JULY 30 
502 THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Arizona. 
Pbujnix, Maricopa Co., July 14 —The prin¬ 
cipal crops here are harley and wheat. Corn 
is not cultivated to any extent; what is 
raised is principally for green corn for the 
table ; the country is too dry for this crop. 
Sorghum grows exuberantly and is cultivated 
considerably for fodder and sirup. There are 
no extensive orchards; all kinds of fruits 
flourish except, perhaps, apples and pears. 
Every sort of vine yields abundantly- All our 
products are consumed in the Territory except 
those of our mines. f a. n. 
Arkansas. 
Beebb, White Co., July 14.—Itwill be three 
years n< xt March since I came here, and I am 
satisfied that the l ig stories told about llils p»art 
of the country t»r not true. The soil will not 
produce such crops as seme correspondents 
report. It takes just as much labor to prepare 
the ground for our oats, com, millet, etc., as 
it does urNorth, and we only gethalf as much 
of a yield per acre. Of oats I get from 15 to 
20 bushels per acre, and of co; n from 13 to 20 
bushels. On old grouud millet will not do well 
unless manure Is used, and wo have nothing 
here to make manure of. Cotton 1 e the only 
crop on which mom y is made, and but little is 
made on that. Flour is from $8.50 to $9 per 
barrel on credit. $0 50 to $7 for cash; best 
grades still higher. I do not think this is as 
much of a stock country as some make it out 
to be. There is nothing here for stock to eat 
but bushes. I have tried to raise grasB ever 
since I came here, but It is killed out by 
drought or severe Winter weather. I brought 
two good cows with me from the North which 
would make four and a-half pounds of butter a 
week each, but here 1 cannot make butler 
enough from them to use. Hogs are never 
killed here until they are two oi three years old, 
as the people say tin y do not get their growth 
bt fore that ago ; but the. reason is, they haven’t 
corn enough to fatten them sooner. Some feed 
a little corn about two weeks before killing, to 
harden the meat. I was told that peaches never 
fail here, but this season there are none. 
Strawberries, half a crop, and blackberries 
none. Apples are very good. 1 have shipped 
some earlv ones, but late ones do not do well. 
Sheep np North are just one half larger thau 
here; so is everything. The people think the 
wolves kill the sheep, but I tell them it is the 
dogs, of which the white farmers have about 
four each and the blacks still more. The peo¬ 
ple are very clever, but ignorant. They go to 
town on Saturday to get the news, but do not 
take the papers. Some want free schools and 
some want none, and the teachers are all poor. 
I have never worked so hard as I have since I 
came here, and we have not made over 59 cents 
per day in a year. It costs about one-third to 
get stuff to market in St. Louis. Last week 
we had two nice rains, which helped cons very 
much h. b. 
California. 
Pknryn, Placer Co.. July 15.—We do not 
raise enough wheat or corn here for home con¬ 
sumption. All kinds of orchard fruits are 
good crops. Berries are not np to the average, 
except blackberries. Prices of fruits of all 
sorts have ruled low. k w. b. 
Pkntz, Butte Co .July 17—' The wheat crop in 
this section is light. The Eunobled Oats turned 
out good. I sowed six pounds (which I raised 
last year) broadcast on about one-sixth of an 
acre and harvested eight bushels. The straw 
very heavy and the heads fine. w. h. s. 
Soqubl, 8anta Cruz Co., July 15 —The wheat 
crop in the vicinity of Soquel is not an av¬ 
erage compared with last year; the same is 
trne of barley. Very little rye is grown. 
Oats are mostly cut into hay. Owing to the 
extremely wet season the farmers could not 
get in their usual grain crops, and as a last 
expedient plauted corn as late as May 25, 
which crop never looked better. The major¬ 
ity of corn growers rarely maiket their corn, 
but feed it to stock. In San Francisco fruit 
dealer* ars in the bight of a busy fruit seo 
son, with an abundance of everything, at 
better priceB than usual, owing to an increased 
demand for canning. b. h 
Dakota Territory, 
Farmington, McCook Co., July 14—The 
acreage of wheat is at least one-fourth greater 
than last year and the outlook is very promis¬ 
ing. Oat6 are lookmg well and bid fair to 
give a good yield. Barley Is au excellent crop 
and does well in this locality. I have 10 
bushels sown noon last year's breaking and 
can a=k for nothing more favorable. Corn, as 
a general rule, is not. very flattering owing to 
poor seed, late planting and unfavorable 
weather. I have several different varieties 
and fields, all of which are excellent; Blount’s 
White Prolific and Chester Co. Mammoth are 
ust “ booming.’' I have also white and yellow 
dent, Calico, etc., the present, bad outlook for 
corn is owing more to the negligence and care¬ 
lessness of the fanners in general than to any¬ 
thing elec. Some expect a crop without any 
exertion. An unusually large amount of flax 
was sown this season and it promises to be a i 
good crop. I think it is safe to say that the 
acreage of all kinds of grain compared with 
last years iB one-third greater. We have a new 
country which is rapidly settling up. Three 
years ago there was little or no grain raised in 
neighborhood. No orchards; some have a 
few young trees that are doing well and I 
think fruit trees will do well here. We have 
the finest wild fruit I ever saw, in abundance 
along the Jim River and various other streams. 
Small fruit* have not been much Introduced 
here, but there are those that have some, 
started and they are doing well. Strawberries 
are of an excellent quality ; that is, those that 
grow wild, and they are only in places that 
have not been burned over. I have also seen 
tuine ones that were excellent. There are 
some who approve of burning < ff the surplus 
grafses annually. Iam not a practical far¬ 
mer, but I do not approve of the burning pro¬ 
cess. I have derived more knowledge on agri¬ 
cultural and horticultural matters through the 
columns of the Rural than from any other 
source. It has helped me in very many re¬ 
spects; some simple advice on what might be 
considered small things has benefited me more 
than ten times the amount of subscription 
price. w. s. 
Springfield, Bon-Homme Co., July 12.— 
The acreage of all kinds of crops is much less 
than it would have been had not the season 
been bo backward. The yield of wheat will 
not exceed one half crop. Barley and rye and 
11 ax little belter. Oats look well but will be 
short in straw. Corn late, much of it thin on 
the ground on account of poor seed. Looks 
well. Small fruits have done well. There are 
but few orchards old enough to bear. m. c. 
Florida. * 
Marion Co., July 17.—There is no agricul¬ 
tural association in this county, 60 that sta¬ 
tistics of the areas under different crops are 
mere guesses; or, at best, estimates. I would 
say. however, that in this county 500 acres of 
oats were harvested this year, giving, on an 
average, about 15 bushels per acre—which is 
very fair for our lands. No wheat, barley 
or iye. Rye would yield, comparatively, as 
well as oats, but there is more uncertainly 
of a crop. Of oats, Georgia and Mexican 
rust-proof alone are worth sowing. The corn 
prospect is the worst for mauy years, owing 
to unseasonably cold weather in Spring and 
a severe drought In May and June. Probably 
the crop will not average five bushels per 
acre. The area of the crop is probably 10 
per cent greater than last year. Peaches prom¬ 
ise a fair crop. The peach-tree is usually 
short-lived here, but the fruit is very fine. The 
tree is sometimes troubled with worms, but the 
fruit, never. The orange crop will be greater 
than last year, owing to the increase of bear¬ 
ing trees; but the yield per tree will not be 
so great. j. l. w. 
Indiana. 
Sandborn, Knox Co., July 13 —Since my 
report to the " Crop Special ” of the Rural, 
the crops here have changed a good deal, so 
that what 1 truly said then with regard to them 
would not be true now. A quarter of the 
wheat crop is threshed and turns out to he 
only from a quarter to a third of an average 
crop, and that of poor quality. Corn is gen¬ 
erally good ; hay is good, but there is no mar¬ 
ket for it. This is in the great Winter-wheat 
belt, the two adjoining counties being the 
" banner ” wheat counties of the State. “ a." 
Iowa. 
East Des Moines, Polk Co., July 14. —Here¬ 
abouts there has been a more general failure 
of all crops, except oats, than has ever before 
occurred—causes, late planting, defective seed 
and wet weather. w. t. l. 
Davenport, Scott Co., July 18 —The total 
yield of wheat will be much less than last year 
in this county. Owing to several successive 
failures of the crop many farmers have entire¬ 
ly abandoned its cultivation and others have 
reduced the area formerly given to it. Sea 
Island and Odessa are the favorite sorts. The 
Winter sort was all killed. The acreage under 
barley is greater than last year, as it is the 
sort of small grain mostly raised here. It 
was greatly injured by rains lu the latter part 
of Jane and the beginning of July. Though 
the quality will be inferior, the yield will be 
good. Early-sown oats are good; but late- 
sown are thin—acreage about the same as 
last year. The outlook for corn is poor owing 
to late planting, bad sprouting and cut-worms. 
Acreage about the same as last year. c. w. l. 
Kaunaa. 
Reno Co.—Kansas is a wheat-growing 
State remarkably adapted for it bv nature. 
The elements for producing strong straw—in¬ 
deed all plant stocks—are very abundant in 
our soil. Very little headway can be made 
mowing here with a scythe, the silica, t r sili¬ 
cates, so permeate the steniE of the grass, 
millet, wheat, etc. In 1878 tbi# State came 
into prominence as a Winter wheat producing 
State. In 1879 a hail storm in this county de¬ 
stroyed what the early drought had left of onr 
wheat, and 1880 was like '79—we had a long- 
continued and severe drought and but a very 
little wheat was grown to spare in Western 
Kansas. Rains came last Fall and with a fav¬ 
orable Winter and mild Spring our prospects 
for this year were early recognized as being 
very good and many placed our average yield 
as high as 20 bushels per acre. The immense 
rains that came early, accompanied by warm 
weather, caused rust to make Us appearance 
about the time when wheat was in bloom, 
which, of course, interfered with onr crop. 
This was followed by an almost unprecedented 
development of chinch bugs ; fields were liter - 
ally alive with them, at least on some varieties 
of wheat; on the May wheat worst of all. 
These influences—rust and chinch bugs— 
weakened the straw and it early began to fall, 
and ere it was ripe enough to cut, large fields 
were straw-fallen to a degree to almost defy 
machinery except the mower. On the 25th of 
June came a hail storm of terrible severity 
accompanied by severe wind and an enormous 
rainfall—10 inches on the level—and the wheat 
remaining uncut—probably three-fourtlis of 
all in the county that was in the line of the 
storm—was destroyed, as was everything else. 
Fields of from 25 to 100 acres, that would have 
made an average yield of 25 to 30 bushels, were 
threshed out and beaten into the earth. All 
these untoward things tend to diminish our 
crop. Some Spring wheat was sown but the 
rust and wet weather destreyed it. The prin¬ 
cipal varieties of wheat grown here are May 
Walker, Turkey, Fullz, Mediterranean and 
some little Clawson. The Fultz and Mediterra¬ 
nean were free from rust and chinch bags on 
my farm. The finest berry I have seen this year 
was in the last named. Wheat is largely cut 
here with headers. Self-binders and harvest¬ 
ers, etc are also used. Harvest begins about 
the 1st of June and lasts through the month. 
We are in a Btate of great uncertainty as to 
what to do in regard to Bowing for next year. 
The chinch bugs are so numerous that we fear 
the entire destruction of wheat another year. 
Large fields of corn that escaped the hail 
siorra are now black with bugs. The railroad 
monopoly causes us to take a small price for 
our wheat, as a rule—from 40 cents to 75 or 
80 cents; it is worth the latter figure now. 
Would it be any more thau simple justice to 
place ruilroaas under control of law enough to 
give us uniform fair rates and preventextortion 
and monopoly ? - /. w. mcc. 
Michigan. 
Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co., July 10.—In 
traveling between Albion and this place on the 
railroad, I only saw two good Btands of corn 
and three good fields of wheat. People gen¬ 
erally. however, are feeling in good spirits 
over Fall prospects. w. k, 
Mtasonrl. 
Charleston. Mississippi Co., July 12.—The 
drought which had prevailed since the first 
week of May ended on the 21st nit., after dain- 
aging the early potato crop 40 percent., and 
the corn crop, 25 to 80 per cent. With a good 
season, however, from now until 8 ptember 1, 
we shall have good crops; otherwise the horn 
of plenty will not be filled to overflowing. The 
wheat crop of this county In quantity is agood 
average, and in quality the best ever harvested. 
Our farmers made greater efforts than usual 
to secure the best seed, m. v. r. 
New flaiiipnliire 
Keene, Cheshire Co., July 13.—The weather 
is very warm and farmers are pushing hay¬ 
making rapidly. “ b." 
New Vork. 
Chenango Co., July 15 —Haying is advan 
cing rapidly, many farmers having finished. 
The yield is good, especially in the Unadilla 
Valley, where the crop is seldom better. In 
Mudison County I noticed, a few days ago, 
that the crop is light, especially on old mead¬ 
ows. The hot weather is pushing the drowned 
corn vigorously; the crop now promises finely, 
The potato beetle is as rampant as ever, 
though PariE-green is a valuable sedative. Oats 
look wlL Wheat is nearly ready for the 
sickle. The long-continued east wind, or some 
other cause, has checked the fruitage of the 
orchards, which blossomed full. Apples will 
not be plentiful. e. j. k. 
FI8HKILL, Dutchess Co., July 17.—We are 
still having an abundance of rain and the coun¬ 
try Is looking fine. j. o. b. 
Ohio. 
Camden, Preble Co., July 13.—Weather very 
hot and terribly dry. Our corn is beginning to 
curl np very badly. Pastures are getting burn¬ 
ed out and arc quite brown. My Blount Corn 
i6 taBseling. The Rural Sorghum iB doing well. 
It is too dry for the White Elephants ; they 
have been blossoming for two weekB. The 
Washington OatB are good ; Mold’s Ennobled 
Oats are quite a failure. w. m. 
Oregon, 
Brownsvillb, Linn Co., July 13.—Wheat 
acreage fully au average; outlook good for a 
large yield—Club, Sonora and White Winter. 
Oats and barley have an average acreage, and 
promise large yields. Corn but little raised. 
Orchards, average yield. j. b. 
Pennsylvania, 
Annvillb, Lebanon Co., July 18.—Wheat is 
now harvested ; it is about 75 per cent, of last 
year’s crop; quality on an average good—Med¬ 
iterranean and Fultz. Oits promised to be an 
extraordinaty crop The corn prospect is 
very good. K irly potatoes pan out immente- 
ly; acreage larger than laBt year; worth 
about 50 cents a bnshel. Apples promise an 01 - 
dinaiy crop ; eo do pears and grapes. J. a. b. 
Texas. 
Abcola, Fort Bend Co., July 16—This is the 
Texan sugar belt. Owing to the feverity of 
last Winter the cane stubble was nearly all 
killed, and it will take three years to make a 
full crop of sugar here. Corn is burning up 
in the fields; we have had no rain for eight 
weekB. What corn there is has made only 
nubbins, and there is not half a crop at that. 
Cotton is doing well, and this is 'just the kind 
of weather to have for it. It is well formed 
and has commenced to open. The acreage is 
about the same as last year ; but the crop is 
fully 10 per cent, better. The Rural Branch¬ 
ing Sorghum is just splendid; it is now over 
10 feet in hight, with 19 branches to the hill. 
I want to let it all go to seed, which I hope it 
will do here. F. w. f. 
Dayton, Liberty Co., Jnly 10.—No rain for 
a month, and corn ts suffering severely. Cot¬ 
ton is begiunirg to shed its Fquarcs. My 
Rural flower seeds have all perished under 
our broiling sun. and the White Elephant is 
going the same way. I tried walering, but 
it did no good. The Rural Branching Sorg¬ 
hum is doing splendidly, the dews feeding its 
roots through its mass of leaves. o. o. 
Vermont. 
Hcbbardton, Rutland Co., July 18.—Wheat 
in this section is good ; I never saw it looking 
any better at this time of the year—mostly 
Spring wheat—and the prospect is now that 
the crop of 1881 will he more than au average 
one; it will certainly be more than last year’s 
if no mishap befalls it. The oats are looking 
well now; the crop will compare favorably 
with last year's. Rye is good, although it was 
winter-kilhd in some places; taking it all iu 
in all, the crop is a fair one, though there was 
not so much eowed last Fall as usual. The 
apple crop will fall far below au average. 
Grapes will be good. All email fruits are 
light. e. o. s. 
Virginia, 
Fort Mitchell, Lunenburg Co., July 19.— 
The wheat harvest is over and the farmers are 
iu the hight of thrashing. The yield is over 
an average; quality generally very good. The 
oat crop is very poor, many Adds being hardly 
worth cutting owing to a severe drought. The 
corn crop looks well and a full crop is planted. 
There will be rather over half a crop of tobacco 
which is rather late owing to drought at plant¬ 
ing time. Cotton looks well; it Is rather 
anew crop with U8; but owing to the very low 
price of tobacco large numbers of the farmers 
have tried King Cotton, some on a large and 
some on a small scale. Owing to dry weather 
the hay crop is short. Gardens late and poor. 
The Washington Oats received from the Free 
Seed Distribution have been harvested and 
the yield was very heavy. The Rural Branch- 
lug Sorghum is about four feet high and oul- 
branches anything wo have ever seen in these 
parts in the shape of sorghum or corn. It la 
a perfect wilderness. How is It for sirap ? 
[So far as we know no practical tests huvo 
ever been made In getting sirup from it. Eds.] 
ft doesn't seem to me it will do well owing to 
the immense number of small branches, but 
It must be fine for hay or enailage. The apple 
crop is the heaviest for many years. The peach 
crop is a total failure in many places : on high 
ridges, however, the crop is good. j. l. t. 
New Market, Shenandoah Co., July 15 — 
The Telei hone Pea has done wonders, I am 
highly pleased with it. Wc have had hot, 
dry weather for the past two weeks, the ther¬ 
mometer ranging from 85° to 101° in the 
shade. On July 2nd we had a very destructive 
hailstorm. p. s. w. 
AN8WER3 TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Churning— Anparagus Culture. 
Inquirer, Crawford, aBks, 1, how long should 
butter be churned after particles of butter ap¬ 
pear on the sides of the churn; 2. what do we 
personally know of the German or Dutch as¬ 
paragus ; 8. directions for the pluming and 
field culture of asparagus. 
Ans. —1. Sometimes particles of butter appear 
in the churn some lime before the cream is 
fully changed into butter, in some milk and un 
der some circumstances, particles of butter will 
even form in the milk pail from the agitation of 
the milk during milking, and the ci earn of such 
milk will produce particles of butter long before 
the bnlk of it is changed. It is also very uncer¬ 
tain how long the cream should be churned 
after the small butler begins to form, as this 
depends upon a variety of circumstances, as 
temperature, condition of the cream, the food 
of the cows, etc. It is a matter of practice for 
