830 
MAY 21 
THE 
MEW-YOBKER. 
Ill,, Rockford, Winnebago Co., May 8.— 
Wheat is nearly all killed except where pro¬ 
tected by snow-banks, Raspberries were 
badly frozen. Oaf,8 are about half sowed. 
Butter is worth 20c.; corn, 38c.; oats, 30c.; po¬ 
tatoes, $1.10 per bushel. w. ». h. 
Iowa, Shell Rock, Batler Co., May 1 —We 
are having as early a Spring as could be ex¬ 
pected after having had so severe a Winter. 
Stock are looking first-rate and will be turned 
out to grass in about a week, if grass grows 
as rapidly as it has for the last two weeks. 
Seeding is nearly finished and some pieces are 
up, and look splendid. Wheat has been al¬ 
most a failure for the last two years owing to 
the devastation of the Chinch bug ; many 
pieces have not paid the expenses of harvest¬ 
ing, but we arc in hopes the pests will not 
bother us this year. Flax seems to be the 
main crop this season. The yield last year 
was thirteen bushels to the acre. By the way. 
there would be a splendid opening for 6ome 
smart, energetic capitalist who wished to 
erect a paper milt at this place and thus amass 
a snug little fortune. In this way, thousands 
of tonB of flax and other 6lraw that will be 
burned, could be made to pay a haudsome 
profit to the farmer and manufacturer. There 
is good water power. Who will be the lucky 
man to build the mill? Winter i ye looks well 
and will be a pretty fair crop. Corn, 25c ; 
wheat. 80<5>90c; potatoes, 50c; butter, 13c; 
eggs, 8e; hogs, $4 75@5. w. h b. 
Ia., Wellmau, Washington Co., April 25 — 
We had a long, cold winter and plenty of snow 
from Nov. 15, to April 15. Spring work will 
begin one month later than last year. Fall 
wheat was all frozen out. But little Spring 
wheat will be sown. Oats and corn are tbo 
farmer’s main hope here now. CherrleB are 
all killed. We shall have about half a crop of 
other small fruit. Apples are not killed. A 
new creamery is being built near this place. 
We need something of that kind here. Ilogs 
are worth from $5 to $5 30; wheat, 70c. to 
S)0c.; per bu.; oats, 30c ; corn. 29 to 81c ; hay, 
$8 to $10 per ton ; butter. 13 c. per pound ; 
eggs, 10c. per dozen. e. b s. 
Ia., Uilca, Vau Buren Co., May 3 —Some 
grain has been sowed here but not much, as 
the ground has been too wet. The weather 
is fine now and farmers are busy putting in 
oats and “ breaking ” for corn, I don’t think 
we shall have many apples this year; last sea¬ 
son we had a large crop. b. j. 
Kansas, Walnut, Crawford Co,, May 0.— 
Wheat, of which quite a large acreage was 
sown last Fail, is looking very fine, and the 
farmers are hopeful of a good yield of this 
cereal. The extremely cold Winter just passed 
injured some pieces of wheat that were sow a 
broadcast, as the freezing and thawing raised 
the roots out of the gronud and left them so 
exposed that the wheat was entirely killed In 
patches. Corn will be nearly all planted thi6 
week, and it Is now " all work aud no play " 
with a farmer, as we all know by experience 
that nine times out of ten the early planting 
insures the best yield. The most terrific rain and 
hail storm that I ever witnessed sweptover here 
yesterday, doing much damage to window 
glu6s, fruit blooms and gardens. The hail con¬ 
tinued to rattle down for 80 minutes, making 
it almost deafening in a house. Some of the 
hailstoneB were as large as walnuts. In my 
garden the gooseberries, about one-;hlrd 
growu, were nearlv all cot o£F, and garden veg¬ 
etables, 6uch as beans, cabbage and letinee, 
were almost ruined. The young shoots on my 
grape-vines, six or eight inches long, were cut 
and l roken off in a shocking manner. Our 
druggist gathered three pailfuh of the hail¬ 
stones to use iu his &oda fountaiu. The streak 
of hail was not more than a mile and a-half 
wide, coming from a little north of west. 1 
hope to see more from our Western farmers in 
the Rural New-Yorker, giving their experi¬ 
ence in agriculture, horticulture, stock, etc. 
The seeds from your distribution are all plant¬ 
ed. The White Elephant Potatoes, Branching 
Sorghum and oats are up aud looking very 
nice. b. a. s. 
Kan., Sterling, Rice Co., May 5.—We have 
had a glorious rain, succeeding several fine 
6liowers, and eveiythmg looks prosperous. 
Wheat looks fine; corn is coming up; gardens 
are prospering, and the peach and cherry trees 
are in bloom. j, w. m'c. 
Kentucky, Paducah, McCracken Co., May 
2 —The weather is very pleasant to-day after 
a long, cold Spring and Winter. My three- 
year-old peach trees wcie frozen just above 
the ground; they are entirely dead; although 
they were full of bloom and the leaves put out, 
they soon began to look sickly and on exami¬ 
nation I found they were wiDter-killed. We 
have a fine prospect tor a crop of strawberries 
Blackberries are killed. There will be a light 
crop of apples aud peaches here. A smaller 
acreage than usual of wheat was put in last 
Fall on account of wet weather, and what was 
put in looks bad. G. w. k. 
Mjcu , Eastport, Antrim Co., May 3—We 
have had a very severe Winter—any amount 
of wind, snow and extremely cold weather, 
with but very little change from the 1st of No¬ 
vember until the 1st of March. Since then we 
have had pleasanter weather than people gen¬ 
erally look for during the months of March and 
April. We have not had any rain to speak of 
this Spring. The great depth of enow has been 
gradually wasted away by the sun until it is 
nearly all gone, a little being still left in some 
places in the woods. Fall wheat was injured 
somewhat last Autumn, either by some insect 
or disease, so that it withered and became thin 
on the ground. What survived was badly 
smothered in places by the formation of a hard 
crust on the snow. One could travel over it 
with a team and loaded sleigh. People have 
just begun Spriog work. The ice is not out of 
Grand Traverse Bay yet, which makes the 
weather quite cool. Fruit buds appear to be 
all right, with the exception of pears, which 
seem to be partially injured. Raspberries, 
blackberries and the young stock of peaches 
are winter-killed to some extent. m.m c. 
Minn , Warren, Winona Co., May 2- 
Seeding Spring grain just done. Weather 
very good. E*rth quite moiBt from the deep 
snow of last Winter. No rain yet except light 
showers. Grass and all plants growing fast. 
Season, medium late. Rivers in all parts of 
the State rising fast. Inundation imminent in 
low lands. Wheat, 95.:; corn, 45: ; oati, 
85c.; barley, 90c.; potatoes. 90c.; butter, 20c.; 
eggs, 10c ; hay. $10 to $12 andBcarce. b. 
Mo., Plcasaut Mt., Miller Co., May 2.—Far¬ 
mers are through sowing oats. O >ving to the 
late season the acreage was not as large as it 
otherwise would have been. Farmers are very 
busy planting corn. Owing to the late open¬ 
ing of Spring this will hardly be finished 
until the last of this month. Wheat, taken al¬ 
together, looks fully as well as usually, and 
unless some imforseen calamity occurs, will 
make a good crop. Locusts are making their 
appearance through the ground. We shall 
have some fruit, though not a full crop by any 
means. n. g s. 
Neb , Pleasant Hill, Saline Co.—We have 
had a very severe Winter here, but SpriDg ha 3 
set in ia earnest. Our wheat and oats are 
already sown aud look very promising, w. A. 
N. J., Ocean Co,, near Barnegat Bay, May (1. 
—To give an idea of the late season here this 
year, I note that the flowering shrub for&ythia 
began to bloom April 20, peach trees, 27, pear, 
cheny, Pyrus Japouiea, and 6had-bush, May 
1. Peas up April 20, and now six to eight 
inches high. Radish and lettuce almost large 
enough to pick, and one spear of sweet corn 
two inches high. Pie-plaut large enough to 
pull April 25. aud asparagus to cut on the 30th. 
The. wind for the past seven days has blown 
lightly from northeast to southeast, but the 
weather kept fair until the night of May 5, 
when It began to rain gently, continuing 
through the fi.h. This ia much needed for our 
light soils, as it has been rather dry for ten' 
days past. On the uights of 81 and 4th of 
May there was a light froEt which has done no 
injary. Rye sowed last September for soiling 
is 18 to 24 inches high and will be soon large 
enough to cut for our cows. a. b a. 
N. Y., Clifton, Monroe Co., May 9.—The first 
strawberry blossoms appeared here yesterday, 
also the first cheny blossoms. Fruit buds are 
not seriously injured here. The Cutbbert 
Rtspberiy may be called hardy here ; it comes 
out better than I expected. c a. g. 
Tknn., Thompson Station, Williamson Co., 
May 3.—In this portion of Middle Tennessee 
farmers are nearly, or quite, two weeks later 
thuu usual iu getting iu their crops—cotton and 
corn, of course—which delay has been caused 
by continual wet weather preventing us from 
getting our plowing done in season. Few of our 
farmers are more than half through planting. 
Very little tobacco is raised in this or the ad 
joining counties—too little money in it. We 
ought not lo grow cotton, but it is always 
yeady momy when ready for market, and a 
negro in Middle or West Tennessee thinks he 
cannot live unless he has a cotton crop to sell 
about Christmas trine; and, in truth, most of 
onr white farmers entertain the same notion. 
This county is one of the finest countries in the 
world for stock raising; and it will not be 
many years until that industry will be the 
leading one of our people, especially of the 
more enterprising and progressive portion. 
Our wheat is looking fairiy promising oniy, 
having come through a hard Winter and cold, 
wet, backward Spring in a better condition 
than was expected. The acreage of wheat for 
Middle Tennessee is, however, considerably less 
this year than usual, owngto Winter setting 
in ai.d staying with us nearly two mouths 
earlier than has been the case for years before. 
My Washington Oat3 are up and looking 
as well as could be expected after so much 
rain. I shall stir the ground in a day or two. 
The Rural Branching Sorghum was planted 
to-day in a very rich mellow place—an old 
fence row [It does not need rich ground. 
Eds ]. My white Elephant Potato is doing 
splendidly above ground ; how it is under the 
surface I cannot tell—not having grabUtd 
there as yet. I am only fearful that some of 
our thieving nee roes will do that work for me, 
and shorten or destroy my crop. w. h. c. I 
Texas, Dayton, Liberty Co., May 1—Al¬ 
though the season is about two weeks later 
than usual, corn and cotton are nearly all plant¬ 
ed. Our Winter was very severe, and yet our 
prairie cattle have come out unusually well. I 
do not think the loss will average over one per 
cent This is somewhat different from the 
Dakota outlook, ub we read of it in the newspa¬ 
pers. Oats are now being harvested. I am 
now eating Early Rose potatoes every day. I 
think it would have done the editor’s heart 
good to have seen my sorghum plot. The 
garden is 200 feet long, and I have two rows 
planted about four feet wide, the seeds about 
six inches apart. It is as smooth as a billiard 
table, and as I have had no other kind, and 
there is no other in my neighborhood, the out¬ 
come is bound to be true to name. o o. 
Washington Tekhitory, Cedar Creek, Whit¬ 
man Co., April 31—This has been the earliest 
Spring we have had for a long time. Although 
Winter commenced about the 20.h of Novem¬ 
ber, it broke up about the 15th of March. We 
began seeding about tbe 20th of that month 
and now the farmers have almost finished. 
Winter wheat looks fine, but very little has 
been sown here. Small fruits were not in j ired 
except blackberries. The prospects for a good 
crop arc first-rate. J l‘d. 
Wis., Dodge’s Corners Waukesha Co., May 6. 
—Spring is at least a month behind time this 
year. Spring wheat is not all in yet. Winter 
wheat, unless in a sheltered situation, is in¬ 
jured badly. Many have plowed it up and are 
sowing the ground to Spring wheat. A great 
many early potatoes are raised here for mar¬ 
ket. Some have put in as many as 21 acres 
already. We are in the great "fine-wool” 
region of Wisconsin. Yesterday was the 10,h 
annual shearing of full-blood Merinos. There 
was a fine show of sheep, probably no better 
exhibit of thoroughbreds was ever made in the 
United States. But few were shorn, on account 
of cold weather. The heaviest clip was 
27 pounds. Hundreds assemble every year at 
this annual gathering. Reporters from Chicago 
and Milwaukee and other neighboring places 
are always present. A sumptuous dinner is 
provided bv the ladies and a happy day is 
spent by all. It has come to be a day looked 
upon by all, far and near, ae the Spring festiv¬ 
ity, as much as the "fairs” are the Fall festivi¬ 
ties. Dairying has hitherto received little 
attention, each farmer being content to keep 
eight or ten Short-horns or Jerseys as the fancy 
of each, might suggest, for the all-absorbing in¬ 
terest has been sheep But (his year there is 
a little awakening on account of a creamery 
that buys the cream of the farmers and makes 
high-priced butter, so that dairying promises 
to be as remunerative as sheep raising. Many 
are losing young sheep with " grub-in-the 
head.” f. c. p. 
$bf Querist, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Introducing Kalian ffneens to Common Black 
Bees. 
O. TV. TV., Lowville, AT. Y., aBks, 1, can an 
Italian queen be introduced into a colony of 
common black bees; 2 where and of whom 
can Italian queens be purchased. 
Ans. —1. Yes; but be sure, in the first place, 
that no queen is iu the hive into which the new 
queen is to be introduced. Italian queeut in ay 
be introduced in various ways, but that recom¬ 
mended by Professor (look is as good as any. 
Put the queen into a wire cage, made by wind¬ 
ing a strip of wire-cloth three and a-half niches 
wide, and containing 15 to 20 meshes to the 
inch, about the finger. L :t it lap half au inch; 
then ravel out the laps and weave in the euds 
of the wires to form a tube. The ends of the 
tube may be pinched together after thu queen 
is inserted. Now place the cage, with queen, 
in the hive between two adjacent combs con¬ 
taining houey upon which the queen may 
feed. After 48 hours siuok: the bees and open 
the queen’s cage at the ends, but do not re¬ 
move the cage. If the bees, on entering the 
cage, attack the queen, re cage her for another 
48 hours. It is well to let some honey drip on 
the queen as soon as tbe cage is opened. If an 
imported queen i6 to be introduced into a new 
colony of young bees, smoke the bees well, 
sprinkle them with sweetened water and the 
queen with honey, and introduce her immedi¬ 
ately. 2. We would advise you to consult G. 
M. Doolittle, Borodino, N. Y.. J. G Bingham, 
MtGrawville, N. Y., or Cinia. Didant & Son, 
Hamilton, Ill., on the purchase of Italian 
queens. 
When to Castrate a Colt. 
TV. E C., Thompson's Station, Ttnn , asks, 
what is the most suitable age to castrate a 
colt, horse or mule. 
Ans —Tno proper time for castrating a colt 
will depend a good deal on its development; 
for the longer he remains uncut, the more is 
the fore quarter developed, and especially tie 
head aud neck. If these parts are already 
well developed, therefore, tbe operation should 
be performed early, while, if they are poorly 
developed, geldiDg should be postponed until 
later; but In no case is it wise, as a rule, to 
defer it beyond tie age of twelve months. The 
longer it ia put off, up to this period, the more 
of the natural vigor and style of the stallion 
does the animal retain. From the middle of 
May to the first of June is generally found to 
be the hest time to perform the operation in 
the North. aDd about the time the youDg grass 
gives a full bile, in the South. What is true 
of the horse, is true of the mule in this con¬ 
nection. 
Alfsceilaneoua. 
-/. <7, II., Richfield, Utah, asks information 
about a large number of papers without nam¬ 
ing the place where they are published. 
Ans.—W e cannot undertake to hunt up in¬ 
formation of this sort. It is of use only to an 
individual inquirer, and to obtain full particu¬ 
lars would cost us far too much time—which 
is money. Whenever the information sought 
is of general interest, we 6pare neither trouble 
nor expense to supply it, and even for each 5i - 
dividual inquirer we are willing to go to a f« r 
amount of trouble. In the present case neith r 
we ourselves nor the American News Company 
can furnish any more of tie information 
sought than the following:—Papers treating 
of "turning "and wood-wotkinp: Junior Amer¬ 
ican Mechanic, monthly, 75:.. 1434 H mover 8t., 
Philadelphia; Scientific Americau, weekly, 
$3 20. 87 Park Row. N Y. N> information 
with regard to other papers inquired about in 
this connection. Papers treating of mining : 
The Mining News, daily, -$G, 15 Frankfort 
St., N. Y.; Mining Record, weekly, $3, 61 
Broadway, N, Y. Papers treating on sanitary 
matters:- Herald of Health, monthly. $1. 15 
Laight St., N. Y ; Foote's Health Monthly, 
50c., 129 E ist 28 h St., N. Y. 
J. P . O., Dubuque Ia ., asks, 1, what is the 
difference between frix-ieed aDd linseed; 2, 
why is foreign tlir-seed more high-priced than 
home-.aised ; 3, could not the latter be made 
as good as the former bv cultivation. 
Ans. -1, FJax seed and liuseed are two words 
for the same thing. 2 Because greater care is 
bestowed in raising a better article, to say 
nothing of the cost of bringing it here, etc. 3, 
Probably, yes ; but it is doubtful whether the 
extra care would "pay” so long as labor here 
is so much dearer than in Ireland. H nil and, 
Belgium or Russia, whence almost all imported 
flux seed comes. 
TV. II O., Thompson Station , Tenn., asks, 1, 
how to grow late cabbages for Winter use ; 2, 
what varieties would be most likely to thrive In 
that locality : 3. when should the young plants 
be set out- He has already eevural young cab¬ 
bage plants set out, and he inquires, 4. if they 
thrive well, is there any way of preserving 
them for Winter use. 
Ans —I They are grown the same as early 
cabbage. 2. Drumhead, Flat Dutch and Drum¬ 
head Savoy, 3. Sow in this latitude about 
middle of May, farther south they may be 
sown earlier. 4 Piant out in July, 5. We do 
not think there is. 
J. O’. II, Sewer Co., Utah, says that they 
have been blessed with tree peddlers from 
Kansas. They sold a good many trees at high 
prices. They said they procured their stock 
from the biggest nurseiyin the United States, 
viz , the Fairmount Nursery, of Topeka, Kan¬ 
sas. He a-ks if there is such a nurseiy. 
Ans —We have not heard of it before. 
N TV. It , Mount Vernon, N. Y., asks, what 
is the best time in the year to clear a piece of 
ground of a thick growth of brush and briars 
which have covered it probably for twenty 
years. He has been told that if the job is done 
in Wiuter, the roots will be killed *• entirely.” 
J. TV. D., Floresvilte. Texas, asks where can 
he get a good book of architectural designs 
and its price. 
Ans —Bicknell & Comstock’s Cottage and 
Villa Architecture, price $6. published ly B. 
& C., 193 Broadway, N. Y ; R:eds "House 
Plans,” $1 50. American News Co , N. Y ; Pal- 
liser’s American Cottage Homes, $5, published 
byPalhser A Paliiser at Bridgeport, Conn., 
are good works. 
" Subscriber," Genesee, IV. Y,, asks for a 
remedy for a cow that leaks her milk. 
Ans —The only remedy we know of for this 
failing is to milk the cow often—say three 
times a day—so as to relieve the teat of press¬ 
ure until it has become strong enough to 
bear it. 
--- 
Communications bbckivkd fob the week end¬ 
ing Saturday, May urh. 
A B. B . received rather late for this season.— 
S. C. G.—TV. B a.— J. B N,—Rev D. M L. - J B. 
—11. S—B B K -F B M.—A. B.-F, O.P.-J. L. 
D.—"Elate ’-J B. E.-R. M. D —W. D. U.—E. B. 
s. Weliman, Iowa, thanks, young gentleman— 
You’ll make an excellent farmer If the tree be in¬ 
clined as the twig is bent-O C. C.—B S,—<4. S. 
11—O. S B . Thanks.—F S.— M H R . thanks tor 
plan.—C VV R , the reason why we do not sell 
anything to subscribers la mat we do not wish to 
place ourselves In a posit Inn that might JusPy 
out readers In nspeeilng tli t our aovcels inter, 
entfii Journals that efftr uieir own gooas ftr 
tale are trade j mrnals si-called —11 \V.—L. V — 
■ Sigma’’ O. N. O.—1\ B„ Mad is »n Mis thank you 
for iitaii —IV 11- O , thai ks—U O —N J. e M. 
M. O-H. W.-L .1 U - E. E. T. W 11.-A. G tt, 
—W. V. A. F. K. B.—W. A. E.-G. S. J.-SuU 
Ecrlber-H. R. D-N. D.-fi G. B. G. S. -M C. 
li.-S. O. G—W. I. O.—F. H. S.-S, W. J.-T. R.— 
