40 
THE BI3BAL fJEW-YOBKEB. 
(Siurjtojim. 
COLORADO CORRESPONDENCE. 
Much has been said of tbe mines and mineral 
wealth of this Centennial State, but little, so 
far, of her agriculture and population. Immi¬ 
gration has become simply immense — over 
100,000, it is stated, having come here since 
last January. Our climate, soil and agricul¬ 
tural resources, as well as mining, have at¬ 
tracted them. Leadville, since January, has 
risen from a few hundred inhabitants to nearly 
25.000 ; Denver, from 20,000 to over 50,000, and 
still she is rapidly enlarging her borders. 
Every little town is growing apace, and even 
the cattle, sheep and chicken ranches are fall 
of people, aud still they come to invest in any 
and every kind of speculation; some for 
health, some for pleasure, while the greater 
part come to make money and seek a fortune. 
Every available spot where water can be ob¬ 
tained, is being taken up at extravagantly high 
prices, and intelligent aud skilled labor is in 
great demand. This “ Great American Des¬ 
ert" is ‘‘booming "—miucrally, sanitarily and 
agriculturally. People from every State are 
here, and thousands from foreign countries. 
John Chinaman graces every nook and corner 
of the cities and towns. His wash-tub noto¬ 
riety makes him independent. He has plenty 
of mouey—but not to spend. He always rents 
and never buys. He greets you with his taper¬ 
ing eyes in front aud his plaited switch behind, 
clad as to his feet with wooden shoes, and, as 
to his person, with the full, flowing and short 
celestial robe of blue. He walks the streets 
and adorns the theater as if he had us iu his 
power. He is never seeu on the farm; nor 
could he become a farmer if be would, from 
the fact, it is said, that he “ reverses every¬ 
thing with which he works." He hitches his 
team to the plow handle, he takes the hoe by 
the blade, he drives a nail with tbe edge aud 
cuts with the hammer of the hatchet, and I 
suppose he would walk on hi6 head if he could 
make a dime without spending any of it. 
The Utes arc a failure—not in lying, but in 
their anticipated success in brow-beating the 
Colorado Governor and his people. This will 
not be their greatest failure. Every chief but 
Ouray has become a notorious outlaw’. Turn- 
iDar State’s evidence won’t save them. 
Fort Collins, Colorado. * * * 
--- 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Arkansas, Greenwood, Sebastian Co., Dec. 
12.—Very pleasant weather; no snow; a lew 
frosts. Farmers busy and happy. Cotton, lie.; 
corn, 75c. in the ear, and prices improving. 
Oats, none in market. Wheat, $1.25(5)1 50, 
and very scarce. Sweet potatoes, 50(&>60c.; 
Irish do.. $1.36@1.50 per bushel, aud very 
scarce. Farmers here do not know how to 
keep them. Eggs, Uric.; live hogs,3£c.; bacon, 
5c.; hams, S@10c.; flour, $4 ; shorts and meal, 
^1.50 per 100 pounds. u. a. 
Canada, Fern Hill. Out., Dec. 12.—Crops 
here turued out better than was expected in tbe 
early part of summer. Fall wheat was very 
good ; but tbe spring sort was a miserable fail 
ure, some hardly getting back what they sowed. 
The midge was the principal cause of the mishap. 
Oats were u very line crop. Of peas there was 
very little sowed. Corn, which was planted 
instead, proved a “ middling good" crop. My 
Blount's corn did extra well. Some of it grew 
to the bight of 14 feet, aud had from three to 
nine cars to the stalk, aud it all ripened finely. 
It was planted 31 feet each way on sod soil. 
Defiance wheat did much better than I ex¬ 
pected of tbe shriveled seed. Hay hereabouts 
was a very fair crop, and so weru late-planted 
potatoes. The Beauty of Hobrou ripened here 
before the Early Rose. Fruits of ill kinds are 
quite plentiful. Fall-sown wheat looks fine. 
That sown first has begun to lodge, aud some 
farmers have turned in their stock to graze it. 
A great area has been sowed to wheat here this 
fall. The weather is very disagreeable at 
present; cold, like winter, some days, aud as 
warm as Iu summer on others. j, m. w. 
England. Loudon, Dee. 9.—So far we have 
had the most severe winter we have ever had— 
really hard and continuous frost at the end of 
November and early iu December, which is 
quite a novelty for us. w. e. 
Iowa, Eldorado, Hardin Co., Dec. 11.—We 
have a splendid corn country, considering that 
we are in north latitude 42°. Our yield is 
from 40 to 80 bushels per acre, without manur¬ 
ing ; oats about the same; wheat (spring) 
averages about 15 bushels. Not much fall 
wheal is raised hero. Wheat now’ brings $1; 
corn, 25c.; oats, 25c.; potatoes, 30c.; hogs, 
3£ to 4^c. per lb- gross ; butter, 20c.; eggs, 15c. 
per doz. e. m. 
Mo., Bucklin, Tinn. Co., Dec. 10.—Autumn 
has given us more rain than usual, I think. 
We had five or 6ix light thunder showers iu 
November. Fall grain looks well. Of the 
Rural seeds we like the “ Golden Rural” to¬ 
mato very well. Though not as sweet as the 
Canada Victor, its flesh is peculiarly delicate 
in its texture, it is very handsome and bears 
well. The “ Beauty of Hebron" potato did 
first-rate, and is destined, I believe, to supplant 
the Early Rose. The Rukal Cricket ticks 
merrily on the wall, and says it i& time to re¬ 
tire. Mrs. e. m. e. 
Mich., South Haven. Dec, 18th.—Our au¬ 
tumn was uuusually wet, with a heavy fall of 
snow in November, followed by a warm, rainy 
week or two, since which we have enow again, 
three or four inches deep, and the range of the 
thermometer from the freezing point to about 
14 Q . No ice yet forming in Lake Michigan. 
t. t. l. 
Onio, Ripleyville, Huron Co., Dec. 10.—We 
have had a very fine fall for farming. Winter 
is now justsetliugin with snow twoinchcadeep 
for the first time. Wheat never looked better at 
this season. We had an extra-good crop last 
harvest; on some places it went as high as 511 
bushels per acre. Corn was a poor crop with 
some exceptions. Oats were about middling. 
Potatoes good. Apples very scarce. Hay a 
very light Crop. Wheat is now bringing 81.30; 
corn. 50c.; oats. 25o.; clover seed, 85.50; hogs, 
live weight, 84butter, 25c.; eggs, 20c. 
J. K. K. 
Rhode Island, Providence, Dec. 24.—You 
ask subscribers to tell you which part, of the 
paper they like best. Naturally, being iu the 
llorist and nursery business. I like best the 
parts referring to that, subject. I am also very 
much pleased with the seeds, as most of them 
have done well with me. We have plum trees 
set in our hen yards aud they fruit well. 
e. t. d. 
Texas, Dayton, Dec, 10.—Our crops are all 
gathered, and both corn aud cotton were light, 
owing to the drought. Cotton has gone for¬ 
ward in line ord-r, for there has been no rain 
to speak of in six mouths. Thirteen days ago, 
I pulled three large-sized Voorhis watermelons, 
being the secoud growth. They were planted 
ou the bank of the Trinity River in a bed of 
sand. IdoubtifaBy of your subscribers can 
say aB much, aud I cau assure you they were a 
rich treat. G. G. 
C&r <$tifnst. 
ANSWER8 TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Another Grape Swindle. (1) 
A Subscriber, Norfolk, Va., asks our opiukitl 
of the following varieties of grapes:—Eva, 
Butler, Imperial, Moore’s, Highland, Mont¬ 
gomery. Challenge, Wyomiug, Mon roe, Janes¬ 
ville. Rubles, Duchess. They were sold iu 
ihut section last spring by au agent of a J. II. 
Hutchinson, " M. D.," of Genova, N. Y. It 
was claimed for them that they were superior 
to auy other Grape grown. The agent sold 
them at 818 a dozen, “ to introduce them," as¬ 
serting that the retail price was 86U. Our eor- 
respoudcul seems to have Some double as to 
tbe superlative merits of the Grapes, and even 
appears disposed to think that the claims put 
forward ou their behalf might be somewhat 
fraudulent, aud sends us a copy of the circular 
m which they are plastered with praise. 
Ans. —The circular sets forth that the pro¬ 
prietors are introducing the “ Mediciue Grape 
of Europe, hybridized with our Iron clads of 
America;" that Prof. D. \V. Jones, of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, says:—“Wo can 
cordially recommend them to all lovers of 
good fruit, and shall look with interest upon 
their geueral introduction to this country 
that Dr. Hutchinson, uf Geneva, has analyzed 
* those 12 hybrid grapes; that Dr. Bell is in¬ 
troducing and finds them to consist largely of 
citric, malic and tartaric acids and iron.'” 
Then the circular goes on to tell how tartaric 
acid is the name applied to the active princi¬ 
ple of “ those Hybrid grapes, producing a 
slightly stimulating or tonic effect upon the 
quickeucd system,” aud more bosh of the same 
sort that need not be reprinted. We Lave 
never heard of several of the Grapes above 
named. The claim that they are superior to 
any other Grapes grown, is false upon tbe 
face of it. The statement thai the price is 
860 pel dozen at retail is also false. There is 
no such Grape as the “Medicine Grape” of 
Europe. The analysis of the grapes by Dr. 
Hutchinson is absurd. Of those named, 
Moore's (by which, perhaps, Moore’s Early is 
meant), Imperial, Highland and Duchess are 
comparatively new sorts—good so far as tried, 
but not yet sufficiently tested to justify any 
broad assertions as to their value. We have 
never before heard of “Professor" D. W. 
Jones, Dr. J. H. Hutchinson, or Dr. W. R. 
Bell, all of whom 6eem to be connected in ono 
way or another with this rather dubious trans¬ 
action. By the way, we have had quite a 
large number of inquiries the past year as to 
the trustworthiness of various “nursery’ 
firms hailing from Geueva, N. Y., and have 
seldom been able to auswer reassuringly on 
the subject, although there are several excel¬ 
lent nurseries there. 
Horse Queries, 
IP. E. A. S., GincinncUii, 0., has a five- 
year-old mare that can trot fast when urged 
on by whip or voice, but which, when these 
stimulants cease, quickly drops iuto a spirit¬ 
less jog-trot, and he asks whether anything 
can be done to give her spirit and a good brisk 
gait. He also inquires whether weighed shoes 
increase the speed of a horse. 
Ans. —Horses differ greatly in temperament. 
Some are dull, lethargic, even stupid, but these 
are very safe drivers. Others are nervous, 
high-strung, uncertain and restless; such are 
never safe except when a strong hand holds 
them. To change one kind to another is as 
impossible as to change a meek, patient, quiet 
stolid-tempered mau, into a fiery, hasty-tem¬ 
pered, quarrelsome oue. It is the nature of 
the animal, and whipping will only tend to 
render it still more stupid. “ You cannot 
make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” This 
adage applies to the case in point. Weighted 
shoes, or foot weights, will toud to increase 
the stride of a high-actioned, and speedy horse, 
hut will have a contrary effect on a dull, slow 
one. The weight having impetus given to 
it by the quick picking up of the foot, helps 
to carry the foot beyond the natural length of 
the stride. But a slow motion is made only 
slower by a weight. 
Feud for Young Colt and Calf, 
J. II. B. Belcher, N- Y., asks, 1, what kind of 
grain should be fed to a young colt to produce 
tbe be6t effect iu bone and muscle, without 
fattening him; 2, would the same feed do for 
a calf seven or eight months old, aud how 
much would it require. 
Ans. —t. Our correspondent will find an an¬ 
swer to his first query in the article published 
ou page 821, in our issue for Dec. 20. And in 
addition to the rations there given, if more 
cheaply obtained, he may substitute fine mid¬ 
dlings for the oats, or if convenient to a mill, 
may grind two bushels of oats with one of 
corn, and give two quarts of this with one pint 
of linseed oil-meal. The oil-meal will keep 
the colt’s stomach iu as fine condition as grass. 
Coru is too heating to be fed, except in very 
small quantity or with other muscle-forming 
food. 2. The same food will be good for the 
calf, aud especially if a male to breed from, or 
a heifer which is to be a breeder; and if the 
calf is to be grown for beef the same ratiou is 
best until its frame is grown, when corn may 
be added to put on the fat. With uiee, early- 
cut clover hay, the grain ratiou may be re¬ 
duced. The calf eight months old should 
make an excellent growth on four quarts of 
flue middlings and one quart of oil-meal per 
day, or three quarts of oats aud corn, ground 
as above, with hay. 
Iiidigi-Htion in a Horse. 
II. S. T., Shunpike . N. Y., has a horse out of 
condition that scours very badly on driving 
him five or six miles at a moderate gait. Ills 
feed is hay and oats. His coal looks rough 
and liis legs swell while staudiug iu the stable. 
The swelling, however, abates ou driving him, 
but lie doesn’t grind his food as he should, aud 
our friend asks what ails him aud a remedy. 
Ans.— Indigestion is the trouble. He may 
be too old to grind his feed well, aud so swal¬ 
lows it whole, or maybe be eats it too fast, if 
he is not too old. Feeding meal would remedy 
the troubles, H the hay were cut fine aud fed 
with the meal, he would probably do better. 
Doses of Glauber salts, two ounces daily, 
would give tone to the stomach and purify 
the blood. It is notuueomruou for horses’ legs 
to swell when staudiug in the stable. A table¬ 
spoonful of ginger would be good fed daily 
with the meal. 
The Kieffcr Fear. 
II. E. P., Deposit, N. Y.; J. C'., Akron, 
Ohio ; E. D. II. , Detroit , Mich , make inquiries 
as to the likelihood that the Kieffer Hybrid 
Seedling Fear will prove thrifty aud profitable 
in their respective localities, aud for more in¬ 
formation with regard to it than was given iu 
the Rural of Nov. 22. 
Ans. —All the information we possess was 
given iu the Rural which presented the por¬ 
trait of the Kieffer Pear. We do not believe 
that our correspondents can ascertain whether 
it will “ do well" with them, except by trial. 
We try to fie foremost in informing our read¬ 
ers as to all uew fruits, grains aud plants; but 
we advise caution in trying them. It is now 
too late to transplant. The pear will be adver¬ 
tised in all rural papers before planting time 
iu the spring. 
Arborieulturul Information Wanted. 
0. IV. F, Black stone, Mass., asks for the 
experience of auy Rural reader who has 
ever grafted or budded the Shag-bark VYaluut 
on the common Fig Walnut, so-called iu New 
Englaud. He wauls to know how it is done; 
the proper time for doing it; when to cut the 
graft or bud, and how the wax is made. 
MiHcellaueous. 
M. L. B., Princeville (either in Ill. or Kan ), 
wants to know what is to be done with Blount’s 
corn to obtain the book premiums offered by 
tbe Farmers’ Publishing Co.; to whom and 
when shall the full proceedings be reported ? 
Ans.— The six book prizes offered by the 
JAN. 3 
Farmers’ Publishing Co. are for The six heavi¬ 
est yields of corn raised from the quantity- 
sent out by tbe Rural, the corn to be weighed 
three mouths after date of harvesting. For 
the number aud kind of books iu each prize, 
see the issue of April 26th or the Querist of 
Nov. 15th. The reports should be seut to this 
office, aud are to contain only the weight of the 
corn, properly certified to by some public 
officer. 
G. G., Dayton Texas, has two orange trees 
twelve years old, and lie wishes to transplant 
them. They have never borne any fruit. Is 
it best to move them now or in the spring? Of 
course, the ground is open all wiuter. 
Ans. —There will be nothing gained by wait¬ 
ing till spring. If convenient otherwise, they 
can be transplanted now. Transplanting in 
the North is done in the fall and Spring only 
because the ground is either too frozen or too 
wet during the winter to do the work well. 
E. T., Pennville, Ind., asks if the June Berry 
will do well iu Central Indiana, and where it 
can be had. 
Ans. —Tbe June Berry, a variety of which 
(Amelauchier alnifolia) we illustrated iu the 
Rural of July 19th, will do well in Central In¬ 
diana ; indeed it grows wild iu many localities 
in the West as well as in the East and North. 
It cau be had iu almost any well-stocked nur¬ 
sery, aud any eutcrprielug nurseryman will be 
able to supply it. though he should happen not 
to have it in his stock. 
G. C-, New Haven, Conn., has a bed of flue 
muck from three to fifteen feet deep on his 
farm. It is free from grit and seems com¬ 
posed of decayed leaves and vegetable mat¬ 
ter aud he asks what value has it as compared 
with manure from cows fed ou hay, and what 
should be added to it to make it equal to such 
manure? 
Ans. —Such muck is about equal to poor cow 
manure, or such as would be made from hay 
alone. It would be made more immediately 
useful iu the soil if composted with a bushel 
of lime to each wagou-load of the muck. 
A. D. P., Union Springs, N. Y ; D. T., 
Youngstown, 0., et at, inquire as to terms, 
Ac., of Prof. Meehan’s work, “The Native 
Flowers aud Ferus of the U. S.” We have 
given these particulars more than once and 
refer our inquirers to the publishers for further 
information—the American Natural History 
Publishing Co., Philadelphia, Penn. 
Finis, Oshkosh. IVi.s.. describes a plant and 
asks its name. He also wants to learn how to 
destroy the red spider. 
Ans. — 1, it is Erj ngium Leavenworthii—a 
hardy annual of great showiness, if rightly 
cultivated; 2, wash the leaves with a solution 
of whale-oil or carbolic soap or tubacco. Try 
acetic ether. 
J. B. G., Columbia, Pa., asks where the 
Duchess Grape, au engraving of which was 
given in the Rural of Dec. 6, cau be pur¬ 
chased. 
Ans.—O f J. T. Lovett, Little Silver, New 
Jersey. 
S. C. C. F., North Carver, Md., asks what 
does J S. Woodward, Iu Rural of Due. 3d, 
mean by the “light coat ” of salt, wood-ashes 
aud bouc-dust he says he gives his peiy trees— 
how much of each constitutes a light coat ? 
Ans. —Will Mr. W. please answer. 
Many readers ask where they can get cow- 
pea seed. We cannot tell them at present. 
COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED FOR THE WEEK ENDING 
SATURDAY, DEC. ‘27. 
W. S. M.-W. II. P.—A. a. W.—G. P. A.—n. B., 
thanks,—W. L. D.—T. G, C—G. G.-N. H.-A. E. 
G.—L. A. It.—G. C. G.—W. B. D.—J. W. S.—J. E. 
It.—L. H. E.—S. If. M. E. F.-M. L. B.—H. II.— 
J. W. M.—E. J, It.—J. B.-T. T. L.—T. H. II.— 
J. M. M.— E. E.-J. A. F.-S. C. G.-A. E. V.—D. 
A. II.—M. If. S.-C —A. E. S.—F. H. D.—E. B.— 
W. II. L.—N. C. K.—J. P.—M. A. L.—B. F. It.— 
Jflorualtural. 
THE FREE SEED DISTRIBUTION. 
A LETTER FROM “ CLINTON.” 
One of the agreeable features conueeted with 
patronizing the publication of the Rural New- 
Yokkbu is the privilege of participating in the 
benefits of its free distributions of new aud rare 
seeds. One whose attention is directed towards 
the pursuit of agriculture or horticulture as a 
means of profit, cauuot fail to appreciate the 
value of the introduction of new varieties of 
plants calculated to meet bis wauts. It cannot 
be expected that every variety of the seeds thus 
gratuitously furnished from the Rural office 
will be found to be adapted to every locality or 
soil, or to meet the wauts of every individual. 
But it cauuot be known, with any certainty, to 
what particular climate or soil auy plant is best 
adapted till it has been fairly tested; therefore 
ibere need be no grumbling or feeling of dis¬ 
satisfaction if, for instance, Blount's Prolific 
coru is generally found to fie a failure in lati¬ 
tudes as Iftr north as Central New York. We 
