of a thick mutter. In other respects, she Is 
well; how should she he treated? 
Axs,—This seems to he cow-pox, although it 
is not usual for the eruption to appear any 
where else than on the udder. Give the cow 
a pound of Epsom salts, and follow, a few days 
after, with a daily dose of one ounce of hypo¬ 
sulphite of soda. 
O. E. F.yCama, D. T, — I. Would it be ad¬ 
visable to cross an Aberdeen Angus bull on 
native cows iu this prairie country? How 
much would a bull calf of this breed cost? 
Axs. 1. For the last two or three years a 
great number of Aberdeen-Angus bulls have 
been sold in the West to improve the herds on 
the Plains by crossing them on native and 
grade cows; and the results have proved satis¬ 
factory. 2 Prices vary; probably one could 
be got for #75. Write to Abner Graves, Dow 
City, or Archie Reid & Bros., Cresco, la.; J. 
J. Rodgers, Abingdon, III.: or to Leonard 
Bros., Mt. Leonard, Mo., who deal iu this 
breed. 
•/. /?., Colernin, Ohio. —1. I semi a bunch of 
unnamed seedling grapes for judgment. 2. 
How can anybody control the sale of any vari¬ 
ety of fruit he has originated ? 
Ans.— The bunches were too loosely packed 
and were therefore a mass of decay and stems. 
2. Merely by keeping it in his own possession 
until he chooses to offer it for sale. He cannot 
control it after that, unless those to whom 
the plants are sold will bind themselves not to 
sell. 
S N , Burbank, Ohio. 1. Can ground be too 
dry to plow? In other words, does it injure 
the soil to plow it when extremely dry? 
Ans. — Yes, it may harm it seriously for a 
time. The ob ject of plowing is to change and 
mellow the soil. When land is too dry, a por 
tion is turned over in hard lumps, while other 
portions are so powdery that the first rain 
bakes the soil ns if it were changed to cement. 
W, I) , Dixon, III —My flve-duys old 
colt is so weak in the front pastern joint that 
when it walks, it does so on the joints; how 
should it be treated? 
Ans. Bandage the joints and rub them 
with the hands for 15 minutes twice a day. 
The colt will gain strength in time. Let it 
lie us much us it likes, and support it gently 
when it gets up. 
W. //. 7'., Cambrige, Neb About a month 
ago the shank of a large file rail into the hock 
joint of one of my horses. The lameness has 
disappeared, but the joint is still enlarged, 
the swelling being puffy: what can be done 
for it? 
Anh,— Nothing can be done but to apply 
iodine ointment to the swelling after washing 
it with warm water. Do so once a day. 
N. .s'., Wessington, 1> T .—What will cause 
my heifers to come in heat? Three two-year- 
olds always ran with the bull until two months 
ago, but they have never shown any signs of 
being in heat, 
Anh. —Give them time. It is quite possible 
they are iu calf. It is uot well to hurry them 
if they are uot. 
F. S. F., Friendship, N. Y .—Which lathe 
earlier—the R. N.-Y. or Horsford’s M. G. Pea? 
Ans.—T he Rural New-Yorker is as early 
as any pea in cultivation. The Market Garden 
is an intermediate. 
It. ./. 7’., Winchester, Tenn .—What is a 
good work on the management of vine-yards 
and wine making? 
Anh. —Husmann’s American Grape Grow¬ 
ing and Wine Making, $1.50. To be obtained 
through the nearest book-store or the Ameri¬ 
can News Company, New York City. 
W. W. E., WaterciUe, Ohio. — What is the 
best work on soiling stock? 
Anh.- We know of only one—Quincy on 
“Soiling Cuttle,’’price #1.25, to be had thorugh 
the American News Company. New York 
City. __ 
DISCUSSION. 
H. S., Bergen Co., N. J.—In the F. C. of 
the Rural of September 0, O. C. comments 
on some remarks of mine with regard to land 
plaster, published iu a former issue. He 
should tell us how a man acts who owns a 
plaster mine; perhaps lie may act as reason¬ 
ably as I did iu the premises, and perhaps us 
unreasonably as O, (j, does in substituting 
facetiousness and sarcasm for truth; for lie 
is wholly wrong about this piaster matter. 
How does he know that plaster is not a plant- 
food ? It is said to be difficult to prove a negu 
tive, and hare he certainly makes a statement 
which he cannot prove. When I assert that 
plaster is a plant-food, I offer proofs that are 
reasonable, Can O. C. upset them? Again; 
he says plaster only acts as an absorbent of 
ammonia and moisture. This is a worn-out, 
wearisome error, repented over and over again 
by persons who do not know what they affirm. 
How does he know that plaster absorbs am¬ 
monia? In fact, It will not do it. Strictly 
speaking, when it is in solution it is decom¬ 
posed by ammonia—when this Is present iu a 
tree state -but it does not absorb it. And it 
cannot possibly absorb water any more than 
sand does, because it alreudy contains all Die 
water it can possibly hold in combination. O. 
C. falls into the popular blunder of confound¬ 
ing the common land plaster with that pre¬ 
pared for the plasterers’ use bv hoilitig or cal¬ 
cining. Plaster consists of 8 2% per cent of 
lime; 40',, per cent, of sulphuric acid, and 21 
per cent, of water. This water is held ns 
water of crystallization, aud when the 
plaster is heated, the water is changed 
to steam, which causes the plaster to 
fall lo a fine powder that is free from 
water. Then, when the muson mixes water 
with this prepared plaster, this 21 per cent, 
again combines with it. and it. forms a hard 
substance again. But the Held piaster has no 
such action, and cannot absorb a particle of 
water excepting what it can hold by attrac¬ 
tion between its particles, and that is much 
less thau dry soil will absorb; so that this be¬ 
lief that plaster absorbs water, is a sign of the 
plainest ignorance and folly. If it could ab¬ 
sorb 100 per cent, of water, that would be 100 
pounds for every 100 pouudsof plaster; as 100 
pounds of pluster is a usual application for an 
aero of land, how much good would 100 pounds 
of water do to a thirsty soil in a dry spell of 
weather? The basis for this popular error is, 
probably, that plaster shows its effects 
often iu dry weather; but as it is dis¬ 
solved in 400 times its weight of water, 
a heavy dew is quite sufficient to dissolve 
loo pounds per uere, and carry it into 
the soil Again, how does (i. C. know his 
soil “is already filled with sulphur and lime?” 
It is very certain t hat, he is wrong there again. 
For if lie thus refers to plaster in the soil, lime 
and sulphur are not. and never can be plas¬ 
ter; and sulphur is not a plant food, because 
it is not soluble in water. O. ('. says lie knows 
it to be a fact, that plants can be made ho take 
many foreign and even poisonous substances 
into their circulation. How does lie know 
this? There is nothing iu pear blight or peach 
yellows to prove it. O. o himself, as he 
charges upon me, is wide of tin* mark here, be¬ 
cause he is “begging the question.” 1 refer¬ 
red only to substances used as n fert ilizer, and, 
asa rule, what ! said is true. Plants can he 
poisoned, no doubt, if we set, about such work; 
but I hud no reference to this sort of thing, 
and O. (J. must, have known that, and his re¬ 
murks are only for effect. Let us keep to the 
truth of this thing. 11' O. C. can prove me to 
be wrong, I will cheerfully admit and thank 
him. Lastly, plaster is plaster,and nothing else; 
if the stuff sold its [duster has no more than 
(iO per cent, of' pure plaster in it, it is tills 60 
per cent, we are talking about, aud not silica, 
or carbonate of lime, or iron, or any other 
impurity which mny bo udded to it. And 
this plaster is plant food, because it can be 
shown that plants contain it. It is found in 
the ash of clover, peas, and lieans quite large¬ 
ly, and to a less degree in almost all agricul¬ 
tural plants. Aud it is the most ridiculous 
folly to say that sulphate of lime is not plant 
food, while potash or phosphoric acid is, in the 
effort to sustain a prejudice and an error. Ju 
conclusion, Mr, H. S. is not deserving of the 
credit, given to him by O. 0. of being “too 
too—utterly smart altogether.” He is trying 
to be right, that is all. O. C. perhaps does not 
kuow that the remarks of H. S. were uot 
given for publication, but in a private, free- 
and-easy note to the editor, or they would 
have been written in a different manner. 
T. H. H.. Newport, Vt.— in the F. c. of at 
least two late issues of the Rural, dispar¬ 
aging remarks have been made with regard 
to Russian apples. I do not like to see the 
Rural foster an absurd prejudice against, 
these fruits. It is right to " go slow ” (as you 
advise in regard to these on puge 547) on all 
novelties; but there never was a greater 
blessing conferred on the Northern tier of 
States aud Canada than the introduction of 
Russian apples. It is probable that Russian 
pears, plums and cherries will be an almost 
equal boon where the old sorts utterly fail. 
Think what New York would be without ap¬ 
ples. and then remember that without fruit of 
Russian stock, the cold North would be equally 
desolute. After 18 years of experimenting, 
every profitable apple, but one, that I grow, 
is of Russian or Siberian origin. Yellow 
Transparent, Duchess, St. Peter, Prolific 
Sweet, Wealthy—without these, no commer¬ 
cial orchards are possible here; aud farther 
south, Red Astrachan and Duchess get two 
stars in many States. 
Communication;-* Kkckivkd for tke wbkk endincj 
Saturday, Sept. e. 
J. H— A. F. I) A. L. J.—J. B.-C. H.T.-W. F.—G. 
W It. S. - ,J. G. .1. W. L.-H. S. -C. K.-W. D. G. 
-U. W. 8.-M. W F.—B. 0. P. G. A. II. -K. Mendahl, 
Krapes received; thunk*. W. 8.—A. J.- W. It. C.—C. 
G.—F. S. K. -.N. H ->I. E. A., thunks.—S. W. M. W. .1. 
N,, thanks.—O. H. A.—F. G. G,—c A. McO.—Mrs. M. 
L. 1,. P.-C. L.— M. E. B —H. S. -F, A. P. \V. F.-J. B. 
B. S -J. H.-C. V tt-G.C. K,, thanks.—J. Jl.-J. A. 
C. — It. J. T., thanks.— B. H. W.- A. 8. W. C. R.—W. 
C.,Jr.—D. C. H,— J. U. H.—J. W. F,, wheat not. as yet 
receivedS. VV.—S. II. M, - A, P, —K J. K. J. W. F. 
R.—C. L. T. J, 8. C.—E. L. -J. K.—P. W.—J. M. 8.—S. 
C. B.-W. A. P.-W. V.N. A. I,. J.-R. W. S.-M. \Y. 
J. L.—R. B. R.—T. A.—A. Z.-T. L.—M. 8.-J. P. R.~M 
L. H. S.-T. L.—C. W.-T. V. M.-S. 8. W.-J. R. s„ 
G. V.-S. M. B.-T. L. K.-8. D. 8.-W. M.-S. M Q 
