and, if so, it ought to ba in good demand at 
the hotels, as well as for family use. As to 
rhubarb, 1 roust refer Mr. S. to home author¬ 
ities. For tea plants. Japan plums, and persim¬ 
mons, address P. J. Berckmans, Augusta,Ga., 
who can probably supply plants of all the 
varieties. The Japan plums that I met with 
last Spring were small (about the size of hick¬ 
ory nuts) golden yellow and highly esteemed 
by Floridians. I think in time and with 
practice I coold learn to like them. As canned 
fruit they would, I believe, be a pleasant 
dessert. The tree is very ornamental and is 
worth growing on this account alone. 
Of lilies I saw fine blooms of Longifloruiu 
at the residenoe of a lady at Rock Ledge. 
She had them growing in a box near the 
house (fearing to put them in the ground lest 
she might lose them), ami her care and atten¬ 
tion after two or three years were rewarded 
with the first blooms while I was there, and 
there was great rejoicing in that household 
and the neighbors far and near were invited 
to call and see the beauties. Well! they were 
fine. 
A Wisconsin lady at Cocoa, was making a 
specialty of clover and Timothy, sowing the 
seed, nursing and transplanting the young 
plants, in the hope of making a lawn of 
Northern grass about her door, and with her 
care and frequent watering, she was making 
good progress, and had good reasons to feel 
encouraged, notwithstanding the voluntary 
predictions of failure so freely offered on 
every hand. The Para and Johnson Grasses 
have been tried to some extent, and when 
more attention is paid to the subject, these and 
probably others will be found to succeed much 
better than experiments thus far would seem 
to indicate. I found a fine, large clover plant 
in an orange grove.that the plowman had torn 
loose with his plow. I was so glad to find 
this old acquaintance, that I called the atten¬ 
tion of the proprietor to it. He replied that 
he had seen it, but neither he nor his plowman 
was certain as to its identity. He was glad to 
have me recognize it, as he would like to see 
how it would do. I informed him that it would 
die, as it was then wilted, having been torn 
loose by the plow. He was sorry. I took it out 
(it had splendid roots), cut off the top, and 
planted it out near the well, where it could be 
kept well watered. When I came away a few 
weeks afterward, it was growing finely. I 
have.no doubt that time and experiment will 
demonstrate the fact that not only grasses, 
but other products will give to Florida agri¬ 
culture a much greater diversity of crops than 
the State is now credited with; and I would 
suggest that Rural subscribers in that State 
should supply, from their own personal knowl¬ 
edge and experience fuller information outlie 
foregoing topics, for the benefit of their 
less fortunate and inexperienced neighbors. 
KILLING AND CUBING PORK. 
J.L.S., Bishop, Kansas .—How are beef 
and pork cured in large packing houses ! What 
is a recipe for the preservative used, aud what 
time is allowed for curing and smoking / How 
is the preservative applied; What is used to 
coat the canvas in which the meat is soldi 
Ans. —In the lurge packing houses, the pig 
is transformed into pork almost before he is 
aware of it. The hog is driven into a pen 
where a boy fastens a clamp, something like 
a handcuff, to a hind leg, hooks it to a chain 
and touches a lever. The hog is then jerked 
by machinery down an inclined plane where 
the sticker awaits it. One quick turn of a 
knife severs the jugular vein, aud the animal, 
after a short bleeding, slides into the scalding 
vat. As it rises from that it passes by various 
meu aud machines, and turus up at last with 
the huir scraped off, and the entrails extracted. 
The animal never stops during the entire 
process, from the time it is caught until it 
slides into the cooling room cut up as pork. 
The hams, side pieces aud shoulders are cut 
aud trimmed to the proper shape. The heads 
and feet are either pickled or made into 
brawn or souse. The trimmings are rendered 
into lard. Nothing is lost, even the blood and 
offal going to the fertilizer factory. The meat 
after being allowed to become cold, and care¬ 
fully freed from blood, is placed in clean casks 
aud weighted to prevent its rising. A strong 
brine is then poured over it, care being taken 
that the meat is entirely covered. This brine 
consist of MU pounds of salt, nO pounds of 
molasses, two-and-one-half pounds of saltpeter 
aud 100 gallons of water. This mixture must 
be boiled and skimmed aud then allowed to cool 
before using. For 1,000 pounds of meat, 100 
gallons of brine will answer. In dry-salting the 
proportion of salt is increased by ‘JO pounds. lu 
this process the salt is rubbed into the meat and 
then placed in layers between the layers of 
meat. Beef and pork can be cured iu the same 
way. I-cave the meat iu the brine six weeks. 
Smoking requires about a week. Hickory 
wood is generally used. The hams are cov¬ 
ered with uubleaebed muslin white washed. 
The white-wash may be colored as desired. 
Yellow ochre is generally used. 
ABSCESS IN A COLT’S KNEE. 
E. S., Hayden, Colo. —My colt was cut just 
above the knee by a barbed wire; an abscess 
formed in the knee, and will not heal; what 
treatment should it receive/ 
ANSWERED BY F. L. KILBORNE, B. V. S. 
If there is a simple abscess containing noth¬ 
ing but pus, wash it out daily with a weak 
solution of sulphate of zinc or copper—one- 
half dram to each two or three pints of water 
—and secure as perfect a rest of the part as 
possible. After the healing process is fairly 
started, apply simple ointments or dressings 
of pine tar. If, however, a synovial sac, or 
the knee-joint itself has been opened and 
there is a discharge of glary fluid resemb¬ 
ling the white of an egg, the case is a very 
difficult one to heal. Apply powdered alum 
or sulphate of zinc on cotton to close the 
wound, and follow by simple dressings as 
above. Do not, on any account, disturb the 
wound after it once becomes closed, and se¬ 
cure absolute rest of the joint by requiring 
the animal to stand constantly, using slings 
if necessary. No cutting, pricking, or prob¬ 
ing should be allowed about the knee, except 
by a person very familiar with the anatomy 
of the part. 
SORE FOOT IN A HORSE. 
J. P. J., Middleville, Mich. —My six year- 
old horse is so lame, owing to corns or bad 
shoeing, that blood comes from the sole of the 
foot. Before I bought him, the other day, he 
was used in a team; but I am ashamed to 
work him in any way; his lameness has in¬ 
creased since I pulled off his shoes. What 
should be done for him? 
Ans. —Examiue the foot very carefully aud 
remove any foreigu bodies and all dead or 
diseased tissue. If a horny tumor is present, 
it must be completely removed to prevent its 
reappearance. Poultice the foot until active 
inflammation has subsided and most of the 
tenderness has gone; then apply a tar dress¬ 
ing with a bar-shoe and a leather sole, and 
wait for the horny sole to grow out to its 
natural condition. Confine the animal iu a 
clean, dry, airy box-stall or tnclosure, free 
from dirt or gravel, which could work Into 
the wound, and allow a generous, laxative 
diet. The animal must not be worked until 
the new sole has grown out to its natural 
level, which will require several weeks or 
perhaps a few months. 
SILK CULTURE. 
A. L. M., Clayton, Del. —1. Is silk culture a 
profitable business for a lady? 2. Is there 
any work on the subject? 
Ans. —1. We do not think silk culture can 
be made a profitable business in this country 
under the present conditions of labor. It may 
help to make pocket money, or to eke out a 
slim income; but bee keeping or poultry 
keeping, or the culture of small fruits would 
be much more profitable aud less wearisome. 
Hitherto the only persons who have made a 
profit here out of silk culture are those who 
have had silk worms or mulberry trees, or 
other adjuncts of silk culture, to sell; or who 
have bought cocoons for a song. These are 
the people who keep iuterest in the matter 
alive, aided by a few enthusiasts who have 
not been yet taught by experience that the 
business doesn’t pay. We know that some of 
the loudest advocates of silk culture as a busi¬ 
ness, have been guilty of gross misrepresenta¬ 
tions, if not of actual fraud, in connection 
with the enterprise. 2. The best work iu silk 
culture is that by Prof. C. V. Riley, published 
by the Department of Agriculture, to be ob¬ 
tained through the Congressman from your 
District, or one of the Senators from your 
State. A little work on silk culture (25 cents) 
is also offered for sale by the Woman’s Silk 
Culture Association of Illinois, Mrs. M. C. 
Buckner President, Peoria, 111. 
FATTENING CATTLE IN WINTER. 
E. E. ft., Norfolk, Virginia. —I. I ex¬ 
pect to buy aud feed 100 head of cattle this 
Winter for beef. I have principally oat-straw 
for fodder with some corn fodder. I have also 
purchased a large quantity of corn which is 
worth from 15 to 50 cents per bushel. Cotton¬ 
seed meal costs $25 per ton; wheat bran, $17 
per ton; what had I best use for fattening 
these cattle/ 2. Would cotton seed meal alone 
be advisable/ 8. How many men do I need 
to care for 100 head, cutting food and earing 
for them/ 
Ans. —1. This opens up the whole subject 
of steer feeding, which we propose, by and by, 
to take up and treat in detail; but we will 
very briefly answer at this time. Buy good 
thrifty grade steers, not over three years old, 
better comiug three next Spring. The oat- 
straw, if well kept, will, with some corn fod¬ 
der, do very well for forage, but we should like 
one feed a day of good clover hay. Provide 
good, warm stables having plenty of room j 
and good ventilatiou. Feed gram twice daily, • 
with cora stalks once, and straw twice, For i 
grain, feed a mixture of six pounds of corn 
meal, five pounds of cotton seed meal and two 
pounds of bran, and feed lightly at 
first, but gradually increase until they eat as 
much as they can digest well. If you have 
mangels or some other roots or sweet silage to 
feed freely, you can feed much higher of grain 
and they wilt digest it thoroughly. Water 
twice a day and don't allow them too much 
exercise. 2. No. It would be as unphilo- 
sopbical as would corn meal alone; the cotton¬ 
seed meal contains too large a proportion of 
albuminoids;the corn-meal too much carbo¬ 
hydrates: but mixed, and with the bran added, 
it makes a capital feed. 8. We cannot tell, 
not knowing how handy you have things, 
or how much machinery you use. In a gener¬ 
al way, two men should give them good at 
tention. 
CRACKED HEEL IN A COLT. 
O. E. F., Humboldt Co., la. —A year ago 
my colt cut one of her hind-legs badly against 
a wire fence, in three places, just be¬ 
low the fetlock; the sores got well but there 
is a rough scar which, cracks now and then 
on the beck side. The heel of the hoof is 
growing rough and the animal walks too 
much cu the toe, andof late is lame all the 
time. The crack is usually an inch long and 
from a quarter to three eights of an inch deep; 
as the hoof grows, the crack opens just 
above it; what can be done to heal it' 
Ans. —If the heel of the hoof itself grows 
out roughened and cracked, the secretory struc¬ 
ture at the top of the hoof is probably injured, 
and it will be very difficult, or perhaps im¬ 
possible, to obtain a good heel. For the cracks 
above the hoofs, soften the crusts and scabs 
with an application of oil, and remove after 
several hours by washing with warm water 
and Castile soap. Then apply an ointment 
of benzoated oxide of zinc. The heel should 
be carefully and gradually pared, to bring it 
down to its natural length. Protect from all 
filth, wet, and mud. It would be well to 
place the case in the hands of a competent 
veterinary surgeon, if-one is available. 
ABOUT MUCK. 
.4. H., Aqueboyue, L. I. — 1. In the Rural of 
Sept. 26th, when mack is referred to, is salt or 
fresh muck meant? 2. Is the lime to be mixed 
with it the same as that used by masons? 8, 
A farmer near me carts two loads of muck 
(salt), and mixes it with one of stable manure. 
He claims the three loads in Spring are equal 
to three loads of stable manure; is he right? 
Ans. —1. If it is mtW’A: and not peat, we care 
not whether it is fresh or salt, though, of 
course, muck varies even in the same bog, de¬ 
pending upon the nature of the vegetation 
which decayed to form it. 2. Yes, though 
that freshly burned and unslaked is much the 
best. 8 . That farmer’s head is level, although 
he is not correct in claiming it as good. It is, 
however, much more valuable than the one 
load. Go thou and do likewise, and thou 
shalt make thy land laugh, and sbalt fill thy 
barns even unto bursting. 
Miscellaneous. 
A.W. L., f'renchtown, Neb. —1. Is it true 
that a cow should be returned to the bull on 
the ninth day after service? 2. If the horses 
in a team work unevenly, but not to such an 
extent that the double-tree strikes anything, 
w hich pulls tb e most—the forward or hind one i 
8. What grass would you recommend for our 
high, dry prairie aud long summer droughts ! 
Ans. —1. No; unless again in heat, aud It is 
not likely she would be iu that condition so 
soon * 2. If the holes were, all three, on an 
exact line and the trees drawn from a fulcrum 
like a knife edge, there would be no difference; 
but if the double-tree was crooked so that the 
end holes were forward of the line of the cen¬ 
ter hole, then the forward horse would draw 
the most; if it was crooked the reverse way, 
then the hind horse would have the heaviest 
pull. 8. If for meadows, we can think of uo 
grass super Lor to Alfalfa (Lucern); and this 
is no grass at all, but a clover. For pasture, 
try Blue Grass iPoa pratensis) and Slender Fes¬ 
cue (Festuea ieuaifolia). We know of noth¬ 
ing better than these. 
G. H. ft., Lukim, Minn, —1. Which is the 
better breed of hogs—the Polaud China or 
Chester White 1 Which matures the youngest 
or tuake the most pork at six mouths of age, 
with the same treatment? 
Ans.—1. Each has its.advantages, and each 
varies greatly as bred in different parts of the 
country; but, all thiugs considered, we think 
the modern Poland China will be more mature 
at six mouths, and produce most pork, though 
neither would then be near full growth, 
J. H. Y., Millsville, H'is.—I have bought a 
farm on which are two grape- vines which have 
been allowed to run loose, aud they have taken 
root in several places; is it the better plan to 
take up and divide them this Fall, keeping the 
plants through the Winter before setting? 
My soil is a clay loam. 
Ana.—You may do so; but we should pre¬ 
fer doing the pruning this Fall, and allowing 
the plants to remain where they are until 
Spring, taking them up and replanting the 
same day if possible. 
C. R., Brownsville, Mo. —Yes, we have seen 
of late several reports of deaths of cattle at¬ 
tributed to feeding on Johnson Grass: but we 
do not think this was the cause of the mis¬ 
fortune. The grass has been quite extensively 
grown for years in some parts of the South, 
and poisonous properties have never been 
attribute.! to it. The late Mr. Batebam, of 
Ohio, cultivated it near Muskingum, and intro¬ 
duced it to a considerable extent in that 
section, and we have never heard of any ill 
effects from its ase. The fatality referred to 
must have been due to some other cause, 
G. H. H., Wellsboro, Pa. —We have never 
heard of such a lamp. 
DISCUSSION. 
CHICKWEED. 
E. C. W., Thetford, Vermont.— In the F. 
C. of a late Rural, you speak of chickweed 
as growing “ everywhere where the ground is 
made rich.” You say “ it is an awful pest in 
the garden. How to eradicate it is too hard 
a question for us. We would like to know 
Can anyone tell?” I had considered the com¬ 
mon chickweed (Stelleria media) as especially 
the pest of wet or very moist, rather than of 
rich ground. When I bought my present 
place—about 35 years ago—the garden spot 
was very wet, a perfect mud-hole in the 
Spring, and for many years chickweed was 
more troublesome than anything else. A 
matted bed of strawberries was sure to be¬ 
come, in spite of dilligent use of hoe and 
fingers, a matted bed of chickweed, and it 
was vain to attempt to get more than 
one crop of fruit from such a bed, but by 
high culture, underdraining and thorough 
cultivation, the pest was gradually subdued, 
aud for a number of years I have ceased to 
consider it a troublesome weed in my ground, 
though the soil is constantly made richer aDd 
more productive. This season, since the first 
of July, has been excessively wet, and we 
have, consequently, had unusual trouble from 
our old enemy. 
The Mouse Ear Chickweed (Cerastium vul- 
gatum) has troubled me in my strawberry 
field this season as never before. Hoeing it 
up does no good. It flourishes unchecked, 
and soon is well rooted in the ground again. 
In places the ground is almost covered with it. 
I am having it carried off the field as the only 
way of getting rid of it. It never was very 
troublesome before. 
THE VERGENNES GRAPE. 
G. W. C.-.Delaware, Ohio.— Your corres. 
pondent, J. S. B,, from Fayetteville, N. C., in 
his remarks, in a late Rural, upon theVergen- 
nes, says it has‘-a good-siz?d vine which bore 
very little fruit, and that nearly all rotted. 
It is later than the Jefferson; vine vigorous 
and healthy, but not worth planting.' 1 This 
report, I infer, is made from the performance 
of a single vine the past season. and however 
interesting It may be to the author, it cannot 
have much value for the public; for he evi¬ 
dently has not the Yergennes Grape at all. 
Here, the Vergeuues, for several years, has 
ripened at least two weeks before the Jeffer¬ 
son, aud was as much in advance this season; 
and although in this lccality neither variety 
has ever rotted to any serious extent, the Jef 
ferson has been most affected. Both varieties 
have shown a very little mildew of the young 
foliage late in the season, but not enough to 
do any appreciable injury. They have grown 
well and ripened their fruit perfectly this 
year. 
D. P. H., Auburn, N. Y.—I notice that 
Chas. Lee, in a late Rural, advocates allow¬ 
ing calves to suck the cow for three days. 
While favoring his method otherwise, aud 
fully indorsing it, I would suggest that he 
should not allow the calf to suck at all; but 
rather milk his cow from the first, and when 
the calf is 12 hours old teach it to drink. 
There are three advantages in this plan: first, 
the calf will learn to drink better; second, 
there will be no sore teats; and, third, there 
will be no bellowing by either calf or cow. 
Communications Received for the Week Endinm 
Sattrdat, November 51 . 1885. 
L G 3.-M. E. P.-C. H. P.— A.PeV.-A. W. S.-E. 
S.-G. H. R-W, H. T.-E.S.-W. S. W.-G. M. J.— 
H V. M.-H. T. M.-C. W. Sw-D. O. H.-G. R —Niro M. 
W -Mr*. H. C.—C. R. W.-H. A. H.-R. W. S.-A. B. 
T-R. A. Lu-T. B. M_J. R. Y.—E. S.-T. B.-W. M. 
H.—P. H. J.—C. A. G.—Reuben C. Hart, thauks.—P. 
F.-J. S.-W. S. P.—S. T. C.-J. O. L, thanks.—E. 
Sntnn, thanks.-R. W. K.-T. R. C.—A. TV. L.-O. G. 
M.—B. A. O.-E. C. Sl^J. A. H.-J. G. V.—J. M. S.—M. 
a 8 .-A. B.—C. K. R.-S. W.-F. 8.. overlooked.-J. W 
L.-D. 1*. H.-R. E P;—W. H. H. T.—H. S.-J. W. vv.- 
E. R. R-F G.-Sl W. F.-D. L, B.-R. F. L.-K C.- 
A. N. K.—Miss E. S L -E. E. B.-C-. R. J.-W. H. H. T. 
—R. Parkhurst, thanks tor offer, but tt Is now too 
late tot it to reach destination In tinte.-.T. P. C.—R. 
F. W,-W. S.- C. H. B.-J. C,- G. V. C.-J. F. EL 
