704 
DEC. 44 
dtejjtojjtrf. 
NOTES FROM NORTH WESTERN PENNSYL¬ 
VANIA. 
In the Rubal of October 26th, a coireapond- 
ent from Steuben County, N. Y., inquires wliioh 
is the beet sweet corn. Having tried several va¬ 
rieties, I can recommend the Russell's Prolific as 
the best for table use and general cultivation. 
It is only a few days later than the Early Minne¬ 
sota, has ears nearly rs large as the Evergreen, 
and in flavor is far more sweet and nutritious 
than any kind I ever saw. 
I am located in a good farming country, about 
twenty miles south of Lake Erie. In this sec¬ 
tion, along the crook bottoms,the soil is gravelly, 
but changes to a loam as the surface becomes 
higher, nntil we reach the oak and chestnut 
ridges, where the soil is principally clay. The 
highest land is generally selected for fruit, be¬ 
cause it is considered that the frost« heavier 
and more injurious in the valleys. All farms, 
however, have more or less fruit trees of various 
kinds, yet it is very seldom that the farmers 
along the valleys have enough fruit for their 
own use. They are quite often obliged to call 
on the hill farmers for their supply of fruit. 
This is a good country for corn, the average 
yield being about seventy-five busheld per acre. 
During the past season a new variety called 
the Early Compton, has been raised with 
success. A neighbor of mine iuforma mo ho 
husked 140 bushels on one acre, one ear measur¬ 
ing eighteen icohes in length. The cars aro 
quite largo at the butt end, and sometimes are 
difficult to break off. But that is the only fault 
that can be found with it. When ground, the 
meal is very fine, and most excellent for making 
bread. 
Wheat is one of the main crops here. We 
usually have from twenty to thirty buBhele per 
acre. The ground is plowed ; next about twen¬ 
ty-five loads per acre of good barn-yard manure 
are spread on, then harrowed in. aud after that 
the seed is put on at the rate of two bushels to 
the acre, when the ground is well harrowed, if 
the drill is not used, and, lastly, tbe.field is well 
leveled with a roller. The White Michigan has 
been the variety mostly sown till this fall, when 
quite a number of farmers have sown the 
Clawson. 
A neighbor of mine has an excellent plan of 
mixing his manure. He has two barns with a 
s,-see of about sixteen feet between them, occu¬ 
pied by a hog pen. Iu one barn he stables his 
cows and in the other his horses, and it is so 
arranged that the manure of all his stock is 
thrown into one part of his hog-pen where his 
hogs have a wonderful faculty of mixing it with 
theii- own droppings. Ho says that since he has 
used the manure after the now plan, he can no¬ 
tice a difference) in his land aud crops, both be¬ 
ing much better than before, when the manure 
was applied separately. A Rural Reader. 
♦ • ♦- 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Huron Co., Ohio, Nov. 2$. 
Farmers are well along with thorn work in this 
section. The weather has boen favorable; some 
frosts, but no c rid weather yet. Winter never 
varies more than by a few days from the 1 st of 
December in its genuine advent to this “south 
shore country,’’ and provident farmers have 
learned to be prepared, though often we do not 
need the procaulions usually taken, owing to tho 
mildness of the winters. 
We have an abundance of apples, with very 
low prices—ranging from 75 cents down to 50 
cents per barrel for selected fruit. Cider apples 
only bring from six to eight cents per buBlrel; 
thousands of bushels of good fruit have not 
been picked and will be wasted. Wheat sells lor 
90 cts. per bu.; clover seed, $3.60 ; corn, 30 to 
35 cts. for 75 lbs. in the ear from the field—about 
40 cts. in the crib; potatoes, 75 to 80 otn. per 
bu., and scarce. 
Here let me say that I saved a large amount 
by not contracting my potato crop last fall. I 
saw by the Crop Reports in the Rural that 
potatoes would bring a good price, so refused an 
offer that I would otherwise have taken, and 
have made at least $100 by being posted, aud 
have about 500 bushels of nioe potatoes iu my 
oeiiar yet. Is it needful to say to farmers that 
it pays to read the papers ? I do not know of a 
better investment than is the money paid out 
to keep posted upon, not only the prices of pro¬ 
duce, but the amouut of produce that will bo 
offered for sale, thereby giving the farmer data 
to form intelligent calculations. 
We have here an excellent farming county; 
good intelligent people; good schools; plenty 
of social advantages; good markets ; congenial 
climate; good water, c onsequently a healthy, 
satisfied community, with but little land in the 
market, and that is generally held at war prices.* 
Considerable improvement is going on in build¬ 
ings, etc., in town and country. e. l. m. 
Howard Lakh, Minn., Nov. 3o. 
Notwithstanding the fair prospects of far¬ 
mers, during their last harvest, times are still 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
very changeable—some days cool and the next 
almost hot. An Old Subscriber. 
Afton, Union Co., Iowa, Nov. 23,1S7S. 
This is a high rolling prairie country. Timber 
is ftoaroe hero; consequently most of ns use coal 
for fuel. It is shipped to us from neighboring 
counties, aud oosla the consumer 16o. per bushel. 
Crops were fair; com being heavy. 
The fall work is mostly done, except plowing, 
and this would have been done had it not been 
too dry iu eaxly fall, but if the weather remains 
as it is now, most of it will be done yet. 
Our market prices are: wheat, 45@55o.; rye, 
25c.; oats, 8@10o. ; barley, 25c.; corn, ear, 13o.; 
corn, shelled, 15c. ; hogs, $2 ; cattle, fat, 82.50@ 
3.00; cows, $1.15@1.50 ; butter, 12c. j eggs, 15o. ; 
potatoes, 15o.; chickens, per doz., $1. 20. 
w. H. B. 
Baileyville, ogle Co., III., Nov. 27 . 
To-morrow is Thanksgiving ana truly the 
people have “something to be thankful for." 
The crops in general were good throughout the 
country, though some sections have suffored 
losses hum various causes. In this locality the 
farmers have no ennse to complain, except that 
tho prices of their products aro so low that they 
afford them little or no profit, after deduoting 
expenses. The small grain crops were good, 
excepting spring wheat, which was injured by 
blight, rust, eto. Tho corn is now nearly all 
husked, and is of excellent quality ; it will aver¬ 
age about 45 or 50 bushels per acre, though 
some fields produced over 60 bu. The weather is 
highly favorable this fall to tho farming in¬ 
terests. w. b. d. 
Bryant, la., Nov. 26,187S. 
We are having one of the most favorable sea¬ 
sons for farming operations we have ever had— 
no frost sufficient to hinder plowiDg as yet. and 
the farm work well ahead. Corn is nearly all 
husked—the crop was a full average in yield and 
extra in quality. Many of the young hogs have 
died from disease, yet pork is very low iu price— 
about 2>^o. gross. Wheat sells for 70c.; corn, 
25c.; potatoes, 40o.; oats, 16 to 18o.; rye, 35c., 
and barley, about 70c. per bushel; butter, IGo. 
per pound, and eggs, 15c. per doz. It can bo 
seen, therefore, that money must be a little 
scarce among farmers ; but the crops have, as a 
general thing, boen very good, and we are hope¬ 
ful of better times in the near future. d. c. 
Arkansas City, Ks., Nov. 27. 
Crops of all kinds were good here last season. 
Prices are; wheat, 40 to 50o. per bu.; corn, 15 
to 20c.; oats, 20c.; hogd, on foot, 2j^ to 3c. per 
lb.; cattle, on foot, 2 to 2>£e. per lb. The fruit 
crop was good, especially peaches. Apple trees 
hereabouts are just beginning to bear. I have 
not failed for four years in succession to have 
full crops of grapes and blackberries—the Con- 
oord grape aud Kittatinny berry. Raspberries 
and gooseberries do well, and all the small fruits 
except currants. Tho tree growth hero is mar¬ 
velous. I have had peaches from trees two 
years old. Most vegetables do well, making a 
more luxuriant growth than I have seen else¬ 
where. A. J. B. 
Alice, Grundy Co., Nov. 30. 
Our wheat crop hereabouts was almost an 
entire failure in quantity and quality. It yielded 
only from five to ton buF»hels per acre and was 
only worth from 20 to 30 cente a bushel. Corn 
is soiling for 15c per bushel aDd hogs for from 
81.80 lo $2.25 per 100 lbs live-weight. Under 
these circumstances many farmers dad it hard 
to raise taxea and insurance, although they 
have plenty of horses, cattle and hogs—but 
then nothing can bo got for them. j m. k. 
Delta, York Co., Pa., Nov. 27. 
We had an unusually good wheat crop here¬ 
abouts. Oats were a good growth, but a light 
yiold. Corn was but little over half a crop, 
owing to cry weather at the earing season. Po¬ 
tatoes were not over one-third of a crop. Hay 
was very abuudant. At this dato wheat is worth 
99o.—the Fultz variety being chiefly grown here¬ 
abouts. Com sells for 50o. per bushel; oats, 
25c.; potatoes, 80c. to $1; butter, 25o. per lb.; 
eggs, 20o. per doz. at stores. H. 0 . s. 
Ridgefield, Conn., Dec. 5, 1878. 
The winter weather as yet has been mild. 
Pastures aud forebts, however, are quite bare. 
Tho first snow fell November 6 . Farmers axe 
looking cheery. The market gives $5 for pork, 
and $6 and $7 for beef. A neighbor of mine 
has recently had butchered, a pair of Chester 
White Pigs—stock imported from Pa — weighing 
882 pounds. k. 
Arcadia, Wls., Nov. 25. 
We have had a splendid fall. The farmers 
aro well up with their work and ready for winter; 
which is in no hurry to come, although it an¬ 
nounced its approaoh by s. little snow last night *, 
but it is warm this morning. Wheat is a light 
crop and of poor quality. Calico Dent corn is 
the best variety we have here: it ripens early, 
yields well, aud husks easily. f. a. e. 
West Jersey, Stark Co., Ill., Nov. 2S. 
The weather is good; farmors are busy with 
their corn. We have had but very little rain 
this fall. I wish to correot an error in my last 
report: hay is there quoted at $14 per ton; it 
should have been only $4. The hay crop was 
very large here, and can hardly be sold at any 
price. h. e. m’o. 
Salem, Kenosha Co., Wisconsin, Nov. 25th, 1878. 
Weather warm; no frosts to freeze the 
ground ; fall work well dono ; times hard ; pork 
less than $2.50; good butter does best of any¬ 
thing, bringing, iu Chioago market, from 25 to 
30 cents. d. l. b, 
Wellington, Ohio, Dec. 2 . 
We have had good crops this season. Batter 
is worth 15c. por lb.; cheese, corn, 20o.; 
o&tB, 22 c.; wheat, 80c.; hogs, 2 .^ 0 . live-weight; 
hay, $8 per ton ; potatoes, 70o. IV 0 have had 
very fine weather most of the fall. a. a. f. 
Coenwallis, Nova Scot.la, Nov. 20 th. 
The weather here this fall has been delight¬ 
ful. Crops were generally good. Hay aud grain 
heavy. Potatoes a fair crop, price from 50 to 
60c. per bushel, with sovoral vessels loading. 
3 . E. E. 
pressingly hard, somewhat owing to the quality 
of wheat being much poorer than has been com¬ 
mon iu this State, and therefore bringing, of 
course, a smaller price. Another reason is, that 
many left the Rlato the year before, to get work 
elsewhere, and had not returned, so that labor 
waR so very high during hawost time that some 
fields of wheat were not out. Farmers herea¬ 
bouts depend very much on teaming—drawing 
ties and wood for tho railroad—and last winter 
being an open one,-but little was drawn, on ac¬ 
count of bad roads. This cansos nearly all of 
them to be behind with debts at all of the stores, 
aud these kinds of debts ai’u a little the worst 
misfortunes with which farmers are afflicted, 
but still they will ask credit, and the merchants 
will give it, often ruinously to all parties, a. 
Cumrkhland Co., Maine, Nov. 29. 
The present year has been full of encourage¬ 
ment to the “Down-East” farmer. No severe 
drought during the season afflicted him , nor any 
considera te injury to crops from any source. 
The Colorado beetle appeared plentifully in 
many sections of the State, but where he was 
fought with determination he was generally con¬ 
quered. The beetle was not, I think, so injuri¬ 
ous to the potato crop as the dry period which 
commenced iu June aud lasted several weeks. 
Yet the potato crop was not a failure, though 
light. Good Early Rose are worth, in Portland, 
85c. to $1; beans, $2; Baldwin apples, barrel 
included, $1 to $1.50 ; poultry, 12 to 14 cents. 
Corn and wheat raised in Maine aro not for sate, 
and therefore are no! quoted in our papers. 
Western corn is about CO cts. per bushel. Dress¬ 
ed hogs aro worth 4’* ., though Portland papers 
quote them 5,W to lijtfo.; but that is higher than 
Boston or New York papers put them. Pears 
and grapes were very abundant and of fine qual¬ 
ity in this State. Wo now raise nearly all tho 
popular varieties of grapeB here in great per- 
fecliou. Our warm, dry, granitic soils will ripen 
tho Isabella nearly every year, and we produce 
Rogers’s Hybrids No. 3, 4, 9, 15, 19, 22, and pos¬ 
sibly others, in great excellence. This is worthy 
of note, I think, especially as scientific writers 
have placed Maine mostly north of the northern 
limit of grape growing. So, we snap our fingers 
at isothermal lines, and as tho phylloxera has 
not yet put in an appearance in this precinct, wo 
feel quite elated at the prospect for the future. 
No insect has yet troubled the Grape except the 
rose-bug in certain localities. Extremely fine 
crops of corn and wheat have been raised iu 
every part of our State this year—many times 
as much as were grown a few years since ; and 
the courage of onr farmers is getting braced up 
by the results of their endeavors to free them¬ 
selves from dependence on other Bourcee of sup¬ 
ply. _ G. F. 
Burlington, Kansas, Nov. 26,1S7S. 
We are having a very pleasant fall so far, aud 
farmers are takiug advantage of the good 
weather by getting out their corn and fixing up 
for winter, and most of them are well prepared 
for cold weather. We have had some hard 
frosts, but no cold weather or snow yet. To¬ 
day has boen cold and raw, aud it has been try¬ 
ing to suow, but ooly succeeded onco in a white 
in floating a few small flakes. It has been 
dry here hiuco the last of July, with only occa¬ 
sional showers, enough to lay the dust, but not 
enough to wet the soil to any depth. Stock 
water is getting scarce ; for most of tho farmers 
hereabouts who have a good many cattle, depeud 
on tho creek to supply water for their stook. The 
principal business in this section is stock rais¬ 
ing—mostly cattle. There aro a few flocks of 
sheep, which aro doing very well; they are 
mostly native ooarao-wool sheep. 
The crops were very fair, except potatoes, and 
they were scarce, exoept with a few who raised 
a very fair crop for this season. I raised from 
an acre of Irish potatoes, 150 bushels, and from 
half an acre of sweet potatoes, 95 bushels, but 
they wore not all salable ; for, on account of the 
dry weather, a good many were small. Corn 
gave 50 bushels to the aero. 
The market pnoes are as follows: corn, 20c. a 
bushel; oats, 15o.; potatoes, from 40 to 50c.; 
wheat, 60c.; butter, 12%a. a lb.; hogs, $2 per 
100 lb., with a dull sale at that. e. 0 . f. 
Mill Bridue, Rowan uo., N. C., Nov. 24. 
We have had very little cold weather yet, but 
a good deal of wet weather, although there have 
been uo heavy rains this fall. Fall work is about 
all dono; cotton nearly all picked and a pretty 
fair crop. I raised 10 bates on 12 acres, which 
is a good yield for this State. Wheat is nearly 
all Bowed. I don’t think there is a large acre¬ 
age sowed here to this crop. Corn yielded well, 
but it is not a« plentiful as last year. Sweet 
potatoes were fine. I know one man in this 
comity who had 100 potatoes that weighed 600 
lbs. No apples here thiB year; peaches were 
abundant aud fine. 
Wheat is worth $1 per bu.; corn, 80 to 85 ctft.: 
oats, about the same; sweet potatoes, can’t be 
sold; pork, 5 to 6 cts., not; beef, 4 to 6 cts., 
net; butter, 20 to 25 ots.; gre.«n apples, $1 to 
$1.25 per bu. Sheep do very well hero when at¬ 
tended to; they are worth about $1 per head ; 
there aro very few improved sheep in this coun¬ 
ty. The weather is too warm to kill hogs, and 
Near Montreal, Dec. 4th, 1678. 
The weather for tho past month has been a 
succession of rain and mist, tho gleams of sun¬ 
shine so rare as to provoke immediate remark if a 
stray Bunbeam gleamed from tho murky sky. 
Yet in the garden wo find Tansies blooming; 
Daisies, too, and sprays of Sweet AlysBum, with 
a few flowers of hardy Chinose Pinks. Plowing 
in this locality is well finished up. A good deal 
of ditching has been done, and general prepara¬ 
tion made for the coming winter. 80 far there 
has been no snow to stay on the ground and very 
little frost; but we expect either every day. 
A. l. 3 . 
Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 2 . 
After a hot, dry summer, we are at last 
having rains with light frosts. From the middle 
of May to tho first of Deoember the raius that 
fell were never heavy enough to soak tho 
grounds thoroughly, and consequently the crops 
in this county were very light; but they were 
heavy in adjoining oouutiea, especially corn. 
Wheat, however, yielded fairly with us, and 
what little fall wheat has been rowu is looking 
well. Corn is worth from 60c. to 70o. per bushel; 
oats, from 40c. to 50c. ; sweet potatoes, 40c., 
and Irish ditto, $1 per bushel. Farm labor is 
worth 50c. per day and from $6 to $8 per month. 
0 . D. 
Oakland, Douglas Co., Oregon, Nov. 19,1STS. 
We havo splendid growing weather now. 
Grass is growing finely. Stock is doing well. 
The weather is very warm—thermometer at 62°. 
Grain sown this fall looks well. We plow and 
sow hero any time in the fall, winter or spring. 
We have an abundance of fruit of all kinds. 
Winter apples are worth 25s. per bush.; pears, 
75c.; grapes, 10c. per pound; wheat, 7So. per 
bushel; oats, 35o. Backed; potatoes, 75o ; butter, 
37>£c. per punud; eggs, 38o. por dozen; tur¬ 
keys, live-weight, 16c, and 18c. per pouud. 1 
havo young onions, ready for use, growing out 
in the open ground. H. 0 . u. 
Waukegan, Ill., Nov. 29. 
The weather here Is very fine—more like Oc¬ 
tober than November. No frost has yet visited 
ns hard enough to prevent plowing, a. r. 0 . 
Pine Bluff, Ark., Nov. 28. 
The weather here now is simply terrific. The 
corn crop was good; tho cotton crop light and 
about all of it is picked. j. m b. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Raising Potato Seed in a Greenhouse. 
W. W. K., Toronto, Canada, askB whether it 
would be possible to plant the Beauty of Hebron 
potato now, in a bed in the greenhouse, so as to 
have the produot for planting in the spring. 
ANSWER BY PETER HENDERSON. 
If W. W. Ii. will split the “ Beauty of UebroD,’’ 
or any other potato, lengthwise, so as to expose 
the most of the eyes possible, then let the pieces 
dry for a week or two, so as to heal up the out 
part, and plaoe them on three or four iuoheB of 
soil on the bench of his greenhouse, as noar the 
glass as possible, eometime about the 15th of 
March, not sooner—within two weeks (if the 
temperature is not less than 60° at night) they 
will have started shoots two or three incheB long. 
These shoots, or cuttings, can then be taken off 
and propagated, like Dahlias or any other flower¬ 
ing plants. One should be careful, in taking off 
the outtings, to cut bo as to leave a hud or eye 
to start again, for from a single potato, 50 to 200 
plants can be made before the middle of May, 
which is as soon a they can ho planted outside. 
Every plant of those, if properly handled, is 
equal to a dry “ set." When the Early Rose was 
first sent out, I grew from five pounds of it, in 
this way, a crop that was perfectly enormous. 
4 I published the result of the experiment at the 
time in one of the agricultural papers; but what 
