368 
May 30 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
any more with “ plowing under rye as a green ma¬ 
nure.” There is nothing in it. I have had enough 
experience in the matter to say emphatically, There 
is nothing in it for your labor. T. s. S. 
Cooperstown, Pa. 
It. N.-Y.—We shall be glad to learn how that crop 
turns out. It is hard to imagine a better start. 
Three Clovers Side by Side. 
I sowed last year, July 5, a field then growing a crop 
of corn, to Crimson and Mammoth clover. They were 
covered lightly with a Breed’s weeder, with the ends 
removed. Both came up alike, one growing equally 
as fast as the other. The only way one could tell the 
difference was by the color of the leaf. When frost 
came, the Crimson clover took the lead, continuing to 
grow all through the fall and early winter, covering 
the ground perfectly. 
The last of December, plants of each variety were 
washed out; there was but little difference in root 
development, the Crimson being slightly ahead. The 
roots could be easily traced 16 inches deep. About 
the first of January, snow began falling, covering the 
ground. The field was a sheltered location ; the snow 
remained evenly on it until the last of March, and all 
the clover had wintered perfectly. In a few days, 
the Crimson clover commenced dying, and continued 
to do so for a period of two weeks, until there was 
scarcely any left; it did not heave out. A few spots 
of a few feet square, have a fairly good stand. 
The common clover was at home as soon as the 
weather was warm enough; it got right down to 
business, as much as to say to its new neighbor, “I 
am here to stay, and do not intend to be pushed aside 
by your gaudy show.” Every plant made a strong 
and rapid growth at this date, almost covering the 
ground. So well pleased am I with the stand, that I 
shall leave it for hay. I shall also leave a small piece 
of Crimson clover to note the difference in growth. 
I shall seed a large field of corn this summer, with 
Mammoth clover and Timothy, two parts of clover 
and one of Timothy, with a view to cutting a hay 
crop the next year. Some of my neighbors sowed 
Crimson clover ; it has nearly all died, some fields not 
having enough left to stand guard or say who occu¬ 
pied the field last winter. Stand by the old clovers 
in this latitude ! I believe that they will do as much 
for us as Crimson does for New Jersey and Delaware. 
Chautauqua County, N. Y. l. d. gale. 
Crimson Clover Substitute for Red. 
Last year, I made up my mind to experiment, in a 
small way, with Crimson clover. My Medium clover, 
sown on the wheat field in the spring, was all killed 
by the drought. I plowed about two acres of the 
wheat stubble, the second week in August. This 
was well harrowed, and on August 15, I sowed it to 
Crimson clover. The amount sown was one-third of 
a bushel, being at the rate of a bushel to six acres. 
The next day, Prof. Latta, of the Indiana Experiment 
Station, visited me, and I told him about my experi¬ 
ment. He jokingly remarked that I would, probably, 
be richer in experience by another year, if nothing 
more. We had very little rain until late in the fall, 
but the clover made a fairly good growth before 
winter, and along with it, there was a heavy growth 
of volunteer wheat. The clover came through the 
winter better than I expected it to do. Perhaps this 
was due, in part, to the protection afforded by the 
wheat. This clover is now in bloom, and is a pleas¬ 
ing sight. While there is a fair stand, I believe that 
it would be better if it had been sown thicker. 
I do not really believe that it would be best to 
make Crimson clover one of the regular crops m a 
rotation in this latitude ; but when the Red clover 
fails to make a stand, it may be profitable to sow it, 
as in this instance. Of course, this is only one trial, 
and I shall experiment further with it. This one 
trial has not given me sufficient data to reach any 
definite conclusion in regard to it. If I could be 
assured that it would do as well as this every time, I 
would not hesitate, when the other closer fails, to 
sow it just as I did last year. h. s. k. b. 
Middlebury, Ind. 
Hardiness of Japan Walnuts. —Last fall, I set 
out a few Japan walnuts, three years old, on a hill¬ 
side with a southern exposure. I got the trees from 
a well-known New Jersey nursery, exercised care in 
transplanting them, and as soon as the surface soil 
was frozen to the depth of an inch or two, thoroughly 
mulched them with horse manure, and kept the snow 
piled about them through the winter—which was un¬ 
usually severe in this vicinity. All the trees were 
killed to within a foot or two of the ground, below 
which line they are now putting forth sprouts. Is my 
experience with these trees an unusual one ? I would 
like to hear from others in this latitude, and, if pos¬ 
sible, vicinity,who have had experience with the Japan 
walnut. Has any one proved it hardy in this latitude ? 
Jefferson County, N. Y. w. e. m, 
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AILING ANIMALS. 
ANSWERS BY DR F. L. KILBORNE. 
Bladder Trouble in a Horse. 
11. 11., Ware’s Wharf, Va. —What is best to give a horse when 
the urine is scanty and thick ? 
Give a sloppy bran mash at night, once a week, in 
which is dissolved one ounce nitrate of potash. Rub 
the loins with ammonia liniment (equal parts sweet 
oil and strong aqua ammonia, well shaken together). 
Repeat the application in one week, if not well blis¬ 
tered by the first application. 
Treatment for Lumpy Jaw. 
F. W. S., Fast Emsburgh, Vt. —I am giving a cow the iodide of 
potassium treatment, as advised in The R. N.-Y., for lumpy jaw. 
How long should the treatment be continued ? 
The iodide should be given in doses of one to two 
drams (in large animals two to three drams) once 
daily, and continued for six or eight days. Then omit 
for two or three days, and repeat as before, continu¬ 
ing until a cure is effected. The medicine is con¬ 
veniently given dissolved in one pint of soft water, 
and administered as a drench. If symptoms of iodism 
occur, as shown by loss of appetite, catarrhal condi¬ 
tion of the mucous membrane of the nose and throat, 
and weeping eyes, the iodide should be withheld for 
a few days. The bowels should be kept moving 
freely, by feeding green food or mashes, or an occa¬ 
sional dose of Glauber salts, if necessary. 
A Mare “ Out of Condition." 
F. W., Whiting, Vt. —A mare, eight years old, is in poor condi- 
tiou ; she eats well, and has been fed well—ground feed, oats and 
barley. Her skin is very dandruffy. What is the trouble, and 
what is a remedy ? 
The dandruff, or scaly condition of the skin, is 
usually due to some fault in digestion. It is also 
often due, wholly or in part, to the want of cleanli¬ 
ness and lack of proper grooming. First give the 
mare in drench or ball, one ounce each best aloes 
and ginger, as a physic, and follow by a bran mash 
diet until freely purged. If not purged by the first 
dose, repeat it in three days. Then give two table¬ 
spoonfuls once daily in the feed or drinking water of 
the “ liquor arsenici et hydrargyri iodidi.” Grass or 
other green food should be given, at least once daily, 
or in their absence, a bran mash at night two or three 
times a week, sufficient to keep the bowels moving 
naturally. Cleanliness, and a thorough daily groom¬ 
ing are quite essential in such cases. 
Why Grubs Seek Black Hide. 
G. E. P., Maryland, N. Y.—l desire a little more information 
concerning grubs in a cow’s back, as discussed on page 303 of 
The R. N.-Y., and will ask Dr. Kilborue to explain the following : 
In my experience of seven years, with Holstein cattle, I find that 
in cows marked with both black and white, the black portions of 
the back are sometimes badly infested by grubs, while the white 
parts of the back are, generally speaking, entirely free from 
them. In fact, I don’t think that I have ever found more than a 
half dozen in that part of the back which was white in color, and 
those not more than one or two inches from the black color. 
Also, I notice that old cows are much more free from grubs than 
young cows, aged two and three years. 
It is probable that the young grubs or larvas have a 
natural preference or selective power, which causes 
them to locate under the dark skin. Why this is so, I 
cannot explain. The fact that the warbles are found 
mainly on the young cattle, is in keeping with the 
fact, that, with all the animal parasites, both external 
and internal, of the domestic animals, the young are 
the most susceptible and the most frequently and ex¬ 
tensively infested. 
Why Sheep Lose their Wool. 
0. L. R., Monterey, Ohio .— What is the cause of sheeps’ wool 
being fleece-grown ? Why does the wool come off in spots in 
spring ? 
The loss or shedding of the wool, which occurs 
mainly during the spring, may be due to any one of 
several causes. The shedding occurs mainly in the 
springtime, this being the season of the year when 
nearly all animals shed their coats. While sheep do 
not shed their wool with the same regularity that 
horses or cattle shed their hair, many sheep, especially 
the fine wools, shed extensively during the spring, 
and, if not sheared, would shed nearly or quite all 
their fleece during the early summer. Cases are 
known, however, in which the wool has persisted for 
three or four years without being shed. There is a 
strong tendency to the natural shedding during the 
spring, so that the wool is then shed on the slightest 
provocation, or even with no apparent cause. Of the 
causes which favor the loss of the wool, the most 
common are, ticks or scab which cause the sheep to 
rub or tear out the wool with the teeth ; confinement 
in buildings that are too close and hot; following a 
fever or severe disease, and occasionally, as the re¬ 
sult of certain articles of diet, as when fed on man¬ 
gels, the sheep sometimes shed nearly all of the 
wool. 
A “ Roaring ” or " Whistling ” Mare. 
G. F. G., Clayton, Del. —About eight months ago, I came into 
possession of a mare eight years old, heavy with foal. She is 
what horsemen call a whistler, that is, after working a few min¬ 
utes, she breathes very hard and loud, but after a minute’s rest, 
she seems all right again. She is very healthy and sound in other 
ways, eats heartily, and is able and strong. After working some 
time, and while whistling, she has a twitching of the muscles or 
flesh just behind her shoulders, under her fore legs. 
Whistling is only a variation of roaring, an un¬ 
natural loud sound produced in breathing, by a class 
of horses known as “roarers.” The characteristic 
noise is most marked, or in many cases only observed, 
during excitement or active exertion. The whistling 
or roaring is due to some obstruction to the free pas¬ 
sage of the air through the air passages. In the true 
“ roarer,” it is due to the paralysis and wasting of the 
muscles of the left side of the larynx ; and the roar¬ 
ing sound is made (except in very advanced cases) only 
in inspiration or the drawing of the air into the lungs, 
while the expiration is quite free. Other occasional 
causes of whistling are, tumors in the nose or throat, 
false membranes or thickening of the membranes lin¬ 
ing the air passages, deformed bones, enlarged glands, 
or paralysis of the wing of the nostril. In these cases, 
the whistling usually accompanies both inspiration 
and expiration. True roaring, depending on the par¬ 
alysis and wasting of the laryngeal muscles, is usually 
incurable. Relief can be afforded only by the deli¬ 
cate operation of arytenectomy. In the occasional 
forms, a cure can be effected when due to a remov¬ 
able cause. If the animal is valuable, I would advise 
having her examined by a competent veterinarian to 
ascertain the cause, and whether treatment is prac¬ 
ticable. If the mare prove to be a true “ roarer,” it 
will not be desirable to continue breeding her. The 
offspring from either sire or dam that is a roarer, are 
very liable to inherit a predisposition to the affection. 
A CROP OF SOJA BEANS. 
W. Y. V., New York.— Would Soja beans be a good crop to sow 
on an old strawberry bed, turned under in July ? If so, what is 
the best manner to put them in ? 
May Answer for Green Manuring. 
Soja beans sown not later than July 10, will give a 
good crop for plowing under as green manure, or if 
frost do not occur before September 20, might be fed 
green. I would advise sowing in drills, 2)4 feet apart, 
at the rate of one bushel per acre. The crop should 
be cultivated several times during the first month. 
If sown broadcast, the weeds would, probably, inter¬ 
fere badly with the growth of the crop. 
Storrs Experiment Station. c. s. phelps. 
What Soja Beans Are. 
The name, Soja, as applied to beans, designates a 
class or species, Glycine hispida, and is not the name 
of a variety. There are many varieties in this class, 
and they vary widely as to the length of season re¬ 
quired for growth. The earliest varieties mature in 
about the same length of time as our earliest varie¬ 
ties of garden beans, while the latest require a con¬ 
siderably longer season than we have here. There is, 
probably, no variety that would mature if planted in 
July that W. Y. V. would find of value as a grain 
crop, for the yield would be very small. The earliest 
variety that I look upon as of much value for a fodder 
crop, either to be fed green, or put into the silo with 
corn or millet, is one which I call “ Medium Green.” 
It requires about the same length of season as Long¬ 
fellow corn. It would not ripen if planted in July, 
but in a specially favorable season, might produce 
considerable valuable fodder. We have, however, 
never planted any variety as late as July, and from 
what I have seen of the growth of these beans, I do 
not recommend it for the purpose suggested. 
Massachusetts Ex. Station. wm, p. brooks. 
Pretty Late for the Beans. 
W. Y. V. does not say to what purpose he would 
put the crop when grown, whether it is to be turned 
under as green manure, or to be cut for feeding pur¬ 
poses. We have had no experience, whatever, with 
sowing Soja beans as late in the season as July. That 
class of plants is very susceptible to frosts, and would 
be destroyed by the first cold snap in the fall. I very 
much doubt whether sufficient growth could be se¬ 
cured between July and the first frosts of September, 
to prove remunerative as a feeding crop. Even as a 
green crop to plow under, I question whether it 
would not be better economy to sow Crimson clover 
which, as a nitrogen gatherer, would be equally effi¬ 
cient, and would have the merit of making consider¬ 
able growth during the fall months, as it withstands 
light frosts perfectly. Soja beans, sown from May 20 
to June 20, make a very ^desirable green fodder crop 
