294 
ORAL NEW-YORKER. 
NOV. 3 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Will J. W. B. H. please send full address to 
Eds? 
W. n. Wakelee .—Why do not the manufactur¬ 
ers of the dish-washer mentioned in the Rural 
of Sept. 29 th by your correspondent, Grace Man¬ 
ning, advertiso it in the Rural? I have in¬ 
quired at a number of house-furnishing stores 
in Chicago, aud they know nothing of any such 
article. 
Ans.—W e do not know that it is manufactured 
or for sale. 
J. 1J. Timpson, Monroe Co., W. Va .—A friend 
who wants to go into the broom-making busi¬ 
ness, asks me to inquire of you where he can get 
a first-olass broom machine. 
Anb.—H e can get machines and all informa¬ 
tion on the subject by writing to F. T. VaaPat¬ 
ten, maker of broom machinery, Schenectady, 
N. Y. 
Mrs. W. Brooklyn.—I took up my Roses 
and Geraniums aud brought them in, looking 
very thrifty, but within a few days, the leaves 
have turned yellow and are falling off. On ex- 
aming I And them full of rose-lice. 
Please inform tne what will destroy them ? 
Ans.—T obac •.<» smoke. 
A. Hearn of Detroit, wishes to know why his 
daughter did not succeed with her plants last 
winter. He givos careful details of her methods 
aud of the room in an octagon window of which 
they were placed. We cannot detect any flaw in 
the care given them, which appears (there is a 
part of the letter wc carl not for a certainty make 
out) to be discriminate and intelligent. But one 
suggestion occurs to us. The room, which is 
heated by a coal furnace (?) in the cellar, may 
have boon kept too warm during the day and too 
cool at night. The night temperature of rooms, 
conservatories, Ac., must not bo allowed to go 
too far below its day temreratnre—for the rea¬ 
son that the earth ought always to be preserved 
as warm, at least, as the average temperature of 
the air. If the earth is decidedly cooled during 
the night, as it heats slowly, a long part of the 
morning will pass while fcho earth 1 b very much 
colder than the air; and as heat is the great 
stimulaut to evaporation (and indeed to growth), 
the leaves and branches will act far more vigor¬ 
ously than the roots. The vital action is unbal¬ 
anced, aud the roots suffer at first, and the stem 
and foliage next. It may be, also, that the suc¬ 
culent plants wore kept too wet. 
Filtering Drinking Waiei — Continued .—The 
simplest method of filtering by means of 
brick within a cistern such as “ A Subscriber” 
proposes to build, would be, in our opinion, 
to construct a partition wall four inches thick, 
laid in good hydraulic cement, across the cis¬ 
tern at about three feet from the end from 
which the water is to be taken for use. Tho 
brick s should bo of compact and homogeneous 
structure, but of a decidedly porous character 
at the same time, to allow tho water to pass 
through them with tolerable freedom. Almost 
any brick-maker could furnish an article ful¬ 
filling the conditions. 8ome brick are altogether 
too soft and crumbly aud others too hard for 
this purpose. The cement should he carefully 
applied between the courses, so that no apertures 
are left iu them, through which the undttored 
water might pass. If tho pressure of the water 
in the larger compartment may at times be 
thought to bo too great for a straight siugle- 
brick partition, this partition might be curved 
towards the greater body of water. This form 
would havo another advantage beside that of 
increased strength, via; au increased filtering 
area. 
If two partition walls were built in I he cis¬ 
tern, say one foot apart and the intermediate 
space filled with charcoal broken up very finely, 
but freed from all minute particles, tho treble 
filtering to which the water would be subjected 
would bring it as near perfect purity on its ar¬ 
rival in the service compartment of the cistern, 
as is possible by any device or system of devices, 
with which we are acquainted, or as is necessary 
for any domestic purpose whatever. The char¬ 
coal would, by oonliuuod use for a long time, 
lose its efficaoy and the necessity for the re¬ 
newal or cleansing of it would have to be pro¬ 
vided for. This could be accomplished without 
going into the cistern by having a special cover 
for this filtering compartment fitted tightly over 
its whole length, which could be removed when 
occasion demanded, without iu the least dis¬ 
turbing the other divisions. Each of these, 
however, would require an entrance hole of its 
own, as by no possible precaution can the nec¬ 
essity for going into them occasionally be es¬ 
caped. This is a more complicated method than 
the one suggested in the previous paragraph, 
and it is for our correspondent to determine 
whether it will suit his case. 
Half-way measures in pursuit of this object 
will bo almost certain to defeat it. The method 
adopted, whatever it is, should be carried out 
completely iu every detail. The cistern must 
be tight, and particular cars should be bestowed 
on the inlet and outlet arrangements, so that 
nothing offensive can get into the cistern through 
them. A cistern is not tight if water can find 
its way in or out of it, through any other than 
the specially provided channels. The water 
from the roof should not be permitted to pass 
directly Into the cistern, but should have a pre¬ 
paratory coarse filtering, by means of a screen, 
and clean gravel and sand placed iuabox, into 
whioh the water from the roof is first discharged. 
A. J. II,, Philadelphia Pa. (1.) What flowers 
or pot plants can bo successfully slipped and 
grown iu the house during winter, and a little 
information in regard to soil and general care. 
(2.) Where can I got the Spanish moss which is 
spoken of ns a window-plant in number fourteen 
of tho Rural ; (3) also, I would like to know 
whether you have any knowledge of a colony 
going from any of the Eastern or Middle 8tat.es 
to Nebraska, and also what arc generally the 
terms of the railroads that have land for sale 
out there and whether any of these companies 
supply purchasers of land with farming imple¬ 
ments, and on what terms. 
Ans. 1. There are so many that wc must re¬ 
fer our friend to catalogues. In a general way, 
we would mention Pelargoniums, (Geraniums,) 
Petunias, Snapdragons, Chrysanthemum, Cole¬ 
us, Coble a (vine.) Cuphca, Fuchsia, Dianthus, 
Euphorbia, Heliotrope, Iheris. L&utana, Lobelia, 
Mcsembryanthemum, lVrilla, Acbyranthes, 
Salvia, Saxifraga, Sedum, Spines., Tradescantia, 
Verbena, Vinca, Viola (tricolor, ped itn,) Dout- 
zia gracilis, Euonymus, Roses. There are 
scores of hot-house plants, not used for bedding 
purposes during tho summer, that may be propa¬ 
gated at this season from cuttings. As to soil, 
procure the richest garden soil obtainable. Un¬ 
less naturally light, mix a portion of sand with it. 
It is better to begin a year beforehand to secure 
tho best soil for potting purposes. Remove sods, 
make » layer of sods and one of stable manure 
aud so on. Turn twice or tbrice during the year 
and it will be thoroughly decomposed by tho 
next fall. Leaves may be used instead of man¬ 
ure between tho sods. 
(2.) Of almost any progressive seedsman in 
Philadelphia or Now York. 
(3 ) No, wc have not. 
Oeorge A ■ Clum, Walden,' Orange County, 
N. Y. —Dkah Rural : I am in trouble ; can any 
of the Rural staff suggest anything to help me 
out ? I purchased the farm on whioh I now 
live, nine years ago, for i 125 pier acre. There 
were two mortgages left on the place, to the 
amount of 68,500. They were due last April, 
but the understanding was that they would be 
loft, as the interest had all boon paid. I have 
built a new barn and improved tho farm other¬ 
wise, so that it is worth to-day, 630 per aore 
more than it was when I bought it. I have kept 
from 35 to 45 cows on the place for tho last three 
years ; and instead of being un exhausted farm 
as it was reported, when I came on it, it will now 
produce crops equal to any in the county. I 
have worked hard to improve it and to establish 
the reputation of my dairy, and had succeeded 
in doing both. I was getting considerably above 
market prices for my products. This year aud 
last I sent off 2,700 cans of milk, and out of the 
whole only one can was bad; aud the year before 
that 1 had 2,400 cans without any loss. You can 
see from this that things were working well. But. 
about the first of July, without any previous 
warning, I had a notice of foreclosure served on 
me, and tho place has been sold for a little over 
680 per acre. It is a slendid farm and is consid¬ 
ered worth $100 per acre by everyone, and yet I 
am not able to redeem it. Can the Rural induce 
some one to come and purchase it, as an invest¬ 
ment ana leave me on it ? There is on it a $6,000 
first mortgage at six per cent, that could remain 
three years. Some ono that would like to spend 
the summer in the country, could not find a 
more desirable place. We are eight miles west 
of Newburg, and about two east of Walden. Tlio 
place is well watered aud a firat-claas farm, in 
every particular ready for business. A field of 
about ten acres of oorn this year is expected to 
yield 500 bushels. If you can do anything to in¬ 
duce some one to assist me iu any way, I would 
consider it a favor. I am willing to have any of 
the Rural staff judge of my capabilities as a 
farmer This Bectiou of country is not surpassed 
for bealthfulness, productiveness or beauty, by 
any portion of Orange county. Should anyone 
desire to come and see the place, I would be glad 
to meet fiim at the station at any time he may 
choose to notify me of his coming, 
Ans —We cannot do bettor for our friend than 
by publishing his evidently honest letter as wo 
receive it, hoping he may be benefited thereby. 
M. Mather. —‘’Galaxy” is a Monthly Maga¬ 
zine. It can be obtained at any book store. 
Albert Rhodes’ article on American girlB was 
published in the Oct. number. 
Communications received for the week ending 
Monday, 26th inst. 
A Working Farmer.— A. C. W.—J. S, P.—E. A. 
B.— Albert J. Bonsall, as soon as we can.—Mrs. 
John E. Sweet.— G. Marti.— G.—L. A. Stntor.— 
T. B. Miner.—.Jacob IJ. Bruner.—D. C. M.—M. B. 
Prince.—William Falconer.—W. C. L. D.—Col.F, 
D. CCRTrs.—G eorge Gardner.—J. R. Doijoe.— 
W. J. Fowler.— A. J. Royalty.— F. D. C.—J. E. 
Cobbey.— s. B. P.; thanks— will send.—Dr. Good- 
enough.—Annie L. Jack.—Enocu Spencer—j. 
M. W.—Jacquklina.—Freelance.— S. B. Parsons 
TERMS FOR 1877, IN ADVANCE, 
INCLUDING POSTAGE, WHICH PUBLISHERS PREPAY. 
BtairJe Copy. ip'J.fjo par Year. To ClubsFive Copies, 
and one copy free to Aveut or Keller up of Club, for 
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copies. Specimen Numbers, Show-Bills, Ac., sent free 
H flits of iff (Miff It, 
CONDENSED NEW YORK TEL EGRAMS. 
Tuesday, Oct., 23.— Last night Souator Blaine 
was taken suddenly dangerously sick, on receipt 
of the news that a favorite daughter, aged 15, 
had accidently shot herself. Both arc recover¬ 
ing. 
In the late battle in Asia, the Russians captur¬ 
ed forty cannons and 18,000 Turkish troops. An¬ 
other fierce assault, of the Roumanians on Plevna, 
has been repulsed. The Turks are constructing 
an Interior lino of formications around tho town- 
Gen. Gourka, the celebrated Muscovite leader, Is 
operating at tho south of Plevna with a large 
cavalry force. 
Wednesday, Oct. 24.—The cost of suppressing 
the late railroad troubles n this State will add 
upwards of a quarter of a million dollars to the 
taxes of the people. 
The CzarcwitcU Is advancing against Rasgrad, 
leaving one corps to act against Rustcliuk. 
Moukhtar Pasha is safe, and occupies a strong 
position at Yerekol. Ismail Pasha, however, is 
still In danger ot being cut off. 
Thursday, Oct. 25.—The Commission to Sitting 
Bull has proved a failure, and been treated with 
gross contempt by that chieftain, lie and his 
followers say they intend to remain In Canada, 
and don't want to have anything to do with Amer¬ 
icans, who are all liars. 
The Russians were repulsed In an attack on one 
of the outposts of Kars. Moukhtar and Ismail 
Pashas arc on the point of uniting their forces. 
Gen. Grant has arrived In Paris, aud met with 
a hearty reception on landing at Boulogne and 
again on his arrival in the capital. 
Friday, Oct. 20.—Senator Morion is falling. Mr. 
Tilden has arrived here,,improved m health and 
rejoiced to reach homo. Yellow fever still raging 
in Jacksonville, Fla. 
Gen. Gourka, alter a ton-hours’ engagement, 
captured a strong position to the southwest of 
Plevna, four cannon, a Turkish Pasha, many 
other officers aud 3,000 men, and then began to 
fortify himself at Dubnik, on the road to Sofia. 
There are 4.500 wounded Turks In Plevna, aDd the 
private houses are converted Into hospitals. The 
Russians attacked Suleiman Pasha on the Lom, 
but were repulsed with a lossoi soil men. Gen. 
Grant has been very cordially received by Pres¬ 
ident MacMahon. 
Saturday, Oct. 27.—Gen. Howard has written 
to Gen. Sheridan a report on the surrender ot the 
Nez Pcrces, In which, of course, he takes the lion’s 
share of the glory. Col. Miles, in an address to 
his men, seems to think that they deserve some 
praise for the part they took in the contest, de¬ 
spite the clultns ot the •• Bible soldier." 
Gen. Gourka, with tho Russian cavalry of the 
' Imperial Guard, has cutoff the communications 
of Osman Pasha, aud tin Russians are closing In 
on every side of Plevna, which Is not victualed 
enough to stand a siege, in Asia, Moukhtar Pasha 
is said to have formed a Junction with Ismail 
Pasha. Gen. Grant Is the rlclpleur, of continual 
honors In Paris. The tactions In France are crys¬ 
talling into Republicans and Bonapartlsts, Or- 
leanlsts and Legitimists siding somewhat with 
the former. 
Within ten years, no less than 12,000,000 acres 
of forest have been cut down or burned over in 
the United States. Much ot the timber is used for 
fuel, t wenty-five cities being on record as con¬ 
suming Dorn 5,ooo to 10,000 acres each. Fences 
use up much timber, and railway sleepers require 
tho product of 160,000 acres per annum. The 
amount of pine aud lumber umber yet standing 
In the forests of the timber States, is estimated 
at 225,000,000,000 feet. The sum Of $144,000,000 Is 
invested In the timber Industry, employing 200,000 
men. 
-♦ ■» » 
Reliable help for weak and nervous sufferers. 
Chronic, painful and prostrating disease® cured 
without medicine. Pul verm acheris Electric Belts 
the grand desideratum. Avoid Imitations. Book 
and Journal, with particulars, mailed free. Ad¬ 
dress Pulvermachkr galvanic Co., Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 
(bhcationai ftotrs 
COUNTRY schools. 
by MRS. A. K. STORY.* 
It Is solely to the common, or district schools, 
that at least eight-tenths of our rural population 
look for the education of their sons and daugh¬ 
ters. That this education Is. In nine cases out of 
ten, meager In detail arid generally unsatisfac¬ 
tory and unpractical. Is as much the fault of the 
officers and patrons of the schools as ot the teach¬ 
ers, Incompetent as the latter may be. 
The school officers—whether known as trustees, 
directors, or by some other title, it matters not, 
since their duties are the same—engage a quali¬ 
fied teacher; that is, one duly licensed by the ex¬ 
amining hoard or, as Iu some States, by the town¬ 
ship or county superintendent of schools, at so 
much a week or month, cheapness being general¬ 
ly considered before everything else; and there 
their duty is considered—by themselves, at least 
—t.o end. 
The Monday morning specified In the contract 
comes; the teacher. If a temale, trips her way to 
the school-house In flowers and feathers; if a 
male, he walks thither loftily, a ruler under one 
arm and a sachel coutalulng no end of “rules,” 
on the other. Following the teacher comes about 
onc-tbird of the children of school age In the dis¬ 
trict, and the summer or winter school, as the 
ease may be, has begun. 
The next Monday finds a few more children at 
tho school, and the next perhaps a few more 
Some bring one text-book and some another, and 
whatever they bring they and their parents ex¬ 
pect that they will be instructed from It. One 
child, ambitious of learning to read, produces the 
National Primer; another has Saunder’s, and an¬ 
other, wishing to ignore tho A B C process alto¬ 
gether, presents the Word Method. One youth 
seeks to acquire t he art ot speaking and writing 
properly by thumbing Clark's grammar; another 
conjugates the verb lore from Brown's, looking 
hard, the while, at the beauty of tho school, who 
Is deep In the mysteries ot Green's. 
Uniformity ot text-books, in too many schools, 
Is a thing to be dreamed of by the few ; but not 
to be ventured upon even as an experiment, be¬ 
cause such an experiment must involve an Indi¬ 
vidual outlay of money. To get through the school 
terms with the least expense possible, seems to 
be the great aim of too many parents. There arc 
numbers to be found attending school in every 
district, particularly among tho smaller scholars, 
who have no books at all, and Ibis, too, when tho 
parents are abundantly able to furnish them. 
When a lesson Is to be learned, they borrow of 
their class-mates If they can; If not-, the lesson 
goes unlearned, and the excuse^ “I have no 
book," Is generally considered sufficient. In read¬ 
ing classes especially may this lack of books be 
seen. It Is a common thing for five or six books 
to serve a class of ten or twelve, and not un fre¬ 
quently we fiud three scholars reading from a 
single book. 
In very many districts, from tho time the school 
opens till Its close, not a visit Is made to it by 
either parents or officers, and t.o the question, 
“ Do you have a good school V” the reply generally 
Is either, “Oh, I guess so; I haven't heard any 
complaint;” or, "I'm afraid not; our children 
don’t seem to like the teacher very well.” But 
though the school may be neglected aa of little 
aecouut, It by no means follows that the teacher 
is forgotten. There are always one or two among 
the ciders In every district who make It a point, 
if he be at all “ stuck up” or “ big feeling,” to 
“ bring him down a peg.” To this end, “ Old Da- 
boll’s" arithmetic Is brought down from its nook 
under the clock, and a “ catchy ’ example Is cop¬ 
ied and sent to the unsuspecting pedagogue who, 
if he falls to work It out, IB doomed to suffer the 
contempt of every man, woman and child In the 
district from that time on. On the other hand, 
should he be able to “ do” the example, he may 
consider hlmSelf the luckiest man alive, tor no 
amount ot mismanagement or misrule will be suf¬ 
ficient to shake the people’s faith in his abilities, 
since the saying holds good in school teaching as 
In everything else, “Once a man gets his name 
up, he can lay a-bed till noon." 
But to many, the great hindrance to advance¬ 
ment In country schools, is found In thy youth and 
luexperience of teachers. To this Inexperience 
may be added an utter lack ot any special training 
for their work. Any boy or girl who Is able to 
answer, on an average, six out of every ten ques¬ 
tions glveu by the examiner, can demand and is 
entitled to receive, a teacher’s certificate or li¬ 
cense to teach. Professional teachers^those who 
make teaching a Ufe-work—find employment In 
villages and the larger cities where, besides being 
bet ter paid, the service ts rendered more desira¬ 
ble by a system of thorough grading, a system 
which Is manifestly Impracticable In schools of 
the rural districts. 
Thus it ts hard to find a really capable teacher, 
aud one who 13 In love with his work, In the coun¬ 
try. Teaching school presents to the young and 
those aspiring to soractblug genteel, a very desi¬ 
rable make-shirt, to be pursued till something 
better turns up; with the young woman, perhaps 
this Is an offer of marriage; with the young man, 
an opportunity to embark In some mercantile 
pursuit or settle down on a farm. 
Is it at all to be wondered at, that such teach¬ 
ers, with no special apiltude for their work, no 
love for it—and sin .e they have no desire to con¬ 
tinue In the vocation, no regard ror t heir reputa¬ 
tion as teachers—should fall to give a satisfactory 
return for the millions of dollars which, from 
Milne to Oregon, annually .fluff their way Into 
their pockets? 
□ 
EL 
