©6T. §2 
started off well until they were checked by 
drought. J. L. E. 
Nebraska. 
Plum Valuev, Knox Co., Oet. 4.—The It. B. 
Sorghmu was planted on the last day of May 
on ground never plowed before; no manure. 
It came up well and stands to-day green with 
12 to 20 stalks in a hill and 10 feet high. I 
have gntli r d sane heads the. seed of which 
I think will grow. The W. Oats the grass¬ 
hoppers harvested. The asparagus seeds came 
up fairly; tho plants stand 13 inches. The 
flower seeds were planted on new ground and 
they have done poorly. J. p. 
New Jersey. 
ScrmAAT.EXBURC.H, Bergen Co., Oct., 3.— 
There has been no rain to wet the ground half 
an inch from July 30, to September 28, The 
Washington 0 i ts were sown in my garden in 
early Spring. They made a good stand; none 
of them lodged; hut they grew a large quan¬ 
tity of smut. The asparagus seeds were also 
planted in the garden. They look exceedingly 
well, considering the great drought during 
tho Summer, The small White Elephant 
Potato, having 11 eyes, was cut into as 
many pieces and planted in sandy loam. All 
sprouted; the grub cut one plant twice, when 
it died. A mole burrowed under another and 
eat off the stem, leaving nine. On Sept. 29, 
I dug (U tubers, mostly of a good size, weigh¬ 
ing 1(1 pounds, which I consider good, taking 
into account the great drought. The flower 
seeds have a 11 died for want of rain. Sorghum 
not planted. c. a. c. 
[The above report comes from near the 
Rural Grounds. Eds.] 
New York. 
Fort Ann, Washington Co,, Oct. 1.— From 
the two small White Elephants I made 13 bills. 
Upon digging them I found tho grubs bad 
made bad work with them; but. I secured 30 : t( 
pounds. One weighed 1 % pounds, another 
pound. The season has been very dry 
and tho potato crop is very light. f. a. b. 
Galway, Saratoga Co., Oct. 7.—Tho White 
Elephant weighed three ounces, and was 
planted in throe hills, from which I harvested 
38 large, full-grown .Elephants. The R. B. 
Sorghum is now feet high and the seeds 
will mature soon. Tho W. Oats I sowed on a 
light loamy soil without any fertilizer. They 
turned out well; from one kernel alone there 
were 22 stalks measuring feet, with heads 
17K inches long. j, k. m. 
Goon Ground, Suffolk Co., Oct. 8.—My 
White Elephant Potato weighed four ounces. 
I planted it 15th of April in eight hills and 
dug, on Sept. 15, 32 pounds of line Elephants 
besides a few baby Elephants. Shall cook a 
few and if they are as good us they look I 
shall keep the rest for seed. The Washington 
Oats did well. I planted the sorghum in three 
drills or rows, and about the middle of August 
I cut one row, but it kept right on growing, 
and is now up about live foot high. The 
other two row s are full of seed heads about 
nine feet high, but a few nights ago the frost 
killed the leaves. Some of the heads are out 
of blossom and some are not. Do you think I 
shall loose tho seed? I should be sorry to lose 
it, for it is just what I want. [We have seve¬ 
ral times expressed our belief that the seeds w ill 
seldom, if ever, mature so far North unless the 
plants intended to mature them are raised in 
cold-frames or pots so as to have an earlier 
start than the ordinary field crop.— Eds.] 
The asparagus did not come up very well; 
but the pinks are splendid. It is so dry here 
that late cabbages and turnips are a total 
failure. j. e. k. 
North Carolina. 
Asheville, Buncombe Co., Oct. 5.—The 
crops of Western North Carolina are very un¬ 
satisfactory. Tobacco can’t be more than two- 
thirds of a crop. Corn is lighter than it has 
been for several years. Wheut is almost a 
failure, and oats but little better. Vegetables 
of all kinds are short and inferior. Peaches 
were plentiful, but of poor quality, and apples 
about the same. Yet I think with even this 
poor outlook that most persons will have am¬ 
ple sustenance. In fact, this has been a coun- 
of such plenty that with a little economy 
we will steer through all right. s. c. s. 
Oil in. 
Damascoville, Columbiana Co., Oct. 3.— 
The Cuthbert Raspberries proved perfectly 
hardy here. Quality of fruit very good. The 
Beauty of Hebron potatoes, notwithstanding 
severe drought, averaged largo and smooth— 
much more prolific, and I t hink better in qual¬ 
ity, than the Early Ro-'O. The White Ele¬ 
phant weighed two ounces, ft was cut into 
as many pieces as eyes (18 or 20 ), and planted 
one in a hill, 10 to 18 inches apart. It yielded 
3-1 pounds. The largest weighed l 1 * pound; 
the six largest, six pounds. Very few small 
ones. The asparagus seed came up well; grew 
slowly in consequence of drought, yet will 
make good roots. The R. B. Sorghum came 
up finely. One seed made 15 stalks; many 
others from five to ten. Till within a few 
weeks it made so little growth, that I did not 
cut it off. Since rain it is growing very fast, 
and I hope a few seed will ripen. The South¬ 
ern cow peas I think will prove valuable, es¬ 
pecially to enrich poor land. None of the 
above were grown on extra rich soil, or had 
any other fertilizer than stable manure, My 
daughter has grown from the Rural seeds 
some flowers which we prize very highly. I 
have named only a part of the kinds that I 
consider valuable. The seeds I regard as of 
more value than many times the subscription 
to the Rural. e. w. 
Lucas, Richland Co., Oct. 2.—I planted the 
White Elephant, cut to single eyes, on May 
12, and dug 53 large tubers on August 6. Po¬ 
tatoes in this county are scarce. Farmers are 
mostly through seeding. Wheat is worth 
§1.40; corn, 70c.; oats, 40c. w. D. 
Ravenna, Portage Co., Oct. 0.—Have dug 
White Elephant Potatoes to-day. One me¬ 
dium-sized potato was cut into 15 pieces, with 
a single eye in each, planted in 15 hills, and 
all grew and yielded 19 pounds of good-sized, 
line-looking tubers. With Beauty of Hebron 
for an early variety, Snowflake for a medium 
one, and the White Elephant as a Into variety 
I am satisfied. I do not regard the Washing¬ 
ton Oats as a success. Have a bed of aspar¬ 
agus started from seed of Giant Dutch and 
Argentouil. r. e. 
Pennsylvania. 
Meadville, Crawford Co., Oct. 2.—To-day 
we have had the first good rain we have had 
since Spring, From the White Elephant Po¬ 
tato I got 11 pounds of nice tubers My 'Wash¬ 
ington Oats I sowed on rather wet ground; 
the berry was good, but th Rural Branching 
Sorghum did not do well. The asparagus, cel¬ 
ery and carnation are very nice. The J udas 
Tree is six inches high. w. s. s. 
Vermont. 
Trot, Orleans Co., Oct. 5.—September was 
our warmest month this year. Yesterday 
about noon it began to grow cold, and now 
we have a regular Texas norther in Vermont. 
Apples are all frozen on the Yrees. Potatoes 
are not half dug, and will not be half a crop. 
They are worth (50 cents per bushel to ship. 
I hear complaints of their rotting badly. 
Other crops are fair. September made a 
good corn crop in this part of the State. 
I hear it is selling for §1 per bushel, while 
Western corn brings 85 cents and oats 40 
cents. The hay crop was heavy except in a 
few places where Spring frosts killed the grass. 
We have had what one might call a wet-dry 
Summer—it has rained a great deal of the 
time, but there have been no heavy rainfalls, 
so that the streams have been very low and 
mill-men are complaining of a scarcity of 
water. The cloudy weather has probably 
injured tho potatoes, but fruit trees have 
grown splendidly. a. c. d. 
Wisconsin. 
Elroy, Juneau Co., Oct. 2. —The Rural 
seeds sent to me have given great satisfac¬ 
tion and no little pleasure. The R. B. Sor¬ 
ghum I drilled through my fingers in three 
rows about (30 feet long; theu raked it in with 
a hand hay rake. I have a very good stand. 
When about five feet high I l>egun to cut it, 
leaving an occasional stalk for seed. Tho sec¬ 
ond growth is now over four feet high. I have 
cut some of it, and the third crop has started 
to grow. Stock, horses and colts eat it with 
evident relish. I consider it a good fodder 
plant. The Washington Oats I sowed broad¬ 
cast and from the few received I have got 
pounds of grain, and 9}£ pounds of straw. 
From the small W. E. Potato I have dug 00 
pounds; tho largest is ten inches long and 
weighs two pounds ono ounce; the others go 
from about half a pound to pound. The 
asparagus and flower seeds have done equally 
well. My wife has plenty of (lowers, and 
some fine oues, but none of the kinds that 
come from those seeds. It has beeu quite a 
pleasure to show them to friends and neighbors 
who call occasionally and also to speak a few 
words for tho Rural. None of the seeds re¬ 
ceived any special care and no extra work. 
They grew on land that has been under culti¬ 
vation for over 20 years. Considering the 
late Spring wo had here, I think the Rural 
seeds have done remarkably well. e. r. 
New Cassel, Fond du Lac Co., Oct. 3.— 
From the White Elephant I had 12 hills plant¬ 
ed about May I, and these yielded 34 pounds 
of good-sized tubers. The R. B. Sorghum 
didn’t do well owiug to a cold, backward 
Spring. From the Washington Oats I got 11 
pounds. Wheat is about half a crop. Oats 
and barley good crops. Corn about half an 
average yield. Wheat sells for $1.34; barley, 
90e.; oats, 30c.; corn, 50c.; potatoes, 90c. 
Winter wheat is looking well. j. o. N. 
Rekdsburu, Sauk Co., Oct. 4.—I cut the 
White Elephant into 11 pieces and planted ono 
piece in a hill, and from the 11 hills I h id 62 
pounds of nice tubers, some of them very 
large. Thu Rural Branching Sorghum did 
very well; some of it was over nine feet high; 
but it was too late to ripen seed. The pinks 
were beautifuL E. h. 
£l )t (0 It fnst. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention.] 
SAWDUST AS MANURE, ETC. 
W. L. S., Namozine, Fa., says:—“I have 
300 or 400 loads of sawdust w ere there was 
an old mill seat, can I make it available as 
manure by composting it ? 2, What is the 
best work on artificial manures or on compost¬ 
ing ? or, where can I get a circular treating on 
these subjects ?” 
Ans. —l. If Mr. S. had mentioned the kind 
of wood out of which the sawdust was made, 
and the kind of land he proposes to use it 
upon, we could then give a moro definite re¬ 
ply. Old sawdust from such woods as oak, 
hickory, maple, beech, birch, basswood, white 
wood, elm and many other kinds of wood, con¬ 
tains so much potash and lime besides a little 
phosphoric acid, that it has some value as ma¬ 
nure: but pine, hemlock, poplar, spruce and 
other soft wood sawdust has very little manur- 
ial value. Yet the latter has an excellent 
mechanical effect mixed with a .stiff clay soil, 
rendering it more porous, and thus admitting 
a freer circulation of air and deeper penetra¬ 
tion of rootlets, and thus resulting in larger 
crops. A little coating or mulch of this poor 
sawdust will also protect Winter wheat or 
other Winter grain from heaving out with 
frost. It is also an excellent absorbent, and 
thus valuable for bedding stock and absorbing 
the liquids, and therefore it may profitably be 
composted with stable manure. It will assist 
in preserving the valuable constituents of the 
manure, but has very little manurial value of 
itself. This is the best general use that can be 
made of sawdust. 2. Dana's Muck Manual, 
§1.25, though inaccurate in many respects, 
Bonner’s Method of Making Manures, 25c., 
and Bruckner’s American Manures, §1.50, 
will give information on composting; and 
Ville's School of Manures, §1.25, will give a 
good idea of chemical fertilizers. Any one of 
them can be got through the American News 
Co., New York. 
WINTERING ROSES OUT-OF-DOORS. 
M. W.-F., Bryn Mawr, Pa., says;—“Will 
certain roses—Safrano, Isabella Sprunt, En¬ 
fant do Lyon, M’d'lle Austine, Bon Silone, and 
Laurette—live out-of-doors, with moderate 
protection, iti tins climate (Philadelphia) ? I 
have very nice and thrifty rose plants of these 
varieties, that are still blooming. If I lift 
them and take them in the house for wintering, 
they will surety die; so what had I better do 
in order to save their precious lives ?’’ 
Ans. —All the roses you name will live out- 
of-duors with slight protection in 3 ’our locali¬ 
ty. We have so grown them for many years. 
The best covering consists of leaves. If these 
are not at baud, long litter from the stable 
will answer the purpose. If the shoots, or a 
part of them, can be pegged down, it is better 
to do so, as the parts exposed (especially the 
late, unripe growth) are likely to be killed if 
the Winter should prove to be severe. If the 
shoots are not pegged down, the leaves or lit¬ 
ter should be heaped up about the plants in a 
conical form, and some brush or sticks placed 
on them lo keep them from blowing away. Do 
not cover the plants too thick, especially with 
manure Utter, but give enough for protection; 
and it is important that the covering be not 
applied till the ground has become slightly 
frozen. Uncover early in the Spring. If 
the tops of some should be killed, the crowns 
will 6end out vigorous shoots. A very suc¬ 
cessful rose amateur near New York wraps 
his Tea Roses in hardware paper, with a little 
litter at the base, and seldom loses a plant. 
PLANTING GLADIOLI. 
E. B. S„ Wellman, Iowa, asks how to plant 
gladioli bulbs; he has failed in three attempts. 
Ans. —Select good, rich soil, or make it so 
by manuring. Dig trenches 18 inches deep 
and, any time in May, plant the bulbs about 
a foot apart and cover with two-and-a-half 
inches of soil. When the plant is growing 
do not trim it unless the leaves have turned 
brown. Anv injury to the leaves is an in¬ 
jury to the bulb, though cutting the flowers 
will add to the nourishment of the bulb. 
Take up the bulbs for the Winter about No¬ 
vember 1st, und after they are dry place 
them in paper bags. If the gladiolus is to 
be propagated from seed, it should be sown 
in pots or boxes as Soon as it is mature and 
put in a greenhouse, or it may be sown in 
March or April iu a hot-bed with moderate 
heat. Cover the seeds lightly. Shade the 
young plants from the sun. Re-pot and put 
in the grouud iu June. In the Fall take up 
the pots and put them w a warm, dry place, 
leaving earth upon the roots. Plant out in 
May. They shoutli flower the third year. 
Miscellaneous. 
J. A. B., Wadena, la., sends specimens of 
two varieties of apples. Of one he says it is 
a seedling of a tree bought of a Rochester, N. 
Y., nursery some 20 years ago; that last year it 
yielded three barrels of fruit which kept until 
April in prime condition ns there were not a 
dozen speckled apples among them all, and he 
inquires whether it is a seedling. Of the 
other specimen he says it is from a sprout of 
the Tetofsky and closely resembles t he Russian 
apples. The tree grows tall and straight with 
very few branches. The specimen sent is one 
of 23 that grew on less than two feet of a 
branch, making a solid mass, and our inquirer 
asks whether it is possible that it should be a 
hybrid, as the tree closely resembles the Tetof¬ 
sky in shape and color while the fruit is en¬ 
tirely different. 
Ans. —We sent the specimens to our friend, 
Mr Charles Downing, for his opinion, and he 
writes: “The apples were received in good 
condition. J. A. R. first says the green apple 
is a seedling; then afterward he says: ‘I send 
it to you to ascertain if it is a seedling, etc.’ 
From ins own account it is very uncertain 
whether it is a seedling or not, and until that 
point, is settled it is hardly worth while to in¬ 
troduce it. The other apple which he also 
says is a seedling and which is now ripe, is a 
pleasant apple but not equal in quality to 
many of our best apples of its season, and it 
is not good policy to introduce any that is not 
equal to those we now have. Of course, this 
is only a single specimen and imperfect, and 
may not be characteristic of the variety; 
there nny also be something as to the tree’s 
growth, bearing, etc., which may make it 
valuable for that locality.” With regard to 
the likelihood of the second apple being a hy¬ 
brid. all we can say, with our present scanty 
knowledge of the conditions of its growth, 
etc., is that the blossoms of apples may cross 
through the agency of wind or insects. Plants 
raised from seeds of such crosses would in 
most cases show the cross. 
H. K., Copper Hill, N. J. , asks whether it 
would be advisable to sow wheat in this dry 
weather with 400 pounds of superphosphate to 
the acre. 
Ans. —The wheat should be sown now, if at 
all this Fall. With regard to the use of super¬ 
phosphate in dry weather, it must be remem¬ 
bered that no sort of manure can be of much 
use as plant food unless there is sufficient 
moisture to dissolve it, as plants can only ab¬ 
sorb food in solution. If we are to have any 
rain in this section this Fall, we must have it 
in time to render the superphosphate ava ilable 
as plant food, and the fact that the seed is 
sown late increases the necessity for some fer¬ 
tilizer that will stimulate the young growth at 
the earliest moment, so as to strengthen it 
against the Winter. 
M. A. .4., Peru, N. Y., asks, 1, how to pro¬ 
tect his asparagus this Winter; 2. the best 
early potato for saudy soil -is the St. Patrick 
good; 3, where can seed potatoes be obtained. 
Ans, —1. Cover with a mulch of leaves or 
straw after cutting off near the ground. It 
requires but little protection. 2. The Beauty 
of Ileoron and Early Ohio are both good vari¬ 
eties. We know but little of the St. Patrick. 
3. At any prominent seed store. 
E. IF. K., Glens Falls, N. Y. , asks when 
should Sweet Vernal Grass be sown. 
Ans. —We should now prefer early Spring 
for the latitude of Glens Falls. 
K. Me C. f Winchester, Va., sends leaf and 
flower for name. 
Ans.—I t is a double flower, and we cannot 
decide what it is without a plant. 
Communications received for the week 
ending Saturday, Oct., 15, 18S1. 
U. S. II.—C. AV—I. W. T.—F. T. R.—H. 
C. W.—R. W.—L. W. A —N. T.—S. W. P.— 
H. S.—C.-L. A. C.—C. E. P.—E, McMahon, 
many thanks. It does not yield very- heavily 
here.—M. A. H.—W. H. S. E.-O. S. B.—P. 
B.—E. W. S.—O. V. B., thanks—H. and S. 
too late for this issue.—B. H, C,—W. D.—E 
W. S.—J. P.—W. J. V.-E. B.—I. F. C.-J. 
L. E. G.—F. D. C.— G. L. H.—C. D.—N. S.— 
D. H.—F. H. S.—W. E. E.—J. O. N.—F. R.— 
E. R.—W. N. W.—P. S. W.—W. F., we are 
out of the number asked for, but will try to 
procure one.—W. H. L.-E. W. K.—F. A. L. 
B.—C. S. C.—J. B.—D. W.—B. F. J.-J. B.— 
P. B. M.—W. W. D.—C. D.-A. M. S-—W. 
T. S.—J. K. M. —We are always thankful to 
correspondents and subscribers for any new 
or interesting agricultural items from their 
parts of the country.—N. B. B.—O. L. H., 
thanks.—J. B.—O. W. F.—G. V. McG., thanks. 
-R. E.—F. P. R.—E. B. S.—D. A. L.—M. 
M. —L A.—J. E. R.—E. F.—A. D. M.—Z. H. 
S. C. S.-M. W. V.-H. M. Y.-G. H. F., 
thanks.—O. B.— Job S. Morris, subscription 
money without address. A subscriber from 
London Grove, Pa., sends for mu* next seed 
distribution w ithout signing his name.—G. A. 
G. , Jr.-W. T. T.-R. W. C.- F. McM.-H. 
M. Y.—Z. H.-M. W. F.—E. AY.—T. A. K.— 
H. S.— J. G.—E. AY.—AV. L. D., thanks—T. 
E. A.—AV. L. F.-S. AV. J.-A. J. C.-T. T. L. 
