have no well-informed, experienced and intelli¬ 
gent friend to tell you what to do, it is better to 
give healthy surroundings, cleanliness, fresh 
air, good nursing, and then fold your arms and 
wait for results! In nineteen eases out of 
twenty, those results will be less calamitous 
than they will he if you fall to drugging and 
dosing. Lay it down as the first and best rule 
of medical practice among sheep, that when you 
do not know what to do, cto nothing at all! This 
is true of all animals, but especially so of the 
sheep, whose far weaker muscular aud vascular 
structure causes it to sink much sooner under 
medication than the horse or the ox. 
There is a class of preventives which are. 
strictly legitimate —and they can all he em¬ 
braced under the comprehensive term good 
management —i. e., good food and drink, good 
shelter when shelter is requisite, good care under 
all circumstances, and all these good things be¬ 
stowed on sheep of good health and constitution 
to start with! 
Our friend will not uuderstand that our cen¬ 
sures are intended for him. Three or four of 
his lines furnished a text for what we regal d a 
truthful and important homily. 
“THE GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN SHEEP.” 
Grower” conveys the impression? I do not 
believe it.* 
I would not be understood as speaking an 
intentionally disrespectful word of Mr. At¬ 
wood. It is felt in Vermont that he deserves 
great credit for preserving the blood oi the 
Humphreys or Infantado sheep pure, and for 
very materially improving that family. "W hen 
Communications, <£tc. 
ifttijuhicss mtfl gwswfrg. Unral Uotee ani> Items. 
HOP CULTURE. 
Soil for Carrots.—A correspondent asks, what is 
the best soil for carrots? We reply, a rich, deep, sandy 
loam. 
In my last I stated that it was not advisable Cluster Dor Roots. —(C. J., Dayton, N. Y.) You 
to grub bops — more especially the Grape or W ill have to look to oar advertising columns. You 
Cluster, and 1 will now 
my reasons. 
you stated in your speech, at the Vermont State Fj r8t —It. is a well-known fact that the Grape 
Fair. Sept. 8,' 18t>3, that “this old Connecticut j 10 p ij !ls no t as many roots as several other 
farmer” had done far more to improve our kinds, and therefore the more they are grubbed 
American Merinos than Livingston and Hi m- the wea ker the bills become—and in most soils 
ruRKYS. and had actually “doubled the value 
of their sheep,”! and when you exclaimed “ all 
honor to Stephen Atwood,” the routing 
cheer that went up, started from the Ups of 
President Hammond, proved liow well Mr. 
Atwood was appreciated in the “ laud of 
mountains aud Merino sheep.” A large ma¬ 
jority of the leading breeders of Vermont were 
present I have conversed with a number of them 
since on the subject, and every one approved in 
the warmest terms of your generous tribute to 
Mr. Atwood, and of your description of his 
sheep—though you gave substantially the same 
description of them as they were 20 years ago, 
that has since appeared in the Practical Shep¬ 
herd. i It was a true and just description, and 
no person well acquainted with the generality 
of Atwood sheep at that day will deny it. But 
I am exceeding the proper limits of a letter. 
Yours, faithfully, A Breeder. 
Dr. Randall : — A writer in the Country j am excee jj n g the proper limits of a letter. 
Gentleman of April 7, signing himself “ A Yours, faithfully, A Breeder. 
Wool Grower,” takes the ground, directly, or _ ^ ^ peiLap& (<A Wool Grower” can 
by implication, that Mr. Hammond has not had re f). ( , 3b otir recollection.* on the subject- — Ed. 
time to make the improvements on the Atwood _ 
sheep "inch yon give him credit for ih the J ""J 
Practical Shepherd; that much of his apparent t, alentu( j nil( i lately Livingston failed to do for then 
improvement has been produced by pampering: ^ 
and that in your anxiety to extol his, you have p^me Cabanas of Spain.”—Bn. 
underrated Mr. At wODD s sheep. j Tbe sanic description of them, in substance, was 
A Wool Grower assumes that the alleged written for our Fine wool Husbandry, and road to and 
and that in your anxiety to extol his, you have prime Cabanas of Spain.”—Bn. 
underrated Mr. A'l w OOD s sheep. j Tll0 sani0 description of them, in substance, was 
A Wool Grower assumes that the alleged written for our Fine wool Husbandry, nndrend to and 
improve,neat, have taken place ih 10 or 12 'tffiSHT*?- 
years. I do not so understand it. Mr HAM- Uamvoxd. See that work, p. 53, note. — Ed. 
mond first purchased of Mr. Atwood in 1844. ---•—* 
The Practical Shepherd speaks of the improve- CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE, MINOR 
ment as witnessed, or existing, in 1863—after ITEMS, &c. 
an interval of 19 years instead of 10 or 12. ~ . 
Surgical Operation tor GomtE.—tV e published 
The implied charge that Ml’. H. pampers his ^ interestine lelter on tilts subject, last week, from 
sheep, so that buyers “find out speedily they L , rEdwin H. Sprague, orMiddlelmry. Vt. We made 
have bought spent hot-beds," is utterly and 30mc further inquiries of him In regard to detail*: 
notoriously destitute of foundation. Addison and hence, Inferring that his previous letter was not to 
county is filled with his sheep. They are seat- be published, be prepared a more minute account of 
tered over the whole State. Most of his sales, his process for us. Though It repeats his previous 
, , . . t, letter, it contains much additional and important in- 
and his best sales, have always been mane in er- fi WMn , j(rT1 l0 perflona W bo may wish to perform the 
mont. Do you find the hundreds who have 8atllc . opcr utl<m. and who are not thoroughly acquainted 
bought of him complaining that their sheep with the anatomy of sheep. lie says, 
were injured in constitution or productiveness, -The enlarged glands in lambs, causing death by 
by being over fed, or over cared for in any way, suffocation, arc about one and one-fourth inches in 
while they belonged to Mr. Hammond ? 1 have length, three-fourths of an inch in breadth, and flve- 
vet to hear, or hear of, the first such complainer. eighths of an inch in thickness- These gbrnds are 
Mr. H. manages his sheep according to the sys- ipon Z sides of the trachea, or 
tem generally adopted by Vermont breeders. witldpipe; aTld wbOT1 the lamb inhales, these glands 
They are usually housed from storms after mid- ar0 f 0rc ibiy drawn down upon each side of the 
summer. They are fed liberally when they wind pipe, so aa to compress its yet soft rings so ctoeely 
require it, and are always kept in fine condi- together that hut little nir can enter the lungs. And 
tion. Yet whenl I visited Mr. H.’s flock last the greater the effort «r the lamb to br«itte, lhe moro 
,, » a r _ ., . y... forcibly the irliinde compress the ‘wind pipQj and uct 
winter, more than six weeks after sno e , e ^ ^ t0 pnsvent the passage of air. I observed 
had not, according to my recollection, yelled . Uiat aDy carc ruJ operator, or surgeon, could perform 
kernel of grain, or anything else besides hay, to lbe opera ti on safely; but he must remember that* the 
his breeding ewes. He never feeds as much as b)B .j 0 f bD t a small quantity of arterial blond will 
some men of my acquaintance whose flocks are cause the death of the lamb. I make a simple longi- 
rafely above a middling condition. He never tudinal incision through the skin only, one and a hair 
pampers in the sense Implied by “A Wool or two inches long, directly over the emtw of the 
^ . « frnch/’n thft IlDllCT of l.hC IflClfilCIl COIDlllGDCin^ 1TT1* 
Grower.” or in any true sense of the word. mediately below the frog of the neck aud extending 
“A Wool Grower” quotes the report of a downward to a convenient length to admit of the easy 
Committee at the N. Y. State Fair, 1844, to extraction of the gland. The next cut Is through the 
show that Mr. ATWOOD'S sheep, there exhib- cellular membrane. This done, the glaml will slip out 
i«X. were “splendid slice,, both regards I 
fleece and sy mmetry oi carcass. The om- 0nd t0 ^ 3idea 0 r the trachea by simple 
inittee spoke from the stand-point of 1*44—not ee)lular attachments, easily separated. This maybe 
of 1804. There is no doubt Mr. A. could then done Nvjiu thc Caudle of the scalpel, flret from the side 
show at least ffl pen of “splendid” sheep ac- 0 f the trachea, and then from thc base, or attachment 
cording to the standard of that day. But a to the muscle* beneath, and this should he done by 
splendid Merino form or fleece, twenty years first piercing through the membrane in the center of 
aero, would be very far from being so now. In the length of the gland and dissecting <mchway from 
regard to his fleeces at the period of Mr. Ham- ^ cen,er to ' var ? e f h * x,temi,y ' . A * 
” , . . Ar artery enters the gland at the upper end next the .frog. 
MOND 9 purchase Ol him, let US lake Mr. by carc f tl i[y proceeding as described, the artory can bo 
Atwood’S own testimony. He wrote to Mr. tied previous to cutting it, so that but very little blood 
will probably learn there where you can obtain these 
roots. 
Sorghum Mill near Rochester —(M. B., Chili, 
N. Y.) We do not know that there is any sorghum 
mill near Rochester where you can get cane crushed if 
the hills are liable to be throw'll out by the you should grow it. Offered a I'rofesborshii*. We learn that the 
action of the frost, and grubbing tends to hasten - Board of Trustees or thc People’s College, at a meet- 
ti ■' Irmp- Whitewash for Fences.—M. B., of Chili, N. Y., ing held on the 7th Inst , unanimously elected Hon. 
urn along. asks how to make a good whitewash for fences? On Uf.nry 8 Randall, LL I) , Professor of Scientific nnd 
Second—The "rubbing of hops is fVAOiy aio- page 102, current volume, wc gave directions for mak- Practical Agriculture and the Treatment, nf Domestic 
rious task, and where they are not grubbed, ol iiig such a wash. Do our readers know auy better? Animals. Hr. R. is eminently qualified for the posi- 
course this labor is all saved. The grubbing of ° - tion, hut has not accepted It, and probably will not if 
hops is fust going out of practice in this section. Ringbones on a Colt.—(Wm. Bradley, Shiawassee its duties are likely to interfere with others. We are 
„ l-jU. 1 S -rrrW is called Co , Mich.) We do not know of any cure for ringbone; assured that our able and honored felond pretersi c 1 - 
The best • _‘ " ‘ . ncV cr knew of a horse tliat waa cured or one. There torial to professorial duties, and will not accept the 
“draft.” It is built in the torm of a square, ,, avebeeaa) | 90rts of remedies given; but we know latter if thc former must thereby he intermitted, it is, 
with a very high and steep roof, surmounted nune thsit are reliable. therefore, safe to assume that, cveu if thc Professorship 
by a cupola. The advantage this form has over is accepted by thc Doctor, the Department of Sliccp 
Olliers is in the saving of All the heat, thereby WllE!i sorghum should be sown.-(J. B. W., Am- Husbandry in the Rural New-Yorker will not suffer 
diminishing the quantity of fuel necessary to boy.) Prepare the land as for corn, and plant the inconsequence. 
their drying. An addition, as store-room, is sorghum about the usual time of planting corn if you ’*“• 
built adjoining the kiln, sufficiently large to hold want it for autumn forage; if forwinter forage, plant <• Yin eland *’ in New Jkrsky.-Wc are asked if 
all the hops that, may be grown upon the plan- frotn u,e l8tt0 im of Junc - this much advertised clysinm is a humbug. We do 
an uk nops tu j b 1 - not know. Wo do know that it lias been “written 
tation or tarm at any tutu t p . What will kekf a Horse from rubbing his up -, bv mcn considerable reputation, wlio would 
make a great mistake when they build small Mane ANJ) tail 6 — So asks a correspondent. If the ecarc( .]'y be expected lo sell themselves to puff a hum 
and cheap kilns, as they are more liable to take au i ma ] i 9 lousy we should expel the lice, ir he then btl g per contra, how ever, we And in thc last Utica 
fire than a well constructed one. persisted in rubbing we should put him where he could u, ra ld tbc following paragraph from a correspondent 
The drvinsr cloth should he at least fourteen not rub. We think that would keep him from it writing from Knoxboro, N. Y.Some of the people 
feci from the stove, with no ai ge mums o u e - r , sc AT0RtAL _ Aa u 5g getting to he nearly the time 0 f the New Jersey Paradise. They report it a humbug 
cept the heat as it arises, ine lnstue oi me of year l( , .i 80 a fishing,” I would like to inquire, 0 r mw, first water Thc soil too light, the climate too 
kiln should be plastered from the ground to the dS dry for form or even froit culture, and the representa- 
cupola, this will prevent, in a measure, the kiln able l0 bcc p them for three or four days. An answer t j 0n8 0 f agents and advertisements, worthy to be taken 
from taking lire, as is often the case, and it also would greatly oblige—J., Erie Co., March, 1864. w jth many grains of allowance.” 
keeps the heat in. The kiln should be in an iso- „ XT „ --*-«- 
lated position, better to guard against fire. can'beob- Wheat Crop of M, ohioan -Accounts from Michi 
The size of the boxes for picking is regulated talned that wae exhibited at the fair in that County gan spenk disconragingly of the prospects of he wheat 
h v law—holding about eight bushels and one last fall, or If any one bought Hie right in that or ad- crop, especially throughout the eastern portion or ic 
pevfc! ^ThC! price paio for picking i, about 25 ioii,insCouuUes y Wocalmol if nn; oui-did they 
cents per box. The box will hold about 12 can advertise it. _ fhawiuga to which the ground has been subjected- We 
pounds Of dried hops; thus, you see, the cost Of L]CF nX CoLTS ._i PMK i you a remedy which I have trust the damage has been over-estimated, and that the 
picking is about two Cents per pound, beside tim past winter with perfect success, and witli no crop will by no means prove a failure. Thc lnsiletter 
^ . • * m • • 11 _1 * ( , ('..AM I^/mniiAD Pa 
Price of the Rural New-Yorker. —On and after 
thc 1st day of May, IS04, the lowest price of thc Rural 
will be $2.IK) per year,— $1.00 for b!x months,—in 
advance. Reasons abundant —including the fact that 
the paper for this week’s edition of the Mural cost 25 
cents per pound at the mill, (exclusive, of freight, etc.,) 
whereas an equally good article could be purchased 
before the rebellion for 11 cents per pound! “Com¬ 
ment Is unnecessary.” 
-k4-«- 
Offered a Professorship. —We learn that the 
Board of Trustees or the People's College, at a meet¬ 
ing held on the 7th Inst, unanimously elected Hon. 
Henry 8 Randall, LL D, Professor of Scientific and 
Practical Agriculture and the Treatment, of Domestic 
Animals. Dr. R. is eminently qualified for the posi¬ 
tion, but has not accepted it, and probably will not if 
its duties are likely to interfere with others. We are 
assured that our able and honored Mend prefers edi¬ 
torial to professorial duties, and will not accept the 
latter if thc former must thereby be intermitted, it is, 
therefore, safe to assume that, cveu if thc Professorship 
is accepted by thc Doctor, the Department of Blicep 
Husbandry in the Rural New-Yorker will not suffer 
in consequence. 
-* 4 ->- 
“Vineland” in New Jersey. —We are asked if 
this much advertised clysinm is a humbug. We do 
not know Wo do know tliat it has been “written 
up' 1 by men of considerable reputation, who would 
scarcely be expected lo sell themselves to puff a hum 
bug. Per contra, however, we find in thc last Utica 
IIcrakl thc following paragraph from a correspondent 
writing from Knoxboro, N. Y.“ Some of tlm people 
of this community have been • to see ’ the attractions 
of thc New Jersey Paradise. They report it ft humbug 
of the first water. The soil too light, the climate too 
dry for form or even fruit culture, and the representa¬ 
tions of agents and advertisements, worthy to be taken 
with many grains of allowance.” 
-- 
Wheat Crop of Miciiioan. —Accounts from Michi¬ 
gan speak disconragingly of the prospects Of the wheat 
crop, especially throughout the eastern portion of thc 
State. The cause is attributed to late sowing and the 
great changes of weather—the alternate freezings nnd 
thawings to which the ground has been subjected- Wc 
trust the damage has been over-estimated, and that the 
MORRILL, author Of the American Shepherd, be lost, except from the part cut through the skin- 
in 1845, as follows: 
“I have now a small flock of Merinos, in num¬ 
ber about 150, about half of which are ewes and 
the other half bucks and wethers. * * My 
ewes will shear yearly five pounds of (washed) 
wool per head, my lambs five pounds each, and 
wethers six pounds; my bucks will shear from 
eevevt to nine pounds per head. The heaviest 
ewe’s fleece last spring was six pounds six 
ounces, and the heaviest buck fleece twelve 
pounds four ounces.”—rim. Shep., p. 427. 
How will these compare with Mr. Ham¬ 
mond’s fleeces of the present day ? Even bet¬ 
ter than the carcasses! There is not an old 
breeder in Vermont who does not remember 
the old Atwood sheep and the last ewes of the 
old Atwood type which lingered, until within a 
few years, in Mr. IL’fe flock. The man who de¬ 
nies that .Mr. Hammond has improved im¬ 
mensely both in fleece and form, on the old 
type, must be out of his senses or wholly igno¬ 
rant of Merino sheep. 1L is said that the proof 
of the pudding is in the eating. If Mr. At¬ 
wood’s present sheep—alter all the improve¬ 
ments he has made since 1844—will not sell for 
a fifth part as much as Mr. Hammond’s sheep, 
what is the inference? And there are many 
other breeders of Hammond sheep in Vermont 
who entirely outsell Mr. Atwood. 
When and where, by the way, Mr. Editor, 
did you make thc statement attributed to you by 
“ A Wool Grower,” that a Jewett buck you ex¬ 
hibited at the New YorkJ State Fair in 1844 
sheared 1C pounds of well-washed wool? and 
when and where, speaking of the Jewett buck 
and ewes exhibited by you on that occasion, did 
you say “ I have never seen finer formed, pure 
bred Merinos than either of them, nor finer 
wool. They were, I think, decidedly the best 
sheep I ever saw.” Are those ytnir words? If 
so, did you utter them recently, and in view of 
the present standards of excellence as “ A Wool 
A very small artery also enters the lower end of thc 
glnndj which, il not tied previous to cutting away thc 
glnDd, may bleed too much. I therefore put a ligature 
around both to make all safe. Tbe external wound 
may now be closed by three sutures or ties ouly, and a 
band dipped In Olive oil put around the neck. 
“ Since writing before, I have ascertained that I oper- 
cost of drying, which is about one cent more, 
and hoard of pickers, &e. This makes the cost 
of raising hops about seven cents per pound; 
consequently, unless hops are worth fifteen or 
twenty cents, it does not pay to raise them. 
One thing is certain, unless a farmer has 
plenty of manure he may as well ignore the 
raising of hops. Grower, 
Hamilton, N. Y., April, 1S64. 
--- 
THE GOPHER NOT THE PRAIRIE GROUND- 
S QUIRREL. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— In a late num¬ 
ber of the Rural, an article appeared entitled 
“Gophers vs. Corn.” In that article, gopher 
and ground-squirrel were made to appear syn¬ 
onymous, while the truth is, they art’ very dif¬ 
ferent, both in appearance nnd habits. 
We have the prairie ground-squirrel here, 
alluded to by your correspondent, and it is very- 
similar in habits to the ground-squirrel or chip¬ 
muck of the Eastern and Middle States. 
We also have the gopher,—the genuine spe¬ 
cies. This animal is about the size of a large 
rat, has short, strong claws, powerful teeth, 
and a sack on each side of its head, With which 
to carry the earth out of its burrow. So far as 
I can ascertain, the gopher lives on roots and 
grain. It. generally works at night, commenc¬ 
ing at sunset and quitting at sunrise. Where 
its burrow begins, a little mound of earth is 
thrown up, twelve or eighteen Inches in height. 
It makes great havoc in potato patches, eating 
the tubers and cutting off the vines. It destroys 
cabbage and other garden products,—fills wheat 
and corn shocks with earth, and is also very 
destructive of fruit trees, evergreens and 
shrubs,—in all cases working at their roots. 
Even the flower garden is not exempt from its 
depredations. Now, these are a few of the 
many charges 1 might prefer against the gopher, 
and if any of your correspondents know of one 
redeeming quality of this animal, let him speak. 
The gopher may be destroyed by shooting, 
trapping, and by poison. The latter is thc 
speediest way. Take a potato, cut a half-circle 
toward its center, drop in a few grains of 
IUUL ITOlUlUj A —- ” r . . . . , i - 
lumtw last year, urni that all these lived strychnine, then roll it down its burrow, and subject 
atedon nine lumps last year, mid that fill Uiuso nvea 
and did well. Yesterday (April Cth,)lwas at Mr-A- 
Farnsworth’s. Tbc night before be lost a fine lamb 
from Goitre. I examined it and found the glands very- 
large, and the inner walls of thc trachea in clow cr/n- 
tacl, from the external and lateral pressure of the 
glands upon it.” 
Nitmber of Sheep in different Countries. — 
From an obliging correspondent in the U. S. Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, Mr. I. It. Dodge, we learn 
tbc following facts, derived from data believed to 
be reliable. The number of sheep in Sweden In 1803 
was 1,587,800- The number In Algeria In 1803 was 10,- 
000,000,— product 150,000 quintals of wool. The num¬ 
ber In Upper Canada the same year was 1,170,335,—In¬ 
crease from preceding year, 13O,U00- The uuraber In 
Franc/: in 1802 was S5,IKK),000. Thrcc-fonrtbs of these 
were Merinos, or Merino grades. The number of goats 
and kids iu France was 1,100,000. In Ireland there 
was s decrease In 1863, as compared with thc preceding 
year, of 152,901 sheep, and a loss in valuation of £167,- 
421. In South Australia, during the year ending March 
81 ,1803, there had been an increase over the preceding 
year of 13?£ per cent., making a total of 3,431,000 sheep. 
How Sukbf ii a va wintered in South Western 
Pennsylvania. — Mr. Gibson Bums, of Red Stone, 
Fayette Co , Pn., writes us that the sheep In that region 
have usually wintered badly. The last summer was 
very dry, so that farmers having large stocks were 
forced to commenae foddering early, and the present 
spring being very backward there, there Is a great 
shortness of fodder. Sheep tliat have not had extra 
C.are arc poor, and more have died than ever before, 
especially tegs There was little rain up to the middle 
of March; but since then It has been wet and very 
cold, and more sheep have been lost during thc mouth 
than through the winter. 
Fayette Co. joins Virginia, and lies next to the south 
west County In Pa. We shall allude to other matters 
in Mr. Binn’s letter hereafter. 
injury to the animal. One pailful of strong soap suds, 
with about a teacupful of Kerosene oil, well mixed 
together. Two or three applications will be sufficient, 
—Webster. 
Sorghum ani> Broom Corn — A correspondent asks 
if sorghum and broom com will hybridize? They 
will, and should not be planted near each other. Sor¬ 
ghum should not be planted near any other plant of the 
same family. Some farmers assert that it is injured by 
being grown near Indian corn. We have seen no evi¬ 
dence that this is so, and do not believe it 
To keep a Colt from Jumping.— Wc have no less 
than three questioners, who want to know the best 
way to keep a colt from jumping. A good fence, kept 
in good repair, will prevent a colt learning to jump 
But if he knows how, a wire stretched along tbc inside 
corners (if a worm fence.) of the pasture fence, or six 
Inches above the top board of a fence, will break up 
the habit. 
Coal Ashes. —(n. D. A., Dunkirk, N. Y.) Wo do 
not know of any experiments with coal ashes applied 
as a top-dressing on hoed crops, except to com in one 
instance. We know that the mechanical effect of their 
application to clay and stiff loam soils is excellent; 
and B 9 a top dressing for old, worn meadows it will 
pay to apply them where the cost is only the labor of 
hauling and spreading. 
Onion Seed per Acre—Drill, Ac.—(John Prbn 
tick, Erie Co., I’a.) From three to four pounds of 
onion eeed will be required per acre—the amount de¬ 
pending, of course, upon the distance apart of your 
drills. The boat Drill for sowing onion and garden 
seeds with which we are acquainted is Kmery’B Patent, 
manufactured by Emery Brothers, Albany, N. Y. 
We do not know its price. 
When should Onions be sown.— (A. F. B.) You 
cannot get thc seed into thc ground too soon after the 
frost is out. You should test your seed before sowing 
It; and It is well to prepare it by soaking it in tepid 
water. We cannot say which is the best variety. The 
onion growers of New England have improved varie¬ 
ties which arc much sought after. The Silver Skin 
varieties sell best iu market. 
Milking Heifers before Calving —Is it good 
policy to milk heifers before calving? I have u very 
fine animal, worth at least fifty dollars. She has a very 
large and full udder, nnd promises very fine; but i was 
much disappointed this morning, on going to thcstable, 
to sec her sacking Imr-elf. It si rack me that the udder 
being full and painful caused her to do it Will some 
of vonr dairy readers give some information on tins 
subject.—A Young Farmer, Eaydtc Co., Pa. 
the work is complete. P. S. Cone. 
Pike, Iowa, April 9,1804. 
Remarks. —Mr, Cone is right. The editor 
intended to have appended similar remarks to 
the above, to the article referred to, hut the 
article went in without them, through over¬ 
sight. There are a great many farmeis in the 
West who call the Striped or Spotted Prairie 
Squirrel (SpcrmophShu tredlcimlineatus, Mit¬ 
chell,) the Gopher, whereas they are entirely 
distinct and unlike. 
The striped or spotted prairie squirrel, while 
it resembles the chipmuck or ground-squirrel, 
(Tamias striatus, Linn,) is distinct from it. 
The former lias on its back and sides nine stripes 
or a dark brown color, with a row of yellowish 
dots along each of thc five central stripes, which 
are thc broadest aud most distinct. Alternating 
with these brown lines, are eight narrow lines 
of yellowish-grey, making seventeen in all. 
The under parts of the body arc yellowish- 
brown. Thc chipmuck, two light yellow and 
four black lines on the back, and a white belly. 
>Vc give this description of these two animals 
because the habilans of the prairies often re¬ 
gard the two as Identical—calling the little spot¬ 
ted prairie beauty a chipmuck. 
The true gopher (Pseudostoma bursarius) is 
a very different creature, In appearance and 
habits, to the above. It resembles them just 
about as much as a rat does, in external appear¬ 
ance. And ita burrows are miles in length; 
while the striped prairie squirrel can be easily 
drowned out of its hole with a pail or two ol 
water. 
Cheap Sewing Machines. — (A Rural Reader, 
Fairfield, O.) Wc do not know anything about the 
“UnionTen Dollar Sewing Machine,”nor the six dol¬ 
lar “Dale Sowing Machine.” But it is our opinion 
that there is no economy in purchasing such “cheap” 
machines. Since writing the foregoing, wc learn that 
the last named machine uses an ordinary sewing 
needle, and “ runs up ” the Beam precisely as ft woman 
does. __ 
Sowing Spring Wheat in tub Fall —Havingoften 
heard it *ui<l Uiai Spring wheat sown in the fall would 
crow and produce a crop the next year, but not beltev- 
ing it all, 1 tried it last fall. I sowed one bushel the 
10th of September,— variety, Rio Grande,—on good 
ground. It came up well, but at this date (April 9th, t 
I cannot find a live blade nor root. It any oue lias 
tried it. would like to hear the result Winter wheat 
Is looking well now.—C uauncky 11 arris, Crawford 
Co., Pa. _ j 
Carrington’s Drain Plow — (J N-, Paper Mill 
Village, N. H.) We know this plow has been highly 
commended by those who have used It On stiff soils 
It must prove of considerable utility. We once saw It, 
or n similar one, in use In Ohio. It was used to drain 
grain fields Instead of furrowing, thus enabling the 
reaper to move over the surface without obstruction. 
It waa highly commended by mcn who thus used It. 
We do not know where it is manufactured, nor thc 
price. _____ 
Tobacco Heatinq.-WIII yon, or some one who 
know s, tell mo what makes tobacco heat after It has 
been stripped and laid away? 1 have been troubled 
In this way. I packed it in the granary in different 
piles, one pile would beat, while the other, equally 
damp, apparently, would remain perfectly cool till 
wanted to box. I packed It, two hands together, laying 
the tope In the Center snd the huts out, until the pile 
was about tw o foot high. 1 kept the piles covered with 
old carpets. _ ...... 
One other question. How damp ought we to have it 
to sweat It perfectly without injuring it? Jn other 
we have received on llio subject 1- from Genesee Co., 
(Flint,) and says:—“The condition of winter wheat is 
anything but promising The winter has boon very 
open, not to exceed three inches of snow at any one 
time, in consequence of which, aud thc extreme cold, 
much of it is winter-killed. But thc weather of late 
has been extremely favorable,—warm, cloudy and wet, 
—so that, where there was a particle of vitality Left in 
the plants they are showing new life.” 
No More “Seeds by Mail Free.”— Our friend H. 
U. Doolittle, of Oaks Comers, N. Y., lias had an 
opportunity' lo do a good deal. He writes:—“Great is 
the Rural and many are Us readers. But nubhard 
Squash Seed is King. In the Rural for .March 19th I 
offered to give away Hubbard Squash seed, Sweet Cora, 
Turnip, on certain condition?,—among them was 
that of showing the Rural of the week before to their 
neighbors who did not take thc paper. Now, whether 
I am benefited by it or not, a host from every loyal 
State have got their seed, nud you have a fair prospect 
of a speedy increase of your subscription list, if 1 may 
believe one halt of those writing me for seeds. But I 
have got more than I bargained for. My seeds have 
given out, and many have been supplied with only a 
part of what I promised. I beg pardon for my liberal¬ 
ity, and shall know better howto trust thc Rural with 
any more such offers.” 
A. T. Stewart not a PnoyrsioN Dealer. —This 
merchant prince of New York announces that from 
letters received, and information obtained otherwise, lie 
has “reasons for the belief tliat unscrupulous specula¬ 
tor? in articles of prime necessity make free use of my 
name as thc alleged ultimate purchaser and exporter of 
these articles, to enable them to contract with farmers 
for their production in extensive districts, and to make 
salea to unwary people at large profit. 
“ I feel it, therefore, to be my duty to caution the 
farming interest against this fraud. Neither myself 
nor mv firm has over purchased, directly or indirectly 
or been iu the remotest manner interested in the pur¬ 
chase of any butter or hops, or Oilier agricultural arti¬ 
cles, for exportation or sale; nor could any such trans 
actions take place without separating from that cher 
ished principle of my life, to adhere with unvarying 
strictness to my particular line of business.” 
- •»» 
Death of Hr. E. P. Lano worthy — It is announced 
that Dr. E. P. Lanowortuy, youngest son of Lyman 
B. La no worthy, Esq., mid brother of Dr. U. H. 
Lanowortuy, of this city, died at San Antonio, 
Texas, on the 8th of March, 1802, of consumption. 
Dr. L was a Surgeon in the If. 8. Army. In 1801, 
white stationed in Texas, be was taken prisoner by 
tbe rebels, and subsequently paroled. As his wife was 
then dangerously 111 at San Antonio, Dr. L- (on the 
advice or brother officers,) resigned his commission. 
Soon after he was himself taken sick, and died within 
a year. Thc fir-l intelligence of Dr L s death was 
received lost week, from his widow, being the first 
opportunity of sending a letter North In two years. 
Dr. L. was a native of Rochester, and entered the army 
in 1851 or 52. He served in the West, among the In 
dlans, at Santa Fc, Fori Defiance, and other posts, until 
1855, when lie was ordered to Texas. Dr Lanowortuy 
was a skillful surgeon, and genial, kind hearted friend. 
Iu the early days of the Rural, he favored us with 
uble, timely and interesting contributions to its pages. 
Ills decease iu early manhood will be sincerely re¬ 
gretted by many associates and friends iu this legion 
aud the army. 
»♦» 
“ High Wages.”— Wo have several spirited replies 
to B.’a article on “ Farm Laoor,” on page 110, current 
volume of Rural. Judging by the tone of thesa arti 
cfes* all the boys of spirit are not in the army,—there 
are enough left to supply several requisitions more. 
But wc write this paragraph simply to any tliat we 
havo no gpuce for a long discussion of this subject. No 
good could come of it. Wages will, aud ought to, be 
proiiortionnU! to the advance in the price of products. 
- - - 
Agricultural College?. — An act extending for 
, two years the time in which the States and Territories 
may accept the grunts of land appropriated for Agri- 
; cultural and Mechanical Schools has been approved by 
the President 
-■ — 
Greenbacks in the West.—A s intimated last week, 
' the Chicago Board of Trade has applied the scalpel to 
the currency, aud on the 11th Inst passed a resolu¬ 
tion “ that on aud after the 15th of May, all transactions 
SffcTK I shall be based on Treasury Notes or their equivalent 
:«* - 
