1874.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
75 
Bisea.se i-n Fowls’ ILegs.—“ W. H. H.,” 
Alton, I1U Sores in the joints of a fowl’s legs which eat 
away'the joint in two weeks, must arise from a very serious 
constitutional.disturbahce, and any remedy is doubtful. It 
might be well to try a dose of sulphite of soda as large as 
a pea in a pill of bread or dough each day for a few days, 
and changing the food. The sores should be washed 
daily with warm soap and water. Closely bred fowls are 
more frequently thus troubled than others, and a change 
of blood would be desirable. 
Co-operative Store. —“ T. E. E.,” Plain- 
field, Ind. The managers of the co-operative store in 
Sedalia, Mo., would doubtless be glad to give—if re¬ 
quested—information as to their plan of business to 
persons who desire to organize such an institution. A 
town of 1,500 inhabitants ought to present a field large 
enough for such a business. 
For a Jumping Colt.—“ J. H.,” Clark¬ 
son, Iowa, says if a halter is put upon a colt, and the end 
of the halter strap passed between the forelegs and fast¬ 
ened to a strap around the horse so that he can not raise 
his head higher than a level with his back, he can not 
jump, and it will not interfere with his feeding. 
Tlie Potato Bisease. —Early last year 
an Englishman whose name has escaped us offered a 
handsome sum as a prize for the best essay on the potato 
disease and its cure. The council of the Royal Agricul¬ 
tural Society, in whose hands the matter was placed, do 
not advise making any award. They recommend, how¬ 
ever, that a sum of money bo appropriated for the care¬ 
ful investigation of the potato fungus ( Peronospora infes- 
tans ), which is now admitted to be the cause of the trou¬ 
ble. What a chance here is for the remarkable micro- 
scopist of our remarkable Department of Agriculture. 
A Heavy Ox.— The Butchers’ prize for the 
heaviest bullock at the Birmingham (Eng.) Pat Cattle 
Show was this year awarded to a cross-bred ox out of a 
•polled Scotch cow by a short-horn bull. The animal 
weighed 2,666 pounds. Last year the first prize at the 
Smithfield Fat Cattle Show was taken by a polled ox. 
This certainly shows well for the feeding qualities of the 
polled stock. 
Scratches. —“T. G. P.,” Hessville, West Va. 
Scratches is an inflammatory suppurative action of the 
skin of a horse’s heels and hind legs. It is often very 
difficult of cure. At other times it readily submits to 
very simple treatment, such as washing the parts quite 
clean with a solution of one dram of carbolic acid to a 
pint of water. After the washing the legs are wiped 
quite dry with a soft cloth, and anointed with glycerine 
as often as is needed to keep the skin from becoming 
dry. At the same time the horse should have half an ounce 
to an ounce of sulphite of soda in the feed twice a day. 
Care must be taken to keep the legs clean and dry and free 
from mud, which is in many cases the direct cause 
of the trouble. 
Measure for Hay. —“W. H. W.,” Glen¬ 
dale, Ky. The estimates for the measurement of hay in 
the mow are all intended for solidly packed hay, and the 
average of the whole mow. The bottom of a deep mow 
will be heavier, and the upper part will be lighter than 
the centre, which represents the average of the whole. 
The same refers to a stack. 
Multum in Parvo.-“E. W. T.,” Wico¬ 
mico Co., Md. Peruvian guano would be a very good 
fertilizer for oats, as will hen manure mixed with earth, 
but it should be used more liberally than guano. The 
best fertilizer for corn is the dried blood manure; we 
have seen some extraordinary results from it. It may be 
procured in Baltimore. No one can justly expect much 
of a corn-sheller for one dollar. A dollar’s worth of such 
an article would be very little and yet it might be worth 
its cost. Artificial hatching of eggs is perfectly success¬ 
ful so far as to produce chickens ; the operation always 
fails at this point because the chickens can not take 
care of themselves and they die faster than they were 
hatched. A hundred light Brahma fowls will cost from 
$250 upwards if really good ones. 
Concrete Buildings. — “ H. H. S.,” 
Los Angeles, Cal. The article upon concrete buildings 
appeared in the Agriculturist of March and August, 1872. 
As these numbers may be procured in any desired quan¬ 
tity it is not necessary to reprint the article. 
Diseased Udder.— “J. W. P.,” Bureau 
Co., Ill. A gathering upon the udder of a cow which 
finally breaks and forms a running sore is as likely to 
have occurred from a blow, a kick, or a punch with an¬ 
other cow’s horn as anything. It should now be treated 
by injecting into the sore with a syringe a solution of one 
dram of carbolic acid in a pint of water, each morning 
and evening, until the offensive discharge ceases and it 
begins to heal in a healthy maimer, after which it should 
be cleansed daily with the same solution until healed. 
Pipes for Drains and Irrigating 1 . 
— 11 H. H. S.” Earthen pipes for drains have been made 
for many years ; there is no patent right upon them. 
Common drain tiles may be used for irrigating by turning 
the water into them, which would escape at the joints. 
It would be simply the reverse of draining. We shall 
be happy to receive the communications referred to. 
Bud* Cochins.—“ W. H. B.” Buff Cochin 
fowls are included amongst the profitable egg-producers. 
Nevertheless there are some varieties, as the Spanish 
and the Leghorns, which are more prolific in this respect 
than the Cochins. The Brahmas are also preferable to 
the Cochins, standing, in our opinion, next to the Leg¬ 
horns, especially as winter layers. 
Oil Meal. —“ C. L.,” Lancaster Co., Pa. Oil 
meal may be kept perfectly well in a dry place. If in 
large bulk it will heat, and if the place is damp it will 
mold. It is best kept in flour barrels or in a bin in the 
granary, and if it shows any signs of heating it should be 
shoveled over or transferred to another bin. Two quarts 
daily will be a fair allowance for a cow. One pint daily is 
enough for a calf, and a pint in each feed will be enough 
for a horse in addition to his other feed. 
Foot and Month Disease its Sheep. 
—“Englishman,” Lynchburg, Ya. The symptoms de¬ 
scribed, viz: sores .around the coronet of the hoof and 
for two inches up the leg, and between the cleft of the 
foot, also sores upon the lips appear to point to Aptha, 
or what is known as the foot and mouth disease. At the 
same time it may be only a vesicular eruption which fre¬ 
quently occurs upon the feet and which is conveyed to 
the mouth by contagion in consequence of the animal 
licking the sores upon the feet. Wc would wash the feet 
and touch the sores upon the lips with the following, 
viz: 2 drams chloride of zinc, 1 oz. tincture of myrrh 
dissolved in one pint of water. Each sheep should take 
two ounces of epsom salts with a little ginger or a few 
tea-spoonfuls of peppermint water. The feet must be 
kept well washed with the solution and the sheep be 
kept upon a dry barn floor until recovered. 
Windmill.— “L. D. 8.,” Huron, Ohio. For 
information as to windmills write to the United States 
Windmill Company, Batavia, Illinois. 
IPonltry for Profit. —“A. J. W.,” Tole¬ 
do, Ohio. The most profitable breed of poultry, we be¬ 
lieve to be the light Brahmas; they are good layers, ma¬ 
ture early, are heavy bodied when mature, have good 
flavored flesh, are good sitters and mothers, arc hardy, 
very docile and not inclined to wander, can be kept in¬ 
side of a fence five feet high or less, are handsome, and 
are salable either living or dead. Wright’s and Lewis’s 
poultry books are useful works upon this subject. 
Harrowing dona.—“ J. P. L.,” Ring- 
wood, N. C. When the Thomas harrow is used to har¬ 
row young corn it is run indiscriminately over the field, 
the young corn not being injured excepting occasionally 
a stalk is torn out. But no other harrow should be used 
for this purpose in this way. The usual corn harrow is 
a Y harrow which has the central tooth removed; it is 
passed over the row so that the plants are passed over by 
the space left by the removed tooth, and each side of the 
row is harrowed. Handles are used to guide it. 
Sheep Farming in Texas.— “ Stone,” 
Chicago. The only part of Texas now left for cattle and 
sheep feeding upon the range is the western part of the 
state. In the East settlements are becoming too thick 
for the comfort of cattle men. For information as to 
lands the Commissioner of Public Lands, Austin, Texas, 
should be written to. 
Darnel.— This grass (Lolium temulmtum), a 
native of Europe, is more or less introduced into this 
country. It has long enjoyed the distinction of being the 
only grass that produced seeds having poisonous quali¬ 
ties. This character was attributed to it by both agri¬ 
culturists and botanists of early times, and it has been 
kept stereotyped in all the books upon grasses. Mr. 
Alexander Stephen Wilson has been experimenting with 
Darnel, and has presented his results in two papers read 
before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. In his last 
paper he stated that he has eaten it mixed with wheat 
and oat-meal in very much larger quantities than it would 
be naturally mixed with those grains, in hot and cold 
bread, taking over four ounces of Darnel ip a day, with¬ 
out experiencing any effects whatever. 
TI*e Poitou Ass.—“H. P.,” Dover, Del. 
To import a Poitou jack would cost a large sum of mon¬ 
ey. By importing several, each one would cost less in 
proportion. An animal may bo purchased in France for 
from $1,000 to $2,000, as they are very highly valued and 
are reluctantly sold. It would not be safe to purchase 
unless in person, so that there would be traveling ex¬ 
penses back and forth, say $400, and freight of the jack, 
which would be at least $150. Still as these animals are 
exceedingly valuable the importation of a pair of asses 
would undoubtedly be a benefit to the public if it should 
not be profitable pecuniarily. 
Goats fbr Milk.— “S. H.,” Pierceville, 
Ind. We do not know where milk goats that are able to 
milk four quarts a day could be procured. That is about 
the average yield of our common cow. If ordinary goats 
yielding a fourth of that quantity would be desirable, a 
thousand or two could be purchased in the cities of New 
York, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia for about the price of 
common sheep, and their removal would be a relief to 
the inhabitants of those cities who have gardens and 
shade trees, upon which these creatures love to depredate. 
Olco Margarine.— “A. R. F.,” Kansas 
City, Mo. We would repeat what we have already said 
in noticing the fact that suet is manufactured into so 
called butter, that the product is not butter in any sense, 
nor do we believe for a moment that the manufacturers 
of the stuff can ever induce people knowingly to pur¬ 
chase it. If it is put into the market as butter it is a 
fraud, and we would not advise any parties to go into a 
fraudulent business, but on the contrary to avoid it al¬ 
though it might be a profitable one. 
The Burlington and Missouri 
Railroad Company have sold along their line in Iowa 
and Nebraska, within thirty-three months, 478,988 acres 
to 4,525 purchasers, on ten years’ credit and six per cent 
interest. On sales made since 1872 no part of the prin¬ 
cipal is payable until the end of four years, while twenty 
per cent is deducted from land prices for prompt 
improvement. 
The Volinia Farmers’ Clnb sends 
us its printed programme for 1S74—which shows a judi¬ 
cious variety of discussions and field trials for nearly 
every month in the year. We assume that this club is 
held at Volinia, Mich., but there is nothing on the pro¬ 
gramme to show that it is not at Yolinia, Japan. We 
hope onr Volinia friends will not take this criticism 
amiss, as we only use their oversight to say to the officers 
of societies and clubs that a large share—half, if not 
more, of the printed circulars and communications that 
come to us mention neither county nor State, and if the 
post-mark happens, as is usually the case, to be indis¬ 
tinct, we have no clue to their whereabouts. 
JLeatlaer smd. Farmers’ Fleshings. 
—“ H. F. B.,” Sing Sing, N. Y. All the refuse parts of 
the hide of an animal are valuable for fertilizing pur¬ 
poses, as is also the liquor in which such refuse has been 
boiled. Long steaming under great pressure is needed 
to make bones easily crushed into powder, and then they 
are not so valuable as the raw bone-dust, because they 
have lost all their nitrogenous matter. Liquid manure is 
best applied by means of a spreader such as has been 
already described in the Agriculturist. 
Crop ibr an Orchard. —“G. R. B.,” 
Seymour, Ind., has an apple orchard just in bearing. 
He wants to know whether to cultivate it with some crop 
or sow it to grass, and what kind of grass or crop is the 
best one.—“G. R. B.” should consider that it is unfair 
to land to ask too much of it. As trees are usually plant¬ 
ed in orchards, the fruit is all the crop that should be 
taken from the land ; if potatoes or other root crops are 
grown they should be so well manured that the land will 
lose nothing. Perhaps the best treatment for an orchard 
is to sow it to clover and pasture hogs upon it. This will 
keep the soil constantly improving and have the advan¬ 
tage of disposing of the windfalls. 
Worms Ini a Cow.—“S. B. D.,” Downie- 
ville, Cal. Cows are sometimes, especially when young, 
troubled with small, thread-like worms of two varieties. 
The irritation of the skin, which causes the cow to rub 
the hair off, may be due to the disturbance of the system 
consequent upon the presence of the worms. The remedy 
is to give before feeding in the morning, one pint of 
linseed oil, two ounces of oil of turpentine, with half a 
pint of infusion of quassia mixed together. Repeat 
the dose in ten days. Salt regularly given is almost 
a sure preventive of internal parasites in all farm stock. 
