743 
will be seen, the “ bars” have a natural, easy 
rest, obviating all compression of the hoof—an 
evil that is friquently produced by the ordinary 
shoes. 
(Fig. 3) represents the foot closely fitted with 
the shoe, which is rendered transparent, show¬ 
ing what parts of the foot are supported and 
protected: a, a, a, the crust or wall of the hoof 
—perfectly represented by the continuous calk 
of the shoe, which, with its continuations, the 
bars, at the heels, sustains the whole weight of 
the horse: 5. 5, the bars supported and pro¬ 
tected by the shoes: o, c, the heels, perfectly 
supported by lhc shoe: d, d, the situation of 
ourns protected from injury : e, e, <s, the sole, 
f, the frog. Inslead of three prongs or “ calks” 
for the horse to stand on, as if he were walking 
on stilts, tbe bottom of the shoe presents a con¬ 
tinuous calk about a half inoh in depth, which 
is worn off evenly, and always affords a square, 
solid foundation for the horse's weight, just as 
would be afforded by his hoof if he were unshod. 
Altogether, we are satisfied that this is a sensi¬ 
ble, praclioal shoe that will correct some of the 
evils done by former faulty shoeing, and give na¬ 
ture an opportunity to keep the hoof in sound 
condition. These shoes are made by the John 
D. Billings’ Patent Horse-Shoe Co., 265 Broad¬ 
way, New York. 
Newington, Heath Cling, Morris’s White, Hon¬ 
est John, Old Mixon, George the Fourth and 
many others. The southeastern portion of 
Nebraska is particularly noted for its fine peach 
orop. Our native, or seedling peaches, partic¬ 
ularly attracted the attention of non-resident 
fruit growers and pomologists at the 
ANNUAL STATE HORTICULTURAL EXHIBIT, 
held with the State Fair, at Lincoln during the 
BOOKS RECEIVED, 
Pallisee's Model Homes showing a variety 
of designs for model dwellings, also plans of a 
farm-barn and hennery combined, a stable and 
carriage house, a school house, masonio asso¬ 
ciation building, bank and library, Town Hall 
and three churches, together with a large 
amount of miscellaneous matter. By Palliser, 
Palliser <fe Co., Architects, Bridgeport, Conn. 
Nichols, Shepherd & Co., of Battle Creek, 
Michigan, have just erected a large addition to 
their already large factory. The new machine 
shop is 120x70 feet, built of brick, with power 
supplied by a new C. H. Brown & Co., 50 horse¬ 
power engine. This shop is for the manufac¬ 
ture of portable Bteam-thrashing engines. The 
firm made and sold one hundred and twenty- 
three engines this season; and with increased 
facilities propose to turn out over three hundred 
next ye^r. 
NOTES FROM NEBRASKA 
EX-GOV. B. W. FURNAS, 
Ab the active agricultural and horticultural 
operations of the season are about closed, and 
a moment's leisure presents itself, I have an 
opportunity of letting readers of the Bubal 
know what we have been doing in this State. 
The season has been remarkable for its ad¬ 
vantageous characteristics in almost ail respects. 
Plant growth has been all that could be desired, 
and aB a natural result, products correspond. 
Our general firm products are unprecedented, 
even with us. 
Cobn, the great staple, is simply enormous. 
The great question is: “ What shall we do with 
it?" We are in better condi.ion to utilize 
nomioal, the designs handsome, convenient and 
wholly comfortable. In all cases they seem 
well adapted to the wants of tt-ose for whom 
they are intended, ranging from the neat cot¬ 
tage costing $500 to the elegant dwelling costing 
$4000 and upwards. The work is full of sug- 
gestiveness not only to all who are ambitious of 
owning tasteful, convenient homes, I ut also to 
the working builder who can derive many a use¬ 
ful hint from the skill and experience embodied 
in the plans and information here given. Of the 
various works on architecture which have come 
under our notice wo do not know one which we 
can more heartily recommend to our readers. 
Sixteenth Annual Report of the Secretary 
of the Board of Agriculture of the 8tate of 
Michigan for tbe year endiog Sept. 30, 1877. 
This bulky volume of 732 pages is devoted to a 
statement of accounts of the Agricultural Col¬ 
lege, Reports of its various Professors on their 
respective departments, accounts of half a 
dozen Farmers’ Institutes held in different 
towns in the State together with verbatim re¬ 
ports of the lectures delivered thereat, occupy¬ 
ing altogether upwards of 300 pages. Then in 
succession come a colleoiiou of miscellaneous 
essays, a report of the State Board of Agricul¬ 
ture covering upwards of 200 pages, various re¬ 
ports from County Societies and fiaally a register 
of meteorological observations for 1877. 
It is impossible for any one to look through 
such works without being impressed with the 
vast amount of worthless information they con¬ 
tain. Tuis usually so far overlies what there is 
of value in them that one iu searoh of the latter 
is very apt to overlook it and consign the work 
to its usual place—the waste paper heap or some 
unvisited sbeif in the library. In case of the 
work before ns, however, such a fate would be 
nnj ust to its merits, and a loss to the seeker for 
useful knowledge. It is not that it Jacks an un¬ 
interesting mass of worthless information 
which no sane mortal will ever wade through; 
but the valuable instruction contained in it will 
amply repay careful perusal and study. This is 
comprised almost exclusively in tbe leotures de¬ 
livered at the Farmers’ Institutes, and to some 
parts of these we shall refer in future numbers 
of the Rural. Robebt G. Baibd of Lansing, 
is the Secretary. 
-♦ ♦♦ ■ 
CATALOGUES, &c., RECEIVED. 
L. L. Polk, Commissioner of Agriculture, 
Raleigh, N. C. Second Quarterly Report for 
year 1878. 
Descriptive Catalogue of Fruit Trees, 
Habdv Grape vines, Small Fruit3, & c . Sam¬ 
uel Hape & Co , Hapewell, Ga. 
Vick’s Illustrated Monthly.— We should 
write it “ Vick’s Excellent Illustrated Monthly." 
It is full of original and instructive mat 
this crop than ever before. Farmers have 
"catohed up” as the saying goes, and have, 
or are able to purchase cattle and hogs 
to feed, aud thus the crop can be con¬ 
densed before transporting it. We raise 
anything we want, and as much of it as 
we want, out here. But the oost of trans- 
porting it in the raw, ornde state, eats up 
the price of it before we can get it to you 
oonsumers in the East. But we are 
learning to put the corn product into beef 
aud pork, and hand it to you iu that shape. 
OUR FRUIT CROP. 
too, has been splendid this season, taken 
as an average. 
Apples, in quality and size this year, 
were very fine, but this is au “ off year,” 
and the orop is not as large as heretofore. 
Four Fallawater, or Tulpehocken, apples 
were on exhibition at our late State Fair, 
that weighed tux aud three-quarter pounds. 
The leading varieties of apples considered N 
reliable with us, are Red June, Red Astra- 
chan, Eaily Harvest, Maiden s B.ush. Coop¬ 
er’s E«rly White, Rmibo, Swaar, Rawle’s, 
Genet, WineBsp, Ben Davis, Jonathan, 
Domine, Famense, Willow Twig, Little Red 
Romanite, Bildwin, Ribston Pippin, Haas, 
Hubbardston’s Noniuch, Eirly Pennoek, 
and Lowell. These have all been fruited 
with us successfully, for from eight'en to 
twenty years past, and thus established 
themselves as reliable. Very many other 
varieties are doing well as far as tried, 
and will doubtless in the end, prove valu¬ 
able additions to oor fiuit list. 
Grapes of slmoBt all the hardy varieties 
do well in thi s State. The Concord, Horace 
Greeley said, was " the grape for the 
million” you will remember: it is tbe lead¬ 
ing variety with us. 
Plums occasionally give us a good crop. 
The Curculio is the great plum obstacle. 
Wherever *• eternal vigilance" has been prac¬ 
ticed we have plums, however. 
Peaches were never better. The Agricultu¬ 
ral Bureau Statistics, Washington, report us 
121 in Peaches the highest of all the States iu 
the UuioD, this year. Wo grow successfully the 
leading old aud reliable varieties,such as Troth’s, 
Hale’s and Crawford’s Early, Stump the 
World, Jacques’ Rareripe, Crawford’s Late, 
ter, as usual. Rochester, N. Y. 
Catalogue of the Ninth Annual Texas 
State Fair, to be held in the City of Hous¬ 
ton, Tuesday, November 19, and continuing 
five days. James F. Dumble, Scc’y. 
Price List and description of pere-bred 
Cotswold sheep and pure-bred Essex pigs 
raised and for sale by Joseph Harris 
“Moreton Farm,” Rochester, N. Y. 
Beech Grove Farm Catalogue of thor 
oughbred Jersey catLle, Berkshire swine 
and fancy poultry. Beoch Grove Farm, 
the property of Messrs. Churchman and 
Jackson is described and pedigree are giv¬ 
en at length. 
Address by Hon. Thomas F. Bayard of 
Delaware, at Pimlico Fair Grounds, near 
Baltimore, Md., before the Md. Ag. Assn., 
upon “ The true Relation of Agriculture to 
Politics.” Published by the Delaware Tri 
buue, Wilmington, Del. 
A. Hance A Son, Red Bank, N. J. Cata¬ 
logue of hardy fruit trees and Bmall fruits, 
for market or garden; for pleasure or 
profit. The Rickett s El Dorado Grape. 
Also No. 1. Autumn of 1378. Catalogue 
of Hardy Fruit Trees and 8mall Fruits 
Free. A trustworthy establishment. Also 
Trade Price-list of Trees, Plants and Bulbs. 
Also, Trade Price-list of Fi nit Trees and 
Small Fruits. 
Catalogue op Spring Bulbs and Hare 
dy Herbaceous Plants. J. M. Thorburn 
& Co., 15 John St., N. Y. Also Annual 
Descriptive Catalogue of Bulbs and other 
Flowering Roots, with directions for thoir 
management aud culture. These cata¬ 
logues are free to applicants. 
H. & D. W. Watrous, of this city hrve 
just sold the following A. J. C. C. Herd 
registered Jersey cattle, and they will be 
hipped on Tuesday, November 5th, to Genera! 
t, W. Burke of Jacksonville, Ala. : Maid or Am¬ 
boy, Minnie of Orange, Delpba Weston. Rboda 
of Merion, Csrlatma, Olive Branch of Hill- 
crest, Io of Hillcrest, Lady Mildred of Hill- 
crest, Lady Alice of Hillcrest, Su c ette of Hill- 
crest, Salvadora of Hillcrest, Candace, Athalia 
Alabama, Maid of Perth, aud bull Mont- 
gomery J 
dering on the Missouri River. Richardson, 
Nemaha, Otoe, Casa, Douglas and Washington. 
There were some very excellent specimens, how¬ 
ever, from the interior counties of Pawnee, 
Johnson, Siline, Lancaster and Buffalo, The 
latter county is in the heart of what has always 
been denominated the 4 * Great American Desert” 
near Ft. Kearny, in the Platte Valley. 
Nehama Co., Neb. Oct *9. 
quires it. Eaoh design is accompanied by a 
detailed information with regard to the con¬ 
struction and cost of the building; while a great 
deal of general information of value to all who 
contemplate building, is contained in three in¬ 
troductory chapters treating of Hints On Build¬ 
ing and the Employment and Responsibility of 
Architects. The plans are all of a thoroughly 
practical nature, the instructions sound and eoo- 
