108 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
April. 
which I capped—they stood a two days rain without 
injury.” 
Recently a New-Hampshire farmer, Mr. W., inform¬ 
ed us that he procured one hundred, two yard square 
caps, at the cost of forty cents each, and he thinks that 
he more than saved the cost of them in the protection 
they afforded his hay the last unusually wet season. 
He cut about 80 tons, a large portion of it clover and 
herdsgrass. 
Believing that there is frequently a great saving to 
farmers, that have a supply of hay caps on hand du¬ 
ring the busy season of haying and harvesting, we 
thus early refer to the subject for the purpose of call¬ 
ing the attention of farmers, who are not provided 
with hay caps, to the consideration of the question at 
this comparatively leisure season of the year. If any 
shall determine to provide against “ a rainy day,” in 
hay time, by procuring a supply of caps, we will just 
suggest to them that in this matter it is better to pro¬ 
cure them a few weeks before needed for use, than to 
be a single day too late. 
Farmers differ somewhat as to the proper size of 
hay caps. We have seen them in sizes ranging all 
the way from one yard to two yards square. We 
think feet square is as small as any should be made, 
but should prefer those two yards square. Several 
methods have been practiced to secure them upon the 
cocks of hay ; some recommend sewing in each corner 
a stone weighing one or two pounds each ; others have 
eyelet holes in the corners, through which they thrust 
small pins of 18 or 20 inches in length into the cocks 
of hay; others attach to each corner a loop of; strong 
twine 12 or 18 inches long, and make use of ash or 
other hard wood pins, eighteen inches long. The pins 
are about one inch square at the top end, near which 
they have cut into them a “ hooked notch” for con¬ 
necting them to the twine loop. The lower end of the 
pin is tapered to a point, so as to easily penetrate the 
ground. With two yard square caps, the corners of 
them can be spread out beyond the base of the cocks, 
so as to carry the rain beyond the hay, which would 
not be the case with the small sized caps. A small 
canvass bag is very convenient for depositing the pins 
when the caps are removed from the cocks. Some, 
however, make use of a nail keg for this purpose. 
In a somewhat extensive drive over a farming sec¬ 
tion of country, last September, we saw hundreds of 
hay caps on shocks of corn and cornstalks, as also upon 
stocks of beans. We have also frequently seen them 
used as a temporary covering for stocks of wheat, oats, 
and other grain. 
Pleuro-pneumonia. 
Messrs. Editors —Knowing that you keep the run 
of anything new respecting the diseases of cattle, I 
address you for information as to the distemper known 
as pleuro-pneumonia, or disease of the lungs. I must 
have imported it to my New-Jersey farm in the last 
lot of Short-Horns I imported in September. Two of 
them died in the Fall, and it has broken out to such an 
extent that I am compelled to sell off my dairy stock 
and young Short-Horns, half and three-quarter bred 
stock, some 75 head. I have had seven die, and some 
ten more sick, with all my herd coughing. Two of my 
very best prize animals are among the dead. I hope 
I am clear of it on my West Farms farm, but it is all 
around me. Is there any preventive? If you can 
help me you will confer a favor. Thos. Richardson. 
New-York, Feb. 11. 
Knowing that a friend in Dutchess county, had a re¬ 
cent French work, in which this disease was said to be 
more satisfactorily treated than in any English work, 
we applied to him for information. His reply, for which 
he has our thanks, is annexed : 
Messrs. Editors —In compliance with your request 
I send you a couple of extracts from the article on 
pleuro-pneumonia in Gelle’s “ Pathologie Bovine.” 
Therein are described the symptoms apparent in the 
two first stages of this disease, and the treatment pur¬ 
sued by Profs. Chabert and Delafond. I select the ac¬ 
counts given by these two gentlemen from among some 
twenty others cited by M. Gelid, as they seem to have 
had the greatest experience, and as these embrace al¬ 
most every thing stated by the others. In its third 
stage, the disease being considered nearly hopeless, I 
omit all reference to it; as also all speculations as to 
the producing causes of the malady, and the accounts 
given of post-mortem examinations, lest my article 
should be too long for an agricultural paper, or by its 
length should frighten some from trying the very sim¬ 
ple remedies recommended. 
M. Delafond thus describes the symptoms of pleuro¬ 
pneumonia :— 
“ In its first stage, although the animal may appear 
in good health otherwise, the eyes are red and blood¬ 
shot, the breathing and the pulse quickened, (25 to 30 
respirations,—50 to 60 pulsations per minute ;) a slight, 
hacking and frequent cough may be observed morning 
and evening, especially during the prevalence of cold 
storms, and the cow shows frequent desires for the bull. 
This continues from three to ten days, when the dis¬ 
ease passes into its second stage, and becomes more ap¬ 
parent. The beast now loses its appetite and ceases to 
chew the cud; its eyes are red, and sometimes have a 
yellowish hue ; the cough is more frequent at night 
than in the morning, when in the field than when in 
the stable ; its breathing is plaintive and greatly quick¬ 
ened, (35 to 45 respirations,) and the breath very hot; 
pulse ranging from 70 to 100, though in some cases it 
does not exceed 50 to 60; a white, gluey liquid flows 
from the nostrils; the yield of milk from the cow is 
greatly decreased, and there is a strong tendency to 
cast her calf, the delivery of which is attended with 
great difficulty and serves to increase the virulence of 
the disease : during all this time the animal remains 
almost constantly on foot, and when in the fields seeks 
to shelter itself from the wind as much as possible : if 
now we pinch or press on the spinal bone, just behind 
the withers, the animal will show signs of pain by 
shrinking from the touch, and by a slight groan : the 
abdomen is generally distended.” 
The treatment recommended in the first stage of the 
disease, by M. Delafond, consists 
“ In the entire separation of the animals attacked, 
a short allowance of food, bleeding, rubbing with a dry 
woollen cloth, and the administration of one drachm of 
tartar emetic in a pint of warm water; the bleeding 
to be repeated two or three times if there is no im¬ 
provement in the pulse and respiration. He also ad¬ 
vises the use of a diet drink of a decoction of barley, 
to which is added 2 lbs. (avoirdupois) of sulphate of 
soda dissolved in eight quarts of the liquid, given in 
doses of one quart every three hours ; the injection of 
four clysters each day, formed of a decoction of marsh 
mallow and linseed, and the application of emollient fu¬ 
migations beneath the nostrils. This treatment to be 
continued through the first period of the disease (three 
or four days.) 
“ In the second stage, when the appetite is gone, 
