The Southern farm. (Atlanta, Georgia) 1887-1893, November 15, 1893, Page 4, Image 4

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4 Chinn Barrie*—A Use for Them Fowls With Deformed Feet.— Diseased Udder. Editor Southern Farm: You ask for remarks about the china berry, etc. Please allow me to say that the berry Is an infallible remedy against the moth or worms in dried peaches—put ting a hand-fnl or so of the ripe or green b«rries in the sack or barrel in which the fruit is put, more or leas berries as to the amount of the fruit. Again, another remedy for keeping wee vilj out of beans, peas, sweet corn, etc , is to shell the se. d. putting them in bottles, jugs or barrels, or anything de sired, no matter as to quantity, and then cover the seed with dry sand or pulver ized dirt. Shake the bottle, box or barrel so as to cause the sand or dirt to go down in amongst the se-d A barrel will hold about three fourths to a bushel of dry sand after being filled with peas, and they will rem du sound for several years, and if weevils are in the seed when put away, the process kills them at once. The sand or dirt can be sifted out when wanted for use. A question to be answered by any one who can give answer satisfactorily: I have two large young roosters (or cocks) half Brahma, the other half mix ture of other breeds used last year. They were verv ill, and the one master of the other was continually chasing him. So last winter when the ground was frozen £ got vexed at the one chasing the other, an i caugtit him and cut off his middle or long toe, which’made him quite sick, hav ing taken cold in his toe, aud he had quite a bad time with it,causing the other one to whip him. Consequently he reversed the rule and he commenced the chase after his old master. I caught him and cut his long or middle toe eff, too That stopped the chasing to a great ex tent ever since. Now for the question: I have had good success rearing chickens this season, but there has been at least 1 5 of them with deformed feet, the outside or small toe growing onto the middle or long •» toe or web between the long and outside toe. oftentim. s the long toe will turn eith er to right or left and form twe and a few instances three toe nail* at the end of the small or outside toe. Now was this the result of cutting the middle toe of the two cocks off half way to the foot or the admixture of breeds? I have a young cow with second c *lf, fine milker aud good butter cow, but last year with her first calf she had a large swelling on the left and rear part of the udder in August, the calf then being six months oid she wou d not allow it to suck only when m>*de We bathed it and in a few weeks she did not complain longer, the swelling subsiding without coming to the outside. Tuis year I took the ctlf from her when four months old, but in August again came the same swelling, but much larger than last year, became so sore and her udder bo large she could not walk We again bathed with liniments, etc ,and it has gone again, but the right rear teat was the ony one affeced, and she has ceased to give any milk from this teat since, and has drawn up to be not over one inch long. She seems to be very healthy and hearty, excepting she has' a bad cough. She is 1-4 Jersey and makes 1 ? pounds of butter every day, with \tuv three teats mi'ked. I should have „d the teat she has lost gave as fine flow kiiik up to the time of the swelling as cos tue others. Wnat could have been I matter with her udder, and has her sgh anything to do with the affl'Ctionof . Zudder? Light on the condition of this t a I desire. W. L Abbott. Texas. is q n ita likely that your operations in the feet of your fowls caused the able th »t you mention for it has been .monstrated that such effects follow fadualiy at least) such mutilations. You u very so<»n breed a race of dogs with xort tails by cutting off the tails of two merations. Your cow evidently had a mild case of irgat from not receiving proper attention calving time or just before when she ad her first calf. A cow once affected ,ith garget 's lively to have trouble ever xerwaras when she calves unless given reful attention in time before she calves d j ist afterwards. If you have a veterinary surgeon near uit is probable h , can open the closed *t by a alight surgical operation. • f the cow is a valuable one it may be rth this operation. The next time she ves see that the udder is kept well ase i with camphorated oil and do not it get overcharged with milk and do peed at the time any heating food, but fithing of a laxative nature. B rite us again if she is affected. Distemper in Horses. few words at this season on the snb of distemper may not be out of place, jiy of the inquiries now reaching us zing reference to this ailment, known metimes by the name of strangles, arions theories have, from time to time sen advanced a* to tuenature of this dis rder These differences of opinion iome mes hinge on the locality of the affee m, aud sometimes on the period of its pearing. iecause so few escape it altogether, it ■ been considered, like measles and dred tff ctiuns in the human family, a Btitutional disease the susceptibility U second attack being destroyed with ,'j first Again, it has been supposed at when there was some innate disease, id that when this had reached maturity, )it were, it was thrown off by matura on, and that the animal afterwards, as a lie, manifesto t an improvement in its />is<.itutiou In confirmation of this aeory, many writers urged that in numer oils instances young horses, apparently Z thriftless, continued in such a condition , in spite of scientific treatment, until at tacked by the disease we are describing, when all traces of sickness vanished, and perfect health anti the much-desired buoy ancy of animal spirits succeeded the form . er sluggishness and obstinate lack of eon- I dition. As opposed to this theory, the fact may be mentioned that the horses of warm esuntries never have the strangles, and that the horses of Barbary, though never suffering from this ailment, are considered more healthy than our own. Hence we are inclined to agree with those writers who have treated strangles a* a catarrhal rather than a constitutional affection. Proceeding, therefore, on that basis we will give, In as brief a space as possible, the symptoms and general treatment, at tention to which will, as a rule, enable in terested parties to.combat the ailment sat isfactorily. The first symptoms observed are us ually slight cold,, alternated with fever. The horse is dull, and has often a cough, with soreness of throat, and there is a dis clination to eat and increased thirst; the coat is staring; there is by and by a loose condition and redness of the nasal mem branes accompanied bv a watery flow from the nose and eyes and the pulse is somewhat hurried. In a day or two the subma xllary and sublingual glands swell and there is difficulty in swallowing. It often happens on the second or third day that a mucio-purulent discharge takes place from the nostrils, and sometimes the lungs become sltghtly in fl* med. When the tumor is between the j*ws in the ordinary way and of the usual size, it reaches maturity with little or no trouble being experienced. It is hot, tender, rounded and smooth, and eventually fluctuating in the centre, owing to the for mation of pus. Thera will be much mere fever and greater difficulty in breathing when the tumor is in the immediate neigh borhood of the parotid glands, stertorous breathing and a tendency to strangulation thus giving rise to the name strangles. When the tumor exceeds the ordinary size there may occur a hindrance to proper mastication, causing the animal to become extremely weak from lack of sufficient nourishment. We have instances where the tumor in place of becoming softer, gets harder, and then tue disease becomes more tedious. It is useless in this disease, as in many others, to check it. Oar efforts must be directed in such away as to assist nature to do her work more expeditiously than when left to herself, and in thin way we effect a saving of time, and better, main tain the strength of our animal This latter is a very important point, and can not ba too strongly insisted upon, care be ing taken not to reduce it by either bleed ing or physicing. The horse must receive nourishment,for the drain upon the system is now very great, and 1' the throat is so sore ss to cause a disinclination or inability to swal low, he must get it, if necessary, by the rectum. The latter, however, is not a desirable channel, the result usually being uusatis factory, because only a portion of the nu tritious constituents are absorbed. Any food which the animal will take may be given. Os course it must be soft, or it will be refused. Grain is sometimes taken when the other food is refused; carrots scalded and cut longi'udinally and bran mashes may] be given; but a change must be made the moment the animal begins to tire of it. Boil linseed and corn meal together, and give it as thick gruel. Bulphate|of quinine, a scruple at a dose, might be given either in thin gruel or beef tea, the latter preferable when there is much exhaustion. A good medicine to have on hand and give in these cases is Wood’s Specific Remedy, advertised in the columns of this paper- It i* safe and very reliable. When the glands are observed to swell commence applying warm poultices. This line of treatment is preferable to fomenta tions, as the latter is not infrequently fol lowed by a chill, retarding necessarily the suppuration process. A little mustard or cantharides oint ment may be rubbed over the surface be fore applying the poultice. The latter may be kept warm by either encompassing it with hot cotton batting, or keening it sat urated with water as hot as can be safely applied. As soon as the tumor points, open it, and evacuate the sac. It is said nature is a good physician, but a bad surgeon, be cause when an opening is permitted to take place as the result of allowing an ab scess to burst, the wound is Irregular, heals slowly, and is apt to cause a blem ish; while an incised wound, as made by a scalpel, or other surgical instrument, heals quickly, leaving no scar When the wound is made, inject some laudanum and tepid water, insert a pled get of tow, saturated in a weak solution of carbolic acid, one part to seventy-five of water. Keep the wound clean, as this has quite an effect on the result. Be very careiul when making the incision that the duct of the gland is not severed- Blood vessels should also be avoided, as deple tion at such a time would prove injurious. The abscess should not be opened until it points. If the throat is sore and the nostrils run ning considerably, swab out the former with the carbolic-acid mixture prescribed above, and syringe a little into the nos trils. This should be done gently, so as to prevent it from being carried by the re spiratory movement into the lungs Cause the animal to inhale steam occasionally. The after treatment may be summarilv disposed of, as it is embraced in the fol lowing: Good nursing, tonics and nutri tive diet. The latter should be supplied judiciously, not too much at first, as the •dgestive organs are still weak —Charles R. Wood, V. 8 , in American Cultivator. The Best in the Neighborhood. The following letter firom Mr. Dick erson of Tennessee tells how well Th« Southern Farm machine is liked all over his neighborhood. He does not write a long letter —it is not necessary as he says all that is necessary in a few words. He could have returned the machine and we would have re funded him the whole amount paid for it, and would have paid return freignt ourselves. Instead of doing this, he is delighted with it, and says it is the best machine in his section. Bean station, Tenn,, 1893. Dear Sib lam well pleased with my sew ing machine. The people in this section all think it is the best sewing machine in the neighborhood. J. G. DIOHBBSQN. THE SOUTHERN FARM. Permanent Pastures iu the South and How to Make them Good. This is a very interesting subj set to many farmers in our section of country now, and a thorough discussion of it is called for in order that one may proceed intelligently towards making a practical success of the undertaking. Failure, of course, is discouraging, and it is generally the case it the first attempt does not pro duce the expected results a second at tempt is delayed a long time even if it is made at all. We are aware that many have essayed to establish better pastures and meadows with the improved grass<-s and clovers, and have not succeeded, for one reason and another, perhaps for two or more reasons. Let us consider what are the obstacles in the way of success in establishing sat isfactory pastures or meadows: First—Poor seeds (from their being too old and not properly kept, have lost their vitality ) Second—The use of soil that was too poor to grow the crop. Third—From sowing at the wrong time. Fourth—By attempting to have a pas ture or meadow from the use of just one plant, and it not altogether suited to the M °Fifth—From being in too great haste to pasture the land before the grass or clover has become firmly established on the S °And sixthly another obstacle may be stated in the failure to prepare the sod properly for the reception of the small seeds. Now where all these causes operate, or even one or two of them.there can be only failure, but when all of them are fully dis posed of the highest success will be ob tained, We know of a number of intances where farm era have made a start towards having good pastures, but were able to get no further than sowing the seeds, for they never cams up. Seed tests at several of the experiment stations have shown conclusively that there is a large quantity of utterly worth less clover and grass seeds sold to the peo ple. This class of seeds soon lose their vitali ty, and many of them, after being kept two years, will fail to grow. The only way for a farmer to do is to deal with some reliable seedsman and stipulate for freshly grown seeds—of the latest growth that can be had. Purchase them some weeks before they are needed for sowing and test them. Determine about what proportion are good and then sow accordingly. Where one bushel of fresh seeds would be sufficient, it will re quire two bushels if they nave been kept any length of time. It is impossible to make the best of pas ture or meadow with only one kind of grass or clover. Our Bermuda grass comes nearer making a perfect pasture Just by itself than any other plant, per naps—than is for a certain period in the summer time. It is dormant for six months m the year, however, and to make the pasture of value in the winter and early spring it becomes necessary to sow some other plant with it that will make its growth in the winter, while the bermuda is dormant. There are two plants especially adapted to this pur pose, and there may be others, but these are so good it is really unnecessary to seek for others. Either white clover or bur clover meets the requirements of the case, and if sown in Octooer or early in Novem ber will give splendid grazing quite early in the new year and without detriment to the grass. In fact, the decaying of the Glover roots will so add to the fertility of the soil that the Bermuda will grow bet ter afterwards. If the Bermuda has been grazed closely up to the first of October about that date it will be well to scarify the land with a scooter or sharp tooth harrow and sow the clover seed thickly over the Bermuda sward and the clover will give excellent pasture during April. May and June—before the grass begins to grow. English and other European farmers rarely think of using less than a di zen different plants in making a permanent pasture, and oftentimes as many as twen ty-five different plants are used in making such. They have found that it pay* to use a great variety so as to keep the pas ture green and growing all the year round. They use at least half as many in the making of their meadows. Our farm ers must learn a lession from them in this matter, for it is a very important one to learn. The farmers of the South have got to come to understand the value of good pastures and meadows just as much so as the English farmers have; and the South ern farmer that disputes this assertion will find himself in the rear ranks of pro gress. . There is no country in the world that has such glowing opportunities in the matter of stock raising as the South has, and if we neglect them it will be our loss and a great loss too. In the following issues we shall give some combinatiou of grasses and clovers that make as fine pasture and meadows as it is possible to have in any part of the world. And we invite our thoughtful readers to give us the benefit of their own experience in this direction. There is no use of our longer contending against the inevitable. We must change our system of farming or we will be utter ly ruined. We have gone as far as we can go under the old system. There is no hone for the man who longer disputes this statement. What say our readers? Shall we discuss thie matter? We think we should, from a practical stand point. . Home Manures. The fertilizing value or quality of home made manures varies immensely, accor ding to the cares taken of them while in bulk, and the kind of feed that the ani mals consume. Manure that is exposed •ut of doors to all sorts of weather that comes, can not fail to have much of its life and fertility washed out of it by the rains and extracted from it by drying winds. The soluable part, that which imparts color to water is the part of most value and immediate benefit to crops, and hence animal manures should be kept out of the rains until put upon the land where they are to remain. It is true that where the piles of manure are large much of it is not directly ex posed to the rains, but the injury arising from firefang that takes place in large heaps of manure is almost as great as that resulting from washing runs. Unless a good deal of straw or leaves go along into the piles with the manure it is sure to heat and burn, by which the quality is much Impaired. Woods’ mold and litter are about the best absorbents to put with any kind of animal manures to prevent heating. The quality of the ma nure is also greatly increased without much impairing of its value. But the kind of feed that the animals consume has also a controlling effect upon the quality of manure, its richness and value as a fertilizer. Oat and rye straw, top fodder, marsh hay, and other coarse stuff are very poor in fertilizing elements, while such feeds as cotton seed meal, ship stuff, and (it is said) gluten meal, are worth for m*nures almost as much per ton after being consumed by the animal The manurial value of a ton of blade fodder is estimated at $5 25; a ton of corn stover $3 25; a ton of oat-hay $8 00 Clover-hay, nicely cured, is reckoned to ba worth §lO 00 for manurial purposes. Timothy-hay is estimated at $6 00, which would indicate that timothy yields more nutriment to the animal than clover. It is estimated that the manure from a ton of bran is worth sl4 00, but as bran is not, or should not be fed alone, without a bay ration, we conclude that some of this amount should,be credited to the hay con sumed by the animal. Both experiment and observation indicate clearly enough that the character of the feed exerts a very decided influence upon the quality of the manure voided by the animal. Os course, to the general farmer having stock to feed and fatten, the question of the nutrition of various foods must come in for consideration, and this generally bus more bearing with the farmer than the quality of the rejects left by the stock. And yet, in the study of which are the most economic*! food for stock, this final question of the value of the manure for producing other cropj can not properly be ignored. Hence it is well to be abie to de termine, at least approximately, the fer tilizing value of manures derived from any given product. It is, moreover, of great importance to be able to know how to handle manures, bo as to make them retain their values till applied to the soil. This subject of the quality of manures, as affected by the care taken of them, and the kind of feed that tne animal eats, is a large and very practical one and needs much more inves tigation by farmers than it appears to have received —B. W. J. In Home and Farm. The Live Stock Outlook. The indications are that the price of pork will continue mgn for a year or two at least. The demand for the product is gradually on the increase, while produc tion, owing to the prevalence of disease among the swine and other causes has for a time been on the decline. The process of packing the corn into hogs is a quick and economical process for the disposal of the surplus of this great crop. The price of 6eef is yet comparatively low but the future outlook is certainly better for the immediate future. The number of cattle in sight have been rather on the decline for two or three years, not only am n ng the small farmers but on the ranges of the West. The present year has been disas trous on the plains owing to the very late spring and the dry summer which cut the growing season for the grass at both ends. This necessitates the shipping of the cattle to the packing centers in a very immature and un fatted condition. This tends to de press the market now but will have the effect to stiffen prices later on. Much will be gained by both producer and consumer when the inferior cattle from the ranges and the other sections of the west where little attention is given to improvement shall be transmuted into the improved breeds by the infusion of new blood. We need more of the high grades of blooded stock of the Durham, Angus and Hereford as among the best of beef The fair prices paid for good beef is cheaper to the consumer than the very low prices paid for the poor beef, and every one knows that the good cattle bring better returns and are more profita ble to the producer. A very great advance has been made in this direction, but there is plenty of room for improvement yet, which any observer can convince himself of by taking a lock at the arrivals at the Union Stock Yards, Chicago, on any day of the year. With the World’s Fair and the influence resulting from it hereafter the de mands for the canned beef in the South American countries should great ly increase from now on in eur re ciprocity relation with them. We are reminded of the fact by the re cent financial panic that unless the people of this country find more ample markets for what they produce at more remunera tive prices or import less from foreign lands, we shall have panics severe and frequent. The power of plutocracy in this country is on the increase and the rich nabobs are sapping the life out of pro ductive labor and spending the cream of the profits in riotous living in foreign travel. The tax is heavy enough to sup port these parasites at home, but when the producers have to foot the bills to send and support them abroad, the burdens will continue to iu crease until bankruptcy will stare the nation in the face in more vivid terms than we have experienced of late. We must have an income tax im posed on all incomes above $5,000 per Jrear and graded from five to fifty per cent n proportion to its size. Improve the stock, diversify the products of the farm that all the necessaries, as near as possi ble, may be produced at home to stop the enormous importations whioh will in time impoverish our people.—Western Bural. The little island of Malta has a language of its own, derived from the Carthaginian and Arabian tongues. The nobility of the island speak Italian. Dosing. Indiscriminate dosing, whether of hu man beings or domestic animals, is to be deprecated by reason of the evil effects which often arise. Medicines are made up of poisonous compounds and have no curative qualities whatever. In fact, they are antagonistic to the existence of a liv ing organism. The healing is by natural process and in harmony with fixed laws. The remedial agencies are only the means by which these law» are aroused to action and to thus throw off the disease with the medicine. We quote from an exchange which says in regard to horses: “If there is any one thing connected" with the management of horses which Bhouldbeabolished.it is the continued dosing for imaginary diseases, and that too without regard to the effect produced, or the possible need. There is no question that very often a horse will be the better of a little medicine The system gets out of order and a little tonic will help materially in building up, but some judgment must be used, or more harm than good will re sult. In the early spring in many cases the horses have been on dry feed all winter and need a change, and a mild physic will be of benefit and then something in the nature of a tonic. This is of course when the horses have run down. There is no question bat that good care in good season will render this unnecessary and this is the best plan. Tn all cases a good preventive is better than any cure, bat this is not always done, and in by far too many cases, horses are doc tored without a proper regard for their needs With all animals it is a poor plan to dose without understanding, first,whether the animal really needs the medicine; that the quantity given is what is needed to secure the desired effect, and how long it could reasonably be expected that the medicine would act and in what way. One serious mistake is often made and that is in giving one kind of medicine and then following it up with another before the first has had a sufficient opportunity to act. If the animal is worth doctoring at all it is worth doctoring properly, and if the doses and action of medicines are not properly Understood it will in nearly all cases be better to call in the services of a competent veterinary doctor rather than risk your own judgment. Have a sick horse and call in a few of your neighbors for a cure and see how varied will be the treatment suggested and how little re gard will be paid to the animal’s condi tion. There is too much risk iu this way. Because an animal with a strong con stitution is able to take the medicine and still get well should not by any means be regarded as proof that it has been of bene fit. Yet this has been the way a mixture is given and if the animal gets well it is set down as a sure cure, without inves tigating as to the cause and effect of what h»s been given. Batter not dose at all as an experiment; much harm is nearly al ways done at the expense of the animal, and it is nearly always best to let the ani mal suffer with disease than to be tor tured with unnatural treatment m ad dition. Always give relief when it is pos sible, but try and do so intelligently or get some one who can. SOIENCK IN AGRICULTURE. (Bulletins recently issued by the Experiment Stations.) Rhode Island: Kingston, Chas. O. Flagg, director; No. 28, Com mercial and Miscellaneous Fer tilizers, 15 pages. « « « South Carolina: Ft. Hill, E. B. Craighead, director; No. 14, Experiments with corn, 6pp. » * Mississippi: Agriculture College, S. M. Tracy, director; No. 26, Small Fruits, 15pp. Devoted chiefly to strawberries. • * • North Carolina: Raleigh, H. B. Bat tle, director; No. 92, the culture of orchard and garden fruits 140 pp, a very instructive bul letin. • * * Kentucky: Lexington, M. A. Sco ville, director; No. 46, Commer cial fertilizers, 22pp. Kansas: Manhattan. Geo. T. Fair child, director; No. 39 “Expe riments In Feeding Steers,” 35 pp. * * * Illinois: Champaign; No. 26 The Forest Tree Plantation, 40 pp. No. 29 The Babcock Test, 4 pp. • • « New York: Ithaca. I. P. Roberts, director; No. 56. The Produc tion of Manure, 16 pp. No. 57 Raspberries and Blackberries, 24 PP- Rhode Island: Kingston. Chas. O. Flagg, director; No. 24 Fertil izers. No.2sExperiments With Turkeys. Also sth Annual Re port (for 1892) embracing mis cellaneous matter of an interest ing character. An Oversight. Through an oversight of editor or printer, we know not which, the arti cle on “Stock Raising in the South” — page 6 last issue—was not credited to its proper source. * We regret that we cannot recall the journal from which the article was quoted, but it was taken from one of our esteemed Southern con Temporar ies. (Oversights will occur some time.)