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INFLUENZA IN 5IULKS. 
H. H. S., Leipsic, Del .—I have lately lost 
five mules from some disease with tho follow¬ 
ing symptoms: Rejection of “cud;'’dry cough; 
loss of muscular power; high fever; very of¬ 
fensive breath; yellowish, thick discharge 
from the nose; tongue and mouth dry and hot; 
rattling in the throat; morbid lesions; pus in 
left frontal sinus; lividity and ecchymosis of 
right lung, and slight adherence to pleura. 
Considerable effusion of a reddish, foamy, 
bloody Water in the trachea. Tho animals 
were in good order, an.l did not run on grass. 
Now, what is the cause, and what should have 
been the treatment! 
ANSWERED BY F. L. KILRORN, 
Evidently a catarrhal form of influenza, in 
which the lungs were quite seriously implicat¬ 
ed. Uncomplicated cases rarely prove fatal 
when promptly attended, with proper care. 
In these cases tho local inflammation must 
have been very severe, or perhaps tlie animals 
were improperly treated, with lack of suitable 
care anti diet. Being a disease that runs a 
definite course, more usually depends upon the 
care and diet of the animal than upon the 
medicinal treatment. A clean, dry, well-ven¬ 
tilated, comfortable stable, preferably a box- 
stall, is very essential. Blankets, and band¬ 
ages to the limbs, must be freely used when 
necessary, to make the animals comfortable. 
Draughts of air are to lie avoided. The diet 
should consist mainly of mashes, boiled oats 
barley or linseed, with roots, or other green 
food in moderate quantity. Allow free access 
to good ivati'T. Frequent steaming of the 
nostrils is very soothing to the inflamed 
air-pussagcs, favors free secretion, and relieves 
the cough. This is very easily accomplished 
by feeding hot mashos from a pail or liose-bag. 
Externally, the throat may be bathed with 
water as hot as tho hand eon bear, rubbed 
with ammonia, and oil, or a mustard blister ap¬ 
plied. Internally, the following prescription 
may usually be given with advantage: ruin- 
dorerus spirit and sweet spirits of niter, each 
one ounce; extract belladonna one dram, to 
lx* given two, three or four times daily. Con¬ 
stipation is best relieved by copious injections 
of warm water. While, as a rule, purgatives 
are to bo avoided, small doses of oil may be 
given, if thought desirable. In mild cases lit¬ 
tle or no medicinal treatment is necessary; 
but special attention should always be given 
to the cure and diet. During the course of 
the disease the animals should be kept quiet, 
exercised gradually while recovering; but un¬ 
der no circumstances allowed to return to 
work until fully recovered, When convales¬ 
cence is tardy, a course of tonics is desirable 
—an ounce each of Epsom salts and powdered 
gentian, and two drams of niter, night and 
morning. On alternate weeks the gentian 
may be replaced by two drams sulphate of 
iron. 
RED WATER IN A SOW, ETC. 
./. C, II., Summerville , (7a.—My two-year- 
old sow farrowed in July and was m good 
health until two weeks ago, when she began 
to grow poor, and reel about in her hind 
quarters. She ate heartily till two days be¬ 
fore her death. The morning she died blood 
passed with her urine and she had also u 
slight cough. One of her pigs drooped, had 
a cough and lutd breath, and white matter 
ran from its nose. 1 pulled some black teeth 
out of its mouth, but that didn’t do any good. 
IVhat was the trouble! 
ANSWERED BY F. L. Ell.HORN. 
With the sow the symptoms indicate a 
dietetic disease commonly called “ml 
water,” usually due to feeduig on wet, new or 
inferior pastures which furnish unsuitable or 
innutritions food. In addition to unhealthy 
soils, general defective feeding is a predispos¬ 
ing cause. In this ease the sow was greatly 
weakened from the birth and tunning of the 
young pigs. As treatment tho sow should 
have liven coiltlned in a clean pen, given au 
ounce of olive or castor oil, and sustained oua 
laxative, nutritious diet, as mashes, gruels, 
boiled linseed, etc. The following proscrip¬ 
tion might have been given with benefit: 
potassium chlorate and powdered gentian 
each one-half dram, ether and miudererus 
spirit, each one dram, to be given cold in ale 
or limed tea three or four times daily. 
The symptoms of the young pig indicate 
simply disease of the respiratory organs, prob¬ 
ably broncho-pneumonia. The treatment of 
so severe an attack on au animal so young is 
usually not very satisfactory, and in nil severe 
cases of disease of the air-passages the treat¬ 
ment is constantly being varied to suit the 
varying symptoms, so that it would be very 
difficult to briefly indicate a proper course of 
treatment. 
WATERY EYES IN A HORSE. 
S. MeF,, Tower City, Dak .—Very clear 
water has been running from my horse’s eyes 
all the time for a mouth, sometimes in a 
stream. There is also some discharge from 
the nostrils when he is drinkiug. He has 
been affected in the same way before. He 
seems in good health aud works every day. 
Wlmt ails him! 
ANSWER BY F. L. KILBORN. 
The difficulty may be due to stricture or 
closure of the lachrymal duet or to any in¬ 
flammation of the eye producing an increased 
secretion of tears to such au extent that the 
duct is unable to carry t.liem away. The very 
copious secretion in this instance would indi¬ 
cate such inflammation, which may be due to 
some foreign body in the eye, to any local 
injury, or to any abnormal position of a por¬ 
tion of the litis. From the absence of other 
symptoms and the fact that the cause of the 
irritation appears to tie more or less perma¬ 
nent, we are unable to diagnose very closely. 
As general treatment, keep the animal in a 
darkened stable and protect the eyes from 
light by a calico bandage. Bathe the eyes 
frequently and keep the bandage wet with a 
weak, tepid solution of borax, to which add a 
few drops of tincture of belladonna. The 
animal must lx.* protected from a draught or 
cold. Keep the stable clean, so that there will 
he no irritating gases from dung, urine or 
other decaying substances. Unless the bowels 
are already loose, give five or six drams of 
aloes, aud follow by a restricted, laxative 
diet. If after a week there is little or no im¬ 
provement, use the following lotion for a few 
days-, after which return to the borax and 
belladonna, or other simple tepid lotions: 
Lead acetate one-half dram, morphia ill 
grains, water one pint. If this treatment is 
unsuccessful consult a veterinary surgeon, or 
if there is none available, call tho family phy¬ 
sician and ask him to examine ami treat the 
same as he would the human eye under simi¬ 
lar conditions. 
DIVIDING RHUBAKD ROOTS; RADISH AND 
SPINACH WORMS. 
IV. «/. /’.. Lead rifle. Col. —1. Can I divide 
the roots on a plot of rhubarb which has stood 
for four years, without injury to the next 
year’s crop; if so, how! 2. For two years my 
radish and spinach crops have been greatly 
injured by a worm like the cabbage worm; 
what is it and is there a remedy! 
I. Yes. Remove the earth from one side of 
th** plant sufficiently to expose the crown of 
the root. Select u part of the crown that is 
farthest from the center, and with a butcher’s 
knife sever one of the branches of the root- 
stock that contains an eye. It may he done 
late in the Fall or early in Spring. 2. The in¬ 
sect that infests the cools of the radishes is, 
doubtless, au uuthomyia, aud is very closely 
allied to the cabbage maggot and onion mag¬ 
got. We believe some entomologists consider 
them all varieties of one species, I’laut rad¬ 
ishes on soil containing a very large propor¬ 
tion of saud, to avoid injury from this |n\st. 
The insect that infests the leaves of spinach is 
probably also au anthomyia. We know of 
no remedy, as the maggots are protected from 
applications by living between the two sur¬ 
faces of the loaf. We would suggest planting 
on ground that has not recently been devoted 
to spinach or beets, aud as entomologists are 
not sure whether this anthomyia is distinct 
from the ones that infest cabbages aud rml 
islies, it would lie well to avoid, also, ground 
that has been devoted to those crops, provided 
they have been injured by the maggots. 
A BARREN COW. 
II. II. IV., Pornoi hi. Col .—Two years ago I 
bought a four-year-old’ cow, said to be with 
calf ; but this turned out not to be the case. 
She was put to the bull half a dozen times 
the first year l owned her, but in vain, lost 
year she took the bull four or live times, and 
then was quiet for some time. A month or 
two afterwards, 1 think, she miscarried, aud 
in a few days she was in heat again, and since 
then she had the bull two or three times with¬ 
out getting in-calf. Her iiulk yield has dropped 
from seven to alxiut two quarts a day. What 
should be done with her ! 
A ns. Dry her off and feed sparingly for a 
month or two. Watch closely to make sure 
there is no discharge from the vagina. As 
she comes in heat, have her served by one 
bull, and the next time by another. If attar 
three or four trials' you are still unsuccessful, 
and no disease of the generative organs can be 
discovered aud removed, we can only recom¬ 
mend that you sell her for beef. Similar 
cases are not very uncommon. See Sterility 
in Mares in the Farmers’ Club for July 3. 
With cows a much smaller per cent, are un¬ 
fruitful, usually not over one to two per cent. 
The fact that a cow takes the bull is sufficient 
evidence that she is not with calf. 
TREATMENT OF INSECTS FOR A COLLECTION. 
O. A. T., Bella Silva. Pa .—I wish to begin 
a collection of insects. What is the best sub¬ 
stance with wlueh to kill them, aud how 
should they be treated to prevent drying 
and crumbling ; 
A ns. —The most satisfactory substance with 
which to kill insects of all kinds is cyanide of 
potassium. A lump the size of a small bickory- 
nut should lie broken into three or four pieces 
and placed in a large-necked bottle, with a 
tightly-fitting stopper. (Hass-stoppered bot¬ 
tles are the best, and then plnster-of-Paris 
should be poured in until the lumps are well 
covered. In n few moments after l**iug placed 
in the bottle, the plaster will set, aud leave 
a little water standing above it. This should 
lie poured off, and the uncorked bottle be set 
in the sun for a few houre to dry. A bottle 
tilled in this manner often does good service 
for a year. Chloroform or ether may also be 
used by putting a few drops In a bottle or 
box, with tightly-fitting cover, in which the 
captured insects are placed. There is no sub¬ 
stance in general use. if in use at all. to pre¬ 
vent dryiug aud breaking, The drier a col¬ 
lection is kept, the better ; and to prevent 
breakiug, handle with care. 
SOD LAND FOR POTATOES. 
•I. S. B., New Berlin, X. Y .—I have a piece 
of sward plowed last August, and I wish to 
plant it to potatoes next Spring; bow shall I 
treat it so as to put it in the best condition? 
Ans.—C ultivate and harrow it ofteu enough 
this Fall, so as to keep it clean and subdue the 
soil. In Spring plow it well, cutting the fur¬ 
rows narrow so os to pulverize and mix it 
thoroughly. If any stable manure is to be 
used, it should be well rotted and spread be¬ 
fore plowing in Spring. It would be better if 
put on early in Winter, so as to be dissolving 
by frost and rain aud mixing with the soil. 
If commercial fertilizers are to lie used, they 
should be put on after plowing and thorough¬ 
ly worked into the surface. There is uo dan¬ 
ger of getting laud too mellow and flue for 
potatoes. 
GRASSES. 
-S'. Ik. O., Ridgewood, N. J. —1. What grass 
and fertilizer would be best for a horse pad- 
dock on sandy loam land? 2. What is the best 
grass mixture fora lawn? 
Ans.— 1. We can think of nothing better 
than a mixture of Creeping Bent, Red-top, 
and Blue Grass. We should recommend stable 
or farm-yard manure. In the absence of this, 
use at the rato of three bags of raw' bone flour, 
one bag of sulphate or half a bag of muriate 
of potash, and 100 pounds of blood. 2. For a 
lawn use either Red-top or Blue Grass or both. 
This is just as good in every way as the higher- 
priced lawn mixtures. 
Miscellaneous. 
Amateur, Delaware, Ohio. —1. What win¬ 
ter protection is needed for Clematis crispa- 
Jackmanuii and eoccinea t 2. How are the 
Walbridge, Wageuer, Haas, Saxton, Lawyer, 
Shiawassee Beauty, Matin. Jefferis, Red Bei- 
tigheimer, Blue Pearmuin, Black Detroit and 
Blenheim Pippin Apples as to hardiness aud 
quality! 
Ans. —1. The Clematis mentioned should be 
hardy iu your climate. 2. We do not know 
as to Walbridge. Wagoner is very hardy, 
best quality. Haas (Fall ljueen) is hardy 
enough for Ohio, but succeeds butter in tho 
South. Fair iu quality. Saxton is fair in 
quality and hardy, but does not thrive in Ohio. 
Ijftwyer is very good. It does not thrive in 
Ohio. Shiawassee Beauty is very good aud 
hardy, succeeding only in Michigan, so far as 
we know. Mann is hardy, fair quality. It 
will not succeed with you. Jefferis is of fair 
quality, hardy and succeeds pretty well iu 
Ohio. The Red Bictighcimcr is a large, showy 
German apple of fair quality. Blue Pearmuin 
is a hardy apple of fair quality, but we have 
uo evidence it will be profitable iu Ohio. 
Black Detroit is of poor quality, (Grand 
Sacheui). Blenheim Pippin is of fair quality, 
hardy. Does not succeed in Ohio. 
Herder, Llano, Texas. Wlieu some of my 
lambs are ruminating, there is a COBS taut flow 
of saliva from the mouth. Iu about two weeks 
they begin to scour badly; but ibis eventually 
disappears and they are’left with a large lump 
under.the throat; what ails them aud w hat can 
I do for them! 
Ans. —It is impossible to telllfrom so irnper- 
fect a diagnosis; but the symptoms are prob¬ 
ably not all due to tho same cause. The flow 
of.' saliva and the scours are.very likely due 
largely to some poisonous w eed eaten. A close 
examination may reveal the cause. If not write 
us more fully. 
B. P. Fan H., Fridley, Mont ,—The oats 
sent for name seem to he the White Russian, 
the other is called variously Montana Rye, 
Diamond Wheat, Polish Wheat, Polish Rye 
aud Big seed Wheat. It is really Polish Wheat, 
a distinct species. 
O. J. J., Allen, Md .—Jerseys and Alder- 
neys are not the same; but the Jerseys in this 
country are often miscalled Aldemeys. Al- 
derneys are very like Guernseys, and are in¬ 
cluded in au Appendix of the Guernsey Herd 
Book. 
S. O.R., Vencentown, N. ./.—The pears you 
sent for name are undoubtedly Bartletts. We 
seut one of the specimens to Ellwanger & 
Barry who think the early ripening is due to 
the influence of the stock. 
C. B. B., Norfolk, Va .—Who makes brick 
machines! 
Ans —Penfield & Son, Willoughby, Ohio, 
aud Frey, Sheckler & Hoover, Bueyrus, Ohio. 
DISCUSSION. 
THORNLESS BLACKBERRIES AND BLACK-CAP 
RASPBERRIES. 
J. H. H., South Glastonbury, Conn.— In 
the Rural of August. 21, page 247, “F. C., Leo- 
miuster, Mass.," asks whether there is any 
thornless raspberry or blackberry profitable 
for market. The answer is “No. We do not 
know what the berry which you speak of is 
from your description.” In a general way 
the answer is correct The thornless varieties 
are not profitable for market Hoo-ick and 
W achusett Blackberries have been well tested 
in private gardens all over the country, the 
former proving of little value anywhere; 
while the latter is favorably mentioned by 
about one-half of those that have cultivated it. 
I have kuown it for the past 10 or 12 years, and 
learned some time ago that under ordinary 
conditions it is not very productive, but plant¬ 
ed on strong, rich soil, aud well cultivated, it 
is very productive of berries about the size of 
the Kittatinny, and even better in quality. 
The plant is as hardy as the Snyder, and, 
being'fiee from thorns, is much easier to 
work among in trimming, cultivating, and 
gathering the fruit; hence it has been largely 
planted for market in Worcester Co., Mass., 
and Hillsborough Co.. N. H.; in fact, I think 
there are bi-day more acre's of Wachusett 
Thornless in New England than of all other 
sorts combined; but it should always be borne 
iu mind that it will not yield paying crops on 
thin, light soil where* Wilson, Kittatinny, Sny¬ 
der, etc., can be grown at a profit. As to 
thornless black cap raspberries, Davidson's 
Thornless, au old, well-known sort, was for a 
time quite profitable on account of its earli¬ 
ness; but the fruit being small, it soon had to 
give place to larger and better varieties. 
The Springfield, a thornless variety of 
Massachusetts origin, 1ms w ithiu the last few 
years attracted considerable attention iu this 
section, the plant being as healthy as Souhe- 
gan and entirely free from thorns; canes as 
smooth as a willow, moderately productive, of 
medium to large berries, jet black, sweet and 
juicy, and ripening extremely early. It is 
sure to find a place in every family fruit gar¬ 
den, aud to any market fruit grower that 
objects to the thorns on the older varieties, I 
would say, plant tne Springfield; it’s fun to 
pick the fruit aud you will have no tom 
clothes or flesh during the cultivating or prun¬ 
ing season, as is ofteu the case while working 
among all other black-caps. Our women 
pickers bless the day when we first planted the 
Springfield, and we shall increase our planta¬ 
tion of it next Spring. 
B. N.-Y.—The R. N,-Y has reported upon 
the Springfield as it has liehaved at the Rural 
Grounds—see page 461. 
N. F, Nickerson, Adrian, Mich.—I have 
about 111 acres of.Surpriso, Wheat raised from 
the seed seut out by the Rural, I will fur- 
uish it in four-bushel lots, iu new bags, for 
per lot; or at"$1. 2."> per^bushel iu smaller 
quantity, with 25 cents , for bag^delivered on 
the cars; the price to ’ accompany,the order in 
all cases. 
Communications Received for thk Week Ending 
September 11, 1SS6. 
S. C. C. F.-W, F..Y.-T. U. H.-A. J.-S. O. R.-C. W. 
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Bergen C«.,'N. J. M. s. o. i;. s. T.—The seed distribu¬ 
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