4884 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
S55 
in doing this, select the less thrifty ones and 
such as can be spared without marring the 
shape of the plant. 
, GATHERING PEANUTS. 
Subscriber, Fan Burnt, Ark. —1. What is 
the best method of gathering- peanuts? 2. Do 
they grow until the frost kills the vines? 3. 
Is then* any danger of the nuts making a sec¬ 
ond growth if left in the ground long? 4. Is 
there a regular instrument for digging them ? 
A NS. —L They are gathered vines and nuts 
together, and dried in the sun, before the nuts 
are picked. 2. Yes. 8. No danger in an or¬ 
dinary season. 4. There is a plow specially 
adapted to the work; but it is often done with 
a four--tined fork, the earth in either case being 
loosened about the plants, which are then 
pulled and laid in the best position to dry. 
EVIL EFFECTS OF DISTEMPER IN A HORSE. 
L. If., Minnckata, Dak. —Some time back 
mv mare had distemper, but seemed to have 
recovered from it, and was put to work. We 
had a cold spell here two weeks ago, and she 
was again taken sick: her legs swelled and 
she became stiff all over. Why did this occur, 
and how should she be treated? 
A ns. —Distemper is a specific fever which 
seriously affects the blood. and a morbid pro¬ 
duct is thrown off from it through tumors 
under the groin. If by any means—and ex- 
]>osure to cold is the worst that could occur— 
the process of throwing off this diseased pro¬ 
duct is arrested, it is returned to the blood, 
and this becomes poisoned. A dropsical con¬ 
dition of the legs follows from the gravitation 
of the watery matter from t.he disorganized 
blood into the tissues. Swellings, like those 
in farcy, appear on the skiu, or they become 
patchy and a rheumatic condition of the 
muscles produces stiffness. As treatment, 
give diuretics, with antiseptics to remove the 
poisonous matter from the blood, and sustain 
the strength by nutritious food and tonics: 
give half a dram of iodide of potassium, pow¬ 
dered and mixed with honey, to be placed on 
the back of the tongue, so as to be readily 
swallowed; give also, one ounce of hyposul¬ 
phite of soda in the evening in the feed. 
This should be nutritious and laxative, such 
as boiled oats, linseed meal with oat meal, 
scalded and mixed with cut hay. The limbs 
should be well rubbed with a coarse wooleu 
cloth frequently and for a considerable time. 
The drinking water should be made percepti¬ 
bly sour with sulphuric acid. Continue this 
treatment until improvement occurs, when 
the iodide may be stopped, and the soda be 
reduced one half, and one ounce of gentian 
powder be given once a day, with an ounce of 
carbonate of iron, if the mare is weak and 
her appetite poor. Take care not to break 
the skin where it is swollen, as sores difficult 
to heal might occur. If the skin is itchy and 
irritable, it would be well to spouge it with a 
solution of carbouute of soda; but a curry¬ 
comb should not be used until the skin is re¬ 
stored to its usual condition. 
“ HOOKS.” 
D. A. D., Collingshurg, La. —What are 
‘hooks” in a horse or mule? 
Ans.—"H ooks” is an inflammation of the 
haw, or membrana nictitans, which passes 
over the eye from the inner corner to clear it 
from foreign matter. This membrane some¬ 
times becomes swollen, and the 1 icrymal duct 
is obstructed, causing severe tenderness in the 
eye, and sometimes general sympathetic fever. 
It should never be cut out—a treatment to 
which some foolish persons subject it, thus de¬ 
priving the horse of a necessary organ. Give 
to an animal troubled with "hook?” one 
pound of Epsom salts, and apply to the dis¬ 
eased part, with a camel's hair pencil, the 
following solution: one dram of sugar of lead, 
and ten grains of morphia in half a pint of 
water. Protect the eye from strong light, and 
use the lotion frequently. 
CRUDE PETROLEUM AS A PAINT. 
It. IF, Mon roe, Tenn. —When petroleum 
is used as a paint for fences and outbuildings, 
with what should it be mixed? 
Ans.— As the oil sinks into the wood very 
rapidly, no coloring matter should lie used 
with it, as it would be left dry' on the surface 
or be washed off by the first shower. Indeed, 
no coloring matter is required, as the oil leaves 
the wood of a ! »ro wnish color that is agreeable, 
and hides the dirt that gathers on fences and 
outbuildings. Really the effect of petroleum 
is to saturate the timber, not to form a coat 
on it, so that it adds greatly to its durability, 
aud forms an excellent “priming” coat on 
which to lay a second coat of oil and mineral 
pa i ut. 
TUOROUGH-PIN. 
" Subscriber ,” Orleans, Mo.— How should 1 
treat thorough pin in my three-year-old colt? 
Ans,—F irst reduce the itillammatiou which 
causes the lameness, by cold water bandages 
or by blistering, and then cause the absorp¬ 
tion of the effusion in the swelling by the use 
of a bandage, with a pad under it on each side, 
formed like half an egg split endwise, so us to 
press firmly on the swelliug. An excellent 
blister for a mild case is tincture of iodine well 
rubbed in, first shaving off the hair from the 
part. Rest is an important part of the tre,tt- 
ment. 
OBSTRUCTIONS IN A COW’S TEAT. 
L. I. F„ Decatur , III .—One of the teats of 
a young cow of mine has a hard obstruction in 
it so that it is useless: what is the cause, and 
how should it be treated ? 
Ans.— Obstructions in the teats of cows, and 
especially of young animals, are quite com¬ 
mon. They are generally due to improper 
drying off of the cows in the Fall or to neglect 
in milking clean. Particles of coagulated milk 
arc arrested in the duct, aud a tissue forms 
about the matter and adheres to the walls of 
the passage, so as in time to entirely close the 
duct. There are also other causes; but these 
are the most common. The only remedy is to 
break through the obstruction so as to unite 
the two portions of the duct. Au instrument, 
manufactured expressly for this purpose, con¬ 
sists of a small, round tube, inclosing either a 
double-edged knife or four blades at right 
auglos to each other. The tube, or sheatB, is 
pushed up the orifice of the teat until it reach¬ 
es the obstacle, when the blades arc pushed 
out of the sheath, cutting through the obstruc¬ 
tion and opening a connection between the 
parts for the passage of the milk. Great care 
must be taken not to cut through the walls of 
the milk duct, for jo (lamina (ton of the ton I, 
uud udder would then occur, ami this would 
be likely to injure the cow permanently for 
milk. Fora few daysafterthe operation, it is 
often necessary to use the tube—the kuife 
having been taken out—by working it gently 
up the duct of the teat and through the open- 
iug made iu the knot, thus keepiug it open 
until the parts are healed. 
Miscellaneous. 
It. S. A., Lorraine, Fa.—1. From whom can 
I purchase 10 bushels of Diehl Mediterranean 
Wheat in New York.' 2. Will it do well in 
the latitude of Richmond, Va ? 3. Who origi¬ 
nated it? 4. How can land that yields only 
lb bushels of wheat per acre, be made to yield 
25 bushels? 5. In crossing Allen’s Improved 
Corn with the Rural Blount, which variety 
must have the tassels cut off? 6. Can I pur¬ 
chase of the Rural a bushel of the Blount 
Corn? 
Ans.— 1. You can purchase the Diehl Mediter¬ 
ranean of B. K. Bliss & Sons, New York, or 
of several Philadelphia seed houses. The price 
is from three to four dollars, we believe. 2. 
We do not know. 8. W. 1*. Andrus, Roches¬ 
ter, N. Y. 4. Well, we should use sulphate of 
potash and raw bone flour this Fall, and then 
sow nitrate of potash or sulphate of ammonia 
next Spring as early as possible. 5. It does 
not matter. Rear in mind that the two 
kinds must bloom at the same time; that is, 
that the silk of the one must be receptive, 
while the pollen of the other is ripe aud being 
shed. fi. We shall send it out in our next 
Free Seed Distribution, but we never sell any 
thing. 
A Subscriber, Page's Corners, N. Y. —1. 
Which is the better time for setting raspberry, 
blackberry and strawberry plants—Spring or 
Fall? What mouths? 2. Where can 1 get the 
Lawton Bluekberry? 3. Where shall I send 
for circulars of incubators? 4. Winch is the 
better way—to let the runners of strawberry 
vines grow in the rows or cut them off? 5. 
What is the name of the largest seed among 
the Garden Treasures? 
Ans. —1. Either Fall or Spring—October 
and November, or May. Fall planting is pre¬ 
ferable for some reasons, except for straw 
berries. 2. Of Peter Henderson & Co. ,87 
Cortlandt Ht., New York, or other leading 
dealers in small fruit vines. 8. A. M. Hal¬ 
stead, Rye, N. Y.; J. L. Campbell, West 
Elizabeth, Pa., or James Dennis, East Prov¬ 
idence, R, I. 4. Cut them off. 2, It may bocanua, 
A. ■/., Benton Harbor , Midi —1. Has muri¬ 
ate of potash or nitrate of soda been tried as a 
fertilizer for pears, apple*, aud small fruits; 
aud, if so, with what result? 2. How can we 
prevent pears from becoming spotted with 
rust? 3. IIow can the leaves of Delaware 
grape-vines be kept from dying before the 
fruit ripens? 
Ans. —1. It would never pay to use nitrate 
of soda alone. Potash in any form is good, 
because the soil retains it. We should use 
potash (sulphate or muriate), raw bone flour 
and farm manure. 2. In no way that we 
know of, except by inducing a strong, healthy 
growth of the tree. 3. Use raw bone and pot¬ 
ash freely. 
M, II. //., Auburn , A r . Y .—A neighbor’s 
horses are troubled with weak eyes: he says 
the ailment is due to fuelling corn, 1 say it is 
owing to keeping the animals iu a dimly- 
lighted stahlecoutaiijing the accumulated ma¬ 
nure of several months; who is likely to be 
right? 
Ans. —From such meager information we 
can give no positive opinion. It is certain 
however, that dark or dimly-lighted stables, 
especially those In which what light enters 
must strike the horse directly iu the eye, have 
an injurious effect, aud are predisposing, If 
not exciting, causes of opthaltuia. If iu addi¬ 
tion there are the emanations of accumulated 
manure aud urine, there is no need to look fur¬ 
ther for an explanation of the trouble. 
C. L., Chatham, N, Y. —1 have a strawberry 
bed which I put out in the Fall of 1882, and it 
bore well the next year aud the vines all ran 
together; this year they bore an abundant 
crop, and now the viues are so thick that they 
form a perfect net. What should be done 
with it? 
Ans. —We should cut alleys by spading under 
the plants, leaving a foot iu width of vines to 
two feet, of soil. Thru spread farm manure 
upon the soil iu November, slightly covering 
the plants also as a winter mulch. 
(). C. M., Middleton, Nova Scotia. —Among 
a lot of Downing Gooseberry plants set out 
last Spring, were some old limbs which stand 
high, with no branches for the first, foot or 
more from the ground; how far should these 
be cut, back ? 8. How should the seed be sepa¬ 
rated from the pulp of cucumbers intended 
for seed ? 
Ans. —1. Cut back to within one foot of the 
ground. 8. A good way is to let the ripe cu¬ 
cumbers ferment, then cut them open and 
press the pulp through a fine sieve. 
D. C, II., Homer, N. Y. —t. What is the 
name of the inclosed flowers? 8. How is oil¬ 
paper made, such as florists use to wrap plants 
for mailing? 3. How eurly this Fall should 
asparagus plants be taken up for removal to 
another bed? 
Ans. —1. The tlower is Achillea ptarmiea— 
Sueezevvort. 8. Light thin manilla paper is 
covered, by the aid of a brush, with pure, 
boiled linseed oil, with some ordinary drier 
added. When the sheets are all covered, 
they are spread out separately to dry. 8. 
Spring is a better time than Fall, the last of 
April or early May. 
T. L,, Princetown, Mass. —Is the Ohio Black¬ 
cap Raspberry less liable to be injured by red 
rust than the Gregg? 8. Where cau i get 
Prickly Comfrey? 
Ans. —Probably the Ohio would be less 
liable to the attacks of rust, since it is a fierce¬ 
ly vigorous grower. You should cut off the 
affected canes at once, and burn them before 
the spores are disseminated. 2. You can get 
Prickly Comfrey of muuy of the seedsmen 
whose catalogues have been announced in our 
columns. Touch it gently. 
(I. B. M., Factory mile, Hi. —1. How can I 
raise plants from cherry-stones. 8. What is 
the best pear with which to start an orchard, 
for home use? 8, How should a crop of Mar¬ 
rowfat beans be harvested. 
Ans. —1. Plant the cherry pits this fall; if 
they have become vary dry, they will germi¬ 
nate slowly, 2, Beurrd d’Aujou. 8. Pull the 
beans; allow them to dry; then haul to the 
barn and thrash with the flail, or by tramping. 
E. P. S., Stirling, Kan .—How much earlier 
is Moore’s Early Grape thau Hartford Proli¬ 
fic? Has the Rural fruited Early Victor, 
ami how does it compare with Moore’s Early 
and Champion? 
Ans.— Moore’s Early ripens just with Hart¬ 
ford Prolific, we believe. The latter drops its 
berries as soon as ripe. No, wo have not yet 
fruited Early Victor. We should say it is 
fully as early as Moore’s Early uud of better 
quality. The Champion (alias Beaconfield 
and Talman’s Seedling) is the earliest and 
poorest grape with which we are acquainted. 
J. It. K., Michigan .—The tops of my nur¬ 
sery apple trees are covered with small, green, 
soft insects; what are they, und how can Iget 
rid of them? 
Ans. —The pest is the green fly, or Aphis. 
Really, there is no practicable remedy when 
they infest trees. Just as likely as not, your 
trees may be free of them another year. 
M. M., Liberty, Mo. —What is the best way 
of getting rid of rats, of which the fields here¬ 
abouts are full ? 
Ans —Our remedy is eats—emasculated cuts’ 
They are quiet iu their ways; never join iu 
night concerts or rowdyism of any kind, aud 
they are the most diligent rat catchers. 
W. M., Downey, Cat .—How is Prickly 
Comfrey propagates!? 
Ans. —It is propagated from seeds and roots. 
It does not seed with us, uud we know not who 
has the seeds for sale. The roots are advertised 
in many catalogues. Try it in small quantity. 
Live stock rarely like it. 
P. W. It., Danvers, 111 .—In spite of many 
efforts to save my rose bushes from insects, I 
fear they will be utterly destroyed; how can 
they bo saved? 
Ans. —With no more definite description of 
the enemies, we cannot give a certain remedy; 
but suggest that insect powder be used, aud 
the earth about the plants enriched with well- 
rotted manure. 
IF. It., Liberty, Va., sends grass for name. 
Ans. —It seems to be Leersia Virginica— 
White Grass; of no value. 
DISCUSSION. 
L R. McAboy, Lynn, N. C.—In the F. C. 
of a late Rural, Inquiry was made ns to 
whether this "Thermal Belt” was free from 
the cnrcullo. Every year a considerable quan¬ 
tity of wild and "Damson” plums is grown 
here, selling at from 50c. to 8! per bushel. I can¬ 
not, say that the "Belt” affords perfect safety 
from the etiroulio; but I can say that plums 
are extensively planted here for the New York 
market in the near future. 
R. L„ Marshall Co,, III.— In the F. C. 
ot a late Rural, 1 notice the advice given that 
horses affected with glanders should be 
promptly slaughtered. The importance of 
this course of action, not only in case of glan¬ 
ders, tint also in case of farcy, a modification 
of the same disease, cannot lie over-estimated. 
Neither form of the disease can be eured, and 
animals affected with cither form are likely to 
infect other horses near them, and liable to 
infect those people who may come in contact 
with them And what a horrible, loathsome 
disease it, is! The term "glanders” is applied 
to the disouse where the uasal and respiratory 
tracts, together with the glands under the 
jaws, are affected; while that of “farcy" is 
applied when »he disease manifests itself here 
and there iu the skin aud the tissues under it. 
There are three esseutial symptoms of "glnn 
dej-s" which every owner of a horse should he 
able to recognize at once. These are a discharge 
from the nostrils; the ulceration of the mu 
cous membrane, or lining of the same; and 
the enlargement and hardening of the glands 
under the jaws—hence the name of "gland- 
ders.” At the outset, the discharge, like that 
from a cold, (lows from one or both nostrils; 
may bo clear at first,, but soon becomes opaque 
and sticky, collecting round the nostrils, 
flowing slowly in strings, or snorted out in 
lumps. Soon it becomes more copious and 
forms greasy-feeling brown crusts round the 
edges of the nostrils. At first there 
may be only a slight sickly smell, 
but, later it is very betid. The uleera 
tion of the nostrils commences in the 
form of small nodules, or lumps, on the 
mucous membrane or they may bo seen on the 
partition between the nostrils, or just within 
the latter. In two or three days they begin 
to liquofy in the center and liecome white 
and opaque; the membrane covering them 
is thrown off, and a drop of pus escapes from 
each nodule, leaving a concave depression. 
At first this is circular, of a leaden gray color, 
sometimes streaked with blood, or else of a 
bright red or violet color. Each is surround 
ed with a hard ragged, circle. The sore con¬ 
tinues to discharge matter, shows no tendency 
to heal, and spreads until it forms a large 
ulcer. The third symptom is the enlarge¬ 
ment of the lymphatic glands under the jaws. 
These adhere to the bone and feel hard to the 
touch. Where these three conditions prevail, 
the presence of glanders is certain, and all who 
have anything to do with horses, should be able 
to detect these symptoms. The last symptom 
Is never absent, in a confirmed case of glanders. 
During the early stages the horse does not 
suffer much, and can do its ordinary tasks; 
hut, later on, the appetite fails, the animal 
loses flesh and spirits, the legs swell, lameness 
ensues, and—but It is to the early symptoms 
I wish particularly to call attention; because 
the animal should always be slaugthered before 
the more serious symptoms nopear. In farcy 
the symptoms consist in the appearance, on the 
skin and the tisnes under it, on various parts 
of the body, of indolent tumors or "farcy 
buds” which soon ulcerate and become infect 
ing chancres. These begin to form separate¬ 
ly inside the skin. They soon begin to soften 
in the center, and from four to ten days after 
their appearance they are thin sacks of pus 
which readily hurst, emitting a thin, yellow, 
oily-Jooklng pus. The ulcer here, too, shows 
no tendency to heal, like an ordinary sore, but 
extends, eating into the tissues around its mar¬ 
gin. Chronic farcy may last for years, and 
the Infected animal may appear comparatively 
well: but every ulcer is a center of Infection 
so that, there Is always danger of the disease 
spreading. The carcasses of slaughtered ani¬ 
mals should be buried at least six feet deep, 
and harness, stalls, and everything about 
them lie thoroughly disinfected or destroyed. 
Communications received for the week endino 
Saturday. Sept. 18. 
L L. 0,-0. H. A.-A. A.—A- J. C.-J. H.-L. A. R.- 
A L. R.—F. B. R —H. P.-J. G.—.T. T. M.-W. S.-H. S. 
-W. C.-M. N. P.-W. FI. T.-G.S. S.-O. C.-O. K.-.T. 
J. C -J M. P.-W. M.-M. W. F.-F. O.. thanks.-E. b! 
C.-H, ft K.-l, tt.TC.-B, K. R.-O. E. S.-.I. M. T.-E. 
O. It -T. «. -A. H.-T. L.-H.E. R.-H. E.B.-W. 
I,. D.-K. H. G>-J. L B.-FC C. R M. S.-A. R. L- 
G, W, M., thanks.—W. H. L., will attend.-B. M. O.- 
T. T. L.-A. W. R. -M. S.-Geo. J. B.. thanks.-J. W. G, 
- A. M.-O. D. C.-.T. O. 8.—C. D. 
