A curious fact is presented for some scientist 
to explain, regarding the imperfect growth of 
the Irish potato, when we bear in mind that 
the Madeline and other chains of mountains 
west of Socorro, are the home of the parent 
plant in its wild state. 
There is, however, no questioning the fact 
that the valley is better adapted to the growth 
and maturity of the vines and fruit than to 
general diversified husbandry, and that this 
industry will yield larger returns on the in¬ 
vestment. The Mission grape is the most profit¬ 
able crop. Last year, within a half mile of 
this city, a farmer made six barrels of pure 
wine from the product of 200 vines. These 
vines commence bearing in three years, and 
filiscctiatuoMS 
inevitably driven to the conclusion that by 
July 1, 1882, under the influence of home con¬ 
sumption, Spring seeding and continued ex¬ 
port, we shall have somewhere from 60,000,000 
to 80,000,000 bushels less old wheat in the 
country July 1st, 1883, than July 1st, 1881. 
And, unless our total crop in 1882 considerably 
exceeds 420,000,000, wheat will be very short 
of the probable export demand for another 
year. 
pumpkins, and cucumbers retain their vitality 
from five to ten years. 
How to Get Early Sweet Corn.— Judge 
Miller, of Missouri, being on a visit some time 
ago, mentioned to Major Freas a fact discov¬ 
ered by himself, in which a full week can be 
gained in getting sweet corn for boiling. He 
said that as soon as the ear is formed, break 
the top down or cut it off, but leave the stalk 
erect in order that the pollen of the tassel 
will be sure to dust the silk of the ears, as they 
may not be fully impregnated should the stalk 
be topped. He stated that he had experi¬ 
mented for years and was entirely satisfied that 
it is uniformly practicable and of value. In 
fact he thinks that the ear becomes more fully 
developed also. Th.s is a hint easy to adopt, 
and may be of interest to truckers as well as 
for the private garden. 
SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO. 
An Important Mining Center—Wealth in 
Agriculture—Railroads and Busi¬ 
ness Interests. 
MESSRS. HOLMES AND SWEETLAND. 
f Special Correspondents of the Rural New-Yorker] 
The Effects of Bogus Butter. 
It has been frequently stated by persons 
who are either interested in the manufacture 
and sale of bogus dairy products such as 
oleomagarine, lard butter and lard cheese, or 
whose perceptions are not 
very acute, that these arti¬ 
cles do not affect the market 
values of the genuine dairy 
products. I Luive before me 
a convincing proof to the con¬ 
trary in the shape of a busi¬ 
ness letter from a leading N. 
Y. butter and cheese commis¬ 
sion agent to one of bis cli¬ 
ents who is a maker of choice 
butter, in which the agent 
says, “I inclose check for 
proceeds of sales made as per 
account sent herewith. Our 
market has dropped consider¬ 
ably” (12 cents in a week) “ on 
account of the arrival of a large quantity of 
lard butter from the West.” This seems to be 
somewhat a different effect from that men¬ 
tioned in Rural Editorial of April 22. s. 
A most important era for this southwestern 
Territory was the advent of the Atchison, To¬ 
peka and Saute Fe Railroad, which was com¬ 
pleted through its domains about one year 
ago. The shrill whistle of the locomotive 
echoing and re-echoing from the mountain 
ranges, has awakened the country from its 
Rip Van Winkle sleep, which has lasted for 
centuries. Where old Mexican towns existed, 
busy cities have appeared as if by magic, and 
the houses of adobe (sunburnt brick made of 
mud and straw) of one story, are rapidly giv¬ 
ing place to buildings of wood, brick and stone, 
of metropolitan stylo and excellent finish. 
The development and growth of Socorro dates 
from the arrival of the first train of cars, and 
it now claims a population of 3,500, of whom 
one-half are Americans. There are two Eng¬ 
lish private schools and one convent school, 
besides one public institution. The Catholic, 
Methodist Episcopal and Presbyterian socie¬ 
ties have churches, while societies of Episco¬ 
palians, Baptists, and Methodists Episcopal 
South have regular services, and are prepar- 
In the news- 
Ik you sell a day’s labor, aud perform in the 
day only what you could without extra ex¬ 
ertion do in half a day, you h ive stolen the 
value of half a day’s labor from your em¬ 
ployer just as truly as if you had taken the 
same value in money from his purse. 
Mr. Geddes refers iu the Cultivator (Albany) 
to Prof. Kedzie's statement that the weight 
of the fresh vegetable matter in an acre of 
sod, 25 tons, is equal to 25 loads of fresh barn¬ 
yard manure.Mr. Geddes says further 
that Orchard Grass during this mild Winter 
when there is no snow on the ground about 
his premises is vigorous and green and in con¬ 
dition to furnish pasture for cattle. He must 
Tete-a-Tete —Illustrated Catalogue of Design— Fig. 136, 
yield full crops at four. When properly manu¬ 
factured, the wine has the aroma and flavor 
of fine Sherry, and is s liable at from $1 to $2 
per gallon. The following fruits grow to per¬ 
fection: pears, apples, quinces, plums, cher¬ 
ries, apricots aud nectarines, while the fig 
matures by being protected during the Win¬ 
ter. Almonds and English walnuts are also 
grown, as well as all small fruits. We are in¬ 
formed by the Mexicans that there has only 
been one failure of the fruit crop in 21 years. 
With these many advantages, Socorro will, 
doubtless, develop rapidly into an active city 
and business center. 
ing to erect houses of worship, 
paper field we found the Socorro News—an 
evening daily; the Socorro Gazette, a morn¬ 
ing daily ; and the Sorocco Miner, a semi¬ 
weekly. The water is obtained from a warm 
spring iu Socorro Mountain, aud is pure, sweet 
and clear. 
The prominent interest, and the one which 
will develop and sustain the city in its future 
growth, is centred in the wonderful mining 
resources of wliicji Socorro is the center—un¬ 
doubtedly the richest region in the Territory, 
with millions of as yet undev.. loped treasure. 
Amoug these are the following districts: So 
corro, Limitar, Polvarderi, Ladrones, Salado, 
Capital, Bear Spring, Water Canon, Mada- 
lena, Iron Mountain, Teu Mile, Abbey, Cat 
Mountain, Dactyl, San Francisco, Cuchilla 
Negro, Apache Black Range, Mogollous, Ca- 
bello, San Andreas, San Antonio, San Pedro, 
Hausonburg, Oscura, Oscura Copper Fields, 
San Felicite, Abo, La Joyita, La Joya, Mau- 
zano, and a large number of new districts 
whose values are as yet undetermined. The 
Torrence Mine, in the Socorro district, is 
within the corpoi-ate limits of the city. It is 
now being worked, and new and improved 
machinery is being put iu place. Over 90 men 
are employed, and $1,000 per day in silver are 
being taken out. 
There is a ten-stamp mill in the city for re¬ 
ducing the ore to bullion, working night and 
day; also a smelter for custom work. A com¬ 
mendable and successful manufacturing en¬ 
terprise is a large planing-mill. We noted an 
iuveution, by J. K. Hunter, for sawing, which 
is the most perfect we have ever seen. Within 
the districts named are found iron ores, lead 
in all its phases, silver in its various forms, 
gold in place aud placer (limited), copper (al¬ 
most all varieties), zinc, uiekel, autimony, bis¬ 
muth, cobalt, arsenic, fire clay, slate, alum, 
soda, kaoliu, salt, gypsum and bituminous, 
semi-bituminous and lignite coal. Among the 
rare and precious stones we deem worthy of 
mention are garnet (several shades), turquoise, 
topaz, amethyst, jasper, chalcedony and obsi¬ 
dian. 
Socorro has two projected railroads—one to 
Guaymas, Mexico; another (theSouthern New 
Mexico and Central), the objective point being 
Topalovatnpo, Mexico. Either of these roads 
will open the vast mineral region to the west 
to this center. The commercial business of 
the city for 1881 is approximated at $1,000,000; 
while over $250,000 have been spent in the 
same time for public improvements. 
Socorro is situated near the banks of the 
Rio Grande (Great River) anu has, conse¬ 
quently, surrounding it the rich agricultural 
lands of this valley, which, in this vicinity, 
vary in width from a half mile to four miles. 
This laud is 
How to Judge of the Quality of Muck. 
—Prof. S. W. Johnson says that the quality 
of swamp muck can be roughly inferred from 
the following considerations: When the swamp 
is a basin with a small outlet or none, when 
the “wash” that enters it comes copiously 
from good or rich soil, when the herbage that 
grows on it is tall and rank, when large quan¬ 
tities of forest leaves accumulate in it, we 
may safely assume that the muck will be rela¬ 
tive^ rich in plant-food. It is from such de¬ 
posits that the muck his been obtained, which 
is reported to have nearly equaled stable 
manure in fertilizing effect. On the other 
hand, when the wash into the swamp is scanty, 
and from coarse, poor soil, when the vegeta¬ 
tion is mere moss or a spare growth of sedge, 
and when large volumes of water flow through 
it and leach out its soluble matters, then it 
would be strange if the muck had any con¬ 
siderable active fertilizing quality. It may, 
nevertheless, even then, be very serviceable 
for amending poor, coarse, sandy or gravelly 
soils, but the amending must be followed up 
by real “ manure ” of the appropriate kind. 
We have to thank Mr. W. I. Chamberlain, 
Secretary of the Ohio State Board of Agricul¬ 
ture. for a printed copy of his long and able 
April crop report. We wish that the space 
at our disposal were large enough to admit 
the whole of this report, but the great amount 
of excellent other matter pressing upon our 
columns forbids us to do more than notice a 
few of the important points. 
In regard to the general wheat outlook 
Mr. Chamberlain says that in Ohio the crop 
report shows as compared with a year ago: 
acreage, 101 per cent., and condition 04 per 
cent., and a probable total, with fair average 
weather till harvest, of 35,510,461 bushels, as 
against 37.581,004 last year. The latter was 
the October estimate based on returns of 
eight weeks’ thrashing from about 1000 
machines in all parts of the State. Old 
wheat on hand, 7,411,188 bushels, as against 
10,375,209 iu 1881. 
From official information received from 
Michigan, Indiana and Illinois and from the 
National Department, and from careful com- 
putatious based thereon, he gives the following 
figures as his best judgment: 
States. Crop of Estimate 
1881- for 1S82. 
Ohio. 3T, 581.100 :15.R1»,IAK) 
Michigan. 2l,22U,t)U0 ‘.'ti.TUl.UK) 
Indiana. 22,,125,1100 36,i20,iJU0 
Illinois. 2.',STl,0tW 33 1 Ju.UOU 
even 145 ears to a bushel of corn, the ciop 
would be equal to 100 bushels of grain per 
acre. Every farmer can see how easily this 
result is possible if he has no barren stalks, 
and the perfection of seed necessary to secure 
this requisite fecundity In the plant is as cer¬ 
tainly and as easily attainable by the use of 
practicable methods as it is easy to breed to 
color or form or any other desired peculiarity 
with animals. 
Age of Sesds. —The Michigan Farmer re¬ 
marks that the germ or chit of corn is ex¬ 
tremely delicate, and is attached to the cob in 
such a way as to be easily iojured, if shelled 
when not in proper condition, or when a little 
soft, and will often spoil s on after shelling 
if not dry. Corn will keep *ell on the cob 
for several years. So, in buying seed corn, 
if shelled, always get that no older than one 
year if you can, and positively decline that 
which is more than two years old, unless you 
buy it on the cob. Some seeds are never to 
be depeuded ou when more than one year old, 
as parsnips, onions, and leeks, but if properly 
kept in an atmosphere of even temperature 
aud humidity, most are good for a louger 
time. Among those safe for only two years 
may be named all kinds of peas and beans, 
eggplant, carrot, sage, salsify, spinach, pep¬ 
pers, and most of the grasses, while parsley, 
lettuce, asparagus, radish, etc., may be re¬ 
lied on at three years old, and celery, turnip, 
cabbage, and cauliflower for at least four 
years. Squash, tomatoes, beets, melons, 
Apparent probable surpluo over crop oi 881.19,3H,03J 
But these four States have, accordiug to cue 
estimates of the National Department, at least 
19,000,000 less wheat on hand now than a year 
ago, which just about offsets the probable 
gain, and leaves us with about the same pro¬ 
bable surplus for export at the beginning of 
harvest, as in 1881. And these States furnish 
just about one-third of the entire wheat crop 
of the country, and more than half of the 
wheat for actual export. Some 7,000,000 
bushels of wheat are still in producers’ hands 
in Ohio. Nearly all this, it is true, will be 
eaten up in the State before the new crop is 
ready for milling. 
On April 10th and 11th occurred a severe 
freeze uearly all over Ohio. In Columbus it 
froze mud hard, aud small pools of water 
formed ice % inch thick or more, while water 
standing in small tin vessels out-of-doors froze 
solid and bulged up in the middle from the 
expansion, as in Winter. Much of the wheat 
that was nearly winter killed or drowned out 
and was just “greening” up under the rains 
aud hot weather of the past two weeks, will 
be finished by this freeze, while it is feared 
that some of very' rank and rapid growth 
which had formed a joint (in Southern Ohio), 
and even lodged in the hot, damp weather of 
the two weeks past, may have the embryo 
head killed. This may reduce the probabilities 
for the whole State considerably. 
After a lengthy discussion of Statistical 
returns and estimates Mr. Chamberlain is 
a deep alluvium, all arable by 
irrigation—a system which is extensively used 
in countries or sections where there is a lack 
of rain during the growing season, which is 
the main obstacle to agricultural improvement 
iu New Mexico. Here the plan is to cut one 
main canal or ditch called *’acequia madre ” 
(the mother of ditches) through the field; from 
this radiate smaller “acequias” into which 
the water is allowed to flow when needed. No 
systematic or scientific farming has been done 
in this valley as yet, but such farming as has 
been practiced, demonstrates the fact that all 
the cereals (except corn), the vegetables and 
root crops (except Irish potatoes) yield extra¬ 
ordinary, and with irrigation, sure returns. 
The onion, cabbage, and cauliflower of New 
Mexico stand unrivaled for size and quality. 
