£ 
9>j 
Streams failing; prospects for rain—none. 
Vennor—a false prophet. The flower seed 
came up well, and among them are some 
beautiful varieties: the asparagus seed I gave 
to a friend, it being a plant that I take no 
stock in. P. s. 
Missouri. 
Glascow, Howard Co.—The E. B. Sorghum 
has made a splendid growth and withstood the 
drought better than anything in my garden. 
The asparagus came up very well, but the 
White Elephant Potato was a failure. I had 
it planted with great care, the vines grew very 
strong and large, but when I had them dug I 
found a mole had passed the entire length of 
the row, and I got less than half a gallon of 
tubers. These I will preserve with great care 
for next year. H. Q. b. 
Nebraska. 
Det.oit, Holt Co.—Crops generally are 
good, but wheat was very nearly a failure, 
the yield not averaging over five bushels per 
acre. Oats are much better than last year, 
and barley as well as rye is a fair crop. The 
Rural Branching Sorghum is just as it was 
recommended. The W. E. Potato is doing 
exceedingly well, and were it not for there be¬ 
ing some smut, the Washington Oats would 
have been fine. The flower seeds did not all 
grow, and those that came up didn't do well, 
as they were planted too late. Small fruits 
good. D. E. H. 
Watioo. Saunders Co.,—I dug the White 
Elephant Potatoes Aug., 25th. I had 30J£ 
pounds in actual weight—25 extra large, 
50 medium, and 40 very small tubers. I 
think this a very good yield under the circum¬ 
stances, as the bugs and drought killed the 
vines before they matured. I shall save every 
potato for seed. Wo had no Spring here this 
year, for severe cold immediately succeeded 
hot weather. Wheat a total failure; hundreds 
of acres wore never cut; what was cut is mak¬ 
ing from three peeks to ten bushels per acre. 
Flax over an average crop. Oats light— 
about 2T bushels per acre. Pa to com has been 
hurt by drought, but I think there will be 
over half a crop, Hay plenty. Wheat worth 
§1; oats, 25c.; potatoes, §1; corn, 35 to 40c.; 
hogs, $5 to 5.25 per 100 gross. I think the Ru¬ 
ral the best agricultural paper I ever read. 1 
I could not farm without some paper of the 
kind. “ A Subscriber.” 
New Jersey. 
Titusville, Mercer Co.—Corn will prob¬ 
ably be one-half of an average crop—not half 
of last year’s crop, as that, was above an aver¬ 
age one. In this township there are many 
acres that will not give one bushel each. 
Oats wore 30 per cent, bettor than the average. 
Wheat the usual yield. Not cue field of green 
pasture to my knowledge in this section; most 
of the farmers are feeding anil foddering the. 
cattle. There are some who take no paper and 
do not know that cattle get hungry and neither 
grow nor give milk when starved. There are 
a great many unruly cattle, and an empty 
stomach makes fences poor. But. little is being 
done toward seeding, the ground i-s so dry. 
The trees in the forests are, many of them, 
turning dry, and, what is worse, apple-tree 
leaves are turning as though the Autumn 
frosts had come and chill November were 
here. In many cases the fruit hangs on the 
bare limbs and will probably wilt up and die. 
We had a large crop of Bartlett Pears, or, 
rather, wo would have had it' they had grown 
to the usual size. Some of them wilted and 
hang on the tree, while the leaves are on the 
ground. The leaves of the Vicars are drop¬ 
ping; in fact, we can see the effect of two 
months’ d ry weather in the hottest part of the 
year. What effect rain would have on the 
trees is a question of conjecture; some are 
doubtless dead, and I think it now too late for 
most of them to leave out; even the evergreens 
are dying. I. J. B. 
New York. 
Andover, Alleghany Co.—The Summer 
that ended with the last day of August was 
the hottest I can remember. On Sept. 1 a 
thunder storm did a great deal of damage, 
injuring buildings and burning eight barns and 
one house in this neighborhood. Potatoes 
the lightest crop we have ever had. I planted 
the White Elephant Juno 2S and dug up its 
offspring on Sept. 2, and got 20); pounds. I 
wouldn’t take five dollars for what I have for 
seed. The ’Washington Oats were sown along¬ 
side of the. Russian White, and the R. W. O. 
came out ahead. I think the W. O. are what 
we call the White English Oats. TheR. B. S. 
was a failure. The asparagus looks well; so 
do the flowers from the Rural seeds. Wheat, 
a good crop. Outs and hay, ditto. Oats, 40c.; 
wheat, §1.50; potatoes, 50c. C. z. H, 
Eddytown, Yates Co,—I took a little run 
among the vineyards of Seneca and West Ke- 
uka Lakes. The viues are in good order, but 
the crop will be a little less than last year. 
On account of a rain at the time of blossom¬ 
ing the fruit did not set as full as usual. This 
was true to a small extent of Delaware, and 
of Rogers’s Hybrids almost entirely. There is 
some rot in Catawbas, in a few places it is 
quite bad, but generally it is not of much ac¬ 
count. w. H. 
Loudonville, Albany Co.—Very little 
rain fell here during August, and but a 
fair amount during July. It is very hot, dry, 
dusty and sm oky here now, and many crops 
and some trees and shrubbery, including large 
lilac bushes are literally drying up. Many 
families are out of water. I have some beau¬ 
tiful pinks raised from seed you sent out last 
Spring. A yucca plant on my brother’s lawn 
raised from seed which the Rural sent out 
several years ago, bloomed finely this Summer. 
Being the o r, ly plant of the kind in this 
vicinity, it attracted considerable atten¬ 
tion, F. E. A. 
Pennsylvania. 
Daggett’s Mills, Tioga Co. — I plant¬ 
ed the White Elephant Potato on May 25 
and dug them on August 20. In planting I 
divided some of the largest of the eyes, and 
planted one piece in a lull, making 17 hills. 
The largest of the tubers obtained weighed 
one pound each, and I had 65 lbs.—a very 
good lot. I shall save them all for seed. Last 
year I raised two bushels from one potato that 
I had raised from the seed of a potato ball, and 
1 have named it Bly’s Superior. I had one tu¬ 
ber that weighed 2% pounds. Last season was 
much better for potatoes than this. The 
White Elephant is a splendid potato. The 
Washington Oats have done well and are 
heavy. The R. B. Sorghum doesn’t mature 
seed. The asparagus all came up well. I 
have about 100 hills of potatoes from the seed 
of the potato balls. They look well and are 
now getting ripe. J. B. 
Union City, Erie Co., Sept. 11.—My W. E. 
was cut into 12 pieces all of which sprouted well; 
but during the wet spell early in Summer six 
were drowned out. From the remainder I 
dug on Sept, 1, 24)£ pounds of nice tubers. 
The pinks are in blossom and they are beau 
ties. W. Oats and R. B. Sorghum I didn’t 
sow. J. w. B. 
Texas. 
Uvalde, Uvalde Co., Texas.—Since May 
10 there has not been rain enough in this 
county to wet the ground two inches; yet 
stock look well. Wheat averaged 13 bushels 
per acre—the best yield in the seven years I 
have lived here. To my knowledge there have 
been only two corn crops in this county. For 
myself I have been doing little or nothing 
except raising sheep since I came here, and in 
my opinion this is the only business that 
pays. H. n. D. 
Virginia. 
Junction. R. O., Hanover Co. — Washington 
Oats planted April 1; harvested July 5; yield 
two pounds ten ounces—at the rate of about 
38 bushels per acre. The White Elephant Po¬ 
tato had seven eye sets, and I was compelled 
to plant it as an early potato on March 25 as it 
was sprouting. Dug, August 15, a crop equal 
to that from Early Rose. The Elephant, how¬ 
ever, Is undoubtedly a late potato and the 
yield suffered from its having been planted 
too early. Shall try to keep the present crop 
for replanting next year, by packing the tub¬ 
ers in charcoal in a dark cellar. Germination 
of seed and growth of Rural Branching very 
satisfactory, considering the season. Treated 
as ordinary farm crop and dreadfully curtailed 
by the drought, that dried up the region for 
many weeks. Asparagus came up badly, no 
doubt because not treated as Mr. Goodell 
suggested in the Rural weeks ago. c. w. d. 
Wisconsin. 
Cottage Grove, Done Co., Wis., Sept. 10.— 
Some of the R. B. S. has been headed out about 
ten days. Think seed will mature enough to 
grow. May 61 planted W. E. Potato weighing 
about four ounces, cut into ten pieces, with 
one eye in a piece and one piece in a hill. Dug 
37 pounds yesterday—ripe more than a week 
ago. Heaviest hil 1, r>} A pounds; heaviest tuber, 
just one pound. They were planted in good soil 
by the side of other potatoes, and received no 
better care than the rest of the field, s. o. Y. G. 
<Tl)c €htmsf. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to insure attention.] 
POULTRY QUERIES, ETC. 
A. S. S., Waco , Te.cas , asks, 1, for a plan of 
a portable picket fence for a poultry yard; 2, 
are the Langshans hardy and profitable 
fowls; 3, are the American Sebrights pure¬ 
bred or only a cross; 4, the address of a trust¬ 
worthy breeder of the above sorts of fowls; 5, 
is there an importer of poultry in the South¬ 
west; 7, the name of a good market variety of 
watermelon. 
Ans.— 1. A convenient portable fence is made 
as shown at Fig. 470. Two or three strips of 
2x1 'i'-inch timber form the rails, and the pick¬ 
ets are common sawed laths sharpened at the 
upper end. The laths are nailed to the rails or 
bars two inches apart. The bars project at 
the ends of the panel about three inches. 
Stakes are driven in the ground and the panels 
are fastened to them by pieces of fence wire, 
the end of one bar being placed over the end 
of the corresponding bar of the next panel and 
one wire fastening both to the stake. The 
panels may be 12 feet long, and will then need 
a center stake, to which the bars are wired. 
The fence may be made six feet high by using 
three bars and two lengths of lath. 2. The 
Langshans are only Black Cochins under an¬ 
other name, and as yet have done nothing to 
merit popularity among those who keep fowls 
for profit, excluding those, of course, who 
breed them and sell them to fanciers for §20 
to §50 a trio. 3. The Golden and the Silver 
Sebright Bantams are admitted to entry in the 
a American Standard of Excellence,” and that 
secures them the distinction of thoroughbred. 
They have been bred long enough and closely 
enough to reproduce themselves accurately 
enough to he considered pure-breds. 4. G. S. 
Josslyn, Fredonia, N. Y. 5. We know of no 
importer of fowls in the South. There is not 
much importing done now, as American fowls 
are as good as any in the world. 6. The com¬ 
mon Southern Rattlesnake Watermelon is a 
good market melon. Try the Cuban Queen. 
WATER PIPES. 
J. N. C., Emporium, Pa,, asks where can he 
get pipe to convey water to his buildings. 
Ans.—A few years ago there were two stores 
in Emporium that supplied wrought-iron and 
lead pipe as well as wooden pipe for this pur¬ 
pose—a stove and a hardware store. Doubt¬ 
less either these or successors to them will sup¬ 
ply what is wanted in this line. If uot, there 
is a large number of dealers in these goods at 
Williamsport. Three-quarter-inch lead pipe 
weighs from one pound per foot upwards, but 
the lightest will be safe where there is not 
more than 30 feet head. Lead pipe is the best 
when the water is always flowing, but is not 
safe when the water stands in it. A very good 
pipe for leading water may be made of com¬ 
mon one-inch drain tiles laid in cement to 
close the joints. This is clean, safe and dura¬ 
ble. Another good kind is hemlock strips 
three inches square bored with an inch-and-a- 
quartor hole in the center with a long-handled 
auger. Lead pipe costs 12 cents a pound; iron 
pipe costs as much, and it rusts and gives a 
bad flavor to the water; drain tile costs about 
a cent-and-a-half per foot, and the cement will 
cost very little. Wrought-iron pipe, one inch 
inside diameter, costs, wholesale, 10 cents per 
foot; t^-inch, 27 cents; 1^-inch, S3 cents; 
and. as the retailer gets 50 per cent, discount, 
he can generally afford to sell it at; these fig¬ 
ures, unless he happens to be a plumber; for a 
plumber, like a druggist, wants heavy profits. 
PINK WATER LILIES, ETC. 
A. L. J., Quebec, Canada , asks, whether a 
pink water lily is sold by florists, and. if so, 
what is its name; 2, whether seeds of 
pyrethrum wifi grow in a green house, and 
whether it would be any protection against 
the aphis infesting rose bushes, if grown be¬ 
side them in pots. 
ANS.—There is a pink variety of our com¬ 
mon water lily known as Nvmphaea odorata 
var. rosea ; it is fragrant, beautiful, scarce 
and dear ; it costs about §10 a root. There is 
also a variety faintly tinged with pink, but 
the coloring is not deep enough to be satisfac¬ 
tory. It costs §1.60. Of the common Euro¬ 
pean water lily a pretty pink form, discovered 
in a lake in Sweden, is also living disseminated 
by florists, under the name of N. sphierocarpa, 
but it is likewise exceedingly rare and expen¬ 
sive. The above are perfectly hardy. But 
the grandest of all red water lilies is N. 
Devoniensis, a hybrid raised in England 
several years ago. It requires very warm 
green-house care, and costs about §5 a root. 
2. Pyrethrum will grow in pots in a cool, airy 
green-house, but its presence there would be 
no protection to the roses from aphis. 
Mi scellaneous. 
S. T. T., Southold, X. Y., asks what kinds 
of white and red w heat are suitable for Long 
Island, N. Y. 
Ans.—I t is a hal’d question to answer, be¬ 
cause one should sow a wheat several years in 
order to judge of its several qualities. We are 
inclined to thiuk that Fultz (white) will yield 
heavily on Long Island as well as in many 
different parts of tho .country, Shumaker 
(amber—nearly red) has done well at the Ru¬ 
ral Farm, yielding 32 bushels the past season 
without heavy manuring, Besides, it is one of 
the earliest. We doubt not also that our 
“ Distribution ” wheat, Fultzo-Clawson, will 
be found well adapted to Long Island soils in 
g neral. This has given us the heaviest yield 
of any wheat we have ever raised—nearly 37 
bushels. Clawson, as our friend probably 
knows, is a favorite white wheat. 
It. E., Ravenna, Ohio, says that his White 
Elephant Potatoes were green on August 30, 
while he saw by the reports in the Rural 
that others had already dug theirs, and he asks 
whether it is not probable that he got the 
wrong sort, as his is certainly a late potato. 
Ans.—T hey are late potatoes, but the season 
has to do with their maturity, of Course, Last 
year, ours were not dug until late in September 
this year the vines were dead on Sep. 2, ow¬ 
ing to heat and drought. You may rest, as- 
sm-ed that you have the genuine White Ele¬ 
phant. There can have been no mistake. • 
M. D., vn address, asks, 1, how to increase 
his Snyder and Wilson Blackberry viues; 2, 
the price of air-slaked lime for the garden. 
Ans.— 1, By the suckers or by making cut¬ 
tings of the roots. Cut them into small pieces 
and plant them in drills two feet, apart the 
same as you would peas. Cover with light 
soil and press it, firmly upon the cuttings. A 
dressing of fine manure as a mulch to preserve 
moisture is desirable. 2, Air-slaked lime is 
merely ordinary caustic lime slaked by expo¬ 
sure to the air, which anybody can do for 
himself. 
I). D.. Bucyrus, Oh io , asks a recipe for the 
cure of Chicken cholera. 
Ans.—P revention is the best “ cure.” All 
infected fowls should be killed at once, and 
the bodies buried, as the disease spreads rap¬ 
idly. However, cures have been effected by 
feeding cooked meal, red pepper, gun-powder 
and turpentine mixed together; also dissolve 
one ounce bi-sulphate of soda in a gallon of 
water and place the solution where the fowls 
can drink it. 
A. R, G., Akron, Neb., sends for name, 1, 
a kind of clover with the query whether it is 
a perennial or a biennial, and whether it is 
good for honey bees ; 2, a prairie plant with 
a very pretty pink flower. 
Ans.— 1. It is the white-flowered melilotus 
or Tree or Bokhara Clover—Melilotus alba. 
The root is probably biennial. It is valuable 
as a forage plant, though we have no practical 
knowledge of it. It is a good honey plant. 
2. This Is Gerardia purpurea, var. fasciculata. 
E. S. B ., Factory Point, VI., says some of 
the magnolias sent him last year by the Rural 
have come up, and he asks how to treat them 
during the coming Winter. 
Ans.—W e do not think they will require 
any special rare, if growing in well-drained 
soil. A slight mulch of straw, salt hay or 
something of the kind may prove serviceable. 
F. K, M.. Pingree Grove, III., asks how to 
save the seeds of the Red Hawthorne, and when 
to plant them. 
Ans.—I t is best to gather the seed as soon as 
ripe; place them in sand in a box and bury 
the box, planting the seed as early as may be 
next Spring. 
D. W. S., Bayard, Ohio, asks, 1, where 
can Fife wheat lie had; 2, will a low, mucky 
piece of land suit wheat. 
Ans.— 1. We should think the Cincinnati 
seedsmen could furnish it. 2. No. Better not 
sow wheat there at all. 
II. C. K., Blodgett, N. Y., says he wishes to 
sow sorghum next year, and wants to know 
where he can get the seed. 
Ans.—W e have little doubt that all progres¬ 
sive seedsmen will have it for sale. 
J. H. M., Nebraska City, Neb., asks what 
will a dozen Bidwell Strawberries cost him 
by mail. 
Ans.—L ayer plants. 75 cents. 
M, V. R., Charleston, Mo .—We cannot 
name this wheat. It has been sent to us under 
many different names. The Velvet Chaff, as 
generally known, is a heavily bearded variety. 
H. M. Priest, Steuben. Ohio, asks for infor¬ 
mation about land in Jennings and Pulaski 
Counties, Indiana, with a view to settling in 
the more eligible of the two counties. 
-- 
Communications received for the week 
ending Saturday, Sept. 17, 18S1. 
M. W. V.—D. C. A.—J. W. C.—E. A.— 
G. L.—H. T, B.—J. C. M.—P. G. Kansas, 
thanks— S. P. B., thanks.—H. C. S,—thanks 
—E. A. P—F. —W. F. B.—R. F. M.—H. D. 
W.-H. S.—E. S. K.—T. C. C.—E. W. K. 
—J. L.—W. D. H.—S. M. B.—J. T. H.—Oh- 
sener—A. T. B.—H. P. S.—E. J. D.—E. M. 
S.—E O. B.—E. E., the pinks are the finest 
we have ever seen.—J. F.—R. D. B.—J. B 
Xj, J, B.—J. C. D.—D. M. Newton, thank 
for specimens of grain.—W. K. A.—H. S.— 
R. G. B—S.— G. M, D.—l. S.— Many thanks 
for the sample of Florida tea—E. P. P.— M. 
D.—G. W. R.—G. W. R.—W. R’ G.—P. S. 
C.—L. B.— W. M.—W, T. B—W. E. H.—J. 
H. C., thanks. 
