448 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 4 
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piece of paper.] 
AILING ANIMALS. 
ANSWERS BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
Worms in Pigs ; Catarrhal Fever in Steer. 
F. M., Saint Clair, Mich. —1. I lost two pigs four weeks old. 
They began to get lame in the hind legs at first, and inside of 24 
hours were dead. On opening their stomachs, I found worms 
about an inch long. They look much like cutworms. Another 
got lame in the same way, and I gave it one-half teaspoonful of 
turpentine in some water, and it is all right again. I gave the 
same remedy to one of the others, but it died. The sow was fed 
on sour milk, etc., with ground oats and shorts, and had the run 
of an old orchard. What causes the worms ? What is the best 
remedy ? 2. My neighbor had a yearling steer taken sick. For 
two days a yellow discharge came from his nose and eyes, and 
the eyes were swollen. His breath is short and quick. The third 
morning, the yellow discharge stopped. He froths some at the 
mouth. His horns both came off on taking hold of them. He is 
now broken out with pimples. The urine is sometimes as red as 
blood. What is the cause and remedy ? 
1. The worms result from the pigs taking in, either 
with the ir food or drinking water, the eggs or young 
embryos of the worms. The food or drinking water 
becomes contaminated through the droppings of the 
older, worm-infested hogs. The contamination can 
be largely avoided by cleanliness, and allowing only 
clean, fresh water for the young pigs to drink. Stag¬ 
nant water is always favorable to the propagation 
and transmission of many intestinal worms, when 
present in the herd. Others are transmitted directly 
through the feces from pig to pig. Collect and re¬ 
move the feces daily, and dust the pen or yard with 
dry, air-slaked quicklime. Have no mudholes or 
pools of stagnant water to which the pigs have access. 
The turpentine is as effective a vermicide as can be 
given ; but it should be administered well shaken up 
in milk, oil or eggs, instead of water, with which it is 
not miscible. The dose of the oil of turpentine as a 
vermicide, should be about one teaspoonful for each 
30 or 35 pounds of pig. It should be given as a drench, 
on an empty stomach , well shaken up in eight parts of 
milk or four parts of oil. The dose may be repeated 
once or twice at intervals of four or five days. 2. 
The steer, evidently, had a severe attack of catarrhal 
fever. Usually little treatment is necessary, beyond 
dry, comfortable quarters and a light, laxative diet. 
In the present case, a fresh sheep skin, or an applica¬ 
tion of ammonia liniment, over the loins, would be 
beneficial. If there is costiveness, give quart doses of 
raw linseed oil every other day until relieved. 
Indigestion in a Cow. 
It. B., Bourbon, Mo. —My cow began to fail in milk, looked 
stupid, and when raising her cud, would throw her head up and 
become weak. One evening, she gnawed the fence and slobbered. 
The next morning she was better, chewed her cud and ate her 
feed as usual. Last evening, she was weak and seemed stiff in 
the hind legs. We gave her lard, and this morning she is better, 
and feeds as usual again. She is six years old, and dropped her 
calf April 13. 
Give the cow one quart raw linseed oil, and repeat 
every two or three days until the bowels move freely. 
Also give one large teaspoonful of powdered nux 
vomica in the feed night and morning. The diet 
should consist of grass and roots or other green food, 
with sloppy bran mashes. Boiled flaxseed may be 
added to advantage. 
Skin Disease in a Cat. 
W. M. B., Peace Dale, It. I. —I have a valuable cat, seven years 
old, a remarkable rat catcher. It is now covered with a kind of 
scurvy. Is there anything I can do to relieve it ? 
Wash with warm Castile soapsuds to break up and 
remove as much of the scurf as possible. Then 
sponge off with a one to two-per cent solution of 
creolin. Give one to two drops of Fowler’s solution 
of arsenic on the food once daily. 
Insects Found On Grapes. 
E. B. C., Chase City, Va. —I send some insect eggs which I find 
deposited on some of my grape vines and trellis wire. Are they 
the eggs of a grape enemy or not ? I also send a section of vine 
which seems to have been bored by some insect. I have cut into 
several vines, but I have never found the enemy. What is it, and 
the remedy, if any ? I have a vineyard of 2,000 vines, and in 
pruning I found 100 or more vines more or less affected by this 
borer. 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
The eggs found on the grape vines, belong to two 
very different looking insects, yet both are members 
of the same order—the orthoptera, of which the grass¬ 
hoppers are familiar representatives. One specimen 
consisted of a double row of large, oval, flat, brown, 
seed-like, overlapping eggs which were laid by one of 
the katydids. E. B. C. will, doubtless, recall the 
illustration of a katydid and her eggs so aptly 
entitled, “ A katydid and what she did,” in The It, 
N.-Y. for February 2, 1895. It was, doubtless, the 
same kind of insect that laid the eggs sent in by E. 
B. C. The katydids feed upon foliage, but rarely 
occur in sufficient numbers to do noticeable damage. 
The other eggs consisted of two long, thick masses, 
having no resemblance to eggs ; but a critical exam¬ 
ination would reveal many curious little embryos 
snugly packed away inside. The masses are the 
ootheca or egg-clusters of a strange and weird-appear¬ 
ing insect known as the Praying Mantes. They are 
large, long, slender insects found stretched out on a 
branch or leaf quietly awaiting their meal. “ Cer¬ 
tainly they are pious-looking fellows, with their front 
legs clasped together in front of their meek, alert 
faces, andit*is no wonder that they are called Praying 
Mantes. But the only prayer that could ever enter 
the mind of a Mantes, would be that some unwary 
insect might come near enough for him to grab it 
with his hypocritical claws, and so get a meal. 
Devil-horses, rear-horses, and camel-crickets are other 
names applied to these insects, because of the long, 
slender prothorax which makes them look like tiny 
giraffes. They are also called mule-killers, from the 
absurd superstition that the dark-colored saliva they 
eject from their mouths (the ‘ grasshopper-molasses 
of our childhood days), is fatal to the mule. But they 
are absolutely harmless to man and beast. They are 
mostly tropical insects, and often have wings that 
resemble the leaves of trees. Our common species, 
Phasmomantis Carolina, is confined to the Southern 
States.” (From Comstock’s Manual for the Study of 
Insects). They are thus beneficial insects. 
I do not know what insect it is that bores into the 
grape vines as indicated on the specimen sent. It 
looks like the beginning of the burrow of some small 
bark-beetle. It will be necessary to catch the insect 
at it, before one can say definitely just what is doing 
the mischief. 
Insects That Work on Strawberries. 
P. J. C., Red Cloud, Neb.-- 1 send some worms and a sample of 
their work, as I find them in large quantities in my strawberry 
patch. What are they ? I also send a strawberry partly eaten. 
I find them among the green berries as well as among the ripe, 
but have not been troubled nearly so much this year as I was 
last. What’s to be done ? How is kainit used most effectually in 
killing grubs ? 
Ans. —The specimens arrived in a badly crushed 
condition, so that I cannot diagnose the case with 
certainty. But the leaves showed the work of the 
common Strawberry Leaf-roller (Phoxopteris comp- 
tana), and one or two dead pupae of this insect were 
found. The caterpillars of this insect, in some unex¬ 
plained way, double the two halves of a strawberry 
leaf together, and live and feed within this fold. 
This method makes it impracticable to fight them 
with the poison sprays. In Illinois, where the insect 
is often very destructive, it is checked effectually by 
mowing over the field as soon as the crop is gathered, 
allowing the cut leaves to dry for a day or two, then 
spreading a thin scattering of straw over the bed and 
setting it afire. The eateii berry failed to arrive, so I 
cannot tell what ate it. We are not yet sure that 
kainit, used in practicable quantities, will kill grubs, 
so I cannot give any advice as to its use as an insecti¬ 
cide. M. v. s. 
Peas and Oats in Ohio. 
W. H. M., Canton, 0. —Early this spring, I sowed some Canada 
field peas and oats, that are making quite a satisfactory growth 
on what I consider rather poor soil. I expect to cut them for feed 
during the fore part of July, then turn under the stubble, add 
some manure, and sow to corn, for fodder ; cultivate the corn 
once or twice, and sow Crimson clover among the corn. Do you 
consider this a good plan to get the greatest amount of feed in a 
season ? If so, will you tell how to cure the peas and oats, so as 
to make the best feed, and whether there is much danger of spoil¬ 
ing them in the curing? Is it advisable to follow with corn for 
fodder ? What variety of corn shall I sow, and about how thick 
for the best results, so that I may have good fodder when cured ? 
I had thought of using the Minnesota Early, believing that it 
would be likely to mature. Would you recommend some other 
variety? If so, what? Or would you recommend that I sow 
some other forage plant? If so, what ? I wish to get Crimson 
clover on the same ground if possible. I have tried it the past two 
seasons, two bushels each year. I have never had anything like a 
good stand, but as it did grow—in spots—I purpose to try again. 
I attribute the lack of success to the fact that the condition of the 
soil was not what it should have been ; neither has it been favor¬ 
able in this neighborhood for the Red clover, so I do not purpose 
to condemn the new under conditions that have not given success 
with the old. Would you recommend sowing oats with the Crim¬ 
son clover, or peas instead of oats ? Would it be wise to sow 
turnips with Crimson clover ? 
Ans. —To cure oats and peas properly, so as to make 
the best feed, they should be cut before the leaves 
turn yellow on the peas, and the oats become woody. 
Cut early enough for the best feed ; they are slow to 
cure, and need intelligent handling. I would not use 
the tedder unless very soon after mowing, but turn, 
if needed, by hand, and put into small cocks rather 
green, and after a day or so, open these to the sun 
and air again, and haul in as soon as dry. I do not 
think that the proposed plan of sowing fodder corn 
to be followed by Crimson clover, has a good chance 
of success. I have not seen much success with Crim¬ 
son clover in this State when sown among corn. I 
would, rather, advise, if it is earnestly desired to get 
a good stand of Crimson clover, that it be sown alone 
as early as the land caD be well prepared after the 
peas and oats are off. Be sure to firm the soil well 
with a heavy roller before sowing the seed, or after 
if it be dry. Should the land be so poor that there is 
reason for suspicion that that is the reason for the 
failure of the clover catch, I would suggest using, 
say, 300 pounds of good fertilizer to the acre, for I 
find it much easier to get a catch of clover where the 
land is fertile. I would sow nothing with the Crim¬ 
son clover. It may seem strange to advise enriching 
the soil for growing a soil enricher ; yet, consider, do 
we not give the hired man a substantial breakfast 
before we set him to digging potatoes ? I have this 
year an illustration on this point : A very poor clay 
field was manured fairly well and planted to straw¬ 
berries. One crop was taken off last year, a very 
poor one because of frost, and the land was then thor¬ 
oughly cleaned out and a good, complete fertilizer 
applied at the rate of 900 pounds per acre. Without 
any seed being sown, the clovers—Red and White— 
have come in where that fertilizer was applied, so 
that they have made an excellent stand. My partner 
who manages the berries, does not think that he could 
see marked results in the crop of berries, but it is so 
difficult to say what might have been without the 
fertilizer. Perhaps it is more desired that the field 
return a large amount of forage this year, than that 
it get seeded to Crimson clover. In that case, there 
is nothing better to follow the oats and peas than 
corn. I have tried Stowell’s Evergreen, with marked 
success for fodder corn, although it is difficult to cure 
for winter feeding. No doubt the Early Minnesota 
will do well. j. e. wing. 
Canada and Cow Peas Compared. 
E. II., Jerusalem Mills, Md. —Will M. H. Beckwith tell why the 
Canada pea is not so good as the cow pea, being as rich in nitro¬ 
gen, and give an analysis of cow peas and Canada peas side by 
side ? It would be a great satisfaction to me, and probably, to 
some others, as many of us can grow Canada peas with more 
success than cow peas. 
Ans. —If E. II. desires the forage for use early in the 
season, then Canada peas will have to be used. They 
can be sown as early in the spring as the land can be 
put in suitable condition, and the forage will be ready 
for use early in June. The cow pea is a warm-weather 
plant, and must, necessarily, be sown when danger 
from frost is past, and, of course, the forage will not 
be ready for use until late in the season. The analysis 
as made by Prof. Penny, the chemist of this station, 
is as follows : 
Muscle- Fat- 
Fat. makers, formers. 
Canada pea. 0.76 3.83 3.86 
Cow pea. 0.79 3.49 14.06 
From the above, there appears to be very little differ¬ 
ence in the amount of muscle-makers, while there is 
a great difference in fat-formers in favor of the cow 
pea. The Canada peas, when grown here, are sown 
with oats, and produce from six to eight tons of green 
fodder. As they can be grown as a second crop after 
Crimson clover, they make a very desirable crop to 
mix with corn when filling the silo. Much will, of 
course, depend upon the use to be made of the crops ; 
but if grown for ensilage, I believe that the cow pea 
is a much more desirable crop. m. ii. beckwith. 
Delaware Experiment Station. 
How to Build a Mushroom House. 
J. R. C., Abingdon, III. —What is meant by a mushroom house ? 
How is it built, and what is the cost ? 
ANSWERED BY W. VAN FLEET. 
A mushroom house is, of course, a structure espe¬ 
cially adapted for the culture of edible mushrooms. 
Though the growing of mushrooms has rapidly in¬ 
creased during the past five years, very few houses 
have yet been built for that sole purpose in this 
country, the supply still coming largely from beds 
formed under the benches of greenhouses, in cellars 
and outbuildings, or other odd corners. As the mush¬ 
room grows best in darkness, the essential conditions 
of culture being a friable soil full of fermenting vege¬ 
table matter, moderate moisture and a steady tem¬ 
perature between 50 and 65 degrees—it is apparent 
that an excavation in the soil of the proper form and 
size, covered with a tight roof, will best meet the re¬ 
quirements. Probably the least expensive form of 
mushroom house is modeled after the ordinary “even- 
span” greenhouse, substituting a board and paper, or 
shingle, roof in place of glass or sash. If the house is 
10 feet wide inside the walls, it will accommodate two 
ranges of beds of the convenient width of four feet, 
leaving a passage of two feet wide between; or it may 
be made 18 feet in width, giving the two four-foot 
beds at the side an additional passage, and a center 
range six feet wide. 
The mode of construction is as follows : On a well- 
drained site, dig out to the depth of three or four 
feet, an excavation of the required width and length, 
keeping the soil near at hand to bank up the struc¬ 
ture to the eaves when completed. For the 10-foot 
house, use posts nine feet long of locust, cedar or 
chestnut, and set them at least 2)4 feet deep in the 
bottom of the excavation, placing them about six feet 
apart along the.sides, Along the tops, which should 
