1891 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
will be gathered up and hauled to the compost heap. It is 
carefully watched and If it gets so dry as to burn, we turn 
a water pipe upon it, and wet it down sufficiently to keep 
it from doing so, but not so that enriched water will flow 
from it. In this manner we make a large amount of ex¬ 
cellent manure during the year. It keeps warm all win¬ 
ter ; and sometimes during the winter it is worked over at 
least once, and twice if we think it necessary. 
THE BATTLE OF THE FRUITS IN ILLINOIS. 
New strawberries; cherry talks; fiqhting bugs aud f ungi; 
plain talk about some buds. 
The Michel’s Early Strawberry does not appear to suc¬ 
ceed as well here as at the Rural Grounds, for, although it 
produces more runners and plants than any variety I 
know of, yet it is not at all fruitful and but little earlier 
than the Crescent and many others, besides being quite 
small and of ordinary quality. [Similar reports have 
reached us from other parts.— Eds.] I see nothing in it 
here to recommend it, and count the half acre I have of it 
as a dead loss except as a fertilizer for imperfect kinds. 
It seems a good mate for the Cloud. But the Haverland 
and War field are goo 1—perhaps none better. I am speak¬ 
ing from the market point of view ; perhaps the Bubach 
may rival them for home use, but I doubt it. Up at the 
head is the place for the Haverland. (Is this properly 
Haverland or Havilaod ?) [We have it as Haverland.— 
Eds ] A small plot of the Edgar Queen has done well. 
The berries were large and of very good quality, but an¬ 
other year Is needed to give it its proper place. 
Among cherries none has ripened here this year so early 
as the Dyehouse, and none has been finer than the French 
Amarelle, a variety obtained from Prof. Budd. Of its 
origin I know nothing; but so far, I think it the most 
promising of all the good varieties that have fruited with 
me. We cannot raise the fine sweet cherries that people 
have in the East. We compare everything with the Early 
Richmond, which is truly a wonderful bearer here. D’An- 
gouleme and Carnation grow thriftily, and the fruit is 
quite large and good ; but both seem to lack productive¬ 
ness. I have several of the Montmorencies, but see no 
reason why they should be planted in preference to the 
Early Richmond. Wier’s No. 2 seems to be fully as pro¬ 
ductive and a trifle larger and better, as 
I now imagine; there is, however, very 
little difference. Double Natte is a shiny, 
glossy black kind, that so far has not been 
productive. It is of medium size, and 
nearly round, and Is distinguished by its 
dark red juice and peculiar tart flavor. 
Amarelle Bouquet again bears heavily. 
It is a little Tom Thumb of a tree t hat com¬ 
mences to fruit about as soon as planted 
and never forgets its duty. The fruit has 
been larger this yearthan usual and better, 
or nearly as large as the Early Richmond. 
Thimbleberry plants ootained from 
Oregon last spring, started quickly in 
growing, but seemed to wilt when the hot 
June sun came; perhaps they need shade 
here. As I understand it, the fruit is 
borne on the top of the young canes, so I 
may see some this season. Who knows 
how they succeed in the East ? 
I am a believer in early, very early spring 
planting for most of the small fruits ; yes, 
and large fruits, too. Prepare the ground 
thoroughly in the fall, but plant in the 
spring, in this latitude. It is as much work 
to protect fall planting and uncover again 
in the spring as the planting amounts to, 
and there is a greater loss from mice, rab¬ 
bits, etc. Of course, the nurserymen like to have their 
work divided up between the two seasons. 
Insects, fungi and bacteria are on the warpath this sea¬ 
son as well as chinch-bugs, false chinch bugs, aphides, 
blight, bugs on the cucumbers and bugs in the wheat. 
The striped beetle has destroyed two plantings of melons 
in spite of my bast efforts; now I intend to try Prof. 
Massey’s remedy—bone meal. 
The Keiffer Pear has shown more blight than ever be¬ 
fore and one or two new varieties from Mr. Macomber, of 
Vermont, have gone down. American varieties of the 
apple as well as the Russians are singed, so are the June- 
berries and sand cherries. 
Grapes are rotting, although well sprayed several times, 
the last time only six days ago. By the way, I deem the 
middle of June the critical time for rot on grapes, 
much depending, of course, on the weather. 
Anthracnose is showing here and there; I even noticed 
it on the new Japan vine, Akebia quinata. But, “ when 
things are at their worst they will mend.” 
Now I want to take the unpopular side of a question for 
a few moments, thereby cutting my own throat, of course. 
Some birds are as much of a nuisance to the fruit grower 
as insects. The much praised robin, the noted thrush 
that wakes one in the morning with his melody, the sneak¬ 
ing catbird and the beautiful Mexican waxwing are all 
nuisances. I shoot them from June till September. I 
know the readers’ hands are up in protest, but I can’t help 
it. Did they ever destroy a scourge of Colorado beetles, 
or Woolly Aphis, or chinch bugs, or ilea beetles, or any¬ 
thing else that we wanted them to ? Don’t we have to 
fight these insects ourselves ? Isn’t it likely that they eat 
as many beneficial insects as injurious ones ? Don’t theie 
robins, etc., come around in the early spring and prospect 
among your fruit vines and compute the acreage planted 
and bring in, later, relations and acquaintances propor¬ 
tionate to that acreage, to eat you out of the results of 
your year’s labor if you allow them to do so ? No ? Well, 
then, your address is not Farmingdale, Ill. If you have a 
new strawberry, or cherry, or grape that Is just coming 
into bearing, will you taste It the first or even the second 
season If the birds can have their way ? No, sir. 
Now, friends, this is right—that every one on his own 
premises should work out this question to meet his own 
peculiar case. I think an owl my friend; nor do I object 
to minks and skunks ; but I would not deter my neighbor 
who keeps poultry from making war oh all of them. For 
myself the birds that ravenously puncture my grapes, I 
puncture. B. B. 
Farmingdale, Ill 
Live Stock Matters. 
Stomach Bots In Hogs.— The Principal of the schools 
at Port Republic, N. J., sent Insect Life this report: 
“About a month ago a Mr. Fielder, of this town, butch¬ 
ered two hogs for his own supply of meat. They were 
apparently healthy and all well. In sticking one of them 
he noticed the blocd was unusually dark colored, and the 
hog had unusual tenacity of life. When the intestines 
were removed the stomach was found to be infested with 
a ‘bot worm, just as horses are.’ The stomach also had 
some dry substance in it resembling half chewed corn¬ 
stalks. The worms had not yet eaten thro ugh the coat¬ 
ings of the stomach, although some were nearly through.” 
Dr. Riley replies that this case is interesting because, if 
the information is correct, it will be the only case, so far 
as he knows, in which the true stomach bot has been 
found in the hog. Hitherto the bots have been found only 
in the horse, the ass, and the rhinoceros. As none of the 
maggots was saved, it is impossible to tell just what they 
were. 
A “Durham” Dairy Man.— “The modern appliances 
for the manufacture of butter are as great an improve¬ 
ment on the old as a Jersey is on a scrub.”—R. N.-Y.,p. 447. 
I am a new subscriber, but am loath to believe that The 
Rural is prejudiced on any subject, yet this and some 
other remarks would lead one to think the Jersey the ideal 
dairy cow. But is she ? Certainly not on this coast; but 
rather a dismal failure. 
A herd for which a fancy price was paid was owned on a 
neighboring farm by a man of wealth, and great pains 
were taken with them. A creamery was started nearby, 
and after pleuro pneumonia had appeared among the 
darlings, the infected animals were butchered, but milk was 
still supplied to the creamery ; though shortly afterwards 
it failed. I don’t say that this was the only reason for the 
failure, but it was certainly one of the most prominent. 
What became of the herd ? It was given away. Having 
been appointed to a public office, the owner gave what re¬ 
mained of the herd to the State. 
Messrs. Ladd & Reed are the foremost breeders of pure¬ 
bred cattle in Oregon. Do they breed Jerseys? No, in¬ 
deed ! They had a fine herd of about 00 head of that breed 
two years ago, but they were all butchered—pleuro-pneu- 
monia again ! Messrs. Ladd & Reed always walk off with 
the prizes at the fairs with their Short-horns, known here 
as Durhams. 
California is fast becoming a great dairy State. The 
“June butter” there is made in February and March; 
but one will find four Durham herds there to one Jersey. 
If I change my Durham sire for a Jersey I cannot raise 
any steers for beef, and should I raise a dozen heifers and 
three should prove useless for butter, what would I do 
with them ? The butchers won’t have them. Won’t it 
take a lot of Jersey cream to make up this loss ? And 
then look at their great liability to pleuro-pneumonia ! Can 
I expect to stand any better show than these men of 
wealth who personally selected their herds in the East, 
while I would be obliged to send there for my stock as 
no one here has any that I kno w of, purebred and good? 
I want all the profit possible in my dairy ; but will Jerseys 
give more than Durhams selected for their butter quali¬ 
ties ? 
I lately talked with some farmers from Iowa and Illi¬ 
nois. The case is the same there: the Durhams have sup¬ 
planted the Jerseys. Now, I write this more to enlighten 
myself on this point than to criticise The Rural for favor¬ 
itism. Perhaps the editors will be induced to send out 
the following questions : 
1. What is the best paying butter breed, all points con¬ 
sidered ? 
5 r i 
2. What use do you make of your Jersey heifers, which 
prove unprofitable for butter? 
The editors are printing a breezy, newsy, stirring paper, 
which I like very much ; but they will see by the above 
that they have “ troddeu on my toes,” or I imagine they 
have. Let them give mv hobby an airing if it is worthy 
of it. w. M. 8. 
Clackamas Co., Oregon. 
R N.-Y.—First, answering the questions we would say : 
1. For settled countries where there is a demand for 
prime butter and cream and where food is very seriously 
considered as an item of expense, we wou'd say the Jer¬ 
sey or the Guernsey. At the same time, as we have re¬ 
peatedly said, thete arc parts of the country where Jerseys 
would not pay so well as the larger breeds. We have 
found the Jersey an economical cow. Where one has an 
abundance of cheap, coarse fodder aud a profitable market 
for beef, a larger cow will possibly prove more profitable. 
Not over one-third of our farm population enjoy these ad¬ 
vantages. All the tests seem to show that the smaller 
breeds will put more of the fat fed to them into their 
milk than the larger ones. 2. The proportion of well- 
bred Jersey heifers that prove “unprofitable” is very 
small. They can generally be picked out very early in 
life and disposed of. We like the Jersey cow because, 
with us, she has proved a worker. Neighboring farmers 
have confidence enough in the cows to offer big prices for 
heifer calves before they are dropped. We have never 
found well bred Jerseys any more susceptible to disease 
than other breeds. Without question “in and in breed¬ 
ing ” has weakened specimens of this breed the same as 
with other breeds. We kuow that the California dairies 
are filled with “ Durhams.” At the same time we find 
plenty of advertise nents of Jerseys in the California pa¬ 
pers, and we expect to live to see the day when far Wes¬ 
tern farming will be so changed that the special dairy 
breeds will be needed, if they are not now. 
Rapid Poric Making. —How can a farmer without a 
dairy breed March pigs and make them weigh 275 pounds 
by November ? By having his sow in good condition when 
she farrows ; she should be an excellent feeder aud suckler. 
Feed her liberally with one part of old-process oil meal, 
six parts of shorts and three parts of bran mixed with 
scalding water after the mixture has 
stood 12 hours. Put in the drinking water 
a little salt and a teaspoonful of saltpeter 
once a week. Feed the above ration twice 
each day, morniDgs and eveniogs, and at 
noon give a liberal feed of well soaked 
corn. Let the trough be low so that the 
animal will learn the way to the table. 
Give her also some grass, or, better, clover. 
Wean the pigs when 10 to 12 weeks old. 
Continue the same treatment for pigs, and, 
my word for it, if the breed is a good one, 
pfg3 dropped the 1st of March will weigh, 
gross, on November 1, 300 pounds. Some of 
mine have weighed 400 pounds. 
Huron Co., Ohio. s H. TODD. 
Red Polled Dairy Cattle.— In a recent 
account of an English dairy farm we read 
of a novel breeding system to stcure polled 
dairy cattle. The farmer started with Red 
Polled cows crossed with a red Short¬ 
horn bull. The polled heifers were selected 
and again crossed with red bulls of a 
dairy strain and so on for several genera¬ 
tions. A great majority of the calves weie 
polled, and the evident result seems to 
be the formation of ‘ a grand herd of Red 
Polled dairy cattle—very uniform.” This 
farm consists of 260 acres, of which 108 are 
in crops of wheat, barley, roots and hay and 152 in past¬ 
ure. It maintains 106 cattle, 200 sheep and lambs and 14 
horses. Faim manure, clover and basic slag are largely 
used—the latter on pastures—with excellent results. 
English Jersey Test. —At the Bath and West of Eng¬ 
land Show, 14 Jerseys were tested. Tae milk from a 
morning aid night’s milking of each was sapurated, and 
used in the churning contest, which is a prominent feature 
at all great English shows. Tne heaviest yield of milk 
was 38 pounds 15 ounces, which made one pound 13>£ 
ounces of butter—this cow taking second prizi. The first 
prize was won by a cow four years old, whose last calf 
was dropped in April, 189L. She gave 34 pounds ounces 
of milk, from which were made two pounds of excellent 
butter. The richest milk came from a cow three years old, 
that gave 25 pounds 4>£ ounces of milk, from which one 
pound 10X ounces of butter were made, or 15.26 pounds of 
milk to one of butter. Of the poorest milk 27.45 pounds 
were required to make one of butter. 
Eastern Cattle For The West.—A paper printed in 
Spokane Falls, Wash., recently printed this notice. 
A carload of Eastern beef and rnuttou just received by-. First 
shipment of Eastern meat. Tender and juicy steaks chops and roasts 
guaranteed all customers. 
It seeme strange that people in the St ate of Washing¬ 
ton should “ go East” for prime cattle, yet it is a fact that 
they do. One of the chief reasons why they do is given in 
this interview with a Spokane Falls butcher. 
We have just received our first carload of meat from 
Omaha We nay a higher price for It than we would for 
native beef, but it is so superior in quality that our cus¬ 
tomers are eager to pay the difference in price. Eastern 
beef is all corn fed. Cattle are carefully attended to, and 
their growth is rushed with ail speed. They are never 
allowed to rustle on the ranges for their food, and conse¬ 
quently when killed they make the best bee*' to be found. 
The grain of the beef is finer and the bones smaller. The 
ranchers in Washington and Idaho must put up their cat¬ 
tle and feed them during the winter months. They could 
turn their money twice by caring for their stock, and un¬ 
til they do improve the quality of their meats, they can 
never compete with E.astern packers. 
The time has come when breeding and feeding will pay 
better than ever before. 
TYPICAL AYRSHIRE COW. Fig. 187. See page 5 10. 
