Part 26

The theory of degeneration, without doubt, will assist us to explain the why and wherefore of the potato rot. But this is not all; the community want to know the cause of this degeneracy. We have spent some time in the investigation of this subject, and now give the public, in a condensed form, our opinion of this matter. We may err, but our progress is towards the full discovery of the _direct cause_, and the ways and means best adapted to prevent this sad calamity. The potato came into existence at a certain period in the history of the world. After its discovery, it was taken from the mother soil, the land of its nativity, planted in different parts of the world, and grew to apparent perfection. Our opinion is, that the transplanting was one of the causes of this degeneracy. It is generally known that indigenous plants do not thrive so well on foreign soil as in their native; for example, the plants of the sunny south cannot be made to flourish here in the same degree of perfection as at the south; they require the genial warmth of the sun's rays, which our northern climates lack. The soil, too, mast be adapted to each particular plant. It is true we do cultivate them by ingenuity and chemical agency; yet they seldom equal the original. Need we ask the farmer if he can, from the soil of New England, produce a St. Michael orange equal to one grown on its native soil? or if a squash will grow in the deserts of Arabia? All vegetables, as well as animals, possess a certain amount of vital power, which enables them to resist, to a certain degree, all encroachments on their healthy operations. The potato, having been deprived, in some measure, of its essential element, lost its reciprocal equilibrium, and has ever since been a prey to whatever destructive agents may be present, whether they exist in the soil or atmosphere. Yet we conceive that its total destruction is dependent on another cause, which has been entirely overlooked; for, in spite of the gradual deterioration alluded to, the potato will, for a number of years, continue to keep up a low form of vitality, and result in something like a potato. In order to comprehend the subject, let us, for a moment, consider the conditions necessary for the germination and perfection of vegetable bodies. We shall then be able to decide as to whether or not we have complied with such conditions. The first condition is, we must have _a perfect germ_; secondly, _a ripe seed_; and lastly, _nutrimental agents in the sail, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen_.

The potato requires but a small quantity of moisture to develop the germinating principle; for we have every day evidences of its ability to send forth its fibres, even in the open air. Now, the premature development of these fibrous radicles, or roots, debilitates the tuber; in short, we have a sick potato. Is the potato, under such circumstances, a perfect germ? No. If you examine the potato, with its roots and stem, you will find the cutis, or skin, and mucous membrane. This external skin, _including that of plant, stalk, leaf, and ball_, is to the potato what the skin and lungs are to animals; they, each of them, absorb atmospheric food, and throw off excrementitious matter; the roots and fibres are to the vegetable what the alimentary canal is to the animal. A large portion of the food of vegetables is found in the soil, and enters the vegetable system, through its capillary circulation, by the process of imperceptible elimination and absorption. Now, you must bear in mind that the fibres, stem, and leaves are delicate and tender organs; they are studded with millions of little pores, covered with a membrane of delicate texture, easily lacerated. When these delicate organs are rudely torn off or lacerated, the potato immediately gives evidence of the encroachments of disease; it shrinks, withers, and, although the soil abounds in all that is necessary for its growth and future development, it is not in a fit state to carry on the chemico-vital process. We often take the potato from the soil with a view of preserving it for seed, without any definite knowledge of the exact time of its maturity; as the season arrives for again replanting, the fibres are torn off, and the potato itself is often cut up into two or three pieces; sometimes, however, the smaller potatoes are used for seed. Both practices are open to strong objection. Oftentimes the cut surfaces of the potato are exposed to atmospheric air; evaporation commences, they lose their firm texture, and are more fit for swine than for planting.

The cause of the total destruction may exist in a loss of polarity! We know that all organic and inorganic bodies are subject to the laws of electricity--each has its polarity. Men who are engaged in mining can testify that the stratification of the earth is alternately negative and positive. The hemispheres of the earth are also governed by the same law; for, if you take a magnetic needle and toss it up in this hemisphere, which is negative, the positive end will come to the ground first; but if you pass the magnetic equator, which crosses the common equator in 23° 28', and then toss the needle up, its negative end will fall downwards. Hence we infer that the potato has a polarity, just as man has; and this is the reason of their definite character. Take a bean, and destroy its polarity by cutting it into several pieces, as you do the potato, and all the men on earth cannot make it germinate and grow to perfection. It will die just as a man will, if you destroy the polarity of his brain by wounding it.

Take an egg, and destroy its polarity by making a small puncture through it, and you can never get a chicken from it. A man or an animal will die of locked-jaw, caused by a splinter entering the living organism; and why? Because their electrical equilibrium, or their polarity is destroyed. Some of our readers may desire to know how we can prove that electricity plays a part in the germination and growth of animals and vegetables. In verification of it, we will give a few examples. A dish of salad may, by the aid of electricity, be raised in an hour. Hens' eggs can be hatched by a similar process in a few hours, which would require many days by animal heat. By the aid of electricity, water, which consists of oxygen and hydrogen, may be decomposed, and its elements set free. The poles of a galvanic battery may be applied to a dead body, and that body made to imitate the functions of life.

And lastly, it is through the medium of electrical attraction which bodies have for each other, that all the chemical compositions and decompositions depend. Bodies must be in opposite states of electricity in order to produce a result. Now, if the polarity of the potato is destroyed in the manner we have just alluded to, or should it be destroyed by coming in contact with the blade of a knife, _the latter conducting off the electrical current_, or by any other means, it must deteriorate. We are told that "the potato has several germinating points, and that a part will grow just as well as the whole." Such reasoning will not stand the test of common experience.

For example: the Almighty has endowed man with various faculties, and the perfection of his organism depends on these faculties, as a whole. Now, he may lose a leg, and yet be capable of performing the ordinary duties of life; but this does not prove that he might not perform them much better with both legs. So in reference to the potato. The fact of its ability to reproduce its kind from a small portion of the whole--a mere bud--should not satisfy us that a perfect germ is unnecessary. Then the question arises, How shall we restore the original identity of this valuable article of food?

We have, in the early part of this work, recommended the farmers to study the laws of vegetable physiology. This will furnish them with the right kind of information. We would, however, suggest to those who are desirous of making experiments, to comply with the conditions already alluded to, viz., plant a perfect germ, by which means the potato may be improved. Yet, in order to restore its identity, we must commence by germinating from the seed, and plant that on soil abounding in the constituents necessary for its development. Elevated land abounding in small stones, and hill sides facing the south, are the best situations. Potatoes should never be cultivated on the same spot for two successive years.

In relation to the insect theory, we would observe, that it throws no light on the cause of the potato rot; for, in its gradual decay, that vegetable undergoes various changes; the particles of which it is composed assume new forms, and enter into new combinations; its elementary substances are separated, giving birth to new compounds, some of which result in an insect. We all know that animal and vegetable bodies may remain in a state of putrefaction in water, and be dissolved in the dust; yet some of their original atoms appear in a new system. Hence the insect theory has no more to do with the cause of the potato rot than the fungus.

TREATMENT OF DISEASE IN DOGS.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

A good watch dog is of inestimable value to the farmer; and as very little is at present understood of the nature and treatment of their maladies, we have thought that a few general directions would be acceptable, not only to the farmer, but to every man who loves a dog. We have paid considerable attention to the treatment of disease in this class of animals, and have generally found that must of their maladies will yield very readily to our sanative agents. Most of the remedies recommended by _allopathic_ writers for dogs, like those recommended for horses and cattle, would at any time destroy the animal; consequently, if it ever recovers, it does so in spite of the violence done to the constitution. We hope to rescue the dog, as well as other classes of domestic animals, from a cruel system of medication; for this we labor, and to this work our life is devoted. We ask the reader to take into consideration the destructive nature of the articles used on these faithful animals. Some of them are the most destructive poisons that can be found in the whole world. For example, several authors recommend, in the treatment of disease in the canine race, the following:--

_Tartar emetic_, a very few grains of which will kill a man--yet recommended for dogs.

_Calomel_, a very fashionable remedy, used for producing ulcerated gums and for rotting the teeth of thousands of the human family, as the dentists can testify. Not fit for a dog, yet prescribed by most dog fanciers.

_Lunar caustic_, recommended by Mr. Lawson for fits; to be given internally with cobwebs!! Our opinion is, that it would be likely to give any four-footed creature "_fits_" that took it.

Cowhage, corrosive sublimate, tin-filings, sugar of lead, white precipitate, oil of turpentine, opium nitre--these, together with aloes, jalap, tobacco, hellebore, and a very small proportion of sanative agents, make up the list. In view of the great destruction that is likely to attend the administration of these and kindred articles, we have substituted others, which may be given with safety. Why should the poor dog be compelled to swallow down such powerful and destructive agents? He is entitled to better treatment, and we flatter ourselves that wherever these pages shall be read, he will receive it. In reference to the value of dogs, Mr. Lawson says, "Independent of his beauty, vivacity, strength, and swiftness, he has the interior qualities that must attract the attention and esteem of mankind. Intelligent, humble, and sincere, the sole happiness of his life seems to be to execute his master's commands. Obedient to his owner, and kind to all his friends, to the rest he is indifferent. He knows a stranger by his clothes, his voice, or his gestures, and generally forbids his approach with marks of indignation. At night, when the guard of the house is committed to his care, he seems proud of the charge; he continues a watchful sentinel, goes his rounds, scents strangers at a distance, and by barking gives them notice that he is on duty; if they attempt to break in, he becomes fiercer, threatens, flies at them, and either conquers alone, or alarms those who have more interest in coming to his assistance. The flock and herd are even more obedient to the dog than to the shepherd: he conducts them, guards them, and keeps them from capriciously seeking danger; and their enemies he considers as his own."

DISTEMPER.

_Symptoms._--If the animal is a watch dog, (such are usually confined in the daytime,) the person who is in the daily habit of feeding him will first observe a loss of appetite; the animal will appear dull and lazy; shortly after, there is a watery discharge from the eyes and nose, resembling that which accompanies catarrh. As the disease advances, general debility supervenes, accompanied with a weakness of the hind extremities. The secretions are morbid; for example, some are constipated, and pass high-colored urine; others are suddenly attacked with diarrhoea, scanty urine, and vomiting. Fits are not uncommon during the progress of the disease.

_Treatment._--If the animal is supposed to have eaten any improper food, we commence the treatment by giving an emetic.

_Emetic for Dogs._

Powdered lobelia, (herb,) 1 tea-spoonful. Warm water, 1 wine-glass.

Mix, and administer at a dose.

(A table-spoonful of common salt and water will generally vomit a dog.)

If this dose does not provoke emesis, it should not be repeated, for it may act as a relaxant, and carry the morbid accumulations off by the alimentary canal. If the bowels are constipated, use injections of soap-suds. If the symptoms are complicated, the following medicine must be prepared:--

Powdered mandrake, 1 table-spoonful. " sulphur, 1 tea-spoonful. " charcoal, 2 tea-spoonfuls. " marshmallows, 1 table-spoonful.

Mix. Divide the mass into six parts, and administer one in honey, night and morning, for the first day; after which, a single powder, daily, will suffice. The diet to consist of mush, together with a drink of thin arrowroot. If, however, the animal be in a state of plethora, very little food should be given him.

If the strength fails, support it with beef tea. Should a diarrhoea attend the malady, give an occasional drink of hardhack tea.

FITS.

Dogs are subject to epileptic fits, which are often attended with convulsions. They attack dogs of all ages, and under every variety of management. Dogs that are apparently healthy are often suddenly attacked. The nervous system of the dog is very susceptible to external agents; hence whatever raises any strong passion in them often produces fits. Pointers and setters have often been known to suffer an attack during the excitement of the chase. Fear will also produce fits; and bitches, while suckling, if burdened with a number of pups, and not having a sufficiency of nutriment to support the lacteal secretion, often die in convulsive fits. Young puppies, while teething, are subject to fits: simply scarifying their gums will generally give temporary relief. Lastly, fits may be hereditary, or they may be caused by derangement of the stomach. In all cases of fits, it is very necessary, in order to treat them with success, that we endeavor, as far as possible, to ascertain the causes, and remove them as far as lies in our power: this accomplished, the cure is much easier.

_Treatment._--Whenever the attack is sudden and violent, and the animal is in good flesh, plunge him into a tub of warm water, and give an injection of the same, to which a tea-spoonful of salt may be added. It is very difficult, in fact improper, to give medicine during the fit; but as soon as it is over, give

Manna, 1 tea-spoonful. Common salt, half a tea-spoonful.

Add a small quantity of water, and give it at a dose.

_Another._

Make an infusion of mullein leaves, and give to the amount of a wine-glass every four hours. With a view of preventing a recurrence of fits, keep the animal on a vegetable diet. If the bowels are constipated, give thirty grains of extract of butternut, or, if that cannot be readily procured, substitute an infusion of senna and manna, to which a few caraways may be added.

If the nervous system is deranged, which may be known by the irritability attending it, then give a tea-spoonful of the powdered nervine, (lady's slipper.) The diet must consist of boiled articles, and the animal must be allowed to take exercise.

WORMS.

Worms may proceed from various causes; but they are seldom found in healthy dogs. One of the principal causes is debility in the digestive organs.

_Indications of Cure._--To tone up the stomach and other organs,--by which means the food is prevented from running into fermentation,--and administer vermifuges. The following are good examples:--

Oil of wormseed, 1 tea-spoonful. Powdered assafoetida, 30 grains.

To be given every morning, fasting. Two doses will generally suffice.

_Another._

Powdered mandrake, half a table-spoonful. " Virginia snakeroot, 1 tea-spoonful.

Divide into four doses, and give one every night, in honey.

_Another._

Make an infusion of the sweet fern, (_comptonea asplenifolia_,) and give an occasional drink, followed by an injection of the same.

_Another._

Powdered golden seal, half a table-spoonful. Common brown soap, 1 ounce.

Rub them well together in a mortar, and form the mass into pills about the size of a hazel-nut, and give one every night.

MANGE.

This disease is too well known to need any description. The following are deemed the best cures:--

_External Application for Mange._

Powdered charcoal, half a table-spoonful. " sulphur, 1 ounce. Soft soap sufficient to form an ointment.

To be applied externally for three successive days; at the end of which time, the animal is to be washed with castile soap and warm water, and afterwards wiped dry.

The internal remedies consist of equal parts of sulphur and cream of tartar, half a tea-spoonful of which may be given daily, in honey.

When the disease becomes obstinate, and large, scabby eruptions appear on various parts of the body, take

Pyroligneous acid, 2 ounces. Water, 1 pint.

Wash the parts daily, and keep the animal on a light diet.

INTERNAL ABSCESS OF THE EAR.

In this complaint, the affected side is generally turned downwards, and the dog is continually shaking his head.

_Treatment._--In the early stages, foment the part twice a day with an infusion of marshmallows. As soon as the abscess breaks, wash with an infusion of raspberry leaves, and if a watery discharge continues, wash with an infusion of white oak bark.

ULCERATION OF THE EAR.

External ulcerations should be washed twice a day with

Pyroligneous acid, 2 ounces. Water, 8 ounces.

Mix.

As soon as the ulcerations assume a healthy appearance, touch them with Turlington's balsam or tincture of gum catechu.

INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS.

Whenever inflammation of the bowels makes its appearance, it is a sure sign that there is a loss of equilibrium in the circulation; and this disturbance may arise from a collapse of the external surface, or from irritation produced by hardened excrement on the mucous membrane of the intestines. An attack is recognized by acute pain in the abdominal region. The dog gives signs of suffering when moved, and the bowels are generally constipated.

_Treatment._--Endeavor to equalize the circulation by putting the animal into a warm bath, where he should remain about five minutes. When taken out, the surface must be rubbed dry. Then give the following injection:--

Linseed oil, 4 ounces. Warm water, 1 gill.

Mix.

To allay the irritation of the bowels, give the following:--

Powdered pleurisy root, 1 tea-spoonful. " marshmallow root, 1 table-spoonful.

Mix, and divide into three parts; one to be given every four hours.

Should vomiting be a predominant symptom, a small quantity of saleratus, dissolved in spearmint tea, may be given.

Should not this treatment give relief, make a fomentation of hops, and apply it to the belly; and give half an ounce of manna. The only articles of food and drink should consist of barley gruel and mush. If, however, the dog betrays great heat, thirst, panting, and restlessness, a small quantity of cream of tartar may be added to the barley gruel. The bath and clysters may be repeated, if necessary.

INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER.

This requires the same treatment as the preceding malady.

ASTHMA.

Dogs that are shut up in damp cellars, and deprived of pure air and exercise, are frequently attacked with asthma. Old dogs are more liable to asthma than young ones.

_Treatment._--Endeavor to ascertain the cause, and remove it. Let the animal take exercise in the open air. The diet to consist of cooked vegetables; a small quantity of boiled meat may be allowed; raw meat should not be given.

_Compound for Asthma._

Powdered bloodroot, } " lobelia, } of each, 1 tea-spoonful. " marshmallows, } " licorice, }

Mix. Divide into twelve parts, and give one night and morning. If they produce retching, reduce the quantity of lobelia. The object is not to vomit, but to induce a state of nausea or relaxation.

PILES.

Piles are generally brought on by confinement, over-feeding, &c., and show themselves by a red, sore, and protruded rectum. Dogs subject to constipation are most likely to be attacked.

_Treatment._--Give the animal half a tea-spoonful of sulphur for two or three mornings, and wash the parts with an infusion of white oak bark. If they are very painful, wash two or three times a day with an infusion of hops, and keep the animal on a light diet.

DROPSY.

Dropsy is generally preceded by loss of appetite, cough, diminution of natural discharge of urine, and costiveness. The abdomen shortly afterwards begins to enlarge.

_Treatment._--It is sometimes necessary to evacuate the fluid by puncturing the abdomen; but this will seldom avail much unless the general health is improved, and the suppressed secretions restored. The following is the best remedy we know of:--

Powdered flagroot, } of each a quarter of " male fern, } an ounce. Scraped horseradish, a tea-spoonful.

Mix. Divide into eight parts, and give one night and morning. Good nutritious diet must be allowed.

SORE THROAT.

A strong decoction of mullein leaves applied to a sore throat will seldom fail in curing it.

SORE EARS.

A dog's ears may become sore and scabby from being torn, or otherwise injured. In such cases, they should be anointed with marshmallow ointment.

SORE FEET.

If the feet become sore from any disease between the claws, apply a poultice composed of equal parts of marshmallows and charcoal; after which the following wash will complete the cure:--

Pyroligneous acid, 1 ounce. Water, 6 ounces.

Mix, and wash with a sponge twice a day.

WOUNDS.

Turlington's Balsam is the best application for wounds. Should a dog be bitten by one that is mad, give him a tea-spoonful of lobelia in water, and bind some of the same article on the wound.

SPRAINS.

For sprains of any part of the muscular structure, use one of the following prescriptions:--

Oil of wormwood, 1 ounce. Tincture of lobelia, 2 ounces. Infusion of hops, 1 quart.

Mix. Bathe the part twice a day.

_Another._

Wormwood, } of each a handful. Thoroughwort, } New England rum, 1 pint.