242 
APRIL 9 
Appleton's Journal for December 7th, 1872, 
James Maurice Thompson, who appears to 
hare watched the sap-sucker closely, says that 
his food is the Eap and jaiees of green trees, 
and nothing else. Dr. Hoekins says that there 
is no evidence that he sucks Eap, and quotes 
Mr. Fairbanks as staving that the bird goes bis 
rounds from tree to tree for the purpose of se¬ 
curing the insects attracted by the eroding 
Juice. Mr. Thompson, on the other hand, 
thinks that he flies from tree to tree or pecks 
new holes while he is waiting for those previ¬ 
ously pecked to fill up with sap. Mr. T. pro¬ 
fesses to have actually seen him drinking, and 
remarks that he is more easily heard than 
seen, since he always keeps the body of the 
tree between himself and the observer, and this 
is probably the reason why so little iB generally 
known concerning him. It occurred to me, 
when General Noble expressed the opinion 
that in making the holes the bird was hunting 
for worms, that this conld not he possible un¬ 
less there was a worm in every square inch of 
the trunk of the tree, whicl} I thought not at 
all probable. However, as I have since bad 
reason to know, this supposition might not be 
an unreasonable one if the trees were not oth- 
eiwi6e sound and green, for thonsands of our 
finest pine tree6 have died during the past 
Summer, in the bodies of which may be found 
two or three worms for every square inch of 
surface. The outer bark of these trees is all 
roughly chiseled off by the woodpeckers in 
search of worms. In the description given of 
the sap-sucker by Mr. Thompson he differs 
somewhat from Mr. Robson, the former stating 
that the bird’6 back from neck to tail has a 
light brownish 6tripe, that his head is striped 
with dull white aud dingy black, with a barely 
perceptible spot of red on the occiput, and that 
his breast is of a clondy white; while the lat¬ 
ter says he has a bright red spot on his head, 
and that his breast has a black spot in the ceu- 
ter of it. Both agree in 6aying that he descends 
the tree tail foremost. 
Ox Warbles. 
A full description of the species of gad fly 
which attacks cattle ha9 also recently been 
published in the Rural. I wish to add that 
the maggots of this fly are called by many 
farmers " wolves”—a term which may be a 
corruption of warbles, a name given in Eng¬ 
land to the swellings occasioned by them on 
the backs of cattle. These swellings are also 
called the wourmls or warmals, that is, worm- 
holes. 
It may not be generally known that there is 
also a kind of gad-fly which attacks both rab¬ 
bits and squirrels. The eggs are always depos¬ 
ited under the throats of these animals. Be¬ 
tween the 1st aud 20 h of August last I noticed 
that abont one-half of the young rabbits conld 
scarcely get abont on account of their swollen 
throats, and they could frequently be caught 
without difficulty. I caught one of them, aud 
with a penknife cut from its throat no less 
than ten maggots, the largest of them being 
nearly the size and shape of an ordinary man’s 
thumb from the first joint to the end, and of a 
rather dark-brown color. 
Root Pruning—Estimated Yields of Corn. 
In a leader of January 23 the editor of the 
Rural argues that it is just as reasonable to 
suppose that the extraordinary yield which at¬ 
tended his flat and surface culture, was attrib¬ 
utable to that method of cultnre as that the 
yield of the crop reported by Dr. Sturtevant 
was due to root-pruulng. The case of a neigh¬ 
bor is cited who, although he applied 1,200 
pounds of fertilizer per acre, raised an aver¬ 
age crop of only 75 or 80 bushels, following the 
method advocated by Dr. Sturtevant. Refer¬ 
ring to tbe Rural's experiment with Foltz 
Wheat, we find that an application of 500 
pounds of fertilizer, which had the whole Win¬ 
ter to dissolve, yielded at the rate of 26 bush¬ 
els. while a plot of equal size, without any fer¬ 
tilizer, yielded at the rate of 28 : it is certainly 
allowable to suppose that owing to the dry sea¬ 
son, or from some other cause, the 1,200 
pouuds mav not have had any effect on the 
com of the Rural’b neighbor, or. if any effect 
at all, one not very beneficial. My own prac¬ 
tice has always been to keep the surface level, 
but at the same time to plow deep and break 
the roots. 1 see no reason as yet to change 
this practice. I think that the great yield of corn 
at the Rural Farm was principally due to the 
faetthat the field had not been broken within four¬ 
teen years It is well known to farmers that an 
old sod, particularly if it be one of Blue Grass, 
is the very best of manure for corn, the plants 
producing more grain and legs stover. It must 
be confessed that, notwithstanding all that has 
been said on the subject, there yet remains 
enough about the culture aud habit6 0f corn, 
which we do not know, to keep us thinking- 
Tbe Kukal’b corn experiment has impressed 
on me more forcibly than ever another fact, and 
that is, that no estimated yield of grain, how¬ 
ever fairly made, will hold out when Lhe crop 
is actually measured; since the Blount Corn 
fell from 142 to 132, and the Chester from an 
average, on four acres, of 150 to 116 bushels 
per acre. Would it not be better not to pub¬ 
lish results until they are accurately ascer¬ 
tained? I note that a seedsman, who has for. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
sale the fertilizer used by the Rural, ascribes 
In his catalogue the large increase to his fertil¬ 
izer, and gives the estimated yield of 150 bush¬ 
els per acre on four acres of Chester, and 142 
on not quite an acre of Blount Com. instead of 
the actual yield. [The yield of ihe best acre 
of Chester was nearly 160 bushels.— Eds. 
Hillside va. gldehlll. 
As contributors sometimes indulge in criti¬ 
cism on words which are tbe names of farm 
objects or which relate to agriculture, it will 
not be amiss, perhaps, if 1 undertake tbe de¬ 
fence of an old word which many agricultural 
writers 6eem to have forgotten how to use— 
hillside. They have somehow gotten it tm-ned 
round and call it a sidehiJl. They might just 
as well call a river-bank a bank-river, or a sea¬ 
shore a shore-sea. Hillside is the eide of a 
hill; sldebili is ihe hill of a side, as bank-river 
is tbe river of a bank, and shore-sea the sea of 
a shore. What objects in nature such things 
are I leave for those to conceive who find 
names for tbeip. Hugh L. Wysor. 
Pulaski Co., Ya. 
» 
BOOKS, CATALOGUES, ETC. 
The Pacific Guano Company : Its Histo¬ 
ry ; its Products and Trade; its Relations to 
Agriculture 
Also, Soluble Pacific Guano, manufac¬ 
tured hy the Pacific Guano Company, of Bos¬ 
ton, Mass. The first of these pamphlets gives 
a history of the Company—which is chartered 
by the State of Massachusetts with a capital of 
$1.000,000—and also tells abont tbe nature of 
its business. The second describes the compo¬ 
sition, etc., of Soluble Pacific Gaano, gives 
directions for its use on various crops and 
presents a large number of testimonials of its 
excellent effects from farmers in different 
parts of the country. Both can be had gratis 
on application by P. O. card to Messrs. Glid- 
den tfc Curtis, Tremont Bank Building, Bos¬ 
ton, Mass. 
Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Strowbridge, Eng¬ 
land. Catalogue of flower, vegelable aud farm 
seeds of eveiy description. Among tbe many 
foreign catalogues which wc have recently no¬ 
ticed this, perhaps, is one of the most compre¬ 
hensive. 1 1 consists of 120 large pages ; is pro¬ 
fusely Illustrated, with illuminated covers and 
a number of colored plates. 
A pamphlet of 24 pages on "Extracted 
Honey,” tells how to harvest, handle and mar¬ 
ket it. The authors, Charles and C. P. Da- 
dant, of Hamilton, Illinois, have handled and 
sold 45 000 pour ds of extracted honey in three 
years and this pamphlet tells how it was 
done. 
- ♦♦♦ - 
RURAL BRIEFLET8. 
Rake the lawns—Clear up the rubbish wher¬ 
ever it exists—Attend to drains and cesspools 
—Carry them away from the house, cisterns 
and wells—Sow peas—Sow oats and Spring 
wheat—Prepare the garden for now strawberry 
patches; for the Rural asparagus seeds, 
Branching Sorghum, etc.; for early potatoes— 
Set cold-frames—Plant tomato seeds, celery, 
cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce seeds. Pre¬ 
pare for radishes, spinach, parsnips, onions, 
parsley, beets and early turnips—Leave beans, 
melons, sweet corn, encumbers, squashee until 
the ground becomes warm—It is well to re¬ 
member that tomatoes may be sown In the 
open ground as late as June 15 &Dd still pro¬ 
duce a fine crop. For catsup, perhaps, this is 
the best way. Do not set out pot-grown or 
cold-frame tomato plants until all danger of 
frost is over—We have given erect arbor sup¬ 
ports for tomatoes a thorough trial. They are 
well enough for those who have lots of time and 
who take a pride in having everything neat 
and trim. But the plan does not pay. The 
vines need tying every tew days—and thinnlDg 
out as well. This, owing to the offensive odor 
of the vines, is disagreeable work. So-called 
trellises are little better. They confiae the 
plants too closely. Three heavy stakes driven 
in so as to form an equilateral triangle and 
connected with strong cord or laths nailed on 
as needed, we have fonnd the most serviceable 
of any contrivance we are familiar with. 
Laying brush or something of the kind under 
the plants for them to rest upon when they 
fall over, is also a very good plan, if appear¬ 
ances are disregarded—Sow grass seed upon 
bare spots of the lawn. Red-top for lawns 
in general is as good a kind as any. Sow it 
thickly—not less than three bushels to the 
acre when sown alone. 
Wit are in receipt of a treatise of 44 pages 
upon concentrated fertilizers, from ihe Mapes 
Formula and Peruvian Gaano Co., 158 Front 
St., N. Y. We give this treatise special notice 
for two reasons:—One is that it reprints the 
entire story of our great yields of Chester 
Counly Mammoth and Blount’s Corn with the 
certificates of the several committees who vis¬ 
ited the Rural Farm and carefully estimated 
the yield. This is copied from our 8pecial 
Corn Number for which we have had very 
many applications since the edition was ex¬ 
hausted. It reprints also an Interesting article 
by Mr. E. Williams published in the N. Y. 
Tribune respecting his visit to the Rural Farm; 
another by the agricultural editor of the N. Y. 
World. The other reason is that it presents 
many letters from farmers indifferent parts of 
tbe country who have need special manures, 
stating kinds and quantities used and the sup¬ 
posed effects npon different crops. A de¬ 
scription and price list of all the different 
kinds of special manures is appended, which 
will be fonnd to answer manv questions which 
we are dal y receiving. We desire in eveiy 
way to aid in a better understanding of com¬ 
mercial fertilizers and commend this treatise 
to our readers, to whom it will be sent on ap¬ 
plication, without charge. 
Among our foreign catalogues recently re¬ 
ceived is one fiom L Paillet, Chatenay Valley, 
near Paris, France. 8ome of the descriptions 
rendered in English are amusing. Here is one 
which we copy word for word : 
"New Pelargonium — Monsieur Emile 
Sorbet. This new variety is without any doubt 
the best plant ever sent out to the trade since 
a long time, this variety Is very vigourous, 
freen blooming, foliage deep green, flower 
large and a of deep red crimson colour, vel- 
velted and very brillant, the noseguay is well 
shaped, well furnish ; this variety as bedding 
plant is the most beautifullest one. The colour 
is so brillant that if hardly the eves can sup¬ 
port the look of it." .......... 
We learn with regret that Mr. Fay, the orig¬ 
inator of “Fay's Prolific Currant,’’is dead. . 
One new subscriber of the Rural returns 
our package of seeds, writing that he is great¬ 
ly disappointed. He prefers roses, new varie¬ 
ties of peas. etc. One of the eever&lobjections 
to our “Distributions" is that it takeB new 
subscribers a considerable time to understand 
them.. 
Mr. Josseltn, we 'earn from a private let¬ 
ter, says that Light Brahmas are his favorite 
fowls because they are tbe largest, good lay¬ 
ers and the best table fowl he ever had. He 
has never bred Games or Dorkings. Dark 
Brahmas, he save, are good; but fine ones are 
not so easy to breed. Plymouth Rocks, he 
says, are popular but he does not like them 
and never did, though he acknowledges that 
they are good fowls. Black Cochins are about 
the best layers he ever had. “ Bat," says Mr. 
Josselyn, “all fowls want a good rnn. No 
fowl will do well in a little pen without grass.”' 
Wb are right glad to know that the Kansas 
State Agricultural College (Manhattan) is 
flourishing finely. Prof. E M. Shelton, writes 
us, under date of March 19th: “The attend¬ 
ance iB large and the interest taken in agricul¬ 
tural matters is very great. About 90 per 
cent, of all of our students are the 6ons of 
farmers. ... 
Wb have received the following gratifying 
communication from the owner of Car Boy, 
presented in R. N -Y. of March 19. “ The Ru¬ 
bai. with Car Boy arrived yesterday. I took 
it to the barn and all the men recognized it at 
once. On njy way back to the house I met a 
negro man who, though a good fellow, has 
never cultivated the Beautiful nor given atten¬ 
tion to the arts. Holding Ihe paper up before 
him, but at some distance, I said, “Bob, here 
iB a nice picture.” His face spread and he ex¬ 
claimed, “Well, if they aiu’L gone aDd done 
put Car Boy in dat paper!’' I know of but 
one better test than that. When the eye of tbe 
owner falls upon it. and he sees in it a faithful 
representation of the animal be has carefully 
studied and loves, the artist has the most satis¬ 
factory evidence of his success. In this en¬ 
graving I see my bull. It is true and for its 
truth. I esteem it highly. I know not how 
much to thank you for it.”. 
The following paragraphs as to what Messrs, 
Read and Pell have said in late speeches, we 
find In the Mark Lane Express of latest date : 
Hereford breeders will be pleased to bear that 
with respect to Herefords and 8hort-horns, 
Mr. Pell thinks that the cross between the 
Hereford hull and tbe Texan oow is better than 
when the 8hort-horn bull Is used, and that 
“ there is every probabllty that the Hereford 
bull will become the bull of the Western 
plains.” __ 
The increase in the number of cattle in 
America, according to Mr. Read, is a million a 
year. 
Messrs. Read aDd Pell concurred in stat¬ 
ing that British producers of mutton, wool, 
and barley have little to fear from American 
competition. Mr. Pell added oats. Mr. Read 
said:—“I should say with regard to my own 
farm that I shall try to grow more mutton, 
and wool, and barley, and less wheat aDd beef.’ 
As to dead meat and Its transit, Mr. 
Read said:—“ They have all sorts of contriv¬ 
ances for preserving dead meat which our 
railway companies do not give in this coun¬ 
try, which our butchers do not appreciate or 
seem to wish for; and the American impor¬ 
ters did complain very bitterly of the way In. 
which the meat Is handled in this country.” 
Again, with respect to the superiority of the 
American system of preserving meat, Mr. 
Pell said :—“ We were fed on American meat 
in going from Liverpool (to (ho United States), 
which had been brought out from America, and 
had been kept on board the ship whilst in Eng¬ 
land, and waBcarried back again; audwelived 
upon it on board ship, and had fresh vege¬ 
tables too that had been brought, from Amer¬ 
ica." Mr. Read added :—“ Then at the great 
hotels they have ice larders, and they do not 
consider meat at the hotels in a good 6tate for 
consumption under three weeks old.” 
The London Live Stock Journal says that 
the Birmingham magistrates lately had before 
them a case in which another popular form of 
cheap meat, namely, sausages, aud the various 
compounds sold in tins and pots, were con¬ 
cerned. The chopped meat prepared for sale 
in this guise is, it appears, made to look 
"healthy” by a liberal use of red ochre; and 
over a thousand pouuds weight thus adulter¬ 
ated were seized and condemned by the 
sanitary inspectors, being, as the cfflceis said, 
worse than any meat they had ever seen, 
"every stage id the process of disease being 
represented." Until some wholesale importer 
or manufacturer iB put on trial for poison¬ 
ing, it does not seem as if the public will ever 
be successfully protected from the unprinci¬ 
pled scoundrels who, for the greed of gain, 
recklessly expose the lives and health of the 
community at large. In the present case 
prosecution ie promised, and we trust it will 
be enforced in the roost stringent manner. 
The old Early York Cabbage Is scarcely 
grown now by mai ket gardeners, as there are 
other early varieties of greater excellence, and 
Mr. W. F. Brown advices his readers in the 
Farm and Fireside to try the Winniugetadt, 
Jersey Wakefield or Early Dwarf Flat Dutch 
in its place. For Winter Jie has never found 
anything better than the Premium Flat Dutch 
and Stone Mason Drumhead, aud both these 
varieties are now considered standard and are 
very reliable for heading. 
Mr. Brown is quite right in thinking there 
is some choice in encumbers, even. He has 
fonnd that for all purposes the Early Cluster 
gives the best satisfaction. It does not run 
much to vine, is very prolific, and makes a 
pickle of tbe best size and shape. It is in 
bearing in six weeks, if not planted until the 
weather is warm and settled. 
TnE Golden Wax B 3n can be used as a shell 
bean, but is not so good lor cooking in the 
pod; seeds white with red eye. The Giant 
Wax is a pole variety wiih red eeeds, some¬ 
what flattened, and large, flat podsthe color of 
the Black Wax. It is very prolific and the 
quality is excellent. Drecr’s Improved Lima 
is the best flavored shell bean Mr. Brown ever 
used, The seeds are a greenish white, very 
thick, and grow so compact in the pods as to 
be flattened at the ends; very large, and ten¬ 
der. The most profitable and satisfactory gar¬ 
den beau he finds to be tbe small Lima. It is 
Borne weeks earlier than the large Lima, much 
easier shelled, and will yield nearly or quite 
double. 
A Good Example,— The members of the 
Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of 
Ireland are about to introduce a novelty in in¬ 
structing the peasantry of the countiy in im¬ 
proved methods of dairying, according to the 
Live Stock Journal of London. At their last 
meeting, .£140 were, on Ihe proposition of 
Canon Bigot, voted to defray the expenses of 
a “traveling dairy," and a committee, con¬ 
sisting of Colonel Vesey, Canon Bagot, Mr. 
James Robertson, Mr. G. A Stephens, and Mr. 
Wm, Yonng, was appointed to carry the 
scheme into operation. This “traveling 
dairy” is to consist of a sort of shed, con¬ 
structed somewhat like a railway wagon, 
which can be easily transferred from place to 
place, and is to be fitted up with all the modern 
dairy appliances, including churns, pans, 
butter-workers, &e. The dairy is to visit all 
the shows in connection with the central so¬ 
ciety, and on these occasions the best sy stems 
of butter making and packiug are to be practi¬ 
cally exemplified by a skillful dairymaid, whose 
hnsband is to have charge of the entire business, 
and be capable of delivering lectures on dairy¬ 
ing. One portion of this educational scheme, 
to which Canon Bagot attached a great deal of 
importance, is the careful packing of butter 
for the Dublin and English markets, as the 
present modes are not by auy means commend¬ 
able. The success of this innovation in dairy 
education is looked forward to with great in¬ 
terest. How would this method answer to in¬ 
struct our “ peasant) y” iD improved methods 
of dairying? 
1’hb following li'ota ihe N X, Tribune 
stwows that barb-wire fences have their advo¬ 
cates. “I have in use on my farm post and 
oak board, post and rail, Osage Orange and 
