SVIOOBE’S BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
about one mile, while immediately above 
the Point it is two miles wide, giving it a 
broad, bay-like appearance. This spot is at 
an elevation of several hundred feet above 
the lake. Looking south, on the right, is the 
West Branch, which can be seen for twelve 
miles, with its houses, wine cellars, fields, 
docks, etc. On the left is the East Branch, 
stretching along the Barrington and Wayne 
shore for twenty-two miles, and presenting a 
pleasing rural picture of farms, fields, or¬ 
chards and gently sloping hills. The land¬ 
scape at the south is a beautiful amphithea¬ 
ter of rich farming lands, with ravine and 
highway cutting it in various directions. 
The whole picture, including the lake, is some 
tliirty by from four to six miles in extent, 
with nothing to detract from its claim as first 
in utilized and native beauty among the other 
beautiful scenes of llie “ Lake Country.” 
Description op Map.—T he map on preced¬ 
ing page shows Keuka Lake In Its proportions 
with Bluff Point <W, which Is 730 feet above the 
water. The shore slopes on each side are indi¬ 
cated, covered with grapes, woodland and green 
fluids. The roadways leading along the upper 
slopes are shown. The road at the west is from 
SOU to 500 feel, above the lake; that at the east 
is 700 feet above. The McAdam road, leading 
from Bruncbport to Penn Van, is shown. Nos. 
1 and V. are landings ; !$ is Eggleston’s Point; 4, 
Keuka Landing; 6, the point where the Grove 
Spring Hotel Is situated; fi, the I'rhana wine- 
cellar; 7, the Crooked Lake wine cellar; 8, Gib¬ 
son's Landing. Penn Van Is at the north of the 
East Branch of the lake; Branchpoint is fit Ihe 
head of the West branch, ami Hammondsport 
is at the south of the lake. The distances have 
been given in the general article. 
Note.— It seems that the first effort made at 
anything like grape growing a market article, 
was by John W. I'kwntice of Poltney, who ob¬ 
tained his roots from the Rev. Mr. Hostwjck, 
in 1803 or ’It). He resided some two miles from 
the lake, and produced and sold, in the New 
York market, 800 pounds of grapes in 1886. and 
subsequently extended his vineyard consider¬ 
ably, but foUUd it a doubtful enterprise at that 
distance and elevation from (lie water; and, 
therefore, it may be said that the flrst really 
successful vineyard planted is known as the 
I). R.Waoknek Vlnors l! ‘ Pultney, near the 
Jake, and near twelve miles north of Hitm- 
mondsport, by a German Rhine vinedresser 
named Andrew rtnissiNuicn, in 1854, and which 
is among the best of the present time. It was 
some years after this before t lm idea and prac¬ 
tice became general. It may bo also noted that 
the foregoing sketch uf history and facts was 
prepared two years ago: therefore, the area of 
bearing vinos may now bo safely estimated lit 
6,000 acres, and planted surface at 0,000 to 7.000 
acres, and With increased lacllitles and experi¬ 
ences. (Successes have constantly attended 
both the Improvement and production of the 
grape and the vine ; while ft new company, with 
new and commodious steamers, have supersed¬ 
ed those of 1870 in (lie navigation of the lake, 
adding largely to the comfort and attraction of 
a voyage over Its waters. 
SELECTION OF LAMBS FOR BREEDING. 
A western New York correspondent of 
the Chicago Live Stock Journal, says:—By 
keeping only the best ewe lambs, a continual 
i mprovement in the style and quality of the 
flock may be expected ; provided always 
that good rams are used. Therefore all 
lambs to be reserved for breeding should, if 
possible, be put, at the time of separation 
from the ewes, into a separate pasture from 
the rest of the flock, putting in with them a 
tame, dry ewe or a wether, so that they can 
be taught to come readily at the call. Many 
breeders put a trough into the pasture where 
the lambs are put. for weaning, and they are 
fed bran or oats once a day, until winter. 
Such men always have sheep that shear 
heavy fleeces, and they do not lose, any lambs 
before spring from anemia, or “ pale-disease.” 
But if the lambs are put into clover or other 
pasture that, is up to their eyes, they do very 
well without the bran. The ewes should be 
put into rather short feed for a lew days af¬ 
ter the lambs are taken away, until the flow 
of milk lias ceased, a.nd they have become 
dry. Then let them bo thoroughly over¬ 
hauled and examined ; and all whose teetli 
arc getting narrow and loose, and those that 
do not produce good lambs should be separa 
ted from the rest and put into good feed, so 
that they can be fattened for t he butcher. 
Usually there arc enough yearling and two- 
year-old ewes that have never had lambs, to 
take the place in the flock of the old and un¬ 
profitable ewes, bo that the flock can be kept 
up to the required number. 
If the selection of the breeding flock is left 
until later than August, the hollow places of 
coarsely built sheep become so filled out with 
wool, that it is much more difficult to throw 
out those that are not perfect in shape, and 
as a consequence the flock of lambs is apt to 
be somewhat uneven. Indeed, some prefer 
to select their breeding ewes at shearing 
time, rather than later. 
cdjiekl Ckop. 
LUCERNE IN ONEIDA CO., N. Y. 
Will you please inform me how you think 
Lucerne would be likely to grow in the north 
era part of Oneida Co ? How should it be 
sown ? Will frost kill it in spring or fall ? 
Also any other information about the crop 
necessary. Is it a good soiling crop for milch 
cows i- —Isaac.' Skklye. 
There is, we think, no doubt whatever that 
it will grow in Oneida Co, It is our recollec¬ 
tion that a Herkimer Co. dairyman, who has 
tested it not long since, recommended it in 
very high terms as a profitable crop—espe¬ 
cially for soiling purposes. It is perfectly 
hardy, is a perennial, and will produce a bet¬ 
ter crop the third year after seeding than the 
first two. It can be cured for hay like clo¬ 
ver ; requires cutting before it has made too 
large a growth when it is to be cured for hay, 
and will yield three or four crops in a season 
if grown, as it should be, on clean, dry, rich, 
loamy soils. Some sow In drills and cultivate 
it to keep down the weeds. Those who have 
not clean land to grow it upon, find this im¬ 
portant, It is sown in drills 2 to 2}-$ feet 
apart, and in this way requires from eight to 
ten pounds of seed per acre. Both the culti¬ 
vator and hoe are used to keep out the weeds. 
But good crops are obtained on clean, rich 
soils by 1 irou.de.ost seeding. It is a gross feed¬ 
er anil gypsum and ashes are of great benefit 
to it. It should be sown as early iu April as 
convenient. Not much of a crop can be ex¬ 
pected the first year. It is sensitive to the 
presence of weeds, and if they tire allowed to 
gro w t he first year they will soon run it out. 
We shall be glad to publish experience with 
it from any of our readers. 
--♦♦♦—-■ 
SOWING PLASTER. 
Every reader of the Rural New-Yorker 
who has ever sowed plaster knows that it iB 
hard, as well as disagreeable, work. Tlic 
dust is not pleasant to inhale, and the labor 
of carrying it is not slight. A gentleman of 
experience, writing to the Western Fanner, 
says :—The best method of sowing plaster is, 
undoubtedly, a machine made for that par¬ 
ticular business, as it is heavy to carry ^ml 
rather dirty to handle. Ln the absence"" of 
that, one I have practiced considerable, is to 
put your ] (last er in a wagon, near the hind 
end ; then, with a driver, a person can sow 
his piaster very evenly, and comparatively 
with ease. Another way is to carry it in a 
basket, and sow by stakes, similar to sowing 
broadcast. 
THIN SEEDING. 
A Dodge Co., Wis., correspondent of the 
Western Farmer says;—“From my expe¬ 
rience last year, I shall sow much less seed 
of wheat, oats and barley than is customary 
—say l 1 , bush, wheat, oats, (Norway and 
White Sclionen,) l 1 ., hurley (Saxbnia and 
Chevalier). I am satisfied that the above 
amounts, sown early and well worked in, 
are abundant. Early sowing requires less 
seed than late, and a well prepared, level 
seed bed requires less than a rough, cloddy, 
uneven one. I sow only on fall plowing.” 
- +■*■+— - 
FIELD NOTES. 
Grass Seeds for Small Laien .—An English 
journal recommends the following “ For 
so small a lawn we should procure three 
pounds of the finest lawn grass seeds, and 
add half a pound of Suckling Clover ( Trifo- 
Hum minus). If you prefer the grasses sep¬ 
arate, you may get one pound Cynosurus 
rr I status, one-lialf pound Festttca duriuscula, 
one-half pound Fes Inc a tenuifolia, o life-half 
pound Poa nemoralis, and one-half pound 
Pna nemoralis sempcrvtrens, sowing them 
evenly, and at the same time some one-half 
pound of Trifolium min us.” 
Odessa Wheal .—A Minnesota farmer says 
that in his neighborhood nine-tenths of the 
farmers will sow over half Odessa wheat 
this spring, and many will sow no other va¬ 
riety. It is about ten days later than the 
Fife, and does not do as well on new ground 
as it does on old. It is claimed that it yields 
from three to live bushels more per acre than 
the Fife, and weighs two to three pounds 
per bushel measure more. 
Alfalfa in California seems likely to win 
its way iuto great favor. Six acres were 
sown April 20, ’73, on red soil, were Irrigated 
three or four times during the season, yielded 
two good crops of hay ami plenty of pastur¬ 
age beside. This spring it has been pastured 
with five horses and a lot of hogs, and March 
26 was fifteen inches high, and, notwith¬ 
standing the pasturage, would yield two 
tons to the acre. 
Amber Sugar Cane (which we suppose 
means sorghum) is highly commended by a 
Minnesota farmer, who planted one pound of 
seed May 15, ’72, on about a half acre of land 
and got 96 gallons of sirup, the crop getting 
but one hoeing and the seed was ripe Sep¬ 
tember 8. Says it is the best cane seen in 
Minnesota yet. 
Cooley's Corn in Mississippi, according to 
a planter, planted the 11th to 15th of March, 
1872, furnished roasting ears may 27, and cal’s 
fit for grinding before July 1. Ears of good 
size, handsome; kernels full and white, few 
stalks producing less than two good ears. 
Potatoes in Hills or Drills .—A corres¬ 
pondent asks for the experience of farmers 
whether pot atoes should be planted in hills 
or drills, and how far apart in either case. 
“ Do Potatoes exhaust soil more than oats, 
barley or any other common crop” asks E. 
H. D. We think not. 
rtf arm Cihonomw. 
SAWDUST FOR STABLES. 
A . OOHREsrONDENT of the London Field 
says T litter the horses on it to a depth of 
nine inches, raking oil the damp and soiled 
surface every morning, and spreading evenly 
a little fresh, removing the whole four or five 
times a year. Its advantages appear to be 
many, of which T will state a few which give 
it, in my estimation, its greatest superiority 
over straw. It is much cleaner, and more 
easily arranged ; and, of course, much cheap¬ 
er at first cost, making, in the end, excellent 
manure. It is peculiarly beneficial to the 
feet, affording them a cool, porous stuffing, 
a substitute for the soil of earth we always 
find in the hoofs of a horse at grass, and pre¬ 
sents the nearest resemblance to a horse’s 
natural footing—the earth. We never had 
a diseased foot since the introduction of saw¬ 
dust in the stable, now some years since. 
Horses bedded on sawdust arc freer from 
dust and stain- than when in ordinary litter; 
simply because sawdust is a bet ter absorbent, 
perhaps, and testify their approval of it by 
frequently lying down for hours in the day. 
It has also the recommendation of being un¬ 
eatable—an advantage which all in charge of 
hoi’ses with the habit of eating their litter 
will admit. 
-- 
LIME AND SALT. 
Prof. Johnson recommends for fertilizing 
purposes to mix one bushel of salt and two 
bushels of dry lime under cover, and allow 
the mixture to decompose gradually, thus 
forming chemical union. For this purpose 
the mixture should lie made six weeks before 
use, or still better, t wo or three months, the 
heap being turned over occasionally. This 
salt and lime mixture, when applied at the 
rate of twenty or thirty bushels per acre, 
forms an excellent top-dressing for many 
crops, it acts powerfully on the vegetable 
matter of soils ; fifty-six bushels applied to 
turnips have produced ns large u crop as 
barnyard manure. It is destructive to grubs 
and insects in the soil. Like salt it attracts 
moisture from the air, and is useful against 
drouth. Its decomposing power is remark¬ 
able, and if three or four bushels of it are 
mixed with a load of muck, the latter will be 
thus thoroughly powdered. 
-- 
WHEAT SHORTS AS A FERTILIZER. 
The Boston Cultivator says :—At a late 
Farmers’ Convention in Franklin Co., J. M. 
Crafts exhibited a fine head of tobacco, 
grown by Alonzo Crafts of Whately. The 
only fertilizers used were three tons of wheat 
shorts to t he acre, costing $25 per ton, with 
the addition of 150 lbs. of Russell Coe’s phos¬ 
phate to the acre, applied to the row. The 
tobacco was very fine and silky. On one 
acre, CRAFTS grew 1,898 lbs. of wrappers—a 
little more than ft ton to the acre, of both 
wrappers and fillers. The application of In¬ 
dian meal, as an experiment , was a failure ; 
but the tobacco grown with wheat shorts was 
equal, in every respect, to that grown where 
horse-manure was applied. The land on 
which it was grown was light pine plain, and 
had not been recently manured. In fact, it 
would not grow over ton bushels of corn to 
the acre. 
-- 
Piaster on Beech and Maple Lands rich in 
vegetable mold is, in the opinion of t he Farm¬ 
ers’ Club of Fairfield, Mich., of little or no 
benefit, but on oak openings, either clay or 
sand, it is decidedly beneficial. 
BREEDING TO SEX. 
L. Wright, in liis Illustrated Book of Poul¬ 
try, has the following on this subject;—We 
have hinted that the poultry-breeder has 
some cont rol over the sexes of his produce, 
and wo may repeat here more definitely that 
the following have long been verified by gen¬ 
eral experience as ordinary rules, though 
numerous exceptions occur: 
1, If a vigorous Cockerel be mated with not 
more than three adult hens, the cocks almost 
always largely predominate in at least the 
early broods; later this becomes uncertain. 
2. If an adult cock be mated with not more 
than three ptdlefi, the result is very uncer¬ 
tain, the one sex being as likely to occur as 
the other, but usually there is a decided pre¬ 
dominance on one side rather than equality. 
8. If an adult cock lie mated wit ii five or 
more pullets, the pullets are gene ily in ex¬ 
cess ; and what cockerels there are will be 
most numerous in the earlier eggs, h Young 
birds or adult birds mated together .ire very 
uncertain ; but the fewer hens and Lhe more 
vigorous the stock, the greater is the jiropor- 
tion of cockerels, which are always more 
numerous in the earlier eggs of a season than 
the later. It is also a curious fact that chick¬ 
ens hatched late in t he season are often per¬ 
ceptibly more short legged than the earlier 
birds ; we have often marked tins in our own 
yard, and it lias also been observed by oth¬ 
ers. From these facts, while nothing like 
certainty can be obtained, it is manifest that 
the breeder possesses considerable power in 
obtaining such results as are desired. 
-- 
DIFFERENCE IN HATCHING. 
In regard to the question asked by W. E. 
M., in No. 1211 of the Rural New-Yorker, 
page 387, about difference in hatching, I shall 
give my view, though it is founded merely 
upon observat ion, not upon knowledge gained 
by a close study of natural science. 
Hens’ eggs, kept.constantly in the blood-heat 
Of liens, about 110°, will hatch in the shortest 
possible time, from 19 to 20days. If the hen, 
however, as she always will more or less, 
leaves the nest Very often and allows the eggs 
to get cold, but not enough to kill the life in 
them, the growth of the chicks is disturbed 
and somewhat checked, so it will take them 
from 23 to 24 days to get their lull develop¬ 
ment. This, too, accounts for it, that eggs in 
the hot summer months are generally hatched 
in less time than in ©ally spring. Without 
denying that some other circumstances, as, 
for instance, the keeping of the eggs for a 
longer or shorter period after their being laid 
and in what temperature etc., may vary the 
time of then’ development. I think, the fact 
that eggs in the same nest, if put under t he 
hen altogether at once, always hatch at about 
the same time, with but little difference, 
speaks strongly in favor of my above theory. 
Let any one who has a better, more thor¬ 
ough or more scientific explanation to give, 
do so through the columns of the Rural. In 
particular, 1 should be glad to read the ex¬ 
perience of some one about it, that use arti¬ 
ficial means—incubator or hot-room—for 
hatching eggs. t. w. 
■--- 
POINTS FOR SHOW ANTWERP PIGEONS. 
The Birmingham, Eng., Columbarian Soci¬ 
ety define the following points in show 
pigeons of this breed. It will interest some 
of our pigeon fanciers : 
“ Head intelligent and dignified ; it is rather 
oval from the. root of the Leak, to the back 
of the head and well arched, forming also an 
arch across the eyes, thus having rio indenta¬ 
tions whatever. The skull, though oval, is 
broad and rather prominent from the eye to 
the root of the beak, which causes the oval- 
shaped head. The beak short and thick, 
with proportionately warted nostrils, slightly 
rising close to the head ; the under mandible 
of the beak, with the exception of the wart 
should be similar in formation to the top 
mandible, possessing a small portion of horny 
substance, as the feathered skin extends 
within an eighth of an inch of the end of the 
mandible, which appears quite as thick as 
the top of the warted mandible. The eye of 
the bird expresses dignity ami great resolu¬ 
tion. It is of a bright red color, with a large 
black pupil, and it should be encircled with 
a fair portion of lash, rising on the upper 
part, so as to equal the higlit of the center of 
the arched head, causing the eye to be very 
prominent and conspicuous, In carriage 
this bird equals any of the other varieties. 
It stands high, is wedge-shaped, and quite 
clear of any superfluous feather* near the 
legs. It has a most graceful neck, moderately 
arched below the head, and possesses a very 
broad chest, enveloped by the powerful butts 
of its wings, which have strong, broad, and 
long flights, the longest of which reach to 
the end of llie tail. Colors, preferred, Silver 
Dun, Blue, and Blue Chequered, and Red 
Chequered.” 
