i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
3oi 
fiTgfc. Then give two tablespoon fu Is of the following 
powders in the feed morning and evening: Sulphate of 
soda IX pound, bicarbonate of soda one-half pound, pow¬ 
dered gentian one-half pound, powdered nux vomica two 
ounces: mix. 
Pearl Barley Refuse and Barley as Feed. 
A. H., Skaneateles, N. Y .—What are the relative values 
of pearl barley feed and barley as stock feed? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. I. P. ROBERTS. 
The Trench System Once More. 
C. C., Lansdown, 13. C— What is the R. N.-Y.’s trench 
system of planting potatoes? 
Ans.—S pade or plow the trenches about a foot wide and 
six inches deep after the soil has been iitted with plow or 
harrow. A shovel plow for the trenches saves labor. Go 
over the plot or field with a drag or harrow so as to throw 
a couple of inches of soil in the bottom of the trenches. 
Then place the seed pieces a foot apart on this soil—the 
trenches being three feet apart, measuring from middle to 
middle. Cover the seed pieces with an inch or so of soil by 
using a drag or harrow as before. Now strew the fertili¬ 
zer upon this soil in the trenches and fill the trenches. 
This is the story in brief. Give level cultivation there¬ 
after. Yes, a R. N.-Y. No. 2 Potato was sent to every 
applicant. 
Decorative Vines. 
IF. S. IF., South Edmeston, N. Y.— Where can the trail¬ 
ing vine Actinidia polygama be bought and at what price? 
Is there a better vine for decorating a porch? 
Ans.— Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, N. Y. are the only 
firm offering this vine, so far as we know. The price is 35 
cents. Though catalogued as Actinidia polygama, the 
specific name is probably arguta. No doubt our friend is 
familiar with the Chinese Wistaria. Hall’s Japan Honey¬ 
suckle would be the R. N.-Y.’s favorite. Akebia quinata 
and the Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia Sipho) are suited 
to the purpose. “Smilax ” isMyrsiphyllum asparagoides; 
that is, the popular hot-house climber known by that 
name. It is propagated by root-divisions, cuttings or 
seeds. 
Brewers’ Grains as Feed. 
D. L. 0., Logansport, Ind.—ls the refuse malt sold at 
breweries desirable feed for cows, horses and hogs? With 
oats at 25 cents a bushel and bran at 70 cents per 100 pounds, 
is malt cheap at eight cents a bushel? 
Ans. —This refuse malt is commonly known as brewers’ 
grains and is a valuable food for cows and pigs, but it is 
not desirable for horses on account of its aptitude to fer¬ 
ment in the stomachs of these animals. The grains consist 
largely of albuminous matters. They contain 75 per cent, 
of albuminoids ; 13 per cent, of carbohydrates and IX per 
cent of fat, and are valued in ratio with corn-meal at $1.10 
per 100 pounds and wheat bran at $1.00, at 36 cents per 100 
pounds, or equivalent to about 10 cents a bushel. The grains 
are made up of the husks, cellular fiber and the gluten 
of the barley malt and the corn-meal which is added to the 
malt for making beer. There is some gum, mucilage and 
sugar, but little starch in them, as the starch is mostly 
changed into sugar in the process of malting and mashing. 
As the grains ferment very rapidly in warm weather, first 
becoming sour and then putrid, they are to be used in a 
fresh condition, but they may be kept in good preserva¬ 
tion during several days by packing them in barrels or 
tight boxes. 
Tariff Twaddle. 
S. J. I., Morristown, N. J. —The following extracts 
are taken from a circular sent out by a manufacturer of 
shot-guns in protest against the proposed change in the 
tariff on gun barrels. What does the R. N.-Y. think of it? 
Nearly every farmer and farmer’s boy needs a gun: 
they need them to protect their premises from tramps and 
house-thieves as well as wild animals, such as foxes, bears, 
wolves, hawks, crows, owls, etc. A farmer must be pro¬ 
tected from these ferocious animals and wild birds. How 
can he raise wool if his sheep are destroyed by wolves 
prowling dogs and cunning foxes? How can he raise 
poultry when the fields and woods are full of vicious 
crows, hawks and birds ? How can he raise corn when the 
crows and blackbirds and sundry other pests pounce down 
and root it up before it lias a chance to sprout 
Ans. This is a very fair sample of the sort of arguments 
that some of our manufacturers think will have effect 
with intelligent farmers. As for the practice of keeping a 
gun on the farm there is no absolute necessity about it at 
all. The writer has no gun about his premises, yet the 
poultry live and the corn grows. It is a pity that men, in 
discussing this tariff question, cannot talk sense and use 
arguments that will appeal to intelligent people. 
Collar Gall. 
C. C. M., Danby, N. Y .—One of my horses became very 
sore on the point of the shoulder while plowing last season 
and, in spite of all sorts of treatment, the sore will not 
heal. There is no tumor—only a round sore. He is in 
good condition and appears well; what should be the 
treatment ? 
Ans. — Try benzoated oxide of zinc ointment. Apply 
once or twice daily until healed. Either cut out or pad 
the collar so that no pressure comes upon the raw surface. 
A Home-made Potato Fertilizer. 
O. IF. C., New Berlin, N. Y.— In the Rural of April 12, 
in answer to a subscriber we are told that 200 pounds of 
hard-wood ashes; 75 pounds of bone flour, and 30 pounds 
of nitrate of soda would make a complete fertilizer; would 
this mixture be suitable for potatoes ? If so, how much 
should be applied to the acre ? 
Ans. —Yes. The “ complete manure ” mentioned was a 
potato fertilizer. It was meant that the ashes, bone flour 
and nitrate of soda would contain the same amount of 
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash that would be found 
in an equal weight of potato fertilizer. The amount to be 
used per acre would depend upon the character of the soil. 
The It. N.-Y. finds it profitable to use a ton to the acre. 
We should use of this mixture all the way from 1,000 to 
1,300 pounds per acre. 
A sample of the pearl barley feed has been analyzed by 
the Assistant in Chemistry, Mr. W. P. Cutter, and was 
found to be of the composition given below. As a means 
of comparison, analyses of barley and oats (American 
averages, as given by Dr. Jenkins) are placed alongside. 
It will be seen that the barley feed is almost identical in 
composition with oats. The nutritive ratio is practically 
the same. The barley feed has less fiber and more carbo¬ 
hydrates than the oats. It has also considerably more 
ash. It ought to make a good substitute for oats in any 
ration! 
Barley 
Feed. 
Moisture. 8.26 
Ash. 4.02 
Ether extract (Fat)... 3.47 
Protein (N. X 6.25)_11.13 
Fioer. 3.03 
Nitrogen-free extract 
(Carbohydrates)... 70.09 
Barley 
Oats 
Am. aver. 
Am. aver. 
10.92 
10.94 
2.38 
2.97 
1.86 
4.81 
12.39 
U.38 
2.57 
9.85 
69.88 
60.05 
Shoulder Lameness in a Colt. 
H. L. J., Qloversville, N. Y. —My colt is lame in the 
left shoulder. She doesn’t limp but draws her leg back 
stiffly when she backs into the stable. She doesn’t show 
it when traveling except by occasionally stubbing her toe. 
The lameness in that shoulder first appeared when she 
was alkmt a year old, but after treatment it disappeared 
until she was about four years old. As there was a sore 
on the point of the shoulder, I applied a mercury blister, 
and an ointment described in the R. N.-Y., and she ap¬ 
peared to get well; but the trouble returned. She is now 
five years old, and will paw with the affected foot and lie 
on that side. A year ago a veterinarian said she had 
sweeny and wanted to put a rowel in the shoulder ; but I 
wouldn’t let him. He said the point of the shoulder was 
the part affected, as there was a thickness or callus there, 
which could be best removed by the rowel. Would a 
cantharides blister be better than one of mercury ? The 
veterinarian says no, and that after such an application 
the hair would come out white, if at all, though the mare 
is a dark bay. What does the Rural say ? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
The cantharides blister is almost always to be preferred 
to the mercury blister. Unless the place is neglected or 
injured, a cantharides blister will not change the color of 
the hair. In the present ease, repeated blisters and a long 
period of rest would undoubtedly prove beneficial; but 
more satisfactory results would be obtained by firing, in 
points about one inch apart, over the outer side of the 
joint. Do not fire on the point of the shoulder where the 
collar rests. Employ^only a competent veterinary surgeon 
to do the firing. 
Apple Jelly vs. Hard Cider. 
Several Subscribers.— How is apple jelly made? Is 
there any profit in making apple juice into this product ? 
Ans.—O ne of our subscribers, Mr. A. A. Lewis, of Wash¬ 
ington County, Vermont, sends the following note in an¬ 
swer to these questions: 
“ Seven years ago I sent for an 8-foot copper evaporator 
solely on the strength of a circular from the manufactur¬ 
ers, not having seen any jelly, and not being able to obtain 
any information from any one who had used an evapora¬ 
tor. But I had been making cider for the neighborhood a 
few years and found that making vinegar did not pay ex¬ 
cept for a small local demand; that there were many ap¬ 
ples fit only for cider or feeding, and that farmers were in¬ 
clined to make them into cider and put it in their cellars, 
if it could not be sold from the mill, to be drank or sold in 
the shape of * hard cider ’ in the spring or following sum¬ 
mer ; or if cider-makers bought the apples, the bulk of the 
cider had to go in the same way. . When therefore I read 
a circular describing cider jelly and the process of making 
it, it seemed to me like a good way to utilize a product 
which was, to quite a large extent, worse than wasted. On 
trial I found that cider taken directly from the press so 
that there was no chance for fermentation to start, and 
boiled steadily and rapidly to the right degree of thickness 
would make a true jelly. I discovered that to make a nice, 
clean, jelly sound apples with some sweet or pleasant sour 
ones were needed; that they should be somewhat mellow 
aud that no fermentation should have been allowed about 
the presses or the receptacles for the cider. The boiling 
must be carefully attended to. The quicker the cider is 
reduced to the right consistency, without burning, the 
lighter-colored will the jelly be, and the less will it be 
flavored from the evaporator. Nearly eight gallons of 
cider are required to make one of jelly. The market, I 
think, improves for the jelly as people get better ac¬ 
quainted with it, and as makers learn to secure a good 
and uniform quality. I have made it for customers to a 
large extent; but I have also made some for market every 
season. I also make what I call evaporated cider, which is 
like the old-fashtoned boiled cider, only nicer, as it is 
boiled much faster and is not boiled over and over, as it is 
in kettles. If five gallons are reduced to one, it will be 
thick enough to keep without fermenting, and it is used in 
making mince pies and by those who have sweet apples in 
making that very healthful, though old-fashioned dish- 
boiled cider apple sauce. On the whole, I think my evapo¬ 
rator has proved a good investment, as it has enabled me 
to transform a goodly quantity of sweet cider which, kept 
too long, becomes a mischief-making material, into a whole¬ 
some article of food ; and now a large proportion of those 
who bring apples to my mill take home a share of their 
cider in the condensed form.” 
Artichokes. 
J. H.,Con8tableville, N. Y. —How are artichokes culti¬ 
vated and prepared for the table ? 
Ans.—P repare the ground, and plant the tubers in the 
same way as you would ordinary potatoes, but as arti¬ 
choke stems grow six to nine feet high, they should have 
plenty of room. Cutting the tubers into seed pieces will 
increase the sets, and these will also bear well; but the 
usual way is to plant whole tubers. Artichokes should be 
planted early in April and left in the ground till late 
October or November ; they need along season’s growth to 
mature a good crop of tubers. Cooking : peel and throw 
them into water and boil them until tender; then drain 
and press and put them in a hot dish with white sauce- 
made with milk, flour, a little sugar and a flavoring of nut¬ 
meg—poured over them. Or mash them and put them into 
a pan with some butter and a little salt and white pepper 
and a dusting of powdered sugar. Stir them over the fire 
till hot, then serve. But we like them best scraped and 
washed and then baked in the pan with the meat in the 
oven. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
J. S. B., Oakfield, Ohio. —The ashes you speak of will be 
excellent for use around orchard trees. We would not 
touch the refuse lime while we could have the ashes. 
C. N. B., Elizabeth, N. J —Is “Poultry Culture,” by I. 
K. Felch, of Natick, Mass., and published by W. H. Har¬ 
rison, Jr., Chicago, 1886, a good authority ? 
Ans.—Y es. 
J. H. C., Chappaqua, N. Y.— I have a piece of ground 
I should like to plant to corn; being a sandy loam, would it 
not be better to plow first and then manure ? Would the 
plow put the manure too far from the seed if applied 
first ? 
Ans. —If the manure is so short that it can be well har¬ 
rowed in, then we should prefer the surface manuring. 
J. R. P., Butler, Pa. —1. I notice in nurserymen’s cata¬ 
logues, several varieties of the Spitzenburg Apple, namely, 
Speckled, Newtown, Esopus and Flushing. Are the 
Esopus and Flushing the same variety ? If not, 
what kind is the latter ? 2. Is there not a book on fruits, 
etc., edited by Dr. J. A. Warder ? If so, where can I get 
it, and what is the price ? 
Ans. —1. The Flushing Spitzenburg is not the Esopus. 
The tree makesstrong, reddish-brown shoots, different from 
the slender, yellowish ones of the Esopus. Flesh white, 
juicy, crisp, nearly sweet, without the rich, aromatic 
flavor of Esopus. The Newtown Spitzenburg is known as 
the Yandevere and by a dozen other names. 2. Yes. It is 
out of print. 
C. T. K., Providence, R. I.— I own land bordering on a 
pond, but own no part of the pond. The owners are filling 
it in to make house lots and are thus forcing the water on 
my land which is used for a garden, rendering it of no value 
for that purpose. Have I any redress ? 
Ans.— Certainly you have. The owner of the land is not 
at liberty to alter the condition of the ground to the detri¬ 
ment of his neighbor. Whether an injunction could be 
maintained to restrain the owners of the adjacent land from 
filling up the pond to the injury of our inquirer is doubt¬ 
ful. Such proceedings are largely in the discretion of the 
court and usually cannot be maintained unless the damages 
likely to result from the proceeding which it is sought to 
restrain, are such as cannot be compensated for by money 
payment. To sue for damages, will therefore no doubt, be 
the best way to obtain redress. 
E. R., Lamartine, Pa. —A mare of mine got lame in the 
left foot or pastern a year ago. The back of the leg from 
the pastern toward the knee was swollen and was feverish 
at first. After an application of caustic balsam, the trouble 
appeared to be over; but it returned when she went to 
work. A horse doctor physiced, blistered, and “lini- 
mented ” her, and she appeared to get well: but the trouble 
again returned shortly after she went to work. The 
treatment was repeated three or four times with the same 
result. After a rest of three months, she got lame again as 
soon as she was put to work; though she hasn’t done a 
hard day’s work since she became lame. She never favors 
the affected foot when standing; can anything be done for 
her ? 
Ans.—L ameness of this kind can be satisfactorily treated 
only under the personal direction of a competent veter¬ 
inary surgeon, 
J. O., Hubbardsville, N. Y— The man who wrote, “ A 
Little Farm well Tilled,” on page 197, says that he makes 
his own fertilizer. He buys dissolved bone-black, muriate 
of potash and plaster, and mixes them with his hen ma¬ 
nure. Will he state the amount of each in the mixture? 
Ans.—T his question was answered last week. We will 
add a word more. The proportions used are 400 pounds of 
hen manure, 200 pounds of dissolved bone-black, 100 
pounds of muriate of potash and 150 pounds of plaster. 
The R. N.-Y. would add the plaster every two or three 
days as the manure is dropped, and grind or crush the re¬ 
sulting hard, dry lumps when the bone-black and potash 
are mixed with it. An agricultural chemist will doubtless 
say that this mixture contains more phosphoric acid than 
is needed, but it suits the farm exactly, and the farm’s 
opinion is worth more, in dollars and cents, than that of 
any chemist. 
The most rigid protectionist will agree that there must 
be absolute free trade between a dairyman and his cow. No 
cow can or will stand a duty of mold in the hay, scant 
weight in the grain>r cracks in the stable. She will quickly 
put an ad valorem on all you import for her. 
