MAY 27 
t)jflrious. 
FIELD AND FRUIT. 
The Western World as it Appears In Its 
Ga.b of Green. Tbs Harbinger of 
Plenty at the Harvest. 
MESSRS. HOLMES AND SWEETLAND. 
[Special Correspondents of the Ritual Nkw-Yorker.J 
At the time the echoes of the woodman’s axe 
are heard in the forests of Winconsiu, Michi¬ 
gan, and Minnesota; when the countless acres 
of land in New York and Pennsylvania are 
being burned over to prepare for the coming 
crop of wheat and corn; when the farmers of 
the Southern States are girdling or burning 
their trees in order to prepare for the planting 
of cotton, rice, sugar-cane and tobacco, the 
prairies of the West are alive with busy, ac¬ 
tive workers tilling the land and planting 
and sowing that they may reap hereafter. 
At this time (April 20), when all nature seems 
to smile and speak encouragement to the yeo¬ 
man, when the verdant shoots of Winter 
wheat already wave a green and glistening 
sheen, wafted by the Southern breeze, it was 
our good fortune to take a trip through South- 
central and Western Kansas over the land 
grant of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe 
Railroad, and from actual observation and 
numerous interviews with many of the farm¬ 
ers along the liue, we are enabled to give our 
readers many unpublished facte concerning 
the character of crops which pay the beat in 
this region and the character of the men who 
grow them. 
There are very few who have any ade¬ 
quate idea of the vast amount of corn grown 
in Kansas, and the general public will be sur¬ 
prised to learn that it exceeds in value double 
the entire product of Winter and Spring 
wheat. It is successfully grown as far West 
as Barton County. The acreage of corn this sea¬ 
son is much larger than ever before, as it is 
the recognized chief feed for all work ani¬ 
mals, and largely for fattening stock, the pro¬ 
gress and growth of which iuterest we will 
take up in a future letter. 
Wheat has always been successfully grown 
as far West as Ford County, except during 
the unusually dry seasons of 1879 and 1880. 
The yield is unusually good, averaging from 
eight to forty bushels to the acre. Some of 
the farmers this season seem to fear the 
Chinch-bug, but unless the season is unusually 
dry the pests will do little damage. The 
acreage of wheat is less than last year. 
The corn which has proved most satisfac¬ 
tory is the white Dent for market and the 
yellow Dent for feeding. The yield of each 
is about the same. Most of the wheat raised 
in Kansas is hard red Winter wheat. 
Butler, Marion, Harvey, Sedgwick, Reno, 
Rice, aud McPherson are among the best agri¬ 
cultural counties in the State. Chase is the 
best watered county and especially adapted 
to stock raising, as is also the e stern portion 
of Marion. From Newton, in Harvey Coun¬ 
ty, we took a drive around through the 
country, inspected the farms and met many 
of the farmers. 
Everything is looking well; this county not 
having the herd law has a more finished ap¬ 
pearance than many West, most of the farms 
being inclosed with a neat Osage Orange 
hedge. Among the many whom we met we 
will record a portion of our conversation with 
Mr. A. H. McLeau, who has a splendid farm 
Southeast of Newton. We found him over¬ 
looking the herding of a bunch of 500 cattle, 
for which he had a bountiful tract of the 
finest quality of meadow grass. He is a good 
specimen of the active, Western farmer, in¬ 
telligent, thrifty and thoroughly independent. 
“How long have you farmed in Kansas 
and what do you think of it ?” we asked. 
“I came here from Illinois in 1873” he an¬ 
swered “ I bought a part of this farm from the 
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe R. R., and 
I’ve never been sorry I struck Kansas. You 
can see my place or part of it from this hill; 
right over there is as handsome a field of 
wheat as you could wish to see. I’ve got my 
corn ’most all in and some of it is up. i did not 
have much money when I started, but I’ve 
stuck to it, bought more land of the company 
almost every year until I’ve secured a small 
farm. Will you drive around it ?” 
We did so and found that his “ small” farm 
was nearly 1000 acres in < xtent. It was 
neatly hedged with Osage Orange. In one por¬ 
tion he has an artificial lake into which he 
has put some German carp. He calls it his 
“fishpond.” Wo usked him how the land 
compared with his Illinois farm. 
“ I don't know as the land is better, but 
where it would cost a man #50 or #75 per 
acre there it only cost me $6 here, and I had 
as much, in fact, more time than I needed 
from the railroad company. There is plenty 
more land equally as good as my farm—per¬ 
haps not close to this place but just as availa¬ 
ble. 
We went to his house and through his or¬ 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
chard—young trees, but bearing well—we 
noted almost every variety of small fruit. 
“ What is your opinion of the present sea¬ 
son in this vicinity for fruit f” we asked. 
“ Last year was our peach year, they seem 
to alternate. We will have a fair crop but 
not a large one. My apple trees are still too 
young to bear much. You will find in this 
part of the State thousands of young, healthy 
orchards that will in future years be worth a 
mint of money to their possessors and to the 
State. The next five years will mark a won¬ 
derful increase in the fruit crop of the State. 
My trees have only been bearing for two years, 
but I have sold over #L,200 worth of fruit. 
We were much interested in the work of the 
Menonite Colony in silk culture. They are 
located to the north of Newton. They have 
gone into it quite extensively, having brought 
all their silk worms from Ger¬ 
many. The mulberry tree is the 
one used for food for the worm, 
aud the production of cocoons 
from trees less than five years old 
was about 3,000 lbs, valued at 
#2.000 this crop not costing over 
#300 for production. The Ameri¬ 
cans are entering into the project 
also and many of them are setting 
out trees. As a subsidiary indus¬ 
try, silk culture is of great im¬ 
portance, for the work can be 
done by a farmer’s wife and family 
—and the production of 30 to 60 
pounds of raw silk, worth per 
pound at least $6, can be easily 
added to the regular annual in¬ 
come. 
The Growth of Amber Cane 
both for sirup and sugar is rapid¬ 
ly pushing its way to the front 
as one of the best paying pur¬ 
suits in Kansas. Sugar mills have already 
been established at Sterling, Great Bend, 
Marion, Hutchinson and Larned, and a great 
quantity of cane was made into sirups last 
season Prof. Silliman, of the National Acad¬ 
emy of Sciences, in a letter writtea the New 
York Tribune, makes a clear and concise 
statement regarding the growth of Amber 
Cane, which reveals the possibility of making 
the United States the greatest sugar producing 
country in the world. 
The cost of raising an acre of cane is about 
defrayed bf the production of seed, while 
from conversations with R. M. Sandys and 
W. P. Clement, of Sterling, and Hon. John 
Benny worth, of Larned, (a member of the 
State Legislature) we learned that the average 
yield per acre is about 10 to 15 tons for which 
the farmer receives #3 00 per ton. The two 
establishment* at Sterling have contracted for 
about 40,000 tons of cane—or 3,000 acres—capa¬ 
ble of producing 800,000 gallons of sirap and 
perhaps even one-third more. The cane is un¬ 
excelled as a fodder plant and can be readily 
sold to sheep men for $5 an acre on the ground. 
We had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Jas. 
Wilhelm, of Faribault, Minn., a Lcientiflc gen¬ 
tlemen who has been conducting experiments 
at that place, which have proven successful in 
producing sugar from the sirup made from 
the Amber Cane. He is now looking up this 
interest in Kansas, and from him we quote. 
“ This part of Kansas (South-central) is un¬ 
questionably the finest portion of the United 
States for the production of cane for sugar 
making, and, taking everything into consider¬ 
ation, I will not except Louisiana. From a 
gallon of sirup five pounds of sugar can be 
extracted at a loss of one-third only in quan¬ 
tity of the sirup and a gain in quality. The 
amount of sugar capable of being produced 
by scientific process of manufacture from 
Amber Cone may be so vastly increased that 
it would be difficult to assign any limitation.” 
There were in the State in 1881, 45,628 acres 
of cane cultivated, producing3,899,440gallons 
of sorghum sirup, valued at $1,745,871.45. It 
can be grow as far west as Spearville without 
irrigation. A large amount of broom corn is 
raised along the line of the A. T. and S. F. 
R.R., millet, Hungarian Grass, Timothy, 
clover, and prairie meadow are looking fine, 
in fact they have never been so promising 
before and the outlook for bounteous harvests 
and fat cattle, sheep, and hogs is exceedingly 
promising. 
The land grant of the Atchison, Topeka and 
Santa Fe extends from Chase County, west¬ 
ward to the Colorado State lino. Every induce¬ 
ment possible is being given to settlers—long 
time, low prices, and udmirable selection. 
The consequence is that immigration continues 
to pour into the State and Mr. A. S. Johnson, 
the land commissioner at Topeka, has to keep 
large corps of workers to answer correspond¬ 
ence and to show land to purchasers. A large 
favorable feature as to the desirablity of 
Kansas for a home is furnished in the fact 
that a great number of sales have been made 
during this Spring to residents who were 
enlarging their possessions by purchasing 
more land. 
In no past year have the prospects both as 
regards to yield and prices been better (at this 
season) than now, and there is a general con¬ 
fidence and good feeling noticeable among all 
classes of agriculturists through the State. 
A Strawberry—Not a Pumpkin. 
In my communication published in the Ru¬ 
ral, May 6th, I notice a great mistake. In 
the closing paragraph I am made to say that 
the average size of the Monarch and Crystal 
City Strawberries being shipped now from 
this point will exceed three inches in diameter. 
The word should have been circumference. 
This is but a small mistake in print, but a 
great mistake in regard to the size of the ber¬ 
ries. A berry three inches in diameter, nine 
inches in circumference, is a little too large 
even for Arkansas, which may truly be said 
to be the home of the strawberry. I have no 
doubt that I made the mistake, and your pub- 
Single-Tree Sling.—Fig, 170. 
lishing it as I wrote it and calling attention 
to it by repeating the word diameter in brack¬ 
ets, with several marks of exclamation and 
one of interrogation, will have the effect of 
making me more careful in the futuie. The 
shipment of the M\ narch of the West and the 
Crystal City hss nearly closed, and that of 
the Wilson and Crescent Seedling has fairly 
commenced at this point, and the entire crop 
will be gathered within the next two weeks 
after which weshall have the Tyler Raspberry 
and earliest peaches commencing about June 
1st, and fi^rn that date on till November 1, 
we shall have a continual succession of ripen¬ 
ing peaches. L. w. b. 
Beebe, White Co., Ark. 
CATALOGUES, &C. 
B. S. Williams, New and General Plant 
catalogue, including orchids, ferns, palms, 
stoves and greenhouse plants, rhododen¬ 
drons,pelargoniums, miscellaneous ornamental 
hardy plants. Address B. S. Williams, Victoria 
and Paradise Nurseries, Upper Holloway, 
London, N. England. 
William Bull. Many novelties of value 
are announced. The body of the catalogue 
is filled with lists of new coleus, pelargoniums^ 
acacias, anthuriums, crotons, draccenas, eu¬ 
calyptus, sarracenias, orchids, ferns, cycada 
etc., etc. Address, 536 King’s Road, Chelsea, 
London, S. W. England. 
Auction Sale of Registered Jersey 
Bulls, on May 25,1882, at American Institute 
Building, N. Y. by Peter C. Kellogg & Co., 
107 John Street, N. Y. 
Illustrated Catalogue of Oaklawn 
Stud of Percheron-Norman Horses imported 
and bred by M. W. Dunham, Wayne, DuPage 
Co., Ills. 
Coming Thro’ the Rye.—Fig. 171. 
From " Illustrated Catalogue " Academy of Design. 
A NEW SINGLE-TREE SLING. 
Our illustration rep) esents a new patented 
invention of J, E. Porter, Ottawa, 111. It 
represents Porters single-tree sling with pulley 
for carrying the rope to and from the barn 
while elevating hay. By holding the single 
tree up at the hips, it is prevented from 
knocking against the horse's heels and the rope 
is kept out of the dirt. By placing it high 
enough to permit man and horse to walk 
under it, the driver can walk his horse back 
and forward. This is one of those simple 
inventions that cause one to exclaim, “ Why 
didn’t some one think of that before?” w. H. k 
PIG NOTES FROM KIRBY HOMESTEAD. 
COL F. D. CURTIS. 
The more I have to do with pigs the more 
I am convinced of the value of the stronger 
growing sorts over the delicate and fine breeds. 
They have an ability to take care of them¬ 
selves on account of their natural stamina and 
strong appetite which fit them for eating coarse 
food, and enduring neglect and exposure. For 
these reasons they are supplanting the finer 
breeds in the great hog districts and are also 
better suited to the conditions of the average 
farmer. This is why the Poland Chinas and 
Red Berkshires are so popular in the West. 
It is unsafe to put a strange pig into a pen 
with others, as they are liable to attack it and 
injure it. Several have been killed in my 
pens on this account. When the pigs have 
been turned into a yard with plenty of range 
for a few days, the strange pigs will not 
usually be molested but when shut in a close 
pen there is always danger of their being 
bitten or killed by those which have previously 
been kept together; therefore when a strange 
pig is to be put with others, they should all 
be turned into a yard or field for a few days 
until they get acquainted with each other. It 
is also unsafe to confine several sows in Dig 
together in close quarters as they are liable 
to injure each other. This is a frequent cause 
of abortion with breeding sows, and when the 
injuries are not sufficiently severe to cause 
abortion, they may result in producing in¬ 
flammation in the womb which causes the off¬ 
spring to be weak and often to die after being 
born. When pigs are bom dead it is to be 
presumed that the mother has been bruised or 
injured in some way. Too much care cannot 
be taken to prevent such result*. 
The two sows which were put into the pig- 
house cellar a few weeks since, have each had 
fine litters of pigs. One, a Red Berkshire and 
a very large animal, laid upon the head of 
one, which was apparently dead when dis¬ 
covered, but as it did not look as if it was 
crushed, only smothered, an effort was made 
to resuscitate it by opening its mouth and 
breathing into it. In a moment or two it be¬ 
gan to gasp and in less than an hour it so far 
revived that it was put back to its mother and 
did well. 
Pigs can be revived when chilled, although 
they may appear nearly lifeless. It is useless 
to attempt to make a chilled pig suck. As 
soon as discovered in this condition, they 
should be immersed in water as hot as a per- 
sou can hold his hand in, care being had to 
keep the head out. They should be kept in 
for a minute or two and then wiped dry and 
wrapped in a woolen cloth—which has been 
warmed, leaving the nose uncovered. As soon 
as they revive a little they should be fed a 
little cow’s milk, warmed, with a teaspoon, 
unless they will take it from a bottle through 
a rubber nipple. The latter is the best way, 
as there is no danger of cbokiDg them. When 
fed with a spoon it must be done slowly to 
give them an opportunity to swallow. When 
they get strong enough to walk around, they 
may be returned to the mother when they 
will be likely to help themselves. When 
they do not do this, they should be allowed 
to stand on their hind feet which is a natural 
position, and geDtly held up and the nipple 
inserted in their mouth, when they will be 
likely to take hold and help themselves. 
Gentleness is necessary, as a young pig will 
not nurse if it is frightened. The sow may be 
made to lie down by rubbing the udders with 
one hand, slightly pushing her over with the 
other. A restive sow may be quieted by 
scratching her on the back, first putting the 
pigs by her side where she can see them. 
After the pigs are born it is best not to 
attempt to feed the sow for several hours and 
then she Bhould be given nothing more than 
warm slop. Where there is plenty of milk at 
the start the food should be light for several 
days in order that the fever may be reduced 
and to preveut. too great a flow of milk, as 
this is liable to produce caking of the udders 
and to increase the fever. The effect of this 
condition is to dry up the milk. Too much 
milk is apt to produce scours in the pigs, as 
they may take more than they can digest. 
A sow should never be disturbed to remove 
the placenta, but left to follow ber instincts, 
aud when this is done sometimes she will de¬ 
vour it and sometimes not. When it is eaten 
it never causes injury but more likely good. 
