JUNE 4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
369 
perience at the Agricultural College: “Last 
year we selected a warm and very rich piece of 
srronod on which we sowed one pound of 
Pearl Millet seed : at harvest there were twelve 
large Cat-taila—much like swamp Cat-tails, ful- 
Iv SB coa se—these were cut and preserved. 
Afterward the millet seat up a few leaves, but 
not enough worth calling a second crop.” 
beds should be thoroughly weeded at this sea¬ 
son. A dressing of salt will often serve to 
keep the weeds down and. away from the sea¬ 
shore, will prove beneficial to the plants. The 
Rural Farm being upon the ocean, the air is 
impregnated with salt and its application to 
any crop produces no appreciable results.... 
reasonable. If the selling price la but $2 or $3 
per ton more than tbe estimated value. It may still 
be a fair price; but If the cost per ton Is $5 or more 
over the estimated v*lae, it. would be well to look 
further. Second, comparisons of the estimated 
vabtes and Bluing prices of a number of f* rtllizers 
will generally indicate fairly which l 8 tbe best for 
the money. But the ‘ estimated value’ Is not to 
be too literally construed, for analysis cannot al¬ 
ways decide accurately what is the form ot nitro¬ 
gen. ttc., while the. mechanical condition Of a fer¬ 
tilizer Is an Item whose influence cannot always 
be rightly expressed or appreciated.” 
8. W. Johnson, Director. 
New Haven. Conn. 
Speaking of the Department of Agriculture 
under the direction of Dr. Loring, the new 
Commissioner, the Nation save:—"We trust 
that in his hands the Department will quietly 
establish its claim to higher public estimation, 
which it will best do by sustainiugaud strength¬ 
ening its scientific corpB. For example, the 
present entomologist is a most indefatigable 
investigator, whose two years' service, it is 
hardly extravagant to say, shows more solid 
results than can be gathered from the entire 
previous history of the Department. His vol¬ 
ume on cotton insects is, for one year’s work, 
a marvel of industry and originality.” 
THE ADAMS AND FRENCH HARVESTER 
With the Travis Cord Binder. 
So extensive must be the employment of 
cord-binding harvesters in future that it has 
already become a problem where all the fiber 
for making the necessary cord is to come from. 
A first-class machine of this kind should be 
simple in its construction, so that any intelli¬ 
gent hand can run it, and so that, owing to the 
small number of its parts, the risk of breakage 
and derangement is reduced to a minimum. 
It should be strong enough in every part to bear 
every strain that may come upon it, without 
breaking or getting out of order, as the loss or 
diplacement of a part of a complicated ma¬ 
chine generally causes vexatious delay at the 
best, and at the worst renders the machine 
worthless at the busiest season. It should be 
durable, so that the owner may recover by 
its use the difference between its cost and that 
of cheaper implements for harvesting. These 
three essential requirements of a good ma¬ 
chine are combined in the Adams and French 
Harvester with the Travis Cord Binder, made 
by the Saudwich Manufacturing Company, 
Sandwich, Ill. Last year a thorough trial was 
made of this machine, which at the opening of 
the harvest was put to work iu Texas aud kept 
constantly busy, as it moved nortb, until the 
last grain was cut in Northern Dakota. The 
manufacturers also put it into the hands of a 
number of farmers in different sections, and 
whatever imperfections were discovered in its 
working have been remedied, and all suggest¬ 
ed improvements made, so that they offer to 
the public for the present year a cord-binding 
harvester which, they claim, is as near perfec¬ 
tion as any in the market. Tbe accompanying 
cut showB not ouly the binder itself, but its po¬ 
sition on the harvester and the connection by 
which it is driven. As will be seen, it is firmly 
attached to the frame, and is placed so that the 
weight is as nearly as possible over the main 
wheel. There are no gear-wheels about it, ex¬ 
cept the one shown at the right hand, which is 
operated by a few cogs on the wheel below it. 
The binding-arm, with the frame which sup¬ 
ports it. the compressor-arm, and the butting- 
board, with the shaft for driving them, consti¬ 
tute the whole of the binder, as seen from this 
point. The machine has no straps or belts, no 
leather or rubber to wear out or to break 
down. The motion of every movable part is 
positive and direct, and the sickle, reel, eleva¬ 
tors and binders are driven as directly as pos¬ 
sible from the main wheel, which has a broad 
face, and, carrying the whole 
weight of the machine, is not 
liable to slip. 
Trichin/K Rather 8carce.— The New Ycrk 
Sun alludes to the fact that the Department of 
Natural 8cience in the State University ot 
Iowa has been examining pork for the purpose 
of ascertaining what proportion of that raised 
in the State was infested with trichhue. One 
hundred different pieces from as mauy differ¬ 
ent hogs were inspected without finding a 
single specimen of trichinae, or any evidence 
that this parasite was present. This is cer¬ 
tainly a good showing for Iowa pork, and upon 
a careful investigation Lt will probably be dis¬ 
covered that trichinae are not so veiy abundant 
as many persons have supposed them to be. 
Mr. W. I. Chamberlain concludes an arti¬ 
cle in favor of tilt-draining asTollows :—*' But 
it never should be forgotten that tile-drainage 
is not needed on lands that have a gravel or 
porous sub-soil; and that, even on soils that 
do need it, drainage is only the basis- for good 
farming, and will never pay unless followed 
by good farming.” 
One reason that is known to ns, says the 
London Field, why rearing poultry in very 
large numbers fail* iB, that where large num¬ 
bers of fowls are kept together, the place be¬ 
comes tainted with decaying manure, and 
disease and failure are sure to follow.” 
We find the above in the N. Y. Tribune. 
Several years ago we thoroughly tested this 
Pearl Millet both at the Rural Farm and Rural 
Grounds. We were so impressed by what cer¬ 
tain persons said in its praise that we pur¬ 
chased a large quantity of the seed at a high 
price and made it one of the packets of onr 
then seed distribution. We have not received 
one favorable report from the seeds thus sent 
out, except from the South, where it was al¬ 
ready well-known as Cat-tail Millet. Onr sea¬ 
sons are not long enough for it. The stalks 
are woody and though when cut they continue 
to grow, they cannot be cut until so late that 
the second growth is next to worthless. We 
hope there is no danger of another talk about 
this plant. At any rate, let us again assure 
onr readers north of Virginia and Kansas that 
it is not even worth a trial. 
We are glad to see that Gen. N M. Curtis 
has offered $150 worth of prizes to the farmers 
of 8t. Lawrence County for the beBt yields of 
Indian corn. 
We have from time to time spoken of all 
the prominent lawn mowers of known ex¬ 
cellence. A few weeks ago the Pennsylva¬ 
nia was sent to the Rural Grounds for trial. 
This is not a new lawn mower, but the 
only one of well-known make that we had 
not tried. It matters little in how many re¬ 
spects a mower may excel, it must be durable 
or it is a failure. It should endure constant 
use, if careful, not less than three years with¬ 
out repairs, and any lawn mower that would 
We hope our Northern friends have not ere 
this sown the Rural Branching Sorghum. 
We advise our friends not to set out tomato 
plants too early—not before the first of Tune 
for this climate. We cannot change the na¬ 
ture of plants, and tomatoes must have 
settled warm weather or they will not thrive. 
The recommendation to wrap a piece of firm 
paper around the stems when they are trans¬ 
planted, is a good one as a protection against 
the annoying cat-worm.. 
The new growth of raspberries and black¬ 
berries will soon require support. Let it be 
considered that the canes merely need protec¬ 
tion against strong winds. They should not 
be drawn so closely as to deprive the leaves 
and fruit of sunlight and air. A common 
mistake in tying up tomatoes is that the stems 
are drawn too closely together, and the same 
may be said of grape-vines. 
Tomato cultivators may congratulate them¬ 
selves that we are not in the future very likely 
to be pestered with new varieties of tomatoes 
that are "earlier by ten days” than others. 
The earliest tomatoes are always of inferior 
quality, which makes them less desirable than 
those which were canned the previous season. 
And people have now fouHd this out and the 
pink-skinned, sick-looking things that are the 
first in the market are every season finding a 
less ready sale. Shapeliness—that is freedom 
from deep seams—keeping qualities, freedom 
from acidity: these are the qualities most to 
be looked to in the coming tomato. 
E. P. Roe remarks in the Christian Union 
that varieties of strawberries that thrive well 
on light land will thrive equally well, and often 
better, on strong, heavy soils, but the reverse 
is not the case. If he were limited to one 
strawberry, his choice would be the Charles 
Downing. It succeeds everywhere, is very 
productive, even under rough and careless 
culture, and the quality of the fruit is excel¬ 
lent. He does not know a variety with the 
flavor of the Downing, that will produce as 
much fruit with the same culture. 
The Potato possesses the property of con¬ 
verting a very much larger portion of the 
manure ingredients of the soil into human 
food, than any of the cereal grain crops: for 
instance, to every bushel of wheat about 100 
pounds of straw are grown, while the haulm 
of the potatoes when dry is so light, that in 
our experiments we do not think it worth 
while to weigh it. These properties, when 
combined with a suitable climate, enable the 
cultivator to produce, upOD a given area of 
ground, a larger amount of human foed from 
the potato than from any of the cereal grain 
crops. So writes Dr. Lawes in his series of 
articles in the London Agricultural Gazette. 
A writer in the same journal remarks that 
many labor-saviug implements have of late 
been introduced, but judging from what one 
not unfrequently sees, the men appear to re¬ 
gard these things as intended to save their 
bones and muscles rather than their employers’ 
pockets. 
Amber Sugar Cane as a Fodder Plant.— 
Mr. Henry Stewart calls attention to the am¬ 
ber Sugar-cane as a fodder plant. It is, he 
says, remarkably sweet, but not very leafy, 
and the stalk is bard and stiff; nevertheless, a 
full-grown stalk ll feet ioug. has been taken 
by the butt I y a horse, and chewed and swal¬ 
lowed completely to the end, Fiom its certain 
prospective value as a source of sugar and 
sirup of domestic manufacture, it is a crop 
that should be growu for fodder, for which it 
is valuable, so mat wiib facility thus a< quired 
it may be easily grown for sugai when it is so 
desired. It is as prolific of fodder and of grain 
as corn, and tbe grain, whole or when ground, 
furnishes an exceileut fetd for stock. 
BOOKS. CATALOGUES, ETC 
March 31, 1881. This contains 
reports as to the condition of 
Winter wheat, rye, farm ani¬ 
mals, nieterologic.al data, &C., 
and also a very instructive 
paper by our contributor, Pro¬ 
fessor E, M. Shelton of the Slate 
College, on the tame grasses oi 
Kansas. I 
J. K. Hudson, Sec., 
Topeka, Kansas. 
Quarterly Report of the. 
Chief of the Bureau of Statis¬ 
tics, Treasury Department, re¬ 
lative to imports, exports, im¬ 
migration and navigation of the 
United States for the three 
months ended Dec. 31, 1880. 
Dairy Products and Substitutes. —Rail¬ 
roads have ruined caimls; steam-ships have 
caused sailing vessels to He and rot iu idleness; 
glucose lakes the place of cane sirup, and on 
every hand we see substitutions which lake 
ihe business from one to give it to another. 
And whv should ihe daiiy be exempt ? it has 
no mortgage on ihe future. It must look out 
lor itself, and if it cannot hold its own in com¬ 
petition wiih new devices aud methods it must 
to to the wall. If there is not a larce opening 
to receive the enormous product <f artificial 
butler and cheese wiihout detriment to the 
daily interest, this must suffer. But we 
have no fear for this result, at least as 
yet, [We are quoting from the Ag. Dep’t of 
the N. Y. Times. J There is not as yet on the 
markets a lithe of the butter and cheese that 
RURAL BKIEFLET8 
THE ADAMS AND FRENCH HARVESTER, WITH TRAVIS OORP BINDER.—FIG. 385. 
Professor Knapp writes, in the Iowa Horae- not stand such a test we should uot care to 
stead, against Pearl Millet for forage iu that recommend. Ihe reputation of the Pennsyl- 
State; it i* as coarse as Western coru-stalks, vania is lhat il excels in thia respect, as well as 
and as difficult to cure; sweet corn would be in simplicity of construction, light-running 
belief lor soiling, and if it has the advantage qualities, and last, though not least, in the fact 
seedsmen claim for it of furnishing two Or that it will cut taller grass than many others, 
three cuttings each seasoD. ‘‘Mammoth Clov- ,, .. .. . . , . , . 
er ” meets that condition. But it does not seem Exce P l a « to lts enduring powers, of which, of 
to establish these claims for itself, as appears course, we have had no experience, we find 
Our readers should bear iu mind that py* 
retbrmn powdei—sold by seedsmen uud drug¬ 
gists—will kill cabbage woims. Professor 
Cook’s experiments show that one tablespoon¬ 
ful ottne powder 10 40 pounds of flour, or one 
tablespoonful of the powder to two gallons of 
water, is fatal to the worms....... 
Atten d to thn seedling asparagus bed. Old 
that it is in fact just what is claimed for it 
