1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
769 
Bloody Milk; Lame Cows. 
J. S., Uonkling Forks , N. T. —1. I have a heifer, a graded 
Holstein, 2!4 years old, which has her first calf. At the first 
milking, the milk from one teat was bloody. Now at the fourth 
day, the milk from all teats is the same. Appetite good; udder 
free from swelling. She ran in pasture until she came in. What 
is the cause and remedy f 2. There are, also, two other cows lame 
in their hind legs. On one, both stifle joints are swollen, and on 
the other, only one, but it is so badly swollen that she has to 
walk on three legs. Their feed is corn fodder, bran and meal, 
and they have never been injured, to my knowledge. 
1. The bloody milk was, probably, due to the con¬ 
gestion of the udder attendant upon parturition. If 
it has not already disappeared, bathe three or four 
times daily with hot water, for 20 minutes at a 
time. Then rub dry, and bathe with camphorated 
spirit. 2. Rub the swollen joints with ammonia 
liniment (stronger aqua ammonia and sweet oil, equal 
parts well shaken together) once every two or three 
days until well blistered. Then omit until nearly 
healed, when repeat as before if necessary. 
Death of Young Lambs. 
F. P. It., St. Sophie, P. Q .—I have lost seven lambs within 10 
days, and four that I have saved are sickly looking, and do not 
seem to have any strength. Those that died were twins. From 
two of the sheep, I saved one each. Twins that came last night 
were both dead this morning. There seems to be a growth like a 
beef’s heart on the windpipe. I cut one open which was as large 
as a robin’s egg. The sheep are in good order, were on clover 
aftermath for a month, and then, when that was finished, re¬ 
moved to good meadow. I applied the kerosene emulsion that 
Mr. Woodward speaks of, just before the second one lambed, and 
can think of nothing else that could hurt them. I turned it on 
their backs to let it run down their sides to kill the ticks. Should 
there be any such growth on a lamb's throat? Would the emul¬ 
sion hurt them if applied from six to fifteen days before lambing ? 
Last year, with the same sheep and same ram (pure Shropshire), 
I had very good success, only the lambs came in January. I bring 
the sheep into the barn at night. When the lambs breathe, one 
can hear them at some distance away, owing to a rattling sound 
in their throats. The sheep are not fed anything except grass 
until they lamb; then I shut them up and grain them Should 
they be shut up and fed grain before lambing? 
As far as I can judge from your description, the 
trouble is with the ewes and not with the lambs, as 
they do not appear to be strong or well nourished at 
birth. Endeavor to improve the strength and vigor 
of the ewes. Examine the drinking water to make 
sure that it is wholesome. I would also advise giving 
the remaining pregnant ewes a moderate grain ration, 
as ground oats or wheat bran. While lambing, they 
should have warm, dry comfortable quarters. If the 
emulsion was not applied stronger than directed, it, 
probably, has nothing to do with the trouble. The 
growth you mention is, undoubtedly, one of the nor¬ 
mal glands of the throat. 
To Muzzle a Sucking Cow. 
II. T. II., Florence, Ky. —How can I prevent a cow from sucking 
herself ? 
Ans. —Unless the cow is a specially valuable one, 
you would do well to dispose of her, for this bad habit 
cannot be cured. You must prevent her from reach¬ 
ing the teats with her mouth. Some farmers use a 
“ milk muzzle,” such as is shown at Fig. 252, which 
will answer. It is made of soft wood, about 5x6 inches. 
The opening, c, between the two points, is about half 
an inch. B is a space about 2)4 x 3>£ inches. This 
can be cut out with a knife. Round off the points, 
a a, so that they will not cut the cow’s nose. Wire 
nails are driven into the wood as shown, to prevent 
splitting. To use, hook one point into one nostril, 
and work the muzzle edgewise through the space, so 
that the other point comes into the other nostril like 
a nose ring. In this position, the board hangs down 
in front of the cow’s mouth. She can eat freely, but 
cannot get hold of the teat. This we regard as the 
most practical way of muzzling a self-sucking cow. 
Root-Grafting Roses; Bordeaux Mixture. 
II. L. T., California. —1. Is there any clematis that never 
blooms ? Can it be grafted from one that does bloom ? 2. Has 
The R. N.-Y. ever tried root-grafting roses ? 3. How is the Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture made for black mildew on grapes ? 
Ans. —1. No. Under normal conditions, a bloom¬ 
less clematis could not be obtained by grafting. 2. 
Root-grafting is much employed by nurserymen in 
propagating roses. The process is much the same as 
that used in root-grafting apples. The veneer graft 
is used; when the scion has been placed in proper 
position, it is secured to the stock by winding with 
waxed twine. The union may then be wrapped with 
oiled paper. The grafts are then placed in pots, a 
row of them around the edge of each, soil is filled in 
around them till the bud on the scion alone is ex¬ 
posed. The pots are placed in the greenhouse and, in 
the spring, the plants are either planted in beds or 
potted in small pots. 3. A good formula for Bordeaux 
Mixture is as follows: Four pounds of copper sul¬ 
phate, three pounds of lime and 45 gallons of water. 
Dissolve the copper in hot water, or by suspending it 
in cold water. Pour the solution into a barrel that is 
two-thirds full of water. Slake the lime and add it to 
the solution in the form of a thin whitewash, being 
careful to keep out any residue that might clog the 
nozzles. Next dilute the whole to the required 
amount. w\ j>. 
White Arsenic in Place of Paris-Green. 
B. T. W., Rochester , Mass .—Wbat objections are there to the use 
of common white arsenic in the place of Paris-green as an insec¬ 
ticide ? Are there other objections besides the fact that the color 
is so close to that of sugar, dour and other substances, that it 
might be dangerous o have around? Will the white arsenic 
dissolved be more ijurious to foliage than the Paris-green ? If 
there are no seriou=> objections I would like to use white arsenic, 
as I find it handy and cheap. 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
The color of white arsenic is its least objectionable 
feature ; when plainly labeled and kept as any 
poison should be, the danger of its being mistaken 
for sugar or flour ought to be slight. The substance 
is so cheap, as compared with Paris-green or London- 
purple, and contains so much more of the killing 
element, that it is no wonder that those who spray 
are asking why they cannot use the cheaper article. 
They can, but only under certain conditions requiring 
more trouble to meet than do Paris-green or London- 
purple. The “ burning” of the foliage sometimes re¬ 
sulting from the use of the arsenical mixtures, is due 
to the presence of some dissolved or soluble arsenic. 
But very little of the arsenic in Paris-green dissolves 
in water ; London-purple is a mixture of arsenite of 
lime (insoluble) and arsenite of rosaniline (the color¬ 
ing matter), and all of this latter ingredient is soluble ; 
white arsenic is soluble in cold water to the extent of 
1 part in 100, and boiling water dissolves it at the 
rate of about 1 part in 10 of water. Most plants are 
seriously injured when not more than one pound of 
white arsenic to 300 gallons of water is used in a 
spray, and the solution thus requires dilution to such 
an extent that its value as an insecticide is largely 
destroyed. It is a curious fact, however, that, if 
white arsenic be applied very soon after it is mixed, 
often no more injury to foliage results than if Paris- 
green be used ; the arsenic dissolves slowly. 
Another serious objection to the substance is its 
weight. It is considerably heavier than Paris-green, 
thus requires constant stirring to keep it in suspens- 
MILK MUZZLE FOR A SELF-SUCKING COW. Fig. 252. 
ion. For the above reasons, white arsenic is not 
recommended to be used alone as an insecticide. 
When properly combined with certain other sub¬ 
stances, however, it can be used with comparative 
safety. 
Six years ago, two investigators, working inde¬ 
pendently, demonstrated that, when ordinary un¬ 
slaked lime was mixed with Paris-green, London-pur¬ 
ple, or white arsenic, it combined with what arsenic 
may have gone into solution and formed, thereby, 
arsenite of lime, which is insoluble ; consequently, 
no “ burning ” of the foliage resulted when trees were 
sprayed with the combined lime and arsenites. An 
equal weight of lime is amply sufficient to use with 
Paris-green or London-purple ; but as one pound of 
white arsenic requires nearly a pound of lime to sat¬ 
isfy the chemical reaction in the production of the 
insoluble arsenite, it is recommended to add two 
pounds of lime to each pound of white arsenic. It 
was found, however, that, when white arsenic and the 
lime were combined in cold water and applied soon 
after mixing, more injury resulted to the foliage than 
when the arsenic was used alone. This curious fact 
has not been satisfactorily explained. However, the 
two can be combined to form what Mr. Kilgore, of 
the North Carolina Experiment Station, calls a very 
cheap insecticide, having the same insecticidal prop¬ 
erties as London-purple. He says that it. “can be 
easily made by boiling together for one-half hour in 
two to five gallons of water, one pound of white ar¬ 
senic and two pounds of unslaked lime, and diluting 
to the required volume, say, 100 gallons. It is desir¬ 
able that the lime should be present in the boiling 
solution of white arsenic, since it renders the latter 
insoluble as fast as it goes into solution, thus reduc¬ 
ing the volume of water and shortening the time for 
obtaining the arsenite.” This is the only safe way in 
which white arsenic can be used as an insecticide. It 
involves too much trouble in making for most people. 
Paris-green is always ready at a moment’s notice, 
and I think that the “ new process” Paris-green 
(Paris-green made without the expensive acetic acid), 
will soon be put on the market at but little more 
than the present price of white arsenic. I presume 
that white arsenic can be used in combination with 
Bordeaux Mixture as we now use Paris-green ; but I 
find no record of experiments with this combination. 
In short, its color, its weight and the necessary work 
involved in rendering it insoluble or “non-scorching”, 
are factors that will, doubtless, prevent the general 
use of white arsenic as an insecticide ; its cheapness 
is the only factor which recommends it instead of 
Paris-green or London-purple. 
Spring Seeding to Grass. 
A. II. Sr., Curwensville, Pa. —I am much interested in Mr. G. M. 
Clark’s experiments iu seeding to grass without a nurse crop of 
grain. I infer from reading the articles in The R. N.-Y. that he 
does his seeding iu the fall. Has he tried seeding in the spring, 
and has it been successful or not? 
Ans. —My first experiment in spring seeding was to 
Timothy and clover, in April, 1S50, with oats. The 
field sloped to the south, and was composed of a moist 
loam. The oats and grass came up well, and the 
grass was a foot high and looked well when the oats 
were cut. The oats were cut at the top of the grass, 
which let the hot summer sun in on to the young 
grass, and killed it all. Since that time, I have tried 
spring seeding several times, more than 100 times in 
all conditions of soil, and in no case have I known of 
a good stand. If one has plowed lands or worn-out 
grass fields in the spring, that he wishes to seed to 
grass, he would better plant some quick-growing crop 
like oats, barley, millet, or some other crop that will 
mature by the middle of July, then clean the land, 
thoroughly cultivate, as I have formerly described, 
and seed in September; in this latitude, this is the 
month to sow grass seed. 
Again, never plant any other crop with it. By doing 
this, you will have free, clean land for the spring 
crop, and also for this grass crop, and secure the first 
grass crop at the same time. Do not forget perfect 
cultivation. Good grading and careful seeding in the 
month of September will almost invariably secure a 
good stand, and if it have proper nutriment, excellent 
results. Spring seeding to grass, in my experience, 
has always been a failure. gkorge m. Clark. 
“ Most Concentrated Form of Potash." 
M. M. II., West Fair view, Pa. —What is the most concentrated 
form of potash available for young orchards ? My object is to 
save the hauling of a bulky fertilizer up a mountain. What is 
the price? How should it be applied? I have about 10,000 
bushels of oak and hickory sawdust; would it be good for the 
orchards, and how should it be applied? My ground is new, is 
naturally good, and I wish to keep it so. 
Ans. —Our advice would be to buy muriate of pot¬ 
ash, which sells at about $42 per ton. An average 
sample of the muriate contains 50 per cent of actual 
potash, so that you will have to haul up the hill but 
1,000 pounds of other materials to the ton. When 
you haul wood ashes, you average but 100 pounds of 
potash and 30 pounds of phosphoric acid, with 1,870 
pounds of other materials to haul. We would broad¬ 
cast about 250 pounds per acre of the muriate, and 
harrow or cultivate it in. We would not use the saw¬ 
dust until it is well rotted. Your new land does not 
need it, and it will be safer to use after it is reduced 
to nearly the condition of wood mold. 
A Talk About Raspberries. 
A. R. II., Oakland, Me.—I wish to get a raspberry earlier than 
the Cuthbert, and one that will ship. Is the Miller hardy ? Where 
can I find a report of the different kinds of raspberries, their 
standing as to hardiness, productiveness and as shippers ? 
Ans.— Probably Hansell is the earliest red rasp¬ 
berry. It is unusually firm, and will carry as well as 
any other red raspberry. It is hardy at the Rural 
Grounds. The plants are somewhat dwarf. Rancocas 
is much like it. We do not know just how hardy the 
Miller raspberry is. It has not been thoroughly tried 
north of Delaware. Thus far, it is hardy at the 
Rural Grounds. The berries are of medium-size, 
about the color of Cuthbert and of better quality 
than Hansell or Rancocas. 
How to Make Kerosene Emulsion. 
J. F. N., Colfax, Cal .—I was much interested in reading an 
article in The R. N.-Y. of October 17, on the Grape Vine hopper, 
or what is commonly called here, Thrips. I have been much both¬ 
ered by them on my vines, but never knew how to get rid of 
them. You advise the use of kerosene emulsion for their destruc¬ 
tion. How is it made ?• 
Ans. —There are dozens of different formulas for 
making this emulsion, all of them good. The follow¬ 
ing is a good one : Dissolve one quart of soft soap, or 
one-fourth pound of hard soap—whale-oil soap is 
often used—in two quarts of boiling water; remove 
from the fire and add one pint of kerosene oil. Stir 
violently for three or four minutes. A good way to 
do this is to force it back and forth through a force 
pump or syringe. When used on plants, it must be 
diluted with about 15 parts of water. Any other quan¬ 
tities than those mentioned may be used, so long as 
the same proportions are observed. 
