1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
337 
falling off in flesh, and in extreme cases, dropsical 
swellings, especially under the throat, rolling of the 
eyes and giddiness. 
While most writers say that medicinal treatment is 
of little advantage, I have found the following very 
satisfactory : Shake well together, oil of turpentine, 
three ounces ; carbolic acid, four drams, and chloro¬ 
form, six drams ; always shake just before using. 
Dose, one large teaspoonful for a full-grown sheep. 
Place the sheep on its back, and have it held by an 
assistant. Turn the head slightly to one side, and 
pour one-half teaspoonful of the mixture into the 
upper nostril, then roll the head to the other side and 
pour the remaining half teaspoonful into the other 
nostril. Move the head from side to side for a few 
seconds before allowing the animal to rise to its feet. 
Repeat the dose once a week until relieved. This 
nasal injection may, possibly, be found to be equally 
efficacious in chronic cases of catarrh, when the tur¬ 
binated bones and sinuses are affected. The grubs 
can, also, be successfully removed by trephining the 
sinuses ; but as the operation requires the services of 
a veterinary surgeon, it is unnecessary to describe the 
method here. 
Much may be done during the summer to prevent 
the sheep becoming extensively affected with the 
oestrus larvae. One of the most effective methods is 
to give them shelter in an airy but darkened shed or 
stable during the heat of the day, this being the time 
during which the fly works, the sheep to be turned 
to pasture towards evening, and taken up again in 
the morning. The presence of the flies is shown by 
the sheep running wildly about, as if trying to avoid 
or shake off something, shaking of the head, stamp¬ 
ing of the forefeet. While running about, the sheep 
hold the nose close to the ground to avoid the attacks 
of the fly. The flock is usually seen huddled together 
along the fence, under a tree or other shelter, with 
heads to the center and their noses low down and 
close under each other. 
A method often employed to prevent the attacks of 
the fly, is to smear the nose every two or three days 
with some viscid substance which is distasteful to the 
flies. One of the most effective mixtures is equal 
parts of pine tar and fish or whale oil, to be applied 
with a brush around the nostrils. Others recommend 
feeding the sheep salt from two-inch auger holes 
bored in a log, the margin of the holes being smeared 
with tar, so that the sheep get a dressing every time 
they reach for the salt. This method is fairly effective. 
June Budding of Peach Trees. 
.7. 0., Sable , Ontario, Can. —I have a lot of peach trees that I 
budded last fall, and a number of them missed. What shall I do 
with them ? Can I bud them in June again ? 
Ans.—P eaches that were budded last fall and failed 
to take, can be budded again this season in the new 
growth, if it is desirable to leave them where they 
are now growing ; but if in nursery row to be trans¬ 
planted, these two-year roots would not be of much 
use for this purpose. j. h. hale. 
The Chinch Bug in New York State. 
M. 11. S., Centerville , N. Y .—Chinch bugs appeared here last 
summer, in quite large numbers, and did some damage. Will they 
be liable to be here again this summer ? If so, will they not be 
liable to kill our new seeding? We have failed to get a catch of 
grass in this section for three years, and there will be a large 
amount of new seeding. I see that in Minnesota they have an 
infectious disease that they send out from the State experiment 
station, that causes the bugs to die. Have they anything of the 
kind in this State? If so, where can it be obtained ? 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
The Chinch bug is one of the most destructive, and 
one of the hardest to fight, of any of our insect foes. 
It is naturally a Southern insect, and most of its 
destruction has been wrought in the South, and in the 
Mississippi Valley, especially in the States of Illinois, 
. Missouri, Kansas and Minnesota. It was first recorded 
in North Carolina in 1783, but did not receive a scien¬ 
tific name until 1831. Since 1839, it has attracted more 
or less attention almost every year by its ravages in 
some locality in the Mississippi Valley. It is estimated 
that it damaged Illinois farmers to the extent of 
$10,000,000 in 1871 ; in 1874, Missouri lost $19,000,000 
through its ravages ; and in 18o7, the losses in several 
States amounted to the enormous sum of $60,000,000 
from this little foe. Is it any wonder that New York 
farmers are anxious to know whether any such dire 
results are likely to follow the appearance of such a 
destructive insect in our State ? 
The Chinch bug is known to occur in all of the East¬ 
ern and Middle States, and in Canada ; but it has 
rarely appeared insufficient numbers in these parts of 
the country to have attracted notice from its ravages. 
It was first met with in New York State in j 847 and 
1851, when Dr. Fitch found three specimens. Since 
that time, and until 1882, the insect had been rarely 
seen in our State ; so rare was it that insect writers 
then had no knowledge of its occurrence in the State, 
except the record of Dr. Fitch’s capture of the three 
specimens mentioned. However, in 1882, it appeared 
in destructive numbers in several Timothy meadows 
in Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties, and continued 
its ravages in these counties during the following 
year. Although the insect went into hibernation in 
large numbers that fall, the apprehension of its 
increase and spread in 1884 was not realized; it 
seemed to have been checked by natural causes, as 
the severity of the winter and early spring rains. 
The bug seems not to have appeared in injurious 
numbers in that portion of the State since. In 1888, 
the bugs appeared in some meadow lands in destruc¬ 
tive numbers, in Erie County, but cold rains in May 
checked them. It was not until six years afterward, 
or 1894, that the insect again attracted the attention 
of New York farmers. Last year, we learned from a 
correspondent in Allegany County, that the bugs had 
ruined his meadows the previous season, and were 
then at work in his grain. Another report from the 
same county stated that “ hundreds of acres of Tim¬ 
othy meadows were totally dead, and most of the 
remainder were dying rapidly.” M. B. S.’s query 
shows that the bugs were also numerous in Sullivan 
County in 1895. Last year seems to have been very 
favorable for them all over the country, for never 
before have their inj uries been so general over so 
large a territory ; Ohio as well as New York farmers 
suffered from this, to them, strange foe. 
We have no knowledge of the numbers of the in¬ 
sects that went into hibernation last fall in our State, 
but its history as given above would strongly indicate 
that New York farmers have but little to fear from 
the Chinch bug. For, it has appeared in injurious 
numbers in the State but three times in 13 years, its 
ravages have not continued for more than two sea¬ 
sons in any instance, and it has never reappeared in 
noticeable numbers in the same locality. It is thus 
very doubtful whether it ever becomes the serious 
and constant menace to farm crops in New York 
State that it is in Illinois, Kansas or Minnesota. 
The Chinch bugs hibernate in the adult winged 
State, in any sheltered nook they can find ; they like 
to work their way down to the stools of grass below 
the surface of the ground. They come forth early in 
the spring, probably in May in New York State, and 
lay their amber-colored eggs, 1-33 of an inch long, at 
the base of grasses or grain. One female can lay 
nearly 250 eggs, usually occupying several weeks in 
their deposition. The eggs hatch in about two weeks, 
and the young bugs, called nymphs, soon become of 
a bright-red color, and shed their skins four times be¬ 
fore the adult winged stage is reached. The name. 
Chinch bug, was applied to the insect from the fact 
that the nymphs resemble the well-known and much- 
despised bed bug, which was everywhere known in 
the south by the Spanish name, chincho. The first 
brood of these red nymphs mature in July and 
August, and the adults lay eggs for a second brood, 
whose nymphs develop into the adults that go into 
hibernation. There are thus two broods of the bugs 
a year. 
Several years ago, it was discovered that, in some 
seasons, millions of bugs died from the attacks of 
some fungous disease. It was found that this fungus 
could be propagated in large quantities, and there are 
now several distributing stations from which millions 
of the diseased bugs are sent out annually to afflicted 
farmers who apply. There are such stations at Urbana, 
111., St. Anthony Park, Minn., Lawrence, Kan., and 
Lincoln, Neb.; I think thatsome were also distributed 
from Wooster, O., last year. Large quantities of this 
fungus have been propagated here, at Cornell Univer¬ 
sity, but it was for use at the Minnesota Station. 
There is no doubt that much good has been accom¬ 
plished from the distribution of this disease in this 
way. In some cases, wholesale destruction has soon 
followed the introduction of a few diseased bugs into 
an infested field ; but in other cases, entire failure 
has resulted. 
Careful experiments have recently shown that this 
method cannot be depended upon for the wholesale 
destruction of the Chinch bug, unless certain favor¬ 
able weather conditions prevail. When these condi¬ 
tions do not prevail, the spread of the disease is so 
slow that the diminution in the numbers of the bugs 
is scarcely perceptible. It has been conclusively 
shown that the disease cannot be sown here and there 
regardless of favorable conditions, with any hopes of 
good results. Man cannot bring about the favorable 
conditions, so that Nature must take her course. Thus 
far, the work of the insect in New York State has not 
seemed to warrant the necessary expense attendant 
upon the propagation and distribution of this fungous 
disease. No doubt, any of the stations above men¬ 
tioned, would supply any New York farmer who cares 
to apply, with some of the disease ; or I will gladly 
try to get some for any one who may desire to try it. 
We believe that the Chinch bug can be controlled 
in New York State by deep fall plowing, or burning 
over of infested lands late in the fall. By either of 
these methods, many of the hibernating bugs will be 
destroyed. 
Fertilizer for Orange Trees. 
C. O. A., Sorrento, Fla .—What is your idea of a fertilizer com¬ 
posed of nitrate of soda, kainlt, and Florida acid phosphate, to 
be used on orange groves to make wood ? Some old groves might 
be benefited by the application of the chlorine which is in the 
kainit. It might be a good time to kill out the insect and fungous 
growth which may have been prevalent in some groves, and I 
understand that chlorine is good for that, though objectionable 
where fruit is desired. Do you think blood and bone or tankage 
a good thing to put on old groves to make wood ? Of course, the 
maiu thing now is to make good, healthy wood for fruiting two or 
three yeai’s hence ? 
Ans.—O n light, leachy soils, we would not use much 
nitrate of soda. Our opinion is that blood and bone, 
or cotton-seed meal will give cheaper nitrogen, and 
also be as effective in promoting wood growth. In 
any part of the South, we would figure closely on the 
cost of cotton-hull ashes before buying other forms 
of potash. At anything like equal prices, the potash 
in the ashes is to be preferred. For fruit, we would 
certainly prefer muriate to kainit. 
The Symptoms of Tubercuiosis. 
W. W. P., North, Ferrisburgh, Vt .—What are the symptoms of 
tuberculosis in cattle ? 
Ans.—D r. Law says that it is simply impossible to 
detail the symptoms so that every man may recognize 
tuberculosis if present in his own herd. Yet there 
are some symptoms with which he may acquaint him¬ 
self. In tuberculosis of the throat, the nodular gland 
masses, felt beneath the ears and around the throat, 
are enlarged and irregular in form on the two sides 
or they are shrunken and hard like gristle. The 
afflicted animal, too, makes a wheezing noise in 
breathing, especially when driven or excited. These 
symptoms are not positively conclusive, since they 
may be the result -of other causes. In tuberculosis 
of the lungs, there is a dry, wheezing, persistent 
cough, especially when the affected animal leaves the 
stable for the cooler air outside, drinks cold water, 
eats dusty or fibrous food, or when it is driven hard 
or excited, and in the last case, the breathing becomes 
rapid and panting. The breath has an offensive odor, 
and there is usually a discharge from the nostrils con¬ 
taining whitish flocculi. The animal becomes ema¬ 
ciated, the skin dry and scurfy, and adherent to the 
ribs, and the hair stands on end in patches, especially 
along the ridge of the back, and is dry and lusterless. 
The eyes are sunken and dull. Pinching the back at 
the shoulders or the breast bone, or the spaces be¬ 
tween the ribs, is liable to cause wincing and groan¬ 
ing or coughing, as well as striking the ribs with the 
fist. The ear applied at the side of the chest, will 
detect a difference in the respiration between an 
affected and a healthy animal. In tuberculosis of the 
udder, there is usually some enlargement of the 
affected quarter without any very perceptible heat, 
pain, or tenderness, and a corresponding enlargement 
of the lymphatic glands in front of and behind the 
udder. In general, if an animal fail to thrive on lib¬ 
eral feeding, lose flesh and the natural gloss of its 
coat, tuberculosis may be suspected. Dr. Law says 
that the most accomplished veterinarian will fail to 
detect the great majority of cases of tuberculosis, so 
that it would seem unreasonable to expect the farmer 
to do so with his own herd. 
Some Queer Results With Corn. 
E. P. 0., Cheshire, Conn.—I have fed corn stalks in all stages, 
aud in varied quantities, to cows, grade or purebred Jerseys, 
which I keep for their butter qualities alone, and have never fed 
them without getting less butter, which was harder to churn and 
of inferior quality, though the flow of milk was always increased 
in a marked degree. I have tried them carefully back and forth 
alternated with a poor quality of hay with the same amount of 
grain in each case, and each time I clearly got the best results in 
butter from the dry, poor quality hay. I have fed the stalks in all 
stages, from green suckers in July to dry stalks in winter, and have 
always used Evergreen sweet corn. My experience with turnips 
has been similar—less butter, more milk—though fed without any 
injury as to taste. Mangels seem to be about neutral, but apples 
have given me the very best of results. I have fed as high as one- 
half bushel per cow a day, and thought that I was getting good 
value for my windfalls—better than letting them go to make in¬ 
toxicants. As to the stalks, where is the trouble—in the manner 
of feeding, in the cows, or are they better suited for milk, than for 
butter ? I use gluten meal and bran for grain, with good results 
in milk and butter, but 10 quarts a day leaves me a thin cow. 
Would I get as much butter and a fatter cow by feeding the same 
amount of corn meal, which I can buy at the same price as 
gluten ? 
Ans.—I cannot explain or account for E. P. O.’s 
trouble with corn stover. It is contrary to all of our 
results. We feed green corn stover from all varieties 
of sweet corn, in August and September with excel¬ 
lent results ; also ensilage in winter from sweet and 
dent corn. I would test the buttermilk to see whether 
the trouble is there. A little salt to cows occasion¬ 
ally, will help to bring butter more quickly. We 
believe that ensilage from corn well cured, with bran 
and cotton-seed meal, is the best and cheapest food 
for milk and butter. On this ration, our cows keep in 
fine condition, and give good results, both in the pail 
and at the churn. Our cows always lessen in produc¬ 
tion, and get in poorer condition, after the silo gives 
out, and we go back to good, early-cut hay. We are 
losing faith in some of the gluten feeds. Corn meal 
will make butter of excellent quality. h. g. m. 
