5o8 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Aug.  6 
diately  sent  up  a  seed  stalk  and  of  more  than  50  plants 
which  I  transplanted,  not  a  single  head  did  I  get.  It 
was  as  obstinate  as  a  mule.  I  could  do  nothing  with 
it.  I  have  never  before  seen  so  rapid  a  reversion  to 
primitive  types,  if  reversion  it  be.  I  call  on  my  friend 
Harris  to  explain.  I  do  not  find  fault — I  suppose 
these  vegetable  atavistic  freaks  are  unavoidable.  Has 
it  acted  in  this  way  elsewhere  ?  Can  I  safely  try  it 
another  year  ?  Tell  us  all  about  it.  I  should  add  that 
in  the  gardens  of  my  neighbors  who  planted  it  on  my 
recommendation,  no  greater  success  was  obtained. 
The  pesky  thing  would  not  make  heads,  but  would  go 
to  seed. 
I  Discovered,  a  few  weeks  ago,  that  a  large  limb  on 
a  young  Eugenie  cherry  tree  had  suddenly  died.  The 
tree  seems  very  thrifty  and  vigorous,  and  is  beginning 
to  bear.  I  could  not  understand  why  this  limb  should 
die  and  the  remainder  of  the  tree  not  be  affected.  I 
had  trained  it  with  a  low  head,  but  in  my  absence,  my 
better  half  conceived  the  idea  that  the  head  was  too 
low  and  she  indulged  in  a  free  cutting  off  of  some  of 
the  lower  limbs.  The  gum  exuded  very  freely  and  it 
may  be  that  this  harsh  trimming  may  be  responsible 
for  the  dead  limb.  The  cherry  does  not  take  kindly  to 
the  pruning  shears.  Who  can  enlighten  me  ?  F. 
Leavings. 
Where  Were  the  Grubs  ? — Last  summer  I  turned 
under  a  strawberry  patch  and  sowed  it  to  turnips, 
most  of  which  were  small.  Last  spring  I  plowed  the 
ground  and  sowed  at  the  rate  of  nearly  2,000  pounds  of 
a  high-grade  fruit  fertilizer  per  acre,  and  set  it  to 
strawberries  again.  The  plants  made  a  fine  growth 
at  first,  but  are  now  dying  by  the  hundred.  I  find 
from  one  to  six  white  grubs  under  each  plant.  This 
piece  of  ground  has  not  been  a  sod  for  five  or  six  years. 
If,  as  some  writers  claim,  grubs  breed  only  in  sod  land, 
where  did  these  come  from  ?  p.  s. 
R.  N.-Y. — These  grubs  are  the  larvm  of  the  May 
beetle.  They  breed  in  sod,  in  manure  heaps,  espe¬ 
cially  cow  manure,  in  chip  dirt,  and,  in  the  absence 
of  these,  in  any  sort  of  soil,  just  such  as  this  old 
turnip  bed. 
A  Great  Sugar  Tree. — During  the  last  winter  a 
maple  tree  was  felled  in  the  township  of  Vernon, 
Trumbull  County,  O.,  from  which  a  remarkably  large 
quantity  of  sugar  was  made  in  1857.  The  tree  was  cut 
into  about  10  cords  of  18-inch  stove  wood,  besides  the 
chunks  and  top,  which  could  be  used  for  fuel  ;  it  aver¬ 
aged  three  feet  four  inches  in  diameter  about  two  feet 
above  the  ground.  It  was  of  the  hard  variety,  and 
stood  alone  upon  a  small  knoll.  It  was  tapped  by  the 
owner,  Rev.  David  King,  with  four  spiles,  in  the  latter 
part  of  February,  and  produced  51  pounds  of  sugar 
that  season.  In  a  letter  to  the  Western  Reserve  Chroni¬ 
cle  he  says : 
VKKNON,  April  22,  1857. 
Mkssks.  Editors:  The  tree  has  continued  to  yield  eap  till  the 
present  time,  and  Mrs.  King  has  made  17  pounds  since  I  reported  to 
you.  makln«  In  all  51  pounds.  *  *  *  *  It  requires  just  about  eight 
quarts  of  the  sap  to  make  one  pound  of  sugar. 
Yours  respectfully,  david  kino. 
The  sugar-making  season  of  1857  was  a  good  and  pro¬ 
longed  one,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  date  of  the  letter. 
As  late  as  April  20  there  was  a  foot  of  snow.  This 
tree  continued  to  run  long  after  the  “  camps”  in  the 
vicinity  had  been  abandoned,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
drive  plugs  in  the  holes  where  the  tree  was  tapped 
about  the  first  of  May  to  stop  the  flow  and  consequent 
injury  to  the  tree,  but  it  never  fully  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  the  great  drain  upon  its  vitality,  and,  as 
a  matter  of  safety,  it  was  necessary  to  cut  it  about  25 
years  after  it  had  made  the  above  remarkable  record. 
,i.  I.  K. 
What  About  Capons  ? — At  the  Smitlifield,  London, 
Market  last  week,  “  Surrey  capons”  were  quoted  at 
from  $1-40  to  $1.65  each,  while  “Surrey  fowls”  brought 
from  00  cents  to  $1.04.  The  difference  between  a 
capon  and  a  fowl  then  is  from  50  to  60  cents.  They 
are  both  of  about  the  same  age  and  have  eaten  about 
the  same  amount  of  food.  Shall  we  all  rush  in  and 
raise  eapons  for  a  business  ?  Well,  hardly.  Would  it 
pay  you  to  raise  all  your  bull  calves  because  grown 
steers  sell  for  more  than  bulls  ?  It  may  if  you  have 
cheap  food,  but  if  you  are  a  dairyman  buying  your 
grain,  you  had  better  knock  the  calves  in  the  head 
rather  than  try  to  raise  them.  It  is  so  with  a  capon. 
Some  men  find  that  it  pays  to  twist  the  heads  off  their 
roosters  just  as  soon  as  they  can  be  distinguished,  and 
unless  they  are  caponized  this  is  a  profitable  habit  to 
get  into.  About  the  only  way  to  make  caponizing 
profitable  is  to  take  advantage  of  the  folly  of  some¬ 
body  else.  Lots  of  folks  feed  young  roosters  up  to  a 
crowing  age  and  then  send  them  to  the  big  cities 
where  they  sell  for  about  10  cents  per  pound  live 
weight — a  price  that  will  not  pay  for  a  man’s  time. 
The  man  who  gets  these  roosters,  caponizes  them  and 
stuffs  them  for  a  few  months,  will  make  money  out  of 
it — and  that  i6  about  the  only  way  to  make  money 
from  capons. 
Marketing  Fall  Milkers. 
A  NEW  DAIRYING  FEATURE. 
From  Spring  to  Fall. 
Talking  with  a  bright  and  successful  young  farmer 
the  other  day,  I  asked  him  the  following  questions, 
and  received  several  ideas  that  may  be  useful  to  others: 
“  I  want  a  choice  cow  that  calves  in  the  spring  to 
come  in  during  September,  October  or  November.  If 
she  is  not  stinted  until  December,  will  there  not  be  a 
risk  of  leaving  her  farrow  ?  ” 
“There  is  likely  to  be  such  a  risk,”  said  he.  “You 
probably  cannot  bring  about  the  change  in  one  season. 
At  least  two  years  should  be  allowed,  bringing  her  in, 
say  in  July  the  first  year,  and  the  next  in  September. 
Rut  why  do  .you  attempt  carrying  her  forward  in  this 
way  ?  I  have  had  long  experience  with  cows,  and  have 
made  a  specialty  of  buying  spring  cows  and  selling 
them  as  fall  springers  as  soon  as  possible,  and  almost 
invariably  meet  with  better  success  by  getting  them 
to  calve  earlier  and  earlier  until  they  drop  fall  calves, 
instead  of  serving  them  later  and  milking  them 
through  a  long  intervening  period,  when  they  give 
but  little.  I  have  found  that  by  driving,  I  can  buy 
dry  cows,  to  calve  in  January  to  April,  at  low  prices  if 
I  take  them  from  early  fall  to  midwinter — cows  that 
are  really  first-class  in  every  respect.  People  should 
not  keep  cows  that  are  not  making  any  returns.  It 
does  not  pay  to  handle  any  but  the  best.” 
“By  close  watching,  a  cow  can  be  made  to  take  ser¬ 
vice  again  within  22  days  after  calving.  Let  us  sup¬ 
pose  she  comes  in  early  in  January.  She  can  fre¬ 
quently  be  sold  the  following  October  with  another 
calf,  at  nearly  or  quite  double  what  was  paid  for  her 
when  dry,  besides  having  her  yield  milk  copiously 
during  a  period  when  it  or  butter  brings  the  best 
price — January  to  May.  If  she  will  not  come  in  sea¬ 
son  successfully  before  February,  she  will  make  a 
November  cow,  for  which  the  right  buyer  wrill  pay 
well.  If  he  does  not  happen  along,  she  is  served 
again  as  soon  as  possible,  pays  her  way  well  all  win¬ 
ter,  increases  her  yield  on  the  flush  spring  feed  and 
with  a  little  fodder  corn  milks  grandly  right  up  to 
calving  again,  say  in  August  or  by  September  1.  Then 
there  is  never  any  trouble  about  buyers  for  big,  fresh 
milkers.  I  sold  eight  such  cows  out  of  my  herd  last 
fall  to  one  man,  and  all  of  them  were  animals  I  had 
bought  at  nominal  prices.” 
Why  Ever  Sell  a  Good  Cow  P 
“Would  it  not  be  more  remunerative  to  keep  such 
cows  ?  ” 
“  Well,  I  have  figured  it  closely,  and  if  I  can  get  my 
price,  which  is  always  a  good  one  for  fall  cows,  I  pre¬ 
fer  to  sell  to  milking  them  and  paying  winter  help 
and  feed  bills.  Then  also  I  can  turn  the  money  over 
again  by  buying  cheap,  dry  cows.  These  require  lit¬ 
tle  besides  good  hay  or  cut  stalks  with  a  little  bran. 
I  never  feed  cows  high  before  calving.” 
“  Do  you  ever  meet  losses  at  calving  time  with  fall 
and  winter  cows  ?  *’ 
“  No  oftener  than  with  cows  calving  in  the  spring. 
The  feeding  during  the  last  three  months  of  preg¬ 
nancy  rules  this  largely.  A  cow  that  is  given  reason¬ 
able  food,  including  salt  and  foods  that  act  on  the 
bowels  as  laxatives,  like  roots,  bran,  etc.,  and  little  or 
no  constipating  food,  and  that  is  not  allowed  to  get 
chilled  after  calving  nor  to  drink  heartily  of  cold 
water,  will  rarely  fail  to  do  well.  I  turn  my  cows 
loose  in  a  box  stall  to  calve,  and  trust  mainly  to  their 
natural  instincts.” 
How  to  Sell  a  Good  Cow. 
“  I  should  think  you  would  dislike  neglecting  your 
farm  work  to  look  up  a  buyer  for  a  cow  after  she 
calves.  Does  it  not  take  your  time  ?  ” 
“  I  never  look  for  a  buyer.  It  is  generally  known 
that  good  fall  cows  can  be  bought  at  my  farm,  and 
my  cows  are  nearly  always  sold  before  they  come  in. 
I  keep  a  record  of  the  dates  of  service  and  know  when 
to  expect  them.” 
“  Do  not  buyers  hesitate  about  taking  the  risk  of 
calving,  and  do  not  they  object  to  driving  a  cow  heavy 
with  a  calf  a  long  distance  ?  ” 
“  Neither,”  he  replied.  “  I  invariably  sell  a  cow  on 
conditions  that  she  shall  calve  safely  and  prove  all 
right,  and  also  be  as  good  as  I  represent  her.  The 
cows  are  not  removed  until  after  calving,  and  I  assume 
all  the  risks,  having  them  under  my  eye.  A  buyer,  on 
agreeing  to  take  a  cow,  merely  makes  a  deposit  of  $5 
or  $10  to  bind  the  bargain,  and  does  not  pay  the  full 
price  until  he  takes  the  animal.  Sometimes  it  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  reduce  the  price  mentioned,  because  the  cow 
does  not  fulfill  my  expectations,  or  loses  a  teat,  but 
this  is  not  often  the  case.” 
“  Would  you  recommend  a  young  man  to  engage  in 
the  enterprise  ?  ” 
“  Not  unless  he  is  a  good  judge  of  stock,  an  experi¬ 
enced  buyer  and  a  good  hand  with  cows.  To  make  it 
most  satisfactory,  he  needs  to  be  so  fixed  that  if  he 
cannot  sell  his  cows  for  fair  prices,  he  can  keep  them 
himself,  and  so  get  back  his  money  with  a  profit.  The 
business  has  many  loopholes  besides  possible  losses  on 
cows  at  calving,  but,  intelligently  carried  on,  it  may 
be  made  to  pay  handsomely.  hollister  sage. 
Fairfield  Co.,  Ct. 
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Just  and  Judicious  Judging. 
COMPARING  FRUITS  AND  VEGETA  BEES. 
Fair  Standards  for  Comparison. 
1.  Assuming  that  the  fruits  to  be  judged  were  apples  and  pears,  and 
that  an  aggregate  of  20  points  scored  perfect,  how  many  points  would 
you  give  each  of  the  following  heads:  Size,  shape,  color  and  freedom 
from  blemish  ?  If  all  are  equally  Important,  It  would  give  five  points 
to  each.  Would  you  so  divide  them  ? 
2.  Would  you  judge  in  the  manner  indicated  above  (scoring)  or  by 
the  eye,  by  comparison  generally  7 
3.  Assuming  the  variety  to  be  correctly  named,  would  you  make 
quality  one  of  the  things  to  be  judged  and  taste  the  fruit,  or  assume 
that  the  quality  was  the  same  In  all,  and  judge  only  from  externals  ? 
4.  Suppose  you  had  two  plates  of  grapes  of  the  same  variety,  No.  1, 
weighed  five  pounds  one  ounce;  the  other  weighed  five  pounds,  but  the 
berries  were  a  little  larger  and  of  finer  appearance  than  No.  1,  to  which 
would  you  give  first  prize  7 
5.  Would  you  judge  musk-melons  by  their  external  appearance,  or 
would  you  cut  them  to  take  the  quality  Into  consideration  7  If  the 
latter,  how  many  points  would  you  give  “size,”  and  how  manv 
“  quality  7  ” 
fi.  In  judging  between  competitors  showing  the  same  variety  of  pota¬ 
toes,  would  you  do  It  by  points,  such  as  size,  regularity  of  shape,  free¬ 
dom  from  scab  and  hollow  heart  7  How  many  points  would  you  give 
each  for  perfection  In  an  aggregate  of  20  7 
A  Scale  of  Points  Suggested. 
1.  Judging  apples  or  pears,  simply  as  such,  without 
regard  to  the  special  uses  for  which  they  may  be  in¬ 
tended,  I  would  grade  the  points  specified  about  as 
follows  :  Freedom  from  blemishes,  whether  caused  by 
insects,  fungi  or  handling,  six  points  ;  color,  six ;  size 
(running  evenly  through  the  specimens  of  each  variety), 
five;  form  (that  normal  to  the  variety),  three  ;  total, 
20  points.  2.  Unless  the  difference  were  so  obvious  as 
to  be  unmistakable,  I  wrould  apply  the  crucial  test  of 
the  scale  of  points.  3.  The  quality  of  a  specimen  of  a 
given  variety  may  usually  be  almost  infallibly  inferred 
from  external  indications,  except  so  far  as  it  may  de¬ 
pend  upon  the  stage  of  maturity  ;  still  in  very  many 
cases  it  would  be  necessary  to  taste  the  specimen  to 
insure  correct  judgment. 
The  weight  to  be  assigned  to  each  of  these  several 
particulars  should  depend  upon  the  purpose  of  the 
competition.  If  it  is  being  judged  as  to  adaptation  to 
amateur  or  family  uses,  quality  should  be  given  the 
first  place;  then  suitable,  even  size,  and,  next,  color  and 
general  appearance.  If  to  be  judged  as  to  its  pecuniary 
or  commercial  value,  another  and  a  distinct  scale  of 
graduation  becomes  necessarjE  For  such  purpose, 
first  should  come  productiveness,  vigor  and  hardiness 
of  the  tree  or  plant ;  second,  the  handling  quality 
of  the  fruit ;  third,  attractiveness  of  color ;  fourth, 
quality.  4.  Other  circumstances  being  equal,  I  would 
regard  the  slightly  increased  weight  as  more  than 
compensated  for  by  the  larger  size  and  finer  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  berries  of  the  lighter  bunch.  5.  Musk- 
melons  differ  so  widely,  both  in  quality  and  size,  that 
I  would  be  disposed  to  allow  the  former  a  very  decided 
preponderance ;  and  I  would  deem  myself  ill  quali¬ 
fied  to  decide  upon  the  quality  of  a  specimen,  except 
by  resort  to  the  gustatory  process.  6.  I  am  by  no 
means  a  potato  expert  in  the  potato  field.  I  can  judge 
the  quality  more  critically  when  cooked ;  but  would 
consider  form  more  important,  say,  nine  points  ;  free¬ 
dom  from  scab  and  hollow-heart,  six  ;  regularity,  five; 
total,  20  points.  T.  t.  eyon. 
Would  Taste  a  Reasonable  Number. 
1.  I  should,  on  general  principles,  give  equal  im¬ 
portance  to  each  of  the  above  four  heads,  but  the  judg¬ 
ment  should  be  relative  in  each  case  ;  that  is,  the  size, 
shape,  etc.,  should  be  judged  by  the  standard  or  ideal 
type  of  the  particular  variety  under  consideration.  A 
large  apple  in  one  variety  might  be  a  small  one  in 
another.  In  other  words,  mere  largeness  or  a  mere 
handsome  shape  is  of  minor  importance.  2.  Expert 
judges  always  go  by  the  eye  in  external  matters,  but 
they  have  the  points  in  mind.  One  should  surely 
judge  by  points,  but  he  should  not  do  it  with  a  tape 
line.  3.  I  should  always  make  quality  an  important 
item,  and  should  expect  to  taste  the  fruit ;  but  when  I 
have  200  or  300  entries  to  judge,  many  of  which  are 
immature  specimens,  I  am  apt  to  satisfy  myself  with 
externals !  4.  If  the  bunches  were  of  equally  good 
shape,  I  should  give  the  prize  to  No.  2.  Finely  grown 
bunches  and  berries  are  better  than  merely  big  ones. 
5.  I  should  certainly  take  quality  into  consideration, 
especially  if  the  melons  were  good  ones !  I  should 
think  that  quality  in  a  musk-melon  should  have  twice 
