760 
MOV. 30 
» more vile taste I cannot imagine, unless it be 
manifested in Borne of the floral designs display¬ 
ed in florists’ windows, and also in some cases 
thought worthy of prizes at some of our horti¬ 
cultural shows. Is it that the American peo- 
plo have no taBte in these things and cannot 
appreciate any light and elegant design, but 
must run in the groove cut by an ignorant and 
uncultured flower-seller ? I cannot think it is 
the former with many Amerioau ladies, having 
seen a few common flowers and leaves put up 
wifih the best taste, both aB parlor ornaments 
and also for fuueral purposes. 
We often see a criticism on the bad taste of 
floral designs in general, aud people usually 
agree with the critic ; but yet wo see no altera¬ 
tion afterwards, so that it amountH to nothing ; 
but I believe if any floriBt of taste would get up 
basket and other pieoes in good taste, it would 
be appreciated and he would make money. 
James Tatlin. 
-,-- 
CAT ALP A 6PECIOSA. (1) 
Me. Meehan, of the Gardener’s Monthly, 
seems to douot the existence ot this distinct 
species of Qataipa. No person seeing this aud 
0. bignonioides'—the common Oatalpa—side by 
side, can fail to notice the marked and uniform 
difference, a difference as well marked as that 
habitually noticeable between the Northern Spy 
audit. I. Greening apple tree, theVioarof Wiuk- 
fleld and JBuffum Pear, or the Kilmarnock and 
Babylonian Weeping Willow. 
O. speciosa is uniformly upright and pyramidal. 
If trees of the two varieties are planted contig¬ 
uous, when eight to ten years old the Speciosa > - 
will average about twice as high a growth as * 
Bignonioides, with a far larger, longer and 
stralghter trunk. The bark of Speciosa is rough, 
like that of the Ash or Walnut, while that of 
Bignonipides pulls off like that of the Birch or 
Syoaniore. The foliage, flowers and seed pods 
of Speciosa are also much larger than those of 
the common variety, aud the flowers are nearly 
pure white. It is also said to be muon hardier, 
flourishing in northern Illinois and Iowa, where 
the common variety will not stand the severity 
of ordinary winters. The origin of G. speciosa 
is as yet unknown. Dr. Wabdeb first described 
it in bis Western Horticultural Review in, 1853. 
Dunrelth, lnd., Oct. 7. K - Y « T - 
Ultsrdlaiuous. 
CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL EXPERI¬ 
MENT STATION. 
New Haven, Nov. 12,1878. 
BULLETIN NO. 20.— FEBTILIZEB ANALYSES. 
208 Ground Bone. Sampled Oot. 5,1878. 
200 Bone Sawings. Bone sawed in water, 
dried and sold in dry state. Sampled Aug. 30. 
The above are sold by the Rogers and Hub¬ 
bard Co., of Middletown. The samples were 
drawn and sent by Chahles Faibohild, Esq., 
Middletown. 
210 Muriate of Potash 80 per cent, standard. 
211 No. 1 Peruvian Guano. “ Lobos.” Guar¬ 
antee : 6 per cent. Ammonia, 15-20 per cent. 
Phosphoric Acid, 3 5 per cent. Potash. 
210 aud 211 are from the Btock of Chapman & t 
Van Wyck, 170 Front St., N. Y. The samples 
were taken Oct. 8, by G. M. Babbeb, Esq., New 
Britain. 
210 211 
. 6.14+ 
. 6:19 
. 6.73 
..... 8.09 
65.01* 3.75 
$49.51 $59.4(1 
40.00$ 61,00 
■ Equivalent to 87.2 per cent, of Muriate of Potash. 
■V Equivalent to 0.21 per cent ot Ammonia. 
* The potash actually coats 3# cents per pound. 
YV. H. Ho week & Co. note several errors in 
19th Bulletin and furnish the subjoined correc¬ 
tions. 
а. The articles made by W. H. B. & Co. are 
designated the “ titockbridge Manures" (not 
Stookbridge Fertilizers). 
б. 175, for Strawberries and 193, for Kitchen 
Garden, contain sulphate and not muriate of 
potash. This would raise the valuation several 
dollars per ton. 
o. 181 is Bowkers (not Stookbridge’s) Lawn 
Dressing, price $65 per ton (not $130.) Con¬ 
tains Muriate Of potash. 
d. 193, Kitchen Garden Manure, price $50 per 
ton (not $60.) 
e. 195, Corn Manure, price $50 per ton (not 
$56.) 
f. 197 Grass Manure, top dressing (not Hay 
Fertilizer). 
In reference to these errors it may be said— 
а, c, and f. The Bulletin gave the names 
that were furnished with the samples. 
б. 175 contains sulphate and but little muriate 
of potash. Its estimated value is therefore 
$48.24 per ton. 193, however, contains 6.8 per 
cent, of chlorine or 2.9 per cent, more than the 
amount necessary (3.9 per cent.) to form muri¬ 
ate with the potash present. The advantage, 
if any, of buying a sulphate is avoidance of 
ohlorine compounds. This advantage is not 
oftered by 193. The potash used in 193 can, at 
208 
209 
Nitrogen.. .. 4-00 
hoi. Hlios. Acid. 
3.02 
Hev’t’d Plios. Acid ..... 
lusolublttJrlioB. do. 24.13 
207 
Cal led vul. per ton $30.13 
$48.03 
30,00 
THE RURAL MEW-Y0RKER. 
the most, he credited as that of a low-grade sul¬ 
phate worth 6 cents per lb., and the valuation 
corrected accordingly, is $40.68. 
c. 181 The selling price named to the Station 
was 65 cente per bag of 10 lbs. From this was 
computed the ton-prioe reported, which is evi¬ 
dently unjust to the manufacturer. 
d. 193 Selling price was $3.00 per 100 lbs. 
e. 195 Selling price was $5 00 per 200 lbs. 
The ton-price w as misprinted $56, should be $50. 
f. 197 Selling price was $5.00 per 150 lbs. 
In all cases the Stookbridge Manures were 
sold by Olds & Whipple, with “ freight added.” 
Here follow the amended names, valuations, 
and prices. 
175 Stookbridge Strawberry Manure. Sent by 
P. M. Augur, Middlefield. 
181 Bowker’s Lawn Dressing. 
193 Stookbridge Manure for Kitchen Garden. 
195 Stookbridge Manure for Corn. 
196 Stookbridge Manure for Squashes, Cu¬ 
cumbers and Tomatoes. 
197 Stookbridge Grass Manure, top-dressing. 
181, 193, 195, 196 and 197 were sold by Olds <fc 
Whipple, Hartford, Ct. Samples were taken 
May 1, 1878, by J. J. Webb. 
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The station in uow ready to test Sugar Beets 
as to the ir Sugar value. Send 6 to 10 roots 
representing an average of the crop. Send as 
soon as possible, but so that the roots will not 
freeze. Give also answers to the questions 
found on p. 104 of Report of Station for 1877. 
8. W. Johnson, Direotor. 
NOTES OF CURRENT EVENTS, 
VALUE OF LAND. 
A good index of the actaal value of land is 
the amount re&lizad at public sales for cash in 
the beat agricultural localities. Recent sales in 
the Bine-grass region of Keutucky, have been 
made at $75 per acre for farms of superior 
quality. In that portion of the garden of Penn¬ 
sylvania, Montgomery Go., sales have been 
made at $125 an acre. This showB a reduction 
of 50 per cent from the prices of live to seven 
years ago. At these rates there is no surer or 
more profitable investment than land. 
LOW PRICES. 
Ah to prices, we are now down to what is 
called “ hard-pan.” Pork at 2&o. per pound 
in the West and at 4 to 6c. in the East, and 
wheat at from 75c. to $1 a bushel, are surely 
low enough to stimulate business aud industry 
into a healthful activity. Bat then, after all, 
the farmer has his equivalent in the low priceB 
of what he purchases. A good pair of bootB 
can be procured for $3, which used to cost from 
$7 to $9. Cotton goods are selling for six cents 
a yard and a good suit of woolen clothing for 
$15. Wages of labor are reasonable, except for 
domestic female help, and, on the whole, there 
is really nothing to grumble about, unless it be 
that our “pile” of savings is not so bulky as it 
used to be in years past. But then, one cannot 
always be laying up a pile. 
THE VERY BEST INVESTMENT. 
Just now there is no better way for the farmer 
to add to his savings than to improve bis farm. 
The tide of events is on the turn. One dollar 
now will do aB much in the way of clearing land, 
draining, building, as two would a few years 
ago, and undoubtedly as much as they will do 
in a year or two hence. When the tide has 
fully flowed, every dollar thus spent will be 
worth two or more. But at any rate, every 
dollar thus spent is safe , aud is in a position to 
return good interest every year. Money judi¬ 
ciously spent in farm improvements, can be 
made to pay 26 to 100 per oent. and, in this case, 
tbo big iuterest doeB not measure the risk of the 
investment. 
BIO CROPS. 
A person in Ohester Co., Pft., would have ns 
believe that there never was a crop of wheat 
raised that measured over 35 buBhels per acre. 
Now is all the evidence of hundreds of Eng¬ 
lish farmers who return their crops as 7, 8 and 
8% quarters of 8 bushels each to the acre, to go 
for naught? Are all these men knaves and 
liars ? Is John Johnston’s record of 45 bushels 
per acre, or Joseph Harris’s of 40 bushels and 
over, and an unsatisfactory crop at that, to be 
disbelieved? The time was when we believed 
100 bushels of corn per acre to be an innocent 
guess of some enthusiastic farmer. But the 
present season, the writer has taken with his 
own hands 43 baskets of ears of com weighing 
40 tt> each, from a piece of land measuring 108 
foet long, 48 feet wide at one end, and 96 feet 
wide at the other, being thus what is known in 
geometry as a trapezoid in form, and containing 
7,776 square feet, or not quite 18-100 of an acre. 
By simple figuring, this can be seen to amount to 
9.525 lbs. of ears to an acre, and if 95 lbs of 
green corn wben husked, are allowed to be one 
bushel, there are over 100 bushels per acre. It 
is true that this is a very prolific kind of corn, 
averaging three ears to each stalk but tin re 
was but one stalk to a hill, and there is 
no difficulty in growing corn of common kinds 
whioh shall bear one ear to a stalk, with 3 
stalks to a bill. The fact is we have not yet 
nearly learned what can be the full capability of 
a good soil well cultivated. 
A TEXAS HOMESTEAD. 
- ’ 
We have received a brief but interesting sketch 
of his homestead from a new friend of the 
Rubal living iu Texas. Those whose lot has 
been oast among the fixed surroundings of the 
long-settled parts of the country, can learn a 
good deal about the better kind of life in our 
frontier States from just snob a description of 
; the farm homes to be met with hero and there 
in them. He has a farm of 140 acres ou prairie 
land in northeastern Texas, one mile from the 
city or Corsicana, a place located on the Texas 
Central Railroad and containing a population of 
about 10,000. His farm, like those up North 
here, is divided into pastures and cultivated 
land; but, unlike too many of our farms, there 
are on his place orchards of Apples, Pears, 
Peaches, besides Cherries and other small fruit, 
Buch as Grapes, Blackberries, Raspberries, 
Strawberries, etc. His house is situated on 
rising ground and overlooks the whole farm, in 
the center of which it built, as nearly aH 
possible. Oa the northwest of it stretches the 
< orchard, which comes right up te the yard in 
that direction. On the other aides of the house 
are upwards of a thousand trees, consisting of 
a few exotics, but mainly of those of native 
growth, aud of between 400 and 500 Cedars, 
which he has planted, as that kind of tree does 
not grow naturally on the prairie. Ou the farm 
he also has had, for the last four years, a fish 
pond, not wholly unlike that pictured in the 
Rubal of October 19th. 
Another feature of his homestead is far too 
often wanting about the farm houses in States 
whose inhabitants are supposed to he muoh 
wiser in agricultural matters than the rough 
denizens of the Loue Star State. What is it ? 
Well; he has 57 stands of Italian bees, from 
which he haB derived more profit than from any- 
| thing else on the farm, taking into aocount the 
amount of capital invested. He has always felt 
a very praiseworthy sort of pride in having his 
stock at least a little better cared for and of 
somewhat better blood than those of his neigh¬ 
bors ; aud pride of this kind is always profitable 
to the man blessed with it, and a source of gain 
to the neighboring farmers owing to the emula¬ 
tion it is likely to engender. On a thrifty, well- 
kept farm of this kind, of oonrse, flowers are not 
forgotten. These are the ornamentation, the em- 
bepidery, the trimmings, that beautify and 
brighten the somewhat somber aspect of farm 
life, aud are no more absent from a really well- 
kept homestead than the ornaments to which 
they have been here compared, are absent from a 
haudsome dress. In view, therefore, of the fore¬ 
going sketch of this Texas homestead, our friend 
very appropriately finishes his description by de¬ 
claring that his wife's garden is a perfect Eden 
of flowers, to which she wishe* to add other 
beauties, ny availing hereeif of the Rubal free 
seed distribution. 
- - - - 
• THE MANAGEMENT AND DISEASES OF 
THE DOG. 
This is a work of 383 pages, by John Woodroffe 
HaU, of England, Fellow of thpRoyal College of 
Veterinary Surgeons, and already very favorably 
known to the public as the author of Essays on 
“ Parturient Apoplexy in the Cow,” “Some Dis¬ 
eases in Farm Stock,” “Diseased Meat as an ar¬ 
ticle of Food,” “ The Aotnal Cautery,” “ Canine 
Distemper,” and several other valuable treaties 
ou kindred topics. The present work will oer- 
tainly not detract from the reputation won by its 
predecessors. Its scope embraces full aoounts 
of the ailments to whioh man’s faithful canine 
friendB are liable together with clear statements 
of the latest veterinary practice for alleviating 
and curing them. The work is fully illustrated, 
a feature that materially aids the ordinary 
reader to obtaiu a clear understanding of the na¬ 
ture of the diseases described in the text, and 
of the treatment recommended to remedy them. 
To suoh of our readers as are interested in flue 
dogs, we can strongly recommend this work as 
an embodiment of the latest pathological and 
therapeutical knowledge on the subject of which 
it treats. Published by Albert Cogswell, 24 
Bond street, New York city; prioe $2. 
-- -*•*-¥ - 
WHAT OTHER8 SAY. 
Polled Cattle fob Shipment. —From an in¬ 
teresting and well-considered article under this 
heading by the veteran JohnH. Wallace, we ex¬ 
tract a few remarks: ““In a trip across the 
ocean last Bummer I had an opportunity of 
studying this question from a standpoint that 
was eminently practical. On the same steamer 
there were 70 or 80 head of very fine cattle for 
the English market. Those on the main deck 
were packed, two and two, in boxes, with just 
room enough to stand up, but no room for either 
to lie oown. If by any means one succeeded in 
getting down, it required a tferrible struggle to 
rise again, for his fellow was compelled to stand 
over him. These struggles would have been 
comparatively harmless if there had been no 
great horns in the way. Bat the horns were not 
only unintentional sources of injury and pain, but 
they were at the same time the causes of entang¬ 
ling the halters in such a way that it was impos¬ 
sible to avoid iDjury aud pain. * * * If this 
question were merely one of commiseration for 
the Buffering of dumb brutes, we might have 
some doubts as to its commending itself to cattle 
breeders iu this age of money-making and greed, 
but every one knows, whether he is a novice or 
man of the widest experience, that every hour of 
suffering on the way detracts from the health, 
appearance and condition of the animal when 
he reaches hiB destination. * * * If a car¬ 
load each of horned and polled cattle were 
shipped from beyond the Mississippi to this mar¬ 
ket, I am fully satisfied that the difference in 
condition and the difference in shrinkage would 
make a percentage of advantage on the latter 
over the former that would tell largely in the 
profits of the producer. Unfortunately, how¬ 
ever, the test cannot be made, for the polled 
cattle with whioh to make ii oannot he found. 
* * * A question of a very practical nature 
presents itself here. How are we to produce 
polled cattle without a breed of that kind? 
The answer is that we must have a breed of 
polled cattle. Then another question follows, 
Shall we throw away all the improvement we 
have made in Short-horns, for example, and go 
back to firs t principles again in fouuding a good 
beef-producing race ? There is no need of tak¬ 
ing a single step backward, for there are three 
races of polled cattle in England and Sootland 
that have been carefully bred for many genera¬ 
tions—the polled reds of Norfolk, the Galloways 
of southwestern Sootland, and the Angus or 
Aberdeen cattle of northeastern Scotland.” 
Mr. Wallace proceeds to speak of the polled 
Angus: “ It is now eighty years Bince Mr. Wat¬ 
son, of Keillor in Forfarshire, founded his 
herd. This takes ns back to a period contem¬ 
poraneous with the early improvers of the 
Short-horn. As a race they are probably nearly 
as old and well established in their char¬ 
acteristics as the Short-horn. * * * 
It is claimed for the breed and I am disposed 
to think the claim is just, that the beef itself is 
better than the beef of any other breed, and 
brings more in the markets of the great cities. 
Like all the Scotch cattle, this breed have 
hardy, vigorons constitutions, and are very pro¬ 
lific. They are gentle in disposition, aud ma¬ 
ture very early. As milkers they are not dis¬ 
tinguished, for they have not been bred for that 
purpose. They are generally jet-black, with 
fine, glossy coats and plenty of hair. They 
grow to a large sine, aud are easily fatted at 
almost any age. Il is claimed for them, also, 
that they weigh heavier than auy other breed 
« w to their measurement, whioh makes them at¬ 
tractive to buyers for the fat market. * * * 
It iB conceded on all hands that, as a beef- 
producer, the well-fatted Short-horn ox is very 
near perfection. For many generations he has 
been bred for perfection of form—the great¬ 
est amount of beef with the smallest amount 
of offal. Now, all we want is this same ox with¬ 
out the horns. * * * A distinguished 
Scotch authority says- “Of all the varieties 
of orosB-bred oattle, there is none more satis¬ 
factory and remunerative to the feeder than the 
oross between the polled Angus, or Aberdeen, 
and the Short-horn. It growB to a large size, 
shows great aptitude to fatten, and wben killed, 
the fat and lean are found to be distributed 
over its carcass in most desirable proportions. 
* * * At the exposition in Paris recently, 
there was a prize of $500 for the best herd of 
cattle bred outside of France by one exhibitor. 
For this prize a herd of Angus polls took the 
first, a herd of Angus polls took the aeoond and 
a herd of Short-hornB from England took the 
third. As a still greater triumph, there was % 
prize of $500 for the best boef-producing group, 
embracing animals from all countries, and the 
Angus polls were again the winners. 
As beef-makers they are certainly in quantity 
equal, and in qnality superior, to our Short¬ 
horns ; as breeders they are more prolific, aud 
to withstand our wintry blasts, they are more 
hardy. With a cargo of hornless oattle for 
either railroad or ocean travel, and whether for 
one mile or a thousand, the danger of accidents 
f| Jb greatly reduced, the suffer ing of the animals 
