5oo 
July 31 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
is not surprising 1 that they should be by the layman. 
All three kinds of the caterpillars are hairy, and have 
the same general appearance unless critically ex¬ 
amined ; when fully grown, the Gypsy moth cater¬ 
pillars are a little larger than either of the others. 
Each Gypsy moth caterpillar has a pale yellow, nar¬ 
row stripe along its back, and a similar one along 
each side ; on the back of each of the first six seg¬ 
ments of the body after the head, there are two bluish 
tubercles, and the remaining segments bear similar 
dark crimson red tubercles ; all of these tubercles are 
armed with several small black spines. None of these 
colored tubercles occurs on either the forest or Apple- 
tree Tent caterpillars, so that any one should be able 
easily to distinguish these two common caterpillars 
from a Gypsy moth larva. 
It is to be hoped that the Gypsy moth will be ex¬ 
terminated in or, at least, confined within, the now 
narrow limits. Judging from the destruction it has 
wrought in some Massachusetts towns, it would prove 
the greatest scourge that has ever swept over this 
country in the shape of insect life, if it were allowed 
to spread from State to State, as it certainly must un¬ 
less Massachusetts keep narrowing down the infested 
area until extermination is attained. It is so serious 
a matter that, whenever any one suspects the presence 
of the insect anywhere outside its present limited 
area, specimens of the suspected insect should be at 
once sent to an expert; some of the States have State 
entomologists and most of the experiment stations 
have men on their staff who could soon determine 
definitely whether the depredator were the genuine 
Gypsy Moth or not. This is a case where one should 
“ make sure he is right and then look again ” before 
giving out any alarming reports to the daily press of 
the country. m. v. slingerland 
SOUTHERN-BRED PULLETS FOR NORTHERN 
LAYERS. 
Last year, something of a discussion arose over the 
plan of buying young pullets in the market to serve 
as winter layers in the place of home-raised stock. 
Mr. H M. Cottrell, of Ellerslie Farm, bought some of 
these pullets, and a number of readers have asked 
how they turned out. Mr. Cottrell has now given us 
the following facts: 
“ The following is the record of the young pullets 
that we bought in the New York market, July, 1896 
The average weight at the time of purchase was 1% 
pound. They cost us 25 cents each delivered at our 
poultry yard. We purchased 700 ; a few were injured 
in shipping, and died. We killed and marketed more 
than one-half, and started in the winter with 225. 
They began laying in December, and up to date, have 
laid as follows, as shown by the records of our 
poultryman, R. II. Kipp : 
December. 850 
January. 600 
February. 1,042 
March. 2,364 
April. 2,900 
May. 3,570 
June. 1,686 
July 1 to 15. 1,113 
Total number of eggs. 14,125 
“ As you will remember, these pullets were selected 
for broiler production, and were not of the egg-lay- 
ing type. As broiler producers, they have been very 
satisfactory. We mated them with vigorous P. Rock 
roosters, and all through the season from the time 
they began to lay, the eggs have been unusually fer¬ 
tile, and the chicks strong at hatching, with small 
loss from death while growing to broiler s ; z3. What 
we want now is a strain that will have all the vigor 
of these pullets and that will lay more. 
“ We have one fault to find with these pullets. 
They were raised in Kentucky, and seemed to be 
more affected by our cold spells than native chickens. 
Whenever we had a period of very severe cold, they 
almost stopped laying. I think it would be better 
in purchasing such pullets either to buy larger ones, 
say two to three pounds each, or else buy earlier in 
the season, so that they would be more fully matured 
before cold weather.” 
Raising a Big Squash. 
1). W. T., La Crosse, Wis. —I wish to grow a big squash to com¬ 
pete at the county fair this fail. I have a good start on the vines, 
but would like to know what to use to force growth to get the best 
possible results. 
Ans.—S elect the largest squash on the thriftiest 
vine. Permit allot the vines to grow, but destroy 
every squash except the largest. Keep the soil about 
the roots mellow, and work in about it a small quan¬ 
tity of fertilizer every week—a high-grade fertilizer 
containing four per cent nitrogen, eight to ten per 
cent phosphoric acid and six per cent potash. If the 
weather prove dry, mulch about the roots with cut¬ 
tings of grass, and sprinkle this mulch as needed 
after sundown. Keep the plant free of squash bugs. 
The Farmers’ Club. 
[Kvery query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper .1 
COLD STORAGE WITHOUT ICE. 
Can you give us a little information on cold storage by the am¬ 
monia or chemical process mentioned in The R. N.-Y. of May 29, 
and June 5 ? Is there any secret about the process ? What 
chemicals are used, and how ? Does it require any power ? Is it 
very expensive? Could it be operated with success and profit on 
a small scale for holding eggs in summer and apples in winter ? 
Fillmore, N. Y. r. c. 
There is no secret about the process of producing 
cold by means of chemicals. It requires a rather ex¬ 
pensive outfit. The following notes from manufac¬ 
turers of such outfits give a fair idea of what is re¬ 
quired, and its cost : 
The smallest machine we manufacture has a re¬ 
frigerating capacity equal to three tons of ice meltiDg 
in 24 hours. This machine is arranged to be operated 
by belt power, therefore any kind of power can be 
used to run it, waterpower, gas engine, steam engine, 
or electric power. It will require about five horse¬ 
power to operate the machine. From 3,000 to 15 000 
cubic feet of space can be cooled by this machine, 
depending entirely upon the quality of work it has to 
perform, and the price ranges anywhere from $ 10,000 
to $25,000 for such a plant 
BUFFALO REFRIGERATING MACHINE CO. 
We build refrigerating machinery for mechanical 
refrigerating by the ammonia compression system, in 
units ranging from a capacity of one-half ton re¬ 
frigerating effect per day (equal to the melting of 
one-half ton of ice), upward. This assu mes continuous 
operation throughout 24 hours. Shorter running 
hours will cut down the capacity in proportion. The 
smallest machine, as named above, will cool a room 
of 700 or 800 cubic feet, to a temperature of 40 degrees. 
The cost of such a machine, including electric-motor 
or steam engine for driving it, is in the neighborhood 
of $1,100 or $1,200, exclusive of box, and the power 
required is from 1 % to 2 horse-power per ton of re¬ 
frigerating effect, according to size of machine. 
New York. westinghouse, church, kerr & co. 
In a general way, we might say that an outfit con¬ 
sists of a machine, which, in the case of small 
machines, can be driven by any power available 
either direct from an engine or by belt from counter¬ 
shafting The compressor is used for compressing 
ammonia gas, which is liquefiid in an ammonia con¬ 
denser over which water is kept flowing. The am¬ 
monia is then allowed to go in pipes in the rooms to 
be cooled and, in expanding, takes up the heat from 
the air in said rooms, producing the temperatures 
required. Cold storage houses usually have two 
classes of rooms, those known as freezing rooms, and 
those known as preserving or cold-storage rooms. 
The freezing rooms are maintained at temperatures 
at or below 32 degrees, and the preserving rooms at 
temperatures above 32 degrees. Certain classes of 
goods, such as butter, poultry, etc , require freezing 
rooms, whereas other goods, such as eggs, fruits, etc., 
would require higher temperatures. In regard to 
giving the cost of any plant, it is absolutely impossi¬ 
ble to state the same unless we know, in each particu¬ 
lar case, exactly what is required. The only way 
an estimate can be made is for the prospective cus¬ 
tomer to let us know exactly what he wishes to do in 
refrigerating work. If he has a room or rooms to be 
cooled, it would be necessary for us to know their 
size, that is the length, width and height of each, the 
nature of the goods to be stored in them, also where 
the plant is to be located, and whether or not he 
desires us to furnish the power, such as steam engine, 
etc. THE DE LA VERGNE MACHINE CO. 
New York. 
Our machines range in capacity from one-half to 25 
tons refrigeration, and will refrigerate from 500 to 
300,000 cubic feet of space, depending on the temper¬ 
atures desired, the kind of substances stored in the 
rooms, the quality of the insulation of the rooms, ex¬ 
posure of buildings, etc. Our machines are in prac¬ 
tical and successful operation driven by steam en¬ 
gines, electric motors, and by gas or gasoline en¬ 
gines. The cost of the smaller outfits varies accord¬ 
ing to the conditions under which the machine is to 
be installed and work. First-class machinery from 
reputable builders will average a cost of about $500 
to $600 per ton refrigerating capacity ; in many in¬ 
stances much lower than this. A room, say 20 by 20 
by 10 feet, properly insulated, would require about 
a two-ton machine to hold it at a temperature of 30 to 
35 degrees. Such a machine, with gas or gasoline 
engine, would cost erected and started about $1,200 ; 
it would require about five to seven gallons of gaso¬ 
line per day’s run, would probably have to run 
18 hours in the hottest summer weather and corre¬ 
spondingly less in cooler weather. For farmers’ use, 
if they are so situated that they can cut and lay in 
their own ice in winter, the cheapest method would, 
probably, be to build an ice house. In a community 
of farmers, I would advise the cooperative building 
of a small cold storage plant at some convenient point 
of the neighborhood, and operating a small ice plant, 
and possibly, also, a creamery or dairy in conjunction 
therewith. The larger any single plant, the less its 
relative cost per ton capacity, both in installation 
and maintenance. An investment of $5,000 to $8,000 
would give a fair-sized plant, capable of refrigerating 
some 30,000 to 40,000 cubic feet, and making a couple 
of tons of pure ice per day. This figure includes 
everything except the land. In lo^at ing such a plant, 
the quality of the water and quantity available, the 
cost of fuel, etc . are points to be considered. 
THE 8TILWKLL-BIERCE & SMITH-YAILE CO. 
Dayton, Ohio. 
AILING ANIMALS. 
ANSWERS BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
A Mare That Loses Milk. 
1). Prospect Park, Out.—I have a mare that, during the 
past three years, loses her milk for about a month before she 
foals. Can anything be done to prevent it ? 
The mar6 is, evidently, an easy, free milker. A 
restricted, dry diet during the last month of preg¬ 
nancy would lessen the secretion of milk, and thereby 
prevent the leakage in part. It may not be possible 
to stop it entirely without the use of drugs that 
would permanently diminish the milk secretion, 
which would be undesirable. 
Swelling of a Horse's Sheath 
I). E. A., Auburn, N. Y. —I have a horse, when he stands idle in 
the stable 36 to 48 hours whose dheath swells. It is all right when 
he works. He seems all right in every other respect. 
A course of iodide of potash will, probably, remove 
the swelling. Give the horse two drams once daily 
for 10 days ; then omit for three or four days, after 
which repeat as before. The medicine is mest con¬ 
veniently given by dissolving at one time one ounce 
of the iodide in a pint bottle of soft water; one-fourth 
of which can be given daily in a little bran or other 
ground feed. If foul, the sheath should be carefully 
cleaned with Castile soapsuds, Use no oil or grease 
of any kind, either during or after the cleaning. If 
the horse is fed a full grain ration, the feed should 
be reduced, especially when standing idle. A little 
grass or a bran mash fed once daily whenever the 
swelling appears, will assist in reducing the swelling. 
Indigestion in Calves. 
N.J ., Cuba, Mo.— A few days ago, I lost a fine Jersey calf four 
months old, with a discharge from its bowels similar to the 
scours. After giving raw eggs, laudanum, castor oil, etc., it 
seemed to get better, but it lingered several days and finally died. 
On being opened after death, its stomach showed no unusual 
symptoms except a purplish appearance. Other Jerseys in the 
vicinity are similarly affected with very black, offensive dis- 
char ges. 
Diarrhea in calves is not uncommon, especially those 
fed from the pail, and is usually due to indigestion. 
That was, probably, the cause of the trouble in this 
case. Outbreaks of an epidemic form of diarrhea, 
which is, evidently, contagious, occur occasionally in 
young calves from birth to a week or 10 days old. 
The remedies you gave were all good, and had the 
treatment been properly followed up, the calf could, 
undoubtedly, have been saved. At the outset, the 
calf should have received two teaspoonfuls of laud, 
anum shaken up in four tablespoonfuls of castor 
oil ; then one teaspoonful each of laudanum and tinc¬ 
ture of Jamaica ginger given in one-half teacupful 
warm water every six hours until relieved. The calf 
should be closely watched, and as soon as the diarrhea 
is checked, the laudanum should be discontinued. 
The castor oil may be repeated in 24 to 48 hours if the 
first dose has not acted. When weak, the calf should 
receive two to three teaspoonfuls of whisky in one- 
half teacupful of hot water every four hours If the 
calf is being fed by hand, it should be given not to 
exceed one pint of milk at once, to which should be 
added one teacupful of lime water, and repeated 
about every six hours. During recovery, the quantity 
of milk can be gradually increased, and the lime 
water continued until the bowels recover their tone. 
Young calves can be given one-half the above doses. 
Asthma and Heaves in a Horse 
J. W. W., Brookfield, Conn.— My horse began to cough laBt 
winter and, in spite of treatment, became worse. A doctor who 
examined him said that he had bronchitis, and treated him with 
some success; but the trouble has continued up to the present, 
being at times very much better. At present, if he is harnessed 
before a wagon and driven, he is at first unable to get his breath 
or even to cough; this entirely disappears after a while. His 
flanks heave very much, but the movements are regular and 
not jerky. He has no discharge from the nostrils; his eye is 
bright, coat prime, and appetite good. His feed is mostly grass, 
with a peck of half bran and oats a day, moistened. He is about 
II years old, and sound in every respect except his breathing. By 
listening back of the foreshoulder, a slight wheezing sound is 
heard and a distinct rattling in the throat. I call his trouble 
spasmodic asthma. Am I right ? What would you call it, and 
can you tell me how to relieve it ? 
You are, probably, correct in your diagnosis of 
