FEB. as 
KIMBALL, DAKOTA. 
Agricultural attributes of the surrounding 
country—A locality with a luture. 
MESSRS. HOLMES AND SWEETLAND. 
[Special Correspondents of the Rotiai, New-Yorker.! 
To what particular line of agricultural pur¬ 
suits Southern Dakota is especially adapted 
has been a much mooted question, and al¬ 
though the diversity of opinion has been great 
the result of all investigation thus far has been 
to prove that this portion of the country need 
not be dependent upon a set line of pro¬ 
ducts, but that it is especially adapted by Na 
ture for a considerable variety in the different 
branches of husbandry, thus making it in 
many respects superior to localities where de¬ 
pendence is placed upon the results of one 
crop, which, if successful, is generally rich and 
remunerative, but if a failure produces depres¬ 
sion in the business circles, and involves the 
farmers in additional debt to prepare for the 
next season’s work. 
During the Pall we took a trip over the 
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway 
through the southern portion of Dakota. 
Most of this country is a level or slightly un¬ 
dulating prairie, but near the Missouri River 
the bluffs and hills rise up from the east bank 
and extend back a distance varying from one 
to six miles. Tweuty-two miles from the 
river and about sixteen from the bills i« 
located the town of Kimb ill. It was laid out 
and platted by the railroad company, being 
after wards sold to Daniel Warner, of Paines- 
ville, Ohio, who now owns if. His son with 
his family came out here to live in the Pall, 
and Mr. Warner intends following in the 
Spring. The town received quite a little im 
petus last season and had when we visited it 
three or four stores, a post office, two hotels, 
depot buildings and a number of dwellings. 
It is undeniably a welt located town, having 
a splendid country to back it in ad directions. 
The land near the town had all been taken up, 
but there were still opportunities to home¬ 
stead, pre-empt or claim by the provisions of 
the Timber Culture Act,UK) acres at a distance 
of from ten to fifteen miles from the town, the 
only cost of which would be the govermental 
fees. 
During the season of 1881 there was a con¬ 
siderable rush of immigration to the fertile 
valleys and lauds lying at the base of the 
Rijou Hills which lie to the southwest. All 
this country is tributary to Kimbnllunu what 
the town needs is plenty of stores, grain 
warehouses, blacksmiths, wagon makers, 
shoemakers and at tisans of all kinds, as well 
as more of the same enterprising class of 
tradesmen which it now has, to lie in a very 
few years one of the most important points in 
this section of the State. 
Arouud Kimball in a radius of twenty miles 
are many farms the breaking of which was 
accomplished last year, but which will be 
cropped this year; while in every section there 
are or will bo groves planted, which in the 
course of a few years will add materially to 
the beauties of the landscape and the value of 
the property. 
-»-» » 
RURAL BRIEFLETS. 
Our respected friend, Mr. S B. Parsons, 
writes as follows : “ In your issue of January 
28, I notice that Shirly Hibbard has created a 
sensation by publishing a classified list of 1,274 
R isos. I cannot quite understand the sensa¬ 
tion, for I was not conscious of it when in 
1840 1 published a list of 1,0(10 in connection 
with my booK on the Rose.”. 
OlfR friend Dr. Hoskins, referring to our late 
Coffee article, expresses the following opinion 
in which we fully concur: “You are making 
a magnificent paper—but I suppose you know 
that. I would like, however, to say some¬ 
thing in dispraise of coffee, which makes more 
bilious people, and causes more family 
quarrels, than anything but rum. It is rank 
poison to three-fourths of the people who drink 
it, and the better it is, the worse it is, for they 
drink the more of it.”. 
When our friends sow fine seeds, such as 
Portulaca and Petunia, let them remember 
not to cover them with too much soil. It is 
better merely to press them into the soil, and 
there will be less liability to smother them. 
Many cannot resist the temptation to cover 
seeds too deeply, as if, in this way, they were 
better protected and surer to grow. But it 
must be borne in mind that the tiny sprouts of 
such tine seels canuot make their way through 
the soil, and they must therefore perish. A 
very little moss powdered and sifted over fine 
seeds that are pressed firmly upon the soil of 
pots is better than covering them with soil. 
All that is needed is to preserve moisture 
without excluding the air. 
Our readers, in ordering strawberry plants, 
should know that there are two kinds, viz., 
those bearing perfect flowers and those bear¬ 
ing imperfect flowers. The flowers of the 
latter have one set of perfect reproductive 
organs only—the pistils—and, were they 
planted far away from plants bearing perfect 
flowers, would, for the most part, fail to fruit. 
Varietiespf this kind (pistillate) are Champion, 
(Windsor Chief), Col. Cheney, Golden De- 
fiauce, Hovey, Huddleston’s Favorite, Rus¬ 
sell’s Prolific, Crescent Seedling, Manchester, 
and others. The pistillate varieties—or those 
bearing imperfect flowers—are usually marked 
P in the catalogues, and may thus be selected 
or rejected. The fact of their being pistillates, 
however, is no objection, provided others 
bearing perfect flowers grow near. The pol¬ 
len is transmitted by insects and the wind. 
We have already called attention to a mis 
take that many pomologists have fallen into, 
viz , that of calling the perfect flowers “stam- 
inatoa.” There are no purely staminate vari¬ 
eties in cultivation that we know of, so that 
those bearing both stamens and pistils should 
be classed as “ perfect.”. 
A few days ago, while walking over the 
Rural Grounds, we were thinking huw valu¬ 
able were evergreen trees in Winter, and how 
much they relieve the otherwise naked, dreary 
look of the season—how much they add to the 
homelikeness of home. As we walked from 
one specimen or group to another, the question 
arose, Which, of all, would you choose could 
yon have but one? As applied to most kinds 
of ornamental or fruit plants, the question is 
hard to answer. Each has distinctive and in¬ 
valuable merits. But as applied to evergreens, 
the reply came to us—and forcibly, too—the 
Hemlock Spruce. Unfortunately, it cannot 
be recommended for all parts of our country. 
A week or so ago we asked the question 
whence true air plants (epiphytes) derived 
their food: Prof. Beal kindly repliesas follows: 
“What we call air, is uot pure air. It con¬ 
tains particles of solid matter, more some¬ 
times than at others. These particles lodge on 
the bark or stoue or wood or other objects 
where the epiphytes grow. Rain water brings 
down many of these particles. This is the ex¬ 
planation. The fine roots or root hairs, very 
numerous on orchids, etc., collect or receive 
and hold rnauy of these particles, which are 
generally very fine and in good condition for 
absorption.”. 
Prof. S. W. Johnson tells us the following 
experiment: Thirty seeds of cress were plant¬ 
ed in fine platinum wire contained iu a plati¬ 
num vessel. The contents of the vessel were 
moistened with distilled water, and the whole 
was placed under a glass shade, which served 
to shield from dust. Through an aperture in 
the shade, connection was made with a gaso¬ 
meter, by which the atmosphere iu the interior 
could be renewed with an artificial mixture 
consisting in 100, of 21 parts of oxygen, 78 
parts of nitrogen and 1 part of carbonic acid. 
In two days 28 of the seeds germinated; after¬ 
wards they developed leaves, and grew slowly 
with a healthy appearance during 20 days, 
reaching a bight of two or three inches. From 
this time on they refused to grow, began to 
turn yellow and died down. The plants were 
collected and burned ; the ash from them 
weighed precisely as much as that obtained by 
burning 28 seeds like those originally sown.’ 1 
We should like to have just this experiment 
tried with aerial orchids...... 
We have received the following letter from 
Mr. E. P. Roe : “ Can you give space for a 
brief record of experience with the Longfellow 
Strawberry i The first year that I fruited it 
I was not favorably impressed. It did not 
seem productive, aud tho’foliage burned badly. 
I feared thut the future of the new variety 
was very dubious, and it may be so still. But 
I am stoutly opposed to all hasty judgments 
iu regard to novelties, and therefore tested it 
another year. The result was a very agree¬ 
able surprise. The plants, in another and 
moister location, grew vigorously and bore 
the largest, latest and handsomest berries on 
my place. The fruit was superb in size, beauty 
and firmness, although not very rich and high 
in flavor. For a showy late market berry it 
may be doubted if it has an equal. Give it 
moist, deep, heavy soil with a northern ex¬ 
posure, and it may be found one of the most 
profitable very late varieties that we have. I 
call attention to it from no interested motives, 
for l have very few plants. Every horticul¬ 
turist with a genuine love of his calling wil* 
ever be on the watch in order to add a little 
to the general stock of knowledge. We often 
fail to obtain great advantages by not giving 
novelties the fair and patient trial which 
would enable us to discover the conditions 
under which they would succeed admirably 
and reward our expenditure a hundred- fold 
I am much inclined to think that the Long¬ 
fellow would be one of the most remunerative 
strawberries that could be grown in many 
localities in this latitude and further north, 
I do not think it is adapted to the South. For 
Southern culture I thiuk the Bid well takes the 
lead, for I am told that it thrives well even in 
Florida, and I have never known its foliage to 
bum or scald.”....... 
Mr. Green writes us: “I am more than 
pleased—I am delighted with the cut of Shaf¬ 
fer’s Colossal Raspberry. It is a perfect 
representation of the berry, and any one 
would recognise it at once, anywhere, under 
any name. I do not see any chance for im¬ 
provement iu it.”. 
Here is another addition to the Rural 
Premiums: “ Feeling deeply interested in, anrl 
appreciating the generosity of, the Rural in 
the free distribution of seeds, etc., I am con 
strained to offer the following special pre¬ 
mium, if approved by the Rural: To thi 
party in Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana or Ar¬ 
kansas raising the best crop of corn from the 
seed of the Rural’s Free Seed Distribution 
for 1882, 1 will give a trio of first-class fowls, 
value *15, of either Light Brahmas, White 
Cochins, or Lnugshans; the variety t,o be de¬ 
termined by myself. The L. Brahmas are of 
the Dike of York strain; White Cochins, 
Claibornestrain; and Langshan’s, Maj.Croud's 
and Samuel's stock. The fowls will be placed 
ia a neat, light canvas coop, with feed and 
water vessel for the trip, and placed in charge 
of the Express Co., receiver to pay fr fight. 
They will be ready for delivery any time 
after November 1st, 1882, and subject to the 
order of the Rural New-Yorker. The same 
rules will govern the decision in this as in the 
case of contestants for the Rural’s and other 
premiums. As I sh ill be a contestant for the 
general premiums, my report will not be en¬ 
tered in contest for these. 
A. S. Stonebraker, M. D. 
Waco, McLennan Co., Texas. 
The London lave Stock Journalsaysr “The 
conditions under which British agriculturists 
will have, in future, to meet the competition 
of their American cousins have for some time 
past been gradually becoming more defined; 
and, whilst th^re is no doubt that such compe 
tition must henceforth, or for a long time at 
least, be a very serious factor in the conditions 
of British agriculture, it is becoming clear al¬ 
so that it is by no means of the hopeless char 
acter many people at one time feared. Tt has 
been made abundantly clear during the last 
six months that one unfavorable harvest in 
America is as serious a matter there as any bad 
harvests have lately been to us, and we have 
seen the strange spectacle lately of even wheat 
being as dear at large American centres as it 
is at London or Liverpool. Good meat has 
long been as dear in nearly all Eastern Amer¬ 
ican cities a it is with «3; and although 
Americans use oleomargarine and other sub¬ 
stitutes more largely than we do, it is neverthe¬ 
less a fact that any fair butter is, for the most 
part, dearer in America than in England. 
Under these circumstances, a single unfavor¬ 
able harvest has go upset the American trade 
that our imports of cheese have this year fal 
leu off one-half, butter nearly as much, and 
meat also shows a considerable decline; while 
British potatoes have actually been sold at a 
profit in American cities.” 
“ Waldo ” says in the Ohio Farmer that he 
thinks it would pay to paint all our out-build¬ 
ings and farm implements with crude petrol¬ 
eum. which can be bought for ten or twelve 
cents a gallon, md probably has more preserv¬ 
ative power than any paint we can buy. 
Joseph Harris says that it will render wood 
almost indestructible. 
Prof. Arnold is quoted by the Mark Lane 
Express as saying that milk should never be 
set shallow in a low temperature nor deep in 
a high one. Setting deep in cold water saves 
time, labor and space. While the milk is 
standing for cj earn to rise, the purity of the 
cream, and consequently the flue flavor and 
keeping of the butter will be injured if the 
surface of the cream is exposed freely to air 
much warmer than cream. When cream is 
cooler than the surrounding air, it takes up 
impurities and moisture from the air. W ben 
the air is colder than the cream it takes up 
moLture and whatever escapes from the 
cream. In the former case the cream purifies 
the surrounding air; in the latter, the air 
helps to purify the creatu. 
Long essays are written evei y y**ur about 
planting asparagus—preparing the beds, etc. 
Mr. Joseph Harris tells much of the story in a 
few simple words. Make the soil rich and 
mellow. Sow early in the Spring in rows 
fifteen inches apart. When the young plants 
appear, weed and hoe, and thin out to six 
inches apart iu the row. The next Spring, 
set out the plants in a permanent bed of deep, 
rich soil. Mark out the rows three to four 
feet apart, and set the plants 15 inches apart 
in the rows, or if grown for market ou a large 
scale, set the plants foffr feet apart each way, 
so that the cultivator can be run-through the 
rows in both directions. Rich land, e’ean 
cultivation and plenty of room, will insure 
rapid growth and large, tender shoots. 
Last year t e earliest and best variety of 
string beans in his garden was the Black Wax 
or Batter. They should be planted at different 
times in succession, say two weeks apart. In 
this way you will have a constant supply of 
this most delicious string bean. For an early 
crop, select a warm, light, sandy soil, facing 
the south or southeast, and sheltered from the 
prevail ng winds. Make the rows 15 inches 
apart and drop the beaus au inch apart iu the 
row. As there is danger of the first planting 
being injured by a slight frost, it is better to 
plant again in a week or ten days. 
Speaking of the Marblehead Mammoth 
Drumhead Cabbage, our friend, Mr. Waldo 
F. Brown, says that it is the largest cabbage 
grown. Heads have been produced weighing 
over 50 pounds, and under good cultivation it 
has been grown by the acre to average over 
30 pounds. Mr. J. J. H. Gregory, who orig¬ 
inated this variety, says that it does better 
wh9n sown where it is to grow than when 
transplanted. 
Mr. Brown recommends sowing celery seeds 
in the open ground in April, and to make the 
plants stocky they should be transplanted when 
th ee inches high, setting them three or four 
inches apart. It may be replanted where it 
is to grow, from the middle of June to the 
middle of August. Probably for this climate 
the 1st of August is best.Speaking 
of lettuce, he remarks that it needs a rich soil 
if we would have it form a head, and as a 
very small amount of land will produce all 
that any family ran use, we can eercaiulv 
afford to make it rich. It may be sown as 
soou as the land can be worked in the Spring, 
in the open ground, or may be sown in Sep¬ 
tember and kept through the Winter with a 
slight protection. If vve want good heads, we 
must thin to a foot in the row's, early, before 
the plants become crowded and spindled. 
Golden Stone Head, Wheeler's Tom Thumb, 
Tennis-ball, Early Curled Simpson are among 
the best kinds of early: American Gathering 
is splendid for succession: Hanson, Shotweli’s 
Brown Head, White Cabbage, Large Yellow- 
Butter for main crop, and Red Winter Cab¬ 
bage, Hardy Green Winter for Winter. 
As to cucumbers, Early Green Cluster, 
Green Prolific are best for pickling, and the 
Improved White Spine for cucumbers. Tail- 
by’s Hybrid is probably one of the best kinds 
for cucumbei-s, being very tender, with few 
and small seeds. But it is not very prolific as 
raised at the Rural Grouuds. For pickles, 
sow from June 10, for this climate, until Julv 
10. Plant in hills four feet apart, after the 
hills have been prepax-ed by mixing old rna 
nure with the soil. When danger firm in¬ 
sects is over, thin out to three of the strongest 
plants. Readers should not neglect to cut off 
the pickles or cucumbers, w hether for use or 
not. Their ripening exhausts the vines. 
Speaking of celery, Mr. C. M. Hovey says 
in th* Mass. Plowman that so important and 
excellent a vogela ble, supplying the place in 
Winter that asparagus does in Spring, ought 
to be raised of the best quality, and in abun¬ 
dance ; yet with few exceptions, it is not as 
good as it should be, nor by any means as 
plentiful and cheap,for 15 to 30 cents a root or 
head must be considered a high price. That 
it is produced of a better quality than formerly 
isno doubt true; for it is a specialty as culture 
with many growers, but the general crop is 
far from aiming up^o the quality of other 
vegetables. W bat is the average weight ot 
three heads of celery os found in our markets? 
Is it three pounds each, or two pouuds? Yet 
the English cultivators produce celery weigh¬ 
ing 10, 12 and even IS pounds each. 
M r Hovey thinks that the fact that it is now 
produced of better quality than formerly is 
owing to the modern system of growing the 
plants on the surface of the ground like other 
crops and not in deep trenches In regard to 
the foimer, Mr. Hovey say.<{that Mr. Hender¬ 
son’s plan is the only safe one, and is precisely 
the same he saw practiced when a mere boy, 
aud the one he recommend* d time and time 
again, ami which ha has always followed. The 
second day of January he had beautiful 
celery from roots packed away in October, in 
this manner: A thiu light frame was placed 
upon the ground (on a dry sandy sub-soili, the 
earth was thrown out two feet or more down 
to and with some of the sand, which served as 
a banking ror the frame. The roots were then 
set in, upright in rows, with the coarser ftli- 
age cut off, filling in any vacancies between 
the roots with saud. The frame was then 
filled with dry leaves, and covered with 
tight shutters No frost will penetrate such a 
covering, and there will be no dampness at 
any time. During the Winter roots may be 
taken out, and the covering replaced Where 
there is a good cool dry cellar, celery may be 
