CORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
(Cro])s. 
DISPOSING  OF  SUKPLDS  STRAW. 
A  wiuTim  ill  the  Maine  Farmer  is  wroatUiig 
with  the  quoatiou,  what  to  do  with  hi«  Burplua 
straw.  It  haa  jmzzled  many  famers  where 
large  amomits  of  grain  are  grown.  He  says ; 
I  have  three  or  four  tona  of  oat  and  barley 
straw,  and  (lie  straw  of  fifty  Imihela  of  wheat, 
Bttve  what  hai  lieen  iiw’d  for  bedding,  the  ntock 
thii'i  far  this  winter.  What  ahall  1  do  with  it? 
Will  it  pay  to  feed  it?  If  ao.  to  what  ? 
'■  The  iilaivc  are  simple  queationa  for  a  farmer 
of  thirty  years'  i'X)K<rienee  to  uak,  and  yet  1  iiak 
them  in  all  candor  and  Mincerity.  1  have  aaked 
myaelf  the  «ame  many  tmiea  and  got  different 
anHwera,  partly  bocauae  the  iiuoricH  are  put  under 
various  circumstiincos,  and  partly,  piu’hapH,  bu- 
caiiae  I  have  Hoinetime.i  taken  a  more  extensive 
or  rather  oxteud<-d  view  of  the  matter.  'J'here 
are  o.xceplions  to  all  rules.  For  instanee : 
when  winter  closed  in  upon  us  in  1871  the 
lynter  folloaing  the  tcniblo  wmurge  of  grass- 
Imppora— anti  wo  found  ouroolves  -with  the  leant 
stock  we  thought  wo  could  get  on  with,  and  not 
half  hay  enough  for  what  ivo  had,  it  paid  us  to 
feed  merulow  hay  and  tlraw.  8o  hi  answer  to 
my  iirst  quesUon  I  got  "  feed  it  with  meal  and 
roots." 
*•  This  year  there  is  more  hay  than  stock,  and  ' 
the  only  comtiderallon  is  one  of  economy;  so  the 
questioin  return  again.  My  co«n  are  eating  all 
the  good,  early  cut  hay  they  want ;  three  (piart.s 
eic'i  of  sugar  Iwiets  at  night,  and  one  quart  of  j 
barley  inenl  and  two  of  sliorhs  in  tlio  morning;  j 
are  driven  ijo  water  in  the  cell.ai-  fuicc  a  day,  and 
hnmed’.atoly  lied  up  in  n  wurni  baiii  bedded  with  ' 
Blravv  and  left  to  furnish  butler  slock,  and  we 
avom.aking  now.  Jan.  Ist,  tive  lbs.  jx*!-  cow,  that 
se  1.4  readily  lor  40c.  a  pound,  and  tlie  cows  are  to  j 
come  in  ii/March.  Will  it  pay  to  feed  siraw'  to 
them  ?  I  have  a  nice  yoke  of  fat  oxen  that  are 
d-’iiig  my  work,  and  it  will  take  them  through 
thi.4  week  to  finish  it.  The  days  will  be  longer 
then,  the  steer.i  gaunte.d  up  a  little,  and  with  llio 
u  irmor  days  and  decreasing  ajiiadite.  taking  in¬ 
to  account  Iho  objective  point  in  rearuig  oxen, 
vi.'..:  the  beef  tlioy  will  make,  will  it  pay  to  give  1 
thorn  any  more  straw  than  they  want  tolieiqion  ! 
Then  there  are  the  young  cattle— why  everybody, 
almost,  says  they  will  do  well  enougli  on  straw. 
Well,  let  u<  see:  The  Bteei-.-s  arc  designed  to 
make  at  leasi,  ten  hundred  of  beef  each,  and  to  i 
do  that  -with  good  economy  will  it  pay  to  turn 
them  from  the  barn  in  the  spring  no  better  Mian 
tlwy  came  to  it  in  the  fall,  if  indeed  as  good  ? 
Then  the  heifers  are  with  calf,  and  are  lo  make 
dairy  or  stock  cows,  or  both,  and  in  the  lime 
when  they  ought  to  be  growing,  and  the  extra 
draught  on  the  system  at  thiB  particular  tunc, 
will  a  diet  of  good,  Bweet,  early  cut  hay  be  any 
too  good  ;  or  if  a  little  something  in  addition  is 
given  will  it  not  pay  just  as  w'cll  and  oven  bolter, 
if  in  addition  to  tlm  hay,  than  if  with  straw, 
where  the  virtue  of  the  roots  or  grain  is  expended 
in  getting  the  straw  through  the  nnimul  ?  Then 
Ihei’o  are  the  sheep,  that  pay  a  betti-v  profit  than 
any  other  stock  upon  the  farm,  and  drop  tlicir 
lambs  in  March;  Binely,  they  cannot  cat  the 
straw;  so  I  thuik  1  shall  coutinne  for  this  winter, 
at  least,  to  put  the  sti'aw  under  and  not  inside 
the  cattle." 
Maine  is  a  state  whore  hay  is  usually  abundant  | 
.and  of  line  (puility.  Wewtorn  farmers  cannot,  or  ; 
at  loa.st  do  not  rely  so  mnch  on  hay  as  winter  ' 
food  for  stock,  and  cut  omn  stalks,  and  in  some 
cases  straw  with  corn  meal  profitably  take  its 
place.  Afti-r  all.  w-e  suspect  that  the  meal  sui)- 
plic.»  most  of  the  nutriment,  and  the  straw  eaten 
is  of  little  V  alne.  All  that  Can  be  worked  up  into 
manure  as  bedding,  and  to  ndjiiu  liquid  and  solid 
excrement  which  wuuld  oMierwise  be  wasted,  is 
profit ably  used-  The  siirplns,  after  doing  this, 
mir.  V'c  profitably  sold,  and  more  concentrated 
aiui  valual’lo  feiiilizers  pnrcliased  in  its  stead. 
In  some  loc.alitics  a  load  of  straw  will  sell  for 
enough  to  buy  ten  loads  of  stable  maimre.  or  a 
quarter  of  a  tou  of  superphosphate.  In  other 
placoi.  stock  may  belxmghtoii  the  farm,  fattened 
through  winter,  and  the  straw  used  as  bedding. 
This  will  require  the  purchase  of  additional 
grain  or  oil  meal  as  feed,  and  the  profits  will  be 
found  mainly  in  the  inaniu-e  pile. 
COST  OF  WHEAT  IN  MINNESOTA. 
Eds.  Kdkal  Nkw-Youkku It  maybe  inter¬ 
esting  to  many  readers  of  yom-  valuable  paper  to 
know  about  how  much  it  costs  to  raise  wheat  in 
Miimesota,  where  as  yet  we  pay  but  little  atten¬ 
tion  to  maiuu-ing  or  ounmer  fallowing. 
During  the  past  season  1  k<‘pt  an  account  of 
my  expenses,  so  I  am  able  to  tell,  very  nearly  at 
least,  what  it  cost  mo ;  and  if  I  succeed  ui  making 
the  facts  clear  and  ctimprehonsive,  they  -will  not 
only  render  valuable  information  to  yom-  Eastern 
readers,  but  also  cause  many  Western  farmers  to 
think  more  upon  the  aubjoct,  and,  in  thinking, 
become  more  or  less  encouraged  as  the  facts 
agree  with  their  estimates. 
1  wish  to  descril«!  my  crop  on  diftcrent  fieldH, 
though  not  divided  with  fences,  because  there  is 
great  variation,  and  will  commence  with 
Wlu.at  Fit'Jd  No.  1,  10  oerw. 
MowtuK  the  to  a<rrcs.  $1.36  v'-.t  acre . $12  W 
I83i  tvijwliBls  W  tuU;  lIu!Ubui'Kli>  at  BOe., .  10  64 
On*-  Mud  a  (iiuirtfr  lis.vs  clrilUnK.  man  and  teaiu. 
$a,50  £s  r  . .  »  t? 
lliill  day  drafrsrtiiK,  ifi.BO  iwr  day .  1  3b 
One  day  rfaj>u«x.  $1  I'cr  acri* . . . . .  ■  ■  10  00 
8lx  dajH  binding  *m<i  sliookinir,  $3  |K>r  day. .  18  oo 
siackiuK . .  20 
i'tineluiiK . . . .  14  76 
Hat-  of  lau(L  $2.5o  i».-r  . .  26  fW 
Board  for  Ine  belli .  7  00 
belli . 
Total  cost . $110  36 
Uixin  tliis  field  I  raised  173  bushels,  making 
the  cost  per  bushel  G3  cents. 
ir/if/it  FifUl  Xo.  2,  roulalntno  18  aetea. 
(Tbia  wax  TimoUiy  mcadovv’  laud,  broken  up  In  Au* 
gnat  and  nowed  llie  ntllowiug  April.) 
Breaking,  ije is-e  . . $36  00 
Beed,  Si)  oiislifdH  flfi',  iii  OOc.  . . . .  18  (O 
Two  days  drilUuK  «1  $2  W  per  day .  5  lA) 
One  and  a  iiuaitcr  ilays  urBgKU'K  “t  $2.o0  |w-r 
d.uy . . . . .  3.12 
C'uUuiK  wlUi  Marab  Uarvcsti?r . . .  18  1*1 
Two  and  a  tjuailer  <iB}s’  binding— two  men  at  $3 
IwiT  day  each .  13  60 
Twoujid  a  ipuirter  daya  shocking — one  man  at 
$;!  |j<w  day .  6  75 
Stacking., .  10  50 
'I’hrcshlTig.  Tm'.  is-rliushcl .  82  60 
Threshing  labor  js-r  liay,  $1.50 .  10  60 
Board  for  helii. . .  18  00 
Uuouf  land,  $2.50  I s-r  sere...,, .  45  00 
Tout  cost . . . $206  87 
Upon  this  field  I  raised  4.00  Im.shels,  making 
the.  cost  ]>er  bushel  4<Kcenfs.  Jlatber  favorable 
to  the  use  of  Iliirvcstcr  in  lien  of  Reaper. 
BTiinf  FiiUl  A’o.  3.  emdainino  85  nerft, 
Plowiiir.  $1.26  iH'r  lUTe . . . 76 
Sro<i,  61  biwhi  Is  i'ca  Wiieul  at  80c.  per  InmllPl. ...  40  80 
Thive  and  a  iiiiiirUT  days  with  hroadcasl  seeder.  8  1'- 
Two  and  »  uvimTea'  doys  dragging .  6  «» 
i'wo  days  ciitlinji  with  barveate.r .  17  l«) 
'l*wo  days  binding,  with  two  men  at  $3iii  rday..  12  00 
'rw'i>  days  shocking.  With  one  man  at  $3  ist  day.  6  i*) 
'I'wo  risj  H  n'!U'l»ig .  ...  . . .  19  00 
Klirbtdays  binding al  $3  |>er  day.... .  2i  00 
’)Vo .and  u  half  tlaj's  idiwkjnp at  $3 per  day  .....  7  6o 
SlackitiK . . .  31  00 
Tlmishing.  6e.  iier  I.Hibhel . . .  81  l/.i 
T'ci)  da)  s  with  seven  men  at  $1.60  jicr  day .  21  1*1 
l.lse  of  land . . . .  87  50 
PROFITS  OF  HOP  GROWING. 
potatoes  than  those  that  wore  planted  shallow, 
the  treatment  in  every  other  resixict  being  the 
same.  Tliey  were  cultivated  on  the  flat  system 
which  always  gives  more  than  when  ridged. — c. 
Deep  planting  may  be  preferable  on  sandy 
soils,  or  in  a  very  diy  season  on  other  lands ;  but 
the  practice  is  not  to  be  conunendixl  without 
quallrtcatJoa.  Wo  know  some  farmers  who  triwl 
deep  planting  and  shallow'  side  by  side  fur  two 
years,  and  abaudonesl  deep  planting  bocanse  the 
crop  was  not  so  good.  In  a  very  wet  season,  as 
last  suminor  was  in  many  locahlicB,  potatoes 
cultivafed  hi  ridges  or  hills  are  less  liable  to  rot 
than  if  grown  altogetlier  on  the  surface,  and 
without  raising  the  soil  about  the  plants.  Tliere 
are  no  positive  rules  about  potato  growing, 
whii'li  ailniit  no  exceptions.  Some  varieties  w  ill 
grow  entirely  out  of  the  groinid  and  bo  Bim- 
bnrni'd,  if  tlie  earth  is  not  (bawn  around  them 
as  the  tubers  liogin  to  fonn.  The  Early  Rose 
and  Peerless  arc  liable  to  this  objection. 
T'»'i)  du)  s  with  seven  men  at  $1.60  jicr  day .  21  1*1 
l's»  uf  land . . . .  87  50 
Uuacii  for  help .  25  3o 
ToUl  eriKt . $.169  00 
Upon  tills  licdd  1  raised  630  bushels,  making 
the  cost  iw  bushel  67  emits. 
It'Ataf  Field  Xo.  4.  eontniiiing  (53  nerr*. 
Plowing,  $1.26  ix.T  acre . . . $78  75 
Bee.d,  ll'i bnidicls  rife  at  ftli:.  per  luishcl . . .  85  60 
SIX  ilJiys  drilling  at  $2.60  per  dit)- .  15  (Kl 
'I'hree  days  dragging  at  $3.ri0  |H:r  (hiy .  7  50 
n.’irvestuiK...... . 144  00 
.sucking . 48  (Kl 
Tliresliiitg,  6iv  lie.r  liiishel .  60  00 
'J'lii-eHliilig,  llirce  diij's’  lalior,  willi  seven  men  at 
$l..‘>o  iiej- day . . . 8!  6o 
fee  tif  land  al  $2.60  per  acre...,,. .  167  6o 
Board  for  help .  48  00 
Total  ctTsl . $076  7u 
UjHiii  this  field  I  raised  1.200  bushd«.  i.iokiug 
tlie  cost  per  bushel  66  cents,  and  the  nri  voi/c  cost 
lar  bushel  of  niy  crop  of  wheat  tvas  .551  cents. 
Our  home  market  l/o-ilay  is  only  80  cviita..^ 
Yours  truly.  F.  L.  Mea<  u  tsrfr 
PlaJnvtew,  Mtnu.,  Jan.  10, 18T6, 
In  j'our  eonmieuts  ni>on  my  article  eneoiirag-  ' 
ing  Hoj)  cultiu'c,  yon  ajJiiear  to  think  me  gener-  ^ 
ous  in  mging  farmers  to  become  cajmpetil/irs  with 
me  in  the  hop  market.  I  would  inform  your 
readers  that,  yoiu'  correspondent  had  no  selfish  , 
motive  to  conceal  what  1  claim  to  be  the  most 
iwrolilahlu  farm  crop  now  cultivated  in  this  coun¬ 
try.  I  have  also  no  ftiai’s  of  the  business  being 
so  quicklj'  overdone.  No  prudent  business  man  | 
should  be  di.scouraged  by  one  year’s  low  prices. 
If  Bueh  a  theory  was  to  lie  followed,  fanners 
might  abandon  iiciuly  all  Ifinds  of  crojis  on  ac¬ 
count  of  low  prices.  Of  course,  we  cannot  exjieet 
that  hght-braiiied  men  would  be  Buceeasful  In  any 
branch  of  biihiiicss.  And  under  discom’agements 
they  would  be  driven  to  and  fro,  like  the  rolling 
stono  that  never  gathers  moss. 
This  x>orld  is  large,  and  a  few  hundred  acres 
of  hops  are  as  but  a  droji  in  (lie  bucket.  Allow  me  * 
to  give  a  little  experience  uism  that  ixiiut.  I 
remember  well  when  my  father  first  started  Hop 
cultiue,  all  the  most  sympathetic  neigliliors  ad¬ 
vised  him  to  abauduu  Faicli  a  foolish  idea,  for  tlio 
reason  Hint  hops  were  such  a  profitable  a'op  that 
every  farmer  would  niBli  into  the  business  and 
would  at  once  spoil  it. 
I  can  look  back  to  the  day  when  there  was  not 
one  farmer  in  a  thousand  who  knew  what  a  hop- 
yard  was,  and  few  hops  cultivated  were  sold  at 
from  6c.  to  16c.  for  .i.  pound,  showing  that  as  the 
number  of  acres  inereaHod  prices  advanced.  To 
jirovo  this,  1  would  <piote  the  Agricultural  Reixirt 
of  1861,  Page  1)7.  as  given  by  Lewis  Roi.lman  of 
the  Department  of  Agi’iculture,  in  wliicb  ho  says: 
“The  entue  crop  of  hops  produced  in  tho  United 
States  has  boon  as  fol.ows:  In  1840,  1,238,502 
pounds;  1850,  3.407.029;  1860,  11.010,012;  and 
as  esliniated  in  1862,  16.000,000.” 
Notwithstanding  this  rapid  increase,  prices 
have  Increased  in  like  ratio.  I  do  not  wish  to  be 
understood  to  advise  fainiers  to  plant  their  whole 
farms  to  hops,  but  to  cultivate  a  few  acres  in 
connection  with  other  crops.  f.  e.  b. 
POTATOES  PLANTED  DEEP. 
ORCHARD  GRASS. 
I  H.vvTi;  had  some  five  or  six  years’  experience 
with  orchard  grass,  and  I  look  ujion  it  as  one  of  ‘ 
the  best  pasture  grasses,  if  not  the  very  best,  in  ' 
this  region  at  least.  It  is  aa  tenacious  as,  and 
much  more  abundant  in  yield  than  the  blue  gTa.Ms, 
As  a  buy  cj'Op  I  don’t  as  yet.  think  much  of  it. 
but  my  experience  in  this  res)H'ct  lias  been  small. 
It  would  probably  pay  pretty  well  as  a  bay  crop  | 
for  home  iginsunipiion,  if  cut  when  the  lilooni  ^ 
first  begins  to  show,  and  then  again  in  the  ! 
middle  or  latter  part  of  September.  The  sterna  I 
are  too  coarse  and  hard  if  left  to  mature  the 
seed.  Always  sow  in  the  spring,  about  the  time 
oi  sowing  oats,  and  always  jilow  as  for  any 
spring  croji  and  harrow  in  thoroughly.  It  is  just 
Kx  necessary  that  it  should  be  tlioroughly  covered  I 
with  soil.  I  always  sow  Ihirl.v-live  isuuids  per  ^ 
acre  when  sown  alone,  tiventy  lo  tweuty-livo 
l»ounds  when  Howing  witli  clover.— W.  8.  O.,  in  | 
IVorlf/. 
i^arm  (tfonomi). 
TESTING  FERTILIZERS, 
The  English  “Cultivator’’  tried  the  experi¬ 
ment  on  several  altci-nate  rows  of  potatoes  about 
30  rods  long,  of  planting  a  part  about  2  or  3 
inches  deep,  and  another  part  5  inches  deep. 
The  latter  produced  from  20  to  25  per  cent,  more  ^ 
Tueke  are  many  reasons  why  it  is  better  for 
the  farmer,  gardener,  nurseriman  or  fruit-grower 
to  purcliase  prepnri’d  fertilizers  rather  than  the 
crude  materials  of  which  they  are  made.  Ho 
oanuot  have  the  machinery  or  other  requisites 
for  properly  rednciiig,  eomixinnding  and  pnlvcr- 
izing,  even  though  lie  jsiss<i.ss  the  necessary 
knowledgo  and  skill.  One  factory  properly  loca¬ 
ted  with  respect  to  supplies  and  transjiortation, 
having  strong  steel  mills  for  grinding,  driven  by 
steam,  with  ample  room  for  storage,  and  with  a 
ninnager  who  comliinos  long  experience  in  the 
business,  with  u  perfect  knowledge  of  the  chem¬ 
ical  conqiosition  of  jilanto,  soils  and  all  materials 
used  in  making  fertilizers, — one  Buch  factory  can 
niannfaetnre  fertiUzers  for  a  thousand  farmers 
at  less  than  one-half  the  cost  at  which  they  could 
do  it  for  themHclvo.4.  The  value  of  a  manure 
depends  botli  on  its  cleuiciitiiry  coiiqxisition  and 
tho  availability  of  ito  fertilizing  elements  for  the 
nso  of  growing  plants,  fi'iido  fertflizei's  con¬ 
tain  a  large  percentage  of  matter  wortliless  in 
a  niannrial  |X)int  of  view,  A  ton  of  ordinaiy 
barnyard  mamu’e  cuutains.  according  to  Prof. 
Goesmann,  tlic  best  nntliority  in  the  country,  as 
given  in  the  Scientilic  Fanner,  1,. 500  lbs.  of  water, 
400  lbs.  of  other  organic  matter,  60  to  80  lbs.  of 
worthloBB  ash.  and  only  20  to  40  lbs.  of  plant 
food. 
Moreover,  much  of  even  this  Bmall  amount  is 
not  available  to  the  growing  plant  until  it  is  thor¬ 
oughly  rotten  and  mixed  with  the  jioil.  This  may 
require  a  year  or  more.  And  yet  tlicso  few 
pounds  of  slowly  dissolving  plant  food  make 
bai’iiyard  maimre  a  fertilizer  (if  sucli  value  that 
the  fai'mcr  can  afford  to  pay  a  Ingh  price  for  it. 
and  haul  it  a  long  distance.  Now,  the  manufao- 
tim  r  of  fertilizers,  gnided  by  tlie  analytical 
cheniisl.  can  prepare,  of  cheap  materials,  a  fer¬ 
tilizer  almost  free  from  water,  100  Iba.  of  whidi 
will  contain  all  the  mauurial  elements  found  in  a 
ton  of  ordinary  barnyard  manure  in  such  a  state 
of  solubility  that  the  plant  will  begin  to  feed 
upon  it  na  soon  us  it  has  roots  to  absorb  it.  and 
BO  pulverized  that  every  spear  of  grass  or  giain 
shall  receive  its  share  of  fixxl.  And  tliis  fertil¬ 
izer  may  be  made  of  waste  products,  and  when 
made  in  large  quantities,  at  so  small  expense  of 
manufoi'tnre.  that  from  five  to  ten  dollars’  worth 
wi'l  serve  to  fei'tilizean  acre,  hauling  and  spread¬ 
ing  included. 
I  hav  e  before  me  the  analysis,  made  by  relia¬ 
ble  chemists,  of  several  deservedly  popular  fer¬ 
tilizers.  I  have,  also,  the  rcivorts  of  field  cxiicri- 
ments  mode  witli  these  fertflizers  by  managers 
of  expci'imcnt  stations,  HgidcnHiiral  college  pro¬ 
fessors  and  f.aviners,  all  of  which  corroborate  my 
statement.  For  example,  the  Buffalo  ammoui- 
ated  l)one  superphospliate  contains,  according  to 
the  analysis  of  Prof.  G.  A.  Liebig,  in  100  lbs., 
over  18  lbs,  of  available  plant  food,  and  leas  than 
13  lbs.  of  watei'.  Tlie  farmer,  then,  has,  in  well- 
4AN.  S.& 
made  concentrated  commercial  fertiUzers,  the 
meauB  of  siieedily  rendering  every  acre  of  hi.s 
land  productive,  however  limited  his  supply  of 
bai'uyard  manure ;  and  he  can  do  this  at  so  small 
an  outlay  that  he  may  safely  borrow  money  for 
the  pnrelmxc,  assured  that  the  increnHe  of  crop 
will  pay  cost,  interest  and  g<xxl  jirolU. 
But  how  shall  the  fanner  know  that  the  maker 
has  put  up  a  good  article,  or  that  the  dealer  has 
not  aduUernkd  it,  or  that  it  is  just  what  his  own 
soil  neixls?  T'hese  ai'c  imjiortunt  questions 
which  the  farmer  should  decide,  and  which,  hap¬ 
pily,  he  may  readily  decide  for  himself  without 
the  aid  of  chemical  analysis.  An  example  will 
show  my  method  o(  testing  Mie  fertilizers  I  use. 
ticvcral  weekH  hufure  planting  lime  I  procured  a 
small  quantity  of  Buffalo  sujx'nihosphate.  I 
filled  two  8-iuch  pots  (boxes  would  answer)  with 
soil  from  a  field  which  I  intended  for  oats. 
With  tho  soil  in  one  jxit  1  mixed  an  ounce  of  the 
fertilizer.  I  planted  eight  phiinp  (lat  kernels  in 
each  iKit,  and  Mien  set  them  in  a  warm  window 
and  kept  the  earth  moist,.  Wlieii  the  plants  were 
about  three  inches  high  I  pulled  up  the  smallest, 
leaving  tlie  best  foiii  plaiih.  in  each.  Before  tho 
time  for  sowing  my  oats  I  nioasured  the  plants 
(MX'iirately,  and  fuimd  those  in  the  fertilized  soil 
to  average  1.5  inches  in  highl,  the  others  10 
inches,  each  dimeiiKion  of  the.  former  being  fully 
l,hj  times  that  of  tho  lalU-.r,  making  the  bulk  or 
weight  3%  timcA  as  great  Fi'om  this  experi¬ 
ment  I  inferred  that  it  would  be  a  good  invest¬ 
ment  to  use  tin*  fertilizer,  and  the  result  justified 
the  inference.  For  every  dollar’s  worth  of  fer¬ 
tilizer  used  I  got,  in  increased  yield.  worth  of 
oats  at  40  cents  a  bushel,  and  a  torre8{K)nding 
increase  in  Btrav.-, 
Farmers,  you  may  be  sun:  of  Miis,  that  concen¬ 
trated  fertilizers  can  be  made  at  a  price  which 
yon  can  afford  to  pay,  and  that  you  have,  at  your 
own  conmiand.  tho  test  fordetonniriing  the  value 
to  yourself  of  tlie  fertiliziTs  offered  yon.  Diu'ing 
tlie  snnmier  season  these  test  experiments  may 
be  made  in  the  open  air.  Let  all  be  done  with 
care,  with  acciu'ato  weights  and  iiieasureB,  and 
the  most  important  x'esults  will  follow. 
C.  H.  Dann. 
SPENT  HOPS  AS  MANURE. 
Ed.  of  Rural:-  Will  yon  inform  mo  through 
the  columns  of  the  Rural  whnt  is  the  value  of 
spent  hoiis  from  a  brewery  us  a  fertilizer,  tak¬ 
ing  stable  manure  at  ner  cord  for  a  basis. 
ing  stable  manure  at  i'?  per  cord  for  a  basis. 
Exjicnsc  of  carting,  Ac.,  Ixing  equal. — Scb- 
NCRiiiER,  Mnnlm-tt,  It.!.,  Jon.Hth,  1870. 
tii'ENT  hops  contain  considerable  fertilizing 
iiiattei'.  and,  wlieii  jiartially  rotted,  it  is  in  form 
for  immediate  use.  making  it  much  more  valua¬ 
ble  than  nnalysiH  would  sliovr.  Kix:n(  hops  are 
very  light,  and.  of  course,  in  eipial  bulk  with 
stable  manure,  would  i\eigli  much  less.  They 
decoinjxise  rapidly,  and  serve  an  excellent  pur- 
jMise  hi  ameliorating  heavy  and  hard  soils.  Mar¬ 
ket  gardeners,  whose  land  is  too  costly  to  allow 
them  to  grow  clover  for  plowing  under,  use 
refuse  hops  to  keep  their  land  in  condition. 
Tliey  find  that  where  the  soil  i*  manured,  more 
or  loss  every  year,  an  wcnsional  alternation  with 
sjicut  hops  gives  better  rcMilte  tliaii  using  all 
stalilo  maimre.  We  Judge,  however,  that  where 
fanners  kecii  their  land  light  by  use  of  clover  the 
hoiw  could  well  be  dispensed  with,  and,  in  such 
circumstances,  their  value  per  load  or  ton  would 
be  mnch  less  than  it  is  to  market  gardeners. 
Tlie  quantity  of  siK'iit  Iiotw  obtainable  is  compar¬ 
atively  limited,  and  gardeners  can,  and  generally 
do,  pay  more  than  ordinary  farming  will  afford. 
Decaying  vegetable  matter  of  any  kind  is  of  less 
imixirtancc  to  the  farmer  tlian  to  the  gardener, 
for  the  farmer  can  secure  abundance  of  carbona¬ 
ceous  matter  much  more  cheaply  than  in  the 
fomi  of  refuse  hops.  The  fanner’s  chief  need  is 
niiiiea'al  and  iiiti'ogenous  fertilizers.  With  these 
he  can  grow  clover,  and  di'iieud  on  that  for  all 
additional  fertility  noeded. 
Though  market  gardeners  use  spent  hops 
hirgcly,  it  is  vei’y  seldom  that  they  are  applied  as 
general  manure^  The  moiD  frequent  plan  is  to 
UFO  tho  spent  hops  in  beating  hot-beds,  as  they 
render  the  soil  loose  and  pliable,  and,  after  being 
thoroughly  decomposed,  spent  hops  themselves 
are  excellent  material  for  beds  in  which  to  sow 
seeds  or  grow  small  plants. 
EARTH  CLOSETS. 
The  best  one  is  a  simple  commode,  or  box,  the 
projjer  bight,  with  a  hole  in  it  and  a  lid  on 
hinges  to  cover  it.  A  common  wooden  bucket  is 
placed  uuderueath.  or  any  kind  of  receptacle,  fill¬ 
ed  witli  common  road-dust,  perfectly  di'y,  may  be 
used.  The  apparatus  may  ho  kept  and  used  in 
any  bod-room.  All  that  is  necessary,  after  using, 
is  to  throw  a  little  dry  dust  into  the  bucket  and 
shut  down  the  lid. 
For  very  old  or  infirm  peoiile,  invalids  or 
delicate  women  and  children  this  arrangement 
is  not  only  a  convenience,  but  a  comfort,  if  not  a 
necessity.  Tlie  contents  of  the  bucket  make  a 
very  rich  manure,  as  is  well  understood  by  the 
Clitoese  and  Japanese  who  are  far  ahead  of  us 
on  these  matters. — Exchange, 
I 
i: 
