ORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JAN. % 
almost useless for show or breeding ; but If 
a hen, you may breed from her. Besides 
this, like all long-legged animals, they are 
liable to leg weakness. 
I most assuredly have not given much en¬ 
couragement to go into Pouter breeding, but 
with some persons the more difficult the 
task the more pleasure it affords in accom¬ 
plishing it. "Labor omnia vincit” Bhould 
be your motto. Does it seem so astonishing 
now that this bird is so highly prized, and 
that from $50 to $150 should be asked for a 
pair of first-da* - Pouters ? 
Greenville, N. J. Isaac Van Winkle. 
OUR CONTRIBUTOR’S PIGEONS AT 
D0YLST0WN. 
In the Turf, F ; eld and Farm is a long 
..rticle describing the second exhibition of 
the Eastern Pennn. Poultry Breeders’ Associ¬ 
ation. Wo have only space to copy the last 
p-ragraph, which refers to the pigeons ex- 
h-bitei by one of our valued contributors, ! 
though we should be glad to name all who 
you prizes at this noteworthy exhibition : 
Mr. Uigel of New York, the great carrier 
breeder, eclips 'd everything ia his line. Ho 
c .rried off first premiums on black-reds und 
d ms, leaving Van Winkle only second, and 
i, so the epo’ial silver cup. The three pair 
Cl birds he exhibited wore valued at $600. j 
The great and interesting feature of the 
show was the rarity, variety and number 
of each class, and their extraordinary merit. 
In turbits -Mr. Van Winkle showed five 
kinds. His blues with white bars were per¬ 
fect game. Wo never saw a more beautiful 
combination of colors. The white hars on 
the blue ground of the wings wort) most ex¬ 
quisite. N- xt to these wc admired the solid 
whites. They were very neat, stylish and 
trim, and snow-white In color, with beauti¬ 
fully arran e l purls or frills. The red wing 
struck our fancy next, from its beautiful 
contrast with the white, on which it is 
piled. Ha showe I three varieties of jacobins 
— white, which won a special premium of 
$6, and red and yellow, all winning fl"&t pre¬ 
miums, His yellow priests and black nuns 
■were beauties. His pigmy pouters wore 
6 tch as we hud never seen before, and prob¬ 
ably there is not another two such pair of 
birds iu the United States. The Isabels 
were of a most rare and delicate color, with 
■white bars across their wings, forming a 
most beautiful contrast to the solid fawn 
color. Mr, Tegetrncier says that the first 
that came under his notice were those exhib¬ 
ited by Dr. Harvey of Cork. The blues 
were more pled on neck and crop, and had 
black bars across their wings. These 
liiliputians, in fullness of crop, in erect carri¬ 
age. in slenderness of girth and length of 
limb, were perfect. Tiiey were the most 
distingue little creatures we ever saw. Mr. 
V. W. has also the Austrian pouter. He 
thinks he will be able to breed them pied, 
like the English pouter, in a few years. HLs 
Runts wore giant--, the pair weighing from 
four to five pounds, in our judgment. He 
also showed a silver Runt hen of the most 
beautiful shade and finest proportion wo 
have ever met with. In barbs ho showed 
white, yellow, black .and red. They were 
the finest collection wo ever saw i» one 
person’s bauds. The archangels were fair. 
In owls he showed black, blue, - fiver and 
yellow, black bakbicads, white blue fans, 
white fans. In Carriers he won, on blacks, 
second premium ; on duns, 2nd. premium. 
In red, yellow and black, Starlings. Sua- 
bians, Swallows, silver yellow bars, Moore- 
heads, &o., he won first premiums. 
Out of thirty-seven entries, Mr. Van Winkle 
won thirty four Society premiums, twenty- 
six first premiums and eight second pre¬ 
miums, ons silver cup, one special on 
jacobins of $5, aud the special premium of 
$50 in gold for the best display of pure-bred 
fancy pigeon? owned by the exhibitor. 
Wo were informed by Mr. Burlingame, 
the judge on pigeons, that he never saw so 
large a number of pigeons, aud of such u 
high order of merit as shown by Mr. Van 
Winkle, and that some of his pigeons there 
could not be surpassed in all England. 
- ■***■ - 
Mange in Dogs.— “ w. B. C.” is informed 
that a correspoudent of the Turf, Field and 
Farm says he has used the following suc¬ 
cessfully for many years, and has never 
known it to fail :—First, have the dog well 
washed with castile soap-suds in the morn¬ 
ing ; rub dry. At night apply well the fol¬ 
lowing Train or tanners’ oil, 1 qt.; spirits 
turpentine, 2 wine-glassfuls ; sulphur, lb.; 
mix well. Keep dog in dry place, and wash 
and apply as above three times every fourth 
day. 
afield (|t|0|s. 
SOWED CORN FOR FODDER. 
W. C. Pinkham, Loveland, O., furnishes the 
Cincinnati Gazette with hia experience in 
growing corn for fodder, which will interest 
readers of the Rural New-Yorker who 
complain of the difficulties attending curing 
the same. Ho says :—I select a rich soil, 
such as would produce a good crop of corn. 
I plow it any time in May, when the soil is 
not too wet, und lot it lie till weeds begin to 
show themselves. I then harrow it thor¬ 
oughly, which generally destroys the weeds 
and makes the surface level and mellow. 
About the middle of June I again plow it 
quite shallow, just enough to destroy all 
weeds and make a mellow seed bed. I sow 
immediately after this plowing, running the 
harrow once over it, which is generally 
sufficient to cover the seed. 
I have sown three bushels, and also two 
and a half bushels shelled corn per acre. I 
think the latter quantity about the right 
amount if all of it is well covered. I give it 
no further culture. It is surprising how 
quickly It will germinate, and with what 
rapidity and luxuriance it will grow. 
I aim to harvest it after it is in tassel and 
after the pollen has been shed, but a few days 
or a week later I consider not important. 
My opinion Is that, at this stage, by the law 
of its nature, the stalk is most fully charged 
with that nutriment which is intended for 
the grain ; and if cut at this time, and 
properly cured, this nutriment is retained in 
the stalk and leaf, and therefore in its best 
condition to have the most value as an article 
of fodder. I cut it with the common reaping 
sickle, laying it in swaths evenly. (I wish 
some of your readers could suggest a more 
rapid and easy mode of cutting it.| 
Now comes the most difficult and critical 
part of the whole thing, viz., to get it well 
cured and dry before rain or damp weather 
causes it to mold. If the weather is dry I 
prefer to let It lie in the swath for a day. 
Then I stand it up in Btnall stooks or shocks, 
tying it firmly at the top. Previous experi¬ 
ence has taught me never to bind it in 
bundles, as in that way it will be almost cer¬ 
tain to mold. I usually let it stand in the 
field till wan ted for winter feeding. If, how¬ 
ever, it becomes thoroughly dry before t hen, 
1 haul It into the barm But at any time I 
find it wifi not keep wilhout moimng if 
mowed away iu a horizontal position. It 
must 6 tand perpendicularly, in order to 
admit of greater ventilation. The last fall 
was udmirablo for curing and drying it, and 
I had no difficulty in housing it safely in my 
barn early. But the past season was an 
exceptional one. 
I have never ascertained the product in 
tons per acre, but it is always very large, and 
sometimes quite enormous. I am confident 
it far exceeds our best timothy meadows. 
Neither am I able to say what its nutritive 
value is compared with meadow hay, but I 
do know by observation that no fodder is 
apparently better relished or eaten with 
inoro avidity by both horses and cattle ; and 
I feel convinced that no other fodder keeps 
the stomach and bowels of the horse in a 
more healthy condition. 
The ease with which this crop may be 
grown, the large product on a given area, 
and its excellence as a winter forage, makes 
me free to recommend its culture to every 
farmer having suitable soil. It also leaves 
the ground iu admirable condition for pota¬ 
toes or strawberries the following year. 
CROSSING WHEATS. 
The Agricultural Gazette. Loudon, con¬ 
tains the following, which will interest those 
among tho readers of the Rural New-York¬ 
er intent on trying experiments with a view 
to obtaining new varieties : 
“ The fertilization of wheat is effected by 
the pollen of tho anthers coming in contact 
with tho pistil or central portion of the flow¬ 
er. Tho pollen or male element is liberally 
distributed from the bursting anthers and 
finds its way, if conditions are favorable, on 
to every pistil, thereby fertilizing and mak¬ 
ing them fruitful. If a wheat flower is ex¬ 
amined it will be found to be furnished with 
short styles, and with anthers suspended 
upon long filaments. Iu crossing different 
varieties of plants it is necessary to bring the 
pollen of one parent variety in contact with 
the style of the other, and the result is a 
crossed progeny. Precautions must at the 
same time be taken to prevent a mongrel 
progeny by protecting tho plants under treat¬ 
ment from the impregnating influence of 
other pollen than that which it is desired to 
use. 
“Mr. Patrick Skirreff gives the follow¬ 
ing practical directions for accomplishing 1 
the crossing of wheats—First, Fix upon two 
varieties for crossing. Second. Shorten the 
ears of the seed parents as soon as it is dear 
of the sheath, remove every alternate splke- 
let and leave only two florets in each “notch” 
or “cheat.” Third, The valves of the chaff 
may be opened widely and kept in that posi¬ 
tion until the anthers are removed from the 
floret and anthensfrom the pollen parent are 
introduced. The chaff scales aro then closed 
by gentle pressure of tho fingers. 
“ These manipulations are best performed 
by two persons operating together, the one 
atteuding to the valves of the chaff and the 
other to the removal and changing of the j 
anthers from the one floret to the other, 
which can be performed by fine pincers. Let 
the florets cf the two parents be near the 
same Btage of development. Be careful not 
to rupture tho anthers of the feed parent, 
but those of the pollen parent may be less 
carefully handled. 
“The operation is most likely to be suc¬ 
cessful when done without much delay. 
Finish the operations by fixing the hybrid¬ 
ized car to a stake and surrounding it with 
a globe of glass wire. With these precau¬ 
tions the crossirg of cereals may be carried 
on either in a garden or field.” 
-» » » 
BROOM CORN IN NEW ENGLAND. 
The Boston Commercial Bulletin calls at¬ 
tention to the falling off of New England’s 
trade in brooms. From 1840 to 1855, Massa¬ 
chusetts was almost the only State engaged 
in raising broom corn and manufacturing 
brooms. Along both Bides of the Connecti¬ 
cut were farmers who cultivated this article, 
sometimes to the exclusion of every other 
product, while the manufacture was carried 
on mostly in Hadley and a few other towns 
iu Hampshire County. Boston was the great 
distributing point for the manufactured 
goods, and, besides supplying the whole 
Onited States, a thriving export business 
was built up by her merchants. In 1S6U, 
500,000 brooms were shipped from Massachu¬ 
setts to New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah 
and other Southern cities. Tho war put an 
end to the business. At present there is 
probably not an acre of broom corn sown in 
New England, the farmers who were for¬ 
merly in the business having mostly takento 
raising tobacco. The g r eet broom corn 
raising State is now Illinois, New York and 
Ohio coming next. Chicago and Cincinnati 
are the centers of the business, while New 
York is the great depot for manufactured 
goods. 
4 -*-* - 
AVERAGE WHEAT CROPS OF ENGLAND, 
— 
Mr. Thou. C. Scott, King’s Arms Yard, 
Moorgate Street, London, writes as follows 
to tho leading journal We have now suffi¬ 
cient data to enable us to come to a safe con¬ 
clusion as to whether or not the wheat crop 
of this year Is under or over an average. 
But what is an average crop 1 In regard to 
wheat, CD bushels an acre is the rate usually 
adopted ; but it is only an assumption, based 
upon individual observation and experience 
over very limited areas. To arrive at a 
sounder solution of the question, I have taken 
tho areas under wheat in each county in 
England, multiplied them by tho generally 
admitted normal rate of produce of each 
county respectively, and the aggregate 
number of bushels thus obtained, divided by 
the number of acres to which they apply, 
gives tlio nearest approach our present data 
admit of to a satisfactory answer to the 
question “ What is un average crop ?” and, 
thus tested, it turns out to be 29 1-10 bushels 
an acre. 
-« ♦ » — ■ 
HungaHan Grass in Connecticut.— Alden 
Smith, East Haddam, Conn., writes the 
TimesI sowed, on July 9, 1S74, one 
bushel, or forty-eight pounds, of Hungarian 
grass-seed on one and a half acres of ground, 
taking pains to distribute it evenly, iu which 
I succeeded very well. It came up as well 
and grew as rapidly a< any crop that I ever 
grew, and was ready to cut for fodder the 
26th of August, when I cut all except twenty- 
one rods, which I saved for seed, making 
the crop in forty-eight days. The estimated 
crop was three tons of good fodder and four 
bushels of seed. Of the quality of the hay 
as food for stock, I atn of the opinion that 
it is fully equal to herd’s grass. I am feeding 
it to my stock. They eat it with a relish, 
and do well. I do not hesitate to recommend 
it as one of the best crops that a farmer can 
raise to help out the supply of good nutritious 
food for his stock.” 
flatartts of gusbandrg. 
NEWS AND NOTES FOR PATRONS. 
The New York State Grange meets at 
Syracuse, Jan. 12. 
Pennsylvania State Grange, Williams¬ 
port Jan. 5. 
Wisconsin State Grange, Madison, Jan. 
5-9. 
Iillinois State Grange, Springfield, Jan. 
12 . 
Colorado State Grange, Denver, Jam 13. 
Michigan State Grange, Grand Rapids, 
Jan. 21. 
National Grange meets at Charleston, 8. 
C., Feb. 2d, 1875. 
Bushnell Grange, Mich., has just com- 
pleted and dedicated its new lialL 
During the month of November three 
hundred and sixty-four new Granges were 
organized. 
The Indiana State Grange will hereafter 
hold its annual meeting on the 2d Tuesday 
in December. 
Brother Thompson, Grand Lecturer, is 
laboring in Massachussets, having returned 
from Dakota. 
The Patrons of Xenia, Ohio, have pur¬ 
chased rooms at a cost of $5,000 for a 
Patron’s exchange. 
The Kentucky State Grange has invited 
the National Grange to hold its next annual 
session at Louisville. 
A. M. Hardin, E:»q., has been appointed 
agent of tho Louisiana and Mississippi State 
Granges at St. Louis. 
The Hooaier Patron believes that during 
the winter 25,000 Patrons will be added to 
the order in that State. 
The Nebraska State Grange met at Lin¬ 
coln, Dec. 12. “ A flattering attendance ” is 
reported. Grand Master Adams was pres¬ 
ent, and delivered an address. 
According to the new constitution cf the 
State Graugo of Tennessee, All county 
depu tes must bo recommended and en¬ 
dorsed by the master of each county. 
Mr. N. W. Garreston retires from the 
editorial chair of the Patron’s Helper at Des 
Moines, and is succeeded by Prof. Geo, W. 
Jones, who has been his assistant for some 
lime. 
The Patrons of Kentucky, Indiana anil 
Ohio in the vicinity of Covington have re¬ 
solved to dispose of no hogs save through 
the Grange packing house, and declared that 
their price is $7. 
The Patrons of Paris Grange, 791, Stark 
county, Ohio, have erected a new hall and 
dedicated it on Saturday evening Nov. 21st, 
1874. There was quite a large turn out, belli 
of Patrons aud those who were not. 
The Patrons of Storm Lake, Buena Vista 
County, Iowa, claim that so far from being 
a failure, their Patrons’ warehouse has saved 
its cost in a single item of coal, the price in 
the neighborhood having been reduced from 
$6.50 to $1.60 to $o.0U per ton. 
A Missouri Grange lias adopted a novel 
aud praiseworthy method of educating its 
members and keeping them posted on 
current events, and adds fifty cents from 
the Grange treasury to every dollar tub- 
scribed for every newspaper designated by 
the Grange. 
Minnesota Patrons do not admire the 
system proposed by the executive com¬ 
mittee of the National Giange for redueiug 
the representatives in the State Grange. 
They reject the proposition and will adhere 
to the original practice of sending the master 
of each subordinate Grange. 
The Secretary of the Kansas State Grange 
says that quarterly reports thus far show, an 
increase of membership for the quarter end¬ 
ing Sept. 30, 1S74, of 3,679 and a total 
membership in good standing of S9,850. A 
few of the Granges have been nearly broken 
up because of the destitution prevailing in a 
large portion of the state, caused by chinch 
bugs and graashopers, hut the most of the 
reports show the Granges in good working 
order. 
The Pacific Rural Press says:—“ The Order 
has brought farmers Into closer communica¬ 
tion, with each other, has developed nnrtuul 
confidence and respect, and without the 
assistance of any secret charm, has pro¬ 
duced a change which is now substituting 
arbitration for law. Arbitration is one of 
the grand principles of the Order, and is al¬ 
ready producing important material results 
as well as promoting peace and harmony in 
many neighborhoods. 
