25c. I am very much pleased with the Rural 
and the manner in which it is conducted. F. e. b. 
Stevenville, Berrien Co., Oct. 19.— On 
April 17 I planted the White Elephant Potato, 
weighing five ounces. I cut it into 17 pieces 
with one eye in a piece, and planted one piece 
in a hill without any manure. The potato 
bugs destroyed five hills when they first came 
up. The Summer was very dry, and the moles 
w ent through them, and then the grasshoppers 
hurt them badly. I dug them on October 14, 
and the yield weighed 36 pounds. They were 
all nice tubers; the heaviest hill weighed five 
pounds 15 ounces; the heaviest potato, one 
pound nine ounces. The flow r ers were very 
nice; they are in bloom yet. I think the 
Rural the paper every farmer ought to have. 
I would not take $5 for tho White Elephant 
Potato, and the Rural is worth $2. a. m. 
Missouri. 
Kansas City, Jackson Co,, Oct. 14.—The 
seeds did not get quite a fair trial from me. 
The oats were given a fair and early start, 
but weeds and drought spoiled them. The 
White Elephant Potato did not do so well as 
the Snowflakes I planted nearly at the same 
time; still my medium-sized potato yielded 
half a pock of tubers that will do for seed 
next year. The Rural Branching Sorghum, I 
am sorry to say, did not get planted. The 
picotees and carnations have come up and are 
looking well and this Winter we hope to have 
fine plants in the hot-house from them. Of 
asparagus I will try to have good reports 
from next year. Western Missouri suffered 
a good deal from drought, but it has got too 
badly scared for all the hurt. Crops are not 
so far below the average in quantity or qual¬ 
ity; but those compelled to feed corn and 
bran and millstuff generally in this section 
think wo might as well have had a famine. 
As much as $20 per ton for bran has been and 
is being paid here by many of the dairymen, 
and as they don’t read the Rural, as a rule, 
they feed it dry alone with hay, and won¬ 
der why they can’t make more money even 
w hen they have to sell their milk at 13 to 15 
cents per gallon. ' h. w. s. 
New York, 
Ayoca, Steuben Co., Oct. 23.—Winter wheat 
proved bettor when harvested and thrashed 
than estimated in my last, report; but it is still 
about 20 per cent, below an average; quality 
very good. The wet weather at the beginning 
of harvest did not injure it to any great extent. 
The price is $1.50 per bushel for the best. The 
Fultz, Clawson and Wicks are the leading va¬ 
rieties. Not as great an acreage as usual is 
being sown this Fall, owing to the extremely 
dry weather at seeding time making it difficult 
to plow' and properly fit tho ground and also 
preventing the seed from coming up well. 
The stand is small yet; but the warm, w-ct 
w'eather we ha ve lately had has been very fa¬ 
vorable for a good growth. Spring wheat is 
not very largely grow n, and was a light crop 
owing to the hot, dry weather at the time of 
filling. Oats are a. good crop, having got a 
good start in the Spring before the drought 
commenced, and as we hnd very favorable 
weather for harvesting, the crop was secured 
in splendid condition and as the acreage was 
large we have a surplus for market. They 
are now worth 50 cents readily. Rye was a 
good crop not much injured by the late 
drought. There was a fair acreage of it and 
there is a ready sale at $1, and as tho straw is 
wmrth $6 per ton to bale for paper-making, 
the crop is a paying one. Barley showed the 
effects of dry, hot weather in filling; but as 
only a limited amount was sown the result is 
not as disastrous, but at tho price, $1. it pays 
very well. Buckwheat suffered more severely 
from the hot, dry weather than perhaps any 
other grain; consequently it is a light crop, 
but as there was a very large acreage and 
the price is high—85 cents—it is of considerable 
importance. Potatoes are a fair crop where 
uninjured by blight which in many localities 
killed the vines long before the potatoes were 
mature. This was especially the case along 
tho river fiats and on low lauds, w hile on the 
hills in many places they w ere not effected by 
the blight, but they were by the late drought: 
large quantities are now being marketed and 
shipped by rail at 75 to 80 cents. Corn was 
badly damaged by the cold, w et w'eather in 
the Spring; also by worms which necessitated 
plowing up many pieces and sowing to buck¬ 
wheat. The dry weather late in the season 
prevented the ears from filling as completely 
as they otherwise would have done, but the 
w arm, dry w'eather during the Fall caused it. 
to mature in good order, consequently w T e 
have a fair crop—no market price for it us 
yet. Apples are a light crop and the warm 
Fall has ripened them early, w hile the hard 
winds have blown them off and they are now 
rotting badly. Hay w'as a fair crop and 
secured in fine order-worth $8 per ton de¬ 
livered. The weather for a w r eek has been 
favorable to Fall feed which w'ill serve to les¬ 
sen the demand for hay. m. a. h. 
Copenhagen, Lewis Co., Oct. 22.—The 
small White Elephant Potato, weighing 2K 
ounces, had ten eyes, tw r o of which I cut into 
halves and planted 12 hills on May 20—soil, 
clay and black muck. I dug 30 pounds of 
good-sized tubers; the largest weighed IK 
pound; the four next, IK pound each. The 
Washington Oats were sowed at the same 
time; they grew nicely; but the birds de¬ 
stroyed a considerable amount of them; yet 
I harvested three pounds. The Rural Branch¬ 
ing Sorghum grew eight feet in bight. My 
wife is highly pleased with the flowers. I 
have taken the Rurai. for 21 years. J. Y. 
Mechanicville, Saratoga Co., Oct., 20.— 
All the Rural seeds were tested and my 
success with them was good, considering the 
season which has been dry and cold a great 
part of the time. The Washingtou Oats were 
sown April 2.3rd in rows 13 inches apart; I 
harvested seven quarts weighing seven poiuids 
12 ounces: the yield would have been much 
larger but the birds and chickens took about 
half of them. The White Elephant Potato 
was cut into 10 pieces and each piece was 
planted separately—yield 43 pounds of tubers, 
some very large. My success with the Rural 
Branching Sorghum has been different from 
what I have seen reported; a few seed were 
sown about the middle of May, from which 
1 have obtained 55 heads of ripe seed; the rest, 
which were sown later, have grown 11 feet 
high. Some of tho stalks were cut off and 
the second growth was 20 inches. A11 branched 
freely and it promises to be a good fodder ma¬ 
terial. The asparagus came up well, and is 
three feet high at present and some of the 
shoots three-eighths of an iuch in diameter. 
The pinks are doing well; and have had some 
fine blossoms, to repay for the labor given 
them. In regard to the crops about here, 
corn and potatoes are usually light; oats good; 
grass, medium; rye and wheat were killed 
out somewhat last Winter, but wheat sown this 
Fall is looking well. j. h. 
Nassau, Renssalaer Co., Oct. 20.—It has 
been very dry in this section this season and 
there has not been rain enough yet to raise 
the water in the wells. Consequently the 
Rural seeds have not done as well as might 
have been expected. The White Elephant 
Potato was cut into eight pieces and sprouted 
in a box. Seven of them were transferred to 
the garden May' 14 and were dug September 
15, yielding 45 tubers, 28 large-sized, 14 med¬ 
ium and three small, weighing UK pounds. 
The Washington Oats grew large and stood 
up well until they headed, when they 
went down flat, and before they rip¬ 
ened the chickens destroyed the most of 
them. Of the Rural Branching Sorghum seed 
not one came up. The asparagus seed came 
up well and the plants stand from eight to ten 
inches high. From the flower seeds five plants 
matured, which were very fine. We are more 
than satisfied with the Rural. f. h. n. 
Patchoguk, Suffolk Co., Oct. 20. — The 
Rural seeds did finely. I have nearly a peck 
of the White Elephant Potatoes and about the 
same quantity of Washington Oats, which I 
would not exchange for the price of the 
Rural. b. h. s. 
Ohio. w 
Bridgeport, Belmont Co., Oct,, 17.— I 
planted the Rural Branching Sorghum, a 
few seeds, in hot-beds on March 20. Three 
came up and grew: two of the seeds produced 
31 heads of nice seed, some of them over a 
foot long. The rest of the sorghum I planted 
in the open ground on J line 28, where it grew 
over five feet high when I cut it, after which 
it again grew t.woand half feet high. Some 
of my T heads of sorghum can beat any I have 
yet seen reported. 1 planted the White Ele¬ 
phant. Potato April 23 and dug a few nice 
tubers. The asparagus seed was planted April 
26; I had 110 plants of the Washington Oats; 
the chickens destroyed about one-third but I 
got about seven pounds. I planted the pink 
seeds in a hot-bed; and transplanted them into 
open ground. I had over 20 different varie¬ 
ties. c. h. z. 
Pennsylvania. 
Newcastle, Lawrence Co., Oct. 22.— 
Wheat from 10 to 25 bushels per acre; worth 
$1.35 per bushel; was $1.50 per bushel last 
week. I sold what I had to sell at $1.50. Oats 
are below an average; selling at 50e. per bush¬ 
el. Corn is below half a crop; worth 50c. per 
bushel iu the ear. Potatoes, a very poor crop, 
$1 per bushel. From three acres I got only r 
160 bushels—weather too dry for potatoes. 
My White Elephants did not do well and there 
was something that ate them in the ground; 
the ground was all hollow in and around the 
hills. r. a. 
Winters URN, Clearfield Co., Oct. 18.—We 
are in the midst of a drenching rain, tho first 
good soaker we have had since June. Nearly 
all the crops were more or less injured by' the 
drought, except w'heat aud grass which were 
good, the latter extra, and although there is 
more hay iu this section than can possibly be 
fed this Winter, yet the drought has sent it up 
to $20 per ton. All other products are corres¬ 
pondingly high; wheat $1.50 per bushel; corn, 
$1; oats, 65 cents; potatoes, $1.25. Apples 
are plenty at a moderate price now, but they 
will not keep well this year. h. f. s. 
Wisconsin. 
Darien, Walivorth Co., Oct., 2. —The sea¬ 
son has been very changeable. Crops light 
especially com and potatoes. Oats and bar¬ 
ley average crojis. Fruits nearly a failure. 
Strawberries, raspberries anil grapes were av¬ 
erage yields, and prices for them were good. 
Potatoes are very scarce and high—$1 pur 
bushel. The White Elephant (ills the bill. I 
received two small tubers with 25 eyes amongst 
them. They were cut to single eyes and planted 
in drills, May 1. They were dug Sept 1, and 
yielded 60 pounds, two-thirds of them were 
good-sized tubers. The yield would have been 
heavier were it not for the dr u ght: quality No. 
1. The Beauty of Hebron has excelled all others 
with me for earliness aud quality. If any of 
the Rural readers has a better potato than 
Hebron for Early and the Elephant for late, 
let him report. z. h. 
Independence, Trempealeau Co., Oct. 12. 
—The White Elephant Potato was cut into 11 
pieces, having had 11 eyes, and planted one 
piece in a hill, on May 17, on common mucky 
soil, and dug October 4, after lying out in six 
weeks’rain: weight, 62K pounds. They wen* 
very large—no small ones. I think they are a 
good potato for low, wet soil, as they do not 
rot. The flower seeds did not grow, except 
the pinks. The Rural Branching Sorghum 
grew seven feet high and the seeds got ripe. 
The Washington Oats did well. h. d. \v. 
(T1k (Oitcrisi 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[F.very query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention ] 
SOWING TREE SEEDS. 
S. E. It., Spirit Lake. Iowa, asks how and 
'' hen to plant apple, Honey Locust and Red 
Haw seeds. 
Ans, —Apple seeds are sown in Autumn in 
drills, made in rich, mellow soil, and here the 
seedlings should remain from one to three 
years, according to the richness of the soil. 
When the seedlings are about a quarter of an 
inch in diameter they may be transplanted, 
either in the Spriug or Fall, to rows one foot 
apart and three to four feet apart in the row. 
If they are thrifty they may be budded the 
Autumn following their transplanting. Honey 
Locust seed may be sown in the Fall or Spring. 
Some recommend scalding it a little before 
sowing, but too excessive heating may destroy 
the germ. Seed for hedge plants should be 
gathered from thorny trees. Haw seed is slow 
in germinating. The fruit is placed in a “rot- 
heap,” where, mixed with earth, it is exposed 
to the weather for a year before sowing. 
Then it should be sown and cultivated like 
other hedge plants. 
Miscellaneous. 
J. .4. Z., Wheeling. IF. Va., wishing to leara 
all he can about farming before starting as a 
novice in tho business, asks for the names of 
some good works treating on the subject. 
Ans. —A really good work on farming does 
not exist in this country, though there are 
some excellent works treating of special fea¬ 
tures or branches of farming. Such works as 
Mason’s and Johnson’s Encyclopedias of Agri¬ 
culture give much fuller and more valuable 
information about all departments of farming 
than any American work; but they relate to 
English farming, theecouomy of which differs 
in several respects from that of farming in 
this country. Moreover, both have been pub¬ 
lished some time, and therefore do not contain 
the results of recent research, nnd more has 
been learned about scientific agriculture in the 
last few years than in the previous few cen¬ 
turies. Among Americau works that treat of 
farming in general are Allan’s New American 
Farm Book, $2.50, and Emerson’s Farmers’ and 
Planters’ Encyclopedia, $6, both of which can 
be had through the American News Company, 
New York. The latest work of the sort is 
Farming for Profit, by John E. Reed, pub¬ 
lished by McCurdy & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., 
price $4,50. 
J. A. B., Norfolk, Fa., having seen it 
stated that Long Island farmers are using 
Paris-green on their turnips to destroy the 
cabbage-worm, asks whether it would be safe 
to so use it, and also whether it could be safely 
used on kale to be cut next Spring. 
Ans.—W e do not approve of the use of 
Paris-green whon it comes in contact with the 
edihle part of any fruit or vegetable which is 
to be used as food for man or beast. In 99 
cases out of 100probably uo injury will result, 
nor will there, perhaps, even in MO eases out 
of 1,000, but the one-hundredth or one-thous- 
andth ease in which sickness or death is pro¬ 
duced by it, renders the thing objectionable. 
Loudon-purple is less dangerous and equally 
effective; and pyrethrum is equally death¬ 
dealing and wholly harmless to man and beast. 
We should certainly never advise the use of 
this poison on kale or cabbage. J 
A. F., Bergen Point , N. J., asks, 1, whether 
the South side of Long Island is as well adapt¬ 
ed to fruit culture as those counties of New Jer¬ 
sey that border on the Delaware River and 
Bay; and what section within easy distance of 
New York and Philadelphia markets is best 
adapted to fruit culture. 
Ans.—P ears, peaches and small fruits thrive 
W'ell on Long Island in the place named. Ap¬ 
ples and grapes thrive only moderately well. 
We cannot answer the other questions trust- 
worthily and are unwilling to state mere im¬ 
pressions. A personal examination of the 
fruits of the various sections inquired about 
and careful inquiry of disinterested parties 
living there would be best. 
J. C., Homer, N. sends specimens of a 
weed that proves troublesome thereabouts, and 
asks its name and how to get rid of it. 
Ans.—I t is Silver Weed—Potentilla Anser- 
ina. It grows on wet banks, brackish marshes, 
etc., in New England and south and west to 
Pennsylvania, as well as in the Northwest. 
The leaves are all from the roots or in tufts 
on long, slender runners like the strawberry’s. 
We are not sure that it is a formidable pest 
anywhere, and it should be easily extermina¬ 
ted by cultivation. 
F. P. N., Watson, Mich., asks where he can 
get Guenon’s work on the “ Escutcheon.” 
Ans. —Guenon on Milch Cows, 75 cents to 
bo had through the American News Co., N. Y. 
The best work on the subject, however, was 
published about a year ago by J. M. Stoddart 
& Co., 727 Chestnut St,, Philadelphia, Pa. It 
is by Willis P. Hazzard, It is fully illustrated 
and in it Guenon’s somewhat intricate and 
hard-to-understand system is simplified, ex¬ 
plained and practically applied, It costs 50 
cents in paper and 75 cents in cloth. 
W, E. B., Stockton, Minn., asks, 1, if aspar¬ 
agus plants need mulching or covering this 
Winter; 2, will the Rural wheats in next 
Distribution do to sow in the Spring; 3, will 
the Rural pinks live if left out this Winter. 
Ans.— 1. Asparagus is a hardy' plant and 
does not generally need covering. In your cli¬ 
mate it might be well to cover or mulch it. 
2, We have never tried sowing our wheats in 
Spring. We should be pleased to have you 
make the trial. S. The pinks may need a 
little covering in y r our latitude, but no other 
extra care. 
E. It., Good Ground, L. asks how 
to keep sweet potatoes through the Winter. 
Ans.—I t is difficult to keep sweet pota¬ 
toes in the Winter in this latitude. A gentle¬ 
man from Virginia, an extensive sweet potato 
grower, recently informed us that the surest 
way is to pack in boxes with dry' sand, placing 
first a layer of sand then one of potatoes and 
so on until the box is filled. 
L. H. S., Grand a, Kansas, asks whether 
we can supply a bushel of the Rural Heavy 
Dent corn, and, if not where can it be bad 
elsewhere. 
Ans.—O ur good friends are reminded we 
never sell anything. If it prove as good a 
kind elsewhere as at the Rural Farm, no doubt 
all seedmen will offer it. 
C. E. S., Lairdsville, N. Y., asks when should 
quinces be trimmed. 
Ans.—T he quince needs very' little pruning, 
an occasional thinning out of the crowded 
or decay'ed branches being sufficient. If the 
trees have been neglected in this respect, early 
Spring is a good time to remedy' the neglect. 
J. TF. B., Union City, Pa., asks where can 
he get some good two-year-old mulberry 
trees, and about the price per 100. 
Ans.—O f Thomas Meehan, Germantown, 
Pa. Price about 50 cents each. 
L. L. S., Kankakee, III., asks 1, how to get 
rid of the morning glories that cover a lot of 
10 acres, which has been plowed every' year 
for 34 years; 2, away to ditch without spades. 
-♦♦♦- 
Communications Received for the week 
ending Saturday, Oct., 29, 1881, 
C. P.-E. P.-E. H.-E. J. M.-Cr. J.-H.- 
A. B.—L. B—L. Van W,—C. Van W.—P. S. 
K. —M. E. P—B. G. S—S. W.—D. P. N.—F. 
D. C.—C. P.—A. N.—P. S. K.—J. H. M.—L. 
V. W.—E. H.—E. P.—G. W. S.—J. J. S., 
thanks.—L. S., Atchison Co., Kas., thanks.— 
W. D.—Pampas, other plumes received from 
Evelyn, Ga., without name of sender or ex¬ 
planation.—G. G. C.—P. S. R.—P. R,—W. D. 
H.—H. W.—F. H. L—W. A. S.—C. L.—L. W. 
B —L. B.—W. C. C.—C. E. S.—M. A. G. N.— 
G. W. B.—C. E. P.-G. A. G., Jr.-C. A. G.— 
A Subscriber.—A. F.—L. L. S.- -H. N. S.—A. 
E. B.—H. S.—C. L. Babcock, thanks for per¬ 
simmons.—S. W.—J. H.—J. A. M. B.—S. M. 
McL.—I. Y.—A. F. C.—A. Y. Allen, shall 
report.—F. D. C.—M. V. R.—H. & S.—T. T. 
L. —A. J. C.—L. S. H.— W. H. R.—W. W. W. 
—W. B.—A. M.—H. F. S.—L. H. S.—E. W. 
C. —J. F.—J. A. Q.—L. E. C,—R. G., thanks. 
—M. H.—R. II.—M. K.—L. P.—M. P.—D. J.— 
D. J.-S. T. D.—M. A. G.-C. L. C.—E. M. C. 
-H. H.—E. B.—C. A.—W. H.—M. H.—B. L. 
C. H.- H. G.-M. I.-S. L. H.—A. S.—W. W. 
E. C.—E. A. J — E. E. F.—E. M. T.—T. D. 
E.—H. C. K.-C. Y.- E. B. S.-E. R.—J. R. 
