The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-06-20
AGRICULTURAL
THE FARM AND TIE GARDEN.
BOTS IN HORSES.


am so frequently asked the ques-
ton If [ consider bots as a disease
anon horses, | will give your read
ers my opinion on the subject. and
they can investigate the subject Tor
themselves. TIE origin Of bots 10 too
well known to give its history. but L
will glance a it concisely. The bot IS
a reddish grub. which may be found
fastened TO the inner Goa of the
stomach IRON the Fall until about the
next Summer. When the bot first
attaches itself TO the stomach, it Is
very small. but soon begins to grow.
It takes the bot about ten months TO
come to maturity. Its size when full
grown is about three-fourths Of an
inch long, and about one eleventh of
an inch thick. Is pointed and armed
with two hooks, by which means it
attaches itself to the inside of the
stomach so firmly that it will almost
be torn in two before it will let go its
hold. In this situation the bot re-
mains from its infancy to its
maturity, being the natural place
of abode. The bot drains It's
nourishment from the secre-
tons of the stomach. Some persons
think that the horse cannot be without
bots. This is a mistake for this
reason If you keep up your horse
during the season of the nit fly, and
not have the animal exposed to the
fly, there will not be a bot IN the
animal during the winter months. A
horse will live with a great amount Of
bots inside of him AID enjoy good
health, and so he will enjoy the same
without them. But the greatest error
among people concerning bots is that
they are the cause of a frequent and
fatal disease among horses. Ii a
horse is taken sick at any time Of the
year, and if he turns up his lip, looks
around at his side or puts his nose
against II, nine out OF ten of the
lockers on pronounce it a sure case of
the bots. So lung disease internally
is pronounced bots. Then drench
after drench Of bot medicine, of every
conceivable drug, is given TO the un-
fortunate animal - sometimes the
most dangerous medicines are
given with the expectation of
having the bots let 90. I think that
any sensible man can clearly see that
there is no medicine that can be adj
ministered the horse to cause the
bots to loose their hold unless it is
strong enough to kill the animal. [
know, from experience, that spirits of
turpentine will not kill a bot, fever,
inflammation in the bowels. collie, or
any, for several minutes-even nitric
acid will not instantly destroy them.
From these facts, | consider that bots
do not aus any injury to a healthy
stomach. Nature has provided the
bot with its abode; there it lives,
there it is fastened to stay until it
comes to maturity. | cannot under
stand why the bot will remain In the
horses stomach, and go to work all
at once and destroy its h~abitation,
unless for security. We sometimes
destroy our homes by way of neces-
sity, but, as a general thing, we will
not unless we are. obliged to. On the
same principle the bot works. 1t
is well known that before death
from any disease the system under
goes a great change, and by this
change it causes the secretion of the
stomach to become as poison to the
bots, or so distasteful as to try to bet
ter their condition by boring to the
second coat of the stomach, aud until
they entirely eat through. Then, at
ter death, upon examination, the bots
are found in their situation, which
fixes the matter to a certainty that
bots killed the animal. [ must con-
clude, so as not to intrude on you or
your readers, with just a remark.
When your horse is sick and said to
have bots, study we'll his case, and as
certain his real disease. give him the
proper medicine, and if you cannot dc
this, let nature work its W way
Do not give bot medicine; it will do
no good. Trust nature rather than
the bot doetor.-W w. y Peite, in The
Rochelle (H) Register.
FORCING Strawberries. - When
we talk about forcing small fruits aud
vegetables, the mind runs to hot beds
and grass, but we have some new
ideas in that direction. To sprour
sweet potatoes we must have bottom
heat, and this, according to the ole
theories could only be had by the use
of hot beds or steam pipes under
glass. Now. sweet potatoes are sprout
ed in common soil into which is iaiC
common four-iuch drain tile. o
course a side bill is the place. anC
here along this extension of the 0zarH
range or chain Of hills are plenty o
hillsides for this purpose. These drair
tile are connected with furnaces anC
the heat follows the drain tile up the
hillside, warming the soil, aud 81
have a forcing bed that is constant il
its results aud always under control
Suppose the strawberry to be pl .nteC
along these pipes, and so soon as they
come into bloom commence TO force