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387 
TUI RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
nearly all destroyed. Early potatoes and 
many fields of corn were badly damaged by 
the last frost. Vegetables are very scarce. Ear¬ 
ly cabbages were nearly all destroyed by cut¬ 
worms and the black cabbage flea. There are 
more of these pests this season than I ever 
saw. Our prospects for crops this year are 
gloomy enough at this time. f. s. w. 
New Jersey. 
Trenton, Mercer County, May 30.— The 
weather'continueswet here,and it is warm now 
after a cold snap of several days. It is favor¬ 
able to a heavy growth of grass and wheat and 
rye straw; but it has been too wet, and, for a 
few days, too cold for early-planted corn, 
though favorable to truck. There are enough 
peaches on to make an average crop, provid¬ 
ing they do not fall off prematurely. Apples, 
where not injured by insects, will be a me¬ 
dium crop. Cherries, a small crop. Straw¬ 
berries are rotting and sour; but a day or two 
of sunshine will make them all right. Black¬ 
berries are full. Pastures are luxuriant, es¬ 
pecially on good ground. F. D. 
Mew York. 
Forestville, Chautauqua County, May 
29.—We have had one of the finest springs on 
record, and the prospect for a large crop of 
fruit and most other things was very flatter¬ 
ing; but, alas! “ Old Jack Frost ” came this 
way last night and turned every thing up¬ 
side-down, destroying the corn and potatoes, 
killing most of the fruit and damaging the 
hay, wheat and other crops. It is said to 
have been the worst frost that this section has 
known for 30 years. Farmers are feeling 
blue. The frosts and the trusts are too much 
for them. Something must be done in re¬ 
gard to these trusts, and that soon too. 
c. H. F. 
Wisconsin. 
Greenbusii, (Sheboygau County, May 31.— 
We had an early spring and crops were look¬ 
ing well; but we have had three hard frosts 
within a week, and we had a snow 
storm last night. Fruits are all killed 
and all corn and potatoes that were up 
are frozen down to the ground. Our Contest 
potato plot is ruined, I fear. The currants 
look as though they were cooked on the 
bushes. Clover is looking splendid. We 
have had several heavy rains lately. 
A. M. s. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
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GAPES IN CHICKENS. 
C. M. L. y West Henrietta, N. Y— I have 
20 three-weeks-old chicks that have the gapes. 
I can save some of them by running a feather 
or looped horse-hair down the wind-pipe; but 
I have lost 10 after having drawn out some 
of the worms that killed them. Now where 
do these worms come from? Don’t say from 
stagnant water, for there is none. Neither is 
their presence due to wet weather, for it has 
been dry. If they come from hen lice, why 
don’t my neighbors’ chicks have them? Hen 
lice are common around here. What is the 
cause of their prevalence in my flock, and a 
preventive, and what is a cure for [those 
that are now affected? 
ANSWERED BY HENRY HALES. 
It is refreshing once in a while to have a 
communication from some one who evidently 
has ideas and reflections of his own, and who 
is not easily satisfied by mere guess-work. 
Perhaps there is no subject connected with 
poultry about which so much nonsense has been 
written as gapes. Many theories with regard 
to it have been started aud discussed, that 
very ordinary observation would show to be 
conjectures, with no foundation. These 
false theories have a tendency to mis¬ 
lead iuquiry aud observation. The fact is 
that no one has ever found how the worm 
is propagated. The highest scientific author¬ 
ities only guess at it. Dr. Cobbold 
who is allowed to be the best informed on the 
gape worm (Sclerostoma synagamus), says: 
“By whatever mode the young make their 
exit from the shell, it is manifest that prior to 
their expulsion, they are sufficiently develop¬ 
ed to undertake an active migration; their 
next habitation may occur within the bodies 
of certain insect larvae, or even in small mol- 
lusks; but 1 think it more likely that they eith¬ 
er enter into the substance of vegetable mat¬ 
ters, or bury themselves in the soil at a short 
distance from the surface.” The last opinion 
I think much the most likely. After study¬ 
ing the symptoms and insects for 25 years, I 
am satisfied lice have nothing to do with the 
matter. Of course, lice will attack fowls ail¬ 
ing from any cause, as it takes the full vital 
energy of poultry to keep them clear of 
parasites. Take a number of hens from one 
house with freshly hatched chicks, put half of 
them on new ground removed from the old 
contaminated quarters, put the other half on 
old infected ground in use the previous year, 
and most if not all of the chicks will, in the 
latter case get the gapes. This plainly shows 
that the contamination does not proceed from 
the mother hen, or from her personal para¬ 
sites, neither in my opinion does the insect pass 
through the intestines or any part of the 
earth-worm as so many assert, for I 
have seen pheasants badly troubled with the 
gapes, that were kept on board floors on 
a second story of an aviary, so that it would 
seem that the larva or first formation from 
the egg, may lodge in old boards, or in the 
ground near-by the parents’ locality the prev¬ 
ious year. The gape-worm is not confined to 
domestic'poultry: all the family of Gallus are 
subject to it, besides some other birds. Change 
of ground for chickens so that they are not al¬ 
lowed to run at all over the infected places, will 
prevent the disease, and after a year or two 
(some say one year) the infected ground will 
be purified. The only perfect cure for afflicted 
chicks is the removal of the worms with a small 
feather or twisted horse-hair. The latter is 
the better. Have a small loop at the end, 
watch for the wind-pipe to open as the chick 
breathes, thrust down the horse-hair the 
length of the neck, twist it round as it is drawn 
out, and it will dislodge and bring out the 
worms. Often all the pests will not come at 
once, but the chick will sometimes cough out 
the rest after they have been dislodged by the 
hair or feather. If the latter is used it must 
be stripped to the stem, except a small vane 
point at the end. A piece of camphor about 
the size of a grain of wheat given as a pill will 
sometimes destroy the worms: other cures, such 
as dusting lime on the chicks in a box, or fumi¬ 
gating with fumes of carbolic acid, etc., are 
recommended, but removing the worms as 
above is the only way to effect a perfect cure. 
RYE AS STOCK FEED; POLLUTION OF CISTERN 
water; a cistern filter. 
D. R., Barnardsville, N. J. —1. Is it safe 
to feed rye to farm horses, brood sows, and 
poultry? 2. How can I get rid of a disagree¬ 
able odor in the water from a cistern? 
Ans.— 1. Rye is quite safe to feed to any 
kind of live stock, if it is free from ergot, but 
it is not desirable food alone. Wh* ground 
with corn it is excellent for horses, and pigs. 
Fowls do not eat this grain readily unless 
they can steal it, when they seem to be quite 
satisfied to fill their crops with it. We sup¬ 
pose the grain is referred to. If it is a grow¬ 
ing crop the green rye may be cut when in 
bloom for forage for horses or for cows, al¬ 
though it is not considered a desirable fodder 
for cows kept for butter. Green rye is a very 
good food for pigs of all kinds. 2. The cistern 
should be cleaned out. A very large quanti¬ 
ty of filth collects on roofs and is washed into 
cisterns, and this quickly ferments and gives 
off very offensive gases which are absorbed by 
the water. A cistern ther efore needs thorough 
cleaning every spring, and should be provid¬ 
ed with a filter made of gravel, sand and 
charcoal, through which the water passes on 
its way from the roof. A simple filter of 
gravel and even of coarse flannel will 
arrest much of the matter which is washed 
from the roof, and after a dry time when this 
collects abundantly in the gutters, the use of 
a filter is very desirable. A filter may be 
made of a barrel prepared as follows: bore in 
the bottom a large number of holes and lay a 
screen of fine wire gauze over these; on the 
screen place two or three inches of fine washed 
gravel; on this four inches of clean river or 
sea sand washed; then six inches of finely 
broken charcoal; on this lay four inches of 
the washed sand; then three inches of the 
fine gravel and a covering of small stones to 
receive the water, which is best run through a 
rose strainer to spread the force of the water 
and avoid disturbing the filtering layers. The 
barrel should be placed over the cover of the 
cistern. Every spring this filter should be 
taken apart and washed and put together 
again. Every care should be exercised to 
keep the cover of the cistern tight and to ex¬ 
clude dust, worms, mice, rats etc., all of 
which are frequent sources of pollution of 
cisterns. It is recommended to put a bag of 
charcoal in the cistern to absorb the foul 
odors. This is exceedingly bad advice. It is 
only a temporaly device; it only mitigates 
the evil for a time, and it misleads the people 
into danger. The foul gases from a corrupt 
cistern are a most serious danger to health 
and may very easily provoke attacks of ma¬ 
lignant and fatal diseases. The cause of the 
evil should be removed and avoided. 
BLOATING COWS. 
O. Me F ., Ladner's Landing, British, Co¬ 
lumbia. —I hare three acres with a heavy 
clay subsoil. Two have been a long time in 
Timothy; the other has been two years in Al- 
sike, Red clover and Timothy grass and was 
pastured last year without any bad effect. 
This year since the end of March when grass 
was low,my cows have been occasionally swol¬ 
len, one so seriously that she had to be 
stabbed. I have four cows on three acres and 
there is not a week in which some of them are 
not swollen and often two at one time—in the 
morning, at noon or in the evening. The 
trouble seems to come on suddenly and after 
a few hours it becomes a little Jess, but the 
affected animals are often a whole day with¬ 
out being able to chew the cud. They do not 
seem to be sick, for when they get a little ease 
they commence to eat and next day to all ap¬ 
pearance they are all right. The grass is 
very rank and abundant and they have water 
at will, but it is ditch water. All kinds of 
weeds are abundant around the fences. My 
cows had the same run last year and the same 
water, but there was no trouble. 
Ans.— Feed each cow once daily some bran, 
or give as a drench one-naif ounce each of 
carbonate of soda, sulphate of soda and com¬ 
mon salt. Improve the drinking water if 
possible. When attacked give as a drench 
one-half to one pound each of Epsom and 
common salt (according to the size and con¬ 
dition of the animal) with two ounces of gin¬ 
ger. In severe cases also give two ounces of 
oil of turpentine shaken up in a quart of milk; 
or one-half-ounce doses of carbonate of am¬ 
monia as a drench in one pint of cold water, 
and repeat this every three hours until re¬ 
lieved. Puncture as before if it becomes 
necessary. 
HOCK LAMENESS IN A MARE. 
T. S., Fair Orove, Mo. —My 12-year-old 
mare was taken lame in her loft hind leg, last 
October. She was suckling a colt at the time, 
and a swelling appeared on the inside of the 
leg, a little below the hock joint. She was 
turned in pasture and the swelling was bathed 
twice a day, with mullein and vinegar. In a 
few days it disappeared, but appeared again 
at intervals through the winter, until about 
March 20th, when she staid lame until she 
foaled on April 24th. She was due to foal 
May 7th. During the last lameness she held 
up her leg, and when she put it down would 
just touch her toe. Now the leg is swollen all 
around the hock joint, but she is not so lame, 
and holds it up a great deal when standing. 
The swelling seems to be quite hard on the in¬ 
side of the leg below the joint, and appears to 
give her some pain when pressed. What is 
the trouble, and how should she be treated! 
Ans. —This appears to be one of those com¬ 
plicated cases of spavin or disease of the hock, 
brought about by some injury to the joint. 
Treatment is not very satisfactory in these 
advanced cases. The application of the com¬ 
pound solution of iodine—iodine two parts, 
iodide of potassium one part, water 16 
parts—two or three times a week for several 
weeks; or firing the joint in points, followed 
by the application of the iodine as soon as the 
effect of the firing has nearly passed off, 
might afford some relief. Rest during treat¬ 
ment is essential. We doubt, however, if you 
will be able to do more than to relieve the 
mare so that she may be kept for breeding 
purposes. 
SHOULDER OR FOOT LAMENESS IN A MULE. 
C. H. H., Bright Wood, Ind.—Mj four- 
year-old mule was lame in the left shoulder 
last year and was treated for sweeny. This 
year he is a little stiff there and lags behind 
when at work, stretching his neck out to the 
right, and flinching a trifle in his left shoul¬ 
der. There is no perceptible fever there, and 
the skin is not tight as it was a year ago, but 
there is a slight depression. His dam was 
lame in the same place for several years, but 
a season’s rest has cured her. A full brother, 
a year older,is all right. What’s the trouble? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
If the lameness is in the shoulder it is 
probably the result of a sprain. A very large 
proportion of the so-called shoulder lameness 
is really in the feet and not in the shoulder at 
all. Judging from the history, we suspect 
that may be the case in this instance. If you 
desired us to diagnose the case you should 
have given the symptoms, t. «., the posi¬ 
tion of the limb when standing,and the action 
in walking and trotting both on hard and soft 
ground. For chronic shoulder lameness due 
to an old sprain, the proper treatment would 
be the application of a strong liniment, or a 
cantharides blister,over the seat of the sprain 
(made and applied as frequently directed in 
these columns), or firing in points. Either 
course would favor a restoration of the weak¬ 
ened muscle or tendon to its natural condition. 
The firing should be attempted only by a 
competent operator. 
UNDERrDRAINING A GARDEN. 
W. F. K., Clinton, La.—I want to under¬ 
drain a two-acre garden; what sort of tile 
would be the best? 
Ans. —The size of tile must be chosen in ac¬ 
cordance with the quantity of water in the 
land. Usually one-inch tile is quite sufficient 
for a two-acre plot when the laud is not very 
wet and springy. Round tiles are the best, 
using only perfectly straight ones. These aro 
laid in narrow ditches the bottom of which is 
scooped out to fit the tile. An implement for 
doing this work is easily made by bending a 
hoe—having first heated it—to the shape re¬ 
quired. The work should be begun at the 
upper ends of the ditches, and as the tiles are 
laid they should be covered with earth to 
avoid disturbing them. They may be laid 
easily by means of a light rod with a project¬ 
ing pin on which the tile is placed and lifted 
into the channel made for it. The tiles should 
be laid in this manner, the rows being 50 or 60 
feet apart unless the land is very wet, when 
intervals of 30 or 40 feet are not too close. 
The discharging tiles should be two inches in 
diameter for the upper half and three inches 
for the lower half if the number of laterals 
exceeds eight to 10; a two-inch tile has four 
times the capacity of a one-inch, and a three- 
inch nine times the capacity. 
ABOUT BEAN CULTURE. 
C. M. D., Mansfield, O. —l. Are beans a 
profitable crop? 2. What is the proper man¬ 
ner of planting, cultivating and harvesting 
them? 3. Do they do well m heavy clay 
soil ? 
Ans. —1. As profitable as ordinary farm 
crops. The average yield is from 10 to 20 
bushels per acre. Bean growers in Western 
New York say that a crop can be grown, 
harvested and delivered for about $10 to $12 
per acre, exclusive of the use of the land. 2. 
Those who grow beans on a large scale, use 
bean-planters either with or without fertiliz¬ 
er attachments. Beans are also planted with 
a common grain drill by stopping up some of 
the teeth, putting the drills of beans about 
28 inches apart. They may also be planted 
with hand corn-planters. Cultivate early 
and often, but do not stir the ground when 
the vines are wet from rain or dew. They 
are usually pulled by hand, but machines are 
used for doing this work where enough are 
grown to warrant the expense. They are 
thrashed by hand with flails, trodden out by 
horses in cold weather, or thrashed by ma¬ 
chines constructed especially for this pur¬ 
pose. 3. They do well on almost any soil ex¬ 
cept muck or a soil that has been manured 
with rank manure. 
HEAVES IN A HORSE. 
R. C. Q., Farmingdale, N. Y. —My horse 
had a cold last winter and it has left him with 
the heaves. Can they be cured ? 
Ans.—A n exhaustive article on the treat¬ 
ment of horses afflicted with heaves was 
given on page 767 of the Rural for 1886. It 
is doubtful if a genuine case of heaves can be 
cured, although recent attacks on young and 
healthy animals may be relieved by proper 
care and treatment in feeding and handling. 
Medicines have little effect except to hide the 
symptoms until the effects have passed off. 
Attention to feeding and watering is the best 
treatment both for relieving the disease and 
for preventing it. Never feed hay, straw, or 
grain that is the least bit dusty. Cut feed 
mixed with ground feed well sprinkled with 
water is good. Do not over-feed; water fre¬ 
quently, but not much at a time. Give 
half a pail of water before feeding. Do not 
over-work, but give moderate exercise daily. 
Keep the bowels easy by green food, or lax¬ 
atives. Avoid exposing to cold winds or 
storms, especially when heated. 
LUMPS ON COLT’S NECK; BREEDING SMALL 
MARES TO LARGE STALLIONS. 
W. R. S., Maple, Mich. —1. My 12-days-old 
colt was born with two lumps the size of a 
hen’s egg on the cords in the neck back of the 
jaw-bones; what should be done? The mare 
has been in good condition for a year. 2. Is 
it advisable to breed small mares to large 
stallions? 
Ans. —1. If the lumps or bunches appear to 
be attached to the skin only, they may be cut 
out, or a strong twine may be tied tightly 
gftijMeUatuouj* 
“Herbrand” Fifth Wheel for Buggies. 
