424 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
FES 23 
salt or land plaster keep it moist? 2. Wbat 
is the best remedy against cabbage maggots? 
I tried sulphate of potassium as was recom¬ 
mended by a Western market gardener in the 
Rural New-Yorker a year ago, but the 
trial was not a success. 
A NS. —1. Horse manure cannot be prevented 
from heating, if left in loose piles of even 
moderate size, unless they are frequently 
shoveled over, or are kept thoroughly satu¬ 
rated with water, or unless earth is mixed 
with the dung to the extent of at least 50 per 
cent. The admixture of salt, or of plaster, 
to any extent practically possible, would not 
prevent the heating. But compression will, 
by excluding the air, prevent it perfectly, and 
the best practical method of preserving and 
improving such manure is to keep enough 
swine on it to tramp it down. By trampling 
on it and by rooting it over, the swine will 
entirely preserve the dung from injurious 
heating, while increasing its richness by the 
addition of their own droppings, and of the 
unconsumed remnants of whatever may be 
fed to them. 2. There is no perfect preven¬ 
tive or remedy for the white maggots, which 
attack the roots of cabbages, turnips, radishes, 
etc. But they may be kept down by a liberal 
admixture of lime with the soil, and one 
should be careful also not to grow this class 
of plants continuously on the same ground. 
Where either stone lime, or oyster-shell lime, 
can be had cheap, it may be applied evenly at 
the rate of 100 bushels or more to the acre 
and plowed in. Where it is more costly, it 
will generally be sufficient to apply from a 
quarter to a half-pint of air-slaked lime 
closely around each cabbage over an area 
of a foot in diameter, working the lime into 
the soil afterwards in the course of cultiva¬ 
tion. Unleached wood ashes have a similar 
effect.* 
SLAVERING IN A HORSE. 
L. S. H., Lexington, Ky .—My six-year-old 
horse slavers or slobbers very badly; how 
should he be treated? The habit was noticed 
first while he was on grass and White clover 
late in the fall. 
Ans.—S lavering or slobbering often occurs 
amoDg horses fed on White clover, the flowers 
seeming to possess some peculiar property 
which renders them a source of irritation to 
the mucous surfaces and salivary apparatus 
of the animal. Some horses, however, feed on 
the clover without any inconvenience; and 
with the addition of grain they attain an ex 
cellent condition. The sharp edges of worn 
teeth or an ulcerated tooth or even a rough 
bit, will also cause slavering. So will any 
wound which punctures a duct of the sali¬ 
vary glands. It is specially liable to occur 
from opening abscesses in strangles and from 
wounds about the lower jaw. Poor food and 
impaired digestion are also apt to produce an 
increase of salivary secretion, hence slaver¬ 
ing. It is also a symptom of several other 
ailments. The remedy is to remove the cause. 
If the trouble is due to a decayed tooth, ex¬ 
tract it; if to the sharp edge of a tooth irritating 
the inside of the cheek, apply the tooth rasp I 
until it is smooth. If it is caused by irrita¬ 
tion of the glands of the throat or mouth, use 
a stimulant application of hartshorn and oil. I 
If it is due to noxious substances in the food, 
change tue diet. Use washes for the mouth, 
such as vinegar and water, or vinegar and 
honey. If the saliva is offensive, use water 
slightly tinctured with carbolic acid as a 
wash, and in all cases attend to the general 
health of the animal. In obstinate cases give I 
a course of tartar emetic, opium, chlorate of 
potassa or iodide of potassium. Rub the 
glands beneath the ears and between the jaws I 
with iodine ointment. 
AERATION OF MILK. 
W. G. C., Meadville, Pa .—What advan¬ 
tage would it be to cool milk by aerating it 
when it is freshly drawn from cows? 
ANSWERED BY T. H. HOSKINS, M. D. 
1. The rapidity with which changes injur¬ 
ious to milk and milk products proceed de¬ 
pends mainly upon the temperature of the 
milk. So far as aeration tends to the prompt I 
reduction of this temperature, it is therefore 
advantageous. 2. It has been believt d by 
many that there is naturally an “animal 
odor ” in milk, which will, if retained, 
prove prejudicial to the quality o the butter 
or cheese made therefrom. Aeration is ad- I 
vised by those who hold this beliel, as tend- I 
ing to purify the milk from such odor. But 
as excellent butter can be made from the 
cream of milk which has been at once placed 
in covered, or even submerged cans, after 
milking, the existence of any specific “ani- I 
mal odor ’’ is seriously doubted by skilled 
dairymen. Foul odors in milk, contracted I 
from the foul air of stables from unsuitable I 
food or from filth introduced into the mila in 
the process of milking or otherwise, cannot be I 
entirely removed by aeration. In these cases I 
prevention is emphatically to be preferred 
to any sort of cure. 3. Aeration of clean, 
pure milk is therefore by no means essential 
in butter-making ; but in cheese-making, 
especially in factories, aeration is considered 
important as a rapid means of removing the 
animal heat, and thus preventing the changes 
above referred to, which are prejudicial to 
the formation of a perfect curd. 
FATTENING FEED FOR YOUNG PIGS. 
H. F. S., Bruson, Vt .—What is a good ra¬ 
tion for fattening five-months-old Chester- 
White pigs, to be killed when they are seven 
months old? The ration is to be made up from 
the following feeds: corn-and-cob-meal, wheat 
bran, middlings and old-process linseed-meal. 
ANSWERED BY HENRY STEWART. 
The best food for fattening young pigs is 
milk, with equal quantities of bran and meal. 
At the early age of five months the muscular 
development is not mature, and should be 
encouraged by food containing much lean¬ 
making material or nitrogenous matter. With¬ 
out going into details, which might not be of 
interest, it may be sufficient to say that if 
milk can be procured, it may be mixed with 
equal parts of bran and corn-meal so as to 
make a slop which may be easily drank; ten 
pounds in four quarts of milk ana two pounds 
of the mixed meal may be given daily to each 
pig in such a mess. If milk is not given the 
bran and meal may be steeped in water and 
fed in the form of a drink as with the milk; 
but the quantity of meal should be doubled. 
It should not be forgotten that fat meat con¬ 
tains 75 or 80 per cent, of water, and an abun¬ 
dant supply of drink is to be supplied to all 
fattening animals. No doubt the reason why 
so many young pigs suffer from apoplexy, 
and nervous diseases arising from indigestion, 
while fattening, is that they have not suf¬ 
ficient liquid food. Linseed meal or other oil- 
meal is not a desirable food for pigs at any 
time; nor is cob-meal desirable for the reason 
that the pig’s stomach is small and naturally 
adapted for concentrated food. 
COTTON-SEED MEAL. 
F. D. C., Sandwich, Mass .—I have under¬ 
stood that the outsides of cotton-seeds are cov¬ 
ered with fine, sharp points which, when 
ground and fed, stick in the inside of the intes¬ 
tines of the animals, producing more or less 
injury. My cows, I think, have twice been 
injuriously affected by the use of this article. 
Can the Rural give any information in the 
matter ? 
Ans. —Cotton-seeds have no points of any 
kind. The fibers of the lint-cotton are all 
attached to the seeds, and are torn off in the 
process of ginning. The ends of the fibers re¬ 
main on the seeds, and form a lint which can¬ 
not be wholly removed. The seed is mostly 
hulled and ground before it is pressed for the 
oil, so that the meal is usually quite free from 
the husk; some seeds are pressed with the hulls 
on, but the meal made from the un hulled 
seeds has no sharp points about it, although 
the hulls are somewhat hard and indigestible, 
and are objected to on that account. There 
is, however, an abundance of the pure meal 
in the market, and this is wholly free from 
reproach of any kind. Cutton-seed-meal L, 
however, an exceedingly rich food, having 
over 40 per cent, of albuminoids and 13 to 18 
per cent, of oil in it, and for this reason it 
can be fed s&fely only in small quantities, say, 
two pounds daily, mixed with bran or corn- 
meal to enrich it. If fed more liberally it is 
apt to be injurious, and this is, probably, 
what is the matter with our friend’s cows. 
OBSTRUCTION IN A COW’S TEAT. 
T. S. M., Newark, Ohio .—One of the teats 
of my young Guernsey cow is so baaly ob¬ 
structed that no milk can be drawn from it. 
How should it be treated? 
Ans —Obstructions in the teats of cows and 
especially of young animals, are quite 
common, and are generally due to improper 
drying off in the fall or to neglect in milking 
clean. Particles of the coagulated milk are 
arrested in the ouct, and a tissue forms about 
the matter and adheres to the walls of the 
passage so as to entirely close the duct in 
time. There are also some other causes; but 
these are the most common. The only remedy 
is to break through the obstruction so as to 
unite the two parts of the duct An instru¬ 
ment manufactured expressly for this purpose 
consists of a small, round tube inclosing either 
a double-edged knife, or four blades at right 
angles to each otner. The tube or sheath is 
pushed up the orifice of the teat until it 
reaches the obstacle, when the blades are 
pushed out, cutting through the obstruction 
and opening a connection between the parts, 
for the passage of the milk. Great care must 
be taken not to cut through the walls of the 
milk duct; for inflammation of the teat and 
udder would then occur, and this would be 
likely to injure the cow permanently for milk< 
For a few days after the operation it is ofteu 
necessary to use the tube—after the knife has 
been taken out—by working it gently up the 
duct and through the opening made in the 
knot, thus keeping it opened till the parts are 
healed. 
THE PINE GROSBEAK. 
C. H., Afton, N. Y .—We have a new kind 
of bird here. They are a little larger than a 
canary aud have a hooked bill. Some are 
brown, red and green; some are brown and 
yellow, and some are olive-green and flame- 
colored. What are they? 
Ans. —They are Pine Grosbeaks. They be¬ 
long to the finch family, classed by Gray 
among the bull-finches. Birds of this kind 
inhabit the northern regions of both conti¬ 
nents, comiDg as far south as Pennsylvania 
on this side of the water, in cold winters. 
They do not come south asjregular migrants, 
however, but rather as erratic visitors. At 
times they are plentiful in one locality, per¬ 
haps for two or three winters, whereas after¬ 
wards they may not appear there again for 
many years. They are charming songsters, 
singing toward sunset, and in captivity dur¬ 
ing the night. They are easily kept in cages 
aud will eat most kinds of seeds, berries and 
fruits, becoming very familiar. In their wild 
state they feed on buds and seeds of various 
trees, especially those of firs. The female is 
ash-gray and brownish above with yellow 
tinges below and on the head, rump and tail 
coverts. The young resemble the female but 
are browner. The general color of the plum¬ 
age of the males is bright carmine, with gray¬ 
ish-brown centers to the feathers on the back; 
wings blackish-brown with two white bands; 
the outer edges of the quills are also white. 
The oldest males have the most red of a rosy- 
carmine tint. 
CANNING GREEN PEAS, ETC. 
J. B., Webb's Mills , N. T .—1 Is there such a 
thing as a small machine for cutting sweet 
corn from the cob? 2. How are green peas put 
up in glass? 
Ans. —1. Such a device is sold by the 
Higganum M’f’g Co., 189 and 191 Water St., 
N.Y. 2 Experience in putting up green peas 
in glass or tins, has generally been a failure. 
Canuers formerly nad a great deal of trouble 
in getting them to keep, although they would 
boil them in cans for five hours, and they lost 
a large percentage of them. The plan now 
adopted by them, is to put the cans or jars in¬ 
to strong iron tanks having adjustable covers, 
which can be fastened down aud made steam- 
tight. They then turn on super-heated steam, 
and keep the cans at a very high degree of 
temperature for half an hour. This process 
answers perfectly; but could not be used un¬ 
less on a large scale. Green sweet corn is cut 
from the cob by the small canners by using a 
knife with a very thin blade, which is kept 
perfectly sharp, and the corn is cut off the 
same as a boy whittles a stick. Care should 
be taken not to cut too closely, as one should 
cut the grain leaving the hard stem 
on the cob. Machines used by large can¬ 
neries, consisting of knives, springs and 
scrapers, are very expensive. Green corn re¬ 
quires thorough cooking in the cans to make 
it keep. 
TREATMENT OF COWS THAT GNAW WOOD. ( 
A. JET., Castile, N. Y .—Why do cattle gnaw 
wood? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
This habit is not infrequently acquired by 
cows, and may be the result of several causes 
Probably the most common cause is a morbid 
appetite or a deranged digestion, due to waut 
of proper food, irregularities in feeding, preg¬ 
nancy, exposure or other faults in the care 
and management of the stock. In many cases 
it is evidently an act of pure wantonness, 
simply a desire to be doing something. Ani¬ 
mals kept too closely confined often gnaw the 
wood-work within reach, apparently to pass 
away the time. Examine into and correct the 
management and diet if found at fault. Then 
give each cow one-half pound of Epsom salts 
and common salt, and one ounce of ginger, to 
unload the bowels. Repeat the dose in 10 or 
18 hours if the first produces no effect. For 
large cows not with calf this dose may be in¬ 
creased by one-half or even doubled. After 
the bowels have been moved, give two table- 
spoonfuls of the following powders in the feed, 
night and morning: Powdered gentian root 
and ginger, each one pound; pulverized 
nitrate of potash and nux vomica each one- 
half pound ;mix. Allow free access to salt and 
plenty of good drinking water. Exercise in 
suitable weather is also very desirable. 
OLD AND NEW-PROCESS OIL-MEAL FOR 
DAIRY COWS. 
D. F. C., Sandwich , Mich .—What is the 
difference between old and new-piocess oil 
meal and which is the better for dairy cattle? 
Ans.—O ld-process meal is the ground 
residuary cake left when the oil is extracted 
from flax-seed by severe pressure. On an 
average, it contains about 12 per cent, of free 
oil or fat; 30 per cent, of nitrogenous com¬ 
pounds and 87 per cent, of carbohydrates. 
New-process meal is the residuum when tue 
oil is extracted from the flax-seed by means of 
naphtha or benzine, the latter being afterward 
expelled by high heat. On an average, it 
contains about 2. 5 per cent, of oil or fat; 86 
per cent, of nitrogenous compounds, aud 34 per 
cent of carbohydrates. The old-process meal, 
owing to the large proportion of oil it con¬ 
tains, is injurious to butter unless fed to the 
cows in very snmb quantities as part of a 
ration. The new-process meal is better for 
dairy cows owing to its lower oil and higher 
nitrogenous ratios. Either should be fed in 
connection with other foods, such as middlings 
or corn-meal, straw and hay. Unless the cows 
have plenty of some succulent feed, it would be 
better to mix the meal with boiling water and 
allow the mess to stand a few hours. 
OVER-FED HOGS. 
C. F. W„ Adair, Mo .—As I was feeding 
my hogs the other day, one of them suddenly 
fell over and became rigid and insensible, but 
recovered in about five minutes ani finished 
his meal, but the next morning he had lost 
all use of his hiud parts as though they were 
paralyzed. He eats and seems to be in no 
pain except when he tries to move. What 
ails him and what can be done to help him ? 
Ans. —If the hogs are fat, the trouble is 
probably due to injudicious or over-fetding. 
Place the affected hog in a comfortable yard 
or pen with a dirt or ground floor. Reduce 
the feed one-half or two-thirds until he recov¬ 
ers the use of his limbs. Make a thin paste of 
ground mustard and turpentine and apply it to 
the whole region of the loins, and cover with 
a blanket for a few hours. Supply a mixed 
diet, with little or no corn for the present. 
You should have mentioned the condition of 
the hogs, how they have been kept and fed, 
and the feed, if you desired a definite, satis¬ 
factory answer. Under the circumstances we 
have been obliged to take some points for 
granted, instead of knowing the actual facts 
in the case. 
GOITRE IN A HEIFER. 
L. T. S., Quincy, III .—About three weeks 
since a swelling as big as a fist appeared un¬ 
der the jaw of my two-year-old Jersey heifer. 
Now it has extended upwards as far as the 
ears on both sides of the head. It does not 
appear to affect the health of the auimal. 
What is it and wbat should be the treatment? 
Ans. —It is a case of goitre, for which ioaine 
given in small doses for a long period affords 
the only relief. This disease appears to be con¬ 
stitutional and hereditary, and the tendency 
to it may be transmitted from parent to off¬ 
spring. In mauy cases it is due to the use of 
water containing magnesia in solution, de¬ 
rived from the soil. Tne only effective treat¬ 
ment is to give iodide of potassium in three- 
scruple doses daily for a long time, aud apply 
iodine ointment to the swelling, rubbing in a 
piece as large as a chestnut once a day. 
REMEDY FOR HARD-MILKING TEATS. 
S. G. S., South Livermore, Me .—I have a 
valuable Jersey heifer that milks quite hard 
in the forward teats. Is there any way by 
which the orifice or milk channel can be en¬ 
larged 2 
Ans. —After each milking insert a hard 
rubber or lead plug, slightly larger than the 
opening in each teat, aud allow the plugs to 
remain until the next milking. As the open¬ 
ing enlarges, a larger plug will be necessary. 
The upper end of the plugs should be rounded 
and slightly enlarged—probe-pointed. Tuis 
will probably keep them in position, especial¬ 
ly if the rubber plugs are used. If not, they 
must be made longer aud V-shaped, the length 
of each arm being about three-tourtus that of 
the teat,and there should be an eye in the end 
of the outside arm for a tape to be tied around 
the teat. Do not tie it too tightly. 
WARBLES ON CATTLE. 
L. It. H., Dighton, Kans .—What is the 
best treatment for grubs or warbles on the 
backs of cattle? 
Ans. —Warbles are the larvm of the gad¬ 
fly, and are to be found in little rounded tum¬ 
ors the size of hazel-nuts, on the backs of 
cattle iu winter and spring. In the center of 
each tumor is a little hole through which the 
grub may be seen aud extracted. The best 
treatment is to examine all cattle in winter or 
spring and squeeze out the grubs found iu their 
backs, enlarging the openings with a knife 
when necessary. This cuts off the supply of 
flies for the following year, aud if the practice 
were universally followed, the pests would 
soon be exterminated. 
THE USE OF LIME. 
J. F. C., Glencoe, Minn ,—I can get air 
