MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
f 
SOS 
SEPT, as 
giarir of a IjtoralL'sl. 
DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
From the Diary of a Gentleman near Kew 
York City. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FAVORS. 
Sept. 14.—First 1 uin in receipt of it line 
collection of of insects, belonging to various | 
orders, from Mrs. TIattic Mortzull of Benton 
Co., Oregon, arid return my thanks for the 
same, i am also indebted to Mrs. S. A. of 
McPherson, Kansas, for si in j In r favors, and 
accompanying the same, a letter telling a 
rather discouraging story in regard to the 
climate and pests which the people of that 
State have to contend with. Mrs. A. says : 
“ Ever since the lirst of July we have been 
suffering from drouth, and the heat has. been 
extremely oppressive, seldom below 100' at 
noon, and often ns high as 115’to 120", while 
the hot south winds have been terrible, burn¬ 
ing up our com crop and most of our vege¬ 
tables. Then, to make matters worse, on 
the 26th of July, down caiuo an army of 
those hateful grasshoppers, devouring all 
that was left. Our young trees, the fruit 
and shade we hoped some day to enjoy, as 
well ns our hedges and shrubbery, have also 
fallen victims to their ravages. I fought for 
those plants you sent mo last spring, cover¬ 
ing them with papers, tying down as flrnrly 
as possible, but the wind would tear thorn 
off. The “ lnitefuls” only eat the (lower 
stems and a little of the foliage of the tube¬ 
roses. Only one gladiolus bloomed, the 
others were killed by the drouth. The posts 
have left us twice, butj are back again 
to-day. 1 ' 
NEBRASKA. 
I have another letter from a valued corres¬ 
pondent, residing at Juniata, Neb., in which 
the writer pours out ids woes in almost the 
same language as the above; drouth, grass¬ 
hoppers and other pests have destroyed the 
crops, and want stares the poor pioneer in 
the face. 
COLORADO. 
A lady relative, residing near Denver, Col., 
tells of the three visits of the “hatefuls'’ to 
her garden this season, and the unsuccessful 
fight made to save a few geranium verbenas, 
and similar plants. Of course I have no ad¬ 
vice to give to auy of these “bo-wailing" 
friends and correspondents. It would not 
do for me to say—Come, go, leave; still the 
words which I used to soe printed across the 
old maps of the country, extending from the 
State of Missouri, west, to the Rocky Moun¬ 
tains, will come to mind every time 1 receive 
one of these complaining letters from that 
same region. If I remember aright, these 
words hinted of a “ desert, herds of wild 
cattle and roving bands of Indians," but the 
grasshoppers had not as yet been discovered. 
But there are worse things than drouths and 
grasshoppers, and people have lived and 
raised good crops on the plains, and will 
probably do so again in spite of wind, wea¬ 
ther and insect pests. 
A GRASS FOR A NAME. 
Ole Ames. —The specimen of grass you 
send for name is probably Tritioum ripens, 
couch or quack grass—a great pest in some 
localities. The roots are long and wiry and 
difficult to eradicate, when it becomes desir¬ 
able to cultivate the land, or introduce a 
better species for hay or pasture. This 
grass, howe ver, as you suggest, makes a very 
fair pasture, but does not grow tali and vig¬ 
orous enough to yield much hay. I may be 
mistaken in the idontiilcation of the speci¬ 
men sent, a* it Is not sufficiently perfect to 
be certain in naming. Dig down and exam¬ 
ine the root, and if it is long and coarse, with 
numerous joints, you can consider the name 
given as correct. 
NORTHERN MOLE CRICKET. 
The curious Insect sent by Dimon Kraft, 
Hillsdale Co., Mich., is our northern male 
cricket, Grytlotolpa bo realis. By reading the 
scientific name backward, translating it into 
English at the same time, we arrive at the 
common name as above. Borealis means 
northern, talpa from tnlptdee or ground 
mole family, and grijllus, the genus of crick¬ 
ets, and from the resemblance to both 
Bubmeistek, who first described tlds insect, 
gave it the above very appropriate name. It 
is closely related to the crickets, but its 
strong front legs and claws used in burrow¬ 
ing under ground, resemble very much those 
of the common mole. Mr. S. H, Seudder 
has described another species, native of the 
i Southern States (QryUotalpa longipcnnls ). 
Both damage the roots of plants, and when 
abundant are quite destructive. Our North¬ 
ern aperies sometimes infest potato fields, 
eating the tubers, but are seldom sufficiently 
numerous to do auy considerable damage, 
BLOOMING TUBEROSES. 
Mr. 8. C. asks if his tuberoses, which have 
flowered this season, will bloom again next, 
if kept dry and sound through the winter. 
To this I regret to be obliged to reply in the 
negat ive, for- the same tube never blooms but 
once ; in order to keep up a succession, new 
offsets must lie planted every spring. These 
may be obtained in almost, any number 
from the old or large tubers. The small off 
sets may be pulled off and planted out sep¬ 
arately in spring, and then taken up and 
kept in a dry, warm place during winter. 
Sometimes in very rich soil, they will grow 
large and strong enough the first season to 
bloom t he next, but usually it will take two 
years to become large enough to bloom. The 
old blooming bulbs taken up in the fall, may 
be preserved and planted out again in spring 
for the sake of the offsets which they will 
produce, otherwise they are of no value. In 
the extreme northern States it is difficult to 
raise good tubers on account of the short 
season, which doe3 not admit of full matur 
ity ; but they are raised in large quantities 
in the vicinity of New York city and fur¬ 
ther South, tlicFe usually being equal to 
those imported from Europe. A light, dry, 
but very rich soil is best for this plant. 
ABOUT SOME 0TH1R BULBS. 
Most of the Japan lilies continue to pro¬ 
duce flower stems from the same bulb, but. 
by a close examination we find that the 
flower stalks spring from new buds, formed 
within the old bulb every season. They are 
a .Act new bulbs formed within the parent 
one, but remain attached to the same base, 
drawing m part sustenance from the sur¬ 
rounding scales, which are only undeveloped 
leaves. Our common wild lilies, such as 
L. super hum. cun arte rise and HhfUidel- 
phicAim, found growing in low meadows 
almost everywhere, are perpetuated in quite 
a different, manner. The bulbs are produced 
on large subterranean stems growing a few 
inches below the surface of the soil. This 
stem lengthens just sufficient to admit of a 
new bulb every year, the one formed the 
previous season blooming but once, then 
commencing to decay, although it ri quite 
probable that they yield up a portion of 
their substance to the new one while grow¬ 
ing. Very" frequently, in digging up ono of 
these white lilies, we find quite a string of 
bulbs, of various ages, all attached to the 
subterranean stern; but the last formed, or 
youngest, is the only one which will bloom 
after the transplanting. Other species of 
bulbs and tubers propagate in a different, 
manner, each having peculiarities of their 
own, although all are obedient to a similar 
law. 
If we were to only study that portion of 
the vegetable kingdom which is seen above 
ground, one-half would be overlooked, for it 
is not unfrequently the cruse that the most 
interesting part is hidden in the earth. 
- 1 « 
TO MAKE HARD SOAP. 
The following is a recipe for making hard 
soap which is excellent and economical ; 
Nearly every family accumulates through the 
whiter drippings from beef and mutton. 
These can he utilized for the grease by boil¬ 
ing in water, allowing it to cool, then re¬ 
moving from the water and boiling till all 
the water is expelled. Of course the whiter 
the grease the nicer the soap. Take six 
pounds of sal soda, six pounds grease, three 
and a half pounds new stone lime, four gal- 
lous soft water, half pound borax. Put soda, 
lime and water into an iron boiler ; boil till 
ail is dissolved. When well settled pour off 
the clear lye, wash out the kettle and put in 
the lyo, grease and borax ; boil till it comes 
to uoap, pour into a tub to cool, and when 
sufficiently hard cut into bars and put on 
boards to dry. This is very nice for washing 
white flannel and calico. 
-»■»«• ■■■ - 
Blue-Black Writing Ink.— The following 
is recommended as, giving an excellent blue- 
black ink Aleppo galls, bruised, 4}£ounces ; 
bruised cloves, 1 drachm. ; cold water, 40 
ounces ; sulphate of iron, lj^ ounces ; sul¬ 
phuric acid, 85 minima. ; sulphate of indigo, 
in thin paste, % ouuco. 
Place the galls with the cloves in a fifty- 
ounce bottle, pour upon them the water, and 
digest, shaking often, for a fortnight. Press 
and filter through paper into another fifty- 
ounce bottle. Next, put in the iron, dissolved 
completely and filtered, then the acid, and 
shake briskly. Lastly, add the indigo, and 
thoroughly mix by shaking, Filter again 
through paper. No gum or sugar is required, 
and on no account must the acid be omitted. 
LIFE AMONG THE HAZEL SPLITTERS. 
BY MARGARET LIVINGSTON. 
Agreeable to the call of Carrie for more 
“Hazel Splitters," 1 again resume my pen, 
and as the opening topic of conversation is 
usually the weather, of course that cannot 
be overlooked. 1 hardly know how to state 
the ease properly unless I say “hot, hotter, 
hottest, and dry, drier, driest.” The Bible 
tells us that “ He semleth rain on the just 
and on the un just;” and that being the case, 
wo might consider ourselves neither just nor 
unjust, for it has rained on us but very little 
this summer, in spite of the drouth and heat, 
the errlj* planted corn is splendid, and will 
give as good a yield as it hits any time within 
the last five years. Other grain has not done 
as well. 
In consequence of a new cheese factory 
which has just gone into operation this sea¬ 
son, a great many farmers are going into the 
milk business quite largely. I think there 
are over a dozen farmers who are selling 
milk, and a great many more who are not 
prepared to do so now will commence next 
season, while those already engaged in it will 
{Demise their number of cows. The factory 
is a large, three 1 ory building, situated in a 
beautiful meadow, and watered from an arti¬ 
ficial pond which conveys the water to the 
third story. 1 have htvd the pleasure of visit¬ 
ing it in company with the daughter of the 
proprietor, and was shown over the building 
from cellar to attic by the gentlemanly over¬ 
seer, who very kindly answered all my ques¬ 
tions which, Yankee-like, were quite numer¬ 
ous. They had on hand 880 cheeses, besides 
those in press. There were two screw presses, 
each capable of holding nine cheeses. The 
foreman is a native of “ merrie England," 
and seeing to understand the business, as the 
cheese is of lino quality. They ship 50 each 
week to St. Louis, besides the home trade 
and smaller shipments to other points, which 
amount in all to about 75 each week. They 
manufacture two sizes, averaging about 25 
pounds for the smallest and 45 for the largest. 
Nearly all the milk is furnished by prairie 
farmers, and though they are behind those 
of the Northern and Eastern States in edu¬ 
cation and refinement, they yet comprise the 
best society to be found in the country, and 
they arc making an effort to educate their 
children. The mass of people living “ in the 
timber," as it is here denominated, arc very 
delinquent in regard to schools, while some 
are utterly opposed to them. 
The majority of district schools here are 
in the hands of “ Southern sympathizers," 
and any one on the opposite side of politics 
need not expect any favors. If any one wishes 
to teach school here they had better belong 
to neither church nor party, unless they hap¬ 
pen to belong to the one in powt r, and if they 
happen to possess an opinion, it is far better 
kept to themselves. There arc many of the 
“.Splitters" who are more opposed to relig¬ 
ion than they are to schools, and one man 
in particular 1 have in my mind, who says 
that all he wants to know of a man is that 
he asks a blessing at table and Lius family 
worship. 
Any one coming to this country with a view 
to making it a permanent residence, need not 
look for good society “in the timber.” If 
they do not care for that, they will do well 
to settle there, for fruit and wheat does much 
better than on the prairies, and the laud is 
less affected by drouth. Those who want 
good society and good schools as well as a 
good home, had better stop on the prairies 
where they can get plenty of Jiving water. 
The country is not “well watered” in this 
section, as the term is understood in other 
countries. Good water can be obtained any¬ 
where on tiio prairies by digging for it, and 
in the timber it can be found in the valleys 
in the same way. But as the majority build 
on a hill, they are obliged to resort to “ cis¬ 
tern wells.'’ There are no springs or living 
streams in this section. There is one large 
river about five miles from here, the Chari¬ 
ton, which rises in Iowa, and is the only 
stream which does not become dry in sum¬ 
mer time. Nearly every farmer on the prai- 
rio has an artificial pond on his farm for stock 
water. 
There is yet a large area of unoccupied 
land on the prairie and in the timber. Prai¬ 
rie land can be had for from §10 to $20 per 
acre, and timber land from §3 to §10 per acre. 
The best class of farmers in the timber are 
Germans, who are thrifty and industrious, 
mind their own business and lot others uo 
the same, and they arc several removes above 
the genuine “ Splitter." 
There is a breed of hogs found here which 
is quite as remarkable as the people. They 
are lean, long-legged,’long-nosed, slab-aided 
creatures, and their ears are awful. 1 never 
saw one of them fat. They, like their own¬ 
ers, are the “ Simon Pore” “ Splitters.” You 
never see one owned by a “ Dutchman," who 
usually keeps either Chester Whites or Berk- 
shires, and they are beauties. 
The most beautiful cattle that it has ever 
been my pleasure to behold are to be found 
grazing on the hills and prairies of Missouri. 
They are of every imaginable color and mark¬ 
ings, the spotted and roan predominating. 
They arc fine-limbed, straight backed, with 
a slender neck, and a head which seems too 
smal I for the body. They will stand and gaze 
at you as you approach, until you are within 
three or four foot of them, when they will 
wheel and leave in a hurry. The people here 
allow the calves to obtain their milk iu tho 
way nature provided, and then take for 
themselves what t he calves leave. The cheese 
business requiring A greater saving of milk, 
led some of them to try raising the calves by 
hand, as it is doue in the Eastern States. 
This process they call “Yanking;” and as 
they did not know how to “Yank” the 
calves as the Yankees do, tho consequences 
wero not very encouraging. A great many 
died through mismanagement, and one roan 
in disgust sold all that lived through it, and 
fed the milk of 70 cows to his pigs. This was 
in the spring, before the cheese factory was 
announced. 
In my perambulations about tho country 
I frequently see funny sights; but the fun¬ 
niest of the season happened last Saturday 
in town. After completing my business I 
dropped into n milliner’s shop to chat with 
an old friend. The shop is sltuuted close to 
the sidewalk, enabling us to see up and down 
the street for several rods. Of course it is 
always amusing to watch the different peo¬ 
ple, and note the various expressions of their 
countenances. But one couple in particular 
attracted our attention. The man wore just 
three garments ; I have seen cleaner. The 
woman had on a light-colored calico dress, a 
still lighter apron, and a sun bonnet. They 
did not mind the dust, for they were where 
it was the thickest, and they had either for¬ 
gotten the existence of sidewalks or did not 
understand their use, for they were walking 
in the middle of the street and gazing on all 
sides of them. The man was about six feet 
ahead. Ho finally turnsd, and, in a voice 
loud enough to be heard across the street, 
said, “ Nancy, hurry up here along side o’ 
me ; folks ’ll think we’re from the kentry if 
wc walk tantrum this ere way." 
We beard a roar on the sidewalk as the old 
lady quickened her pace, and they soon dis¬ 
appeared down the street. 
-» 
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA. 
Having received several letters from par¬ 
ties in Central New York, requesting infor¬ 
mation of this section of Virginia, I thought 
T would reply through the columns of the 
Rural, having been a subscriber almost ever 
since it was founded. 
T am satisfied that very many of the opin¬ 
ions published in regard to Virginia are not 
from experience, for the inducements offered 
to actual settlers and enterprisiug and intelli¬ 
gent emigrants are worth the attention of 
those who desire cheap homes within 30 to 
SO hours’ ride of New York City by both rail 
aud steamboat. The mild climate of this 
section of Virginia is an advantage that those 
accustomed to the rigorous winters of Cen¬ 
tral New York can appreciate. There is 
plenty of timber of original growth of oak, 
hickory, pine, &c., for building purposes and 
for fenelDg and fire wood ; also, there are 
extensive coal beds. Land in this section is 
well adapted to the raising of wheat, corn, 
oats and potatoes ; also cotton, tobacco, and 
for truck fanning. Fruit grows well, espe¬ 
cially peaches and grapes. On the chocolate 
or red lands, hops do exceedingly well. 
The price of land vat ice from $5 to $20 per 
acre for improved farms. The section known 
as the “ Southside." from Petersburg to 
Lynchburg and from Richmond to Danville, 
is as good and healthy a section as any part 
of Virginia : those looking for homes should 
not fail to give this part of the State their 
particular attention. Chills and fever are 
not entirely unknown; yet there are not 
many cases and those mostly along the rivers , 
where the fogs are prevalent. The farmers 
usually are intelligent, hospitable and cour¬ 
teous. Themildnessof thechmate, thehealth- 
fulness of the country and plenty of springs, 
branches and creeks that afford good, soft 
water and the proximity to good markets 
(via railroad and steamboat to New York 
City) mokes this a desirable location for set¬ 
tlers. John F Moschkll. 
Church Road, Va. 
