village, after his land was plowed in the Fall, 
had it all spaded yet deeper, the stones re¬ 
moved and the whole work done in Old Coun¬ 
try style where labor is cheap enough to allow 
such luxuries. The results this season spoke 
for themselves, and iu addition to these wei'e 
the comparatively light hoeing and weeding, 
and so satisfied was I with what I saw and 
learnt thereby, that one-half of my largo gar¬ 
den has been this Fall treated in the same way 
and the balance will be another season. Old 
gardens lightly plowed and dug get “case- 
hardened at the bottom anti allow neither 
water nor air to permeate freely, whilst a great 
depth of soil supplies perfect drainage and 
aeration, and consequently warmth and more 
even temperature all the time. The manurial 
matters are more perfectly distributed in the 
latter condition and not so soon exhausted and 
dried up, the ground is worked more easily 
and is more productive. Gardens continued 
in the same place year after year require, more 
than others, thiB deepening of the soil and oc¬ 
casionally a good sprinkling of salt. r. g. 
Lenox, Mass. 
as the time of ripening, etc. I have produced 
a variety I have named the Buff Pcachblow, 
which has yielded twice as much as the color¬ 
ed or ordinary Peachblow, and ripened six 
weeks earlier, both kindB having been planted at 
the same date and having received precisely the 
same treatment. The quality is the same in both 
cases, or perhaps mine do not waste so much 
and Powell’s accurate records of the milkyield 
ed by their herd. 
HOLSTEIN BULL 
UNCLE TOM.” 
Our photographer was not so successful as 
we could have wished in securing a likeness of 
The Yellow Ovoid Mangels are a sur¬ 
prise to me. With no extra care they have 
grown to a large size, and are of just the right 
form for compact storage. They prove to be 
excellent for table as well as for stock, and, 
what is of equal importance, they are easily 
lifted from the ground by baud. I class them 
with Lane’s Improved Sugar Beet as my two 
best varietiet. The parsnip has been a favor¬ 
ite root with me for feeding, as it so admirably 
resists drought; but the difficulty of digging 
the roots will hereafter put them in the cor¬ 
ner. I am surprised to see how few farmers 
grow the salsify. Properly cooked it is an 
invaluable vegetable. Leave most of them in 
the ground until Spring, with the parsnips; 
but bury a few in a box in the cellar for Win¬ 
ter use; also a few.parsnips. Cover them well 
with rather dry earth. E. P, Powell. 
Oneida Co., N. Y. 
THE CLARK APPLE 
in boiling as the original or colored Peachblow, 
The origin of another variety is as follows: I 
found a volunteer potato in the garden with 
one colored eye, the others being perfectly 
white, as was the tuber. From the colored 
eye I raised one potato, a dark purple—aud 
one pare white. They grew to about the size 
of a nutmeg the first seasou. After the fourth 
seasou's growth I fiud the colored potato a fixed 
type and a smooth tuber, perfect iu form; in 
color, dark purple or Indian red, mottled with 
white. But I am yet somewhat doubtful about 
its quality, although some of our principal 
dealers pronounce it, after cooking, the very 
best. I somewhat fear the beauty of its appear¬ 
ance has influenced their taste in soxne degree. 
I have named it the Indiana. I am also try¬ 
ing to raise the eyes of all Peachblows to a level 
with the surface. In this attempt I have met 
with some success, hut it is a tedious business. 
I have also the white potato that grew on the 
same stem with the Indiana nr purple potato, 
and it is a curiosity. As yet it has no fixed 
form, except that it is not a long one. Its 
eves are so smooth and level with the sur¬ 
face that they are hardly discernible by the 
sense of feeling. This season, for the first 
time, I have obtained one large, white, waxy- 
looking potato. I intend to enltivate this until 
its type is fixed. 
Since I have got into the way of experi¬ 
menting with potatoes, I have also beeuwoi’k- 
in the same manner with the Snyder Black¬ 
berry, as well as with grapes, and some other 
small fruits. I have thus obtained a new black¬ 
berry of fixed type, but it is so difficult to tell 
just yet whether it is an improvement. 
Bellevue, O. j. 8 . b. 
the bull which won first premium in the class of 
aged bulls of the so-called Holstein breed at Al¬ 
bany at the last State Fair. He is the property 
of Messrs. Smiths and Powell, of Syracuse, 
N. Y., whose herd, at the head of which he 
stands, is one of the most famous in the 
country. 
“ Uncle Tom,” No, 163, (n. H. B.) is of a 
velvety black, with star in forehead, white 
legs and switch. He was dropped April 17, 
1875, and bred by Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, of Peter- 
boro, whose herd was noticed in the Rural of 
November 27. His weight varies but little 
from 2.400 pounds, and he has won the first 
prize three years in succession at the State 
fairs, namely, at Elmira In 1878, at Utica in 
1S79, and this year at Albany. So completely 
does he fill the eye and meet the requirements 
of the admirers of this noble breed that it 
were a vain as well as a thankless task to 
criticise him. Though large and powerfully- 
framed, he is symmetrical iu form and free iu 
his movements, having a fine head and neck, 
deep brisket, capacious barrel, straight back, 
broad loin, deep flank, well-shaped legs and 
excellent hind-quarters. His disposition is 
gentle and quiet. He marks his get with his 
own prominent characteristics, thus evincing 
his own good breeding, ne is by the famous 
“Rip Vau Winkle,” owned by Mr. Smith, and 
imported in his dam the cow “ Fraulein," one 
of the four animals imported as the founda¬ 
tion of Mr. Smith’s herd. She has a record of 
70 pounds of milk iu one day, and 1,873 pounds 
in one month. 
Uncle Tom's dam is Topsey by imported 
Hollander, and her dam was Dowager, an¬ 
other of the same importation. Topsey gave 
as a two-year-old 40£ pounds of milk in one 
day and has subsequently equaled her dam’s 
yield of 70 pounds, averaging 64 pounds a day 
for a month, and producing 6,005 pounds in 
five months. Imported “Dowager” has a 
record of 12,681£ pounds in one year. 
NOTES BY A STOCKMAN, 
At the Fat Cattle Show in Chicago, five re¬ 
cently imported French Merino rams were ex¬ 
hibited. This is the first importation of 
these sheep for many years. I prognosticate 
repeated importations of them, and for the 
following reason : We are breeding too 
much for fineness of wool and yolk, in¬ 
stead of heavier carcass and large fleeces. 
It is a pity that as a people we refuse to 
look ahead. There i3 a story extant of a 
man who was once ruined by success. He once 
picked up a gold coin that had been lost i ml 
ever afterwards went about with his eyes bent 
to the ground lest he should miss another 
chance, and, therefore, was unable to see any • 
thing else about him. Just now there Is an 
urgent demand for Merinos of a particular 
kind—flue-wooled, yolky, and wrinkled, fur 
crossing on the common native Western anti 
Mexican sheep. Bat are we to raise sheep 
only for crossing ? There is a large demaud 
for combing Merino wool, “ de-laine wool,” fox- 
mixed fabrics of wool and cotton, and for solt 
“ all-wool” goods. This purpose bhould not 
be lost sight of in the eagerness to meet the 
profitable demand for breeding animals, and 
so exemplify the old 3toi’y. 
CUZCO CORN 
Rural readers may remember what has been 
said respecting Cuzco Corn in Ihese columns. 
The kernels are immense—so large, in fact, as 
to be curiosities. A friend in California sent 
ns a quantity of the grain, aud we, reserving a 
small quantity to try at the Rural Farm, sent 
it to a number of our subscribers in the South. 
The reports so far received are, “immense 
stalks— no ears,” or “ mere nubbins.” Of the 
row pi anted at our farm, only two plants 
grew. One of these showed two sets, which in 
duo time developed sillc, showing they were 
ready to receive the pollen. Bat there was no 
polleu. That from the tassels above had ma¬ 
tured and fallen several days previously, while 
other corn in neighboring fields was beginning 
to ripen. As before stated, there was not a 
kernel npon the two cobs, which were about 
six inches long and covered by heavy husks. 
For the same reasou, probably, the little lots 
sent South failed. In many varieties of Indlau 
corn we have found, as stated two years ago, 
that there is a difference of several duys be¬ 
tween the ripening of the pollen aud the ap¬ 
pearance of the silk. It follows 
that the ears upon a given stalk 
in such cases must depend upon 
other plants for polleu. 
Last season was very favora¬ 
ble for corn, and although the 
Cuzco was plant d late, it had 
time to have reached the milk 
stage of maturity, at least. In 
further trials of this it would 
be well to make two or three 
planliugs, eueh three or four 
days after the other, so that the 
silk of most ol the plants when 
appearing would have pollen 
for fertilization. At best, how¬ 
ever, we do not believe this •*, 
South American Cnzco Corn is 
worth anything, though adver- 
tiseil last season iu several pa- y 
pers as a wonder. The bigness * \ 
of the kernel cannot, uader •/" 
the most favorable circnmstan- ’ " * 
ces, compensate for the small- > 
nesB of the ear. It might, I 
perhaps, prove of value if, by ' 
crossing, we could increase the 
size of some of our best corn 
while suppressing every other 
characteristic of the Cuzco. 
The Hereford “ boom” has received a favoi - 
ing gale. The first prize for slaughtered l cef 
at the Fat Cattle Show wcut to a Hereford ; 
and a second prize went to a cx-oss-bred Hete- 
fox-d and Short-horix, aud as the Hereford men 
are ju9t now making the most “blow,” the 
credit will be claimed for their favorite braid. 
Nevertheless the Hereford can well afford to 
stand npon its own merits as a producer of 
beef of fine flavor, well mixed and marbled 
with fat, and that yields well on to 70 percent, 
of live weight on the best specimens. The Shot t- 
horns need not fear the eompe- 
lition, however. It is best for 
any breed to have an active 
rival, for then there is a strong 
inducement for it to be kept up 
to the highest point of excel¬ 
lence. Competition is the no in¬ 
spring of business. The judges 
at Chicago did a good thing 
when they deprecated over¬ 
fattening. Americans have hu 
eye to economy in their market¬ 
ing, and have not yet aeqmrtd 
a taste for excessive fat in thtir 
meat. Prize beef will not as 
easily sell here as in Eu&laud 
for doable price because it is 
j; V | half fat; and to feed excessively 
* , $ fat meat is a waste of feed aud 
: -y . :-v j good material. 
The Annual Production op Potatoes for 
the last five years, according to the reports of 
the Department of Agriculture, has been 153,- 
789,000 bushels. Of this quantity forty bushels 
out of every hundred have been grown in the 
The Chicago 8how ended very 
pertinently in a pointed discus¬ 
sion on pleuro-pneumonia. It 
is a disgrace to any rational 
government that so strious a 
menace to our stock interest 
should be permitted to exist auy 
longer thau may be necessary 
to slaughter every diseased ani- 
CYUWpu VY—- . V 
. 'W ; 
HOLSTEIN BULL, “ UNCLE TOM.”—PROM LIFE.—FIG. 416. 
mal. This is a people's g.»v- 
EXPERIMENTING WITH POTATOES AND 
SMALL FRUITS. 
lor several years I have been trying to pro¬ 
duce new varieties of potatoes or sports at 
will by the selection of eyes. I find no 
difficulty in changing the color of potatoes, 
and sometimes the form and quality, as well 
New England States, New York, New Jersey, 
and Pennsylvania. In Maine potatoes aud 
hay are the principal crops, and of food pro¬ 
ducts the State exports little except potatoes. 
Vermont, Minnesota, Massachusetts aud Mich¬ 
igan report the largest yields per acre, the 
yield in each being considerably over 100 
bushels, while the average for the rest of the 
country is about 85 bushels per acre. 
“ Uncle Tom” has never yet been beaten in the 
show ring, and should he ever be, we hope to be 
there to see, and, if it is fairly done, to give our 
readers a picture of the successful youngster, 
for he must have the advantage of compara¬ 
tive youth who will win in such a contest. 
Our readers will doubtless be interested in 
the following transcript from Messrs. Smiths 
ernment and the people am 
responsible for its failux-es aud neglects. Aa 
the country is now “saved” for four years 
longer, Congress may be induced to take meas¬ 
ures to save our cattle from this imminent l xu- 
ger. State legislation cannot do it; it is be¬ 
yond its province and its power. If stockmen, 
dairymen and farmers will force this suijeet 
on the consideration of their representatives, 
