410 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[November, 
near his now famous one_[IV.] A general rule for 
long-range shooting is that the bullet weigh about 5 
times as much as the powder; or 105 grains of powder 
to a 550-grain bullet. The writer, after several trials, 
adopted 97 grains, and has not found reason to change, 
Our 2J-inch shells will not hold more in ordinary load¬ 
ing, though 100 to 105 grains have been put in by drop¬ 
ping the powder into them through a 3-feet glass tube. 
— [V.] Five to ten per cent more of powder will pack 
into a shell by pouring it slowly directly iuto the neck of a 
funnel from a hight of a foot or more, or through a long 
smooth tube [VI.] The weapon used by Mr. Partello 
was the ''Remington Creedmoor,” the same one offered 
as premium 92, page 447, of this paper. .. [VII.] Cyan¬ 
ide of Potassium is the best cleaner for used shells. 
Remove the exploded caps or primers; wash them out in 
two or three waters; immerse them three to five minutes 
in a solution of a lump of cyanide the size of a small egg 
in 2 or 3 quarts of water; pour off the cyanide, and wash 
with plenty of water; then dry them thoroughly, stand¬ 
ing upright, on a dish in a warm, but not very hot oven, 
or other place. The cyanide solution can be kept covered 
for future use, adding a little lump more, as needed. 
Note that it is very poisonous ; keep it safe from children, 
or others ; also from spattering eyes, face or hands .. 
Fig. 8. 
[Vm,] The velocity of a 550-grain bullet with 100 grains 
of powder, going 1,000 yards, starts at about 1,400 feet per 
second, and ends at 1,000 yards at about 650 feet per sec 
ond, having a velocity of nearly 900 feet per second at 500 
yards or midway. The resistance of the air constantly re¬ 
tards it. The total time is a little under 3 seconds for 1,000 
yards, or 3,000 feet_[IX.] A bullet would fall about 16 
feet the first second, 48 feet the second second; 80 feet 
the third second; or 144 feet in 3 seconds. To overcome 
this falling.the rifle is aimed much above the target—from 
125 to 160 feet above it for 1.000 yards, depending upon 
the powder, a front or rear wind, condition of the atmos¬ 
phere, etc., but the sights are arranged to aim directly 
at the turget as shown in fig. 3_[X.] The path of the 
bullet is so high, that if a man were on the top of a high 
Perpendicular scaie: 200 feet to Inch! 
Fig. 4. 
load of hay, midway between the target and the rifle¬ 
man, and the latter should aim under the wagon, the 
man on the hay would be perfectly safe, as the bullet 
would pass far above him_[XI.] An approximate 
idea of the path of a bullet of 550 grains and 100 grains 
powder, for 1000 yards, is indicated by fig. 4, but the ele- 
va'ion is magnified to 7 times, for convenience_[XII.] 
A front-sight wind-gauge, with spirit level, is used on all 
loug range target rifles. Some soldiers, however, are 
making very creditable scores even at 500 to 1000 yards, 
by holding against the wind. A very strong wind will 
sway a bullet 20 to 30 feet in its flight of 1000 yards. 
New Breeds of Cattle are not always im¬ 
provements on the old. But if the Aberdeen Polled 
Cattle, the Herefords, and the Guernseys are not 
improvements, they are certainly winning a promi¬ 
nent place among the established favorite breeds. 
The Aberdeen Polled Cattle recently carried off the 
grand sweepstakes prize of $500 at the Paris Expo¬ 
sition, as the “best animals for all purposes ” in 
the foreign section, including Shorthorns, Here¬ 
fords, Devons, Sussex, Aberdeens, Angus and Gal¬ 
loways, Suffolks, West Highlanders, Jerseys, Alder- 
neys, Ayrshires, Kerrys, Longhorns, Dutch, and 
others. A prize of equal value was offered for the 
best group in the entire show of beef-producing 
animals, which was also awarded to the same breed. 
And these prizes were won in competition with 
nearly 2,000 animals from all parts of cattle-breed¬ 
ing Europe. The record that this breed has been 
recently making not only at Paris, but generally, 
bids fair to place it in the front rank. A nearly re¬ 
lated breed, the Norfolk Polled, was described in 
the August and September numbers of the American 
Agriculturist. The Polled Suffolk, Galloway, Angus 
or Aberdeen, and Norfolk, are all closely allied 
breeds, possessing many points in common. The 
TT'■reford is a breed little known in this country. 
but of late it has been winning a leading position 
as furnishing beef animals very often superior to 
the Shorthorns, as indicated by reports of the Eng¬ 
lish exhibitions for a year or two past. The Guern¬ 
seys are gaining prominence for the dairy, for size, 
and for the amount and high color of their butter, 
even standing ahead of the Jerseys or Alderneys. 
We welcome these new breeds, and trust that 
they may be appreciated according to their merit. 
Editorial Correspondence Erom the 
Far West. 
[One of the staff of the American Agriculturist is 
now on his annual tour of observation in the 
Western States and Territories, especially those 
west of the Mississippi. While on a similar trip 
last year, his letters indicated such a feeling of dis¬ 
satisfaction and depression, that we did not care to 
publish them. The ravages of the grasshoppers 
and the forays of Indians, or the fear of them, ap¬ 
prehended low prices for produce, and the uncer¬ 
tainty of money matters and other influences, con¬ 
spired to make farmers discontented and anxious as 
to the future. This year he finds all this greatly 
changed, and a very different state of feeling pre¬ 
vailing everywhere. Abundant crops have been 
harvested, without any serious injury from insects 
or the weather, and there is not only a general 
satisfaction with the present condition of affairs, 
but a confidence as to the future upon the part 
of business men, and also on the part of those 
who are at the foundation of all business—more 
manifestly so in the far West than elsewhere—the 
farmers themselves. We may say that our corres¬ 
pondent has a wide acquaintance among settlers as 
well as among the active business men of the far 
West—especially those engaged in moving the 
crops, and in supplying the wants of settlers in a 
nevv country. Besides this, he is generally ac¬ 
quainted with those, who, on behalf of the govern¬ 
ment and railroad corporations, are disposing of 
lands to settlers. All these give him access to 
sources of information not open to the ordinary 
tourist, and his statements and statistics have an 
equal value with those given as “official.” Not 
only does the cheerfulness alluded to pervade the 
newer communities, but in the States of what wc 
may call the “Near West,” a similar feeling pre¬ 
vails, as shown by the following brief extracts 
from letters written by him en route. —Eds.] 
The Farmers in Michigan 
are generally well pleased with the results of their 
harvests. The Hon. Z. Chandler, who is one of 
the largest landholders in the State, and who has 
seven different farms, stated that hay, wheat, and 
crops generally through the State, were heavy. 
Oats were perhaps an exception to this, being in 
many localities lighter than usual. He gave as 
the result of his observations—and he is constantly 
traveling through the State—that there were now 
no unemployed people in the State of Michigan. 
How Matters Look in Wisconsin. 
The crops throughout this State have been large, 
considerably above the average. The corn crop 
was particularly heavy. The reports forwarded by 
the officials to the main office, from the region in¬ 
tersected by the Chicago and Northwestern Rail¬ 
road, have been of the most encouraging character. 
Minnesota, the Great Wheat State. 
The wheat crop last year amounted to between 
thirty-eight and forty millions of bushels. It was 
believed through the State, prior to the 21st of 
July, that this year it would be 60,000,000 bushels, 
such a large area having been sown, and the crop 
everywhere looked so magnificently. But four days 
of intense heat, beginning with July 21st, dried up 
the wheat and ripened it prematurely. Then there 
were heavy rains during the harvest season, so that 
it is now computed that there will be very little Num¬ 
ber One wheat, and not over twelve to fourteen mil¬ 
lions of bushels in the whole State, and averaging 
from eight to twelve bushels to the acre, the larg¬ 
est estimate being twelve. But notwithstanding the 
calamity to the wheat crop in Southern Minnesota, 
the other crops have been good, and show more 
than the average yield. The corn crop is the largest 
that has ever been grown in the State. There is a 
very large immigration to Minnesota; the country 
is, so to speak, full of land-seekers, the great ma¬ 
jority of whom are making purchases. The July 
heat did not extend to Northern Minnesota, and 
the wheat yield there was large and of fine quality. 
The Crops in Iowa. 
Taking the State through, crops have never been 
finer, though wheat was somewhat injured. The 
corn crop was immense. At Clinton, on the west 
side of the Mississippi, the farmers assured us that 
they were in good spirits, and that their crops, par¬ 
ticularly wheat, were heavy. At Cedar Rapids people 
believed that better times had come. Agricultural 
implements are very largely manufactured here, and 
considerable beef is packed here and shipped to 
Europe. At Boone, Marshalltown, and other points, 
the feeling among the people was of a very encour¬ 
aging character in regard to their future prospects. 
Dakota Territory. 
The heated term of last summer did not reach 
Northern Dakota, and the wheat crop was fine ; all 
the crops are good in Southern Dakota, some esti¬ 
mates making the wheat crops average 26 bushels 
to the acre. It is estimated that four millions of 
bushels of wheat will be shipped from Yankton 
over the Sioux City Road. Immigration is brisk. 
Crops in Nebraska 
have been very large throughout the State, aud 
farmers and others are in the best of spirits. There 
has been a great increase in the acreage of wheat, 
many farmers, particularly in the eastern counties, 
having been last year apprehensive of the grass¬ 
hopper. This year all fears of this scourge were 
dispelled, and this, with the increased population, 
accounts for the increased acreage shown in the 
following table. These figures indicate a most en¬ 
couraging condition of agriculture in Nebraska. 
The figures for 1877, here given, are official, while 
those for the present year are based upon the re¬ 
turns received up to Oct. 15 by the County Clerks. 
THE PRINCIPAL CROPS IN NEBRASKA IN 1877 AND 1878. 
1877 1878 
Winter wheat. 50.188 30.6442 bushels. 
Spring wheat. 9,498.268 17.105,966 “ 
Indian corn.32.636.727 45.147.355 “ 
Rve. 888,676 2,931.000 “ 
Barley. 3.15S.425 5,254.650 “ 
Oats. 5,829.162 9,341.009 11 
Buckwheat. 27,533 65.745 “ 
Potatoes. . . 778.330 2,839.360 “ 
Sorghum. 98,973 233,200 “ 
The bulk of hay being cut from wild grass, no re¬ 
turns are made in Nebraska. The crop is this year 
a very heavy one. It is computed that the number 
of hogs have increased this year from about five 
hundred thousand up to seven hundred thousand. 
There has likewise been a considerable increase in 
the number of sheep and horses. The population 
of Nebraska in 1870 was 122,933. The returns for 
1877 showed the number of inhabitants to be 313,- 
748. The immigration this year has been unpre¬ 
cedentedly large, and the returns for 1878 will show 
a population of over four hundred thousand. The 
appraised value of land has increased during the 
past year in the eastern and other portions of the 
State. Should the crops continue to be as good 
as during 1877 and 1878, it is thought that lands 
will materially enhance in price in the future 
—a matter of no little interest to those farmers 
and others who contemplate coming to this State 
Profitable Use of Young Dairy Calves. 
With corn bringing only fifteen cents a bushel, 
the farmers in the region beyond the Missouri be¬ 
lieve they can make far more money by feeding it to 
cattle than to sell it at the market price. But there 
is among the farmers a scarcity, not only of cattle, 
but of capital with which to procure them. An old 
Iowa subscriber of the American Agriculturist pro¬ 
poses to overcome this difficulty by bringing here 
large numbers of young calves from the dairy re¬ 
gions of the older Western States. Having made a 
successful beginning, he is now, with increased 
capital, planning to operate on a large scale. He 
has devised a food by means of which he is enabled 
to take the calves a long distance, starting with them 
even when only two or three days old. and bring¬ 
ing them through to their destination In good con* 
