MOOBE’S BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
-JAN, 3 
cJJieM tijjntps. 
COMPTON’S SURPRIBE AND OTHER 
SURPRISES. 
A number of correspondents in the Itun at, 
New-Yorker, and in several other agricul¬ 
tural journals also, have noticed their suc¬ 
cess and failure in investing $3 for a pound 
of Compton’s Surprise potato. Seeing Mr. 
Bliss’ statement that the originator, on 
Pennsylvania soil, with ordinary farm cul¬ 
ture, raised a crop that exceeded the rate of 
800 bushels to the aero ; and that, besides 
the tubers under the soil, this variety also 
gave an additional yield on the surface cov¬ 
ered by the haulm, I regarded the “ Comp¬ 
ton” as a desirable acquisition, and invested 
my 83 in a pound of the tubers. 1 was theu 
in Nebraska and decided to order there, us 
the soil of that new State excels that of 
either Mr. Compton’s locality or mine. Beiug 
obliged to return to my home in Attica, 
Wyoming County, N. Y., I arranged with a 
friend to plant them and follow my instruc¬ 
tions in their culture and share with me the 
net profits, including our chance for Bliss’ 
premiums of 8100, 8IT), $50 or 825 for the 
largest yield. 
Well: by my plan, the last week in June, 
he was able to report four hundred kith— 
not only planted, but up and hoed, and 
growing with a vigor that promised to sur 
prise Compton and Bliss and “the rest of 
mankind.” But quite a different surprise 
awaited your humble servant and his mar¬ 
vellously successful coadjutor, who had ma¬ 
nured alternate hills, to see if manure can 
improve Nebraska soil. These ►Surprise po- 
tatos were the lender ext green# on the ranch, 
and the grasshoppers and Colorado bugs 
cleared them all out for theft - first breakfast 
before announcing their appearance. 
* * * * * 
Not a potato to report. However, we 
would just like to try it over again, under 
equally promising inducements ; $3 a pound 
for the seed is $180 per bushel; and (to say 
nothing of premiums) 81 per pound, or $G0 
the bushel, for one crop, was a fair anticipa¬ 
tion—for our big yield could not fail to be 
heralded the world over, and make the pro¬ 
ducers as well as the product famous. 
The process by which four small potatoes, 
in a lew weeks, were multiplied into 400 
rampant growing plants or hills, 1 don’t now 
propose to make public. 1 merely state the 
fact that ft ions done.! And if Mr. B. K. 
Bli'ss, or any other party, will guarantee to 
me 81 a pound for all the potatoes 1 can pro¬ 
duce from a single pound of sound Compton 
tubers in one season, I will demonstrate that 
it can be done again, and tell the world how 
it is done. S. Folsom. 
Eureka Place, Attica, N. V. 
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PERMANENT MEADOWS AND NATURAL 
PASTURES. 
There are few instances of good grass 
land being well managed and the original 
fertility of the virgin soil having the oppor¬ 
tunity to keep up and nourish the natural 
pastures; and fewer still of fine meadow 
land being unmolested by the destructive 
plow. Yet plowing and cropping really im¬ 
poverish the soil, and after a first natural 
sod is destroyed one u& good can never be 
regained by the systems in vogue in the 
United States. 
A natural pasture can be occasionally 
mowed and a permanent meadow grazed 
with advantage to both. Mind, though ! I 
am writing ol' genuine old sward, and none 
of the timothy seedlings. In England, mead¬ 
ows are often grazed for the purpose of ren¬ 
ovating and making richer the soil, so that 
more bay can be cut after the rest for a year 
or two from being mowed. 
A fine quality of hay, with very superior 
feeding quali I ies, can be cut and made from 
natural grasses, and it is a great pity some ( 
of the land in the older States is uot thus 
saved from being run down iu the deplorable 
way so general. Ait account of Mr. I. N. j 
Blakesley’s farm, at Watertown, shows 
that even in that enchanted State of Con¬ 
necticut perpetual grass will save the soil , 
from the cruel and remorseless cropping J 
with corn o its and timothy. Wheat will 
not pay any more, the ground having be- * 
come too poor. Timothy is no rest to the * 
soil because of the seeding before it. is mow- ' 
ed, for generally it is not mowed till ripe ; 1 
and notwithstanding all talking of rotation, 
the land may as well ripen one plant as an- 1 
other, for it is the seeding which, wIdle it i 
ruins the hay, takes from the soil all the ' 
strength left by other crops, and as the seed ^ 
is useless to the stock eating the stems, ivhich f 
should rightly be named straw, it is clear 
that the wiseacres who seed their grass be¬ 
fore cutting it rob their land in gi ving woody 
stems with no flags or leaves, and all the 
starch and fattening and nourishing matter 
of every kind gone from the uead stuff called 
hay. With all the evils attending the suck¬ 
ing of all the plant food from the soil, there 
is nothing else so lamentable as to see fine, 
new, virgin land, (which would raise, herds 
and flocks and fatten beef and mutton with¬ 
out impoverishing it in t he least,) instead of 
being kept for this purpose, torn piecemeal 
and thoroughly exhausted, every atom of 
fertility being consumed. 
It is not meant to imply that all varieties 
of soil could be profitably kept in grass, as 
light soils would require too much manure 
for mowings to pay the expenses of applica¬ 
tion, unless iu particular situations ; and 
some districts would grow only such poor 
herbage as to barely keep alive animals 
turned thereon. There are whole portions 
of counties, consisting of soil naturally in¬ 
clined to grow the beet varieties of grasses ; 
and under present experience of high labor 
and taxes, it Is a (shame to render Inoperative 
the occupation of a bo art fide grazier by ml 
tivating, at heavy outlay for marketing, pro¬ 
duce, which is In one sense like selling a por¬ 
tion of the farm—for it is really getting rid 
of the best part of it. 
I have intimate knowledge of many thou¬ 
sands of acres near the Genessee River and 
iu other parts of the State of New York, 
also in Kentucky, Maryland, Ac., which 
would pay much more if never cultivated, 
but farmed just the same as the Leicester¬ 
shire cattle feeding district in England ; and 
many parts of other countries, where hay for 
winter feed is made as well as summer and 
autumn grazing, from old grass laud lying 
unmolested generation after generation. So 
well is it understood that good grass land 
pays better than grain growing, that hun¬ 
dreds of thousands of acres art* in permanent 
grass, whieli the high ridged “ lands,” as they 
are called from their liight of from three to 
four feet show, were plowed one way for 
scores of years. A Wcuring Farmer. 
-- 
CAMPBELL’S LATE ROSE POTATO. 
The Editors of the Rural New-Yorker 
received from Mr. Campbell, last spring, a 
package of his Late Rose, which were com¬ 
mented upon at the time. One of the Edit¬ 
ors sent a part of them to the “ Old Home¬ 
stead,” in Oswego Co., N. Y., and has just 
received the following, concerning them, 
from his father : 
Dear C. : -About Campbell s Late Rose 
potato that I received from you last spring : 
1 planted them the 12th of May in good soil 
putting one shovelful of manure iu each hill; 
the hills three feet apart each way. with 
two eyes to the hill; lioed them well three 
times; dug them about, the lOtb of October, 
The crop yielded at the rate of about t>40 
bushels per acre. Have measured the ground 
to-day. The potatus were very large, mealy 
and of good quality. Many thanks for them. 
Shall try them again. Geo. L. Brag don. 
Port Ontario, Oswego Co., N. V., Doc. 17, ’73. 
-+ ♦ » . - 
FIELD NOTES. 
Jiulustriat SJojiipfi. 
Tobacco as a Preparatory Crop. —Hoff¬ 
man of the Elmira Farmers’ Club recently 
said :—“ An observation that I have, made is 
that previous thorough cultivation is better 
for al 1 our crops. From present appearances 
I shall get much better wheat on a piece of 
land which had been used for tobacco the 
previous season (not then in my possession) 
than on other lands adjoining of equal fer¬ 
tility, I suppose, but without that thorough 
preparation which the raising of tobacco 
gives. But I have not learned that tobacco 
is a good crop to grow.” 
Red Osaka Spring Wheat .—Seeing an ac¬ 
count of the Red Osaka Spring wheat grow¬ 
ing 40 bushels per acre in Minnesota, 1 would 
like to inquire of some one if it would be ad¬ 
visable to try it in this section of country— 
Colona, Ill. We need a change of wheat 
here very much, and would like to have a 
good kind of spring wheat. I would like to 
know, also, where it can be obtained.—A 
Reader of the RVral. 
Drilling Ihichwheal. — Fi.etciieu Carr, 
Elmira, N. Y., believes in drilling in buck¬ 
wheat. He says :—“ One field, which had 
borne buckwheat 20 years out of the last 25, 
gave nearly 25 bushels to the acre drilled, 
while other fields, quite as fertile, gave not 
more than 12 broad-cast.,” 
Alfalfa In Wisconsin .—Can some of our 
Rural friends tell us if Alfalfa can be raised 
in Wisconsin as far north as St. Paul ? If so, 
will some one who has the seed to sell please 
give his address through the Rural New- 
Yorker, that we may send and get a pound 
for trial t —J. J. a. 
IS HIRED LABOR ON THl FAE.M PROF- There is an old axiom that a man's wii 
^ _' and marc are what he makes them. We ai 
' Eds. Rural New-Yorker:-I n the Home of opinion, after considerable experienc 
Journal, one of our most valued State papers, and f ^rv’dmn, that a man’s (and woman 
; T see a communication signed “J.H.,” ( which Joo) lured help is wlmt he makes it. He on 
I suspect means my old friend, Judge .James have S? od and profitable labor ’ or bad a * 
! Hanway of Franklin County,) in which two ”"Potable. As a rule the highest price 
j or three positions are taken, that I believe 13 tbe chea P est - because the most i. 
• to be radically wrong, and as it is a matter * '® cn ' 
of national interest (to agriculturists), I write 7 / Ve can P !ck n,lt hundreds of farms i 
my dissent upon them to the Rural New- ^ an8as t ' >da ^ that aro unprofitable bccam 
■ Yorker “J II ” says- they need the well directed labor of two c 
“ When the question is asked, ‘ Will farm- thrcfi 8°°? b " ,)ds tljc >’ ear round - The ° W1 
; ing pay ?’ I would answer no, if you hire er “are cultivating 30 or 40 acres only of the: 
everything done which is necessary to be garter section, the rest lying unfenced, m 
done: but if the farmer gives liis whole at- ! u tu aIl ' d ;ind unprofitable, the taxes an 
■ teution to farming, and exercises the strict- ^rest consuming tho 8car,ty prof,t * of 1,1 
1 est economy by putting Iris own labor into 30 °f 4b f eroa worked > Tt ‘ H truo tbftt 1 
1 the work, he can do as well, and perhaps a m09 . t °f thc6< f ca8es the £armors have ,10t 1,1 
little better, than a majority are now doing ^pital to milar p their business, if they ha 
In other branches of productive labor.” the ab,3,ty to dirout thc hirc(1 labor - but th 
I claim that, this idea of « no profit in hired 18 uo ar 8 ao ‘ enfc gainst tho extra labor, 
labor,” which Is the prevalent one among ££ a law of political economy that 
too many of my brother farmers, is radically given amount of capital invested hi an 
wrong, and I can cite many instances which legitimate business will return about a give 
prove that It is wrong; but for the moment P er cent - This, of course, implies a thoroug 
I wish to argue Judge Hanway’s side of the knowledge of the business or oocupatiot 
question. Farming is no exception to this rule, Th 
He mentions the case of a neighbor who thousands of farmers throughout this com 
put, in a wheat crop; hired all of the labor, tr -V who have acquired an ample fortune n 
and by selling at fl.lSjtf per bushel, lost just their legitimate profession attest, this, an 
fen cents per bushel on his investment, and within our recollection we know of non 
from this case deduces the following: who have done so but those who have d< 
“ One. t hing is certain, no person in Kansas PC^ded mosTly upon hired labor In th 
can pay the usual price for farm labor to put ; ature ’ Mr- Editor, ,f acceptable, I will co 
in a wheat crop and expect to receive a ^te some facts to prove the affirmative c 
profit from his crop » thc f l uestlon J ud Se Hanway has stated, viz, 
I would not draw the conclusion from this ‘‘ The ™ 18 no proflt in hired labo " 0,1 th 
that Judge II. is of the opinion that it costs a f rn " -Chase. 
?1.22J<j per bushel to raise wheat m Kansas. _’_ ^ ^ _ 
This would be unfair; but no more so than 
to cite this case to prove that there is no CORN STALK CUTTER, 
profit in hired labor. A single crop will uot T , , “ ' . . 
. , . . , , , ., . , I would be glad to have your opinion a 
answer as a, basis to estimate the cost of to the actual demand for an implement b; 
glowing either wheat or other crops. Noth- wnich corn stalks and other refuse can b 
ing will do this but a series of careful, well- turned under without any extra labor. M, 
managed experiments through a course of cutter is attached to the beam of the. plow 
J from the fac u that meteoiological In- curved arms, which pick up and carry th 
fluences, which are beyond our “ ken,” may stalks onto a blade, the lower end of wbicl 
raise the yield to forty bushels per acre, or is blunt. 'Hie cutting does not begin til) i 
depress it to ten bushels; and supposing that about midway between the eml and th 
. — , 01 ., . “ ., hub, and continues toward the hub till com 
wc huAC expended #1- upon an acre of pleted.—C ham. M. O’Hara, Hillsboro, U. 
wheat to get it into the granary, the cost per ,, r , , . . , . ., 
, ,, |, . , .... , H e regard such an implement desirable 
bushel w T ould, in the one case, be 30 cents, , . . 
.... i ,,, .>n , , i but concerning the “actual demand,” w 
and m the other *1,20 per bushel. Nor is it , „ , , ® „ 
„ .-ii I- c-. i t shall have to allow our correspondents ti 
fair to take the average yield of a State, dis- . 1 
trust or county, and figure the cost of raising 
upon that, for every student of statistics - 
knows that the crops of very poor farmers Qf!) ninv T Gfl vr4vUr\r4ltVi\ 
greatly exceed iu number those of the very ( -XVU-l tv-l ^*>1 l III 111 l ll i t, 
good farmers; or, rather, that we have more____"_ 
poor farmers than good ones; hence an aver¬ 
age yield will not do to estimate the cost of PLAN OF A FRUIT HOUSE, 
a given crop by. Bub if a good farmer will - 
cultivate say ton acres for ten years, keeping O. F. A., Clyde, Ohio, asks fora plan of t 
an accurate account of expenses, that would fruit house. Now, most of the readers ol 
be a sufficient basis to estimate the cost of the Rural know what the requisites of c 
growing. Really Judge Hanway’s case has successful fruit house are, viz,: A cool, dry 
nothing to do with t.lie question of hired and vermin-proof space to keep fruit the 
labor, and no one, T presume, would claim year round. My'plan (and I have hud fifteen 
that a person could hire a few'days’labor at years’ experience) is to build the walls ol 
“day” rates and make money out of it iu concrete, with cement floor, either with oi 
any of the ordinary farm crops. without a cellar; if with a cellar, joists Hires 
l We do claim, however, that whatever by ten are placed three feet apart and arche- 
money there is in farming is brought out of concrete are built between and leveled up, 
it by' hired labor, provided the employer un- and then grouted With cement and troweled 
derxtunds his business, it is a notorious smooth two inches thick; if no cellar, a 
fact that there are more persons who do not sobd foundation by nigging to hard bottom, 
understand the rudiments of their business, and brick or stone work carried to one foot 
engaged in farming, than in any other occu- above the surface; then concrete, putting 
pation. It is a notorious fact that nior© far- * H door and window frames with plain 
mere idle their time and neglect their busi- jambs to let in light; these and all timbers 
ness than any other occupation. It is a ArQ anchored in the walla. There is one air 
notorious fact that a majority of farmers s Pnce caused by stripping, and lath and 
exhibit a wastefulness that is little short of plastering inside. Chimneys are made by 
criminal; » luck of judgment that would drawing -up a_ length of stone pipe or gal- 
swamp any other business, at noranco vanized iron pipe, flattened a little, with en- 
tliat is simply wonderful. Alas! that this i lodgement m wall and all covered up to 
should have to be written of a large number desired bight at two-thirds the cost of 
of American farmers in this year of grace ! either brick or stone besides being nearly 
1878 ; but the proofs of its correctness are ,in - peool - and lasting an age. it v'ould rc- 
upou every hand. We would not claim that quire too much of your space and, I fear, 
this class of farmers could employ labor to ad- patience to give full details as to mixing 
ilse the materials, forming molds and all particulars 
hue and cry against the profits of hired labor, iu this communication ; therefor© if any of 
The facts are that good hands can be em- the Rural readers wish further informa- 
ployed here at from 818 to 824 per month tion they' will please address V. G. Austin, 
and board, for the six months commencing No. 1,1015 O St., A. Went Washington , D. C. 
March 1st, and if hired by the year t he rates P. S.—I will add the walls are finished out- 
paid are from 81- to 830 per month. The side with one coat of plaster, and floated off 
point in making this work remunerative is and left plain or lined in blocks in imitation 
in having employment laid out in advance, of stone work; this will not cleave like 
so that no time shall be lost in knowing planter on brick work. The materials are 
what to do next, it ■will uot pay to stop a alike and will adhere to each other. I use 
team and plow for half a day to send to the sharp sand, good lime and a little cement 
nearest town to replace a broken single-tree for this coat and it looks well when finished, 
or remedy other trilling mishaps. It is the v. G. a. 
work of the employ'd - to keep from a week 
to a year ahead of his hired labor. Contin- 
gences must be provided for in advance by 
his brain. He must know his business. 
There is an old axiom that a man’s wife 
and mare are what he makes them. We are 
of the opinion, after considerable experience 
and observation, that a man’s (and woman’s 
too) hired help is what he makes it. He can 
have good and profitable labor, or bad and 
unprofitable. As a rule the highest priced 
labor is the cheapest, because the most in¬ 
telligent. 
We can pick out hundreds of farms in 
Kansas to-day that are unprofitable because 
they need the well directed labor of two or 
three good hands the year round. The own¬ 
ers are cultivating 30 or 40 acres only' of their 
quarter section, the rest lying unfenced, un¬ 
cultivated and unprofitable, the taxes and 
interest consuming the scanty profits of the 
30 or 40 acres worked. Tt, is true that in 
most of these eases the farmers have not the 
capital to enlarge their business, if they had 
the ability to direct the hired labor, but this 
is no argument against tho extra labor. 
It is a law of political economy that a 
given amount of capital invested in any 
legitimate business will return about a given 
per cent. Tins, of course, implies a thorough 
knowledge of the business or occupation. 
Fanning is no exception to this rule. The 
thousands of farmers throughout this coun¬ 
try' who have acquired an ample fortune at 
then - legitimate profession attest this, and 
within our recollection we know of none 
who have done so but those who have de¬ 
pended mostly' upon hired labor. In the 
future, Mr. Editor, if acceptable, I will col¬ 
late some facts to prove the affirmative of 
the question Judge Hanway lias stated, viz.: 
“ There is no profit in hired labor on the 
farm.” A. G. Chase. 
Leavenworth, Kansas. 
•-♦ »» - - - 
CORN STALK CUTTER. 
I would be glad to have your opinion as 
to the actual demand for an implement by 
wnich corn stalks and other refuse can be 
turned under without any extra labor. My 
cutter is attached to the heamof the. plow, 
aud consists of a rimless wheel, having ten 
curved arms, which pick up and carry the 
stalks onto a blade, the lower end of which 
isbluut. The cutting does not begin til) it 
is about midway between tho end and the 
hub, and continues toward the hub till com¬ 
pleted.— Char. M. O’Hara, Hillsboro, O. 
We regard such an implement desirable ; 
but concerning the “actual demand,” we 
shall have to allow our correspondents to 
respond. 
literal ^rchitccturi 
PLAN OF A FRUIT HOUSE. 
O. F. A., Cly'de, Ohio, asks fora plan of a 
fruit house. Now, most of the readers of 
the Rural know what the requisites of a 
successful fruit house are, viz,: A cool, dry 
and vermin-proof space to keep fruit the 
year round. My plan (and 1 have had fifteen 
years' experience) is to build the walls of 
concrete, with cement floor, either with or 
witliout a cellar; if with a cellar, joists three 
by' ten are placed three feet, apart and arches 
in concrete are built, between and leveled up, 
and then grouted with com- nt and troweled 
off smooth two inches thick; if no cellar, ii 
solid foundation by .'figging to hard bottom, 
and brick or stone work carried to one foot 
above the surface ; then concrete, putting 
in door and window frames with plain 
jambs to let in light; these and all timbers 
are anchored in the walls. There is one air 
space caused by stripping, and lath and 
plastering inside. Chimneys are made by' 
drawing up a length of gtone pipe or gal¬ 
vanized iron pipe, flattened a little, with en¬ 
largement m wall and all covered up to 
desired lught at two-thirds the cost of 
either brick or stone besides being nearly 
fire proof and lasting an age. It -would re¬ 
quire too much of your space and, I fear, 
patience to give full details as to mixing 
materials, forming molds and all particulars 
iu this communication ; therefore if any of 
the Rural readers wish further informa¬ 
tion they' will please address V. G. Austin, 
No. 1,100 0 St., N. West Washington , 1J. C. 
P. S.—I will add the walls are finished out¬ 
side with one coat of plaster, aud floated off 
and left plain or lined in blocks in imitation 
of gtone work; this will not cleave like 
