845 
4884 
the country, and the demand for willows in¬ 
duced farmers hereabout to set them, until 
now, I think there must be about a thousand 
acres under the crop in this county. The re¬ 
sult is that, the thing is ovordoue. We now 
raise too many willows, and make too many 
baskets for profit. The price of willows 
has gone down from $3(1 to $20 a ton in two 
years. We made the past year about 18,000 
clothes baskets, which we ship all over the 
United States. The maunor of raising wil¬ 
lows, is to get the soil in a rich and mellow 
condition free from grass and weeds; then 
stick the sets or cuttings, which should be 
cut 10 to 12 inches long, into the soil, leaving 
about two inches above ground. They should 
be set about 12 inches apart in rows three feet 
apart, so as to leave room for a cultivator to 
go through, as they should be cultivated two 
or three times during the first season. The 
tir-t cutting does not amount to much ; the 
second is better, aud the third a good deal 
better still. After that, the growth is all 
right so long as it is taken care of. 
They should be CU tlvatcd once each year be¬ 
fore the young growth getssufllciently large to 
be broken by passing through. 
The willows sold at the prices above men¬ 
tioned are unpeeled, or simply cut and dried. 
When it is desired that they should be peeled 
and used for making willow-work iu this 
form, they are tied into bundles as soon ns 
cut, aud placed on end iu pools or tanks of 
water, and th to alio wed to remain until such 
time as t he bark becomes loose, when they are 
stripped, dried and sold. The crop is certain 
each year, except occasionally when a worm 
gets into the willows aud spoils the crop for a 
single year. 
[Although the price now happens to be 
pretty low, we would not advise those 
having plantations to sacrifice them; a few 
years will make the matter all right, for the 
demand for willow baskets is rapidly growing. 
Mr Thur vachter handles more willow bask¬ 
ets than any other person in the United States. 
—Eds.] 
RINGWORM IN A HORSE. ETC. 
J. J. II., Walnut Shade, Mo —1. A horse of 
mine runs at the nose as if he hud glanders. 
The discharge comes in large chunks, some¬ 
times ycilow, sometimes green, and sometimes 
white, and it floats on the water. When he 
drinks with his head down, the water and feed 
run out at hi* nostrils. He has been troubled 
in this way for a month, but is quite lively, 
though his appetite is not good; what ails 
him? 2. A coltoi mine has a lump like a wart 
and as white as suow about an inch inside 
each ear; what are they? 
ANSWERED HY l J ROK. F. L. KILBORNE. 
1 The symptoms are insufficient to enable 
me to give a definite answer, it may be influ¬ 
enza, strangles, or simple sore throat and 
nasal catarrh. Let the animal rest In a dry, 
warm box, or stable. Steam the noso twice 
daily by feeding hot bran mashes from a nose¬ 
bag hung on the head. Give one ounce each 
of giuger and powdered gentian, two drams of 
niter witii two ounces of Epsom Balts, dissolved 
in a pint of wuter or ale, uight and morning. 
If there is swelling between the jaws, poultice 
to encourage the formation of matter. For diffi¬ 
culty iu swallowing mix one dram of extract 
of belladonna aud two drums of niter with 
sirup, and smear upon the back teeth, two or 
three times daily, (omit the niter in the first 
case, if this is given). If there is costiveuoss, 
give a dose of four or five drams of aloes. 2. 
Ringworm, caused by a v< getable parasite 
(Trichophyton tonsurans) which lh'es in the 
h ur and hair follicles. It is common to nearly 
all of the domestic animals ami man, especial¬ 
ly in Winter and Spring, and is readily trans¬ 
mitted from one to the other by contact. 
Youug animals are more susceptible than old. 
Upon close examination, the hair around the 
spot will be found to be split and broken, 
while u microscopic examination will reveal 
the parasite in and about the hair. As a 
simple test, chloroform will bleacu the affected 
hairs, while the sound ones are unaffected 
Bhave or pull the hair from around the affect¬ 
ed part and paint with tincture of Iodine. A 
few applications will destroy the parasite, 
FERTU.IZKR QUERIES. 
J. L. K.,t’ocl Hoy, Newfoundland. —1. My 
potatoes are very poor—I suspect for want of 
potash: what are common wood ashes worth 
per bushel? 2. When they can't be had, how 
can the potash be supplied from other sources? 
3, What’s the uianurial value of sea kelp i 
Ans.— 1. Good hard wood asht-s, or the 
ashes of deciduous trees, contun, ou an aver¬ 
age, about six per cent of potash, or three 
pounds to the bushel, and potash iu this form 
is in the most available shape, and is worth at 
least six cents per pound, or 18 cents for what 
is contained in a bushel. Besides I In-, there is 
some phosphate of lime. We should say that 
good ashes are worth 20 cents per bushel. 2. 
You can supply the potash in sulphate or mu¬ 
riate of potash, or in kainit. The last contains 
fHE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
about 18 per cent, of actual potash, aul sul¬ 
phate, as sold, about 25 to 2(5 percent, of actual 
potash. Knowing the percentages of potash 
contained, you can easily ascertain iu which 
form you can procure it on the best terms. 3. 
Bea kelp is a sort of indefinite quantity. If 
you really mean the kelp made by burning 
seaweed in pots, then it eonluius from 10 to 12 
per cent of sulphate of potash, and 20 to 25 
pei- eeut. of chloride of potash, besides some 
other ingredients. This would make it a de¬ 
sirable source of potash, aud you could afford 
to upply it. If, however, you mean seaweed 
as it washes upon the shore, it differs so much 
in chemical composition that no one can tell 
how much it is worth, or, if worth anything 
at all, until ho lias tried it. 
WOOD ASH EM, ETC. 
•J. II N., Churlnooix. Mich. —1. How much 
ashes would there be from a cord of wood, 
aud how much would they be worth for 
manure? 2. What is the Mabaleb Cherry, 
and is it worth raising as a stock on which to 
propagate other cherries? 
Ans —1. A cord of hickory wood averages 
about 3,5)0 pounds in weight, aud makes 
about TO pounds of ashes, which yield about 
4.3 pounds of potash; a cord of oak yields 
about 2.7 pounds of potash; and a cord of 
White Elm will yield about6 pounds, and this 
potash would be worth six cents a pound: and 
iu udditiou there would be ubout one pound 
of phosphoric acid, worth say JO ceuts. It 
would hardly pay to burn wood tor the sake 
of the potash it contains. 8. The Mahaleb is 
a species of slow-growing, dwarfish cherry, 
and is used as a stock on which to work other 
cherries for the purpose of dwarfing them. 
It is said to make them hardier aud bettor 
for cold climates. The Mazzard is mo^t com¬ 
monly used for stock. 
PARALYSIS OF FACIAL NERVE IN A HORSE. 
C. A. I\,Col fax, W. T .—The right nostril and 
lip of one of my horses lias been swollen for 
Six mouths; his right ear droops aud sometimes 
the food accumulates in the right side of his 
mouth. What ails him and how should he bo 
•treated? 
Ans. —This is paralysis of the facial uerve 
of the right side. This not liufrequoutly oe 
curs as the result of a bruise or injury to the 
nerve; also by wearing a badly fitting bridle 
or poke. The apparent swelling Is uot real, 
but is due to the relaxed condition of the 
muscles, which gives theappearauce Of a swell¬ 
ing. Apply a blister just behind the ear, or 
what is still better, pass a current of electricity 
through the paralyzed muscles from the uose 
to the neck behind the ear. This should be 
done daiiy, aud be continued for twenty miu- 
utes. Friction over the paralyzed part, fol¬ 
lowed by a mild blister, may also be beneficial. 
Miscellaneous, 
./. It., Outagamia Co., }Vis .— Last berry 
season the Editor of the Rural said that al¬ 
though he cultivated very many varieties of 
strawberries every year, yet every season 
he had to buy some from his neighbors for 
family use. Why is this thus, aud whatsorts 
do the neighbors raise? 
Ans.—W e test every year or two from 80 to 
100 different kinds of strawberries. Many of 
them prove worthless; many of them, un¬ 
suited to the climate. Our neighbors raise 
only those kinds which are known to do well 
in their soil aud climate, stopping lurgo quan¬ 
tities to market Charles Downing, Hoyden 
80, Triumph and Scarlet Runner are the vari¬ 
eties mostly grown. Auioug the new kinds 
Sharpless does very well. We report the re¬ 
sults of our tests every year. 
B. U , CookciIlf, Win. —t. Are Russian 
sunflower seeds a healthy food for a horse, 
and if so bow should they be fed? 2. Would 
they be a profitable crop? 
Ans —1. If fed at all, they should be fed in 
very small quantities,as they eoutaiu so much 
oil, and then in the husk there is an acrid oil 
—we should much prefer to use oil cake meal, 
or, better still, the linseed meal. If used, 
the feed should not bo ovoi one gill per day 
mixed with the other food. 2 Wetuinkuot, 
other crops can be grown that produce much 
better aud make a more desirable feed. 
l\ (J . K , Yarmouth, N. S .—Borne time ago 
in F. C., it was said that soap suns would kill 
moss on currant and gooseberry bushes; at 
what time of the year should it be applied? 
Ans.— It makes but little difference, as it 
will kill at any time. It is, however, much 
more easily applied during the time when 
there are uo leaves ou the bushes. Apply 
now, aud again in Spring, just before leafing 
out. The suds are a good fertilizer, so you 
need not be afraid of an an overdose. 
S. 11., Newport,, Vf —What is a good book on 
the care, feeding aud diseases of the horse; 
and another treutingot the same subjects with 
regard to the cow? 
Ans —Jennings, The Horse and His Dis¬ 
eases, $1.75, and Allen’s (L. F.) American Cat¬ 
tle, $2.50; both can be obtained through the 
nearest book-store, or the American News 
Company, New York City. 
L. M , Matoon , III .—What is the best week¬ 
ly livo stock paper? 
Ans. —There are several “bests.” The best 
for you would probably be the Breeder's 
Gazette, Chicago, Ill; price, $8 a year forsin- 
gle copies: or $2 for clubs of ten. 
DISCUSSION, 
D. H., Sylvester, Dakota.— I have been 
greatly interested iu reading the Rural this, 
my first, year, and the reports ou potatoes 
surprise me in three ways:—1st. the yield is 
greater than I had expected could be raised: 
2d, the number of potatoes per lull ts extra¬ 
ordinary ; 3d, the weight of the largest five at 
the Rural Grounds is not much greater than 
the weight Of oneof the largest we raise here. 
I should tliiuk you would raise some large 
potatoes at the Rural Grounds, when you 
raise such large croos 
Most of us hero plowed our potatoes under 
last Spring, dropping them iu every third 
furrow, and this Fall plowed them out again, 
and did nothing else to them; we let the po¬ 
tatoes and weeds grow together, and it was 
nip and tuck which would ruin the other, but, 
although there wore lots of weeds we got 
about. 1.50 bushels per acre, and I remember 
I found one hill with five sizable potatoes iu 
it, one of which weighed one pound thirteen 
ounces; another, one pound four ounces; 
while the five weighed live pounds und some 
ounces. Now you say you have no seed to 
sell; hence 1 will make you an offer:—If you 
will stud me an equal weight of the White 
Elephant or the Beauty of Hebron Potatoes 
by mail, I will mail to you samples of what 
we grow here, and will send you not more 
than three potatoes. I hope this will be ac¬ 
cepted, as I would like to give you a report 
of what can lie grown from a small amount 
of seed here next year. 
R. N. Y. — We have never raised any very 
large potatoes—our climate and soil do not 
favor them. The White Elephant and Beau¬ 
ty of Hebron can lie purchased of auy seeds¬ 
men. We have ueither. The R. N. Y. has 
tested nearly all the potatoes offered of late 
years. 
R. 11., Brooklyn, N. Y.—For the last 
twenty yearsor so, I have always thought that 
Mr. Charles M. Hovey must lie a very, very 
old man; and now I know It. In. the Rural 
of Novembor 2!), ho tells us that in his “young 
erdays” ho read Ihut the famous Chinese Wall 
was “miles and miles loug, hundreds of feet 
high, and broad enough to drive au eight-horse 
team on top.” Such exaggerated stories of 
this great work wore iu vogue a couple of 
hundred years ago; uuy, some books ignor¬ 
antly complied from old works full of ••travel 
ors’ tales,” told marvelous stories of the Wall 
as late as a hundred years ago, as may be 
proved from -everal venerable tomes iu the 
Astor Library in New York, or lu olio splendid 
Public Library in Boston. Now, if such works 
as these formed the reading matter of Mr. 
Hovey in his “younger days,” why he must 
be as old as—well as old as “Old Parr,” or 
Miss Anthony! 
The two or three last generations know well 
that, though the Chinese Wall is stupendous 
owing to its enormous length—from 1,250 to 
I, 500 miles—it is nowhere more tbuu from 15 
to 25 feet high; aud thutevon the brick towers 
along it here and there ure not over 40 feet 
high. The notion, too, which Mr. H. advocates, 
that Labor is wrong in defending itself against 
Capital, is worthy of the ancient days of his 
youth. In that bygone age a Chinaman was 
welcomed as a curiosity, as a strange being 
representative of a quaint and singular land, 
who, by no possibility, could compete in our 
mercantile or labor markets with our own 
citizens. Tim Chinaman of to-day is no cu 
riosity, and wherever he appears iu Caucasian 
labor markets he is au object, not of welcome, 
but of abhorrence. Ill Australia and New 
Zealand, he is not wanted by the “million!?,” 
and bis entrance i. prohibited or bumpered 
by legislation. In California and Oregon the 
toiling multitudes have agitated successfully 
aguinst Ins tree admission; in British Colum¬ 
bia, a similar agitation is now in progress; 
and there is no doubt that wherever else he 
may appear, iu great numbers, in the New 
World or the Old, his presence will produce 
the same results. 
This is no place to discuss the “Chinese 
labor” question; l merely wish to enter a pro¬ 
test against Mr. Hovey’s antiquuted viuws on 
the subject—views which are now heldouly 
by those far removed, bv social position or 
distance in space, from themuitiiudeof lnead 
winners whoare injured by competition with 
“ Chinese cheap labor.” 
--- 
COM Ml S1CAT10N8 RECEIVED FOR THE WEEK KKDIKU 
SATUKUAV, N'OV. 29. 
J. B.L -A.J, C.-A.U. B.-J. B. G.-L L. T.—M 
L. P.-O. H.A.-E. A.H.-0. M. H.—M. E. Phillips 
thanks-J. E C. -K. S. G.-A. S. H.-M W.-G. A. 
B.-E. L B -0. B. W.-J. S. B -T. T. L.- C. A. J.— 
J. E. S.-W. J. G.-J. H.-W. C. II.—F. E. S.-T.H.- 
N. P. H.-C. B. T.-B. G,-J. L.K.-C.R.-C. A.C. 
$ 2 , 816 ? 
$ 2 , 816 ! 
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