156 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 7 
any one down east wish to try that kind of a potato 
planter, he must be sure and get two good boys, for it 
is no slow job to get the seed into the ground as fast 
as the horses will walk, and have them from eight to 
twelve inches apart. 
After our potatoes are planted, we start to plow the 
corn, and always plow it three times, and generally 
get it laid by on July 4, then we all take a holiday. 
We cut our grain with twine binders, stack when 
dry, and thrash just as soon as we can. When our 
grain is in the stack, and we are waiting for a ma¬ 
chine to thrash, we plow the stubble for next year’s 
corn ground. We use the cultivators or disc harrows 
on this ground in the spring. 
In the fall, we have our corn to gather, and pota¬ 
toes to dig. About one in every ten farmers has a 
potato digger, and after his own are out, he digs for 
his neighbors at $1 per acre, and they furnish pickers 
and teams. We can dig with the Dowden digger, six 
acres per day easily, and can pick them up, if not too 
big a yield. Farmers always have help enough to 
keep up with the digger, as they change works to get 
the help. After the potatoes are out, we husk the 
corn. With one man to a team, we husk two rows 
on the left side of the wagon ; we have a big throw- 
board on the right side to keep the corn from going 
over or out of the wagon. A man can get out from 
60 to 120 bushels of corn a day in that way. We fill 
our cribs, then pile on the ground ; one can go through 
this country to-day and see thousands and thousands 
of bushels piled up on the ground. Farmers haul 
this off after they get all through husking. Some 
shell it before, for the cobs to burn as fuel. If there 
is snow in the winter, they shovel snow, corn and all 
into the wagon or sled, and take it to town to sell. 
It looks like a great waste, and so it is, to see corn 
piled in the shape it is; but renters will not build 
cribs, as they stay only about one year on a farm. 
Here is what we get for our produce: Wheat, 32 
cents ; oats, 11 cents ; barley, 18 to 22 cents ; rye, 25 
cents ; corn 15 in the ear, 14 shelled ; potatoes, 10 to 
13 cents. We grow mostly Mammoth Pearl and 
Northern Spy. Our crops on an average are good. 
Oats yield 60 bushels per acre, corn 50, rye, barley 
and wheat just fair, as there is not much sown here. 
Rye is mostly sown for pasture. We get many new 
ideas from reports of Eastern farmers and, possibly, 
some of our methods may help them. j. w. kiley. 
Shelby County, Iowa. 
WHAT SAI ? 
Manilla Roofing. —I would like to hear through 
The R. N.-Y. from those who have used Fay’s manilla 
roofing. For what can it be used, and what is the 
best and most economical way to use it ? A. l. w. 
Blanch Celery in Tile. —I am a market gardener, 
and would like to know if the raisers of celery have 
had any experience in blanching it in drain tile. If 
so, what size is recommended ? Also what variety ? 
Rockville, Ind. h. r. b. 
Corn vs. Potatoes. —This question has arisen in 
our farmers’ club, Which is the hardest crop on land, 
corn or potatoes, and which is the most profitable to 
raise ? I would like the answer from some experi¬ 
ment station, as to the real nutrition each of these 
crops takes from the soil. l. c. h. 
Middleton, Mich. 
R. N.-Y.—Here is a chance for practical men as well 
as scientists. 
Cut Bone for Hogs. —Is any benefit derived from 
feeding hogs cut bone as cut by Mann’s bone cutter ? 
If so, in what quantities ? How often should it be fed ? 
Columbia, Pa. c. D. s. 
R. N.-Y.—In theory, this is a good practice. We 
would prefer to cook the cut bone, and would feed 
one pound per day to begin with. We shall be glad 
to hear from those who have actually tried this. 
A Stone Silo. —I intend to build a silo this next 
summer, 14x16 feet inside measure, about 25 feet 
above ground, on the end and outside of a barn. I 
have plenty of stone handy, and am thinking of using 
them for the purpose. Would the corn keep as well 
in stone as in wood ? How thick should the walls 
be made to stand the pressure ? Should they be laid 
in cement or lime and sand ? With rough lumber at 
$11 or $12 per M, which would be best for me to use ? 
Jermyn, Pa. m. d. c. 
Will a Silo Pay. —Will it pay for me to build a 
silo to feed my cows? Will it increase the flow of 
cream ? I am at present feeding a ration of grain and 
cut born fodder, with hay, oats and straw for variety 
occasionally. The cows eat the fodder quite clean 
now. Will a silo pay by increasing the amount of 
butter fat in the milk ? w. l. 
Utica, Pa. 
R. N.-Y.—Here is a chance for some one to display 
a little knowledge. If there are any ex-silo men, let’s 
bear from them. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
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piece of paper.J 
AILING ANIMALS. 
ANSWERS BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
A Cow That Does Not Breed. 
E. A. V., Reading, Mich. —My cow dropped a calf the first of Sep¬ 
tember, and has not been in heat since. As she is a valuable 
cow, I would like to get her with calf. Can anything be done to 
produce the desired effect ? 
It is not uncommon for cows to go three or four 
months after calving before coming in heat again. 
If she does not breed this winter, she will be quite 
likely to after turning to pasture in the spring ; 
especially if a good bull be allowed to run with her. 
Is this Heifer Sterile ? 
T. C. R., Erin, N. Y. —My Jersey heifer 20 months old fails to 
breed. She is in heat every three weeks, and has been served by 
several different bulls to no purpose. The only thing I can see 
wrong is the discharge of a little blood immediately after service. 
She is fat enough for beef, and of good size. 
It occasionally happens that a heifer fails to breed 
because of the closure of the neck of the womb. In 
other cases, it is disease of the ovaries, or some of the 
other generative organs. Have the heifer examined 
by a competent veterinary surgeon ; and if the neck 
of the womb is found closed, it should be dilated or 
opened just before service when next in heat. If 
there is any chronic vaginal discharge, injections may 
be necessary. If the veterinarian can find no remov¬ 
able cause, the heifer is probably sterile, and your 
only course will be to beef her. 
How to Treat a Foundered Horse. 
H. W., Fairfield, N. J. —I bought a horse iu New York that had 
been foundered, and his “ feet have comedown,” one quite badly. 
Will they ever go back or grow out again, and what can I do for 
him ? He is eight years old. 
He may be benefited by treatment, so as to be use¬ 
ful for farm work ; but a cure cannot be effected, 
nave the horse shod with broad-webbed bar shoes, 
beveled towards the inner sides on the upper surface, 
so as to remove the pressure from the sole. Apply a 
“ fly ” blister around the coronet, and repeat three or 
four times, if necessary, making a second application 
as soon as the scabs from the first have been shed. 
Also dress the sole and wall two or three times a week 
with hot tar. When not at work next summer, turn 
him on to a low, damp pasture, if you have one ; or 
on any pasture at night. 
Swine Plague in Shotes. 
W. F., Troupsburg, If. Y.— My two shotes about live or six 
months old, are in bad condition; they cannot get around the pen 
enough to get to the trough. When they first began to be ailing, 
they were stiff in their hind legs, and in a short time they were so 
stiff in their front legs also that they could not move around. 
They breathe hard, so that one can hear them a longdistance. 
They grew well for four or live months, but since then they have 
grown poor rapidly. Do bad effects result from black teeth ? 
These pigs had four on each side, but one of my neighbors said 
that they caused the trouble, so I pulled them out, but it did not 
help any. 
Your shotes are apparently suffering from chronic 
pueumonia or swine plague. Place them in a warm, 
dry stall, preferably on an earth floor, with sufficient 
dry litter for a good nest. Feed the slop as hot as 
they can eat it, so as to steam them while eating. 
Rub both sides of the chest every two or three days, 
with strong aqua ammonia and sweet oil well shaken 
together. The black teeth have nothing whatever to 
do with the trouble. 
No Abortion in These Cows. 
O. IT. P., Ardena, N. J. —Three of my cows have aborted two 
years in succession; they are well cared for by myself, fed good 
corn fodder once per day, and good clover hay once per day all 
they will eat clean. They receive a grain ration of two quarts of 
corn-cob meal, and two quarts of wheat bran, and five quarts of 
finely-cut beets every alternate day. Salt is by them at all times, 
and water also. They are stabled at night in warm, well-venti¬ 
lated stables, are dried off for six weeks before the time of calv¬ 
ing, and the grain ration is reduced one-half. In summer they 
have clean running water, good clean pasture, and two quarts of 
corn meal per day. They abort some in summer, some in winter, 
apparently about two or three days before the time due to calve. 
Abortion cannot be said to occur in the cow unless 
the fetus is expelled, at least 30 to 40 days before 
the normal period. If a cow calves within this per¬ 
iod, but before the normal time, it is known as pre¬ 
mature parturition. The usual period allowed by 
cattle owners for cows, is nine months ; but from a 
large number of observations, it has been found that 
the average period of gestation in the cow is 10 to 15 
days longer, or 280 to 285 days. The average for male 
calves is a few days longer than for females. There 
is, however, a wide range of variation in the length of 
the normal period, which varies from-240 to 300 days, 
or even longer. Births are most common between 
270 and 290 days ; but they are quite common between 
the 260th and 270tli days, and after the 290th. Those 
births which occur before the 260th day, may-be con¬ 
sidered as premature. In your case,- if-the' cows 
calved only two or three days before the usual period 
of nine months, there is nothing in that to indicate 
that they are premature. It is, probably, the normal 
period for those particular cows. 
Peat Moss as a Fertilizer. 
J. B. L., Oradell. N. J .—What is the value of peat moss as a fer¬ 
tilizer, especially iu top-dressing grasses, and for use in drills with 
fodder corn ? 
A ns. —Prof. E. B. Voorhees, of the New Jersey Ex¬ 
periment Station, gives the following facts about 
peat moss : “ Peat moss is superior to straw as a bed¬ 
ding, in being abetter absorbent and a deodorizer. Its 
content of fertilizing constituents, as compared with 
straw, is shown in the following tabulation : 
POUNDS CONTAINED IN ONE TON. 
Nitrogen. Phos. acid Potash. 
Peat moss. 13 5 3 
Wheat straw. 10 2 14 
Rye straw. 10 6 16 
Oat straw. 13 4 24 
It is quite likely, too, that the fertilizing constitu¬ 
ents in straw would become available more quickly 
than in the peat moss, owing to the greater tendency 
to decay.” According to this, peat moss is inferior to 
straw as a manure. It makes good bedding, but costs 
too much to buy for its fertilizing value. 
Crops to Suit the Manure. 
J. W. IP., Quincy , Pa .—I have one-half acre of sandy soil, and 
plenty of pigeon droppings and tobacco stems to fertilize it. 
What shall I plant to realize the most that the soil and fertilizer 
will produce? The land would not be considered high or low, 
but has good drainage. 
Ans. —That combination of pigeon manure and 
tobacco stems is best suited to growing vegetables and 
fruits. We do not know what will sell best in your 
market, but in our own case, we would set that land 
to small fruits—strawberries, raspberries, blackber¬ 
ries and currants. The tobacco stems will make an 
excellent mulch around the vines—to be spaded in 
each spring. We would keep the pigeon manure well 
dried by the use of plaster, and, in the spring, crush 
or grind it fine and rake or harrow it in between the 
rows and around the plants. 
Which Fertilizer for Potatoes ? 
II. R. T., Riverhead, L. /.—My soil is a sandy loam, underlaid 
at a depth of two or three feet by sand and gravel. Which fer¬ 
tilizer is better for potatoes: one which has five per cent of am¬ 
monia, eight per cent of available phosphoric acid, and 10 per 
cent of potash, or another which has five per cent of ammonia, 
five per cent of available phosphoric acid, and seven per cent of 
potash ? The former is sold for $28 per ton, the latter $25.50. Con¬ 
sidering the needs of the potato plant, which one would it pay 
better to buy ? Agricultural writers tell us that all plants with a 
large leaf development, are potash plants, for example, potatoes 
and tobacco. Do cabbages and cauliflowers come under that 
class ? 
Ans. —There is something needed besides a mere 
statement of the analysis to guide us in selecting a po¬ 
tato fertilizer. We ought to know of what it is made, 
and from what the ammonia, potash and phosphoric 
acid are derived. The facts are more necessary in se¬ 
lecting a fertilizer for the potato crop than for many 
others. As between these two fertilizers, the first at 
$28 is the cheaper, because it contains 60 pounds of 
phosphoric acid, and 60 pounds of potash more 
than the other, and this is worth more than $2.50. 
Yes, special fertilizers for cabbage and cauliflowers 
axe made with a large per cent of potash. 
Value of Different Cuts of Pork. 
J. V. II., Fairview, Ga.—li a liog weigh 200 to 250 pounds net, and 
sell for six cents per pound, lor what price should the back 
bones, ribs, head, feet, hams, shoulders and jowl sell separate per 
pound to make it equal six cents for the whole hog ? When made 
into bacon, what is the difference iu price per pound on jowls, 
shoulders, side pork and hams ? For what price does this bacon 
have to sell per pound, to equal a whole hog at six cents ? 
Ans. —The following is the result in reference to 
weight and price, of the several parts of a hog, when 
ready for market. Not having any fattened hogs, 
one was used in only fair, growing condition, a 
recorded Berkshire sow pig, taken from the pen with¬ 
out being kept away from her food a few hours prev¬ 
ious which will account for the large percentage of 
loss in offal. As a rule, the waste is almost worth¬ 
less, so I figure as follows : 
Pounds. Value. 
Live weight.273 at 5.10 cents. $13.92 
Dressed weight (24 hours after killing)_232 at 6 “ 13.92 
Loss in offal including liver, heart and lungs, 15 per cent or 41 
pounds. 
Offal, including liver and lungs 
Waste bones, ribs, etc. 
Waste meat for sausages. 
Jowls, two pieces. 
Leaf lard fat. 
Two back pieces for salting.... 
Four side pieces for bacon. 
Two shoulders. 
Two hams. 
Total weight alive. 
Total weight dressed. 
Weight of different Estimated 
parts, pounds. Value. 
. 41 $00.00 
. 28 00.00 
. 18 at 4 cents. 0.72 
. 8 at 4 “ 0.32 
. 14 at 4 “ 0.56 
. 23*4 at 6 “ 1.41 
. 44)4 at 7*4 “ 3.35 
. 48 at 7(4 “ 3.60 
. 48 at 8(4 “ 3.96 
273 at 5.10 cents. $13 92 
232 at 6 cents. 13.92 
In obtaining the above, it was more trouble to give 
an exact value to each part than one would suppose, 
as it was necessary to allow for the difference in 
