3S0 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
MAY 2 5 
Querist, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
An Uniform Plow of Milk for Market. 
Walter fieverly, Venango Co., Pa., asks how 
he can best keep np from his cows a uniform flow 
of milk all the year round so as to satisfactorily 
supply his city customers; what feed and treat¬ 
ment of cows would best conduce to thiB end. 
Ans.—A system to preserve a good, uniform 
flow of milk, depends upon circumstances. The 
easiest and best way during the summer months, 
if the owner has plenty of pasture, ib to turn the 
cows to grass during the day, and at early eve¬ 
ning, give them in the stable & liberal feed of 
finely ground bran or oats, and after eating this, 
put them back again into the pasture. If pas¬ 
ture is scarce, keep the cows in the stable doriDg 
the day-time, and give them two feedings of 
bran or meal, morning and night, and all the 
forage they will consume, feeding them three 
times a day. I'ut them in the pasture at night. 
Under any condition let them have all the water 
they want, and at least twice a day. The quan¬ 
tity of meal should be regulated according to 
the size of the cow. 
Green feed will make the most milk, over any 
other food, provided it is of Buch a kind that tbe 
cow will eat bouutifully of it; but the milk will 
not be as rich as if the cow was fed some meal 
with it. For stable feeding in summer, there 
must be a variety of green forage, beginning 
with rye, the earliest, and oats, clover, corn 
and millet in their order. For winter feed, 
brewers’ grains will make a free flow of milk. 
They can be fed in connection with hay or corn¬ 
stalks. The largest flow of milk and the most 
uniform can be produced by cutting the forage, 
and steaming it, mixed with bran and roots. 
This form of food keeps the cow the nearest to a 
summer condition in her food, as it is succulent 
and laxative, and if fed a regular quantity, will 
produce a steady and uniform flow of milk. 
Being fed warm makes it all the more suited to 
promote immediate and generous secretion, as 
the system is not chilled, or the digestive func¬ 
tions iu auy way sot hack; but, on the contrary, 
the food is put in the condition to be rapidly and 
freely digested, and the rumen emptied ready 
for auother supply. To have a uniform quantity 
of milk, the cows should be managed so that they 
will become new milkers at different times of the 
year. A good cow is an essential part of a dairy, 
and should be thought of first. A warm stable 
in winter is another important consideration. 
The stable should be 60 warm it will never 
freeze, and the cows should be kept in it all the 
time, except while they are getting a drink. The 
stable should be bo constructed that the oows 
can lie down comfortably. When a cow is cold 
and weary and restless, she will not do well. Let 
them have room to move about a little, and liok 
themselves, and keep them warm, and give them 
all of the succulent food they will eat, and there 
will be a generous reward. 
Seeding Potatoes. 
IF. 27. Mower, Cheshire Co., 2V. H., asks about 
seeding potatoes so as to obtain the best results 
in quantity and size; 1. how many bushels 
should he used per aare ; 2. should the tubers 
be id anted whole or out to single eyes. 
Ass. —By all means cut the potatoes, even if 
so small that a whole potato is needed. Out 
potatoes, especially if the cut surface is slightly 
dried and hardened, push the Bhoot much more 
rapidly than potatoes planted whole. With re¬ 
gard to amount of seed needed, it varies with 
different sorts, Bize of potatoes and distance of 
the hiUB from each other. With hills three feet 
apart each way, Early Rose and Early Vermont, 
from three to five bushels are enough; of Peer¬ 
less and Late Rose five to eight bushels, per acre; 
Cut in pieces with two or three good eyes and 
plant one piece in a hill of the early sorts, and two 
pieces per hill of strong-growing varieties. On 
rich soil Peerless and Late Rose will often grow 
too large and misshapen, if only one piece per 
hill is planted. Planting two pieces per hill 
remedies thiB evil, making more potatoes and of 
good market size. It is much better to have 
two pieces with two or three eyes each than one 
piece with five or six eyes. Reject any small, 
and all unripe potatoes. Those about the size of 
hens' eggs of Early Rose make good seed, and can 
be cut in three to six pieces. It does not pay 
to cut to single eyes except with new and very 
scarce varieties. Good crops are thus grown, 
but it is too much labor. Drill culture is also 
expensive, and of no advantage to strong-grow¬ 
ing sorts; but of Early Rose more potatoes oan 
be grown per acre in drills throe feet apart and 
potatoes 15 inches distaut in the rows. But 
this rarely pays. Fully 150 to 175 bushels of 
Early Rose can be grown in bills 32 to 36 inches 
apart, with most of the work of cultivation done 
with the horse-hoe. Unless land iB very scarce 
and labor very cheap, hills, with rows both ways, 
are much preferable to drills. 
Remedies for Gapes in Ohickens. Etc. 
Frank Crane, Wayne Co., Ohio, asks, 1, for 
some means of preventing a cow losing her milk 
towards the end of the day; 2, a remedy for 
gapes in chickens. 
Akb.—T o prevent a cow losing her milk to¬ 
wards evening : milk her three times a day until 
the tendency to do so, is removed. See also an¬ 
swers to E. M. A. in this department. 2. Spring 
is peculiarly the season for gapes among chick¬ 
ens, and every year, as it comes round, inquiries 
are made and answered with regard to its treat¬ 
ment. As it is due to the presence of gape 
worms in the windpipe of the chick, these must 
be removed or killed before it oan remedied. To 
effect this numerous meanB have been found 
more or less effectual, among the most strongly 
indorsed of which are the following: Strip off 
the vane of a small feather to within an inch of 
the end; dip this in spirits of turpentine and 
then thrust it down the windpipe; give it a turn 
or two and draw it out quickly, bringing out the 
worm or killing it. Another: blow tobacco 
smoke into the chick's month; a portion will 
pass down the windpipe as it breathes, tbuB 
reaching the worm and often killing it. A bet¬ 
ter way: twist a horse-hair, making a small loop 
at the end; insert this in the chick’s windpipe, 
give two or three twists with the thumb and 
fore-finger, and a quick pull out will generally 
bring to light a couple of worms about half an 
inch or more in length and of & blood-red oolor. 
If unsuccessful at the first attempt, tiy again, and 
continue until all the pests—sometimes as many 
as a dozen or even more—are removed. Cam¬ 
phor, a very strong vermifuge, is also said to 
be au excellent remedy. It is usually given in 
Bmall pills, about the size of a pea, especially in 
the early stages, and also diluted in the water 
the chicks drink. Gapes is nearly always the 
result of foul water, exposure to wet and want 
of proper nourishment, unless when it is com¬ 
municated from infected fowls. These causes 
should be abated, of ocnrBe, and the afflicted 
chicks strictly separated from the others. 
How To Use Paris-green. 
TP L . Cray, Somerset Co., Pa., asks, in view 
of the early appearance of the Colorado beetle, 
and in consideration of this being his first sea¬ 
son on a farm, how Paris-green should be used. 
Ans. —The easiest, quickest and safest way is 
to mix Paris-green with water in proportion of 
a tablespoonful of the former to a pailful of the 
latter. Use a brush or swab, made by tying a 
handful of fine corn-husks to the end of a stick 
two or three feet long. Take the pail in one 
hand and the brush in the other, give each plant 
a thorough sprinkling, stirring the water from 
the bottom of the pail occasionally as the Paris- 
green settles, and taking two rows at a time. 
The sprinkling should commence just as soon 
as the young beetles or larva) make their ap¬ 
pearance and, if a second swarm appears after 
the first has been laid to rest, the newcomers 
must be treated in the same prompt manner as 
their predecessors. A common watering pot 
with a rose may be used instead of the brush. 
The powder may also be mixed with flour or 
plaster aDd dusted in the cool of the morning 
according to directions frequently given in these 
columns. 
To Prevent a Oow Leaki lg Her Milk. 
E. M. A., SmUhviUe, OnL, Canada, asks for 
some method praoticed by farmers for prevent¬ 
ing a cow from leaking her milk. 
Ans.— Several ways of remedying this evil are 
in praotice among farmers: First, after milking, 
place au India-rubber ring round the teat, to be 
kept there for two or three days at a ti ae, dur¬ 
ing three or four weeks, until the udder expands 
sufficiently to hold the milk. Seoond, milk the 
cow three times instead of twice a day nntil the 
muscles of the teats gain sufficient strength to 
hold the milk from morning until evening. 
Third, immediately after milkiDg, wipe the teat 
dry, and with a small brush apply to its end & 
small quantity of oollodion that may be had at 
the druggist's. This at once forms a thin, tough 
membrane or skin which will prevent leakage, 
and is easily removed before milking. Fourth, 
take white-oak bark, put it into water, boil it 
down to a strong solution; then, after every 
milking, soak the ends of the leaky teat or teats 
in the solution for a few minutes, and prevention 
is said to be sure. These four remedies are given 
separately by practical farmers, each of whom 
says he has found his successful; if all prove 
useless, take the cow to the butcher, as he alone 
can remedy the evil. 
Ayrshire Cattle. 
A Subscriber, Oconmowoc, Waukesha Co., 
T Vis., asks whether the Ayrshire cattle are a 
distinct breed or only the product of crossing 
other breeds. 
Ans.— The present Ayrshire cattle are un¬ 
doubtedly entitled to bo considered a distinct 
breed, having the faculty which constitutes a 
breed—the power of certainly transmitting to 
their progeny their own distinctive characteris¬ 
tics. After an examination of many authorities on 
tbe subject, Youatt concludes that tbe ancestors 
of the present breed wero introduced into Ayr¬ 
shire, Scotland, and the adjacent districts, by 
the Earl of Marohmont, between 1721 and 1740, 
It is eoujootured that they were originally either 
of the TeeHwater breed, or derived from it. It 
is by crosses from these original progenitors 
with the native cattle that the present improved 
breed of Ayrshires has been developed. 
Miscellaneous. 
A Rural Reader, Troupsburgh, Steuben Co., 
N. Y-, asks whether the Oape Jessamine is a house 
plant by nature, and what treatment does it 
require in order to make it blossom. 
Ans. —It is a hardy greenhouse plant; that is, 
it will endure some exposure. It may be used 
as a bedding plant daring summer and removed 
to a frost-proof shelter during winter. It 
should be potted in a mixture of light loam with 
a small portion of white sand and well-decom¬ 
posed manure. The proper name of the Oape 
Jasmine or Jessamino is Gardenia. 
Treatment of Hoy as. 
Nrs. P. B. W., Park Place, Arkansas, asks 
what is the matter with her Hoya. It looks 
fresh, after being in her possession two years, 
has plenty of vigorous-looking roots, but only a 
single leaf which appears to get thicker; other¬ 
wise there is no change in it. 
Ans.—H oyas like a stove heat and full ex¬ 
posure to the Bun, and the soil should be fibrous 
with a little Iqam and Band, adding bits of char¬ 
coal to keep the soil open. 
Communications received for the week ending 
Saturdat, Mat. 18th. 
H. — M. B. C. — R. S., always acceptable — 
J. L. N.—F. D. C.—“ Friend”— L. A. R.— W. C.L .— 
A. L. J.—H. J. D.— G. E. S.—P. S. W.—W .C. W.— 
W. T. M.— E. O. K. — W. R. W.—G. P.—J. L. D.— 
J. W. K., thanks-C. \V. G.— N. W. B. — E. L. C.— 
R. A. D.—A. P.—E. B. C.—T. M„ thanks—W. L.— 
C. D. H.-H. R.—B. 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
Bergen Countt, N. J., May 15. 
THI FROST. 
Whf,n in the care of fruits, vegetables, crops 
or plants of any kind, disasters come which by a 
little extra work or thoughtfulness might have 
been averted, we are full of self-reproach for 
the neglect. When, howover, our best endeav¬ 
ors fail to avert disasters, there is much of con¬ 
solation in the thought that the misfortune was 
not merited. So far as possible we had prepared 
for a sharp frost. The bedding plants were 
covered in so far ae we could provide articles 
with wbioh to cover them. Even the grape 
vines were covered with newspapers. Not less 
than thirty varieties of grapes showed buds, 
many of them for the first. Some of the 
stronger-growing had made shoot* eighteen 
inches long. But the frost was too severe to 
render the paper-protection of any value. The 
Bhoots were withered and blackened to the buds 
from which they sprang. All of the bedding 
plants were injured or killed outright. The 
leaves of Magnolias and the flowers of those 
which wero blooming were seared as if by a 
burning wind and these trees look, as we write, 
as if it were late fall instead of late spring. 
The effects of this frost were very peculiar. 
It would seem that bud it been a trifle less 
severe, it would have done comparatively little 
harm, and had it been a trifle more severe, it 
would have done incalculably more harm. For 
instance, the topmost loaves of one Tulip tree 
growing in a high, southern exposure, were with¬ 
ered. Upon another Tulip growiug in a north¬ 
ern exposure upon the banks of the lake, not a 
leaf was touched 
In one part of our grounds, the now shoots of 
the Norway Spruce wilted over so as to rest upon 
the stem. In another part they wero not appre¬ 
ciably affected. In one part, the new shoots of 
Picea Anna were killed; iu another, but slight ly in¬ 
jured. The leaves of one Wistaria were scorched; 
of another, not at all. Some of the green straw¬ 
berries were blighted; others not harmed so far 
as can be judged at present. About this neigh¬ 
borhood, corn three or four inches high, was 
out off in patches over the field, while the rest 
was unharmed. So of potatoes. While in other 
fields the corn was everywhere killed and the 
potatoes blackened to the ground. In some 
localities, not over half a mile distaut, the frost 
was very light—in others persons did not know 
there had been any frost. One thing we ob¬ 
served that may be worthy of note, is that purple¬ 
leaved varieties did not suffer the same as green¬ 
leaved varieties or species. The leaves of suoh 
shrnbB and trees as the purple-leaved Filbert, 
purple-leaved Berberry, Birch, Boech, Oak, Ac., 
were not, so far as we could discover, ourled or 
wilted in the least, while those of the hardy 
Yellow Wood, yellow-flowering Horse Chestnut 
and green-leaved Oak (QuerouB fastigiata,) Hazel 
and Birch were. 
One is very apt to exaggerate the damage 
done on such occasions in the first flush of dis¬ 
appointment. In reality it is not a very serious 
matter. Corn can be planted again—potatoes 
will keep on growiug though the check may 
lessen the yield and make the crop a little later. 
We do not shed tears over the destruction of 
our tender bedding plants. We can replace or 
go without them. Besides, wo knew there was 
still a likelihood of frost for three weeks when 
they were put out, We danced—and we propose 
to pay the fiddler oheerfully. But our grapes! 
Borne of them were seedlings just coming into 
bearing. With a parent’s fondness we would 
like much to have seen them fruit this season 
instead of waiting another Interminable year. 
But wo suppress the tear. The grapes might 
have provod sour, and disappointed our hopes. 
Wo will hope on another year. A sweet hope is 
bettor than a sour reality. 
-- 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
New Market, Shenandoah Co., va., May 13. 
I live in what is called the Shenandoah 
Valley, lying between the North Mountain and 
tire Massanutten Mountain. The laud lies 
generally rolling, interspersed with creek and 
river bottoms. The soil throughout the Valley 
is generally fertile; almost all kinds of cereals 
are growu hero, but wheat and corn are the 
oliief products. This country is well watered; 
a number of mills are in operation along the 
streams, and there’s room for a good many 
more. Mills and factories of various kinds are 
needed. The climate here ia healthy ; epidemics 
and malarial diseases are not experienced here. 
Any one of the Bubal reader b wishing a good 
home, can find one here ; people aro social and 
hospitable. Virginia is justly famous for her 
valuable mineral springs. Among those that 
deserve honorable mention, is the popular and 
delightful summer resort, known as the Valley 
Viow Springs. Any one wishing to spend the 
summer in the country can do so to their heart’s 
content at these springs. They aro sitnated in 
the mountains ol' the valley of Virginia, two 
miles east of New Market, on the New Market 
and Sperryville Turnpike, and four miles from 
the New Market depot. This location is one 
of the highest and moat easy of access in Vir¬ 
ginia ; the air is the purest and most bracing ; 
the scenery grand and picturesque. The waters, 
white and yellow sulphur, are without their 
equals, and the iron or chalybeate water is 
equal to any in the State. These waters, as a 
tonic or alterative, cannot be excelled. We’ve 
been haring cool, wet weather since the first of 
May with the exoeption of a day or so. The 
farmers have not finished planting corn yet 
owing to the wet weather. Some of the farmers 
have plowed their ooru already, while others 
have not planted yet. Wheat looks well; a fine 
prospect for a good yield here; it is mostly in 
bead at present. There are more acres sown in 
wheat here than usual; oats aro up and look 
promising. Wheat is worth $1.10; corn, 60@ 
75o.; oats, 35@40c. per bushel; batter, 15c. per 
pound ; eggs, 10c. per dozen. p. s. w. 
Linden, Union Co., N. J., May 14. 
Last evening the thermometer, at 7 o'clock, 
stood at about 50-' on the north side of my 
house; and at 3 o'clock this morning it was 
down to 28°, and at 7 o’clock it was np again to 
50°! Ice was formed on w r ater in a pail at my 
pump, as thick as ordinary window glass, and 
the result of the frost is severe. Potatoes, early 
corn, beaus, tomatoes Ac., were cat down. I 
never plaut corn. beanB, and other tender vege¬ 
tables till the 15lh to 20th of May, so I escaped 
loss in those things; but the thousands of silly 
people who cannot witness mild weather in April, 
and in early May, without rushing in seeds of all 
kinds of vegetables, will learn a lesson by this 
frost, that they will remember one year at least. 
Grape viues in some places iu thiH vicinity were 
bailiy injured. Mine were not much hurt, but 
how the young thoots and Betting fruit could 
stand a degree of cold nuiujorod, four degrees 
below the freezing point, is a mystery to me. 
In au acre of viues only one year old, all leaved 
out, the frost took one here and there—one in 
ten perhaps leaving the others untouched. I 
account for this by the fact that frost of a light 
degree goes in veins, or currents, cutting down 
plants as the stronger currents happen to strike 
them. _ T. B. Miner. 
Cokry, Erie Co., Pa., May 13. 
For the past three weeks there has been so 
much rain that it has made farmers somewhat 
backwards in doing their spring work. Things 
are from three to four weeks earlier than com¬ 
mon. Wheat and all kinds of fruit promise a 
largo yield if the cold spell that we are having 
at present doos not destroy them. On the night 
of tho 11th ice formed to the thickness of win¬ 
dow glass, and last night, the 12th, it looked as 
though we were all going to be frozen up ; but 
we were happily disappointed, when we got up 
in the morning, by finding tho ground all 
covered with snow in place of a hard froeze. 
It is warming up so well now that we may escape 
disaster this time. Batter is worth 15@16o.; 
eggs, 10o.; potatoes, 25c.; oats, 32c.; and corn 
50c. per bushel here. c. ». s. 
Hunter’s Borrow, Carroll Co., Ky., May 13. 
Wheat is rustiug badly, and that which was 
the most flattering prospect for an abundant 
harvest tou days ago, is now the most discourag¬ 
ing ; although oar old farmers say that red rust 
does but little damage, while the black rust is 
fatal; and as it is, so far, only the red, we 
“hope against hope" that our fears are un¬ 
founded. Oar wheat is iu full bloom and the 
heads are exceptionally large. 
8. E. Hampton. 
Warsaw, Benton Co., Mo., May 12. 
Wheat in the prairie portions of this county 
(Benton) looks bad, while the timber portion 
