SEPT® 
622 
matter who is pleased or displeased thereby. 
We hope that Mr. Hovey will change his 
mind in some respects when he has seen more 
of the Manchester. 
Soiling. —Mr. Stewart gives some of his 
experience with soiling, in the Albany Culti¬ 
vator. So universally favorable have been 
the results, he says, that hundreds of farmers 
who have begun partial soiling as an experi¬ 
ment, have gradually assumed the practice of 
full soiling, and have abandoned pasturage 
excepting so far as to keep one shaded and 
well-watered field or lot under hoof for the 
sake of convenience, or a field in rotation, to 
be in this manner cheaply and richly manured. 
Even in Kansas, where land is cheap and rich, 
farmers are growing soiling crops—rye for 
the late Fall, Winter and Spring use, and mil¬ 
let and sorgbmn for Summer and Fall nse. * 
* * * The past season Mr. Stewart has 
paid particular attention to the rye, and finds 
it to be especially valuable as compared with 
wheat; the latter being inferior and coming 
later. Rye is early, lasts green fully four 
weeks, and is about as productive of milk and 
butter when cut and cured as when green. 
But this is when it is cut very early, before 
the blossom has dried. He has been feeding 
rye hay thus made during the interval be¬ 
tween green rye and green corn, with partial 
pasturing, saving the grass for hay, without 
any loss of milk or butter; and the butter is 
harder and of better quality than that made 
from oats and peas cut green, which tends to 
make soft butter. An acre of ordinary rye 
will yield not quite three tons of cured hay; 
and thickly sown rye—three bushels per acre 
—makes better fodder and much better hay 
than that grown from thinner sowing. Cur¬ 
ing in the cock also improves the bay. Mr. 
Stewart has cut the rye in the morning, raked it. 
and put it into large cocks in the afternoon, 
left it there three days, then hauled it and 
stacked it into barracks or put it into the 
barn, and thus has secured the best of hay, 
sweet smelling, and evidently sweet flavored, 
judging by the way the cows eat it. It is 
cut up aud fed with the usual allowance of 
two quarts of meal. * * * From present 
indications he has the confidence to assure a 
farmer who has land that will keep but one 
cow to five or six acres, that in five years, by 
soiling, and saving all the manure and econo¬ 
mizing it well, he can bring up his farm to a 
condition in which a cow can be kept on two 
acres, and this means doubling his income and 
leaving a balance to pay for all extra labor 
needed. 
Sow Turnip Seed. —Bliss’s Garden remarks 
that any of the Strap-leaved or Globe varie¬ 
ties may be sown up to the end of last month, 
and every spot in the garden that is not 
needed otherwise should, as soon as it becomes 
vacant, be sown with turnips. The labor and 
cost of seed are so inconsiderable that even if 
there should be a larger crop than can be used 
in the family or disposed of otherwise they 
are worth more than their cost as green ma¬ 
nure if left in the ground. 
Winter Rye for Soiling. —All our ex¬ 
changes, says the Vermont Watchman, are 
praising this grain, and we think justly, for 
the late and early soiling of dairy cows. 
Sown in August it affords a good swath in 
October, aud grows again in the Spring just 
as though it had been sown in September and 
not cut. It affords a swath in the Spring 
before there is full feed in the pastures. We 
have just harvested an acre of it (having used 
half an acre for early feeding). It is not yet 
thrashed, but the men that cut it are willing 
to bet it will go over thirty bushels. The 
heads are long and crowded with grain. The 
Watchman will re-sow the same ground (with 
a light dressing of dung aud ashes) entirely 
for soiling. It is one of the new things that 
is a good thing—rye for soiling. 
Disease among Farmers.— Pulmonary 
affections, says the Springfield Republican, 
stand first among the four most common dis¬ 
eases of farmers, and indeed of the commu¬ 
nity at large. Two causes are assigned for 
this result. One is needless exposure to cold 
and wet, especially wet feet, and another is 
bad posture. Some kinds of work, like set¬ 
ting out plants, spading, hoeing, mowing and 
weeding, favor a cramped position, but none 
of them necessitate it. Indeed, one can better 
bear any work if he keeps his chest expanded 
and his lungs well inflated. He can do any 
kind of farm work better by bending at the 
hip than by curving the spine and contracting 
the chest. The French, Swiss and German 
farm laborers are far more erect than Ameri¬ 
can farmers. 
If anybody will inform Pres, Chadbourne, 
of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, 
where to find the man who can tell all that 
ought to be known about potato raising, he 
will not only go far to see him, but will 
pay him well for his instruction ; and if 
he will accept a Professorship in the Agrioul- 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
tural College, he will vote for him, being as¬ 
sured that it should then have what no other 
college in the world can boast of, a man who 
Itnmvs all that can be known of potato rais¬ 
ing. _ 
Through four years Prof. Sanborn has 
conducted experiments to ascertain what kind 
of seed potatoes would give the best yield. 
We give here the average yield per acre for 
the four seasons: 
Whole Potatoes, large, yield: table 
potatoes, 149.2 bushels; small potatoes, 105.8 
bushels; total, 255 bushels. 
Whole potatoes, small, yield : table pota¬ 
toes, 127.8 bushels; small potatoes, 65.15 bush¬ 
els; total 198 8 bushels. 
One eye to a hill, yield: table potatoes, 60.1 
bushels; small potatoes, 24.0 bushels; total, 
85 bushels. 
Two eyes to a hill, yield: table potatoes, 83.9 
bushels; small potatoes, 39.9 bushels ; total, 
123.8 bushels. 
Three eyes to a hill yield: table potatoes, 
105.7 bushels; small potatoes, 4S.4 bushels; 
total, 154.1 bushels. 
Seed end yields: table potatoes, 114 bushels; 
small potatoes, 68.7 bushels; total, 182.4 bush¬ 
els. 
Stem end yitdds: table potatoes, 90.7 bush¬ 
els; small potatoes, 61.8 bushels; total, 152.5 
bushels. 
MULTUM IN PARVO. 
Prof. Sanborn cut Timothy and clover at 
three periods—before, during and after bloom, 
and found the last cut proved more abundant 
in growth and more efficacious as a food for 
both steers and milch cows. 
The Chatham Courier thiuks that every 
farmer having stony land will thank it for 
the suggestion that one man using a dung 
fork will remove more stones and do it easier 
than two men with their hands... 
The Farm Journal reminds its readers that 
this will be a good year for farmers. Times 
will be good until the crash comes. The sun 
shines; now, farmers, make hay. Be prudent, 
be economical, keep down expenses, buy little 
and sell all you can. Make every acre do its 
work, and clear off that mortgage. 
It will pay you to select seed corn with 
great care. Remember that the tendency of 
your next crop will be to improve or deterior¬ 
ate according to the excellence or inferiority of 
the seed...... 
The Garden (London) mentions two new 
Japan Hydrangeas one with blue flowers 
which are always blue—tbe other with flowers 
one and one half inch across of a “lovely 
deep carmine.’’ With this comes a variety 
with pure white flowers. 
It occurs to Mr. McCann that we may find 
kerosene oil an effective agent in killing such 
weeds as Burdock, Canada Thistles, etc. It is 
very cheap and very destructive to plant 
life... 
A writer in Home and Farm used about one 
quart of saw-dust in each hill of one plot of 
potatoes and none in another plot. The saw¬ 
dust hills yielded nearly twice as much as the 
others and the potatoes were larger and 
smoother... 
Sow W inter radish seeds. Scarlet Chinese 
Winter is a good keeping sort... 
During the slack work of Autumn, white¬ 
wash the poultry-houses, cellars and outbuild¬ 
ings; paint or oil the woodwork of farm tools; 
go to the fairs and take your families. Spend 
the early part of your visit in studying every¬ 
thing that is to be seen or examined. Then 
enjoy ycur friends, speak a good word for 
the Rural and you will have spent a famous 
day... 
The Pittsburg Stockman well satirizes in 
the ridiculous pictorial representations of live 
stock common in this country. 
“There seems to be a fierce campaign 
against legs among tbe breeders of many 
kinds of stock—at least the results of effort to 
put them out of sight are painfully apparent 
in many of the live stock engravings now ex¬ 
tant. It is the fashion to show a prime Short¬ 
horn or Hereford or a good hog on paper 
with legs which would hardly carry a suck¬ 
ling lamb. Should this keep on, the picto¬ 
rial stock of the country must eventually be 
classed among the “creeping things.”. 
The London Ag. Gazette says that it was 
glad to observe lately that a farmer who be¬ 
came a vegetable grower some years since 
has now opened two shops in two towns near¬ 
est to his farm, and is selling every article 
of farm produce very much to the advantage 
of everybody but the dealers and traders, who 
had the trade in their hands previously. 
Ensilage is a good thing, or it is not says 
the Husbandman. If the former, it will bear 
sober statement of facts, and anything more 
is superflous in the present Btageof discussion. 
If the latter, there is none the less need of 
truth. Let us have the facts stripped of the 
brilliant coloring that has dazzled ordinary 
vision, and especially free from the Billerica 
poesy that decks fable in the garb of truth. 
Now the Rural is glad to see one paper be¬ 
side itself independent, enough to scout the 
phantasies of Dr. Billerica. 
Daniel Webster said: “The freest gov¬ 
ernment cannot long endure, where the ten¬ 
dency of the law is to create a rapid accumu¬ 
lation of property in the hands of few. and 
to render the masses of the people poor and 
dependent.”. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Connecticut. 
Cale's Ferry, New London Co., August 
18.—Our Spring was cold and late, rains were 
plenty till last of June, since then none to 
speak of. Vegetation is now all drying up. 
Potatoes largely planted, but cannot turn out 
more than half a crop. Corn somewhat bet¬ 
ter but needs rain sadly. Hay hardly an 
average, owing to worms at tbe roots. Oats 
an average and out. of tbe way. Apples set 
well but drop off badly. Potato beetles very 
destructive. So far as I can learn the Army- 
worm has done but little damage in this 
county. The price of provisions is well up. 
Beef got so high that our butchers went out 
of the business. Farmers here are looking 
discouraged, as they well may. m. w. 
Coventry, Tolland Co.. Aug. 23.—The 
drought still continues, seriously affecting the 
corn crop, also the potato crop on very dry 
soils. Feed in pastures, like the last comet, is 
invisible. Hay crop below the average. Cat¬ 
tle fit for beef must swing, causing a tempo¬ 
rary decline. Apples dropping badly; about 
a quarter fcrop for bearing year. Tobacco in 
much doubt. Holders of crop of ’81 can smile. 
Possibly we have had in this section half an 
inch of water since July 5. c. r. 
Mirhignn. 
Tustin, Osceola Co., Aug. 14.—The season 
is about three weeks behind time here. We 
have had almost two weeks of rainy weather, 
and still it looks as if it might rain more. 
Wheat is almost all cut and is standing in the 
shock in the field waiting for dry weather to 
be hauled in. Corn is very backward; if we 
have a warm late Fall there will be a fair 
crop. Oats and potatoes are just “ booming.’’ 
A larger acreage of the latter has been plant¬ 
ed this season than usual. 0. e. p. 
Minnesota. 
Winona Co., Aug. 5, 1882.—We are having 
a remarkable season—a wonderful sight of 
rain for the past two months. Since the first 
settlement of this county—thirty years ago— 
there has not been a Summer w ith so little 
warm weather. Owing to the partial failure 
of the wheat crop here the past few years 
there was at least one hundred per cent, more 
corn planted this year than ever before; very 
poor prospect now of its ripening; it is now 
where it should have been three or four weeks 
ago. W heat, oats and barley very good 
crops. The latter cut and spoiling in the wet. 
It is raining every day. Wheat is said to be 
growing before it is cut. There never was 
such a prospect for potatoes, but the wet is 
ruining them, d. b. e. 
South Carolina. 
Aiken, Aiken Co.—Cotton is grown here 
extensively, the staple is now being picked—a 
good crop. Corn is a big crop uncommonly 
productive, soil samly with red clay. L. c. w. 
Wisconsin. 
Hammondsvtlle, Jefferson Co., Aug. 16.— 
At last, harvest is about finished up. Oats are 
likely to fall short of tbe people’s expectations. 
They are rusty and smutty and on many fields 
are quite short and thin on tbe ground. I do 
not thiuk the crop in this part of tbe country 
so far as I can learn is auy greater than last 
season’s. Corn is in full tassel and silk, and 
the late rain9 are bringing it on as well as 
could be desired. The future of the crop de¬ 
pends on the frost keeping off. M. n. r. 
Plover, Portage Co., Aug. 21.— This region 
is famous for good potatoes but they are rot 
ting fearfully in this place on both sand and 
clay soils. The vines blacken as though struck 
with frost, and smell very bad: many are now 
digging and selling at a low price to save a 
little for their labor; a lady just from Illinois 
says it is the case in that State. Hops are 
fearfully lousy. Rev. C. S. 
♦ - 
RURAL SEED REPORTS. 
Connecticut. 
Coventry, Tolland Co., Aug. 23.—Rural 
Heavy Dent stands the drought without flinch¬ 
ing; higbt of stalk, 13 feet seven inches ; great¬ 
est hight of ear from ground, nine feet niue 
inches. Who ever thought New England 
would require the aid of a ladder to harvest 
her corn crop ? Vive la Rural ! c. r. 
Michigan, 
Cleon, Mannistee Co., Aug. 18.—Received 
Rural free seeds the fore part of February. 
Sowed wheats soon after in drills on sandy 
loam which never was manured. From the 
package of Fultzo-Clawson I raised one pint 
of clean wheat. The Shumaker yielded one- 
third of a pint, and the Surprise two table¬ 
spoons heaping full. In other words, I should 
judge the Fultzo Clawson increased about 
twenty fold; tbe Shumaker seven-fold, and 
the Surprise twelve fold. The Shumaker was 
the first to ripen; cut July 24. The Fultzo- 
Clawson and Surprise were cut August 4. All 
were harvested quite green, to save them 
from the birds, which were getting tbe start 
of me. This caused them to shrink somewhat. 
All rusted a little—I think the Fultzo-Clawson 
worse than the others. The Surprise suits 
me best, having long, close, square heads with 
three to four grains in each spikelet, and 
strong straw. The Fultzo-Clawson grew 
strong straw, loDg, loose heads and two to 
three large grains to the spikelet. Shall sow 
them all again soon. From observation of 
this trial I think I shall discard the Shumaker, 
tbe straw being weak and the heads short. 
We raise several kinds of Dent corn here. 
From present appearances the Rural 
Thoroughbred Flint is later than any of 
them, and too late for this latitude. I 
shall have, at the least estimate, 10 hushels of 
White Elephants from the small White Ele¬ 
phant sent me by the Rural a year ago last 
Spring. I have not tested their quality. If 
good to eat they will be the potato, j. s. G. 
Ohio 
Ada. Hardin Co., Aug. 19.—I planted my 
Rural Dent in the garden in a plot 33 feet 
square of clay loam, manured with stable 
manure. Of 140 grains 90 grew and now there 
are 330 stalks, and it is earing very well. It 
is 12 feet high, and most of tbe stalks have 
two large ears. It is a prolific corn. The first 
stalks have roasting ears and the second 
growth is silking; and very nearly ns high as 
the first. The Perfect Gem Squash is bearing 
very full—sLx plants grew. Of the Cbater 
Hollyhock seven plants grew and are doing 
well. Of the celery only rme plant grew. 
The wheat I will plant this Fall. O. p. 
Hooker’s Station, Fairfield Co., August 
20.—I took special pains with my Rural Heavy 
Dent Corn. Out of 122 graios planted 
82 grew, and the plants are doing well, being 
now in tassel and (••ilk. The stalks average 10 
feet high and five-and-one-half inches in cir¬ 
cumference at the butts, several stalks having 
five ears each. In your instructions for tbe 
corn contest you state that the weight of the 
corn in the ear, and also shelled must be given 
in November. Now it is a settled fact that corn 
shelled in the Fall will lose more or less of its 
vitality for seed before planting time. If the 
Rural Dent is what it now promises to be, it 
will be a great acquisition to us, and every 
grain and all of its vitality should be pre¬ 
served for seed. Therefore, I suggest that 
the weight be required only qn the ear, 
which, surely, would be fair for all contest¬ 
ants, as the same variety of corn will produce 
the same depth of grain and size of cob in dif¬ 
ferent localities. Let us preserve our seed on 
the ear. The Rural is my choice of the agri¬ 
cultural papers of America. Success to 
it. S. E. 
cTl)e (Oucrist. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
ABOUT AN ICE-HOUSE. 
N. J., Cuba, Mo. —What is the matter with 
my ice-house? It is 10 feet square, made of 
rock, walls 18 inches thick and four feet under 
and six feet above grouud. A frame hous - ' is 
built around and over it with an air-space of 
four inches between rock wall aud p'ank. It 
has a wooden ventilator or air-chamber 10 
inches square, leading from inside of ice-house 
to top of roof. Has good drainage and no air 
can get in bottom from drainage pipe. I filled 
it with 16-iueh ice last Winter, packing with 
coal dust (refuse from charcoal pit) at least 
six inches thick between wall and ice and 
covered it on top at. least two feet deep. By 
July 1, ice was all melted, aud iu removing 
the coal dust I noticed that in places it was 
hot. Since the ice has gone I have been using 
the house as a milk cellar, and notice that 
after beiug closed for 10 or 12 hours it 
feels hot inside; the air is foul and vegetable 
and weed seeds on the bottom have started 
to grow. 
Ans. —There may be several reasons foi 
this failure: First, the bottom may not be 
really air-tight, although it may appear so, 
and the draiu pipe may not be able to prevent 
the access of air; second, there may not have 
been sufficient packing under the ice to pre. 
vent tbe natural warmth of the soil from 
melting it; third, there may not have been a 
ventilating curreut established over the top 
packing, and this cannot be done by means of 
a single ventilator in the roof; fourth the pack¬ 
ing was of an inferior kind, and if the char¬ 
coal dust was fresh it would be worse than 
no packing at all, because fresh charcoal is 80 
