228 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
APRIL 4 
[Every query must be accompanied by thename 
and address of the writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see If It Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
at one time.] _ 
MILLET SEED. 
A. E. M., Cambridge, Kan?i. —1. Whatistbe 
average analysis of common millet seed and 
how does it compare in feeding value with 
corn? 2. Why does it make the pork of hogs 
fattened ou it so very yellow? 
ANSWERED BT PROF. S. W. JOHNSON. 
1. Common millet (Panicum miliaceum) has 
about the same composition as oats, barley or 
sweet corn. It contaius one or two per cent, 
of albuminoids and one or two per cent, 
less of fat than common corn. 
Armsby gives the average composition as 
follows: 
Water. 18.5 
Albuminoids or Protein. 12.7 
Pot. . 3.3 
Nitrogen free extract, starch, sugar and 
gum. 5 .0 
Crude liber. it 5 
Ash. 3.0 
100.0 
2. the cause of its effect on the color of pork 
fattened on it 1 do not ituow. 
MULE BREEDING. 
S. E P., San Saba, Texas. —1. What is the 
best kind of jack for mules? 2. Is there any 
work on mule raising? S, Who is a reliable 
dealer in jacks? 
Ans —1. The French jacks are the best. 
There have been some importations of a tine 
breed from France known as the Poitou 
breed. They are large, heavy animals, and 
produce the very best mules. These jacks can 
lie procured in Kentucky and Missouri. Pro¬ 
bably Jenkins & Wilson, of Bowling Green, 
Ky., could supply or procure a jack of this 
breed, tint they are costly, being held very 
high (8750 to 81,500,) or he could furuish a 
good animal of some less costly kind. Bowling 
Green is a center of the mule breeding busi¬ 
ness. 2 There is no work on mule rearing; 
this business differs in no wise from horse 
breeding. 
BUNCH ON HORSE’S THROAT. 
F. B., No address. —My 12-year old mare 
has a bunch the size of a turkey’s egg on the 
glands of her throat, it doesn’t trouble her 
much in Winter, but in the hot weather of 
Bummer she can hardly breathe. What should 
be the treatment? 
Ans. —Apply iodine ointment to the swell¬ 
ing; use a piece as large as a chestnut, well 
rubbed in, once a day; wash with warm water 
and soap, and wipe dry before applying the 
iodine. Give daily half a dram of iodide of 
potassium, and continue this, if necessary, for 
two or three months. This medicine requires 
long use to give the best results. The oint¬ 
ment should be discontinued when the swell¬ 
ing breaks, after which it should be washed, 
by injection, with warm water with one per 
cent, of carbolic acid added to it. 
POTATOES. 
J. B., Warren, It. 1. —1. How should the 
mulch be applied on potatoes raised according 
to the Rukal’s method? I have plenty of 
oat straw. 2, is aDy work on the potato pub¬ 
lished at the Rural Office? 3. Send me back 
numbers of the Rural containing special ar¬ 
ticles on potato culture. 
Ans. —1. Place the seed pieces on the mel- 
luw soil of the bottom of the trench; cover 
these with two inches of soil; then spread the 
mulch, and on it strew the fertilizer evenly. 
This,as we belie vepnsures a more even distri¬ 
bution of the fertilizer. The oat straw should 
be cut into two-inch, lengths. 2. We publish 
the R. N.-Y. w hich is enough for us. 3. The 
R. N.-Y. has had more to say of potatoes and 
potato culture during the past three or four 
years than all the other books and periodicals 
put together; but we cannot supply back 
numbers. 
EXCRESCENCE ON AN OX’S JAW. 
C. A. C., Colfax, IF. T .—On my steer an 
excrescence the size of a hen’s egg has grown 
within a month, how should it be treated? 
Anb.—I t this is attached to the bone, it is 
no use applying any outward remedy. Give 
one ounce of hyposulphite of soda daily for 
two or three months, it may stop the disease, 
which is scrofulous; it has done so within the 
writer’s knowledge; but it is by no means cer¬ 
tain. Unless stopped, the disease will in time 
destroy the animal, as it will result in caries 
of the jaw, and loss of it. If the disease is 
not stopped in three months, the steer should 
be fatted and killed before the disease becomes 
any worse, 
FEED FOR A COLT, ETC. 
J. E. M., Paterson, N. J.—What is the best 
feed for colts from six months old and up¬ 
wards? 2. After the birth of a calf my eow- 
did not "clean,” and next day she seemed much 
fatigued, slow to move, and laid down much 
of the time, and there was a little fever, what 
should have been the treatment? 3. Does the 
Rural kuow of a well bred Norman stallion 
within a reasonable distance of this place? 
Ans.— 1. Clean souudnats. Begiu with one 
quart daily with good clean hay or pasture, 
and gradually increase the grain up to three 
quarts daily until a year old. 2. In such a 
ease give the cow a mess of warm oatmeal 
gruel with l 1 .? ounce of carbonate of potash, 
dissolved m it, three times a day. An effec¬ 
tive remedy for this trouble is as follows: 
One-half ounce of carbonate of potash and 
one ounce of savin leaves infused in one pint 
of hot water; skim the infusion and adminis¬ 
ter wheu milk-warm; repeat every six hours. 
3. We kuow of no Norman horse in New Jer¬ 
sey. 
INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER IN A MULE; 
A BARREN COW. 
W. M. B., Oayrollin, Mo. —1. How should l 
treat a mule that urinates with difficulty ? The 
urine is thick and whitish yellow. 2, A cow 
that calved over IS months ago, takes the bull 
every 20 to21 days, keeps thin, coarse haired; 
but has a good appetite, and is al ways ready 
to lead the others into mischief. She doesn’t 
get with calf. 
Ans.— 1. The mule istroubled with cystitis, 
or inflammation of the bladder. Give a pint 
of linseed oil, aud repeat twice in the following 
week. Give two drams of carbonate of soda 
daily in scalded oats aud linseed, and continue 
this until the urine becomes clear aud health¬ 
ful. If it is not changed soon, give one ounce 
of sweet spirits of niter in some molasses, once 
a day, until the trouble ceases. 2, Give the 
cow a quart of raw linseed oil, aud afterwards 
feed a bran mash daily with half an ounce of 
ealisaya bark finely powdered in it. Continue 
this fora month. 
Miscellaneous. 
C. A. 7\, Barely, Neb. —1. The hair fulls out 
on the head, and especially about the eyes of 
two of my calves, leaving a whitish scab that 
keeps spreading; what is it, aud what is the 
remedy? 2. How can I get rid of "grubs” on 
the back of a cow? 3. What should be the 
treatment of a cow after calving if there is a 
tendency to eject the uterus? 
Ans. —1. It is a parasitic disease for which 
apply the remedy advised for ring-worm else¬ 
where. 2. The grub is the lava of the cattle 
gad fly CEstrus bovis. This large fly attacks 
the cattle in August and .September or even 
earlier, darting on to the back and depositing 
an egg in the skin. It does no particular 
harm and the grubs will work themselves out 
by and by and burrow into the ground to 
transform into a chrysalis or pupa. You can 
squeeze the grubs out of their holes now,and 
destroy them. There is no way to prevent 
them, but by keeping the cows iu the stable. 
3. Put on a suitable bandage aud keep the 
cow in a stall with the hind parts raised. In¬ 
ject warm water and one ouuce of laudanum. 
A. P. It., Yorkeille, Ohio, wants, by mail, 
a description of Northwestern Arkansas, 
Southwestern Missouri, and Eastern Kansas, 
as to the lay of the country, the price of laud, 
the healthfuluess of the section for man and 
stock, etc. 
Ans.— To give a description that would be 
worth anything to an intending settler would 
occupy hours in hunting up the information 
and writing it out. We are very sorry indeed 
that we caunot 6pare the time to oblige our 
friend; but we advise him to apply for infor¬ 
mation to the secretaries of the State Boards 
of Agriculture at Jefferson, Mo., Topeka, 
Kan., and Little Rock, Arkansas. There are 
pamphlets published especially for the instruc¬ 
tion of emigrants thintiug of settling iu each 
or any part of each of these states, and doubt¬ 
less these will be furnished by the above gentle¬ 
men. 
W, P, L., Bedford Co., Va. —1. What is 
the analysis of tobacco waste? 2, Also of 
fish scrap? * 
Ans.— 1. This contains from 15 to 27 per 
cent of ash. With an average of 20 per cent of 
ashes the analysis is about as folio ws: u itrogeu, 
'6}4 P' er cent; potash, 5 per cent; phosphoric 
acid, 1.2 per cent, and lime, 7 \4 per cent. 2. 
If well dried, it averages about 7.25 per cent 
of ammoniu, and about 3.83 per cent of avail¬ 
able phosphoric acid, aud about 2J</ per cent 
of iusoluble phosphoric acid. 
D, G. B„ Ella, Wis — 1. On the hindleg 
joint of iay three-year old mare there is a 
puff; what will cure it? 2. How should a 
three-year-old colt that kicks the other horses 
be treated? 3. Will the straw of very smutty 
wheat have any bad effect on cattle or horses? 
Ans.— 1, The puff is a bog spavin aud had 
better be left alone; if it is removed, it will . 
soon return again. It will not hurt the horse. 
2. Such a horse should be kept in a stall by 
himself. 3. Not unless it is fed to them, when 
it. will be dangerous at the least. If used for 
litter, the manure should not be used for 
grain, as it will simply sow smut for another 
crop. 
C. B., States Center, Kansas.— 1. Do any of 
the wild flowers of Kausas possess medicinal 
value? 2. Can mucilage be made from glue, 
and if so, how ? 3. How many cockerels should 
be allowed to 100 hens? 
Ans.— 1. Yes; lots of them. 2. Mucilage is 
made either from gum arable or dextrine us¬ 
ually. Glue can be melted very thick with 
water, aud then thinned with strong vinegar 
or acetic acid, and be thus kept liquid. 3 For 
egg production none; in fact they are a dam¬ 
age. It is better to sort out from 10 to 20 
model heus and put a cock with these, and bet¬ 
ter to have two good ones and change them 
every three days, having only one at a time. 
A. T., Beatty's Station, Pa.— 1 How mauy 
bushels of coal and wood ashes may be applied 
to wheat next Fall. Would the mixture make 
a good top-dressing to be sown on wheat this 
Spring? 2. Who sells the Cream of the Field 
Potato? 
Ans.— Unless there is a much greater pro¬ 
portion of wood ashes in your coal ashes than 
is usually the case, it would uot pay you to 
drill them iu the land with your wheat. You 
may sow as many bushels as you ehooee to the 
acre—100 or more. 2. A. Williams, Homer, 
N. Y. Do not know the price. 
A. J. B., Little Genesee, N. Y, —1. What is 
the best time for sowing Johnson Grass in this 
section? 2. Is hen mannre injured by mixing 
it with unleached wood ashes? 
Ans. —1. As soon as the ground is in good 
order. 2. The ashes will liberate the nitrogen 
in the manure, so that the most valuable 
fertilizing element in the dung will escape. 
This will occur most rapidly if the dung is wet, 
or even moist. Ashes may, however, be mixed 
with dry dung just before application to the 
soil, as the earth will absorb the escaping ni¬ 
trogen. 
S. S. C., Warren, Pa.—Will a black, alluvial 
bottom, that was very heavily manured last 
Fall with tanners’ fleshings, hide trimmings, 
hair, etc., plowed in, be in good condition for 
gardening in the Spring without further 
manure? 
Ans. —We think there will be but very little 
change in the application during Winter, and 
unless the laud was rich enough for the pur¬ 
pose before the application, we would not ex¬ 
pect very satisfactory results, especially on 
early crops. 
IF. B. T., Round Knob, N. C— What is the 
best fertilizer for general gardening where 
barnyard manure is scarce? 
Ans. —One that contaius the three indispens¬ 
able elements of all plant growth—one con. 
taining from tlvetoniue per cent of ammonia, 
from eight to twelve per cent of phosphoric 
acid, and from three to eight per cent of pot¬ 
ash, but this should be varied according as the 
soil is light or heavy. 
It. a., Franklinseille, Pa.— 1. Is the Clark 
Cove Guauo Co. reliable, and are their goods 
first-class? 2. From whom can the Kentucky 
corn be obtained? 
Ans.— The Clark Cove Co. is reported to be 
reliable. Their fertilizers have a fair reputa¬ 
tion. 2. FrornC. Troll & Co, Louisville, Ky. 
C. Be G., Wanaque, N. J.—A young mare 
of mine had the distemper last Bpring, and 
now her left hiud leg is swollen until it is 
twice as large as the other. Bhe eats well and 
is otherwise apparently in excellent health; 
what, is the cause of the swollen leg? 
Ans. —It is a case of anasarca, described in 
the Rural of March 14. 
J. I). IE, Raleigh,N. C.— What works treat 
of cranberry culture? 
Ans —Eastwood ou the Cranberry,75cents; 
Cranberry Culture, by White, 8125. The 
subject is also more or less fully treated in the 
different works ou smull fruit culture. 
E. F. V., WeaverviUe, N. F. —Is "Slug 
Shot” good for the cabbage worm? 
Ans. —Yes; but during the year we have 
given recipes, not poisonous, that would prove 
equally efficacious. 
J, W, McC,, Forney, Texas .—Where caul 
procure the seed of the genuine Liberian cane ? 
Ans. —It is sold by most of the large seed 
firms whose catalogues are "noticed” iu the 
Rural. J. M. Thor barn, 15 John 8t., N. Y., 
sells it at from 12 to 15 cents a pound, accord- 
to the quantity ordered. 
L. V, S., Watertown, Dak .—1. Where can 
I get seed of the Potentate and Bouauza 
Potatoes? 2. is it profitable to cook food for 
hogs? 
Ans.— 1. Frank Ford & Bon, Ravenna, O. 
2. Where labor and fuel are cheap, it would 
often pay; but not otherwise. 
W. J P., Leadmlle, Col.— 1. Being iu the 
gardening business with no competition, will 
it pay to haul ^slaughter house offal three 
miles to be used as manure? 2. Are bone 
ashes that have, laid exposed to the weather 
for a year good for laud f 
Ans. —1. Yes, if not too largely composed 
of water. The offal should be worked into 
the surface soil, though it would be better if 
composted with stable manure or rich earth. 
2. Yes, make them as tine as possible and put 
on plenty. This bone would be splendid to 
add to the above compost. 
C. S., Ashland, Neb .—Where can I get 
crude petroleum suitable for making a 
“paint”? 
Ans. —Of Barstow & Whitelaw, or Walter 
H. Blackie, St. Louis, Mo. 
C. II. IF., Louisville, Ky .—Where can I get 
Japan Persimmons? 
Ans.—F rom P. J. Berckmau, Augusta, Ga. 
Walter S. Ball, Thornton, Itid. , wants to 
know where he can get fowls and eggs of the 
Eruiiuettes breed of poultry. Those who have 
them should write to him, aud advertise in the 
Rural, for their own advantage and the 
benebt of others. 
DISCUSSION. 
W. H. S.. Rosefield, Ill.—I see in the Ru¬ 
ral of February 7, under the heading of 
Ruralism oi Rural Life Notes, several articles 
contributed by H. H. among which is an art¬ 
icle discussing the price of flour. I am sure 
if he looks into the subject a little closer he 
will find that the millers of the United States 
are not getting very rich from the present 
state of the flour trade. Taking the Minneso¬ 
ta Mills for a basis to figure from, it takes more 
than live bushels of wheat (as wheat is market¬ 
ed) to make a barrel of flour, and it also costs 
more than the bran and middlings to manufac¬ 
ture it, as tbe bran is not worth as much by 
one halt iu Minnesota as it is anywhere in 
New York. Then the expenses of shipping aud 
commissions are small items as the' grocers 
and retail dealers do not handle the flour for 
less than 81 per barrel. Moreover, the whole¬ 
sale commission merchant does not work for 
less than five per ceut, while the freight will 
use up at least 81 per barrel more. The pres¬ 
ent system of milling is also uttended with a 
very large outlay of money, as a mill capable 
of turning out 200 barrels in 24 hours cannot 
be put in running order fur less than 830,000; 
then again, the capital iu vested in the business 
must be large enough to carry all the flour 
the miller ships until it is sold by the whole¬ 
sale dealer or commission man, no matter if 
it takes one week or one year for him to make 
a sale. Taking all these tbiugs in considera¬ 
tion, I do not think the price of flour at all 
exorbitant ou the Hudson. I am uot in the 
milling busiuess at present; but I was ident) 
lied with it more or less since 1805 until four 
years ago wheu I fouud it necessary to quit 
ou account of the business not being remun¬ 
erative enough to justify the necessary outlay 
of the new process or roller system of milling. 
I think if there is any extra profit for mak¬ 
ing flour at the present time, the mill owners 
need it more than any class of business men 
iu the United States. 
P. McG., Excelsior, Minn.—In the Rural 
for March 7, (page 150) I see an article with 
the heading: Gapes and Earthworms. When 
a boy at home I bad the care of poultry; 
but uo gapes was seen in the flock until a 
full-giown cock was introduced from a flock 
that was subject to the gapes. The cock him¬ 
self uppe<»rrd healthy, hut fully nine-tenths 
of all the chicks that showed his blood died of 
the gapes, ami, for years, not one was affected 
that showed none of bis blood. All alike had 
access to ungle aud all other worms. Later 
in life 1 lived in Illinois, got my stock from 
flocks not so infested, and never a chick was 
affected, and there too were plenty of earth 
or ungle worms, hut the greatest profusion of 
earth worms is right Jn the range of our hens 
here, and yet in 31 years uot u chick has had 
the gapes. My observation is that the gapes 
run in certain families of chickens, the same 
as consumption in human families—a weak¬ 
ness iuherited. We meet with wild theories 
iu almost all journuls, and on all subjects of 
late, each claiming to be some new scientific 
discovery without dutu of facts to sustain it. 
Communications Rkokivad for the Week Ending 
Saturday, March 28.1885. 
T. S. K.-R. M.—B. I. 11. A. B. A.-E. W. M—J.F. G. 
— R. C, S-J. L. B.—W. F. B-E. H. H.-S. C. Robb, 
thunks. —W, F. H.-M. W. F.-J. J. II.—D. S. G.-R. 
\% F.—G. W. Grunt, tbuuks for corn.—E. C.-J. B.— 
J. C. P.-B. B.-C.J. B.-W. F.-J. L. B.—W. A. S.- 
E. F. V.-W. H. N.-J. H. F.-O. L. B.—L. S. Fife, 
thanks. We shall en-leovor to tost It.— C H, W.— 
J. P. B., thanks. -E. P. P.-8. 8.C.-W. K. K.-W. J.- 
I. S.-J. D. A,-T. T L.-C. C. W., thanks.-A. T.-H. 
A. R.—L L.—E. W.-T. T. L —T, H. II.-J. O. C.— 
J. H.—J.S. - J. M. H.—P. M. A.—C. A. G.—A. M. S.—C 
A. G.-J. L. B-J. S. M.-W..W, H.-G. W.T.-P. J- 
B. —G. C. O.—W. J. G.-VV. H. L.-0. B. G.-W. C. O,— 
1 C. E. B. 
