446 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 25 
needs treatment, it will usually be more satisfactory 
and cheaper in the end, to take the animal to a quali¬ 
fied veterinarian for an examination, and obtain from 
him a special prescription suited to the case. No pre¬ 
scription can be given for a powder that will be gen¬ 
erally satisfactory for all cases. A powder that is 
suitable for one case might be entirely unsuited or 
even injurious to another. A condition powder that 
is claimed to be a specific or cure-all for all sorts of 
diseases, is a fraud ; no single prescription or powder 
possesses such powers. 
The prescription in the foregoing advised by Dr. 
Smead, being more than one-half nitrate of potash, is 
mainly a diuretic, for increasing the action of the 
kidneys. The other ingredients are stomachics or 
stomach tonics, but the quantity given is too sjnall to 
have a very marked effect. The formula is a good 
one for a mild diuretic, but of little value for any 
other purpose. 
In making up a condition powder, several factors 
should be taken into consideration, such as the state 
of the kidneys and bowels, the condition of the 
patient, the appetite, whether poor or abnormal, and 
the cause of the debility or loss of condition. 
Below are given a few examples of formulae for con¬ 
dition powders for ordinary cases. The dose given in 
each case is for the horse. For cattle, the dose should 
be the same or somewhat larger. For sheep, about 
one-fifth the dose for the horse. 
For Loss of Appetite. —Powdered gentian and gin¬ 
ger, of each 12 ounces ; powdered nux vomica and 
nitrate of potash, of each 4 ounces. Mix, and divide 
into 24 powders; to be given night and 
morning. If more general tonic effects 
are desired, add dry sulphate of iron, 4 
ounces, to the above formula. 
As a General Tonic. —Powdered dry sul¬ 
phate of iron, 4 ounces; powdered gen¬ 
tian, 12 ounces; powdered ginger, 8 
ounces ; nitrate of potash. 6 ounces. Mix, 
and make into 24 powders ; to be given 
night and morning. 
A Laxative Tonic—for Horses Only .— 
Aloes, 3 ounces; dry sulphate of iron, 4 
ounces; ginger, 12 ounces; gentian, 8 
ounces. Mix, and divide into 24 powders. 
Give once daily, either by ball or drench. 
A Laxative Tonic—for Cattle or Sheep .— 
Sulphate of soda, 16 ounces; powdered 
nux vomica, 6 ounces ; ginger, 12 ounces ; 
nitrate of potash, 4 ounces. Mix, and 
divide into 24 powders ; to be given night 
and morning (100 doses for sheep). 
A Tonic for Colds or Catarrhal Cases .— 
Epsom salts, 16 ounces; nitrate of potash, 
4 ounces ; gentian and ginger, of each 8 
ounces. Mix, and divide into 24 powders ; 
to be given night and morning. 
A Diuretic. — Nitrate of potash, 12 
ounces; powdered resin, 8 ounces; ginger, 8 ounces. 
Mix, and divide into 24 powders; to be given twice 
daily. _ F. l. kilbobne. 
CONVICTS AT ROAD MAKING. 
In Bulletin No. 16 of the office of Road Inquiry, 
United States Department of Agriculture, Gen. Roy 
Stone gives some interesting notes on the employment 
of convicts at road building. North Carolina uses 
many convicts for this work, and has found the system 
very useful in promoting the gospel of good roads. 
When confined in the county jails, it cost an average 
of 30 cents per day to support these convicts. When 
at work on the road, it cost an average of 24 cents. 
When well directed, the convicts have done better 
work than ordinary hired labor. 
Delaware has a law authorizing the purchase of a 
stone quarry where male convicts guilty of minor 
crimes may be worked at breaking stone for road 
building, such stone to be sold at cost of transporta¬ 
tion. In New York and Iowa, it is also proposed to 
locate stone quarries near to railroads where convicts 
are to break stone for road making. In California, 
this plan is actually carried out, and this convict stone 
has been largely used. 
In South Carolina, convicts are worked in the chain 
gang—groups chained together. In a letter printed 
in this bulletin we are told that the average size of 
the chain gang for the second year was 18, and was 
maintained at a cost of 24 cents per capita per day. 
During the third year, which has just closed, they 
were not able to reduce the cost per capita of main¬ 
taining the chain gang, which remained about the 
same size as during the second year, owing to the fact 
that they had worked around the places near which 
there was a house or barn that could be secured as a 
stockade, and the constant moving from one place to 
another, and the increased loss of time entailed bj^ 
camping so great a distance from the place of work. 
They are entering upon the fourth year’s work with 
the hope of materially reducing the cost and increas¬ 
ing the efficiency of the system by means of “ King's 
prison van,’’ which is shown at Fig. 199. By means of 
this vehicle, they are enabled to camp right at the 
place of work, thereby saving the time that would 
otherwise be lost in going to and returning from it; 
they, also, by the use of this prison are enabled to dis¬ 
pense with the services of a night guard. They hope 
by the use of this portable prison, to reduce the cost 
of maintaining the chain gang to about 15 cents per 
capita per day, and to do at least 12 per cent more 
work with the same size gang. The people are very 
much pleased with the system, having no objection to 
the labor of convicts being expended on the public 
roads, but there is serious and strong opposition to its 
being brought in competition with free, honest labor. 
WHOLE CORN IN THE SILO. 
FEEDING WITH A BROAD AX. 
I shall have to disagree with The R. N.-Y. on page 
385, in reference to filling silos w T itli whole corn. My 
silo is 15x20 feet, and 15 feet deep, built of stone, 
cemented inside and out. I fill it every season with 
whole corn, but do not place the butts all one way. 
I lay in courses one way, and then the next layer 
opposite. The broken stalks, leaves, etc., are jammed 
into the corners, or driven in with a wooden beetle. 
I do not rush in filling, as I like to have it settle as 
much as possible in the filling process. At the end 
of the week, on Saturday, I place the planks on the 
corn in order to get more pressure. Monday, we go 
at the filling again, if the weather permits. If not, 
we wait for a fair day. I keep filling in this way 
until the corn is about six or eight inches above the 
top. I wait for it to settle about a foot, and then I 
put on top of the corn any old hay that I may have. 
I have a spot on my farm that is too wet to plow, 
that is covered with a growth of brush, golden rod, 
etc. I cut that swamp grass, dry it and pack it in the 
silo on top of all. Now here comes the place where 
I think the fault of the matter lies in regard to the 
mold. After the hay, etc., is put on as evenly as 
possible, I place the planks on. These planks are 
cut to fit the silo tight. On top of the planks, I place 
about two tons of sand in bags. The bags are dis¬ 
tributed evenly over the planks, and if one end goes 
down faster than the other, we move the bags. The 
idea is to settle the mass as quickly as possible. When 
I open the silo, I find the hay a mass of wet and rot, 
but not a particle of mold or rot to be found on the 
corn. It seems to me that the trouble lies not so 
much in packing (although the man in the silo needs 
watching) as it does in the covering and weighting. 
My silo settles about one-third, and when opened, 
is as solid as a rock. The stalks are all jammed to¬ 
gether, and we cut it with a broadax into squares of 
about six inches, and it comes out solid like a cake of 
ice. This is put into trucks and rolled in front of the 
cattle, and fed out to them as much as each cow needs, 
no regular amount, as some cows need more than 
others. One man does the feeding all Winter, and so 
each cow gets about the same each time. Two men 
cut and get out of the silo enough for two feeds (20 
head of stock) in half an hour. I do not for a moment 
think cut ensilage is not the best, but as long as mine 
comes out as well as it has in the past, I do not think 
it would pay me to go to the expense of buying a 
machine for cutting. Let the farmers put on heavy 
weights, and their corn will not mold if it has been 
packed properly. I don’t believe it a job that can be 
hurried. I take about 17 days for mine, working three 
men. We cut enough in the morning early to last all 
day. I use sand for weighting, because after it comes 
off the silo, I can use it behind the cattle. a. w. b. 
Groton, Mass. _ 
NOTES FROM THE BEAN COUNTRY. 
THE CROP IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 
How It is Grown and Handled. 
[editorial correspondence.] 
Western New York is not only a land of flourishing 
orchards and vineyards, where some of the finest fruit 
of the United States is produced, but it is, also, pre¬ 
eminent for wheat and beans. Three or four counties 
in the vicinity of Rochester represent the largest bean 
section of the East, being rivaled only by California 
in the production of these nutritious legumes, with 
which Uncle Sam is now feeding his fighting men, 
both afloat and ashore. California, however, is 
especially noted for Lima beans, and could hardly be 
called a competitor of the East in any case, because 
of the high transportation charges. 
Judging that there would be an increased acreage 
of beans this year, because improved prices are caus¬ 
ing greater interest in the crop, The R. N.-Y. obtained 
an interview with Mr. E. F. Dibble, whose familiarity 
with crop conditions enables him to speak with 
authority. Mr. Dibble corroborates The R. N.-Y.’s 
impression of increased acreage, in all varieties of 
field beans, and especially in Red Kidneys. On being 
asked what variety of soil and system of culture are 
best adapted to beans, Mr. Dibble responded : 
“The best soil for the bean crop is 
either a gravelly or clay loam. If the 
latter, the land should be plowed in the 
Fall, and then left in the furrow until 
Spring. As soon as the soil is fit to 
work in the Spring, it should be gone 
over with a harrow until fine and friable. 
A very thorough fitting of the land 
is necessary, and the harrowing should 
be continued at intervals of a week or 
ten days during early Spring, the beans 
not being planted until after June 1. 
This frequent harrowing will destroy 
nearly all the weeds, and will enable the 
farmer to keep his beans very clean 
with but little culture, after the crop is 
once in the ground.” 
“How would you treat a gravelly 
soil ? ” 
“ This should be plowed in the Spring 
for best results, and then given frequent 
liarrowings, before the crop is planted, 
like the clay soil.” 
“ I was told that bean farmers farther 
south were using the weeder with good 
results; does this coincide with your ob¬ 
servation ? ” 
“ Not at all. In our district, the worst 
weeds we have to contend with are thistles and Quack 
grass, and the weeder doesn't injure these marauders a 
bit; it only amuses them. The weeder may, doubtless, 
be satisfactory in eradicating pigweed or ragweed, and 
is likely to be valuable in some soils, but I would 
never recommend it for beans. In germinating, the 
bean itself, clasping the cotyledons, is pushed out of 
the ground on the top of the plumule, and the weeder 
would certainly break out many of these tender 
plantlets.” 
“ How are the beans planted ? ” 
“ Until recent inventions brought improvements, 
the common manner of planting beans was with a 
grain drill. In using the grain drill, three rows of 
beans were sown at a time, from 28 to 32 inches apart, 
the quantity used being from one-half bushel to one 
bushel per acre. At the present time, however, there 
are several bean planters on the market, which give 
better results than planting with the grain drill. 
They plant two rows at a time, and instead of sowing 
one bean in a place, as the grain drill does, they plant 
three to six beans in a hill, the hills being eight to 12 
inches apart. The great advantage of this manner of 
planting is that it gives every opportunity for a good 
stand of beans. If a heavy rain follow planting, the 
soil will often crust over so that individual beans find 
a difficulty in forcing their way through, while a hill 
of four or five beans together will easily break their 
way to the surface.” 
“ How much seed is required to plant an acre ? ” 
“The quantity varies with the variety. Red Kid¬ 
neys or Marrows, which are large beans, require fully 
one bushel per acre ; Pea or Medium 20 to 28 quarts.” 
“ What treatment should be given to the field after 
seeding ? ” 
“After the beans are planted, the field should be 
rolled down, that the surface may be as level and uni¬ 
form as possible. The beans should be frequently 
cultivated during the earlier part of the season, but 
this must be entirely dropped after the plants are in 
ROAD IMPROVEMENT IN SOUTH CAROLINA. Fig. 199. 
Convict Traveling Camp. 
