narrow at the muzzle; eye small, but Quick 
and lively; horns small, clear and crooked, 
and placed wido apart at their base; nock 
long and slender, tapering toward the head, 
with no loose skin below; shoulders thin; 
fore-quarters light ; hind-quarters deep and 
large; buck straight, and broad behind; 
the joints rather loose and open; carcass 
deep; pelvis capacious, and wide over the 
hips, with round, fleshy buttocks; tail long 
and thin; legs small und short, with well- 
bent joints; udder capacious, broad, and 
square, stretching well forward, but neither 
fleshy, low hung, nor loose; the milk veins 
large and prominent; touts short, and all 
pointing outward, and at cojisideraVdo dis¬ 
tance from each other; skiu thin and loose, 
and the hair soft and woolly; the head, 
horns, and all those parts of least value, 
should be small, and the general figure Com¬ 
pact and well proportioned. 
The Ayrshire farmers prqter their dairy 
bulls to possess the feminine aspect in their 
heads, necks, and fore-quarters, with broad 
hock bones and hips, and full in the flanks; 
they likewise pay particular attention to 
the formation of the small teats of the bull, 
und also to the color of the scrot um. If this 
were of any other color than white, though 
the animal might otherwise bo possessed of 
great merit, he would immediately bo re¬ 
jected by the best breeders. 
The farmers of Ayrshire have long devot¬ 
ed great attention to tho improvement of 
their dairy cows. When cows are kept 
solely for the dairj-, and are profitable in 
proportion to the quantity of milk they 
yield, self-interest would stimulate the 
farmer to acquire the most correct knowl¬ 
edge of cultivating the desirable qualities In 
Ilia stock. If one cow excelled in milking, 
they would look out for others in which the 
leading characteristics were fully devel¬ 
oped ; they reared tho calves of the best 
milkers, knowing that they would, to some 
extent, Inherit tho good qualities of their 
dams. It has been chiefly by these means, 
and not by changing the stock or crossing 
with bulls of other breeds, that the Ayr¬ 
shire dairy stock of the present day has at¬ 
tained its unrivaled perfection. 
NOTES FOR NATURALISTS. 
The French Rat-Tamer,—The most 
popular of the shows of the season at St. 
Cloud fair has been V homme aux rats. 
The name of this Rarey of the rat-race is 
Antoine Leonard. Ilis sole theatre is a 
sort of perch, which ho sticks into the 
ground, and then ho takes his corps dc 
ballet out of his pocket. At his word of 
command the rata run up and down the 
perch, hang on tbeii legs, then on two, stand 
on their head, and, in fact, go through a 
series of gymnastic exercises that would 
put Blondin himself to the blush. His 
crack actor Is a gray rat lie has had in his 
troupe for eleven years; this old fellow not 
only obeys Leonard, but is personally at¬ 
tached to him. it is a curious sight to see 
Leonard put him on the ground and then 
walk away. The crcaturo runs after him, 
and Invariably catches him, howe ver many 
turns he may make to avoid him. An Eng¬ 
lishman offered 50f. for him about two years 
ago, but Leonard would not separate from 
his “old and attached friend.” 
Snalto’s Rattles.—I send you a fine 
specimen of a snake's rattles. The rattle¬ 
snake was live feet long, and around its 
greatest diameter four inches. It was killed 
just after it had bitten a largo dog, Strange 
to say, the dog survived. Your paper al¬ 
ways meets with a hearty welcome, and I 
wish tlmt it would fall into the hands of 
every Southern planter. You ignore poli¬ 
tics and attend to your legi imam business. 
Wishing you abundant success, 1 am—I. 
Ajllen Duncan, Ba rnutll, S. C. 
We are much obliged for tho specimen, 
for it is an old say ing that “ all are fish that 
come into a Naturalist's net.” When a boy 
we used to suppose that the age of a rattle¬ 
snake could be told by the number of rat¬ 
tles on its tail; but this, like many other 
tilings learned in youth, have bad to boun- 
learned; for sometimes more than one rat¬ 
tle Is added in a year; then again, oue or 
more is lost. The i all ies y on send are thir¬ 
teen in number, aud we presume, they are 
those of the Diamond Rattlesnake (Proto- 
lUS adamant eus, Beauv), which is found 
from the Camlinas southward. They arc 
sometimes found fullv eight feet long. 
Ants on Pencil Trees.—A writer in the 
Boston Cultivat or says that in his experi¬ 
ence he has been led to look upon the black 
ant as bis best friend in the peach orchard, 
his only object in traveling up and down 
the tree being to destroy lice, which fre¬ 
quently cover the young and tender leaves 
of the peach tree. 
<dficU Cj-rojis. 
WHEAT IN DELAWARE. 
T. B. Coursev recently read a paper on 
“ Wheat Culture in Delaware,” before the 
Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Club of Harring¬ 
ton, Del., from which wo make the follow¬ 
ing extracts: 
I remarked awhile ago that the falling 
off'in our crop was attributable to the de¬ 
terioration lu seed. 1 will now try to show 
what has caused this deterioration. I think 
that our soil and climate are not perfectly 
adapt ed to the wheat plant. If they were, 
we would find it growing wild, as in Califor¬ 
nia and Oregon. But the main cause of de¬ 
generacy is caused by tty. The habits of 
wheat necessitate such late seeding that the 
plants have not time to get, a vigorous start 
to carry them through the Winter; espe¬ 
cially when it happens as last Winter—very 
cold, with an insufficiency of snow to cover 
it. It maintains a sickly existence, and is 
poorly prepared to resist the ravages of tly 
in the Spring, and passing through a similar 
ordeal year after y r ear, must of necessity’ 
reduce its vitality, and, as a consequence, 
become an easy prey to all enemies of the 
crop. 
It may be proper here to inquire when is 
the best time to sow with tho best chance 
of escaping those enemies. This is difficult 
t o determine, for there seems to be no time 
of universal application. What may be the 
proper t ime for one locality may not be 
best for another. But. from an observation 
of many’ years, I am induced to believe that 
the first week in October is the safest time 
in this county, taking a series of years to¬ 
gether. Earlier than this would be safest 
against rust and sun blight, but more risk 
from fly. 1 have rarely known an entire 
failure when seeded at that time. 1 have 
known many failures when seeded earlier. 
Especially was this the case with the crop 
just harvested. I know of several fields 
seeded in September, which the fly nearly 
ruined, while others seeded only one week 
later entirely escaped its ravages. The next 
question is, 
What Variety Will Best Stand the Fly and 
Climate? 
The Mediterranean seemed to stand our 
climate longer than most others, but it, too, 
had to succumb to the enemies of the crop. 
When first imported it would stand the fly 
with an early seeding, but after a series of 
years, became, like other varieties, an easy 
prey. To prove this, I will give a case un¬ 
der my own observation, which I think 
fully demonstrates the necessity of renew¬ 
ing our seed-wheat frequently:—Mr. II., on 
an adjoining farm, renewed his seed from 
wheat hut a few years from importation. 
In sowing his field be fell Bhort a gallon or 
so from finishing tho field. Ho sent to his 
barn and got enough to finish, which was 
done immediately, and received the same 
treatment as the rest of tho field, no part 
of which escaped the fly, but that part from 
renewed seed served to resist its attacks, 
and growed on vigorously. But not so 
with that from seed of his own production 
(though both were of the Mediterranean 
variety); his was literally eaten up; even 
the grains that scattered over on tho other 
land were eaten. And while this from re¬ 
newed seed made over twenty bushels per 
acre, the other was barely worth harvest¬ 
ing. This, to my mind, shows tho import¬ 
ance and necessity of renewing our seed 
wheat every’ few years directly from the 
wheat-growing countries of Europe, and 
from that section the growth of which has 
proved best adapted to our climate. 
Bringing seed from other sections of the 
United States may, in some cases, prove 
beneficial, but, in my opinion, is not to be 
relied on, as I have proved to my own sat¬ 
isfaction. T sent, a few years ago, to Roch¬ 
ester, New York, and, at considerable ex¬ 
pense, procured twelve bushels of a variety 
highly recommended there, and sowed it on 
tho same field with wheat of my own grow¬ 
ing, and found, at harvest, that 1 had gained 
nothing by way of improvement. I have 
made several attempts to change the char¬ 
acter of our seed-wheat by renewing from 
neighboring States, and from far-off Cali¬ 
fornia, but with very little success, except 
from late importation. It is, therefore, in 
my opinion, essential to oursuccess that wo 
have fresh importations from abroad every 
few years, Aud 1 know of no better way 
to get a genuine article than for your club 
to raise a fund by subscription, and author¬ 
ize your President to order a few ban-els 
from some port on the Mediterranean, 
where can be had the variety last Intro¬ 
duced here (the blue stem Mediterranean), 
These few barrels, sowed thin, on highly 
improved land, would soon furnish enough 
to supply your entire club with seed, and 
soon sell enough, at an advance, to pay the 
expense of importation, or raise a fund for 
renewal every few years, so that when you 
once get a start It would pay its way aud 
give you fresh seed as often as needed. 
I would here remark, that none but vari¬ 
eties known to succeed here should be pur¬ 
chased, except in trilling amounts. I bought 
of a new and beautiful variety, a few years 
ago, at ton dollars per bushel, and put it on 
the best land in the field, and dressed it 
with as good phosphate as there is in mar¬ 
ket, at 500 pounds per acre, and that was 
tho last of it. I did not reap a sheaf, and 
have no desire for any more of the kind. 
But renewing the seed is not all that is 
necessary to insure success. The land, if 
not already rich, must be Improved and 
put in the best possible condition to receive 
the seed. 
In sections of country well adapted to 
the wheat plant, the virgin soil may be 
sufficient in itself to produce a good crop 
of wheat without manure, and I have no 
doubt that our old land, with a good clover 
lay, would produce a good crop if we could 
sow in August or early September. For a 
crop of clover equal to 2 . 1 4 tons to the acre, 
would permit more than enough of all sub¬ 
stances, both organic and inorganic, for a 
crop of 25 bushels of wheat to tho acre. 
According to analysis it would furnish an 
excesss of potash 53 lbs., of lime 51 lbs,, 
magnum 5 lbs., sulphuric acid 5 lbs., phos¬ 
phoric acid 1 lb., chlorine 6 lbs., being 
largely in excess of the wants of the crop. 
But the ravages of tho tty compel us to sow 
later than Aug. or Sept., as some of us have 
found to our cost t he present season, con¬ 
sequently the clover crop could not be as¬ 
similated or prepared for assimilation in 
time to give tho wheat plants a vigorous 
start and prepare them to resist our Win¬ 
ters, which, though not so cold as further 
North, are subject to longer periods of 
freezing and thawing with an insufficiency 
of snow to cover it. This late sowing ne¬ 
cessitates the liberal use of manure of some 
kind, and that kind which can be most ex¬ 
peditiously applied and most readily assim¬ 
ilated by tho plant, would prove most suc¬ 
cessful. Barn-yard manure contains all the 
elements necessary to the perfection of tho 
wheat plant. But it is bulky, and requires 
too much labor in its distribution for a 
wheat crop, and withal, is not as readily as¬ 
similated by plants as some of the commer¬ 
cial manures. 
It would therefore seem to be wise econ¬ 
omy to use good commercial manures on 
wheat, and use barn-yard manure on land 
intended for corn, by applying in tho Fall, 
Winter and early Spring before the ground 
is done freezing and thawing. 
But., say some, “It takes all my surplus 
wheat to pay for the fertilizers I bought; 
how are we to stand that kind of farming?” 
That is bad, but remember that you had 
but half a crop, a full crop would have 
made a difference in the financial account. 
But suppose you bad never used any com¬ 
mercial manure, whore would your clover 
and corn crop be? Just a little poorer than 
20 years ago—a few nubbins und no clover. 
A single crop does not exhaust all tho fer¬ 
tilizing elements in a dressing of good com¬ 
mercial manure. It is soon in after crops 
for several years, and if properly followed 
with grass and lime, makes a permanent 
improvement. In proof of this 1 will give 
two or three cases with which 1 am famil¬ 
iar, not presuming that those are the great¬ 
est in the county, I give them becuusa I 
know the facts and figures. 
A gentlemen of my acquaintance bought 
a farm near Leipsic in this count}’ in 18(53. 
The corn crop was thou 400 bushels. The 
same amount of land in 1871 produced 2,100 
bushels. Tho average wheat crop where 
he bought.it was (50 bush. The average 
crop now is over 500 bush.—quite a change 
in the product; and this was brought about 
by the use of concentrated manure, except 
about 200 loads of compost bought at tho 
town near by at ?2per load. I know another 
who bought a farm in 18(50, It paid, as rout, 
80 baskets of nubbins. The same farm last 
year produced over 1,100 bushels shelled 
corn, aud this crop had no concentrated or 
other manure applied to it, as most of the 
barn-yard manure was applied to potatoes 
aud other truck, aud there has not been a 
single load of compost manure bought for 
this farm since 1860; consequently The in¬ 
crease in the corn crop is entirely attribu¬ 
table to former dressings of commercial 
manure on wheat. If this proves anything, 
it is evidently to the interest of the agricul¬ 
turist to use, liberally, <jood commercial 
manures, even though they be high priced, 
too high priced to give the farmer a chance 
with other classes. But even high as they 
are, it is better to use them than not to use 
them, and as I have no interest in any in 
the market, am not disposed to advertise 
any article, will only say that if you get a 
good article at a fair price you will not lose 
your money. 
-♦ + ♦ --- 
NUT-GRASS COFFEE. 
Please find inclosed a— something for 
name. Some of l hose kernels were sold last 
year to a neighbor for a knd of coffee, said 
to grow South. 11 Is very thrifty in growth. 
One of these kennels planted will produce 
nearly a pint. They are attached to tho 
roots and all under ground. Is the article 
tit for coffee use or drinking? Please an¬ 
swer in paper.—C has. H. Fuarey, Rock¬ 
dale Mills, Mass. 
Tins plant was introduced from China 
about twenty years ago, under tho name of 
Chufa, or Earth Almond. Its botanical 
name is Cypcrns csculcnlus, or edible cype- 
rus. It is closely allied to those great pests 
of the Sout hern States, C.jJhymntodcs and 
C. rotund os. A variety of the last is Die 
well known Nut-Grass, or Coco-Grass, 
which almost every planter will tell you 
cannot be exterminated from land when it 
once gets a foothold. Now, the edible for¬ 
eign species is quite tender in the North ; 
at least we have never been able to save it 
in tho open ground through Winter, there¬ 
fore there is no danger of its becoming a 
pest here; but whether It is a good substi¬ 
tute for coffee or not we are unable to sav, 
never having tried it or heard of its being 
used for that purpose. The nut-like roots 
being rich in saccharine matter, we should 
think they would be excellent for feeding 
hogs, if good for nothing else. 
In this box is a plant, sold to be used for 
coffee. Will you tell us, through the Ru¬ 
ral, its name and its virtue?— m. j. t. 
The coffee plant peddlers must have had 
a good time in selling the people, as w ell as 
selling their wares, judging from the let l ei s 
and specimens received. Now, this plant 
has been advertised and sold by all our 
seedsmen for tho past fifteen years, and 
still there are traveling louts who can 
make folks believe that they have some¬ 
thing new’to offer in this same root. Will 
our people ever learn that no traveling ped¬ 
dler ever did carry for sale a thing of value 
that could not be obtained cheaper else¬ 
where? In other words, men who peram¬ 
bulate over the country offering new and 
wonderful plants, seeds, medicines and nos¬ 
trums of all kinds are, us a class, the mean¬ 
est and lowest kind Of vagabond swindlers. 
Of course w T o except agents of respectable 
merchants and nurserymen ; but such men 
always carry proof of their respectability, 
and if this is not show’ll let them alone, in 
matter what firm they pretend to represent. 
--- 
FIELD NOTES AND QUERIES. 
The Colored People and Colton.—A 
Missouri correspondent who has visited 
Mississippi writes tho Rural New’-York¬ 
er:—I hope the Rural will be spread 
more and more in tho South, though during 
my trip I showed it several times to some 
first-class planters and it was thrown back 
at me with, “ Wo w’ant no such Yankee 
humbug among us; nor Yankee school teach¬ 
ers. The niggers are too smart now.” Tlio 
fact is, tho poor darkey, if ho makes. t>Ar¬ 
ty, forty or fifty bales of cotton comes out 
just as much in debt us though ho made but 
seven, eight or ten bales. Why? Because 
he cannot read and figure, and so ho gets 
Some one to ship his cotton, and that is the 
lust he ever sees of It or of the money. 
Thousands of them are no bettor off to-day 
than they were the llrst year after the war, 
and for the reasons herein given. 
The Potato Disease— Dr. Kuhn has 
shown that the fungus which causes the po¬ 
tato disease, (Botrytis or Perennspora 
infestans), only propagates itself while the 
potato plant is living. Therefore the potato 
tuber receives its Infection from the haulm 
or stems, and one potato cannot communi¬ 
cate disease to another. 
Selection of Seed.— Wright B. Hol¬ 
comb is informed that wo have met farmers 
who have a local reputation for producing 
the best wheat, rye, oats, corn and potatoes, 
who have gained and maintained it by a 
careful selection aud use of the best seed 
these respective crops produced from year 
te year. Some of them have .secured what 
are regarded distinct varieties, by watch¬ 
ing their fields aud selecting such stalks of 
grain as showed remarkable growth and 
perfectness of development. Any laraior, 
with care, can de the same thing. 
