out having properly tested nil, this is impossi¬ 
ble. 2. At present w» should prefer the wood 
silo beeause of its c m«U oost. A wood silo we 
should suppose would be as well in the ground. 
Our readers must bear in mind that the "Rural 
knows nothin? about silos or the vain® of en¬ 
silage from its own touts. We entertain a 
stupid. unreasoning, prejudiced belief that the 
silo boom is peine- to oome down like a roeket. 
No reader of the Rural shall ever say that he 
w.asinduoed hy its editorial influenee upon him 
to build a silo. Should it prove to be the grand 
thing that a few enthusiasts now believe it to 
be, then w® must stand the reproach that we 
were behind the times in this one case. 
N. L. P ,'Port London. .V. Y —t. AretbeAnt- 
wern yellow rnsoberries hardv enoneh for 
Winter in Northern New York? 2, Arp the 
Crvstal Citv and Sharpless S*ra wherries hardy 
and easy of culture? Should Le^ta he plant¬ 
ed in beds nr drills? 4, Are the Mammoth 
Pear] and Clerk's No, 1 potatoes first-class 
varieties? 5. Is it time to start a hot-bed ? 
Ans.— 1. No, 2. The Crystal City is hardy. 
It is very early. Berries of medium size. soft. 
Plants not very productive. The Sharpless is 
large, of good quality, hardy and productive. 
8. Drills. 4. They are both excellent kinds. 
5. Yes, it is high time. ’ Many of the cata¬ 
logues announced in our advertising columns 
give plain directions as to the construction and 
management of hot beds. (See, also, “Rays”) 
J. P>.. Poston, Mass —1. When pee oh trees 
are mulched with sea-weed through the Win¬ 
ter, should the mulching be fpft, around them 
during the Summer / 2, What should he mixed 
with night soil t.n render it most valuable as a 
fertilizer? 3, What should lie planted for a ro¬ 
tation of crons where wheat is not raised. 
Ans. —l.We should any, yes, unless the mulch 
is verv heavy, and let it become incorporated 
with the soil There is a goodly percentage 
of potash in sen weed, and tbisis a good fer¬ 
tilizer for peach trees, 2. Muck is as good as 
anything Land plaster a iso is excellent 
8, We could not say without a definite know¬ 
ledge of your farm and plan of farming. 
C. H"., Homer, ,V. Y., asks how to prepare 
the oiled paper used by florists in sending 
flowers by mail. 
Ans. —Take some light, thin raanilla paper, 
and with a brush cover it with pure boiled 
linseed oil, with some ordinary drier added. 
The oil will pass through this sheet so as to 
partially cover another previously laid be¬ 
neath it. Lay these two sheets aside with the 
one containing less oil on top. The next oiled 
sheet is laid ou these, and so the pile grows. 
When all are oiled spread them separately on 
poles to dry. 
N. M , Zanesville , Ohio. —A calf dropped 
last May died last week of diarrhoea. About 
January 1,1 took it from grass and fed it corn 
shelled but not ground and also hay. I could 
not stop the diarrhoea, what caused it and 
could it be cured? 
Ans. —The corn doubtless caused the diar¬ 
rhoea, being difficult of digestion for so young 
an animal when fed whole. You should have 
given a few doses of half a pint of linseed oil, 
and changed the food to mixed bran and coi n 
meal and some linseed meal as a variety. 
A Subscriber, Mitchell, Out. Canada. Who 
is the most extensive manufacture of phos¬ 
phates? 
Ans.—T here are scores all over the coun 
try, but the only one we know of in Canada is 
The Brockville Superphosphate Co., Brock- 
ville, Out, For manufacturers in the United 
States, consult our advertising columns. 
S’. H. B-, Huntingdon, Conn. —How can my 
asters bo saved from the big, black bug that 
eats the blossoms as well as the buds before 
they bloom. 
Ans. —Try tobacco water or dust a little 
hellebore over the buds and leaves while wet 
with dew. 
H. S. M., Kenton, Ohio .—When should Black 
Locust be planted ? 
Ans. —The seeds of the Black or Yellow Lo¬ 
cust (Robinia Pseud-acacia) may be planted as 
soon as they are ripe or now iu the Spring. 
They will germinate more freely when sown 
as soon as ripe. 
W. F., Rice, Texas. Where can German 
Carp be obtained. 
Ans. —From Professor Spencer Baird, 
Washington, D. C. Professor Baird distri¬ 
butes them gratis as the Head of the U. S. 
Commission ou Fisheries. 
R. Mead, McMinerville, Tenn., wants some 
Quack Grass seed. 
Ans. —We do not know who sells the seed of 
what is generally held to be a pest on Northern 
farms—who can supply him at the above 
address? 
T. D. C., Gainesville, Texas .—Will a verti¬ 
cal slit in the bark assist in straightening a 
tree that is too large for staking. 
Ans.—Y es. a vertical slit on the convex side 
of the bend will assist, but not much. 
D. W. H., Exeter, III, Where can the Tele¬ 
phone Pea be obtained? 
BICKFORD & HUFFMAN’S FARMER’S FAVORITE 
Ans. —Hiram Si Kiev & Co., Chicago, Til., 
W. Atlee Burpee, Philadelphia, Thorburn & 
Co., 15 John St., New York. 
J. E. ft . Putnam, Conn., asks whether we 
can furnish Rutter on the Peach 
Ans—N o: weevil nothing hut the Rural 
New-Yorker, Apply to the American News 
Co., N. Y. City. 
A. ft., Falmouth. Mo .—How much salt 
should be sown on land to be sown to wheat 
this Spring. 
AnS.—T hree to five bushels. 
A. G., Palm nth , Mo., asks which is the best 
variety of gooseberry for a small garden. 
Ans. —Trv Downing or Houghton’s Seed¬ 
ling, or both. 
J. A.. Walpole. Mass. Ts the Florida New- 
Yorker published in New York City now? 
A ns. —No “ It hath gone where the wood¬ 
bine twineth.” 
77. R. Williams —We have said about fill 
there is to sav a= to planting the Rural Prize 
corn. White-lead paint will adhere unon 
crude petroleum. Thanks for corn. Fear 
we cannot test it this year. 
F K. M.. Ogdensbvra. N. Y .—Will some one 
having experience give me. through the 
Ritral Nkw-Yorkfr. some informati n in 
reg rd to the comparative merits of the White 
Belgian Oats, and the Canadian and Russian 
White Oats T would like also to inquire iu 
regard to the Learning Corn, New Chester 
Countv Medium, and Farmer’s Favorite. I 
am unfamiliar with nil these varieties of seeds 
and would like t,o hear from (hose having ex¬ 
perience. Which is the best for this section? 
. No equal array of most excellent and Imperatively 
needed qualities can he found In any other Oraik 
J lii ii 11 ■ riRIl.l,. Positive and accurate In Its change of quan- 
J ar\ tlty. The most uniform and continuous distributor 
rlttWl I ~' r J1 | Ji ■■ S B of Fertilisers. Light Draft. Positively balanced at 
'kW l aP. ysjrpfti-saaSgfcsftMi J work. All material used In Its manufacture first 
Ig gpKM pfeM ■ qnalRy. The only^drtll with core continuous solid 
\/ /T\w 7 y Oldest Drill House in America. 
\ / 1 Wjf fl / I and by n corps of workmen educated to the bus)• 
t,\/ 1 Bwlness. Flnlahed with enrc and tastefully painted. It 
HfejgL stands to day where for thfetii t/ram our (roods have 
j _ , stood: First in merit: First in quality of manufacture 
First in theestimation of Farmere and Dealers wherever Introduced. Send for circular. Exam- 
. fore you buy.V e mean all ve say, and ocr Wajibaxtt rovnia it am.. Add rase 
EMPIRE GRAIN DRILL, 
WITH 
FORCE FEED FERTILIZER 
ATTACHMENT. 
Distributes all kinds of grain Evenly & Accurately, 
Thrills Ctorn. evenly for XCield Crop. 
Sows Phosphates without pasting or clogging. Amoun 
sown regulated by rear. 
NO O-LTBSS-WOIOC I 
Send for Circular to UMPIRE BRILT, CO.. 
Box I, Shortsville, N. V, 
potato.—D T. B.. corn received —A. L. S.—TT. S. M — 
c v T. . thanks for suggestion.— E D H..—T. T. L.— 
T. R. W.—TT. W R Mrs T. J. L.. Lewis To., N. Y., we 
cannot d mrniiw the names without flowers, as a 
ccneral thing.— 0 F. R.—W.F R—H.L O —J.F.G.— 
T n. K.-P S—D. J B.-F, O. S.-W. S.—L. S., 
thanks.—O E P.—w. F. B.—.T. F. Waterman, al¬ 
ways glad to hear from you - other communications 
must have been overlooked.—R H.—A. U. P.—C. C. 
—D.T.O. F It.—D E. F.—F. J. L.-J. W.R., thanks, 
no.—C. S R , tharks.—0. A. G , Jr .—C V R,—T. W. 
D., thnnk« for flower seeds.—A. T. , Marshall, Mo., 
should apply to the seedsmen whose catalogues he 
desires — V M. W. TT -TT. M. W -J. G.-TT. S.-.Tolm 
Reinhard. potato received. We dare not attempt to 
name potatoes.—,T. B C.—A R —H S.—C, M. C.—H. 
A. M.—G. W. D —E. A S.-W. F. B.-D. L. B —s. S. 
S we do pot understand the question as to Injury 
to cat* for seed -.T L.P -F W W.-J. TT.W.-r.E. 
■or. i T, S -,T n S', e- q _v o r, r- v- R. 
phlLAUJ- fMC—OU 
MANUFACTURERS OF 
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made by the best wagon mechanic? in the world. The Spring Wagon and Buggy Department is ®®P»- 
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VICTOR 
The most attractive and 
the most complete 
yet produced. In Me¬ 
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and finish we believe the 
Mo. If to be unequaled. 
Its ornamentation is of 
the finest order, and 
twenty parts are richly 
plated , 
It has all the qualities 
demanded of a 
FIRST-CLASS 
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in the present advanced 
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ILLUSTRATED CIRCU 
LARS sent on application 
VICTOR SEWING MACHINE COMPANY 
Middletown, Conn, 
