JAN. 34 
THE BUBAL NEW-YOBKEB. 
73 
pearaDce. They are durable no doubt, and the 
buyer commonly gets his money's worth. The 
only trouble is that, in most instances, they 
are not fit for the particular purposes for 
which they are bought. Cotton goods are not 
appropriate wear for anyone exposed to the 
winter’s cold, in the northern United States. 
They have much less power to keep in the vital 
warmth or, in other words, to protect the 
wearer from cold, than is possessed by woolen 
or by silken goods. There is sound sense in 
the practice of those northern Chinese who 
habitually dress in silken raiment and put on 
one extra jacket of this material for each de¬ 
gree of cold. 
The power of cotton, silk and wool to con¬ 
duct heat was determined, in 1877, 
with special care, by Schuhmeister, 
of Vienna, with the result that, if the 
conducting power of air be called 1, 
that of silk is about 11, that of 
washed merino wool about 13, and 
that of cotton about 37, on the aver¬ 
age in each case, and as nearly as . 
may be. Each of the materials was 
in the unmanufactured condition and , - 48%; 
had been pulled apart with the fin- "^08 
gers so as to bring it to a similar 
condition of aggregation with the 
others. 
Of the cheap, thick goods made in imitation 
of woolen, which are sold for winter use upon 
every hand, it should iu justice be said that 
they are good enough for (early) autumn 
wear, while the somewhat thiuuer goods sold 
ift autumn are really well suited for much of 
the weather of our summers, at least for those 
on the sea-board. But for January, February, 
March, and parts of December aud April, 
most of us need woolen and that of the beBt, 
Every man who wishes to avoid the neuralgias 
and rheumatisms which make life wearisome, 
to say nothing of the sharper pleurisies and 
pneumonias which make the grave-yardB full, 
will do well to consult some other qualities be¬ 
sides mere thickness when selecting his wioter 
clothing and that of his children. There are 
various familiar tests of wool, such as its soft¬ 
ness and warmth and the peculiar odor which 
is given off when bits of it are burned. It is 
well, also, to ask the salesman whether he 
means cotton-wool, lamb’s-wool, sheep’s-wool 
or goat’s-hair when he glibly assures ns that 
the goods we are pricing are “ all wool,” for 
the phrase is oue of many meanings. It is not 
only used everyday in a “conventional” 
sense, dissimilar from its real significance, 
but often, I fear, in several senses in as many 
consecutive breaths. But for the inexperienced 
buyer, perhaps no test is bo good as the selling 
price. When dealing with a fairly trustworthy 
eration of the periodical for another time. It 
is published in this city, and communications 
addressed to Con rad Wilson, Box 3,695, will re¬ 
ceive prompt attention. 
Princess and the old Moss Rose tribes. The 
engraving is redrawn from the English Agri¬ 
cultural Gazette. 
Colic in Horses.—I am satisfied that this 
is produced from indigestion more often 
than from other causes. I had two horses, 
one of which would not eat cut hay wetted and 
mixed up with meal, while the other ate it 
greedily. The latter was affected often with 
colic, while the former was never attacked. 
The colic would continue severely for several 
hours, although I administered the best ad¬ 
vised medicines for it. aud the horse would 
not eat. anything after the attack fora whole 
day, and sometimes longer. 
Farm Manual—W. Atlee Burpee & Co., 
231 Church 8t., Philadelphia, Pa.—Garden, 
farm aDd flower seeds—also blooded stock. 
This is not a very elegant catalogue, but. there 
is a good deal of enterprise about it. We no¬ 
tice tbe Telephone pea here offered—also 
Teosinte (of which the Rural has frequently 
spoken as of probable value for warm climates 
as a fodder plant), Blount's White Prolific 
corn. Doura. etc., etc. The catalogue also 
gives lists of all sorts of poultry, eggs for 
drought. . . Advance sheets of the crop report 
of the .State Board of Agriculture of Illinois, show 
that the winter wheat acersge now sown tn that 
state la 2,65S,82S, or 25 per cent, greater than last 
year. . . The N. Y. state Agricultural Society 
held its annual meeting In Albany on sist luat. . . 
Ex-Gov. Seymour. Its President for tbe past year 
delivered a fine address on the conflict between 
European and American agriculture. The follow¬ 
ing officers for the ensuing year were elected 
President-General N. Martin Curtlsa, of st. Law¬ 
rence county. vice-Pres'dents—John D. Wing, of 
New York; Isaac n. Cocks, of Queens; Joseph 
Hilton and George F. Mills, of Montgomery; James 
Geddes. of Onondaga; John Julland. of Chenango; 
Robert J. Swan, of Seneca, and Marcus H. Phil¬ 
lips, of Orleans. Corresponding Secretary—T. I. 
Harrtson, of St. Lawrence. RecordtngSecretary— 
W. n, Bogart, of Cayuga. Treasurer—AdlnThay¬ 
er, of Rensselaer. Executive Committee—Jesse 
Owen, of Chemung: D. D S. Brown, of Monroe ; 
I. L. Ttoxle, of Otsego: J. V. H. Scovllle, of Oneida! 
George Tweddle, of Albany; Germ s. Miller, of 
Madison; I. J. Deforest, or Schenectady, and Da¬ 
vid Cassett, of Onondaga. . . A telegram from 
Lake Charles. Louisiana, last Wednesday, says : 
“April weather continues here. Orange, fig, 
peach and plum trees are budding and straw- 
berries are in blossom. . . serious inun¬ 
dations and damage to property are 
graphed from nolland and Poland. . . . 
MR. RATCLIFFB’S SHORT-HORN HEIFER.—FIG. 31 
hatemng, shepherd and other dogs, eaum 
sheep, bogs, etc. Sent, free. 
Tbe feed thus given with the cut hay was 
usually two quarts of Tndmn meal, two quarts 
of wheat bran, aud one pint of oil meal, morn¬ 
ing. noon and night. I presume wetting 
them all up together clogged in the stomach 
and caused the colic. Considering this, I 
subsequently fed the meal ration dry by itself, 
and gave the horse dry. uncut hay; since this it 
has not had a single attack of colic. 
A. B. Allen. 
Benson, Maule & Co., 223 Church St., Phil¬ 
adelphia, Pa.—Illustrated and Descriptive 
Catalogue of Garden, Field and Flower seeds ; 
also a selection of small fruits, trees, plants, 
bulbs; also a price list of thoroughbred stock 
and eggs for hatching. Free to applicants. 
Note.— Tn referring to the Catalogue of E. & 
J. Williams (Montclair, N. J.), we said that 
their fine Raspberry, tbe “ Montclair,” is now, 
for the first, offered for sale. In this we were 
merchant, we may safely count on his goods 
being rich in cotton in proportion as they are 
cheap. Other things, such as fineness and 
elegance, being equal, the cloths which coutaiu 
most wool will be sold for most money. 
lltmllaiifons. 
Note*. 
Golden Rural Tomato.— This tomato, of 
which the Rural New-Yorker favored me 
with seeds, I think very highly of, but do not 
think tbe flavor to be quite as fine as that of 
the Acme, which I also raised for the first time 
the past season. 
Farm Buildings. —As a general thing, in 
the construction of farm-houses and out¬ 
buildings, not enough attention is given to tbe 
ornamental part of the work, although it is 
receiving more attention than formerly, which 
is a good sign. When a farmer erects a set of 
buildings, or even a single oue, it should be 
made a point to build in such a manuer that it 
will be an ornumout to the landscape, as well 
as 6erve the purpose for which it was erected. 
'Irek Agents. —This class of men are agaiu 
in the field for the winter campaign with their 
highly colored plates, and “ flowery” lan¬ 
guage. Do not be led iuto payiug high prices 
for so called new sorts of plants, or trees, to 
be repented of at length, when they are found 
to be worthless, or else old varieties under a 
new name, a6 is often the case. It is always 
best to buy of responsible nurserymen. 
Spreading Manure. — When driving to 
the village the other day, I passed a field where 
the farmer was engaged in spreading manure 
from little heaps, which he had recently placed 
there. Now why this method is in so common 
practice I am uuable to say, unless it is be¬ 
cause “father done so,” for it is certainly 
much easier to spread it directly from the 
wagon; besides, it can be distributed more 
evenly, aud takes less time. f. h. d. 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED. 
The Farmers’ Station Record. This is a 
Monthly, aud the first number now before us 
is filled with interesting matter, a good deal of 
it from the pen of Mr. Conrad Wilson, its ven¬ 
erable editor. The plan of the publication aud 
its peculiar objects we do not understand fully, 
and we must, therefore,defer a further cousid- 
mistaken. They hope to offer plants “in lim¬ 
ited quantities cmother year." 
®|jc llfrirsirait. 
A SURE MARKET FOR YOUNG SHORT¬ 
HORN BULLS. 
The great Western Plains may bo depended 
upon for many years to come as a good and 
certain market for them, as it is found that 
they make a more rapid improvement in their 
progeny, when crossed upon the wild Texan 
and other common cows, than any other breed. 
Tbe trouble and expense of placing them there 
in small numbers, have till recently been so 
great, and they arrived at tbeir several places 
of destination in such poor condition irencrally, 
as told greatly against them, and no one there 
could be tempted to give their real value. 
ThuB, there was usually a loss to the breeders 
of these bulls rather than a gain in transport¬ 
ing them to the Western I'laius. But now, by 
clubbiug and taking a large number together 
in carB, with careful attendants and plenty of 
forugo, these yonng bulls are delivered iu 
excellent eoudition, and at a cheap rate, at, any 
point required on the railroads; and it being 
advertised extensively beforehand that they 
would be for sale at such places on certain 
days, Western breeders flock in from all 
quarters to purchase, and are found willing, 
under these circumstances, to pay fair prices. 
Steers suitable for exportation to Europe 
are the most profitable sort for the breet er to 
produce, and the feeder to market; and the 
nearer these approach the oblong, square, 
blocky form of the Short- horus, the more 
beef of a superior quality they will make for 
the food consumed, and the higher is the price 
it will fetch in the European market. Thus 
ensues a double advantage in breeding bueh 
grades— meat at less cost in production to the 
breeder and feeder and the obtaining of a 
greater sum for it. In order to make the 
most rapid Improvement in grade stock, 
thoroughbred bulls alone should be used; and 
those of the best constitution, most compact 
in form and finest in all their points ; are to be 
preferred. 
--- 
Ouk Animal Portraits.— The accompany¬ 
ing portrait reposents Mr. Ratcliffe’s Cham¬ 
pion heifer at the late Islington, Eng. fatstock 
show She is a very lino specimen of the Short- 
born breeds having in her the blood of the 
AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
The fifth annual meeting of the N. J. State Hor¬ 
ticultural Society was held at Newark, January 
15th and 16th, with ft large attendance, and much 
Interest manifested. The officers elected for the 
ensuing year are Pres., Jno. s. Collins, Mnores- 
town; Rec. Sec. J. T. Lovett, Little Silver; Treas, 
W, H. Goldsmith, Newark. . . The owners of 
the Cook Evaporator patents are asking for 
their extension. Farmers In Ill, and Mo , are 
petitioning Congress agatnst granting the ex¬ 
tension as detrimental to the rapidly extending 
sorghum eane-growlng Interests ot tbe country. 
. . In Minnesota as,ruin acres ot prairie land 
wore planted to trees In 1819and 250,945 roils were 
planted In rows along thoR. IPs. . . Anew de¬ 
posit of guano has been discovered tn caves near 
Cape Town, Africa . . The farm products of 
Ill In 1879 amounted to $2no,ooo,oitn, estimated to be 
double tlio product nt all the gold and sliver mines 
in the country . . A beet sugar factory is to 
bo started at Low Poiut, DutcUesa Co., N. Y. 
. . Of dried apples 230 pins are said l o have been 
shipped from Sodus N\ Y., since tbe crops were 
gathered. . . At the annual meeting ot the West¬ 
ern N. Y„ Ag. Soc., held the other day at Roches¬ 
ter, a committee was appointed to select some 
other place tor holding the fair on account of the 
small encouragement offered by the people there 
and the sneers of the press. The yearly receipts 
were $11,942.06 and the expenditures *11,089.16. 
. . . Arkansas ranks next lo Texas as a 
cotton-producing state. . . In northern Texas, 
recent rains have put, wheat fields Into nne con¬ 
dition. . , ThoTennesee Stock-breeder’s Asso¬ 
ciation will hold their rourth annual meetlug at 
Nashville, Feb. 10, W. S. Shields, ot GraLger, Pres. 
. . ir.ts estimated that two-thirds of the arable 
land ot Louisiana have never been brought into 
cultivation. . . Kentucky shippers Intimate 
that nearly all the ripe cattle from that state for 
this season’s market are marketed. . . A sheep 
farm of 13,000 acres was recently purchased In 
Greeley county. Neb., at an average of 75 cents per 
acre, the railroad company allowing a large dis¬ 
count for cash. . . At the last meeting of the 
Lexington, Ky., Live Stock company a committee 
was appointed to raise money to give a great ban¬ 
quet. to the breeders ot shorthorns throughout the 
United States and Canada, at Lexington, tin- last 
Tuesday In .1 uly, 1880 . . . Receipts or hogs dur¬ 
ing the year just closed, at Cincinnati, 947.976; 
shipments, 165,543; cattle receipts, 20 : 1 , 011 s; ship¬ 
ments, 87,422; sheep receipts, 443,184; shipments, 
301,879. . , Cleveland, O., ranks now as the third 
hog-packlng city In the U. S, The total number 
of hogs packed the past, year 4so,000—an. In¬ 
crease of 100,000 over the preceding year. . . 
Throe dollars a bushel is the price of corn in Dead- 
wood, Dakota. . . The freight on Iowa butter to 
Boston is 00 c. per 100 lbs., that on Vermont butter 
fished In Fond rtn-T.an Co., Wis. . . Last year’s 
crops, according to thp Ag Pep. were wortb «aon.- 
nno.non more than those of ’78. ; . The North¬ 
western Dfttrymnn’s Association will hold Its annual 
meeting at Milwaukee. Feb . . The Dairy¬ 
men’s Association of Northern. Ta. wilt do ditto at. 
Montccello, same dare. . . The annual meeting 
of rhe N. J State Agricultural Society was held at 
Trenton. June 21 . and was largely attended. Tho 
old board of directors was re-elected, except the 
substitution of W. F. Kidder for the late .T. R 
Kllburn. The Treasurer’s report, shows a balance 
of $i non «n on band. . . The Northeastern Ree. 
Kpepers’ Association will hold It*Kith annual con¬ 
vention at the nty Hall. Utica. N. Y . Feb. 11.12, 
12 Liberal prizes offered for tho best essays on 
tonics of interest, and importance to bee-keepers, 
and also for various implements needed in apicul¬ 
ture. . The Ohio Polnnd-Chtun Record ts now 
ready tor the press; so writes to ns J. M. MUPken. 
Hamilton Ohio . . Chicago received 137.too aso 
bushels of grain last year, and claims that, no other 
city tn the world could have handled so vast a. 
quantity. : . Tn Morehouse parish. T,a.. * bov of 
13. who went, to school last year in hts leisure time 
raised eon pounds of cotton, which he sold for $ 70 , 
doing all the lahnr himself—a white at that. 
Planters are still picking cotton In some parts ot 
La . . The mule trade la lively throughout. 
Middle and Western Tenn , . The French hope 
that the severe weather has killed the phylloxera, 
but fear that It has killed the vtnps also. . . Up¬ 
wards of 6,noo sheep are reported to be fattening 
In Yates Co.. N Y. . . Tbe Grand Master of tho 
Wisconsin Grangers says the co-operative stores 
have been grandly successful. , . Floods In Co¬ 
lumbia, S A- have done Immense damage . • 
Tbe proposed Congressional Investigation of the 
Tiepartment of Agriculture is to be deferred until 
complete preparations have been made for a 
thorough overhauling Tbe scone of tbe investi¬ 
gation includes an examination into the his¬ 
tory, systems, and workings of the Depart¬ 
ment for some years back with a view to Its 
re-organization on a new and yilarged basis. 
There seems to be no special animus against 
the present Commissioner—It’s the system, not tbe 
man. that is malntv found fault, with. . . 
For 1R79 Nebraska gives fhe largest average yield 
of corn per pere. amounting to 45 bushels, and Col¬ 
orado tbe largest average of wheat, amounting to 
23 t bushels per acre . . Col. Wilkins, rf the 
•‘York Farm." In Maryland, raised this year an 
aggregate crop of to.ooo bushels of peaches, which 
were sold for about $42,900, , . The peanut, crop 
ot Virginia. Tennessee and North Carolina Is esti¬ 
mated at about, t,885-000 husbels—an Increase of 
about 500,00(1 bushels over last year. . . Tn 1807, 
42,000.000 head ot sheep produced 147 . 000.000 
pounds ot wool; in 1877, 85.ooo.ooo head produced 
20 s, 000.000 pounds; this shows a wonderful Im¬ 
provement In the science ot sheep husbandry. In¬ 
asmuch as 7 . 000,000 less sheep produced 60 , 000,000 
pounds more wool! 1 1 
