OCT.49 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Shell-Flowers, Cleome and Ricimis are also in 
blossom, and I am well pleased with them ; as 
they are quite new to me. I had five plants of 
Yucca and one of hardy Phlox, the latter was 
at least three months in coming up. Tomatoes, 
Green Gage, proved rather watery, perhaps 
owing to the soil in which they were planted, 
which is hard clay. You cannot know how much 
I appreciate these presents of seedB. It is so 
hard for poor farmers’ wives to get spare change 
to purchase high-priced plants, a. m. o. 
Howard Lake, Minn., July 23d, 1878. 
Many thanks for favors which the managers 
ef the Rural bestow on us. I have only to look 
in my flower-garden to be reminded of the dona¬ 
tion of seeds last year. Here I see the fine 
Pelargoniums, Godetia, Oleome and otherB, in 
their beauty. I often wish I oould find some¬ 
thing new for them ; I would most cheerfully 
send it. Mrs. S. A. M. 
West Jersey, Stark Co„ HI. 
Thanks to the Rural for Willow cuttingB re¬ 
ceived. Now just a word with regard to myself. 
I own a good farm of 80 acres ; rent it for two- 
fifths : support myself and five children from 
the rent; also pay taxes, and hire hedge trim¬ 
ming, yet manage to live oomfortably. What 
corn is raised on the farm I feed to hogs. Our 
nearest railroad station is seven miles away, but 
we have six different railroad markets within 
ten miles of us. Mrs. H. E. M C. 
part. Who can beat this ? All these plants are 
from seedB sent by the Rural. Thanks, thanks 
every day; I do not forget. M - w - 
p. g. —Striped and blotched Petunias, seed 
sent by Rural, are true to name, and a bed of 
beauty, I assure you. 
-■*-*-*- 
WHAT OTHERS SAY. 
Jamestown, N. Y.. July 80. 
Will the Rural allow me to claim a cutting 
of the Willow? I have plants of Glaucium, 
Eryngium and Shell-Flower, from seeds you kind¬ 
ly sent me. The two former are not in bloom, 
but the Glaucium has sufficient beauty without 
a flower. The Shell-Flower is very curious. A 
lady in our neighborhood has some which she 
preserves for winter bouquets. It is very orna¬ 
mental for this purpose. Success to you in 
your benevolent distribution. Mrs. W. C. G. 
Lincoln, Mich., July 26th, 1878. 
My house stands on a dry, sandy knoll, where 
it is difficult to get trees to live, and as Willows 
are recommended as growing in such situations, 
I wish to get some of the Rural’s cuttings. I 
am anxious to try them. Of the six packets of 
flower seedB sent last fall, I have been able to 
raise plants of four. Two failed to come through 
carelessness. I have lost the labels, but have been 
able to recognize two of them from desciiptions 
in the Rural ; of the other two, one has leaves 
that resemble those of Columbine ; the leaves of 
the other are light-green, long, with curled 
edges. Neither of them has blossomed as yet. I 
raised but one plant of the Cleomo, but that is 
flouridling nicely. I received and potted my 
Geraniums laafcvening: thank you for them ; I 
shall do my best with them, I anticipate a great 
deal of enjoyment when they get to flowering. 
m. w. 
San Antonio, Texas, July 29,1878. 
I HAVE had the reading of your precious paper 
for 22 years. I have taken it myself ever since 
marriage, and my parents did so before that. I 
have tried very hard to get subscribers, but we 
have “ put our tent ” among non-reading peo¬ 
ple. who take no interest in education, and are, 
like ourselves, very poor. This is a lovely cli¬ 
mate, neither so warm nor bo culd as in New 
York or Pennsylvania, and here one is always en¬ 
joying a lovely breeze. I have greatly improved 
in health myself since we came here, and we are 
slowly and surely establishing a home for our 
little ones, by hard labor. I often wonder what 
my lady friends in the North would think if they 
had to work as I do, sixteen hours a day, year 
in and year out, and get along with two little 
log rooms and call it home, getting wet every 
time it rains, although better off than onr neigh¬ 
bors. I have but just succeeded in getting my 
yard inclosed, so as to have a few flowers. 
j. M M. 
Poquonock Bridge, Conn. 
I am entirely satisfied with my bed of single 
Portulacas; they are in seven different colors, 
including striped ; some measure two and a half 
inches across, one, an orange color, coming 
double. I removed and set them in a bed alone, 
and the next time I visited it, I found it covered 
with pure white single flowers. Yams wore a 
long time comiug ; they are up now and growing 
finely, but not in blossom yet. The Chinese 
Yams are splendid : Phlox grandiflora is—Phlox 
grandiflora. What curious flowers the Oleomes 
have ! They look like long-legged spiders. I do 
not know what ails my Zinnias Parwinii; their 
soil is rich, yet they do not give flowers so 
large as the old kinds do. Tfao wind seemed 
to have particular spite againBt my new Snap¬ 
dragons—the beautiful toothed variety—twist¬ 
ing and breaking them off to the gronnd. I 
have set out the tops; one or two may grow, 
but cannot be of much account, it is so late in 
the season. Perhaps I have beat everybody 
with my Cockscombs. Among mine is one three 
feet seven inches tall, with a flat stem over three 
and a half inches wide, and there are seven 
monster combs on it, besides innumerable small 
ones; the widest comb is over 16 inches broad, 
and nine and a half inohes through the thickos 
Silica.— Mr. Lawes. of Rothamsted, in a com¬ 
munication to the Scientific Farmer, says that 
Professor Caldwell is perfectly correct in advis¬ 
ing farmers to disregard si Heated fertilizers. 
Silica constitutes the greater bulk of our soils, 
and is oertain to be present in sufficient quanti¬ 
ties for all agricultural requirements. He has 
supplied soluble silica, with alkalies, phosphates 
and ammonia, to pasture-land for more than 
twenty years, removing three tons of hay per 
acre per annum. The same manures without 
the silica have produced an equal amouut of 
produce, and the amount of silica removed in 
the crop has been nearly the same in both cases. 
The straw of onr continuous wheat crops con¬ 
tains the lowest percentage of silica in the most 
productive years. He mentions as an instance 
the year 1863. The plot manured with alkalies, 
phosphates and ammonia, gave the highest pro¬ 
duce of any of the thirty-five years,—fifty-four 
bushels per acre and five thousand eight hun¬ 
dred and seventy-five pounds of straw, the per¬ 
centage of silica in the straw of this crop, is 
lower than that of any other year. While, 
therefore, the strength of the straw and its con¬ 
sequent power to carry a heavy yield of grain are 
dependent upon climatic circumstances and not 
upon silica, we must not suppose the silica does 
not perform an important function in the plant. 
It is quite true that by water culture, maize and 
other silica plants have been grown without sili¬ 
ca ; but it is probable that growth under these 
conditions is attained with a wasteful expendi¬ 
ture of force. He is disposed to think that the 
cereal green crops and the grasses which take up 
silica in large quantities, possess an advantage, 
or, to use a common although not a very ele¬ 
gant expression, have a “ pull ” over those.crops 
which take up lime instead of silica. Silica ex¬ 
ists much more abundantly in the soil than any 
other substance; the roots, therefore, of silica 
plants are always in contact with one element of 
their food. Silica is also an acid ready formed, 
and the greater part of the potash existing in 
soil is combined with silica. Root crops, clover ( 
and other leguminous* crops, tako up lime instead 
of silica. Except upon a very fine soil this sub¬ 
stance is much more sparingly distributed, aud 
the roots have to travel farther to find it; they 
have also to manufacture a vegetable acid in 
order to dissolve it. If they take potash from 
the soil as a silicate, they must decompose it and 
restore the silica to the soil. May we not, there¬ 
fore, attribute gon e of the special properties of 
the graminaceous plants, their universal distri¬ 
bution and rapid growth, to the property of 
taking up silica ? It is silica weeds (Couch- 
grass) which are the great enemies to the 
farmer. He knows that growing roots or clover 
is impossible unless the land is free from these 
pests; and if land is left undisturbed these soon 
attain possession of the soil. An analysis of the 
ash of the grasses only of a pasture gave Mr. 
Lawes tbirty-threo per cent, of silica, and com¬ 
paratively small quantities of lime and carbonic 
acid. Tho ash of leguminous plants growing 
among these grasses gave thirty-three per cent, 
of lime aud the same quantity of carbonic acid, 
but not more than one or two per cant, of silica. 
The leguminous plant having to form an organic 
acid and to take lime instead of silica, is clearly 
in a disadvantageous position compared with 
the graminaceous plants, and where food is 
abundantly supplied tho grasses are capable of 
entirely destroying the leguminous herbage. 
A Valuable Hedge Plant.— Mr. W. R. Smith, 
of the Botanic Gardens, Washington, says in the 
Star of that city, that he ventures to say that 
nothing in any list of hedge plants is equal to 
Zizyphus vulgaris or Jujube tree. It is a much 
hardier tree than the Osage Orange ; smaller in 
growth, and not requiring the interminable 
labor to trim of that rampant-growing hedge 
tree. Our mutual friend, Thomas Meehan, in¬ 
forms him that an old tree grows near his nur¬ 
series in Germantown. Another tree, perhaps 
thirty years of age or more, grew near to the 
Senate wing of the National Capitol. It snould 
be said rather, existed,—because it was robbed 
by large Sycamores and Silver Poplars till about 
two years ago, when it was moved to the Botanic 
Gardens, where it is now doing well, haring 
borne 100 seeds this season- Six seeds, obtained 
from this small tree five years ago, produced the 
plants, now six feet high, the oareful examina¬ 
tion of which induces him to write thus earnest¬ 
ly of the Zizyphus as a hedge plant. Mr Braok- 
enridge, Dr. Warder, author of the Essay on 
Hedge Plants, and others well informed on the 
subject, have made personal inspection with 
him, and pronounce in favor of its eminent 
adaptability to the purpose recommended. 
Make Good Butteb.— X. A. Willard says that 
with the present outlook, the prospect is that 
there will be a good home and foreign demand 
for choice gradeB of butter, while for the lower 
grades the market never looked more unfavor¬ 
able, since oleomargarine enters into compe¬ 
tition with these sorts, and can be produced 
more cheaply, and will be preferred by that class 
of consumers with whom a low price is a neces- 
oessity. Again, as oleomargarine can be substi¬ 
tuted for butter by bakers and pastry cooks, the 
demand for inferior butter is likely to be affected 
in this direction. 
Exhorts of Cattle Products.— The National 
Live Stock Journal gives a liBt of the exports of 
cattle products for 1877 aud 1878, and to it adds 
the annual aggregate showing the progress for 
ten years, from 1869 to 1878 inolnsive. 
1878. 
Cattle Products. 
1877. 
.. . f 1,593.080 
... 4,552,523 
... 2,900.952 
Ui.h.. . 4 .424,610 
... 12,700.627 
123.801 
Preserved meats. 
... 8,939,977 
.. . 2,480,427 
t av ... 6.017,375 
... 7,883 619 
NeatVfcbt oil. . . 
19,720 
Total . 
$46,086,715 
$3,S9fi,818 
5,109,836 
2.973,234 
3,9:0.840 
14,103,529 
138.118 
5,099.918 
1,285,840 
6.199.053 
6,695.377 
17,447 
»«!338,029 
The export of fresh beef does not go back be¬ 
yond 1877 ; but, under all the other items, the 
aggregate is as follows: 
. 38.028.367 
ISA?. ’ . 32,662.325 
■Sit. 30.302.827 
JrTO. 23.755.327 
jsyy;;;;;;;. 12,303.371 
Here is a most satisfactory growth of an im¬ 
portant export—that of 1878 Is more than four 
times that of 1869. Preserved meats did not 
reach a million before 1877, yet in 1878 they ex¬ 
ceed five millions ; fresh beef also reaching five 
millions the second year. The export of live 
cattle only reached about one-half million before 
1875, and increased $2,303,788 in 1878. Cheese 
alone, in 1878, is about two millions more than 
all the cattle products exported in 1869. 
Recklesb Hunters. —A writer in the Herald 
complain* that they needlessly break down fen- 
oes and shake the best apple and peach tree#. 
This people do not like. There is plenty of game 
and loads of fish up in the country. Let them 
take all belonging to them in a fair way, but let 
them not waste good fruit or break fences. 
One Consolation. — The Mass. Ploughman 
says that farmers have one consolation in a season 
like this, and that is, they have tho prospect of 
enough to live on, at any rate, which is more 
than many engaged in other pursuits have. 
Cruelty is not only wicked but most improvi¬ 
dent, and the cruel man, boy or woman, should 
find no place on the farm, even if he offered his 
services for nothing. So says the London Ag. 
Gazette. 
Club-root. —Mr. Vick says the best preventive 
is lime and phosphate manures. 
FARM NOTES. 
In the fall of 1875,1 purchased a trio of Berk¬ 
shire pigs of a noted breeder, and, feeling rather 
proud of them, I gave them the best of care and 
did not breed in-and-in. 1 obtained but three 
pigs from one sow, when both of the sows went 
farrow twice. Will some one point out the 
cause of such ill-inck ? The boar was all right. 
Galway, N. Y., Oct. 2, 1878. w. a. h. 
-- 
SETTING EXAMPL ES OF ART AND TASTE. 
We see a paragraph reporting that Cyrus 
W. Field has given the sum of $10,000 to the 
village of Williamslown, Mass., to be used in 
beautifying the main street upon Which Williams 
College is situated. Could such an example be fol¬ 
lowed, if only to the extent of a few hundred dol¬ 
lars, in removing unsightly objects, filling up and 
grading and sloping the side-walks, planting trees 
etc., in every village in the land, what would be 
the effect upon the inhabits,nls and the public 
spirit of those places? The work would of 
course be done, after obtaining the advice of a 
landscape gardener, by the laborers of the vil¬ 
lage, and not a dollar would be sont away, while 
the example would become epidemic through 
the whole town and every cross-Btreet and every 
man’s homestead would feel tho effects—in in¬ 
creasing enterprise, civilization, intelligence 
and the industrial interest of the land. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
Why has it never occurred to farmers and 
grain-growers that they can breed in-and-in 
with grain as well as with stock; or, in other 
words, may we not decrease the rigor of grain 
by continuing to sow seed from our own bins ? 
Farmers should think of this and if they find 
they are in-and-in breeders of grain, let them 
try a change and see the result. I have sown 
wheat after oats this fall, instead of oorn, as I 
have formerly done. Corn cannot be removed 
in time to get the wheat in early enough. I 
sowed with a drill, and used the Clawson variety 
instead of Kentucky Whito. A heap of barn¬ 
yard manure waB drawn out lat*t spring, and, 
being thoroughly rotted, was applied without 
any danger of its containing weed- seed capable 
of germination. In former years the land had 
been cleared of stones enough to admit of clean 
culture, but, to make it a thorough job, I set 
men at work with bars to follow the plow and 
dig out all the stones that still remained, to be 
removed by the boat. Next, I hired a layer to 
put them into a wall as they were drawn, thus 
turning what was useless and troublesome into a 
good fence. 
The Blow, heavy horse is no horse for the 
farmer in these times. A medium-sized, active 
animal that can go from eight to ton miles per 
hour on the road, and haul two tonB per pair on 
the farm, is the farmer’s horse. 
Cowh Bhould not he allowed to fall off in con¬ 
dition now. I am feeding mine all they oan eat, 
both night and day, by filling their racks as full 
as I can at night and pasturing on the meadows 
through the day. I think their droppings repay 
the soil for the grass taken until the fall rains 
come on, when they should not be allowed to 
run there. My yearlings are kept in the best of 
pasture, to urge on their growth before winter. 
Calves are fed a mess of middlings every day. 
Col. Curtis says fanners Bhould keep more 
Bheep. I agree with him. No farm should be 
without at least a few of this most useful and 
profitable stock. They will put money in the 
pocket from lambs aud wool, to say nothing of 
the assistance they give in destroying weeds and 
briers. If there is a field overrun with tliat 
nuisance, the Daisy, turn in your sheep before 
it is ripe, and that is the end of the pest. Then, 
their manure is very excellent and well dis¬ 
tributed. They also furnish us both food and 
clothing. Now, that prices are low, is a good 
k time to purchase enough of them to start with. 
“ Talks on Manures," by Joseph Harris, M. S. 
author of •‘’Walks and Talks on the Farm,” 
“Harris on tho Pig," etc., published by the 
Orange Judd Company, 245 Broadway, N. Y. 
We have read this work of 366 pages, with great 
care, and not a little profit. Its scope embraces 
the whole subject of manures and fertilizers, 
their composition, effects, best mode of manage¬ 
ment, and application, records of various experi¬ 
ments with different kinds, both in this country 
and in Europe, together with suggestions as to 
the sorts most suitable for nearly every kind of 
crop, and on every kind of soil. Nor is it limited 
to manures only, for incidentally nearly every 
branch of farm economy is instructively handled. 
It is a storehouse) of valuable information on 
farm topics, derived from large personal ex¬ 
perience, and from a wide acquaintance with 
the experiments, reohearches, and best prac¬ 
tices of the great lights of agricultural sci¬ 
ence, and agricultural art. The form in which 
the werk is written, is well adapted for the 
luoid discussion of all sides of disputable 
questions. It is in the form of a dialogue be¬ 
tween the autnor, the Deacon, the Doctor, 
Charley, aud the Squire, the author, as is 
proper, doing mo6t of the talking, while occa¬ 
sionally ono of the others starts objections to 
the views propounded, and sometimes supports 
these objections by at least plausible reasoning, 
as well as by the results of aotual practice. In 
this way many of the subjects treated of, are 
viewed from different standpoints, and if we do 
not always agree with the conclusions arrived 
at, we must invariably derive instruction and 
pleasure from the discussion. 
Starting out with the declaration that on his 
own farm he is aiming to get 36 bushels of wheat 
per acre; 80 bushels of shelled corn ; 60 bushels 
of barley; aud 90 bushels of oats; 300 bushels 
of potatoes, aud 1200 bushels of mangel-wurzel 
on an average, the author gives full information 
throughout the book, of how othor farmers may 
accomplish equally desirable results. In addi¬ 
tion to a foil table of contents; there is attached 
to the work a complete alphabetical index of all 
the subjects mentioned in the text—the value of 
which as a means of ready reference, can hardly 
bo over-estimated. The work is clearly primed 
on tinted paper; and neatly bound in cloth, and 
should And an oft-visited place in every farmer’s 
library or book-shelf. 
— -- +-*-+ - 
CATALOGUES, &c., RECEIVED. 
Circular and Price-List of Small Fruit 
Plants, offered by Gibson & Bennett, Woodbury, 
N. J. 
Circular. Riokett’s New Seedling Grape, 
“Lady Washington." James H. RickettB, New- 
bnrg, N. Y. 
Jones & Sons’ Lake View Nurseries, Roches¬ 
ter, N. Y. Wholesale price-list of fruit and or¬ 
namental trees, small fruit, plants, &o. 
Bbidoman’b Descriptive Catalogue of Bulbous 
and Tuberous Roots, with directions for man¬ 
agement. Alfred Bridgman, 878 Broadway. 
Monthly Reports of the KansaB State Board 
of Agriculture for May, Jnne, July and August. 
By Alfred Gray, Secretary, Topeka, Kansas. 
“ Fruit-Growing and Farming.’ An address 
before the Solebury Farmers’ Club of BuckB Co., 
Pa., by William Parry, of Cinnatninson, N. J. 
Premium List for the Fourth Annual Fair of 
the Dickinson Co. Agricultural Society, to be 
held at Abilene, Kansas, Oct. 9, 12. J. B. Ed¬ 
wards, Secretary. 
Annual Catalogue of Thoroughbred Dutoh- 
Friesian Cattle of the Unadilla Valley Herd, for 
1878. Address Irwin Langworthy, Seoretary, 
South Brookfield, N. Y. 
Vick’s Illustrated monthly, Rochester, N. Y. 
Tulip*, Hyacinths, Crocus, Colohioum, and 
