400 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
DEO. 22 
resent. A well is designed in the center of the 
yard and is connected with the kitchen and 
scullery etc., and if desired, may also have con* 
nectiona with the barn and other out-buildings j 
Y represents an orchard; W is a sliding-door, 
affording an outlet for wagons etc. from the 
yard to the farm. 
The ynrd, as inclosed by the out-buildings and 
the dwelling, is 100 feet square. The plan gives 
full explanation in respect to walks, gates, etc., 
without any further comment, and by looking at 
the bird’s-oyo view (page 399), ft full understand¬ 
ing of the wholo can bo gained. 
The dwelling is arranged as follows: The di¬ 
mensions of the main house are (as will he per¬ 
ceived by the plans nnd elevation,) 25 feet front 
by SC ft., G in. in depth, having on the north an 
extension ol’ 15 ft., C in. by 3G ft., and on the 
CFLLArt PLAN . 
south another of 12 ft., G hr. by 35 ft., G in. A 
green-house, 12 ft., G in. l>y 20 ft.., (I in., is placed 
on the south side of the main building. The 
frame house is substantially built, filled in with 
brick, has horizontal and vortical weather-board¬ 
ing, and in appearance is plain,though tasteful, to 
avoid all unnecessary expenses; and may be con¬ 
sidered the dwelling of a well-to-do farmer. Un¬ 
necessary and costly ornaments are avoided, but 
all materials are of good quality, and the 
interior and exterior finish is solid and dur¬ 
able. Under the whole of tho house extends a 
collar, tho plan of which is as follows : A, coal 
and wood cellar, with coal slide ; II, kitchen cel¬ 
lar ; U, stairs from rear hall to cellar; D, veg¬ 
etable cellar ; E, passage-way; F, outside entry, 
with stone steps to cellar ; (I, (I, cellars for 
cider (as this is the north side of the cellar, no 
wiudows have been placed in it); 11, represents 
meat cellar : I and K, general storage and fruit 
cellar, with stair, A, leading to the main hall in 
first story; M, space underneath the green-house, 
only partly excavated. 
Tho first story comprises a large veranda, A, 
in front; from this au outer door opens into a 
vestibule B ; au entrance-ball, C, containing 
stairs to the upper tloor and to tho cellar; JJ, is 
tho dining-room ; E , tho parlor; F, tho kitchen ; 
O, entry with wash-basin and 11, tho pantry ; T, 
bad-room and 1\, veranda iu the rear of tho 
kitchen; A, is tho milk-room, properly fitted 
with shelves and floored with cement or brick ; 
A', represents the scullery containing a large 
boiler and stationary wash-tubs, having a door 
protected by a private porch, opening to the out¬ 
side; M, is tho roar hall, with stairs leading to the 
second story; this hall nnd stairs are mainly de¬ 
signed for tho use of the servants alone, giving a 
direct connection with the kitchen and scullery 
etc. The kitchen F, is fitted up with a largo 
biuk supplied with both cistern and well-water, 
(hot and eold), also a large range with boiler and 
a dresser. 
FIRST STORY. 
The second story contains tho principal hall 
A, with stairB leading to attic ; tho bed-room C, 
with closet-room A; the bed-rooms D, F, and 
//; the linen-closet E , and tho bath-room (1, 
provided with bath-tubs, water-closet and wash- 
stand. 7 and K are the servants' bed-rooms. 
Sufficient closet-room is provided in the differ¬ 
ent stories. In tho attic, bed-rooms and rooms 
for storage may be arranged according to the 
desire of the owner. A large dormer window 
in the attic gives acoess to the flat roof of the 
south-extension, and the latter may bo used In 
sammer for drying fruit etc. The roof is cover¬ 
ed with good shingles, and tbB roof* of the ve- 
randaB etc., with good charcoal tin, 
Tho bights of tho stories are as follows: cellar 
8 foot In the clear, first-story 12 feet, and second 
story 10 feet 6 inches. 
Tho cost of the bonse at present prices would 
be about $4,000. The coat of the other buildings 
will be given in a subsequent number. 
<fatra ®5})trs. 
JOTTINGS AT KIRBY HOMESTEAD, 
BY COL. F. D. CURTIS. 
There are two sides to the early lamb ques¬ 
tion. When liimbs come before the sheep are 
out to grans the owes mnst have extra feed 
either of grain or roots, both would bo better, 
and this is no inconsiderable addition to the 
cost of raising the lambs. By the time tho 
sheep can go out to grass they aro dried up in 
their milk and the lambs are obligod to get 
their living, to a large extent, on the grass 
alone, being deprived of their mother’s milk at 
the very time they need it to ronni them up for 
tho shambles. The sheep will also lose more or 
less wool just in proportion to the length of 
t ime they aro suckling before they are shorn. 
Lambs born in winter are never so fat as those 
which are dropped when tho ewes are out to 
grass and all the conditions favorable to make 
milk and keep up the supply continuously. No 
amount of extra feed given to the ewes will 
make the same flow of milk or, at least, produce 
the same plumpness of condition ; hence winter 
lambs are not so good to kill except only as they 
may supply a demand for a spring niarkot. 
Does tho extra price they may bring compensate 
for the additional feed given to the owes ? This 
is one side of the early lamb question. As 
farmers usually keep their sheep there is no 
profit in having winter lambs. The percentage 
of loss is much greater than in April or May 
and generally as the winter lambs aro not 
taught to cat grain by themselves, but are left to 
depend entirely upon the scanty supply of their 
mother’s milk and whatever hay they eat, they 
grow lanky, with light quarters and are always 
thin on tho ribs. Such lambs look much 
heavier than they really aro ; their frames being 
ofton large and the wool long. As butchers 
say they are “ very deceiving." They are not 
worth so much as later ones which, having 
plenty of milk, are plump and fat, although 
they may not look so largo. 
However, when lambB come in the winter the 
time of the shepherd is not worth bo much as it 
is In tho spring months when seed time presses 
and every minute can be employed at other im¬ 
portant work. This is one of the greatest 
advantages iu favor of winter lambs. If tho in¬ 
tention of the breeder is to winter over his owe 
lambs, then it is best by all means to have them 
come as early as possible, for early lambs will ho 
more likely to have Iambs the next year and so 
double the profits. Another reason, and a good 
one, is, if any of the ewes are old and need to be 
fattened and turned off, the earlier they drop 
their lambs the better, as they may bo moved 
sooner and give tho dams a chance to fatten on 
grass, which they cannot do if required to 
suckle their young until late in the Reason. 
Fattening on grass is the cheapest way to put 
any animal in condition and the best way alto¬ 
gether for one well in years. Lambs dropped iu 
winter are usually tamer and this is of no small 
account, especially if they are designed for a 
flock. A flock of wild, scary sheep is a nuiBanoo, 
while one tame and gentle, which will follow 
the master and are foud of being potted, is a 
delight and really can be kept on much less 
food. You can Boare and run flesh off from 
an animal much sooner than you can put it on- 
No farmer should expect to have early lambs 
unless he has made all of the necessary prepara¬ 
tions. He must have a warm stable or fold to 
keep them in. He must have a warm place for 
the ewes to have their lambs in, and then he 
must have a supply of gTain and roots nnd nice 
bright clover hay. This is tho l>C8t, but rowen 
of any kind will do very well. Rowen is second 
growth hay and tho best is orchard-grass. He 
mnst feed his ewes all they will eat. and it is 
best to teach the young lambs to eat by them¬ 
selves as soon as they are old enough. Our 
lamba aro coming in March. The sheep have 
not been exposed to a storm for several weeks. 
We think it is better for them to starve a little 
than to be soaked with wet at this time of the 
year. Many a time a farmer says in tho 
winter, “I don’t know what is tho matter with 
my sheep. They don’t Boom to have any appe¬ 
tites and they are doing so badly; sheep are 
queer things anyhow.” Well, “ the matter is," 
neglect. Neglect now is worso than at any other 
time, as it lays the foundation for colds and 
consumption, and other disorders which show 
themselves In tho winter and cause tho poor 
sheep to pine away, and maybe die. They are 
lert out in all the cold rain storms and are 
soaking wet day after day. They must get 
chilled and they do, and diseases start with 
theso exposuros, which render them unprofit¬ 
able. 8uch flocks of sheep have puny lambs, or 
maybe—and it is a wonder if they don't—the 
ewes will abort. Sheep are the nicest stock in 
the world when well cared for. No animal 
responds more promptly or profitably to gener¬ 
ous treatment than the sheep—hence the Saxon 
proverb “ the hoof of a sheep is gold." 
Last spring wo obtained from Philadelphia 
and set out two English walnut trees, the 
Madeira nut of coinmcrco. We had seen them 
growing in the vicinity of New York and bad 
hoard that they did well farther north, so we 
had hopes they might possibly live as Tar north 
as tho 43d degreo of latitude. We set our trees 
in the best protected spot on the farm, and if 
they will not live here they will not live any¬ 
where in this section of tho country. They 
h&ve made a short and woll-mutured growth this 
year. We shall hind straw around them to pro¬ 
tect them during tho winter. We aro fortunate 
enough this fall to obtain from a friend In 
Newark, New Jersey, ft couple of quarts of these 
nuts directly from tho tree which was growing 
in his grounds, and we have them all planted in 
warm and well-sheltered places. We aro hoping 
to have succors with them. The Spanish chest¬ 
nut trees on the farm, grown from the nuts, 
have dono well and why should not the English 
walnnts ? 
Wood ashes with the bits of charcoal in them 
and coal as lies, too, are excellent for the fatten¬ 
ing pigs. Pigs cannot Btuff themselves, week 
after week, without their stomachs getting out 
of order and the bits of charcoal check acidity 
and regulate them and help to improve their 
appetites. We think our pigs cannot get along 
without the little pits of ashes in one corner »f 
the pen to root over and pick the charcoal out 
of. It is then dispensary. 
An Ayrshire hull had a wart on ouo of his eye¬ 
lids. It looked badly and threatened to injure 
his oye. A few washes of diluted carbolic acid 
checked Its growth and dried it up. Carbolic 
aoid if in the crystal state, should he reduced at 
least ten times its bulk before being applied to 
flesh. We once burnt the Bkiu of a cow so 
badly that it made a running sore for some time 
and the hair never grew on the spot again. 
Tho fine open weather has enabled us to 
accomplish what we have tried in vain to do for 
several years, to wit, to gather up all of the 
fallen and scattering wood in the woods. We 
let out the job for a third. We mean by that, 
we gave a neighbor one-third of all tho wood he 
found down in tho woods for cutting it all up 
and splitting it. up into rough cord-wood. He 
makes throe piles of my lot and gives us our 
choice of two of them, the third one being left 
for him. As cord-wood—hard wood—is worth 
$4.50 per cord and there aro a good many logs 
and tree-tops left over from last winter, be¬ 
cause the snow was so doep they could not be 
gotten out, he has a good paying contract. 
Wo shall bave a lot of good wood next summer. 
This wood must all bo drawn up to tho house 
and piled carefully. Here it will dry out and 
be ready for use. It oan be secured lu the 
spring and put under cover while the frost is 
coming out and the team cannot work. This 
will make profitable work for tho hired men and 
all summer there will be no trouble about wood. 
A good pile of wood goes a long way towards 
making smiles in the house. The fact that 
there is no wood rotting and going to waste has 
a cheerful look about it too. 
We might plow our barley ground this fall 
but we do not think it advisable. Barley is a 
quick-growing crop and to do well requires the 
ground to be in a light and friable condition. 
It need not be sowed early and generally does 
better when sowed a little late. Our crop, this 
year, was good, nearly ft hundred bushels from 
six bushels sowed. It was not put in until 
after the roots were planted. Wo always like to 
sow barley right after plowing and got It in the 
ground when tho soil Is as fresh aud mellow 88 
possible. We always like to plow the land for 
oats in the fall and get thorn in as early as pos- 
Hible in tho spring. In this way wo have raised 
tho host crops. The clover sod which wo Intend 
to plant with corn is all plowed. This was 
plowed first to make sure of having it dono so 
as to get the full benefit of the clover roots 
rotting and enriching tho gronnd. If they had 
not been turned under tho frost would havo 
thrown many of them out of tho ground and 
they would have dried up and gone to waste. 
Now wo shall get the full benefit of all of them. 
-- 4 -*-*-- 
CRANBERRY CULTURE. 
11. P. Crocket .—Will the Rural please give 
(1) instruction for the cultivation of cranberries, 
stating which kind of land is best; (2) instruc¬ 
tion for composting muck ? I have a large 
amount of the latter, the bed being over twenty 
feet deep—clean, black muck. Tho place was 
once a pond ; will it pay to haul the muck ex¬ 
tensively on farming land ? 
Ans.—As a cranberry plantation is a perma¬ 
nent investment, giving annual returns fora 
life-time, it is important that every precaution 
should bo taken to make it as perfect as possible. 
The best soil for it is an equal mixture of coarse 
sand and muck. As it is soldom a soil of this 
composition can bo found hi a state of nature, 
the best way to form it artificially, is by cover¬ 
ing well-decomposed muck with a layer of sand. 
In a few years trio two becomo thoroughly in¬ 
corporated, making a soil resembling black sand. 
The profitable sites for cranberry culture are 
the following: heath ponds, or low basins, 
places naturally flooded with water in winter ; 
swamp lands in which deep deposits of muck 
arc found ; when properly prepared these make 
valuable and lasting plantations; savannas, or 
grounds lying between swamps and uplands ; 
mill-ponds made available by simply drawing off 
the water. Although there arc many instances 
of successful crauberry culture on alluvial up¬ 
lands, still such locations are invariably less de¬ 
sirable and profitable than tho low. damp sites 
justi enumerated. 
An abundanco of water is necessary to the 
highest success in this branch of industry, not 
only to supply moisture to the plants, but also to 
cover them in winter, thereby affording protec¬ 
tion from severe cold; prevent tho spring 
frosts from injuring tho flowers, and to destroy 
tho cranbcry worm, a frequent assailant of both 
plants and fruit. Tho moisture Bhould he at all 
times near tho surface, but stagnant water is 
fatal to tho growth of the plant, aud tho site of a 
plantation should therefore be such us can be 
drained, at least, one foot bolow trio surface. 
Another important material, used in tho prepar¬ 
ation of cranberry beds, is sand — which is 
Bpread over the surface of the ground. ’Ibis 
sand must he pure, free from any admixture of 
clay or loam, and the best test of a suitable kind 
is this: Take a portion of the soil ami compress 
it tightly in the hand; if it is suitable it will 
fall apart on being released, but if it adheres 
together after the pressure lias been removed, 
reject it at once. To save labor and expense, 
therefore, it is very desirable that an abundance 
of a suitable quality of sand should be closo to 
the site of a cranberry plantation. 
Having selected a location combining water, 
sand and muck, tho next atop is to preparo tho 
ground for planting the viuos. The method of 
doing this varies slightly for the several loca¬ 
tions mentioned, hut there is space here only for 
a general account of the process, having special 
reference to tho site described by our correspon¬ 
dent's letter. Usually, the first stop is that of 
digging a broad, doep ditch arouud the plot, foi 
tho ptupoBo of draining off the surface water, so 
that tho ground may bo cleaned. If the exca¬ 
vated soil be sufficiently compact, it may form 
the embankments, otherwise different soil must 
be added. When tho water has been removed, 
then clear off all trees, logs, bushes, aud other 
incumbrances. These may be burnt on the 
ground and the ashes scattered over tho surface. 
When the soil is dry, a considerable depth of the 
turf is also sometimes burned, so that the re¬ 
mainder cau be much more easily handled. If 
the deposit is deep enough so that a portion of it 
can be spared, it ahould be carted off for manur¬ 
ing the adjacent uplands. Tho turf and surface 
roots are, otherwise, separated from ths soil be¬ 
neath, and taken away—a process called “ turf¬ 
ing ” or “ scalping." 
When the Boil has been leveled and other¬ 
wise prepared, it should be covered with pure 
sand to the depth of from two to eight inches, 
