r §02 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
SEPT. 21 
®|f Querist, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Owing to onr Reports of Fairs, we must beg 
indulgence of those whose questions are not yet 
answered.— Eds ] 
Treatment of Various Flowers. 
Mrs. 8- A. Morrell) W right Co., Minn., asbB 
1. Whether Golden Variegated Myrtle suits a 
fern-case, and whether the bloom is as pretty as 
the plant. 2. Will it do to leave Bridal Wreath 
Rose out-of doors in a climate like chat of Minn. 
3. Will Lemon-scented Verbena bear the win¬ 
ters cold with ordinary protection out-of-doors. 
4. Her young Artillery Plant though looking 
healthy and thrifty, has no red spots on the 
leaves, and she inquires whether the latter 
shonld be watered. 5. Should Begonias be water¬ 
ed or allowed to be out in the rain. 
Ans.- 1. By “ Golden Variegated Myrtle ” we 
presume you mean a variegated form of Vinca 
minor, which, thongh commonly called so, is not 
a Myrtle at all, but a Periwinkle. It will live 
well in a freely ventilated fern oase, but as it 
will bear 20° or more below zero, Fahrenheit, 
with impunity, why treat it so tenderly? Its 
flowers appear in early spring, are blue or white 
—commonly blue, and, though pretty, are not 
showy. 
2. “Bridal Wreath Rose "—If you mean the 
White Banksian, it is not reliably hardy. Being 
“a cousin to raspberry” is no criterion of its 
hardiness; Marecbal Niel and Cherokee Roses, 
by the same license may be called brothers, and 
neither is bardv North. 
3. Lemon-scented Verbena.— Winter’s se¬ 
verity may kill the stems, and, if unprotected, 
the roots too ; bnt by outting over the stems in 
November, and, before hard froBt Beta in, invert¬ 
ing a box over the roots, and putting some leaves, 
litter, coal-ashes or other mulching over the box, 
you may save the roots. But the safest way is 
to dig up the roots and winter them in a cellar 
or cold-pit. 
4. Artillery Plant (Pilea serpyllifolia) ; keep it 
in the sunniest window, in a moderately warm 
room. Occasional spriuklings of water on its 
leaves will not hurt them. By next March your 
desire for “ red spots ” or flowers may be grati¬ 
fied. The finest specimen we remember having 
seen was grown in a lady’s kitchen window. 
5. Begonias —Water lodging on the leaves 
would spoil them, hot sun will “burn” wet 
leaves, and a damp, stagnant atmosphere may 
rot them, but judicious wettiugs will not hurt 
them 
Queries about 'Fruit. 
A. C. IF., Hugo, IU., asks: 1. What Bigarreau 
and what Heart Cherry are likely to do well in 
eastern Illinois. 2. Could not an analysis be 
made of the soil in whi'-h those fruits flourish 
best, so than anyone could “doctor” his ground 
to just suit them, adding any lacking ingredients, 
or even transporting soil from spots where their 
condition shows it to be well adapted to their 
requirements. 3 la the genuiue Fultz wdieat 
early or late. 4. What, variety will succeed best on 
a wild crab-stock; 5 aud when would be the 
proper time to bud it—bark rises now, but buds 
don’t catch. 
A ns. —1. Black Eagle, Tartarian, Early Purple 
Guigne, Elton, Napoleon Bigarreau. No line 
can now be drawn between many of the Hearts 
and Bigarreaus, owing to hybridization. 
2. Any good, mellow, dry soil will furnish all 
that the cherry needs so far as food is con¬ 
cerned. Climate must do the rest. 
3. Intermediate. 
4. Any variety will succeed upon it. 
5. It is getting rather late now for this year. 
To Exterminate Crab-Grass. 
O. B., New Brunswick, N. aBks how to ex¬ 
terminate Crab-Grass from his lawn. 
Ans. —This blooms from now until cold weather. 
Frequent use of the lawn-mower is the only 
remedy, and this we have found but a partial 
one since a good part of the “fingers” spread 
out upon the lawn and elude the knives, thus ma¬ 
turing and sowing their seed for another year. 
Miscellaneous./ 
M. IF. F. Bryn Motor, Fa. The plant is 
Plumbago eapensis. 
Anon, asks what kind of strawberry would be 
the best for family use where hardiness, pro¬ 
ductiveness, and good eatable qualities are re¬ 
quired. 
Ans: We must, in this case, refer our friend 
names of the best works on the cultivation of 
berries, such as strawberries and gooseberries. 
2. Also on grape culture. 
Ans : Roe’s Manual on the Culture of Small 
Fruits, prioe 50 cents. 2. Plan's Open Air Grape 
Culture. $1; both to be had of the Orange Judd 
Co.. N. Y. City. 
C. J. 8. Fowler , St. Lawrence, Co., N. Y., 
asks whether the Rural acknowledges communi¬ 
cations which are not used ? 
Ans: Yes; every communication intended for 
publication, is acknowledged by the publication 
of the author’d initials, under the appropriate 
heading, in the issue Bent out next after its re¬ 
ceipt.; 
L. M. Brown, Onondaga Co., N. Y .—The 
plants are Amaranthus tricolor, and Euphorbia 
marginata. 
N0TE8 FROM ILLINOIS. 
Hugo, Douglass Co., ills. 1S7S. 
Rather than have an orchard distant from 
where I live, I put out trees in my garden sev¬ 
eral years ago, and the culture, together 
with the manure necessary to a good garden, 
pushed the young trees on rapidly, doubtless 
too rapidly for early bearing, yet I cut back, in 
the fall, and this season I beaded them hack 
severely for two reasons : first, to prevent them 
from making so much wood growth and forming 
fruit spurs, and Becond to make them ripen 
well an already excessive growth. Many lead¬ 
ers grew three and four feet this season, iri 
am any prophet, aud as a rule I think I am not. 
next year you will hear of more fruit trees 
(young) damaged by the approaching arctic win¬ 
ter, than we have heard of for probably an entire 
decade. The excessive and Jong-continued beat 
is nearly sure to be followed, as it has been as a 
rule heretofore, by a severe winter, and the 
rather wet season, together with the high tem¬ 
perature has conduced uot only to a prodi¬ 
gious growth in trees, but alpo to a late and con¬ 
tinued growth, which, overtaken by severe cold, 
will either he damaged or killed outright. 
Mildew has made its debut in this vicinity, at 
last, in earnest. Among my vines, Canton, 1 1 
Walter, Agawam, Worden, Salem, Goethe, 
Brighton, Champion, Diana, are all mjlldewed, 
and Concord standing near Clinton vines whose 
foliage is nearly all lost by mildew, has a few 
leaves here and there diseased. Croton, Dela¬ 
ware. Lady have escaped, aud Martha partially. 
I have given the Acme Tomato a pretty 
good trial this summer, and certainly it is the 
finest tomato in cultivation. It could not be 
nicer, in any respect. A. C. Williams, 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
articles on this subject, in 
to the exhaustive 
Rural of Sept. 7. 
Moore, East Hampton, Mass., asks how to 
cover a roof properly with gravel. 
Ans : First apply a layer of paper or felt, then 
melted tar, on which throw the gravel, and 
finally level it smoothly. 
T. 0. Benton, Dalemlte, Ya., aBks where he 
oan get good iron water pipe at lowest rate. 
Ans: Thos. C. Bashor & Go., Light St., Balti¬ 
more ; Thompson & Co., (Alex. Shepherd,) 
Washington, D. C.; Morris, Tasker, & Co., Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa.; McNamara & Smith, Lynchburg, 
Ya. 
0. L. T., Louisville, Ky., asks, I. For the 
Rochester, Monroe Co.. N. Y„ Sept. 5 ,1878. 
For the past few weeks the weather has been 
warm during the day, followed by cool nights, 
with frcqnent showers and heavy dews favoring 
the growth of trees and thorough ripening of 
wood previous to our usual September frosts. 
Grain is pretty much all thrashed and the 
yield, though good, is not as large as was an¬ 
ticipated. Spring wheat and barley have been 
almost an entire failure, many farmers njt get¬ 
ting their seed. Winter wheat is reported at an 
average of twenty-two bushels per acre, with 
here and there an unusual yield—some of my 
neighbors baring forty-two, and as high as forty- 
six bushels per acre. Oats are light aud a 
moderate yield—our crop will go forty bushels 
per acre—but they wBigh only twenty-five pounds 
per buBbel (the seed weighed thirty-six.) 
Potatoes are a light crop, and will command 
good prices, 50o. per bushel being now offered. 
Early apples have been a drug on the market 
at prices ranging from 75c. to $1.25 per bbh— 
barrel included. The prospect for winter fruit 
looks but little better, but a determined effort 
will be made by producers generally to get $1.50 
to $2 per bbl. for it. 
The second crop of clover is unusually large, 
and the heads have filled well. Clover seed will 
be cheaper than for years. 
Corn is of good color, and the ears are filling 
well. 
Preparations are being made for a large seed¬ 
ing of fall wheat, two successive big crops giv- 
ii g farmers more confidence in it than before; 
then, too, wheat is readily turned into cash, and 
requires less summer working than almost, any 
other crop. The time of sowing by the majority 
of farmers will be from the 15th to the 20th, 
they hoping by late sowing to escape the Hessian 
Fly. h. 1 . i. 
Woodcock, Crawford Co., Pa. Sep. 1,1878. 
The corn crop will be good in this section 
and is now being cut up. Oats are a medium 
crop, but only about two-thirds of that of last 
year. They suffered from rust and other 
causes. The wheat was a heavy crop, and was 
secured in good condition. Buckwheat prom¬ 
ises well. Patatoes are almost a total failure— 
very small aud few in the hill. A few pieces 
which were planted late and escaped the late 
frosts will give a fair yield, but nearly the en¬ 
tire acreage was plauted early and suffered 
from the frost. 
PearB are an entire failure aud so are plums. 
PeacheB are a light crop; apples a light, 
crop; but sufficient for home use. Cider 
apples are in sufficient quantity to supply local 
demands. M. s. 
Communications received for the week ending 
Saturday. September htu: 
D. V. D.-A. C. W.—It. T. J.—E. L. T.—A. J. M.— 
L. O.—C. C.—I. S.—M. B. H.-F. 8. P.—M. B. D.- 
W. F.—M. W. F.—thanks.—C. W. G.—C. J. R.— 
N. W. B —A. M. V. A.—M. F. B.—W. J. B.—“ Mad¬ 
cap Mollle.”—S. P.—“ Starr Morris."—P. M. W’.- 
E W.— 
Shedd, Ltnn Co., Oregon, Aug. Hist, 1S78. 
Wheat about all thrashed ; yield, iu this sec¬ 
tion, about twenty-two bushels per acre; and 
that of the finest quality. The weather is fine— 
all that could be desired for harvesting. 
Blackberries, Wilson’s Early, Evergreen, and 
Kittatinuy are splendid; the Lawton not so 
good. Apples, plums, pears and peaches, are a 
heavy crop. I gathered three bushels of Italian 
prunes from a four-year-old tree and two aud a 
half from a three-year-old German prune. Oats 
a fair crop. Potatoes light. Grapes good for 
Oregon; peaches a failure in western Oregon. 
Wheat, 75cts. per bushel; oats, 35; potatoes 
$L p. m. w. 
Sherman, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., Sept. 3d, 1S7S. 
Potatoes are a very small crop in many parts 
of Chautauqua County this season. Fall apples 
are quite plenty aud cheap; winter fruit 6carce. 
The corn orop is coming on quite well. The 
weather, for several weeks, has been warm and 
dry, with cool nights. A fine shower to-day 
gives things a fresh look. Butter continues to 
sell at a low price, as usual. Blackberries have 
been plentiful. m. l. d. 
Lamartine, Clarion Co., Pa., Sept. 3d, 1878. 
The fruit crop in this section is almost a fail¬ 
ure. Corn only middling, owing to the long- 
continued drought. Potatoes poor and small. 
Oats a large crop and cheap ; wheat a good aver¬ 
age crop, of very good quality. Have had no 
rain to soak the ground since the lBt of July. 
D. M. D. 
WniTNEVs Point, N. Y., Sep. loth. 1878. 
Weather pleasant. Corn is an average crop. 
Buckwheat, of which there is a large acreage 
sown in this section, is reported as tilling well. 
Potatoes light. Butter, 15@18c.; cheese, 9<®10c.; 
potatoes, 40@50c.; eggs, 15c. per doz.; hay, $6 
@6.50. si. B. D. 
Okolona, Chickasaw Co., Miss. 
We are having too much rain for the well- 
beiug of the cotton crop. It rains every day, 
and that brings on the worm. a. b. b. 
LIME BURNING. 
If lime could be bought cheap, and con¬ 
veniently obtained, who can doubt that farmers 
would use far more of it than they now do ? If 
they had it, not a month would pasB without some 
use being made of it. Cellars and additions 
would be plastered, and where rock and gravel 
and sand were handy, concrete buildings would 
be put up, clover and wheat lands would be 
dressed with it to their great benefit, besides the 
many minor uses to which it would be put. 
That lime is not made and used more than it is 
by farmers, must be, I think, owing more to 
their want of knowledge of how to make it, than 
to their ignorance of the uses to which it is 
adapted. 
I do not propose in this soreed to detail the 
methods of the “perpetual." or even of the 
“ periodical ” lime kilns, although I believe the 
last-named would be profitable to any large 
farm. I merely wish to give two practical 
methods of burning lime, in common use among 
those with whom lime burning is not a business. 
Here, where timber is abundant and of little 
or no market value, we seloct a gentle slope 
where two trees stand some ten feet apart. On 
the ground we place two logfc each 12 feet long, 
parallel with eaoh other aDd 10 feet apart, each 
log stretchit g from the base of one of said trees 
up the slope. We have a Jot of logs eut. 12 feet 
long, and we roll them on to these parallel logs, 
the first one against the two trees, the second 
against the first, aud so on till a floor of logs 12 
feet wide is made. We then “ chunk ’’ all the 
spaces as if we were making thB wall of a log- 
house ; then roll on another layer of logs, and 
“ chunk” as before till the pile is from three to 
six layers high, according to size of logs, placing 
all the logs iu the same direction, except the 
two on the ground which servo as andirons. On 
the top we then make a pyramid of the rock to 
be burned, 10 feet square at base aud as high as 
you can heap the rock. No fragments should 
be left larger than a mail's flat. Dry branches 
and kindling wood are placed between the and¬ 
iron logs before the first logs are rolled, aud 
these are now set on fire and in from six to 
eight hours, the immense, solid log-pile is burn¬ 
ed away and a heap of qnick-lime lies on the 
ground, which yon can begin to haul away by 
noon of the day after firing, if you fire at ausk 
the night before. 
By this method fuel is wasted, and the rock 
must be pouuded flue, and even then many of 
the pieces wi 1 be imperfectly burned; but so 
little knowledge or skill is required that any one 
can make lime in this way. To know what rock 
to use, pieces can be tried in the fire-place or 
stove. 
Another method is in use and economizes fuel. 
This consists in making alternate layers of cord- 
wood and broken limestone in the form of a 
charcoal pit. covering the whole with leaves or 
straw and then with dirt. Fire iu the center 
and draw to circumference in the same way 
a coal pit is managed. This method not only 
economizes fuel, but burns the lime more even¬ 
ly and perfectly. N. W. Bliss. 
Kingston Furnace, Mo. 
THE GREAT AMERICAN DESERT. 
r. h. crane. 
TRANSFORMATION. 
In our early school days we were led to suppose 
the Great American Desert to be to America 
what the Sahara was to Africa. The earliest ex¬ 
plorers who traveled the great plains, and fought 
their way over the “Rockies,” described this 
eastern mountain slope as an arid waste. Its 
scanty vegetation scarcely afforded food for their 
mules ; millions of acres of sand stretching all 
about them, created the impression that this 
was a God-forsaken country. The settler of to¬ 
day who sees before him hills and valleys cover¬ 
ed with nutritious grasses, wouders wheuce the 
early delusion. I am inclined to believe it was 
not a delusion. These early adventurers simply 
described the country as they found it, with 
only the usual amount of traveler’s paint. It 
is uot their fault that a most wonderful change 
has come over the country within less than 
half a century. Prof. Anouey, our scientific 
savan, saysthie loess formation is like the banks 
of the Rhine and cannot be exhausted until the 
particles of which it iscomposed shall be carried 
to tbe Gulf. With little or no rain there could 
be but little or no vegetation. With increased 
rain-fall the grass belts, found formerly skirting 
only the beauty streams, silently spread over the 
plain. 
EARLY SETTLERS. 
The settler, moved by the spirit of enterprise, 
mingled with love of adventure, staked his claim 
still faither toward tbe setting sun ; and, though 
often grass-hoppered, run off by hosale Indians, 
and as often cut off by droughts, his prophetic 
ken was sharpened in this atmosphere, which 
was life-elixer, and as he remembered the 
“chills" aud “shakes" of his father, he ex¬ 
claimed, “I have faith that this country will 
come out all right, and I mean to Htay.” He 
has stayed to see the last red-skins chase the 
last herd of buffaloes over tbe western hills, 
neither ever to appear again. He has stayed to 
see the grass-hopper scourge decrease and the 
rain-fall increase, the blessings of civilization 
spring up all around him, chinches and school- 
houses dot the laud. Ceres fills his graneries 
and Pomona pours into his lap her choicest 
fruits. 
SCIENTIFIC DROUGHTS—ACTUAL RAIN-FALLS. 
Fremont is credited with saying “It uever rains 
m Nebraska.” Pr>f. Dana has given us the rea¬ 
son why this unfortunate eastern slope of the 
Rocky Mountains can never have rain, and 
hence, can never bo depended upon to bear any 
considerable portion of the earth's over-cr„w ded 
population. His theory is that clouds arising 
from the Atlantic will be robbed of tbeir moist- 
turo by the hungry fields of thu E istern States, 
(Query. —What is a cloud deprived of its moist¬ 
ure ?), while on the other side, according to him, 
the Rocky Mountains cut off the clouds from 
the Pacific. Dana’s premises were pretty well 
taken, but his conclusion was a nm-seqiiitur ! 
My theory is that we get our rams from the 
Gulf of Mexico. Our prevailing summer winds 
are from the south or southeast. For a number 
of succesive days the wind blows steadily from 
tbe Gulf; then, usually at night, the current 
changes, and from the west or northwest the 
condenser comes and the refreshing shower falls. 
Nine times out of ten our rains are in the night. 
Within the last decade our immigration docu¬ 
ments have boasted that our rain all fallB in the 
growing season. No writer to-day would ven¬ 
ture to say that no rain falls in m>d-wiuter. 
RAPID SPREAD OF AGRIOUITURE. 
A few years since, a hue seventy-five miles 
east of the place of writing this, was supposed 
to mark the outmost boundary of safe agricul¬ 
ture. To-day all around me, and for a hun¬ 
dred miles west, the earth is burdened with 
heavy crops. The rain-fall has been complete. 
During the last Congress a move was made to 
vacate forever the western counties of Nebraska 
in favor of the cattle raisers, under the impres¬ 
sion that the rain-fall would forever be inade¬ 
quate to successful agriculture. To this, in be¬ 
half of homeless thousands, a protest has gone 
up from all along the lino; and, in confirmation 
of the wisdom of the protest, to-day an ample 
harvest is being gathered as far west as the 
