5 
THE 
EPT.24 
son than is generally believed, If the strength 
is sustained from the beginning by nourish¬ 
ment, given judiciously, there is better pros¬ 
pect of its being equal to the demand that must 
be made upon it later. Begin, then, from the 
first to give liquid nourishment in small quan¬ 
tities frequently. It is more easily swallowed 
and digested than anything solid, however 
delicately prepared, and as there is generally 
thirst, it is, as a rule, readily taken. The chief 
reliance must be placed on milk. One pint is 
equal to a full-sized mutton chop, and it is in¬ 
comparably more nourishing than any animal 
broth, not excepting beef-tea, which lias too 
long held a rank to which its merits arc far 
from entitling it.Boiling meat coag¬ 
ulates the albumen, the principal nutritive ele¬ 
ment, converting it into a solid which is care¬ 
fully eliminated w hen the broth is strained, 
leaving behind a mass of shreds floating in 
water. Milk, on the contrary, contains 14 per 
cent, of solid mutter, and is rich in the con¬ 
stituents necessary to supply the wants of the 
system. One-eighth part lime-water added to 
the milk will prevent it from disagreeing with 
the most fastidious stomach.When 
the yelk of an egg cannot be borne, the white 
may be given with perfect impunity. Albu- 
menized milk is prepared by shaking in a 
wide-mouthed bottle or jar one pint of milk 
with the whites of two eggs. These are so 
thoroughly incorporated by this process that 
few would suspect their presence, and the mix¬ 
ture is much more nourishing than the milk 
alone.Albnmeuized water is a re¬ 
freshing and at the same time a nourishing 
drink. It is prepar'd like the milk, by shak¬ 
ing together the whites of two eggs and a pint 
of cold water, and flavored with lemon juice, 
a slice of lemon heiug left floating in the glass. 
Cold toast water can lie used to make it. 
Dr. N tenons says that there is not a func¬ 
tion of the body that cannot be sustained upon 
the principles stored up in the wheat berry; 
and there is not a nerve or tissue that cannot 
be nourished and fed by it alone.Vir¬ 
ginia proposes to have an industrial exposition 
of her own. Good luck to her ! If the world 
knew her resources she would uot be troubled 
about how to pay her debts.—Herald. 
For every tree cut down at least two should 
be planted.The Emperor of Germany 
has, by imperial decree dated June 1, 1881, 
awarded the gold medal of merit for agricul¬ 
ture to Mr. Lawes and Dr. Gilbert jointly, in 
recognition of their services for the develop¬ 
ment of scientific and practical agriculture. . 
.The over-feeding of exhibition cattle 
was the theme of the Earl of Lathom’s remarks 
at a late show in England. The noble lord 
said it might be asked why he did not exhibit, 
and his answer was a very simple one—be¬ 
cause he did not like spoiling his animals by 
getting them fat for show. ..... An Iowa 
paper, the Cherokee. Times, thinks that the 
large increase of wire fences in that State may 
be responsible for the uuusual slaughter this 
year of li ve stock by lightning. —N. Y. Tribune. 
.Figaro:—“ Un tries vieuxgeneral vieut 
d’dpouaer une jeune flllo de dix-neuf ans. 
Tout heureux, il demande a son ami intirae, 
un ntedeein. ‘ Crois-tu que je peux esp^rer 
d’avoir des enfants ?’ ‘ Espher,’ respond le 
ntedecin, ‘Oh! non! craiudre, e’est une autre 
affaire.’ ” 
(£vcn.)ttil)m\ 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
At kit lisas. 
Beebe, White Co.—Have had an extreme¬ 
ly dry spell of hot, dry weather that has burnt 
up all vegetation, Cora has been cut short and 
no fodder has been saved. Cotton opened 
prematurely and the bolls are very small; the 
yield won’t be half as large as that of last 
year; so say my neighbors who have been 
raising cotton, and little else all their lives. 
Everything is suffering for want of water, 
even the leaves of the trees are “browned” as 
if by f ros-t. I live near the road and never 
saw so much travel in this section. Some say 
they are from Texas going North and West, 
because they cannot see how folks can live in 
their part of the Lone Star State, as there was 
nothing to live on when they left; others 
come from nearly all parts of this State, all 
seeming to be disgusted with their own sec¬ 
tions and seeking some better place. M y crops 
are poor enough; but every one of the way- 
farers envies me, as mine, they say, are much 
better than those they have seen in their wan¬ 
derings. A neighbor of mine has just return¬ 
ed from a visit to Monroe and Woodruff Coun¬ 
ties and he says people there are miserably off; 
most of them having mortgaged their crops 
and those who had land having given trust- 
deeds on it to the merchants. Many renters 
have moved away leaving uncut small crops 
to pay big debts. Many hogs are dying here¬ 
abouts, more I think from want of food and 
drink than from any disease. Even the peo¬ 
ple here have only corn bread, pork and now 
and then a little wheaten flour. Folks coin- 
plain of lack of vegetables, but I fear many 
will be sorely stinted in their present diet be¬ 
fore next harvest. Merchants in the towns 
are refusing to give any more credit—and the 
Lord help those that need it. h. b. 
Dayton, Sebastian Co., Sept. 5.—A 
two months’ drought still continues. Stock 
are suffering for water. The wheat crop al¬ 
most a total failure. Oats fail*. Corn hardly 
half a crop. All Winter wheat. Cotton rims 
from 350 to 450 pounds per acre—mostly the 
former. Fruit and vegetables a total failure. 
Very few peach trees stood the hard Winter. 
Most of the apple trees are dead. So are most 
of the small fruits. G. w. R. 
California. 
Sanders, Fresno Co.—The Rural’s Florida 
correspondent’s experience with his “ flayed 
elephant” is so in contrast with mine that I 
cannot forbear sending a statement of the facts 
in my case. I cut mine into single eyes, and 
planted them in my best potato land, on a ridge 
between deep furrows: the furrows were filled 
to heaping with stable manure which was kept 
saturated with water admitted through a bam¬ 
boo stalk from my irrigating ditch. On Aug. 
10th. I dug them,—130 pounds from the single 
tuber. Those are planted and being cared for in 
like manner, and from their appearance I have 
contracted to deliver two-and-a-half tons of 
their product in November at five cents per 
pound, and shall have quite a stock of Ele¬ 
phants still on hand. w. a. s. 
Canada. 
Toronto, Ontario Co.—Winter wheat 
which was sown early averages 35 bushels to 
the acre, but that which was sown late is a 
failure. Barley averages 30 bushels to the 
acre. Oats are very heavy and average 55 
bushels. Peas look well and promise to be an 
excellent crop, but we are obliged to sow them 
late-in order to escape the pea weevil. No clover 
seed. The apple crop is very deficient. No 
cherries, and very little small fruit of any 
kind, witli the exception of grapes. The 
Washington Oats far exceeded my expec¬ 
tations. From the small package received 
there is the enormous yield of 18 pounds, a. r, 
Connecticut. 
Bloomfield, Hartford Co., Sept. 13.—The 
people of this section have cause for rejoicing 
in that abundant crops are the reward of their 
labors. The cold and plentiful rains in early 
Spring, that served to delay the season, mak¬ 
ing it at least two weeks later than usual, 
aided in producing a plentiful crop of grass, a 
product of the first importance in this 
vicinity. The late season, however, some¬ 
what interfered with the usual routine of 
farmers’ work, and at the time when haying is 
usually completed, tobacco demanded atten¬ 
tion, and the result was that grass was in the 
meadow's later than in any previous year since 
the advent of mowing machines. Tobacco 
started late, but has grown rapidly during 
the past four weeks, promising a fair crop, 
some of which is already housed. Corn is 
looking well, and potatoes promise a good 
yield ; but I hear fears expressed that they 
may rot. Some “White Elephants ’’that 
found their way here in consequence of the 
notices in the Rural, have given satisfaction; 
but it is believed they have not done them¬ 
selves justice so far as size is concerned. The 
tops which were luxuriant, measuring be¬ 
tween four and five feet, after a heavy rain 
suddenly stopped growing. The potatoes are 
large when compared with other varieties, but 
have not as a whole attained the size expected. 
I think I have never seen the fields greener 
or the forests more luxuriant at this season. 
The frequent rains have kept eveiything in 
growing order, and while we read of the ter¬ 
rible droughts in other sections, we feel thank¬ 
ful that this is not so afflicted, and it seems to 
me to lie fortunately situated iu this respect, 
for during the past 40 years I do not remem¬ 
ber more than two or three instances where 
any crop lias been materially injured by 
drought. Occasionally a well will be ex¬ 
hausted or a pasture stream become dry, giv¬ 
ing a little inconvenience ; but such droughts 
as frequently visit other sections are here un¬ 
known. Regard mg fruit: This is an “off” 
year for apples, and the supply is scarce aud 
quality poor. Pears are abundant, but not so 
fair, or good in quality as in some years. A few 
peach trees I have seen are giving evidence of 
the return of what may be called the peach 
cycle—of which I spoke last year, being laden 
with fruit. Who can give a reason for the 
fact that in this county peach trees will for a 
few years flourish aud bear well, then all die 
out, and for another term of years it will be as 
impossible to raise peaches here as oranges. 
Since my remembrance there have been at 
least three of these cycles. An old farmer 
told me a few days since how he killed Canada 
thistles which I will add in closing. He said “I 
cut ’em close, put on a lot of brine, and 
sprinkle with salt beside. Then turn in 
sheep, and they, to get the salt, eat the thistles 
so close I never see more of ’em.” l. a. r. 
Waterbury, Now' Haven Co.. Sept. 8. —The 
W. E. Potato I received weighed about 2!£ 
ounces. It had 14 eyes and I planted them 
10 inches apart on May 1. When dug on Aug. 
23, I had 04 tubers which weighed 10 ! £ pounds. 
T never saw nicer-loolcing potatoes, and shall 
keep them for seed, I have already been 
offered for my potatoes more than the cost of 
the Rural for two years. I picked off from 
that one potato 45 lj potato bugs—a good crop 
I think. M. D. 
Florida. 
Starke, Rradford Co., Sept. 5.—The out¬ 
look for crops in this section of the “ flowery 
land” is very poor. During the months of 
May and June we had scarcely any rain at all: 
through July, in this immediate locality, we 
had just about enough. The first, half of Au¬ 
gust we had very little, and since then liave 
had none, and the result is we are getting very 
dry. There are places within ten miles of us 
where the ground has not been thorougldy wet 
all Summer. Com is mostly harvested, and 
is generally a very light crop. With a little 
more rain cotton would have been fine; now' 
it is rusting badly and the crop will be mate¬ 
rially shortened. Of course, nee and sugar-cane 
are each suffering a great deal, and so are 
sweet potatoes. Plenty of rain soon would 
help the two latter, lint it is too late to do cot¬ 
ton or rice any good, We have had a visita¬ 
tion from a species of Army-worm; they ate 
the grass in some places all up and injured the 
early rice so that it had to be cut for fodder. 
The old farmers say it is the worst year for 
crops “ since the Surrender.” Young orange 
trees never made a finer growth, and are look¬ 
ing remarkably well; you would never suspect 
they were so severely nipped last Winter, but 
the old trees still show the effects of the cold 
and do not look half as well as last year at 
this time. i. s. 
Illinois. 
Champaign, Champaign Co., Sept. 12.—Satur¬ 
day w r e got a couple of showers and since it has 
been cool—though at this time of writing 
the wind is blowing strong from the South¬ 
east aud the mercury is rising fast. The sky 
is as blue and clear as a sapphire, but the ba¬ 
rometer says a change is coming and we shall 
probably have more rain in the course of 30 
hours. The rains of the tenth together with 
a previous one on the fourth, have partially 
broken the drought in this section; but over 
the South part of this State the drought 
reigns supreme. There is almost no pasture, 
except dried grass; and nothing good to feed 
except it be com planted for the purpose. 
Prices have risen nearly 100 per cent, within 
a year, and corn now sells for 55</> 5Se., Oats. 
30(V< 40c.: wheat, 31,85^1.35,; hay; #10® 12 per 
ton; sweet potatoes five cents per pound; 
potatoes and apples a dollar a bushel each, 
while most other vegetables are brought from 
abroad. More than half the wells in Central 
Illinois are dry: half the labor of the country 
is employed in digging new ones; farmers, in 
some cases, daily drive their stock miles for 
water; in fact, we are suffering all the evils of 
a protracted drought. Little plowing and less 
seeding done for wheat on account of the re¬ 
fractory character of the soil and fear of the 
chinch hugs which swarm iu the corn. Another 
good rain or two, would allow of land being 
broken with comparative ease, and then 
plows would be set to work in a very lively 
style. There is no doubt, of a very much en¬ 
larged seeding to rye and of a great deal of 
land to be broken f' >r Spring crops between this 
and December if the weather admits. Not¬ 
withstanding local pride reports great things 
of the county fairs this year, they are in most 
cases miserable failures and very fully repre¬ 
sent the general failure of crops along the 
whole line. B. f. j. 
Prairie Center^u Salle Co.—The Argen- 
teuil Asparagus came up well and is growing 
nicely; so are the pinks aud oats. The Rural 
Branching Sorghum was a failure, and the 
White Elephant suffered too much from lack 
of water to do well—its progeny weighed 
only lline-and-a-half pounds. From one pound 
of Chicago Market I got 40 pounds, and from 
a ]K>und of Mammoth Pearl, 42 !{. j. p. w. 
Rankin, Vermillion Co.—Owing to a 
very long dry spell, the late potato crop to 
all appearances is a complete failure. The 
same may he said of the corn that was planted 
very late. Early planted corn, especially 
that on fall-plowing, will, some of it, husk 
out 25 to 30 bushels per acre. There are hut 
very few apples here; almost any kind of a 
cooking apple will sell for #1 per bushel. No 
peaches; a few r grapes. The pastures are dried 
up, and almost every one is feeding his stock 
to keep them from starving. I have been in 
tills State 15 years, and it is the severest 
drought T have seen to commence so early. 
Hay, oats and flax were pretty fair crops, and 
that helps the matter a little. Many of the 
renters will have rather hard times till another 
crop is raised; but they are much worse off 
in the Southern part of this State. Down in 
Clay Co. the report is that everything is burnt 
up, and some are selling their stock for anything 
they can get for them to keep them from 
starving and to get something to live on or to 
get away from there. H. mcc. 
Indiana. 
Bisnop Creek, Mono Co.—Yield of Wash¬ 
ington Oats, from six to seven quarts; badly 
smutted. White Elephant doing extremely 
well, from present appearances many of 
them will weigh one pound each; planted in 
dark loamy soil. R. B. Sorghum from six to 
seven feet high in full seed. Asparagus not 
doing well. We are having an abundant har¬ 
vest in this county. J. B. s. 
Kingsbury, La Porte Co., Sept. 8.—The R. 
B. Sorghum seeds grew fairly, but owing to a 
poor season the plants have not done well. The 
flower seeds grew well, and for beauty are all 
that could bo desired. The asparagus is doing 
well. The W. E. Potato weighing three 
ounces, yielded, when dug yesterday, 
pounds of good-sized tubers. The hugest 
yield from one eye was two-and-onc-half 
pounds. We have had no rain of any conse¬ 
quence since July. Cora not more than half a 
crop. Potatoes poor ; late varieties a total 
failure. They are selling from store for 40 
cents per peck. Farmers are ready for seed¬ 
ing Fall wheat, but are waiting anxiously for 
rain. W. E. H. 
Iowa. 
Crawfordsville, Washington Co.—The 
White Elephant I received measured around 
it 4 by 4!a inches. Having 17 eyes, it w'as 
cut into 17 pieces, some being very small. 
They wSre planted in a box in the house, and 
transplanted to the garden when the plants 
w'ere from half an inch to four inches high. 
The smallest one died. The rest were dug 
August 31, and yielded 13”:, pounds. They had 
been somew hat wilted in the ground owing to 
the dry weather since June : about 80 w'ei'e as 
large as, or larger than, the one received, 
and, counting all down to those one-third of 
an inch, there were 125, or about one-third of 
a bushel. The weight shows less, from their 
being so dry. The W. Oats fell down and so 
I nearly lost them. We planted the asparagus 
in a box also, as we did not wish to plant it 
till next Spring. It looks well. J. h. m. 
Tipton, t.Vdar Co.—Corn greatly damaged 
by drought. Potatoes also dried up—a short 
crop. From the single W. E. Potato I liave 
obtained 69 pounds of nice, clean medium 
sized tubers. They stood the drought well with¬ 
out watering. The Washington Oats yielded 
m pounds. The R. B. S. has made a heavy 
crop, but I think it wont take in the North¬ 
west. The pinks are beauties. Wheat here¬ 
abouts a failure ; oats yield from 20 to 30 
bushels per acre. *• 
Kentucky. 
Elkton, Todd Co.—We are having the 
most severe draught known for a good many 
years: no rain of consequence since the 
last of June. Tobacco late and very small. 
Corn dried up; will not yield more than one- 
fourth of a crap. Wheat very light. Oats 
fair. Potatoes did not mature on account of 
the Vrngs, which came early and still hang on. 
No fruit worth naming. Pastures completely 
dried up. Stock water very scarce. Every- 
thing looks gloomy and indicates “hard times” 
in the truest sense of the word. E . D. M. 
Maryland. 
Rayville, Baltimore Co., Sept. 8.—I 
planted the Rural Branching Sorghum May 
14. About nine-tenths of seeds failed to ger¬ 
minate and what few' did come up made but 
very little progress until July 1, when it began 
to grow rapidly and is now about six feet 
high, with from five to eleven stalks from 
each seed. On the 19th of July, when it w'as 
2% feet high, I cut two liilis—one containing 
II and the other seven stalks—about 2% inches 
above the ground. On the 4th of August, the 
same hills were cut again about five inches 
above the ground and the stalks measured 2% 
feet after being cut. On the 31st of August 
the same Hills wore cut the third time about 
seven inches above the ground, the stalks 
lieing over 2 1 .; feet high when cut. These 
same lulls have since the last cutting grown 
eight inches. This I consider a remarkable 
grow th for such a dry season as we have had 
in this section. There have been but three show¬ 
ers since the 21st of June, and neither of 
them wet, the ground to the depth of three 
inches. The White Elephant Potato was cut 
into 10 pieces and one piece plantod in each 
hill on April 26 ; but owing to the drought 
they were almost a failure. They were dug 
September 3, and yielded 4j<j pounds of very 
small potatoes. The “ Washington Oats ” 
yielded well, but it seems to me that it is the 
same variety of oats that was distributed by 
the Department of Agriculture, as the “White 
Schu'uen ” Oats and which I have been rais¬ 
ing for 15 years past. In this section thecrops 
are about as follows : Wheat and oats about 
the regular average; rye better than for 
several years ; corn, about half a crop ; buck¬ 
wheat, a total failure ; pasture, burnt up. 
