APRIL 23 
275 
THE 
HEW-VORKER. 
if they were sound, were unearthed and con¬ 
verted into lumber. Consequently every able- 
bodied man that was not afflicted wlih the dis¬ 
ease known as “constitutional weariness” 
has been employed, and there has not been 
enough to “ fill the bill ” even then. Every¬ 
thing has brought a good price as the demand 
has been fully up to the supply. All kinds 
of feed for cattle and horees are scarce and 
growing more so every day, but we feel in 
hopes there will be enough to carry us through. 
Hay now is #14 per ton at the barn : corn, 50c.; 
oats, 40 ;.; wheat, #1; potatoes, 65@75e. and in 
good demand ; butter, 20c.; egg«, 12:.; dressed 
beef, 5J@Sc. It has been thawing gradually 
for a week, and the snow, which according to 
an estimate of careful observers has fallen to 
a depth of 18 feet during the Winter, has be¬ 
gan to disappear. Patches of mother earth 
begin to show themselves, and the bovine race 
Beern to enjoy roaming the fields again. The 
blue birds, robins and meadow larks have 
again put in an appearance and wegladly wel¬ 
come them back, having bad enough cold and 
6now this season to make up for the lack of 
snow the past two Waiters. As near as I can 
ascertain a part of the peach buds are killed, 
but fruit-growers thiuk there are enough left 
for the good of the trees. Some were so 
loaded with fruit last year that where these 
were not thinned out the trees were ruined by 
the breaking of the limbs. The 9now is not 
removed enough yet to permit a general view 
of the wheat fields, but where there is a par¬ 
tial view wheat looks better than last Fall. I 
do not remember when we have hud so poor a 
growth Jn the Fall. There was very little 
growing weather after wheat waB sown. It 
came up all right, as the ground was moist, 
but cold weather set in so early its growth was 
stopped. This is a good maple sugar season 
thus far, and the product is of most excellent 
quality. Toe few “sugar bushes” that re¬ 
main in this section are now being tapped, and 
there Is a good demand for the sugar at from 
10 to 13 cents per pound. This immediate sec¬ 
tion is mostly adapted to the dairy business— 
butter and cheese bciDg the chief products. 
Both have paid well during the past year, and 
the cheese factories are starting up again, and 
are being extensively patronized by the farm¬ 
ers. Last year the cheese from the factories 
in this vicinity was all sold in the cities and 
villages within a radiut of fifty miles, thus 
showing a good home consumption. Thejpe/t- 
chanl for cattle is for pure-bred Short-horns. 
We have some splendid orns and farmers of 
very limited means are so alive to the busiuess 
of improving their stock that breeders are lib- 
eratly patronized. Of sheep Merinos predom¬ 
inate, although there are occasionally a few 
small flocks of Cotswolds. Of hogs the Po- 
laud-China crossed with the Chester White or 
some other good breed seems to be thu leading 
sort at present. In the wheat field Clawson 
take6 the lead, although Fultz has given some 
surprising yields. The ouly complaints I have 
heard of the latter is that it is difficult to 
thrash it clean on account of the small kernels 
and Us being so compact in the head. The 
loading potato as yet is the Early liose. This 
grows so quickly as to get thoroughly ripe aud 
out of the way of the potato beetle sooner than 
any other that has been introduced here, The 
cause of the partial failure of the potato crop 
last year was owing to the protracted wet 
weather. Where the largest crops grew the 
year before, viz., ou low. mneky land, the crop 
was an entire failure last seasou ou account 
of such laud being under water a part of the 
time. II. X). E. 
Minn., Zuuibrola, Goodhue Co , April 7.— 
The weather here is fine. The snow has nearly 
all gone, but the air is rather cold y ;t; freeziug 
nights. Will not be likely to seed much be¬ 
fore April 10. Wheat, 87c.; oats, 30c.; bailey, 
from 40; (5>$l; good butter. lti@18u.; ege», 
10e.; lard, 13}c.: pork, 4$(®5ie. No heavy 
Hoods here this Spring. S.iovv has departed 
easily and without raiu. Snow is still heavy 
on the prairies. A groat many handB are com¬ 
ing from thcie now. - >r. M. 
Minn., Stewurt, April 4.—We have had a 
very severe Winter. It set in about the 
middle of October, and it has not even slacked 
np yet. To-day it is snowing as if the 
supply above had not been lessened by for¬ 
mer storms. Wheat is worth from 70 to 85c.; 
oats. 25c. to 30c.; corn, 40c. to 45c.; butter, 
15e. to 30c. j. c, 
N Y , Cuba, Allegany Co., April 1.—We are 
having snug Winter weather yet. Snow fell 
yesterday and last night to the depth of four 
inches: fodder is scarce aud high. The cheese 
factories have nearly all commenced opera¬ 
tions in this section. b. g. s. 
Ohio, Greenwich, Huron Co., April 6th.— 
We have had and still have a very deep snow, 
which is badly drifted. The snow commenced 
comlog March 20 h and continued to come 
for five days. I think il it had been level it 
would not have been Jess than two feet deep. 
We have also had some very cold weather for 
this time of the year. On April 5th the ther¬ 
mometer indicated 8° at five o’clock in the 
morning. We are afraid the birds will all 
starve if the snow keeps on much longer. 
Farmers say this snow is going to be the sal¬ 
vation of wheat, for there has been a great 
deal of freezing and thawing during the month 
of March. All that can are making maple 
sugar and the season has been splendid for it, 
too. A. B. 
Wis., East Troy, Walworth Co, April 7 — 
And still it is Winter. Ou the 4th and 5th of 
this month it was four deg. above zero, and it 
i6 16 deg this morning. There are 18 inches 
of snow in the woods now. and miles and 
miles of roads are drifted three to four feet 
deep from one fence to the other, and the snow 
is old and hard. The outlook for Spring wheat 
is not very promising. Farmers are veiy 
much discouraged. We cannot tell much 
about Winter wheat yet, as the ground la near¬ 
ly all covered with snow. h. a. t. 
®j it (fumst, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Pears, Quinces and Plums for Northwestern 
Wisconsin. 
W T. F. , Rice Lake. Wis., asks whether 
there are any sorts of pears, quinces or plums 
that would stand that clirnat.. 
ANSWER BY T. T. LYON PRES. MICHIGAN POM. 
SOCIETY. 
There ean hardly be a better reply to this 
query, than to quote the recommendations of 
the Wisconsin State Horticultural Society, as 
foundinitsTranaactions for the year 1878 This 
Society recommends lists ol fruits for •* gen¬ 
eral cultivation” with separate lists “lor 
trials.” Of apples, grapes, raspberries, and 
strawberries, varieties are recommended for 
general cultivation; but, in the caseB of 
pears and plums, lists are given ouly for trial, 
as follows: 
Pears.— Flemish beauty, Ananas d’ Ete, 
Early Bergamot, Bartlett, Swan’s OraDge, 
(This is a synonym of Oaouduga) Seekel, Win¬ 
ter Nells, Clapp’d Favorite. 
Plums. Lombard, Imperial, Egg, Magnum 
Bonum, Hinckley (or Miner,) Yellow Egg, El 
dridtte Duane’s Purple, DeSoio. OMbeabove, 
according to Downing, Imperial is a syuouym 
of Red Magnum Bonurn ; Egg aud Magnum 
Bouum are synonyms of Yellow Egg; while 
Miner is the leading name and Hinckley the 
synonym. Very probably the Weaver, a 
recent native seedling of Iowa, ony prove valu¬ 
able in Wisconsin also. Itishighly commend¬ 
ed in its native Slate, especially for its hardl- 
iness. Tbe above lists utterly Ignore the 
Quince, which possibly may prove desirable 
in the southern portion of the State, on suita¬ 
ble soils ; but I would not recommend its ex¬ 
tensive trial, uuless it be after full experience, 
in similar circumstances. I would doubt its 
ability to sustain the low temperatures occa¬ 
sionally occurring there; said to be as low as 
30 s and even 40 ° bel<*w zero. 
The fact also that so old a Society, in so old 
a State as Wisconsin, only recommends lists 
of pears aud plums for (rial, should doubtless 
be accepted as a reason for planting but spar¬ 
ingly, and watching ciiticallv the results of all 
known experiments of this kind, with refer¬ 
ence to locality, soil and modes of treatment, 
before veniuring upon the extensive planting 
of this class of orcharding. 
So far as plums are concerned, tbe most 
promising field for experiment would seem 
to me to be with our uative wild plums (Primus 
Americana and Primus Chicusu), on account 
of their unquestioned hardiuess; a result, very 
probably, of their exemption from the liubilty, 
so general among varieties of the se-:alled 
Pruuus dnnustiea, or garden plum, to the 
premature dropping of the foliage; aud, as 
an infallible consequent, the failure to properly 
mature their young growth; and its death 
from excessive cold. 
The Bi’»t Breed of Com for n Milk Dairy—re¬ 
lative Value of Mangel* nnd Hay, etc. 
8. II., Pewaukee, Wis., asks, 1, which is the 
best breed of cows for a milkman; 3, what is 
the relative value of mangel-wurzcls as com¬ 
pared with good hay or sweet corn fodder ; 3, 
is sweet corn fodder better than common corn 
fodder; 4, is there any such thing as a hand 
drill for planting corn fodder. 
Ans—1. Each breed ha6 its merits. If a 
large yield of milk is desired the Dutch or so- 
called Iloletcin is to be preferred, but these 
cattle are very high-priced and a milkman 
could not afford to purchase them. Good, 
well-selected native cows, with Short-horn 
blood in them are the best in some cases be¬ 
cause they give abundant aud good looking 
milk and when the milk falls they aie easily 
fatted. No milkman can afford to rai6ecalves 
unless he has cheap land and plenty of pas¬ 
ture. If he has these he had better keep Ayr¬ 
shire’s; or at least select thu bu6t native cows, 
get a pure Ayrshire hull from a good milking 
strain aud raise half-breeds. So far as regards 
the cost of milk, the Ayrshires, according to 
their special advocates, take the palm over all 
other breeds, as they are easily fed and milk 
freely. 2. Careful experiments made by Prof. 
Sanborn, of the New Hampshire Agricultural 
College, show that for growing stock one 
pound of good hay is equivalent to six pounds 
of mangels, crediting the mangels with the 
extra growth made by the animals and the 
amount of hay saved in their feed when the 
roots were added to their normal ration. This 
may be taken to represent their practical value 
when given asexcess food in common practice. 
When in addition to a normal ration of hay, 
cattle can be induced to eat five pounds more 
of nice hay, this ■' excess ” food Prof. Sanborn 
finds will do more than 13 times as many 
pounds of mangels—that is than 60 pounds of 
the roo*s ! In feeding milch cows he fludB that 
mangels increase the flow of milk vny little, 
while they injure its quality, the milk of cows 
fed in part on them giving a smaller percent¬ 
age of butter, and absolutely a smaller amount 
per cow. The theoretical value of mangels 
formerly stood at about one of bay to five or 
six of mangels, but from practical tests the 
Professor thinks this low value will have to be 
cut. down. 3 Such analysis as we have do not 
6how a^y pronounced difference in the value 
of sweet and common com fodder; tut prac¬ 
tically the former is found to be the more de¬ 
sirable. 4. Tbe Fisk Automatic Seed Planter, 
advertised iu this issue, is. we are assured, an 
excellent implement for this purpose. 
How to Build a Hog Hoime. 
W. II. li., Afton. la., asks how to build a 
hog-house for say, 50 hogs. 
Ans —A large number of hogs will not do 
well if fed in one body. The strong ones will 
fight the weaker and drive them from the 
feed. Ten hogs are as many as can be profit¬ 
ably confined together, and these should have 
a pen at least 15 feet by 20. This would make 
a building 75 feet long by 20 feet wide for tbe 
pens, with a floor-wav of at least six feet in 
front of the pens, making the building 26 feet 
wide for the pens aud room in front of them 
Movable partitions could be put in so as to 
divide the feeding pens into smaller ones, 
making three out of one. This would give a 
breeding bow a pen five feet wide by twenty 
feet; or they might be cut up making them 
smaller by running a partition across the 
middle, so that they would be five feet by ten. 
The pens ought not to be any smaller They 
should he tight except a small space ou 
the outer side next to the floor through which 
the liquid manure could run out. Id cold 
weather this could be closed up. The entire 
buildir g should have a tight 11 jor, so that it 
could be kept clean and to save the manure. 
The floor should be high enough above the 
ground to admit of a free circulation of air— 
at least one foot above the ground. A \ ard 
might be connected with each IcediDg pen, 
which would enlarge their capacity and allow 
more pigs to be kept iu the pens, as there 
would be more room for the pigs to exercise, 
aud less inclination to fight and injure each 
other. The floor should descend, the backside 
being at least three inches the lowest. The 
building need be no higher than eight feet, and 
might be open to the roof. A floor over-head 
would make it warmer aud furnish handy 
storage room. The spaee in frout of ihe pens 
could be used for the same purpose, and could 
be made narrower, but it would put the build¬ 
ing out of proportion. 
Cooked and uncooked Hog Feed, etc. 
ment of the machine seems to be fairly adapted 
for Its special purpose, and it is used by many 
of the large potato growers- It is manufac¬ 
tured by Nash & Brother, of College Place, 
New York City. There are two or three potato 
diggers on the market. The best of these is 
that known as Allen’s Potato Digger. It is a 
doutJe-mold-board plow, to which is attached 
a set of finger-bars or prongs, which separate 
the potatoes from the soil and leave them for 
the most part on the surface. It is certainly 
an improvement on the plow for doing this 
work. 
Hrade Bulla. 
O.E N., Afton, N. Y., having seen it stated 
that in England all neat cattle that can show 
four top crosses of Short-horn blood are eligi¬ 
ble to tbe Short horn Herd Book, asks why, in 
that case, a fifteen-sixteenths Jersey bull is not 
as good for all practical purposes aB a thor¬ 
oughbred for grading up native cows. 
Ans —rn tbe Uuited States animals are not 
admitted to tbe Herd Bonks unles; they are 
thoroughbred. There is too much risk of 
atavism to the worst ancestor far bevond four 
crosses, to use grade bulls or allow them to 
be record d. and in many of tbe 8tates pre¬ 
miums on grade bulls are not allowed to be 
offered by the agricultural societies. A bull 
fifteen-sixteenths is n t as good as a thor¬ 
oughbred even for grading up native cows, 
for tbe vice, of some inferior ancestor is pret¬ 
ty sure to crop out in the eff-pring, and 
when pure-bred Jert<i y bull calves can be pur¬ 
chased at almost nominal prices, there can 
be no excuse tor experimenting with grad s. 
A grade bull is pretty sure to degrade hia get, 
while a pure-bred will elevate his. 
Labor-Saving Implement* in Ihe Garden. 
J. L., Auburndale, Wis., intending to begin 
the cultivation of quite a large garden, asks 
whether there are any labor-saving implements 
the u e of which will dispense with hand cul¬ 
tivation in the garden. 
Ans. —Spade and other kinds of hand culti¬ 
vation in gardens should be obsolete, as much 
so as hand labor in farm work. The plow can 
be made to do better work than tbe spade if it is 
rightly used, and the garden should be laid out so 
that everything can be planted or sown in rows 
and the plow and harrow be used everywhere 
Aficr the plowiDg and harrowing are done the 
lighter work may be done by hand machines, of 
which there is a great variety. First, there 
are tbe seed drills, which row all kinds of seed 
and cover them and finish tbe operation usual¬ 
ly in a very satisfactory manner. There are 
also hand cultivators of various kinds, some 
(as the Planet Jr) which lave two wheels 
and work each side of the drill or row of 
plants, quite close, and others which work 
the middles. A most useful garden imple¬ 
ment is a hand plow which opens drills, cov¬ 
ers them, cultivates the grouud on each side, 
and can be worked between rows eight inches 
apart. Any of these tools may be need as fast 
as a man can walk, and is as effective in 
garden work as the horse cultivator is in field 
work, as compared with the common hand hoe. 
Mixed laneou*. 
U. K. W, Mount Pleasant. Cass Co., Neb. _ 
The sugar properties of the Rural B. Sorghum 
have never been tested, that we know of. It 
is as a forage plant that we so highly com¬ 
mend it. We do not thiuk it will mature 
seeds with you. 
A.I1.M ., Marion, Kan., a-k?, 1, what is 
tbe relative value of c un, shorts, and potatoes 
cooked and raw as f- od for hogs; 3, how does 
soaked corn compare wiih diy corn for the 
same purpose; 3, what is the comparative 
value of rye and corn practically as food for 
hogs. 
Ans. —1. When corn or corn meal is cooked 
its feeding value is increased fully one-third, 
that is to say, it will be digested and assimi¬ 
lated so much better in the stomach of the 
animal that the same quantity of meal or 
grain will make one-third more growth than 
when it is fed raw. The same is true of shorts. 
Potatoes are vetv poor food when fed raw, and 
will not fatten an animal; but, when cooked, 
the starch, which is the fattening ingredient, is 
put in a digestible condition, which is cot the 
case when potatoes are fed raw. 3. Corn is 
rendered soft and more digestible by being 
soaked. When eaten without being ground 
or soaked it is not thoroughly masticated aLd 
is not reduced in the stomach to such a state 
that all Its nutriment is absorbed, but it is 
voided to a considerable extern without any 
change iu its condition, aud of course does nut 
increase the growth of the pig as much as 
when more of its nutriment is absorbed. S. 
Rye and corn are aboat of the same value, 
pound for pound, as food for pigs. 
Potato Planter* and Diggers. 
“ Xo X T ame.’' Doniphan, Neb , asks some in¬ 
formation at out potuto planters and diggers. 
Ans. —A potato planter known as True’s Po¬ 
tato Pl.mtci is in use in this country. It cuts 
the seta and droj s them in a furrow and cov¬ 
ers them. This machine has been well spo¬ 
ken of bv Dr. Hexamer, a gentleman who 
grows a large quantity of potatoes aud whose 
judgment is good. Tha mechanical arrange¬ 
O. A. IP,. DeKalb. X. Y., asks for a good 
work on phonography, and where can it be 
obtained. 
Ans.— Munson's Phonography, published by 
Harper & Bros., Franklin Square, N. Y., priee 
#1.50. 
J, M., Kossuth, Iowa, asks where can the 
seeds of oruameutal grasses, Zebra-striped Eu¬ 
lalia, etc. , be obtained. 
Ans —Alfred Bridesman, S76 Broadway, N. 
Y., offers them tor sale. 
0. A. R , Endioott, X"eb , asks where he can 
obtain Scott’s Suburban Homes. 
Ans —From D. Appletou <ft Co., New York 
City. 
J. G,, Green Point, N. Y , asks how green 
manures should be used for liquid fertilizers. 
Ass.—By steeping them iu water until the 
latter is colored perceptibly. 
W. F. A., Londonoille, N. Y., asks how long 
Michigan White C> dur shingles last compared 
with those of pine. 
Many Inquirers.— The Hay Sling about 
which Prof. Roberts has written is now an¬ 
nounced in our advertising columns. 
(Continued on viitre 277.) 
Communications received tor trs week end¬ 
ing Saturday, April 16th. 
J. T.-F. D. C.- C. R.-C. B. W—J. T. J.-W. V 
A,—Mrs J. E—McN —C. B. W.—G. 8—V. B.—C. 
A. Me C.—d. T. J —A. K. S., thanks. Your 
paper Is mailed rrora ihlscfflie regularly.—B. P. 
-A. L J. K. U. A. R V, 1* -n. It—S. G—W. 
II. M.—A. S.—M. E —J. P. S —G. G.-R. S—It G. 
G. S—G. M. R —II. A. T.—M. M. S.-0. A. H — 
v il. u —J. W. s.-E J. B—a. B -J. a B—in- 
silage— W. I) S., answer under Domestic Kc't.o- 
ni).—W. (1 W„ Si., thanks — N T K.-H, T. E.— 
J. M. C—T H. H -W. 8. II.—J. T -II. 3.—A l. 
J — W. S. II.—I. W. V—W . J. B -C. II. D —J. J. 
J -J. T.-J, B N—A. K. B.—Mrs. G. D . seed* re¬ 
ceived. Thanks—T. T. L—A. L. S,— F. MeH — 
Mrs. W. V. A.—Mm. O. P. R—Mrs. A. 8. V— 
