232 
THE BUBAL WEW-YOBKIB. 
APB 27 
respondence. A personal examination and a 
coarse of treatment that is varied according 
to circumstances are usually necessary. Ex¬ 
amine the teeth to see that none are decayed 
or overgrown so as to hinder mastication. If 
such is the case they should be drawn or filed. 
Give two table-spoonfuls of the following 
powder in the feed twice daily:—Powdered 
gentian, ginger and sodium carbonate each 
one-half pound; nux vomica one-fourth of a 
pound. Also give one ounce of sweet spirits 
of niter three times daily in the drinking 
water or as a drench in one-half pint of cold 
water. Allow only one-half bucketful of 
drinking water three times daily. Continue 
the chopped bay and oats in moderate quan¬ 
tity only, and scald well with boiling water 
or steam before feeding. A little well boiled 
starch gruel can be given in the drinking 
water with advantage. Allow only walking 
exercise until relieved. Rub the belly once 
daily with the following liniment:—One 
ounce each of Castile soap and camphor gum 
dissolved in one pint of spirit; then add one 
pint each of strong aqua ammonia and olive 
oil well shaken together. Make sure that the 
feed is free from mold, must or dust, and 
that the drinking water is wholesome. 
WEAK OR WATERY EYES IN A HORSE. 
L. L., Gallatin , North Dakota. —My 11- 
year-old horse has been allowed to run out 
on the prairie on fine days, the sun being 
bright and the snow glaring. After a time 
his ej es began to water and soon afterwards 
he couldn’t look at the light and acted like 
a snow blind person. Such fits now last 
about a day and for the next two days he is 
all right, but looks heavy. The eye-balls are 
bright, but the eyes are quite hot. Nothing 
but clear water runs from them; but he ap¬ 
pears to suffer considerably. Otherwise he is 
in good condition. What should be the treat¬ 
ment? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
The watery eyes may be due to a cold, a 
dark or damp stable, to irritating gases in the 
stable such as arise from accumulating dung 
and urine, or they may be due mainly to the 
bright, dazzling light from the snow, in which 
case the eyes are probably naturally a little 
weak. Without knowing the character of the 
stable and the conditions under which the 
Horse is kept, we cannot give a definite opin¬ 
ion as to the cause of the weakness. In any 
case this bright light from the snow irritates 
the eyes wbile in their present condition, so 
that the horse should not be out on the snow 
in the sunshine. Protect the horse from ex¬ 
posure to cold or wet. The stable should be 
dr^, clean, airy, and moderately light; but 
the windows, or doors if open, should be at his 
back so that he receives the light from behind, 
instead of directly in front. Keep him in-doors 
during the middle of the day when the sun is 
bright, especially while there is snow on the 
ground. Internally it would be well to give 
seven drams of the best aloes with one ounce 
of ginger as a drench in one pint of water, to 
open the bowels. Repeat the dose in 36 hours, 
if no effect is produced by the first. Then for 
a few days give one table-spoonful of pulver¬ 
ized nitrate of potash on the feed twice daily. 
If the horse is fat, reduce the feed for a time. 
If the eyes continue to run, keep them cover¬ 
ed with a cloth wet with a solution of one- 
half dram lead acetate and 10 grains of mor¬ 
phia in one pint of water. 
BLIND STAGGERS AND RUPTURE IN A HORSE. 
C. B., Hartford, Ohio. —1. What should be 
the treatment for blind staggers in a horse ? 
2. Can anything be done for rupture in a 
horse ? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
1. Keep the horse on a bran mash diet for 24 
hours; then give six to eight drams (accord¬ 
ing to the size of horse) of the best aloes with 
one ounce of ginger, as a drench, in one pint of 
water, to open the bowels. Continue the 
mash diet until the bowels are freely moved. 
Repeat the aloes in 36 hours if no effect is 
produced by the first dose. As a tonic, give 
two table-spoonfuls of the following powders 
in the feed night and morning : Sulphate of 
iron one-fourth of a pound, powdered gentian, 
nitrate of potash and sulphate of soda each 
one pound, mix. Continue the powders for a 
week ana then omit a week; alternate thus 
for several weeks. A laxative diet should be 
given so as to keep the bowels open. If the 
f-cces become dry or firm another dose of 
aloes should be given, as advised above. Dur¬ 
ing the summer feed largely on grass or other 
green food, and in winter on roots and mashes. 
2. Rupture and hernia occur at several points 
and special treatment is usually demanded 
for each. You should have mentioned the 
place and extent of the rupture if you desired 
us to give specific treatment In general, for 
the treatment of a rupture, the horse is to be 
placed on his back, or in such position as will 
bring the rupture uppermost. The protruding 
organ is jthen to be carefully returned, and 
the opening covered with a pad and nandage, 
applied so as to prevent ihe return of the 
organ through the rupture. The bandage 
must he kept on until the opening or rupture 
has healed. 
STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 
J. J. P., Warsaiv, Ky. —Could the follow¬ 
ing mode of making a strawberry bed be im¬ 
proved upon? Turn over an old clover sod in 
the fall, and sow on it, in early winter, 100 
bushels of unleached wood ashes per acre. In 
spring go over the ground with a cultivator 
mixing the ashes wi h three or four inches of 
the surface soil. Then sow 1,000 pounds of 
pure ground bone meal per acre, and harrow 
thoroughly. Lay off rows three feet by two 
feet, and cultivate both ways until the 
runners start, and allow them to mat the 
narrow way not more than four to six inches 
wide and not very thick in the row. Would 
lc be well to cultivate the sod one season in 
some such hoed crop as potatoes or tobacco, 
before setting the strawberries, on account of 
the presence ot white grubs in the soil, or 
should the fruit be set out the first season? 
Is the humus in a clover sod just as good as 
that contained in stable manure? If so, I will 
take clover, bone and ashes every time for 
growing small fruits. My objection to stable 
manure is that it contains foul weed seeds, 
and an excess of ammonia for fruit. 
Ans —Our friend’s first plan is, in our 
opinion, the better, and as good as any. We 
should not sow the unleached ashes before 
mid-winter or a little later. We should (for 
his climate) turn under the clover sod in the 
fall, and not put it in any hoed crop for a 
season. The humus in the clover sod is just 
as good as that in manure and more avail¬ 
able, in so far as we are informed. 
STOPPAGE OF MILK. 
H. D. P., Fond du Lac, Wt's.—What 
shall I do for my cows ? One was all right 
10 weeks ago when she was dried off; but 
when she came in no milk could be got from 
one quarter though there was no swelling or ob¬ 
struction in the teat. Another cow was all 
right when dried off,but when she became fresh 
no milk could be got except from one-quarter. 
Here too there was neither swelling nor inflam¬ 
mation. A little lump the size of a small pea 
in the teats appears to prevent the milk from 
coming down. All the cows have been prop¬ 
erly milked and handled. I tried to pass a 
knitting-needle through the obstruction in the 
teat, but could not penetrate it, as it seems 
to be a bony or gristly substance; neither could 
I push it up. It is quite long in some cases. 
I have handled a large dairy for 30 years; but 
do not know what to do now ? 
Ans. —If no milk is secreted in the affected 
quarter of the udder, there is no satisfactory 
treatment. But if the milk is secreted as 
usual, and is prevented from being drawn by 
some obstruction in the teat, a surgical oper¬ 
ation will be necessary to remove that ob¬ 
struction. In that case we would advise em¬ 
ploying the best veterinary surgeon at hand 
to examine the cows, and open the duct if 
practicable Are you sure there was no in¬ 
flammation or caking of the udder in these 
cases, after'you stopped milking, frcm being 
“ dried off ” too quickly ? 
AN AILING MARE. 
W. J. G., Columbus , Ohio. —A mare has 
been ailing nearly all the winter. The trouble 
affected her eyes only at first; but lately her 
right hind leg has been sw r ollen. The trouble 
with the eyes was pronounced catarrh, and 
that in the leg is said to be scratches. She 
has had good care all winter, and is in a fleshy 
condition. What should be done for her ) 
Ans.— Give six drams of best aloes with 
one ounce of ginger, as a drench, in one pint of 
water to open the bowels. Repeat the dose in 
36 hours if the bowels are not freely purged. 
Then give one table-spoonful of the following 
powder in the feed night and morning : Ni¬ 
trate of potash one pound, chlorate of potash 
four ounces. If the swollen leg is cracked or 
sore apply a daily dressing of benzoated oxide 
of zinc. Reduce the feed and give no corn, 
buckwheat or other heating foods. Give 
moderate exercise daily. If the eyes are 
watery or weak, see treatment for the same 
in back numbers of the Rural. 
KAFFIR CORN, ETC. 
H. S. B ., Rome, N. Y. —1. Kaffir corn is 
being widely advertised as a superior food 
for poultry so far as the grain is concerned; 
while the stalks are reported to make feed, 
green or cured. What does the Rural say? 
2. Where can “seed” of the Early White 
Ohio be obtained? Is it a good potato for 
general cultivation? 
Ans. —1. Kaffir corn is a variety of sorghum 
that seeds freely. As green or cured food, 
Indian corn or other kinds of sorghum are 
more valuable. From having raised it a 
single season at the Rural Grounds, we cannot 
recommend it. It may be planted the same 
as corn except that the land should be clean. 
The little plants are slow to start; they look 
like grass and are readily concealed by weeds. 
2. Of T. C. Davenport, 124 Dock St., Phil¬ 
adelphia, Pa. All tnat we know of it is 
favorable to the variety. Our friend is re¬ 
ferred to the R. N.-Y.’s report. 
WEAKNESS IN LAMBS. 
W. S. H., (no address). —My lambs come 
all right, get up and suck, but die within 
24 to 36 hours—some of them with scours. 
The 25 ewes are in good condition; they have 
not had much grain; but all the hay they 
wanted. Some brine from meat pickled 
a year ago was put on some hay the sheep ate 
three weeks before they commenced to drop 
the lambs; could this cause the death of the 
lambs? 
Ans. —The lambs probably die because con¬ 
stitutionally weak, which may be due to want 
of exercise, too close confinement, or to the 
ewes being too fat. Either cause not infre¬ 
quently produces weak lambs. Give the ewes 
more exercise, and if fat reduce their feed. If 
the brine producea no effect on the ewes, it is 
probably not responsible for the death of the 
lambs. 
ABSCESS IN THE BELLY OF A COW. 
J. T., Gallupville, N. Y. —One of my Hol¬ 
stein cows had a very hard lump in the navel. 
I lanced it, some matter escaped, and the 
swelling disappeared. Another has come, 
however, in front of the udder. On lancing 
that, about a pint of matter came from it. 
It didn’t disappear and now it seems swell¬ 
ing up again. With this exception the animal 
is in fine condition. What should be done for 
her ? 
Ans. —If the present swelling is an abscess 
similar to the other, it should be freely open¬ 
ed and washed out with a five-per-cent, solu¬ 
tion of carbolic acid. Then carefully wash 
out daily with a two-per-cent, solution until 
healed. The opening must be prevented from 
closing, to allow free drainage, while the 
cavity heals from above downward. 
STERILITY IN A HEIFER. 
E. H. C., Oberlin, Ohio. —A Jersey heifer 
of mine only one year old has been in heat 
about every 25 days since she w’as three 
months old. I didn’t like to breed her so 
young; but she gave so much trouble that I 
finally bred her to a Jersey bull of her own 
age. He seemed to serve her well, but in 25 
days she was in heat again. Since then I 
have bred her to the same bull three times; 
but still she comes in heat regularly every 25 
days. W hat can be done? 
Ans —Try breeding the heifer to another 
bull, preferably a grade. If this fails, use a 
vigorous “scrub” bull. If this does not suc¬ 
ceed, we can only advise you to employ a com¬ 
petent veterinary surgeon to make a personal 
examination of the heifer. 
THE CATALPA. 
C. J. J., Sparta, Mich. —Is the catalpa a 
foliaceous or coniferous tree, and where can 
the seed be obtained? .When should it be 
sown? 
Ans —There are two catalpas—the Com¬ 
mon and Hardy. There is also Koampfer’s 
catalpa and a hybrid variety. Probably you 
will prefer the Hardy or Catalpa speciosa. 
Seeds of this may be purchased of J. M. Thor- 
burn & Co., N. Y. for 25 cents per ounce. 
The seeds may be sown now. They germin¬ 
ate readily. It is a deciduous tree bearing 
seed pods (fruits) Dearly a foot long and less 
than an inch in diameter. 
AMAUROSIS IN A MARE DUE TO PREGNANCY. 
G., Virgil, Kan. —My nine-year-old mare 
has had four colts, and she is now with colt. 
She has become nearly blind. Is she likely to 
become entirely blind; or is there any 
remedy ? 
Ans. —The blindness is evidently the result 
of a temporary paralysis of the nerves of 
sight, causing amaurosis of the eye, due to 
pregnancy. The aisease is of rare occurrence, 
but a few similar instances are recorded. 
There is no treatment except to cease breed¬ 
ing the mare. 
iviieoellaneoaa. 
T. B., Pittsford, N. Y. —Dr. Hoskins in a 
late Rural speaks of “sugar pumpkins”; 
where can I get the seed ? 
Ans.—S ugar pumpkin seed is sold by all 
seedsmen. 
T. W. M., Rock Dell. —The Orange Judd 
Company will furnish a book on bean culture. 
For seed beans write to N. B. Keeney & Son, 
Le Roy, N. Y. This firm makes a specialty 
of beans of the finest varieties. 
W. P. F., Rhaca, N. Y. —What does the 
Rural know about the Morris or Maurice 
Amber wheat sent out by the Government 
about four years ago? 
Ans. —The R. N.-Y. has not raised it. 
E. W. S., BamesviUe, Ohio. —Would it pay 
to sow Alfalfa on ground under raspberries, 
that will be dug up after fruiting? 
Ans. —The R. N.-Y.’s impression is that 
Alfalfa sown at that time will usually fail. 
(7.(7. P., Brooklyn, N. Y. —1. What about 
the August Giant black grape ? 2. Of the fol¬ 
lowing, which is the best white grape—Empire 
State, Lady, Lady Washington, Pocklington, 
Niagara and Hayes ? Quality is the most im¬ 
portant feature next to hardiness and prolifi¬ 
cacy. 
Ans —1. The R. N.-Y. has bad no experi¬ 
ence with the August Giant. 2. It is hard to 
say. We should choose Hayes. Lady Wash¬ 
ington is too late and not hardy. 
C. A. W., Hay Springs, Neb. —1. Chemical 
compounds are advertised which if applied to 
the horns of young calves, will prevent the 
growth of the horns. Woula something of 
this kind be safe and reliable ? 2. Are Red 
Polled cattle considered better for dairy pur¬ 
poses than for beef, and how do they rank 
with other breeds ? 
Ans. —1. We have never had any experience 
with such compounds. The practice has been 
quite extensively advertised and we learn of 
a number of farmers who are experimenting 
with it. 2. Yes. The Red Polls thus far sent 
to this country have been mainly praised for 
their dairy qualities, though all admit that 
they make excellent beef. It is for the some¬ 
what uncertain title of best “ general-pur¬ 
pose ” cow that they are likely to be boomed. 
■ • » » 
DISCUSSION. 
SCABBY POTATOES. 
M. H. W., Moore’s Mills, N. Y.—Here are 
the results of some [pretty close observations 
that I have been making for several years in 
regard to scabby potatoes. Some suppose 
scab is caused by grubs or wire-worms. 1 
have very often found those worms eating 
potatoes, but each kind works in a way of its 
own, leaving a hole in the tuber, but no scab. 
The grub eats a roundish hole sometimes the 
size of a chestnut; wbile the wire-worm bores 
di ectly into the potato as if it was a real 
wire thrust in. I nave often taken hold of 
the end of one and pulled it out and pulled it 
in two to make sure of its identity. The holes 
of these pests do no more harm than the 
wounds of a potato-fork. I have come to the 
conclusion that a worm of any family is not a 
“jack at all trades,” but pursues its work in 
special lines; that just as we find them work¬ 
ing 30 or 40 times we shall always find them 
working. Therefore I dismiss the worm and 
look in another direction for the cause of 
scab. In digging a few potatoes every day 
from the time the tubers are half grown 
until they are ripe, I find them for some 
days without spot or blemish. Then, if 
there is some wet, sultry weather, they 
will soon be found to have very small 
spots of a whitish mold hardly to be seen 
at first, but growing in area and distinct¬ 
ness from day to day. This mold or vegeta¬ 
ble growth sends its roots through the tender 
skin of the immature potato and to a limited 
depth into the flesh, destroying the structure 
as far as the roots go; so that in a short time 
the spot turns dark and dry. All observers 
notice that potatoes are more scabby when 
raised on coarse manure. Why ? Because 
fresh manure is a fruitful source of mold. 
Some soils yield a larger per cent, of scabby 
potatoes than others when no manure is 
used on either, because the one soil has that 
in it which predisposes to mold. Phosphates 
are better fertilizers for potatoes than 
manure, because their chemical action or 
caustic qualities tend to destroy the spores or 
seeds of the mold in the ground. If the 
chemist can prescribe something that will 
prevent mold, I think we can raise our pota¬ 
toes smooth. 
CANNING GREEN PEAS, ETC. 
M. C. A., Homer, N. Y.—In the Rural of 
February 23, T. B. S., Webb’s Mills, N. Y., 
asks how are green peas put up in glass cans. 
The answer is “ Experience in putting up 
green peas in glass or tin has generally been 
a failure.” I must say that it can be done, 
because I have put them up now for four 
years. Last fall I put up three dozen cans 
and all have kept perfectly. The peas must 
be nearly fully grown so that they will not 
shrink in cooking; then fill tho cans quite full. 
Then put the glass covers on so as to prevent 
any condensed steam from dropping on them 
from the boiler cover. Place the cans on a 
frame in the boiler; fill the latter with cold 
water as full as you can without causing it to 
boil over the cans. Boil two hours; then 
take out on a cloth laid on tho table and fill 
