AUG. 2S 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see if it Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper. 
WORKING CLOVER SOD FOR POTATOES. 
J. A. McD., Kino's County, P. E. /.—In a 
late Rural Mr. T. B. Terry says'he prepares 
his ground for potatoes by running a single 
deep harrowing with the Thomas harrow. Is 
this deep enough to prevent any turning of 
the sods when planting ? Having never seen 
the Aspinwall planter, I do not know how it 
works; but if the furrow to bo planted was 
made with the plow, as I make mine, I am 
sure the green sods would be turned up, how¬ 
ever well harrowed. How did Mr. Terry 
plant potatoes in clover sod before ho used 
the planter ? 
ANSWERED BY T. B. TERRY. 
When the clover sod is plowed from seven 
to nine inches deep, (as I usually plow it) and 
a jointer is used on the plow, and also a 
wheel, so as to keep the plow at a uniform 
depth, so that the jointer will work rightly, 
I have no trouble from sods turning up. A 
single harrowing with the Thomas is all— 
suflicient. The point or plow of the Aspin¬ 
wall planter will never catch on a sod or tear 
up one; but it rather has a tendency to push 
sods down, like the teeth of the Thomas 
harrow. A piece of sod on the surface 
after a field is planted is almost an unknown 
thing, of late years, since we got the jointer 
and wheel on plows, and the Thomas harrow 
and planter. But I see just the fix of this 
correspondent. I was in the same one years 
ago. Many a sod have I turned up when 
marking out with a one-horse plow. I first 
tried other ways of marking, but could not 
get the furrow deep enough for the best 
results. Next I tried attaching two one- 
horse plows, one right-hand and the other 
left, with the mold-boards towards each other, 
to a sulky or under the axle of a sulky. In 
this way, I made a marker that would go 
down four inches or more without tearing up 
any sods, where a jointer and wheel were 
used on the plow that turned the sod over. 
The trouble with our friend’s one-horse plow 
for marking is that it cannot be held 
so as not to run too deep sometimes, and catch 
in the sods. The sulky hold the plows exactly 
to where they were set. I did fine work with 
this marker for several years. There was a 
seat to ride on, and one could drive it almost 
perfectly straight. The covering was done 
with a sort of two horse scraper that leveled 
the ground down and covered two rows at 
once in a perfect manner. Then the planter 
came, aud promised to save the dropping 
which was quite a chore. It does; but it 
misses sometimes, and sometimes drops two 
pieces at once. I have always thought the 
misses were not enqugh to amount to anything; 
but 1 was too busy to test the matter uc_ 
curately until this season. I got out this year 
the old marker and plowed out four rows 
through a field with it, and dropped the seed 
by hand. How the boys did grumble 1 In the 
fall I mean to be able to tell whether there is 
any difference between machine and hand 
planting. The stand is a little evener from 
hand work; but it would not be unless one had 
careful droppers. I have seen hand work that 
was not nearly equal to that done by the ma¬ 
chine. With the tools spoken of above I 
would just as soon put in potatoes on clover 
sod as on any stubble land, as far as any trouble 
from sods is concerned, and I would very 
much sooner do so for the good of the potatoes. 
A heavy clover sod is our cheapest manure; but 
I like a little stable manure, also, spread very 
finely and evenly with the spreader. Many 
farmers have little idea of what they are 
losing by not paying more attention to grow, 
ing clover once in three or four years in their 
rotation. 
AN AILING COLT. 
L. D. S., Lincoln, Neb .—Nearly two months 
ago on catching a two-year-old colt to 
castrate him, I noticed that his gait was very 
peculiar. He stood with his legs rather wide 
apart, and was very quiet or rather stupid. 
Since then often when started suddenly he 
would fall down, aud sornetimos after drink¬ 
ing at the tank he would go backward, his 
legs apparently drawn under him until he 
would crouch and fall, getting up with much 
difficulty. Ten days ago we had to help him 
up, and so weak weie his limbs that it was 
difficult for him to walk. For several days 
he hasn’t been able to get on his feet at all. 
Though he has from the first been steadily 
growing worse, bis appetite, condition and 
appearance have been good, apart from his 
weakness in the limbs. What is the trouble ? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
I am unable to definitely diagnose the 
case from your description. Try a course of 
nux vomica. Begin by giving one half dram 
of powdered nux three times daily in bis feed, 
for two days. Then for each succeeding 
period of twb days increase the dose by one- 
half dram until you are giving two or two- 
and-one-half dram doses three times daily. 
Continue the last named doses until the 
patient is greatly improved, or until you 
observe slight twitchings of the muscles, es¬ 
pecially noticeable when the animal is sud¬ 
denly startled. This is an indication that the 
medicine should be stopped or reduced to one- 
third or one-half of the former dose. If the 
kidneys are weak or affected, apply daily a 
mustard plaster or a mild blister of equal parts 
of strong ammonia and oil over the loins 
until the skin is considerably thickened. Keep 
the bowels open by feeding green food, or 
three five-dram doses of best aloes, if neces¬ 
sary. 
FRUITS FOR TENNESSEE. 
G. H ., Sunbriqht, Tenn .—Here vegetation 
starts early, but is often injured by late 
spring frosts. 1. What are the latest 
blooming varieties of long-keeping good 
apples ? Is the Berry Red superior to the 
Ben Davis in these respects ? 2. Is the Cham¬ 
pion the latest-blooming good quince? 15. 
What are the latest-blooming varieties of 
cherries, plums, pears and peaches ? 4. Is it 
good practice to mix leached or unleached 
ashes with Pacific g':ano, or to sow the guano 
of full strength on meadow land ? 
Ans.—1, 2 and 3. Inquiries in several 
quarters have failed to obtain satisfactory 
answers to these inquiries for the above sec¬ 
tion. Itawle’s Janet is mentioned as the only 
apple that blooms later than the general crop, 
and that blooms 10 days later. We are in¬ 
formed by one who knows both that the 
Berry apple does not bloom later than the 
Ben Davis in Kentucky. With regard to 
peal’s, peaches, quinces, cherries and plums, 
there appears not to be suflicient difference 
between the various sorts, as regards their 
time of blooming, to afford protection for any 
special kind against frost. 4. No; it is not 
well to mix unleached ashes with any fertil¬ 
izer that contains nitrogen—mixing the 
leached ashes will not make much difference. 
It would be better to mix it thoroughly with 
soil, jilaster or something of the kind so as to 
insure a more uniform distribution and so 
avoid burning. 
LAMENESS IN HIND LEG OF A HORSE. 
M. M., Fergus Falls, Minn .—In the Rural 
of July 7 I described the ailments of one of 
my horses, aud Dr. Kilborne prescribed a 
certain line of treatment, asking me to write 
again and give further information. Under 
the treatment aud after being turned to grass 
the animal has greatly improved. The 
trouble is now confined to his left hind leg. 
On that he steps quickly and swings the Jimb 
out; but he does not drag the toe. After hard 
exercise he seems at his best, and he shows the 
lameness most when taken from the stable. 
There is no soreness anywhere in the limb. 
What should be the treatment now? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
Apply a cantharides blister over the whole 
hock joint—powdered can! harides four drams, 
vaseline two ounces, spirits of camphor 20 
drops. Clip the hair short and rub the blister 
well in against the direction of the hair. 
When the blister is well raised—requiring 18 
to 24 hours—wash off carefully with tepid 
Castile soap-suds and apply vaseline daily 
until the scabs are removed. Repeat the 
blister in six weeks, if the first does not en¬ 
tirely remove the lameness. When blistering 
with cantharides the head must be kejit tied 
so that the patient cannot reach the surface 
with the mouth aud blister the lips affd 
tongue. In tome cases it is also necessary to 
tie the head to prevent the animal from tear¬ 
ing off the crust and producing a blemish. 
MORE ABOUT THE CORNELL DAIRY CON¬ 
FERENCE. 
G. W. H., Rochester , Mass .—In the Rural 
of July 14 appears an account of a Dairy Con¬ 
ference at Cornell University. I. What is 
the shape of the Gifford Churn, one of those 
used there? 2. What was the capacity of the 
Gifford and Barrel churns which contested? 
3. Did the butter in each come in just the 
same time—20 minutes? 4. What was the 
temperature of the cream? 5. Was it sweet 
or acid ? 0. What was the temperature of the 
Ferguson Creamer during the trial? 7. How 
Jong did the milk remain in each of the com¬ 
peting creamers before it was skimmed? 8. 
Was the cream of the same age in each, reck¬ 
oning from the new milk? 0. What was the 
temperature of the cream at churning? 10. 
Did the butter from all come in the same 
length of time? 
Ans. —1. Rectangular, but hung by two 
sides instead of by two corners,as in the case of 
most rectangular churns. 2. About 18 gal¬ 
lons each. 3. Yes. 4. 00degrees. 5. Slightly 
acid—more so than with most of our dairy¬ 
men. . 0. 00 degrees. 7. A little more than 30 
hours in the Ferguson and about 15 hoursfin 
the Cooley. 8. Yes. 9. 00 degrees. 10. Yes. 
GARGET IN A HEIFER, 
F. C. F , Elizabeth, N. J. —Two weeks ago 
one of my heifers dropped her first calf. A 
few days afterwards the right front quarter 
of the udder began to swell and cake, and the 
milk seemed to curdle in it, and it became 
feverish. I made a bag to fit the udder and 
tied it over the back and wet it every 15 to 20 
minutes. I used it for three mornings and 
turned her out in the afternoons. I have also 
worked and rubbed the udder morning, noon 
and night, but it seems only a trifle better. 
What should be the treatment? 
Ans. —Probably the result of an injury. If 
the garget continues, give the heifer one 
pound of Epsom salts with one ounce of gin¬ 
ger dissolved in a quart of warm water, to 
freely open the bowels. Night and morning 
give a tablespoonful of pulverized saltpeter. 
Then rub the swollen portion of the udder 
once daily with an iodine and belladonna 
ointment,continue thohard rubbing in, apply¬ 
ing the ointment. 
ABOUT JOHNSON GRASS. 
.7. G. Co.. Liberty, Ohio. —Is Johnson 
grass a success in this State ? What is the 
average yield per acre ? Is it good for stock ? 
Will it spread rapidly ? 
Ans. —No, it is not a success in Ohio, neither 
is it a success in any place where clover and 
corn llourish. The average yield per acre on 
prepared land would be immense. In North 
aud South Carolina it is regarded by many as 
an unmitigated pest. When once it obtains a 
footing, it is impossible to get rid of it. 
Where hardy it is difficult to run a plow 
through the fleshy, perennial roots. 
Miscellaneous. 
P. W. ./., Pontiac, Mich. —The plant sent 
belongs to the Cress family, and is Lepidium 
Virginicum—Wild Pepper grass, Tongue 
grass. 
B. T., Maple, W. Ter. —What are the best 
bellows for spraying shrubs, chicken houses, 
etc.? 
Ans. —The Rural uses the Woodason Bel¬ 
lows, which cost from $1.50 up, and are adver¬ 
tised by Thomas Woodason, Philadelphia, Pa. 
W. II. II., Flaistow, N. II. —Specimen No. 
1 is Agrostis vulgaris—Red-top, Herd’s-grass, 
Bent grass. A valuable grass and much liked 
by dairymen. No. 2 is an excellent specimen 
of Poa pratensis—June grass. Kentucky Blue 
grass. Considered by many the best of all 
pasture grasses. 
T. C., Ravenna, Ohio. —Where can I get 
Diehl-Mediterranean wheat ? 
Ans— From D. M. Ferry & Co. Detroit, Mieh. 
or possibly from Storrs, Harrison & Co., of 
Pamesville, O., or J. M. McCullough, of Cin¬ 
cinnati, O. Samuel Wilson of Mechanicsville, 
Bucks Co., Pa., advertises it in our columns. 
M. B., Lydon, Kans. —My home has a 
swelling on the front of ono of his knees. It 
doesn’t seem to hurt him, as he is not lame. 
What should be done for it? 
Ans. —Apply tincture of iodine daily. If 
the skin becomes blistered omit the iodine 
until healed. Then continue its use again as 
before. 
L. J. K., Alturas, Cal. —The grass sent 
is Festuca ovina—Sheep’s Fescue grass. It is 
the best of grasses for pasture on sandy soils, 
and as it forms a dense, short turf, it is ad¬ 
mirably adapted for lawns in such situations. 
It is almost useless as a hay crop; neither will 
it stand manuring, for if manured it is then 
driven out by other grasses. 
DISCUSSION. 
“the perfect cow.” 
C. L., Chatham, N. J.—I think if the search¬ 
ers after the “general-purpose cow” were to 
study up the qualities of the Devon breed they 
tvould find that the Devon comes the nearest 
to filling the bill of all cattle that are now or 
are likely to be bred. In my opinion there is 
no one breed that has so many good qualities 
combined as the Devons. They are very good 
yielders (some large yielders) of milk of a 
quality that is unsurpassed in richness by any, 
unless it be that of the Jerseys, and I think 
there are very few of these that would out¬ 
strip the Devon if she were given the same 
care and management. In other respects 
when compared with the Jersey or any other 
breed, the Devons are quite superior in many 
respects. On fair feed and pasture they wil 
keep in good condition, while it is hard tol 
keep any other dairy cow (especially the 
Jerseys) in good condition even with the best 
of keeping and care; and as to the meat they 
produce, their external appearance is enough 
to satisfy any one with a good eye and fair 
judgment that it is of a superior quality. 
My idea of the “general purpose cow” is that 
she should be one that will come into profit at 
an early ago and produce a good mess of milk 
of good quality, and that she should be docile 
and nice to look at, and at the end of her use¬ 
fulness as a dairy cow, produce a good carcass 
of good beef; and I think of all the breeds now 
in existence the Devon will meet the above 
qualities the nearest. 
CUTTING CORN WITH A REAPER. 
L. A. D., Delaware, Ohio.— In last week’s 
Rural you c peak of the fact that some farm¬ 
ers are using mowers and reapers for cutting 
corn. I have had a little experience with the 
“ Peerless” reaper as acorn harvester and can¬ 
not advise any one to use it for that purpose, 
as it never was intended for that sort of work. 
We have, however, several customers who 
have harvested corn with the reaper. One 
man cut 80 acres, making two harvests. The 
third season his corn grew very heavy and he 
found that in using the reaper to cut it the 
suiden jerking on his team made it so un¬ 
pleasant that he gave it up for the old reliable 
corn knife. The “ Peerless” reaper is a sweep 
rake. Our customer removed half the rakes 
and cut two rows at once, delivering the corn 
in bunches at the side. He afterward set it 
up in shocks, using a polo with one end held 
about three feet high, while the other end 
rested on the ground. When the shock was 
completed and tied, the pole was removed, no 
further support being necessary. It is possi¬ 
ble that a light crop of drilled or sowed corn 
may be harvested in this manner. Our cus¬ 
tomer evidently thought so, or he would not 
have cut so many acres. He is a very thrifty 
and well-to-do farmer. I know he aimed at 
economy more than ease or comfort, for no 
man is chasing the “ almighty dollar” more 
eagerly than he. 
THE FLEA BEETLE IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
Henry Reicd, Brookfield, Mass.— My ex¬ 
perience with potatoes this year, is very similar 
to that of the Rural. I planted about half 
an acre of early potatoes, the last of April. I 
never saw more thrifty vines. They covered 
the ground up to about the middle of July, 
then they were attacked by the little black Ilea 
which completely riddled the leaves, which 
blackened aud died, leaving the great strong 
stems bare. The potatoes were very early, so 
I got a very good yield. A little way from 
the early ones, I had a few Rural Blush 
plants which were looking very fine until the 
early ones were dug (I dug the last of them a 
week ago); the potato bugs and fleas from the 
early ground have come in such numbers upon 
the R. B. that they will bo destroyed in a few 
days; the ends of the rows nearest to the early 
ones are already destroyed. (I have learned 
better than to plant early and late potatoes in 
the same field together.) 1 also had a few 
tomato plants in an adjoining row, which 
were badly eaten by the fleas; but the pests 
have left them now, and I think they will re¬ 
cover. I notice that where the potato bugs 
were most numerous, the fleas are most nu¬ 
merous also. I have some potatoes that are 
comparatively free from the nuisances. 
VENETIAN SUMAC. 
Prof. J. L. Budd, Ames, Iowa.— Under 
the head “ What Others Bay,” a lato Rural 
quotes my remark on the superior hardiness 
and beauty of the Russian variety of Rhus con- 
tinus,and asks : “ What does Prof. Budd mean 
by ‘ Real Venetian Bumac ?’” In using this 
careless expression I had iu mind the fact that 
the typical species,—as described by Loudon 
and others—had been used for centuries in 
southwest Europe for tanning and dyeing 
leather, wool and silk, yellow. Its common 
name in that part of Europe is Venetian 
Sumac. In the same sense we might say 
that the Eastern Catalpa and South-eastern 
Box-Elder are the real species as described in 
the books, and that the hardier western forms 
tire climatic variations. 
