424 
JUNE 24 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, JUNE :.M, 1882, 
Some of our exchanges are advising far¬ 
mers to go through their potato patches 
or fields and destroy the eggs deposited 
by the beetles. Our own experience leads 
us to smile at this advice. We are 
obliged to do this on our experiment po¬ 
tato patches,and to do the work thorough¬ 
ly requires two hours to one-tenth of an 
acre aDd the work must be done every 
other day for at least ten days. Every leaf 
must be turned over and the use of a rake 
or hoe or stick (as recommended by our 
contemporaries) or anything else but the 
hands is absurd. One must stoop down 
and interview, as it were, every plant. 
Our readers may judge whether it would 
pay them to spend 20 hours every other 
day to every acre of potatoes in order to 
rid them of beetle eggs. If the work is 
not done thoroughly it might almost as 
well not be done at all, since if enough of 
the eggs are left to hatch out in any quan¬ 
tity, poison must be used all the same. 
-- » - ~ 
The U.S. Commissioner of Agriculture 
Dr. G. B. Loring, paid a brief visit to the 
Rural Experiment Grounds one day last 
week. lie seems very earnest in his work, 
and to take a broad view of the agricultu¬ 
ral needs of our broad country. Dr. Loring 
is in many respects well fitted for his 
position. He thinks that the Depart¬ 
ment at Washington should be the head¬ 
quarters of agricultural information, and 
that it should be so conducted as to in¬ 
spire the confidence of farmers so that they 
may look to it as the great center of trust¬ 
worthy information ever open to them. 
Dr. Loring is in the prime of life and in 
the apparent enjoyment of health. He is 
a practical farmer—intelligent, active and 
stands in no pecuniary need of any pub 
lie position whatever. Let us hope that 
no merely political considerations, likes, 
dislikes or prejudices may thwart or im 
pair the zeal with which he should help 
the grand work that lies before him, for 
which by nature and circumstances he 
seems so well fitted. 
-- 
TILLAGE vs. MANURE. 
It is plain to us that the mass of Ameri¬ 
can farmers have little appreciation of 
the value of a thorough preparation of 
the soil and subsequent thorough cultiva¬ 
tion. Nothing can be done without 
manure is the general impression, where¬ 
as the very fields in which the crops 
raised are credited to manure, might in 
many cases yield for years heavier crops, 
without any manure, it thoroughly fitte d 
and tilled. The experiments of Lawes & 
Gilbert show this; and now the Woburn 
experiments conducted under the patron¬ 
age of the Duke of Bedford, are cor¬ 
roborating them. The soil at Woburn 
was even poorer than at Rothamsted and, 
therefore, not so well adapted to wheat. 
The unmanured wheat plots have yielded 
for five yearn an average of 1C 1-2 bushels 
per acre, while last year they yielded 25 
bushels per acre, and this year promise 
to yield over 20. In our own experi¬ 
ments, the largest yield of Indian corn on 
record produced at so small a cost was 
raised upon a poor field with but 300 
pounds of commercial fertilizer to the 
acre. We are not disparaging the use of 
manure, but we desire to make it plain 
that manure with slack culture can never 
raise maximum crops, and that if it pays 
to use manure at all, it pays just as well 
to give good tillage. 
HIGH PRICE OF CHOICE BEEF AND 
LOW PRICE OF POOR. 
We noticed in the late market reports 
at Chicago that first quality steers sold 
for $8 to $0 per hundred pounds. This 
is a higher price, we believe, than they 
have reached there for many years past. 
At the same time inferior steers only real¬ 
ized half these prices. It unquestionably 
costs more to rear and fatten the latter, 
pound for pound, than the former; be¬ 
cause they arc not so good digesters of the 
food consumed by them, do not mature 
so early, and are not of so quiet a dis¬ 
position; constantly wasting flesh; or 
rather, preventing its so rapidly gaining, 
by their greater restlessness and constant 
roving about in pasture. What a differ¬ 
ence in profit the above shows to the 
breeder and feeder! 
It is a high satisfaction to us to hear 
of the rapid improvement now going on 
in the cattle pasturing the vast Western 
Plains and numerous fertile valleys of the 
Rocky Mountains. This improvement is 
cheaply and rapidly made, simply by the 
introduction of a superior class of bulls, 
of which w T e think the rolled (hornless) 
are to bo preferred, as fast as obtainable 
for this purpose. A single one of these 
if carefully husbanded, may be the sire of 
a thousand calves during life, and these 
generally come hornless, no matter what 
the dam may be. Hornless cattle cm be 
reared at 10 to 20 per cent, less cost than 
horned ones; they arc much more safely 
transported to a distant market; arrive 
there in better condition, and without in¬ 
jury to their hides. In consequence of 
not getting gored on the route, the hides 
strip clear of holes, and arc much more 
highly valued by the tanner on account 
of this, and make far preferable leather. 
--♦ ♦ ♦-- 
CURIOUS FREAKS OF NATURE. 
It is somewhat startling to look over 
such natural freaks as are recorded from 
time to time in various journals, and to 
credit them requires a large belief in the 
marvelous and Munchausen isms. A cor¬ 
respondent of the Chicago Live Stock 
Journal of May, informs us that a black 
marc in Missouri, which had been stinted 
to a Norman horse, in due time gave birth 
to a colt with a head that bore a remark¬ 
able resemblance to that of a human being! 
Not to be outdone in this particular line, 
a correspondent of the London Live Stock 
Journal just at hand, informs uj that an 
English heifer recently gave birth to a 
calf adorned with the perfect head of an 
elephant, including a trunk six inches 
long. It is explained that the dam of 
this calf, when early pregnant, was very 
much alarmed at the sight, one day, of 
an elephant belonging to a traveling circus 
passing by her. Another correspondent, 
on reading the account of this curious 
freak of nature, supposes that there are 
some hundreds of heifers and cows an¬ 
nually frightened in England by locomo¬ 
tives passing by ^hem, and he gravely asks 
if there is a single well-autheniicated case 
of one of these subsequently giviug birth 
to a calf with a f unnel and wheels instead 
of a head? We have often seen cows fright¬ 
ened by dogs and other animals and ob¬ 
jects, but neither a puppy nor any like¬ 
ness of these other objects resulted from 
these frights. On the ocher hand, we 
have occasionally seen color spots born on 
calves which were not natural to their 
breed. For example, a pr< gnant Short¬ 
horn cow once coming out of its stall, 
was suddenly frightened by a black sheep, 
and the calf with which it was pregnant, 
when born showed a large black spot on 
oue of its shoulders. Now black spots 
are unknown, naturally, in the colors of 
pure bred Short horn cattle, these vary¬ 
ing only from pure white to an intermix¬ 
ture of led or pure red. 
-♦ » » ■ — 
WHAT THE HARVEST WILL BE. . 
The high appreciation of the value 
of agricultural statistics entertained by 
the National Government, is shown by 
the fact that while ouiy $10,000 were ex¬ 
pended last year by the Department of 
Agriculture in collecting such statistics, 
$75,000 have this year been appropriated 
for that, purpose. This year, too, our own 
reports from all parts of the country are 
far more numerous thau ever before. The 
total number received amounts to about 
5,000, covering all sorts of crops and all 
sections of the country. With lew ex¬ 
ceptions, they have all been sent by prac¬ 
tical farmers and others intimately con¬ 
nected with agricullure in Borne of its 
departments, and all are the result of 
careful observation and intelligent inquiry. 
They all relate to the area and condition 
of the crops from June 1 to June 12, the 
date of the latest of the written reports 
embraced in this summary, although tele¬ 
graphic reports received from various parts 
of the country as late as this morning, 
have aided or confirmed our conclusions. 
A complete analysis of the entire number 
of reports scarcely alters the brief sum¬ 
mary given on the first page of our last 
issue, whose detailed reports give to the 
careful reader a very fair idea of the com¬ 
parative area and prospects of the various 
crops everywhere. 
What cotton is to the South wheat is to 
the North—the great money crop; and 
although the value of the corn crop is 
ne »rly double that of the wheat crop, the 
latter excites more general interest among 
the public at large, if not among the agri¬ 
cultural community. Nearly all our re¬ 
ports show that the condition of Winter 
wheat is unusually fine aud the area con¬ 
siderably larger than last year, mainly» 
however, owing to the largor amount sown 
in the South and the newly-settled parts 
of the country. The w r et, cool weather 
which has been unfavorable to the seeding 
of corn and Spring wheat, has been quite 
propitious for Winter wheat, and the yield 
t herefore has been very satisfactory where 
the crop has been already harvested, and 
a like outcome is promised elsewhere. In 
the Spring wheat acreage there appears to 
be a considerable falling off, amounting 
possibly to seven per cent., chiefly in 
Southwestern Minnesota, Northwestern 
Iowa and Southern Wisconsin. In some 
parts of Dakota also the late, wet season 
has led to a decline in area, although there 
appears to be a considerable increase, for 
the entire Territory on account of the in¬ 
crease of new ‘'breaking.” The condi¬ 
tion of the crop, too, is there very fine— 
above the average —and better than last 
year in Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and 
Wisconsin. 
Taking the Winter and Spring wheats 
together, the present condition appears to 
promise an average yield of about 13 bush¬ 
els per acre against 10 1-10 last year. The 
Department of Agriculture estimates the 
aggregate area under wheat last year at 
37,700,020 acres, and the total yield at 
380,000,000 bushels; on the basis of the 
acreage being about the same this year 
(and it will hardly be less) the yield, at 
the above rate, would be 490,000,000 
bushels against 480,000,000 in 1880. We 
hardly think, however, that this year’s 
wheat crop will exceed that of 1880—the 
largest ever raised. 
In no other year since we began the 
collection of reports of this kind has it 
been so difficult at this season to speak 
with anything like assurance in regard to 
the outlook for corn. Spring after hav¬ 
ing started on her way to Summer ud- 
usually bright and early, loitered so long 
on the road in a cold and tearful mood 
that a large proportion of the total area 
of corn remained unplanted by June 1, 
and according to our telegrap'hic advices 
from the West, considerable planting 
was being done as late as the middle of 
the month. Some of the May-plauted 
corn rotted in the ground owing to the 
excessive rainfall and cold weather, but 
most of the area has been replanted, and 
it must have always been small in com¬ 
parison with the total acreage. Last year 
the yield per acre was away below 
the previous year’s, the area being 64,262,- 
025 acres, according to the Department 
of Agriculture's estimate, and the yield 
1,194,000,000 bushels. This year there 
has been a large increase in area in the 
South and advices from the Northwest 
say the area under corn there is unusually 
large; in Illinois, the greatest of the 
corn-producing States, the reports are 
discouraging, both the area and con¬ 
dition of the crop being reported much 
below last year's at this date. From In¬ 
diana, however, which nearly equals Il¬ 
linois as a corn producer, the reports are 
considerably more cheering both as to 
area planted and its condition. The high 
price of corn this year is certain to in¬ 
duce farmers to put in all they can, so 
that there is little doubt that there will 
be an increase of acreage. In the South 
a crop unusually large both in area and 
yield is already assured, but throughout 
the North the plants are still, ns a rule, 
stunted in growth and of a poor color. 
Corn, however, grows with such marvel¬ 
ous rapidity under our hot midsummer 
suns, and is reported to be thriving so 
well in the bright days that now stimu¬ 
late it, that, with warm, dry weather in 
July and August, there is yet ample time 
to make a fine crop. We certainly expect 
a larger crop than last year’s, though not 
so large a one as that of 1880, the largest 
ever produced, amountingto 1,717,434,543 
bushels, grown on 02,317,842 acres. 
The acreage under oats is even larger 
than last year aud its condition is better. 
A year ago we prophesied that the oat 
harvest would he heavier than the wheat, 
and the reports of the Agricultural De¬ 
partment confirmed our prediction, as¬ 
signing 416,000,000 bushels to the for¬ 
mer against 380,000,000 bushels to the 
latter. In spite of the unusually large 
area and fine condition of Oats at present, 
however, we expect the total yield to be 
about 40,000,000 bushels less than the ag 
gregate wheat crop. Barley, aud rye as 
a cereal crop, are of much importance only 
in a few States. Both are largely grown 
in New York, Wisconsin and Iowa, while 
barley is an important item m California 
agriculture aud a considerable item iu that 
of Minnesota and Dakota; aud rye is 
pretty extensively grown in Pennsylvania, 
Illinois and New 7 Jersey. Iu these States, 
as well as in several others, there is a 
small increase under both crops, and the 
yield will be larger than heretofore. 
All over the North the area under po¬ 
tatoes is unusually large, and the condi¬ 
tion of the crop is good. Several weeks 
before planting time we warned our 
readers that owing to the very high prices 
for the tubers this Spring and the past 
Winter, a very large acreage would, most 
likely, be planted, and consequently that 
the prices would probably be low after 
harvest. Our reports amply confirm our 
expressed opinion as to the area that 
would be planted, and should the weather 
prove favorable and insect pests be mod¬ 
erate in numbers or combated vigorously, 
the prediction as to low prices must in¬ 
evitably be fulfilled. The old adage 
a (.-old, wet May 
A barn full of bay 
is very likely to be realized all over the 
country. Grass throughout the South is 
excellent; and from fair to good in other 
sections. In New England, w r here this 
crop is by far the most important, the 
prospect is especially cheering, as abun¬ 
dant rains have there assured a tine crop. 
Owing to a poor “catch” and winter¬ 
killing elovei is a poor crop in many sec¬ 
tions, but even this is on the whole 
nearly up to an average. 
The area under cotton last year was 
about 16,184,000 acres; from this there 
is a falling off estimated by the Agricul¬ 
tural Department at 2 7-10 per cent., 
though Bradstreet, from reports of 1,000 
correspondents, puts it as high as six per 
cent. Our own reports indicate a decline 
of from three to four per cent. Texas, 
Florida, Virginia and the Indian Territory 
alone report an increase. The decrease 
seems greatest in Louisiana, Arkansas, 
Mississippi and Tennessee, in all of which 
the great floods in the Lower Mississippi 
Valley have somewhat retarded the plant¬ 
ing of cotton and lessened the area devoted 
to it. Greater than the shrinkage in any of 
these States, however, appears to be the 
shortage in Georgia, whose wide-awake 
planters have devoted an exceptionally 
large acreage to mixed farming. The 
condition of the growing plants has been 
stunted and injured by wet and cold 
wetther, being from five to ten per cent, 
worse than at the same time last year and 
fully eleven per cent, below 7 the condition 
of the fine crop of 1880. During the last 
four days, however, the temperature all 
over the Southwest and Lower Mississippi 
Valley has been from 92 to 99 degrees, 
and this will give a fine impulse to cotton 
growth. June determines the stand of 
cotton, w hile July and August govern the 
development of the bolls. Even with a 
fair season henceforth, however, the crop 
is likely to be half a million bales less than 
last year’s. 
Fruit, which was overlooked in our 
■ summary last, week, will be plentiful this 
year, especially apples. From present in¬ 
dications this year’s crop of the latter 
will be among the heaviest ever produced. 
Plums will also be plentiful, and although 
cherries and peaches were considerably 
injured by late frosts in many place*., still 
there will, on the whole, be no great 
scarcity of these. Pears promise to he 
merely a fair crop. The outlook for 
small fruits of all sorts is excellent nearly 
everywhere. 
The chief practical benefit of these 
special Crop Numbers to farmers, lies in 
the fact that they are the barison which a 
large mass of subsequent information is 
superimposed. These give clearand trust¬ 
worthy information from disinterested 
sources of the condition of all crops 
throughout the eouutry at this time. 
Their condition between now aud harvest 
will be fully detailed in our “Everywhere,” 
“Agricultural N :ws” aud “Editorial” 
Departments, so thatour readers will be in 
possession of all necessary information to 
enable them to market their crops to the 
best advantage. 
--- 
BREVITIES. 
Keep th« corn fields free of weeds and the 
surface soil mellow. 
Our country strawberry festivals have 
corae off as usual, the strawberries having 
been supplied by Southern markets. They 
are strawberry festivals all the same, though 
possibly not as festive as if the tables had 
been supplied with the sweeter berries of our 
own fields and gardens. 
FROM the Woburn experiments, alluded to 
elsewhere on this page, it- appears that farm 
manures make a wretched showing beside the 
chemical Fertilizers. This is thought to be 
owing to the extreme lightness of the soil, 
which seems to be harmed rather than bene¬ 
fited by the addition of manures which make 
it still lighter. 
TnE attention of pareuta is directed to Hon. 
C. W Garfield’s article, entitled “Children 
and Horticulture,” which this week appears 
in the Youths’ Department. We deem it just 
as much theduty of pureuts t-o encourage and 
to cultivate in their children a love of plant 
life ns that they should encourage them to 
go to Habbath school or to church. Hie for- 
mer leads to tied as surely as theother, audoft- 
timen by a way far more enticing. We shall 
1 hearSecretary Garfield again on this sub ject} 
