AUG IS 
534 
ly depends at all times and under all cir¬ 
cumstances upon the health and conditon 
of the sheep. This, of course, is in proportion 
to the carefulness and skill with which the 
flock is fed, sheltered, and protected from 
accident and damage. It matters not in this 
respect what sheep are kept if they are well 
kept, but it does matter if a farmer within 
100 miles of a large market where lamb and 
mutton are salable at a good price, should 
make the mistake of keeping sheep wholly for 
their fleece, or if the shepherd on the plains 
should attempt to keep a flock which requires 
the best of shelter, and roots and high grain 
feeding, and will not yield a good fleece un¬ 
less it is fed so light that its carcass is always 
ready for the butcher. The right sheep in the 
right place, and the right man and the right 
management, comprise the test which each 
one must elucidate, expound, and practice for 
himself as his tastes and circumstances may 
vary. 
Speaking of the quantity of seed wheat to 
sow per acre an English writer says in the 
Agricultural Review that if the 6oil is poor it 
receives the more seed, at least such is the 
practice of many farmers; but the practice is 
denouueed by some as unphilosophical. They 
argue plausibly that if a man requires one 
pound of beef per day to keep up his health 
and condition, what would be the result if 
three meu were obliged to subsist on the same 
allowance? Or, to put the argument more in 
accordance with the subject—if ten plants of 
wheat required one foot of land to perfect 
their gi'owtb, what effect may be expected if 
thirty plants were confined to the same space? 
Now, in acting contrary to this apparently 
self evident proposition, we have to state that 
on poor ground the plant does not tiller—one 
kernel only produces one stem instead of three^ 
four, or more, when sown ou wealthy land—so 
to provide the requisite number of plants 
several more seeds have to ba deposited. It 
is a fact, too, that the poverty of the land 
dwarfs tne plant, which, from that circum¬ 
stance, occupies less space, and requires, in 
consequence of its slender condition, more 
stems or straws around it for mutual shelter 
and support._ 
Rules for Breeding Stock. —Hon. Cas¬ 
sius M. Clay lays dowu some general rules 
for breeding. Among them are: 
1. When the male and female have a similar 
defect, that defect is increased in the pro¬ 
geny, and the reverse is the case also w hen 
good points are needed. 
2. When mind and energy are required, as in 
man, or the race horse, in-and-in breeding 
should be cautiously used. Bat in animals 
where fat is desiral le, as among hogs, beep, 
and eatt e, the practice is more admissible. 
8. Breeding animals without sufficient matu¬ 
rity, deteriorates them, as fruit trees are ex¬ 
hausted by their fruitage. 
4. Over-feeding is not favorable to improve¬ 
ment in breeding. 
5. The laws of health must be obeyed to pro¬ 
duce the highest development. 
Mr. Clay in the same article well says that 
sheep especially are injured by over numbers, 
because, being very gregarious, they follow' 
closely on their leaders, and the hindermost 
ones get poor food and less variety; and as 
they lie to rest almost always on the same 
ground, it becomes foul, and disease and want 
of thrift are the consequences. Hence they 
should not be in large flocks; and they should 
be often changed from pasture to pasture, to 
allow the foul sleeping grounds to recover by 
rains and the sun, and new grass to spring up. 
In regard to Polled Cattle he remarks that a 
new demand for them has sprung up in England 
and elsewhere. Pampered bulls are getting 
more and more dangerous by artificial keep,and 
many deaths are the consequence. The polled 
cattle are safer with a man and their fellows, 
to say nothing of the loss in the horns, which 
are worth nothing and always use up some 
feed, though small in quantity. And, as the 
race of man is increasing all over the earth, 
the smallest saving of food is not to be de¬ 
spised. This last reason in favor of polled 
breeds is new to us, though we thought the 
Rural had presented the reasons pro and con 
most fully. 
SAMPLES AND COMMENTS. 
Go over the grafts worked last Spring. Ap¬ 
ply more wax where needed and close every 
slit or opeuing. Shorten all cions that have 
grown too long. So, in other words, says the 
Germantown Telegraph..... 
Hon. Geo. Geddks applies plaster to the 
leaves of one of three branches of clover, all 
of equal growth. Later he sends speci uen 
leaves of each to the Country Gentleman, 
sketches of wtiich show that the plastered 
leaves are twice the size of the others. Did 
the plaster do it?... 
Prof. S. W. JonsNON, our first chemist, 
thinks that ensilage and silo expenses are well 
enough for fancy farmers who have plenty 
of money to spend, but he doubts if a poor 
farmer would be able to pay money and in- , 
terest applied to building silos and saving en¬ 
silage... 
The Rural New-Yorker has tried right 
hard not to be prejudiced in this ensilage mat 
ter one way or the other. Right glad we are 
that oureolumns have not been opened to the 
crazy lucubrations of such men as Dr. Biller¬ 
ica, who may take the credit as being the 
step-father of the craze. We have endeavored 
to present the truth as to ensilage so far as it 
is yet known, and if we are to be guided by 
mere opinions, let us take those of Dr. Lawes 
and Prof. Johnson rather than those of such 
people as Mills, Bailey & Co., until by re¬ 
peated experiments the real value of ensilage 
food appears. . . 
The promise of a heavy hop crop is far 
from flattering.. 
Try the Drumhead Savoy Cabbage. 
According to Mr. Bowick in the Agricul 
tural Review the number of wheat kernels in 
a bushel ranges from 573,300 to 882,000, ac¬ 
cording to size—the latter being small, the 
former large—040,800 is an average. If, there¬ 
fore, one bushel per acre Is sown, this gives 
nearly 15 kernels to the square foot. If 1%. 
bushel is sown, nearly 2) kernels. If two 
bushels are sown there are nearly 29.42 ker¬ 
nels to the square foot... 
Mr Bowick, in the Review, tells us that 
Mr. Howard, a member of the English Par¬ 
liament, uses a capital article to prevent 
smut in wheat. For eight bushels of wheat, 
a half pint of gas-tar, two pounds of blue 
vitriol and two gallons of water or more are 
used. The water is applied in a boiling state 
to the tar and vitriol, which aie stirred until 
the tar is dissolved. Then the mixtuse will 
be cool enough for pouring over the grain, 
which is turned until all is soaked.... 
A single mole in one series of French ex¬ 
periments eat 250 grubs in two days. 
A quartz claim—lhat a pint and a half 
make a quart box of blackberries. Bulletin.. 
Apples are already falling—in Michigan.. 
Mr. Wkllhouse (See report of the Mis¬ 
souri State Hort. Society) says that the Black 
Walnut is the Mahogany of North America. 
Prof. Tracy remarked that Black Walnut 
lumber is little, if any, higher in the Sc. Louis 
market than it was 20 years ago. 
G. W. Campbell says that if he were 
asked to name another black grape, hybrid or 
native, that he consider* equal in all respects 
to Rogers’s Herbert, he could not doit . 
Prof. Steele calls cottonseed the “com- 
iug wonder”.The Journal of the Amer¬ 
ican Agricultural Association is now an indi¬ 
vidual enterprise. It would appear that the 
American Agricultural Association has no 
real existence.. 
NOTES FROM EASTERN OHIO. 
Wheat is about all cut and some of it 
hauled in. So far in handling it has fully 
met the expectations of the most sanguine. 
There has beeu but little rain during the past 
10 days, bat we are having'a fine one to day, 
which will be of great benefit to corn and 
potatoes, and also to oats. 1 never saw so 
much smut among oats in my life. A few 
years ago such a thing was scarcely heard 
of, but now there is hardly a field but what is 
polluted with it. There never was a better 
catch of young clover than there is this 
season, although I had my reaping machine 
set to cut as high as it would, the butts of the 
sheaves were full of clover and Timothy, but, 
as good luck would have it, the dry w eather 
has thoroughly cured them out. 1 sowed oue 
field in clover the last week of February and 
unother the first of March; it was up nicely 
when the cold snap came on in April and I ex¬ 
pected it would be all killed, but although the 
mercury went down to 10°, it did not seem to 
affect the clover in the least, and as this is the 
second time this has happened with me, I have 
come to the conclusion there is but little danger 
in sowing clover early so far as late frosts are 
concerned, while the chances for a good catch 
in other respects are altogether in favor of 
sowing early; besides, it can lie done before 
the rush of other Spring work comes on. 
Hereafter I shall continue to sow early until 
I see it frozen to death once. 
I planted my corn last Spring with a one- 
horse drill and so far am well pleased with the 
results. At first I thought it was too thin in 
the row and w r as strongly impressed to re¬ 
plant some, but concluded to let it go as it 
was, and I was fortunate in doing so, for I 
now find there is danger of its being too thick ) 
and am thinning some. I set the drill to 
drop one grain 11 inches on part of the field, 
two grains 26 inche > and one grain 15 inches. 
Owing to the size of the grains frequently two 
grains were dropped instead of one, and as 
almost all grew the result is as above stated. It 
now looks as though that set for one grain 15 
inches, will be the nearest right, but 1 look for 1 
a wet season, and as it is wide apart between 
the rows there will not most likely be much 
loss sustained. As to keeping clear of weeds ( 
I do not think we had any more trouble in 
that direction than those who worked both 
way's, and with this season’s experience I shall 
do better next y r ear by using the cultivator 
more and the shovel-plow less—at least one 
with shovels as large as those on the one I 
used this season. Oue great benefit in plant¬ 
ing corn with the sort of planter I used is the 
attachment for applying fertilizers, which are 
put right in with the corn, without scarcely 
any' danger of injury to the germ. Although 
a very light dressing was put on, yet if the 
d'-fference is as manifest when the crop is 
harvested as it is now, it will certainly be a 
paying investment and justify the application 
of a greater quantity in the future. I turned 
a lot of oat straw left over from last Win¬ 
ter which was in the barn. When we com¬ 
menced hauling in our clover it was very 
green and the straw was put in the mow in 
layers, insuring the clover from damage by 
overheating, and I think it will also benefit 
the straw. 
Jefferson Co., July 18. m. n. r. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Dakota Territory. 
Bridgewater, McCook County.—So far as 
stock raising is concerned, this is without a 
doubt a splendid grazing country. We have 
luxuriant grasses and in abundance. Our 
Winters are usually mild, and the cost of 
wintering cattle is nominal. The cost of put¬ 
ting up hay is estimated at from oue dollar to 
one dollar and a-balf per ton, and we can usu¬ 
ally cut it aoy'wbere. Upon the whole, I corn 
sider an investment in cattle, sheep, and horse 
or mule raising a safe one. There is not much 
disease amongst cattle except once in a while, 
when one dies with a disease called “black 
leg.” w. s. 
Maryland. 
Rayville, Baltimore Co., July 25th.—Ow¬ 
ing to favorable weather the farmers of this 
county have, by hard work, been enabled to 
secure in good condition tbe largest crops of 
wheat and rye that have been grown within 
the memory of “the oldest inhabitant.” Re¬ 
ports from other couuties state that the yield 
of wheat is far biyond the expectation of 
farmers, and of excellent quality, H u vest 
was about twenty days later than that of 1880 
Oats have been somewhat affected with rust, 
aud tbe crop will be light. Tbe hay crop, al¬ 
though lighter than last year, was saved in 
good condition, The prospect for a large 
yield of potatoes is encouraging, aud if the 
season continues favorable, tbe yield will be 
very large. The Colorado beetles have en¬ 
tirely disappeared from this section; they 
made a tierce onslaught on early potatoes and 
deposited an innumerable quantity of eggs; 
but very few larvae ever made their appear¬ 
ance. Tbe cause for their non appearance is 
not definitely known, but it is the supposition 
of some that the eggs were destroyed by the 
lady bugs (Coccinella), which have been very 
numerous this season. Garden vegetables are 
plentiful—with the exception of tomatoes. 
The “ truckers ” near the city' of Baltimore 
lost heavily on the pea crop. The light crops 
und high prices of last year induced them to 
plant much larger crops which yielded im¬ 
mensely, aud the prices fell to 17 cents per 
bushel. The pickers demanded 25 cents per 
bushel for picking them, and as a result the 
“truckers” allowed the peas to remain on the 
ground, thus losing labor, seed, fertilizers, etc. 
Fruit, which promised to be abundant early 
in the season will be a very light crop in this 
section. Nearly all the apples, peaches and 
pears fell uff before they were the size of a 
hickory nut. There is a fair crop of cherries 
and blackberries. p. s. c. 
New York. 
' Himrods, Yates Co., July 23.—We have 
had very good weather for the last two weeks. 
Farmers have cut and got in most of the hay 
in fine order—a heavy crop. Borne have com¬ 
menced to cut their wheat; most of the crop 
will be cut this week. Spring was so cold and 
wet that the corn is behind. Oats and barley 
look good. Apples and peaches will be light 
crops. G. A. B. 
North Carolina. 
Manson, Warren Co., July 24th.—The 
wheat crop is all harvested and about half of 
it thrashed, and it is a good crop—good acre¬ 
age and large yield. Spring sown oats were 
a failure, while Fall-sown were good. Corn 
has a larger acreage than last year, and looks 
well. Cotton looks much better than it did 
two weeks ago, as we have had line showers 
making a good growing time. Cotton may 
make a two-thirds crop. Tobacco is only a 
fair crop in appearauce, so far. Peaches are 
a good crop, and have been bringing fair 
prices. Apples are a good crop. g. b, 
Vermont. 
Mason, Hillsborough Co. July 27th.—The 
Rural Thoroughbred Flint corn withstands 
the drought the best of four different kinds 
planted; it suckers freely and promises a fair 
crop. E. A. H. 
Mason, Hillsborough Co., July 27th.— 
Very hot and dry with cool nights and heavy 
dews. Everything sadly in need of rain. 
Corn looks well (with the exception of a slight 
curl in themiddle of thoday), and promises a 
large crop i f we can get some rain. Farmers 
are about through haying. Hay a fair crop. 
Potatoes look well—plenty of beetles. Cut- 
and stalk worms very destructive, e. a ,h, 
Virginia. 
Nkwbern, Pulaski Co.—Tbe season here 
has been excessively wet since the first w r eek 
in May, and still continues so. The general 
yield of wheat has been reduced for this rea¬ 
son to about a full average; it promised twen¬ 
ty-five per cent. above before harvest. From 
present appearances tbe corn crop will be be¬ 
low an average; it looks well, but there is not 
enough sunshine. Potatoes are abundant, I 
shall myself have four hundred bushels of 
Mammoth Pearl on an acre. H. n, w, 
Wisconsin, 
TV iota, La Fayette Co., July 20.—All 
crops are two or three weeks later than usual. 
We are having a cool, wet season so far. 
Floods have “drowned out” hundreds of acres 
of corn on the Pieatoniea River, and on up¬ 
land it is growing very slowly, so that farm¬ 
ers think there will be no co.n raised here this 
year. Winter wheat is generally good. Oats 
a light crop. Potatoes late but good. Grass 
light, late and badly lodged in low lands. 
Storms have been very heavy and frequent. 
Farmers have started haying. Rye and bar¬ 
ley good; harvesting them now. Berries of all 
kinds about half a crop, Apples half a crop. 
Plums and cherries a failure. H. N. 
Washington Territory. 
Feiindale, Whatcom Co., July 22.— Not 
much wheat sown here, as there are no flour¬ 
ing mills here, bub both Winter and Spring 
wheats yield very heavily—from 30 to 00 
bushels per bushel. Oats on upland yield 
from 40 to 80 bushels: on reclaimed tide flats 
from 100 to 135 bushels. Barley on upland 40 
to 50; on tide land, 75 to 80 bushels. Rye 
very little grown here, but yields well. All 
kinds of grass yield on upland from two-and- 
a-half to four tons of hay per acre; on fresh 
water marsh, three to five tons per acre. Very 
little Indian corn grown—the nights are too 
cool. Potatoes, apples, pears, prunes and 
plums grow to perfection and yield enormous 
crops. Ail kinds of vegetables do well also. 
The farmers here practice diversified farm¬ 
ing largely, such as dairyiug and raising 
sheep, cattle, hogs, horses, poultry and 
hops. The prospects for all hinds of crops 
this year are splendid, N. K. 
San Juan Island. —Grain on this island 
amounted last year from thrashers’account to 
six hundred tons: this year with more acreage 
and better prospects it will bring about one 
hundred tons more. Oats predominate; wheat 
next. Not much barley. No rye. Wool and 
mutton the principal products. w. c. 
<il)e (tlmxi&i. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(Every query must be aocompunled by the name 
an-1 address of the writer to Inmire attention 1 
DEATH OF COW FHOM IMPACTION OF THE 
RUMEN. 
D. W. L , Carpenter, Pa. i On Sunday 
morning one of ray cows “ came in,” which 
was at least a week sooner than I expected, 
or 1 should have had her in the yard fora few 
days on dry feed. I placed her under the 
shed and gave her a pail of warm water, in 
which 1 mixed three pints of “ chop.” I then 
milked about 12 quarts and gave her the milk 
to drink, to assist her in “cleaning,” but on 
Monday morning we had to take the “after¬ 
birth” away. She was kept tied under the 
shed through the hottest jiart of the day' and 
at night lot run in the yard. On Monday 
evening she showed sigus of weakness by 
reeling and staggering, she also laid down 
frequently. At nine P, M. I left her lying 
down under the shed, and at oue A. M. Tues¬ 
day I took my lantern to see how she was, 
and found her a few feet from where I bad 
left her. She made an effort to rise as if to 
come to me, but fell heavily forward. 1 then 
gave her 28 or 30 drops of Tin. Aconite, but 
it did not seem to help her, aud at five A. M. 
I gave her (for supposed inflammation of the' 
stomach) half an ounce of laudanum and one 
tablespoonful of soda, which gave temporary 
relief from pain and stopped the bloating 
which had commenced. At six A. M. 1 re¬ 
peated the dose, and again at eight A. M.; but 
she grew gradually w T orse, till at noon she 
was not able to raise her head and 1 had her 
killed to end her misery. We then opened 
her aud examined the uterus or womb, and 
found very little inflammation, so we passed 
on to the stomach, where we found the 
“manifold” so hard that it could not be 
