325 
MAY 44 
THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
UtisaHaiwras. 
RURAL BRIEFLET8. 
Professor Tracy, of Detroit, -writes us that 
he has iust examined hiB Winter wheat which 
was so placed that a part of each variety was 
protected and the remainder exposed and in 
unfavorable conditions. The reenlt is that of 
the 15 varieties tried, the Mediterranean is the 
only one entirely uninjured. After it the 
Zimmerman (Tappahauock). Early May has 
suffered most, closely followed by Arnold, 
Gold Medal and Silver Chaff. Such results 
are verv different from those obtained at the 
Rural Farm, which w<?shall place before our 
readers in due time... 
Referring to an icunify about Bermuda 
Grass in the Rural of April 16, Mr. Jones (of 
Binghampton), writes us that during a late 
visit to Texas he learned that this grass was 
highly esteemed there and a common method 
of cultivating it was to set out bit6 of the sod 
about four feet apart each way, and the first 
year to raise a crop of corn between these 
“seed"bits. The cultivation of the corn in¬ 
stead of disturbing the grass, is good for it, 
and the second season it spreads so rapidly 
that it mats the ground..... 
In Georgia the roots are cut into pieces two 
inches long, spread thickly upon the ground 
and then spaded under. Notwithstanding the 
hot suns, if mowed as we mow Northern 
lawns, it keeps green during Summer. As a 
forage plant, Mr. Berckmans, as we have al¬ 
ready stated, deems it invaluable, ten tons per 
acre having been harvested upon land that 
would not produce 20 of corn per acre. It 
now appears that Bermuda Grass so dreaded 
in years past is now cultivated and considered 
a boon to the people of the South. 
See that the lawn-mowers are in order. 
The mistake iB often made by inexperienced 
hands of screwing the revolving blades too 
close upon the horizontal blade. A new lawn- 
mower, when properly set, should last two 
years upon an acre lawn, without resetting.... 
One of the showiest annual foliage plants, 
to our thinking, is the Purple-leaved Ricinus. 
The flower buds should be pinched out as soon 
as they appear. It is astonishing to what a 
hight the large-growing kinds of Ricinus will 
attain if planted in rich 6oil and all lateral shoots 
and flower buds be pinched out. We know of 
one Plant thus treated that grew to the hight 
of over 20 feet... 
Our friend, the Maine Farmer, makes the 
queer statement that Early Amber Cane “is 
only a variety of corn, and has most of the 
valuable characteristics of that valuable ce¬ 
real." We thought that Early Amber was a 
varieiyot sorghum-.- — 
“Tub trouble with Quack,” remarks the El¬ 
mira Husbandman, “is only in the pertinacity 
of its growth. Considered as a pasture grass 
it is entitled to high rank, so far as quality is 
concerned. Cattle eat it greedily, it etarts early 
in Spring, and when closely grazed it is very 
quick to send up new growth with the first 
favorable condition ; but its roots pervade the 
soil, and have almost unquenchable life, so 
that ground once occupied by them can be 
freed for other uses only at the expense of 
great labor and watchful care.” The fields of 
the Rural Farm may be said to be filled with 
Quack Grass (Tritieum repens). The fields in 
which we last year raised onr Chester and 
Blount Corn were matted sods of Quack. We 
plow our sod ground, plant corn, then oats, 
wheat and seed down. The roots of the Quack 
live through it all and contribute an essential 
part of the grass and pasture. It inconven¬ 
iences ns in no way. Wo would not get rid of 
it if we could, aud we could not if we would, 
without an Impracticable amount of labor. It 
obliges us to cultivate hoed crops of toner, and 
the cropB are the better for it. It is a rich 
grass and the roots are rich, and we have no 
doubt their annual decay adds to the fertility 
of our Boil as few other grasses would. Quack 
annoys the farmer until by experience he is 
made aware of its great value. 
It is well to prepare the ground now for 
Lima Beans, the most tender and delicious of 
all garden beans. We are now preparing a 
plot of a quarter of an acre. The ground has 
been well harrowed and fertilized with concen¬ 
trated manure; holes a foot in diameter have 
been dug aud old inauure spread iu the bottom. 
This was covered aud a spat of the hoe made 
upon the top of the hill, lu the middle of each 
hole a stake six feet high is stuck, and four 
beans will be pressed in an inch deep arouBd 
the poles about the 10th of May. The holes are 
two feet apart—the rows three and a-half. 
Lima Beans should be secured to the poles 
by lying them with bast as the vines grow, and 
it seems to us best to pinch the ends of the 
vines as soon as they reach Ihe top of six-feet 
poles, rather tbau to let them grow higher. It 
induces a stockier growth, more beaus and au 
earliei maturity. 
Tns variety of Lima which we shall plant is 
the finest wc have ever seen, and our object is 
to raise them for distribution among our sub¬ 
scribers. Here is the note from the originator 
of the variety, who has never offered them for 
sale :—"The accompanying Lima Beans have 
been kept strictly pure in one family for three 
generations, being constantly Improved by 
saving seeds from the strongest vines that pro¬ 
duced the largest number of beans in the pod. 
When green they are very compact in the pod, 
and will yield almost double the bulk of shelled 
beans to the bushel of any other Lima. The 
majority of the pods contain five beans, and 
occasionally six..... 
Farmers and farmerines who find it very un¬ 
satisfactory to attempt the cultivation of flow¬ 
ers in open borders or beds, can produce a 
splendid effect in color about their dwellings 
by putting a border of flowers around their 
piazzas. Construct boxes about a foot deep 
and a foot and a half wide, or less, and of a 
length that will fit in between the posts or 
pillars ; of coarse, leaving a space in front for 
entrance. Into these long boxes, or troughs, 
all potted plants may be set and the interstices 
filled with good soil, with drainage of coarse, 
at the bottom. Paint the boxes bright red, or 
gray, and fill them full of petunias, geraniums, 
nasturtiums, lobelias, asters, thunbergias, 
ageratums, or other bright flowers that will 
blossom throughout the Summer or Fall. Cy¬ 
press-vine seeds dropped in at intervals will 
produce a graceful, drooping foliage all around. 
With enough petunias of varied colors—the 
striped and blotched varieties are most effec¬ 
tive, with white—there will be a rim of color 
around the piazza until frost comes. Keep 
the hight of the plants equal by trimmiDg, pre 
serve a rounded surface, give sufficient water, 
and you will have a “ a thing of beauty,” par¬ 
ticularly recommended to persons whose hens 
“scratch everything endwise." If preferred, 
the boxes may be covered by bark, tacked on, 
producing a rustic effect. Store the boxes 
under shelter for the Winter. 
fitearu Pjstfllattji. 
BIRD OF SPRING. 
Hail to thee,'bird of Spring, 
Blithe be thy welcoming, 
Send thy sweet carol o’er woodland and plain; 
Sweeter notes ne’er were heard, 
Sing thy song, bonnie bird, 
Gladden onr hearts with thy music again. 
Swells thy song on the air. 
Mat ing the world more fair. 
Chasing all sorrow and gloom from the brow; 
FlowerB will welcome thee 
Gladly, dear bird, as we. 
Who such a joy-giving creature as thou ? 
Hail to thee, bird of Spring, 
Hark ! now the woodlands ring, 
Echo repeats every note of thy lay; 
Hi*h on thy fleet wing soar, 
Sing to us evermore— 
Bird of the Spring-time, ah, stay with us, stay! 
ADVENTURES OP AN ANTEDILUVIAN 
In The Land of Promise, 
BY JAMES M’NBILL. 
CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL EXPERI¬ 
MENT STATION. 
BULLETIN NO. 57, APRIL 21, 1881. 
552. Commonwealth Bone Meal, made by 
Rafferty <fe Williams, foot of 44th St., Eist 
River, New York. Sampled and sent by 
Staples, Coley & Co., dealers, Westport, Ct. 
553. Lister’s Celebrated Ground Bone, made 
by Lister Bros,, Newark, N. J- Sold by8imon 
Banks, 8outhport, Ct. Sampled April 6th, by 
Geo. P. Jennings, Greens Farms, 
555. Pure Ground Bone, made by Stevens <& 
Draper, Long Hill. Ct. Sampled and sent April 
8th, by Geo. P. Jennings, dealer, Greens 
Farms, Ct. 
Mechanlral AnalyHe*. 
Finer than 1-60 iu. per c. 
•• “ 1-25 •’ " . 
•* “ 1-12 “ “ . 
“ ” 14 “ “ . 
Coarser than 1-6 " " . 
Chemical Analyses. 
662 
552 
553 
556 
. 48 
28 
15 
. 21 
20 
25 
. 13 
17 
30 
. 11 
17 
30 
. 7 
18 
0 
563 
555 
(irganic Nitrogen. 1.48 8.44 4 09 
Phosphoric acid. 12 11 14.19 21.03 
Salt cake, eto., soluble in cold wa- very 
ter. much much 
Estimated value per ton.$17.36 $23.61 *32.41 
Cost per ton. 30.u0 31.09 34.uo 
554 Cooke’s Dissolved Ground Bone, made 
for E F. Cooke, 3S Platt St , N. Y.. by the 
Bowker Fertilizer Co., N. Y. Sample sent by 
Geo. P. Jennings, dealer, Greens Farms, Ct. 
556, Cook’s Blood Guano, made and sampled 
as 554. 
Analvses. 
554 556 
Organic Nitrogen. 0 21 2.49 
Soluble phosphoric acid. 7.40 6.16 
Reverted “ “ . 2.01 1.97 
Insoluble " " ... 4-20 5.14 
Potash. 2.26 
Estimated value per ton. $28.00 $37 U 
Cost per ton....... . 31.00 46.00 
560. Muriate of Potash, “ Test 80 per cent.” 
Sampled by C. E. Buuce of Souih Manchester, 
from stock of Mapes Co., Branch Hartford. 
Analysis. 
Potash. 45.87 
Muriute of Potash. 72.65 
Belling price per ton.$42.i 0 
Cost or “ potash ” per 100 pounds. 4.58 
S. W. Johnson, Director. 
--—*-•-*—-- 
Keeping Fruit. 
I wish to score two for the wet theory of 
preserving fruit. A number of years ago 1 
planted an orchard in Kansas, and as soon aa 
it came to bear I was curious to know what 
varieties would keep the longest. I had an 
outside cellar or cave, and I selected spec¬ 
imens of several varieties and placed them ou 
a shelf in the cave. At that time I had not 
read about the dry theory advocated by porno- 
logical writers—whose statements I never ven¬ 
ture to doubt. Rawle’s Genet kept till the 
next September, Wiuesap till July or August; 
English Golden Russet not quite so long. A con¬ 
siderable portion of the time moisture was vis¬ 
ible on these specimens. Again, an extensive 
fruit grower near this place plowed his or¬ 
chard when the fruit was about half-grown 
and covered most of the apples brushed off by 
the team. The next Fall or the followitg 
Spring—I am uot positive which—he again 
plowed it and turned up a good many of these 
apples, all in as good order as when buried. 
Hot Springs, Ark, t. j. b. 
CHAPTER XVI. 
(Continued from page 310.) 
Moreover, the custom so common among the 
people of old, of celebrating social events by a 
feast in which human Ingenuity was taxed to 
concoct rich and expensive dishes whose only 
recommendation was their capacity to tempt the 
appetite and please the palate, while their real 
effect was to Induce surfeit and indigestion, must 
be referred to an age In which appetite Is In the 
ascendency, and in which the intellect Is used as 
Its tool rather than Its guide." 
These words of Mr. GUnden’s put me In a re¬ 
flective mood, which for two hours after I retired 
to rest, kept my thoughts occupied tn recalling 
the countless Instances In the customs and habits 
of society in which the intellect la really used as 
the tool of the propensities rather than thetr 
guide. 
CHAPTER XVII, 
A VOYAGE THROUGH THE AIR. 
I long had a desire to try a voyage through the 
air, hut found it difficult to muster up courage 
enough to take It. The familiar sight of alr-shlps 
flying to and fro over the country, however, had 
the tendency to diminish my tear, so that when, 
on the day after the wedding, I received an invita¬ 
tion to make one of a party which should accom¬ 
pany the three bridal pairs on a trip to Mount Ko* 
plah, l thougnt that no more favorable opportuni¬ 
ty could be presented to look upon the world from 
the clouds. Especially, thought 1, will the fates 
be propitious to a voyage which Is undertaken 
chiefly for the pleasure of three blooming brides. 
Mount Koplah, I may explain, was a mountain 
peak nearly two miles and a-half high, which 
towered so much above aU objects lying about It 
that an unobstructed view of the surrounding 
country could be had on every side, its apex was 
nearly covered by a large and very substantial 
building, in the tower of which was a very remark¬ 
able Instrument, which had the power of throwing 
on one of the walls of the building a panoramic 
view ot the country tor hundreds or miles in every 
direction, so that every object was as distinctly 
seen as If It were brought within the range of half 
a mile. 
We made preparations to start before dawn that, 
we might witness the rare 3lght of day breaking 
over the world aa disconnected If not altogether 
disinterested spectators. There were to be ten in 
our party, and the air-ship which we were to use 
had a capacity for Just that number. I may say 
here that every village owned an air Bhlp ot about 
the size of this one ror the convenience of the peo¬ 
ple when they had occasion to mount the air, while 
If a larger one were required it could readily be 
obtained. 
The air ship when fllled with phlllego presents 
the appearance ot a great, oblong, circular bag, of 
a uniform diameter fo% about two-thirds of its 
length, but terminating In an apex at either end. 
This bag Is made of a material called plymer, 
which has some of the properties ot rubber, but 
much stronger aud denser, and of a lightness even 
greater than silk. A net work of strong cords adds 
strength tothls material, and from these are de¬ 
pended the car, tn which there are most luxurious 
seats which are single, and turn upon a swivel. 
Directly over the car Is a sort ot compliment or it¬ 
self which may be lowered In cold or stormy 
weather, and which accurately meets the edges ot 
the car, something after the manner that the two 
halves of a bivalve are brought together. Iu this 
upper part there Is a continuous row of projecting 
windows which leaves the view otthe voyager 
scarcely less circumscribed when it is down than 
when It Is up. Moreover the phlllego possesses 
wonderful healing qualities, so that when Ihe car 
Is closed the passengers may ride most comfort¬ 
ably at high elevations even In the coldest, weather 
or Winter. 
The material ot the car, which was some prepa¬ 
ration of paper, combined the qualities ot strength 
and lightness In a marvelous degree. It was skill- 
fully painted so as to represent the exquisite 
shading of a beautiful shell. In fact, when dosed, 
it naturally suggested the envelope ot some great 
mollusk of the deep. Beneath the car, and at¬ 
tached to its exposed edges, was an apparatus 
made of the same material as the air-bag ot the 
ship, which when fllled with phlllego performed 
the office of a buffer when a landing waa desired. 
Our arrangements for au early start having been 
perfect©), the first futnt flush of approaching 
dawn found us all sealed in the air-ship with pro¬ 
vision, extra clothing, and all other things neces¬ 
sary for an air Journey of five hundred miles. 
The captain, or manager of the ship occupied an 
enclosed place in the center ot the car in which 
he Bat with all the apparatus within his reach 
necessary for the complete control of the ship. 
The balloon was tilled with gas before we entered 
It, and ourselves and belongings being suitably 
placed, the captain, at the word “ready," touched 
aspring with bis foot, and we shot up Into the 
air like an arrow. 
It was a warm morning; there was not a breath 
of air and the sky was perfectly cloudless. We 
rose almost directly upward till we had reached 
an elevation of nearly two miles. How rapidly 
did the dawn seem to break upon us In this up¬ 
ward journey! And what a rapid change of tem¬ 
perature did we experience in the morning air! 
Comfortable tn linen when we started an over¬ 
coat became necessary within five minutes. 
When we had reached the elevation of nearly 
two miles the captain Bet his propelling apparatus 
In motion and we traveled off rapidly toward the 
rising sun. We really see med flying to meet “the 
King of Day rejoicing in the East." He was 
already beginning to tip the tops of the distant 
mountains with his golden light, and was rapidly 
changing the blush of the morning Into the bril¬ 
liant brightness of his own strong beams. While 
below us lay the earth, still dark with the 
shadows of the early dawn. But even these 
seemed to lighten up rapidly as we sped swiftly 
eastward, till we were gradually able to distin¬ 
guish the cities, then the villages, then the farm 
buildings and. Anally, by the aid of our glasses 
the people themselves. 
I thought I never saw a grander sight than 
when the sun began to peep above the horizon. 
Its bright rays glanced from the polished surface 
of our atr ship and bathed ua aU In their genial 
light. We could see them running down the east¬ 
ern slope of a mountain range on our right, while 
the shadows on the opposite side seemed by con¬ 
trast to grow more dense. Before ua the crescent 
of golden light was deepening every moment. 
Behind us the earth still looked cold In twilight 
shadows, from which we seemed to be speeding In 
our aerial flight to a region of genial warmth and 
brightness. 
Having witnessed the glorious sight of day 
breaking over the world from this lofty elevation 
we descended to a warmer region of the air, and 
to a nearer distance from the earth, that we might 
obtain a better view of the country over which we 
were passing. At a hight of halt a mile from the 
earth we struck a current of air which waa so 
favorable to our course that our captain stopped 
the propeller and unfurled his sails, which opera¬ 
tion he accomplished without moving from his 
seat. No ship was ever managed by crew of 
sailors more skillfully than was our air ship by its 
conductor sitting in his easy chair and quietly 
directing Its course. So quietly waa every opera¬ 
tion performed that it really seemed as If the ship 
itself was an obedient intelligence to which It was 
only necessary for the captain to whisper his 
command that It might be at once obeyed. 
We were now speeding along at the rate of a 
hundred miles an hour, and cities, villages, trees 
and all the other objeets on the earth appeared 
at times to be flying by us with a rapidity which 
threatened thetr destruction. It was only when 
we looked steadily at any of the objects beneath 
us that we became conscious that It was not the 
earth but we ourselves who were tn motion. 
“ What a country, and what a people I" I Invol¬ 
untarily exclaimed again and again as we sailed 
away over great cities, villages, and extensive 
farming districts. Onr course lay along a wide 
valley stretched out between two ranges ot moun¬ 
tains. That upon our right seemed but a few 
miles away while upon our left there was a great 
river flowing through the center ot the valley, and 
beyond ll the blue peaks ot the other range could 
be seen, tar in the distance. 
The country between these two ranges of moun¬ 
tains was thickly settled. Great cities were 
spread out on either side of the river at frequent 
intervals, while all about them little villages 
thickly dotted the landsca pe with as much reg¬ 
ularity almost as the streets and parks of the city, 
indeed the mathematical precision with which 
the whole country was laid out was to me one of 
the most wonderful things that I saw among this 
wonderful people. 
The natural impediments which the topography 
of the country must have originally presented to 
the laying out of rural roads and farming 3 ectlcr 8 
with the precision of a city seemed, tn the opea 
country at least, to have been almost completely 
overcome. The rugged mountain sides of course 
presented barriers to the engineer which It would 
have been neither profitable nor necessary to sur¬ 
mount. Among these nestled the little villages 
of the herdsmen, whose flocks roamed In the moun¬ 
tains, and were the source ot supply for their pe¬ 
culiar product tothepeople of the cities and plains. 
But In the open conn try I could trace the high¬ 
ways by the double row ot grand old elms which 
lined, and quite concealed them, runnlDg as 
straight as arrows betv.cn the cities, while at 
regular Intervals other roads would cross them at 
right angles, thus dividing the country into rec¬ 
tangular sections ot uniform size, except where 
some lake, or river, or mountain spur presented 
a natural boundary. When, on the main high¬ 
way, at every other intersecring road, clustered 
the homes of the farmers, making villages of uni¬ 
form size and similar appearance. The church, 
tue school-house, the gymnasium, and the social 
pavilion invariably occupied the four corners 
where the roads crossed. 
We passed over many cities tn our Journey, and 
the same appearance was presented by all. Parks 
of uniform size with the same number ot blocks 
Intervening between them. The same Lumber of 
public buildings similarly located, and similarly 
constructed occupied each pirk, aud the character 
of the houseB about the parks was the same In all. 
The course ot every street was marked by the all- 
prevaalng spreading elm, which set medio be the 
national tree of this country, and the streets 
crossed each other as rigidly at right angles as the 
compass could lay them out. In fact, the 2 [people 
