482 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
louslv clean by the frequent use of the hoe. 
The quality of beets for the table depends a 
pood deal on rapid growth, and this requires 
rich land and clean cultivation. 
Mr. Harris grows Manpel Wurzris largely 
for sheep. cows and pips. He thinks there are 
far more mangels raided now than a few years 
apo, and their cultivation is yearly extend- 
inp. As we farm better, use more artificial 
manures and breed better stock, we should 
certainly raise more roots for feeding in Win¬ 
ter and Spring. 
For early Winter feedinp the Sugar Beet 
is perhaps better than the manpel, but for 
late Winter or Sprinp feedinp the maneel is 
more profitable. They keep firmer and bet¬ 
ter in Sprinp. 
The cultivation of manpels is precisely the 
same as the cultivation of beets. Any one 
who can prow beets in the garden can grow 
manpels in the field. Make the land rich, 
and sow early in the Sprinp in rows about 
30 inches apart. If the weather is dry, roll 
the land after drilling in the see3, and the 
work is done. Afterwards all there is to be 
done is to thin out the plants to 10 to 15 
inches apart and keep clean by running the 
horse-hoe frequently. 
For years Mr. Black, of New Jersey, has 
provided roots for milch cows and has exper¬ 
ienced no trouble in churning, coloring butter 
or other unnecessary dairy work. Hi° method 
has been to feed pach cow half a bushel of 
roots, Ireets preferred, morning and night, and 
four to six quarts of wheat brain daily, also a 
bundle of corn fodder once a day: so he tells 
the N. Y. Tribune. With this treatment they 
do as well as on pasture in Summer, and there 
will be no trouble in making pood solid butter. 
What cows need is plenty of preen, watery 
food. He has followed this method for years, 
and no matter what chemists say about oil¬ 
cake, hay or other food e'ement, he knows no 
food can be better or cheaper than a liberal 
supply of preen food for milk or butter in 
Winter. He does not give his cattle salt, 
and when he follows the above method he can 
always churn in Winter in from five to fifteen 
minutes. 
EtiLWANGER & Barry’s specimen orchard 
contains 368 varieties of apples, 300 of pears, 
85 of plums, 55 of cherries, 133 of peaches, 25 
of apricots, 16 of nectarines, and in their 
vineyard thev have 115 varieties of grapes. 
Thus they are enabled to judge of their merits. 
The Sun says that agricultuial colleges 
have been well endowed for the education of 
men. Would it not be welt to have in each a 
horticultural department in which both sexes 
may be educated? Thousands of women, old 
and young, are now crowding our cities who 
would gladly seek employment in lighter work 
among the fruitful fields of the country if 
they were permitted to do it. 
Mr. Albaugb, Fpeaking of new fruits, says 
that the new and the novel have charms for 
all—new songs to sing, new plays to act, new 
bonnets to wear, and new fruits to test. . . 
. . . A recent writer truly saj's that the 
laborers of the city often have a greater va¬ 
riety of vegetable food upon their tables than 
the majority of our well-to-do farmers. We 
believe this is true.—Indiana Farmer. . . . 
. . Put a drop of honey on your tongue be¬ 
fore you speak and see how easy it is to make 
friends, ..... It is possible for a man 
to be so very shrewd that in the long run he 
cheats himself.—Herald. ..... The 
flour song in'‘Faust” is wheat.—Musical 
Herald... 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Cnllfori'iu. 
Cedarville, Modoc Co.—So far this Win¬ 
ter we have had but very little snow or 
rain, but very cold, freezing weather. We 
had very large crops of grain and bay last 
year. I averaged on my farm 75 bu>hels of 
barley to the acre, and 35 bushels of wheat. 
Potatoes were almost a failure, owing to the 
frost in July. Stock of all kinds are looking 
well on the ranges: large lots of beef cattle 
are being fed in this valley for the Reno 
market. c. * b. 
Santa Rosa. Sonoma Co., Feb. 20.— The ag¬ 
ricultural outlook is good for California. 
Since rains began to fall nearly three months 
of favorable weather ha ve elapsed. Crops are 
about all in and growing grain looks well. 
Immigration is Increasing to this coast. The 
turbulent political elements have been sub¬ 
dued and our future looks bright. Although 
the rainy s°ason, there have been more cloud¬ 
less days, two to one, than rainy ones. Sheep 
and cattle live on the pastures without other 
feed. The thermometer seldom marks lower 
than 30 °, and hardy sorts of flowers are in 
blossom as I write. J. B. A. 
Indiana. 
Kingsbury, T.a Porte Co., Feb. 22. — 
Winter quite mild. All kinds of produce sell 
readily at good prices. Wheat. $1 25: corn, 
55<®60c.; oats. 4°<S45c ; butter, 30c.: potatoes, 
$1.25@$1.40 per bushel. \v. e. h. 
Town. 
Davenport, Scott Co., Feb. 23.—We are 
having a warm, dry Winter here. The ther¬ 
mometer has not been below 20 above zero for 
the last six weeks, and it has only been to zero 
once this Winter, and as I write now it is 70 
above zero. Produce bi ings very good prices. 
Wheat., $1 25@$1.85; rye, 90c ; oats. 4 C| o.: 
com, 53@58e. Butter is very scarce and high 
for this country: creamery, 35®40c.: com¬ 
mon, 156?20c. Fgtrs, 10(771 So.; onionp, *2 25(3) 
f2 50 per barrel; potatoes, 51.15 per bushel; 
apples, >5.50@f5.75 per barrel. Chickens are 
worth 8(39c. per pound, dressed, $2.25 per 
dozen, alive; turkeys, 10@12J^c., dressed; 
hogs, $5.75(36.25 per hundred, live weight; 
cattle, $3.50(35 35 per hundred pounds, live 
weight, according to quality. G. w. s. 
Known*. 
Colorado, Lincoln Co., Feb. 12.—Wheat 
and rye are looking very well. While I am 
writing it is snowing nicely; there are about 
three inches on the ground—a splendid thing 
for Kansas. T. w. a. 
Parsons, Labette Co., Feb., 9. The sun 
shines earlier, and tarries longer. Have just 
conversed with a cattle man from 150 miles 
West of Fort Worth, Texas. He reports the 
country there fast settling, chiefly by sheep¬ 
men from California. They are driving in 
flocks of 5,000 to 10,000. Sheep are doing 
splendidly. They are just fat asmy informant 
says. Cattle have done excellently. He has 
not seen a dead animal this Winter. He re¬ 
ports the wheat looking almost too well in 
Northern Texas, but farmers are pasturing it 
down, all they can. He does not think 
Western Texas is adapted to agriculture. It 
will, he thinks, be found too dry. He is, how¬ 
ever, though a cattle-n an exclusively, greatly 
inclined to think it is a sheep country. He 
says the sheep thrive on a scanty herbage, 
where cattle would be reduced. Owing to 
the unusual mildness of the Winter here all 
out door work is far advanced and farmers 
will sow oats as poon as the ground is- 
dry. Wheat is short in acreage; but looking 
well. We shall doubtless have an early 
season, and farmers purpose making early 
crops. All the old corn is exhausted and they 
will need the new crop badly. In spite of the 
notorious shortage of the Western corn crop 
it seems to be accumulating in the chief 
markets. Still it is a long time before the 
new corn will be ready, and farmers, where 
there was corn raised, are availing themselves 
of a treble price. The rush will be over as 
soon as the frost comes out of the ground, as 
then the roads will be bad, and when dry 
planting must proceed. Produce prices here 
are just what they are in your city. J. b. 
Missouri. 
Knobnostkr, Johnson Co., Feb., 28. A 
very mild Winter thus far, but on the 19 and 
20 we bad a gentle rain from the northeast 
which froze on the trees till it crushed them to 
the ground. Evergreens of fifteen years 
planting were either broken off or bent to the 
ground. Loss to fruit trees immense, w. h. r 
Nebraska. 
Syracuse, Otoe Co., Feb., 22.— Last season 
we made an almost entire failure with corn, 
our chief crop, chit fly because of defective 
seeds, not more than one-third or one-fourth 
germinating at all, so that on land which in 
1880 gave us 65 bushels per acre we husked 
last Fall about 20 bushels per acre. There are 
fields near here that from the same cause 
gave not more than five bushels per acre ; 
fields adjoining planted with corn husked 
from the field the Spring of 1881 gave 45 bush¬ 
els. Corn 50 cents per bushel. B. T. V. 
New York. 
West SnELBY, Orleans Co , Feb. 20—An 
open Winter so far—no sleighing. Wheat 
badly injured by freezing out. Clover seed a 
small crop, the weevil having reduced the yield 
materially; selling for $4 50 to $5. Slock not 
thriving as well as last Winter; feeders com¬ 
plaining. Beef scarce and high. Not somauy 
sheep fed as usual on account of scarcity of 
grain; selling at 5)^ to 6}^ cents per pound. 
Potatoes scarce; selling at $1 per bush.; but¬ 
ter, 30 cents per pound. Some of our farmers 
have the creamery fever. Horses high priced; 
good horses hard to find at any price. More 
land sales here in the last three months than 
in the previous three years; price from $80 to 
$100 per acre. j. p. c. 
Nortli Carolina. 
Henderson, Vance Co. t Feb. 13.—So far in 
1882 we have bad an excess of rains and high 
water. The earth is saturated and move com¬ 
ing. No plowing done yet. Wheat and rye 
growing finely. Temperature up to 60 degrees 
and above nearly every day. Peach buds are 
swelling and will probably get nipped before 
May. m. b. p. 
Ohio. 
Camden, Preb 1 ? Co., Feb. 23.—We have had 
but little cold weather this Winter. Wheat 
looks fine. Ronds very muddy where they 
are not gTaveled or piked. But little maple 
molasses made vet. w. m. 
Coluwrus, Franklin Co., Feb., 24. We 
have lately been having a mild, wet spell. 
W. eat looks ns green as it usually does about 
the first of May. 
Westfield, Morrow Co., Fpb. 20.—We 
have had a very open Winter. Wheat looks 
well: clover i® badly frozen. Wheat is worth 
$1.30 ppr bushel; com, 60c.; potatoes, $1.20 
per bushel; hay, $8 50 per ton: lu>g«, fat. 6c. 
per pound; sheep hi eh, from $3.50(3 $7 per 
bead; horses, $125(3250. J. B. B. 
Tcxiih. 
Coryell, Coryell Co. Feb. 26—A very 
open Winter herp. very heavy rain for the last 
three weeks. A larger acreage than usual in 
wheat. Winter wheat looking very well. 
Backward ahout planting oats. Wheat $1.25 
to $1.50; oats. 50 cts: corn, 80 cts to $1 : pork. 
6 to 8 cts, net. and scarce. Stock of all kinds 
doing well, money very scarce. Quite a short 
crop of corn and cotton last year, oats very 
good. Wheat medium. w. e. y, 
Dayton. Liberty Co,. Feb. 15.—We have 
had no Winter here. All mv small garden 
seeds are up. Trish potatoes have had their 
first plowing. Sugar cane is a foot high, and 
corn is up in the garden. We are being repaid 
for last Summer’s drought.. It has rained for 
a month. Trinity River is overflowed and 
still rising: no sign of a let-up. Weather quite 
warm. Peach and plum trees are bloom¬ 
ing. ®. 
Old Round Rock, Williamson County. 
—My orchard contains about 400 bearing trees 
—peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines, 
also a few apples, pears and cherries. First 
ripe peaches May 20, and there was a con¬ 
tinued succession until Nov. 20. Mv fruit, 
sold in the Austin market at from two to six 
dollars per bushel. Last year it brought me 
about $1,000. Fruit was scarce here last year, 
owing to a very late frost in the Spring, but 
all orchards situated on very high ground es¬ 
caped. I think I have established the fact 
that by a proper location, judicious selection 
of varieties, necessary attention in pruning, 
cultivating, mulching, etc., the peach, plum, 
etc., can he grown here to perfection almost 
any year. I have derived much useful in¬ 
formation from the Rural New Yorker, 
and I don’t know but I might justly attribute 
my success to its pages. I have a number 
of volumes of it on file dating back to 
1874. e. n. s. 
Wisconsin, 
Freedom, Outagamie Co., Feb., 17.—Last 
year at this time and till through March we 
had severe cold weather with snow drifted 
from three to six feet deep. This year we 
have had no snow to speak of, and not a week 
of really cold weather so far this Winter. 
We are now making maple sugar ; the weather 
is warm and pleasant. Farmers will begin 
sowing Spring wheat soon if the weather con¬ 
tinues warm as now. Most farm crops were 
good last year and prices are satisfactory. 
Wheat is now worth $1.35; barley. 80c to $1 ; 
corn, 65c ; oats, 40 to 45c ; potatoes, 80c to 
$1 per bushel; hay, $8 to $10 per ton ; butter, 
25cts., cheese 15c per pound. Cows are worth 
from $30 to $50 each. Farm stock is looking 
well and feed is plentiful. Our farmers have 
occasion to do but little grumbling. e. n. 
©)t lOitmst 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query muBt be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention 1 
IMPORTS OF WOOL AND DUTIES THEREON, 
C. B. E, Newark, Ohio., asks, what per¬ 
centage of the wool manufactured in this 
country comes from Australia; what from 
Canada: 2, what are the import duties on 
foreign wools. 
Ans —We have at hand no means of ascer¬ 
taining the entire quantity of wool manufac¬ 
tured in this country in any late year, as the 
census returns on this subject have not yet 
been published. Wo cannot therefore give 
the percentage of Australian and Canadian 
wool in the whole amount worked up. The 
matter, however, can be approximated thus: - 
In 1880 the domestic production of wool was 
232,500,000 pounds, and the total importations 
from all countries amounted to 128,131,747 
pounds, valued at $23,727,050. The total 
amount of wool in this country that year 
was, accordingly, 360,6?],717 pounds. Of this 
quantity 7,666,604pounds,valuedat$l l 850,937, 
came direct from the British possessions in 
Australasia, including New Zealand. The 
Reports of the Treasury Bureau of Statistics 
now before us, club all the British colonies in 
Oceanica together. According to the Report 
made last October by the American con<ul at 
Auckland, New Zealand, and now also before 
us, those islands had. in 1880, 13,126,264 sheep, 
and exported 66,86°,000 pounds of wool, valued 
at $15,846 500, Very little of this, however, 
reaches America direct. From Canada, or 
rather, as the Bureau of Statistics puts it, 
from the British North American Provinces, 
we imported, in 1880. only 4,075,665 pounds of 
wool, valued at $1,051.889. Our heaviest wool 
imports were from England, amounting to 
56,466,765 pounds, valued at $12 121 637. A 
large proportion Of this was undoubtedly 
Australian and New Zealand wool; for very 
much more Australasian wool is used in 
America than the amount of our direct im¬ 
portations. The wool of New South Wales is 
second in fineness only to the best Saxony 
which it surpasses in the softness of the finished 
fabric and its adaptability to delicate dyes. 
It has superseded Saxony wool in our manu¬ 
factures. In combing uses the New Zealand 
wool ranks first, being a fine, long staple, soft 
and silky as well as lustrous and the best of 
the Australasian wools for taking hright and 
fast colors. It is peculiarly adapted to mix 
with theharsh and short wools of this country; 
it is also largely sold here as “ Berlin Wool." 
Most of our supply is got through Liverpool; 
but as the Treasury Statistical Bureau classes 
all wools coming from England together, it is 
impossible to tell how much of the fifty-four 
million pounds received from that country 
came originally from Oceanica. In addition 
to our imports of raw wool, however, we im¬ 
port a great deal of wool in manufactured 
goods. While our imports of unmanufactured 
wool in 1880 amounted iu value to $28,727,650; 
our imports of woolen goods went as high as 
$33,911,093, including $15,360,542, for dress- 
goods, and $10,773,912 for cloths and cassi- 
meres. Our importations of wools, however, 
vary greatly, though we have here stated 
those for 1880, inasmuch as the statistical 
tables for that year are more complete than 
for last year in which there was a g r eat 
falling off in our imports of raw wool—from 
$23,727,650, in 1880, to $0,703,908 in 1881. 
There was also a slight reduction in our woolen 
imports-from $33,911,093,in ISSO.to $31,15(5,427 
in 1881. 2, Under the present tariff w ools are 
divided into three classes. Class No. 1. or 
clothing wools, valued at. 82 cent* or less, pay 
10 cents per pound and 11 per cent ad valorem, 
and on the importations of 1881 Ibis a mounted 
to an average tax of 55 39 per cent. If valued 
at over 32 cents, the tax is 12 cents per pound 
and lOper cent .ad valorem which is an average 
tax of 41.61 percent. Scoured and washed 
w’ools of which our imports are small, are 
taxed from 65 to 76 per cent. Class No. 2, 
embracing combing wools, pay the same 
duties as Class No. 1, but owing to the ad val¬ 
orem duty changing from the difference in 
value, the duties average 46,24 per cent, and 
43.15 per cent, respectively. Class No. 3, em¬ 
bracing carpet and like wools, when valued 
at 12 cents, or less, pay three cents per pound; 
and when valued at over 12 cents, six cents 
per pound,the aversge ad valorem duty being 
25.63 per cent, and 30 45 per cent, respectively. 
During 1881 the imports were thus divided 
among these classes:—about 30 per cent, to 
clothing wool*; 0 per cent, to combing wools, 
and 0-4 per cent, to rarpet wools. On manu¬ 
factured woolen goods the import duties are 
heavier than on the raw’ material, averaging 
09.74 per cent on dress goods: from 73 to 99 
per cent, on blankets; and 72 63 pero*nt. on 
cloths. The duties on some special goods 
are still higher, the taxes on our imports of 
woolens for 1881 averaging from 61.45 to 
102 6 per cent. 
ROOTS FOR SHEEP. 
E. A. B., Spartansburg, Pa., asks what 
kind of turnips w’ould be best to raise for 
sheep. 
Ans. —Of turnips the Aberdeen is better 
than the white and nearly as good as the ruta¬ 
baga. Of the latter the Purple-top Swede is 
best—two pounds of sf ed to the acre if sown 
with a drill. The rutabagas are sown from 
June 15 to ,1 u’y 1; the Yellow Abe>deen tur¬ 
nips are sown in July, and the white turnips 
in July or August. The seed should be sown 
in drills 30 inches apart and thinned ort to 12 
to 18 inches in the rows. Other good root 
i erops for sheep are Lane’s Improved Sugar 
Beet and the Long Red Mangel 
(Continued c>n page IPS.) 
Communications Received for the Week Ending 
Saturday, March 11,1882. 
R. Saunders, thanks.—E. T. R.- C. V. R —E. S. B.— 
R. S., thanks.—A. B. A —J. L. Peters, thanks for criti¬ 
cisms We touch prtza these short pithy notes of 
the experience of our renders.--*. K. T. it. F .I K. 
H —K.R D W II.—I) .1. c tv. 0 , Jr -C K.,thanks 
for sujjgcsIlons.—G. tv L , Miss,. thunks —.1. I It — 
O. !. S.- tv. A. VI. .) O. <«. A. D. C.-W.F. B.-N. 
TK —F. «t»adt, thanks. -K Harrlatt, thank®. Weuro 
quite hebtud with our answers to questions, but are 
stilvlnit to catch up. J E CV, « , »‘unst.—G. Davis, 
thanks,-A. K. ft. .1. A tV -tv. K 11 -J. J. W.-D F. 
R —C. W P —p B.S.—H.H. H.-M. N It N.—T. M., 
Porter's Mills. Wls. We believe the watches and the 
firm to he all right.—J. H. Stevens The Shumaker 
has never bean tried ns a Spring wheal.—K. W.T.— 
M. W. F.-C. E C.—G W l> — F K. II., thanks.-T. 
H.H.—A. O.—W. J. W.-E. W D., we shall print 
your reply as soon os wo oau find space.—L A. F.—B 
