73 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
1898 
WHAT I SEK AND HEAR. 
Raccoons. —One of these animals is occasionally 
shipped to the dealers here. They tell me that there 
is little sale for such game, and the price received is 
not high. Some people eat them, but the number 
who hanker after them is not large. The colored 
population are the largest consumers, the “coon” 
alternating very nicely with the opossum. 
X X X 
Produce Shippers. —“ We are getting less and less 
shipments from producers”, said one commission mer¬ 
chant. “In nearly every locality, there are dealers 
who go around buying the best of the produce, and if 
one wishes to get the best, he must go out and buy. 
Often the poorer qualities are shipped off to the com¬ 
mission merchant.” Thus it seems every class has its 
troubles. It is a fact that some large receivers do not 
want to receive goods at random on consignment, as 
they cannot secure satisfactory quality. 
X X X 
Fraudulent Commission Merchants. —The woods 
are full of them. They continue to send out alluring 
circulars, price lists, postal cards and typewritten 
letters. They make great promises, much greater 
than they can fulfill, and greater than any reputable 
firm will make. We have inquiries frequently about 
such firms, that, from their methods and the appear¬ 
ance of their places of business, we know well enough 
are unsafe to deal with, yet we have no proof to that 
effect. On general principles, let such suspicious ones 
alone. 
X X X 
Bogus Producers. —To-day, a commission merchant 
told me of a man who lives in a New Jersey town easily 
accessible by boat and rail, who makes a business of 
buying good crate eggs in the city, shipping them to 
his home, assorting and candling them, cleaning them 
up. packing them in baskets, labeling them as strictly 
fresh laid from his own farm, and then shipping them 
back to the city and selling them to unsuspecting 
purchasers. The same story was told to me by an¬ 
other merchant about the same man, just six years ago, 
and it was said then that he had made a small fortune 
at this disreputable business. He should have a lai-gc 
fortune by this time. There are certain parties who 
represent themselves as having country places where 
they produce mushrooms, hothouse fruits and vegeta¬ 
bles and other delicacies, and solicit orders to be filled 
later. Then they go to the wholesale market, buy 
sufficient to fill their orders, put it up in fancy shape, 
label it properly, and deliver it as fresh-grown stuff. 
The big name, often French, helps to fool the buyers. 
Often old women from nobody knows where, plant 
themselves along the outskirts of the public markets, 
and offer fresh country eggs, pot cheese, rolls of but¬ 
ter, etc., “all right fresh from the farm”. It is said 
that these were formerly more numerous and per¬ 
sistent than now, and as they didn’t pay license, as 
they were supposed to be selling their own home- 
raised produce, they had the advantage of the other 
hucksters. 
X X X 
Fresh Eggs Once More.—A friend in Nebraska 
propounds the following conundrum : 
On page 825, the question is asked, “ What do ‘ fresh’, ‘ strictly 
fresh’, ‘ fresh laid’, and similar terms really mean ?" Now I 
would like to have The R. N.-Y. go still further, and ask, What 
do “western dirties” mean? Are there no “eastern dirties?” 
If so, I would like to see them quoted in the market reports. It’s 
true we have lots of dirt in the West, but not all the dirty eggs. 
Those are fair questions. To get fair answers, I 
asked several egg handlers to explain this seeming 
omission in the quotations. The explanation was 
that, among the eggs coming to market from New 
York State, New Jersey, and other eastern points, 
there are, practically, no dirty eggs, at least, so few 
that they are not quoted. Formerly, there were 
many dirty eggs among those coming from these 
points, but the shippers have become educated to the 
fact that there is no profit in shipping that kind. 
Western and southern shippers are, also, becoming 
educated in the same direction, and the proportion of 
dirty eggs coming from these points is constantly de¬ 
creasing. Many of the shippers have become educated 
to that extent, and when all are, quotations of “ west¬ 
ern dirties” will cease. I asked one handler who has 
a fancy trade, what he thought about the item on 
fresh eggs in this column last week. He said that it 
was all right, except that it should have been 3(5 hours 
instead of three days; that some of the poultrymen 
who supply such eggs deliver them every day. “ How 
about Sundays ? ” I asked. “ Oh ! they eat them then. 
These people have their houses and nests clean, and 
if an egg is soiled in the least, it is washed, and made 
perfectly clean. No strictly fresh eggs ever come from 
the West, for the simple reason that it takes so long 
to bring them that they are no longer fresh when 
they arrive.” One dealer stated the case exactly when 
he said that the trouble with some shippers is this : 
They have a small flock of hens, produce choice eggs, 
secure a special trade, and g - et a big price. They try 
to increase their trade by buying from their neigh¬ 
bors, and thus get eggs which they cannot guarantee; 
they make a reputation on one article, and then sup¬ 
ply something else. f. ii. v. 
AILING ANIMALS. 
ANSWKR'8 1)Y I)R. F. L. KILBORNE. 
Callous from Collar-gall; Bony Growth on Hock. 
yy. M■ M., Ontario, Canada. —1. How can I reduce the bunches 
that result from collar galls on the horse’s shoulders ? 2. One of 
our mares has a hard lump about half the size of a pecan on the 
inside of her hock. It has never made her lame. Would you 
advise trying to take it off ? If so, by what means? 
1. If there is no soreness of the skin, blister with 
biniodide of mercury ointment (biniodide of mercury, 
two drams; vaseline, one ounce ; mix). If the skin 
is at all tender, reduce the ointment with equal parts 
of vaseline before using. Then as soon as the crusts 
from the blister have shed, paint every four or five 
days with the compound tincture of iodine. This treat¬ 
ment will usually cause the reabsorption of such 
swellings as are not of too long standing. All chronic 
callouses can be removed only by dissecting out with 
the knife. 2. Try the biniodide of mercury ointment 
advised above, and repeat the blistering two or three 
times at intervals of three to four weeks. If this fail, 
firing in points with the actual cautery will re¬ 
move it. 
Cow Fails to Come to Her Milk. 
II. T. 0., Kentucky. —My Jersey cow dropped her second calf 
November 16 last; her first calf was dropped iu June, 1896, and on 
June 1, 1897, after milking one year, she gave three gallons of 
milk. When fresh with this last calf, she had no milk, but in a 
few days, gave about a pint. She is now giving one gallon per 
day. She is in fine condition. Her feed now is bran, ground 
barley and oats, and good fodder. What ■ can I do to increase the 
flow of milk ? 
Cases of this kind are not uncommon. I have known 
several instances of promising two-year-old heifers, 
that when three years old failed to come up to their 
two-year-old record. They usually do better the next 
year ; why this failure the second year 1 cannot say, 
unless it is because they were overworked the first 
year. Beyond good care and feed, both of which you 
are apparently now giving, there is very little you can 
do to increase the milk flow. Kneading the udder 
actively with the hands for several minutes after each 
milking may stimulate an increased flow. The cow 
may yet come to her milk this season; but if she 
should not, she probably will after the next calving. 
If she should fail then I would advise sending her to 
the butcher. 
Paralysis of Hind Legs in a Steer. 
E. L. 6 '., South Dakota. —One of my fat steers, which was all 
right last night, is unable to get up this morning, and does not 
seem to have any use of its hind legs. It has been fed on snap 
corn, shelled corn, prairie hay and corn fodder, with water and 
salt where it could run to it all the time. I lost one last Winter, 
fed in the same way; it bloated, could walk around, was sick for 
three or four days, when it died. I cut it open and I think there 
was, at least, a barrel of water iu it. What is the trouble, and 
how can I prevent any more from going the same way ? 
The history and symptoms indicate that the steer 
has received a severe injury to the back or loins, re¬ 
sulting in paralysis of the hind legs. If the animal is 
still alive and paralyzed, the back should be rubbed 
from the withers to the rump with strong ammonia 
liniment. Repeat the application every fourth day 
until the skin is well blistered. Internally, give the 
steer one teaspoonful powdered nux vomica in the feed 
three times daily. After the third day, gradually in¬ 
crease the dose until three teaspoonfuls are being 
given three times daily, or until twitching of the 
muscles is observed, which is an indication that the 
nux has been pushed far enough, and then the dose 
should be reduced. The case of last winter was en¬ 
tirely different from this case. 
Shoe-boil on Elbow of a Horse. 
0. I. M., Vermont.— How can I cure a shoe-boil which is coming 
on one of my horses ? 
The first thing is to know the cause of the irrita¬ 
tion. If the horse is confined in a narrow stall, widen 
the stall so as to allow him sufficient room to lie on 
his side. If he then persist in lying on his feet, cow 
fashion, it will be necessary to apply a thick, soft pad 
over the heel at night, to prevent the heel coming in 
contact with the elbow. The heel of the shoe should, 
also, be shortened so as not to project beyond the foot. 
If the swelling contains little or no liquid, simply 
paint every four or five days with compound tincture 
of iodine. But if there is considerable liquid in the 
swelling, it should first be drawn off with an aspira¬ 
tor, or a small trocar and cannula, after which inject 
one or two tablespoonfuls of the compound tincture 
of iodine diluted with three parts of soft water, allow¬ 
ing it to remain a few minutes, when it should be 
mostly withdrawn. Repeat the operation as often as 
the sac fills up. If a hard tumor form, it may have 
to be dissected out with the knife. 
Eczema and Loss of Wool on Sheep. 
L. D. IV., New York .—Within the past two weeks, two of my 
sheep have lost nearly one-quarter of their wool. They bite and 
rub most of the time. I have examined them, and no lice can be 
found. The skin seems to look somewhat like salt rheum. What 
can 1 do for them ? 
Too close confinement in hot stables,and overfeeding, 
especially on buckwheat, corn or other heating foods, 
are the common causes. If the sheep are in good flesh, 
give them three to four ounces of Epsom salts with a 
tablespoonful of ginger dissolved in one-half pint 
warm water, and repeat the dose in about a week. 
Also, give one teaspoonful of Fowler’s solution of ar¬ 
senic in the feed once daily, increasing the dose after 
a week to two teaspoonfuls once daily, and continue 
for two or three weeks. Locally, sponge over the 
affected areas with a solution of two drams lead 
acetate and four ounces of glycerin in one quart of 
water. A solution of bicarbonate of soda or of borax 
might prove equally efficacious. If the skin become 
dry and scabby, anoint daily with a little benzoated 
oxide of zinc ointment. 
CUT AND SHREDDED. 
The Massachusetts State Board of Cattle Commis¬ 
sioners report that recent researches show that there 
is a difference in bovine and human consumption 
bacilli as found in sputum. It is not probable that 
cattle will contract the disease from the sputum of 
human beings. On the other hand, the report says ; 
While it may be conceded that bovines are not susceptible to 
human tubercle bacilli from sputum, yet it by no means follows 
that human beings are, therefore, not susceptible to that of the 
bovine. At the same time, the danger of the use of the milk and 
flesh of cattle suffering from tuberculosis has, undoubtedly, been 
greatly exaggerated, for the reason that human tuberculosis has 
been steadily decreasing during the last 35 or 40 years, while 
bovine tuberculosis has undoubtedly increased during the same 
period. It cannot be denied that cows with tuberculous udders, 
or those which are extensively diseased, even though no lesion can 
be detected in them, give tuberculous bacilli in the milk, and until 
it is clearly demonstrated that these bacilli are harmless to the 
human race, such animals must be looked upon as dangerous to 
the public health. 
It is not likely that well-cooked meat will convey the 
disease. It is doubtful whether the germs are ever 
found in the muscles of lean meat. The greatest danger 
in meat comes from the use of butcher knives that 
have been used to cut up the glands where most tuber¬ 
cles are found. Thus we keep on learning about 
tuberculosis. The more people know, the less they 
feel inclined to smash every ailing cow on the head ! 
The Annual Meeting of the New York State Agri¬ 
cultural Society was held in Albany, January 1‘J. The 
meeting was not as largely attended as some of the 
previous annual meetings, yet there was a fair repre¬ 
sentation from the different parts of the State. The 
following officers were unanimously elected : Presi¬ 
dent, Hon. Benjamin F. Tracy, New York City; Vice 
Presidents, First District, Hamilton Busbey, New 
York City ; Second District, G. Howard Davison, Mill- 
brook, Dutchess County; Third District, Hon. James 
Hilton, New Scotland, Albany County; Fourth Dis¬ 
trict, W. R. Weed, Potsdam, St. Lawrence County; 
Fifth District, Austin C. Chase, Syracuse, Onondaga 
County; Sixth District, Dr. C. S. Barney, Milford, Ot¬ 
sego County; Seventh District, S. D. Willard, Geneva, 
Ontario County; Eighth District, H. P. Hopkins, Buf¬ 
falo, Erie County ; Corresponding Secretary, James B. 
Docharty, Albany, Albany County ; Recording Secre- 
t ar y> Hon. Frederick C. Schraub, Lowville, Lewis 
County; Treasurer, W. Judson Smith, Syracuse, On¬ 
ondaga County; Executive Committee, G. F. Gregory, 
Syracuse, Onondaga County ; A. W. Palmer, Syracuse, 
Onondaga County; Henry Newland, Stillwater, Sara¬ 
toga County; J. H. Weyant, Weedsport, Cayuga 
County; Hon. F. O. Chamberlain, Canandaigua, Ontario 
County; H. R. Case, (Jutting, Chautauqua County; Hon. 
Milo M. Acker, Hornellsville, Steuben County; Thomas 
H. Terry, Hempstead, Queens County; Consulting 
Veterinarian, John T. Claris, V. S., Buffalo, Erie 
County. Treasurer Smith also read the financial re¬ 
port which, notwithstanding the very good showing 
made at the Fair, leaves the Society a little in debt. 
In his report, the Secretary called attention to the 
unsatisfactory condition of the small fruit industry, 
which he concluded must continue so until factories 
are able to give better employment to labor. The 
grape industry he reported as being especially unsatis¬ 
factory, but pointed out the hope afforded apple grow¬ 
ers from the encouragement in export trade. The 
following committee was appointed to represent the 
State Society in the Farmers’ Congress, to be held in 
Albany in the early part of February : Geo. W. Sisson 
Jr., F. E. Dawley, C. D. Sinead, C. D. McLaur^, M. P. 
Roy and S. D. Willard. 
