452 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. MAR T 
Compuljm. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Alabama. 
Grand Bay, Mobile Co , Feb. 20.— Most of 
the farmers here, unlike myself, are natives 
of the country, and wedded lo old ways. The 
bulb of their farming is confined to the grow¬ 
ing of corn and potatoes and raising a few na¬ 
tive cat tle and may be some bogs (razor-backs) 
to root out the " later patch.' 1 I have managed 
to crowd some of them out of some of their 
old ruts. I am located in the piny woods 
some five miles from the Gulf coast, and al¬ 
though the laud is poor, I find it pays to put 
on manure and grow early vegetables for the 
Western market, as we have the Louisville & 
Nashville R. R. for a through liue to 8t. 
Louis, Louisville, Chicago, Cincinnati and 
other points. The rate of freight to St. Louis 
last year was b2 cents per 11)0 pounds on veg¬ 
etables and fruits. The express charges are 
prohibitory, unless for strawberries in the 
first of the season, when they bring *15 to *20 
per crate of 24 quarts. We have some few 
live men here and 1 wish we had more of 
them. C. C. W. 
Illinois. 
Danvers, McLean Co., Feb. 11,—This has 
been one of the old-time Winters. Snow fell 
somewhere about the middle of December, and 
the ground has been covered since then, except 
about five days at about the first of January, 
and for quite a while the snow lay fully two 
feet deep on a level, while on many" days it 
was extremely cold, mercury going down to 
24 below zero. The I. B. <& W R. R. which 
passes by our place has been blocked up a 
number of times during the past Winter, and 
trains have been delayed wonderfully. The 
corn crop here was pretty fair, averaging 
about 80 bushels at least, and the quality was 
excellent. The grain dealers inform me that 
the largest portion of the present crop is being 
bought, by feeders; consequently there will be 
less shipping from this point than usual, from 
tbefact that feeders pay more than the shippers 
can afford to give. The oat crop was good, 
and perhaps half of it is still in the hands 
of the farmers who are holding it for better 
prices. The average price has been about 24 
cents per bushel. The condition of the grow¬ 
ing wheat is supposed to be all right. P. W. b. 
Springfield, Sangamon Co., Feb. 14 —We 
are having a very cold Wiater. On January 
28, it was 23 degrees below zero, and this morn¬ 
ing 20 below. Peach buds are all killed, and 
other fruits are more or less injured. Corn is 
low—about 30 cents to 05 cents per bushel; 
wheat, from (50 cents to 75 cents; oats, 25 
cents to 80 cents; hogs, *4 per 100 pounds 
gross; cattle $3.50 to $4 per 100. w. H. l, 
Grundy Co., Feb. 20.— Crops were light 
here last season. Oats, 30 to 40 bushels per 
acre; corn, 25 to 85; wheat, 10 to 15. Potatoes 
were a short crop and rotted badly before 
they were dug. Hay was a fair crop. This 
has been an unusually cold Winter; the ther¬ 
mometer has been below zero most of the 
time. J. l. b. 
Iowa. 
Osage, Mitchell Co., Feb. 20.—The present 
Winter has been one of extreme cold. Snow 
fell first in December, and has been increased 
at short intervals until an immense quantity 
now covers the ground. This section has not 
experienced such continued cold weather for 
many years. The railroads have been block¬ 
aded with snow in heavy drifts which inter¬ 
fered with business, mails and travel for 
several days together and at different times 
during the Winter. The crops were usually 
good, although the estimate of the corn crop 
at an early stage was too high. While the 
growing stalks foretold an unusually heavy 
crop, the result disappoin ed the farmer him¬ 
self, All kinds of grain have ruled very low 
in price. Another wave has struck Iowa; it 
comes from New Orleans this time. Premi¬ 
ums have made lowansglad. They have good 
judges down there, because they have been 
able to see that we have good butter, and raise 
large vegetables up here. L. s. e. 
Kansas. 
Frankfort, Marshall Co., Feb. 17.— We are 
situated in the south part of one of the north¬ 
ern tier of counties, 75 miles west of the Mis¬ 
souri River. We have a good stock country, 
well watered by springs and streams, and a 
fertile, rolling prairie, well adapted to corn 
and grass. A. K, Y. 
Michigan. 
Marlette, Sanilac, Co.— 1 moved from 
Canada five years ago, I am located in the 
southwestern part of what is called the “burnt 
district,” but we did not suffer anything from 
the fire. Our lands are pretty level, but we 
are constructing town ditches which are going 
to be of immense value to us. This part of 
Mieliigau is going to make a fine farming sec¬ 
tion, and will be well adapted to stock rais¬ 
ing. I am in the bee business; but I rather 
failed one year ago, losing all but five colon¬ 
ies out of 100; 1 now have 20. I never saw a 
copy of the Rural uutil the past year, I must 
say it is the best farmers’ journal 1 have ever 
seen. I have taken the American Agricult¬ 
urist for years and the Farmers’ Advocate, of 
London, Canada, as well as the Prairie Farm¬ 
er; but I like the general get up of the Rural 
the best. w. s. 
Minnesota. 
Minnesota City, Winona Co.— We are 
having uncommonly cold weather even for 
Minnesota. The mercury was frozen on Dec¬ 
ember 25, January 2,13,22 and 28, aud Febru¬ 
ary 2. It was 32 degrees below zero ou Feb¬ 
ruary 10; and 30 degrees below on the 11th, 
and 20 below on the 12th. This has beeu the 
coldest iVinter we have ever had iu Southern 
Minnesota since 1857. A heavy bo iy of snow 
fell here early, before the ground was frozen, 
consequently very little frost is in the ground. 
No severe wind storms; generally little or no 
air stirring when it has been the coldest. 
D. B. E. 
Ohio. 
Middle Bass Island, Lake Erie, Feb. 22. 
—It has been the most continuous cold 
weather for 15 years, and that is as far baek 
as my observation goes. The extreme cold 
has proved disastrous to most of our vines— 
nothing but “iron-clads” have withstood the 
freezing. G. H. H. 
Wisconsin* 
Appleton, Outagamie Co., Feb. 16 —We 
have had continuous cold weather since the 
middle of December, with plenty of snow and 
good sleighing. The thermometer has been 
down to 808 below zero several times, and to¬ 
day it is 15° below. Farmers have taken ad¬ 
vantage of the good sleighing to haul large 
quantities of wood and timber to Appleton, the 
market town of our county. Maple wood sells 
for about $4 per cord. Crops of ail kinds were 
good last year. Prices are rather low, still 
the demand Dorn the northern pineries and 
mines creates a good home market for most of 
our products; prices are about the same as iu 
Chicago. E. N. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see If It Is not answered fn 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
at one time.l 
FERTILIZERS FOR COTTON. 
W, J. II., Tilly, Ga. —1, Would cotton seed, 
scattered at the rate of 50 bushels per acre 
and plowed under with kainit to be used in 
the drill, be a good preparation for a cotton 
crop. The kainit costs $20 per ton? 2. How 
much kainit should be used per acre? 
A ns. L. The application of the cotton seed is 
a good one; but as there is scarcely any rnanur- 
ial value in the oi I ic contains, it would be a 
good plau if you could make a fair exchange 
of whole seed for meal, and the ashes made iu 
burning the shells or hulls. Probably you 
could change in such a way as to be able to 
apply the meal and ashes of two bushels, iu 
place of one bushel of seed. If so, that would 
be the best plan. 2. The best kainit contains 
only 12>£ per cent of potash, or 250 pounds 
per ton; and this would make the potash cost 
eight cents per pound, which is a big price. 
Cannotit be bought cheaper in sulphate of pot¬ 
ash, which contains 1,000 pounds ot potash in 
a ton, so it would be as cheap at $80 as the 
kainit at $20? The ashes made by burning 
the hulls, if these are burned iu couuectiou 
with wood, contain at least 20 per cent, of 
potash, and are probably the cheapest source 
of it, Whatever may be used, we should pre¬ 
fer to apply the potash fertilizer broad-cast 
after plowing, and harrow in. 
FALSE VETERINARY CLAIMS. 
J, D. S.. Cedar Rapids, Neb .—For some 
weeks pust there has been stopping in this 
county a person claiming to be a veterinary 
surgeon, who advertises to remove all bony 
formations on the limbs of horses, such us 
spavin, ringbone, etc. I have always been 
taught that such a thing was impossible; still 
I have seen this done by him within 12 hours, 
aud without injury to the skin or limb. He 
also has the testimony of responsible parties 
who saw him perform the same thing a 
year or more ago, aud they claim the cure is 
permanent. Now I want, to know if the Ru¬ 
ral has knowledge of such treatment; for I 
can’t help believing that I am deceived iu 
some way. He claims a copyright, and is 
selling territory. 
Ans —This self-alleged veterinarian must be 
a fraud. The fact that he is selling a copy¬ 
right—which he cannot possibly have—is 
assurance of his character. Neither ringbone 
nor spavin can be removed, except by actually 
removing the excess of bone from the part, 
an operation which can only be performed 
with a chisel and mallet or some other equally 
severe means. It is not difficult to render 
these diseased growths insensible and painless 
for a tune, and so remove the lameness tem¬ 
porarily, and this is probably what the man 
does. But the lameness will return. 
ACUTE INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS OF A 
COW. 
F. O, M ., Melvin's Mills, N. II. —Two of my 
cattle have died and one is sick from a disease 
with the following symptoms: At first there 
is frothing at their mouth; theu the affected 
animal becomes blind aud grates its teeth; 
then, after a day, it grows worse, and whirls 
round in a circle, frothing at the month, 
switching its head from side to side, dying 
in great pain. It becomes rigid in a very 
short time after death, and emits a very offen¬ 
sive odor. What is the ailment? 
Ans. —The disease is acute iuflammatiou of 
the bowels ending iu gangreue and death after 
a very short time, in severe cases, as this seems 
to have been. It has some resemblance to 
hemorrhagic inflammation in the dashiug 
about of the head; but this form of the di¬ 
sease is simply more acute than the milder 
form. The treatment is to give an effective 
laxative, as one quart of raw linseed oil. with 
two ounces of belladonna, iu a quart of lin¬ 
seed gruel soon after. The latter may be 
given every three hours until the pain is al¬ 
layed. Iujections of hot water with two 
ounces of laudanum will be useful. On re¬ 
covery, give freely of liuseed gruel and bran 
slops. 
WEED IN A HORSE. 
J. B, S., Thorald, Out.., Canada, —For two 
years one ot the bind legs of my horse has 
been swollen from the hoof to the gambrel 
joiut, aud sometimes nearly to his body; the 
swelling is reduced somewhat when he is 
driven, but it increases again when he is in 
the stable. What should be the treatment? 
Ans. —This disease is known as weed. It is 
caused by inflammation of the lymphatics, 
and when of long continuance is mostly in¬ 
curable. It is a disease to be actively treated 
at the outset, because the chronic swelling of 
the limb changes the structure of it and be¬ 
comes permanent. The only useful treatment 
consists of a very long bandage made by sew¬ 
ing strips of cotton cloth six inches wide, end 
to end, smoothly wound around the limb from 
the foot upwards when the horse is brought 
into the stable, aud the use of internal doses 
of iodide of potassium—one dram each— 
daily, with eoutinuous doses of one dram of 
sulphate of iron and the same of Peruvian 
bark. One scruple of veratrum, given daily, 
has been found useful. Gentle friction, too, 
has been beneficial. 
BEE QUIRIES. 
J. //., West Granby, Conn.— 1. What kind 
of bees is the best for profit, and where can 
they be got? 2. What is the best work on 
bee keeping ? 
Ans. —1. The best bees for a beginner are 
pure Italians. These are very active, have 
long tongues, and are very gentle, so that 
with a little caution there is no occasion to 
dread stiugs. Almost every extensive bee¬ 
keeper has such bees. Such persous are to be 
found in almost every county of every State. 
It is always best to purchase bees near 
home, for not only are the expenses of trans¬ 
portation less, but it is better for the bees if 
they are not long confined. A good colony of 
Italian bees in a good Langstroth hive—these 
hives are not now patented—should be bnugbt 
for $8, or at most for $10, by the first of May, 
2. The best book is the Bee Keeper’s Guide. 
Price $1.25. Author aud publisher, A. J. 
Cook, Agricultural College, Michigan. We 
have answered this question at least a dozen 
times during the past year. 
TOO RAPID HEALING OF WOUNDS IN ANIMALS, 
II. It, Muscat ah, Kan. —1 had ten pigs 
that were castrated when five months old. 
The wounds healed rapidly; but about six 
weeks afterwardsswelliugs appeared on six of 
them where they had been castrated. The 
tumors are as hard as gristle, and discharge 
matter with a very offen-ive odor. The pigs 
are constantly rubbing the swellings against 
something. Three of them died from the 
effects of the sores; but the others eat well 
aud are iu good condition; what should l do 
for them? 
Ans. —The mischief was caused by the too 
rapid closing and healing of the wounds, ow¬ 
ing to which impure mutter remained iu 
them. The wounds should have been opened 
again and a little turpentine Injected to cause 
a discharge of the matter. Iu performiug 
this operation, the opening should L>e made as 
low down as possible to l’ueiiitate the dis¬ 
charge, aud if the wouud is found to be clos¬ 
ing too rapidly, a plug of lint should be pu 
in the lowest part of it, until the healing is 
completed within. 
-♦♦♦- 
Miscellaneous. 
1). D. M., Xenia, Ohio .—What does the 
Rural know of the Golden Beauty Corn, ad¬ 
vertised by Johnson & Stokes? 
Ans.—N othing. 
H. W., Port Toumsencl, Washington Ter .— 
Where can I get some huckleberry bushes? 
Ans. —From Frank Ford, Ravenna, Ohio. 
DISCUSSION. 
Dr. T. H. H , Newport, Vt.—T he Rural’s 
teaching is generally souud, but is far from 
beiug so wbeu it says, (p 90) that the phos¬ 
phoric acid in bone dust “is so firmly locked 
up with lime as to be insoluble, and thus un¬ 
available for plant food.” I have been using 
bone dust as a fertilizer for a great many 
years, and with that aud wood ashes have 
brought up my farm from the condition of 
a “run out” field to the fertility of a garden. 
For all that time, it has not bad the 
equal of one good dressing, over the whole, 
of stable manure, and I use very little 
superphosphate. My purchases are ground 
bone, unleached ashes aud sulphate of am¬ 
monia. Fure, fiue bene dust is quite as “quick” 
a manure as dung, aud when applied, (in 
connection with the other elements to make a 
complete fertilizer) in value equal to the cost 
of the necessary manure, it is quite as cheap, 
and more enduring. Superphosphates cost 
about the same as bone, and have not more 
lhau half the fertilizing value. 
R. N -Y.—But, Dr., you must remember 
that we make these auswers as concise as 
possible, while covering the ground. We sub¬ 
mit that our answer was correct according to 
all agricultural chemistry; that phosphate of 
lime in the form of bone dust or S. C. Rock, 
being a tri-ealcie (or three of lime to one of 
phosphoric acid) is entirely insoluble in water, 
and as such is unavailable as plant food. It 
is true, however, that when boue dust is made 
exceediugly fine and applied to a sail contain¬ 
ing any acid, such acid acts upon the phos¬ 
phate, and, taking away one atom of lime, 
causes the remaining compound to be¬ 
come soluble and assimilable; but this 
action is slow and iu some soils would be so 
slow that the plant would starve. In the case 
of your laud, by the previous applications of 
bone flour and sulphate of ammonia, you have 
established a superphosphate factory. The 
ammonia, iu leaving the sulphuric acid, left 
that to unite with a portion of the lime of the 
bone, and this, with tbe action of other in¬ 
fluences, has left plenty of phosphoric acid in 
a form readily available for the use of the 
plauts, and were you to apply sulphate of 
ammonia to parts of the field without bone 
dust, you would, for that year, see but little 
difference in the crop. But if we were to 
select a soil entirely deficient of phosphoric 
acid, and at the same time deficient iu vege¬ 
table matter supplying acids capable of acting 
on the bone, and apply a good brand of super¬ 
phosphate to a part, aud an equal quantity of 
raw bone to another, although we were put¬ 
ting ou twice the amount of phosphoric acid, 
in the raw bone, as with the superphosphate, 
the crop would plainly show results in favor 
of the soluble form. Your course, Dr., is, how¬ 
ever, one to be commeuded, aud if followed 
to guoh an extent as to keep up the supply of 
bone, so decomposed as to be available, will 
give tbe requisite amount of phosphoric acid 
much cheaper than in the best bruuds of 
superphospi ate. So, while you are right, we 
were not wrorg, 
C. C. W., Grand Bay, Ala.—I noticed iu 
the F. O. of a late Rural some remarks about 
dissolving bones. My way is to break them 
fiue, put them in a cask with hard-wood ashes 
aud then poor over them urine, then put some 
more bone and ashes, and so on. When the 
cask is full, cover it close, and iua shoit time 
the bones will be entirely decomposed. 
Communications Keckivud kor the Week Ending 
Saturday, Fkhkcauy 2s, 1SS5. 
J. L. B.-I. W. G., Dakota, thanks.-A. G. P.-R. G. 
P.—J. D.—W. P. L.—E D. E.. thanks for suggestions. 
— W. O. 1)., thunks,-P. H —.Ins. Mann, thanks.—W. 
A. S.-J. L. H.-K. L, K.-A U. P. T. A. P.-J. D.- 
R.Q 11 W. .1. K.-F. V It T. H R. J. C.-J. L. H. 
-1). M. A. K. W. M., thunks. J. P U, S. -O. E. M.— 
e. v H, a D. '1 E 1\ P J. B. p. E 0* E.-I. W. 
O.—M. L. S. H, C,—T. B n, B. P., wr I'un’t,.open the 
cliesti-wbe&l question,—G. O. H.— C. G. H.—W H. 8.— 
B. w. O C.G B. N. 8. B. B. .M. P.—L, G 0. B.- 
O. W C., thanks -P. L. N.-T O.-H. L. S.-L. C. J. 
L, 13. - J A. P —E. B P.-W. It. C.-N. 13 II. —E. S. M.- 
L. M.L.-B W. il.-A. N. Y.—8 L. H.-T, V.-M. A.- 
A B. W. K. W. J. \V .I.-N.T.-tV. IS-P.-F A. F. 
G. L. w. G. 8.8, il 'i. f W.-J, L B, 8. B. 1. 
H. W. S.-J. A F., thanks. E F.-W. 13. -O. W D.— 
a. l'. I). B. E. j P,G. -J, n. C. Os E. M F. E.B. 
J.B.-W. D. T.—W. fl. 11. - J. L. B.-L.’J. T.-E. 8.— 
f. W, it. w. G. w. E. a. 0 w. B. it. a a. 0. 
O. C. it. F. W, II G. a. r.-J. II. ■•Justice."—F. 
W. C.-W. VV. \V., many tUauks.-W.lt. W.-W. H. 
R.-J. L. W.—E. W.-H E. A.-L. C.-W. T.—R. L. S.- 
t*. L. N.-vV.-F. A. F. C. -H. U. -8..C. S.-A. C.-S. 
