Eh. 
THE 
gzxm f opus. Industrial Implrmrats, 
WESTERN FARM TOPICS. 
PROFESSOR E. M. SHELTON. 
The impression exists in tbo minds of many 
Eastern people that the wheat crop which figures 
ho prominently among the agricultural products 
of this State, refers wholly, or in good part, to 
the spring varieties. This is a mistake : the 
amouut of spring whoat actually grown being 
little more than one-fourth of the total wheat 
produot. Moreover, while the cultivation of 
winter wheat has increased enormously within a 
few years, the growth of the spring variety has 
made slow and uncertain progress. Thus—to 
quote from the Reports of the Secrotary of our 
State Board of Agriculture—the product of spring 
and winter wheat of the State in 1870 was, in 
round numbers, something under 2% million 
bushels of each sort, the yield of both kinds be¬ 
ing then nearly equal; in 1877 the spring wheat 
product had only increased to 3j^ million bush¬ 
els. while that of winter wheat had risen to the 
enormous total of 10}<j million bushels. All the 
“large yields” and “big fields' of wheat, so 
often mentioned in the papers, without excep¬ 
tion, refer to winter wheat. 
Within two years there have appeared many 
indications of a reaction in favor of spring 
wheat, and I am satisfied that during the pres¬ 
ent seasou a larger area has been sown to this 
variety than ever before in the history of the 
State. Sorno careful observers go so far as to 
assert that the area of spring wheat has been 
more than quadrupled the present season ; and 
should a good crop be harvested the next two 
seasons, I should not be surprised to see the po¬ 
sition of the two sorts nearly reverse^. Thus 
rapidly do these young communities change their 
methods in this, the most conservative of arts. 
There are several reasons for this change in 
the opinions A our farmers: the chinch bug, 
that pest (if the spring wheat plant, has for sev¬ 
eral years done but little damage, while the win¬ 
ter wheat has for two years past been badly in¬ 
jured by rust and grasshoppers. But more than 
anything else, the introduction of the 
ODESSA OR GRASS WHEAT 
has tended to produce this change. This wheat 
may be familiar to your Eastern readers, hut in 
this part of the State it has only been cultivated 
during tho last two or three years, and Ihen on 
limited areas. Of its origiu and history I am 
unable to speak positively. Rumor assigns to 
the Agricultural Department the honor of hav¬ 
ing first introduced the seed into this section. 
I am not prepared to indorse all the claims put 
forward for this variety; but certainly it Las 
proved the moBt valuable spring wheat ever 
growu here, and iu some respects superior to the 
winter sorts. It is claimed for it that it is proof 
against the chinch bug, at least it has not thus 
far been injured by this omnivorous pest, and 
that it is a more certain crop, and generally 
gives larger yields than any similar wheat. To 
these must be added a third and most important 
advantage—it may be sown at any time between 
late fall and May following. It is probably not 
a true spring wheat, but rather it occupies the 
border-land between these two sorts. 
The millers give the Grass Wheat a good name, 
but thus far have failed to back their recom¬ 
mendations with any increase of price as com¬ 
pared with other spring sorts. This wheat has 
probably received its name from its grass-like 
habit of growth, in the young state. At this 
time and until it begins to “joint,” the blades 
are of a pale-green hue, very numerous, long 
and glistening, and in general appearance the 
plant is quite like Perennial Rye-Grass during 
the first year’s growth. 
I shall look with much interest for the results 
of this year's exptrience with Grass Wheat, for, 
without doubt, it will either confirm us in an old 
practice or mark an important change in our 
agriculture. 
We are passing through the most remarkable 
spring that I have ever yet experienced. On 
this 16th day of April I have finished all spring 
seeding, including corn planting. Last year I 
finished corn-planting, June 9cb. Poaches are as 
large as the end of the thumb ; white Rye is in 
l ull bloom; and I have just measured siugle 
stalks of Alfalfa sixleeu inches in length. The 
weather is as warm as that of Juno ordinarily, 
and the season generally is fully a month-and-a- 
half in advance of the almanac. 
State Agi College, Manhattan, K m, April 1G. 
-- 
Rural New Yorker. —By n quest of J. H. 
Reai.l Esq., of your city, I forward you a copy 
of the United States milk record. If yon wish 
to make editorial comments upon it you are at 
liberty to do so on condition of sending me a 
cop\ of your paper whereiu it appears. 
' Respectfully yours, John Lorentzen. 
The milk record above referred to is received. 
We do not wish to impose upon anybody’s 
benevolence and so refrain from editorial com¬ 
ment. 
THE BOSS SICKLE GRINDER. 
Ever since the introduction of mowers and 
reapers, tho greatest difficulty to contend with 
has been to grind the sickles successfully, and 
overy farmer who has ever owned or used one of 
these machines will quickly uuderstand the value 
of a good and economical appliance for this 
purpose. 
After many attempts and failures this end has 
been fully attained in tho Boss Sickle Grinder, 
manufactured by Pow ell, Stevens & Douglas, 
of Waukegan, Illinois, of which the accompa¬ 
nying cut is a good illustration. They first ex¬ 
perimented with an emery stone, but it had two 
serious abjections that could not be overcome, 
viz they could be used for no other purpose, 
and would take the temper out of tho sickle. 
They next tried a V-shapod stone, but found it 
impossible to make it wear even, as the center 
would wear down faster than the sides ; conse¬ 
quently, the sickles could not be ground true, 
All of these objections have been finally over¬ 
come in the Boss Sickle Grinder, which consists 
of a strong, durable frame, a flat-faced stone 
and a sickle-holder that will hold any kind of 
sickle made, and can be turned to one side out 
of the way whenever it is convenient to m^tlie 
stone for other purposes. 
This machine waB first introduced to the public 
last season, and was widely distributed through¬ 
out the United States, but more particularly in 
the West, giving general satisfaction. It was 
exhibited at hundreds of Fairs, both State and 
county, and in no instance did it fail to receive 
the first awards. Benefiting by tL eir first year’s 
experience, the machine for this season has been 
greatly improved. It ia now suitable for all of 
the purposes for which an ordinary grinder Is 
used, aside from the sickle grinding attachment. 
Jt is simple and practical, and any ouo that can 
turn a grindstone can grind a sickle perfectly, 
and in less time than two men by the old method. 
A cam has been substituted for the thumb-screw 
in the bolder, ami can he moved from section to 
Bection about as quickly as though held by hand. 
It will admit a stone 20 inches in diameter, and 
oan ho adjusted to wear it down to six inches. 
The machine is furnished with either Berea or 
Huron Btone, of the best quality, 18 inches in 
diameter, and 2,V to 2] s inches wide, averaging 
about 50 pounds in weight. In short it is a very 
practical, convenient little apparatus, well de¬ 
signed for the uses for which it is intended, and 
as it is well to prepare for the season before it is 
at hand, now is a good time to send to the makers 
for descriptive circular, etc. 
AN IMPROVED SULKY. 
So much lias been said in these columns con¬ 
cerning sulky-plows, and we have expressed our¬ 
selves so clearly in stating their merits that more 
need not be advancod. There are Borne kinds of 
plowing that cannot bo done as acceptably by 
any other implement, and on large places they 
should most certainly form part of the farm 
equipment. 
The illustration we print is a very fine and 
correct representation of the Furst & Bradley 
Mfg. Go's, improved sulky. It is made in Chi¬ 
cago, 111. It is designed to combine strength aud 
lightness, all superfluous material being dis¬ 
carded. Parts subject to strain or wear are how¬ 
ever, fully strengthened. Tho wheels are 
exactly opposite each other and arc readily 
maintained in that relative position. They run 
perfectly at different depths of plowing, so that 
in leveling up, or regulating depth of furrow, 
the direction of the plow remains unchanged, 
and side-draft is avoided. 
The “ compound leveling lever ” throws the 
wheel up or down perpendicularly, and the depth 
is changed without stopping team or dismount¬ 
ing. The frame is independent of the main 
lever, allowing the plow to run at a uniform 
depth. This lever is also locked to the plow 
itself which prevents the pole being influenced 
by the movement of the plow. Tho polo is, 
therefore, steady, aud does not press upon tho 
animals’ necks. Two or three horses abreast 
can be employed at the option of tho operator. 
Stress is laid on the fact that when tho lover is 
locked in the rack, the pivoting point is thrown 
forward from whore the plow is attached to the 
crank axle, to the center of the wheel . This 
makes the plow run much more steadily, while 
the land wheel is passing over uneven surfaces, 
such aB corn rows, or other elevations or depres¬ 
sions, as tho up and down motion of the wheel is 
brought to bear upon the plow muob nearer the 
end of the beam, and affects the running of the 
plow proportion: tely leas. Still another feature 
of importance is. that in raising out of the 
ground, the point comes out first. 
The mechmiioal construction of the sulky is 
admirable. Around the axles are sleeves which 
lit into the hubs of the wheels. These sleeves 
are stationary upon the axles, so that the hub3 
of the wheels turn upon them. As the hubs are 
cast upon a chill rendering them extremely hard, 
it fol'ows that tbo wear must come upon the 
sleeves only, which, when worn out, can be in¬ 
stantly replaced at a nominal cost. 
The handsome pamphlet issued by the makers 
gives much detailed information both respecting 
this sulky, and the numerous other admirable 
implements that are well and widely known in 
various sections. Sent free. 
-*>♦- 
Zimmrebman's Portable Dryer and oven 
which appears in this issue is a sufficient an¬ 
swer to tne many inquiries about dryers that 
have reached us recently. This one is econom¬ 
ical, durablo, portable and fire-proof. We have 
examined it aud find it an admirable apparatus, 
well adapted to the purposes for which it is 
made. We advise our friends to send for circu¬ 
lars as a sufficient inquiry to all questions. 
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IMPROVED SULKY I*JLiO'W. 
CALF FEEDING. 
PROFESSOR E. W. STEWART. 
A very important adjunct to dairying is the 
raising of calves, both for food and to replace 
the cows disposed of. Dairymen have not, 
however, given this legitimate branch of their 
business proper attention. It is very common, 
at meetings of dairymen, to hear them say 
they cannot afford to raise heifers for the dairy, 
and much less to raise calves for beef. I do 
not propose, at present, to take up tho latter 
branch of the subject, but it has always seemed 
to mo a strange conclusion that general dairy¬ 
men could not afford to raise the cows to sup¬ 
ply their own herds. The natural question to 
ask would be; “ Can dairymen afford to allow 
anybody else to raise the cows to replenish 
their herds?” The treatment of the young 
animal has everything to do with the capacity 
of the matured cow for yielding milk. A cow 
cannot give a large quantity of milk without 
large digestive capacity, and a young animal, 
grown in a pinching and unthrifty way, has 
never had its digestive organs fully developed, 
and the digestive and assimilating capacity of 
such an animal can seldom be fully developed at 
a later period by the best feeding. This consid¬ 
eration, alone, is ample ground to show the pro¬ 
fit of dairymen raising their own cows. But 
there are many other considerations, such as 
the attachment an animal forms to a place, and 
the unfavorable effect of change. The latter is 
often observed in feeding for beef animals that 
have been removed to strange quarters, and 
the effect is still worse upon cows in milk. I 
have often Baid that a good dairyman could 
better afford to raise his own cows than to have 
those raised for the markot given to him. 
RATION TOR THE YOUNG CALF. 
Many dairy men are deterred from feeding 
calves because they think whole milk necessary 
to raise a good calf. Such persons have not 
studied the nature of food. It is true that 
milk, as it comes from the cow, is exactly adap¬ 
ted to the growth of the young calf, and that 
when any essential element of the milk has 
been separated from it, it has so far lost its 
perfect character of food. In butter-making 
the cream is taken from the milk, and the resi¬ 
due consists of casein, whey or milk-sugar and 
the mineral elements. But these remaining 
elements are the most valuable in milk. If, 
now, we can supply the oil which has been 
skimmed off, with something of leas value than 
the cream, but having the same feed value to 
the calf, we are practicing true economy. The 
cream from the milk to supply a vigorous calf 
is worth 21 cents per day, at least, and some¬ 
times 30 cents. Now this can be supplied for 
four cents in the oil from boiled llax-seed, and 
the llax-seed also contaius a largo proportion 
of albuminoids and the mineral constituents 
necessary to grow the muscles and bones of the 
calf. I have tested this so many times, and 
with such uniform success, that I can recom¬ 
mend boiled llax-seed as a full complement for 
the cream takeu off. 
A calf thou mav he fed skimmed milk when 
one week old, with the addition of one gill of 
boiled tiax-sued, increasing this ration gradu¬ 
ally to a pint per day when four weeks old, and 
then adding fine middlings or corn and oats 
ground together, or a piut to one quart of oam 
Tinground, Flax-seed gruel with plenty of 
skimmed milk will produce a very fine growtn, 
leaving the calf aB mellow to the touch as ir 
sucking the cow. I have produced a growth or 
over three pounds per day, upon calves two 
months old upon this ration. The oil taken off m 
the cream can bo replaced for one-hftu of tho 
money value of the cream. Butter dairymen 
may raise a calf, to each cow, upoD the skim 
milk and a little additional food, such as indi¬ 
cated, aud got one-fourth to one-thud as muon 
profit out of the refuse milk as out of the nut¬ 
ter. Belling butter robs the land of nothing 
valuable only carbon which has no mammal 
value. 
Erie Co. N. Y. 
