636 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
OCT. 5 
TABLE OF CONTESTS. 
Practical departments: 
A'ldress r>f t.he Farmer's Aliliinoo. 6% 
Hints bv the RonrtsidO-IIouKh Handel. 60 
Balslnar New Prod note.030 
Better Cultivation—Major. 630 
Irrlsrutton.... 6 0 
\V*od»—». O...631 
Pupyriis- (III nit tinted)..631 
Reed*. Further TY1U of In 1878—Prof. W. J. Beal. 631 
Peed"—Andrew H. Word.... 631 
OxalK The—W. H. White. 632 
Olla P irtrnla Belter—Mary Wasrer-Hisher.632 
Vnrytnjr the Appearance of the Flower Gardens— 
IV. C. L. Drew.. 632 
JCrerrdriy Nolea—SHmuel Parsons. ...... 632 
Amerioioi Arhor-rttro-G-oge Pinney. 632 
A Note from the Rural Grounds. ..623 
Btittar-Matilng. A New Process for-..633 
Tea Culture........ 938 
WhatOthcrr. Say... 638 
Maladies of 8t<ick-D E. Salmon, P. V. M........ 633 
S noons Oo-.<1.. 1.) Fair. 634 
lost,real Horticultural Show—T. H. Hoskins, 
M. D . . .6 .34 
We»lern N. T. Falr-ll. F. J.634 
Profit Combined with Amusement—An Old Uand 634 
Gr«pn Bciives- No. I—W. C. Bellamy.... .. 634 
Industrial Implements.. 636 
Answers l/> Correspondents : 
Bortrhnm Sugar Making.633 
Choice Roses...6113 
Miscellaneous. 635 
Communications Received. 036 
Everywhere: 
Alachua Co., Fla..—,T. O. Neal, M. D 
Mlddleburc.Vt.-M. H. A . 
Door Co,. WK—G. P. 
Athens Co- Ohio-Davld Putnam... 
Argyl«. N. y.—J. .1. .VlcN. 
Naples. III.—IC. M. 
Editorial Pa on: 
After Culture of Wheat.. 
Future of Cattle Feeding. 
Paving by Handfuls. 
Beauty of Hebron ... 
Protection agaiust Mice.. 
Brevities. 
635 
685 
635 
035 
636 
635 
636 
636 
616 
636 
.636 
Kill 
Domestic Economy: 
Some Dinlng-Tablo Talk—Mary Wager-Fisher, 640 
Cbo'ce Tomatoes and Fancy Beets—AnnieL. 
> pjn 
Jack.. .. .. 640 
Domestic Recipes. 640 
LilTKBAHV: 
Poetry.637, 639, 642 
Communists and Capitalists— Octave Thanet.. .. 637 
ruitee. 638 
Tally rand.. 638 
Magazine Notes. 638 
Brle-tt-Hmc. 639 
Talks with Children—M. J. K. 639 
prers itofium and Tomato Catsup—II. B. N.. 639 
Must Wives Confine Themselves to Ilousekeep- 
Sorne < injections to u“ Letter to Young Mothers" 
—Haney Gamp.639 
Protest agamat Dish-Washing— A Sufferer.639 
Au Bdueatlunal Hugge-ilon-Julia B. A. . 639 
Wanted to Eicnaiige—M. M. B. 839 
Reading tor the young: 
Small Courtnsios at Home—Margaret B. Harvoy.. 642 
Tha Puzzler. 648 
Sabbath Reading: 
The Trial of Jesus. 642 
News of the Week—Herman. 6411 
Markets... 641 
Personals. 643 
Wit anJ Humor.644 
Advertisements.641, 643, 644 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY 8ATURMY. 
Address 
RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
78 Duane Street, New York City. 
SATURDAY OCT. 5, 1878. 
Next week’s Rural will give much space to 
the Raspberry ; in a week or so thereafter we 
shall give special consideration to hardy Grapes: 
then in a week cr so to the Apple, Pear etc. 
Original engravings will be presented in each 
issue. We mention It so that any of our read¬ 
ers may communicate the results of their ex¬ 
perience, if bo disposed. We are also preparing 
several artioles upon Millet in general and up¬ 
on “Pearl Millet” in particular, wbiob we believe 
will prove, as forage plaints, of great value to 
the farmer. 
We offered, some time ago, to sell the cuts 
usei iu this Journal for ten cents the square 
inch. Many have requested us to Bend proofs 
of our cuts. As we have upwards of ten thou¬ 
sand, we could not undertake to do so. Persons 
wishing to purchase, must select from files of 
the Rural New-Yorker. 
AFTER-CULTURE OF W HEA T 
The practice of using the drill and the 
cultivator in growing the wheat crop, is 
evidently and rapidly winning the appro¬ 
val of practical men, as it may with good 
reason, for it has all the previous pre¬ 
sumptions clearly iu its favor, aB well as 
the analogy of other crops, and is also 
sustained by the conclusions of science, 
and the testimony of advanced farmers. 
There is so much to be said in favor of 
this plan, that every wheat grower in the 
oountry ought at least to give it a fair 
trial. 
It is recommended not merely ,by the 
saving of seed, and the uniform depth of 
planting secured by the drill, (which is a 
great seourity against freezing out,) but 
equally by the trifling cost of cultivation, 
as compared with the result, and by the 
surprising increase of yield, when the 
process is rightly managed. 
In all the trials of tins plan that have 
come to our knowledge, we have heard of 
but one that did not succeed, and in that 
case a better result is confidently expected 
at the next trial. In truth, the only sur¬ 
prise is, that a mode of culture so evi¬ 
dently sound, and so decidedly profitable 
as this has thus far proved to be, should 
have been so long neglected. If the ex¬ 
termination of weeds, and the develop¬ 
ment of latent fertility by pulverizing and 
aerating the soil are found, as a general 
rule, both useful and necessary in pro¬ 
moting the yield of crops, then so much 
the more are they needed in the case of 
this cereal, not only on account of its vast 
importance, but from the fact of its seri¬ 
ous decline in reoent years over large 
areas of country. 
Here then we have, within easy reach, 
one of the most reliable means of reviving 
and restoring to its ancient affluence, a 
crop which though of great value and na¬ 
tional importance, is, in some sections of 
the country, gradually disappearing from 
our husbandry, in oonsequonce of inex¬ 
cusable neglect. A process that is found 
to increase the yield of a great national 
food staple from fifty to one hundred per 
cent, at a cost of five or Bix dollars per 
acre, is not a matter to be overlooked by 
intelligent farmers, and there is no reason 
why this method of treatment for wheat, 
should not be universally adopted before 
the close of another decade, if not even at 
the beginning. This method is largely 
practiced in England, and their average 
yearly product is more than double our 
own. Iu this country some enterprising 
farmers have already reached results quite 
equal to those of ourEuglish cousins, and 
which, when compared with our general 
average, are simply amazing, and quite 
sufficient to prove the necessity of aban¬ 
doning the old method. 
Mr. J. M. Heiges, of York County, Pa., 
who was a successful wheat grower, even 
by the ordinary method, found by re¬ 
peated trials that the yield could be in¬ 
creased by hoeing from twenty-three 
bushels per acre, to fifty-five bushels, and 
in one case, by judicious manuring, he 
reached a product of seventy-one bushels. 
L. W. Groff, of Lancaster Co., Pa., has 
lately given much study and attention to 
this subject. He finds’that a drill of six 
feet between the wheels, and with four 
tubes, instead of eight, gives space suffi¬ 
cient for the horse-hoe in cultivating, and 
has produced by this method sixty-one 
bushelB per acre, which is more than 
double the normal yield of his land. 
Mr. A. E. Blunt, of the Tennessee 
Agricultural Station, finds sixteen inches 
between the drills the best distance for 
after-culture, and obtained in 1877 (with 
a top dressing of salt and ashes,) a yield 
of sixty-seven bushels per acre. Though 
it is true that these figures are excep¬ 
tional, yet they can nearly always be ap¬ 
proximated by intelligent farmers, and 
the contrast they present to the current 
average yield is something more than re¬ 
markable, it is positively startling. 
May we not then confidently expect to 
see this mode of culture very promptly 
and generally adopted by our farmers ? 
If it is not, the fault and the loss will be 
their own. If, on the other hand, this 
reformed culture should be at once ac¬ 
cepted as the general rule of our practice, 
the effect would be to nearly double the 
capacity of production for every acre of 
this cereal in the country, and the wheat 
crop of the new decade, now near at 
hand, would probably show a yield of 
over seven hundred million bushels. 
- ■ - •» ♦» — 
THE FUTURE OF CATTLE FEEDING. 
It takes time to perfeot any industry. 
The progress made in the manufacture 
of cotton prints has been very remarka¬ 
ble during the last twenty years in this 
country. We are able now to compete 
with the English print manufacturer at 
his own door. The difference between 
the cost and quality of our lean steers of 
thirty years ago and the average of those 
we now send to market, is nearly as great 
as between our prints than and now. 
Then little attention was paid to breed¬ 
ing, four or more years were taken to 
mature steers for market, and their 
weight only averaged about 1,100 pounds. 
Now a large class of the cattle sent to 
market are Short-horn grades, about 
three years is their average age, and from 
twelve to fourteen hundred pounds their 
average weight. Here is an increase of 
25 per cent, in weight and a saving of 25 
per cent, in time of feeding. This 
amounts to a reduction of fifty per cent, 
in the amount of food required to grow 
and fatten a steer. This is a long stride 
to make in thirty years, and we expeot 
the improvement to bo Btill greater in the 
next thirty. 
As the fertility of the soil in the older 
States lost its virgin freshness, cattle¬ 
feeding receded to the new lands of the 
West where corn grew almost spontane¬ 
ously, and cattle were produced in mil¬ 
lions. But these western cattle were 
grown under most unfavorable circum¬ 
stances during winter, exposed to all the 
inclemency of the weather, and conse¬ 
quently they mad® much slower progress 
than if the oorn had been fed under 
shelter. Yet the improved blood—mostly 
from Short-horn crosses,—the fine Hum¬ 
mer pasture and the abundanoe of corn 
in cold weather, made a very rapid im¬ 
provement. The calves had also a long 
period of suckling—milk there being of 
little value—which assisted muoh in short¬ 
ening the period of maturity. The finest 
class of cattle coming from the West to 
the Eastern markets stimulated a desire 
for better feeding in the older States, and 
this is now gradually changing the system 
of grain raising in those States into a 
mixed husbandry, with a great increase 
in cattle raising. They are just begin¬ 
ning fairly to understand that the more 
cattle they raise the greater their capacity 
for grain and other crops. The Eastern 
and Middle States, thirty years ago, 
seemed to regard cattle and grain raising 
as antagonistic, instead of as complimen¬ 
tary to each other. 
Bat this view of the matter is now 
rapidly changing, and the time is prob¬ 
ably not far distant, when New York will 
carry as many cattle to the hundred cul¬ 
tivated acres as EDgland does now. This 
State now carries about 2,200,000 cattle 
of all kinds, dairy cows being about two- 
tbirds of this number, whilst the United 
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is 
credited, in 1877, with only 5,844,141 
cattle of all kinds. The cattle disease 
baB reduced the number nearly 2,000,000 
within the last six or eight years. The 
farmers of the Eastern and Middle States 
have, to some extent, purchased cattle 
raised at the West, and sometimes from 
Kansas and Texas, thin animals two and 
one-half to three years old, denominated 
“ stockers,” and fattened them on grass 
and grain. Bnt this system lias not 
proved very profitable; for the difficulty 
that confronts the feeder is the general 
unthrifty condition of these steers. They 
have, iu a great proportion of cases, been 
kept in such a state of suspended growth 
as to lessen the normal capacity of the 
digestive system and the powers of assim¬ 
ilation. It requires from one to three 
months before these animals enter upon 
a stage of thrifty growth, and this time 
and the food consumed are practically 
sacrificed, as compared with animals that 
have been kept in a thrifty condition. 
The most experienced feeders prefer, 
therefore, to purchase only those animals 
whose digestive organs are all in tin active 
state, and capable of assimilating large 
amounts of food. Suck animals, having 
been constantly growing Biuee calfhood, 
will continue this growth and rapidly in¬ 
crease in weight and quality under good 
feeding. The difficulty of finding such 
feeiiing steers in market has led the best 
farmers to raise their own stock, having 
thus the control of the animal from calf- 
hood till ripened for market. Here food 
may be turned to the best account, as the 
intelligent feeder selects good blood in 
hiB breeding male animals, such as have 
been bred to early maturity, and he is 
able to grow steers of 1300 to 1500 pounds, 
when 30 months old. This grade of stock 
will sell for $80 to $90 per head on any 
average of ten years. The future of cattle 
feeding will show a constant increase in 
the number and quality of beef cattle 
raised in all the older States, as well as 
in the great West. 
-- 
SAVING BY HANDFULS. 
One handful of hay is not muoh, nor, 
for the matter of that, are twenty hand¬ 
fuls ; the saving or wasting of so muoh 
would neither make nor break a man. 
But with twenty head of cattle to feed 
twice or thrice a day, the saving of a 
handful apiece, every time, would amount 
to something before the pastures are 
green again upon our frost-bitten hills. 
Do you ever think of it? We are not 
hinting at stinting the cattle. But how 
many of us allow animals to waste a hand¬ 
ful each at every feed, for want of a little 
attention to feeding arrangements ? How 
many head of stock on our northern farms 
require a handful more of hay at every 
feed to keep up the animal heat, than 
they would require if their stables had 
all the cracks stopped, that let in the cold 
winds of winter ? 
A handful of manure is but a trifle; 
yet the addition of a single handful in a 
hill of corn may make the difference be¬ 
tween long, full ears and stinted uubbins, 
when the harvest comes. How many 
handfuls of manure are going to waste 
every day about our yards and bnildingH ? 
Could you not save half a bushel a 
day, by being careful ? And the liquid 
manure—is there not enough lost every 
day to make a good many long ears where 
we shall probably find only nubbins next 
fall? 
Handfuls of hay ; handfuls of manure ! 
—these are small matters, say you ? Yet 
upon just such small matters depends 
many a man’s success or failure in life. 
Here is one man that attends to them 
carefully, and at the end of twenty or 
thirty years he has a oompetenoy for old 
age; another neglects them as beneath 
his notice, and is always behind hand ; he 
lives and dies short in pocket and short 
in comfort. We do not preach niggard¬ 
liness ; it is by saving when we may that 
we prepare ourselves to be liberal when 
we will. Save the handfuls ! 
-- « ► 
Beauty of Hebron.—The Weekly 
Tribune says that the Rural New-Yor¬ 
ker has dropped into prophecy in a 
friendly way to the extent of venturing 
the opinion that the Beauty of Hebron 
potato, planted side by side with Early 
Rose, will prove more prolific, at least 
ten days earlier and be found of better 
quality. We did so prophesy and we are 
as confident as one well can be iu such 
matters. But to prove the correctness of 
our faith and enable our subscribers to 
judge for themselves, we propose to in¬ 
clude this variety in our free seed dis¬ 
tribution, tho particulars of which as has 
been before stated, we shall announce 
some time in November. 
-«♦» 
Protection against Mice.—Many 
fine fruit-trees are destroyed in the win¬ 
ter by mice, perhaps just as they are com¬ 
ing to yield something to repay years of 
care. Let us tell our friends that at 
the cost of one cent a tree they may rest 
easy about the mice every night in the 
winter. Gut common plasterer’s laths 
just long enough to reach the lowest limb, 
and tie around each tree enough to pro¬ 
tect the trunk. Common ootton twine 
is sufficient; one tie near the top and one 
near the bottom. 
BREVITIES. 
Clean your oider barrels. 
Bubal Grounds, Sept. 28. First frost—a light 
one. 
Attend to your poultry houses before cold 
weather. 
Ouk readers may look for a raspberry paper 
next week. 
The Fbost of May 14.—Dr. Hexamer tells us 
that this has been a hard year for him. He lost 
half of his Strawberries, nearly all of his Rasp¬ 
berries, nearly all of his Granes, and half of baa 
Apples, all owing to tho frost of May 14. 
We publish by roquost of the distinguished 
Secretary an address of the Farmers’ Alliance, 
to the farmers of Now York. The Rubal New- 
YmnEBisno more interested in the farmers 
of N. Y. State than in those of any other. We 
hope all may read it with profit. 
Ice Houses. —We need not again give detailed 
descriptions of how to build ice-houses. Those 
intending to build them this fail need only to 
bear in mind, 1, Perfeot drainage; 2, Ample 
ventilation; 3, A good non-conducting sub¬ 
stance between the ice and the air. An ice- 
hou-u costing $50, that meets the above require- 
mt.ets, will keep ice as long aB if ten times that 
amount were expended. 
Much has been said of late yearn by qnasi- 
scientmts about the dire impoverishment of land 
oaused by tho waste of sewage, but among prac¬ 
tical experimenters there has been a good deal 
of doubt as to tho value of this species of ferti¬ 
lizer. Dr. Vooloker, iu a reoent publication says 
that in his opinion the moBt economical treat¬ 
ment of sewage, is to carry it bodily far enough 
to the open sea to dostroy any chance of its ever 
being brought hack to laud by the tide. 
The Inteunational Dairy Faik. A meeting 
of tho Executive Committee of the International 
Dairy Fair, was lately held iu this city. From 
the treasurer's report it appears, that the to*ai 
subscriptions thus far amount to $2,800. Hith¬ 
erto no single subscription had boon received for 
less than $100, and it was proposed henoeforth, 
to start a list of smaller donations. Arrange¬ 
ments have been made with the proprietors of 
Gilmore’s Garden here, for leasing that building 
on favorable terms, and it is intended to open 
the Fair on December tho 4th, the earliest date 
at which tho place could to hired. It is proposed 
to charge two dollars for every entry made, and 
it iH expected that thoro will to at least 1,000 of 
them. 
The Vermont Watchman and State Journal 
has for its agricultural editor our occasional 
contributor, Dr. T. II. Hoskins. We know him 
only as tbe agricultural and horticultural world 
have long known him—through his able and 
versatile pen. We take occasion to speak of 
him as an exception to the rule of which Dr. 
Hturtevaut complains, viz., that prominent agri¬ 
culturists are too chary of their praise of otherB 
who are laboring in tho same field. Dr. Sturte- 
vaut, who, generously consistent with his com¬ 
plaint, Bouuin to derive much pluAsure iu recog¬ 
nizing worthy efforts wherever he secs them, 
bestows very emphatic words of praise in the 
September number of his Scientific Farmer, 
upon au agricultural contemporary. Dr. Hob- 
kma quotes this in his journal, and adds: “ But 
the Hcioutiiic Farmer can afford to be appre¬ 
ciative uf tbe work of others, having so muoh 
merit of its owu. We are glad that it, too, finds 
its field of usefulness widening, through the 
appreciation it receives from tho more studious 
and progressive farmers of the nation.” 
