54 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
JONES’ PATENT SILK REEL. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —The great desidera¬ 
tum in getting silk into skeins from the cocoon, is to 
preserve an even, smooth thread, and so to join the skein 
as to remove the liability of tangling or losing the end, 
in case the thread breaks in the operation of unwinding, 
thus providing against a loss of stock, in a stage of pro¬ 
cess of making silk in which by far the greatest portion 
is incurred. To promote the interest of the silk grower 
in this fundamental branch of the operation, I wish, 
through the medium of the Cultivator, to exhibit to the 
public a Silk Reel, entirely novel in its construction .and 
mode of communicating motion, having for this purpose 
neither gearing, belting or banding, and hence no ways li¬ 
able to get out of order. Its simplicity and compactness is 
unparalleled, the whole machine being less than one cu¬ 
bic foot. It can be readily attached to a table, by a thumb 
set screw. For its neatness and elegance, both in form 
and workmanship, it is peculiar, forming a piece of or¬ 
namental machinery that would grace a lady’s parlor. 
The operation compares well with the appearance, its 
movements are smooth and regular, diminishing greatly 
the liability of the thread breaking. It winds the silk 
from cocoons on to small barrels; it runs two threads at 
a time, which cross each other between the first and se¬ 
cond guides, and is then spread upon the barrels by a 
lateral motion of the second guides, precisely like the 
Piedmontese Reel. When dry the silk can be slipped off 
from the barrels in small circular skeins, which will pre¬ 
serve their shape, to be packed and transported any dis¬ 
tance, and can at pleasure be unwound with as much 
facility as yarn is taken from the ball, and without any 
liability of breaking or losing the end; it thus virtually 
performs the two fold operation of reeling and spooling 
at the same time, as it is doubled and thrown imme¬ 
diately from the barrels or the small circular skeins. Its 
great advantage in this respect over the reels which form 
long skeins, will be intuitive to those who have manufac¬ 
tured sewing silk from the long skeins, and have witnessed 
to their vexation and sorrow, the tangling of skeins, 
losing of ends, resulting often in the total loss of almost 
whole skeins, and not unfrequently ruining whole spools 
by losing the end. Another recommendation of this 
Reel is the expedition and consequent cheapness with 
which it reels; a mere child whose services may be had 
/or six cents per day, can easily turn it. This machine, 
with specimens of sewing silk, made from its reeling, 
were exhibited at the late fair of the American Institute, 
both of which received the silver medal. It was also 
exhibited before the New England Silk Convention, re¬ 
cently held at Northampton, and the following report 
was made. “ The Committee appointed to examine the 
Silk Reel presented by Mr. A. B. Jones of Manchester, 
Ct., report, That they have examined the above Reel, 
and are greatly interested in the neatness, simplicity and 
compactness of its structure, and the accuracy with which 
its movements are regulated. The committee judge 
that this Reel is peculiarly fitted for family operations 
and for establishments where the silk is manufactured as 
well as reeled. In behalf of the Committee, J. R. Bar¬ 
ber, Chairman. This report was unanimously adopted.” 
It has been universally admired by all who have witness¬ 
ed and proved its operation the past season, who unite in 
giving it their decided preference to any other which 
they have used or seen. Those engaged in growing silk 
will find it much for their interest to become possessed 
of this Reel. A. B. Jones. 
Buckland's Car's., Hartford Co. Ct., Jan. 15, 1842. 
cattle that have attained the age of two years. I have 
known a great many nostrums applied to arrest the pro¬ 
gress of the complaint, but uniformly without success, 
every animal having died in the course of about two days 
trom the visible commencement of the disease. I have 
therefore hitherto considered it incurable. For further 
information I refer your readers to White’s Veterinary 
Dictionary, where the complaint is treated of at great 
length, lour friend, John Weatherald. 
Pushnch, near Guelph, Canada West, 1 9th 1 mo., 1842. 
Messrs.. Gaylord & Tucker— In one of back Nos. 
of the Cultivator, Mr. Js. H. Merrick inquires respecting 
a disease, his calves are afflicted with. It is well known 
here, and is called vulgarly the “Black Leg.” I never 
knew any animal attacked with it to recover, because an 
animal is rarely found alive after the attack, on account 
01 its killing them so quick. It generally seizes on 
calves that are well fed, as Mr. M. stated his to be. I 
have known it to attack older cattle, but this is rare. The 
preventive is easy and sure; it is nothing more than to 
salt them at least three times per week. 
P. S, The above preventive is we believe infallible. 
Walnut Grove, N. J. £> y, q 
SCAB IN SHEEP. 
tUteriuar}! EDqmrtmatt. 
BLACK LEG IN CALVES. 
Editors of the Cultivator —I have seen in the 
Cultivator of the eleventh month of the past year, a com¬ 
munication from Jos. H. Merrick, regarding the sudden 
death of some Calves, in which he asks for information 
of the cause of the attack, and for its remedy. When in 
England, the complaint frequently came under my notice; 
it is there known by several names, as Black Leg, Black 
Quarter, Quarter Evil, Joint Murrain, and some others. I 
have seen it most frequently attack calves, which, from be¬ 
ing kept in a paddock where there was scarcely any grass, 
and where they were supported on milk or whey, had, on 
their being deprived of their usual support, been removed 
ihto a field of fine fresh clover: this circumstance has 
induced me to believe that the sudden change of food 
might probably be the cause of the complaint. I have 
not in the course of my experience known it affect any 
Among Sheep there is no disease so common, or 
productive of so much injury, certainly not in the United 
States, as the Scab, or as it is called by some, the Itch. 
. ®" ee .P infected with this disease is restless, rubbing 
itself violently against posts, fences, or whatever is in its 
way; biting and tearing out the wool with its teeth, and 
exhibiting every sign of intense irritation. On examining 
the sheep the skin will be found red and roughs with usual- 
ly an extensive cutaneous eruption, or an accumulation 
ol small pimples or pustules, some of which have broken 
and the matter discharged has formed patches of crust or 
scab, from which the common name of the disease is 
derived. The fleece on a sheep diseased with the scab 
wil! be irregular in its growth, and the quality inferior- 
u i.u - !hc C0 ^ n P laint is severe, or long continued, the 
health is impaired, and the animal pines away rapidlv 
till relieved by death. The rot may be more immedi¬ 
ately fatal, and produce greater losses in Europe, but 
here the scab is more injurious perhaps than all other 
diseases put together. 
The scab is one of the most infectious of diseases, and 
if introduced into a flock, unless the diseased animals are 
immediately removed, the farmer may depend on the 
whole flock being infected, and both sheep and wool 
greatly lessened in value. The shoulders and the back 
are the places usually first and most seriously affected- 
but unless checked, it will spread till the whole surface 
is diseased or the animal perishes; or such is the usual 
course of the disease. The infection seems to spread in 
two ways: by actual contact with diseased animals, or by 
means of the places where infected sheep have rubbed 
themselves or lain. As pay for sheep infected with 
scab, and sold for sound, cannot be collected in Europe 
or may be recovered, much attention has been paid to 
the time that elapses after the infection, before the disease 
appears. About the twelfth day it is stated by Youatt 
the pustules begin to appear, and the rubbing of the ani¬ 
mal shows the irritation has commenced. In four days 
more the pustules break, and the matter escaping forms 
the crust or scab. 
After it was found that the itch in the human race was 
caused by an insect, a species of Acarus, it was supposed 
that similar cutaneous diseases in animals might arise 
from the same source. M. Walz, a German, was the 
first to establish this point and fully investigate its cha¬ 
racter, and numerous subsequent examinations have prov¬ 
ed the correctness of his opinions. He found that the 
scab, like the itch, mange, &c., is caused by animalcule- 
that the irritation caused by his burrowing in the skin, 
forms the pustule^ and that when this breaks^ the acarus 
leaves his habitation and travels to another part of the 
skin, and thus extends the disease, or it may be left on 
the rubbing post, or the wool of an animal comin"- in 
contact. When one of these acari is placed on the wool 
of a sound animal, they quickly travel to its roots, where 
the place of burying themselves is shown by a minute 
red point. About the sixteenth day the pimple or pus¬ 
tule breaks, and if the acari is a female it appears with 
a multitude of young. These immediately set to work 
on the skin, bury themselves and propagate until the poor 
animal is irritated to death, or becomes encrusted with 
scab. M. Walz satisfactorily traced the parasite through 
all its changes, and by experiment discovered its mode 
of action, and method of infection. He found that when 
the male acari was placed on a sheep, it burrowed, the 
pustule was formed, but the itching and scab soon disap- 
pealed without the employment of any remedy. Such 
was not the case where the female acari was placed on 
the sound skin; as with the breaking of the pustule from 
eight to fifteen little ones made their appearance. M. 
Walz found that the young acari kept in a dry place,' 
dried and crumbled to dust; but when old, that it would 
retain its life through the whole winter; thus proving the 
necessity of not relying on the season for their destruc¬ 
tion, but on preparations of active medicine when the 
disease shows itself. Of the origin of these insects, wfe 
of course can know nothing; it is enough that we are 
certain when they make their appearance they can be 
met and destroyed. 
Various remedies have been recommended for the cure 
of the scab, but although the sheep acarus is very differ- 
ent in form, size, and color from the human acarus, the 
i P ’’ a i ™ that Wl11 destroy one will prove fatal to the 
otner. The remedy is the destruction of the acarus. 
A strong decoction of tobacco, of hellebore, or a solu- 
f" of , “j"®? 1 ® wlU cure; but the difficulty with washes 
, „ at . the burrowed insect sometimes goes untouched, 
and unless the washing is repeated, some are apt to escape, 
and the disease is continued. Owing to this it has gene¬ 
rally been deemed a safe and more expeditious mode-do 
use the mercurial ointment. When used too sti-on-, R 
will salivate lambs or ewes. Where the cases are very 
bad the ointment may consist of one part of mercurial 
ointment or unguentum, with three parts lard; but for or¬ 
dinary cases of scab, one part of the mercurial ointment 
lartl Wl11 be sufficiently powerful. The wool 
shouid be separated, a small quantity placed on the skin, 
and carefully rubbed in. The extent of the application! 
and the quantity used, will depend on the spread of the 
disease, from half an ounce to two ounces being demand¬ 
ed. A decoction of tobacco or hellebore will cure, but 
as before remarked it may be necessary to repeat the 
washing. Arsenical applications are effectual, but dan¬ 
gerous, unless great care is used. Where an animal has 
been washed, or ointment applied, infection is generally 
prevented; but whenever the scab appears, and is sup¬ 
posed to be cured, examinations at the end of every few 
days should take place, particularly if any symptoms of 
i c ing or irritation appear. The sheep grower should 
pay strict attention to the health of his animals, and such 
care and attention will be abundantly repaid. Below 
vie give figures of the acari that iroduees the scab, as 1 
delineated by M. Walz. 5 
Fig. 28—The 
female, of 366 
times the natural 
size, larger than 
the male, of an 
oval form, and 
provided with 
eight feet, four 
before and four 
behind. 
a —The sucker. 
6. b. b. b —The 
4 anterior feet, 
Avith their trum- 
__ pet-like appen- 
(Fig. 28.) dices. 
c. c—The two interior hind feet. 
d. d.— -The two outward feet, the extremities of which 
are provided with some long hairs, and on other parts of 
the legs are shorter hairs. 
To these hairs the young 
ones adhere when they first 
escape from the pustule, 
e —The tail, containing 
the anus and vulva, garnished 
by some short hairs. 
Fig. 29.—The male on its 
back, and seen by the same 
magnifying power. 
a. —The sucker. 
b. b. b. b —The fore-legs 
with their trumpet-like ap¬ 
pendices, as seen in the fe¬ 
male. 
/ \ c. c.—The two hind legs, 
\ with the same appendices and 
\ hairs. 
(Fig. 29.) d. — The rudiments of the 
abdominal feet. e.—The tail. 
“DISTEMPER” AMONG DOGS. 
J. C. Robertson, Esq. of Springfield, Elizabeth City 
Co., Va., accustomed, as he says, “to the healthful 
sports of the fidld and the chase,” has requested some 
information as to a distemper which has occasioned him 
the loss of some of his best dogs, and the best method 
of cure, if any is known; and also, whether the disease 
is infectious,” &c. 
Circumstances have never made us familiar with the 
habits or diseases of dogs, although we can fully appre¬ 
ciate their fidelity and attachment, and, with our corres¬ 
pondent, believe their diseases worthy of notice and cure. 
Blaine, in his great work on Rural Sports, which is high 
authority on all matters relating to dogs and horses, thus 
speaks of the disease called by our correspondent the 
distemper: 
“Few young dogs escape the distemper; and if they 
do escape in their youth, three-fourths are attacked by 
it afterwards, as it is by far the most common and fatal 
disease of the dog. It generally attacks them before 
eighteen months old, although it may appear when quite 
young, or after several years. Greyhounds are very 
subject to it, and it is more frequently fatal to them than 
others. Moist eyes, dulness, wasting, cough, and sneez¬ 
ing, are the symptoms of its approach. In some cases it 
commences by purging, in others by fits, and frequently 
ends fatally in the latter way.” For cure, Blaine gives 
the following directions, in substance: 
On the first attack of the disease, give emetics; they 
are very useful. A large spoonful of common salt, in 
three spoonfuls of warm water is good, the quantity to 
be increased according to the size of the dog, or the dif¬ 
ficulty of making him vomit. If the dog remains 
strong, such an emetic every third day is not too much. 
ActiYe purging must be avoided, but the bowels must be 
kept open. If scouring is present, the best remedy ij 
