1 ■ll'flf- 
S02 
THE BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
SEPT. 29 ' 
CLAWSON WHEAT. 
I am unable to understand the frequent attacks 
upon the Clawson wheat as not making good 
Hour. We have grown it for three years, and 
lind it makes very nice flour and very good bread; 
yields largely, threshes easily, and we think it 
the best wheat for our section, at least. 
Chester Co., Pa. Tnos. Wood. 
4farm (ftoiiomij. 
THOUGHTS FROM A FARM. 
LET THE FARM REMAIN UNKNOWN FOR THE PRESENT AND 
THE WRITER REMAIN INCOGNITO. 
Looking back to the farm laborers in days of 
yore, when changing about was equally avoided 
by master and man, it puzzles the mind to think 
what motive any employer can have in these days 
for preferring transient to permanent labor. Yet 
this preference generally exists in the United 
States, and not only do some of the would-be 
leaders in agricultural matters boast of keeping 
their men ignorant of their next job and their 
movements for the morrow, but they are foolish 
enough to believe that a general feeling of un¬ 
certainly as to a continuance of employment is 
good policy. The writer, however, thinks such 
a course extremely unwise, for it necessitates 
the eye of the master on every motion of Ids 
men, as this insecurity makes them careless ; and 
not only do they feel indifferent about the well¬ 
being of the employer’s property, but some dis¬ 
positions will allow the dislike of such treat¬ 
ment to draw them on to utterly hate such a 
master. 
Again, many a conceited agricultural manager, 
priding himself on his talent in this respect, will 
suffer the loss of valuable animals amt injury to 
other property which, if all tilings were known, 
would bo found to bo the result of his employes’ 
detestation for the low estimation in which they 
arc held. He thinks or knows ho is right in his 
conviction that all these pretended fine managers 
of men had best be upright and straightforward 
in every respect, :md instead of heating down the 
wages, give their employes a little over the cur¬ 
rent rate. By this means they w ill retain all the 
best men, and at the same time cause these to 
feel conscious of being in good hands, and desi¬ 
rous to do a good day's work for the man who is 
fair and liberal with them. Stingy men invaria¬ 
bly defeat their own ends, and those who are led 
by such examples, will forever regret allowing 
themselves to be so influenced as to act; in such 
an illiberal manner. 
Depend upon it, that mankind, however ignor¬ 
ant, are able to see through any man’s objects in 
mystery, deception, Ac., and therefore it is non¬ 
sense and weakness to act otherwise than in a 
perfectly natural way, and so openly aud honest¬ 
ly that there can bo no suspicion of your wishing 
to take an unfair advantage. There are few 
people in business circles who do not know that 
men who are always searching out for cheap bar¬ 
gains are sure to get awfully bitten often, enough 
to more than counterbalance the potty gains 
they may have secured from other low-priced 
purchases. And so it is with labor. It is far 
better to give a good price and secure the best. 
FARM AND OTHER EXPERIMENTS. 
BY S. B. PECK. 
Thebe are many experiments made by indi¬ 
viduals for their own special purposes, and con¬ 
clusions made therefrom, when the same ex¬ 
periments if repeated would bo very liable to lead 
to quite different conclusions. Experiments 
made for the purpose of settling in one’s own 
mind disputed or questionable points aro cer¬ 
tainly praiseworthy, and (lie mini who makes 
none, but conducts all matters pertaining to his 
calling as hiH predecessors have done, is not wise 
nor is he doing his duty to himself aud his neigh¬ 
bors. This is an ago of progress, and we ought 
not to bo satisfied to let all matters run in the 
old ruts without a thorough investigation, lu 
fanning operations especially do wo need the 
closest care and to take all tho circumstances of 
the case into consideration. Soils aud local cli¬ 
mates are so various that the most reasonable 
and just conclusions from one man’s experi¬ 
ments are not a safe guide for another who has a 
different soil or a more elevated or depressed 
aspeot. 
At conventions of Fruit and Vegetable Grow¬ 
ers, more especially, do wo soe different opinions 
expressed as to the best methods of culture, and 
the best varieties to plant, backed by examples 
of successes and failures, that it would he ex¬ 
tremely difficult for a novice to account, for as 
coming from men of so much apparent intelli¬ 
gence. Most men are evidently too ready to 
jump at conclusions from experiments made 
once, or but a few times, upon tho same or similar 
soil, without taking into consideration the dif¬ 
ference in seasons and other changeable circum¬ 
stances. Auothor man relying upon tho result 
of these trials adopts his friend’s opinions and 
practices with results tho reverse, and believes 
his friend to be mistaken when the reason of tho 
different results may he in the soil, the season, 
the culture, the rainfall, or in other things which 
escape his attention or even his knowledge. In 
the raising of potatoes tho question of planting 
small, large or medium, cut or whole, hill or 
level culture, deep or shallow planting, all, with 
nr. s 
almost every known variety have been preferred 
as the result of experiments by different indi¬ 
viduals, Often conclusions arrived at by the 
most careful experiments are completely upset 
by the next reported experimenter. The unre¬ 
liability of many. If not most of tho experiments 
reported in relation to the raising of crops is due 
to the neglect of the operator to take intoaeeount 
the season, the soil, the weather, the peculiari¬ 
ties of the variety, and finally by resting satisfied 
with tho tests of only one season. 
A neighbor tried salt on his potatoes witli suc¬ 
cess aud became convinced that he should bo 
able to revolutionize the whole potato business, 
but he failed most ingloriously. Another was 
not sure that tho moon had much to do with the 
raising of crops, but ho did know that if you laid 
rail fence in the old of the moon, the blocks put 
under the corners would sink dow r n into the 
ground, for he had tried it. Now, I have no 
doubt that the blocks laid in the old of tho moon 
will sink, especially if the rails bo heavy, ortho 
ground soft; and that pork killed in tho new of 
tho moon will shrink in the pot just the same 
as it would if killed at any other phase. Warts 
disappear of themselves, consequently, tho thou¬ 
sand recipe} for their cure arc all successful. But 
it is not all experimenters tiiat arrive at conclu¬ 
sions so readily. Those trials mailo by Laws, 
Johnston, Boussinoault, Liebig aud others in 
Europe referring to agriculture, stock-raising and 
feeding, are worthy of our most careful study, 
but after all, it is not safe to place full confidence 
in them as applicable to our own soils and cli¬ 
mates in all cases. 
Much more reliance may be safely placed on 
ex periinents made with care and science in our 
own country, and as a citizen of the Btate of 
Michigan, may I be pardoned in referring to the 
experiments made aud reported by tho officers 
aud Professors in our Agricultural College at 
Lansing. Professor Beau’s handling of the 
Mole question, as reported in the Rural of Au¬ 
gust lth, last, though it upsets theories that look 
plausible on their surface, still establishes the 
fact beyond dispute that the animal will eat 
something besides “meat as far as worms and 
insects furnish it.” 
$arm Stoics, 
AGRICULTURAL RURAL GROUNDS. 
September it. 
Tue climate and land of this section of the 
Rural Grounds which are devoted to agricul¬ 
ture exclusively, differ widely from those usually 
heretofore referred to which are devoted mainly 
to horticulture. The climate is hero modified by 
the ocean—only two miles distant as tho crow 
flies—by the intervening hays and creeks, and by 
tho immense prairie of salt meadows that seem 
themselves to form an evergreen ocean bounded 
only by the horizon. The air, though loaded 
with moisture night and morning, is so impreg¬ 
nated with salt, that one tastes it upon the lips. 
Late at night, or before sunrise in tho morn¬ 
ing, wo roam about with little fear of catching 
cold and with no fear whatever of the malarial 
poisons that in tho neighborhood of the other 
Rubai, Grounds are behoved to exist by most of 
those who have no property for sale. 
Well, htre wo have mosquitoes at times j mos- 
qnitoes in numbers that interrupt the smooth 
and amiable flow of thought and that induce ir¬ 
relevant gestures in no wise graceful or compat¬ 
ible with oratorical force. It is a hard thing to 
find a country home that is free from all draw¬ 
backs, it is true. But as between mosquitoes 
and chills and fever, we beg to say, in the most 
emphatic manner, that we prefer mosquitoes. 
The ocean is so near to these grounds, that the 
white sandhills upon the beach are plainly to he 
seen without a glass, and from the upper win¬ 
dows of the building, the blue expanse beyond ; 
while during storms or heavy wind, tho surf and 
the roar aro plainly seen and heard from any 
part. 
The intervening bays and creeks afford sup¬ 
port to hundreds of “ baymen” aud ttyeir fami¬ 
lies that mako up, for tho most part, the many 
villages scattered along the coast; while scores 
of hotels are thronged with city people who seek 
the usual recreations of sea-sido watering places. 
The land is generally sandy, but in a high state 
of cultivation. Tt is naturally drained - too well, 
iu fact- and frequent rains are necessary to 
bring forth the crops that at one part of the sea¬ 
son or another generally suffer from drought. 
But upon the land near tho salt meadmvs, the 
crops of all kinds yield abundant ly, regardless of 
weather. From new mowing grounds we have 
taken three tons of hay at the first mowing, aud 
one ton at the second per acre. Com is hero 
upon these lower lands never, a failure, and even 
on the higher lands during droughts as severe 
as those of last year, the yield as compared with 
that of other drought-visited districts, was large. 
Nine years ago, we plowed a five-aero upland 
field and put it in grass, using stable and barn¬ 
yard manure, half of each. The field has been 
in grass ever since until the present season, when 
it was plow ed for corn and the same manure used 
hi the bill. Upon oue acre, 250 lbs. of phosphate 
of lime w as sown broadcast and b&mnmJ-iu and 
upon nine rows, only (bo phosphate was used. 
The corn is still standing, but the following re¬ 
sults aro very apparent. The corn manured with 
stable and barn-yard manure and 250 lbs, of phos¬ 
phate will yield the smallest amount of aura, not 
over a quarter crop, though the leaves and stalks 
are as heavy as the other. That manured with 
phosphate only (nine rows) will yield a full orop 
of grain, and the stalks and leaves are as large 
as the other, and the color is a darker green. 
That manured with stable and barn-yard manure 
alone, will yield half a orop. The leaves aro of 
a lighter green and the stalks not so heavy. It 
is difficult to explain why the corn manured with 
cow and stable manure as well as phosphate of 
lime, should yield only a quarter crop of grain. 
For tho past two years wo have cultivated tho 
Clawson wheat, and it has proven more pro¬ 
lific than any other variety. This year it yielded 
35 bushels to the acre. This would have been 
greater had it not lodged in many parts. Tho 
flour is white aud of excellent quality, and a 
great improvement over the old “ red” (Mediter¬ 
ranean) which is generally preferred throughout 
this section of country. 
There is no fertilizer that for general pur¬ 
poses wo prefer to the sods cut out of the mea¬ 
dows above referred to, and composted with 
horse and other manures. Piles of these gods 
are taken out in the fall aud, after lying exposed 
during the winter, are the next spring placed in 
solid masses, and covered with stable manure 
which la itself covered with sods or muck. These 
piles are loft two years when they are well mixed 
and applied to the land. 
It is one of tho plana of the editors of the 
Rural New Yorker, which we hope to bo able 
to execute next year, to place this farm (79 acres) 
in the hands of a competent manager, who is 
possessed of the requisite practical and scientific 
knowledge to originate and execute agricultural 
experiments, aud to reoord the results in these 
columns. 
JOTTINGS AT KIRBY HOMESTEAD. 
BY COL. F. D. CURTIS. 
An agricultural paper is always valuable to 
farmers, but it is especially valuable and neces¬ 
sary in a time like the present, when the products 
of the farm find a dull market and low prices ; 
when drought prevails in many sections; when 
tho beetles and their larvic aro stripping the 
potato fields of loaves aud leaving only tho bare 
stalks, which indicate an immature growth and 
almost certain unsoundness and early decay ; 
when blight is scourging the apple and pear 
trees; and when high notions aud extravagance 
still afflict the people. An agricultural paper is 
a teacher filling to a considerable extent tho 
office of parent, minister, doctor and tutor to all 
the farmers’ boys and girls, and It should bo a 
visitor more welcome than any other, to tell them 
all about the big world outside of home and the 
experiences of others who follow tho same life 
they do, their blunders and successes, their ups 
and downs. Wo can learn much from our blun¬ 
dering fellows, while from tho successful wo 
gather wisdom. Whatever seta us thinking is a 
good thing, “if 1 Into only thought,” is tho 
prelude to many a mistake, while “ I forgot” is 
the excuse for as many more,—hence instruction 
aud reminders must be constant. Horace Gree¬ 
ley, in tolling what ho knew about fanning, 
made men think. Therein ho was a great teach¬ 
er. Acting without thinking is like a plant with¬ 
out seeds or a tree without roots. 
We have been setting several of our neighbors 
straight on their pears. Ten years ago we pur¬ 
chased a number of pear trees, and among them 
a Tyson which boro early and such good pears 
that, upon our recommendation, these neighbors 
all bought Tysons too. Timo has shown that 
their Tysons were not ours, for the reason that 
ours is the Rostiezer, a better kind. This inno¬ 
cent and annoying fraud on our part was caused 
by tho fact that, not half of onr purchase were 
true to name. We have had a warm side for 
irresponsible tree agents over sinco. 
A newly-planted pear tree in July was drying 
up—so dry was it that the leaves rattled. This 
tree is now fresh and green, having been wet but 
once. A hole was made leading down to the 
roots, and four pails of water poured in and al¬ 
lowed to soak into the ground, when the hole, 
made with a crowbar, was tilled with dry earth, 
and the surface for three feet around was cov¬ 
ered with grass, cut near by. Any litter would 
have answered to have prevented ttie evapora¬ 
tion of the water and kept up the continual 
moisture for tho lack of which the tree was 
dying. The old, bothersome way of surface 
watering would never have saved that tree. 
A part of the root field lias been struck with 
a rust for more than two months, and now the 
old leaves are all dead and a now crop has grown 
out at the top of tho beets, and the prospect is a 
new growth to the roots. We hope this will bo 
so, for now during the fall months is tho grow¬ 
ing timo for roots. Whether these beets will 
keep well is doubtful. The rusted ones must bo 
stored on the top of the pile in the cellar for 
fear, aud fed out first. If placed at the bottom 
they might destroy the whole crop, as a rotten 
beet is sure to affect near neighbors, and it is a 
good while till next June, when wo expect to 
feed tho last. The rust is similar to tho old- 
fashioned potato rust., which thirty years ago 
destroyed acres of this tuber. Our potatoes, 
growing alongside of tho roots, have a little 
touch of iL now, hut not enough to kill tho vines. 
It is a sort of reminiscence not pleasant to con¬ 
template. but we rarely have such a long-con¬ 
tinued, muggy time as we have had this year, 
which is the cause of all this trouble. Many 
think, under the excessive boat and dampness, 
the sap sours, or iu some other way loses its 
vitality, and sporadic growth, which feeds on 
decay, springs into life. We have a different 
notion in regard to this form of fungus. Un¬ 
like the “ toadstool,” which lives on the rotten 
tree, we think the rust of the potatoes and beets, 
and the smut of wheat and oats, produce the 
decay or Iosb of vitality which kills the leaves 
rots the vegetables and shrinks the grain. The 
minute spores floating iu tho air lodge on the 
plants dripping with moisture during the muggy 
days, and rapidly germinate into a growth which 
speedily spreads over the entire surface, drying 
/ 4 <- 
J 
