The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-09-28
FARM AND PRESIDE.

CAUSE OF MEGRIMs IN HORsEs.-A
correspondent of the Veterinarian says
that he has been in practice as veterinary
surgeon for thirty years and he has
taken pains to ascertain the cause OF
megrims. On examining the horses
eye Immediately after or during the at
tack, he has found 1t exceedingly con-
vulsed and acted upon by spasmodic
affection of the muscles, a symptom that
could not be present if the disease arose
from distension of the arterial vessels of
the brain. He has never seen a saddle
horse affected with this complaint, and
all the cases he has seen occurred when
the sun was shining brightly, or by
moonlight when snow was on the ground.
He had favOrite pony which was sub
ject to megrims. He removed the
winkers from the bride and the pony
never showed any symptoms of them
afterward. 1t occurred to him then that
the rejecting of the sun upon the win
kers falling directly on the optic nerve,
was the cause of this extraordinary COM
| plant. Since that he has had many
patients affected with megrims, and in
every case he has ordered the winkers to
be removed, or If they were not, to have
the horses eyes shaded with piece Of
leather three or four inches wide, extend.
ing in front from one winker to the other.
In every case this treatment proved sue
cessful. He feels satisfied, from the
symptoms he has always observed in
megrims, that the brain is not the seat
of difficulty.
FATTENING ANIMALs.-A very COM
mon error among farmers, which needs
correction, is the opinion that animals
may be fattened in few weeks, and
fitted for market, by heavy feeding, or,
as it is termed, by pushing. Many far
mers do not think Of beginning TO fatten
their hogs or cattle for early winter
market until autumn has actually COM
menced. Their food is then suddenly
changed, and they are dosed with large
quantities of grain or meal. This sud-
den change often deranges the system,
and it il frequently some time before they
recover from it. From observation and
inquiry we find that the most successful
managers adopt very different course.
They feed moderately, with great regu-
larity, and for longer period.
The most successful pork-raiser that
we have met with commences the fatten.
ing of his swine for the winter market
early in the preceding spring. In fact,
he keeps his young swine in a good grow
ing condition through the winter. lie
begins moderately, and increases the
amount gradually, never placing before
the animal more than it will freely eat
With this treatment, and strict attention
to the comfort and cleanliness of the ami
NAL, his spring pigs at ten months usu
ally exceed three hundred pounds, and
have sometimes gone as high as -four
hundred and fifty pounds; and pigs win
tered ever reach a weight of five or six
hundred. The corn, which is grounc
and scaldcd before feeding, nets him, OF
an average, not less than one. dollar PEI
bushel when the market price of pork il
five cents per pound.
EFFECT OF SALT ON WHEAT.-In al
interesting series of experiments re
Gently made on the farm of the Roya
Agricultural Society of England, tn,
manurial value of salt was enthusiastically
|, indicated. An acre of wheat dressed
with three hundred pounds of common
salt yielded thirty-nine bushels of grain
with a prOportiOnate amount of straw
while an adjoining acre, left unmanured
produced only twenty.nine bushels pc
acre, with the straw imperfectly devel
oped, showing an increase of ten bushel
per acre. The entire cost of the crop j
not stated, but this experiment show
that the additional ten bushels resultin,
from the salt were produced at cost 0
thirty cents each.
In another case a piece of ground in
tended for wheat was plowed the pre-
ceding fall, and again in May, when j
was sOwed with salt, and afterwart
, plowed twice before seeding. On tn
| 1st and I'd of September wheat wa
; sOwed at the rate Of two bushels to tn
acre. The crop, when harvested, yielded
according to the estimate of the owner
, Mr.. John Parke, not less than fort,
bushels of grain to the acre, with a lux
uriant growth of straw. From thes
and many similar cases the inferenc
seems to be that salt is a specific for tn
wheat crop, imparting solidity to tn
grain and firmness to the straw.
IRREGULARITIES OF SEED GERMINA
TION.-The instance quoted by MI
Webster, says the Gardeners Chronicle, @
, a plum seed negotiating after havin!
been boiled in the jam, is not the 0nl.
one of the kind on record. DIR. Indie,
has mentioned case of raspberry seed
, negotiating after being subjected to tn
same ordeal, and he also states that tn
practice of boiling the seeds, of legumi
, nous plants especially, with the object O
making them terminate more readily
had been adopted by several person
with perfect success. (TheOry of HOrti
culture). The fact does not appear S,
wonderful when we know that seeds viii
stand without injury temperature a
far below the terminating point a
above. 1t is supposed that an extremel.
low temperature is as destructive to vi
tality as a high one, and that both &C
something in the same way. Seed
seem fitted by nature to survive unde
very adverse circumstances, existing TO
ages if buried deeply, and, what is quit
as singular as anything, passing un
scathcd through animals that have tn,
power of digesting very extraordinar,
substances.
Household HELPS.
FRENCH TOMATO SAUCE.-For meats
peel, and cook for few moments tire,
large tomatoes, then pass through ,
coarse sieve and add one pint of the liquo
Il g.,