498 



EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDE.NCE. 



Small potatoes for seed. — EUzahefh City, Virginia: I have made 

 an experiment the past season, the result of which, 1 think, explodes the 

 theory that small potatoes for seed will only return a small crop of small 

 potatoes. Cut seed planted under our burning July sun is sure to rot, 

 while the use of large whole potatoes involves considerable expense. A 

 square of ground containing 2,500 Square feet, from which a crop of 

 cauliflower had recently been taken, was prepared and planted July 

 i2, with white Peachblow culls. Few of them, if any, were larger than 

 pigeon's eggs. As is always the case here, even with the best seed, 

 some failed to grow, say 5 per cent. The plants began to show them- 

 selves early in August, at which time heavy rains set in and so continu- 

 ally saturated the soil that no working was possible until September 5. 

 Then a plow was run through the rows and a dressing out with the hoe 

 was given them. Soon after the vines so covered the ground that 

 further cultivation was impossible. The patch was harvested October 

 30. The produce was a fraction over 20 bushels of the largest and finest 

 potatoes ever grown in this section. With the exception of 2J pecks 

 of small potatoes, about the size of the seed sown, all are large. Fully 

 one-half average one pound each in weight, and the remainder are of 

 full marketable size and fine appearance. This yield is at the rate of 

 350 bushels per acre. A heavy coat of barn-yard manure was applied 

 to the previous crop, but no additional fertilizer was used. 



Mast. — West Virginia, Braxton : The corn-crop is supplemented at 

 least one-third by the very large acorn-crop. It is large in quantity 

 and very good ic quality. Hogs are getting very fat in the woods, and 

 the crop will probably t^ed all the hogs left in the county, after butch- 

 ering, all winter. 



Indiana Hamilton : A fair crop of mast. 



Drought. — Kansas, Wabaunsee v There is a great drought in this sec- 

 tion ; no rain to amount to anything since July. Cattle are being driven 

 five and six miles to water. "^If winter should set in without rain, our 

 condition would be alarming, for over one-half of our population would 

 be entirely without water. 



Hogs. — West Virginia, Jefferson : About 100 hogs have died of cholera 

 ■within the past six weeks ; about a dozen have been stolen from the 

 pens during the past month, and 700 or 800 have been driven from the 

 county, mostly at 7 cents per pound, gross. Nearly all went to the Han- 

 nisville distillery near Martin sburgh, Berkeley County. 



Ohio, Montgomery : There has been a serious loss of hogs by cholera. 

 Some farmers have lost all their stock. The usual remedies have failed 

 to save them. 



Indiana, Bartliolomew : The cholera has played sad havoc with our 

 hog-crop this season. It will not exceed half that of previous years. 

 Fayette : Hog-cholera has been prevailing, and is still, to an alarming 

 extent. Many farmers have lost 81,000 worth of hogs. Hogs of all ages 

 have died. The remedies heretofore thought to be good have failed. 

 Henderson : Hogs have all died, so that there will not be enough in the 

 county for our own meat. Johnson : Hogs are dying of cholera and other 

 diseases to an alarming extent. It looks as if the farmer would have to 

 turn his attention to some other kind of stock. Lawrence : Hogs are 

 dying with the cholera at a fearful rate. Pike: Our hogs have been 



