SEPT. U 
seventy-two pounds flour, eleven pounds 
shorts, fifteen pounds bran; two pounds lost 
by milling in each case. This shows the 
dough state made most flour, and the ripest 
made the least flour and most bran.” Bran is 
made at the expense of flour, by standing 
late. _ 
Mr. Curtiss, in his pamphlet on wheat cul¬ 
ture, favors early cutting except for seed. Ho 
mentions several important advantages, and 
several minor ones, to be secured by cutting 
wheat when it is passing from the milk to the 
dough state, viz.: It largely prevents injury 
by rust, as rust ceases to affect the grain as 
soon as cut. It gives more and heavier grain. 
It gives more and Ijctter Hour to the bushel, 
asall the time the grain stands after the dough 
state., it makes bran at the expense of starch 
and flour. It causes less waste by shelling and 
scattering while harvesting and handling. 
And last, the straw is tougher and softer to 
handle. 
many beans as the former and of a larger 
size. This bean will, we are confident, be 
found a valuable acquisition. 
The engraving of the Rural Dent in the 
Fair Number is from life, and only an aver¬ 
age of the best cars. 
VVk have an ear of the Rural Thoroughbred 
Flint that measures precisely 15 inches in 
length... 
vided a means of partially, at least, checking 
their ravages. Paris-green put into water, 
and thrown on the tree with a garden syringe, 
would be the most effectual remedy, 
though it is possible that dusting the tree 
with lime while the dew is on would 
destroy them. Cl. H. French. 
Carbondale, Ill. 
%ecuius, &)C 
THE NORTHERN OHIO FAIR. 
panicles of oats sent to us from a subscriber 
in Colorado, whose name does not appear. 
The larger of these panicles measures 18 inches 
in length and bears 320 spikolets, many of the 
spikelets containing three grains. This is the 
heaviest panicle of oats we have ever seen. 
Should this note meet the eye of the seuder, 
he will kindly state the variety of oats and 
oblige us with a statement of the yield per 
acre... 
Thjs Ag. Ed., of the Sun says that “ under 
favorable conditions the roots of Red Clover 
live for many years” as he has often proved 
by practical experiment ? Might we ask how 
often?...... 
In another part, of his reply to the editor of 
the N. Y. Times, be says that all who have had 
experience with Red Clover will coincide with 
Dr. Gray, viz., that it is a “short-lived peren¬ 
nial I” Therefore we must conclude that “ a 
short-lived perennial” is a plant that “lives 
for many years.” It would have been more 
manly had the Sun editor frankly acknowl¬ 
edged that his attack upon the Times editor 
was a blunder, instead of attempting to 
smooth it over by an evasion of the exact 
question at issue, in a feeble defence. 
Even Quack has yielded to the drought 
and is now brown. But one kind of grass on 
our upland fields is yet green, and that is Ber¬ 
muda Grass, This is just as green as when 
there was plenty of rain, and is growing at a 
rapid rate: from oue-and-a-half to two inches 
eveiy 24 horns—we mean horizontally; it 
grows in bight only from six to ten inches.... 
Our Alfalfa which was sown with oats, 
germinated freely and reached a bight of six 
inches before it was overshadowed by the 
oats. Then the leaves turned yellow, and 
when the drought commenced only the slender 
stems remained, which we supposed were 
dead. After the oats wore cut the stems put 
forth new leaves, and at this time (Sept, 3rd), 
notwithstanding the almost unprecedented 
drought, the Alfalfa plants are still alive 
Seed at the rate of 120 pounds to the acre was 
sown. Upon another plot Orchard Grass (at 
the rate of 80 pounds to the acre) and Alfalfa 
(at the rate of 20 pounds to the acre) were sown 
with oats. The Orchard G russ now forms a 
mat of dry leaves; hut the Alfalfa plants are 
to be seen here and there with slender stems 
and scanty foliage. 
The Achania malvaviscus is a plant that 
we can heartily commend to all, especially to 
those farmers’ wives who have only a sunny 
window in which to keep their plants during 
the cold months. We have trained it up the 
side of our conservatory as if it were a vine, 
and its brilliant, scarlet flowers are constantly 
blooming. As a bedding plant it is also 
pleasing, though it needs a considerable 
space, as its growth is rapid. This plant may¬ 
be especially commended for its endurance of 
dry weather, and it is, therefore, well suited 
to rock-works or beds in close proximity to 
the dwelling, exposed to a southern sun. We 
have never known it to be infested with in¬ 
sects, and in every way it renders a full re¬ 
turn for the little care it requires. 
Mu. StoNE, from Cuba, N. Y., sends us 
several heads of Russian White Oats, which 
are among the finest we have seen. He says; 
“ The oats are a decided success in this section. 
There was no rust or smut whatever on them, 
while other sorts rusted and ‘ smutted” badly; 
of the Washington Oats, one-third of the heads 
were smut.”.-.-. 
We nave received the following instructive 
letter from Mr. J. B. Garber, Culumbia Co., 
Pa., alluded to above; 
“ I mail you a small package of heads of the 
Rural Branching Sorghum. My object in 
sending them is simply to show how easily the 
seed can he grown. As I stated to you once 
before, t started a few seeds in a pot early in 
March, and planted out throe plants after dan¬ 
ger of frost, w as over. These three plants each 
shot up three stems about five feet high, with 
seed heads now ripe. Then sp: outs or suckers 
grew up, some six to eight from the roots of 
each plant. These suckers are now about, four 
feet high, and all are pushing out seed heads 
which will also ripen their seeds, unless an 
early frost should cut them down. Thus you 
see i am pretty sure of having a quart ot seed, 
and if the suckers ripen their seed, 1 may have 
half a peek of good seed — perhaps more. 
Now 1 might just as well have grow n 100 or 
1,000 plants m the same way, had 1 desired to 
do so, as three plants only, by starting the 
seeds early.”...< *•«.-. 
We have the ordinary Lima growing in 
one part of the Rural Farm aud the Challen¬ 
ger in another. The latter will bear twice as 
Thin Seeding of Wheat. —At a recent 
meeting of the Elmira Farmers' Club, Mi - . G. 
W. Hoffman remarked that he.had cut part 
of his wheat and thought it revealed a lessen 
worthy of thought. He drilled one bushel of 
Heiges’s wheat at the rate of three pecks to 
the acre, and then set the drill to distribute 
four peeks, and drilled another acre alongside. 
41 e said he would be glad to have members of 
the Club visit the field and show him any dif¬ 
ference in the crops of the two plats, and to 
say whether they thought the stand thick 
enough or not. Mr. lloffman thought the 
wheat as thick as could be desired. Close 
alongside he drilled Clawson wheat at the 
rate of three peeks to the acre, then one acre 
with four pecks, another with five, aud the 
difference w-as not perceptible. 
The Ohio Farmer, remarking upon the above, 
says that while some of the reasons are well 
founded, the statement that early-cut wheat 
makes better flour than that cut. later, is a 
hasty one, made without examining both sides 
of the question. Whiter flour does not mean 
better flour. Mr. Curtiss may not intend to 
convey the idea that the starch in wheat is no 
part of the flour, but his language means that, 
when he says that all the time the grain 
stands after the dough state, it makes bran at 
'the expense of starch and flour. The state¬ 
ment is not altogether true, for gluten, the 
material needed, forms largely after the milk 
stage. If rust strikes wheat, it is useless to 
wait for it to ripen ; the sooner cut the better. 
otherwise would have done. The exhibits not 
only of cattle, but of sheep, swine aud poul¬ 
try were unusually light. The display of cut 
flowers was fail’, but that of foliage plants 
was the best feature of the show, the residents 
of Euclid and other Avenues having thrown 
open their handsome grounds to help along 
the exhibition. All the principal general 
species and varieties of flowers w ere shown, 
flanked by a splendid assortment of plants 
put in by the nursery-men of the vicinity. 
I do not remember to have ever seen a hand¬ 
somer exhibit in this line. Domestic Hall was 
fairly supplied, hut the range of exhibits was 
limited. The display of vegetable and gar¬ 
den products, though fine, included nothing 
very rare or novel. 
In agricultural implements the display was 
about medium. Right here could be noted 
one of the effects of the disastrously droughty 
season—only one or two steam thrashers and 
engines could be seen, the light harvest having 
driven these exhibits out of market in this re¬ 
gion. Self-binders from all sections, were dis¬ 
played, as these implements from being strictly 
Far-West machines, are gradually finding 
their way into all of our Eastern grain-raising 
sections. 1 part icularly noticed the Walter A. 
Wood, Osborne, Esterly and others in full oper¬ 
ation, showing the farmers the relative values of 
twine and ware-binders, and also the ease 
with which both kinds can be operated. Here 
also could be seen all the principal grain drills, 
plows and other labor-saving implements, al¬ 
though not in such a great variety as might 
be seen if the shortesighted policy of the 
Northern Ohio Fair Associat ion had not dis¬ 
couraged agricultural exhibits. This Society 
still continues to make a point of collecting a 
crowd by means of horse racing, ball matches, 
bicycle races, etc., all of which distractions, 
of course, tend to draw the farmer aud his 
f amil y from the legitimate exhibits of an 
agricultural fair, and thus to disincline ex¬ 
hibitors to incur the labor aud outlay needed 
to make a fine display. The moment the bell 
rings for a race, off goes every one and, so far 
as I can see, and I have studied the matter 
“ I don’t advocate thin seeding as the gen¬ 
eral rule,” says a writer in the Husbandman, 
“because I know that uot one field in ten is 
well fitted. Get that condition and anything 
beyond three pecks Is thrown away. I want 
it understood that when I recommend thin 
seeding it comes after thorough fitting. Get 
that fact well in mind—attend to the fitting— 
and there is no earthly use of distributing 
seed that won’t have room to grow. But it’s 
of no use to talk about it. for nine farmers out 
of ten think they know better. They will go 
on sowing two bushels of wheat, or three of 
oats, because they can’t persuade themselves 
that any less uiuy bring a full crop. 1 have 
seen wheat this year as thick as I want to see 
it, and only three pecks of seed were used on 
an acre. But, mind you, the land was in good 
order. 
Experiments at the Ohio State Uni- 
versity go to prove that the practice of cut¬ 
ting wheat before it hardens reduces the 
quality. It appears that the gluten is two or 
three days slower in forming than the starch, 
and when cut in the milk stage, the amount of 
gluten is materially diminished. The grain may 
be plumper, and the flour whiter, of this early- 
cut wheat, but it will be deficient in bread¬ 
making quality, and in the kind of nutrition a 
farmer most, needs. This is especially true, 
the Ohio Fanner goes on to say, of the soft 
wheats, like Clawson, and hence, for home use 
at least, such should be left standing as long as 
possible to secure it. without shelling. Prof. 
Townsliend, in one of his lectures, says the 
old Mediterranean is the best wheat for bread 
that he has any knowledge of. It does not 
make as white bread as some others, 
but qualit y is alx>ve mere color. He suggests 
that, as it has a larger kernel and does not til¬ 
ler as much as some others, more seed 
should be sown than usually is. In his own 
experience he found that sowing two or three 
pecks to the acre more than usual, secured a 
substantial increase in the yield. He also sug¬ 
gested that a dry, sandy soil, and the use of 
phosphates, increased the per cent, of gluten. 
The drier the soil and climate the more gluten 
will wheat contain. 
Science and the Farmer. —Macmillan’s 
Magazine says that there is an urgent need in 
England, as in other countries, of scientific in¬ 
vestigation as distinguished from mere 
empiric trials, of sustained inquiry as 
distinguished from scattered and fitful 
experiments into * the relation of soil 
and crops, of beasts and food, in order that 
the tillage of the land may, like the practice 
of other professions in which man has to strug¬ 
gle against nature, expand with increasing in¬ 
sight into the laws of nature instead of being 
hampered by blind obedience to traditions 
aud narrowed by timid Aperienee. There is 
no less urgent need that the practical farmer 
should be so far trained in science as tq be able 
to make an intelligent use of the advantages 
which science offers him, as well as to be able 
to avoid the snares which false science contin¬ 
ually spreads for him. 
A Blow at Soft Wheats. —The Pioneer- 
Press of Minnesota says that a farmer living 
in Anoka, brought down to the Minneapolis 
mills the other day, a load of Lost Nation 
wheat for sale. To his surprise lie could find no 
purchasers, and after going around among the 
different mills, he was obliged to haul it back 
home. This statement which was published in 
one of the Minneapolis papers, shows that the 
millers mean business in their declarations 
against soft wheat. If they cannot, control 
the actions of the soft wheat growers, they 
can at least refuse to buy their wheat. But 
we opine that if the present healthy agitation 
is kept up, buyers in other places will not 
be so ready to handle it as they have been. A 
few years since t he milling interest required 
soft, wheats ; but the patent middlings process 
has entirely changed the relative values of 
hard and soft wheats. It is wise for the far¬ 
mer to note the ciifforencc. 
When to cut wheat.— Mr. Henry Stew¬ 
art says in the N. Y. Times, that there is a dif¬ 
ference of opinion in regard to the best time. 
Some advocate cutting early and when the 
grain is still soft ; others would leave it until 
the grain is fully ripe. As usual in such 
cases, the truth lies between the two extremes. 
If the wheat is cut before the grain solidifies 
and the starch is fully formed, it will un¬ 
doubtedly shrink ; if it is left until the grain 
is hard, there will be loss by shelling. If the 
wheat is cut when the grain is solid, but yet 
soft enough to be crushed between the thumb • 
nails, there will be neither shrinking nor shell¬ 
ing. It is supposed that as soon as the straw 
turns yellow no more substance is derived from 
the roots, and that the crop may lie cut with¬ 
out disadvantage, as what is in the straw will 
go into the grain. This is easily seen to be 
erroneous, because as soon as the straw is cut, 
F. D. S., Ithaca, N. Y. asks if Fultz ought 
no to receive a special premium. “While the 
heads may not bo as large, it out-yields all 
other kinds and is fast displacing them.”. 
Those of our readers who may have 
thought the Rural severe upon the New-Dis- 
pensation - Ensilage - Winning - Billerica man 
should have read some of Bee. Chamberlain’s 
articles respecting him ifnd his book printed 
in the Ohio Farmer. We hoped Mr. Cham. 
