THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 18 
2l2 
you how you came to get those you speak of. Last 
fall, as we were delivering them at the station, we had 
to pass Mr. Packard’s house, and we got to talking of 
the slaps The R. N.-Y. made at Keiffer, I told Mr. 
Packard that I would give him a basket if he would 
send them to The R. N.-Y. 
The block from which those pears came was set in 
1888 ; 400 trees set 16 feet apart, 378 living in 1895, 
from which we sold last year, at our station, over 2,000 
baskets of fruit, guaranteed to measure 2j<£ inches 
in diameter. We also evaporated 300 to 400 baskets 
that were a little under size. We have three other 
blocks, some older, some younger. The ground we 
selected is sandy. No use to set them on land having 
any tendency to clay, or even heavy loam. Our oldest 
trees were budded on the French quince or hedge 
stock, our latest setting on Le Conte stock. Budded 
on Le Conte stock, they are worth double in quality, 
looks, size, etc. w. f. m. k. 
Dover, Del. 
Sex in Breeding. — Some excellent points are 
brought out by F. W. in Sex in Animal Breeding 
From experience and observation, I agree with him, 
to a certain extent, that the offspring will be that of 
the weakest parent. I also think that the Creator 
planned all things, and if either of the sexes become 
too plentiful for a time, that sex will gradually 
slacken, and the other will become replenished. I do 
not advocate the close confinement of breeding stock, 
either the male or female. Our experience with hogs 
is that whenever the boar is kept in close quarters, 
the sows will not have very many pigs ; they are also 
very small and weakly. We always find it best to let 
the hogs have plenty of exercise, especially through 
the winter, if we expect large and healthy litters of 
pigs. Never slight the males in any kind of stock ; 
the male is half, and a great deal the larger half. 
Care for the male well, and have him in a good, strong, 
healthy condition when the mating season comes. 
The feeding of hogs, especially through the pregnant 
season, has much to do with the offspring, m. s. t. 
Mingo, O. 
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AILING ANIMALS. 
ANSWERS BY DR. K. L. KILBORNE. 
"Black Teeth" in Pigs Again. 
F. S. F., Fanner, N. V .—From remarks in regard to black teeth 
in pigs (made on page 196), I infer that we do not think alike, as 
I have been educated to believe that pigs would not thrive well if 
they had black teeth. May I ask whether that is only a whim ? 
The presence or absence of black teeth has nothing 
to do with the health or thrift of the pig. Like 
“ wolf teeth” in horses, they are harmless. The 
popular idea that the black teeth are injurious to the 
animal, is, as you say, “only a whim,” a relic of 
superstition and quackery. 
Injury to a Boar. 
E. It. M., Bridgeville, Bel. —My Cheshire boar was injured so 
that his testicles have dropped down so that it appears that he 
has but one. Their former location is covered with scabs similar 
to warts. He is as good for service as ever, but this scabby for¬ 
mation is slowly growing. Is it injurious, and can it be removed 
safely ? 
I would not advise you to try to treat this case 
yourself. If treatment ever seem desirable, employ a 
veterinary surgeon to operate on the animal. It is 
quite probable that the injury will not unfit him for 
service, in which case, treatment will be unnecessary. 
Colt With Swelled Leg. 
G. H. It., Reed City, Mich. —I have a colt three years old in May, 
that was injured on his right hind leg a year ago. The leg is 
swelled just above the fetlock. A surgeon gave me something to 
blister it, that made it worse. Then he wanted to fire it, and I 
afterwards ajiplied liniment, but could not get rid of the swelling. 
Can it be cured ? 
Try painting daily with the compound tincture of 
iodine, until the skin is well blistered. Then apply, 
once or twice a week, for several weeks. If this fail, 
and a marked -enlargement still remain, firing will, 
probably, have to be resorted to, if it is especially de¬ 
sirable to remove the blemish. Be sure to employ 
only a regular veterinary surgeon to do the firing. 
It May Be Glanders. 
H. C., Dover, Bel.— My mule has a thick, yellow discharge from 
the left nostril, which is very offensive. He is in good health, 
seemingly, eats well, and his eyes are bright. About one year ago, 
he got cast in the stall, and bruised his head badly, but all sores 
have healed up with the exception of the under jaw which seems 
healthy, but refuses to heal owing to his chafing it while eating. 
What will cure the discharge ? Is it contagious ? 
The discharge may be due either to glanders or to 
ulceration or disease of the bone ; possibly a diseased 
tooth. It is not contagious unless it prove to be glan¬ 
ders. Owing to this possibility, I would advise you 
to have the mule examined at once by a competent 
veterinarian, and if the animal be found to be glan- 
dered, it should be condemned and killed. 
Ringworm in Calves. 
F. 11. L., Middletown, N. Y. —I have nine calves nearly a year 
old, that I am raising. I have been feeding them about one 
bushel of cut potatoes a day, and about one pint of grain each, 
sometimes oats, sometimes hominy meal, and sometimes rye, 
corn and cob ground together, and all the hay they can eat. They 
are growing nicely, but a few of them have a breaking out about 
the head; the hair comes off, and a scaly substance comes, 
especially around the eyes. I rub them with veterinary vaseline, 
and they will be smooth next day, but will come scaly again. 
The trouble appears to be due to a parasitic skin 
disease called ringworm. Paint twice a week with 
the compound tincture of iodine, being sure to cover 
■the diseased patches and to saturate the hair for, at 
least, one-half inch around the margins. Be careful 
not to allow the tincture to run into the eyes. 
“ Worm ” in a Cow’s Tail. 
F. L., Worcester County, Mass. —Ten days ago, I noticed that one 
of my cows was shrinking in milk and flesh, though, to all appear¬ 
ances, she was as healthy as any of the others. Two days ago, I 
noticed blood on the tail, and discovered about six inches from 
the end, a hole a quarter of an inch in diameter. There was a 
slight swelling which, by pressure, discharged considerable 
blood and matter, while on pressing the swelling downward, I 
noticed a very small worm wriggle out of the hole and drop on 
the floor. The cow is now doing well. I have never seen or heard 
of cattle having trouble like this, though my man says that he has 
seen several similar cases in Poland. I have seen two cats have 
trouble like this. With one, the swelling began at the end of the 
tail, would discharge and heal up, and in a few days, break out 
an inch further up. This continued till it traveled the length of 
the tail, and had reached the body, when we put the cat out of 
further misery. The other cat was affected the same way, but 
after several applications of carbolic acid, was cured. What is the 
trouble? Does it pass from one cow to another, and what is the 
remedy ? May it not be a trouble of the bone, the worm being 
pi’esent more by accident than connection with the sore ? 
The swelling and subsequent suppuration was, 
probably, due to a bruise or other injury. The fila¬ 
ment you mistook for a worm, I am of the opinion, 
was only a slough of the tendinous tissue of the tail, 
caused by the suppuration. With a sharp knife, make 
a free opening into the cavity, and wash out daily 
with a two per cent solution of carbolic acid. It is not 
contagious. 
Soft Shelled Eggs ; Lame Hens. 
M. B. S., Centerville, N. Y. —I have 50 hens, and feed bran and 
middlings, four quarts in a mash in the morning and four quarts 
of buckwheat at noon, a few boiled potatoes almost every day, 
two kinds of oyster shells, and ashes. They have water all the 
time, but the shells are very thin, and some have no shell .at all. 
They get broken by the hens stepping on them. The same hens 
are also affected by losing the use of their legs, or have weak 
backs. They do not seem to be able to walk, but move along on 
their wings. The strangest part of it is that I placed these affected 
hens in the cow barn where it is open and cold, with what they 
can pick to eat, and three out of four recover immediately. The 
fourth dies, or after about a week, recovers. 
Ans. —The cause of the thin shells is that the hens 
are overfat, due to being fed three times a day, mostly 
on grain. It is a sure indication of hens being over¬ 
fed when the shells of eggs are thin, or when the 
hens lay double-yolked eggs or eggs with soft shells. 
The lameness is due to injury of the spine by the 
heavy, fat males. Separate the males from the hens, 
and reduce the food to one meal a day, to be composed 
of one pound of lean meat for 20 hens (nothing else), 
for two weeks. p. h Jacobs. 
Ringing Hogs ; Pasturing With Cattle. 
J. C. E., La Crosse, Wis. —What is the best way to prevent hogs 
running in pasture, from destroying the grass by rooting? Is 
there anything better than the old way of wire rings in their 
snouts ? Is this an effectual preventive ? Is it advisable to pas¬ 
ture hogs and cattle together ? 
Ans. —I find it much more difficult to prevent hogs 
rooting when they have the run of the permanent 
pasture, than when pastured on clover fields. The 
permanent sod is much more likely to be infested 
with worms and insects. Rooting may, in a measure, 
be prevented by proper feeding, supplying the animal 
with all the needs of the system. I often give fall 
pigs the run of the clover sod, during the winter, that 
is to be plowed the next spring. By feeding bran 
and middlings as a part ration, and keeping a supply 
of hard-wood ashes and salt constantly before them, 
they do but very little rooting. But I am satisfied 
that, if they had only corn for feed and no salt and 
ashes, they would root almost incessantly when the 
ground was soft enough. 
I never ring spring pigs that go to market in 
October, November or December. This year, pigs 
that were farrowed the last week in May and the 
first week in June, went to market the last week in 
December ; they were never ringed, were never taken 
off the clover field, and persons passing over the field 
expressed surprise at the small amount of rooting 
done. They had a small feed of bran and middlings 
each day, and an abundant supply of salt and ashes, 
along with a full corn ration. But my fall pigs are 
now (February), running over the Blue grass sod, and 
I have found it necessary to ring them. When land 
is well drained, naturally or artificially, they will not 
root as much as they will in wet, spouty land. I find 
the wire ring very effectual in preventing rooting ; 
it should be properly set, not quite in the center of 
the cartilage of the nose or too much to one side, 
neither should it be set too deep. Never use a ring 
that joints in the nose, and if possible, use a ring 
made in such a way that the joint will not turn into 
the nose. A hog will not thrive with a sore nose. 1 
use a ring in which, when closed, one end of the wire 
stands at right angles to the ring, extending out 
about one-sixteenth of an inch; this prevents the 
joint from turning into the nose. 
With farmers that follow mixed stock growing, it 
is the usual custom to pasture hogs and cattle 
together. If the water supply be limited, it should 
be so arranged that the hogs cannot spoil it for the 
cattle. If very abundant, no care need be taken in 
this direction. This, and the soiling of the grass by 
the hogs running through it after leaving their wal¬ 
lows, can be the only objections to the plan, and the 
latter is a minor affair if the pasture be as abundant 
as it should be. john m. jamison. 
The Robinson Plum. 
E. 11. B., Rockford, Mich .— Will you describe the Robinson 
plum—color, quality, productiveness and habit of trees ? I can’t 
And it in my catalogues ? 
Ans. —Albertson & Ilobbs, Bridgeport, Ind., intro¬ 
duced it some 10 years ago. It is of medium size, red 
blotched, and said to be of good quality. The tree is 
an early and an abundant bearer. 
Dwarf Apples and Barren Cherry Tree. 
A. B. C., I'oms River, N. J. —1. What is your opinion of dwarf 
apple trees ? Would you advise planting them between standard 
apple trees ? If so, what varieties would you recommend for this 
part of New Jersey t Z. I have a strong, healthy cherry tree 
(Belle Magniflque) that blossoms profusely every spring, but has 
no fruit. What would you advise doing with it ? It is five years 
old. 
Ans.— 1. If the orchard is to be cultivated, the 
dwarfs would, of course, interfere. We see no other 
objection, as apples on Paradise stocks may be planted 
as close as six feet apart. They bear very early, often 
the third year. Red Astrachan, Porter, Alexander, 
Baldwin, Wagener and Northern Spy would be our 
choice. 2. Our impression is that this variety is not 
an early bearer. If the land is rich, root pruning 
may hasten bearing. 
Working Plums on Apricots. 
0. E. S., Lincoln, N. Y.—l have 40 thrifty, three-year-old Royal 
apricot trees, and I don’t think that they are hardy enough for 
us. Will plums grow all right if grafted on them ? Or "would 
you try the apricots longer ? 
Ans. —Yes, plums may be worked on apricot, peach 
or almond stocks. The apricot, however, is not a sat¬ 
isfactory stock upon which to bud or graft plums. It 
is certain that, if our friend graft plums on his 
apricots, the latter will not be made hardier thereby. 
Some of the Newer Grapes. 
E. T„ Boston, Mass.— Some reference has been made in The R. 
N.-Y. to an early-ripening grape, a comparatively new one, 
which I cannot And. Will you refer to it again ? Can it be the 
Alice? It is certainly newer than the Green Mountain. It would 
be a great convenience if The R. N.-Y. would print a list, which 
could be cut out, of the eailiest and best vegetables for a private 
family. One is confused in looking through the catalogues. 
Nott’s Excelsior pea is doing finely for me in the foot hills of the 
White Mountains. 
Ans. —The Alice is a new red grape that we have 
had for years on trial. It was introduced last year. 
This is excellent in quality, thick-skinned and a long 
keeper, but it must not be classed among early grapes. 
Nectar is comparatively new and quite early, of good 
quality, black in color and medium in the size of both 
berry and bunch. Diamond (white), is earlier than 
Concord, showy, hardy and desirable. Early Ohio is 
one of the earliest black grapes, but of inferior qual¬ 
ity. Colerain (white), is an early grape much like 
Concord in quality. Geneva (white), is a new, early 
grape ripening after Green Mountain—berries large, 
pure and of good quality. We are trying nearly all 
the vegetable novelties from year to year, and have 
been so doing for 20 years, and in our reports, as well 
as under Catalogue Reviews, we endeavor to call at¬ 
tention to the best. 
"Holland" Cabbage and its Culture. 
C. 11. O., Lancaster, 0.— A nice, solid cabbage is sold in our mar 
ket. The grocers call it “Holland” cabbage. I think that it 
comes from Long Island, or at least, from New York. Wliat is 
the name? Will it grow in this latitude? It is the most solid 
cabbage that I ever saw, and at this date, our cabbage is all gone. 
Ans. —The most of the foreign cabbage sold here, 
or, at least, the most of the very hard-headed kinds, 
come from Denmark, and are called Danish cabbage. 
Early in the year, these were quoted here at prices 
double those of our domestic cabbage. The heads are 
very hard. As to the quality, opinions differ. We 
have eaten some of it that was very good, while some 
was tough and leathery. The largest importers of it 
here, tell us that the climate is the main factor in its 
solid growth, though we suspect that thorough cul¬ 
ture has something to do with it. We have grown 
some of our best American varieties on good soil with 
