1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
179 
than half the snow melted as it fell, and that, had 
it all been on the ground at once, the depth could not 
have been less than 18 inches, which would probably 
make it the heaviest snow of the season. Although 
the trees were heavily borne down with their burthens, 
it is fortunate that vegetation was in no instance suffi¬ 
ciently advanced to be injured by its effects. It is, on 
the 20 th, rapidly wasting, though cheeked in its depar¬ 
ture by a cool northwest breeze, elouds, and the pros¬ 
pect of a frosty night to prolong its unwelcome visit to¬ 
morrow. 
Although the past winter as has been shown, has ex¬ 
hibited a December of a mildness suited to a more 
southern latitude, and a February of almost polar seve¬ 
rity, and many fears were awakened that sad effects 
would result from the two extremes, especially to our 
fruits, the early indications of spring revived the hope that 
mo anticipated evils of this nature would be realised. Pre¬ 
vious to the late storm and cold, the buds of the peach and 
plum appeared to possess a uniform appearance of 
healthful vitality. Grass and winter grain also, before 
being pinched by the cold dry winds, looked fair and 
promising. 
In a season of so mixed a temperature, the farmer 
will naturally fear for the safety and health fulness of 
his domestic animals, but all kinds of stock, unless it 
be in a few instances where they commenced the win¬ 
ter in leanness, or have failed of receiving the kind at¬ 
tention which is their due from those who should be 
happy in administering to their comfort, come out in 
healthful thriftiness, an ample compensation for all the 
labor which has been bestowed in their behalf. Wm. 
Bacon. Richmond, Mass ., April 21, 1849. 
$l)e tkterinan) JDtpartment 
Docking and Castrating Lambs* 
Eds. Cultivator— As the time is at hand to attend 
to docking and castrating lambs, I will give you my 
method of performing that operation. 
When the lambs are from one to two weeks old, and 
the weather is good, I drive up my ewes and lambs to 
the barn-yard, in the afternoon, towards sunset j put 
them in a close yard, take out all the iambs. Put the 
lambs in a small pen, or on the barn floor; then let the 
ewes out in the barn-yard, which should be well litter¬ 
ed with straw. Have a boy to catch the lambs 5 hand 
them to another hand, who lets them stand on their 
feet. I take the tail in my left hand, hold it out 
straight, have a good shoe knife, and cut off the tail as 
close as suits fancy. 1 find this method quicker and 
better than a chisel and block. Then mark the ear and 
Set the lamb go, keeping-them in the yard over night. 
In the course of a week or two, bring up the ewes 
and lambs again. Put them in a close pen 5 select out 
the lambs ; let the ewe lambs go ; put the ram lambs in 
a pen or on a bam floor. After the lambs are all ta¬ 
ken out, let the ewes into the yard. Remember to have 
it well covered with dry straw. Have a boy to catch 
the ram lambs, place a good hand on a low bench, who 
should take the lamb on his lap; hold him by his fore 
and hind legs. The operator will soon find in what po¬ 
sition the lamb should be held. I take my knife, cut 
off’ about half the pouch, pull out the testicle, and set 
down the lamb. The mother comes up to meet him; 
he soon lays down, consequently soon stops bleeding. 
The next morning I let them out. The lamb will go 
off as smart as if nothing had occured. There is more 
danger from docking than altering. To perform both 
operations at the same time is too severe. 
I will give my reason for choosing the evening in¬ 
stead of the morning, which is the usual time for alter¬ 
ing. If you perform the operation in the morning, the 
ewes are hungry, and ramble about for food, the poor 
lamb will drag along in pain, and continue bleeding, 
from the exercise. Reverse the time, and the ewes and 
lambs lie down and continue quiet all night, and the 
bleeding soon stops. O. F. M. Wheeler, Steuben Co.. 
N. Y., April, 1849. 
Cattle that have eaten Apples. 
Eds. Cultivator—I had a lot of cows break into 
an orchard, and soon after they had eaten all the apples 
they wanted, they were discovered, and salt was given 
them, of which they partook freely- Not one was in¬ 
jured. Afterwards I had a lot of steers break in and 
gorge themselves with apples in the same way as the 
cows had done, and I gave them salt with the like re¬ 
sults. The effect of the salt was, I presume, to retard 
fermentation, and operate on the bowels as a cathartic. 
Whether it would always have the same effect, I can¬ 
not sajr, but it is worth a trial. Abraham Wanzer. 
Sherman, Fairfield County, Conn., 1849. 
Cure for Foul in the Foot. 
Having a eow that had been troubled with this dis¬ 
ease for a long time, and after applying numerous re¬ 
medies without any apparent success,—the foot becom¬ 
ing- very putrid, I applied for three successive days, a 
strong solution of copperas once in each day—after 
which I applied for a few days, strong pork brine, and 
a complete cure was effected. F. E. Stow. Brace- 
ville , 0., Feb. 26, 1849. 
Cure of Heaves in Horses. 
Eds. Cultivator— Pick or gather the buds or 
sprouts of the white pine, in the spring, say in May, in 
most parts of the United States. They should be ga¬ 
thered when young and tender, being from four to eight 
inches long. They can be cured or dried, and are then 
in readiness at all times. I used from two to three 
quarts of the buds when green, to about three gallons 
of water, and let them simmer or boil until I thought 
their strength was mostly in the liquid. When cool, 
I gave the horse nearly a quart daily, for ten days, 
which proved a perfect cure. 
The horse was unabie to work before adminis¬ 
tering the above, and at present there is not a better 
horse in the land for business. The cure was effected 
in June, 1845. * 
I further recommend to all persons troubled with pain 
in the chest or side, to use the above liquid, sweetened 
with loaf sugar. I have had more benefit from this medi¬ 
cine for pain In the side and breast, than anything I have 
ever used. John D. Spencer. Herkimer, N. Y. 
Bone Meal for Cows. 
It may have been frequently noticed that cows, while 
giving milk, evince a disposition to eat bones. The ap¬ 
petite is sometimes very strong for them; indeed so vo¬ 
racious are some cows that they will leave all other 
food for the sake of obtaining bones, which they will 
chew by the hour together. This apparently morbid 
propensity is accounted for by the following theory:— 
Chemical analysis proves that milk contains bone; and 
it is hence inferred that the food of the cow should con¬ 
tain the elements of bone, in order to produce milk of 
proper quality, or that which is capable of affording 
due support to all parts of the system. If the food is 
destitute of any of the essential principles of milk, the 
effort of nature to perfect this fluid, may occasion a 
drawback on some of the bodily tissues, and the sub¬ 
stance of the bones and muscles may be carried off in 
