4888 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
245 
quirer will not go far wrong if in planting out 
a new orchard, he chooses a piece of low, level 
corn laud, puts in tile so that he can control the 
outflow, feeds and waters the trees by giving 
them a monopoly of the soil, so far as rainfall, 
moisture and plant food §ire concerned, and he 
may plant any variety of apple he chooses 
among those which have been any time with¬ 
in 40 years, popular and profitable in his sec¬ 
tion of this State. One word about the Ben 
Davis. It has a very large root development 
with rather sparce and tender foliage, is an 
enormous bearer and therefore dies of starva¬ 
tion under some conditions in which full¬ 
leaved, shy bearers thrive, grow large and live 
to an advanced age. Give the Ben Davis all 
it requires to supply its calls for food and 
drink and no variety will respond more to the 
owners’ profit. 2 In all but unusually hot and 
dry summers, Pearl and German millet may 
be sown after the winter wheat crop is off, and 
make good crops of forage, providing the har¬ 
vest does not fall after the 10th of July, and 
provided, further, the millets are cut at or 
just before the epoch of full bloom, and the 
forage is dry and housed without mould, must 
or “mow burn,” a rather difficult thing to ac¬ 
complish when the growth is large and the 
yield heavy. But I suggest to Mr. A. to try 
sorghum—Early Amber—for that date of sow¬ 
ing. It is very much more easily handled, and 
for mules, horses, sheep and hogs there is 
nothing equal to it, while it is better than 
millet for cattle and milch cows. And, by 
the way, if sorghum cane has lost most of its 
good reputation for producing sugar profita¬ 
bly, it is rapidly acquiring another of as much 
or more value, as one of the surest resources 
for green forage in a warm climate, where the 
after summer season is certain to be hot and 
probably dry. There is no second growth to 
millet, but if early varieties of sorghum are 
sown early and the summer proves long and 
warm, they will make a second growth, which 
will do for rough fodder. 
CATTLE QUERIES. 
II. II., Fair haven, Vt. —1. My six-year-old 
Jersey cow has had large swellings on both 
her knees, caused by slippiug on the stable 
floor. Will it do to lance them? If not,what 
treatment should be given? 2. Abouta month 
ago a swelling the size of a five-quart can sud¬ 
denly appeared on the right side of the neck 
of the same cow. It is hard and shows no 
sign of breaking; how should it be treated? 
3. How can I bring my cows in heat in win¬ 
ter? They are in good order, and receive four 
quarts of grain apiece a day. I do not salt 
them much in winter; does that make any 
difference? Will salt rubbed on their backs 
do it? They drink cold water. 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
I. It would be very unsafe for any other 
than a competent veterinary surgeon to at¬ 
tempt to open or lance these swellings. If 
they appear to contain liquid this,can best be 
drawn off with the fine needle of a hypoder¬ 
mic syringe, and the cavity then injected with 
a solution of one part of compound tincture of 
iodine in two parts of water. This should be 
likewise withdrawn after two or three min¬ 
utes, and a wet bandage applied to compress 
the sac. If the swellings^ are simple callosi¬ 
ties, rub with iodine ointment daily until re¬ 
duced. Place the cow on a dry ground floor 
or a good bed of dry muck or sawdust, so that 
she will not continue to injure her knees. 2. 
I cannot tell from your description what this 
swelling is. If tender, poultice; but if there is 
no heat or tenderness apply a mild blister. 
3. If you have warm, comfortable stables, 
and the‘cows are in good condition and thrifty, 
you should have no trouble in getting them 
in heat during the winter. With such stables 
the trouble most likely lies in the feed or man¬ 
agement. The salt will make no difference, 
except as it may tend to improve the general 
health of the animal. The usual practice is to 
give salt, and there is no doubt but that it is 
very often beneficial, although a few writers 
contend that it is useless and unnecessary. 
Rubbing their backs daily with the wire card 
would bo much more rational treatment, and 
more likely to produce favorable results. The 
cold w&ter should be supplied frequently to 
prevent chilling, or preferably have the chill 
taken off by heating. 
HARD BREATHING IN A HORSE. 
J. G. It., Sharon, Conn .—Since December 
my five-year-old colt has breathed hard as if 
he hail been violently exercising. There is 
some discharge at the nose, but the nostrils 
are of a healthy color. He acts, looks and 
apparently feels well, except the hard breath¬ 
ing. What is the trouble and whatsffemedy? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
* 
I cannot give a satisfactory diagnosis from 
your brief, indefinite description. The hard 
breathing may be due to some chronic disease 
of the respiratory organs or passages; or to an 
obstruction to the free passage of air to and 
from the lungs, as from a tumor or other 
growth in the nose, throat or windpipe, or 
from outside pressure which has narrowed the 
air passage. If possible take the horse to a 
competent veterinarian. If you cannot do 
this try steaming the nostrils and throat daily 
by feeding a hot bran mash from a bucket. 
If this does not check the discharge inject the 
nose once daily for a week with the following 
solution: Sulphate of zinc, one dram; carbolic 
acid, two drams; glycerine, two ounces; water 
two quarts. When injected the solution should 
be warm. To inject the nose procure three 
feet of one-half inch rubber tubing and fit a 
funnel to one end. Insert the other end three 
inches through the center of a piece of leather 
large enough to cover one nostril. Place the 
leather close against one nostril and pack 
around with cotton to prevent the flowing out 
of the liquid. Now bring the head into a ver¬ 
tical position, raise the funnel to the level of 
the top of the head and slowly pour in the so¬ 
lution until it rises in that side and escapes 
from the opposite nostril. Repeat on the other 
side. This should check any simple chronic 
nasal discharge after a few injections. Read 
“General Symptoms of Glanders” in the Rur¬ 
al of February 12, 1887, and be very careful 
not to get the discharge on the face or into 
any sore on the hands while treating the ani¬ 
mal, until certain it is not glanders. 
MARE IN POOR CONDITION. 
E. S. S., Eagle Harbor, N. Y .—My 14- 
year-old mare has raised two colts, the 
youngest being now two years old. For over 
a year I have been trying to get her with foal 
again, but have failed. For the last year she 
has had a good appetite, but has kept poor, 
growing thinner all the time. During the 
winter her feed has been good hay, corn¬ 
stalks, beets once or twice a week, and from 
two to three quarts of oats and corn ground 
together, and from half a pint to a pint of oil 
meal daily; but the feed seems to do her no 
good. What can be done for her? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
After 12 years of age many horses cannot be 
kept up to their former condition and spirit, 
even with the best of feed and care; while 
others will not show age until 20 years or 
after. Of course, this is due in a great mea¬ 
sure to the care and treatment the animal has 
received during the first 12 years of its life. 
Mares also very often become sterile at 12 or 
14 years, while others will continue to breed 
up to the age of 20, or, in exceptional cases, 
even longer. With this point also the general 
d!lre and treatment of the animal have much 
to do. Your grain ration is too small for the 
mare, for one thing. She should receive that 
amount at least twice daily, and if doing any 
work, three times. Even that amount would 
be only a moderate ration for a medium ani¬ 
mal. See that the mare has thorough daily 
grooming and moderate daily exercise, with 
clean, dry, comfortable quarters. To im¬ 
prove the general health the following pow¬ 
ders may be given night and morning in the 
feed, in doses of two tablespoonfuls—Pulver¬ 
ized aloes and sulphate of iron each one-fourth 
pound, powdered gentian, ginger and nitrate 
of potash each one-ha If pound: mix. 
NERVOUS ITCHING IN THE SKIN OF A COLT. 
S. F. G., Salem, Ohio .—Last year I bought 
a fine two-year-old filly. Ever since, when¬ 
ever I drive her, and she begins to sweat, she 
begins to itch, making it unpleasant to drive 
her. Her coat is fine and silky, and she eats 
well; but she bites herself in the stable. What 
ails her, and how should she be treated? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
Prurigo is a nervous itching of the skin very 
commonly due to over-feeding, especially on 
rich, stimulating grain diet, producing a gen¬ 
eral disordered state of the system. Hot, 
close, impure stables and idleness also favor 
the disease, which is aggravated by heat. 
Give five or six drams of Barbadoes aloes 
with one tablespoonful of ginger, to freely 
open the bowels and clear out the overloaded 
system. It would be well to prepare the ani¬ 
mal for the purging by feeding only bran 
mashes for 12 hours before giving the aloes, 
and then continuing the mashes until she is 
freely purged. Repeat the dose of aloes in 
five to seven days, giving four to eight drams, 
according to the effect produced’by the first 
dose. A restricted laxative diet should now 
be supplied, consisting in part of roots, pota¬ 
toes or occasional mashes. As powders for 
the general system, give one-half ounce each 
of nitrate of potash and bicarbonate of potash 
night and morning in the feed. Externally 
apply the following wash to the irritated skin 
wherever the itching requires it. Liquor of 
potass® two drams,hydrocyanic acid one dram 
water one quart. It may be necessary to con¬ 
tinue the treatment for several weeks. If this 
should fail, report for further treatment in 
two months. 
MANGOLDS AND KAFFIR CORN. 
S. D. N., Hamilton, N. G. —1. How should 
the mangel-wurtzel be planted for stock feed? 
What are the best kinds? 2, How many 
pounds of Kaffir Corn does it take to plant an 
acre, and how should it be done? Is it good 
for feed, and how much is it worth per 
pound? 
Ans. —1. Plant a few days before planting 
corn. The drills should be 24 to 30 inches apart, 
according to the strength of the soil, and the 
plants should be thinned to nine to 12 inches 
apart in the drill. The varieties most used are 
the Long Red, Golden Tankard and Kinver 
Globe, the latter two being yellow sorts. Man¬ 
gels bear transplanting well, but the roots will 
not develop as symmetrically in shape as when 
grown from seed. 2. Kaffir Corn may be 
grown in the same manner as our common field 
corn, and four or five pounds of seed will 
plant an acre. The seed is advertised at $2.50 
per 10 pounds by J. DeForest Ely & Co., 1303 
Market St., Philadelphia. 
Miscellaneous. 
J. N. Leonia, N. ./.—1. What can I do with 
two gallons of blackberry seed to make the 
most money out of them? 2. I intend to plant 
about three acres with onions and two with 
oyster plants on sandy loam ground, that has 
been well manured with stable manure for the 
last 10 years. I have had 150 chickens since 
October, and they have dropped 1,000 pounds 
of hen manure. I have covered this manure 
with fine coal ashes and lime in the coop, 
clearing out twice a month. Are 1,000 pounds 
of this mixture enough, or should I use some 
fertilizer with it? 3. I want a sow and some 
pigs; where can I buy them? 4. I have re¬ 
ceived a number of novelties in the way of 
plants from Germany, how can I dispose of 
them here so as to make the most money out 
of them? 
Ans —1. We do not know that there is any 
market for such seeds. 2. We should omit the 
lime using the coal ashes only or muck or soil. 
We should prefer using 1,000 pounds to the 
acre for onions. A supplement of potash to 
the soil would be good. 3. We can do no bet¬ 
ter than to suggest to our friend that he con¬ 
sult the advertising columns of farm papers. 
4. It would be well to raise the plants and to 
describe their peculiarities or merits in horti¬ 
cultural papers. There are always nursery¬ 
men ready to purchase sterling novelties. 
O. P. G., Kingston, O. —With a view to im¬ 
proving an old variety of corn, or of origi¬ 
nating a new one, what is the result of plant¬ 
ing all the kernels on the ear, except those 
from the butt, or the tip, or the middle? Does 
the planting of the kernels from either of 
these three parts of the ears have any effect 
on the earliness of the crop? 
Ans. —1. The N. Y. Ex. Station has made 
experiments intended to throw light upon this 
subject, but we do not see that any conclu¬ 
sions can yet be arrived at. Theoretically we 
should plant the largest and shapeliest kernels 
taken from the most perfect ears—the ears 
selected from the most prolific plants. If 
earliness is an item, select from the ears which 
first mature. Hight, suckering, etc., etc., 
may be modified in the same way. 
W. W. P., Sterling. —How much ground 
bone, oil of vitriol, ammonia and potash 
ought I to get to make 1,000 pounds of fertil¬ 
izer? My land is a good sandy loam; but 
though I use barnyard manure, my crops are 
not what they ought to be, so that I am sure 
they do not get all the plant-food they require. 
I have a considerable quantity of hen manure 
and several barrels of ashes; how can I use 
them to the best advantage? 
Ans. —Our advice is to buy raw bone flour 
only. Spread the ashes alone. The hen ma¬ 
nure may be mixed with the bone if you so 
desire. This will give you a first-rate fertil 
izer. To three barrels of wood ashes and two 
barrels of hen manure, add 200 pounds of 
bone. 
U, M. S., Union, Me. —1. Can a crop of 
strawberries be raised on commercial fertil¬ 
izers alone? What kind will be the best for a 
light clay soil? Would a mixture of ground 
bone and wood ashes make a good application ? 
2. What ailed my plants last summer? They 
grew well in the row till August, when they 
dried up and looked like beans that had been 
frozen. 
Ans. 1. Yes, crops of strawberries can be 
raised with commercial fertilizers alone. The 
wood ashes (unleached) and raw-bone flour 
are first-rate, as far as they go. A little more 
nitrogen than that supplied by the bone would 
help—say in blood or nitrate of soda, or both. 
1. Very likely the grubs of the May Beetle 
were at work at the roots. 
H. C., Allentown, Pa. —Can a profitable 
crop of mangel-wurtzel or beets be raised, 
from seed or well started plants, in this lati¬ 
tude, if planted as late as July 15?—We raise 
good crops of turnips planted at that date; 
but they are objectionable for dairy cows? 
Ans. —We have had no experience in plant¬ 
ing mangels so late as the 15th of July. It is 
certain that the roots would not attain full 
size planted so late. Probably they would not 
attain half their usual size. Tho crop would 
necessarily be small, and would not be likely 
to prove a profitable undertaking. We would 
advise testing the plan on a small garden 
plat. Transplanted beets seldom develop 
symmetrical roots, but this would not be 
detrimental to their feeding value. 
F. R., Scio, N. Y. —1. I wish to set out an 
orchard of 300 apple trees; which are the est 
varieties for profit? 2. Where can I get 
them? 
Ans. —1. Baldwin, Cooper’s Market, Early 
Harvest, Esopus Spitzenburg, Fall Pippin, 
Fameuse, Golden Russet, Graveustein, Hub- 
bardston, Jeff6ris, Jonathan, Maiden’s Blush, 
Mother, Northern Spy, Oldenburg, Peck’s 
Pleasant, Porter, Red Astrachau, Rhode Is¬ 
land Greening, Roxbury Russet, Talinan 
Sweet, Tompkin’s King, Twenty Ounce. 2. 
We must request our frieud to send for the 
catalogues of those nurserymen who advertise 
in the R. N.-Y., compare them and choose for 
himself. 
J. E., Keokuk, la. —1. What is the best 
way to put in oats on ground plowed last 
fall—drilling or broadcasting? 2. What quan¬ 
tity of seed should be sown per acre for either 
method? 3. Would it be advisable to sow oats 
on ground plowed last fall, at present while it 
is freezing and. thawing? 
Ans. —l.The only carefully conducted experi¬ 
ments we know of to determine this gave a 
result decidedly iu favor of broadcast sowing. 
2. If the land is fertile we should not sow 
more than Y% bushel to the acre, or 1% if 
drilled in. 3. The Rural has had no experi¬ 
ence in this. Those who have sown in that 
way approve of it. 
G. H. A., Oskosh, Wi?.—What variety of 
field corn is best for grain and fodder; and 
what sort of oats are best for genoral use? I 
have 40 acres of good laud that has been neg¬ 
lected for a number of years and is greatly 
over-run with weeds. How much oats should 
be sown per acre? Would it be advisable to 
sow clover with the oats, the place being 
rented? 
Ans. —Queen of the Prairie is a good kind 
of yellow dent, ripening early. Welcome Oats 
thrive well in your State. We should not 
sow over 1% bushel to the acre on rich lands. 
This is less than the quantity usually sown. 
We doubt if it would pay you to sow clover 
with the oats. 
G. A. Glendale, Mich .—What makes the 
best hedge plaut for turning stock? Mr. Greg¬ 
ory says the barberry does. The osage is not 
good here. 
Ans.—Y es, the barberry is good. Perhaps 
(Continued on page 2U>.) 
Beauty 
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