best agricultural county in the Province, they 
exceeded 1,400 bushels per acre. The variety 
was “Sharpe’s Improved Purple Top Swede,” 
a kind that has won great popularity here. 
It is furnished by C. & A. Suakpe, seeds¬ 
men, Guelph, who import it from the cele¬ 
brated SriAurr: firm in England, to which 
they are related. 
The fruit crop is not uniform this year; in 
some places fruit is abundant, and in others 
quite scarce. In quality, too, it varies much. 
Out-door grapes have not done well, owing 
to the low temperature. Concord ripened 
with me last year by September 10th. This 
year it has not ripened at all. The only out¬ 
door variety that has thoroughly ripened in 
my grounds is the Chippewa, a small grape 
of straggling bunch, and only middling 
flavor. But this is a high and somewhat, 
northern point, and in all the more sunny 
localities throughout the Province the earlier 
and hardier grapes have ripened, though it 
has been “just and hardly” with them. On 
the whole, we have had a harvest, such as 
ought to excite sincere gratitude to the Giver 
of all good, and though prices of farm pro¬ 
ducts will probably rule low, the largeness of 
the yield will make lip for it. 
Itlr. Arnold’* New Hybrid Wlirnts. 
Tlio readers ol the Rural are doubtless aware 
of the experiments which have been made by 
Mr. CHARLES Ah SOLD of Paris, Ont.. In the pro¬ 
duction of new Hybrid grapes raspberries, and 
wheats. Or the Inst mined lie ha- fifteen varie¬ 
ties, which ho thinks of great value, and the re¬ 
sults of this year’s thrashing speak volumes ns 
to the excellence of his new seed, and say some¬ 
thing- too or the effect of that I lobby of Mr. 
MKCtn’s thin seeding. On one acre of ground 
ho sowed thirty pounds, (one-fourth the usual 
quantity,) and on thrashing the crop lie found 
Ills return to b a fifty-one- bushel* and two ipmiis 
of good fair grain, weighing sixty-one pounds to 
the bushed. Of ono variety he sowed seven 
pounds, and the return was seventeen bushels 
and two quarts. These new wheats will, 1 think, 
some of them at least, prove an important ao 
quisition to the farmers of the American conti¬ 
nent. 
!>Ir. Cochrane’s Hhort-IIorn Importations. 
The gentleman above-named has made large 
additions to bis magnificent herd of Bhort-IIonw 
during the past, bummer and full, ills last im¬ 
portation was shipped from Liverpool, Aug. 7, 
lew, find comprised seven Ural-class animals, ox 
which the following is u list: 
“Bright Lady,” a roan heifer, calved April 0, 
1808, bred by Mr. To tut, Aylosby Manor, Lincoln¬ 
shire; “ NVeal llllss,” a roan heifer, calved Nov 
19, L807,also bred by Mr.Tonit; “Isabella Sov¬ 
ereign,” a roan heifer, calved Feb. 2, 1807. bred 
by Mr. BARNES, Westland, Moy unity, Ireland; 
“Forest Queen,” a red hcU'olx calved Oct- 2.7, 
1807, bred by Mr, fluent Aylmer, West Den ham 
Abbey, Stokcfcrry, Norfolk; “Queen of Dia¬ 
monds,” a rod and while heifer, calved Feb. 21, 
1807, bred by Mr- J. Lynx, Shoxton, Grantham, 
Lincolnshire; “General Napier,” a roan bull, 
calved May 2,1808, bred by Mr. Toitlt, Aylcsby 
Manor, Lincolnshire; and “Senator Third," a 
red and white bull, calved in January, 1809, bred 
by Mr. T. Ouse, ButTey Abbey, Suffolk. 
But for the narrow, stupid policy of our Board 
of Agriculture, these and other fln® animals re¬ 
cently imported by Mr. Cochrane would have 
graced the Provincial Show with their presence. 
However, they are quietly cropping the rich 
herbage of JTIllhurst Farm, and spite of petty 
tyrannies will be heard from another day. 
Recent Stock Sales. 
So raauy of the best customers of our stock¬ 
breeders come from your side of the lino that 
an account of auction sales lately held will 
doubtless find interested readers. I cull the fol¬ 
lowing particulars from my own Journal, the 
Ontario Farmer. The prices quoted aro of 
course in gold: 
Mr. John Snell's Sale.—T his cmo off Sept. 
29th. The attendance was good and the bidding 
spirited. Of Short-IIorps seven cows and heif¬ 
ers were sold at prices ranging from $90 to $200; 
and eight bulls from $100 to $235. The Cotswold 
rams brought, from $10 to $05 each, and toe ewes 
from $9 to $16. The Leicester* brought fronpfS 
apiece fur ewe Iambs to $105 for tlio highest 
priced ram; and the South Downs about $11 
each. The sheep were not all gold. The Berk¬ 
shire hogs brought from $9 fora Tour-months-old 
boar to $85 for a sow with nine pigs. 
Mu. F. W. Stone’s Salk— Mr, Stone of More- 
Ion Lodge, Guelph, had a sale of sheep Sept. 
39th. The attendance was not so large as might 
have been expected, and the fewness of the 
bidders led to the withdrawal of some of the 
lots. About forty Cotswold rams and twenty 
Cotswold ewes were sold, the rams at prices 
ranging from $20 to $80, and the ewes at about 
$40 per pair. Very few South Downs were 
offered. Most of tho purchasers were from the 
other side oT the line. 
Mr. Josrru Kirby's Saxe.—T ills took place at 
Esquesing, near Milton, Oct. 1st. There was a 
good attendance, mostly of neighboring farm¬ 
ers, hut the competition was by no means brisk. 
Upwards of fifty Leicester and Cotswold sheep 
were sold, the rams ai from $16 to $46 each; ram 
lambs, $10 to $40 each: Leicester owes, $27 to 
$37 per pair; ewe lambs, $13 to $37 per pair; 
Cotswold owe lambs, $18 to $35 per pair. Two 
Sliort-Horn bull calves were sold at $95 and $100 
respectively, and three Short-TIornheifer calves 
at $51, $61 and $81 respectively. 
The Weather. 
17o aro having a cold, wintry snap, the like of 
which 1 do not remember so early as the last 
week in October before. That, venerable indi¬ 
vidual, the oldest inhabitant, after severely tax¬ 
ing his memory, does not recollect tho like, 
either. Snow fell day before yesterday, two feet 
deep, sixty miles north of us. and it has been 
trying to snow several t imes here, succeeding in 
one or two cases to tho extent of a couple of 
inches or so. For several nights the frost, has 
been quite sharp, making Ice half an inch thick 
on still water. A grout many potatoes yet re¬ 
main in the ground, and must suffer considerable 
damage. Nobody has begun to pull turnips and 
carrots yet, but they will sustain no injury. We 
shall doubtless have good weather before winter- 
in-earnest sets in, but there are many symptoms 
of an early winter, aud plenty of snow. 
cay, as it now threatens to do.—F. A. M., 
Orleans Co., N. Y 
In answer to II. T. B.’a inquiry about our 
bean crop, I would say we have had a very 
wet, cold season. There waa the usual quan¬ 
tity planted last spring; Ihe rains drowned 
out a great many acres early in the season, 
and damaged some later, rendering it. neces¬ 
sary to hand pick them before selling for first 
quality. Many fields have not. been culti¬ 
vated or hoed on account of the ground being 
so wet and soft until harvest; and many 
pieces of corn were not touched from plant¬ 
ing till cutting. 
Several farmers in this neighborhood have 
mowed their bean fields (and others ought 
to,) since the beans were pulled, and har¬ 
vested a good crop of pigeon-grass, pig¬ 
weed, &e., (which grew knee high,) for their 
sheep next winter. Taking everything into 
account , 1 think the bean crop will not aver¬ 
age over half an ordinary one throughout 
the county, especially the northern half, 
where I am better acquainted. Beans are 
worth one dollar and fifty cents to two dol¬ 
lars ; but there is no market for them yet. 
Our beans arc not thrashed, generally, until 
cold weather.—E. J. Baker, Kendall , N. Y. 
am Man pcyzxtmmt 
arm !rt0n0nt!i 
EDITED BY W. F. CLARKE, 
PROFITS FROM LIME, 
BERMUDA GRASS 
RURAL AFFAIRS 
J. D. Smith, Delaware Co., N* Y., in¬ 
quires concerning the use of lime. I have 
been using lime for three years, and will 
give him the results of my experience aud 
observation. In the spring of 1867 I sowed 
about six hundred bushels ou nine acres of 
flat land, composed of saud and loam, and a 
good clay subsoil, plowed it down and 
planted it in corn. The season was very 
dry, and my neighbors’ suffered much in 
consequence of it, but mine stood it well. 
During the severest part of the drouth the 
blades never “twisted” at all. I attributed 
it to the effect of lime. T s that the expe¬ 
rience of others? 
When the crop was harvested it was of 
very fine quality, and I was assured that it 
had repaid the cost. Since that two crops 
of wheat have grown on it, and while there 
has been no apparent increase of straw, the 
grain lias increased about ten per cent, in 
both quantity and quality. 
Another piece was sown about the same 
time (a part of a field,) and is now in clover, 
and the advantage of the lime is so marked 
that it can be easily seen by starlight. We 
have since sown about 6,000 bushels, but 
have not cultivated the fields, hence, cannot 
report the results. Bowed this on the sod 
and will let it lie twelve and eighteen 
months before plowing down. 
In answer to his inquiry whether it will 
pay to sow lime at fifty cents per bushel 
and draw it fifteen miles and sow fifty 
bushels per acre, I would say T consider 
it 'Unprofitable, unless it is contiguous to 
large markets, where the culture of vegeta¬ 
bles and small fruits is practicable. If the 
staple products are cultivated the “ commer¬ 
cial manures” arc preferable to lime at that 
price; for litne, as a rule, will not repay its 
cost in less than three, and in some cases 
six, years. 
Taking another view of tho subject, an 
application of litne at that price would so 
Increase the cost of the land that, it would be 
belter to “ sell out,” and buy where nature 
would furnish litne .at lower figures than 
fifty cents. For instance, here, good land 
can he had for from ten to fifty dollars per 
acre, and millions of tons of lime in the 
bargain for cost of burning and sowing. 
But Mr. Smith ought to get lime at much 
less thau fifty cents per bushel. Here ate 
our figures; let them be compared with it: 
Lime Kli.n, to Proprietor, Dr. 
For 35 cords wood at $3.60 per cord,. $87.50 
“ 3 hands, six days gutting out rock, at 
$1.50 per day,. . 18.00 
For 3 hands, 3 days tilling kiln, tit $1.50 per 
day,. 6.00 
For 2 hands, 6 days burning kiln, $1.50 pet- 
day, . 12.00 
For wear of tools and 5 lbs. powder, etc., 10.00 
“ Interest on the cost of kiln, etc.,_ 16.59 
Total,. 150.C0 
Credit. 
By 2.000 bushels lime, at 10 cts. per bush.,. $200.00 
By 50 bushels ashes at 35 cts. per bush.,.. 12.50 
Total,...$313.50 
This is a correct exhibit of. the expendi¬ 
tures and profits of making lime at my 
furnace; yet a considerable margin is allowed 
to those in more unfavorable localities, but 
it ought not be sold in this country at fifty 
cents. In Pennsylvania it is sold at the furn¬ 
ace at nine and a half cents per bushel, over 
one hundred and fifty percent, cheaper than 
in Delaware Co., N. Y. I do not think any of 
its “ essential properties” would be lost by 
remaining in heaps in the field a short time. 
I would advise, however, to cover the piles 
about six inches deep with earth. If he uill 
sow’ it at that, figure, or any other, lie need 
not expect a “ reasonable return for the out¬ 
lay" under three years, (unless an exception 
to the rule happens in his lavor,) if he tises it 
alone. 
Let us have the experience of others 'who 
have used lime. Will not Rural friends 
from Mainland or Pennsylvania, or else¬ 
where, who have been using this fertilizer 
for more than half a century, favor us with 
a response? The subject is of paramount 
importance, and should receive a large share 
of attention. D. C. Mooman. 
Botetourt County, Va. 
•-- 
Drying Hay unit Grain !>v Artificial Media.— 
The Society of Arts, England, 1ms given a prize 
of fifty guineas and a gold medal to the discov¬ 
erer of a mode of drying bay and grain by horse 
or steam power. An English paper says of it: 
••Tho mechanism is very simple and uncostly. 
A rapidly revolving fan, driven by horses or by 
steam power, is attached to the smolte-box ol a 
Guelph, Canada, Oct. 28, 1869. 
My second Canadian contribution to the 
columns of the Rural New-Yorker is 
rather tardy in its appearance, owing mainly 
to the extra demand made on my time by 
the fall exhibitions, which, thank goodness, 
are now over. Ouee a year, at least, agri¬ 
cultural editors prove the correctness of that 
proverb which affirms that there may be too 
much even of a good thing, and what with 
the Provincial and local shows, have a 
wearisome time of it., and come to feel about 
them very much as Dean Swif t did about 
a certain kind of animal food when he per¬ 
petrated his irreverent grace, after a dinner 
wholly composed of rabbits in different 
styles of cookery: 
“ Rabbits young and rabbits old 
Rabbits hot aud rabbits cold. 
Rabbits tender and rabbits tough. 
We thank the Lord we've had enough." 
In truth the show business is rather over¬ 
done with us. Our county exhibitions are 
very well, and should be encouraged, but a 
township show is, generally speaking, a 
very slim affair, and does little more than 
display the nakedness of the land. The fol¬ 
lowing paragraphs relating, one to a county 
at the extreme east, ol our Province and the 
other well to the west, will give your readers 
an idea of the style and dimensions of our 
county shows: 
“Tho annual Exhibition of tho Agricultural 
Society of tho County of Lennox, held at 
Napanoe, bad 1.006 entries, and made four hun¬ 
dred and sixty-six dollars at the gate.” 
“Theagricultural fall show of Norm Middle¬ 
sex was held at Aitsu Craig. The grounds of tho 
Society contain seven acres. As usual in that 
section tlio show of brood marcs, and colts and 
ftlllcs, down to yearling stock, was largo and 
excellent. Tho entries numbered in all twelve 
hundred.” 
In some localities we. have a regular 
monthly fair for the sale of stock which is 
found to be a very useful institution. Being 
a well-undcrstoocl thing, the farmers from all 
the adjacent country bring their cattle on 
fair-day, and buyers collect from various 
points, thus facilitating the operations of 
jlutchcrs and drovers, while stock-men have 
a market on which they can always calcu¬ 
late when they have animals to sell. Guelph 
cattle lair is one of the most famous and suc¬ 
cessful of these monthly fairs, and some¬ 
times nn rmfriuAt of business is done, at it 
such as would astonish a stranger. 
The Harvest ol 1800. 
I am able to speak with some degree of 
precision in reference to tho harvest lately 
gathered in Ontario, having had access to 
t lie returns collected by the Department of 
Agriculture. For the first time, we have 
had this year an attempt, made to gather 
crop statistics, and though, of Course, onty au 
approximate c- i.nate can be got from them, 
it is au advance upon the vagueness and 
darkness of other years, for which we ought 
to he thankful. 
This lias been a very peculiar season with 
us. The spring was rather late, accom¬ 
panied with a low temperature and frequent 
raius—features that, have also been charac¬ 
teristic of the summer and fall. It has been 
VARIETIES OF WHEAT, 
The Rural New-Yorker contains an 
article on Diehl Wheat, by I*. Tone, which 
is calculated to mislead farmers of the Mid¬ 
dle States. The Diehl wheat is not an early 
wheat here, being behind the Bougliton in 
ripening, when sown at the same time. It 
was badly infested with the midge, while the 
Bough (OH and Lancaster Red on the same 
ground were comparatively free from it. 
We have good wheat crops this year. Less 
midge* than for a number of years. The 
Bougliton and Lancaster Red are the surest 
varieties—the former for rich ground, and 
(lie latter for medium soils. Tlio old Blue 
Stem is worthless, being so late that it is en¬ 
tirely eaten up by the midge. An early 
wheat is the only kind that can be grown 
with any profit. And it must be ripe quick 
and yield well to afford any profit, with the 
present price of labor and fertilizers. 
Quien Sabe. 
Howard Co., Md., Oct., 1869. 
ME3QUIT GRASS, 
Our Pennsylvania correspondent who 
asks if tho Mesquil Grass, so famous and 
valuable in Texas, has been introduced in 
the Northern Stales, is informed that wc 
never have seen it In the North. In 1855 
and 1856 it was tried as far‘North as Ka¬ 
nawha, West Virginia, by James A. Lewis, 
•who sowed it on “ hill-land,” and who wrote 
that he was inclined to think it more valua¬ 
ble than Kentucky blue grass, orchard grass, 
Timothy and clover for that locality, lie 
said it seemed to stand the climate well, com¬ 
pletely covering the ground, sprang up soon 
after cutting, and was less affected by drouth 
than other grasses. It also remained green 
during the fall and winter iu that latitude, 
and was highly relished by stock. The hay 
made from it was light, but greedily de¬ 
voured by cattle. Judging by what we know 
of it, it will prove more valuable, anywhere, 
as a pasture plant than for meadows. Can¬ 
not some of our West Virginia readers give 
us some information concerning it there— 
whether it is now grown and its esteemed 
value ? 
Norway Onis.—L. C. Lewis, Lockport, N. Y„ 
writes us he bought ono hundred and twenty-five 
dollars worth of seed, drilled them in on ten acres 
old corn ground not in extra condition, (was 
obliged to weed his oats of wild mustard, which 
lie had purchased with the seed, throe times,) the 
seed grow and the oats stood Up well while other 
variet ies lodged, were harvested, thrashed, nnd 
yielded seven hundred and seventy-seven bush¬ 
els, machine measure, weighs tig thirty, nine 
pounds to i he Ixushed. The oats are every way of 
superior qualify, nnu have all been sold (or con¬ 
tracted for) nnd tho returns are satisfactory. 
Wishes he had sown more, and asks Mr. Taloott 
for his promised experience with the present 
season's crop. 
Alslke Clover, wo learn from correspondence, 
is fast tak i ng the place of t ho Red Clover I n some 
parts of Canada. It mat ures its seed by tlio mid¬ 
dle of July, makes a good hay after it he seed is 
thrashed. Only four or five pounds of seed is 
necessary to seed an aero. It is more likely to 
succeed in Cauada and along 1 lie shores of the 
Northern lakes than In ihe central and southern 
portions of tho Middle States, where the atmo¬ 
sphere is dry and drouths are long continued. 
BEANS IN ORLEANS COUNTY, 
For the benefit of II. T. B., Wyoming Co., 
N. Y., permit me to saj f that, Orleans county 
is still prolific in choice, bright beans of the 
pea, medium and marrow varieties, and, 
well cooked, as Mrs. M., aud other good 
ladies ofonr locality know bow to do, make 
a healthy and cheap food, especially at the 
present prices, and are not, an unusual nor a 
rejected dish on our tables. 
This season has been a little unfavorable 
on account of continued rains, that, while 
encouraging the growth of weeds and foul 
grasses, have also retarded cultivation, mak¬ 
ing the fields look bad and unsightly; but, on 
the whole, the crop is an average yield, well 
secured and of prime quality. I think there 
was not the area of ground planted this sea¬ 
son in this county that there has been here¬ 
tofore ; yet we are able to offer a good sup¬ 
ply to non-growing beau districts and furn¬ 
ish otu’ own tables well in the absence of 
potatoes, if the balance of that crop shall de- 
Bresce'a Prolific Potato.—'V. M. Cn A PIN.— The 
vines of Buesee’s Prolific arc medium height, 
bushy amt spreading; the potato is large, regu¬ 
lar in shape, slightly oblong, much flattened and 
very smooth; skin dull white, inclining to rus¬ 
set ; eyes hut slightly depressed, and somewhat 
pinkish; flush white, cooks quickly, is mealy 
and of good quality. It is called three weeks 
later than Early Rose. 
Inquiry About Cotton.— Rufus P. FUBNHAM, 
Milane Co., Texas, asks:—“Can you tell us the 
cause of the cotton plant dying in rows for a few 
feet and growing well the remainder of the row ? 
There is no insect about the roots.” We cannot; 
who can? 
To Prevent Smut In Wheat D. VT. COGGSWELL, 
Hennicker, N. H., uses two ounces of blue vit¬ 
riol, two quarts of salt to one bushel of wheat. 
Dissolves the vitriol and salt in enough water to 
wash the seed. Has no smut. 
Bresee’s Seedling Potatoes.— A correspondent 
aslcs some one to furnish the Rural for publica¬ 
tion a description of these seedlings from No. 1 
to No. 8. Will Mr. BrkSee do it? 
