THI RURAL NIW-YORKER. 
JUNE 40 
season transplant and set three feet apar- 
eaeh way, and leaves can be picked to feed 
worms. The third year they may be set in 
the plantation six feet apart each way, and 
as they grow from year to year each alter¬ 
nate one should be removed until they are 
twenty-four feet apart each way. The 
trees that are to be removed should be de¬ 
pended upon to furnish more worm food, 
leaving the leaves of the others to help the 
growth of the tree, although all will part with 
some of the leaves without in jury. Almost 
any building that will protect the worms 
from the sun, the wind and the rain will be 
suitable for their work. Good ventilation i6 
indispensable. Frames or shelves furnish 
resting places for the worms, on which they 
are fed. Eggs can be readily procured for 
a small price. They hatch readily in the 
proper temperature, and grow rapidly, re¬ 
quiring food and care from the first. They 
eat night and day for about four weeks, ex¬ 
cept during moulting time. They then be¬ 
gin to spin their cocoons about them, which 
occupies three or four days. This being done, 
they are exposed to strong heat, or baked, to 
kill the chrysalis; otherwise it would soon eat 
its way out of its silken house and appear in 
the form of a moth, lay its eggs and die. Co¬ 
coons from which the chrysalis eats out lose 
most of their value. 
From what we have said it will readily be 
seen silk culture, as a separate and distinct 
business, offers no inducements. It is only for 
those who have spare land and unemployed 
labor. The brightest hope for it in this coun. 
try comes from the fact that many women 
and children have unoccupied time, that may 
be profitably and pleasantly employed in this 
abor. It is a business that is to be done at 
home, and requires very little outlay—so the 
receipts, if small, are nearly all clear profit. 
If one should undertake an establishment on a 
large scale, with the idea that if feeding a few 
thousand worms was profitable, the profit 
must be in proportion when many more were 
fed, and for the purpose should erect buildings 
and hire labor, he would be sure to see his 
mistake before the end of the first season. 
It is eminently fitted as an industry for our 
Southern States, where labor is p'enty and 
capital scarce, and where every incentive 
should be offered to increase the numbers of 
occupations, rather than depend so much as at 
present on the cotton crop. 
So that Bosh-butter and Lard-cheese, 
says the London Agricultural Gazette, are 
not unwholesome, and that they be ticketed 
with their real names in wholesale market 
and retail shop, the public bav*e little right 
to complain. Nor have the English farmers ! 
Is ingenuity possible only on the other side of 
the herring-pond ? Are there not agencies at 
work which are pretty certain, sooner or 
later, to bring sham productions to their 
proper level in our market, if only our pro¬ 
ducers keep up the quality of their own 
wares ? 
Ensilage. —Professor Johnson thinks that 
ensilage has no more nutritive value than 
green corn fodder, meaning that there is no 
more focd in the ensilage when it comes out 
than there was in the corn when it went in. 
“ But,” says Professor Johnson, “it comes out 
very palatable, and that makes a great deal of 
difference.” He thinks he could select a couple 
of ladies who would take the same meat and 
the same flour, and the same butter and the 
same apples, and go to work and make mince 
pies, and the pies made by one of them would 
be very nice, and the other’s would not be fit 
to eat. The same nutriment would be in 
both, but the feeding effect would be differ¬ 
ent. And in respect to ensilage, that is one of 
its advantages, that it gives us a very pnlata- ’ 
ble food; it has a flavor about it which is 
agreeable to cattle; they eat it with more rel¬ 
ish, and that is a very important thing. 
Professor J. P. Sheldon, author of Dairy 
Farming, and a high authority, attributes the 1 
deterioration of Cheshire cheese to the use of > 
large quantities of bone manure on the pas- ' 
tures. Unimproved land produces the best ' 
quality of cheese. Except Stilton, he rates ' 
fine Leicester as the best English cheese, and ( 
Gruyfcre the best of all cheese. 
Mr. Rice says that a pound of corn will 
make a pound of glucose—so you see, he adds, 
what it costs and what you pay for it. . . M 
. . . In 1881 (April) carp fish only two 1 
inches long, were put in a “pot of water” at 1 
the Kansas Agricultural College, says the In- e 
dustrialist. Awhile ago, just one year after, j 
ten of them were caught each measuring 13 ] 
inches and weighing 1)4 pound. The Indus- a 
trialist saj r s: “ In view of the facts that a 
these fishes have lived in a square hole filled j 
with water, the 'hole’ being more like a house $ 
cellar without the wall than a ‘ fish pond,' and c 
have been fed only once a week and oftener 1 
onoe a month, we are disposed to consider I c 
these carp the most profitable ‘ yard fowls ’ 
that have yet been introduced in this country.” 
Two farmers fight about a cow while the 
laAvyers milk her. ... * * It is thought 
that the drive well swindle has been per¬ 
manently run into the ground.—N. Y. Tri 
bnne.No man can stand inves¬ 
tigation better than he who does not need to 
be investigated.When a man 
takes up politics for a profession his nature 
changes as easily as a tadpole becomes a frog. 
..President Barry knows of a 
number of old, unproductive orchards that 
were greatly benefited by being manured and 
plowed—masses of roots having been taken 
off. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
i - 
Kansu*. 
1 Parsons, Labette Co., May 18.—Everybody 
• knows as much as any other man on weather. 
From such a mild Winter as the last, most of 
us expected an early season. The contrary 
exists. The season is later than the average. 
Regarding wheat, the acreage is less than 
usual, and after weighing conflicting evi¬ 
dence, I incline to think the crop will he good. 
Late sowing is thin, sickly, and under the 
attacks of the Chinch bugs. Early sowed is 
very flue. The best sign, however, of a good 
crop is found in the fact that the sturdy yeo¬ 
man, after waiting for the inevitable (?) rise, 
is setting out clean. The Chinch-bugs are in¬ 
numerable, and are doing damage in oats, 
and partially in corn. Fruits of all kinds are 
going to yield a big crop. Pastures, from a 
very dry Summer and a very soft Winter, are 
thin. The heat destroyed many roots, and the 
tramping of stock on the soft soil, followed 
by a dry spell, baked the ground. The acre 
age of crops may be thus stated: Pastures 
(tame grass), 2 percent.; do. wild, 20; meadow 
(tame grass), 1; do. wild,*15; oats, 6; castor 
beans, 12; wheat, 1; millet, 4; flax seed, 
orchard. }{: garden,: Indian corn, 30: wood¬ 
land and waste, 8. Total. 100. Stock is almost 
inconceivably scarce, and all kinds are thin. 
Many horses have been starved. The supply 
of stock in the large Western markets, except¬ 
ing hogs, is from Texas. Gra<s Texans are 
45 per cent, higher than last year; 200 cars 
passed north three days ago. Prices here are: 
Fat cows (live), £4 80; do. steers, none; do. 
sheep, none; do. hogs (live), $6.50; butter, 15c.; 
eggs, 15o,; wheat, $1.10; corn (imported), 95c.; 
oats (sold out), 70c. Times hard, but the people 
bear their privations bravely. j. b. 
Keuiucky. 
Greenville, Muhlenburgh Co., May 27.— 
We have had a cold Spring so far, but it is 
as early as I have ever seen it in this country. 
More wheat was sown last year than ever 1 
before, and to this date it is very promising. 
Larger crops of corn have been planted than 
usual, and all adjoining counties report most 
flattering prospects for wheat and corn. 
Thera will be a fair crop of apples and 
peaches. Strawberries a short crop. Stock 
scarce and high. Hogs very scarce. Corn is 
selling for $1.05. T. H. b, 
Micblgnn. 
East Springport, May 20.—Farmers are 
all very busy planting. We have had a cold 
Spring so far; but there has been a larger 
acreage of oats sowed than usual, and there 
wiil be more corn planted. The weather is 
now warm and everything is growing fast. 
Wheat looks better than for several years at 
this time. Everything looks favorable for 
farmers at present. Prices are good, but help 
is quite scarce: good hands can get plenty 
work and good pay. The frost bas damaged 
fruit about half; but there will be plenty 
apples if we have no more frosts. H. w. H. 
N ew York. 
Caton, Steuben Co., May 25.—We have had 
some splendid weather to get in our crops. A 
good rain last week set things growing nicely; 
if it had not been for that our hay crop would 
have been quite slim. A very large acreage 
of potatoes is planted; all have planted from 
one to eight acres. Pastures look fine. Win¬ 
ter wheat is coming on very well. Plenty of 
barley has been sown. b. av. 
Ohio. 
Windham, Portage Co., May 15.—The last 
10 days have been quite rainy and some of the 
time it has been hot and muggy; then the 
wind would change to the north and no'th- 
east and blow quite cold. This rain has im- 
proved wheat aud grass very much. The 
long, dry, cold spell we had kept things back 
very much. Oats that have been sowed three 
weeks are just comiug up; no corn planted 
yet; it will take three or four dayB for the 
ground to get dry enough to work, if it clears 
off now. Cheese factories did not start until 
May 1, and are not getting the usual amount 
of milk yet, there being., more calves raised 
this Spring^than for some time before. Butter 
has been very high all the Spring, but is now 
down to 20 cents per pound; eggs 15 per 
dozen. t. p. 
Texas. 
Pattonville, Lamar Co., May 23.—March 
opened warm, and corn was all planted by the 
25th. April was dry and moderately cool, 
with a heavy frost on the 19th. May has been 
cool and seasonable so far—light frosts on Kith 
and 15th. The smooth wheat has all been out 
10 days since ; now harvesting the bearded 
varieties. Both kinds promises a heavy yield; 
vegetables are abundant; Amsden peach is 
now ripe; Beatrice coloring. Peach crop, also 
apples, will be heavy. Heavy rain on the 
20th. D. E. R. 
Wisconsin. 
Cassville, Grant Co , May 15.—We are 
having a cold, wet Spring. Rye and Winter 
Wheat—what little is sown—look splendid. 
Oats look well but are late; field peas aud flax 
are up and look well. About half the corn 
is planted. There will be a large acreage of 
potatoes this year. My clover sown this 
Spring Is up and looks well. Fruit trees are 
in blossom; the plum trees are covered. The 
Miner Plum does well here, but our early 
plums are wild ones selected when commencing 
to bear and replanted. Apple trees are also 
full of blossoms. The Snyder Blackberry is 
looking well. Raspberries look fine. I have 
a few Brinckle’s Orange Raspberries not pro¬ 
tected, and none of them is Wiuter-killpd. I 
have sown the Rural Wheat as Spring Wheat; 
it looks well, f saw a statement in the Rural 
that Winter wheat would not do well as a 
Spring wheat. A neighbor of mine in 1S58 
brought from Canada 20 bushels of Fife 
Wheat that had been raised there as Winter 
wheat. He sowed it in the Spring and it did 
well for a number of years, when it began to 
“runout.” That has been the way with all 
new kinds brought here. j. a. 
£!)c (Qumst. 
ASNWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address ot the writer to Insure attention 1 
BEE QUERIES. 
O. F., West Alexandria, Ohio, 1. Please 
give a cut of the Langstroth hive, Avith direc¬ 
tions for making such a hive ? 2. Whst is the 
best book on bee keeping for beginners ? 3, 
How can the wings of a queen be clipped ? 
Ans.— 1 . We give a figure of a two story 
and a story-and a half Langstroth hive; also 
of a Langstroth frame. In the figure of the 
story-and a-half hive, the crate with sections 
to receive comb-honey is represented. In use 
this rests upon the hive. The hive tak°s eight 
Two-story Langstroth Hive.—Fig. 182. 
or ten of the frames and each frame occupies 
1}4 inch. The frames run from front to rear 
of the hives, and the projecting ends rest on 
rabbets or shoulders that are cut on the inside 
at the top of the end boards. Otherwise, the 
cuts explain themselves. It is best, however, 
for any one wishing a hive, to send to a dealer 
and get a good one complete. All should know 
that all of the hives now used by the best bee- 
the thumb and finger of the right hand, by 
the wing*, and put her feet on the left band; 
she will not sting; then press wph a finger of 
the left hand on one or 1 wo of her feet, so as 
to hold her. Then take some scissors in the 
right hand and clip her wings. In all cases 
bo very careful not to press the abdomen. 
One can cut the wing while the queen is crawl¬ 
ing on the comb without lifting her from it, 
Langstroth. ** 
Story-and-a half Hive.— Fig. 183. 
keepers are not patented, and so no one should 
be inveigled into buying patent hives by un¬ 
principled agents. 2. One of the best bee 
books is that by our correspondent, Prof, A. J. 
Cook—Manual of the Apiary—and it will be 
sent by him for $1.25. His address is Lansing, 
Mich, 2. To clip the queen, take her between 
Frame.— Fig. 184. 
but it is delicate work, and needs the deft 
hands of a lady to make it a success. 
PEACH AND CABBAGE PESTS. 
Ji. O'H., Loving Creek , Va. 1, What are the 
inclosed insects that swarm on peach trees, 
can ing the leaves tocurl up? 2, My cabbages 
are attacked by minute green lice that eat 
completely through the leaf, leaving only the 
rib. They are the progeny of a fly that 
deposits its eggs on the under side of the leaf— 
how should they be treated? 
ANSWER BY G. H. FRENCH. 
The lice on the peach leaf seem to be what 
is known as the Peach Tree Aphis (Myzus 
Persicas). The insects are all dead and dry, 
but the shape of the organs and the color 
correspond with those of that species. Dr. 
Gyrus Thomas says of this species, in his report 
on plant lice, that it “is very variable in 
color, some to the naked eye appearing quite 
black, whilst others are brown, olive brown 
or greenish black. The honey tubes slender 
and cylindrical; tail pointed and black.” 
The wingless specimens vary from this in 
being more of a reddish cast. U.-uallyitis not 
necessary to do anything to rid a tree in the 
open ground of plant lice for the reason that 
the larvae of Syrphus flies, Lace Wing flies and 
Lady Birds are found among them almost as 
soon as they get wel 1 to work on a tree, and these 
busy little enemies soon destroy the lice. But 
it has been so cool of late that the lice have 
increased faster than their enemies, which 
may not be the case long. Trees may be 
syringed with strong soap suds or a mixture 
of a little kerosene in water, about a table- 
spoonful to a pail of water. 2, The cabbage 
insects oaonot well be plant lice, (though they 
may also be on the cabbages), because lice 
never eat holes in a leaf. The trouble may be 
due to one of three or four insects: the larvae 
of the European Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris 
rap®) the Southern Cabbage Butterfly (P. pro¬ 
todice) the Cabbage Pionea (Pionea rimosalis) 
or the Cabbage Web Moth (Plutella crucifer- 
arum), It is difficult to give a positive remedy 
for either. Showering the cabbages with 
brine is perhaps as good as any. 
HEIFER STRAINING AFTER CALVING. 
O. E. F., Jtenwick, Iowa. A valuable two- 
year-old heifer of mine calved 17 days ago 
and at first appeared to do very well; but 
after a day or two I noticed she continued to 
strain as though she would cast her after¬ 
birth, and i-he continues to do so. I have 
stopped milking her, yet she is badly run 
down—what can be done for her? 
Ans.—I c is imoossible to say precisely what 
is the cause of the disturbance as It may re¬ 
sult from a retention of the afterbirth, from 
muscular exdteme it, from nervous disorder, 
from inflammation, or from several other com¬ 
plications which cause these after-pains, as 
they are called, and the accompanying strain¬ 
ing. The treatment in any case should bo 
such as will alleviate the nervous aud muscu¬ 
lar excitement. Give one pound of Glauber 
salts and follow it with 20 drops of tincture of 
aconite four times a day; with one-half ounce 
of chlorate of potash given twice in the day, 
between the first and second, and third and 
fourth doses of aconite. If the straining 
should continue an iujeotio n of gum water 
one pint, Avith two ounces of glycerine and’ 
one ounce of laudanum may be given with 
benefit. 
CANCER ON ox’s EYELID. 
O. A, It., Pine, Minn. An ox of mine has 
an excrescence on the eyelid Two years ago 
it was a small, flesh-like substance, adhering 
to the under lid. It did not seem to grow 
until about three months ago, but since then it 
has extended entirely around the eye,adhering 
to the lids aud forming a sac just under the 
eye. Tt emits a quantity of whitish matter, 
sometimes tinged with blood. What is it and 
what should be the treatment ? 
Ans.— It is without doubt a cancer, and by 
neglect has involved so much of the eyelid as 
to give some trouble in the treatment. If you 
can procure some boracic acid, apply this in 
the form of a paste, made with water and 
glycerine in equal parts, by menus wf a short- 
haired camel’s-hair pencil. If not, apply a 
solution of nitrate of *11 ver—10 grains to a tea¬ 
spoonful of water; this should be carefully 
applied so as to avoid the eye-ball. The sac 
below the eye. ia probably no more than a »ec 
