850 
ie 
DEG 46 
Cost of Raising Tobacco.— A late meet¬ 
ing of tbe Chemung Valley Tobacco Club of 
New York State considered the important 
question of the cost of raising a pouud of 
tobacco. Considerable time was given to it. 
and estimates of the expense required to per¬ 
form the various steps in the growing of the 
crop, and in its manipulation to prepare it 
for market, were carefully made by practical 
growers present. The results of the estimates, 
which were based upon years of practical ex¬ 
perience will surprise some, yet it is probable 
the figures are not far out of the way for 
average years and for careful culture and 
handling. It was decided that tbe various 
steps be itemized and each member present 
give his best judgment as to the cost of the 
work, the average of the different decisions 
to be taken as to the cost. Thus the different 
items were taken up one by one and tbe 
repective figures fixed according to the very 
best judgment of those present, all of whom 
are experienced tobacco growers: 
■Rent of laiul. including manure, per acre.$40.00 
Plowing twice, harrowing and ridging, per acre 5.00 
Plants, per .hero... ... 8.OH 
setting plants, per acre.... 3-00 
Resetting " “ . l 50 
Cultivating live times, per acre... 3.75 
Hoeing twice, per acre . . 7.00 
Worming, per aero,,.,.,. 9.<*0 
Topping •• 75 
Suckering “ .. 4 75 
Cutting and hanging, per acre. 8.00 
Shed room, per acre. 10.00 
Twine for hanging, per acre. 5U 
Total cost up to time of taking down.. .$%.25 
Cost of taking down, stripping, assorting, pack¬ 
ing and casing, on a basis of 1 .WO pounds per 
acre—about an average yield — at 2V* cents 
per pound...37.50 
Total expense of raising one acre.$133 75 
Cost per pound on a basis of 1.500 per acre.080 
Here we have, from as close an estimate as 
can be made, a cost of $133.^ 1 amount 
required to grow an acre of good tohacco, or 
$0 089 per pound. Of course tobacco may be 
produced cheaper than this by scanty culture 
and careless handling, but experience has 
proven that the best culture and handling 
briug the most profit. If these figures are cor¬ 
rect, tobacco cannot be grown for eight cents 
Der pound and leave a profit for the grower. 
-»«» ■ — 
Testing Potatoes,— The Director of tbe 
N. Y. Ex. Station says that while fertility of 
soil may overcome unfavorable condition of 
seed, yet at times the favorable condition of 
the seed will, in a large measure, offset no 
favorable character of the soil, and when the 
character of the soil and the character of the 
seed are both of the best, Mien and there is 
the best opportunity for the most prolific 
and satisfactory results. In order to discover 
the efficacy of the method of cutting the seed 
of the potato it seems desirable to use soil of 
unfavorable condition a* one test, as in this 
manner the influence of favorable soil is elim¬ 
inated in a measure from the result, and the 
seed has opportunity to develop its own in¬ 
herent capabilities. A parallel experiment 
on land fertile and in good condition is also 
quite desirable in order to obtain an insight 
into the relative powers of the seed and the 
soil toward influencing crops. Inourexperi 
ments this year we found that on rich soil 100 
hills of 100 small and divided eyes planted, 
yielded 100 pounds of merchantable tubers. 
Upon a soil out of condition 100 hills with 300 
small shallow eyes plauted, yielded but five 
pounds of merchantable tubers. 
--- 
Kieffer’s Hybrid Pear.— The Rural's 
opinion (often expressed) of the Kieffer Hy¬ 
brid Pear is more than sustained by Mr. C. 
M. Hovey in our excellent contemporary the 
Mass. Ploughman. He says that it is per¬ 
fectly safe to say of the large number of 
pears placed on the rejected list by the 
American Pomological Society, that there is 
scarcely one but what is superior to the 
Kieffer in quality though perhaps not in 
vigor of the tree, or size and appearance of 
the fruit. Of the more than 8(H) varieties of 
European pears that Mr. H. has fruited the 
past 40 years, and the greater part of which 
he has now regrafted, he does not recollect 
one inferior in quality to the Kieffer. 
THE LATEST AND BRIEFEST. 
Mr. S. B. Parsons speaking of plant labels> 
in the London Gardeu, says that those made 
of zinc, as we have recommended, should be 
fastened to the plant with galvanized iron 
wire as they will cut through copper wir e 
and fall to the ground. The Rural is trying 
both kinds. 
Whatever you owe you ought to pay 
promptly aud cheerfully, except, perhaps, a 
grudge, and that you had better continue to 
owe.-... 
A well-known citizen of Doniphan County, 
Kansas, has a small pond, and early last year 
placed 20 carp therein, the Industrialist tells 
us. A few days ago he went into the pond 
with a seine aud caught carp weighing four 
pounds...... 
It is a good plan to lay down the canes of 
grape vines and cover them with Utter of 
some kind. We prefer this to covering the 
canes with earth as recommended by some 
journals.>.... • 
~Tue Tobacco Leaf recommends cases with 
small cracks left between the end boards, as 
the openings let off the moisture and might 
in some cases prevent damage to the tobacco. 
Assorting and packing rooms are preferred 
without floors, because damper and, perhaps, 
warmer... 
The Rural New-Yorker is the only 
weekly National journal of agriculture and 
horticulture published in America .. It is 
the. only journal that conducts an experi¬ 
ment farm and horticultural grounds purely 
in. the interests of its readers, Jt is the 
only journal that has systematically dis¬ 
tributed new and valuable seeds and plants 
free among its subscribers , thus introducing 
some of the most popular farm and garden 
plants Im own. Its corps of writers are by 
all conceded, to be the best ever col¬ 
lected together to write for a single rural 
journal. Its editors strive to tell the exact 
truth regarding the new seeds, plants, farm 
implements, etc , which are purchased or 
sent to the Rural Grounds to be tried. 
While appreciating its advertising patron¬ 
age, it places the interests of its readers 
foremost and condemns or praises accord¬ 
ing to deserts. 
(^lUTljUlllCVC. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Ohio. 
New Springfield, Mahoning Co., Nov. 24. 
—The season has been fair. We had a cold, 
wet Spring, but we are having a beautiful 
Fall, such as we seldom have. We had a 
splendid wheat crop— 20 to 25 bushels per acre 
and in some fields 30 bushels; oats, 40 to 45 
bushels per acre. There were some poor fields 
of corn and some averaged 100 bushels to the 
acre. Potatoes a fair crop. Fiuit a failure: 
no apoles of any account. Prices are good: 
Wheat, f 1 05 per bushel; oats, 40 cents per 
bushel; corn, 70 cents per bushel; potatoes, 70 
to 80 cents per bushels. Butter brings 28 cents 
per pound; eggs, 25 cents per dozen; pork and 
beef are very high. The Rural is always a 
welcome visitor. h h. m. 
Pennsylvania. 
Scottsville, Wyoming Co., Nov. 27.—We 
are here situated 25 miles south of Tonawauda, 
Pa., on the Susquehanna River: soil yellow, 
sandy loam. Wheat was a very good crop. 
Price now. per bushel, $1.15. Hay and oats 
very good; hay, $10 per ton; oats, 45 cents 
per bushel. Potatoes quite good; price, 50 cents 
per bushel. Apple and peach crops quite 
fair in yield but poor in quality. Winter ap¬ 
ples are now selling at 70 cents per bushel. 
Cattle very high: good cows worth $40 per 
head. Pork, fresh, tiine cents per pound. We 
had no drought during Summer until late this 
Fall, and now it is very severe upon us and 
the Susquehanna is lower than ever known at 
this season of the year, and Winter has al¬ 
ready commenced. j. G. f. 
RURAL SEED REPORTS. 
Canada. 
Cornwall, Ontario, Nov. 28.—The Rural 
is the best paper of its class on this continent, 
and I would give up my local paper any time 
in preference to the Rural, and as to real 
value the paper is worth the money without 
the seed, and the seeds are worth the price of 
the subscription alone. The Perfect Gem 
Squash is well named. I had 17 squashes on 
oue vine, all within a radius of four feet; 
some of them were not quite ripe owing to 
the wet cold Spring we had, but the ripe ones 
were just delicious. The celery is an improve, 
ment on anything of the kind I have raised 
yet. I had a big crop of the Beauty of 
Hebron and White Elephant potatoes. The 
Thoroughbred corn bore immense ears, but 
did not mature with me. My little daughter 
who is a member of the Horticultural Club, 
took charge of the flower seeds and she had 
quite a nice garden. w. s. T* 
Simcok, Out., Nov. 22.—The Rural Flint 
Corn and the Perfect Gem Squash did very 
well; the squashes were excellent; we had 
over 50. The corn ears were, some of them, 
15 inches long, but some cattle having got in 
and destroyed a lot of it, I will riot try fora 
prize. The other seeds failed to grow. 1 
planted the wheat this Fall and I hope to get 
a good return next year. A. G. 
Comircticiif. 
Groton, New, London Co., Nov. 2S.— 
Planted 100 kernels of Rural Flint corn; 154 
germinated. Weight of ears 177 12 16 pounds 
and of shelled grain, 10014-10 pounds. Ground, 
a gravelly loam manured at. the rate of 20 
two-horse loads per acre. »s. «. t„ 
Stratford, Fairfield Co. — Planted 151 
grains of the Dent corn, of which 96 germi¬ 
nated. On Nov. 4, I picked 181 ears which 
weighed 142# pounds; shelled 109% pounds, c. 
Illinois. 
Paris, Edgar Co., Nov. 24.—Planted 158 
grains of Rural Heavy Dent Corn on June 5; 
97 germinated, but cut-worms and storms 
destroyed the stalks from 11 of them, aud five 
bore no ears; but the yield was 144 pounds of 
ears which shelled 95 pounds of corn; cobs, 30 
pounds. Largest ear 13 inches, with 10 rows. 
Right of stalks from 10 to 12 feet. Ground, 
timber land, bordering on prairie, k. b. r. 
Indiana. 
Seklyvtlle, Vigo Co., Nov. 20.—Planted 
160 grains of Rural Heavy Dent Corn on a 
clay loam, May 20; 115 germinated. Weight 
of yield in the ear 174)^ pounds; shelled, 133 
pounds. The other seeds did moderately 
well. H. D. 
Iowa. 
Rossei.l, Carrol Co.— I had 99 hills of Dent 
corn, which, harvested Oct. 25, yielded 339 
pounds in the ear and 274 pounds of shelled 
corn. p. T. 
Independence, Buchanan Co., Nov. 23.— 
The Gem Squash is a gem indeed, rivaling the 
sweet potato in sweetness and flavor. Tbe 
hollyhocks also did well. d. t. 
Michigan. 
Eau Claire, Berrian Co., Nov. 24—I 
planted 155 grains of Rural DentCorn on May 
17 on light, sandy soil 145 germinated. Corn 
grew 10 to 13 feet high. It was cut Sept. 28. 
Weight in ears 190 pounds, number of ears 
325, shell 2# bushels. One ear weighed 30 
ounces and was 9# inches around the butt, 
one kernel produced seven ears. I used ashes, 
plaster aud hens’ droppings as fertilizer, e. b. 
Nebraska. 
LlN WOOD, Butler Co., Nov. 22.—Planted 
146 kernels of Rural Thoroughbred Flint 
Com on May 3, on black loamy soil, sloping 
to the south—not cultivated for three years. 
Number of stalks 146, and of suckers, 314; 
number of ears, 196 and of nubbins 99. 
Weight of ears 162 pounds, of shelled corn 
114# pounds, and of cobs 47 pounds. Longest 
ear, 10 9-16 inches well filled; average length 
of ears, 14 inches. L. N. 
New Yurie. • 
Clinton, Oneida Co., Nov. 22.— Your work 
is doing the country more good than an agri¬ 
cultural bureau. I am inclined to think the 
White Elephant is a permanent prize; the 
tubers are large, clean and astonishing in 
yield. Celery very fine. But I like best 
the Lima Bean. We need further improve¬ 
ment on the lino of our best things. I have 
by hybridizing over 30 acres of beans this 
year—very handsome, of all shades, but they 
need testing. Am planting Paw-paws. It is 
a fruit that if improvable, and I see no 
reason for doubting it is, will make the most 
luscious of all our Northern products Still 
more, we need better quinces. I have a fine 
stock of Niagara grape seed of my own rais¬ 
ing, which shall be planted to help on your 
experiment. e p. p. 
Lyons, Wayne Co., Nov. 24.—I saw a state 
ment sometime since iD the Rural, saying 
that more benefit had been derived by the 
country at. large from your way of distribu¬ 
ting seeds than from anything any other agri¬ 
cultural paper had ever done. I consider 
this true; as four years ago I received from 
the Rural a potato called the Beauty of 
Hebron, which I have since grown. This 
year they will pay me over and above all 
kinds that I grow, enough to pay my sub¬ 
scription for the Rural New-Yorker, for 
all the time 1 have taken it, namely, 31 or 32 
years. Flower seeds and celery did well. j.m. 
Lyons, Wayne Co., Nov. 24.—Planted 
Rural Dent corn—170 ears—on May 15: 90 
grew. Stalks from 12 to 16 feet high; some 
eight inches in circumference. Some ears 
were 10 inches around aud 12 inches long 
with from 16 to 18 rows apiece, and 57 ker¬ 
nels to the row, making 1,026 kernels to the 
ear. Weight of ears 178 pounds; of shelled 
corn, 138 pounds, and of cobs, 40 pounds. 
Am keeping some of the longest ears to show 
to the Grange, having already given a short 
lecture on the subject before that body. J. u. 
Penn Yann, Yates Co., Nov. 27 —Planted 
128 kernels of Rural Flint Corn ou black 
clay alluvial soil, which had received no 
manure for two years, but which had borne 
a crop of onious the year before. Beveuty- 
nine seeds germinated; there were 266 ears 
which weighed 187 pounds and shelled 125 
pounds of grain and 62 pounds of cob o c. b, 
Portlandvillk, Otsego Co., Nov. 25. — 
Your paper seems to steadily improve; your 
issue of the 4th inst. is certainly worth the 
year's subscription. The paper alone is valu¬ 
able beyond estimate; and with the seeds dis¬ 
tributed how can the worth to the country at 
large be calculated! The White Elephant 
was this year the very best potato we raised. 
You have certainly benefited the whole 
country in sending out this potato. Your 
present distribution promises more good than 
any of the past. I think we may hope for 
grand results from the seeds of Niagara, k. m. 
[We hope and believe so. Eds.] 
Skaneateles, Onondaga Co.—Of the Rural 
Flint I planted 180 kernels, one kernel in a 
hill and 120 grew. I picked 290 ears which 
weighed 171 pounds, and shelled 91 pounds. 
I have sown the Rural wheats together with 
several other varieties. I have seven bushels 
of the Beauty of Hebron potatoes from the 
one small White Elephant received last year. 
I hope next time to get the true variety sent 
out. [None but the W, Elephant were sent 
out last year. Eds.] I prize the Rural very 
highly for itself, and think (he idea of an ex¬ 
perimental farm in connection with the paper 
a good one. T. c. B. 
Pennsylvania. 
Circleville, Westmoreland Co., Nov. 25. 
—There were 138 kernels of the Dent corn 
planted on a plot 33 feet square and 94 grew. 
I harvested 245 pounds of ears and of shelled 
corn 193 pounds. \v. s. R. 
N£w Castle, Lawrence Co., Nov. 27.— 
Planted 128 grains of Rural Heavy Dent 
Corn; 91 grew and produced 110 ears. Aver¬ 
age hight of stalks, 12 feet; weight of ears, 
89 pounds; weight of shelled com, 63# 
pounds. j. w. c. 
Virginia. 
Speedwell, Wythe Co., Nov, 28.—Planted 
175 grains of Rural Heavy Dent Coru on May 
5; 131 germinated, and 130 grew. Cultivated 
once; band-hoed five times, cut ripe, Oct. 3; 
husked Nov, 5. Weight of ears, 170#pounds; 
weight of shelled corn, 110;# pounds, e. a. a. 
Wisconsin. 
Delevax, Walworth Co., Nov. 27.—Planted 
148 kernels of Rural Thoroughbred Flint Coru 
on June 6; 96 grew; soil is clay loam, slightly 
sandy. There were in all 340 ears besides 
some nubbins; some measured from 12 to 17 
inches. The latter did not fill well. Weight 
of shelled corn 118 pounds, nine ounces. Hoed 
three times—an excellent variety. w. e. s. 
£1)1' (Ok crist. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by *be name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention!] 
SULPHATE OF POTASH FOR CROPS. 
J. L. P., Worcester, Mass .—Is sulphate of 
potash—German salts imported by a Boston 
firm—in a proper condition for application to 
crops ? Some experiments of mine during 
the past season would go to show it is worth¬ 
less? 1 have heard that it should be treated 
with sulphuric acid before it becomes of any 
value to eroDs. Is this true ? 
Ank.—S ulphate of potash cannot be treated 
with sulphuric acid, as It already contains all 
the sulphuric acid the potash can possibly 
combine with. To mix sulphuric acid with It 
would notaffeetthe potash in it in the least, but 
as these low-grade potash salts contain con¬ 
siderable quantities of common salt (chloride 
of sodium) and chloride of magnesium, the 
addition of the sulphuric acid would change 
these salts to sulphates, end set free the 
chlorine they contain. Chloride of magne¬ 
sium and also sulphate of magnesium (which 
is Epsom salts) are both injurious to vegeta¬ 
tion when in large quantities, and the low- 
grade potash salts, containing only 20 per 
cent, or less of sulphate of potash, sometimes 
have an injurious quantity of the magnesium 
salts in them. But, at the best, the low-grade 
sulphates of potash are often of questionable 
value, and a test is required before it can he 
known whether they will be beneficial or 
otherwise. They are improved by mixture 
with quicklime, and become then more easily 
diffused in the soil than in their own state. 
Again, your Soil may not be deficient in pot 
ash, or It may require other elements, with¬ 
out which potash alone would have no effect 
whatever; for if a soil requires Jirne or 
phosphoric acid, or nitrogen or pot.fi sb or two 
or three or all of these, and an 5 r are supplied 
but the one specially needed, there will be no 
useful effects produced; so that it will not be 
safe to use any one of these elements alone, 
because there are many chances to ^ne that 
others are required as well. It is always 
safest to use all the'elements of a complete 
fertilizer, as lime, potash, phosporic acid, 
aud nitrates, unless it has been found by 
experiment that one special element alone 
is needed. 
MALT (SPROUTS AS FEED. 
G. G. S.,Short Creek , IF. Va .—What is the 
value of barley cummins as feed for sheep and 
other stock ? 
A ns. —Barley cummins or “confine” or malt 
sprouts, are the radicle and fibrous roots 
of the matted barley which are separa 
ted in the drying. These are very nutritious 
but rather dangerous food, when used without 
