1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
5 
If he mix the grain beforehand in quantity, say 300 
pounds of corn meal, 300 pounds of gluten feed, 200 
pounds of cotton-seed meal, he should see that it is 
thoroughly mixed until it is of uniform color. Too 
many people are careless in this respect, and their 
cows do not get the same mixture each time; then they 
wonder why their cows change so or get out of 
order. I would feed ration No. 2 the same as No. 1, 
replacing the corn stover and millet by oat hay and 
Soja-bean fodder. If I had any stock to fatten or 
kept pigs that needed any grain. I can assure you that 
I shouldn’t feed any of that corn meal to milch cows. 
I verily believe that thousands of dollars are thrown 
away yearly by Connecticut dairymen who are feeding 
corn meal just because their fathers did. They don’t 
know its actual feeding value. Basing the value of 
feed on the digestible flesh-forming elements, when 
wheat bran is worth $14 per ton, corn meal is worth 
$10.30, while gluten feed is worth $20.83, and cotton¬ 
seed meal $35.84. I would use the corn meal for other 
purposes, and feed either one of the following rations : 
No. 1. 
Flesh- 
Fat- 
Pounds. 
formers. 
formers. 
Fat. 
10 
Corn stover. 
.20 
3.34 
.06 
10 
Hay. 
.36 
4.27 
.10 
5 
Millet hay. 
.23 
2.32 
.05 
5 
Wheat bran. 
.63 
2.21 
.14 
3 
Cotton-seed meal.. 
. 1.11 
.54 
.37 
Total.. 
. 2.53 
12.68 
.72 
No. 2. 
Flesh- 
Fat- 
Pounds. 
formers. 
formers. 
Fat. 
10 
Oat hay.. 
.43 
4.64 
. 15 
10 
Mixed hay. 
.36 
4.27 
.10 
5 
Soja bean. 
1.93 
.07 
3 
Wheat bran. 
.38 
1.32 
.09 
2 
Cotton-seed meal.. 
.74 
.36 
.24 
Total. 
12.52 
.75 
These two rations come nearer to scientifically bal¬ 
anced ones, and will, I think, give better results in the 
milk pail. We should be careful in feeding, and in 
looking up the feed question, remember that feeding 
standards are based on weight of feed, not measure. 
Too many farmers feed by measure, and do not realize 
the difference in weights between bran, corn meal, 
cotton-seed meal, gluten meal and gluten feed. Cot¬ 
ton-seed and corn meals are heavy grains, while bran 
is comparatively light. We much prefer the coarse, 
light-colored wheat bran, especially when mixing with 
concentrated feeds like gluten and cotton seed. We 
don’t buy wheat middlings. The fine middlings are 
heavy and likely to make a pasty mass in the cow’s 
stomach ; besides, they are worth only about $11 per 
ton when bran is worth $14 per ton. If the subscriber 
is furnishing milk where they object to having cotton¬ 
seed meal fed, he can replace it with gluten by adding 
about one-third more. h. g. manciikster. 
Connecticut. 
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AILING ANIMALS. 
ANSWERS BY DR. F. L. K I L BORNE. 
Thrush and Lameness in Horse. 
C. A. L., Farmer, 0. —The horse (page 809) has the thrush as you 
describe, but would that lame him to any great extent ? Our 
blacksmith thinks that he has “weakness of the coffin joint, 
caused by overtaxation of the foot,” and says that shoeing will 
help it. If he is right, will not driving on rough roads or working 
on the farm counteract any good done by the set of the shoe ? 
Cannot something be put on or above the hoof to help it or cure it ? 
The lameness may or may not be due to the thrush. 
The proper course is first to cttre the thrush, which 
can be accomplished in a few days if the diseased horn 
is all pared away, and the foot dressed as directed 
before. Then if the lameness continue, you will know 
that it is due to some other trouble. By “weakness 
of the coffin joint,” I suppose your blacksmith means 
navicular disease. If there is lameness in one foot 
from navicular disease, the horse, when at rest, will 
point the affected foot six or eig'ht inches in advance 
of the other, with the heel slightly raised. The lame¬ 
ness will be most marked when the horse is first 
taken from the stable, and if not too severe, will nearly 
or quite disappear after traveling a short distance, 
only to reappear after the horse has rested. If you 
find navicular disease indicated, apply an active blister 
(cerate of cantharides ointment, one ounce ; biniodide 
of mercury, one dram ; mix) around the top of the hoof 
for a distance of two inches. Repeat the blistering 
two or three times at intervals of three to four 
weeks. A dressing of hot tar could be applied to the 
hoof once a week to advantage. Slight benefit might 
be derived from the shoeing, but nothing permanent. 
Few cases of navicular disease ever recover; but with 
a course of treatment, and careful driving only at a 
moderate pace on hard roads, the horse may remain 
serviceable for some time. 
Garget in One Quarter of Udder. 
C. S. 8., Kerrmoor, Pa. —My cow, seven years old, dropped her 
calf Oct. 3, and milked very well until one week ago, when one 
hind teat was swollen and caked ; the other three were, appar¬ 
ently, all right, and I milked that one a few days. The milk was 
bloody and stringy until yesterday, when I couldn’t get a flow at 
all. It is not inflamed to any extent. What is the cause and rem¬ 
edy ? I am feeding clover hay and corn fodder, and equal parts 
of corn and oats chop and wheat bran, about eight quarts 
per day, four in the morning and four in the evening. 
The trouble was, probably, due to some injury to 
that quarter or teat. The udder should have been 
bathed several times daily with water as hot as the 
hand could bear, or rubbed with hot oil or lard. If 
there is still induration of the quarter, rub daily with 
iodine ointment until the skin is slightly blistered, 
after which apply less frequently. If the teat has 
become closed, a qualified veterinary surgeon should 
be called at once to open it. Of the grain ration, feed 
only the bran, and that preferably in the form of a 
mash, until the trouble is relieved. 
Indigestion and Skin Disease in Cows. 
F. Ii. R., Maryland. —Two cows have been sick about six days. 
They hold their tails erect, and lick their hind legs and flanks, 
until they are raw, and the blood is running from them. They 
seem to be belching almost continuously, as a cow would her cud. 
They have been fed on corn meal and bran. After the fourth 
day, they refuse to eat. 
The brief symptoms indicate indigestion and ecze¬ 
ma, due to some fault in the diet or management of 
the cattle. If the cows are in good condition and the 
bowels not already quite loose, give one pound Epsom 
salts with two ounces of ginger dissolved in three 
pints of warm water. Then give one of the following 
powders in the feed twice daily : bicarbonate of pot¬ 
ash, eight ounces ; gentian, eight ounces; powdered 
nux vomica, two ounces ; mix and make into 16 pow¬ 
ders. Repeat the salts and powders at the end of a 
week if desirable. Sponge the inflamed surface twice 
daily with a solution of one ounce lead acetate dis¬ 
solved in three pints soft water, to which add six 
ounces of glycerine. After the sponging, dust with 
the finely-powdered oxide of zinc. If the surface be¬ 
come scabby or dry, apply benzcated oxide of zinc 
ointment. The cows should have a light, non-stimu¬ 
lating diet. Withhold the corn entirely, but feed the 
bran, preferably in the form of a mash, at least once 
daily. Roots or other green feed will be excellent, 
also oil meal or ground flaxseed. Only sound, whole¬ 
some food should be fed, the stable should be dry, 
clean and airy, and the surroundings otherwise health¬ 
ful. 
A Case of Bloody Milk. 
C. E. F., Queenston, Ont. —One of my cows has been giving bloody 
milk from one of her teats for four or five weeks. Some days, it 
has no signs of any discoloration, then for two or three milkings, 
it will be streaked with red. When it was first noticed, there ap¬ 
peared to be a small lump in the teat, but that has gone and this 
teat is, apparently, in the same condition as the others. We had 
her examined by a veterinary surgeon, and he left some drops, 
“Tine, of Iron,” to be given in a mash, also some oil, “ camphor¬ 
ated,” to rub on. She was better for a time, but not long. We 
continued the treatment as long as the medicine lasted, but the 
milk is still bloody. What would you advise ? 
First try to ascertain and remove the cause, which 
may be due to overfeeding on grain, to acrid plants or 
weeds in the hay, or to mechanical injury to the udder. 
If the cow is fed grain, take it all away except the 
bran until the trouble ceases. If there are any weeds 
in the hay, try a change of feed for a few days. 
Mechanical injury might result from the cow stepping 
over a high bar or a high doorstep, by climbing a steep 
bank, by lying on an uneven or too short a floor, or by 
running, especially if chased by a dog. Give the cow 
one of the following powders in a bran mash night 
and morning: Sulphate of soda, one pound ; nitrate 
of potash, four ounces ; mix and make into 16 powders. 
Continue the use of the camphorated oil, rubbing the 
udder two or three times daily, or rub once daily with 
the compound tincture of iodine diluted in four parts 
of soft water. The iodine is the more efficacious rem¬ 
edy, but it has the disadvantage of tending to dimin¬ 
ish the milk flow. 
Brief History of Red Polled Cattle. 
II. II A., Three Springs, Pa. —Will you publish a short history of 
the Red Polled cattle ? 
A ns. —The Red Polled cattle trace their origin well 
back into the last century, though Curtis says that it 
is somewhat clouded in obscurity. From very early 
times, Suffolk, England, had a breed of polled cattle, 
and this is thought to have had much to do with dis¬ 
horning and molding the type of the Norfolk breed 
which first attracted attention. They resemble some¬ 
what the Devons, except the horns of the latter, and 
there may have been a common ancestry in the early 
history of the breeds. Polled cattle were found in 
various portions of the British Islands from time im¬ 
memorial. Their peculiar characteristics are the 
blood-red color, which came from the Norfolk breed, 
and the lack of horns, derived from the Suffolks. Im¬ 
provement was carried on until about the middle of 
this century, breeders from both counties began to 
meet in competition, and to select their breeding ani¬ 
mals with a view to perpetuating the two character¬ 
istics mentioned. In 1874, the English Red-Polled 
Herd Book was established, and in 1883, the American 
Red-Polled Cattle Society was organized, and several 
volumes of the Herd Book have been published. The 
first importation was brought in in 1873, and con¬ 
tinued importations and breeding have increased the 
number now in this country to several thousand. 
Cheap Wood Ashes; When to Use. 
C. F. M., Lemon, 0 .— I can buy ashes made at a sawmill six 
miles away, over good roads, for 25 cents per two-horse load. 
They burn oak slabs. I have two acres of young fruit trees and 
one acre of small fruits. The land is in fair shape, will grow 40 
to 50 bushels of corn per acre without manure, and is well tiled. 
The ashes have been out in the open air for some time, and are in 
a conical heap. I think there are 10 loads. Are these too much to 
spread over the three acres ? Should they be spread before or 
after plowing ? 
Ans. —At the price named, this is a great bargain, 
and you should take all you can get at the price. 
Four or five loads will be ample for the fruit. We 
would use the rest on grass or grain, or almost any 
crop except potatoes. They would be excellent on the 
sod that is to be used for corn. The best way to use 
the ashes is to broadcast after plowing, and harrow 
them in, but sometimes, in a late spring or in hurried 
work, it is not convenient to do this, and you can 
broadcast them on level ground at any time during 
the winter. 
A Judgment Affects Wife's Interests. 
F., Mew York .— A’s wife owns a farm on which are greenhouses 
where they raise garden plants for sale. B has a judgment 
against A. Can B take those plants to satisfy the judgment if A 
advertise the business in his own name ? A’s wife owns the 
property and does most of the work. 
Ans.—A judgment obtained by B, against A, may 
be satisfied by levy and sale of his plants when he ad¬ 
vertises the business in his own name, and holds out to 
the community that he is conducting the business in¬ 
dividually. The fact that his wife owns, in her own 
right, the premises, and gives of her labor to the 
propagation of the plants, will in no wise relieve the 
husband as a judgment debtor. Credit was, no doubt, 
extended to him by reason of his business and the 
holding out to the world that he was conducting such 
business alone ; hence, he cannot now avail himself of 
the benefits which might otherwise accrue to the wife 
if she were conducting the business in her own name. 
Making a Three-Bodied Nut Tree. 
8. K. M., Sheridan, Mich .—I want to make a three-bodied Black 
walnut tree by uniting the tops, the three bodies to stand in a 
straight line. What is the best time of year to unite them ? The 
walnut bleeds cut in the spring when apples, etc., are usually 
grafted, and I do not think it would be a success at that time. 
Ans. —It will be very difficult to get the walnut 
trees to unite as desired, because of the extreme slow¬ 
ness of all nut trees in uniting under the most favor¬ 
able conditions, and because of the natural motion of 
the trees. The Black walnut is among the most diffi¬ 
cult to graft of all the nut trees, but the inarching or 
grafting by approach would be the easiest way to get 
the stocks to unite, provided the three stocks could be 
held in a fixed position until the union is complete. 
But the wind would sway them and, perhaps, prevent 
the healing from proceeding satisfactorily. Make the 
attempt late in the spring, after the buds have started 
to grow. h. E. v. D. 
New Trees in Old Orchards; Jonathan Apple. 
O. O., Oenesee County, M. Y. — 1. I have an apple orchard, 18 
years old, trees planted 30 feet apart each way. Several of the 
trees are missing, and I am thinking of replacing them with some 
standard pears which would come into bearing early, and sell 
well. I had thought of Bartlett, Kieffer or Anjou. Which would 
you prefer ? I give my apple orchard clean culture until July 10, 
and then seed with Crimson clover. As I raise no crop on the 
ground, I would like to have .all the spaces occupied unless the 
trees are too close together. 2. Would the Jonathan be a profit¬ 
able apple to graft in this locality ? Will you give a little account 
of this variety, its productiveness, selling qualities, etc. ? 
Ans. —1. I think it would be unwise to plant pear 
trees in an old apple orchard where trees are missing. 
They would not flourish among large trees. If apple 
trees were put in, they would not do well, either, and 
for the same reason. But if there are many empty 
spaces, it may pay to fill them and give the young 
trees special attention. If it should be determined to 
fill them, the Kieffer pear would, perhaps, be more 
profitable than any other tree, as it has a vigorous 
and hardy constitution, and will bear early. 2. The 
Jonathan apple is a brilliant red, of high flavor, and 
medium in size. It has not been generally tested in 
New York, although it is by no means a new apple. 
However, enough is known of it from experience in 
New York to assure those who wish to plant it there 
that it will, probably, prove profitable in most parts 
of the State. The tree is quite productive, and fully 
as hardy as Baldwin. In the West, Jonathan is one 
of the standard apples, and brings a higher price in 
St. Louis than any other. Choice barrels of Jonathan 
from Kansas brought $5 in New York City in October 
of this year. Just what New York grown Jonathans 
will bring in the market is yet to be proved, but it 
seems safe to predict that prices for selected fruit will 
be equal to those for fruit grown elsewhere, h. e. y. d. 
