i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
337 
Enlarged Knee In a Bull. 
Q. L. P., Booneville, N. Y.—A one-year-old bull has an 
enlarged knee caused probably by an injury in the stan¬ 
chion. It began to grow large about six weeks ago and 
was quite soft. I rubbed it thoroughly with wormwood, 
vinegar and saltpeter and also with a strong liniment; 
but it kept growing larger until now it is half as large as 
a pint basin and becoming hard. What can I do for him ? 
Ans. —Paint the knee daily with tincture of iodine until 
the skin is well blistered. Then repeat as soon as the blis¬ 
tering effect has nearly passed off. If the iodine fails to 
reduce the swelling after six or eight weeks, try the 
following blister: Powdered cantharides two drams, 
croton oil 15 to 20 drops, oil of peppermint two to three 
drops, lard or vaseline one ounce: mix. Clip the hair 
and rub the blister well in for 20 minutes. Put the limb 
in a loose sack to prevent the animal from getting at the 
blister with his mouth. When the blister is well raised 
carefully wash off with Castile soap-suds and apply vas¬ 
eline daily to keep the scab from drying and cracking. 
Weak Limb In Young Colt. 
T. S., Fruit Orove, Mo .—When my young colt came it 
stood on the toe of the left forefoot and after the first day 
continued to get weak in the joint between the knee and 
the hoof, and in walking the lower part of the leg would 
bend back and drag. I riveted some wooden strips on an 
old boot leg and laid it on the leg. Some of my neighbors 
said the little thing would do better without it. It is now 
nine days old and there is a swelling on the knee-cap. 
What can be done for it ? 
Ans. —Your treatment with the splintered boot was 
correct, and should have been continued. In such cases 
splints or bandages should be applied, to keep the limb in 
as nearly the natural position as possible, until it becomes 
strong enough to support the weight of the body. The 
daily application of such mild stimulants as tincture of 
arnica, extract of Witch-hazel, or diluted soap liniment, 
with frequent hand rubbing, would be beneficial. After 
four or five weeks, stronger applications may be used if 
necessary, as the undiluted soap liniment, care being taken 
that the skin is not too severely blistered. Too strong ap¬ 
plications should not be used on the young foal. The 
swelling on the knee may be painted every three days with 
the compound tincture of iodine, diluted with an equal 
part of rain water. 
Fat Sheep Dying During Winter. 
E. D., Pembroke, N. Y .—For several years I have lost 
three or four sheep early in spring from indigestion. They 
stop eating, droop for one or two weeks and die, frothing 
at the mouth. They are half-blood breeding ewes, princi¬ 
pally Cotswolds. I feed 100 with clover hay once a day, 
straw at mid-day and a mixture of 30 quarts of mixed 
grain as follows : one bushel of shelled corn, two bushels 
of oats, three bushels of wheat bran, then a foddering of 
mixed prime hay. What is the trouble with the sheep ? 
One of the ewes was about to drop a lamb when its death 
agony came and the hired man killed it by striking it on 
the head. It was at once opened and the lamb removed. 
The little thing lived and is doing well. 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
With a large flock, one can scarcely avoid occasionally 
losing a sheep during the winter and spring, even with the 
best of care and attention. Rich, stimulating food and 
warm, comfortable quarters favor an over-production of 
fat, which is conducive to certain forms of indigestion and 
liver disease, as well as fatty degeneration of such impor¬ 
tant organs as the heart, liver and kidneys. It is not likely 
that your sheep all die from the same cause, although the 
symptoms may be quite similar. Sheep when sick from 
various causes often present very much the same general, 
indefinite, unsatisfactory symptoms you describe; namely, 
they stop eating, droop and die, so that in many cases it 
requires the personal examination of an expert to diagnose 
the disease from the symptoms alone. If you were keep¬ 
ing sheep mainly for the increase in numbers, your losses 
would probably be lessened, and the lives of your sheep 
prolonged (if such were desirable) by simply reducing the 
liberal feed ration so as to keep them in only good condition 
—not fat. But where wool, flesh, and early maturity in 
the lambs are especially desired, we resort to “high” 
feeding, in warm, comfortable quarters, with limited ex¬ 
ercise, a kind of forcing process, which reduces the consti¬ 
tutional vigor of the animals and renders them more liable 
to various chronic diseases of the organs of digestion, 
assimilation and excretion, and even circulation. This 
forcing process can be profitably carried only to a certain 
limit with any of the domestic animals, this limit depend¬ 
ing somewhat upon the object sought; but beyond that 
disastrous results must be expected. If your sheep are 
young (old sheep would be much more liable to be dying 
from chronic diseases), have free access to good, pure, 
drinking water, are regularly salted but not to excess, 
have plenty of exercise, with light, airy quarters, and are 
not crowded in close, dark pens, I do not see that any gen¬ 
eral treatment can be advised. Each case as it occurs 
would require special treatment. The survival of the 
fetus, removed under those circumstances was very un¬ 
usual and was made possible from the fact that the ewe 
was evidently suffering from some local disease which had 
not impaired or interfered with the blood supply to the 
fetus. 
Warts on a Horse. 
L. B. F., Eaton Rapids, Michigan .—How can warts on 
a horse be removed ? 
Ans. —Warts on horses may be removed in various ways, 
the method chosen depending upon the size, form and sit¬ 
uation of the wart. Small warts or those with a well- 
marked neck are most easily removed with the scissors, 
and the cut surface should be thoroughly cauterized with 
lunar caustic, sulphate of copper or zinc (one part of the 
sulphate to four parts'of lard)’or other caustic. In some 
cases considerable bleeding may follow the cutting, but 
the caustic will soon check the flow of blood. Another 
method is to tie a strong linen thread or small cord tightly 
around the neck of the wart close to the skin, and tighten 
the cord daily until the wart drops off. Burning off with 
the hot iron is also very effectual. Flat warts, or those 
that cannot be easily removed by a simpler method, may 
be gradually eaten out or killed with strong caustics. If 
near the eye use nitrate of silver or other stick caustics. 
In other situations a more powerful caustic may be used, 
as nitric, or nitro-muriatic acid, applied with a small swab 
or the bruised end of a soft wood stick, and well rubbed 
into the wart two or three times a week until killed. In 
using these powerful liquid caustics care must be taken 
that the caustic does not spread to the adjacent skin and 
produce an unnecessary sore. 
Refuse from Pork Packeries as Manure. 
J. T., Conslomice, Canada .—Will the refuse from a 
pork-packing concern make a good fertilizer ? It is com¬ 
posed of three parts bones and one part bits of flesh. All 
have been steamed for 12 hours to extract the grease. The 
bones crumble between the fingers. Should anything be 
mixed with the refuse ? I can get it for $1 per barrel of 
270 pounds. 
Ans. —The refuse of pork-packing establishments would 
probably be a very valuable substance, but with the propor¬ 
tion of bone mentioned by our inquirer, it must be largely 
a phosphatic material. Whether or not it would be cheap 
at the price mentioned would depend on whether it is 
dry or wet. If dry, it might prove a cheap source of phos¬ 
phoric acid; if wet, it would be an expensive source. There 
is only one way to settle this, namely, to select a fair sam¬ 
ple and get some reliable chemist to analyze it. Some 
form of potash would be needed with it and possibly nitro¬ 
gen. A trial with wood ashes, not mixed with it, but 
applied to the soil separately, might enable our friend to 
decide definitely as to its adaptability to his soil. 
Pop-Corn. 
L. M. S., Castleton, N. Y .—What kind of pop-corn is 
the best to plant for quality and the most productive for 
profit ? How many bushels of ears will an acre produce, 
on an average, and what is the average price per bushel in 
the ear ? How close can it be planted ? 
Ans.— Rice Pop is the best white. It will yield nearly as 
many bushels of ears as the ordinary flint field varieties. 
The ears are much smaller to be sure ; but the stalks will 
average twice as many. The plants should be about a foot 
by three feet apart. Golden Queen is among the best yel¬ 
low kinds. The price (retail) is from 75 cents to $1.50 per 
10 pounds. It is usually sold in comparatively small quan¬ 
tities. 
Grapes Near Salt Water. 
J. M. Jr., Portsmouth, R. I .—Can grapes be grown suc¬ 
cessfully by the salt water, and if so, what kind ? 
Ans. —Grapes can be grown successfully by the salt 
water. We have seen Concords, Ives’s Seedlings, Delawares, 
Hartford Proliflcs and other sorts grown in quite a large 
vineyard near the salt water. Good soil and cultivation, 
with judicious pruning, will insure a crop of grapes any¬ 
where on the lands bordering on Long Island Sound. 
Feed for Milk. 
F. D. F., Millport, N. Y .—Which is the better feed for 
milch cows, the object being a heavy yield—wheat bran or 
corn-meal ? 
ANSWERED BY HENRY STEWART. 
For the production of milk for sale the food needs to be 
rich in albuminoids and starch rather than in fat, although, 
as the N. Y. legal standard calls for at least three per cent, 
of fat in the milk, the food should contain a sufficient 
quantity of fats to supply the required proportion. A 
copious yield of milk requires moist food, even when the 
cows are in pasture, and milk producers have found that 
brewers’ grains or corn-starch feed (gluten meal) from 
glucose factories, with corn-meal, are the best foods for the 
purpose. The best milk dairymen give their cows, which 
are mostly large animals, and grades of Short-horns, half a 
bushel of the brewers’ grains and eight quarts of corn- 
meal daily, with as much dry hay as they will eat in the 
winter, and the same ration with pasture, and green fodder 
corn when the pasture is not in the best condition, in the 
summer. This feeding produces a rich milk, with a good 
creamy color and considerable density, and it will be in 
every way above the legal standard and quite satisfactory 
to the consumers. Where the grains or gluten meal can 
be procured, these are cheap and good foods when used 
fresh before they become sour. Where they cannot be 
had, very good substitutes can be provided in malt sprouts 
—which are dry—bran and middlings. In my own prac¬ 
tice when producing milk for sale, I have used these three 
foods in the following proportion, viz.: for 20 cows one 
bushel of malt sprouts, one bushel of bran and two 
bushels of coarse middlings or shorts were put into a 
barrel and mixed with water and stirred to the consistence 
of a semi-fluid paste, 12 hours before the feeding; that is, 
the mixture was made for the morning feeding as soon as 
the cows were fed in the evening, and so on. After 12 
hours the food was about as moist as brewers’ grains and 
in a good condition for feeding and the above quantity 
made up about 12 quarts of the wet mixture. This was 
given night and morning, with three quarts of mixed 
corn and oats ground together. This feeding gave me an 
average of 14 quarts of milk daily, from ordinary native 
cows of not more than 800 pounds live weight, and kept 
the cows in high condition and always fat and sleek. In 
the summer, feeding for the highest milk yield and good 
quality of product, a liberal quantity of green fodder is in¬ 
dispensable for profit, so that this grain food, corn fodder, 
or other green feed should be supplied freely. The 
average quantity of cream on the milk produced in my 
dairy was 25 per cent., and when the milk became un¬ 
profitable through close competition, no change in the 
feeding was required to change to butter making. Malt 
sprouts are a rich and cheap food, as they contain 26 per 
cent, of albuminoids, 45% per cent, of carbohydrates— 
sugar, starch and mucilage, the first especially—and 1 % 
percent, of fat; and having only 11% per cent, of water 
they imbibe a large quantity of moisture. Of the foods 
mentioned in the inquiry I should prefer a mixture of all 
of them; for instance, one part middlings, one part bran, 
and one part each of corn and oats ground together; but 
the malt sprouts are the most productive of milk of all 
grain foods, when mashed as above mentioned. They 
should never be fed dry on account of their greedy ab¬ 
sorption of water. 
Contracts by Minors. 
J. S., Windsor, Ontario, Canada.— If a minor buys goods 
on time in a store ; can the law compel him to pay for them 
when he is under or over age ? 
Ans.—T he contracts of an “ infant ” or minor under 21 
years of age, are of three kinds: valid, voidable and void. 
A minor’s contracts for the necessaries of life are as valid 
as those of an adult. As he is permitted to marry when 
he is 14, his contracts for the necessaries for his wife and 
children are also valid. These necessaries include clothing, 
victuals, shelter, medical aid and education. Watches 
and even jewelry have been considered “necessaries ” when 
the minor’s condition in life justified their possession. 
He need not pay the contract price, however, if it is un¬ 
reasonable. A jury would have to decide that point. 
Courts of equity have recognized and enforced claims for 
money lent to minors to pay for necessaries. A voidable con¬ 
tract is one that will be binding unless the minor rescinds 
it within a reasonable time after he has come of age. Any 
contract obviously prejudicial to an “infant” is not only 
voidable but void. If a minor fraudulently represents that 
he is above the age of 21 years, and by means of these 
representations obtains credit for goods not necessaries, 
an action for fraud may be at once maintained against 
him. If the articles sold to a minor without fraudulent 
representations are in his possession when he rescinds the 
sale, the seller may retake them. The rule for contracts by 
minors is the same as that for debts. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
J. W. B., Franklin, Tennessee .—Which is the better 
plan—to set sweet potatoes on ridges or on a level ? 
Ans.—O n ridges by all means. 
J. M. T., Fort Oates, Florida.—1 have a winter home 
at Fort Gates, Florida, and some two years ago planted an 
asparagus bed with nearly 1,000 roots. It doesn’t do well: 
it is spindling, and doesn’t look fresh and nice. What can 
be done for it ? 
Ans.—T he R. N.-Y. would suggest a heavy dressing of 
ma nure or chemical fertilizer. 
E. A. L., Buffalo, Iowa .—Can a fair job be done by 
spraying the outside walls of an outbuilding with white¬ 
wash instead of using a brush ? Where can the proper 
outfit be purchased ? 
ANSWERED BY HENRY HALES. 
I have never done this kind of thing, but have seen it 
done on greenhouse glass, and see no reason why it could 
not be done on wood buildings if the following points are 
noted. The whitewash must be strained through muslin, 
cheese cloth or something as fine, and sprayed on with a 
fine rose garden syringe, which can be purchased of any 
dealer in agricultural supplies. The wash must not be 
put on so heavily as to let it run down or it will spoil the 
work. To make an even, solid surface two coats may be 
needed. 
J. L., Eminence, N. Y.—l. What is the cause of grubs 
in the backs of cows, and what is the remedy ? 2. My 
horses have been troubled with sore backs under the har¬ 
ness ; their backs seem tender; what will toughen them ? 
Ans.— 1. The “grubs” are the larvae of the gadfly. The 
best treatment is to examine the cattle in spring, squeeze 
out the grubs and destroy them. If this practice were uni¬ 
versally followed, the supply would be exterminated in 
time. The only prevention is to protect the cattle from 
flies, and this is not easily done when the animals are at 
pasture. 2. See that the harness fits well and does not 
chafe the backs. Back-bands may be dispensed with for a 
time. Washing with cold water every night is good ; salt- 
and-water is also good if the skin is not broken. If the 
skin is broken, tincture of myrrh and aloes is an astringent 
application of value. Keep the horses in good condition 
and the bowels open, by an occasional mess of carrots, 
potatoes or other vegetables. 
Live Stock Insurance.— It appears from the reading 
of this week’s Rural that many of its readers do not know 
that there is an insurance company that insures all 
kinds of stock against death by almost any disease. It is 
the Farmers’ and Stock-Breeders’ Company. My horses 
have been insured in it for over two years. It pays all 
losses promptly. D. D. M. 
The R. N.-Y. would respectfully call the attention of its 
friends, the fertilizer manufacturers, to the following let¬ 
ter from a subscriber at Mobile, Alabama : 
“The value of the vegetable shipments from Mobile an¬ 
nually to the West is more than that of all the cotton she 
handles, and yet not a first-class complete fertilizer of any 
brand can be found in the citv of Mobile.” 
A committee of the Massachusetts legislature, among 
other reports, recommends “ That hereafter fourteen eggs 
shall weigh a pound.” How many breeds of hens have 
given their adhesion to this proposition ? In case the re¬ 
commendation is embodied in a law, what would be the 
penalty for the “biddies” whose eggs might fall short of 
the required weight ? 
