JI193E 27 
436 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
[Every query must be accompanied by theaame 
an .1 address of the writer to insure attention. Before 
a 3 kiu£ a question, please see if it is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
at one. tltne.l _ 
SCOURS IN COWS. 
J. M.. Nunda, N. Y.—l have a cow that 
two weeks after being turned to grass, was 
attacked with scours. She is failing off in 
milk and flesh. I gave her a quart of liuseed 
oil, but she does not seem any better; what 
shall I now do for her? 
Ans.—D iarrhea, or “scours'' in cattle may 
be the result of one or more of several causes, 
and the treatment should vary according to 
the cause. First, it. is often an effect of irri¬ 
tants, such as the rank grass of marsh lands, 
wet. sloppy grass, excess of graiD or liuseed, 
change from dry to green food. Second, it is 
frequently the result of disordered digestion, 
in which case the food without having been 
acted upon by the gastric “juices,” en¬ 
ters the intestines as an irritaut. Third, it Is 
often caused by disorder of the liver and pan¬ 
creas, their abnormal secretions also acting 
as an irritant to the intestinal tube ; and, 
fourth, it is an attendant on malignant 
catarrh, tuberculosis, pleuro-pnenmonia, etc., 
etc. It would therefore be mere quackery to 
prescribe a general “cure” for this ailment. 
The actual or probable cause should be men¬ 
tioned by those seeking information, to en¬ 
able us to fit our answer to the particular 
case. In all cases, however, the amount of 
food should be diminished, the quantity of 
water limited, and exercise be discontinued 
until the proper action of the bowels is ob¬ 
tained it will be noticed tbat irritants are 
the most common causes. The best treatment 
in such cases is to give a pint of linseed oil to 
remove any crude, irritant matter in the in¬ 
testines Then make a mixture of one pound 
of salt, eight ounces of carbonate of soda and 
one pound of prepared charcoal. Mix them 
well together and give a handful in meal at 
each feed. Continue until the ailment is re¬ 
lieved. If auy of the other causes above 
mentioned exists, it should, of course, be re¬ 
moved. 
FRUIT QUERIES. 
Mrs. A. P., Milton Corners, N. 11.— 1. Three 
years ago I planted some apple trees. Soon 
after plauting 1 noticed od one a small spot 
on which the bark looked depressed and dead, 
and since then spots have appeared on half of 
the trees, and where they have spread nearly 
around, the trees have been killed. Is the 
trouble bark blight, and will it spread to the 
sound trees if the affected ones are allowed to 
remain; and will they ever be worth anything 
if left? 2. Moore’s Arctic Plum winter-killed 
badly last Winter, some killing root and 
branch. Is there a hardier plum that is as 
good? 8. What is the Canada plum called in 
the catalogues? It is hardy here. 4. If the 
affected parts on limb-blighted apple trees be 
cut away, will the trees be saved? 5. Will 
the Russian fruits be for sale by nurserymen 
soou? If as good as represented, they will be 
a great blessing to us in ihe cold North. Those 
Winters that have no souw till after mid-win¬ 
ter are the hardest on our fruit trees. 
Ans.— 1. From the brief description we 
should think your trees were either sun- 
scalded or injured by being bruised, perhaps 
while in packing boxes. The trouble is not 
contagious, but it is better to replace the in¬ 
jured trees by new ones. 2. Moore’s Arctic 
has the reputation of being quite hardy, as 
has also the Lombard. You might try Green 
Gage, Long Scarlet and St. Martin. Are 
there no old plum trees iu your vicinity? If 
so, plant those varieties. .5, We know of no 
such plum. 4. Yes; if cut away below the 
affected part, and as soon as it shows. 5. As 
soon as tested. It is best not to bo in too 
much of a hurry, at least not enough so as to 
buy everything labeled “Russian.” There are 
wolves about already wearing that sheep’s 
clothes; so be wary. 
ABOUT STRAWBERRIES. 
R. S. G., Uniontoion, la .—What is the 
average yield of strawberries per acre, and 
what the approximate value of an average 
crop? 2. What a re the best kinds to plant for 
profit and for a succession in ripeuiDg? 
ANS.—l.The average yield per acre of straw¬ 
berries is almost anywhere from 500 to 8,000 
quarts, so much depends on the system of 
culture and the varieties planted; but to give 
a more definite answer, we will say that under 
the ordinary methods of field culture, 2,000 
quarts per acre is about the general average; 
THE BUBAL HEW-Y0BKEB. 
but with liberal manuring and thorough and 
clean culture, the yield is usually from 5.000 
to 0,000 quarts per aere,aud sometimes as high 
as 8,000 quarts. The value of the crop de¬ 
pends wholly on the market and. size of the 
fruit. Taking the country over, 10 cents per 
quart is about the average price. The small 
country towns are the best markets, or at 
least they are the ones that can ho depended 
on for a more uuiform price. 2. As to vari¬ 
eties, it is almost impossible to name a full 
list that will do well in every section of the 
country: but at the present time, probably 
the most profitable market sorts are Manches¬ 
ter, Crescent, Miner, Windsor Chief and Sharp¬ 
less, and the old Wilson Albany, if the froit 
must be shipped a long distance. Why do not 
our friends retain copies of our Special Num¬ 
bers and of issues containing a great deal of 
special information on particular subjects? This 
question was fully answered by the most ex¬ 
tensive and successful strawberry growers 
everywhere, in the Rural “Strawberry and 
Raspberry Election” iu the issue of April 11. 
It takes time, trouble aud “tin” to publish 
such information, aud the least our friends 
can do is to read, ponder aud inwardly digest 
what is so painstakingly placed before them. 
TREATMENT OF YOUNG TURKEYS. 
Mrs. T, B., Freeport, L. 1 .—How should 
turkeys batched uuder a hen be treated till 
four weeks old ? 
Ans. —Before hatching, the heu and nest 
should be thoroughly dusted with buhacb or 
insect powder, so as to detroy all insects. 
After hatching, she should be confined for 
two weeks in a roomy coop having a board 
floor, aud, of course, so made that the turkeys 
can have a free run. They should be fed at 
first on curds made of sour milk, and have an 
occasional hard boiled egg, also a little bread 
crumbs, or, better than the last, mix flour and 
fine corn-meal, equal parts, into a thick dough 
with new milk, and bake it into loaves, giving 
the birds these broken fine. When two weeks 
old they may' be allowed to run at large dur¬ 
ing dry days and be fed as above, with the 
addition of a little broken corn and wneat 
screenings. Sour milk is always a fine addi¬ 
tion to their food. If young turkeys are al¬ 
lowed to sit on the damp ground, they take 
rheumatism, and their legs grow out of shape. 
death to the canker-worm. 
A. G, Fan H„ Zeeland , Mich. —1. One of 
my neighbors has an orchard badly infested 
with worms resembling currant worms, which 
eat the leaves, and when the tree is jarred 
they* spiu down by thousands. They have 
now been there for five years and the trees 
look as though tire had been through them: 
what are they? 2. Will putting a circle of 
coal-tar about the trunks of the trees be of 
any service, aud would it injure the trees? 3. 
What else can we do? 
Ans. —1. This is either the true canker 
worm or the elm-tree winter moth. They are 
very much alike, only the canker-worms usu¬ 
ally come from the ground and lay their eggs 
in the Spring; the others lay theirs in the Fall 
and on warm days in Winter. In both, the 
females are wingless and ascend the trees by 
crawling, and may be caught by applying a 
paper baud around the trees, and on this ap¬ 
plying printer’s ink. 2. Coal-tar would in¬ 
jure the tree if applied directly to the bark, 
and, besides, it hardens too quickly to be re¬ 
commended. 3. The best way to rid the or¬ 
chard of either, as they both are to be treated 
in the same way, is to procure a Field force 
pump aud a short section of hose and a good 
spraying nozzle: place a tank on a wagon or 
sled, and to the cover or top firmly attach 
the pump: fill the tank with water, and to 
every 40 gallons add a quarter of a pound of 
pure Paris-green, and stir thoroughly, and 
with this water spray the orchard, taking 
pains to do it well. It is certain death to the 
worms, but you must be careful in using it, 
as it is certain death to everything else tbat 
eats it. 
PITTING CABBAGES AND POTATOES, ETC. 
.1. F. P., Falls City, Neb. —1. How can I 
kill the striped bug and cut-worm on water¬ 
melons? 2. What is the best way to bury 
cabbages and potatoes? 
Ans.— Buhach will destroy striped bugs. 
The difficulty is in reaching them, they get so 
under the vines; but with a Clyelone Nozzle it 
can be done. Cut-worms can be killed early, 
before any plants have come up, by poisoning 
with Paris-green sprinkled on cabbage’leuves 
or clover,if these are thrown about the ground. 
The only way to destroy them now is to dig 
them out aud pinch their beads. 2. Cabbages 
should be placed iu a trench, close together 
with heads down, with a slight covering of 
earth, leaves or straw. Freezing dees not 
hurt them. Potatoes should be placed iu pits, 
and if tljp ground is dry, these should be dug 
considerably below the surface. They should 
be peaked up sharp and covered with eight 
inches of straw, six inches of dirt, then an¬ 
other foot of straw, and eight inches of dirt. 
Horse manure is excellent for the last cover¬ 
ing. Of course, they must not freeze. It is a 
good plan to ventilate the pits for a few days . 
when first, covered, with pieces of tile or a 
hoard tube four inches square. When cold 
weather comes, pull these out, fill the holes 
with straw and cover with earth. 
SWELLING IN HORSE’S BELLY. 
E. J. G., Penn Yann,N. F.—Three months 
ago a swelling, very hard and nearly a foot 
across, appeared under the belly of a young 
horse. After having been probed several 
times, it began to emit a very thick, yellowish 
matter. The animal continued to eat well, 
but got very poor. Iu time the swelling went 
down, but thin, yell w water has kept running 
from it. The horse appears to be in good 
health, but cannot stand much work; wbat 
should be the treatment? 
Ans.—I f the discharge comes from a cir¬ 
cumscribed cavity, have it laid open aud 
searched for a foreign body. Should any be 
found, remove it, and wash the sore, twice 
daily, with a weak solution of carbolic acid 
(acid one part, water 100 parts). If nothing is 
found, or if the discharge is from the general 
surface, it is probably an anasarcous swelling 
flue to general debility. Give four drams of 
Barbadoes aloes with one ouuee of giDger. 
Then, twice daily, four drams of nitrate of 
potash, two drams of chlorate of potash, one 
ounce of cinchona and four drams of gentian. 
Also use the carbolic acid wash. 
diptheria in poultry. 
R. M., KdwardsvUU, PI .—The throats of my 
hens are swollen, aud when they breathe they 
gasp. They can’t shut their beaks, nor can 
they eat. Yellow fungus like matter was 
found in the throat of a dead bird; what is 
the matter? 
Ans —Diptheria is the matter, due probably 
to a cold caused by change of weather, or to 
dampness, or to disorder of the blood, helped, 
if not produced, by feeding too much com. 
Corn alone will not suffice as feed for poultry. 
They should also have some oats, wheat bran 
in the form of a mush, and vegetables, with 
scraps of meat now and then. Treat them as 
follows:—Dissolve a teaspooufol of chlorate of 
potash iu half a pint of water. Dip a feather 
in it aud swab the mouth and throat twice a 
day: then put a drop of the solution down 
the throat. Feed warm milk and bread. Care¬ 
fully wash the feather,or better, take another, 
before operating on another fowl, and do not 
foul the solution. The disease is highly con¬ 
tagious. 
WATER POWER. 
' Subscriber, Adrain, Michigan.— 1. What 
power can I get from an overshot water 
wheel with eight foot fall and six solid inches 
of water? Where can I get information on 
cost and construction? 
ANS.— Your description of the water flow 
is not sufficiently exact for a definite answer. 
You do not say if it is a spill over a dam 
or only running water in a stream. The 
amount of discharge or its velocity and area 
should be given, with the amount of fall, 
which, as you say, may be eight feet. If the 
solid six-inch stream is a spill over a dam, six 
inches deep and six inches wide, you may uti¬ 
lize oue-and-six-temhs horse power with eight 
feet fall. If the spill is wider, say one foot, 
then you may double the above power aud so 
on. If the solid six iuch stream is flowing in 
a bed, we must know the velocity per second 
or minute to give an answer. We think that 
you will find a millwright in some of the 
neighboring milling towns, tbat is capable 
of constructing an overshot wheel auitaLde for 
your stream and wants. Turbines are so uni¬ 
versally used now that we think you will do 
well to address James Leffel & Co., Spring- 
field, Ohio, who manufacture aud put up 
small turbines to run under heads of three 
feet aud upwards. 
SMALL FRUIT QUERIES. 
H. W. G., UpsomvUle, Pa. —1. How many 
“perfeetf’-floweriog strawherries should he set 
with 1,0UU pistil la tes to fertilize them in tbo 
matted-row system? 2. For how many years 
can a field of straw berries be cultivated with 
profit, without replanting, where the runners 
have been cut off? 8. When will raspberries 
planted on May 12 need pruning? 
Ans.— 1. The general rule is about one row 
of perfect flowering to every five or six of 
pistillate; but for the most perfect results it 
is better to make every third row of perfoet- 
flowering sorts. 3. If free from weeds and 
well manured, the field may be kept uuder 
strawberries from three to five years; but, as 
the cost of cleaning out the beds after fruiting 
time is often more than that of starting a new 
plantation, many of the best market growers 
pick only one crop, and then plow under, 
having a new bed coming on for the next sea¬ 
son’s crop. 3. Spring planting of raspberries 
should be pinched back as soon as the new 
growth reaches 15 to 18 inches in hight. This 
will cause the canes to branch freely, and to 
grow strong and stocky, so as to require no 
staking. No further pruning will be required 
till early next Spring,before the buds swell. 
LAMENESS IN A COW. 
W. B. M„ Saukville, Wis.— One of my cows 
is quite lame on the left hind leg, which she 
cannot use at all. The lameness began in 
February, when all the legs were more or less 
affected, but finally it settled in the stifle joint 
of the hind leg. We thought the trouble 
originally* due to straining ou the snow. She 
eats well, hut is in poor condition: what should 
be the treatment ? 
Ans.— If there is inflammation in the joint, 
uso cooliug lotions, such as spirits of wiue, two 
ounces; water, one pint; mix. Another, 
spirits of wine, two ounces; acetate of ammo¬ 
nia, four ounces; water, one pint; mix. A 
linen bandage should be applied to the part 
and be kept constantly wet with the mixture, 
or it may be applied with moderate friction. 
The use of the lotion should be persisted iu. 
When the inflammation has subsided, use the 
following stimulant: Soap liniment, eight 
ounces; solution of ammonia,one ounce; tinct¬ 
ure of opium, three ounces: mix, and apply 
twice a day with moderate friction. If there 
is constipation, a laxative should now and 
then be administered. 
LAMENESS FROM SORE SHOULDER IN A HORSE. 
V. IF. K., Mill Village, Pa.— My horse is 
lame, owing to a soreness in the shoulder. 
Pressure on the place causes pain. Before 
getting lame, she bad to pull very hard for 
some time. Wbat should be the treatment? 
Ans.— Rub the shoulder well with any good 
liniment, or with a mixture of sweet oil and 
ammonia. Continue the rubbing for 15 or 20 
minutes, so that as much as possible of the liu- 
imeut may* be absorbed. Generally, when 
shoulder lameness is due to heavy drawing, 
violent tugging or galloping on hard roads, 
rest, fomentation and a light dose of medicine 
will suffice. If the lameness continues after 
the imflannnatory symptoms have subsided, 
use the following liDimenl: Linseed oil, one 
pint; chloric ether, one ounce; oil of cedar, 
balf an ounce; mix, and apply to the shoulder 
night and morning. 
WARTS ON COWS’ TEATS. 
D. H. B., FarmersvUle, Mass.—W hat is the 
best method of ridding a cow’s teats of warts? 
Ans.—I f the warts ore raised above the 
surface sufficiently, tie around them a ligature 
of silk, or even a horse hair will answer the 
purpose, and in a few days they will drop off. 
If not of this kind, touch them daily with a 
piece of Dltrate of silver moistened, or with a 
little of this iu solution. Nitric acid applied 
to the surface of the wart will also prove 
effectual. Of course, iu applying any caustic 
substance, care must be taken that it be not 
allowed to reach the surrounding skin, and if 
it eats too deep, it can be at once stopped by 
the application of any grease. We have seen 
warts removed by applying, after each milk¬ 
ing, a paste of baking soda just moist enough 
to be sticky, and put ou the exeresence only. 
OYSTER SHELLS, 
Inquirer, AmexUle, Pa, —1. What are the 
constituents of oyster shells? 2. Would a com¬ 
position of equal parts lime, ground oyster 
shells aud ground limestone, 400 pounds per 
acre, be a good fertilizer for gardens or grain? 
Ans —We have answered this question 
mauy times of late; it seems to us as though 
every one must have it committed to memory. 
Oyster shells are almost pure carbonate of 
lime, and worth only a little more than ground 
limestone. 2 The lime, by which is probably 
meant burned lime, is caustic, and the most 
soluble and therefore worth more than the 
others. On some lands an application of it 
would pay, and others not, and no one can tell 
till it is tried. 
BURNT HONES, ETC. 
11. £& II., Lawrence, Texas.— 1. What is the 
best way to burn bones iu large quantity? 2. 
Wlmt is the best method of pulverizing them 
after burning? 8. Wbat is the address'of 
parties having the Japanese Plum? 
Ans.— 1. It depends upon the available fuel. 
They can be mixed through a log heap, the 
whole to be covered with a light coveriug of 
sods or soil, or they can be laid up with cord 
wood into a compact pile, or with coal, and 
the same covered with earth or sods. 2. Lay 
them on a floor, or hard, smooth plot of 
ground, and break them with a hammer or 
maul, or an old ax will answer. 8. J. Lusk & 
Son, Oakland, Cal. 
CLEANING A CHIMNEY, 
II. S., Mile Point, West Fa.—Is there any 
machine for cleaning soot from chimneys 
without goiug upon the building? 
Ans. —Wc know of no such implement. If 
the chimney is sound, it can be done by burn¬ 
ing ft small bundle of loose, dry straw in its 
lower end; but this is a little daugerous and 
should never be attempted except after a rain 
when the roof is thoroughly wet. The best 
A 
