734 
OCT 28 
Mr. Thomas Meehan says that many per 
boos complain that they cannot get the pansy 
to produce flowers as handsome as they see 
them represented in seedsmen’s p^tes; but it 
is because they are not sown early enough. 
If not already done, sow them at once—if 
they can have the protection of a cold-frame 
all the better. These cold-frames are very 
useful in small flower gardens. There are 
many little things pretty hardv. but which 
are much better with this protection. 
In-and-in Breeding. —The misfortune of 
in-and-in breeding is that it is like a two-edged 
sword—it cuts both wavs, says Mr. William 
Watson, in his address before the late Kansas 
meeting, as given iu the Live Stock Indicator. 
Tt is the readiest path to uniformity and per¬ 
fection in the hands of a thoroughly com¬ 
petent, breeder: vet it is the surest and swiftest 
to bring destruction to the animals and in¬ 
terests of the incompetent breeder Admira¬ 
ble animalsbave been and are bred both wavs. 
Mixing or mating may be done so well in the 
hands of a first-rate judge and skillful breeder, 
through the selection of animals personally 
suitable to one another, that the results are as 
constant, as those of the most, judicious breed¬ 
ing within one tribe; and, on the other hand, 
alliances of relations mav ha so hadly assorted 
as to prove worse than alien alliances. There 
is indiscriminate mixing, and there is in¬ 
discriminate in-breeding. Suppose t,be ef¬ 
fects of the two errors appear equally bad. 
those of the latter are reallv the worst,, if it 
is true that close in-breeding intensifies hered¬ 
itary potency. But again, we mav assume, 
as a rule, that an unskillful breeder is less 
likely to make mistakes in uniting animals of 
kindred blood, than in bringing together sorts 
ditferentlv derived and descended. In nature 
in-and-in breeding must constantly occur, and 
if animals are perfectly sound and possessed 
of good sexual characteristics, there is no 
evidence that he knows of to show that any 
evil results from such breeding, but, on the 
contrary much good, because breeding iu-and- 
in causes the tendencies to become fixed 
in the constitution of the offspring. Feed, 
blood and comfort, must l>e included in 
the bill of fare; that good management goes 
hand in hand with good blood no one can 
deny, for without both it is impossible to ob¬ 
tain perfection or succession. 
Meat for England. —The London Mark 
Lane Express warns British farmers not to 
al'ow themselves to he lulled into a false sense 
of security from the facts that imports of 
American fresh meat have of late been far 
short of the corresponding period last vear. 
owing to the price of the same being higher 
in New York than at London. “American 
competition is likely to arise «train,” and. 
indeed, in the opinion of the Bessborough 
Commission, t,o an extent never before 
known. No effort should therefore he spared 
by the British farmers to improve their stock, 
and to have “recourse to the most, economic 
methods of farming ” In the meantime large 
supplies of fresh meat are being received in 
England from Australia and New Zealand. 
A sailing vessel, it isadded. has been chartered 
from New Zealand with 7 TOO frozen carcasses 
of sheep for England. The eonsumntion of 
meat is 110 pounds per capita in England, 
Scotland and Wales, and “seams on the in 
crease.” For this reason the Express believes 
there will continue n good market there for 
all that America and the Antipodes mav have 
to ship, in addition to the meat furnished by 
the English farmers, and “at good prices.” 
-I M 
Animates and Odors. —A writer on odors 
end their recognition, in the Journal of 
Science, says: “Take an ox, a sheep, or a 
goat to a country where the flora is strange, 
and he will browse upon plants analogous in 
odor with those which have formed his food 
in his native land. Bnt whenever he perceives 
a strange effluvium given off. he avoids the 
plant as doubtful.” A superfluous bear at the 
Paris Zoo had a bun with prussic acid on it 
given him. Rut Bruin was not to be caught 
that way. He pushed it into the water, and 
not until the odor was entirely gone aid he eat 
it. The poison bad then lost its force. Animals 
bave pronounced tastes in odors. The literal in 
“fine frenzy rolling” of the cat in catnip is 
notorious, while pards and panthers grow ami¬ 
able beneath the influenceof lavender water. 
City “Farmers.” —The direct interest taken 
in agriculture by many residents of cities our 
enterprising contemporary, the Breeder’s Ga¬ 
zette, counts a fortunate thing. ♦ * Occa¬ 
sionally we find “ practical men” speaking of 
this class with ill-disguised jealousy, or even 
with contempt; but we are glad to believe 
this is becoming more rare than it once was. 
Our country is broad enough so that there is 
no need for jealousy, especially of a class 
whose influence, as a whole, is decidedly for 
good. That the “ city farmers” often make 
mistakes, must be admitted. Sometimes these 
THE RURAL WEW-YORKIR. 
mistakes are serious. That they bometLues 
start out In the business with over-confidence 
in the wisdom of their untried plans, we must 
also admit. But in almost every line of farm¬ 
ing, and perhaps most of all in the encourage¬ 
ment of improved stock, they have done great 
good. It seems to us every way commend¬ 
able, when a gentleman who seeks change 
from the cares of business or professional ou- 
ties, attempts to secure this by purchasing, 
improving and, perhaps, living on a farm. 
To build a costly' mansion in the city and fill 
it with works of art, is not necessarily an 
objectionable mode of spending money. Nei¬ 
ther is it to buy a farm, improve it, and stock 
it with well-bred animals, even though no 
direct profit, result in either case. 
-- 
Guernseys. — A Pennsylvania breeder 
writes, says the Kansas City Indicator: “As 
to the Guernsey's, we wonld state that pre¬ 
vious to our visit to the - Channel Islands, we 
were strictly Jersey; but after a few weeks’ 
sojourn, first on one, then on the other, our 
prejudice, as it surely was, gave way to a 
deep admiration of the lovely, golden-skinned 
Guernsey cattle, and we concluded to at least 
divide our Interests biff,ween the two breeds; 
and while we st.ill love the Jerseys, and be¬ 
lieve them indispensable, we can see many 
traits of excellence in the Guernseys not found 
in the Jerseys; and while the Jerseys will ever, 
we believe, retain their general favor, the 
Guernseys must stand first for their greater 
physical pow er over the Jer seys, and deeper- 
colored and richer milk and butter products 
over all breeds. They are said not to be so 
pretty and fancy-like, but they are not at all 
homely to us. ” 
--—■ 
Crab racing —Here is a sort of racing 
which we commend to the directors of some 
of our agricultural fairs which need attrac¬ 
tions outside of agriculture to induce a large 
attendance. It is practiced on the coasts of 
Normandy, according to the Journal des 
Debats, as referred to by the Mark Lane Ex¬ 
press: The “ interesting crmtaceans" are 
weighed and handicappad. They aro the l 
placed in line E leb "sportsman’’ lays his 
first Huger on the back of the crab which car¬ 
ries his colors; the starter w aves his handker¬ 
chief fora flag, the backers lift their fingers 
and let the crabs go, and impelled by instinct 
(a Frenchman must be scientific even in his 
sporting descriptions) the crabs race zigzig- 
ging to the sea. The sport has become so de¬ 
veloped that the length of the course has been 
definitely fixed at 20 metres—a triflj 
over sixty-five feet. For those who must 
bave something to bet upon crabs have 
the advantage of over rainrops on a window 
p ns for racing purposes, that they canpot 
defeat their backers by running into one an¬ 
other, and crab racing has the advantage over 
coursing that it is not attended with paiu to 
any animal. 
Silos.— In some countries, notably in 
France, in Austria aud iu America, says our 
esteemed contributor. Prof. J. P. Sheldon, 
before the students of an Eiglish agricultural 
college, grass and other green crops are stored 
away green and full of sap, as they are when 
cut, in pits for Winter using. Indian corn, 
sown thickly in the soil, and cut when three 
or four feet high, is a favorite crop for storing 
away iu thi3 manner—solidly trodden down in 
“silos,” as they are called, aud covered over 
with something or other that will exclude the 
air and subdue fermentation. Some enthu¬ 
siasts, and notably a few infatuated Ameri¬ 
cans, declare this ensilage to be an extraordi¬ 
nary thing, and one man went so far as to 
aver that it was destined to revolutionize 
dairy farming. This statement, to say the 
least, is startling; but we know that our Yan¬ 
kee cousins have a playful habit of rushing to 
the widest conclusions from the narrowest 
premises, and of drawing general inferences 
from isolated instances. Systematically and 
intelligently carried out, this ensilage business 
no doubt has some good iu it, but after all 
there’s nothing like suu and wind for prepar¬ 
ing vegetable food for Winter use. 
- - - 
SAMPLES AND COMMENTS. 
The Macon, Ga , Telegraph protests 
against the modern practice of some Georgia 
papers of talking about “ corn huskings.” It 
Bays that the North’s victory did not impose 
that word upon them, and that nothing but 
“ corn shucking” is ever done in Georgia. 
Our posters are thought to be such beauties 
that one needs only to tack them up in a con¬ 
spicuous place and sit down and receive sub¬ 
scriptions...... 
A correspondent of the Albany Culti¬ 
vator has succeeded this Summer in getting 
a young Jersey bull to eat Prickly Coinfrey 
leaves by cutting them and feeding them for 
a few days with brau and salt. After this he 
aie them well as they came from the plant 
and has done well. So says the Breeders’ 
Gazette... 
Handle the fruit with care. Assort in 
grades to suit variations in size and perfec¬ 
tion. Keep them in as even a temperature as 
possible and as near 32 degrees as may be 
without ever going below.. 
CLEAN and sweeten the hog-pens; also the 
hen-houses. Don’t forget to kerosene the 
perches and nests. Paint or whitewash the 
bouses. Make them warm, Take care of the 
farm implements. Paint or oil hoe, rake, 
spade and shovel handles... 
When is a vegetable not a vegetable ? 
When it is what you cauliflower. 
It is estimated that the tootbpick-toed 
boots have added at least 1,000,(XX) corns to the 
crop of this country.—Detroit Free Press 
Mr. Coburn deems Mr, Wm Watson, of 
Kansas City, Mo., the best, posted man in this 
country on the subject of polled cattle. 
It would seem that some prefer pedigrees 
without animals to animals without, pedigrees. 
Professor Ponfick, of Breslia, says that 
repeated washing with cold water removes 
most of the poison of mushrooms, and that 
much hailing removes the remainder. The 
water must, be thrown a wav. After that pro¬ 
cess the mushroom is so tasteless that it should 
be thrown away too. 
cnj id I) er e. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Illinoin. 
Pilot, Vermillion Co., Oct. 5.—This is not 
a wheat country. Corn, oats and hay, and 
some rye are our principal crops. Corn is a 
better crop than we expected; different fields 
will average from 15 to 50 bushels per acre. 
The hog crop is below the average; price, 
from $7.50 to $8.00 per cwt. here. The crop 
will go into market rather later than last year, 
because farmers forced everything eatable on 
the market this Summer. Most of the old 
corn is iu market. • I. h. s. 
Champaign, Chamoaign Co., Oct. 9. — As 
to the outcome of the corn crop, it is a mon¬ 
strous exaggeration to say the yield will be 
2,000, or 1,800, or 1,500 million bush. B. F. J. 
Iowa, 
Dunlap, Harrison County, Oct. 8. —Corn 
looks fine, but all in the valleys is dead, while 
on the hills it is as green as in August. The 
frost did no damage—rather good. We have 
a fine crop of wheat, and as for potatoes, we 
beat the world. B. w. B. 
Maryland. 
Rayville, Baltimore Co., October 18. — 
The season has been a favorable one to the 
farmers of this section; wheat yielded from 
18 to 40 bushels per acre; rye was much bet¬ 
ter than last year. Oats, however, were al¬ 
most a total failure; but fortunately the acre¬ 
age was small Corn is a fair crop—consid 
erably better than last year. The yield of 
potatoes is larger; but they are rotting badly. 
Peaches plentiful, but apples very scarce. A 
larger acreage is being sown in wheat and rye 
than ever before; and there will be a consid¬ 
erable amount sown after this date, as the re 
cent wet weather has hindered the preparation 
of the soil in time for sowing earlier. There 
has been no frost yet, and vegetation looks al 
most as green a9 in mid-Summer. The fourth 
annual fair of the Baltimore County Agricul 
tural Bociety was held last week at Timo- 
riutn, 10 miles north of Baltimore. The 
weather was all that could have been desired. 
The display of stock, implements, farm pro¬ 
ducts, household utensils, etc., was credit¬ 
able, and, taken as a whole, the fair was a de¬ 
cided success. The Jersey cow, “Valrna Hoff¬ 
man,” belonging to S. T. Earle, of Queen 
Annie’s County, Md., was on exhibition. She 
is said to have produced 21 pounds of butter 
in seven days. She is valued at $5,000. Much 
interest was manifested in the plowing match. 
The Oliver Chilled got highest award, p. s. c. 
Missouri. 
Industry, Henry Co., Oct. 9.— The fore 
part of our season here was wet and cold up 
to July, and then it turned dry. Wheat was 
splendid, some fields yielding 80 bushels to the 
acre. Corn is a good yit Id, likely to average 
50 bushels to the acre, though nearly every 
farmer had to replant, as the first planting 
did not give more than half a stand. Much 
of the corn is now secure from frost. We have 
had no frost yet that amounts to anything. 
All vines—such as tomato, sweet potato, 
gourd, melon, etc.—are still green. G. d. r. 
Nebraska. 
Omaha, Douglas Co., Oct. 1.—Weather 
warm and clear, with light showers. More 
rain needed for Fall plowing. A light frost 
on September 20. Corn is well ripened, and 
many farmers claim 70 bushels per acre. Oats 
average 60 bushels. Potato crop of fine quali¬ 
ty—200 to 250 bushels per acre claimed as an 
average. Large numbers of cattle and sheep 
are being driven from the Western ranges to 
Eastern Nebraska for Winter feeding, j.t.a. 
New Hampshire. 
Mason, Hillsboro Co.—Crops all short in 
this vicinity. No rain from July 18 to Sept. 7, 
consequently corn half a crop, potatoes 
half, and vegetables even less. Grapes about 
balf a crop. Apples two-thirds. A worse 
season would be hard to imagine, e. a. h. 
New Jersey. 
Whippany, Morris Co., Oct. 11.—I raised 
134j^ bushels, thrasher’s measure, of Winter 
wheat on about three acres, from six bushels 
of seed. I think that will whip anything in 
New Jersey. j. j, m. 
New York. 
Elba, Genessee Co., Oct., 11.—The wheat 
crop of this section, owing to the wet, cold 
Spring, was good, many pieces yielding from 
25 to 30 bushels per acre and some as high as 
40 bushels. Hay crop extra-good; oats and 
barley, fair to good; corn, from half to three- 
quarters of an average. Potatoes poor— 
probably less than half a crop. a. b. g. 
Ohio. 
Camden, Pueblo Co,, Oct. 11.—We are hav¬ 
ing very fine weather for our corn to mature; 
no frost yet. To shell corn before it is cured 
enough to shell freely, will injure the germ 
so that it will not be good for seed next Spring, 
and it is difficult to keep for seed shelled 
coi n that is not thoroughly cured. w. m. 
Wisconsin. 
Plainfield, Oct. 6, 1882.—Potatoes are not 
very good; the late-plauted are worthless. 
All other crops very flue, but prices Iow.j.l.w. 
Spafford, LaFayette Co., Oct. 11.—Our 
Spring was cold and fully two weeks later 
than usual, but we have bad a favorable 
season, everything considered. Potatoes a 
fair crop; oats a very fair yield; but little 
wheat or barley was sowed. Rye a fair crop. 
Corn fair but late; on upland it is out of the 
way of frost; but on September 23, we had 
frost that frosted all corn in the valleys, w. s, 
Troy, Walworth Co,, Oct. 9. —We havehad 
no frosts here to do any damage. 1 picked to¬ 
matoes to-day; the vines are still green. Crops 
very good, except some pieces of corn. I 
hear farmers say they have the best crops 
they ever raised, especially corn. My crop 
of ten acres is the best I ever raised. c. d.w. 
-- 
RURAL SEED REPORTS. 
Iowa. 
Adelphia, Polk Co., October 5.— I planted 
the Shumaker and Surprise wheats on Feb¬ 
ruary 15; both come up well. The Shumaker 
bunched like Quack Grass and never beaded 
out. The Surprise headed out; then blighted; 
I never got a kernel of either. The Fultzo 
Clawson wheat 1 sowed on Sept. 4, but we 
have a very dry spell and it has not come up 
yet. Of Rural Dent Corn I planted 150 kernels 
on May 4; 80 came up and bore 79 ears; they 
are soft yet; but if the weather is fair and no 
more frost comes the corn will get ripe enough 
for seed; but it is too late for our climate. 
The Rural Flint Corn planted at the same date 
did well; out of 180 kernels, 170 grew and bore 
425 ears, but—worse luck!—a wind storm blew 
the fence down and my hogs got in and eat it 
all but two ears; so went my chances of the 
premium I wanted. The Lima beans all rotted. 
Owing to the very cold Summer the few 
squashes are late, but I couated 74 squashes on 
nine vines. The celery I planted the first 
week in April; it came up in June and is eight 
inches high now. M. mcc. 
Missouri. 
Industry. Henry Co., October 10.—I 
planted the Rural Heavy Dent Corn or April 
25. I prepared a plot 33 feet square; put a 
good coating of well-rotted stable-yard ma¬ 
nure on the gronnd, and plowed it under. 
I then thoroughly pulverized the ground by 
harrowing. I marked it off four feet apart each 
way, making 64 places for hills, I put two 
grams in each hill; three grains were left and 
I put them in three hills that had two grains, 
making three hills with three grains each. 
Of the 181 grains 76 came up, but two of them 
were very puny, aud both died. The worms 
took two stalks, and that left me 72 to make 
the crop. It was so wet from May 25 up to 
Juue 5 that I thought it would be drowned 
out; but I drained it off aud finally saved it. 
1 never let a spear of grass or a weed 
grow in the patch, but I was careful not to 
work the ground too wet. I ridged just half 
the plot, and farmed the rest level. This I 
did to see which would do the beat at gather¬ 
ing time, but I fouud so little difference—if 
any—that I could not make a note of it. I 
pulled oat all the suckers and planted them 
between the other bills up to July 25. After 
that date I let the suckers stand. All I trans¬ 
planted grew except two, and they all bad 
ears on the stalk like the other corn, but some 
of the suckers that came late had the ears on 
the top. On the night of July 29 a horse got 
Into my Rural corn and destroyed 22 ears, 
besides breaking down three other stalks that 
had ears on, and on the night of August 6 the 
