1879 ] 
AMEiiidAN AGRICULTURIST. 
•the necessary outlay and thus insure the refunding of the 
•amount. Replies should be sent before October next.” 
•All communications should be addressed to Chas. V. 
"Riley, Chief U. S. Entomological Commission, Depart¬ 
ment of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 
The Entomological Commission—The De¬ 
partment of Agriculture. 
Congress “builded wiser than it knew” wheu it es¬ 
tablished the “Entomological Commission,” primarily 
to investigate the Rocky Mountain Locnst or Grasshop¬ 
per. The Governors of the Locnst-ravaged States applied 
to Congress for relief; it was understood that the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture under its then Commissioner could 
do nothing, and this opinion was manifested by estab¬ 
lishing a Special Commission under the Department of 
the Interior. This Commission consists of the well 
known entomologists. Prof. C. V. Riley, Prof, A. S. 
Packard, Jr., and Cyrus Thomas, Esq., and much good 
work was done, as the reports show. When the Dept, of 
Agriculture had a new (and liovell Commissioner, and 
he, in an interval of good sense, appointed Prof. Riley to 
the charge of the entomological work, it was felt that the 
Dept, was equal to any entomological investigation that 
might come before it. Hence when an investigation of 
the Cotton-worm was ordered, the appropriation was 
placed in charge of the Dept,, of Agriculture, and the 
work was actually begun, by Prof. Riley, as the Ento¬ 
mologist of the Dept. As stated some months ago, Prof. 
Riley, finding his usefulness interfered with, resigned his 
position in May last. But by getting away from the 
Dept, the country did not lose his services. Fortunately 
the time for which the Entomological Commission was 
established has not expired, and so long as it continues 
to work for the benefit of the farmers of the country it 
will no doubt he continued. So soon as Prof. Riley left, 
Congress expressed its opinion of the Dept, of Agricul¬ 
ture by transferring this Cotton-worm appropriation to 
the Entomological Commission, of which Prof. R. was the 
Chief. This Cotton-worm investigation,concerning which 
more will be found elsewhere, and the proposed investi¬ 
gation of wheat insects, also noted in another place, 
show that the Commission has planned for work, the 
results of which can not fail to be of the greatest value 
both North and South. But isn’t it funny, to have a 
nominal Department of Agriculture, and put out some of 
its most important work to a Special Commission? 
American Products in England—Prises 
for Our Butter and Honey. 
The great Dairy Exhibition held in New York in Dec. 
last, had its interest greatly enhanced by a remarkable 
collection of rare and curious cheeses from various foreign 
countries. This contribution was made by Messrs. H. 
K. & F. B. Thurber & Co., of this city, and the game firm 
is doing a good service in making American products 
known abroad. Not only have our dairy products been 
sold in England as English, but a large number of pecu¬ 
liarly American articles, such as canned and dried fruits 
and vegetables, the trade being wholly in English hands, 
had their brands and labels so changed that the consumer 
bought them as English products. As the farmer is di¬ 
rectly or indirectly concerned in the production of these 
articles, our readers will be glad to know that they are 
hereafter to be sold as American, and upon their own 
merits. The Messrs. Thurber have opened a branch in 
London, for the purpose of making American goods 
known abroad. One step towards bringing American 
products into prominence was in entering American But¬ 
ter and American Honey for competition at the exhibi¬ 
tion of the Royal Agricultural Society. In a note to the 
Editor, dated Juiy 2d, they say “ We have just received 
a cable dispatch from our London office, slating that the 
highest prize for American Butter at the Royal Agricul¬ 
tural Exhibition, held in London, beginning June 30th, 
had been awarded to butter made by John S. Murray, 
Delhi, N. Y^and that the second prise was taken by but¬ 
ter made by John Stewart, Anamosa, Iowa, both of whom 
were represented by our firm; and also that the highest 
prize for honey had been awarded to American Honey, 
exhibited by our firm. The exhibition of the Royal Agri¬ 
cultural Society this year was of more than usual im¬ 
portance, owing to the fact that it was open to the pro¬ 
ductions of all the world, giving it an international char¬ 
acter, which previous exhibitions of the Society had not 
had. We have not yet heard whether other branches of 
American food products were on exhioition or not, as 
Honey and Butter were the only two articles exhibited by 
ns. It is to be hoped, however, that the great staples in 
the cereal and provision lines were represented, as prises 
taken at these exhibitions bring the fine quality of Amer¬ 
ican productions to the attention of consumers, create a 
demand, and thus help American producers to obtain a 
better price for their products than they otherwise would 
Lave been able to get.” 
Editorial Correspondence—Notes by the 
Way. 
[Mb. Oranse Judd left home the middle of June for a 
somewhat extended tour among our Readers, particular¬ 
ly at the West,—not so much to “ write up ” his journey- 
ings, as to mingle with practical men, observe and talk 
over their “ ways and means,” their modes of culture, 
etc. We give below a first installment from his memo¬ 
randum book of Notes by the Way.— Eds.] 
Crop Prospects. 
Burlington, Iowa, July. —Reasoning from analo¬ 
gy—from the “ nature of things,”—I have not 
looked for very good crops generally, in our coun¬ 
try, during 1879. After two successive years of 
productiveness considerably above the average, 
taking the country as a whole, we could hardly ex¬ 
pect a third good year. Yet, judging from what I 
have seen, in a journey of over 1,200 miles, by day¬ 
light, between N. Y. City and here, through parts 
of Southern New York, Northern Pennsylvania, 
Ohio, and Indiana, and Central Illinois, the out¬ 
look is certainly very encouraging. Farmers have 
yet, perhaps, to run the gauntlet of unfavorable 
harvest weather and early frosts ;_but from careful, 
constant observation, and diligent inquiry, I gather 
that the present prospect through the region re¬ 
ferred to is quite as good as at this time last year. 
Leaving the cars on the “Western Reserve” of Ohio, 
I rode many miles with and among the farmers, 
and found them in good spirits. The Wheat fields 
show a fair to heavy straw, with heads well de¬ 
veloped. Plenty of fields promise 20 to 30 bushels 
per acre. The Hay crop is fair, uot a heavy bot¬ 
tom, owing to lack of early rain, but thickening up 
now, and pushing forward well. I noticed con¬ 
siderable old hay, in bams and stacks—now selling 
at the farm for $6 to $9 per ton, according to quali¬ 
ty. Oats look finely, as a rule. The Corn is small 
as yet, owing to late planting, but it has a healthy 
look, and with a continuance of the present favor¬ 
able weather, wheat, corn, oats, and potatoes, will 
be fully an average crop, or better. The above re¬ 
marks apply also to Northern Indiana and to 
Illinois, in the counties crossed between Chicago 
and Burlington, and so far as I could learn north¬ 
ward and southward of this line. An intelligent 
observer at Mendota, and another at Galesburg, Ill., 
agreed in saving that “ we usually have good farm 
crops hereabouts, and this year they promise excel¬ 
lently, except that grass is a little short.”—I have 
just talked with the enterprising Editors of the 
“Burlington Hawkeye,” who on Saturday received 
direct special telegraph reports from over seventy 
localities in Southern Iowa, and Southern and 
Western Illinois. While there are exceptional un¬ 
favorable local accounts, the general report is in the 
highest degree satisfactory. “ The stand of corn is 
magnificent,” is the language of the Editor, in sum¬ 
marizing the reports. The acreage is increased, 
and the condition most vigorous and promising. In 
S. W. Iowa the Chinch-bug has done considerable 
damage to wheat, and Rust has affected the crop in 
limited localities, but the increased acreage and 
general good condition will give a full average crop, 
if not exceed it. On Saturday I visited some wheat 
fields near Burlington, already cut, and the thick 
sheaves, good heads, and plump kernels, are full 
of promise. Harvesting will be in full blast be¬ 
fore this week closes. Oats are good in some 
places, poor in others ; in the aggregate a little be¬ 
low the average, according to these reports. I call 
them good in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, where I 
saw them. Upon the whole, the reports from 100 
miles and more east and west of this point are de¬ 
cidedly encouraging. “ Corn has not been better 
at this season, in Western Illinois, since the big 
crop of 1870.”—My tour will take me into Northern 
Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. 
P. S. Chariton, Iowa (130 miles west of Burling¬ 
ton). I can confirm the above report as to com. 
In coming from Burlington here, we have seen 
numberless great fields, in most vigorous growth, 
already waist high and more. We have seen thirty 
or forty fields of wheat in the shock. The general¬ 
ly wide space between them, and their smallness, 
does not indicate a large yield. Other crops now 
growing look well; com is just magnificent, as 
295 
compared with anything I have before seen this 
year, or indeed in other years at the same period. 
Old Friends. 
Quite unexpectedly, I met in Lorain County, 
Ohio, a well-to-do farmer, Mr. Alfred Gillette, who 
was my neighbor and school-mate, 45 to 47 years 
ago, near Niagara Falls, which was then almost the 
“ far West,” though even then many of our neigh¬ 
bors pulled up takes from time to time and pushed 
on in emigrant wagons, to Ohio and Michigan, and 
later to Illinois—a great attraction being the fact 
that in the oak openings of Michigan, and especial¬ 
ly on the prairies of Illinois, they would find land 
ready to work, without the heavy “clearing” re¬ 
quired in the densely timbered regions south of 
Lake Ontario, between the Genesee and Niagara 
Rivers.—It was a most enjoyable treat to talk over 
with friend Gillette, the straggles of youth, when 
we worked hard on adjacent farms, gathered all 
the advantages we could from the district schools, 
and while yet scarcely grown up boys, taught in 
neighboring districts during winter. We discussed 
the peculiarities of old neighbors, and followed out 
the subsequent history of the boys that grew up 
with us, few of whom now survive. The old fami¬ 
ly physician, Dr. Cook, the greatest man we knew, 
because he had “ been to College ” and was won- 
derously learned, filled our boyish heads with an 
ambition for “ laming,” and when the writer struck 
Eastward, friend G. went to Oberlin on a like 
errand. He afterwards taught in some of the Ohio 
schools, and finally settled down at farming near 
Oberlin, where I found him enjoying a good farm, 
and independence, the result of many years of hard 
but intelligent work and economy. It was, of 
course, gratifying to me to learn that during the 
past quarter of a century he has had the American 
Agriculturist as a suggestive counsellor. It would 
have been still more gratifying, if he had carried 
into execution, his oft-formed purpose of sending 
for its pages some of the practical suggestions 
gained in his experience. Thousands of others in 
like manner fail to write out what would be of 
great use to their fellow cultivators. He has had 
the pleasure of aiding other young men, who are 
now settled upon good farms. While he has made 
profits in genera] farming, his best gains, I judge, 
came from raising sheep, of which, at one time, he 
kept some 400 fine wools. He says one year he 
took the premium over all others, in losing sheep. 
Sheep Freezing to Death in June. 
Some years ago his sheep had just been shorn and 
turned out to pasture. A cold storm came on, but 
being unwell he forgot his coat-less flocks. A 
neighbor called his attention to them, and on going 
out he found in one flock of 100 valuable animals 
87, I think it was, dead or so chilled that they soon 
died. Of his other flocks he lost less, as they were 
partially protected. One large flock gathered in a 
bushy grove, and with considerable care, nine- 
tenths of them were saved. I tell this incident to 
suggest to all owners of sheep the importance of 
carefully protecting newly-shom animals, not mere¬ 
ly from cold storms, but from chilly nights. Though 
they may not be fatally affected by cold, there is a 
great change to them in removing a heavy coat of 
warm wool, and the cold of an ordinary night is 
enough to induce diseases that will greatly deterio¬ 
rate their value. Think of a man wearing four or 
five thicknesses of heavy woollen garments, dajr 
and night, until into June, and then having all 
these removed in a day except a thin gauze under¬ 
shirt, and having his bed out of doors upon the 
ground without mattrass or coverlet! 
Dry Curing Pork and Beef. 
Mr. Gillette informed me that he had for a num¬ 
ber of years practised, with entire success and great 
satisfaction, a method of dry curing, which sup¬ 
plied far better and sweeter bacon and ham thau 
the usual brining process. After killing, the car¬ 
casses dry and thoroughly cool, 24 hours or so. The 
sides and hams are then rubbed over with molasses 
—he uses the Porto Rico. Salt is heated in an iron 
vessel to a drv fine powder, and almost “red hot,” 
when it is spread quickly over the smeared pork, 
and when cool enough is thoroughly mixed in with 
the hand. After about three days the same pro- 
