i89i 
555 
from El Rio, a little below Ft. Yuma, on 
the dividing line between the United States 
and Mexico. All this distance the flood has 
been in Lower California, but at Alamo 
Muncho it tifrned north, crossed the bound¬ 
ary, and poured east into the still lower 
depression around Salton in the desert. The 
route from the Colorado to the lake it has 
formed made a very respectable ox bow, 
and the flood traveled more than a hundred 
miles west, north and east, to arrive at its 
destination, only 40 or 50 miles from the 
starting point. The old stage route to 
Ogilbie, which the flood has followed with 
great faithfulness a large part of the way, 
is shown on the best maps. The only dif¬ 
ference between this flood and those of 
earlier years seems to be that the volume 
is greater than usual, and besides filling up 
the dried-up channel of the New River, has 
had a large surplus to pour into the de¬ 
pression further north. 
The flood h as no w to a great extent ceased, 
and as the desert is the hottest place in the 
United States, the thermometer generally 
registering from 123 to 140 degrees in the 
shade, the evaporation is immense, and the 
“great lake ” will doubtless soon disappear 
as many predecessors have done. If the 
inflow continued the water would have 
covered an area 250 miles long by 50 broad 
and about 263 feet below the sea level, in¬ 
cluding the famous Death Valley in which 
an expedition sent out by the United States 
Department of Agriculture is now making 
explorations.— Eds.] 
This desert extends over Eastern Oregon, 
Idaho, Utah and Colorado. At a distance 
I saw the town of Logan, the home of the 
well-known experimenter Prof. Sanborn. 
After passing this point several large irri¬ 
gating ditches are being made. An English 
syndicate is building a large one to water 
its large holdings Dot far from the city of 
OgdeD, Utah. I may be no judge of scenery 
but to my mind the Rio Grande does not 
compare with the Canadian Pacific Rail¬ 
road as to mountain scenery, nor are the 
accommodations on the railroads in the 
United States as good as those given in the 
trans continental Canadian service. Should 
fortune or necessity ever take me to the 
Pacific slope again, I shall patronize the 
Canadian road every time. 
Among the curiosities found in the 
West was that cabbages are sold by the 
pound; price was three cents per pound; 
potatoes are sold at two cents a pound; in 
fact all weighable produce is sold by weight. 
Hay is usually baled ; potatoes are put up 
in sacks; apples in boxes; in fact a barrel is 
hardly to be seen. Traders told me that 
the only thing they get in a barrel is oat¬ 
meal. Would those selling cabbages not 
like to sell at so much a pound rather than 
so much per ICO as done in the East? 
W. DOUGLAS KING. 
TO COLORADO VIA 
BURLINGTON ROUTE 
ONLY ONE NIGHT ON THE ROAD. 
Leave Chicago at 1:00 P. M., or St. Louis 
at 8 :25 A. M., and arrive Denver 6:15 P. M. 
the next day. Through Sleepers, Chair 
Cars and Dining Cars. All Railways from 
the East connect with these trains and 
with similar trains via Burlington Route 
to Denver, leaving Chicago at 6:10 P. M., 
St. Louis at 8:15 P. M., and Peoria at 3:20 
P. M. and 8 :00 P. M. All trains daily. 
Tourist tickets are now on sale, and can 
be had of ticket agents of all roads and at 
Burlington Route depots in Chicago, Peo¬ 
ria and St. Louis. 
There is no better place than Colorado 
for those seeking rest and pleasure.— Adv. 
DROUGHT STRICKEN LONG ISLAND. 
Dry as dust; potatoes small; new seedling 
f ruits; stable manure and chemicals. 
A visit to Long Island last week revealed 
a dry state of affairs. At the time of our 
visit no rain of any account had fallen this 
summer and nearly all growing crops were 
seriously injured, many of them past re¬ 
covery. Some of the mown fields were as 
dry and brown as the middle of the road 
and apparently there was not a living 
plant left. Some had been burned over, 
having been fired by sparks from the 
locomotive. The effects of the terrible 
drought experienced were visible on every 
hand. Potatoes were drying up and turn¬ 
ing yellow before having attained half their 
growth. The Long Island potato crop 
forms an important factor in the New York 
market between the flush of the Southern 
crop and the first arrivals from more north¬ 
ern markets. Large areas of land are de¬ 
voted to it, as it is easily followed by the 
later crops of cabbages, cauliflowers, peas, 
etc. The soil, too, is considered superior 
for potatoes and the quality of the product 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
is generally A No. 1. Many fields were being 
dug, or had already been dug, at the time 
of our visit, and the potatoes were as a 
general thing not more than half grown. 
Those undug were said by experienced 
farmers to be beyond the reach of help even 
should rain come. Little grain is grown. 
There are occasional fields of hay, many 
fields of potatoes and different kinds of 
garden truck in locations suited to the 
varying needs of the different crops. 
We visited Mr. N. Hallock, an expe¬ 
rienced gardener and farmer and noted 
experimenter, whose farm lies near the 
State rifle range at Creedmoor. He is not 
so ambitious to accomplish great results in 
farming as when younger, and so he rents 
most of his farm to truckers, and finds 
pleasure in the experimental work in 
which he is engaged. He has just finished 
cutting a small field of wheat which was 
of fine quality and a good yield. In his 
experiment grounds Mr. Hallock has a 
large number of different varieties of to¬ 
matoes, several plants of each, each variety 
separated from the others by numbered 
stakes. A large bed of strawberries con¬ 
sists only of seedlings. Mr. Hallock has 
originated several promising varieties of 
this fruit. He has a block of Hallock’s 
Seedling Currants, originated, we believe, 
by an uncle of his. This variety was men¬ 
tioned in our report of the Queens County 
Fair last week. It appears to be a prom • 
ising sort with long stems, and is less acid 
than most red currants. Several rows of 
gladioli had not apparently suffered much 
from the drought, and Mr. Hallock, who 
grows them for their bulbs, naively re 
marked that they were more profitable 
than potatoes. Sweet peas and other 
flowers, besides turning in considerable 
cash for blossoms sold, form a pleasiag 
variety with the less ornamental but more 
utilitarian products. Mr. Hallock is try¬ 
ing to grow pecans, but the seasons are too 
short to bring them to perfection, although 
the tree is perfectly hardy. When the nuts 
are about two-thirds grown frosts end their 
further progress. 
Mr. Hallock says that although the farm¬ 
ers use large quantities of New York city 
stable mauure, they apply it differently 
from their former practice. Instead of be¬ 
ing applied In hill or drill and the seeds or 
plants planted over it, it is spread broad¬ 
cast and either plowed or harrowed in. Tne 
chemical fertilizers, of which large quanti¬ 
ties are used, are usually applied in the hill 
or drill. It is said that more fertilizers are 
used on Long Island than on any similar 
area in the world. This is partly because the 
light soil requires large amounts and part¬ 
ly because the farmers and gardeners 
realize that the vegetables they grow must 
be well fed to meet the critical require¬ 
ments of the New York and Brooklyn 
markets. The long and short of it is that 
they have learned from long experience 
that the use of fertilizers pays and profit is 
what they are after. 
The present season affords a severe test 
of the comparative merits of chemical and 
stable manures in enduring drought, and 
the results seem to favor the former. In 
inspecting a field of potatoes on a neighbor’s 
land, Mr. Hallock noted a wide strip 
through the center of the field whose dark 
fresh green foliage contrasted strongly with 
the drought-stricken, yellow appearance of 
the potatoes on either side and he said he 
presumed they were R. N.-Y. No. 2’s which 
withstand drought better than some of the 
other varieties. 
The shortage in the Long Island potato 
crop Is likely to affect favorably the price 
of potatoes from more northern localities, 
which will come into market somewhat later 
Good Roads a Profitable Investment. 
—A wealthy prospector who was looking 
for a rural home in which to give a safe 
and pleasant summer outing to a large 
family of children, returned from a tour of 
inspection and handed the maps back to the 
agent who had instigated the quest. When 
asked about the prospect of a sale, he shook 
his head with a very decided negative. 
The agent was confounded; would none of 
the places suit ? There was no malaria; 
there had never been a case of typhus; 
mosquitoes were unknown; the springs of 
water were abundant and delicious; the 
woods waved their leafy boughs in every 
landscape; the air in each quarter bore on 
its wings the fragrance of a thousand 
flowers; what could be the objection ? The 
answer was short and sharp : “ There are 
no drives; I do not own a carriage that 
would endure for one season on those ter¬ 
rific roads.” An unkept highway is worse 
than the plague to deter investors in rural 
homes.—Journal of Commerce. 
New York 8tandardWatch. Nos. 3-4. 
IVA TCHES 
FOR OUR SUBSCRIBERS. 
The Rural New-Yorker, gratified by 
the flattering responses to its offers of 
watches to its subscribers, has made a thor¬ 
ough revision of its watch offer, and pro¬ 
poses to supply its subscribers with the best 
watches in the world at prices from 25 to 
50 per cent less than those usually charged 
by retail jewelers. The Rural New- 
Yorker wishes to have it thoroughly un¬ 
derstood that, since the watch companies 
have come to their senses and are no longer 
trying to boycott the newspapers, it is no 
longer making war upon them, but, on the 
contrai-y, by new arrangements it can offer 
watches to its subscribers at rates fully as 
favorable as those formerly advertised. 
Our object in making these offers is to 
give our subscribers good watches at low 
prices, to advertise The Rural New- 
Yorker, and to get new subscribers as per 
special offers at the foot of this column. 
UST" We believe that there is not a 
poor watch in the list.^J^ft 
special offers : men’s sizes. 
No. l.-A genuine New York Standard inovo 
ment; 7 jewels, safety pinion, com¬ 
pensation balance, stem wind and set; 
In a solid nickel silver case, open face; 
a really excellent watch and far su¬ 
perior to any other cheap watch 
we have seen.$ 6.50 
No. 2.—Same movement as No. 1, in gold-filled 
case, 15-year guarantee, open face_12 00 
No 3.—Same as No. 2, hunting case (see cut 
above) . 15.00 
No 4.—Same movement as No. 1, in a solid gold 
14k. hunting case, weighing 40 dwt.... 37.50 
RURAL SPECIAL BARGAINS. 
No. 5.—A genuineWaltham movement; 7 Jewels, 
compensation balance, safety pinion, 
stem wind and set; In a solid nickel- 
silver case, open face. 7.25 
No. 6.—Same movement as No. 5, In gold filled 
case, guaranteed to wear 15 years, 
open facs. 14.00 
No. 7.—Same movement as No. 5, In hunting case 
same as No. 6. 16.00 
No. 8.-Same movement as No. 5, in solid I lk. 
gold hunting case, weighing 40 dwt... 33.00 
No 9.—A genuine Waltham full jewel move¬ 
ment, compensation balance, safety 
pinion, stem wind and set, patent reg¬ 
ulator, Breguet hair spring, hardened 
and tempered In form, in open face, 
nickel-silver case. 11.00 
No. 10.-Same movement as No. 9, In gold filled 
ease, guaranteed for 15 years, open 
face. 16.25 
No 11—Same as No. 10, hunting case. 19.25 
No. 12.-Same movement as No. 9, In solid Ilk 
gold hunting case weighing 40 dwt. 
A very handsome watch. 41.00 
LADIES’ SIZE. 
No. 13.—A genuine Waltham ladles’ watch with 
jewels, compensation balance and 
safety pinion, stem wind and set; in a 
solid coin silv r case. 11 50 
No. 14.—Same move¬ 
ment as No. 13, in 
a 15 year guaran¬ 
teed g o 1 d- a 11 e d 
hunting case $15.25 
No. 15.—A beautiful 
11 jewel move¬ 
ment, full nickel, 
in a handsomely 
engraved hunting 
case made of 14x. 
U. S. Assay solid 
gold, usual retail 
price from $50 to 
$75. One of the 
prettiest watches 
for a lady that we 
have ever seen. 
The illustration 
shows the case in 
exact size and 
Ladles’Watch. No. 15. »tyie.$25.00 
The watches we sent to our subscribers 
on our previous offers have surprised us 
greatly. 1, As to the high-grade demanded 
in most cases; cheap watches were not 
wanted. 2, On account of the great num¬ 
ber called for. Only one or two complaints 
have reached us, and many have expressed 
great satisfaction with the watches re¬ 
ceived. 
The watches will be sent in connection 
with subscriptions on the following terms : 
In each case either a renewal or new sub¬ 
scription may be Included. If you have 
already paid for 1891, the paper may be 
sent to the address of a new subscriber. 
Any watch in the list will be sent In con¬ 
nection with a subscription (on the same 
order) for $1.25 in addition to the amounts 
above named for the watches. 
We send the watches pre-paid by regis¬ 
tered mail to any part of the United States. 
Watches sent to Canada are subject, of 
course, to Custom House restrictions. 
Just Published. 
HOW TO RID 
Buildings and Farms 
OF 
RATS, 
Mice, Gophers, Ground Squirrels, 
Prairie Dogs, Rabbits, Moles, 
Minks, Weasels and other Pests 
quickly and safely. How to snare 
Hawks and Owls. 
Valuable Hints to Housekeep¬ 
ers, Farmers and Poultry 
Keepers. 
By “ PICKETT.” 
PRICE, 20 CENTS. 
How to Multiply Plants. 
How to Graft. 
How to Bud. 
How to Seed. 
How to Inarch. 
How to Increase by Cuttings. 
How to Increase by Layers. 
How to Increase by Separation. 
How to Hybridize. 
How to Produce NewVarieties. 
How to Propagate over 2,000 
varieties of shrubs, trees and her¬ 
baceous or soft-stemmed plants: the 
process for each being fully described. 
All this and much more is 
fully told in 
The Nursery Book. 
A new book, by L. H. Bailey, 
assisted by several of the most 
skillful propagators in the 
world. In fact, it is a careful 
compendium of the best prac¬ 
tice in all countries. It con¬ 
tains 107 illustrations, 
showing methods, processes 
and appliances. 
Over 300 pages. 16mo. Price, library 
style, cloth, wide margins, $1.00; Pocket 
style, paper, narrow margins, 50 cents. 
SCRIBNER’S 
LUMBER 
AND 
LOG BOOK 
Over One Million Sold.— Most complete book of 
Its kind ever published. Gives measurement of all 
kinds of lumber, logs, planks, timber ; hints to lum¬ 
ber dealers ; wood measure, speed of circular saws, 
cord-wood tables, felling trees, growth of trees, land- 
measure, wages, rent, board, interest, stave and head¬ 
ing bolts, etc. Standard book In the United States 
and Canada. Illustrated edition of 1882. 35 cents. 
THE RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
Times Building, New York. 
