1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
5oi 
spasmodic asthma, which is essentially the same as 
heaves, both being practically one and the same 
affection. The symptoms vary considerably in differ¬ 
ent cases, but all have the gastric derangement with 
the spasmodic affection of the respiratory system. 
Rub the throat from ear to ear with ammonia lini¬ 
ment (equal parts of sweet oil and strong aqua am¬ 
monia well shaken together). Repeat the application on 
the third or fourth day, if the skin is not well blistered 
by the first. A second or even third blistering may 
be desirable as soon as the crusts from the previous 
blister have been shed. Give one of the following 
powders in the feed twice daily: Powdered nux 
vomica and sulphate of copper, of each three ounces ; 
arsenic, 60 grains ; mix, and make into 30 powders. 
When not on grass, chop feed will be best for the 
horse if you can buy, or have the convenience for 
cutting the hay. 
Steaming a Horse’s Head. 
G. A. B., Kent, Conn.—\ have a horse which caught the dis¬ 
temper last spring from a green western horse. He has coughed 
badly ever since. I have tried oil of tar, but he is getting worse. 
He eats well, wet hay and grain, night and morning, and is 
turned out through the day, but is getting poor all the time. He 
runs at the nose (eyes a little), and breathes as though his 
head was partly filled up. 1 think that he is getting the heaves, 
as he puffs if worked much. 
Steam the head once daily by feeding a hot bran 
mash, made by pouring sufficient boiling water over 
four quarts of bran to make a thin slop, and placed 
before the horse to be eaten while hot. If the horse 
will not eat the mash hot, so as to steam his head, 
hold the head over a bucket of boiling water for 15 
or 20 minutes every evening. Confine the steam by 
putting the horse’s nose in one end of a sack, while 
the other end is drawn over the bucket. A little tur¬ 
pentine or pine tar placed in the boiling water will 
make the steaming more efficacious. Rub the throat 
with ammonia liniment and give the powders advised 
for asthma or heaves. (See answer to J. W. W.) 
Some Apples for Tennessee. 
J. M. O., Bradford, Venn. —I wish to set five acres of apple 
trees, and shall use Winesap, Ben Davis and Paragon for late 
sorts, and Red Astrachan and Early Harvest for early. Would 
you advise planting Yellow Transparent on a large scale in this 
latitude for early market? I am located on the Illinois Central 
Railroad, 400 miles south of Chicago. Is it equal to Early Har¬ 
vest ? Some say that it can be planted very close. The Paragon 
is a fine grower, shows no traces of disease, but I have not 
fruited it yet. I have an idea of planting 82 x 20 feet to permanent 
sorts, and using Yellow Transparent, Missouri Pippin and 
Wealthy for fillers. The trees would then stand 20 x 16 feet, and 
n the future I would remove the fillers. How would this do ? I 
shall fertilize, cultivate and spray. 
Ans. —The plan of J. M. G. is, on the whole, very 
good. The style of planting and distance apart of 
trees are suitable, and so with the varieties. Every 
one that he mentions for permanent trees and for 
fillers is well adapted to these purposes. However, I 
have some doubt as to the profit of Wealthy grown in 
that locality, owing to its time of ripening. It is not 
an early variety, neither is it late, and I fear it would 
come in when fall apples are very plentiful in the 
northern markets. I would advise the substitution 
of Oldenburg, which is earlier and bears enormous 
crops of showy apples that will sell well and cook 
well, too, but are of poor quality for eating from the 
hand. I also think that Yellow Transparent will 
pay much better than Red Astrachan, but I would 
plant some of the latter. Yellow Transparent is one 
of the heaviest and most precocious bearers I have 
ever seen and, while it is not high in quality, it will 
outbear and outsell Early Harvest one year with an¬ 
other. There are some others of the Russian class of 
apples that I think would be good for early market if 
grown in Tennessee, among which are Zolotoreff, 
Zuzoff and Switzer. These being red are likely to 
sell better than those of light color. McMahon is a 
Wisconsin seedling of large size and most beautifully 
blushed that might prove very valuable in the South 
as an early market variety. It may seem strange to 
have these hardy apples recommended for the South, 
but it is true that these varieties that are able to en¬ 
dure the most cold will also endure the most heat and 
drought. This is because it is excessive evaporation 
in both cases that they have to struggle against. The 
kinds just named will be summer apples in Tennessee, 
and are of inferior quality in comparison with Early 
Harvest, Red June, Benoni, etc., but they will, prob¬ 
ably, be far more profitable for market. J. M. G. is 
on the right track for successful apple culture in his 
region. h. e. van deman. 
Wyoming Red Grapes Not Profitable. 
C. L. M., Trumansburgh , N. Y. —What is the matter with my 
Wyoming Red grapes ? They do not fill out their bunches. They 
set full, have good care, are on good ground, 500 in a body, with 
Wordens on the west and Niagara on the east of them. All others 
do well, including Moore’s Early, Concord, Baton, Green Moun¬ 
tain, and a few other kinds. All are as fine as one could wish to 
see; but Wyoming Red does not bunch. The vines are six years 
old and thrifty. They have been so since they came in bearing. 
Ans. —The Wyoming Red is a variety which has 
often proved faulty, just as described by C. L. M. It 
would be well to graft the vines to some better kinds, 
such as some of those mentioned by him. Or, a part 
of them with Campbell Early, which is likely to be a 
profitable kind. The wood of this one is scarce and 
hard to get, but it may pay well to get a start of it. 
H. e. v. D 
Something About Peach Curl. 
G. G. If., Branford, Conn —What is the matter with my peach 
trees ? Their leaves curl and blister, then drop and then they 
leaf out agaiu. Why does the Globe peach not bear ? It blossoms 
full every year. I have others set by the trees that bear every 
year. 
Ans —1. Peach curl is a disease of the leaves which 
is caused by a fungus, the germs of which live over 
the winter upon the buds and twigs, and, perhaps, in 
the dead leaves on the ground. It is difficult to con¬ 
trol, and some who have tried spraying with the cop¬ 
per solutions think that they have made very little 
headway against it. The remedies recommended are 
copper sulphate solution before the buds start in the 
spring; then Bordeaux Mixture after blooming once 
every two weeks, up to July 1. Raking and burning 
dropped leaves that have died with the curl will, 
doubtless, destroy many of the spores. 2. The Globe 
peach is a big, coarse, but poor variety in quality, 
and a poor bearer. h. e v. d. 
What About the Gano Apple ? 
H. G. W., Monson, Maes —Has the Gano apple been thoroughly 
tested ? Some claim that It is a better keeper than the Ben Davis, 
and of better quality. 
Ans. —The Gano apple originated in Missouri, and 
has been quite well tested in the West. It is very 
handsome, being very brilliant carmine nearly all 
over, and in beauty excels the Ben Davis. It is of 
about the same size, shape and keeping quality as 
that old standard, but I think it is but little, if any, 
better in flavor. It belongs in the same climate with 
Ben Davis, and I would not advise that either of them 
THE PREDACEOUS DIVING BEETLE. Fio. 208. 
be planted in Massachusetts. Among the newer win¬ 
ter kinds it might be well to try York Imperial and 
Sutton Beauty in that State. h. e. v. d. 
The Arkansas Beauty Apple. 
B., Vancouver, Wash. —Do you know anything of the Arkansas 
Beauty apple? It is represented as being a very thrifty grower, 
fine size and flavor, good color aDd a very late keeper. 
Ans —The new apple that has been named Arkan¬ 
sas Beauty is as yet untried in most parts of the 
country, and there is nothing of consequence to guide 
one in planting more than a few trees of it for experi¬ 
ment. In Arkansas, where it originated, the fruit 
shows up well, but it will take time and extensive 
trial to prove what it is worth elsewhere, h e y. d. 
The Predaceous Diving Beetle. 
D. G. W., Bergenjield, N. J.— I send an insect that is new to me. 
What is it ? 
Ans.—T he beetle sent by D. C. W. is one of the 
Predaceous Diving beetles (Dytiscus sp.). It is well 
represented at c, Fig. 208. If one quietly approach a 
pool of standing water, there may, sometimes, be seen 
these oval, flattened beetles hanging head downward, 
with the tip end of their abdomens at the surface of 
the water. In this position, they are at rest, and are 
taking in fresh air underneath their wing-covers ; as 
they breathe through holes that open on the body 
beneath these wing-covers, they can thus live under 
water for a considerable time on the air carried in 
this place. When this air becomes impure, the beetle 
rises to the surface, forces it out, and takes a fresh 
supply. The hind legs of the beetles are long and 
fitted for swimming, and in the males, the three first 
joints of the front tarsi are flattened to form a cir¬ 
cular disk, upon the underside of which are little 
cup-like suckers, as shown at d. The beetles are very 
voracious. They destroy not only other water insects, 
but sometimes attack larger animals, as small fish or 
tadpoles. When kept in aquariums, they may be fed 
upon any kind of meat, raw or cooked. They fly from 
pond to pond, and are often attracted to lights at 
night. The female beetles deposit their eggs at ran¬ 
dom in the water. The grubs which hatch from these 
eggs are known as “Water-tigers,” because of their 
blood-thirstiness. One is shown natural size at a, 
Fig. 208, in the act of destroying a smaller insect. 
Their jaws are large, sickle-shaped, and hollow, with a 
slit-like opening near the tip ; they are thus admir¬ 
ably fitted for holding the prey, and at the same time, 
sucking the juices from its body, the hollow of the 
jaws communicating with the food-canal. When one 
of these grubs is fully grown, it leaves the water, 
burrows into the ground, and makes a round cell, 
within which it undergoes its transformations ; the 
pupa is shown in one of these cells at b. 
These diving-beetles and their “Water-tiger” grubs 
have excited the interest and curiosity of scientists 
and others from the earliest times ; one is pictured 
in a quaint old volume bearing the date of 1634. The 
beetles are often sent to the insectary by correspond¬ 
ents who capture them at lights, or find them in rain 
barrels or tubs. M v. s. 
What Berry to Fertilize Timbrel!. 
G. T. A., East Orland, Me .— Of some scores of varieties of 
strawberries that I have tried, I place Timbrell at the head for 
quality; but I am troubled with an undue proportion of small 
and imperfect berries, due, I suppose, to lack of pollenization, 
though I have other sorts growing near—Beder Wood, Parker 
Earle, etc. What would be the best variety to use with Timbrell 
as a pollenizer? Would it be Parker Earle, Beder Wood, Mar¬ 
shall, Brandywine, or Sharpless, all of which I have now, or 
some other? Henderson says, “ some late flowering bisexual 
sort, such as Brandywine, Yale, or Gandy.” 
Ans —We would suppose that Brandywine, Parker 
Earle. Gandy, Sharpless, Champion of England, 
Ridgeway, or Michigan would prove ample fertilizers 
if grown near enough to the Timbrell. Beder Wood 
is too early. 
Agnes Emily Carman Rose Not Blooming. 
A K., Uudsonville, Mich —The rose bush, Agnes Emily Carman, 
is a sad disappointment—a large, vigorous bush, but no roses 
My wife threatens to pull it up. Will it ever bloom ? 
Ans. —All of the Agnes Emily Carman roses are 
worked on Manetti stock. It maj be that the graft 
has died, and that the stock is what our friend com¬ 
plains of. The leaves of the Carman are rugose like 
those of Rugosa, leathery and thick. Those of Ma¬ 
netti are papery, a lighter green, and much smaller. 
Why Cattle Need Salt, 
G. S , Markham, Ont. —Why is it that cattle need so much more 
salt at certain times of the year than at others? What action on 
the food or system does it produce ? Why does ensilage appear 
to need more salt fed with It than other feed ? 
Ans. —Salt is food, if we think of food as some¬ 
thing needed to sustain the system by supplying the 
elements of which it consists. Every part of an ani¬ 
mal contains salt, and every secretion, the perspira¬ 
tion even, causes a loss of salt, which is to be made 
up by the food. But the principal digestive agent of 
the stomach, the gastric fluid, contains the acid of 
Salt (hydrochloric), and thus salt is an indispensable 
agent of digestion. The blood is salt, the tears are 
salt, and on the whole, an animal of 1,000 pounds 
needs two ounces of salt daily to supply this needed 
nutriment, for its various functions. Animals need 
the most salt when they are feediag on watery food, 
as pasture, ensilage, roots, etc. This is because the 
large quantity of water in the food greatly increases 
the escape of fluids in various ways from an animal, 
all of which carry off salt. When dry food only is 
eaten, there is not so much waste in this way, and 
less salt is needed then. The fact is that this indis¬ 
pensable necessity for salt is not at all sufficiently 
considered as it should be, and cattle suffer in conse¬ 
quence. Milk contains salt, and if the cows are not 
duly supplied, the milk will suffer. At this time of 
the year, a full-sized cow should have two ounces of 
salt a day, while in fact, the maj irity of them don’t 
get as much in a month. Then they eat the horse 
manure, chew rotten stuff, and have what we call a 
depraved or diseased appetite, and, of course, do not 
thrive as they should. An excellent plan is to keep a 
barrel of rock salt, which costs a dollar and a few 
cents for 300 pounds, and leave lumps of it wherever 
sheep or cattle can get at it. My score or so of sheep 
lick away a chunk of 10 pounds easily in a month, 
and my cows have each a lump of it in the feed box 
at all times. My mules are equally well supplied, 
and none of my stock descend to the eating of rails 
and fence boards. h. s. 
Alexander Apple Rotting; Chickens in Pasture. 
M. E. M., Guilford, N. Y .— 1. Is there any way to prevent the 
Alexander apple from rotting on the tree ? 2. Will there be any 
harm in letting 40 hens run in the pasture occupied by two cows ? 
Ans —1. Not likely. Alexander is a large, showy 
summer or fall apple that sells well on sight, but it 
is of poor flavor. The habit of rotting on the tree is 
quite general, and as it is a constitutional failing, it 
may not be prevented by spraying. Possibly the 
copper remedies may prove beneficial in checking if 
not wholly arresting the disease. 2. Our chickens 
run all through the pasture and do no damage that 
we can discover. 
