548 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 21 
The tenant did not do this work as thoroughly as I 
wished it done. This harrowing was done during the 
last week in August and first 10 days of last Septem¬ 
ber. After the land was thus exposed to the weather 
for a week, it was harrowed once more each way, and 
the lime broadcasted at the rate of about 3,000 
pounds per acre ; then half a bushel of Timothy seed 
per acre was sown by hand, the seed being sown both 
ways Following the seeding came another light 
harrowing which, in turn, was followed by the 
roller, thus leaving the surface smooth. The barn¬ 
yard was then scraped as clean as a floor, and the 
manure spread over a portion of the meadow ; there 
was not enough to cover half the land treated with 
lime. 
Now for the results 1 The hay was gathered early 
in July. Where the manure followed the lime, the 
crop was as heavy as any I have seen ; where the lime 
was used alone, the hay averaged as heavy as on the 
meadows of the adjoining farms in this season of an 
exceptionally heavy hay crop On a small corner of 
about half an acre which was left untouched to con¬ 
vince the tenant of the value of the treatment given, 
the grass was not worth the cutting. That portion 
of the meadow where the lime was used followed by 
manure, will be covered with the product of the barn¬ 
yard this fall. I believe that if one did not have the 
manure, lime, followed by a liberal application of 
commercial fertilizers, would be just as well. This 
is my first experience with lime on a cold, stiff clay 
soil. My expectations have been fully realized, and 
it is needless to add that the tenant is more than 
satisfied. A. e. buthebfobd. 
Sussex County, N. J. 
R N.-Y.—In such an experiment, we must remem¬ 
ber that tbe value of the lime is not in adding plant 
food, but in “sweetening” the land and improving its 
texture and character. On stiff clays, lime tends to 
break up and separate the soil particles. It would be 
impossible to make good bricks from clay in which 
lime had been mixed. 
DISHORNING CATTLE AS REGULATED BY 
LAW IN NEW YORK. 
Dishorning cattle is a surgical operation, and to 
perform the operation is to practice a branch of 
veterinary surgery. The law regulating the practice 
of veterinary medicine and surgery in the State of 
New York is to be found in Chapter 661, Article 10, 
of the Laws of 1893. Section 170, which refers to 
qualifications to practice, reads as follows : 
No person shall practice veterinary medicine or surgery or any 
branch thereof, as a profession, in this State for compensation 
for his services as a practitioner of veterinary medicine or surg¬ 
ery, unless he has been duly registered pursuant to the provisions 
of the laws in force immediately preceding the time when this 
article takes effect, or unless he is a graduate of a legally char¬ 
tered or incorporated college or university; or holds a certificate 
of qualification from a legally incorporated veterinary society; 
and is duly registered as provided in this article. But students 
may prescribe under the supervision of preceptors and gratuitous 
services may be rendered in case of an emergency; and an 
authorized practitioner of a neighboring State may render 
services in this State, who is called for the purpose of consulta¬ 
tion with an authorized practitioner of this State. 
The original law (Chapter 313 of the Laws of 1886), 
provided that any person who practiced veterinary 
medicine and surgery as a profession in this State for 
a period of not less than three years preceding the 
passage of the act, might register within six months 
after the passage of the act by affidavit, to the effect 
that he had practiced the prescribed three years. 
Extensions of the time for registration were made 
each year, I believe, up to 1893, when the above law 
was passed. Thus any farmer who had practiced dis¬ 
horning for, at least, three years could have regis¬ 
tered prior to 1893, so as to have been able to con¬ 
tinue his practice. 
The law is further amended in Chapter 860 of the 
Laws of 1895, but the amendments refer chiefly to the 
establishment of a board of veterinary medical ex¬ 
aminers, and to examinations and registration. At 
the present time, no person can begin the practice of 
veterinary medicine or surgery in this State unless 
graduated from a regular veterinary college or uni¬ 
versity having a course of, at least, three years of six 
months each ; and shall then pass a satisfactory ex¬ 
amination before the State Board of Veterinary 
Medical Examiners, and receive a license from the 
Board of Regents of the University of the State of 
New York. 
It will be seen that there is nothing in the law 
that prohibits a farmer from treating or operating 
upon his own stock in any way he may see fit. 
Neither does it prohibit one farmer from assisting his 
neighbor, or giving gratuitous services in case of an 
emergency. Any farmer can, therefore, lawfully dis¬ 
horn his cattle, but he cannot lawfully dishorn any 
other cattle and receive compensation for his services 
for performing such operation, except he has regis¬ 
tered as provided in the law. The ceurts of New 
York, as well as of several other States, have decided 
that dishorning, when properly performed, is not 
cruelty to animals. If, however, a farmer should dis¬ 
horn his cattle, or perform any other operation, in an 
unnecessarily bungling or cruel manner, he would 
lay himself liable to prosecution under the Penal 
Code for cruelty to animals. 
The law regulating veterinary practice was not 
designed to curtail the rights of the farmer in any 
way. On the contrary, in addition to raising the 
standard of the veterinary profession, the law is 
designed to protect the farmer and stock owner from 
the unscrupulous empiric and ignorant quack, by 
allowing only those to practice who are qualified by 
their training and education. While a large number 
of non-graduates are now practicing under the law, 
having registered by affidavit, in the future, none ex¬ 
cept regular graduated veterinarians who shall pass 
the examinations of the State Board of Veterinary 
Examiners, will be allowed to begin practice. The 
law may possibly work a hardship in a few individual 
cases, but the higher standard given the profession, 
THE MELON AND CUCUMBER BORERS. Fig. 226. 
and the greater immunity given too our domestic ani¬ 
mals from the malpractice of the empiric, will greatly 
outweigh the slight inconvenience to the few. 
F. L KILBOBNE, B. V. S. 
The Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to Insure attention. Before asking a question please 
Bee 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 
The Melon and Cucumber Borers. 
(J. D., Atlanta , Ga .—Will you give a description of the Pickle 
borer or Pickle worm ? Will you describe the moth, and tell when 
she lays her eggs—by day or by night? Does she lay on the 
foliage or on the cucumbers, and how long does it take the eggs 
to hatch ? Is there any difference between the Cucumber borer 
and the Cantaloupe borer, or are they the same ? 
ANSWERED BY M. V. 8LIN6EBLAND. 
At Fig. 226 are shown the different stages of two 
very closely allied insects which are often quite 
destructive to such cucurbitaceous plants as melons, 
cucumbers, squashes, cantaloupes, etc., especially in 
the South One of these insects first attained 
economic importance in the West as a borer in young 
cucumbers of about the size for pickling, hence re¬ 
ceived the common name of “ Pickle worm”. Its 
scientific name is now Endioptis nitidalis. During 
recent years, this insect has done considerable dam¬ 
age in southern squash, cucumber and melon fields, 
and has there received the common name of the 
“ Squash borer”. 
But, doubtless, the insect to which the larger pro¬ 
portion of the destruction wrought in southern fields 
of these vegetables is due, is a first cousin of the 
“ Pickle worm”, which seems to be generally known 
as the “ Melon worm”. Its scientific name is Endi¬ 
optis hyalinata. Probably, both of these closely 
allied insects often work in the same fields They are 
both usually reported as boring into the young fruits 
of squashes, cucumbers or melons rather late in the 
season, but some writers state that the worms also 
feed on the foliage earlier. 
Unfortunately, but little definite knowledge has 
been recorded of the life histories of these two insects. 
It is not known how many (if more than one), broods 
of the worms there are during the season. It is 
stated the first brood of the “ Melon borer” appears 
early in the season, and feeds upon the leaves of the 
vines. It is very important that we should know 
whether there is an early brood of the worms feeding 
upon the foliage, for should such prove to be the case, 
it would be much easier to poison them with a Paris- 
green spray then, than to try to check the later 
brood or broods which work in the fruits. The eggs 
of these insects and their place of deposition yet re¬ 
main Nature’s secrets. 
The caterpillars of the two species have been de¬ 
scribed, and are shown at Fig. 226 ; but it is said that 
they vary so much in coloration in their different 
stages, that “it is doubtful whether any entomologist 
could, from his knowledge, identify, beyond ques¬ 
tion, a collection of southern Endioptis caterpillars, 
in different ages, submitted to him.” As the figures 
show, any child could readily distinguish between 
the adult insects—the moths—of these two pests, so 
markedly distinct are they. Both are very pretty 
insects. The moth of the “ Pickle worm ” or Nitidalis 
has its wings bordered with yellowish-brown, the 
lighter portions of the wings being of a semi-trans¬ 
parent, golden-yellow color ; the under suiface of the 
wings and body is a beautiful silvery white. 
The Hyalinata or “Melon worm” moth has wings of 
a pearly, iridescent whiteness, except a narrow black 
border ; the legs and body present the same glisten¬ 
ing whiteness. In each species, the abdomen termin¬ 
ates in a tuft of pretty scales. It is reported that 
most of these insects winter in the pupa stage in 
loosely-spun cocoons on the leaves or other rubbish 
nearby, while it is thought that, in some cases, the 
moths hibernate. 
In discussing these insects, Dr. Lintner has asked 
for the following important facts : “ It is important 
to know definitely whether there is but one brood of 
each species, or more. If the latter, are the habits 
different in the successive broods ? Dees the first 
brood attack the foliage and the second the fruit? 
When and where are the eggs deposited ? Do the two 
species occur simultaneously in the same field ?” 
Here is a chance for some one in the South who is 
interested in studying Nature’s ways, to add consider¬ 
able to both our scientific and economic knowledge of 
these pests of the “cucurb” growers in many parts of 
the country. 
Will Bordeaux Mixture Retain Its Strength ? 
S. J). W., North Livermore , Me— How long will Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture retain its strength so as to be effectual in checking blight, 
etc. ? I saw a statement in some paper that it should be mixed 
fresh every time it was used, or that fresh lime must be added 
which would restore it as if mixed fresh when used. Is that 
statement true ? 
A ns —Two questions are often asked by those who 
use or intend to use Bordeaux Mixture : “ Will it 
not be just as well to make up in one batch as much 
mixture as will be needed for the season, and take 
from this ‘ stock ’ mixture and dilute it as one needs 
it for use ?” “Shall we throw away what is left of 
the mixture each time we spray, or will it be just as 
effective when it gets old?” In 1895, the Vermont 
Experiment Station made some tests with different 
forms of Bordeaux Mixture from which the following 
conclusions were unhesitatingly drawn : “Standard 
Bordeaux Mixture (six pounds copper sulphate, four 
pounds lime, 40 gallons water), freshly prepared as 
used, is so distinctly superior to all others that it 
alone should be used. 1 Test ’ Bordeaux (six pounds 
copper sulphate, 10 gallons water, lime added to sat¬ 
isfy the potassium ferro-cyanide test [about two 
pounds was used] ) was not equal to the standard 
mixture.” 
“ It is not fully understood why the excess of lime 
in the standard mixture should increase its value as a 
fungicide. It is probable that the additional lime 
not only increases the adhesiveness of the mixture 
containing it, but that it also gives it a somewhat 
different chemical composition.” 
“ ‘ Stock ’ mixture, or old mixture, is so distinctly 
inferior to the others that its use should be avoided so 
far as j practicable ; that is, one should always aim to 
make up*no more of the mixture than is to be used 
immediately. The mixture, probably, undergoes 
