SEPT.I? 
THE BUBAL WEW 
Oshtemo, Kalamazoo Co., Aug. 31.—The 
drought holds with us unbroken save local 
showers of not much extent or value. Peed 
dried up. Potatoes ditto, with a prospect of 
high prices for that esculent the coming year. 
Apples and pears scarce and poor in quality. 
Wheat in thrashing yields about half a crop, 
and now brings $1.25 to $1.28; potatoes, 50c. 
to 60c.; com, 55c. Early-planted corn is good; 
late-planted, very poor. The White Elephant 
Potatoes are lo iking tine, considering the in¬ 
tensity of the dry weather. Prom one small 
tuber with 15 eyes I have the same number 
of hills, which are stocky and look very 
promising: but unless we get rain soon they 
must dry up with poor results. The Branch¬ 
ing Sorghum came up late. Washington 
Oats were much “smutted” uud but indif¬ 
ferently good. T. P. D. 
Nebraska. 
Nebraska City, Oteo Co., Sept. 1. — 
From the seed of the Rural Branching 
Sorghum I succeeded in gettiug my 12 hills. 
The stalks are now higher than I can reach. 
I have cut back one lull as an experiment to 
see how it will grow. It has already started 
several thrifty branches per stalk. The rest 
I shall leave to seed. My W. E. Potato has 
not had a first-rate chance, as the bugs have 
been numerous and hungry. Two of my neigh¬ 
bors get rid of the bugs by shaking them off 
the vines and either plow ing them under or 
digging a hole between each lot of four hills 
and burying the pests. The vines of both 
are quite greeu. J. n. m. 
New Jersey. 
Lambetville, Hunterdon, Co.—My exper¬ 
ience with the White Elephant Potato is some¬ 
what different from that of your Florida cor¬ 
respondent. Mine was cut in three pieces— 
the potato; not the skin,—and planted in 
ground not manured for more than two years, 
and behold the “gratitude” of my Elephant— 
18 big potatoes, weighing l.V pound apiece, 
seven medium potatoes weighing each four 
ounces: that was 25 potatoes from one—which 
we thought a big yield, when the ground was 
not specially prepared for it. F. t. 
New York. 
Amexia, Dutchess Co.—The White Ele¬ 
phant Potato weighed 2 }4 ounces. It w'as 
cut to single eyes and planted one eye in a 
place, making 11 hills. I have dug the pota¬ 
toes and obtained 44K pounds of nice tubers— 
some quite large. The Washington Cats 
made a large growth of straw-, but were rusty, 
smutty and light. The R. B. Sorghum seed 
came up pretty well, but the stalks have made 
but a slender growth. The sorghum has 
branched considerably, and at the cud of Au¬ 
gust was only 2}4 feet high. It was planted on 
soil of moderate richness and without manure. 
Asparagus plants doing nicely. I have ten car¬ 
nations, and a fine show of pinks. p. b. p. 
Blodgett Mills, Cortland Co.—My Wash¬ 
ington Oats yielded 14>£ pounds; the White 
Elephant Potatoes, eight pounds; the Argon- 
teuil Asparagus is 1? inches high; it is larger 
than the Giant Dutch. The pinks are very- 
handsome. The Rural Branehiug Sorghum 
is about four feet high and has ten to twelve 
stalks from one seed. h. c. k. 
Caxaan, Columbia Co., Sept. 3.—Far¬ 
mers are now busily engaged in plowing 
and sowing. No w-heat is raised in this vicin¬ 
ity, but rye is extensively grown. The aver¬ 
age yield of the latter w-ill be somewhat larger 
than last year. The oat crop was exceedingly 
good this Summer: hay ditto. Corn will be be¬ 
low the average, owing to late Spring and 
grubs, and what few potatoes are dug as yet 
show- signs of rotting. My W. E. Potato gave 24 
pounds of average-sized potatoes, but they rot¬ 
ted badly. Some farmers Iu this vicinity 
raise large quantities of sw-eet corn for the 
Shakers at Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., who put it up 
in cans for the New- York markets. Sweet 
corn unhusked, and delivered at Lebanon, 
brings from $10 to $15 per ton, this Fall. 
Prices for almost all farm products ore good. 
Rye is worth about $1.05 at home markets: 
oats .45c. for new: rye straw $12.00: hay, not 
much in market yet, but it w-ill probably 
start at about $12 per ton. We had consid¬ 
erable dry weather during August, but a fine 
rain on Sept. 1 has refreshed things, d. d. 
Elmira, Chemung Co.—The Washington 
Oats produced grain of good quality, 
though planted upon garden soil, too 
rich for oats. The straw grew as high as my 
chin, yet to my surprise it did not lodge. 
A fair percentage of the Rural Branching 
Sorghum seed germinated, and the branch¬ 
ing stalks have grown finely, indicating a 
heavy yield of fodder for the amount of seed 
that grew. Mrs. G. desires me to extend her 
thanks for the pinks, pieotees and the carna¬ 
tions which have blossomed profusely with 
flowers which, she says, are the most beauti¬ 
ful she has ever seen of the kind. G. A. G. JR. 
Lake Grove, Suffolk Co., Sept. 2.—I plant¬ 
ed the White Elephant Potato on April 15, and 
top-dressed the ground with manure from the 
barn-yard and pig-pen. In the drill I used the 
Stockbridge Potato fertilizer at the rate of 800 
pounds to the acre and on digging the potatoes 
on August 1, I got 14 pounds of tubers. I 
planted a single specimen of the Pride of 
America potato at the same time, gave it the 
same treatment, dug it on the same day and, 
got 13 pounds of tubers, but t hey were all much 
finer aud larger than the Elephant. Two of 
them weighed, together, l '- 4 pound and many 
of the others were quite as large. w. e. s. 
Lockport, Niagara Co.—It is awfully dry 
here. Com is burning badly and farmere 
can hardly fit land for seeding. The potato 
erop is nearly a failure. Wheat, barley and 
oats w-ei-e all remarkably good. My wheat 
yielded 4b bushels and one field of eight acres 
w-ent over 50 bushels. Clover seed Is a poor 
crop, as it is everyw-hero. j. s. w. 
Southold, Suffolk Co., Sept. fi .—Farmers 
have commenced digging potatoes, and the 
crop generally, so far as I have learned, in 
this jnunediate locality, Is rather light and 
somewhat grubbed. Prices range from 45c. 
to 60c., according to variety and quality, at 
the boat or depot. Potato beetles are very 
few- in number, notwithstanding the great 
numbers in July, when 1 found it necessary 
to poison twice in one week. 1 now kill all 
that I find as I dig. The excessively dry 
weather w-ill make a short corn erop. Those 
who failed to plant com for fodder now see 
their mistake. The Branching Sorghum made 
a poor stand and does not promise to amount 
to very much. The crops of oats and barley are 
heavy. The Washington Oats did well. To¬ 
matoes have not done well and ripen slowly, 
with a scant supply. The Acme holds first 
place. s. T. T. 
Norik Carolina. 
Henderson, Vance Co.,—Our drought lias 
come to be a fearful one. Corn is dried dead, 
not more than half the fodder will be worth 
saving. Neither com nor cotton can possibly 
be half a erop. Cattle are getting thin. Crab 
Gl ass of which we usually have abundance on 
our w-heat stubbles, has not- put in an appear¬ 
ance. The prospect looks gloomy indeed, and 
farmers who work oil the plan of “ cat a crop 
before you make it,” have good reasoii for 
putting on long faces. M. b. p. 
Ohio. 
Van Wert, Van Wert Co., Sept. 3.—The 
yield of w heat hereabouts w-as tw-o-thirds of a 
crop, though some fields turned out a little 
better. Fife and Fultz are our leading varie¬ 
ties. Oats will average two-thirds of a crop : 
but the straw was short on account of dry 
weather. Washington Oats are the leading 
sort. I am experimenting with 13 different 
kinds of potatoes in my garden, and the White 
Elephant promises to take a front rank. The 
St. Patrick I find a sxilendid sort ou sandy 
soils, but it does not do well on clay land. 
Geuessee Comity King, Chicago Market, Early 
Rose, Burbank, Early Vermont and Snowflake 
w-ill be good crops if we get any rain by Sep¬ 
tember 10. Corn was never better—this being 
a low flat country a dry spell is good for corn. 
The acreage under it is larger than last year, 
and its condition is much better. Flax and 
buckwheat are both grown here to a consider¬ 
able extent and promise to turn out well. The 
apple crop will be one-half, and pears a full 
crop. The Rural Branching Sorghum is all 
that it is bragged up to be, and promises to be 
the coming fodder plant. Garden crops of all 
kinds look very fair. The Paragon, Acme, 
Tx’ophy aud Perfection Tomatoes are our lead¬ 
ing varieties. Henderson's Early Summer 
Cabbage excels all other kinds for market pur¬ 
poses. j, A. s. 
Oregon. 
Oswego, Clacamas Co., — Wheat and oats 
average crops. Chili Club and White Winter 
Wheats; Side Oats. Barley and rye not much 
sow-ii. Corn looks well. Orchard fruits are un¬ 
der au average; small fruits good. The White 
Elephant Potato promises well. The Washing¬ 
ton Oats are growing finely. The R. B. Sor¬ 
ghum is nearly a failure in this climate. J. k. 
Pennsylvania, 
Baden, Beaver Co., Sept. 1. Along with 
the Rural I take three other agricultur¬ 
al papers. They are all good, but the Rural 
is more trust worthy in forecasting prices of 
grain and produce. That alone makes it of 
great value to the farmer in regard to holding 
or selling his products. I believe any man 
with capital, could safely make money by 
acting on the Rural’s predictions. The 
wheat crop iu this county is below an aver¬ 
age; for in thrashing it is found the grain is 
sliri reled. Corn has been almost destroyed 
by the dry weather. Oats are a good aver¬ 
age crop. Hay is good. Potatoes half a crop. 
Apples about a quarter of a crop. No peach¬ 
es or pears. F. w. s. 
Hosensack, Lehigh Co., Sept. 2. We have 
a very dry spell at present; grass is all dried 
up in the fields, plowing is hardly possible 
and there is a poor outlook for fall seeding. 
Winter wheat was a full crop. Oats were 
heavy in the straw, but light in the grain. 
Second-crop grass was light and some farmers 
turned their cattle into their meadow-s. My 
White Elephant Potatoes yielded 15 pounds 
with ordinary field culture—the same given 
to my other potatoes. The Washington Oats 
were good. The Sorghum sprouted well, but 
on account of the drought it was only about 
three feet high when I let the cattle iu who 
ate it down to the ground. The outlook for 
the dairy is uot very promising as corn has 
failed and pastures are so poor that early sta¬ 
ble feeding is probable. H. ic. e. r. 
Middlkburg, Snyder Co., Aug. 26.—The 
Washington Oats did really well, but the Sor¬ 
ghum failed, only a few- stalks came up. The 
flower seeds I think I planted too soon, and 
we had a w-et spell that spoiled them, and the 
White Elephant Potato did not amount to any 
thing, like the other late potatoes. Most peo¬ 
ple hereabouts will uot get enough potatoes 
for their own use, except from the early ones. 
They were growing well till the dry- weather 
set in. Corn is a failure also; some people will 
not get enough to fatten one hog. What is 
on high ground is especially bad. I have 10 
acres that is pretty good, but, taking it ou an 
average, there is uot half a crop iu Snyder 
County. Oats are good—never better. Wheat 
does not yield well. The straw lodged too 
soon and the ears w-ould not fill It givv about 
14 bushels to the acre here ; but, take it on an 
average, I don’t think it will yield nine bush¬ 
els to the acre. The w-eather is still so dry 
that w-e can’t plow at all throughout the whole 
county. j. s. 
West Newton, Westmoreland Co.—Sept, 
1st. Wheat, is moderately- good in this section. 
Corn was not generally- well set on the ground, 
and owing to the dry weather since earing 
time, the crop will fall considerably below 
the average. The pastures are about scorched 
up; we have so much hot sun that things dry- 
up very fast. Oats were a good crop, lluy 
was very good—better than usual. Clover 
seed has to some extent not filled well: many 
fields are being pastured: there are too many 
grasshoppers and, perhaps, the hot sun had 
something to do with it, too. From t.he 
White Elephant Potato J got, without auy- 
speeial effort, 26 pounds. The Washington 
Oats 1 put in too strong ground. They- broke 
down before they- headed. However, 1 had 
over a peck of nice, clean oats. The as¬ 
paragus seed is all right. The China Pinks 
are blooming very beautifully-. The R. B. 
Sorghum came up very poor and what did 
come up is trying to die. 1 can see no value in 
it. Fruit is uot plentiful. Some will have to 
live on the remembrance of what they- let go 
to waste last Fall. Potatoes are a slim crop. 
Wheat, $1.32 per bushel. L. d. 
Utah. 
Ogden City, Weber Co., Aug, 18.— Crops 
generally have been very good. Fruit 
is abundant and good. New wheat is 
selling at 60c. per bushel. Of barley and oats 
not much has been thrashed y-et. Butter, 35c. 
per lb.; beef, 8c. to 10c.; mutton, the same. I 
did not have much success with the R. B. S., 
as I have only five hills growing; but I hope to 
see it mature. The same ill-luck attended 
some of the flower seed; my W. E. Potato had 
twelve eyes or setts, and from these I dug 28 
lbs. of nice large potatoes. They were planted 
on April 25th and dug on August 15th, fully 
ripe. I treated them with the same attention 
I gave the others in my garden. The Beauty 
of Hebron is a fine potato uLso. I have grown 
a nice lot of them this season from the seed 
the Rural sent. I have distributed quite a 
number of pounds among ray friends and they 
are all well pleased with them. I find that these 
potatoes are hard to beat for cooking quali¬ 
ties, being so dry- and floury. w. j. h. 
Vermont. 
Factory Point, Bennington Co., Sept. 4.— 
This is the. driest season known here for years, 
and on this account potatoes will most likely- 
be a light crop. The Rural plants and seeds 
are all doing well, especially the White Ele¬ 
phant Potato. e. w. B. 
Virginia. 
Disputanta, Prince George Co.—The seeds 
obtained from the Seed Distribution all 
came up well and are growing finely. I 
have a fine lot of young White Elephants: can 
supply Barnuni if he needs any for his show. 
The Rural Branching Sorghum has eight to 
fourteen stalks from a single seed, and though 
the rows are four feet wide, the foliage has 
met in the row and is a perfect wilderness. 
Washington Oats did well. Asparagus grow¬ 
ing rapidly. The flower seeds I turned over 
to my “better half;” they came up well; 
some are in bloom aud are beautiful. Permit 
me to return thanks for the seods. I am much 
pleased with the Rural. 1 take several agri¬ 
cultural papers, but think the Rural the best. 
Consider me a subscriber as long as I cun raise 
$2 to renew. [Long life to you! — Eds.J g. w. p. 
Painevillk, Amelia Co.—The White Ele¬ 
phant Potato I cut to single eyes and planted 
in good laud, three feet one way by fifteen 
inches the other. I cultivated them well, and 
had it not been for the very dry bad season, 
and moles, I think I should have made an im¬ 
mense crop. I dug them on August 15—result, 
twelve pounds of small to fair tubers. The 
Branching Sorghum seed germinated well, 
aud the plants by the middle of August were 
from three to five feet high, and there were 
from seven to twenty-two branches to the hill. 
All the other seeds did well, except) the Wash¬ 
ington Oats ; they- were looking fine, but the 
cows got to them and harvested them pre¬ 
maturely. Wheat is from half to two-thirds 
of a full crop ; oats, a fine crop ; corn and 
tobacco, except on lowlands, are looking poor; 
vegetables are a failure in consequence of 
drought following very- heavy rains in the 
Spring and early Summer. j. w. 
(Tl)t' (?) umst 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention.] 
treatment of mare and foal. 
G. M. K., Norwich, asks what is the proper 
treatment of a brood mare and colt from wean¬ 
ing time all through Winter. 
A ns.-- A moderate-sized volume might be pro¬ 
fitably written for the purpose of giving full 
and minute directions as to the management of 
brood mares and their loals, but we will now 
simply answer t.he above question by stating 
briefly the most important course to pursue:— 
As soon as the colt is- taken from the mare she 
should be put to gentle work and kept at it 
daily-, and fed moderately only, in order to 
enable her milk to dry- up quickly. At first she 
should be milked by hand three or four times 
per day for several days; then, as her milk de¬ 
creases, this should be done only twice a day, 
and finally only- once, and then every two or 
three days, according to the quantity in her 
bag, till fully dried. In milking do not strip 
her entirely clean, for if this is not done she 
will dry up faster than if the last drop is 
drawn. 
At weaning, place the mare and colt where 
they cannot see each other, for two weeks or 
more. It is best to let the colt run in a pasture 
with other colts if there are any, for the. sake 
of company; if there are no other colts, then 
let it run with calves, or even sheep. In this 
case the mare must be kept up in the stable, 
otherwise, on hearing the colt neigh, she might 
endeavor to get to it, and be likely to hurt 
herself against the fence, and the colt also 
would do the same on hearing her answering 
neigh. If the colt is shut up in the stable and 
the mare turned to pasture, it ought to be 
rather scant mitil she is dried off. and then 
she may be better fed according to the work 
required of her. 
In weaning a ccit some prefer to put it aud 
the mare hi a stable alongside of each other, 
separated only- by a part ition not high enough 
to prevent the dam from reaching over it and 
touching the foal with her nose. Then let the 
colt suck about two-thirds of the milk, at first 
thrice per day, thou twice, then ynly once, and 
so on till the mare is dried up, being careful to 
milk her by hand a little every time after suck¬ 
ing, so long as the bag is left moderately full. 
It is contended that both colt and mare worry 
le -s if thus weaned than if separated at once 
altogether, and kept apart till the colt has lost 
the desire to suck; but this depends a good 
deal on the disposition of the animals. In some 
cases the first method given above is the best, 
in other cases, the second. 
Previous to weaning, the colt must be taught 
to eat grass or hay and grain or meal also with 
the dam, otherwise on being taken from her it 
might pine away- and die. It may be weaned 
at from five to seven months of age, according 
as it has learned to eat by itself, and its growth 
and vigor. If the pasture is very good the colt 
will do well enough on that; but at first, in 
order to prevent scouring, it should have a 
half to a- pint, according to its size, of oil meal 
or cotton-seed meal, with one to two quarts of 
oats night and morning, or the same quantity 
of a mixture of oats and flax-seed ground to¬ 
gether at the rate of four quarts of the latter 
to 28 of the former. 
If the colt, is kept up and fed upon hay, then 
it might become costive. In that ease feed 
two quarts, or a little more, according to size, 
of wheat bran night and morning with a 
half to a pint of oil meal, or, in place, of these, 
one or two quarts of the mixed provender of 
oats and flax-seed. All these form good mus¬ 
cle and bone and give the cult an even, steady 
growth. Home feed corn or Indian meal to 
colts, but this is too fattening, and liable to 
bring on colic. Aged horses only should have 
corn, although we know it is fed with impuni¬ 
ty at the West and South. But the corn there 
is not so hearty nor so oily, we believe, as that 
grown at the North; though we are assured 
that some chemists in their analyses find no 
particular difference in the elements of the two 
soi-ts; still they may lie incorrect in this. 
During the first Winter colts should uot be 
allowed to stand on a plank, concrete, paved 
