Centrist, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Treatment of Slock. 
“ Farmer," Oaks, Fa ., has a mare with foal; 
every few days she seems to have great pains 
in her stomach and pelvis, rubs against the 
stall, and wants to roll very badly : but the lit 
passes oft in a few hours, and he asks for a 
preventive and remedy. 2. Another mare 
dropped her colt all right; hut immediately 
afterwards was taken with severe pains and 
died within four hours; the colt lives and is 
doiug well—what ailed its dam ? 8. A cow 
of his in good condition refused to eat, or ate 
very little, and In two weeks was so weak that 
she could hardly stand; an examination of her 
month showed nothing wrong—what treatment 
should she receive? 
Ans.—1 . The mare was undoubtedly affected 
with spasmodic colic caused by indigestion or 
a cold. Hot applications should be made to 
the outside—rubbing with hot water, or hot 
bricks held against the stomach and on the 
loins. Injections of warm water are good and 
doses, every half hour until relieved, of sul¬ 
phuric ether audlaudauum— oneouuee of each 
in a pint of water. Follow this t reatment with 
six ounces ol solution of aloes—oue drachiu of 
aloes to each ounce. A quart of strong ginger 
tea will relieve mild cases, aud should be given 
if the other medicine is not at hand. A horse 
subject to such attacks should, every three 
days, to strengthen the action of the stomach, 
be fed powdered gentian ounce, powdered 
giuger U drachms, carbonate of soda 1 drachm. 
2. More data are ueeded to coine to a clear 
conclusion on this point. 8. Give the above 
daily in a worm bran mash to a cow with 
poor appetite, aud if the animal does not im¬ 
prove. give an active physic followed with the 
above. For physic, one pint of raw linseed 
oil every twelve hours until there is an opera¬ 
tion. Feed bran aud roots freely, with a little 
salt. 
Grinding Long Forage, Etc, 
J. IF. M., Citronelle, Ala., asks: where can 
a machine, able to grind long forage, hay, 
corn-stalks, etc., into meal, be purchased ; 2, 
the address of the manufacturer of the auto¬ 
matic gate. 
Ans. —1- A practical machine for grinding 
long forage into meal has not yet been invent¬ 
ed. There are some dilliculties in the way, 
chiefly mechanical, because hay and coin- 
stalks are fibrous, and not starchy and granu¬ 
lar, like grains ; and cannot be reduced to meal 
or even Cliatf, by grinding, without the exer¬ 
tion of so much power as to cost more than the 
product would be worth. The nearest approach 
to anysueh mill we knowof isthe BigGiantmill 
of Field Co., St. Louis, which grinds corn in 
the husk, tearing the husk iuto fragments. 
Cut corn stalks may be chopped in this mill, 
but not long ones. 2. There is no really auto¬ 
matic gate that has been successful in use; the 
nearest approach is gates that are opened by 
levers or cords pulled by the person in the car¬ 
riage. A really automatic gate would be use¬ 
less, because it would open for a cow or a pig, 
as well as for a horse in a carriage. 
Relative Value of Farm Products. 
S. A. C., Havana, N. Y., asks, 1, for 6orne 
idea as to the comparative values of 10 acres 
of clover and the same number under wheat; 2, 
which are the most profitable products—cows 
and butter, or sheep, lambs, mutton aud wool; 
or wheat; 3, how many sheep can be kept on 
pasture for one cow. 
Ans.— 1. Ten acre6 of good clover are worth 
more than so much wheat, if the value of 
what is left in the ground by the clover is ta¬ 
ken iuto account. When a crop of wheat is 
taken, the ground is exhausted of so much of 
its fertility as is carried off in the wheat; Rut 
when a crop of clover is taken, the soil is actu¬ 
ally iu better condition than before, and is 
good enough to yield a crop of wheat or corn. 
2. Sheep, lambs aud wool are more profitable 
products than cows and butter or wheat. 
There is less profit in wheat than lu any other 
crop; it costs more iu proportion ; but, for the 
cost aud labor involved, a flock of sheep pro¬ 
duce more value than any other farm stock or 
crop. 8. Five sheep can'be kept where one 
cow can be. pastured. 
Lime on Sulphur-impregnated Soil*, etc. 
J. IF. A., Smith's Grave, Ky., asks, 1, where 
he can get a pocket memorandum-book, suit¬ 
able for a farmer; 2, liis 6oil has a good deal 
of sulphur in its clay, and he wants to learn 
how to apply lime to it so as to get that and 
the sulphur to combine in the soil. 
Ans. — A very useful memorandum-book for 
a farmer is one of the common diaries which 
contain a page or half a page for each day; 
together with monthly cash accounts at the end. 
Each day's business can then be uoted aud 
memoranda made ahead for the particular 
day for which they are needed. It can be 
purchased at any good book-store. 2. The 
sulphur in the clay is doubtless in combi¬ 
nation with alumina or iron as sulphate of 
alumina, or iron pyrites, which arc frequent in 
shale soil. As these gradually decompose the 
sulphur becomes oxidized and forms sulphuric 
acid. Lime applied to the soil is then useful 
to neutralize the acid, and will do this if used 
in a caustic state; t hat is, dry-elaked after com¬ 
ing fresh from the kiln; 40 bushels per acre 
might be used. 
MardLGras, Etc. 
T. J. E., Luting, Tims, asks 1, the origin of 
Mardigras: 2, Is (he Great American Tea Com¬ 
pany of this city a reliable firm ; S, are the toas 
it offers at so low a price, good; 4, hnw far 
apart should two fields of corn be planted to 
prevent “ mixing.” 
Ans.—1 . Mardi-gras — fat Tuesday was.int re¬ 
duced into this country—mainly into Louisiana 
and Florida—by the old Spanish and French 
colonists. It is a form of the Carnival farc- 
well-to-ilesh-mcat--during which the inhabi¬ 
tants of southern Europe indulge in wild 
merriment just before Asli Wednesday, by way 
of compensatiou lor (lie six weeks of Lenten 
mortifications which the Catholic Church im¬ 
poses on her adherents as a preparation for 
Easter. Shrovh or Pancake Tuesday is the 
English equivalent. The former name owed 
its origin to the old Catholic canon law, which 
ordained that all Catholics should on that day 
shrive themselves, or. in other words, go to 
confession. The name Paneake-Tuesday needs 
no explanation. 2. It bus the reputation ol 
fair dealing. 8. They are reported to be as 
good as cau be reasonably expected for the fig¬ 
ure. 4. Corum«y“ mix” if planted miles apart; 
that is, the wind may carry the pollen from 
ouc variety to another if miles intervene. Iu 
ordinary farming several fields apart will pre¬ 
vent mixing to any serious extent. It is well 
to select fields out of the line of, or at right- 
angles to, the prevailing wjnds. 
Itclecling Oleomargarine. 
G. IF. 8., Tfawnjiort, Iowa, asks if there is 
any way to tell manufactured butter from tal¬ 
low without having it analyzed. 
Airs.—To tell oleomargarine from tallow is 
not difficult, since it is colored and put up to 
resemblu butler. But if our friend means to 
Write “butter” in place of “tallow.” we should 
say that three senses, sight, suiell aud taste, 
will each reveal dear differences between the 
best oleomargarine imitation aud genuine but¬ 
ter. The suet taste and smell arc never entirely 
absent, aud the “grain” shovvu on breaking 
open a print of oleomargarine is quite different 
from that of butter. In short, oleomargarine, 
however carefully manufactured, is distin¬ 
guishable from butter by the absence of every 
sensible quality that characterizes a good arti¬ 
cle except color, which is sometimes very 
closely imitated. No one at all accustomed to 
handling butter could ever be deceived into 
taking oleomargarine for anything else but. an 
imitation, and that only to the eye. 
Starting a Riiince Orchard, etc. 
W. B., Susquehanna , Pa., asks, 1, the best 
method of starting a quince orchard ; where 
seed or cuttings cau bo obtained; 2, how to 
clean onion scad. 
Ass.—Ya* cau purchase one-year old plants 
of any of our nurserymen for $10 per hundred 
or thereabouts. This would be the best method 
unless you prefer to raise your own plants. 
Cuttings may lie taken iu the lull or spring, a 
foot long, or eight inches wouldanswor. Plant 
them in a compact soil, leaving a bud or so, 
above ground and pressing the earth firmly 
about them. By the subsequent fall or spring, 
many of these will be found to have rooted aud 
may be transplanted. Seeds can bo purchased 
of such nurserymen as Thomas Meeliau of 
Germantown, Pa., for about $2 per pound. 
Cutting* may be obtained of any fruit nur¬ 
sery. The young trees should be transplanted 
to nursery rows lor a year or bo, and then set 
as desired iu the orchard. The land should be 
well prepared and rather moist than very dry. 
2. Thrash out the seed, or rub it out with the 
hands, and clean it on a fanning mill with 
sieves suited to the size of the seed. A small 
quantity may be cleaned by sifting and blowing 
without the use of a mill. 
Grasse* lor (seed. 
A Subscriber, IF. Bennington, VI., asks whe¬ 
ther we would advise sowing 2J bushels of 
Orchard-grass; IQ pounds of clover, and a peek 
of timothy seed per acre. Would not Die clover 
choke the orchard-gross ? Would the latter get 
Its growth as soon an (he former, and whether 
it is as permanent us timothy—land, a clayey 
loam. 
Ans.— With 2J bushels of orchard-grass and 
10 pounds of clover, the timothy could be dis¬ 
pensed with. In fact, 10 pounds of clover 
would bo one-third too much, if the soil is good 
aud a good catch probable. As clover and 
oreburd-grasti blossom, and are ready to cut 
aud in their prime together, it is not advisable 
to sow timothy with them, unless there is some 
special reason for it. Orchard-grass is as per¬ 
manent as timothy if it is cut early in June, 
and before its seed is set. To Jet it ripen great¬ 
ly' weakens the plant aud prevents a rapid 
after-growth. 
He jurs in n Cow. 
B. P. 0., Winfield, Ohio, has a fine cow that 
for a year has been periodically troubled with 
the scours until she has been reduced to a skel¬ 
eton. and nothing checks the ailment except 
fresh slaked lime, mixed with wheat flour and 
made into a pill, lie feeds good hay and 
corn aud oats mixed and ground, and he in¬ 
quires what lie should do for the animal. 
Ans.— It is most likely that the cow's stom¬ 
ach is disordered and is too acid. It might tie 
useful to give a pint of linseed oil and remove 
any crude matter from the intestines; then 
make a mixture of one pound of salt, eight 
ounces of carbonate of soda and one pound of 
prepared charcoal; mix those well together 
and give a handful in her meal at each feed. 
The lime will do more harm than good as soon 
as its alkaline and astringent etlects have worn 
off. and no more should be given. 
Laying out a lliirnvard. 
A Subscriber , Pleasanton, Totca, asks how 
many square feet, in laying out a barnyard, 
should he allowed for different sizes of stock — 
calves, yearlings and older cattle—iu order to 
hest Rave I lie washing of the yard for manure. 
Ans. For 10 cows. 2500 square feet, is not 
at alt too much; that is, a yard 50 feet square. 
If there is straw enough to litter the. yard 
abundantly, four times the space would not be 
too much. A yard for calves and yearlings 
should have a! least lot) square feet for each. 
Older cattle require the more space on account 
of their pugnacious disposition towards each 
other, and the weaker should Jiave ample room 
to escape the attacks of the master cattle. 
Reviving Frozen Vinegar. 
Subscriber, Plattsburgh., N. Y., has two bar¬ 
rels of vinegar that have been frozen to death, 
aud he inquires whether there is any way of 
reviving it. 
Ans.—I f the vinegar had been separated 
from the ice while frozen, it would have been 
found very good and highly concentrated, iu 
the center of the mass or distributed in nu¬ 
merous cells through it. After having been 
thawed, the best way to revive it would proba¬ 
bly lie to add a few pounds of sugar or mo¬ 
lasses to it, and then add a few quarts of good 
eider vinegar, or some of (lie “mother” from 
cider vinegar. That will start a new fer¬ 
mentation which will in time produce vinegar. 
Improving Yellow Corn 
F. It., Dundee, Ohio, asks whether yellow 
corn is not as susceptible of improvement as 
white. 
Ans.— It is. Experiments on Penn. Yellow 
for four years prove that yellow eoru can be 
improved. Dent and Soft Southern varieties, 
however, are much more difficult to improve 
than hard, flinty kinds. The more deteriorated 
corn becomes, the softer it grows and the more 
cob it makes. The stover is much more grass¬ 
like. No corn can be improved uuder pressure. 
Too much manure is as bad as none at all. 
The Yellow varieties demand that more and 
more care be exercised iu feeding them, 
and attending to their demands. 
Planting far Coin Premiums. 
If. F. It. of Orrville, Ala., who competes for 
the corn premiums, desires to know whether 
the seed we seud shall be planted within 33 feet 
square, neither more nor less, or simply that it 
shall not exceed that space ? 
Ans.— Simply that it. shall be within one 
plot of 38 feet square. How much or how little 
within is not material to us. Wc. would state 
that many who have received the seed corn, 
state that there are imperfect kernels. We 
were obliged to send the seed we received. As 
will be seen hereafter, the number of imperfect 
kernels will be so provided for as to render 
the distribution of premiums entirely equi¬ 
table. 
Rloatlng in Pig*. 
IF. S. U., Lavallc, Saule Co., Wis., asks for 
a remedy for bloating in pigs. Alter the bloat¬ 
ing begins, they gradually lose their appetite 
and die iu about 10 days. 
Ans.— The pigs are made sick by eating too 
much corn. The corn is heating, aud indiges¬ 
tible when too much is fed to such young 
animals. It causes flatulence, which makes 
the bloating, and will produce inflammation 
of the bowels and death. They may he relieved 
by a dose of a teaspoonful of powdered ginger 
mixed with charcoal followed by some strong 
purgative, say, a tablCspopuful of castor-oil, 
or more, according to the size of the animals. 
Feed no more corn, but oats or bran. 
Fish n» u Fertilizer. 
A. P., Pul-in-Bay, Ohio, asks how fish can 
be pulverized for fertilizing purposes. 
Ans. —There is no need to pulverize the fish 
scarp; it is pulverized in the operation of dry¬ 
ing it. If you refer to the use of raw fish as 
manure, and not fish scarp, that can be used 
by composting it with earth, swamp muck or 
coarse manure, and it will rot down and break 
up iu the course of two or three months, when 
it is ready for turning over with the shovel. 
Any kind of fish, aud even muscles, may be 
spread upon the ground and plowed iu without 
auy preparation. 
Pearl Millet. 
N. S. 11., Wau/cegan, 111., asks, 1, whether 
there is any danger of Pearl Millet “mixing” 
with corn, if they are planted near each other ; 
2, will the former mature seed in that locality ; 
3, if it is intended that it should ripen seed, 
should its treatment differ from what it should 
be if the plant is designed for feed. 
Ans. —1. None. They are of different genera 
and species. 2. No. 3. For fodder only, it 
may be planted closely together, the same as 
corn. Iu this case we do not think it would 
show flowering heads at all. If planted for 
seed each plant would need at least 10 or 12 
square feet. 
When ninl How to Sow Clover. 
IF. P., Kent, Postage Co., Ohio, asks the 
best time for sowing clover, and whether the 
young plants ate injured by frost. 
Ans. Much clover seed is wasted by sowing 
too early and also by scattering it upon the 
surface without covering. All seeds should be 
covered, although under very favorable cir¬ 
cumstances, they would sprout and grow, even 
if not covered. If you harrow your wheat, 
that should he done as soon as the ground is 
dry; thou sow (lie clover immediately alter 
the harrow . the gradual leveling down of the 
little furrows made by the harrow teeth, will 
cover the seed. When clover seed is sown on 
the surface too early, a warm rain will sprout 
it; then a frosty night wilt destroy the youug 
rootlets which have not yet penetrated into 
the ground, and the seed is wasted. 
Ground-Bone. Manure for Corn. 
T. B. II., Easton, Talbot Co., Md., asks, 1, 
whether ground bone will answer the purpose 
of lime on laud that has had no lime for years; 
2, the best manure for coru in the hill after or 
before plowing. 
I. Bone will not lie a substitute for lime un¬ 
less an enormous quantity is used; it may be 
used with lime beneficially, as the lime will 
help to decompose it. 2. Peruvian guano is 
an excellent fertilizer for corn; and a good 
substitute for that, may be made by mixiug 
poultry manure, wood-ashes aud gypum to¬ 
gether. 
.lava Rice. 
Mrs. J. S.. Starke , Fla., asks for information 
about Java rice—where it can be obtaiued, etc. 
Bhc has written to the Department of Agricul¬ 
ture, Washington, D. C., for some, but none 
could be supplied from that quarter. 
Ans.— If any considerable quantity is re¬ 
quired it could easily lie procured through any 
of the coffee importers who have business with 
that country. There is no rice in the world 
that is bettor in quality than thut grown in S. 
Carolina, while the Java rice is very inferior. 
The Lady Grape. 
II. B. It., Neio Canaan, Conn., referring to our 
allusions to the Lady Grape, asks if it is hardy; 
if it is white or black; when it ripens, ami who 
sells it. 
Ans.— It is with us as hardy as its parent, the 
Concord. It is white and ripens about Sept. 10. 
Nearly all of our nurserymen sell it. It is 
generally esteemed tlie best of the newer and 
not thoroughly tested varieties. That is our 
opinion. Geo. W. Campbell of Delaware, O., 
of whom it may be procured, was the origin¬ 
ator. 
Heed Drill* 
C. F. It.. Tonawanda, N. Y., wants a ma¬ 
chine that will sow all kinds of seeds, from 
onion seed in the garden to Iteans and corn in 
the field, and asks whether the “ Monitor”could 
do such a range of work, or whether the 
Albany Cultivator would be preferable. 
Ans.— The “Monitor” seed drill will answer 
the above purpose iu garden and field ; but the 
Albany planter is best for the field, as a horse 
can be attached to it, so as to greatly lessen 
the labor. 
Faint lor Wire Fence. 
E. A. M., Wills's Point. Texas, asks what kind 
of paint should he use on barbed-wire fence 
that is corroding from wet weather. 
Ans. —Auy good mineral paint will auswer 
the purpose. There is a puiut made iu Cleve¬ 
land, Ohio. Uie iron-clad paint wo think it is 
called, thut is made from pulverized ore aud 
would answer the purpose here mentioned. 
The Rubber Faint Co. of Cleveland, or II. W. 
John's Mfg. Co. of New' York, have paints that 
will also suit exactly. 
Rough's Kii|>ei |ilio*|tlialc. 
D. E. 11., Meade die. Pa., inquires as to the 
phosphate manufactured by Baugh & Sous of 
Philadelphia. Is it pure? 
Ans.—W e have to say thut we know this firm 
to be trustworthy and have no doubt that 
the analysis whicli they print on every bag, 
accurately represents its contents. 
Miscellaneous. 
C. T., asks whether the Rural New- 
Yorker ever went by the name of the Gen- 
esseeFarmer; 2, where can lie get good cane 
seed for making molasses; 8. He has been 
feedingeoru-stalUs all winter until there is a 
layer of them, 13 to 15 inches deep all over 
the yard aud as there has beeu little rain 
thereabout, they are quite dry and he asks 
the speediest way of converting the lot into 
manure; 4, the lowest price of binding a 
yearly volume of the Rural. 
Ans.— 1. No. The Rural is the successor 
