T 89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 563 
at first, but these should soon subside. Other methods of 
treatment in chronic or special cases, such as cutting 
down upon and tying the arteries, or removing the gland, 
can be practiced only by a competent surgeon. 
Location of an Orchard. 
C. A. W., Hersey, Mich .—The accompanying diagram 
(Fig. 230) represents a quarter-section of land of which I 
own the larger piece, or 130 acres. A represents the 
highest land on the place. The soil there is clay and lies 
gently sloping toward the east and south. The point B 
is considerably lower, and the land there slopes toward 
the east down the hill to the road, and above the hill it 
lies level or gradually rises toward the point A, which is 
at least 25 feet higher than B. The soil at B is a sandy 
gravel loam, with plenty of small stones the size of a man’s 
fist. Now, I desire to set out an orchard : which of the two 
places will be the better for it, soil and altitude considered ? 
I prefer the point B if all else is equal, as that is the 
nearest to town. What are the best kinds of trees to set ? 
Cherries, plums, apples and pears are the kinds desired, 
and 10 acres the amount of land I wish to set out. 
Ans.—T he soil at A is to be preferred, especially for 
plums, pears and apples, if the sub-soil is porous 
enough not to require tiling, although B will do 
very well if there is a sufficient breadth of still 
lower ground adjacent to afford free and abund¬ 
ant air drainage during cold, still nights, when 
very low temperatures are likely to occur. There 
are so many questions which are liable to enter 
into the problem of the choice of varieties, that 
farther information is needful. If, as may be 
possibly inferred, the purpose is to supply a local 
market, a more or less extensive list of varieties 
will be needed; while, if the fruit is to be dis¬ 
posed of at wholesale, a very few kinds will 
suffice; and those mostly, if not wholly, winter 
varieties. We cannot do better than to state that 
the Michigan Horticultural Society publishes a 
fruit catalogue, in which will be found all the 
information needful for a judicious selection of 
varieties for these purposes. The work may be had 
by applying to the Secretary, Edward C. Reid, 
Allegan, Michigan. 
Remedy for Cockroaches. 
A. R. P., Corry, Pa .—What will kill the common house 
cockroach ? 
Ans.—I n the March issue of Insect Life, a magazine pub¬ 
lished at the Department of Agriculture, Dr. C. V. Riley 
describes this insect. The engraving, Figure 231, is taken 
from this magazine. In the picture a represents the first 
stage, b the second, c the third, d the fourth, e the adult, 
/ the adult female, with egg case: g the egg case—en¬ 
larged, and h the adult, with wings spread. All are of 
natural size except g. Dr. Riley says of these insects: 
“ The length of life of none of these species is accurately 
known, but it doubtless depends largely on the food-sup¬ 
ply and temperature. They are all nearly omnivorous, 
but have at the same time preferences in diet. They seem 
on the whole to prefer animal matter to vegetable, but will 
eat after all kinds of cooks—good, bad or indifferent. Al¬ 
most everything which goes on the table is relished by 
them. In the latitude of Washington and further south 
the Croton bugs eat everything which contains paste, and, 
consequently, wall-paper, photographs, and especially cer¬ 
tain kinds of cloth book-bindings suffer severely from their 
attacks. In the office of the United States Coast and 
Geodetic Survey they have become an intolerable nuisance 
by eating off the surface, and particularly the blue and 
red paint from drawings of important maps. Without 
condemning other useful measures or remedies, like borax, 
1 would repeat that in the free and persistent use of Cali¬ 
fornia Buhach, or some other fresh and reliable brand of 
pyrethrum or Persian Insect Powder, we have the most 
satisfactory means of dealing with roaches. Just before 
nightfall go into the infested rooms and puff it into all 
crevices, under base-boards, into tbe drawers and cracks 
of old furniture—in fact, wherever there is a crack—and in 
the morning the floor will be covered with dead and dying 
or demoralized and paralyzed roaches, which may easily 
be swept up or otherwise collected aud burned. With 
cleanliness aud persistency in these methods, the pest may 
be substantially driven out of a house, and should never 
be allowed to get full possession by immigration. For no 
other insect have so many quack remedies been urged and 
for none have so many newspaper remedies been pub¬ 
lished. Many of them have their good points, but the ma¬ 
jority are worthless. In fact, rather than put faith in half 
of those which have been published it would be better to 
rely on the recipe which T. A. Janvier gives in his article 
on ‘ Mexican Superstitions and Folk-lore,’ as current 
among the Mexicans : “ To get rid of cockroaches—catch 
three and put them in a bottle, and so carry them to where 
two roads cross. Here hold the bottle upside down, and 
as they fall out repeat aloud three Credos. Then all the 
cockroaches in the house from which these three came will 
go away 1 ” 
Rupture of the Perinaeum in a Mare; Tender Feet 
in a Colt; Eversion of the Rectum in a Hog. 
A. MacL., White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. —1. A mare 
of mine sustained an accident while foaling, on May 14. 
This is, I believe, technically called laceration of the perin- 
eeum. I am told that she cannot be bred again. Is this 
true ? 2. A three-year-old mare, which I use occasionally 
unshod, has now got “tender,” in the fore feet, especially ; 
ought she to be shod all ’round, on the fore feet only, or left 
unshod till next spring ? Unless some accident happens 
to some of the other horses I shall not be compelled to use 
her till next spring, when she will be 3 % years old ? 3. A 
two-year old boar was castrated about the last week in 
May. He seemed to get along all right and did well till 
the beginning of this month, when we noticed he stood 
straining, as if trying to pass fa-ces. About a week ago the 
rectum protruded in a lump about the size of my two fists, 
and he died the fourth day after this happened. Was this 
state the result of the castration, or was it due to some 
other cause ? Would any treatment have been beneficial ? 
ANSWERED BT DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
I. Laceration or rupture of the perinaeum is not neces¬ 
sarily a bar to breeding. If the edges of the wound become 
healed, and after recovery there is no obstruction of the 
passage to the vagina, the mare may breed again, at least 
as far as the rupture is concerned. If there was complete 
rupture of the perimeum, so that the anus and vulva unite 
in forming one large opening, great care must be exercised 
when the mare is served by the horse, that the penis does 
not enter the rectum, an accident that is often followed by 
fatal results. 2. The mare should go perfectly well until 
spring without being shod, if not used on the road. If the 
tenderness is the result of undue wearing of the hoof, no 
treatment is necessary, except to keep the mare on damp 
ground or soft pasture until the feet grow out. But if the 
tenderness is due to inflammation in the feet, the front and 
sides of each pastern should be well blistered with fly- 
blisters, and this should be repeated two or three times if 
necessary, at intervals of six to eight weeks. The growth 
of horn may be stimulated by applying to the hoofs daily 
an ointment of equal parts of pine tar and vaseline melted 
together. 3. The eversion of the rectum was probably due 
to constipation, and was not the result of the castration, 
except, perhaps, in so far as the inflammation resulting 
from the operation may have induced the constipation. 
Such cases are usually fatal with swine, although if dis¬ 
covered early they may be treated successfully. Place the 
animal with the head down-hill and the hind parts ele¬ 
vated. The everted rectum is then emptied, carefully 
washed, and gently returned with the oiled fingers, 
assisted by the other hand. If one is successful in return¬ 
ing the protrusion he should apply a truss across the anus, 
so that the eversion cannot recur, and keep the animal on 
a spare, laxative diet for several days. If the organ is re¬ 
tained in position recovery may be expected. 
Fertilizer for Wheat. 
C.H., Fountain Green, III.— 1. What is the best fertilizer 
for wheat, and when and how should it be applied ? 
2. Where can it be obtained f 
Ans.— 1. Potash and bone flour; apply them when the 
wheat is sown, and nitrogen in some form in early spring. 
This is The R. N.-Y.’s advice. The bone contains some 
slowly-soluble nitrogen and phosphoric acid which will in¬ 
sure a sufficient fall growth. Nitrogen in any soluble 
form, if applied in the fall, would be of no service in the 
spring. 2. From Thompson & Edwards Co., Chicago, 
Illinois. 
Who Can Show A Better Record ? 
J. H. Mullen, Cypress River, Manitoba—l have a five- 
month-old bull calf which weighs 531 pounds. In the last 
30 days it gained 112 pounds, or 3% pounds per day. What 
is the greatest recorded gain per day ? 
Ans.— There are several recorded cases where calves have 
made a daily gain of over three pounds: but we know of 
none where the gain was 3 % pounds. Stewart in his 
“ Feeding Animals ” notes the record of a calf that gained 
1,040 pounds in 337 days, or a gain of over 3.08 pounds per 
day, for nearly a year. Unfortunately the calf was not 
weighed monthly. It is quite likely that this calf would 
have equaled, if not exceeded, the 3% pounds per day, at 
three to five months of age. 
Crops for a Young Orchard. 
D C. A., Cattaraugus, N. Y. —1. I have a cherry orchard 
of 350 trees set last spring. I planted the ground to pota¬ 
toes and intend to put in wheat this fall and seed to clover, 
which I intend to turn under for potatoes and wheat. Had 
I not better dispense with the wheat and seed to rye, to be 
turned under next June for potatoes, and thus raise a crop 
of potatoes every year, using phosphate also ? 2. I want to 
paint my house this fall: where can I get the paint and 
varnish cheapest ? 
Ans. —1. Under no circumstances is it advisable to sow 
small grain in a young orchard. It makes its growth at 
the same time the trees are making theirs, and as the 
grain roots quickly fill the soil they starve the trees, ex¬ 
hausting both available food and moisture. The crops to 
grow in a young orchard are those which make their chief 
growth late in the season. Beans are, perhaps, the best of 
any, but potatoes and dwarf sweet corn, or dwarf peas, are 
not objectionable, always supposing that a liberal dressing 
of available plant food is given, so that the trees are not 
made to suffer. Clover, though not making its 
growth so early as wheat or rye, is also object¬ 
ionable, as it cannot all be turned under, and 
there is a good deal of work left for the hoe. 2. 
In regard to paints, there are many good pre¬ 
pared paints offered, any one of which would 
give satisfaction. Varnish can be added if de¬ 
sired. The Averill paints dry with a fine gloss, 
and are very durable. 
Egg-Plant Fruit for Market. 
M. M., Scott, W. Va. —How can we tell when 
the fruits of egg-plants are ripe enough for 
market ? 
ANS.—Egg-plant fruits for market should be 
almost full-sized, and how large this size is de¬ 
pends upon the plants and cultural conditions. 
They should be marketed before their bright 
color begins to get dim. The fruit of egg-plants 
is fit for use as soon as it is as large as a common 
tea-cup, and young fruits, say three to five inches 
in diamater, are far better for use than are older 
ones ; indeed, the fruits cease to be tender and good for 
food when the seeds within them begin to harden. But 
for market so much depends upon large size and fine out¬ 
ward appearance that quality is too often a secondary con¬ 
sideration. 
Blackberry Wine. 
W. P., Camden, N. Y.— What is the best recipe for 
making blackberry wine ? 
Ans. —This is a good one though possibly not the best: 
Measure the berries and bruise them ; to every gallon add 
one quart of boiling water. Let the mixture stand 24 
hours, stirring it occasionally; then strain off the liquor 
into a cask, adding to every gallon two pounds of sugar: 
cork tight and let it stand till the following October when 
the wine will be ready for use without further straining or 
boiling. _ 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
T. A. C., Cranford, N. J .—The plant sent for name is 
Souchus asper—Spiny-leaved Sow-Thistle, an annual from 
Europe. 
G. T. P., Glen Head, Long Island .—Has the seed any¬ 
thing to do with club-foot in cabbages ? 
Ans.—N o, not at all. It is caused by an insect which 
attacks the roots. Usually cabbages grown on new soil 
are free of the pest, but not always. There seems to be no 
specific against this insect, though lime or bone fertilizer 
is thought to repel it. 
G. A. G., Savannah, Ga. —1. Will strawberry plants set 
this fall, bear next season ? 2. Will blackcap raspberry 
bushes taken from the fields and set this fall bear next 
season ? 3. I have a lot of wild black currants growing in 
the woods; would it pay to transplant them, and when 
The Cockroach. Fig. 23 1. 
is the time to do so ? 4. Would it be advisable to plow sod 
ground this fall, manure it in the winter, and cultivate 
next spring for potatoes, or should it be manured next 
winter and plowed the following spring ? 
Ans.— 1. Yes. But they will do their best the second sea 
son. 2. No. They are liable not to bear for several years 
when thus removed. 3. No. Better select the best of 
known kinds. This fall. 4. We would both manure and 
plow this fall. 
C. M. L., Northumberland, Pa .—My late potato vines 
are beginning to die prematurely at the ends of the leaves 
which are more or less perforated with small holes. Does 
the inclosed specimeu indicate potato rot ? 
Ans.—A clear case of injury by the flea beetle. 
T. U. B., Sherman, N. Y .—When should barley be cut 
for barley hay ? 
Ans.—W e cut our barley this year just as the straw 
began to turn in color. The grains were still soft and 
beards were not hard and stiff. It cured well, and make 
excellent hay, particularly for the cows. 
INTERIOR OF DAIRY ROOM. Fig. 229. 
