APRIL 4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
225 
who receive public charity than in any North¬ 
ern State I know of. I am by birth a New- 
Yorker, and for a number of years a resi¬ 
dent of Illinois, almost on the boundary of 
Iowa. 8. 8. T. 
Indiana. 
Pittsboro, Hendricks Co., March 15.—We 
had an excessively rainy, muddy Winter. 
Farmers could do very little except take care 
of their stock, which required a great deal of 
feed. Owing to a lack of proper accommoda 
Elephant did not have much of a chance, but 
I think they will do much better this year 
than last. e. d. h. 
[Beauty of Hebron are selling in New 
York market at $5 per barrel.—E ds.] 
Missouri. 
Kenton, Hardin Co.—My White Elephant, 
planted in 14 hills with an eye in each, yielded 
nearly a peck of good potatoes. H. s. m. 
Canada. 
INOERSOLL, Ont.—In the Spring of 1879, I 
received from the Rural two small specimens 
of Beauty of Hebron, weighing two ounces. I 
planted them and harvested 16 pounds. In 
the Spring of 1880, after eating three and 
giving away one that weighed over one pound. 
I planted the balance and raised nearly eight 
bushels. In 1881 I plan to i them as a field crop. 
I tested them in a row 140 yards long 
£* with the Late Rose and also the St. 
Patrick, giving exactly the same culti- 
5; % vation. The Beauty of Hebron yielded 
425 pounds; the Late Rose, 379pounds ; 
4 the St. Patrick, 241 pounds. The Beau- 
v* ty will be my main crop this Spring, as 
> "* I am going to plant nine acres. I also 
—— planted the W. E. Potato I received 
with the Rural last Spring. It was 
cut into 18 pieces and every piece 
S— grew, but owing to an overdose of 
, - bugs and of Paris-green, I only har¬ 
vested nine pounds. I also planted the 
r Washington Oats and harvested seven 
vj.,7- pounds and a great deal of smut. I 
think they will be a fine sort when they 
get naturalized in this climate. The 
Branching Sorghum did not grow. As¬ 
paragus did finely. "Tenant Farmer.” 
Illinois. 
Dixon, Lee Co.—W. Elephant yielded 15 
pounds of nice tubers. Bugs and dry weather 
hurt them considerably. W. Oats grew very 
well, but one third of the heads were smut. 
Shall try them again as well as the pota¬ 
toes. J. w. D. 
Villa R.idqk, Pulaski Co. The marvelous 
reports from some of the last year’s seeds are 
somewhat discouraging to " a matter-of-fact 
young man.” My R. B. Sorghum did well; 
grew rapidly and was not affected by drought; 
it was green until frost, although corn by the 
side of it was burned as if by fire early in the 
season. I saved a good quantity of seed. W. 
Oats were fine, no rust, and but little smut. 
Asparagus all came up W. Elephant was 
planted with great care, but made no growth: 
the entire crop wa3 five potatoes, one the size 
of a walnut, the others as large as peas. 
From all I can learn by observation and in¬ 
quiry there is no more than the usual destitu¬ 
tion prevailing at this season. There is corn 
in Egypt for all who are willing to work for 
Alabama. 
Sand Spring, Limestone Co.,March 16.—The 
past Winter was a warm and rainy one here, 
but now Spring is surely upon us; grass is up 
green; peaches are in blossom, and wheat 
looks as fine as one could wish. Farmers are 
now busy sowing oats and clover seed when¬ 
ever the rains do not hinder. Last Summer’s 
drought was hard on corn and cotton. Every 
one, therefore, disposed of all the stock he 
could last Fall to save expenses or keep them 
from starving. Bat the drought was a great 
stimulant to farmers to sow more wheat in the 
Fall and oats and clover in the Spring with 
other crops that will mature before the Sum¬ 
mer and Fall drougnts set in. Wheat and 
flour are shipped here from the North now at 
$6 to $9 per barrel for flour, and $1.75 per 
bushel for wheat; oats, 75c,; corn, $1; Ir sh 
potatoes, $2; sweet potatoes, $1.75; cow-peas, 
$2; bacon, 12c. per pound; butter, 25c.; eggs, 
15c.; milch cows, $10 to $20; fat cattle 2c. to 
3c., gross; fat hogs, 7 to 8 cents net; common 
country sheep, $1.50 to $2.00 per head. w. M. 
Arkansas. 
Alexander, Saline Co., March 20.— It was 
with supreme astonishment that I read the 
account your correspondent from Beebe, 
White Co., Arkansas, gave, in your issue of 
Feb. 25, of his three years’ residence in that 
place. All over the country 1881 was an ex¬ 
ceptionally bad year for the cotton crop; but 
here, iu Saline County at least, Heaven helps 
those who help themselves. Corn was even 
better than usual where it was planted early 
and well cultivated. Ou the same area 1 had 
more corn and corn fodder than in the five 
years of my residence here, excellent millet 
and Winter oats, first-rate Irish and sweet 
potatoes. I will remark, in passing, that our 
com took the first premium at the Atlanta 
Exposition over that exhibited by all other 
States. It is true, hogs have suffered se merely 
on account of the absence of mast, which 
heretofore has been so unfailing and abundant 
as to be looked upon as a certainty, aud every 
one depended on it to fatten the hogs and 
kejp them through the Winter and Spring. 
Four years ago this Spring a family from Illi¬ 
nois, consisting of father, mother and seven 
children, the eldest 14 years of age, landed 
at Alexander with only $8 in money, and 
hardly a change of clothes apiece. They set¬ 
tled on 40 acres of railroad land which had a 
poor log house and several acres cleared. The 
first Spring they put in five acres of com with 
spade and hoe, and the father and two oldest 
daughters worked for others whenever they 
had an opportunity. This Spring the man 
has moved on a homestead with a span of 
horses and wagon, two cows, two heifers, sev¬ 
eral calves, and a number of hogs of all 
sizes. He also has bought a cooking stove 
and furniture for his house. The only son old 
enough to work has spent most of the time 
running away and coming back, so the two 
young daughters have been the sole money 
producers. A year ago this month a family ar¬ 
rived here from Canada with means to build a 
house and barn on the forty acres of railroad 
land they contracted for. The father, having 
an incurable disease when he came, died in six 
months, leaving a wife and six children, the 
oldest being girls of 18 and 15 years. These 
young girls by their labor provide the family 
with pork, flour, meal, sugar, tea, coffee, mo¬ 
lasses and all the comforts they previously 
enjoyed, besides making the first pay ment on 
the land and canceling some small debts. The 
mother—brave woman—has cleared up nearly 
four acres of land and is cultivating it with 
her own hands. They all practice strict 
economy, it is true, but with it they are go¬ 
ing forward instead of retrograding. One 
more instance and I have done:—Four-and-a- 
half years since a young Germau came here 
from Illinois, having $9 and some clothing. 
Now he owns a farm of 80 acres of as fine 
land as lies in 8aline County, and this Fall 
will commence building a pretty new house in 
place of the old one already there. He has had 
no unusual good fortune, but has earned his 
place by steady perseverence, working by the 
month. I mention these cases because I have 
personal knowledge of them; a daughter from 
each family has lived with us a year-and-a- 
half. The young man has worked for me 
since he first came to the State. The past 
year has been a disastrous one to many parts 
of the country, and the people of Arkansas are 
not the only sufferers. The short cotton crop 
has taught those who made it their entire de¬ 
pendence that mixed farming is the safest, 
and perhaps just this severe lesson was needed 
to impress this fact ou the reluetant people. 
At the South energy may remedy many of the 
failures of the Summer, as crops can be planted 
which grow during the Winter, furnishing 
food for man and beast. As a whole, I be- 
ieve there are fewer poor people in Arkansas 
CATALOGUES 
Proceedings of the Portage County Horti¬ 
cultural Society. Secretary Andrew Wilson, 
Ravenna, Ohio. 
Nebraska and the Territories, as devel. 
oped by railroad building and operation. By 
J. T. Allan, Omaha, Neb. 
Catalogue of the Rumson Nurseries, Red 
Bank, New Jersey. Descriptive catalogue of 
grape-vines, fruits, and hardy ornamental 
plants. 
Reports op Consuls of the United States 
on the commerce, manufactures, etc., of their 
consular districts. No. 16, February, 1882. 
Published by the Department of State, Wash¬ 
ington, D. C. 
William H. Moon, Glen wood Nurseries, 
Morrisville, Bucks Co., Penn. Descriptive 
catalogue of fruit and ornamental trees, 
shrubs, grapes, small fruits, nuts, etc. Free. 
We notice that this catalogue offers the much- 
talked-of Russian Mulberry. 
Everett & Gleason, 34 South Market St., 
Boston, Mass. A very neat, plain catalogue 
of vegetable and flower seeds, herb, tree and 
grass seeds, flower roots, etc. Among the 
novelties are the Telephone Pea, Perfect Gem 
Squash, Mayflower, Livingstons’ Perfection 
and Pres. Garfield Tomatoes, Blount’s Prolific 
corn for ensilage, Russian White Oats. This 
is an enterprising, trustworthy young house. 
Charles A. Green, Clifton, Monroe Co., 
N. Y. Catalogue and Instructor. Strawber¬ 
ries, Raspberries, including the novelties 
Lost Rubie -, Schaffer’s Colossal, Souhegan and 
Cuthbert; Blackberries, Currants, including 
Fay’s Prolific; gooseberries, grapes, including 
the Lady Washington and Jefferson of 
Ricketts, Prentiss, Golden Pocklington, Duch¬ 
ess and Early Victor; fruit trees of all kinds. 
Catalogue free to our subscribers. Apply as 
above. 
Nash & Bro., 22 College Place, N. Y. 
Treatise on the Acme Pulverizing Harrow, 
Clod-crusher and Leveler. From having used 
this valuable implement for several years, we 
commend it very highly to our readers. We 
use this harrow after the plow, and its work 
is well described by its name. It performs 
the work of the harrow, clod-erusher and 
leveler all in one. We have had no experience 
with this implement on heavy soils, but several 
who have report to us that they are as well 
pleased with it as we are in our light soil. 
The catalogue is filled with testimonials and 
will be sent to those who apply. See adver¬ 
tising columns. 
The Mapes Formula and Peruvian 
Guano Company, 158 Front St., New York. 
A catalogue of 40 pages explaining the Mapes 
celebrated fertilizers, their composition, use, 
value. Hundreds of testimonials from careful 
tests are presented. These fertilizers are pre¬ 
pared for all crops—vegetables, grass, grain. 
We have used the Mapes manures at our farm 
for several years—always with satisfactory 
results. Our fields which in 18S0 produced 
the greatest yield of corn on record from cul¬ 
tivation so inexpensive, received as their only 
fertilizer from 350 to 500 pounds per acre. All 
of our readers interested in concentrated 
fertilizers should send to the above company 
for this work which will be forwarded without 
charge. 
Annual Report Connecticut Agricul¬ 
tural Experiment Station for 1S8L From 
the above named report we are glad to learn 
that this Experiment Station which is doing so 
much for scientific agriculture, is in a good 
working condition. Under the directorship 
of Professor S. W, Johnson, there were ana¬ 
lyzed during 18S1, 170 samples of fertilizers; 
37 samples feeding stuffs; 56 samples milk, and 
15 samples of seed have been tested, and five 
examinations for poison made. Seventeen 
station bulletins have been issued to the vari¬ 
ous journals in Connecticut aud neighboring 
States. The Director, in his report, makes an 
appeal to the State Legislature for increased 
facilities and land for experimentation. He 
asks whether the station "shall remain, as it 
has been, a mere chemical laboratory, or shall 
be established ou a broader and more appro¬ 
priate basis.’’ The State of Connecticut could 
do no wiser thing than to allot to the station 
such an amount of land as will enable it to 
conduct all kinds of experiments pertaining to 
our agricultural, horticultural, dairy and 
stock interests. It would be a good thing for 
the State and a good thing for the country. 
* m '--v— 
The County Canvass.— (From the Illustrated Catalogue of 
National Academy of Design.)— Fig. 106. 
tions for feeding, cattle trample a good por¬ 
tion of their feed in the mud. Some of our 
most thrifty and intelligent farmers are 
adopting the practice of stabling their stock 
in Winter. Wheat, on rolling land or land 
that has been underdrained, looks well; but 
on wet land, which has been subjected to al¬ 
ternate freezing and thawing, it has been lit¬ 
erally pulled out of the ground. Corn on 
black ground was a fair crop, but on upland 
clay it was very “ sorry.” f. C. 
New York. 
Jonesvillk, Saratoga Co., March 20. — The 
Winter was open and warm, as a whole. A 
few very cold days, but little good sleighing. 
Prices:—Corn, State, 85c.; oats, 50@55c.; rye, 
90c.; hay, $12(^15 per ton; potatoes, $3 per 
barrel;apples, best, $4 per barrel;butter, 30@ 
40c. per pound. Men are engaging for Sum¬ 
mer at $20@33 per month. Money plenty, 
and to be had at low interest on first-class 
security. F. B. w. 
Nebraska. 
Crete, Saline Co., March 10.—Very dry 
here last Summer. Crops, as a general thing, 
a failure; corn from 12 to 20 bushels per acre; 
wheat from four to six bushels per acre; 
oats from 30 to 50 bushels. I finished sowing 
my wheat by the first of March. Weather 
fine. Farmers are sowing wheat and plowing 
for corn. Corn at present is fetching 60c.; 
hogs, 6c. H. B. M. 
Pennsylvania. 
Circleville, Westmoreland Co.—Wheat 
was Bown late last Fall and does not look well 
generally. Prices are good for all kinds of 
stock and grain, and the past year has been, I 
think, fairly remunerative to the farmers. I 
cannot close without expressing my high ap 
preciation of “ Stockman’s ” Notes. He thor¬ 
oughly understands his business, and writes 
in a plain, intelligible aud highly entertaining 
manner. Long may he be pleased to entertain 
and instruct us. w. s. r. 
Ohioville, Beaver Co., March 13.—When 
plowing on February 27, I saw a number of 
grasshoppers % inch long. My tenant says 
he saw them about the first of February. We 
had but one snow sufficient to haul on, which 
lasted three days. Abundance of rain aud 
mud. We live iu the Smith’s Ferry oil region; 
we burn the oil for illuminating iu its crude 
state. The oil has medicinal qualities. It is 
obtained on the highlands at a depth of 1,000 
feet. There has not been much drilling the 
last year. The refiners make superior lubri¬ 
cating oil from it at Smith’s Ferry on the Ohio 
River in this county. For a number of years 
the oil business has given us a good home 
market. We raise all kinds of stock, grain, 
vegetables and fruits common to mixed farm 
ing. We have had three short droughts the 
three last years, that of 1881 being the long¬ 
est. We had average wheat, oats and hay 
crops, however; corn two-thirds and potatoes 
half a crop, garden vegetables and fruit, 
scarce and high in price; hay is three to four 
dollars per ton cheaper now than in Autumn. 
Sheep have eaten about half as much hay as 
they did Inst Winter, aud are doing about as 
well. Hogs scarce; fat cattle, five to Bix cents 
as to size and coaditi m. Hay, $10 in meadow. 
Wheat $1.35; oats, 50; corn 75c.@80c.; pota¬ 
toes, $1.25; butter, 40c.; eggs, 25c. There are 
several thousand pounds of wool on hand in 
this neighborhood. I use fertilizing drills. 
Planted our corn last year with the Farmer’s 
Favorite drill in the same time usually spent 
in marking it for hand corn planters; purpose 
doing the same again, as it proved a success. 
Wheat is generally looking well—above the 
average. Farmers are anxious to put in a 
large Spring crop. Whoever reads the Rural 
New-Yorker will be well posted. a. f 
Waterman, DeKalb Co.—Considering the 
weather we had, my W. Elephant did well; 
it yielded 33 pounds of good-sized tubers. The 
W. Oats had a hard time of it with the Army- 
worms, but I saved 2% pounds. The pinks we 
lost owing to the excessively dry weather of 
last season. J. f. 
Indiana. 
Veedersburg, Fountain Co.—The W. Ele¬ 
phant I cut into 13 pieces and planted three 
feet apart each way, but owing to overflow it 
did not yield very well. The R. B. Sorghum 
grew well. Although the weather was very 
hot and dry, it turned out 35 and 40 stalks to 
the bill. The W. Oats did splendidly and 
grew five feet high; very large stalks and 
very little smut. The asparagus made a good 
growth—from one to three feet high. Flowers 
bloomed profusely and were very beauti¬ 
ful. w. F. j. 
Iowa. 
Forrestville, Delaware Co.—The W. 
Elephant only yielded six tubers. The R. B. 
Sorghum grew only two or three heads when 
it was killed by the frost. Asparagus thrifty. 
Flowers very beautiful. W. Oats rather light 
—nearly two quarts of them. c. e. c. 
Mt. Sterling, Van Buren Co.—Though the 
above is my P. O. address, I reside six miles 
in Missouri. My White Elephant was cut 
into 23 pieces and planted one eye in a place, 
16 inches apart; yield about 200 tubers that 
measured half a bushel—potatoes smaller than 
any of four other kinds. The W. Oats grew 
nearly six feet high, with a large, soft straw; 
then lodged, smutted, rusted, and yielded nine 
pounds of nice oats. The Rural Branching 
Sorghum came up well. The chinch bugs 
took most of it, but did not hurt the corn by 
the side of it. The sorghum wilted when the 
corn did not. I cut a few stalks August 8, 
and fed them and some corn-stalks to my 
cows, and they ate the corn first. What l cut 
grew again about three inches; what I did 
not cut ripened seed by November 1. I shall 
not try it again; I think com is much better 
for fodder. The asparagus came up and grew 
three or four inches and then died, or some¬ 
thing killed it. Only one of the pinks bloom¬ 
ed, and it came stepping into the house with 
little three-year-old one day before it was 
quite open. D. j. b. 
Michigan. 
Chadwicks, Ionia Co. —From the Beauty 
of Hebron Potato I received from the Rural 
a couple of years ago I planted a bushel of 
seed last season and raised 63 bushels, which 
I am selling at $1.25 per bushel. My W. 
