Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1908-11-13
Farm Queries Answered by
State College Experts.

Pink Eye.
have horse that had the pink eye
last winter, and his hind legs are
still swollen He gets lame when
work him hard.
The horse referred to in your letter
is probably affected from some other
condition than pink eye From your
description we cannot tell what. Pink
eye does not usually leave the condi-
tion you refer to.
Disinfect with Creoln.
A few days ago one of my mares
began to kick and stamp, and her hind
legs became so stiff that she could
hardly bend them. Then her feet
began to "break" and "run". and
now the skin is eaten off between her
ankle and hoof. What should | do?
1t is rather difficult to tell from
| your description what is the trouble
with your animal. but | would advise
you to disinfect the raw surface with
a two per cent solution of creoline.
warm, three times in one day, and
following this, apply this ointment,
which your local druggist will put up
for you; zinc carbonate Gmpure) two
ounces; alum, one and one half ounces
precipitated calcium carbonate, ten
ounces creosote, and yellow wax, each
one and one-half ounces lard fifteen
ounces. Mix in the form of an oint-
ment. for external use only.
Prevention of Potato Scab.
What is the method employed in
treating soil with formalin for the pre-
vention of potato scab7
There is no way of destroying the
potato scab pores in the soil. The
seed potatoes should be soaked for two
hours in a mixture of one pound of
formalin to thirty gallons of water
This will destroy the scab that is on
them, but the seed must be planted in
clean soil. If they are planted in soil
where scab potatoes have been grown,
they will be scabby. | do not know
how long this disease will live cover,
but should keep the ground to some
thing else for at least two or three
years after scab has been found on
potatoes grown in it.
When to Plant Onions.
| should like to know when is the
best time of the year to plant onions
for the fall market.
Prepare your land and plant the
seeds as early in the spring as the
ground can be worked.
The bumped Caterpillar.
On my small apple trees | notice a
number of worms about a half to one
inch long, with big heads, and stripes
around them. This was last fall.
Now there are some small, black
mites on the trees. The cold of the
present winter seems to have no effect
on them. What would you advise?
From the description you give, l
presume that the insect troubling your
orchard is the red, bumped apple tree
caterpillar. Such insects are easily
poisoned by spraying the trees with an
arsenical solution, such as arsenate of
lead or Paris green. Trees that are
regularly sprayed for other orchard
pests are not troubled with these
caterpillars.
To Kill Cabbage Lice.
How can | destroy cabbage worms,
and lice?
The worms that eat the cabbage can
best be checked by applying arsenate
of lead as a liquid spray, or Paris
green. as dust spray, to the cabbage.
For the latter, the usual method is to
mix one part of Paris green with from
twenty-five to fifty parts of bran. This
may be lightly busted over the plants,
and will kill the insects. There is no
danger of poisoning the cabbage. ow-
/ ing to the nature in which the cabbage
heads. 1t is very rarely that the
powdered leaves are used as food, and
these are the only ones, of course,
that come in contact with the poison.
Even should the upper leaves be eaten,
there is little danger of poisoning, be-
cause of the small amount of poison
which is applied to each plant. The
little cabbage lice can best be treated
by applying kerosene emulsion. strong
soap suds or tobacco water. A thorough
treatment given as soon as the insects
appear, that is. along in July, should
be efficient in checking the pest.