580 
ilfcW 
and roots in Winter. Water sparingly. As 
the appetite is morbidly x'avenous, leading the 
affected animal to eat litter, etc.,when stabled, 
the bedding should be removed by day, und 
the horse be muzzled by night. Dealers fre- 
ijuently give arsenic in small doses, as in 
nearly all cases it (-fl'ects a temporary cure 
more or less complete, enabling them to palm 
oil’ an unsound as a healthy animal. They 
generally begin with three grains a day, in¬ 
creasing to five in a week and continue for 
three or four weeks, giving 10 to 12 grains 
daily towards the end. 
MALARIA—CHILLS-AND-FEVER. 
R. M ., Ferry Pass, Fla .—What is the cause 
of malaria ? This place is on the Escambia 
River, a mile or so above its junction with 
Pensacola Bay. In Summer every living 
thing along the river bottom has chills and 
lever, except bull frogs and alligators. My 
business renders my presence necessary in the 
bottom a good deal of the time; will auything 
stop the chills nod shakes besides quiniDe? 
Aconite, I know, will reduce the fever when 
it is ou; but, what will prevent its return { 
Ans. —The very word malaria (from the 
Italian mala aria, bad air,) indicates the 
cause. The poison which permeates the air 
emanates from the soil, and is not cognizable 
by the senses, nor can it be detected by cbem 
ical tests; it is knowu only by its effects. It 
is noticed that the concurrence of three things 
is necessary for its development or evolution 
--vegetable matter susceptible of decay; 
moisture on or a short distance below the sur¬ 
face, and heat. Marshes, whether salt or 
fresh, wet meadows, grounds alternately 
flooded and drained, and those which, from 
the uature of the subsoil, retain moisture a 
abort distance below the surface (though the 
latter may be dry and parched), are especially 
favorable to malaria. The clearing of new 
country, which exposes the soil to the full in¬ 
fluence of the summer sun, is commonly fol¬ 
lowed by chills aud-fever; the plowing of 
meadow lands has often the same effect. The 
amount of vegetable matter or water need not 
be large, as malarious diseases have been 
caused by the drainage of ponds and small 
lakes, and the drying up of the beds of rivers 
and even of temporary torrents. The low 
grounds around lakes and the alluvial lands 
along rivers are always plagued with malaria 
in warm countries. The steeping of hemp and 
flax, and the decay of vegetable refuse, pota¬ 
toes, etc., iu confined localities, as in cellars, 
have often been productive of the evil. There 
is no medicine that will cure “malaria,” or its 
manifestation, chills-and-fever, while the 
cause is operating. Quinine will cure a dozen 
or perhaps 50 attacks; but with every dose 
taken its curative effects are weakened, until 
finally it has little or no curative power; 
and often produces evils almost- as bad as 
those it was taken to cure. One must get 
away irom the infectious vapors that cause 
malaria. As an original affection, chills and- 
fever occur almost exclusively,in this country, 
in the latter part of Bummer and in Autumn, 
and the only sure way of escaping the ailment is 
to avoid miasmatic regions from, say, the 
middle of June until frost. If this cannot be 
done,avoid ruoruin <z, eveuing and night air, 
and never sleep oul at night. If forced to be 
out in the morning or evening, it should never 
be on an empty stomach. If compelled to 
work on rivers or in river bottoms duriug 
the day time, get ou to the adjacent high 
land before sun-set and do not return until 
the morning »uii has dispersed the fug from 
over the bottoms. It is generally thought 
hat malaria can be carried by the wind only 
three or four miles at most ; and usually one 
is safe if two miles uway from miasmatic 
regions—especially if the location is consider¬ 
ably higher. Scrupulously shun excesses of 
every sort. Never remain long in wet clothes. 
When heated, bo careful of exposing yourself 
to cold or draft. Avoid, if possible, the in¬ 
tense beat of the suu shortly after noon. 
When possible ulways sleep in an upper room; 
for whatever may be the nature of malaria, 
it is most concentrated near the surface of 
the earth, und becomes weaker as we rise 
above it. Statistics show that the proportion 
of cases among those sleeping up-stairs and 
down stairs is one third Jess iu fuvor of the 
former. Of course, it is of the greatest im¬ 
portance in malarial regions that the houses 
should be built on the highest ground in the 
neighborhood, and, if possible, at some dis¬ 
tance from swampy ground and river bottoms. 
There are some instances, however, where 
high grouuds were more unhealthy than bot¬ 
tom lands in the neighborhood; but this an¬ 
omaly is explained by the effect of winds aud 
currents of air carrying to the higher ground 
the malaria generated in tbo lower. A wood 
sometimes acts as a screen, protecting a place 
from malaria which would otherwise bo car¬ 
ried to it from a neighboring source. 
Quinine is the most common and generally 
the most efficacious “remedy” for chills-and- 
fever; nexttothis is arsenic, taken with least 
danger in the form of “Fowler’s Solution.’’ 
Indeed, in many cases where the action of 
quinine is slow or inefficient, that, of arsenic 
has proved curative; but the peril from hand¬ 
ling injudiciously so dangerous a substance 
must always restrict its use. Besides quinine, 
various other forme of Peruvian bark are also 
used; but their virtues are much lesssalutary. 
Other remedies, which are also as a rule, less 
efficacious, are sallcine, bebeerine, ferocyau- 
ide of iron or Peruvian blue, and strychnia; 
but in using these a good doctor should be 
always consulted, 
QUATER CRACK IN HORSE, ETC. 
C. S. N., Plymouth, Pa. —1. 1 have a wheat 
stubble that is not seeded. Soil, a clay; slopes 
to the east a little; can 1 plow it up and seed 
it this Fall? If so, when and how? 2. What 
is the best grass for pasture? 3. I have a 
horse that has w hat is called a quarter crack; 
what is the cause, and what will cure it? 
Ans. —1. You should plow it at once and 
get it into as fine tilth as possible, and if you 
have any fine manure you can spare, scatter 
on and harrow into the surface a few loads— 
if no more than three or four per acre. .Sow 
at once, after the first good rain (first, harrow¬ 
ing the ground), one peck of Timothy seed 
pier acre. In the Spring sow one half bushel 
of Orchard Grass aud six pounds of Red 
Clover per acre, and if you have them, sow 
from 10 to 25 bushels of burd wood ashes per 
acre at the same time. 2 The above are 
good, and Blue Grass will probably come in of 
itself. 8. The crust of the hoof is composed 
of libers running parallel to each other from 
the coronet to the ground surface. These 
fibers are glued firmly together in a sound 
hoof; but in a weak one it sometimes happens 
that the gelatiuous matter is not sufficient in 
quantity, and the fibers separate, leaving a 
crack of greater or less extent. This is often 
called “quarter-crack” when it occurs in the 
inner quarter of t he fore foot, and “toe-crack” 
when it occurs in the toe of the hind foot, aud 
it is almost entirely confined to these two 
places, as they are the thinnest parts of the 
hoof. Both are generally spoken ot as “sand- 
cracks.” The causes of the ailment are, first, 
brittleness of the hoof, due to a want of 
healthy action in the nutritive and secretory 
vessels of the foot; und, second, injury to the 
hoof. This may be caused by rasping the 
walls or otherwise mutiiatingin shoeing; spiff¬ 
ing of the hoof by hard driving ou a solid 
road; the use of a narrow-heeled >hoe, 
or disease within the hoof. Predisposing 
causes may also exist iu the animal by inher¬ 
itance. Horses aro especially liable to the 
affluent in a dry, saudy country, ou ship¬ 
board and in hot stables with, dry floors. In 
recent cases, simply remove the shoe; cleanse 
the crack thoroughly, cutting into it if dirt or 
sand is lodged inside; draw the hoof together 
closely again, by means of two thin, clinch 
horse shoe nails, one ut the top, the other at 
the bottom; fill the opening with the follow¬ 
ing composition: tallow, half uu ounce; oil of 
turpentine, one ounce; resin, two ounces; 
beeswax, four ounces. Melt together aud fill 
the crack with it while warm. The foot 
should be protected, so that no dirt can enter; 
a bar-shoe should be put on the affected foot 
and the animal should be turned to pasture 
until a new hoof bus grown. If the crack is 
older and there is inflammation, pare the 
edges, clean out thoroughly, foment to re¬ 
duce inflammation, and poultice until It as¬ 
sumes a healthy appearauce; then treat as 
ubove. “False quarter” is sometimes called 
“quarter crack.” This is a deficiency in the 
growth of the horn of the hoof.extending from 
the coronet to the sole, while a sand-crack 
may affect only a part of the bight of the 
hoof. It is a gap in the wall of the hoof 
rather than a crack. It is usually on the 
inner quarter, and is generally owing to the 
horse treading on his coronet, or some other 
kind of injury; it may also occur in the 
outer quarter, either from the tread of an 
other horse or from some other kind of exter¬ 
nal violence. Kboe carefully with u bar-shoe, 
so as to convey the weight to the frog; lower 
the heel; stimulate with a mild blister several 
times, letting the skin heal before another is 
applied. Continue the bar-shoe till the quar¬ 
ter has been reproduced in full strengh, or 
nearly so. 
ABOUT ASHES AS A FERTILIZER. 
A. S. if., Newton, Hamilton, Pa, —1. What 
should ashes made of ouk tun-bark be worth 
per bushel as a fertilizer? I can get them lor 
four cents a bushel Would they be good 
for wheat or rye on land worn out and defici¬ 
ent iu potash, us L judge from the effect of the 
application of potash? 8, Should they be 
mixed witli ground bone, and if so, in what 
proportion, and how much should be applied 
per acre? 4. Would you advise a complete 
fertilizer for wheat, reserving the ashes for 
potatoes and corn? 5. How much ashes 
should I use ou an orchard, on which a little 
ashes had a very good effect? fi. Would the 
ashes be a good application to a Timothy 
meadow? 
Ans —1, 2 aud 8. We can find no analysisof 
such ashes, aud so can only “guess” that they 
are worth the price — four cents per bushel. 
We should advise you to send them to your 
State Chemist for analysis, or to test, them by 
using them iu an experimental way, but you 
should be able to judge much of their vulue by 
their taste. If used, they would supply only 
potash and a small quantity of phosphoric 
acid, and so should be supplemented with 
bone und some nitrogenous manure. 4. We 
tbiuk that would be a wise course, as potatoes 
are more benefited by ashes than any other 
farm crop, except clover, aud corn is also 
greatly benefited. 5. Use all you can pay 
for, as you ueed not be afraid ol injuring the 
trees by an over dose; hut first ascertain how 
much potash they contain. 0. Ashes have very 
much less effect on Timothy than on clover. 
Applied to the Timothy sod they would prob¬ 
ably cause a good growth of clover to eoineiu. 
WATER FARCY, ETC. 
M. W, M., Limestone, N. 1. I am much 
troubled with sore necks and shoulders on my 
horses; on some a swelling remains after the 
sore is healed, and this becomes sore again 
under pressure from the collar. All my horses 
are so troubled, but otherwise they seem well; 
what ails them and bow eau 1 remedy the 
trouble? 2. 1 hate a mure thut had w hat the 
veterinarians called water farcy. She got bet¬ 
ter, but the swelling remains in one hind 
leg, and we have never been able to remove 
it permanently. It now acts like a case of 
stock leg. What treatment will effect a 
cure ? 
Ans.—1. Your collars do not properly fit 
the horses, or are not kept dean, and their 
necks are in some way neglected. This you 
may depend upon. Without seeing them, we 
can not tell just, where the trouble lies. In a 
general way, wash the horses’necks cloau, and 
apply a strong solution of copperas water 
every night; keep the collars clean and soft, 
and see to it that they are well fitted to the 
horses. With proper treatment, a sore utok 
should bo an extremely rare occurrence ou the 
farm. 2. Water farcy is dropsy of the hiud 
leg, generally due to debility produced by 
overwork and coarse feed, succeeded by per¬ 
iods of stagnation. As treatment, load less 
and work less. Improve the diet, und be sure 
to give exercise every day. Bathe the swollen 
leg with cold water every morning and even¬ 
ing, and hand-rub it till quite dry. The ofteu 
er it is haud-rubbed the bettor Should it. per¬ 
sist, a few punctures may be made in the limb, 
but only through the skin, equally distributed 
and not more than three eighths of an inch 
deep. These will allow the water to escape. 
Give the following ball every morning: iodide 
of iron, one dram; powdered canthurides, two 
gruins: powdered arsenic, one grain; Cayenne 
pepper, one scruple; sulphate of iron, one 
dram ; treacle aud linseed meal, enough, Mix. 
Give soft. Neglect is dangerous, as the swell¬ 
ing is apt to become quite hard, and should 
the horse escape true farcy, it is likely to carry 
nn enlarged limb for the rest of its life. 
LINE OF DRAFT IN a PLOW, ETC. 
W. L. !>., Birmingham «, Conn. —1. Do you 
know of a well authenticated cuse of sponta¬ 
neous combustion resulting from hay being 
put into the barn wet or green? 2. 1 buvea 
one horse plow which I use with the “off’i 
horse of my team; he has become so accus¬ 
tomed to walking in the furrow that he will 
not walk elsewhere, aud so 1 have to attach 
him to a chum or rod drawing from the plow 
standard, the beam ut its forward being held 
away by a short piece bolted to it, to the op¬ 
posite end of which the chutu is attached. 
Now what I wish to know is, does this man¬ 
ner ot drawing increase the “draft.” 3. Who 
breeds Shropshire sheep iu this vicinity? 
Ans. —L, We know of no such case; al¬ 
though it may be possible, wo doubt its pro¬ 
bability ; at, least we should have no fear of 
such a result with almost any amount of the 
natural juices left in the grass. 2. The lino 
of “draft” is from the points of the shoulders 
to the center of resistance in the plow, which 
would be a little to the mold -board side of the 
standard; the throwing of the liue some six 
or eight inches from the point of the beam 
would increase the draft, but so little, that we 
doubt whether a man would be able to notice 
it, let aloue the horse; at the greatest, it could 
not be more than a pound or two, and this is 
the most practicable way the plow cun be 
fixed. Were the beam adjustable ami you 
changed that instead of using the short, hori¬ 
zontal piece at its end, it would not change 
the facts regarding the druft. 3. We think 
the Shropshire meu must all be asleep, since 
they don’t let us know that they have this 
sheep of growing popularity for sale. 
THE MEAT FLY. 
T. G. P., Spring hill, Mo. —1. What pro¬ 
duces the common little skipper that appears 
in our dry salt cured bacon in June? 2. How 
can I kill those in, and keep others out? 
Ans.—1. This is the larva of a small fly 
which deposits its eggs on meat and decaying 
substances.. 2. There is no practical way of 
destroying those already in the meat; but 
they can be kept out by one of several meth¬ 
ods. A good one is to have a room on purpose 
for keeping the bulk of the meat, taking out 
ouly a siogle piece at a time, and making this 
room fly' tight, with a fine wire screen over 
the airing window, aud also a board shutter. 
Store the meat in this room, opening it ouly 
at night; and once iu a week or two during fly 
time, place a pan or kettle of live coals in it, 
throw on a tablespoonful of sulphur, and close 
tightly for a few hours; or the meat may be 
packed in cut straw or oats before the flies 
appear. 
SUMMER. 
IF. L. H., New York. —When does Summer 
end? 
Ans. — Astronomically Summer includes 
the time between tbo vernal and autumnal 
equinoxes, or from about June 21 to about 
September 22. The calender Summer, how¬ 
ever, comprises, in the United States, the 
months of June, July and August, and iu 
Kuglaud May, Juuoand July. In the south¬ 
ern hemisphere the summer months are De¬ 
cember, January and February according to 
the American wuy of regarding the seasons; 
or November, December and January, ac¬ 
cording to the English method. Between the 
tropics there is no Summer properly so called, 
that is, no specially hot season, though the 
hottest times are those when the sun passes 
the zenith at noon; which at the equator will 
correspond to the vernal and autumnal equi¬ 
noxes. The “Indian Summer” is a period of 
warm, pleasuut weather, which usually oc¬ 
curs every year over the northern portion of 
the United States, and continues, often with¬ 
out interruption, for r.wo or three weeks. This 
seasou is more decidedly noticeable In the in¬ 
terior than near the coast; and in the region 
of the great lakes it is especially remarkable, 
the waters, during its continuance, remaining 
placid, while the atmosphere is filled with a 
peculiar haziness. 
PRICES OF FERTILIZERS. 
G.L., New Alexandria, Pa. —Two brands 
of superphosphate analyze as follows:—No. 1, 
available phosphoric acid, 10 to 12 per cent.; 
insoluble, 2J-£ to 8'^ per cent.; ammonia, 2% 
to8>^ per cent.; potash, 2% to 3K per cent. 
No. 2, available phosphoric acid', six to eight 
perccut;ammouia, l^to two per cent.; pot¬ 
ash, 1 bj to two per cent. No 1 sells for $0 more 
per tou than No. 2, which is the cheaper to 
sow with wheat? 
Ans. —No. 1 1ms of available phosphoric 
acid four per cent, more; insoluble phosphoric 
acid, three per cent, more; ammonia, \% per 
cent, more, and of potash \% per cent, more 
thun No. 2. At the prices for these ingredi¬ 
ents in the market, thefift pounds of available 
phosphoric acid which No. 1 contains in excess, 
would be worth $7.20; the till extra pounds of 
insoluble phosphoric acid would bo worth $3; 
the 35 extra pounds of ammonia would be 
worth $0.30, and the 85 pounds of potash 
would be worth $1.75, so thut its total value 
in excess of No. 2 would bo $18 25. No. 1 
would be worth $36 00, w'ith freight added. If 
selling for more than this, it would be too 
high, although even then its use might pay. 
keeping sheep. 
Mrs. J. A. S., III. —1. Sheep are my de¬ 
light; I wish to keep a small flock; will it pay 
me to keep Shropshire's, aud if so, who has 
them in Illinois f 2. Will they eoruo within 
my means? 3. Would it pay me to keep a 
male for as few as a half dozen fenmles ? 
Ans. —1. If you wish to keep the sheep 
merely for mutton and wool, we hardly think 
it would pay you to buy pure bred animals. 
But if you could keep a small flock of thorough¬ 
breds of this breed, and sell the progeny for 
breeding purposes, then it probably would 
pay. The Shropshire men art very unmind¬ 
ful of their own interests in not letting it be 
kuowu that they have such stock for sale. 2. 
The price of thoroughbred Shropshires would 
probably vary from $15 to $50each, according 
to tineuess of blood. 3. That all depends upon 
the purpose for which you keep (hem, if merely 
as a common Hock for mutton und wool, prob¬ 
ably uot. You can raise some very fine mut¬ 
ton sheep by buying good Merino grade ewes 
and using a thoroughbred Shropshire male. 
Miscellaneous. 
& K. P., Cleveland, Ohio, —For a man who 
is rather weakly aud desirous of escaping the 
severity ot northern Winters, would Texas be 
a good State to make his home, or would a 
place further north, say Tennessee, be equally 
desirable? 2. Which is the more profitable, 
horse breeding or mule breeding, as a business? 
Ans. —1. What is meant by “weakly?” If 
j a tendency to consumption, a high, dry sec- 
