316 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
MAYS 
0D£ri}tt)hm. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Iowa. 
Wellman, Washington County, April 20, 
1885.—The weather was flue all Spring, with 
but little rain, until last week, w hen we had 
our spring rains. On account of the recent 
downpour, the season will be later than last 
year. All wheat has been sowed and a few 
oats. A broader acreage of wheat is being 
sown than for several years on accouut of the 
heavy yield last year. A large amount of the 
farm land has been seeded, and the farmers 
have gone into stock We have a creamery 
which makes from 800 to 1,000 pounds of but¬ 
ter per day, and pays 15 cents per inch, or 80 
cents per gallon, for cream. Cows are worth 
$30 to §40; calves (coming yearlings), >10 to 
§18; horses, §100 to $125; hogs, $8 80 to 14.00 
per cwt.; corn, 32 to 35 cents; oats, 35 cents; 
wheat (sold as seed), $1; potatoes, 30 cents 
apples, $1 25 to $1.50, K. I. d. 
Maryland. 
Westover, Somerset Co., April 27.—We 
have had one week of delightful weather, 
though rather dry uutil to-day. A fine rain, 
which we have just had, ba$ driven all anxiety 
from the minds of the farmers, at least for 
the present. It has beeu quite warm, the 
mercury having reached 80 deg. in the shade. 
Fruit trees are in full bloom and 1 never saw 
the bloom more profuse upon them, and it 
will have to be a late freeze indeed that can 
do them any injury now. Corn planting has 
commenced, and those of our farmers who 
raise musk-melons for market have the seed 
planted. Live-stock have come out of winter- 
quarters looking well, as a rule, and are now 
on pasture. s c. s. 
Michigan. 
Eaton Rapids, Eaton Co., April 27.—The 
seeds that have been sown are doing finely. 
The Spring is late, but the past 10 days have 
been fine. A large per cent, of the fruit buds 
and the wood is injured; but some trees are 
commencing to blossom. We are still hoping 
for a fruitful year. s. r. f. 
New York. 
Johnstown, Fulton County.—We have 
had a bad, cold Spring, and a very cold Win¬ 
ter. Of the Rural seeds, Borne did well, and 
some froze before they got ripe. The peas 
were splendid, but the tomatoes froze before 
any were ripe. The Union Corn did not do 
very well; it grew about eight feet high, but 
the ears were small, and some did not get ripe. 
The flowers were flne. G. m. b. 
Tennessee. 
Sadlersvjllk, Robertson Co., April 12.— 
Tobacco and wheat are the leading articles 
from which the farmers in this section receive 
their money; but I think there are few coun¬ 
tries where stock raising and creameries would 
do better. The first creamery I know of in 
this section, outside of Nashville, is now being 
founded iu Clarksville, Tent), near here. Our 
country is well watered aud all the grasses 
grow splendidly, aud during the last 10 years 
our farmers have learned that it pays well to 
sow clover. There are, however, a few enter¬ 
prising men who are now engaged in rearing 
fine stock, among whom I would mention Col. 
A. G. Goodlet and Messrs, Thomas & Draue: 
These gentleman deal extensively in Jerseys 
aud Short-horns and reside in Clarksville,Tenn, 
Here, and also iu Southern Kentucky wheat 
will barely make half a crop at best. That on 
fallow and tobacco lands, with a favorable 
season from this on, will make half a crop 
while that on corn land is almost a total fail¬ 
ure. About 10 per cent of our wheat lauds 
have been seeded in oats. Our farmers are 
now busy planting corn aud preparing tobacco 
land. A large acreage of the latter will be 
planted this season, as the market, during this 
aud last year, has been firmer than for some 
time past. This crop requires a great deal of 
hard labor, and farmers often get very far be¬ 
hind with their fallowing in July and August, 
owing entirely to the busy season of worming 
suckeringund housing this much abused weed. 
I think a new era is near at hand and before 
long 1 may be able to relate to you the success 
or failure of this section as a stock growing 
and butter-making county. w. h. h, 
Texas. 
Circlevillk, Williamson Co., April 20.— 
There is a fine prospect for pur crops now. 
Wheat is almost ready to head; so are oats. 
Corn is growing nicely. Cotton is coming up; 
but corn has not yet received its first, plowing 
as the ground stays too wet; it is raining now 
and it will be a woek before work can go od. 
I have planted all our garden, and have eatin 
radishes and lettuce. Grub worms are destroy¬ 
ing a great deal of the garden. The Cleveland 
R. N.-Y. Peas are blooming. The Market 
Garden promises to be very desirable. The 
Prince of Wales and Stratagem do not show 
yet what they will be. The Thousand-fold 
ltye Btood the Winter and promised well, but 
was plowed up by mistake. The C. B. D. -M. 
Wheat is doing nicely. The Black Champion 
Oats winter-killed, but were, I’m satisfied, 
good oats. The R. N.-Y. tomatoes are large 
healthy plants ready to transplant; the stems 
are large with good healthy roots. I antici¬ 
pate much pleasure from them this Summer. 
N. M. 
Wisconsin, 
Cassville, Grant Co., April 14.—We are 
having very wet weather. Very little grain 
has been sown yet. Considerable flax will be 
sown this year, and some of our farmers are 
also fixing for raising tobacco. Spring wheat 
did well last year, and there will be quite a 
a quantity sown this Spring. There will be 
less oats than usual, as prices are low. There 
is not so much grain sold now as there used to 
be; farmers are feeding more. The past has 
been a hard Winter on fruit; apple trees that 
were thought to be hardy are injured, and my 
Snyder Blackberries are killed to the snow 
line. Cherry trees badly used up: the Gregg 
Raspberry is all right. J. a. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
I Every query must T>e ftceoro pained by i tie name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking a question, nleaae see If U Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
at one timed 
THUMPS: HIDE BOUND. 
& It. C., Dexter , Ark. — My horse has 
‘•thumps,” and appears to be hide-bound, 
what shall I do for him.' 
Ans —The causes of "thumps’” in horses 
are, indigestion; some blood diseases; excite¬ 
ment or sudden fright in highly fed or irreg¬ 
ularly worked horses. Often it arises from 
functional disorder of the heart. Symptoms: 
violent beating or palpitation of the heart, 
with abrupt jarring thumps aud jerking mo¬ 
tion of the abdomen; excited eyes, and rapid 
breathing. If the heating is heavy, prolonged 
and unequal, with a red mucous membrane 
and a swelling of the limbs, the symptoms 
generally indicate structural heart disease. 
Treatment; keep the animal quiet for some 
time, during which a regular course of seda- 
tivesand tonics should be administered. These 
consist of 15-grain doses of digitalis given 
three times a day for a week, and then half a 
dram of iodide of iron with four drams of 
powdered gentian root given daily. The feed¬ 
ing should be nutritious and easily digested; 
for instance, ground or crushed oats, sound 
hay, aud, once a day, two quarts of linseed 
steeped in hot water for 12 hours, alternately 
with two quarts of wheat bran. Hide-bound 
is rather a symptom of disease than a disease 
itself. It rarely oecursin any horse except one 
iu very poor condition owing to the bad qual¬ 
ity or insufficient quantity of food aud hard 
usage; impaired digestion due to these causes, 
is the most common cause of the ailment; 
but it is also a frequent accompaniment, to 
a greater or less degree, of big head, glanders, 
grease, farcy, founder, distemper, sweeny, 
big shoulder, lock-jaw, consumption and 
chronic dysentery. Formerly it was generally 
attributed to worms iu the stomach and intes¬ 
tines, but uow this is thought an error, as the 
presence of worms, when they are found, is 
due to the same cause that produces hide¬ 
bound—generally mal-uutritiou, impaired di¬ 
gestion, or some functional disorder. In an aui- 
mal suffering from it, the skin instead of be¬ 
ing soft, pliant and glossy as in a horse iu 
good condition, is dry and hard, adhering 
tightly to the ribs, legs and neck—-Indeed to 
almost all parts of the body—it cannot bo 
caugbt up in folds with the hand. At times it 
is scurfy. Before treating the ailment, great 
care should be taken to ascertain to what 
special disease it is due, aud then that disease 
should be treated. As the geueral health im¬ 
proves, the coat will assume its natural sleek 
appearance and soft, pliant feel. If no par¬ 
ticular disease is detected, the treatment 
should be addressed to the digestive organs, 
which must be restored to a healthy condition. 
It is best to begin by bettering the treatment 
iu every way. Give gentle exercise instead 
of excessive labor. In Winter house uud 
clothe warmly; carry daily, rubbing briskly 
with a good brush or coarse cloth. During 
the pasture season, let the animal run on 
good grass during the day; butstable at night 
in a clean building and give a generous feed 
of bran, oats or moistened bran and chopped 
hay. Mix with the night aud morning feed the 
following alterative: powdered sassafras bark, 
three ounces; sulphur, three ounces; salt three 
ounces; blood-root, two ounces; balinony, two 
ounces; oatmeal,one pound. Mix aud divide in¬ 
to 12 doses. The first object should be to restore 
the regular action of the digestive organs by 
a generous diet, green and succulent when 
possible; but at any rate nutritious, without 
being inflammatory. Cleanliness and regular 
friction of the hide will then do more than 
medicine. In the above case there is little 
doubt but thumps and hide-bound are both 
due to a poor condition of the system brought 
about by hard work, exposure, innutritious 
or insufficient food. In such a case the reme¬ 
dies for both are plain. 
DIARRHEA IN CA.LVES. 
J. P. C., Schoharie, iV. Y .—For the last two 
or three years many calves iu this neigh* 
borhood, at first active and apparently all 
right, when a few days, and iu some cases only 
a few hours old, are taken with severe diar¬ 
rhea; the eyes settle back into the head, the 
nose and even the mouth become cold and 
clammy, and nearly all die withiu a day or two. 
Some apparently all right sicken and die with¬ 
in 12 hours. In previous years they have 
frothed at the mouth, and in the last stages 
have appeared to be in great agony, but this 
year most of them die without a struggle. 
What ails them, what is the remedy and what 
a preventive ? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. F. L. KILBORNE. 
This is apparautly similar to a disease, 
affecting young calves, that has prevailed 
jn parts of Delaware, Sullivan and ad¬ 
jacent counties iu New York for a few years. 
Of the cause and consequently the preventives 
little is known. From the way in which the 
disease spreads and manifests itself it is be¬ 
lieved to be contagious. Like other actively 
fatal diseases in which the cause is unknown, 
treatment is ouly partially successful. Dr. 
James Law has quite successfully treated sever¬ 
al herds with alkalies (sulphite or hyposulphite 
of soda, calomel and chalk, lime water) and 
artisceptlca (carbolic acid aud the above.) 
Thoroughly mix one part of calomel with 12 
parts of chalk, and give three to four grains, 
three or four times daily, or oftener if neces¬ 
sary. Also give five to eight drops of carbolic 
acid, diluted in water, three times daily. If 
the calves are fed by hand, add a tablespoon¬ 
ful or two of lime water to the milk each 
time. Feed in small quantities and often. 
Keep the calves in clean, dry, airy pens, the 
walls of which should be whitewashed. If the 
dose of calomel and chalk does not check the 
diarrhea, try dram doses of hyposulphite of 
soda several times daily. It might also 
prove advantageous to give the cows half¬ 
dram doses ol’ carbolic acid daily for 
a week before and after calving. 
VETERINARY QUERIES. 
II. M., Forest City, III.*— 1. On the inside of 
the hock joint of my uged mare is a hard en¬ 
largement that pains her considerably at 
times; what should bo done for her? 2. She 
has a habit of rearing and throwing herself 
when being girthed with saddle girth or har¬ 
ness belly-band; how cau she be cured of this 
habit ! 8. One Of my horses has what is called 
"fits.” He jerks his head up and down, aud 
if loose in the lot, he whirls round, runs, then 
whirls round again till he falls down; then ho 
turns his mouth up aud so remains a few 
minutes; tbeu gets up and eats, and acts as if 
nothing hud happened. The spells seem more 
frequent iu Spring than at any other time; 
what should be the treatment ? 
Ans. —1. This is a bone spavin. The lame¬ 
ness may be relieved by cold water applica¬ 
tions followed by the use of some active 
liniment. 2. This bad habit is exceedingly 
dangerous. To prevent it. use a short martin¬ 
gale fastened to the girth, which will hold 
her bead down aud prevent her from rearing. 
A horse was once cured of this habit by jerk¬ 
ing the bridle quickly as it was rearing and 
bringing him sharply flat on his back, which 
surprised him so thut he never reared again. 
3. The disease is known as megrims, and is 
caused by disorder of the brain, possibly re¬ 
sulting from disease of the heart or digestive 
organs. As the cause cannot be indicated 
without more knowledge of the case, it would 
be well to consult a veterinary surgeon. Re¬ 
lief might be found from laxative medicine 
uud food, and light feeding. 
anasarca in a mare. 
O. S., Vermontville, Mich .—One of the hind 
legs of my 14-year-old mare became swollen 
to a great size and very painful last July. In 
September one of the fore legs also became 
swollen. When driving, the swelling on the 
front leg goes down; but that on the bind 
does not. About a fortnight ago the find log 
swelled more than usual, and the swelling 
broke in two places above the knee, discharg¬ 
ing a thin fluid, and where this touches the 
leg, the hair comes off ? 
Ans. —The disease is anasarca cuusid by 
disordered blood. The treatment should be to 
give a pint of raw liuseed oil aud repeat it 
in two days. Then give iu the morning two 
drums of chlorate of potash and one dram of 
powdered gentian root; aud iu the eveiling 
one ounce of sweet spirits of niter; continue 
these for two or three weeks. Feed bran 
mash and upply to the swollen parts a solu¬ 
tion of one dram of chloride of ziuc in a quart 
of water. 
GARUETED TEAT; PERIOD OF GESTATION. 
O’. 11. li. Niagara, D. T .—What ails my 
seveu-year old cow? In one of her teats 
there is a lump which prevents her from milk¬ 
ing freely; and the milk from that teat, is 
thick and hitter and imparts a bitter taste to 
the rest.. 2. What is the period of gestation 
of a cow, mare, sheep, sow? 
Ans. —The trouble is garget or inflamma¬ 
tion of the udder. The cow should be dried 
off, as the milk is not fit for use, and the thick 
matter is dangerously unwholesome. Do this 
cautiously. Bathe the udder with warm 
water and wipe it dry; then rub in camphor¬ 
ated soap liniment mixed with an equal por¬ 
tion of ether. 
The average periods of gestation are, cow, 
285 days for cow calves aud about five days 
longer for male?: mare, about 340days; sheep 
150 days: and pigs 120 days. The periods vary 
considerably at times either way from the 
average. 
CORN COB ASHES AS A FERTILIZER. 
K. A. 11., Alvin, Neb. —1. Uow much potash 
do the ashes of corn-cobs contain? 2. Would 
they be a valuable fertilizer for onions on vir¬ 
gin prairie soil? If so, when and how should 
they be applied; our main dependence for fuel 
is corn-cobs, and we make large quantites of 
ashes? 
Ans. —1. Nearly ouo-half, 47 per cent., is pot¬ 
ash, 'Abas is why our grandmothers used them 
for biscuit-making. 2. These ashes area very 
valuable manure for any purpose, and should 
be carefully saved. They may be sown 
broadcast aud harrowed in, or they may be 
sown along the rows soon after sowing the 
seed, so that the rain shall wash the potash 
into the soil. 
BIG JAW IN CATTLE. 
E. C. 11, Redjield, Dakota. —is big jaw in 
cattle curable? 
Ans. —It has been cured in the early stages 
by continued doses of one ounce of hyposul¬ 
phite of soda daily, but as a rule it is incur¬ 
able. It consists of fibrous degeneracy of 
the bone, which leads to necrosis, suppuration 
and final destruction of the jaw. 
- - >41 - - 
Miscellaneous. 
J. W. R., Worthington, Minn.—A cow in 
trying to cross a piece of ice fell with her 
hind legs spread out. She probably laid there 
an hour or more before she was fouud. She 
could not get up with help so she was hauled 
to the barn. She tried to get up but until we 
tied her legs together she would straddle right 
out aguin every time, but since that she will 
get up far enough to get over on the other side, 
but can’t stand up. She ia rather poor but 
stout and hearty, five years old. What ought 
we to have done for her or is there any help 
for her now? 
Ans.—I t is possible that the pelvis is frac¬ 
tured. This may be known by causing her to 
move and listening for any grating sound. 
The ouly thing to be done is to keep her still 
to give the bone a chance to unite, or if the 
muscles are sprained only, to recover strength. 
Feed moderately and give plenty of bran 
mash. 
It. S. C., Harman's Station, Va. —What 
ails a valuable draft horse of mine? He ap¬ 
pears in every way healthy, except that he 
has a habit of shaking his head every time he 
is hitched up, os if trying to shake something 
out of his ears. He also rubs his ears against 
any obstucle at hand, appearing iu much 
misery, so that he almost falls down in the 
harness when suffering from such attacks. 
They usually occur a few minutes alter start¬ 
ing. The trouble isn’t due to a badly fitting 
head-stall. 
Ans.—T he trouble is due to pressure on the 
brain aud vertigo caused either by chronic 
indigestion; heart disease; disorder of the 
liver or kidneys—which, it is impossible to 
say. Get the advice of u veterinary surgeon, 
as such a condition is dangerous not only to 
the horse but the driver. 
W. 11. II , Sadlersvllle, Tenn .—1. Iu fitting 
clover sod for tobacco to be planted iu May, 
is it better to plow early or to let the clover 
got a good start? 2. Is it advisable, in plant¬ 
ing as above, to use a small quantity of tobacco 
fertilizer about the pluut to give a quick 
start? 3. How can we get rid of sassafras 
bushes that are thick iu an old field, and do 
they come from seed or old rootsf 1. Would 
sassafras makegood fence posts? 
Anh.— 1. We should prefer to let the clover 
get a good start, because when plowed down, 
It will rot quickly and become uvuiluble just 
when most needed by the tobacco. 2. Yes; 
use euough to carry the plants uutil their 
roots get hold of the clover. 3. The only way 
is persistent cutting uutil the old roots become 
