834 
DEC. 48 
but the producer of these few things muBt 
not be allowed to cheat or deceive in the sale, 
this is the true definition of fraud and this 
it is which the State may and should punish. 
It i3 clearly demanded that every article pur¬ 
chased he susceptible of proof ub to character 
and quality and that penalty be incurred for de¬ 
ception or falsehood. b. 
[The above is handed us for publication by 
one whose opinions are entitled to much con¬ 
sideration. We cannot Bay, however, that we 
at all agree with his opinions. Ed6.1 
RURAL BRlEFLETS. 
A correspondent from Butler County, Pa., 
writes us that he needs to know how to make 
poor land so rich that it will produce one 
hundredfold ; where to get seed that will pro¬ 
duce 30.' bushels of corn to the acre; where to 
obtain the best breeds of s tock ; how a poor 
farmer can be made rich, ....... 
Mr. Barry's note nudor “What Others 
8ay.” regarding the Fatneuse or Snow Apple, 
does no more than justice to that handsome, 
excellent fruit. It thrives well in Nebraski, 
Iowa. Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Connect¬ 
icut, Vermont, New Hampshire, in parts of 
Canada, and we kuow not where else. The 
Fatneuse Sucre, a seedling of this, which origi¬ 
nated near Montreal, is said to resemble its 
parent in many respects and to be more 
prolific. It is not, however, offered for sale 
by nurserymen in general. 
TyK Loudon Garden republishes our cut of 
Fay's Prolific Currant and the accompanying 
article. The editor remarks iu a note that 
this currant is not, he believes, in commerce 
in England, bulthat as it has been so long in 
cultivation in America, •* some of the large 
nurserymen doubtless possess it.” No, it is 
not yet offered lor sale. It has been cultivated 
by Mr. Fay, with whom it originated, for 
many years. The stock is uow controlled by 
Mr. J /sselyn, of Frcdonia, N. Y., who will 
offer it for sale as soon as bis stock warrants 
him in doing so. . . .. 
Mr. II, B. Ellwangek pronouuces the Lady 
Washington one of the most beautiful grapes 
known.. . 
Wr see that our friend, Mr. Peter Hender¬ 
son, is advertising his St. Patrick Potato in 
English journals. The price to fhe trade is 
34s. or about $0.00 per barrel of 100 pounds. . . 
A grand novelty in the way of vegetables 
was offered last Spring under the sounding 
name of '■ Thousand Headed Kale," “ Chou de 
Russle," or “Russian Ifardy Kale." Three 
seedsmen were kind enough to send us seed 
for trial and—we tried it. It has nothing to 
commend it and we hope it will not be offered 
another year The leaves arc large, spreading 
and deeply cut. Each plant made a growth 
of about two feet iu bight and nearly three in 
width. It might prove a good food for pigs or 
cattle, but not oetter than cabbage which is 
just as easily grown. Why it should be called 
“Thousand Headed” is inexplicable, Bince, 
like other kales, it doesn’t head at all. Would 
it not be better for all seedsmen (as many do) 
to test such costly, though w orthless, novel¬ 
ties before offering them for sale ? . . , . 
Mr. A. B. Allen writes us; “1 am glad you 
condemned Prickley Comfrey. 1 tried it three 
years ago and did the same.” Ho also remarks : 
“ What the Mark Lane Express says, quoted 
by you, against Percheron horses (p. 803) is all 
wrong and many a good English judge of 
horses has said for 40 years past In British 
journals that they are far superior to Clydes¬ 
dales. 
Marshall P. Wilder’s statement in an¬ 
other column that under circumstances which 
he presents, nine out of eleven connoisseurs 
preferred the Lindley Grape (Rogers’sHybrid) 
to the Delaware, is an interesting and val¬ 
uable fact. ... 
Many thanks to Mr. Charles Dcekuer, of At¬ 
lanta, Ga., for a little box of strawberries 
which, notwithstanding their long journey, are 
still of a bright red color, and of fair quality. 
If there is one fruit a little more delicious than 
another it is a well-ripened, strawberry in Mid¬ 
winter. 
We have just been reading an oleomargarine 
advertisement in a city weekly contemporary. 
Oleomargarine in immense letters extends 
across the entire page. “ If you have a trade 
for fine goods,” it goes on, “ only try our x, y, 
x brand, which we guarantee pure and the 
finest product ever produced in this country. 
Warranted not to crumble. For sale by 
all jobbers.” . , . ... , 
We have received the following letter from 
Mr. J. H. Hale, cf South Glastonbury, Coun. 
It rather gives strength than otherwise to our 
remarks respecting the prone ness of people in 
general to exaggerate the size of favorite 
small fruits, especially when the actual size is 
itself a sufficient commendation. 
“In the Rural of Dee. 4th, in the “Notes 
from the Rural Grounds,” it is stated that 
raspberries rarely attain the size of one inch 
iu diameter, and that the size of large speci¬ 
mens of fruit is usually guessed at, which I 
know is the fact; nevertheless, I will tell my 
little story: Two years ago we planted a 
part of an old muck swamp (that had the 
year before 25 cords of stable manure per 
acre) with the Gregg Black-cap, in rows ten 
feet apart with plants six feet in the row, hoe¬ 
ing them once a week all through the season. 
The following Spring we tied them up to 
stakes and then hoed in a double handful of 
bone aud muriate of potash around each plant. 
The result at tryitlng time was astonishing, 
as we picked from four to six quarts of berries 
from each plant, and by actual measuro 30 
berries from one plaut were three-quarters of 
an inch and over iu diameter, aud on every 
plaut there wore, from eight to ten that 
were a good plump iueh. There were 200 
plants in all, and from the field we sold 080 
quarts, besid :s what were used in our family 
of eight persons. The price was 20 cents per 
quart for the season, or $107.20 lor the lot. 
At the same time Mammoth Cluster were sell¬ 
ing in our Hartford market at 10 and 12 
cents.”. 
Ttie Gregg is now generally conceded to be 
one of the largest Black cape (if not the 
largest) in cultivation. Planted in an old 
muck swamp that the year before had received 
25 cords of stable manure per acre, ten bv six 
feet apart; and hoed once a week through the 
season and treated to a handful of bone and 
potash—is it suiprlsing that from eight to ten 
berriesoneaeh plant should have measured “ a 
good, plump inch?" If ever Black-caps attain 
to Buck a size, we should say not. It would 
appear, in fact, that a “plump inch ” may be 
set down as the maximum diameter of the 
Black-cap raspberries. 
WHAT OTHERS SAY. 
Ears of Wheat on an Acre. —In answer to 
a question the agricultural editor of the. N. 
Y. Times says that the usual number of ears 
of wheat grown upon au acre of ground 16 
about 1,250,000, and this number varies but 
little, whatever quantity of seed is sown. Major 
Halles, an English seed-grower, who has pro¬ 
duced some excellent varieties of wheat, gives 
the following statement on this point: 
Seed sown per acre. 
Bushels, 
1 . 
Ears nn a 
square yard. 
.808 
.288 
.265 
..270 
.260 
Ears on au 
acre. 
1,272,290 
1,367,920 
• 1,282,600 
1,306,800 
1,301,060 
Asparagus Culture jn France. —Some of 
our readers—those who have had a long ex¬ 
perience iu asparagus culture—will smile at 
some parts of the following. It may be re¬ 
membered the Argenteuil is the name which 
we have given as one of the kinds offered iu 
our Distribution, not that there is one kind 
known by this name, but there are several sub¬ 
varieties cultivated in that district which is 
famous for its asparagus. At the meeting of 
the International Congress of Horticulture in 
Paris, M. L’ HerauR, of Argenteuil, gave the 
following account of his method of culture of 
this popular vegetable, reproduced in the lately 
published Bulletin of the Congress;— 
“I will not speak of the ten sorts of aspar¬ 
agus that I ain acquainted with—of their 
varieties, nor of their twenty-five sub-varieties 
that I have experimented upon from every 
country. I will content myself by saying, 
that, iu 1850, after four or five years of experi¬ 
ments, I thought it well to select three varie¬ 
ties, viz., the early, the intermediate, and the 
late. After sixteen years of cultivation the 
Central Horticultural Society of France ac¬ 
knowledged the superiority of these varieties, 
and aceotded to me an award. The aspara¬ 
gus plants must be planted near the surface of 
the soil, contrary to the general custom; and, 
also contrary to the general practice, they 
should also be planted wide apart. They 
must be earlked-up in Spring to have them 
tender and white. Earthing-up is absolutely 
necessary, not only from a culinary point of 
view, but as a natural protection for the shoots, 
and to prevent the asparagus from being 
blown over by the wind. That is the object 
fulfilled by the mound of earth in the culture 
of asparagus. Afterwards, when the leaves 
appear, it is necessary to tie the asparagus to 
stakes. This protection is of great impor¬ 
tance, for when the wind knocks over the as¬ 
paragus it breaks and splits the sternB, so 
that there is no hope of saving them. 
“The method of culture of asparagus may 
be thus summed up;—Plant them very near 
the surface of the soil, earth them up in Spring, 
cut them moderately. As to the gathering of 
asparagus let me say that no steel instruments 
should be employed, but the fingers alone 
should be uBed, for otherwise there is a great 
risk of damaging the neighboring shoots aud 
spoiling a great part of the crop.” 
Pleuho-pnkumonia in our Exported Cat¬ 
tle —The British Privy Council, by whose 
order the present restrictions were placed on 
importations of American cattle, has a staff 
of picked veterinarians at, each port at which 
cattlo from foreign countries are landed, aud It 
is the duty of these to examine the animals both 
before and after death to discover how many 
of them are diseased, aud the nuturc of that 
disease with a view of making, periodically, de¬ 
tailed reports on the subject. It is on these 
reports that the embargo on our cattle was 
originally established and it is on these reports 
that it is maintained. Away back in ’79 inst 
after the enforcement of the restrictions, 
Professor Williams, Principal of the New Vet¬ 
erinary College of Edinburgh, and last year 
President of the Royal College of Veterinary 
Surgeons of Great Britain, oue of the most 
skillful and best known veterinarians In the 
United Kingdom, after a careful examination 
of the diseased lungs of the Imported cattle 
slaughtered at Liverpool -or rather ut Birken¬ 
head in Cheshire on the opposite side of the 
Mersey, where most of the stock Irom this 
country is landed—declared that the official 
veterinarians had made a mistake In their 
diagnosis of the disease, aud that instead of 
its being contagious pleuro pneumonia as they 
claimed, it was simply ordiuary non-coutagious 
pneumonia developed during the voyage, and 
therefore that the Orders iu Council prohibiting 
the importation of Amerieau cattle unless 
slaughtered at the port of landiug, were 
founded on a mistake. This opinion we notic¬ 
ed at the time, but although some of our agri¬ 
cultural contemporaries seemed to deem it 
conclusive, not ouly with regard to the nature 
of the disease of the cattle slaughtered at Liver¬ 
pool, but also as to the non-existence of 
pleuro-pueumonia among any of our herds, 
the British Government took no official notice 
of it. 
Last Summer Gen. Le Due sent Mr. Lymau, 
a skilled veterinarian, to England to ascertain 
by post-mortem examination, whether ani¬ 
mals infected with pleuro-pne imonia were 
actually landed there. Having examined the 
luugs of over 10,000 imported animals slaught¬ 
ered, he reported last July that he found 
many infected with pleuro-pueumonia; that 
the disease was in most cases fresh; that the 
luugs were but slightly affected, and that three- 
fourths of the cases were Western Oattle im¬ 
ported from Boston. Lately President Will¬ 
iams, in an address before the students of his 
college, referring to Mr. Lyman’s report, 
leiteruted his former opinion that the disease 
with which the slaughtered animals were in¬ 
fected was not pleuro-pnenmonia but bron¬ 
chitis, brought on by the vicissitudes of the 
voyage, giving various reasons for his opinion. 
It seems to us that some of our agricultural 
paperB lay by far too much stress upon this 
opinion of Prof. Williams. The best talent of 
his own country do not agree with him; the 
best talent of ours dcc’are that genuine pleuro 
is among a few of our herds in a strip of coun¬ 
try stretching from Western Mass., to South¬ 
ern New Jersey, taking in nearly the whole of 
the latter Slate, aud extending nearly the 
whole way across Pennsylvania and Maryland 
iu a narrow belt along the line of these StateB, 
and theu running southward across the District 
of Columbia into Virginia it is highly 
probable, as we insisted eighteen months ago, 
ikat mistakes have been made by the British 
veterinarians in diagnosing the disease from 
which imported American cattle were suff ering, 
especially as it is claimed that somany of them 
oame from the West where the disease has 
not yet shown itself—but, as no modification 
of the restrictions will be made on account of 
these probable mistakes, what good can we 
achieve by makiug such a hubbub about 
them? 
Stamping out Pleuko-Pneumoniain Penn- 1 
stlvania.— The following is an account of the 
total expenses incurred by Pennsylvania on 
the above account, from March 30, ’79, to No¬ 
vember 30, ’80, according to a communication 
to the National Live Stock Journal from J. W. 
Gadsden. V. 8. 
ITEMS. 
For Animals killfirt by ordor. 
HurK.-oun' Iocs aud expenses.;--••••• }»*« 
Salary and travelled exponBoe, special oKt 1,705.09 
Expenses of commission.•.-. §18.21 
officeexpenses, Stationary, postage, etc.... 27484 
Expenses under Joint resolution...... 147.83 
Total.... .......8)7,382.28 
Cash received per State Treasury. 1» 
Balance... .$368.10 
For slaughtered animals the owners receive 
Bomewhat less than half what their value 
would be if in good health. The State would 
have long ago succeeded in entirely suppress¬ 
ing the disease were it not that new cases are 
from time to time introduced from Maryland, 
where although the laws on the subject are 
excellent, no attempt seems to be made to en¬ 
force them. With oue exception all the cases 
discovered in the last six months were due to im¬ 
portation from that State, and fully two-thirds 
of the total money expended in Penn, is 
chargeable to Maryland's neglect. The New 
Jersey authorities co-operate heartily with 
those of Penn., and no ease of Infection in the 
latter State has been traced to the former. 
Advice to Shippers of Hogs.—A Chicago 
commission salesman who has twelve years’ 
practical experience in handling hogs in that 
market, gives the advice here condensed, 
which is equally applicable to shipping hogs 
to other markets also; 
If hogs are driven to the depot the farm 
dogs should be first secuiely chained before 
starting them on the road. Haste should be 
made very slowly in driving. They should be 
started early without feeding from the evening 
before,* and should not show any signs of 
uneasiuesf, or stop frequently for a resting; 
better by far take one more day and handle 
them safely. Over-healing founders them at 
once, or as soon as cooled down. If the de¬ 
livery be made by teams, there should be no 
feeding that day; the w'agon should be bedded 
deeply with dry hay or straw, and the teams 
move slowly with occasional stops, that they 
may rest from the jolting. When the hogs 
have been collected in the shipping yard with¬ 
out having been over heated, aud are well 
rested, weigh out 15,000 to 17.000 pounds of 
heavy hogs, according to the kind and size of 
car; of mixed weights. 14,000 to 10,000 pounds; 
handle carefully, without more “whoop and 
hurrah" than is necessary to move them. If 
there are no scales in the yard on which to 
weigh, count off and estimate the average 
weight for each car until you have your quota 
for a load, then btd each car with at least 400 
pounds ol dry hay or straw. If your hogs are 
loaded the same day they came from the feed 
yard where they were grown, do uot feed any 
grain. Water if thirsty. They will find the 
new quarters comfortable and all will quietly 
settle dowu for a nap and the waking will not 
take place until their arrival at the market, 
whether it is oue day or one day and night, or 
even two or three days. After 500 miles of 
constant run they will be in comfortable con¬ 
dition on arrival, without even a cripple to 
injure your interests. Hogs should not be 
unloaded duriug the colder seasons of the year 
oftener than once in forty-eight hours, if their 
comfort is only considered. 
The Fameuse ok Snow Apple. —Apples 
abounding iu acidity are liable to derange the 
stomach, and a mild, sub-acid flavor is un¬ 
doubtedly the most pleasant as well as the one 
best calculated to promote digestion. Mr. 
Barry, writing in the Albany Cultivator, is re¬ 
minded of this fact by the handsome and ex¬ 
cellent Fameuse or Snow apples, which we are 
enjoying, and which he is glad to say are toler¬ 
ably abundant iu this market. This variety, 
more than any other that he knows, possesses 
qualities which commend it, not only to all 
who enjoy line fruit, but more especially to 
persons who suffer from indigestion. It is a 
beautiful fruit of medium size; the skin is of 
a purplish-crimson color, its llcsh Is as white as 
euow, tender and delicutc, and the flavor very 
pleasant, with just enough acidity to render it 
exceediugly refreshing. Now as fruit has come 
to be regarded as so valuable au adjunct toother 
food aud so conducive to health, there are 
many no doubt searching after tie choicest 
kiuds, and he recommends this as one of the 
finest fruits of Us season. 
Herbfords.— The great merits of the Here- 
fords, a writer in the London Live Stock Jour¬ 
nal states, are a robust constitution, early ma¬ 
turity, great aptitude to fatten, freedom from 
hereditary and epidemic diBcase, being able to 
thrive in any climate and ou the roughest food 
great prolifieness. and general good breeding 
properties, wanting little attention at calving, 
even when iu high conditton, the best graziers 
and commanding the beet price per pound 
when fed. Their doubtful qualities, or rather 
the points in which many people say they fail 
are their milking qualities, their color, and 
their inability to improve other breeds by 
crossing; It has been also said that other cattle 
will feed better iu the stalls, and attain to 
greater weights It is said that the Uerefords 
will never become the fashion, as the ladies do 
not like their white faces! The same writer 
above quoted hears the fashion has changed iu 
America, and that at all the recent cattle shows 
the ladles all congregated around the “ White- 
faces,” as much from the novelty of the scene 
as from anything else, perhaps ; hut he thinks 
that the practical American ladies, when thev 
find that the White fucos are a source of profit 
to their “lords aud masters" (and therefore of 
a congiderable advantage to themselves), will 
soon vote their color perfection, aud the Here¬ 
ford will be the prevailing fashion. 
4 
Exercise fob Cows —In the Agricultural 
Department of the New York Tribune, our 
friend, Colonel Curtis, has this to say on 
this subject: It is a wrong notion that cat¬ 
tle must be kept iu a barnyard all day, or 
a part of a day, to get exercise. How much 
exercise will they take during the entire 
day ? Just enough to get from one pile of fod¬ 
der to another, or to find, if they can, a warm 
spot to stand on. If you don’t believe this, 
watch a cow and see. Fasten cattle in the 
stable so they can get up and down easily, and 
this is all the exercise they require. You see 
these eattlu are fastened with a chain, and they 
can move around freely aud lick themselves 
aud get up and down without’etraining. This 
is one reason why they are so healthy. Stanch- 
eons make more straining for*themr“H<Twili 
