EW-YOBSCER. 
®|f Querist, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Hen Manure. 
F. 0. M .—I have about a dozen barrelB oT 
pure hen manure; will the Rural please tell me 
what is the best thing to mix with it, and in 
what proportion, for general ubo ? 
An 6.—Dry mnek is, probably, the best thing 
to mix with hen manure. Let the mixture lie 
in a heap until it heats. Then work it over and 
mix with more, repeating the operation two or 
three times, until the dung is mixed with fully 
four times its weight of muck, which will proba¬ 
bly be eight times Ub bulk. If muck is not haudy, 
soil or coal ashes will do instead ; common barn¬ 
yard manure will also answer very well, and the 
oompost will be very rich. 
Applying Liquid Manure. 
IV- IT. Stoughton. —What is the best way to 
apply liquid manure on my garden patch ? 
Ans.— Having collected the liquid manure in, 
say, a barrel, as if for a leach, draw off the strong 
liquid from the bottom ; and having diluted it 
to the color of ordinary tea, apply it to the plants 
only when they are in a growing state. If used 
when drought has checked their growth, it will 
prove injurious. On such a small scale as you 
need it, the beat way of applying it is by moaiiB 
of a watering-pot. Draw away the earth from 
around the roots of the plant, apply the liquid 
manure, and when this has soaked away, replace 
the earth. An application twice a week is quite 
often enough. 
Soft -ShelledlE ggs. 
It. C. M .—My hens lay a great many soft- 
shelled eggs. Will the Rural please tell mo a 
preventive ? 
Ans. —Give your henR powdered oyster or clam 
shells, lime, finely powdered bones, or marble 
dust, mixed with their feed. 
Miscellaneous. 
J. M. A .—Can the Rural give me any infor¬ 
mation as to tho actual cost of carrying freight 
and passengers a hundred miles ? 
Ans. —We presume our correspondent refers 
to railroad transportation. Reports are annually 
made by the different lines of their running ex¬ 
penses, and a little figuring with regard to any of 
these will give, pretty closely, the information 
our correspondent is in search of. 
S. 0., Brooklyn. N. Y. —I wish to have a bed 
of Snow drops and Crocus this coming spring, 
but as I can’t plant them now in the spot where 
I would like them to blossom, will the Rural be 
good enough to tell me whether I could start 
them in the house (cellar) and transplant them 
in February or early March ? 
Ans. — Yes, you could do this but transplanting 
would in j ure the roots aud the flowers, unless, 
they were planted in little pots and thumped out 
with the earth intact. It seems to us the plan 
will give you more trouble in its execution than 
the rosolt8 will be worth. 
Subscriber, Lynchburg, Fa., wants a cure for 
a horse that is going blind. He had better look 
in the animal's mouth, and if he finds an extra 
tooth in front of the grinders, let him pull it 
out, on the upper jaw on each side, aud I 
think his horse’s eyes will get well. Have had 
experience in that direction. Auy one who has 
a colt that wsb a year old last summer, can find 
them now, and they ought to he pulled out at 
once. a. w. h. 
Greenfield, Mass. 
J?D. G, Meadville, Pa .—Please let me know 
through your next issue, (1 ) the name of the 
best seed drill—for horse, not hand nHe.—If you 
do not wish to discriminate, name two or three 
of the best. (2 ) Is there a potato digger that 
is a success, one for horse power I mean ? What 
name ? 
Ans. —We are always glad to give all the in¬ 
formation we can without regard to the faot 
we may discriminate in somebody’s favor aud 
give a little “ free advertising. ” Our only care 
is to do no injustice. (1.) We refer you to our 
issue of Jan. 10, for description of improvement 
in the Albany planter which is a good one-horse 
implement. The Rural of May 19, ’76 will give 
you illustrated description. (2.) There are sev¬ 
eral potato-diggers in the market differing from 
each other immaterially. Allen’s Potato-Dig¬ 
ging Plow, (189 Water St., N. Y.,) is as good as 
any. 
M. W ., Poquonoc .—If you will send a flower 
and leaf, we can probably tell you. 
A. E. C-, Charlotte, Mich .—Please to tell 
me, through the Rural, how much boiled flax¬ 
seed to feed to a small yearling per day. I 
wish to fatten it for the butcher as it does not 
pay to keep such stock on tho farm. 
Ans. —Not over a quart and then it ought to 
be mixed with some coarser feed, beginning 
gradually. 
T. W. M., Lib. Co., Mich ,—Will want a quantity 
of field aud garden seeds soon. There is so 
much bogus seed on the market, want to know 
where tho best can be obtained. Want to know 
who has an incubator for hatching at least 800 
eggs. Would like to raise poultry by the thou 
sand. Do you know of any incubator that 
hatches a large per centage of the eggs, and that 
does it successfully, economically, and without 
too much watebiug and trouble ? 
Ans.— We can not say where the best seed can 
be obtained. As regards incubators, we would 
refer to recent issues of the Rural for the in¬ 
formation desired. 
Mrs. C. C. North Bass , Ohio. —Will the Ru¬ 
ral please tell me wbat is the matter with my 
Oleander j it seems to be growing vigorously, but 
the uuder side of the leaves is affected with a 
white scale, and if it is not removed by washing, 
the leaves turn yellow aud drop off. Please give 
remedy. 
Ans. —Scrape them off with the back of a 
knife and sponge the leaves afterwards. Col¬ 
lect the scales upon a paper and burn them. 
Alcohol may be advantageously used for spong¬ 
ing the leaves. 
Header .—Will the Rural tell me where I can 
get the following grass seeds, as I want to exper¬ 
iment with them the coming season, and whether 
such mixture would be good for hay as well as 
pasture, on clay laud ?—Timothy, lted-top, Bluo 
grass, Orchard grass, Meadow Fescue, and En¬ 
glish Rye grass ; how much of this mixture will 
seed four acres, aud the cost ? (2). What is a 
good remedy for lice on cattle ? 
Ans. —Timothy and Orchard grass do not ripen 
together, as the latter is fully three weeks the 
earliest; hence, for a meadow, it is not wise to 
seed them both on the same laud. We would not 
mix Timothy with any other grass for a meadow, 
unless it was with Red-top. English rye grass 
would be likely to kill out in our northern lati¬ 
tudes, aud in the South the climate is probably 
too hot and dry for it to do well. Red-top. Orch¬ 
ard grass, Blue grass, and Meadow Fescue, would 
be a good mixture fora permanent pasture, sow¬ 
ing one part of each to an acre, making two 
bushels in all; ten or twelve quarts is enough 
Timothy seed for an acre. Red-top is worth in 
New York. #1.25 per bushel of 12 pounds; Blue- 
grass, #2.25 per bushel of 14 poundB; Orchard 
grass, the same weight, #2 25; aud Meadow Fes¬ 
cue, 20 pounds for a bushel, is worth 45o. a 
pouud; Ttmotby grass, the best quality, is worth 
#2 per bushel. The seeds can be had of lv H. 
Allen & Co. of this city, or of any seedsman 
here or in the next town to you. 
(2). A strong soap suds of carbolic soap will 
kill lice on cattle or ticks on sheep; aud so will 
a decoction of tobacco, -when thoroughly mixed 
with salt, also destroy them when rubbed into 
the hair. 
COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED FOR THE WEEK ENDING 
Monday, Feb. 11th. 
B. A. W.—G. G.—M. B. M.—F. F. L —W. F.-^J H. 
—W. B -W. C.-W. C.L. D.-S, B. P.—J. M. G.— 
J. B. J.—A. C. W.—M. L. D.—S. V. W. C.—S. B. P., 
No. 2.—B. P. M—F. 8. K.—W. J. B.—W. 11. I,— 
A. E. B.—A. W. M — M. 3. B.—L. W. B.—C. G— 
A. L. J. — J. 8.—J. G. L.—C. B.—S. T. F.—L. A. R. 
—W. J. B.—A. S.—D. M. O. 
JLetos ot tjjt Mlcfti. 
CONDENSED NEW YORK TELEGRAMS. 
Tuesday, Feb. 7.— There have been made some 
shocking revelation? ot the tortures to which con¬ 
victs have been put in the New Jersey State 
Prison—burning, putting on the rack, etc.; sev¬ 
eral deaths have resulted from this official bar¬ 
barity. More trouble apprehended among the 
Sioux: Gen. Miles lias been reinforced, and la 
getting ready for operations in early spring. 
All the Turkish men-or-war on the Danube 
have been surrendered to Russia, and a part If 
not tho whole of the Ottoman fleet will also be 
given up part of Indemnity, The Powers that 
have guaranteed the independence of Greece In¬ 
sist that she shall discontinue hostilities. Her 
army, despite reports to the contrary, has not 
come Into collision with the Turks. There are 
40,000,000 bushels of wheat stored In the Black 
8ea ports of Russia, to be thrown on the market 
on the conclusion of peace. 
Wednesday, Feb. 8.—The silver bill Is taking 
up all the time of Congress. Oceans or talk, wltn 
no result. The Senate Committee on Finance has 
agreed to Senator Wallace’s bill substantially ror 
Po&t-oflice savings banks. 
Austria’s Invitation to the Powers to hold a con¬ 
ference has been accepted by Germany, Fra nee, 
and Italy. England will also concur. Russia 
maintains a war-Ukc attitude, and reinforce¬ 
ments are constantly pouring into Turkey, to be 
prepared for all emergencies. There has been a 
great panic at Athens on report of the approach 
of the Turkish fleet. A new ministry has been 
formed in Turkey, responsible to Parliament, and 
the office ot Grand Vizier has been abolished. In 
the British Parliament all attacks on Russia are 
loudly cheered. Austria insists that Russia shall 
not control both sides of the Danube at any 
place. 
Thursday, Feb. T.—Augustus Tourney, teller of 
the Bank of North America in this city, has de¬ 
faulted to the amountof $100,000—a model of piety 
and morality 1 
There is a wild rumor that the Russians have 
occupied Constantinople. Russia objects to bold¬ 
ing the conference In Vienna, and Insists that a 
small town in a small State Is the most appropri¬ 
ate place, she agrees to take part In It however. 
It Is said Osman Pasha will be court-martialed 
by the Russians for ordering the execution of 
prisoners of war. Server Pasha, plenipotentiary 
to the G~and Duke Nicholas, declares that the 
Porte was misled and encouraged to fight on the 
promise of English support. Lord Buconsfleld 
says the statement Is an Infamous fabrication. 
Strong language from a Prime Minister of one 
nation to the foreign Minister of another—and 
everything Indicates that the latter Is substan¬ 
tially correct. 
Friday, Feb. 8.—Anderson, the first of the La. 
Returning Board tried, has been found guilty of 
forgery and altering public documents, and for 
publishing the same as true. 
After a life of 95 years, and a pontificate of 32 
years, and a self-imprisonment of eight years 
Pope Plus IX died yesterday at a tew minutes be¬ 
fore live In the ufternoon. The following addi¬ 
tional points of the armistice conditions are as¬ 
serted In special despatches to the London morn¬ 
ing papers:— 
That the railway between Adrianoplo and Con¬ 
stantinople be repaired and operated, and also 
the telegraph line between Adrianoplo and Odes¬ 
sa by way of Constantinople. 
The raising of the blockade of the Black Sea 
and tho Danube for everything except ammuni¬ 
tion. 
The Russians to occupy the Black Sea coasts 
from the Russian frontier to Baltchlk, and from 
Missouri to DerkloJ. 
On the Sea of Marmora, the Russians to occupy 
Bat J uk-TchakmadJe and Tseharkloj. 
On the Aegean Sea, from Enos to Mekrl. 
These are in addition to the points held by the 
Russians at the time ot the signature of the ar¬ 
mistice. 
Houmanla refuses to re-cede Bessarabia to Rus¬ 
sia. The windows of Mr. Gladstone’s house and 
those of the Dally News were broken last evening 
by a furious mob In disapprobation of the Russian 
advocacy or the statesman and paper. 
Saturday, Feb 9.—Anderson of La., asks Tor a 
new trial on the ground that bis conviction was 
against the evidence. Wells has, been released 
on $ 10,000 bail. Sitting Bull, arter all, Is still In 
Canada. 
Italy has assured foreign governments that, 
she guarantees a free and uninterrupted election 
of a new Pope. Preparations tor this are rapidly 
•wing made; Cardinals are summoned to Rome 
from all quarters. Cardinal McCloskey has just 
left this city (for .Europe. The body of Plus the 
T'.C has been taken to 8t. Peter's. The Ultra¬ 
montane candidates are Cardinals Blllo and Pane- 
blanco, the liberal, Fcrrlerl and Pietro. Papal 
elections, however, very often resutt In surprises, 
Germany will not. interfere, audit a Liberal la 
elected Bismarck will seek an accommodation of 
existing difficulties. There Is a strong probabli. 
Uy that Husssla and Turkey will form an offen¬ 
sive ana defensive alliance. The English Minis¬ 
try has been sustained by a vote of 328>galnst m, 
many of the prominent Liberals having abstained 
from voting. A portion of the English fleet has 
been ordered to the Bosphorus to protect British 
Interests at Constantinople. The war spirit is 
very fierce In England; and all confidence In 
Russian moderation Is declared to have been for¬ 
feited, 
Sunday. Feb. 10.— The Silver men In Congress 
will force rapid action on the Bland bill, which 
win be passed probably within a week. Senator 
Kellogg ol Louisiana, is said to hold the balance 
or power on the bill In the Senate, as without his 
vote It cannot get the two-thirds majority requir¬ 
ed to paas It over the President's veto. At Pitta- 
burg, Pa., 12,ooo men turned out In procession as 
a demonstration against the proposed change In 
the tariff favorable to free trade. 
Russia declares that the dispatch of the British 
fleet to the Bosphorus restores to her liberty of 
action, releasing her from all the engagements 
made to England with regard to terms of peace. 
She does not regard this movement, however, as 
a casus belli, buL will regulate her conduct by 
i hat of England. The Sultan and the Grand Duke 
Nicholas are to meet at Tchataldja, near Constan¬ 
tinople. The most earnest pro-Russian papers In 
England now approve the warlike action of the 
British Government. The 64th Regiment has 
shipped for Malta. The Russians have captured 
120,000 men, Including 20 Pashas, and 1.000cannon 
during the war. The Insurgents In Epirus have 
proclaimed their union with Greece; but the 
forces of the latter have been recalled, much to 
the dissatisfaction of the people. 
Monday, Feb. n.—Anderson, of the La. Re¬ 
turning Board, has a dispatch from secretary 
Sherman, Stanley Mathews, Garfield, aud other 
*' visiting statesmen” earnestly protesting his in¬ 
nocence of fraud, and denouncing his conviction 
as an exhibition of sectional partisanship. Two 
colored Jurors declare they brought In a verdict 
ot “ guilty, but recommended to mercy,” agalust 
him because the other Jurors told them this was 
tantamount to an acquittal. Both not over 22 
years, one perhaps disqualified for Juror on ac¬ 
count of being too young. 
The TurklsU forces have evacuated Wlddln, 
Rustchuk, Slllstrla, Belgradschlk, ana Erzeroum, 
and withdrawn from the outer defences of Con¬ 
stantinople leaving a neutral zone, 12 miles 
broad, between themselves and the Russians. 
Austrian and Italian war vessels are on their 
way to the Bosphorus, following British example. 
By former teatles no foreign war vessels were al¬ 
lowed to pass t he Dardanelles. A war with Eng¬ 
land would be highly popular In Russia ; but It 
Is probable that before any hostile action Is taken, 
Austria and Great Britain will wait, to see the re¬ 
sult as the proposed conference. In this Russia 
will insist on a reservation of certain points 
which will not be dtscussed. What these may be 
will probably decide the question of peace or war 
Involving the greater part of Europe. Meanwhile, 
the Black Sea ports are aU open, and an enor¬ 
mous shipment of grain will soon reach foreign 
markets. Garabaldl Is alarmingly 111. 
■ ■» ♦ » 
HOME NEWS PARAGRAPHS. 
Montana, with flfty thousand people, reported 
not a single failure during 1877. 
The Governor of California receives the highest 
salary among Governors, viz., $9,ooo 
The Rural Clock speaks for itself (see page 107) 
though we hope every one ot our subscribers will 
speak for It. 
Sing Sing prison cleared six thousand dollars 
last month. It Is a satisfaction to know business 
Is good Bomewhere. 
Thirty-four thousand Massachusetts women 
have petitioned tho Legislature to allow women 
to vote at municipal elections. 
Based on the average yield of the land In the 
United States, It would require the product of 
4,000 acres In corn, or 6,000 acres In wheat, to fully 
load one freight steamer of a carrying capacity of 
3,ooo tons. 
It Is stated that the farmers of Clinton county, 
Iowa, during the past year have lost from 75,000 
to 100,000 hogs from cholera, the loss In value 
reaching at least $500,000, and many consider that 
a low estimate. 
Near York, Pa., lives a farmer who has kept a 
record of the number of tramps visiting his prem¬ 
ises. From the 1st of April to the ist.Li of Novem¬ 
ber last year, there were 545, or an average of 
about sixteen a week. 
The total dividends paid last year by mining 
companies, banks, Insurance and express com¬ 
panies, and other commercial enterprises on the 
Pacific coast, not Including the Central Pacific 
Railroad, was $34, 366,000 an increase of $1,250,000. 
The winter of 1829-30 surpassed the present one 
In mildness. Farmers plowed every month In the 
season, and no snow fell until Feb. 2. It was tol. 
lowed, however, be a cold, backward spring, with 
a snow storm In May which killed the returning 
swallows. 
The State of Georgia lets out its convicts for $14 
a piece to companies that furnish guards aud em¬ 
ploy the prisoners In mines or on farms. A con¬ 
tract has Just been entered into between ex-Gov. 
Brown and tbe State by wblch the fo-rner agrees 
to pay the latter $500,ooo in yearly Installments of 
$25,000 for the use of all convicts for twenty years 
from April, 1S79. 
The coal production of the world has Increased 
enormously since lsis. In that year Great 
Britain produced 31,500,000 tens; In 1874,125,043,- 
000 ; Belgium, 1845, 4,960,077; in 1874, 14,669,000. 
France, 1845, 4,141,617; 1874, 16,949,000. Prussia, 
1845, 3,500,000; 1874, 41,754,600. Ill the United 
States the production in 1S74 was nearly ten 
times that In 1845. 
A statistical report to the Montgomery county 
(O.) Horticultural Society, on the 12th Inst., 
shows that 880,000 acres In the State are In apple 
trees, yleldtng an annual average of 12 , 000,000 
bushels ; that tho State averages 100,000 bushels 
of pears annually ; and that to,000 acres are In 
grapes, producing an annual average of 90,000,000 
pounds, yielding 700,000 gallons of wine. 
The wholesale slaughter ot deer In tho Adiron¬ 
dack Is going on this winter more recklessly 
than ever, and la arousing the Indignation and 
alarm of all true sportsmen. The woods are full 
of hounds, and at least loo deer,were killed on a 
single river and its lakes last fall. It Is estimated 
that. If this wanton destruction goes on un¬ 
checked, there will not be a single deer in all tbe 
Adirondack region In ten years. 
The State salt manufactures at Onondaga, N. Y. 
which have boon a source of Immense profit to 
the State and the Individual lessees of the works, 
have been steadily running down hill for some 
time past. Last year the expenses were $19,999, 
and the surplus only 49 cents, the annual man¬ 
ufacture Is only halt what It used to be 
and some change of policy Is demanded which 
shall prevent the entire ruin or the business. 
The Moffett bell-punch seems to be working 
out the financial salvation of Virginia, and Is 
bringing Into the State treasury from $400,000 to 
$ 600,000 per annum toward the payment of theState 
debt. There Is a good deal of talk of Introducing in¬ 
to other States, especially Kentucky. thl3 method 
of registering every drink taken In every liquor 
store, taxing the s.unu, and thus raising a large 
revenue while checking drinking to some extent. 
There are fifty men lu San Francisco worth 
rrora $1,000,000 to $25,000,000. Flood, O’Brien, 
Maekay and Fair, the bonanza men, represent 
one hundred millions of money, already accumu¬ 
lated, with the possibility of untold millions un¬ 
der their feet. as they walkover the lowcrjovulsot 
the “Virginia Coneolodated," the “California” and 
the‘‘Ophlr” mines. “ Ophlr,” like a Kentucky 
ham boiled In Burgundy, grows richer as It Is cut 
deeper dowu and nearer the bone. Leland Stan¬ 
ford, Charles Crocker, and David D. Colton, the 
Central Pacific railroad builders and principal 
owners, are worth Ironi $5,000,000 to $90,000,000 
