Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1886 — HOME, FARM, AND GARDEN. [ARTICLE]

HOME, FARM, AND GARDEN.

Talks with the Farmer, Orchardist, Stock-Breeder, Poulterer, and Housekeeper. Hints en House Decorations, Kitchen Economy, and the Preservation of Health. AGRICULTURE, TAe Cos* of Underdraining. The great cost of draining land ia the chief bugbear which prevents many farmers from underdraining it But the proper way to look at underdraining is as a permanent investment, for well-laid tile will practically last forever. In thia case only the interest on first cost need be calculated, and underdraining will pay larger interest than anything else the farmer can do. Draining Grass Land. Where drains are laid in fields that are to be kept in grass the tiles should be placed deeper than is necessary whore only annual crops are grown. The grass roots growing continuously follow the water to the tiles and soon choke them. But with good fall and outlet, drains partly filled with grass roots will wash themselves clear after one or two years plowing the field.

Improvement of Plante. The constant advice given to farmers regarding the importance of improving their stock, though having the effect of inducing them to realize greater profits, should not attract their attention from the matter of the improvement of the plants grown as general crops. Few farmers realize the fact that wheat is very easily Improved by selection, two seasons being ample time in which to effect a marked change in the quality and yield, while but a few seasons are necessary for accomplishing the same with corn and oats. Unless the seedsmen introduce new varieties we are not usually favored with those of superior character, owing to the neglect of the farmers in selectinc seed. The celebrated Fultz wheat, now so well known, was the result of a farmer going into his wheat field and selecting the best seed, singling out particular heads and stalks at the same time. Thus an improvement was made in his wheat every year; and Professor Blount claims that any farmer can, by selecting in the same manner, add ten bushels more per acre to the yield in comparison with what the crop would be without such care and selection. Great improvement has also been made in corn and oats in the same manner, and even rye has been increased in yield by following the practice for several consecutive seasons. The farmers can do more for themselves than can be done for them by others, for the reason that by careful selection they can improve a crop and adapt it to their own section. The originators or new varieties can not produce a kind that will prove a valuable acquisition everywhere. Climatic influences and diversity of soils are hinderances, and hence the reason why varieties that have been highly recommended in some quarters have been failures in others. But each farmer can do the same work as the seedsman who constantly experiments. By attempting the improvement of those plants which he has found by experience to be the best adapted to his soil and climate he begins with one-half the difficulties removed, and the path is clear of all obstacles except the labor of selection, the result of which, however, is to increase the yield and impro've.the quality of the plants experimented upon. In the case of potatoes, strawberries; and other plants that are improved by crossing, or by accidental production, the chances for success are not encouraging, and experience is required. But with those crops that can be improved by simply selecting the best the task is easy, and if every farmer would determine to use only selected grains the result would be a large addition to the productions of all farms. Selection will not only cause the grains to be plump, the heads large, and the stalk firm and strong, but hardiness and ability to withstand droughts will be increased. There is much in the variety that suits the farm, as no amount of cultivation can compensate for mistakes made in growing crops unadapted to the climate and soil, while a reverse condition saves labor and protects against loss. Careful selection will improve the crops as •well as the stock, and the process is easy, cheap, and economical, while much anxiety that arises from using seed of which the farmer knows nothing may be averted. After selecting the seed it should be carefully preserved during the winter, so that it may germinate upon the most favorable opportunity and secure an early start. Philadelphia Record.

Items for Husbandmen. Ducks should have apartments separate from other fowls. About one per cent of the farm land of this country is taken up by fences. A Canadian farmer is trying theT experiment of introducing prairie chickens on hie farm. Mobe than eighty thousand dollars’ worth of dairy products are annually imported into Great Britain. Feed fattening pigs charcoal two or three times a week, to prevent acidity of the stomach. As blue-gbass sod improves with age, it is perhaps the most valuable grass for permanent pasture. Stop churning when the butter has come in the granular form. Any further agitation injures the butter. The low price of both wheat and wool, the pxincipal agricultural products of Australia, has made the farmers of that country complain of hard times. -

FLORICULTURE. Seasonable Hints. A correspondent describes her success in raising fuchsias. She started cuttings in well enriched soil, pinched them out well, as she was striving for plenty of side branches for bloom to come on. Give stimulants once a week regularly, and keep them from getting pot-bound. Repot them as soon as they get cramped at the roots. Only try to have them bloom in the summer.' Place them away to rest in the winter. This correspondent beds them out in a shady place in summer, waters well, and keeps their foliage clean. They keep well in the cellar if the wood is well hardened, and are excellent on that account for the amateur who has but little room for plants. She starts them into growth in February, being eager to hasten the blossoming time. Petunia plants of the large flowering varieties should be allowed more room than the bedding sorts. A bed of mixed varieties is better than one sort, or raising different varieties by themselves. If one should fancy any particular plant and wish to increase it, cnt.tings from it may be used, thus multiplying it at pleasura As window plants, both the single and the double varieties of petunia are excellent The pots should be provided with wire frames, to which the shoots of the plants can be tied as they grow, thus causing all the flowers to show. The plants, if kept in the light in a moderate temperature and regularly watered, will continue to bloom all the winter and spring. Plants for winter blooming can be raised from seed sown in August Seeds of the double varieties are more difficult to germinate than the others. Bulba of the amaryllis should be taken from the pots as fast as done blooming, taking care not to shake any of the soil from the bulbs in removal Pack closely in a long bbx made for the purpose Set this out somewhere, and leave it all summer without especial attention. Early in the fall set it away under the roof until the ground about the bulbs is perfectly dry. Then the box should go into the cellar and remain there until some time after Christmas, when as many of the bulbs may be brought and potted as are desired for present oomiDg. M It is quite possible to set violets in too shady a place, and this is often the reason why they do not bloom satisfactorily. A light shade, such as would be given for a few hours in die middle of the day, would be an advantage to the violet, but more than that might beinjurioua Pansies can be bad in a blooming condition all winter in a cold frame, if it can be so protected as to keep out frost Bulbous plants should not have the tops removed until they

show signa of ripening by turning yellow and drooping. In renewing a collection of old roses, leave the plants where they now are and ennch the sod If they should be transplanted, let it be done next fall, or spring in a piece of wellmannred ground. Retain the growth this season of all shoots starting near the base of the plants. In the spring cut away the old wood and cut back the strong young shoots to a length of six or eight inches from the bottom. If moved in the fall they must be wel| protected by leaves, and if possible these again covered with evergreen boughs for the winter. The snowball usually appears best if trained to a single stem with a low head Yonng shoots springing from the base of a snowball in this form should all be removed. The new shoots of spineas should be kept, if they are not too numerous, and the old stems be out away every two or three years. The crape myrtle is propagated from the cuttings of ripe wood These can be put in the soil in a cold frame, and will root like the grape or the currant It can also be raised from seed.— Vick'i Magazine.

ECONOMY. Pickles. A contributor to the Portland Transcript gives the following recipe for pickles, which she will warrant satisfactory when good strong cider vinegar and small cucumbers are used: Start with two stone jars or crocks, one empty, the other partlynlled with a strong brine of salt and vinegar. Watch the vines each day and pick tlie little cucumbers as fast as they grow, keeping as near the three-inch standard as possible. Drop these into the brine each day, first taking out those which were put in the day before. Upon those which have been in the brine twenty-four hours pour boiling water and let them stand till coot Then put them in the other jar and turn on enough boiling vinegar to cover. This may sound complicated, but practically it is not As you clear away breakfast, bring up your cucumbers ont of the brine and pour on boiling water. When there is room on the stove, heat a pint of vinegar or less, and add your daily installment of cucumbers and hot vinegar to the other jar. The only hard part is hunting out the cucumbers. They steal their nests like hens, and if you are not very watchful you will be continually surprised by great melons as big as your wrist, where you thought you had picked everything bigger than your thumb-nail At the end of the season I hope your second crock will be solid with little pickles. Now add what spice you like. I put two bell-peppers and a root of horseradish into a four-gallon jar of cucumbers, all picked from eight hills. See that the vinegar always covers the pickles and then eat and enjoy. . Finally, bo sure of your vinegar, and don’t heat in a brass kettle or old tin pan. Bright tin or porcelain must be used. I often picked small string beans and dropped them in the brine with my cucumbers, and they proved very good companions. My second rule is for mixed pickle or chowchow, which is the nearest approach to the famous and unapproachable “Cross <fc Blackwell’s Chowchow” that I have eaten. It is not as hot and peppery, perhaps not quite as good, but very nearly: • Cauliflower, two heads; celery, six roots; cucumbers, two dozen, medium size; string beans, small half-peck; bell-peppers, six; onions, one quart; small, green tomatoes, halfpeck ; vinegar, two gallons; ground mustard, half-pound; mustard seed, four ounces; turmeric four ounces; allspice, pepper, cloves, ground, one ounce each. Cut the vegetables into small pieces, and sprinkle with salt Let them stand twentyfour hours and drain. Put the vinegar and spices into a kettle and heat them to the boilSoint Add the vegetables and let them until they become tender and yellow. This is the rule as given to me. It makes a large quantity; half of it would be enough for most families. In buying the spices, it is the easiest way to have the dealer weigh all out for you in one package. The turmeric can bought at any drug store. Now, for the benefit of those who would like to try this, but have neither country vegetable garden nor city market to select from, to whom cauliflower and celery are impossibilities, if the rule is followed as regards vinegar, spice, »and mode of preparation, a very appetizing pickle can be concocted from more available material

I made a kettleful in the dead of winter of large onions cut in eighths, ordinary cucumber pickles cut in chunks, and a quantity of shaved cabbage. Those who hadn’t seen the original pickle thought the imitation beyond compare. Shaved caobage is at any time equal to cauliflower in taste but not in looks. Learning Housekeeping. An English lady who has resided for some time on the continent, writes: The complaints I hear daily about servants and housekeeping induce me to make a proposal—namely, that of establishing the system which is practiced in Germany, of sending every young girl after she has finished her school education, and before she is “out,” to learn housekeeping. This every girl in Germany does, be she the daughter of a nobleman, officer, or small official. She direct from school into a family corresponding to her station in life. Those who are rich go where they pay highly, and are in a “good family,” so that they are enabled to live welt and have good cooking and great variety. No one is taken into one of these establishments for less than a year, so that with every month a new branch is learned —one month the preserving of fruit in season, the next laying in of apples and vegetables for winter use, preserving of eggs and butter, etc. These girjs are taught everything, from washing up dishes, sweeping and polishing the floors, clear-starching ana ironing, dusting and cleaning ornaments, cooking, laying the table, waiting, polishing the silver and glass, up to decorating the table with flowers and fruit Great is the ambition of the pupil to hear that her taste and management are the best Combined with these duties are those of keeping the household linen in repair and learning plain sewing. Thus the young girl gets experience in household affairs. Though the pupils have to learn everything, servants are kept in these establishments who in their turn are taught by the advanced pupils, who have learned from the mother of the family. This accounts for the excellent housekeeping in Germany, where comfort is combined with economy, and the pleasure of having everything precise and clean. The labors of the - day are over by midday (dinner being at midday), when everybody is at liberty for study, needlework, or amusement till time for preparing supper.

Suggestions to Housekeepers. Fresh Eggs—Never place fresh eggs near lard, fruit, cheese, fish or other articles from which any odor arises .The eggs are extremely active in absorbing power, and in a very short time they are contaminated by the particles of objects in their neighborhood, by which the peculiar and exquisite taste of a new-laid egg is destroyed. To Remove Ink Stains—A solution of oxalic acid has. been used for removing ink stains from cotton, linen or the Angers, but it is attended with the danger of injuring textiles and the skin. A much safer and better treatment of ink or rust stains consists of the application of two parts of powdered cream of tartar and one part of finely powdered oxalic acid. Shake up the ingredients well together and apply the powder with a dry rag to the dampened stain. When the spot has disappeared the part should be well washed. To remove ink stains from paper make a solution of fresh muriate of tin, two drams; water, four drams; and apply with a camel’s-hair brush. Fresh Meat—Never allow fresh meat to remain in paper; it absorbs the juices. Cure for Sprain—Take one tablespoonful of honey, the same of salt, and the white of one egg; boat all well together for at least one hour, or two would be better. Let it stand an honr. Then anoint the sprained place freely ; keep well rolled up with a good bondage. Tea—JS’ever make tea in a tin pot The tannin, which is acid, attacks the tm and produces a poison.— The Cook. Boast Lamb. Sometimes the hindouarter of lamb orvoung mutton will be found to be of strong flavor. This fault will not be discovered until the loin, chops have been Broiled. To overcome the defect, before baking the leg parboil it When nearly cooked remove it from the water,dredge it with flour and bake it until dona , ■ Sponge Cake. Two eggs, one and one-half cups of flour, two-thirds sweet milk, one-half of butter, one of white sugar, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, one-half of saleratus, one of lemon.

DAIRYING. Mow to Make Good Butter. Miss Mma Holmes, of Owatonna, Minn., received the prize at the Bed Wing Convention for her essay on “Buttermaking. ” Hie synopsis presented is on the good, old-fashioned way that produces butter that will keep a year. The essayist said the way to have good, toothsome butter is to have a good pasture for cows in summer and plenty of good hay, good feed, and pure water in winter. Give" them straw for bedding, and make them as comfortable as possible. Have the milking done in a Olean manner.. Don’t let the milkers dip their hands in the milk pail and wash off the cow’s bag with milk, but rub it off with a cloth in dry weather, and wash it off with water in wet and muddy weather. See that the milking utensils and cans are carefully washed, scalded, and aired before using. Strain the milk as soon as drawn from the cow; the less it is agitated the better the cream will rise. Strain into cans, and cool down with water to 50 or 55 deg. The water in the tank should be changed once a day, and oftener if the morning’s and evening’s milk is set in the same tank. Let it stand twenty-four hours before skimming, and if convenient thirty-six is better. Skim the cream off instead of draining off the milk at the bottom of the can. In winter, the day before ohunjing warm the cream up to 70 deg. by setting a pail of cream in warm water and stirring until it is the required heat. Then it will 000 l down to 62 deg. by the next morning. Stir the cream often wnile cooling and souring. Cream will make the most and best butter when, after warming it, let it stand until slightly sour. In summer commence churning at 58 dog When you chum, pour the cream into the chum through a strainer made of perforated tin: then if there is any sour m Ik that is not mixed with the cream it will not be in lumps in the churn. Commence churning slowly at first, until the air is all expelled; then churn faster, say about ’fifty revolutions a minute. When the first signs of granulation appear, pour into the chum one or two pailfuh of water, at about 55 deg., according to the size of the churning; then enurn it until the butter is the size of wheat kernels. Draw off the buttermilk and pour in water enough to wash it good, the temperature being about 55 deg Draw this off and wash it in a weak brine. Let it drain dry; then take the granulated butter out of the chum, weigh it and put it on the butter-worker. Do not let the butter stand in the water or brine any length of time, as it makes it salvy to work or salt. Weigh out the salt; an ounce to the pound; use the best English salt and sift on the butter a little at a time, and stir with a small paddle until thoroughly mixed. Then press gently with the lever. Work it as little as possible, never giving it a drawing or rubbing motion, but just enough to work it dry and free from streaks.

Pack in a tub a little at a time, beginning in the middle with each layer and pressing toward the sides. Never smooth it off, as it gives it a greasy appearance. Put on the cloth, cut it around the edge of the tub with a sharp knife, pour on a little water, and sift on some salt This will form a paste that will help to exclude the air. Fasten on the cover with strips of tin, nail the tin on the cover, then bend the tin over the nail, and bring it down on the side of the tub and nail again. If you are not ready to ship the butter put the tub in a cold, dark place, never in a damp cellar, as it soon spoils the flavor of the butter. The flavor is improved by airing tne cream while souring, also by feed. I used to think if a cow had enough to eat, no matter if it was wild hay, there could be no difference in the butter; but by experimenting, cornstalks and pumpkins make the best flavored and finest butter; next is clover-hay, and for feed cornmeal, ground oats, and bran mixed together.— Chicago Tribune.

NURSERY LORE. Elizabeth Cady titanton on Babies. During one of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s lecturing tours she had occasion to visit at Mt Vernon, lowa, which point she reached late one- very cold Sunday night. As the train rolled off she found herself alone in the darkness, the depot deserted and locked against all; travelers. To stay there was to freeze, to go somewhere was to fall into some ditch or trap she knew not of. Thinking perhaps some one might be asleep inside, she began to pound upon the doors and windows. Receiving no answer her only resource was to scream. So she shouted, “Hallol hallo!” loud and long. Just as she began to despair of being heard the sound of footsteps gladdened her heart, and soon a strong young man appeared. He was the telegraph operator, and lived half-way between the town and depot. As Mrs. Stanton was advertised to speak there she did not need much of an introduction. The young man readily understood the situation and taking a key out of his pocket said* “Will you sit in the depot until I go up to the town and get a sleigh, or would you prefer to walk?” Shivering with cold and fearing to stay alone she chose the latter. It was slow work, as the snow was deep and the wind strong. Her companion lightened her discomforts, however, by describing his life in the army, battles, prisons. hospitals, care of the sick, etc., which led to tlie following: “One year ago I married a pretty Southern girl, and now we have a baby, a month old, and, poor little thing, it cries all the time, and we feel so sorry for it that sometimes we all cry together. Do you know anything about babies?” said he, stopping suddenly, as if propounding a most momentous questton. “Yes,” said I, “I know all about them. I have made a study of infantile humanity. I have read all the authorities, from Dr. Andrew Combe down to Mrs. Winslow’s soothing syrup, and I have made a practical application of my knowledge on seven of my own children.” - Inspired with confidence in my wonderful attainments in this department of knowledge, he said: “If I should bring a sleigh to-morrow morning would you go and see my»wife and baby, and tell us what to do?” I replied: “I should be very happy to show my gratitude to you for all your kindness by doing something for your wife and baby, in return. ”

Accordingly, the next morning we drove to his home I found a sweet looking pale young mother, weary and worn with the care of a child that seemed to be in great suffering, wriggling and twisting like an eel. She said it never seemed at ease day’ or night. Taking it in my arms I soon eaw that it was bandaged as tight as a drum from its arms to its hips. I took every pin out, leaving all the clothing loose, rubbed its little back and breast gently and laid it on an even surface on the bed at peace, where it slept quietly all the time I remained, and, as the father told me next,day, long after, the first comfortable nap the poor little soul had had since it was born. I sat a long time, telling the young mother how to take care of herself and her baby, and the reason for all my directions. I have asked many mothers why they bandage their children, and have never yet heard one good reason. To show how ignorant they are, one told me her nurse said a baby must be bandaged as it would be in danger of falling apart if not tightly pinned together. I replied that it was rather remarkable that kittens and puppies should have been made so as to hold together and the human family left wholly at the mercy of a bandage. The next diy, at Cedar Rapids, I was relating my Mount Vernon experience to one of my sons, when I remembered that I had not told the young mother to give her baby water every day. “Now,” said L “that poor baby will suffer with thirst; they will give the dog and eat and the canary bird water, nut they will never think of the baby.” So I wrote a telegram, “Give the baby water six times a day,” and Burned mv sou off to dispatch it When he returned he said: “The operator laughed so immoderately he could hardly send the message, and I joined in the chorus.*’ “Well,” said I, “you may laugh, but that is one of the most important messages ever sent over the wires for the future peace and happiness of the race.” ' Making the same trip years after, I met the young man, and inquired about the baby. “Hale and hearty, and has had water six times a he answered. “Then you received the telegram?” said L “Oh, yes,” he replied. “It was published in the papers, and I received it from every point of the compass for months after. When the operators at the various stations had nothing else to do they-used to send me that telegram. So the water was never forgotten.” I have often told mothers wrestling with tired children, if instead of shaking or scolding the poor things, they would give them water to drink and a sponge bath, they would save themselves much trouble, and their children great suffenns. But they all have an insane prejudice against water. They will give them tea and coffee, til kinds of mints, but

never water. Ido not exaggerate maternal ignorance when I say I never met a dozen mothers in my life who knew how to take care of a child, and there are very few nurses scientifically trained. GOOD COOKERY, Lobster Sauce. ] • ' Chop, not too fine, the meat, from the claws and tail of lobster, and mix with a half-pint of drawn butter. t ■ Cold Cabbage Salad. iChop the cabbage fine, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and sugar, cover with one-third water and two-thirds vinegajri ■' Little Holland Breteele. Make a dough Of half a pound of floiir, half a pound of sugar, the yelk of two eggs, a tablespoonful of sour cream and a tablespoonful of coriander seed. Break off little bits of the dough, roll them in round pieces and form them in little bretzels or rings. 4 Dainty Dish. / This is for breakfast or lunch, and is made of slices of fresh, crisp toast, buttered very slightly. On each slice put salmon and cucumber, or cold meat and chutney; sprinkle with pepper and wrap each slice in a lettuce leaf that has been steeped in vinegar. Washington Cake. Three-quarters of a pound of sugar, halfpint milk, three eggs, one pound flour, three tablespoonfuls brandy (or two tablespoonfuls essence of lemon), one teaspoonful ground cinnamon, half a wineglassful rosewater, one saltapoonful salt Drop large spoonfuls on buttered paper or very smooth, flat tins. If on paper, first place it in a pan; do not let the spoonfuls touch each other. Bake in a hot oven. Raspberry Short-Cake. Sift together half a pound of flour, a coffeespoonful each of salt and sugar, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Work into this mixture a quarter of a pound of cold washed butter; add gradually two gills of cold boiled milk, mix quickly with a knife, dredge flour over the molding-board and turn the paste upon it, toss with the knife until it is floured: pat it gently with a floured rolling-pin and roll it down to half an inch thickness; put a plate on top of the paste and cut round it. Grease a bakiug-tin, put the rounds upon it and bake. When done, make aninoision round the center of the edge and tear them apart If not too thick they need not be divided. Arrange a layer of berries on one-half of the cake, dredge with fine sugar, and place the other half on the berries: cover the top with the largest berries and add a liberal quantity of sugar, and serve. A mixture of whipped white of an egg and sugar is sometimes added to the top layer, and it is placed in the oven a moment to set, but too muclf heat will spoil the berries.

THE FAMILY DOCTOR. Health Rules for the Aged. In discussing the causes of premature old age in mature life, that eminent authority, Dr. B. W. Richardson, points out that indulSence in excessive emotion, passion, or bad abits anticipates age.- Grief, vain regrets over what “might nave been,” hatred, jealousy, intemperance, unchastity, all have this effect, and those who wish to prolong their lives to a “green old age” in reasonable health and vigor should avoid them with the utmost care. But when, as it must, old age has really come, its march toward final decay may be delayed and the way made smoother by attention to those rules” of conservation by which life is sustained with the least friction and waste. The prime rules for this purpose, Dr. Richardson suggests, are: To subsist on light but nutritious diet, with milk as the standard food, but varied according to season. To take food in moderate quantity four times in the day, including a light meal before going to bed. To clothe warmly, but lightly, so that the body may in all seasons maintain its equal temperature. To keep the body in fair exercise and the mind active and cneerfuL To maintain an interest in what is going on in the world, and to take part in reasonable labors and pleasures as though old age were - not present To take plenty of sleep during sleeping hours. To, spend nine hours in bed at the least, and to take care during cold weather that the temperature of the bedroom is maintained at 60 degrees Fahrenheit To avoid passion, excitement, luxury.

VETERINARY SCIENCE. A Wooden-Legged Cow. A. rather singular case of veterinary surgery is reported by the Scottish Agricultural Gazette. A Mr. Hudson, of Yorkshire, England, had a useful breeding cow which unfortunately broke her leg. At the time she had a valuable calf running with her, and for the youngster’s sake Mr. Hudson was anxious to save tne life of the mother. A veterinary surgeon was accordingly called in, and on receiving his instructions he at once amputated the leg just below the hock. He then had a wooden leg made under his direction and fitted on. The experiment has answered beyond anticipation. As the natural stump healed the leg shrunk a little, and successive timbers had to be made. Now, however, a permanent and artistic leg has been put on, and the old cow may be seen disporting in the meadow, almost as active as her calf.

Bounder of Mare After Foaling. Fortunately, cases of laminitis after foaling, or colt founuer as it is termed, are so rare among farm ihares that many breeders have never observed one. When it does occur, however, it is generally more obstinate than when brought on by other causes. “It is sometimes • complicated with metritis, or inflammation of the womb, or some other excitant malady,” says J. H. Sanders in his “Treatise on Horae Breeding,” “which ehouldjte ascertained and treatment of such complications directed according to their nature. Among the causes of colt founder is too high flesh, resulting from improper feed and treatment during the last months of preghSncy. Mares subjected to moderate work and light nutritious diet are seldom affected with this malady, while those kdpt idlesamj fed largely on corn or rich food are most commonly affected. In some cases breeders giive their mares large, nutritious mashes to promote a large flow of milk. When mares so fed are kept in idleness, as is common with a mistaken view to prevent abortion, they are inclined to become fat, and this has a tendency to cause local inflammations, and, among these, colt founder. The treatment from the beginning should be like that adopted for the same disease generally, but more energetic both locally and internally. Give a pound of Epsom or'Glauber salts', then follow with fifteen or twenty drops of tincture of aconite every two hours' until from four to six doses are given, using care never to exceed six doses. Remove the shoes, pair down the edges of the hoof, leaving the' sole and frog, untouched, so that the weight may be borne on the central part of the foot, and apply turnip poultices. Encourage the colt to suck, and strip Hie udder with the hand while the teats are moist from the colt’s mouth. This will promote secretions of the mammary glands, and often proves an effective remedy. In some cases, with acute inflammation and high fever, no milk is secreted. The sucking should not be omitted, however, but tne foal must have nourishment from a bottle, or be taught to drink cow’s milk. The return of milk is generally followed by rapid improvement in the lameness. Some ’ mares appear to be subject to this complaint, and such should be bred so as to drop their foals in midsummer Or a little earlier, perhaps* but not until after running to grass some weeks. Be careful not to feed so as to cause her to become very fat Give good oats, occasional soft mashes, with bran and flax-seed meal at least once a week, and avoid corn for two months before foaling. Keep common salt constantly Within reach, placing it in a small trough, or, what is better, place a large lump of rock-salt in one end of the crib where she can lick it at will Let her have all she will take, but be careful to give water at least three times daily, and if the weather is very cold have the chill taken from her drink. When too early for grass a roomy, well-littered box-stall, or comfortable closed shed, should be allowed during the last two months of pregnancy. Give gentle exercise daily or liberty outdoors during the day time when the weather is moderate and dry. Do not allow her to run with other horses, as she may receive injuries from kicks. It is safer to build a small yard in connection with her stall, so that she can be kept entirely by herself. —American Cultivator. .■