The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-10-26
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

many discoveries which science has given
to the present age, no one article has 80
rapidly grown into favor as carbolic
acid-a product of the distillation of
tar for the production of naphtha, ben
zole, etc. Its chemical properties are
numerous; it is alike an antiseptic and
disinfectant, and, too, whenever and
wherever brought into contact with
them, is certain death to all kinds of
insects. 1t is poison, but only mod
erately so to the human system yet
from some popularity of its nature, is
intensely destructive to insect life. And
to this point, in connection with poultry
and poultry houses, we desire to direct
the attention of our readers.
All amateur and poultry breeders are
but too well aware that parasites are
the pests of poultry-houses, more
especially in towns and cities, where
poultry are kept within confined limits
Without, as the owner thinks, any real
cause, the fowls begin to droop and look
sickly, and after a while one by one die
off. He then becomes alarmed /; exam
ines them and finds them covered with
parasites /; he looks into his fowl house
| and examines the creaks and chinks in
the boards, and finds them filled with in
sects. He is astonished; he cannot ac-
count for it; and then the question
arises in his mind: How can get rid
of them? Scores of times within the
last few months has this question been
| asked of us, and our answer invariably
has been, use carbolic acid.
But how to use it is matter of i'm
portance. There can be no doubt about
its efficacy, but it becomes every one to
exercise care in handling it, The acid
is sold by all druggists in it crystalline
and liquid form. In crystals, it dissolves
in twenty times its weight of water /;
that is, one ounce of the crystals re-
| quires twenty ounces of water to dissolve
them. Thus dissolved, it is entirely too
strong for any ordinary use. DR.. En-
erson gives recipes for preparing this
powder for disinfecting and other pur-
poses. As a whitewash for walls, for
protection against insects, bugs, ETC., he
SAYS "Put three ounces of carbolic
acid into twelve quarts of lime water or
whitewash. Whitewash the walls of the
poultry house well with this wash, and
no living parasites will be seen-their
death is inevitable. A weak solution
may be made to wash fowls in; one
part of the acid to fifty parts of warm
water let it cool, then dip the fowls in
until the feathers become thoroughly
wet and the solution reaches all parts
of the body. Afterwards place the fowls
on clean, dry straw, where the sun will
reach them, until they are dry. Another
form in which it is recommended to use
it is in soap. These soaps are for sale
by various manufacturers, and have q
high reputation for cleansing animals
and the cure of skin diseases. A mode
of making this soap is as follows: Dis
solve eight pounds common bar soap in
hot water, add two to four ounces oil
carbolic acid, according to the desired
strength. Allow to cool as usual in
making hard soap. As these prepara-
tions may be bought ready prepared
and as carbolic acid is by no means q
safe article to keep about the house, we
would advise persons to buy rather thar
attempt to make them, except in the
case of whitewash, when they must gel
the pure article and dilute it.-Cdna.
dian Poultry Chrouicle.
GROWING POND LILIEs.-On seeing
my dish of pond lilies, and admirine
their beauty and fragrance, asked
"Why is the pond lily so little cultivat
ed flower so much admired and 81
easily grown, yet in many places Sc
rare" The answer was: "It is no
) universally known that it can be grown
so easily" Many ask the question
/ "Where did you get those pond lilies? !?
We tell them that we raise them
"What raise pond lilies?" We reply
/ "Yes; raise them as easily as corn o
potatoes" And as many seem interest
ed about them, thought we would tel
: the lovers of flowers how we raised ours
) A few years ago, my husband seein,
some growing in a distant pond 8
nicely and spontaneously, thought h
) would try them in his-a small pond
, of few rods extent, at one end of hi
field. He brought home root and Sc
it in. This was done by wading il
barefoot, and taking it between the toes
> and pressing down in the mud. l
soon made its appearance above tn
= water and now the pond is pretty wei
! covered with leaves ard lilies, and it doe
: not have that sickening appearance tina
! standing water usually has, but is mad
the home of one of the most beautiful
, kinds of flowers instead. We know c
7 no insect that troubles them; neithe
r frost nor wind affects them nothin
3 molests them but mischievous boys, VIII
} love the flowers, but will take no pain
to raise them themselves. Now, l woul
q advise all who love this sweet lily to &c
g a root and set it in some pond that the
: can have access to, and they will 500
: reap a rich reward for their littl
t trouble.-Maine Farmer.
OBSERVATIONS ON SHoEING.-No pei
> son should ever allow his horse to b
: shod by farrier who employs or keeI
y in his shop the knife used in cuttin
: away the hoof, sharpened like a sms
. shovel and usually braced against til
shoulder. The Almighty designed tt
= frog as an elastic, insensible cushion, o
= which the horse should walk, as do til
= fowls and some animals; yet blacl
:, smiths delight in cutting away the mos
8 useful part, and thereby expose thi
= which is sensitive to contact with har
. road. No greater folly Can be imagir
y ed, and to reasonable man it only r
q quires to be noticed to make the errt
y self-apparent. The blacksmith will argr
, that he must cut away the rags, an
sometimes is so ignorant as to declal
they cut away the frog to prevent I'll
very object of its creation. The frc
!. should never be cut, or any portion
J. if allowed to take its natural iurse
o becomes perfect safety stand AMI pr
.r lection to the foot. In colts th.' irC