SEPT.44 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 587 
America. I often regret I can’t eat more. 
They are not only like balls of flour, but they 
have a delicious flavor indescribable. 
This season has boen a most remarkable one 
hero. No severe winter weather; strawberries 
in blow the last week in March and half the crop 
destroyed by frost two months afterwards. 
Long, dry, hot spells followed by almost tropical 
rains, the wind invariably veering to the north 
for a day or two after rain. Vegetation has 
suffered more without rain for one week than it 
has some seasous without it two weekB. The 
sun has scorched the leaves of plants and dried 
them up as if actually burnt by fire. The colors 
of Geranium flowers were quite changed; sal¬ 
mons were nearly scarlet; scarlets, crimson 
Lucretia nearly rose-color, and I had to refer to 
the label to know whioh one I was looking at. 
Other plants I cannot coax to flower at all, 
while others almost refuse even to grow; but 
Hydrangea paniculata is bearing the largest 
flowers I have seen—they are immense. 
J. h. j. 
Charleston, Kanawha Co., W. Va., Aug. 31. 
After readiog the “Crop Reports” in the 
Rurajl, and comparing the other States with W. 
Va., I find she is about on an average with the 
rest. There certainly cannot be any complaint 
about small crops, for the prospeot was never 
better for an abundant harvest. If the produc¬ 
tion of an abundauco of grain will in any way 
relieve the poor and hungry that are crowded in 
the large cities and towns, they will certainly get 
relief this winter. 
We axe having a good deal of rain here now. 
For the last month the ground has been too 
wet to plow, and consequently the weedB are 
taking possession of the farms and gardens, and 
about the only remedy is the scythe. Speaking 
of a scythe reminds me of mowing, I suppose on 
the same grounds on which the old woman said 
speaking of shooting reminded her of a gun. 
If the scythe aud mowing machine were used 
more, the meadows would undoubtedly be better. 
After the grass is out and stacked or handed into 
the barn—whioh is still better—the farmer, as a 
general thing, turns in his stock to pasture, and, 
of course, the cattle will cat the grass and keep 
it done to the ground, while the weeds have all 
the chance to grow, and in the fall they ripen 
and fall to the ground, completely covering it 
with seed, and in a few years the meadow is 
over-run with weeds and briers and the grass is 
not worth cutting. Now, this can be prevented 
if measures are taken in time. The reaper is 
the preventive, and if the weeds are mown 
down before they ripen, it will not only lull 
them but will be a good coatiDg of manure for 
the meadow and pastures. 
The potato bug has left for parts unknown, I 
suppose; for wo are not bothered much more 
with it here. Potatoes wore raised in good 
quantities last year, and consequently were very 
cheap, bringing only from twenty-five to fifty 
cents. As the price didn’t pay for raising them 
last year, there were not so many raised this 
season. Strawberries were raised here in 
abundance this summer aud brought, in the 
latter part of the season, ouly from five to eight 
cents a quart. The Champion was the best 
berry raised, some measuring from five and a 
half to six inches in circumference, e. b. d. 
Freedom, Outagamie Co., AVIs., Aug. 23. 
With occasional heavy rains and warm 
weather, ooru is making a big growth ; it is ear¬ 
ing out well now, although ratlwr late. If the 
frost holds off lung enough we shall have a large 
corn orop, as mere than the usual area was 
planted last spring, Meadows and pastures are 
fresh and green. Clover is making a rank 
second growth, insuring plenty of fall feed for 
stock. Thashing is progressing rapidly now, 
and, in the aggregate, the wheat crop will be 
large owing to the large amount sown last 
spring. Spring wheat is yielding from ten to 
twelve bushels per acre; winter wheat about 
double that quantity. The quality of spring 
wheat is only second or third-rate. Oats will be 
about a medium crop; other crops, roots, ifco., 
about as good as usual. Weather warm aud 
wet. j. b. 
Bewlkyville, Breckenridge Co., Ky., Aug, 88. 
The corn crop in this county will hardly aver¬ 
age half crop, caused by dry weather. In the 
last two months we have had scarcely any rain 
not enough to wet root crops. The uight of the 
2nd of this month a terrific hail storm passed 
through this section : doiug great damage, to 
fruit, corn, aud tobacco. Garden products were 
almost entirely ruined. Home have cut their 
tobacco oil' so (hut shoots will come out from 
the ground arid will make trash. AVheat did not 
thrash out well, oats did well. Mauy, many 
thanks for the Willow slips; out of four I think I 
will save three. m. .t. e. 
Neosho Co., lian., Aug, 24. 
The early corn is veiy good; lato corn is in¬ 
jured by dry weather. Perhaps the average 
yield will be about 40 bustiets to the acre. 
AVheat is good grain, but the yield will be small 
—15 bushels per acre. Oats good; 50 bushels 
per acre. Peaches, poor aud wormy. Hay 
good. Wheat, 65 cents per bush.; corn, 20 
oent8 per bush.; oats, 12 cents per bush.; butter, 
10 cents per pound; eggs, 6 cents per doz. 
Wm. B. 
ger its titan. 
WHAT CLASSES OF ANIMALS SHALL WE 
SELECT1 
professor g. e. morrow. 
It is a generally recognized principle in breed¬ 
ing that it is exceedingly difficult, if not abso¬ 
lutely impossible, to combine, in any one ani¬ 
mal or any one breed, the highest possible ex¬ 
cellence in several directions. It is obvious that 
a horse best adapted for heavy draft is not best 
suited for fast trotting. Should one desire to 
purchase a horse possessing any one character¬ 
istic, whether of form, siz9, age, training, he 
oould find what he desired with comparatively 
little difficulty, but to exactly mate a given 
horse is quite another matter, aud supposing 
absolute agreement be insisted on, the effort 
would bo in vain. It would be held absurd fo 
ask for a horse capable of runniug a mile in 1:45, 
of trotting in 2:30, and of pacing in 2:25. This 
principle Bliould be kept in mind by those at¬ 
tempting to improve a breed or class of animals. 
If the effort be made to develop a large number 
of desirable characteristics at the same time, the 
result will almost inevitably be failure. 
But the recognition of this truth should not 
lead us to deny the equally evident one that a 
fair degree of excellence in two or more direc¬ 
tions may be combined in one animal. A good 
driving horse may be a very fair horse for most 
ordinary kinds of work ; a sheep giving a good 
fleece may also have a good caroas3. There are 
certain characteristics which seem antagonistic, 
but there are many which, while having no 
Bpecial connection with each other, seem to 
have no antagonism. Thus most “ fanoy points” 
in our improved breeds are neither beneficial nor 
harmful iu themselves. A bay horse is neither 
better nor worse, necessarily, than is a chestnut. 
A solid colored Jersey cow is neither better nor 
worse because of this ; a dark-nosed Bhort-Horu 
may fatten as readily and give as much milk as 
one with the fa-diionably-colored nose. It is 
harmful to make such points prominent in the 
objects for which we breed, as we probably will, 
in such case, neglect more important ones, but 
their possession is unimportant in itself. So, 
too, I oan see no necessary antagonism be¬ 
tween milk giving and flesh forming ; between 
wool growing and ability to prodnee mutton in 
fair quality and quantity. Of course, I do not 
mean that these things can both be done to the 
fullest degree at one time. 
I fully believe it possible, aud not exception¬ 
ally difficult, to combine a fair degree of merit in 
two, three or more directions in the same ani¬ 
mal and in the Bame breed. Not ouly so, but I 
equally firmly believe that such animals are host 
suited to the needs of the larger number of per¬ 
sons, and ttiat ihcir production or ownership is 
advisable for the great mass of farmers. This 
may be illustrated by referring to the effects of 
a minute division of labor. Undoubtedly this 
gives greater skill and efficiency. The man who 
has been thoroughly trained to do one t ilin g 
can do this better and more rapidly than can 
one who has given his attention to learning how¬ 
to do a good number of things \ but tbo latter 
is the more useful man in most communities. 
A skillful plowmau is very desirable, but on 
most American farms ono who only knows how 
to do ttiis, would be an expensive luxury. Iu 
like manner, the average farmer or citizen does 
not need a horse, for instance, the best possible 
for anyone purpose bo much as one fairly adapt¬ 
ed for quite a variety of work. Ou largo farms 
teams may be kept for special work, but ou the 
average farm of this country, the best horse is 
ono fairly suited for the road aud the plow, pos¬ 
sibly for the saddle. 
1 grow more and more convinced that reason¬ 
able fitness for more than one purpose, should 
be insisted ou iu all breeds designed for general 
introduction among farmers. There are special 
localities, aud special men in many localities, 
needing animals specially fitted for one special 
purpose, ana fortunately BUeh animals can be 
obtained. But nine farmers out of ten, taking 
the country as a whole, caunot afford to select 
any class of farm animals with reference only to 
any one characteristic. Activity and strength 
in the horse ; beef and milk in the cow , wool 
aud mutton in the sheep; early maturity aud 
fair size in the hog—fair excellence iu these 
combined qualities is a better recommendation 
for any breed, so far as adaptation to the wants 
of the mass of farmers is concerned, than is 
proof of remarkable merit iu either one with 
contested inferiority as to the others. 
Accepting this view does not make ituecessary 
to cast off the typical draft horse or the typical 
trotting horse ; each of these lias its place and 
meets a demand ; but that place is not on the 
average farm. There are meu who will find 
cows which “ run all to milk," and neither in 
form nor size are well adapted to beef produc¬ 
tion, the most profitable; as there are many 
who only oare to have their cows give enough 
milk to nourish their young; but by far the 
larger number of cattle-owners in this country 
will find those breeds and those families within 
these breeds, which can and do produce a good 
quantity and of good quality both in meat and 
milk, the most profitable. It is possible there 
may be localities in which the sheep-owner may 
properly feel that he does not care at all about 
either the quantity or the quality of mutton his 
flock can produce; anti other localities in which 
the fleece of the flock may properly be ignored. 
But such are exceptional; not the rule. The 
hog is asked to do but one thing, as a rule, and 
so it is less easy to apply the rule to him ; but 
certainly it will be admitted that it is not wise 
to bend all energies to producing the largest 
possible bogs; or those which have the great¬ 
est possible activity; or, even, the earliest pos¬ 
sible maturity. 
The class of animals best suited for the cur¬ 
rent needs, will vary greatly with the different 
conditions of our agriculture; there is room and 
need for many breeds combining, in different 
proportions, various characteristics, but the 
most useful will be found to be those which 
meet general rather than special needs, and the 
average farmer in selecting for his own use will 
do most wisely if he choose those whicb can do 
two or more things fairly well rather than those 
which have no fitness save for one purpose. 
Illinois Industrial University. 
Ijitguiuc Information, 
STOMACH AND LUNGS. 
S. B. PECK. 
If I recollect aright, Graham the great apos¬ 
tle of vegetarianism, held that bread made from 
unbolted flour was more healthy than that which 
we call “ superfiuo,” for the followmg reasons: 
First, because the bone- forming material of the 
grain was mostly or entirely in the skin ; and to 
the lack of this in the food he imputed the early 
decay of the teeth. Second, because this skin 
or bran was a stimulant to the stomach, pre¬ 
venting constipation, and by increasing the la¬ 
bor of that organ, giving it tone and strength, 
just as the strength of all the other muscular 
parts of the body is increased by judicious exer¬ 
cise, while the eating of finely comminuted food 
did not give sufficient exercise to the coats of 
the stomach to keep that organ in the most per¬ 
fect health. 
Whether I am oorreot or not there is force in 
the latter reason at least. But w hether Gra¬ 
ham succeeded in demonstrating in his own case 
the correctness of his vegetarian theory, I am 
not positively informed, but I think he did not. 
At any rate I have always believed that the cause 
of the early deaths of four of one family of my 
relatives, was their persistent practice of his 
vegetarian theory, and still I am inclined to 
think he was right in the advocacy of the bran 
diet. Now. the lungs as well as the stomach 
are operated by muscular force, and why should 
not these muscles as well as those in the other 
parts of the body, require vigorous exercise for 
the most perfect development and most perfect 
health ? Not that this vigorous exercise of any 
of the muscles is required at all times, but in 
the natural condition of man they are all liable 
to be called upon to do extra duty in emergen¬ 
cies, and if they have been allowed to become 
feeble through inaction, they become unfitted 
for this extra work, and arc liable to inj ury or 
to fail when called upon for it. 
An aged friend afflicted with asthma dates 
the commencement of his complaint from a 
period long after he had ceased ordinary labor, 
and upon the occasion of his running to head 
off an unruly cow. Mortuary statistics show 
that disease of the lungs, or, in other words, 
consumption, is the most fruitful source of 
death from disease. In the present state of 
civilized society, the ordinary occupations of 
mankind, especially of tho female portion, re¬ 
quire but seldom any muscular speed that needs 
to call forth any extra exertious of the breath¬ 
ing apppartns, but iu most occupations the head 
is naturally thrown forward, while the chest is 
compressed aud with it the lunga, preventing, 
in a measure, that ©asy and full exercise of the 
muscles of the chest which nature designed 
they should have. It has long been my opiu- 
ion that the great prevalence of consumption 
was caused by tho lack of sufficient breathing 
to keep the hiogs iu full health aud strength, 
aud that a jndiciouB use of these most important 
organs has more to do with our health and com¬ 
fort than we axe apt to think. 
A friend is suhjeef to repeated attacks of 
what is called sick headache, aud tells me that 
ho obtains greater relief from uuuaturally full 
and heavy breathing than from any other 
remedy. Mrs Wu.labu, principal of the late 
Troy Female Seminary, has related her suc¬ 
cessful treatment of a ease of cholera iu one of 
her pupils. Tho most that I now- remember 
iu this case, is that the pupil was made to move 
about in the open yard even with a supporter 
on each side, aud take iu full and heavy in¬ 
spirations of cool air; aud I have noticed, in 
my own case, that the most violent ague shak¬ 
ings were quieted, as long as I could hold my 
lungs completely full of air. 
Muskegon co. Mich. 
fnimsirial |tnjtlcmntte. 
THE BIG GIANT CORN MILL. 
The uses of a good corn-mill are apparent in 
the improved conaition of all kinds of stock to 
which the ground food is fed; besides, the judg¬ 
ment of those who make a practice of reducing 
food to a pulverized condition, is that it becomes 
more nutritions. In the case of com that is 
ground just as it is plucked from the stalk— 
husks, cob, and grains—it is also claimed that 
the alkali contained in the cob, acts as a correct¬ 
ive, and is a sure destroyer of hots. 
Commercially, when tho price of grain rules 
low, it is wise economy to bring your corn-mill 
into active use, and by fattening stook more 
than secure an advance on the price of corn in 
addition to producing manorial deposits that, of 
themselves, represent cash. 
Since our trade with England in cattle, has 
assumed the shape of a steady industry, it be¬ 
hooves us to keep and extend OUr advantage. 
One reason, it is said, why American beef is 
sought after, is because tho fats are more solid, 
and less oily in character than native breeds that 
have been gorged on oil cake: therefore* to avoid 
this defect and keep up our standard, we should 
feed our corn liberally. To do this profitably 
we must have a mill that will grind rapidly, 
without waste, and with the smallest expenai- 
tare of power. 
The illustration of the Big Giant Corn Mill, 
which is given in this issue seems to fulfill the 
conditions of success. It is warmly commended 
by those who have used it, both as a feed grind¬ 
er, and for general family purposes,inasmuch as 
it will, when necessary, grind fine enough to pro¬ 
duce an excellent quality of meal. 
The improved mill is shown in the two illus¬ 
trations, and needs little description. The sub¬ 
joined cut, shows the inside grinder w ith cone 
and breaker-arm. The breaker arm (No. 1.) 
keeps the corn from riding on the arms of the 
mill, stirs it in the hopper, and secures a sure 
self feed. The cone ^No. 2.) is very steep, and 
contains crushing and catting blades. The 
lower inside section (No. 4.) has blades similar 
iu shape to the furrows iu a bbur stone, which 
secures fineness aud rapidity of grinding. The 
second cat represents the outer griuding surface 
of the mill, and corresponds with the hirer sur¬ 
face. Any wear may be taken up, or adjusted 
by meanB of set-screws, and the mill may be 
made to grind fine or large by the same appli¬ 
ances, a feature peculiar to this mill it is claimed. 
All parts subject to wear may bo renewed at 
trifling cost and trouble, aud the knives being 
self-sharpening, will work effectively until 
ground fid. Various sizes of the mills aro 
made, varying in grinding capacity. All who 
have used it seem to be agreed that the mill 
does a large amount of work, properti aiately to 
its size, and that it is an ceonuuiical, durable 
mill, but details of this nature may be more sat¬ 
isfactorily acquired, by applying to the manu¬ 
facturers, Messrs. J. A. Field, Boa & Co., Bt. 
Louis, Mo. 
- ♦ ♦ ♦ - 
Osborn's Grain and Sf.fd S; r. . vroa. made 
by Denison Fredericks & Co., By cn.se, N. x. 
has a very wide rauge of *oi k is said to 
separate satisfactorily oats, < ok wild buck 
wheat and other impurities fro. a ; :iug wb:«at, 
rye. cheat* '--to., from fall wheat; c ts from bar¬ 
ley (for seed;) wild mustard, bast : d flax, pig¬ 
eon grass-seed, and every oilier fe n seed from 
flax seed. The separator will uo iu operation 
cn the fair, grounds at Elmiia. 
