m 
FEB. 28 
available as food. A circular before us from the 
Bowker Fertilizer Company of Boston and New 
York, gives an illustration of the growing de¬ 
mand for commercial manures in this country. 
The business was commenced in 187S when fifty 
tons only were Bold. Several years after, the 
Stockbridge manures were introduced and the 
sale amounted to about one thousand tons for 
the year. In 1878 additional extensive works 
were erected, capable of turning out 100 tons 
of mixed fertilizer a day, and in duly last the 
capital stock, as we learn, was increased to 
8400,000, and new works erected at New York. 
Last year 15,000 tons of fei tilizers were manu¬ 
factured and sold by thi6 firm alone. As a 
rule, the value of commercial fertilizers can 
not be ascertained in one season. Yet in 
favorable seasons, their eliects are ofttimes 
very manifest. The Rural Farm has not, as 
yet, made any tests with them which have 
either enabled us to answer the question 
as to what special fertilizer our eoil most 
stands in need of, or to what extent any 
crop has been benefited by manures specially 
prepared for such crops. It is evident that 
to render such tests of any positive value, 
the 60 il must be uniform and an unmanured 
plot must be cultivated and planted in precise¬ 
ly the same way as the manured plot. Until 
farmers are willing to put themselves to this 
trouble, they cau never arrive at trustworthy 
conclusions. We propose next Spring, ac¬ 
cording to the plan indicated, to test upon 
corn and oats at least, and possibly upon 
Spring wheat and potatoes, the concentrated 
fertilizers purchased from several of our lead¬ 
ing houses and to publish the results whatever 
they may prove to be. . . *. 
Opr venerable friend, Mr. 8, B. Peck, of 
Michigau, makes the following request:—“ I 
wish some one of ihe thousands of patrons of 
the Rubai, would give, in the latter, a descrip¬ 
tion of the grape rot, its appearance, time of 
its advent, its effect upon the fruit and the 
plant, and whatever they may know of its 
causes. I have read much of its prevalence in 
certain sections, and of its blasting effects, es¬ 
pecially the report of Mr. Taylor, the Govern¬ 
ment microscopist, of his examinations as to 
its cause in New Jersey but have never, to my 
recollection, seen a full description of it.” . . . 
ANENTthe "Great Cuzco Corn” we have 
received the following communication which 
explains itself. All attentive readers of the 
Rural New Yorker should remember that 
we tested this corn and reported that it was 
worthless, in time to have guarded them 
against its purchase: 
" I see in different papers that this big corn 
humbug is still alive. I will give my experi¬ 
ence with it for the benefit of Rubai, readers. 
I received twelve or fourteen grains from a 
man in Spritcfield, Ohio, for which 1 paid him 
twenty-five cents. 1 planted half about the 
18ih of April with some other coru beside 6ome 
Blount Corn. After it grew to be knee-high, I 
could easily see differences. It grew stronger ; 
the taseel came out differently. 1 watched for 
theear, but no ear came. It crooked over and 
put out brace-roots at every joint for five feet 
high. I began to think the ear had changed 
Into roots The balance I planted about the 
15th of May. It grew the same as the first, 
and as it stood ou very high ground. I let it 
remain till the frost killed it. Oue stalk had a 
small ear covered by a half-inch thick busk. The 
cob was about three iuebes long, with half a 
dozen thick, flat grains in a milky state. Now 
I think that any man that will advertise such 
a cheat, ought to he ashamed of himself, for it 
is simply a humbug. Geo. Kraft. 
Litchfield Co., Mich. 
Fat Cattle at Fairs. —At a recent meeting 
of Kentish farmers in England, Lord Harris 
said he wished to know if the fattening oi 
beasts as conducted at the present day was a 
lucrative business to the farmer, because he 
could not help thinking that this was a time 
when the pursuit of agriculture ought to be 
conducted ou very economical principles. 
When at the cattle show that day, it so hap¬ 
pened that as the fat cattle were being led 
around the ring a gentleman pointed oat to 
him a vejy fine animal, of which be was the 
exhibitor. A person Blanding near by said he 
would like to know how much it had cost him 
to fatten that beast. The exhibitor made no 
reply, but held up his hands and walked 
away. If Lord Harris should ever happen to 
visit this country and attend any of our cattle 
shows, he would find it just as difficult to learn 
the cost of the fat on their bones as he does 
in England. The cost is seldom taken into 
account when our farmers are preparing stock 
or anything else for the show, and this is just 
why 6o little practical information is to be 
obtained at our great and expensive annual 
fairs.—N. Y. Sun. 
We find the following in the London Mark 
L lie Express. Anyone who desires to under¬ 
stand the causes of the bitter feeling which 
most Irishmen entertain towards England and 
THE BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
English owners of land in their country should 
road a pamphlet written by Mr. T. M. Healy, 
M. P,, entitled “ Why there is an Irish Land 
Question and an Irish Land League.” It is 
chiefly a compilation of quotations from va¬ 
rious writers and public speakers, and is all 
the more telling on that account, No more 
damning indictment of the treatment of Ire¬ 
land by England could well be conceived. It 
is true that the most horrible records relate to 
a period long past; but feuds are often here¬ 
ditary, and England has riot yet half atoned 
for her crimes against Ireland. Moreover, 
since 1S70 no fewer than twentv-nine Bills re¬ 
lating to land in Ireland have been brought 
forward in the House of Commons, and either 
rejected, dropped, or withdrawn. The 
pamphlet is published by Gill and Son, of 
Dublin, and is sold at a shilling. Of course 
it gives only one side of the case; but then 
there is only one side to a great portion of the 
case of Ireland. 
Col. Curtis says, in the N. Y. Tribune, the 
farmers wonder how he can winter his pigs so 
well on raw roots. It is, he emphatically re¬ 
plies, because his pig-house is warm ! That 
word tells the whole story. 
Ninety-nine stables out of a hundred are 
full of cracks and holts, the Colonel says, and 
the manure freezes under the cattle’s feet. 
What a preposterous notion that cattle should 
be turned out of such places to get fresh air ! 
Equally ridiculous is the idea that they must 
be turned in the yard for “exercise” where 
they do not average a walk of 10 rods a day! 
He knows from practical experience that cat¬ 
tle are more liable to accidents while left in the 
yard than if kept in the stable, and be knows 
that cattle mill keep in as good condition in a com¬ 
fortable stable on half the feed This is the testi¬ 
mony of farmers who have changed their prac- 
lico from the out-door to the In-door system. 
E Y. Teas, of Indiana, has produced a beau¬ 
tifully variegated form of the Sugar Maple. 
The original tree, as we learn from the Botan¬ 
ical Index, has grown to a large size and still 
holds its variegation during the entire Sum¬ 
mer. It is being propagated for sale, . . . 
(gtmrpjwf. 
NOTES FROM EASTERN OHIO. 
We are having the closest Winter in Eastern 
Ohio that has been tor 25 years. In the WiDter 
of '55 and ’56 the Ohio River was frozen over 
three times, and it is now closed the third time 
this Winter. Cold weather set in last Fall, the 
middle of November ; since that time there has 
never been mud on the roads, and, with the 
exception of about ten davs, the ground has 
oeen covered with snow. The first snow now 
on the ground fell on the night of December 
It), and Biuce theu the sleighing has been excel¬ 
lent except for the past week the roads have 
become so badly drifted in the lanes that travel 
has been somewhat Interfered with. The week 
between Christmas and New Feat’s was in¬ 
tensely cold, but since then it has been pleas¬ 
ant Winter weather, until this week the mer¬ 
cury has gone down as low as 80 degrees below 
zero. 
1 never saw more corn in the fields at this 
season of JLhe year than at the present time; 
but farmers are commencing to haul it into 
barns to husk, iu order to get the lodder. 
Owing to the drouth last Summer the hay crop 
was a very short one, and with such a hard 
Winter it will be fed np very close, and is caus¬ 
ing people to utilize wheat aud oat straw, 
which is fed to all kinds of stock. Sheep and 
cattle were sold off veiy close last Fall. A 
great many of the former were bought by 
Western men and shipped to Kansas and Ne¬ 
braska. but with ail Ihe drawbacks which it 
has been subjected to of late the sheep and 
wool interest in Ohio was never in a more 
prosperous condition. The American Merino 
has got the lead, and is brought to a state of 
perfection unsurpassed in any portion of the 
United States. There are but few sheep or 
cattle being fed for market, aud the prospect 
is certainly very encouraging for good prices 
iu the future. Although the bulk of last year’s 
wool clip is sold, there are yet a good many 
lots still in the hands of growers. The prices 
realized ranged from 40 to 46 cents per pound 
washed on sheep. 
There has been an immense quantity of 
wheat put into market since snow fell aud the 
bulk of last season's crop is sold. Prospects 
for ihe coming crop are not as favorable as 
desired, but it has been pretty well protected 
by the Mffiw. I think there is danger from the 
heavy crust which is on the snow, of some of it 
being Binotbered. 
There was a great scarcity of water for 
stock during the early part of the Winter, out 
with an occasional rain the springs have been 
replenished, and there is now no trouble in 
that direction. The general health of the 
county is good, with fair prospects of pros¬ 
perous times, and people mostly seem disposed 
to make the best of everything. 
Irondale, O. m. n. b. 
NEBRASKA FIELD NOTES. 
In 1879 four acres in field No. 1 were plowed 
six inches deep with a Btirring plow aud sown 
to Hungarian Grass at the rate of half a bushel 
per acre. A week later eight acres in the same 
field were sown and cultivated In the same 
manner save the plowing, which was cot over 
three inches deep. The four acres yielded 
twelve tons of hay free from weeds and other 
grass. Tho eight acres yielded about four tons 
of hay, a largo amount of weeds and what the 
renter called Foxtail Grass. The marked dif¬ 
ference in results cauuot wholly be attributed 
to deep plowing. After the four acres, but 
before the eight acres were sown, a heavy rain 
fell. The smaller plat was lying up loose and 
mellow, and it drank in a very large per cent, 
of tho rain-fall. H there were weed seeds in 
the soil the rapidly-growing grass gave them 
no opporluuily to gciminate. On the un¬ 
plowed ground and shallow-plowed ground a 
much larger per cent, of the rain-fall ran 
away, the grass 6eed was slow to come up aud 
the weeds triumphed. 
The Winter of 1879 and ’80 was extremely 
dry as was the Spring and early Summer of 
’80. In March '80 I began plowing for corn 
these two plats, or rather the entire field, run¬ 
ning the plow iu au opposite direction. I 
found uo difficulty in plowing six inches across 
the four acres, hut found it almost impossible 
to force Ihe plow to a proper dopth whore the 
plowing was shallow the preceding year. On 
the four acres the corn made a pretty even 
start, but was killed by subsequent drought. 
On the eight acres not one kernel In a hundred 
made a start. Seeing that the corn must prove 
a failure I allowed the grass to grow and took, 
thanks to late copious rains, about oue ton per 
acre from the four acres, aud about a half ton 
per acre from the eight. My neighbors thought 
I was ruining my land by letting the Foxtail 
get such a hold: but my hay this year is worth 
six dollars per ton I am wintering ten cows 
on the hay and it seems to be “A No. 1” for 
them. r. h. c. 
RURAL 8PECIAL REPORTS. 
Cal., Carpeuteria, Santa Barbara Co., Feb. 
4.—The season has opem-d fine indeed for 
us Californians. The rains came ju6tatthe 
right time. Weeds, grass, volunteer grain, etc., 
etc., afford ydenty of rich, succulent food lor 
cows and other stock that have the privilege of 
picking up a livelihood. Farmers are busy 
plowiug, sowing grain and flax seed, planting 
fruit trees, etc.., etc. Crops of all kiuds were 
good the past year. We had a fine crop of 
Lima beans, a part of which were sold at three 
to 8} cents per pound, but the maiket has clos¬ 
ed, so we have no chance to sell now, and if 
our beans are not wanted in New York, Bos¬ 
ton, Philadelphia aud other Eastern places, 
we are caught this lime without lair wages 
for our work in raising and harvesting them. 
The)e has been more frost ihe past Fall and 
thus far this Winter than usual, but no haim 
has been done. Flowers bloom all the jeur, 
aud I have some very fine roses in bud and 
blossom, with many other flowers too numer¬ 
ous to name. The tiny orange buds are be¬ 
ginning to show themselves—so sweetly too! 
I have, too, long viues of smilax, four to eight 
feet, so full of the sweetest little blossoms 
which fill the yard with perfume the most 
pleasant. Surely we have much to be thank¬ 
ful for iu this fair clime, Pomona's Retreat. 
o. N. c. 
Kansas, Parsons, Feb. 8—A thaw set In on 
Saturday, the 5‘.b, after 80 days of continuous 
freezing. It rained Saturday, Sunday and part 
of yesterday. The frost is out of the ground, 
except where the sun does not reach it. The 
wheat is ail right, or, if not ail light, at least 
as good as the average appearance at this sea¬ 
son. Our streets are puddles of mud, and 
country trade is suspended. Railroad men 
seem more crazy than ever on the projection 
of new lines In Kansas and Texas railroading 
seems the dominant business. It suits the 
yeoman it he doesn't vote bonds. Apples, half 
crop; pears, do.; peaches, apricots and nec¬ 
tarines, none; cherries, sweet, none; sour, 
half a crop ; blackberries, young plants all safe, 
old plants, half a crop; raspberries, Blaek-eap, 
half a crop, red half a crop; strawberries, 
where mulched, a full crop; gooseberries all 
right; currants not grown. The appie trees 
that have been much cultivated, and whose 
growth has thereby been stimulated, are in the 
worst condilion, as the sudden and intense cold 
of Nov. loth damaged them severely, j. b 
Kansas, Chapman, Dickinson Co.. Feb. 1.— 
We are having a long, cold Winter, wi(h a 
great deal of snow, which is very good for the 
wheat. This bad a good start in ihe Fall, and 
I expect it will come out all right iu the 
Spring. The cold has killed a great many of 
the peach buds. l. h. e. 
Minn., Winona Co., Feb. 5th.—Winter came 
on ua earlier than ever known since tho first 
settlement of this countiy—uearly thirty 
years ago. We have had a good deal of cold 
weather; the mercury has beeu down as low 
as thirty degrees below zero, Very good 
sleighing since Christmas, though we had not 
very much snow till within a few days. Now, 
we have at least, two feet of snow in the woods 
where the wind has not disturbed it. Oar 
railroad extending from the Mississippi we-t 
through this State, was completed through 
Dakota to Fort Pierre on the Missouri last 
Fall. From there a stage route was establish¬ 
ed to the Black Hills, thus establishing a 
shorter aud more direct thoroughfare to that 
country. Tbe cuts on the western end of this 
railroad were all filled with snow last October 
by a very severe 6torm known as a “ blizzard” 
in the northwestern prairie country. What 
the poov settlers along tho other end of the 
r< ad, who are depending upon the railroad for 
fuel and supplies, will do. is more than I can 
tell. This has been a great wheat country. 
All wheat, wheat! But during the past three 
yeai-6 it has been a partial failure in Southern 
Minnesota, farmers are turning their atten¬ 
tion to other pursuits. We raise good coru 
and oat crops. Barley the past year or two 
has been a great crop, and Minnesota barley is 
sought for and brings better prices in Milwau¬ 
kee and Chicago than barky grown farther 
south. Au immense area will be sown to it 
the coming Spring. Sheep do admirably in 
this climate aud were it not for the dogs aud 
wolves, wool growing would be one of the 
great industries of this State. n. b. e. 
Mich , Muskegon, Muskegon Co., Jan. 31.— 
The Winter has thus far been veiy favorable 
for the chief business of western Michigan— 
that of lumber. Snow came early and in about 
the right quantity till about tbe middle of Jan., 
since which time there has been rather an ex¬ 
cess. The thermometer has several times in¬ 
dicated a few degrees below zero, I thiiik eight 
is the lowest, and that but once; fruit buds, 
germ uninjured; the few peach trees near my 
house are all right and when the peach is safe 
all other fruit is expected to be so. 
&. B. P. 
New Jersey. Monmouth Co.—Peach buds 
in this county are badly Wiutei-killed—not 
more than a quarter at ihe outside remaining 
uninjured, lu low situations they are entirely 
killed throughout tbe county. j. t. l. 
N. Y., Eagle Harbor, Orleans Co., Feb. 4 — 
Our Winter has been a very pleasant oue thus 
far—snow for two months and only one or two 
warm days, and but two very cold ones. On 
December 80 ihe mercury fell to J6 deg. below 
zero; since then it has remained from 10 to 20 
above. Fruit buds are all right so far I have 
on my table a dish holding water and some 
wood of the cherry, plum and peach; tbe 
cherry and plum are in full bloom; the peach 
will be iu u couple of days. a. s. 
N. Y., Ithaca, Tompkins Co, Fob. 4 ,— 
Thawing rapidly; wheat looking well where 
the snow is off. llay scarce aud dear—$18 per 
ton ; straw §8. Many horses and cattle have 
beeu wintered ou the latter. All stock looking 
well. I. p. r. 
Omo, Millereburg, Feb. 13.—1 am not a sub¬ 
scriber of your paper, but I thought a few 
lines from this section of the country, might 
interest a few of its mauy readers. The Win¬ 
ter has been exceedingly cold, throughout. 
The mercury was the lowest, ou the morn lug 
oi January 12lb, it being 10 deg. We had 
good sleighing from November 12 1880 to Feb- 
ruaiy 8, 1881, when we had our February 
“thaw,” but it is now frozen up again, and 
snowing at present writing. Slock look well, 
but if we have a late Winter, feed will be very 
scarce. Hay is selling now. from $12 to $15 
per ton and scarce at that- Farmers as a gen¬ 
eral thing are keeping more stock this Winter, 
consequently there is a greater demand for 
feed- Many farmers are feeding their corn 
and fodder together, being unable to get it 
husked last Fall before the cold weather set in ; 
they are compelled to do it. Wheat looks 
badiy, frezen out in many places. It is selling 
at 95c to $L ; flour. $5 50 to $0 per bbl.; rye, 
50c; oats, 30c; barley, 50e: cot n, 40 to 45e; 
lard, 7c; butter, 16; eggs, 15c; green apples, 
per bushels 40 to 50c; potatoes, 45c to 55c. 
The latter are scarce. Mauy people bad all 
they had frozen in their cellars. 0 . u. u. 
Ohio., Lucas. Richland Co., Feb. 10.—The 
prices of stock are very low. Hay is high- 
priced. The peach buds have all been killed. 
W. D. 
Pa , New Lebanon, Mercer Co., Feb. 2.— 
The snow is over two feet deep now, and drift¬ 
ed everywhere more or less. Alter the dry 
Summer, water is scarce now, as there have 
not been rains enough during the Winter to 
start the wells and springs that have failed. I 
think it will be favorable for the wheat that, 
the snow has never been off since the first fall. 
Fruit is all right yet, as there have been no 
freezing rains to do any damage. The crops 
of last year were very good, excepting corn, 
which did not give a very large yield to the 
acre, but the fodder was very fine. Hay was 
very good; feed is plentiful. Farm products 
ara selling as followsHay, $15 per ton at 
barn; oats, 35c. per bushel; corn, 30c.; ap¬ 
ples, 30c.; potatoes, 40c.; butter, 22c.; eggs, 
28 cents. j e. a. 
