DEG. 17 
THE 
a 
of any and inferior to no other State in the 
Union cannot bo denied. c. h. g. 
-♦ ♦ » ■ ■ 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
lllinoitt. 
W aukegan, Lake Co., Dec. 2.—I received all 
the seeds on tho lfith of May and pinnted them 
next day, excepting the oats and sorghum, 
which I planted later. I dug the potatoes the 
20th of September; t hey yielded seven pounds. 
I think they would have done better if I had 
received the seed in time to have planted them 
earlier. 1 planted the Washington Oats ami 
the Branching Sorghum May 2<5th The oats 
came up and grew nicely until the 20 th of 
July, when they were badly lodged by a 
heavy rain and also struck with smut, so they 
didn’t amount to anything. But. the sorghum 
dill first-rate. 1 cut some up and fed it to a 
cow, with green corn stalks, and she appeared 
to like the sorghum us well as the corn, so I 
think it first-rate fodder. I saved 22 stalks 
for seed, which I think ripe enough to grow, 
though I think ordinary seasons are too short 
for if to ripen hero. 1 was much pleased with 
the diunthus, but the picotees and carna¬ 
tions, which I took especial pains with, 
proved also to be diantbus. The asparagus 
seed came up and did well. j. d. 
.11 a in v. 
Wintukop, Kennebec Co. Nov. 28.—I 
planted the little White Elephant about the 
20 th of May cut into 15 pieces, one piece in a 
hill, and dug on the 1 st of September 43 
pounds of nice tubers, eight of the largest 
weighing 10 pounds; six weighed 0 }^ pounds, 
five, 5K, four, five pounds, three, four 
pounds, two, 2 bj, and one l 1 ., pounds. The 
pinks came up well and were the wonder of 
Winthrop, admired by all. j. s. p. 
Maryland. 
Burtonvillk, Montgomery Co., Nov. 28.— 
We hail the driest season for many years. 
Our hay was good; corn about two thirds— 
early good, but late poor; wheat and pota¬ 
toes about half a crop. Wheat is worth $1.35 
@1.50 per bushel; potatoes, $li</1.10; hay, 00c. 
@ 1.20 per 100 pounds; apples from §\2.5Q@3.50 
per barrel. w. s d. 
Mussn eli u sells. 
Locks Village, Nov. 21.—From the White 
Elephant Potato I raised 30 pounds of hand¬ 
some tubers; all were large enough for fable 
use, one weighing a little over two pounds. 
From the Washington Oats i raised one-lndf 
bushel of nice grain. The asparagus is doing 
nicely. We have over 100 plants. The Rural 
Branching Borghurn, i think, is a failure; it 
grow to be about eight feet high and seeded 
well, but I think the frost killed it. V. s. mcf. 
Michigan, 
Bogus, Berrien Co.. Dec. 3.—The White 
Elephant was very small; I cut it intoll 
pieces, 10 of which grew and did fairly, pro¬ 
ducing 57 tubers, mostly marketable. They 
had a poor chance, ns l planted them alongside 
of, and only 20 inches from, the Washington 
Oats, which grew so large as to shade the po¬ 
tatoes too much. I saved all and intend to find 
out next year what there is in them. The 
Washington Oats I sowed in drills 20 inches 
apart, two inches in the row; they mode a 
splendid growth, but smutted badly. The 
drill for about 20 feet was injured by a shade 
tree and the cows got in and ate oil' nearly 
one third of the heads. 1 thrashed six pounds 
of very small seed—not more t han half as large 
as the Houghton raised in the same field. The 
Rural Branching Borghuin did well. It, was 
planted the first of June. I cut it when about 
seven feet high, but it was so late as to make 
only a feeble growth afterwards. L left a few 
canes of the first growth ami have about half 
a pound of matured seed. The asparagus seed 
1 planted just before a severe drought in the 
latter part of May, and it was a long time be¬ 
fore it came up, but wo have between 75 and 
100 plants. The drought and neglect nearly 
caused a failure in the flower seeds, but a few 
came up and bloomed and were very nice. 
The drought all through this section was very 
severe no rain to do any good for 10 weeks; 
but since the rain commenced it, has been very 
wet, from the middle of October up to the 
present timu. Wo have hail no severe cold 
weather yet, the mercury going no lower than 
14 degrees above zero; the l'rost now is nearly 
all out of the ground; we have had only about 
two inches of snow, Wheat a light crop; 
oats good; corn medium; tomatoes were in¬ 
jured badly by drought- only about half a 
crop, and these are rotted badly. Apples and 
all small fruits fair crops. I think the Kukal 
New-Yorker the best agricultural paper 
I have over read. Long may it live to do 
good! s\ SI. B. 
New IInuipsliire. 
Fortsmouth, Rockingham Co., Nov. 
28.—Notwithstanding the very cold, wot 
Spring, followed by a long, severe drought, 
1 have had some success with the Rural seed. 
A very small percentage of the Branching 
Sorghum sprouted; those that did, sent up 
from a single seed 12 to lfi stalks which grew 
splendidly and by not cutting back some of it, 
I am satisfied l can ripen the seed in open 
field culture. Indeed 1 have done so this 
year without transplanting from the house, 
as our Pa. “ brother” did. The asparagus 
came up well and plants have made a fine 
growth. Now as to its value, compared with 
Conover’s Colossal for market, do the stalks 
grow any larger with the same treatment? 
[We cannot answer the question. Wo do not 
know that these kinds (the Argenteiiil and 
Dutch) have been raised in America. Eds.] 
The Washington Oats grew well but did smut 
badly, and those that did not, the black birds 
gathered while in the milk :so ended the Crop. 
The young Elephants did well for the season. 
I have 52)..; lbs. of good, even-sized tubers. In 
regard to the Perfect, Gem Squash : 1 purchas¬ 
ed and planted a packet of seed and succeeded 
iu saving nino plants on which grew 14-1 squash¬ 
es. Asnmnvas23 grew on a plant, but they are 
so small that not one in the lot will weigh 
two pounds, hut quality may offset quantity, 
for they are first-class—no humbug about it. 
The late rains and warm weather have put a 
fine top on our Winter grain. Wo do not 
grow much, however, our principal crops be¬ 
ing confined to small fruits, melons, etc. Berry 
crops in this section were good. Asparagus 
good ; but the growth slow, owing to cold ; 
for that reason the prices have kept good. 
Early potatoes fine ; of late kinds none were 
planted for the grower would have to fight 
the bugs all Summer. Water and citron mel¬ 
ons and sweet potatoes were about two thirds 
of a crop ; but they brought, better prices 
than usual; therefore we get about the same 
amount of money as usual and there was less 
labor to market the crops ; corn from one-half 
to two thirds of a crop. J. s. c. 
(The (?)ucfist, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention ] 
PLANTING BLACK WALNUTS. 
C. II. E ,, Itlossburg, Pa., wishing to plant 
five acres of black walnuts, asks, 1 , would 
they be likely to do well there—plenty of but¬ 
ternuts thrive there; 2 , how far apart should 
they be planted; 8 , should the nuts be put, iu 
the ground now; 4, would it do to plant them 
in the garden and transplant them a year from 
next Bpring; 5, would Hack walnuts pay. 
Ans.— 1. If the ground is rich they should. 
2. Six to eight foot, according to the nature, 
cleanliness and shelter of your ground. 3. 
They had better, or you may bed them in 
earth, sand or sawdust till Spring and tiieq 
plant them; at any rate, do not let them get, 
very dry at any time before planting. 4. Yes, 
you may sow them thickly in rows or beds in 
your garden and let them remain there for 
one or two years before transplanting them. 
5. That depends upon many things, if your 
ground is poor, black walnuts will grow but 
slowly in it. European Larch might, pay you 
better. If deep and rich, in so small a plot 
agricultural crops might lie more remunera¬ 
tive. Before setting out a. plantation of young 
trees tlm ground should he well and deeply 
worked and cleaned. The young trees should 
bo planted thickly so ns to shelter one another 
and iu due time overcome the woods; but unt il 
they grow big enough to be beyond the reach 
of injury by being choked by the weeds the 
ground must be kept clean, else success need 
not be expected. In so small a space as live 
acres a wooden fence or hedge would lie of 
great benefit in affording shelter, but in the 
event of large plantations their influence as 
shelter would scarcely be perceived except in 
those trees .growing near them. But as a 
young plantation should not be a pasturing 
field as well, a fence is indispensable. In after 
years timely attention must bo exercised in 
thinning; the trees should not be allowed to 
overcrowd one another. The thinnings may 
be used for tiro-wood, light work, as tool han¬ 
dles, fence posts and the like. 
MAKING A PERMANENT PASTURE. 
E. L. McO., Chfistertoum, Md., lias a piece 
of laud ho desires to get into permanent pas¬ 
ture—soil a light sandy loam, bordering on a 
river, and lie asks: 1 , what kind of grasses 
should lie sown and how much to the aero; 2 , 
what kind of fertilizers should be used, for the 
land is too poor to grow any sort of gras; 
without some kind of manure; 3, how long 
could it be kept as a pasture by means of 
manuring and top dressing. 
Ans. —It is a poor business to try to get a 
permanent pasture on poor soil; one might as 
well try to live luxuriously on hard-tuck and 
water. Good soil is needed, and the common 
failures of gross-seeding are due to the fact 
that persons seem to think any kind of land is 
good enough for grass. Our advice in this 
matter is : Don’t try this plan which is sure 
to fail unless you wait and get the ground in 
good condition; but try the following : Plow 
the ground early iu the Spring and plant corn 
in rows as usual, but close iu the row; use 300 
pounds par acre of good artificial fert ilizer or 
as much wood ashes as yon can get. When 
the corn is in tassel plow it under, across the 
rows, using a chain on the plow to draw the 
corn into the furrow. Then harrow repeated¬ 
ly to kill weeds, but with a light harrow anil 
with sloping teeth so ns not to disturb the 
corn. In August or September, early, sow 
rye, with six pounds of Timothy, twelve 
pounds of Red-top, live pounds of Yellow Oat 
Grass, five pounds of Meadow Fescue, and 
12 lbs. of Kentucky Blue Grass per acre. When 
the rye is high enough pasture i down in the 
Fall, and pasture it close iu t he Spring, and 
keep it pastured. In the meantime the grasses 
will be coining on and in the Fall will occupy 
the ground. Then keep the gross top-dressed 
with line compost each year until there is a 
good sod. With cure you can have u good 
permanent, meadow. It co-H— but then so 
does every g.iod tiling. 
A. C. II., ltoanoke, Ind., asks, 1 , where can 
he get Canada or field p»as; 2, how do they 
compare with corn as hog feed ; 3, a remedy 
for kidney worms or weak back "in hogs—a 
neighbor recommends arsenic. 
Ans.— 1. Beed peas are usually obtained 
from Canada where they are much freer from 
the fly- than in the Btat.es. The soil and cli¬ 
mate in the Dominion seem to be peculiarly 
adapted for growing pens and large crops are 
produced R. H. Allen cY Co., 191 Water St., 
New York, always have them for sale and wo 
presume large Western seed dealers in Chica¬ 
go, Detroit, Indianapolis and other places 
also keep them on sale. 2. Peas are better 
for fattening pigs than corn, as they are not 
so heating ami consequently not so liable to 
produce inflammation of the stomach and 
bowels. Pigs will fatten as fast on peas as on 
corn. 3. The most effectual.remedy for ‘‘kid¬ 
ney w orms or weak buck in hogs” is spirits of 
turpentine. It should be rubbed on the loins 
and administered at tho mouth; dose, from a 
teaspoon I id to a tablespoonful diluted in milk. 
The dose should vary according to the size of 
the pig. Two or three doses given every other 
day with the outer application, w ill generally 
suiliee. We would not recommend arsenic. 
HOW MANY TONS OE HAY IN A MOW? 
J. H. /’., Pittman, 0-, asks for a rule for 
measuring hay in the mow. lie has heard of 
one which says that 8 x 8 will make a ton of 
Timothy, 8x9 a ton of clover and Timothy 
and 8 x 10 u ton of all clover. 
Ans. —Your rule w ould be nearly right if 
you had made it 8 x 8 x 8 , that is, 8 x 8 ■ tilxS— 
512 cubic feet, which is the normal quantity 
estimated for a ton of Timothy hay in a mow 
or stack. If hard-pressed by grain on the 
top, or if iu tho bottom of the mow, or if 
loose, allowance must bo made; about <500 
cubic feet of mixed Timothy and clover, or 
8x9x9, and 800 feet of clear clover or 8x10x10 
are the usual estimates. Varying cireu instances 
must be allowed for, as they may affect bulk 
and weight. A common rule is: Multiply 
the length in yards by the bight in yards 
and that by tho width in yards and 
divide tho product by 15; the quotient will 
give the number of tons. 
WINTER KKEIJ FOR SHEEP. 
./. M. C., Smith Jefferson, N. F., asks 
what would be a good feeding ration for 30 
ewes from one to three years old, of a me¬ 
dium grade of wool, and that are to drop 
their lambs after tho middle of March—is 
barley a good grain to feed. 
Ans.—F or each ewe, one pint per day of 
mixed corn, oats, rye and buckw'heat in 
equal quantities will make a cheap and good 
ration. Occasionally the same quantity of 
wheat bran may lie given for a change. 
Clover hay should foi m the staple feed, and 
about three pounds per head daily will be 
required. Barley' is too dear a feed for sheep. 
A feed of oat straw is relished now and then. 
Miscellaneous. 
A. J.A., North Paris, .We,, sends for name 
two apples, both nf them Full apples—one, sour 
and red-striped, ripens in September; the 
other, a sweet apple, ripens later on. 
Ans. The apples were forwarded to Mr. 
Charles Downing, who replies:—“ I do not rec¬ 
ognize either us any kind l am acquainted w ith, 
except the sweet apple may be “King Sweet,” 
which originated in Sidney, Me., where it is 
highly- prized for its rich, honey sweet, flavor. 
It is some time since I saw the apple, and 1 
may lie mistaken. The specimen is over-ripe 
and has lost its host flavor. Tho striped apple 
is also over-vipe and has no flavor left. 1 do not 
know it from its appearance.” In this con¬ 
nection let us again state that fruit to lie sent 
by mail should not,be sealed or pasted or sewed, 
The spaces around the fruit should lie filled 
closely to prevent It from shaking and bruis¬ 
ing. These apples were very much bruised 
and spoilt. 
A. O. II., Roanoke, Ind., asks where ozier 
willow cuttings may be obtained; 2 , are they 
tough enough to tie com fodder; 3, what will 
render a rather flat, new-, pine shingle roof 
most durable—coal tar? 4, how to make man¬ 
ure pots intended to dissolve and gradually 
fertilize the melons, etc., planted in them. 
Ans. —1, From A. J. Hinds, Patchogue, 
1 ong Island. 2, Yes. 3, No, not coal tar, 
but a coat of mineral (oxide of iron) paint 
and boiled oil. 4, Take good garden loam 
and cow dung clear of litter, except a little 
chopped straw. Mix these into a thick paste, 
working it. until it is tough; then mold it into 
a rough sort of pots and put them to dry in 
the shade and a cool but frost-proof place. 
These melt dow n when put in the soil. 
L. Ik, Belmont, Nova Scotia, asks for good 
recipe for water-proof blacking for boots and 
shoes: 2, is ozone as good a food preservative 
as the Prentiss Preserving Co. say it is; 3, 
would it lie well to haul swamp muck this 
Winter on to an onion-bed on which onions 
have been grown for three years, and which 
has been manured and plowed this Fall, the 
muck to be used as a top-dressing in Spring 
and well harrowed Is*fore the seed is planted; 
the best commerc al fertilizer for onions. 
Ans. —1. Bee Domestic Economy. 2. See 
Prof. Warder’s article lust week. 3. It is im¬ 
possible to say, so much depends on the 
quality of the muck. 4. We would us soon 
use bone Hour as anything, 
A. •/. P., Ilarpcr, Kansas, asks the name 
of a manufacturer of w-ater-wheels suitable 
for a. small stream. There is a fail of 15 feet, 
mid the stream would till a three-inch pipe. 
Ans. —For water-wheels write to tho Letfel 
M’t’g. Co., Springfield, Ohio, who will send a 
circular giving information about, powers, 
etc, Your water supply is too small, how ever, 
to do any work of the kind. The w hole con¬ 
tents of the 15 foot, three-inch pipe would 
lie less than one cubic foot, weighing less than 
(10 pounds, which would give scarcely power 
enough to turn a wheel without doing any 
work. By making a dam and collecting the 
water you might do a little work once a 
month, perhaps, hut would that pay you ? 
,/. W, II,, Girard, Kansas, asks, 1, is there 
a hay loader that will lift hay or millet from 
the windrow to the wagon; 2, w here can Ber¬ 
muda Grass seed be obtained. 
Ans. —1. Yes; it is the Forest Hay Loader, 
made by the Keystone M’fg Co., Sterling, 111. 
2 Beed of Bermuda Grass seldom if ever 
ripens iu uuy part of the United Btates, anil it 
cannot] therefore, lie obtained. Instead of 
seed Cuttings of the roots are sow n. These can 
probably be obtained from either P. J. Borck- 
niHiLS, Augusta, Ga., or Dr. VV. B. Jones, 
Herndon, Ga. 
J 0. A , Winchester, III., says he does not 
core much for hollyhocks and celery, and 
would therefore like to obtain from the Free 
Distribution an extra quantity of wheat and 
corn instead of these. 
Ans. —Wa would gladly oblige our friends 
by complying with such requests were it pos¬ 
sible; but in view of the extra labor such se¬ 
lections would entail in so vast a distribution, 
to do so w ould be really quite impracticable. 
A. J. P., Kansas, and many others desire to 
know w here the seeds of the Rural Branching 
Sorghum may lie obtained. 
Ans.—W e can only answer that, if seed 
can tie procured, leading seedsmen w ill offer 
it fur sale. At present there seems to be some 
doubt as to the supply. 
W. D. Van S., Old Chatham, N. Y., asks 
whether Molds and the Norway Oats are iden¬ 
tical. 
Ans.—W e believe Mold’s Eunobled Oats 
are an improvement upon the Black Tarta¬ 
rian by selection and by other means which 
Mr. Mold holds as a secret. 
,/. II. G., Salinit, Kansas, asks where he 
cun get Witch G mss seed. 
Ans.—W e are not aware that seeds are any- 
w here otfered for sale. 
W. C. G., Mentor, Ohio, asks what nursery 
has control of Fay’s Currant. 
Ans. —G. B. Josselyn, of Fredonia, N. Y., 
we believe. 
IP. B. S., Melrose, N. I'., asks where cotton¬ 
seed meal is for sale in this city, and its 
price, 
Ans.—H ollister & Co., 92 Broad Street, 
New- York; price about $35 per ton. 
DTiat constitutes a well-regulated farm f is 
the query propounded by E. W. G. to Rural 
readers. 
- 4—4 - 
Communications Received fob tub Week Endins 
Saturday, Dec. 10,1881. 
C. E. P.-A. M.-O. W.-O. V. R.—J. L. M.—O. J. S.— 
G. U.-O. C.—G. W. S.-E. K. 11. J. W. 1!. C. S. —A. J. 
C.—S. H. C.—C. J. n. J. B. G. F. W.-S. M. J.—F. L. 
C. W. K. J. .1. I- M I!. ,\ J. \. L. D, L 8. J. D, 
E. W. G.— C. W. G., many thanks. J. O. M., Kansas, 
thanks. J. \V. B. M. E. C„ thanks of U. M.—W. S. D. 
II. .% S, -John Payne, potatoes received, thanks. 
Have yon the name. .1. Alton, Cal, Rural Branching 
Boi'shum received. X. Shurli, Ind., seeds received. 
E. G. J. G, - J. II. \V, H.-p, D.-C. D,—G. U. B. A. B. 
—A. F.—J. F. -M. W.-C. M. W.—O. P.—I. D.—J. L.- A. 
C.—M. E. C. L. U.—D. B.—E. II.—O. J.—W. St.—M. M.— 
L. W. g. K. Iff, R. ED. E. J. M.-K. W.-C. W.-D. 
C. F. -G. H. D.-E. V.— V. T.—W. W.-G. A. U., Jr. 
