40 
The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
You Can Now Get a Pair! 
The trenches in Flanders are empty 
and it is no longer necessary to keep sup¬ 
plying the boys “over there” with U. S. 
“Protected” rubber boots. 
So, instead of making trench boots al¬ 
most exclusively as we have been doing, 
we have reverted to our before-the-war 
manufacturing program, and will soon 
make up the shortage that exists in the 
supply of heavy-service, double-duty 
U. S. “Protected” rubber footwear. 
Uncle Sam has furnished “our boys” 
with the best rubber boots that money 
can buy, and, in both the Army and Navy, 
there probably are as many U. S. “Pro¬ 
tected” rubber boots as all other brands 
combined. 
Outdoor workers everywhere recog¬ 
nize the dollar-for-dollar value of “U. S.” 
quality. It means rubber boots of the 
sturdiest construction, reinforced where 
the wear is greatest, yet entirely com¬ 
fortable. Longer wear insures saving of 
money. 
Every pair of U. S. “Protected” rubber 
boots bears the “U. S. Seal”—trade mark 
tie largest rubber manufacturer in the 
world. Look for it. It is your protection. 
United States Rubber Company 
New York 
illiilttuilii ifflobtwe arl 
The Lowly Skunk Again 
A correspondent recently stated in these 
columns that a skunk can throw out ite 
scent only when its tail is raised until it 
forms a right angle witij its back. That 
that is the normal action of his skunkship 
I will agree. However, that a skunk can 
perform his defensive function without 
producing the aforesaid angle 1 know from 
observation, and my son knows from per¬ 
sonal experience. It was an interesting 
little episode while it lasted. 
A family of skunklets had wandered 
out from under my barn early in the Sum¬ 
mer and my boy and I had captured and 
confined them in a pen. They were in¬ 
teresting little fellows, and. having no 
fear, were harmless to handle. As Fall 
approached, my son, in his early ’teens, 
became ambitious to start a skunk farm. 
The live tame ones would do for a starter, 
and others could be caught and added to 
the number. Traps were set, and when 
the first one was caught the kid bravely 
announced his intention of testing the 
commonly accepted saying that a skunk is 
harmless if held by the tail. The victim 
was pulled from the hole and the young 
man got a firm hold on the tail. So far 
so good. I removed the trap from a front 
foot and —whisk. I threw myself over 
A Sociable Little Skunlc 
backwards and escaped while the disre¬ 
spectful kid laughed, until the skunk shot 
again and hit him squarely in the face. 
It was then my turn to laugh. Did IV I 
did. The boy was game and held onto 
that tail till he had dropped* it and its 
owner over the fence with its tame rela¬ 
tives. I did not keep count of the times 
that the skunk used its battery, but it 
literally emptied its scent sacs. The old 
saying is not true. 
At a recent exhibit of industries, war 
and otherwise, a local manufacturer of 
brushes had an interesting display of his 
products. The various animal and vege¬ 
table fibers used in making brushes were 
attractively shown. The courteous at¬ 
tendant kindly answered my many ques¬ 
tion born of ignorance of the brush busi¬ 
ness. A black and white bundle proved 
to be composed of skunk hairs, evidently 
from the tail, and I learned that they are 
used in the inside of badger shaving 
brushes. I was told that there is not 
badger hair enough to go around. Count 
one more for the skunk. w. H. ri. 
Some Causes of Asthma 
Referring to “Cures for Asthma,” page 
1234, I think I should point out one of 
the hidden causes my wife and I have dis¬ 
covered of this distressing malady. My 
wife is not particularly subject to the 
disease but, beginning several years ago, 
she would have moderate attacks at ir¬ 
regular periods, always beginning in 
rather violent form, and gradually sub¬ 
siding during two or three days. 
We finally associated these attacks 
with either of two tasks in the round of 
household duties; namely, sweeping a 
slightly used attic or dusting and arrang¬ 
ing our stock of books, magazines, pam¬ 
phlets and bulletins. This having been 
ascertained. I took up these two tasks my¬ 
self. Not being subject to the disease, I 
suffered no ill effects, but was surprised 
to find just the slightest hint of irritation 
in the respiratory organs, hardly enough 
to notice under ordinary circumstances; 
but this was not ordinary, and it raised 
the question, why? After studying the 
problem from every angle, I could find 
only one probable solution, which was 
that the little household pest variously 
known as silverfish, silver louse, silver 
witch, sugarfish, silver moth, and prob¬ 
January 11, 1019 
ably some other local names in various 
parts of the country, was at the bottom of 
the trouble. In this particular case they 
had established themselves in some num¬ 
bers between the shingles of the roof, 
living, apparently, on wood fiber, and 
where it seemed impossible to extermi¬ 
nate them. Also they had established 
themselves in limited numbers among the 
books and pamphlets, and in an attempt 
to exterminate them here the books were 
gone over at short intervals; such search 
might result in the capture of from one 
or two to a dozen. Rut how, you ask, can 
the presence of a few little insects of one 
kind or another bring on such a serious 
physical disturbance as asthma? 
Anyone who has elosely observed these 
quick little creatures, and they are widely 
distributed, probably over the whole coun¬ 
try, will remember that not only have 
they a silvery, metallic appearance, but 
that this metallic appearing covering 
comes off at a touch in the form of minute 
scales or powder. It is possible that these 
scales are being shed constantly in the 
course of their existence. At any rate, 
sweepings or dust collected where even a 
limited number of these insects are known 
to intrude, if examined in sunlight, will 
be found to contain these minute shiny 
particles, and from the very nature of 
origin these particles are probably ex¬ 
tremely light, floating in the air with the 
slightest disturbance. Thus they would 
be inhaled, cause irritation of the'respira¬ 
tory tracts and become one of the incite¬ 
ments to asthma, to those who are pre¬ 
disposed to the malady. 
There may or may not be error in some 
of the foregoing conclusions; but this is 
certain, that since we have carried ex¬ 
termination as far as possible and I at¬ 
tend to dusting where a few of the insects 
still may lurk, my wife has been immune 
from the dreaded attacks. 
I have before me Farmers Bulletin. No 
6S1. United States Department of Agri¬ 
culture. entitled “The Silverfish; an In¬ 
jurious Household Insect.” I quote two 
sentences to aid in identification : “The 
silverfish is often one of the most trouble¬ 
some enemies of books, papers, card labels 
in museums and starched clothes, and oc- 
casionally of stored food substances. * * * 
On account of its always shunning the 
light and its ability to run very rapidly to 
places of concealment it is not often seen, 
and is most difficult to capture, and being 
clothed with smooth, glistening scales it 
will slip from between the fingers, and is 
almost impossible to secure without crush¬ 
ing or damaging.” As to remedies, the 
bulletin suggests bits of cardboard spread 
with starch paste poisoned with arsenic. 
Personally we have not been successful 
with that combination, but have found 
bits of loosely-woven cotton goods like 
cheesecloth, heavily starched with starch 
poisoned with arsenate of lead, very ef¬ 
fective. The bits of cloth are, of course, 
dried after starching and then sequestered 
in dark places frequented by the “moths.” 
I might add that where insects have 
choice of foods, as with poison baits, ar¬ 
senate of lead is the most satisfactory 
poison 1 have ever used. 
Florida. d. l. iiartman. 
Skin Disease 
I have a form of what is called scabies, 
a small insect that is all over my body. 
I have expended nearly $400 upon physi¬ 
cians and various proprietary remedies; 
have used all sorts of washes from kero¬ 
sene to powder solution, but get no relief. 
New York. j. c. 
If. as you say, you have expended 
nearly .$400 upon physicians and for pro¬ 
prietary remedies, without help, you can 
readily see the futility of anyone prescrib¬ 
ing for you who has never seen you and 
can know nothing of your trouble other 
than what you are able to tell him. The 
first essential in treatment is correct 
diagnosis, and no reputable physician 
would even attempt to make a diagnosis 
of a possibly obscure trouble without 
seeing the patient. Common honesty 
woifld forbid that. You say that you 
have “a form” of what is called scabies. 
As scabies is but one affection with one 
cause, there are no forms of it other than 
plain scabies. Either you are afflicted 
with scabies or you are not. You can 
readily see the necessity of a correct 
diagnosis before treatment is instituted. 
Granting, however, that, the itch mite is 
responsible for your trouble and that you 
consequently have scabies to contend 
with, you should he able to rid yourself 
of it by scrubbing the affected parts with 
hot water and soap, using a coarse towel 
to remove the scurf skin over the female 
mite in her burrow. Sulphur ointment, 
should then be well rubbed in aud the 
procedure should be repeated at intervals 
until a cure is effected. To prevent rein¬ 
fection. boil all towels after using and 
give the underclothing worn the same 
treatment. Your trouble may have been 
that you have not guarded against rein¬ 
fection after treatment. The inite is not 
ordinarily difficult to dispose of. 
M. B. D. 
“Gimme a dollar’s worth of steak,” 
.said the customer. The butcher wrapped 
it up. “How much?” asked the cus¬ 
tomer. “.$4.90,” said the butcher.—Buf¬ 
falo Express. 
“Joiix.” said his wife, “do you spell 
‘graphic’ with one T or two?” “Well, 
my dear, you may as well use two if you 
are going to use any.”—Boston Tran¬ 
script. 
