THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
FEB 22 
i t8 
PAINT FOR A POULTRY-HOUSE. 
G. C., Summit Station, Ohio .—What is a 
cheap paint for the outside of a poultry- 
house made of undressed oak lumber ? 
ANSWERED BY HENRY HALES. 
There is no honest medium in paint be¬ 
tween white lead as a basis and metallic 
paints such as Prince’s Metallic, ochre and 
Venetian red. The difference in cost be¬ 
tween white lead and the others is three to 
one, by the barrel. Linseed oil costs 
nearly 60 cents per gallon. For an un¬ 
dressed board house use Venetian red and 
ochre for a light color, or Venetian red and 
Metallic paint for brown, and Venetian red 
alone for red. As a substitute for linseed 
oil crude petroleum may be used with these 
cheap paints, and make a durable paint; 
but to make the petroleum dry, use one 
quarter of boiled Linseed oil with the pe¬ 
troleum or it will not dry, and will wash 
and wear off for a year or more. I use this 
paint on all my outbuildings. 
PARROT MOUTH. 
F. E., Uobsonville, Oregon.—I have a 
young mare that has what is called salmon 
mouth or hook bill; that is, the lower jaw 
is about one inch shorter than the upper 
one. Can she feed on short pasture as well 
as another horse? 
Ans. —Parrot-mouthed horses cannot 
usually feed well on short pasture. They 
will sometimes feed fairly well until the 
upper teeth become too long. Then if the 
extra length is removed with the rasp, saw 
or tooth-shears they can feed again for 
some time. In this particular case we can¬ 
not say positively without being able to see 
the month. You can readily ascertain for 
yourself, however, by leading the horse out 
to pasture and watching Her for a few 
minutes. Even when such horses cannot 
feed well on pasture they usually do well 
when fed in the stable. 
CONTRACTED HOOF ON A MARE. 
S. S. N., Mirage, Neb.— The left front 
foot of my 10-year old mare is contracted so 
that at times she can hardly walk. There 
appears to be considerable fever in her 
hoof; what should be done for her? 
Ans. —Wrap several thicknesses of coarse 
sacking about the foot and keep it con¬ 
stantly wet with cold water by pouring on 
water several times during the day. Con¬ 
tinue for a week or two or until the 
fever is reduced. Then remove the wrap¬ 
pings and keep the hoof coated with an 
ointment of equal parts of pine tar and 
vaseline melted together, and applied once 
or twice daily. Also apply a mild can- 
tharides blister around the front and sides 
of the foot just above the hoof. If the case 
is of long standing it may be desirable to 
repeat the course of treatment two or three 
times. 
CHOICE PEACHES. 
J. W. L., Bedington, Pa .—I want to 
plant 100 peach trees this spring; what 
kinds should I plant? 
ANSWERED BY H. M. ENGLE & SON. 
For our own planting we would select 
about the following: Mountain Rose five, 
Early Crawford five, Reeves’s 10, Stump 10, 
Oldmixon 15, Late Crawford 25, Smock 20, 
Salway five, adding a few others by way of 
experiment. We have tested more than 20 
varieties earlier than Mountain Rose; all 
proved to be half clings and very liable to 
rot. We have almost entirely abandoned all 
of them. We have also tested somelaterthan 
Salway, but have abandoned them also. 
There are some new varieties that we are 
testing which may prove satisfactory, 
among which are Glove, Good, Wonderful 
and others. 
STRAIN OF TASTERN JOINT IN A COLT. 
O. C, Summit Station, Ohio.—A two- 
year-old colt sprained her pastern joint 
about a month ago and has been lame since. 
There seems to be a slight thickening of 
the small r astern bone. What should be 
done ? 
Ans. —Firing would probably give the 
most satisfactory results. If the thickening 
of the small pastern bone is of the nature of 
a ringbone it should be fired at once to check 
further growth. Such firing should be 
done only by a competent veterinary sur¬ 
geon, because the colt may easily be ruined 
by improper firing. 
BUDDING PEACHES. 
G. C., Summit Station, Ohio.— Give full 
information for budding peaches. 
A.NS.—The method of budding peaches is 
precisely the same as any other budding so 
often and so fully described in these col¬ 
umns. Peach stocks should be budded the 
same season the seeds are planted and bud¬ 
ded about September 1. 
Miscellaneous. 
F. K. C., Lincoln, Web.—Will the best 
fruiting kinds of mulberries come true 
from seed? 
Ans.—N o. 
J. J. T., Buffalo, N. Y.— Can the R. N.- 
Y. put me on the track of the straw binder 
mentioned last fall? 
Ans.—T he R. N.-Y. understands that 
this binder did not prove successful in act¬ 
ual work. 
J. A. C., Cranford, N. J. —Is the mix¬ 
ture known as Henderson’s Special Grass 
Mixture for Hay and Permanent Pasture 
as good as Timothy and clover ? 
ANS. —Yes, and probably better. Neither 
Timothy nor clover will last many years 
without re-seeding. 
C. M. R., Canton, Pa.— Which of the 
two clovers—Medium and Large—has the 
greater amount of roots ? 
Ans.—A ll the information available to 
the R. N.-Y. shows that the Mammoth 
Clover (Trifolium medium) has smaller 
roots, and these are nearer the surface. 
The Mammoth will furnish a larger crop 
of leaves and stems and give a larger crop 
of seeds. 
E. D. S., Speedville, N. Y. —What is the 
address of some reliable fur dealer ? How 
can furs be prepared and cured for the deal¬ 
er ? 
Ans. —E. & O. Ward, 279Washington St., 
New York, handle furs. The only prepara¬ 
tion furs require is to be removed from the 
animal without cutting or tearing, and 
with as little adhering flesh as possible, 
and to be stretched and thoroughly dried. 
C. K., Freeville, N. Y.— On two of my 
fields the soil is cold and moist, although 
quite dry enough in dry weather. Clover 
and Timothy are heaved out badly and in a 
year or two after seeding no grass remains. 
Would Blue Grass be a good crop for these 
two fields ? Should any other grass seed 
be mixed with it ? 
Ans.— Probably Red-top would suit the 
fields better. Sow, if alone, 24 pounds to 
the acre. All seedsmen sell it. Look for 
Agrostis vulgaris if not found as Red-top. 
Price $8 per 100 pounds. 
W. C. H., Sodtis, N. Y. —What is now 
the best potato for family use? I never can 
forget the Rose; but I suppose that is 
played out. Is there any equal to it, and as 
mealy and delicious ? 
Ans. —The only way for our friend to de¬ 
termine what variety will out-yield the 
Early Rose and prove of as good quality is 
to try the best kinds offered side by side in 
a small way. Try the Pearl of Savoy, 
Early Sunrise, Lee’s Favorite, Beauty of 
Hebron. The quality'of these is about the 
same as that of Early'Rose. 
T. A. If., Cranford, N. J.—l. Does the 
Cahoon hand seed sower sow anything but 
Timothy and clover seed ? 2. How wide 
does it sow ? 3. Will the different wheel¬ 
barrow seed sowers sow anything but Tim¬ 
othy and clover seed ? 
ANS. —1. It will sow all sorts of grain or 
grass seeds. 2. The width varies with the 
weight of the seed; the heavier the seed, 
the greater the distance to which it is 
thrown. The seeder will sow wheat or rye 
35 feet wide or clover 24 feet wide. 3. Yes, 
but they are better adapted to sowing grass 
seeds than grain. 
L. H. S., Bradford, Mass .—1. Which is 
the best book on sheep-raising for New 
England in the hands of a beginner ? 2. 
What is the outlook for a young man in¬ 
tending to make that his specialty ? 
Ans.— 1. Stewart’s Shepherd’s Manual and 
Randall’s Sheep Husbandry are the stand¬ 
ard works on sheep raising; but neither of 
them will give you justtheinformation you 
need. The articles written for the R. N.-Y. 
by Mr. Woodward, some years ago, would 
help you. 2. The raising of early lambs of 
the different mutton breeds is about the 
only department of sheep husbandry that 
will pay you a good profit. 
R. R., Ozarli, Ark.— I have a valuable 
mule five years old. One year ago she tried 
to jump out of the lot and fell across the 
bars. In trying to extricate herself she 
strained herself in both shoulders, rather 
more in the right one. She lies down and 
rolls over as well as ever, but gets up on 
her knees, like a cow. She shows no lame¬ 
ness except in going down hill when she ap¬ 
pears stiff ns if foundered. Two years ago 
she showed.symptoms of what they call here 
“big head,” but it was cured. Otherwise 
she is, and always has been, a strong, 
healthy animal. What should be done for 
her? 
Ans.—A pply a cantharides blister over 
the seat of the injury, following the direc¬ 
tions and precautions frequently given in 
these columns for blistering. 
F. E., Hobsonville, Oregon .—What is the 
best way of killing evergreen trees in a 
pasture ? If a hole is bored in a tree and it 
is filled with saltpeter and petroleum, will 
these move with the sap through the tree 
so that when it is set on fire it will burn up 
root and branch ? 
ANSWERED BY B. E. FERNOW. 
Nothing is easier than to kill conifers by 
girdling at any time of the year. I should 
prefer, however, to cut them down while 
they are living, since it is an easier job than 
cutting them afterwards. The idea of 
charging the living tree with any inflam¬ 
mable material or acid to facilitate its kill 
ing is a nursery tale. I have heard of apply¬ 
ing a watery solution of saltpeter in a two- 
inch auger hole 18 inches deep to the stump, 
leaving it there through the winter and 
then applying fire in the spring, when it is 
said to explode the entire root system. For 
myself, I should rely upon a good stump 
puller as more certain in its effects. 
Discussion. 
VERMONT TAXES AND COUNTRY SCHOOLS. 
J. W. N., Stowe, Vermont.— I was quite 
interested in Jerseyman’s jottings on page 
46. He tells about his school taxes. As 
much is being said about the taxation of 
farmers, and as Vermont is looked upon as 
a* sort of tax-payer’s paradise I will tell 
the Rural about taxes in this place. 
Practically we have only two taxes to pay 
—a school tax and a town tax. The State 
tax is mainly levied upon corporations and 
if the railroads paid their full share and 
the legislature were reasonably economi¬ 
cal, no State tax would need to be levied 
on the people. As it is, although the legis¬ 
lature meets only once in two years and lasts 
only seven weeks, yet it contrives to get 
the State into debt and last year a State 
tax of 20 cents on the dollar was levied. 
There was none the year before, and there 
is none this year. The town paid the tax 
when it was due, and it was put down as 
an item of town expenses. Then there is a 
road tax of 15 cents on the dollar of the 
grand list: but this is paid with the town 
tax. The latter varies in this town from 
40 to 70 cents—generally amounting to 60 
cents. There is a 10-per cent, discount on 
this to all who pay their taxes before 
August 1, and this makes people pay 
promptly. Other towns in the State have 
higher or lower town taxes according to 
their expenses. In this town roads have 
been the greatest cause of expense, especi¬ 
ally when much snow and wind prevailed. 
In one year $2,500 were expended on winter 
roads. Now, however, the roads are all 
worked by a road machine, and the most of 
them are broken in winter with snow rol¬ 
lers which save a good deal of expense. 
This winter they have not thus far been 
needed. In this school district the tax is 
15 cents on the dollar, of the grand list but 
some districts not so wealthy have to pay 
much more on the dollar. Each dollar of 
the grand list represents $100 of taxable 
property, so the taxes here are from eight 
to 11 mills on each dollar of taxable prop¬ 
erty. Jerseyman speaks of children being 
“ taught at home by their parents who do 
not like the influences found at a district 
school.” I never saw this matter in print 
before so far as I remember, and I did not 
know that any felt as my wife and I feel 
about it. We cannot bear to have our 
children go to school and learn the profane 
and vile talk so common among children 
about here. Many parents seem to care 
nothing about these things, and teachers 
are hired who will corrupt the children, 
and no care is taken to keep the little ones 
from evil. I wish parents who have taught 
or are teaching their children at home 
would tell the Rural readers how they 
manage. 
THE TOBACCO TAX ; WESTERN IRRIGATION 
SCHEMES. 
H. B. S., Paulina, Crook County, 
Oregon. —I think the tobacco tax ought to 
be repealed. There are various reasons 
why it should be, a few of which I will 
state: 1. Such taxation is the result of 
class legislation which in this case perpe¬ 
trates au imposition. 2. It barely checks 
the evil'of tobacco using. 3. Through the 
tax, economy is the only virtue exercised. 
There are many other things that can 
bring this into exercise equally well, and 
with the tax repealed there would be but 
little less call for the exercise of economy. 4. 
If the abolition of the use of tobacco is any 
one of the objects of the tax, its collection 
is energy misapplied. The same amount of 
energy applied to the training and educa¬ 
tion of the child will produce far better re¬ 
sults. I am a disinterested spectator, not 
being addicted to the use of tobacco. The 
R. N.-Y. also asks if the Massachusetts 
State Grange is right in opposing the 
government scheme for irrigating the 
waste lands of the West. On the suppo¬ 
sition that the Grange’s motives are right, I 
think that it is right in opposing this 
scheme of the government. The govern¬ 
ment is entirely too forward in some things 
and culpably backward in others. The out¬ 
lay for such a gigantic work would be an 
unjust draft upon the tax-payers. Its 
benefits would be local and in many cases 
they would be confined to isolated patches. 
The undertaking would support an army 
of leeches upon the body politic. The army 
of these is about large enough now if it 
were properly distributed. If the work 
would be such a great benefit to the rivers, 
as stated, let it be done by charging a toll 
upon the things benefited, whether land or 
commerce. In very important cases, as 
with regard to the overflowing of the Mis¬ 
sissippi, the government might make a 
loan until a return could be derived from 
the benefited district. Such a task taken 
up by the government would do away with 
an opportunity for private enterprise. We 
do not want to be underlings. We like 
best to run our own affairs. The thing is 
really a matter that belongs to the individ¬ 
ual States, if it is to be taken out of the 
hands of private enterprise. 
THINKS WELL OF MILK IN A WELL. 
P. H. M., Plainfield, III.—On page 70 
the R. N.-Y. asks : “ Is this (suspending 
milk in a well) a sensible practice or would 
a creamer pay better ? ” I have followed 
this practice for three years and am more 
than pleased with the result. I set apart 
10 feet square in one comer of the bam for 
a milk-room, near one side a well was dug 
16 feet deep and five feet in diameter, and 
instead of a wall eight drain tiles 10 inches 
in diameter were put in around the out¬ 
side, and in the center an 18-inch sewer 
pipe. These we built up to 18 inches above 
the top of theground. Thewateris three to 
four feet deep in the well; the milk is in 
cans eight inches wide by 20 inches deep, 
and is let down into these tiles by a quart¬ 
er-inch rope running over pulleys fastened 
to the spokes of a cultivator wheel fasten¬ 
ed to the ceiling overhead. At one end of 
the rope is a small harness snap to grasp 
the can, to the other end is fastened a sash 
weight to partially balance the milk-can. 
Each tile has a tight cover of two thick¬ 
nesses of inch board, one thickness fitting 
loosely inside the other which is two inches 
larger. A three-eighth-inch hole is in the 
center of the cover through which the rope 
passes. A knot tied in the rope two feet 
from the snap raises the cover and holds it 
while the can is removed for skimming, 
the weight descending inside the center 
pipe as the can ascends. In the center is 
the large cream can attached to a half-inch 
rope running over a pulley at the hub of 
the wheel overhead and this is raised by a 
windlass placed at one side. The cream 
can holds two days’ cream. The tempera¬ 
ture is 49 degrees; the milk and cream 
never get sour. The whole cost of this out¬ 
fit was less than $25. The beauty of it is 
that I can use it and get all the cream 
every day in the year. For $1 I bought a 
dozen tobacco pails from which to feed 
calves. When the milk is skimmed it is 
emptied into these pails. A kettleful of 
water scalds the cans and then warms the 
milk for the calves. No water has to be 
pumped for a creamer, no ice has to lie 
handled and this arrangement will last for 
ever and the butter is just as hard and nice 
in July as in January. 
LIMA BEAN NOTES. 
T. C. D., Bourbonnais, III.— Ill a late 
issue of the Rural New-Yorker, S. E. 
Howard says the cultivation of the dwarf 
Lima bean may be a question of small in¬ 
terest to a man in a wooded section; and 
he asks how are people to grow pole Limas 
on the treeless plains where it is many 
miles from the garden to the “ pole patch.” 
The following is the way in which I grow 
them here without poles and I have plenty 
on the farm. T planted a packet of 33 of 
Henderson’s Bush Limas; 18 grew to 
make plants. There were as many as 60 
pods on some of the vines. None of them 
ripened more than one-fourth of that nurn- 
