manure, and to observe the effect of the con¬ 
centrated fertilizers used upon them last year. 
Of all cereal crops, it has always seemed to us 
that oats show most decidedly the effects of 
chemical fertilizers. 
The entire field was marked off north and 
south, the marks three feet ten inches apart. 
Upon the acre-plot we drilled in four quarts 
and a pint (kernels one foot apart) of Benton 
Corn. This same corn was also drilled in upon 
the plot running north, indicated by the double 
dotted lines connecting with the acre to the 
south, so as to give the required data for com¬ 
parison between the product of the manured 
acre and thatof the soil without manut e, The 
rest of the field was planted to Blount’s White 
Prolific with seed which has been selected 
with great care for three years. The Benton 
Corn was planted May 13th, and the Blount, 
May 13th, The composition of the Mapes’ 
Corn manure, according to the analysis print¬ 
ed upon the bags, was as follows : 
Ammonia... «•» @ S per cent. 
Phosphoric Acid.........10.00 @ 12 
Potash. 6 -°° ® 7 
The entire field was cultivated during the 
season twice with a cultivator which stirs the 
ground only an inch or so in depth, and it was 
hoed twice. The seed was dropped every 
foot, so as the better to insure a good stand. 
It was intended to cut out every other plant 
at the first hoeing. But the stand was every¬ 
where so poor that this was unnecessary over 
a greater portion of the field. 
YIELD OF THE BENTON CORN.* 
The yield of the manured acre of Benton 
Corn was 4,898 pounds of ears, as weighed 
October 10th. Allowing that 75 lbs. of ears 
make a bushel of shelled corn, the yield of 
OUR ANIMAL PORTRAIT. 
Short-horn Steer. 
In the engraving Fig. 03 is represented the 
Short horn steer that took the first prize at 
the late Smithfield Club Fab Stc ck Show at 
London, England. He was then one year 
and eleven months old and weighed 1434 
pounds on entering the yard, having made 
an average gain of 3.00 pounds a day since 
birth. He was the property of Mr. Stratton ; 
sire, Protector (33,231) dam Lilian by the 
Prince (33,697. The illustration is re-engraved 
from the London Agricultural Gazette. 
3w|)Lnncnts, &t. 
SEED DRILLS, ETC. 
In no line of mechanical invention, for Ihe 
last half century, has there been a greater ad¬ 
vance than in that with which farmers and 
gardeners have to do By improved machi¬ 
nery they are now enabled not only to do their 
work more easily (which of itself is highly im¬ 
portant) but also in a far superior manner. In 
these improvements the Garden Seed Drill 
has surely not been overlooked. The New 
York Seed Drill, manufactured by the Hig- 
ganum Manufacturing Corporation, Hig- 
ganurn, Conn., may now be considered 
among the very best of theso implements. Mr. 
E. G. Matthews, the inventor of this drill, has 
the foregoing that the plot, B, fertilized with 
35 pounds of superphosphate (furnished by 
dissolved bone black), which is at the rate 
of 700 pounds to 1 he acre, yielded the small¬ 
est amount of grain. The no-manure, Q plot 
next; then comes the potash plot, C; then 
we have the two plots D (nitrogen and phos¬ 
phoric acid) and the A (nitrogen alone) 
which yielded the same; next the Soluble Pa¬ 
cific Guano Fertilizer, 600 pounds to the acre, 
rim of fat covering only the outside. In size 
the full grown Berk.shires range from 300 to 
COO pounds, according to the size of the pigs 
selected from the litters for fattening and the 
feeding and attention subsequently given 
them. There are recorded instances, how¬ 
ever, in which an extra-large animal has ex¬ 
ceeded 800 pounds, dressed; but such casesare 
rare among the Improved Berkshires. Animals 
of this breed fatten readily at any age, and 
Short-horn Steer, 1st Prize Winner at the Smithi if.ld Fat Stock Show—Fig. 63. 
iMP 
this manured acre of Benton Corn was 65.30 
bushels of shelled corn, or in round numbers, 
65 bushels. The 
UNMANURED BENTON CORN 
yielded 3.575 pounds of ears, which, allowing 
as above, 75 lbs. of ears to a bushel of shelled, 
would give a yield of 47.G6, or let us say lor 
general comparison, 47 bushels of shelled com 
for the unmanured acre of Benton Corn* 
Thus it will appear that the GOO pounds of 
the fertilizer may be credited with having 
increased the natural yield of the soil 18 
bushels of shelled corn. 
It may be said, also, that the seed upon the 
fertilized acre germinated and grew more 
vigorously than upon the unfertilized land- 
The difference, in fact, was so marked that no 
lines were needed to determine the one from 
the other, and, judged by the deeper rolor of 
the leaves, the faster growth, greater bight of 
the plants of the fertilized acre, we had looked 
for a greater difference in the yield of grain. 
THE SMALL PLOTS. 
We come now to consider the plots of one- 
twentieth of au acre each. The soil of these 
upon the highest and driest part of the field 
was as uniform as possible, in so far as this 
could bo ascertained by the sight or hand. 
A cord was stretched about the stakes mark¬ 
ing each plot, and the fertilizer .thoroughly 
mixed with twice or more its bulk of moist 
soil, was sown within the cord as evenly as 
possible. The soil was fitted and the seed 
(Blount's White Prolific) planted precisely the 
same as with the rest of the field, May 13th. 
This portion of the field was ihe first to suffer 
from the drought, and the stalks grew to 
scarcely more than half their usual hight. 
The yields were as follows ; 
A Plot.— 7)$ tts. nitrate of soda. 
Yield of ears. 111 tts.; shelled, 1.48 bush. 
B Plot.— 35 fts. superphosphate. 
Yield of cars, lti2!$ tta.: shelled, 1.86 bush. 
C Plot.—714 n>s. muriate of potash. 
Yield of ears, UWW lbs.; shelled, 1.46 bush. 
D Plot.— 7M tbs. nitrate of soda, t 
17*$ tts. phosphoric acid. \ 
Yield of ears, 111 lbs.; shelled, 1.48 bush. 
E Plot.— 7*4 its. nitrate soda, ) 
7)4 ibs. muriate potash.) 
Yield of ears, 124!$ tbs.; shelled, 1.66 bush. 
F Plot.— 17!$ ibs. phosphoric acid, J 
7tj it,s. muriate of pola»h. ( 
Yield of ears. 125'$ lbs.; shelled, 1.67 bush. 
G Plot.— 7“$ its lit irate soda, ) 
17)$ ibs. phosphoric acid, / 
7*Z lbs. muriate potash. ) 
Yield of ears, 129*$ lbs.; shelled, 1.72 bush. 
H Plot.— 20 It sulphate lime (land pluster). 
Yield of ears, 124 lbs.; shelled. 1.65 bush. 
O Plot.— 80 lbs. Lister's Fertilizers (composition not 
given). 
Yield Of ears, 128 lbs.; shelled, 1.70 bush. 
P Plot (not shown In diagram).—30 Ibs. Soluble Pa. 
ciflc Guano (composition not given). 
Yield of ears, 111)$ lbs.; shelled, l.4S6busb. 
Q Plot (not, shown in diagram).—No manure. 
Yield of ears, 103*$ lbs ; shelled, 1.38 bush- 
YIELD PER ACRE IN BUSHELS OF SHELLED 
CORN. 
Plot. Bushels. 
A. Nitrogen . 29.60 
B. Phosphoric acid . 27.20 
C. Potash. 2!*.20 
D. Nitrogen and phos. acid. 29.60 
E. Nitrogen and potash.... . 33 20 
F. Phos. acid and potash. .. S3.40 
G. Nitrogen, phos. acid and potash. 84.40 
XI. Land plaster .... 33 00 
o. Lister’s Fertilizer ... .. . 3100 
P. Soluble Pacific Guano Co. Fertilizer.. 29.92 
Q. No manure.-. 27.60 
Relative Yields.— It will appear from 
♦ Seventy pounds of this corn, weighed Oct. 10th. 
made 51 lbs. of shelled corn. Cobs, 19 lbs. 
* Seventy pounds of ears of Blount’s White Prolific, 
weighed ana shelled October 15, gave 54)$ pounds of 
shelled corn; cobs, 15)$ pounds. 
P;next the laud plaster, H; next tb6 nitro¬ 
gen and potash, E; next the phosphoric acid 
aud potash, F; next Lister’s Fertilizer, 600 
pounds to the acre; and last and best, the ni¬ 
trogen, phosphoric acid and potash, G. 
Notes. 
It should be remarked that Lister’s Fertilizer 
was sown (at the request of one of Mi’. Lis¬ 
ter’s agents), not until May 28. The Soluble 
Pacific Guano was sown the same date. All 
the other fertilize!s were sown, as stated, 
May 3. 
In the northwest comer of the field, aud 
between the A-plot and the north and west 
fences, a farm-manure heap was permitted to 
lie for several months, aud was carried off 
only a few weeks prior to plowing this field; 
the soil beneath it was, therefore, very rich. 
Up to the time of the drought the plauts upon 
this piece of land that was covered by the 
manuie grew, as might be supposed, with 
greut vigor. When, however, the drought 
was seriously ftlt, these were the first to 
curl their leaves and, of all our corn, the 
first to be destroyed by its continuance. 
That our yields of corn upon this experi¬ 
ment field should have been greater than 
those of our neighbors, as they’ Were con¬ 
ceded to be, may show the reader, first, how 
greatly the corn crop of Long Island was 
injured by the drought; and second, that corn 
plants which stand one foot apart in the 
rows are better able to withstand a drought 
than when, as is the custom about us, three 
or four plants are crowded toget her in a hill, 
for it is very evident that the excess of our 
yield over that of our neighbors was not due 
to the liberal use of manure. 
Si yt Sunut-ljcr'D. 
^ _ * 
BERKSHIRE SWINE. 
Of all breeds of swine the Berkshire holds 
the front place for general purposes. A Berk¬ 
shire cross upon any other breed is sure to 
produce an improvement, while a cross of any 
I farrows mature in from 12 to 18 months, the 
* period depending upon the selection of the 
larger or smaller animals from the litter and 
their subsequent treatment. The Berkshire?, 
too, are hardy, prolific and excel'ent nurses 
Their markings and characteristics are as fol¬ 
lows;— 
Color black, with white on feet, face, tip of 
tail, and an occasional splash of white on the 
arm; while a small spot of white on some other 
part of the body does not argue au impurity 
of blood, yet it is to bo discouraged to the end 
that uniformity of color may be attained by 
breeders; white upon one ear, or a bronze or 
copper spot on some pai t of the body argues 
no impurity, but rather a reappearance of 
original colors. Markings of white other than 
those above named are suspicious, and a pig 
so marked should be rejected. 
Face short, fine, and well dished: broad be¬ 
tween the eyes; ears generally almost erect, 
but sometimes inclining forward with ad¬ 
vancing age, small, thin, soft, and showing 
veins; jowl full; neck short and thick; shoul¬ 
der short from neck, to middling deep from 
backdown; back broad aud straight, or a 
very little arched; ribs—long ribs, well sprung, 
giving rotundity of body; short ribs of good 
length, giving breadth and level ness of loins; 
hips of good length from point of hip to rump; 
hams thick, round, and deep, holding their 
thickness well back and down to the hocks; 
tail fine and small, set on high up; legs short 
and fine, but straight and very strong, with 
hoofs erect, legs set wide apart; size medium; 
length medium, extremes are to be avoided; 
bone fine and compact; offal very light; hair 
fine and compact; skiu pliable. 
An illustration of a boar of this breed is 
presented at Fig. 63, “ Oxford Reserve,” 3,469; 
bred by John Guell’s Sons, Edmonton, Out.; 
farrowed May 19, 1880 : got by “ Royal May- 
breeze,” 3037 ; bred by It. Swanwick, England; 
dam, imported ‘‘ Sallie Oxford,” 4,418, by 
“Oxford;” 3d dam, “Daughter of Dark Sol- 
lie,” by “ Windsor;” 8i dam, “Dark Sallie,” 
by “Othello;” 4th dam, “Sallie IV,” by 
“Driva Boar;” 5th dam, “Sallie III,” by 
“ 2d Duke of Gloucester.” “ Oxford Reserve \ 
for years been striving to perfect it, and in 
the one illustrated at Fig 64 he has done away 
with many objections found in some other 
drills. It will be seen to be compactly and 
durably built, its total weight being about 45 
pounds and its length 30 inches. It can bo 
used to sow any garden seed, from the very 
smallest up to, and including, corn and beans. 
Among its advantages w e note that it has 
patent bars in the drop to scatter seed; it has 
an adjustable plow which opens a wide fui- 
row, and which can be easily set to any de¬ 
sired depth; the marker bar is under the 
frame and can be adjusted by simply loosen¬ 
ing two thumb nuts; its opt-u seed conductor 
shows the seed dropping; the dial plate is in 
full vieiv of ihe operator and is made of white 
metal, which will not rust; it lias a huge seed 
box, and will stand up alone when not in use; 
it is simple in construction, compactly made, 
easy to handle. It is certuinly worthy of the 
examination of any one who is in need of suc h 
an implement. 
This linn manufacture various other im¬ 
plements for faiiniug and gardening now on 
the market, among which are the Higganum 
Horse Hoe, the Higganum Cultivator, the 
Hughes- Castor Tooth Harrow, the Higganum 
Cider Mill, and Hie Hollingsworth Improved 
Monitor Rake. This rake is both relf and 
hand dump, and its constant me on the rough¬ 
est lands has proven ifs durability, while it 
rakes clean, lifts easily, and is simply, yet 
scientifically constructed. We have but this 
to say farther’, that the Higganum Corpora¬ 
tion do w hat I hey claim to do. They are,to our 
knowledge, reliable, and it is their aim to give 
entire satisfaction. G. B. b. 
RURAL SPECIAL BEPORT3. 
Arkansan. 
Beebe, White Co . Jan. 29. — I am going to 
start for Emruettsburg, Iowa. I have lost too 
much money to stay auy longer, and another 
year would take everything 1 have if 1 were 
to stay. To live on fat perk is the fate of the 
fortunate few who a re aide to buy it, and corn 
bread and molasses ami black coffee. 1 could 
not live even on this dainty fare and work on 
it. Tho scarcity cf corn is going to cause 
much distress, for the meal to live on and tho 
corn to feed the stock, to make another crop, 
have to come from the Noith, and tho l'at pork 
also. I never saw hogs so poor able to hold 
on to life. Some people have lost almost all 
their hogs, as they had nothing to feed them 
upon. In their nests in the bushes and fence 
corners I can see the miserable creatures 
sleeping tlieir last sleep. I never saw such 
pork killed for meat as there was this Winter. 
I could not eat it, but if 1 were to stay hero 
no doubt I would have to come to it. A 
great many killed their lean porkers because 
they had to have meat of some sort. The 
crops were so short that not more t han one 
out of five paid for their last year’s provisions; 
and the vest are farther behind then a year 
ago. The buzzards have their harvest time 
now,and yet it is a poor one, for there is noth¬ 
ing on or in the bogs but skin and boues. If 
the Winter were as severe ns the last, there 
would be considerable suffering, but tho 
jieople have been favored by tho mild 
weather. Corn is $1 per bushel; pork, 
cents cash and 18 cents on time; corn meal, 
per hbl, $5 45 cash or |6 50 on time; molasses - 
80 cents per gallon or $1 per gallon on time. 
The merchants have pretty empty stores, 
they do not care to get anything on account 
of the farmers not having any money to buy 
with. 1 have travekd considerably since I got 
my cotton out and I have noticed things very 
Berkshire Boar, Oxford Reserve, 3469—Fig. 63. 
other breed upon the Berkshire is equally sure took the first premium at the New York 
to result in deterioration. For choice hams State FairiulSSl; also the first premium at 
and shoulders for smoking, aud side pieces for the Onondaga Co. Fair at Syracuse and at the 
bacon, tender, juicy and well marbled, no Monroe Co. Fair at Rochester. He is the prop¬ 
other breed can compare with this. The hams erty of T. R. Proctor, proprietor of the farm 
and shoulders are almost entirely lean, a thin belonging to Bagg’s Hotel, Utica, New York. 
