It  is  very  e&sy  to  flatter  ourselves  tkat  results 
accord  with  our  aims  and  desires,  but  it  is  quite 
a  different  thing  to  be  certain  of  it,  therefore  it 
is  usually  safe  to  prefix  our  assertions,  in  regard 
to  crosses  and  hybrids,  with  a  “  supposed  to  be, 
unless  precautionary  measures  were  adopted  that 
did  effectually  prevent  any  mistake  or  outside 
interferejice  with  oiu-  operations. 
and  also  in  ’74,  but  would  have  had  enough  grain 
to  have  wintered  our  stock  were  it  not  for  the 
grasshoppers. 
One  of  our  must  important  crops  is  the  praiiie 
grass  which  our  broad,  rolling  prairies  are  sup¬ 
plied  with,  for  it  and  cattle  constitute  the  wealth 
of  Die  people.  Stock  run  at  large  from  April 
tUl  Octol>er  without  costing  the  owner  a  cent, 
and  come  in  in  the  fall  fat  and  sleek ;  then  they 
shut  their  steers  up,  feed  corn,  and  thereby  get 
about  50  cents  for  it ;  otherwise  they  would  uot 
HYBKIDIZIHQ  AND  CROSSING  PLANTS, 
OUR  PUBLIC  ROADS 
A1.MO8T  every  day  in  the  week  we  have  some 
new  fruit,  flower  or  plant  brought  to  our  notice, 
wliich  is  claimed  to  be  the  result  of  ailificial  hy¬ 
bridization  or  crossing.  Now,  while  we  do  not 
desire  to  throw  ‘  ■  cold  water  ”  on  such  production, 
Dansvillk,  March  16,  1876. 
Mu.  D.  D.  T.  Mooue.— i)ear  Sir:  Some  weeks 
ago  you  had  a  couple  of  arDcles  on  the  subject 
of  “  Highways,”  and  1  have  looked  through  all 
the  numbers  of  the  RuKsn  Nem’-YoUkeis  since  in 
the  hope  that  J  should  sec  a  continuation  of  the 
subject  until  something  was  brought  about  that 
would  give  us  bettor  roads.  My  neighbors  and 
myself  arc  about  shut  ii))  at  home  iu  conse¬ 
quence  of  the  jiGor  condition  of  the  roads. 
Sometimes  they  are  too  muddy,  and  at  others 
frozen  and  rough,  lilany  of  us  have  become 
satisfied  that  that  the  common  soil  scraped  from 
the  sides  and  put  in  the  middle  of  the  road  is  not 
sulUcieiit-  lhat  stone  or  gravel,  or  both,  are 
necessary  to  be  added  in  order  to  make  a  .road¬ 
bed  that,  will  answer  through  the  fall,  winter 
and  spring.  We  also  believe  that  if  you  and 
other  influoutial  men  would  give  the  subject 
more  attention,  iu  a  vcj7  short  time  a  system  of 
improvement  would  be  planned  which  would  in  a 
few  yeai's  give  us  good  roads  without  burdening 
us  to  any  gi'eat  extent.  '•  In  the  midst  of  coun¬ 
selors  there  is  safety." 
This  question  may  look  different  from  other 
standpoints,  but  from  mine  it  seems  as  though 
each  laud  owner  should  he  required  to  build  the 
road  across  liis  premises.  1  believe  that  this 
will  be  found,  uftei'  full  consideration  of  the 
subject,  to  present  the  fewest  objections.  I  am 
iiware  that  to  jiroperly  grade  and  tiirupiko  the 
road-bed  and  then  cover  the  coutor  wlD*  broken 
stone  and  gravel  w  ill  take  some  labor ;  but  the 
result  would  juBtify  the  expense,  llnwiness  can¬ 
not  be  carried  on  with  profit  to  men  or  with 
anyUiing  apiirooohing  humanity  to  animals  over 
such  roads  as  wo  have  six  mouths  in  the  year. 
1  re.speotfully  submit  for  your  consideration  a 
plan  that  a  mutiber  of  us  believe  bettor  suited  to 
the  purpose  than  any  oUier  we  have  seen  sug¬ 
gested,  and  it  has  this  great  desidtralnm  in  its 
favor — it  requires  no  money  tax ; 
1.  Have  a  hiw  passed  requu-ing  every  land 
owner  to  build  the  road  across  his  premises. 
2.  Do  away  with  path  musters  and  the  present 
assessments  according  to  valuaDon,  or  what  is 
known  as  statute  labor. 
3.  Let  this  law  miiiutely  state  how  tho  ronds 
shall  be  graded'  how  wide  the  dfi’t  road  shall  he 
built. — how  wide  the  stone  shall  bo  spread  on  top 
of  the  dirt  turnpilm-  -how  lino  those  stones  shall 
be  broken — how  thick  the  stonework  must  be  in 
the  center  and  how  thick  at  the  outer  edges — 
how  thick  a  coat  of  gravel  must  bo  spread  on  top 
of  these  stones. 
4.  Lot  this  law  state  the  Inghost  grade  allowa¬ 
ble  in  hilly  parts  of  the  country. 
5.  Make  land  owners  responsible  for  accidents 
caused  by  neglect  to  keep  the  road  iu  repaii-. 
All  dangerous  places  ut  the  side  of  the  road 
must  be  fixed  so  that  no  accident  can  happen. 
In  short,  give  m  a  road  law  that  when  fully 
can-ied  out  will  give  us  for  all  time  to  come  first- 
rate  highways,  thus  furnishing  at  all  times  of 
the  yeai-  a  pleasant  means  of  corannmication  be¬ 
tween  business  places,  villages,  churches,  schools, 
and  inhabitants.  'The  advantages  to  the  people 
would  be  a  bmuh'od  times  the  cost  of  construc¬ 
tion.  Other  countries  whoso  citizens  were  not 
as  well  prepared  to  bear  the  expense  as  we  arc 
have  built  stone  roads.  Those  roads  could  be 
built  at  times  when  other  work  was  not  pressing. 
Let  there  he  a  specified  time  within  wliich  these 
roads  shall  bo  completed— say  five,  eight  or  ten 
years — requiilng  every  owner  to  buUd  one-fiftb 
or  one-tenth,  aa  thought  proper,  each  year,  until 
the  conipltotion  of  the  road,  or  roads. 
A  Reader  or  the  Rural. 
COWPER  AS  A  GARDENER 
The  London  Garden  finds  in  the  *■  Ufe  of 
Cowper”  the  following: — “Gardening  was,  of 
aU  employments,  lhat  in  which  I  succeeded  best, 
thougb  oven  in  this  I  did  iiot.  suddenly  attain 
peifectmu.  1  began  with  Lettuces  aud  Cauli¬ 
flowers  ;  from  thence  I  proceeded  to  Cucumbers, 
next  to  Melons.  1  then  piuchased  an  Orange 
tree  to  which,  in  due  time,  I  added  three  Myi- 
tles.  The.se  served  me  day  and  night  for  em- 
plovnicut  for  a  whole  winter.  To  defend  them 
from  the  frost  iu  a  situation  that  exposed  them 
to  its  severity,  cost  me  miicli  ingenuity  and  much 
atteudame.  I  continued  to  give  them  fii’e-heat, 
and  have  waded  niglit  after  night,  through  the 
snow,  (  With  the  bellows  nuder  my  anu,^  justbe- 
IMPROVED  MACHINERY  POK  PLOWING 
THE  DEERE  QANG  AND  SULKY  PLOWS 
STJLKY  rLOW.  j 
or  allay  Die  “fever'  of  ccrtoin  enthusiastic  manip¬ 
ulators  who  lay  claims  to  being  the  originators  of 
any  particular  hybrid  or  cross  between  difl’erent 
species  or  varieties,  still  we  often  feel  inclined  to 
asJc,  “how  do  you  know  that  certain  operations 
produced  certain  results  T' 
For  instance,  w  e  have  frequently  heard  sti’aw- 
heny  grower.s  tell  how  they  produce  new  sorts, 
supposed  to  be  crosses  between  two  distinct  va¬ 
rieties,  by  operating  somewhat  as  follows :  A 
plant,  perhaps  of  the  Uovey,  is  selected  for  the 
female  plant,  as  this  is  a  pistillated  variety,  which 
will  uot  bear  berries  or  seed  unless  Drc  flowers 
are  fertilized  by  pollen  from  some  perfect  flovN  cl¬ 
ing  or  hennaptoodito  sort,  consequently,  »f  seed 
is  obtained  from  it,  it  is  pretty  good  proof  that 
cross  fertilization  has  taken  place.  Well,  a  plant 
of  Dlls  variety  is  set  out  ni  some  secluded  spot  iu 
the  garden,  remote  from  any  other  strawberries, 
and  alongside  of  it  another  is  planted,  but  of  a 
different  sort,  for  instance,  Wilstni's  Albany, 
w'hieh  lias  perfect  flowers,  containing  both  stu- 
mens  and  pistils. 
Of  coux'se,  w’heu  both  come  into  bloom  at  the 
same  tinn.t,  the  pollen  from  the  Wilson  would  be 
more  likely  to  reach  the  pistils  in  the  flowers  of 
the  IJoviry  than  any  from  plants  growing  at  a 
distance  of  a  half  a  dozen  rods,  or  a  mile,  still, 
if  left  to  itself,  there  is  no  certainty  that  such 
cross  feiiilizatiou  will  take  place.  But  a  majori¬ 
ty  of  those  who  have  raised  new  voi'ieties  of  the 
strawberry  would  jump  at  the  conclusion  that  it 
meant  no  belter  proof  of  the  fact  that  the  pollen 
from  the  flowers  of  the  H  ilson  had  fructified 
those  of  the  Hovey  tliau  the  presence  of  heniee 
on  tSe  latter.  They  would  overlook  the  fact,  tliat 
a  big  bug,  beetle,  or  other  insect  may  have  drag¬ 
gled  itself  iu  the  pollen  of  some  .sti-awbeivy  flower 
in  a  neighbor’s  gaidcn  aud  then  flown  dhectly  to 
this  isolated  plant  of  the  Uovey,  scattering  jiol- 
len  grains  over  its  fertilizing  each  tlior- 
oughly  and  elToctually. 
The  Bw>d  from  the  Uocey  being  saved  aud  sown 
in  the  ordinary  manner,  each  would  produce  a 
different  sort,  no  matter  whether  one  of  its  par¬ 
ents  was  the  Wihton  or  something  else.  If  any 
should  prove  to  he  valuable  the  raisers  would  be 
very  likely  to  claim  that  it  was  a  cross  b'ctween 
the  WUson's  Albany  aud  H*vey's  Sidling.  But, 
under  the  loose  system  of  inampulation  that  we 
have  described,  (which  is  a  fair  sample  of  how 
such  things  are  frequently  done)  how  can  the 
raiser  Icnow  that  it  is  a  cross  between  the  two 
sorts  named. 
Now  to  be  oertaiu  in  regard  to  results  in  cross¬ 
ing  or  hybridizing  plants,  tho  ilowers  to  be  fe¬ 
cundated  must  be  fully  pi'otected  from  the  visits 
of  iusects,  whicli  is  a  somewhat  difficult  matter 
in  the  open  air  and  iu  the  presence  of  minute 
species,  w  hich  readily  pass  through  the  meslies 
of  even  common  mosquito  netting.  We  have 
expei'icnced  more  or  less  dithculty  upon  this 
scoi-e.  for  when  we  placed  veiy  close-woven  nets 
over  the  flowers  the  shade  destroyed  the  func¬ 
tions  of  the  pistils,  and  coarse  nets  admitted  in¬ 
truders  that  sadly  interferred  with  our  operations. 
DEKR-K  OA.D^<3t  AND 
have  received  mure  than  2,5  conls.  There  is 
nothing  made  hero  raising  grain  alone  for  mar¬ 
ket,  for  it  costs  too  much  to  get  It  there,  but  it 
pavB  when  fed  to  cattle  aud  hogs.  Any  kind  of 
farming,  raising  cattle  and  hugs,  butter  and 
cheese  maldng,  wool  growing,  and  the  like,  ai'e 
very  profitalile  when  properly  managed,  for  not 
ordy  can  animals  live  and  get  fat  in  summer,  but 
they  can  be  carried  through  the  winter  in  pretty 
good  flesh  when  they  arc  fed  all  the  jirairio  hay 
they  can  cat,  with  picuty  of  salt  and  water.  So 
you  see  our  prauie  grass  is  very  valu.able. 
llie  northeasteni  part  of  this  State  is  very 
healthy;  sometimes  a  little  ague,  but  seldom. 
The  wiud,  at  times,  blows  here  almost  strong 
enough  to  take  the  hair  off  a  man’s  head ;  but 
we  are  used  to  it,  and  so  don’t  mind  it.  The 
weather  has  been  very  pleasant  this  wintca-. 
Farmers  have  been  plowing  and  grubbing  almost 
every  week.  But  this  is  .an  exception.  Wo  gen¬ 
erally  have  from  one  to  three  weeks’  sleigh- 
riding  during  the  winter.  For  our  soil  you  cun 
judge  fi-om  the  amount  of  com  it  produces,  and 
that  without  manure.  It  is  a  sandy  loam,  how¬ 
ever,  three  to  five  feet  deep  m  the  bottoms,  and 
one  to  three  on  the  uplands.  e.  3.  b. 
pmiug  men  lave  oeen  averse  lu  laumug, 
been  the  impossibility  of  condneting  it  on  the 
large  and  magnificent  scale  on  which  other  avo¬ 
cations  are  managed.  No  matter  how  large  a 
farm  a  man  might  own,  he  wa#  obhged  to  plow, 
cultivate  and  harvest  by  the  slow  processes  which 
imaller  farmers  adopt,  aud  could  only  get  a  large 
amount,  of  work  done  by  a  i>roportionatoly  large 
aud  expensive  amount  of  hired  labor.  Mowing 
aud  reaping  machines  and  other  farm  implements 
have  long  since  overcome  this  difticulty  for  most 
farai  operations .  Imt  until  recently  plowing  has 
been  an  exception,  and  the  slow  work  of  follow¬ 
ing  the  w'eary  round  of  tJic  furrow  at  the  rate  of 
one  to  two  acres  per  day,  lias  been  the  lot  of 
small  farmers  and  large  alike. 
We  are  glad  to  note  the  reverse  of  this,  giving 
capital  aud  enterprise  the  same  advantages  iu 
plowing  that  are  enjoyed  iu  other  fann  opera¬ 
tions.  The  Deere  Gang  Plow,  manufactured  by 
three  to  four  horses,  to  turu  m  gooa  order  nve 
to  six  aei-es  of  soil  per  day ,  We  give  on  this  page 
an  illustration  of  this  plow,  by  which  its  method 
of  operation  will  be  readily  seen.  The  ifiows  are 
firmly  fixed  in  an  iron  framework,  aud  work  with 
the  least  possible  diaft.  The  driver  aits  in  front 
and  regulates  the  depth  of  the  plow,  or  can  hft 
it  out  altogether  at  the  end  ot  a  laud  by  means 
of  a  lever.  The  tongue  is  fastened  iu  the  beam 
by  a  swivel  holt,  giving  it  fi'ee  motion  aud  re- 
heving  the  horses’  necks  from  all  pressme  ex¬ 
cept  the  weight  of  the  tongue  itself,  which  is  of 
wood.  The  frame,  beams  and  wheels  are  all  iron, 
insuring  the  gi'eatest  possible  dm'ability  and  ex¬ 
emption  from  bi-eakage.  These  plows  are  al¬ 
ready  extensively  used  in  the  West,  aud  in  some 
tests  have  shown  lighter  draft  and  a  better  scale 
of  jxiiuts  than  au)'  of  then’  competitorH.  Among 
their  certificates  is  one  Irom  Landbeth  A  Son, 
who  use  It  on  their  seed  furms  iu  Peimsylvania, 
plowing  nearly  Irie  acres  ten  inches  deep  in  ten 
hours  with  throe  mules,  and  on  another  occasion 
plowing  an  acre  and  a  fraction  iu  two  hours. 
Messrs.  Deere  A  Co.  also  manufacture  the 
“  Gilpin,”  a  sulky  plow  cutting  only  one  tuiTow 
and  easily  worked  with  three  horse,?.  This,  like 
the  Deere  Gang,  is  of  recent  intiodnction,  but  is 
already  finding  favor  with  farmers  who  do  not  find 
a  virtue  iu  doing  woi'k  the  hardest  way  when  it 
may  just  as  well  he  done  more  pleasanDy. 
These  plows,  together  ivith  numerous  others, 
by  the  same  makers,  aiu  sold  by  R.  H.  Aljlen* 
A  Co.,  Nos.  189  ami  191  Water  ftreet,  New 
York  city,  who  will  send  descriptive  circulars 
aud  price  lists  on  application.  The  hnportance 
of  the  Gang  Plow  m  doubling  the  working 
force  of  the  farm  during  the  busy  season 
of  ploiving  aud  preparing  the  land  for  crops, 
ought  to,  and  probably  will,  induce  a  large  sale 
the  coming  season.  Those_  wishing  plows  of  this 
land,  or  foither  infoi-matiou  on  the  subject, 
should  order’  soon,  that  Dicy  may  have  time  to 
t.hink  the  matter  over  before  the  busy  season 
commences. 
LARGE  FARMS  IN  ENGLAND 
Referexce  to  the  big  farms  iu  lUinois — 40,000 
acres.  18  in  corn,  5  in  oats  and  flax,  and  the  rest 
in  grass — has  recalled  a  notice  of  tho  London 
Spectator,  from  the  Domesday  Book  of  Scotland, 
which  has  a  list  of  these  landlords  who  each  own 
more  than  20,000  acres  of  land  in  that  country. 
The  result  is  tliat  one  man  alone,  iu  his  oivn  and 
wife’s  right  holds  more  than  a  fifteenth  of  the 
entire  area  of  the  Kingdom,  and  twelve  men  own 
nearly  a  third;  a  proportion  probably  oxceulmg 
anything  iu  Western  Europe.  No  less  than  106 
hold  more  than  50,000  each.  The  11  who  own 
the  hugest  amounts  of  land  arc ;  Tho  Duke  of 
Butherlaud,  1,176.341  acres;  Dutchess  of 
Sutherland.  140,879  acres;  Sir.  J.  Matliesou, 
406,070  acres ;  Mr,  A.  Mathesou,  220,632  acres ; 
Duke  of  Buccleugh,  4’32,183  acres ;  Eai  J  of 
Seafleld.  306,000  acres ;  Mi’.  Evan  Baillic.  306,000 
acres :  Earl  of  Staii-,  270,000  acr  es ;  Duke  of  Ath- 
ole,  134,000  acres;  Sii’  K.  MocKenzie  of  Gair- 
look,  164.680  acres;  Macleod  of  Macleod.  141,- 
7LHj  acres.  The  old  idea  that  the  Duke  of 
Sutherland  owns  an  entire  comity  is  not  true, 
but  the  Duke,  with  lus  wife,  the  Countess  of 
Croinartie,  owns  more  than  the  entii-e  sm'face  of 
any  comity  in  England,  except  Yorkshire  and 
NOTES  FROM  KANSAS 
We  thought  w'e  would  write  a  few  hues  to  let 
Eastern  people  know  how  this  droiiDiy,  chintz- 
bng-eaten,  grasahopper-eaten  and  weather-beat¬ 
en  Kansas  (so  called)  is  getting  aloug.  We  had 
grasshoppers  in  ’74,  we  don't  deny.  They  ^ame 
on  Die  9th  of  August,  about  uoon,  falling  as 
thick  and  fast  a.s  a  moderate  snow-storm.  By 
evening  they  had  stripped  every  blade  from  the 
corn-stalks,  as  when  they  have  boon  pastured 
over  winter.  With  tho  diouth  they  ruined  om- 
corn,  it  being  just  in  roasting  oars,  but  small 
grain  was  harvested  earlier  and  was  very  good. 
After  they  had  stripped  evcryDiing,  they  loft,  but 
they  did  not  carry  their  eggs  wiDi  them,  which 
hatched  out  Die  next  spring,  '75,  desti’oying 
small  gi-ain  and  corn  in  some  localities.  Despite 
all.  we  obtained  an  iiiimonse  corn  crop,  after 
planting  two  or  thi-ee  times,  Oats,  oiie-third 
crop ;  rye,  one-third ;  potatoes  good ;  sorghum 
Last  Year  the  United  Kingdom  had  2.874.290 
acres  of  root  crops  (not  including  potatoes),  and 
this  year,  it  is  believed,  83  per  cent,  more,  and 
wort.h.  according  to  estimate,  fully  §163,000.000 
in  gold.  A  good  Qeal  yA  money,  sui’cly,  and  that 
too  for  a  product  the  value  of  which  American 
farmers,  as  a  class,  have  not  yet  learned  to  ap¬ 
preciate. — T}~ibune. 
