Wounds and Wound Swellings.

What is the proper treatment for a fresh wire cut on a horse?  How should saddle galls be treated?  Is there any way to make the hair come in its natural color where saddle galls have been?  How can an enlargement of a colt’s leg, caused from a wire cut, be reduced?

After all foreign matter has been removed from a lacerated wound, like that made in a wire cut, the wound should be carefully fomented with warm water, to which has been added carbolic acid in the proportion of 1 part to 100 of water.  It should then be bandaged to prevent infection.  Zinc ointment would be a good thing to use under the bandage.  For a simple saddle, or harness gall, some ointment like the following should be applied and the wound rested up:  One pint alcohol in which are shaken the whites of 2 eggs; a solution of nitrate of silver, 10 grains to the ounce of water; sugar of lead or sulphate of zinc, 20 grains to an ounce of water; and so on.  Or advertised gall cures may be applied.  If a sitfest has developed, the dead hornlike slough must be cut out and the wound treated with antiseptics.  There is no way we know of to make hair come in with natural color after a wound.  The swelling on the colt’s leg may he reduced by rubbing it well several times a day and at night rub in some 10 per cent iodine petrogen.

Fly Repellants.

Can you tell me what to use as a spray to kill the flies in my stable?  In the early, morning the ceiling and sides are thickly covered with the pests partly dormant but not enough so that they can be swept down and killed.  What spray can I use that will destroy them?

It is difficult to kill flies by spraying them.  You can, however, spray the sides and ceiling of the barn with a spray of epsom salts (sulphate of magnesia) using about a cupful to the gallon, which will prevent them from gathering there.  And since prevention is better than cure, flies can be kept from gathering around by, destroying their breeding places, if those are under one’s control, by having all manure and litter removed before the flies have a chance to develop.  The following may be found useful to readers as a spray to keep away flies:  Fish oil, 2 quarts; kerosene, 1 quart; crude carbolic acid, 1 pint; oil of pennyroyal, 1 ounce; oil of tar; 10 ounces.  Mix thoroughly and apply in a fine spray.  The following has been successfully used to repel flies from cows:  Nitro benzine, 5 ounces; carbolic acid, 3 ounces; kerosene oil, 3 ounces; sol. formaldehyde, 1 ounce; fish oil, 1 1/2 quarts.  Mix and just touch the hair with the mixture.

To Destroy Fleas.

My barn, is full, of fleas I tried to destroy them by using creso-dip, but did not kill them, all.