26 
THE RURAL HEW- YORKER. 
JAN.40 
(flrfnrfolrtrf. 
NOTES FROM CENTRAL NEW YORK. 
Anothur season has passed, and in many 
instances, it. has heen a remarkable one. in this 
section : Hjc drought of 1879 has been the most 
pevere ever known in this portion of the State, 
yet the crops, as a whole, have been abundant 
in quantity and fine in quality. Many former 
years of more copious showers have not pro¬ 
duced so stood crops as a whole as the past, 
thus showing: that while the drought, was of 
long continuance and very severe, there have 
heen other causes that have operated favorably 
to the production of fine crops. Of these one 
prominent cause may have heen the better 
preparation of the soil, and the better til Intro 
of the crops. One thing is certain—that those 
farmers who fitted their grounds last spring in 
the best manner and followed up the after- 
cnltlvation in the same thorongli way, deter¬ 
mined to raise less weeds than heretofore, haye 
heen quite successful in their crops, especially 
if the ground was made rich by the application 
of manure, whether made on the farm, or com¬ 
mercial fertilisers sold in our markets. The 
hay crop was not as heavy as some years ; hut 
was of good quality. Oats, which are our 
principal spring-sown crop, were, above an 
average yield. Wheat, also—what little we 
have sown in this section—was good in quan¬ 
tity and quality. The past three vears have 
heen very favorable for wheat, and more has 
been raised hereabouts than usual. The past 
fall has been no exception to this rule in the 
putting in of the crop for the harvest of 1880. 
and at the setting in of winter, the prospects 
were, favorable for a bountiful harvest next 
•July. Although our wheat fields are not large, 
the crop was put, in well last fall, and has 
made a fine growth to withstand the winter. Tf 
that should prove favorable, we may look for 
another good yield the coming harvest. Corn, 
on well manured fields that were well tilled, 
was a good crop. Potatoes were fully an av¬ 
erage crop in quantity, and extra In quality: 
some cultivators say they are better than they 
have, been in twenty years, hut that is saying 
too much, in my opinion : hut it is true wo 
have had a good crop. Apples are poor in 
quality and few in quantity compared with 
last year’s yield, when they were, abundant and 
excellent. The dairy is the absorbing interest 
in this section, and all the earliest and mid¬ 
summer sales were low. consequently the dairy 
farmer has had a hard season ; many tenant 
farmers will hardly pay their way. The fall 
prices of both butter and cheese have been 
liberal, bnt. the product was small from the 
effects of the severe fall drought. We arc now 
hoping for a more prosperous season in 1880 
wherein the dairy products will be more abund¬ 
ant, and the prices more liberal during the 
peason. The farmer who raised hops this year 
was the fortunate man. as tbc- crop lias been of 
general good quality, and fairly abundant in 
quantity on well tilled fields for so dry a sea¬ 
son, and the price has heen good. A few sold 
too early and too cheaply; hut, on the. whole, 
better prices have been realized for the hop 
crop by the grower than for any other raised 
in this section. J. Talcott. 
Rome, Dec. 22. 
- 4 --* ♦- 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Illinois, Baileyville, Ogle. Co.. Dec. 24.— 
The year is closing auspiciously. We had a 
pleasant fall, favorable to the maturing of the 
late crops and for field work. The weather 
was dry. with only occasional showers that 
kept vegetation from suffering until Nov. 2d. 
when a wet spell set. in which continued until 
Dec 10, and completely saturated the ground 
and replenished the cisterns, wells and streams, 
so we have no fears of a water famine soon. 
The ground is now covered with prow, but, 
there is not enough yet to make good sleigh¬ 
ing ; it is snowing a little to-day. The corn 
crop was about all cribbed in good condition 
by the 20th of November; the yield was large 
and the quality excellent; hut there was hard¬ 
ly as much as last year The average yield, I 
think, in this section, ■was about, 48 bushels per 
acre—shelled. Some fields were much better 
than others, according to fertility and the 
manner of cultivating the crop, and conse¬ 
quently the yields varied greatly—some being 
as high as 75 husheis per acre, and others not 
over 30 or 35 bushels. This shows the differ¬ 
ence between good and had farming. The 
autnmn work was all done in due season, and 
the farmers are well prepared for winter. Live 
stock in general arc healthy and in fine con¬ 
dition. Winter wheat and rye made a vigorous 
start this fall, and the prospects for them at 
present are promising. The recent advance in 
the prices of grain and provisions has revived 
business greatly, and the times are ranch 
brisker hero now than at this time last year; 
hut strikes in Chicago last week at the stock 
yards, among the laborers, have caused a slight 
reaction and most likely we shall not have 
another boom in business nntil after the holi¬ 
days, if even then. w. b. d. 
Indiana, La Porte, La Porte Co., Dec 26.— 
The Cow Pea, I think, has been grown on 
my place for several years by colored people 
from North Carolina, and has sncceeded as 
well as the common white bean. To ns the 
Rcjkai. is a standard work. The back num¬ 
bers are just as valuable as the latest, 
aud although my time iB valuable, j’et I 
feel it a duty to try as far as possible, to 
induce my neighbors to share in tbc advan¬ 
tages it has brought us, by enrolling them¬ 
selves on the list of its subscribers. i. s. b. 
Nevada, Tusearora, Elko Co., Dec. 12.— 
We have had remarkably mild weather here 
the past two winters, very little snow falling 
in the mountains, consequently water has been 
very scarce this year, aud as we. have no rains 
during the summer months crops have suffered 
for want of moisture. For this reason potatoes 
have yielded poorly, they will average 
about two tons per acre in this valley. 
The Beauty of Hebron did exceedingly well 
taking everything into consideration. I 
planted seventeen bills tbe first week iu July, 
one eye iu a hill; three of the pieces did not 
grow, leaving fourteen hills at digging time. 
The eighth of October the yield was 81 pouuds 
of large and small potatoes, and more than 
double the yield of the same number of hills 
of either Early Hose or Early Ohio. As to earli- 
nees I cannot Bay, as I did not plant them the 
same time with other varieties. Of the other 
seeds sent me by the Rural, the Hollyhocks 
are doing well. The Bronze Ricinuses were cut 
down by frost early in tbe season. The Aqui- 
legias come up very well, but have not grown 
very much this season. The Defiance wheat 
was looking very well, but was pulled up by 
mistake. Tbe other seeds started well, but 
owing to the dry hot weather tbey were all 
killed. We are haviag the heaviest storm that 
has occured for a uutnber of years. It com¬ 
menced ten days ago. and has been raining, 
blowing, and snowing by turns ever since. 
We have had some cold weather; the coldest 
day the thermometer stood at zero. f. a. b. 
New York, Clyde, Wayne Co.. Dec. 22.— 
The Robal's Bronze Ric.inus, I must say, I 
am delighted with. It was a beautiful orna- 
rueut of uur flower-garden throughout the 
summer, and late last autumn by being pro¬ 
tected from, one frost in September. I have 
purchased packages of Bronze Riciuus of 
seedsmen at different times In every instance 
they failed to give me satisfaction, and I had 
concluded that a fine Bronze was a mith. But 
the new Rural Bronze is a jewel. The Hibiscus 
Moscbemos and rnilkam, Coaler's Lemon Hol¬ 
lyhock, and other seeds germinated and grew 
finely. Blount s White Prolific corn I think from 
my trial with it, is not fitted for this latitude. 
43 5 north. The frost held off uuusnally long 
thlsautumu. else not a single ear would have 
ripened; as it is, only a few reached maturity. 
Although the euonuous 10 to 14-feet stalks 
produced from three to eight common to very 
small ears each with a large eob, yet 1 have an 
opiuipu that Blouut's corn is not on the right 
track to produce the greatest amount of shelled 
corn to the acre. I believe there are kinds of 
corn peculiar for growing large, long ears with 
exceedingly 6tuall cobs, two ears of which will 
produce more shelled corn to the acre, than 
eight semi-ears of Blount's Prolific. The 6talks 
make quite a problem for a farmer who at¬ 
tempts to handle them in the same manner as 
common corn in this vicinity, while as a forage it 
cauuot compare with many other varieties. 
However, it may give grand results and good 
satisfaction every way iu the South and West. 
Clover seed thrashing is nearly done through¬ 
out this section. A very small yield is real¬ 
ized—generaly one-half to two bushels to the 
acre. Hundreds of acres were left uncut. The 
destroyer of tbe clover crop is the worm of a 
fly closely allied to tbe Hes-iau fly. It is the 
Cecidomyia leyuminieola so named by J. A. 
Lintner, of tbe New York State Museuin. It 
was first noticed in the same locality in which 
the Hessian fly made its appearance this last 
time—Seneca and Tompkins counties. This is 
the first year it has been noticed in Wayne 
from $8 to $12 a ton for hay, and from $16 to 
$^8 for rye straw at the station. Cattle and 
sheep are in better condition this winter than 
last; our rough fodder is cured ranch better 
this year. I believe in stabling my cattle and 
sheep a6 I can winter them on one-third less 
feed than if they were left out in the yard. 
I use saw-dust for bedding. I think it is 
much better than straw; it absorbs all tbe 
urine thereby saving a valuable fertilizer. 
I have tried it several timeB, and am con¬ 
vinced that tbe mixing together of the drop- 
piugs and urine makes a good strong manure. 
The rye and wheat in our section arc looking 
much better this winter than last, as are 
also the meadows. I buy cattle at West 
Albany and winter them and sell them again 
in the spring to feed on my clover hay, corn¬ 
stalks and straw, thereby keeping these at 
home for manure, which I find pays much 
better than to draw them off of the farm. 
A. L. M. 
Ohio, Youngstown, Mahoning Co., Dec. 24. 
—The summer was dry. Fall was middling 
dry and warm, and nice to do fall work. Win¬ 
ter commenced warm and moist. We have had 
very little snow yet, but lots of rain. Crops 
and meadows were middling good. Wheat 
yielded about 15 bushels to the acre. Corn was 
two-thirds of a’crop. But, oh, my! How my 
prolific corn grew and’grew. I thought It would 
never stop growing. Finally it tasseled out. 
Then came tbe ears, from one to six on a stalk, 
from six to nine feet up in the air. It is too 
late for me. Oats were half a crop. Potatoes 
half a crop. Wheat. $1.40; oats, 40c.; corn, in 
the ears, 35c.; potatoes, 55 to 60c.; butter, 20c.; 
eggs, 20c. !. 8 . 
(^tunst, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
county and it is not known juow in the north¬ 
ern part near Lake Ontario. In that section 
Mr E. M, Smith, of Sodus, raised 75 bushels of 
clean seed (" big kiud ”) from 10 acres of„laad. 
Where the worm is at work in the blow, a 
field never has a red appearance in blossomiug 
time, although there may be abundant foliage. 
I judge the fly is spreading at the rate of 
thirty miles per year, and, of course, will 
eventually reach the clover areas of the West, 
unless checked by parasites ©r some destroying 
epizootic. Barley has not quite met the ex¬ 
pectations of the farmers, the prices never 
changing from 50 to 75 cents according to 
quality aud kind. Mure profit is expected 
from oats, now 43 cents. Wheat is nearly all 
marketed. Hardly any corn has been sold— 
price 50 cents. w— x. 
Fuller's Station, Guilderlund, Albany 
Co.—We are having very cold weather, the 
thermometer was dowu to six degrees below 
zero yesterday morning. To-day we have 
about six inches of snow, it will make flue 
sleighing. Farmers in our section are in bet¬ 
ter spirits this year than last. We are getting 
A Bushel, Etc. 
J A. D., Millville, N. J., a6ks 1, what is the 
cubic measure of a bushel of ear corn; or, In 
other words, what is the rule for ascertaining 
the number of bushels in a bin of ear corn ; 
wliat is the rule for ascertaining the num¬ 
ber of bushels of corn in tbe ear and unshucked 
in the bin. 3, He also wants to know where 
the Lady Washington and Duchess Grapes can 
be purchased. 
Ans— Tbe English Imperial bushel contains 
80 pounds of distilled water, weighed in the 
air at a temperature of 02 deg. F., and the 
barometer at 30 inches, and it measures 2.218.- 
192 cubic inches, In New York the standard 
bushel is declared to contain 80 pounds dis¬ 
tilled water at its maximum density, but else¬ 
where in the Uuited States the Winchester 
bushel has been generally adopted. This bushel 
was in common use in Euglaud to the year 
1826, aud bolds 77.6274 pounds of distilled wa 
ter at F. aud 30 inches barometric 
pressure, or 2150.42 cubic inches. Now, a cu¬ 
bic foot contains 1,728 cubic inches, and divi¬ 
ding 2150.42 by Ibis number, we have 1.23S6 
cubic loot or 1 loot and 422.42 cubic inches as 
the couteuts of a bushel. To obtain tbe num¬ 
ber of bushels iu a certain bin. find the cubic 
measure by multiplying its length by tbe pro¬ 
duct of its width and higbt in inches, and 
divide tbe number by 2150.42, the number of 
cubic inches in a bushel. 2. We are uot aware 
that there is any rule for finding tbe number 
of bushels of unsbucked corn (we suppose that 
by this term is meant that the corn i6 not 
bm-ked) In a bin, and do not see bow there 
can be, as there is more husk on some varie¬ 
ties than on others. 3. The Lady Washington 
Grape originated with JaineB H. Ricketts of 
Newburgh, N. Y , and we suppose can be 
bought of him ; for the Duchess apply to J. T. 
Lovett, Little Silver, N. J. 
Hogs Troubled with Indigestion. 
D. B. S., Greenville, Kg., says he has a lot of 
hogs he is trying to fatten. He gives them all 
the corn and corn meal they will eat, yet they 
are not gaiuing as they should. They are ap¬ 
parently in good health, only that, sometimes 
they will stop eating corn aud begin rooting 
up and eating dirt, and he asks whether the 
dirt is injurious to them and what must he do 
to make them “ all ritrht.” 
Ans.— Hogs are often troubled with indiges¬ 
tion, and when this is the case, they will not 
eat well. This condition of the 6tomach is 
sometimes caused by over-eating, or by being 
fed food which is too rich. When hogs are 
thus affected they will uot eat a large quan¬ 
tity, and if they do, it seems to do them but 
little good. The fact that these pigs eat dirt 
goes to show that their stomachs are disor¬ 
dered. They should have all tbe charcoal they 
will eat, which will correct the acidiiy in their 
stomachs and promote appetite. Feed sulphur 
aud give them access to Balt. They will not 
eat enough of either to injure themselves. Give 
them half the quantity of corn meal and mix 
wheat bran with it for a change. A few roots 
would be healthful and strengthen their appe¬ 
tites. Give plenty of drink. 
Agricultural Report*, Etc. 
S. W., St'. Clara, W. Fa., asks: 1. whether 
Chester Mammoth Corner a white or yellow 
sort. 2 now to procure the Reports of the 
Department of Agriculture. 
Ans. —1. We do not know the variety. 2. 
The Agricultural Reports are printed at a 
heavy expense to the public, for free distribu¬ 
tion, presumably “ where tbey will do the most 
good." Those who have the management of 
their distribution seem to think that this is in 
second-hand book stores, or in the warehouses 
of dealers in old paper ; and, bo far as wc can 
see, tbe easiest way for an ordinary farmer to 
secure a copy is to send an order for it to some 
extensive dealer in old books. Here and there 
some farmer who is in the habit of sending iu 
reports to the Department of Agriculture at 
Washington, gets a copy direct from that quar¬ 
ter. but by far the largest proportion of them 
are distributed among tbe Senators and Con¬ 
gressmen, to be again distributed by these 
among their constituents. Those who may he 
anxious to get copies of the works and who do 
not like to seek them in the old book stores, 
should apply to the Congressman of their dis¬ 
trict. 
The Denlaphone. 
D. B.. Ghatauqua Co., N. F, aske whether 
the Dentaphone advertised in the Rural is 
what it claims to be. 
Ans.—B efore admitting the advertisement ■ 
we made careful inquiry as to the character of 
the device, and were assured it was really worth 
all that was asked for it. Since then, having 
received a number of inquiries, like the above, 
we have procured a specimen for personal 
examination. It is a small, neatly gotten up 
device, but on testing it on a couple of deaf 
friends neither conld get any benefit in the 
way of hearing, from its use. 
Miscellaneous. 
M. E. S. Fallon, N. Y., asks, if it will kill 
an Oxalis aud Geraniums to keep them in a 
dark, damp, warm cellar during the winter; 
2, should Geraniums which are to be wintered 
in the pots, be cut bauk iu the fall; 8, will 
Gladioli seed grow as well iu a hot-bed as in 
an ordinary seed-bed ? 
Ans. 1, A dark, damp, warm cellar is not a 
suitable place for wintering plants. The 
warmth aud moisture, will stimulate growth in 
some plauts and cause mold and decay in 
others. If the place were dry, it would he 
better. 2, Large Geraniums should be cut back 
in tbe fall, or in the spring before tbey start 
anew. 3, the Gladioli seed may be started in a 
hot-bed, but care should be taken in trans¬ 
planting the young plants that they do not dry 
out too much. 
Mrs. A. E. F, Carthage, (one of tbe dozen 
in the United States.) says 1, that her house 
plants have of late been troubled with the red 
spider for which she asks a remedy; 2, she has 
recui^d a Salvia from a friend; it blossomed 
this fall, but now tbe leaves have fallen off and 
she wants to know what can be tbe trouble. 
Ans.—T he remedy for the red spider is to 
keep the plants in a moist atmosphere and to 
syringe them frequently with water. To wash 
them with water to which has been added a 
little carbolic acid is also effective. 2, Many 
Salvias drop their lower leaves iu winter so 
that need be no cause for alarm. If tbe plant 
is dead we know of no restorative. 
P. T., West Port, Ky., lias an orchard which 
he intends to sod dowu. The trees are from 
10 to 18 inches in diameter. He asks:—1, what 
mixture of grass sued to sow, and. 2, how 
many square feet in an acre. 
Ans.—E qual quantities by weight of Ken¬ 
tucky blue grass, white clover and orchard 
grass. 2. 43,560. 
J. B. R , Address mislaid, asks which is the 
best feed for milch cows. 
Ans. —See articles on “Making Butter iu 
Winter," in Rural for Dec. 27 and in this 
issue. An excellent food for making milk con¬ 
sists of corn and oats ground together, equal 
bulks. 
Geo. F. A., Brook's Grove, N. Y., asks where 
pure Nanagansett turkeys cuu be had. 
Ans —Though we have made several inqui¬ 
ries, we have received no definite information 
on this point. W. Cliff, Mystic Bridge, Conn., 
probably can supply them. 
A Subscriber, Cornwallis, Oregon, asks if the 
American Book Exchange, 55 Beckman street, 
N. Y., is reliable. 
Ans. —Business men who buvedealt with this 
firm have assured us that they are thoroughly 
reliable. 
W. H. P , F. B., C. S. A. and others. As re¬ 
marked here last week we do not know at 
present where Southern Cow Feas can bo ob¬ 
tained. Tbey will without doubt be advertised 
during tbe coining season. 
G. 11, T. (no address) wants a remedy for 
white worms in pots of house plants. 
Ans. —The best remedy is to give the plants 
fresh soil. Give lime water. 
