JUNE 5 
THE BUBAL 
UEW-YOBIE 
All stock appear to be very healthy and give 
promise of profit excepting hogs, which have 
suffered terribly here for two or three years 
with the “hog cholera.” and in some parts of 
the county they are still dying. n. 
Montana, Glendale, Montana Co., May lfi— 
The season in this part of the country is quite 
late; grass is just etartiug We still have 
snow. Stock-raising is the principal agricul¬ 
tural occupation engaged in here. ,t. a. m. 
New Jerset, Toni's River, Ocean Co., May 
24.—After a severe drought of several weeks, 
we had copious showers from the evening of 
the 22nd to the morning of the 2tlh of May. 
These have considerably revived vegetation, but 
grass had been so scorched and stunted in its 
growth that the crop of hay will he very short, 
even if abundant rain falls through the rest of 
the month and June. A coo), wet May i3 
necessary to make a good hay crop in this soil 
and latitude. Tlic weather has been excessive¬ 
ly ho'-, for the Ecason, for several days past— 
thermometer rising at noon iu the shade of 
the veranda, on the south side of my cottage, 
to 993, and on the nortji side, to 93 3. We 
must have more rain and cooler weather sood, 
or our strawberry crop will be of no account, 
and peas and early vegetables will suffer 
badly. A. 
Neiv Jersey, Essex Co., Newark, May 25.— 
The five weeks' drought, I am afraid, will play 
havoc with our strawberries. I began water¬ 
ing yesterday, but it takes a big lot to wet ten 
acres. Tbe grass crop in this State Is “gone up 
the spout.” p, r. q. 
Pa., Pughtown, Chester Co., May 22.—The 
weather is very warm and dry—no rain since 
April 27. Wheat looks well, however, and is 
coming iu head. Rye is in bloom. A great 
amount of potatoes has been planted about 
here; they are up, and plenty of bugs rejoice 
thereat. Corn is all planted and some is up. 
Grass is short from want of rain. Apples will 
be a pretty fair crop and pears a slim one. 
Peaches, cherries and plums will he only 
moderate crops. c. w. h. 
Pa., Franklin Co., May 19—Ground very 
dry and roads dusty. Corn needs rain very 
much, but wheat never looked better. Rye 
is headed. The grass crop will not be large 
unless we get rain soon. Fruits will give 
only a medium yield owing to late frosts. But 
“• hard times” are over. j>. b. m. 
South Carolina, Aiken, Aiken Co., May 24. 
—We have just bid a good ruin after a dry, 
hot time. It starts everythiug. When my 
late PeacbeB came into bloom, the leaves failed 
to come out until the fruit was as large as a 
hickory nut. Then the leaves came here and 
there—mostly on the ends of the twigs—and 
on close examination I found the leaf buds 
dead, and they had mostly dropped off. The 
snowfall following the hard freeze on Novem¬ 
ber 21 last—au unheard of thing hereabouts be¬ 
fore that—killed the leaf buds of the new growth 
and did great damage. Last summer was 
exceedingly dry from the commencement to 
late in July, or the first of August; then tbe 
midsummer rain started the second growth, 
which was unusually strong and vigorous, and 
in the fall this late growth was very tender 
aud full of sap. Then came the freeze that 
did the mischief which it will take an entire 
season to repair. The bad effects were very 
plainly to be seen on the Peach trees in my 
garden, as well as on the Grape-vines, Rose 
bushes, etc, b. o. 
Va . Paiucville, Amelia Co., May 22.—Since 
ray last writing the farmers’ prospects have 
changed in this county, and I think I may say 
in the whole State. We had a mild, dry winter 
up to the first of March; then wet, cool 
weather during the month, and since that time 
it has alternated between the extremes of heat 
and cold, ranging from frost to 80 3 j n the 
shade, with no rain whatever, which, of 
course, has worked destruction to fruits, veg¬ 
etables, tobacco plants and oats. Wheat, 
which was looking well two months ago, is 
now looking very bad iu consequence of cold, 
dry weather and the liy. In the tobacco belt 
there will bo a large crop of corn from the 
preseut outlook, mauy farmers having plauted 
corn on their tobacco land. Of wheat and 
oats there will be half a crop with about ten 
per cent, of a crop of tobacco, the cold and fly 
having destroyed the plants almost entirely. 
J. W. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by tbe name and 
address of the writer to insure attention.] 
Sente of Points of n Short-horn Cow. 
TP. L. //., Herkimer, N. Y., asks what aro 
the poiuts of a Short-horn cow. 
Ans —There are several scales of points by 
which judges guage the merits of 8hort-horn 
cattle, but they differ only in slight matters. 
Tbe following is the scale adopted by the 
Agricultural Society of this State in judging 
of Short horn cows, and \yith slight modifica¬ 
tions it is adapted to bulls also, and, indeed, to 
all beef cattle—the Herefords, for instance—as 
well as to Short-horns. 
Pedigree-Should show unbroken descent on 
both sides, from known animals derived from 
English herds, as found In the English or Ameri¬ 
can Herd Books, and without tuts on animal ran- 
not compel# tn this etnas. 
Head—Small, lean, and bony, tapering to the 
muzzle......... 3 
Face—Somewhat long, the fleshy ponton or 
the nose of a light delicate color.. 2 
Eye—Prominent, bright, clear; “prominent” 
from an accumulation of adipose substance in 
the socket, Indicating a tendency to lay on fat ; 
“bright, 1 as au evidence of good disposition; 
“ clear,” a guarantee or good health. 2 
Horns and Ears - The horns should be light In 
substance, waxy in color, and symmetrically set 
on the head. The ears should be large, thin, 
and with considerable action... l 
Neck—Rather short than long, tapering to the 
head; clean In the throat, and full at Its base; 
thus covering and rilling out the points of the 
shoulders.. 2 
Chest—Broad from point to point of the 
shoulders, deep from the anterior dorsal ver¬ 
tebra lo the floor of the sternum, and both 
round and full just back of tue elbows, or, In 
other words, “thick through the heart.”. 14 
Brisket—Beep and projecting. Indicating a 
disposition to lay on fat... 5 
Shoulder -Where weight, as in the Short¬ 
horn, Is an object, should be somewhat up¬ 
right, aud of a good width at the points, with 
the blade-hone just sufficiently curved to blend 
Its upper portion smoothly with the crops_ 4 
Crops—Must be full and level with the shoul¬ 
ders and back. 8 
Back. Loin and Dlps-Sbould be broad and 
wide, forming a straight and even line from the 
neck to the setting of the tali; the hips or hocks 
round and well covered. s 
Rumps—Laid up high, with plenty of flesh on 
their extremities...... . 5 
Pelvis—Should be large, Indicated by the 
width of the hips (as already mentioned) and 
the b readth of the twist.— . 2 
The Twist—Should be so well filled out In Its 
“ seam ” as to form an even and wide plain be¬ 
tween the thighs .. . . 3 
The Quarters—Long, straight and we:l devel¬ 
oped downward. 5 
The carcass—Round; the ribs nearly circular 
and extending well back. i 
The Flft])k8-Peep, wide and mil In propor¬ 
tion to condition. 3 
The Leg—Short, straight and standing square 
with tbe body— ....... . 2 
The Plates—Of the belly strong, and thus 
preserving nearly a stralg ht underline... 3 
The Udder—Should be pliable and Uiln In Its 
texture, reaching well forward, roomy behind, 
teats wide apanand of convenient, size . - 3 
The Tall—Flat and broad at Its root, but fine 
In Us cord, and placed high, up on a level with 
the rump... 
The Coat—Should be thick, short, and mossy, 
with longer hair In winter; tine, soft, and 
glossy tn summer. 2 
Carriage—Of an animal gives style and beau¬ 
ty ; the walk should be square, the step quick, 
and the head up ... 2 
Quality—on this the thrlttiness. the feeding 
properties, and the value of the animal depend; 
and upon the touch of tilts quality rests In a 
good measure the grazier’s and the butcher's 
judgment, if the “ touch” be good, some ten¬ 
dency of form may be excused; but, if it be 
hard and stiff, nothing can compensate for so 
unpromising a feature. In raising the skLn 
from the body, between the thumb aud finger, 
It should have a short., flexible ant substantial 
feel; and, when beneath the outspread hand, It 
should move easily with and under it, as though 
resting on a soft, elastic cellular substance, 
which, however, becomes firmer as the animal 
ripens. A thin, papery skin Is objectionable, 
more especially In a cold climate .. . ir> 
Total . ..mo 
Lightning Hods, etc. 
N. .5', Walnut, Kansas, says, there are 
agents traveling through that part of the 
country selling a tubular copper lightning 
rod, which they claim is much superior to all 
others, but it costs twice as much as ordinary 
rods. lie has a new house which he wants 
rodded, hut he. is undecided as to the kind of 
rod aud therefore atks our advice. 2. Jio 
sends the wings and head of a beetle which ho 
thinks is eating the leaves aud blossoms ol his 
Blackberries, aud asks its name ; 3, also that of 
a plant, a specimen of which he forwards; it 
grows very tall and he has trouble to keep it 
down, and asks if it is of any value as a forage 
plant. 
Ans,—1. We emphatically advise our friends 
not to buy these new-fangled lightning rods, 
and if the agents should prove troublesome, 
they should be sent off the premises without 
much ado. Being copper, which is a good 
conductor, the rod may be very efficient, but 
an iron rod that will serve Iho purpose just as 
well may be put tip for one-sixth the cost. 
Copper is a belter conductor than non in the 
proportiou of twelve to two-aud-a-half, but by 
increasing the amount of iron in the same pro¬ 
portion, the iron rod will be as efficient. It 
is a disputed question whether Iho dis¬ 
charge of lighlulng is conducted uway on 
the surface or through the body ot the 
rod. Lightning-rod men generally favor the 
theory that the discharge passes on the 
surface entirely, and they are anxious to im¬ 
press this idea upon the farmers, because 
they would then be justified in eharging*a high 
price for reds wrought into fantastic shapes 
for the purpose of giving a large expanse of 
6mfaee. White the discharge may pass more 
readily on the surface, because it there meets 
with less resistance, it is also certain that 
it passes in part through the body of the rod. 
The cheapest and at 1 he same time a very ef¬ 
ficient rod may be put up of bar or round iron, 
which should not be less than three-quarters ot 
au inch in diameter. Let it projeot four or five 
feet above the highest chimney, or other cle- , 
vated point of the building, and cap it with a 
copper point which should be coated with 
nickel or gold leal to prevent it from being 
tarnished. Put metal couplings Ov p r the joints 
and let the ends of the rods touch each other 
within these couplings to facilitate conduction. 
Lcf the lower end of the rod terminate at the bot¬ 
tom of a well, if possible, or, if no well Is close 
by. bury it deep enough to reach the. moist 
eaith; and if the terminus is surrounded with 
pieces of charcoal or iron, or, if several bars 
are connected underground so that they spread 
out like the fingers of a hand, the better will 
be its conducting power. Use no insulators; 
(hey are of doubtful advantage; but fasten the 
rod directly on the building. Finally, paint 
the whole rod, except the point, with some 
good mineral palut that will prevent it from 
rusting. Such a rod can be made and put up 
by any blacksmith, aud it will cost only a trifle 
compared with the prices of the fancy article 
sold by professional lightning-rod peddlers. 
2. The beetle belongs to the family Searabtci- 
dae and the genus Meloloniba; the specimen 
sent is too crushed to determine tbe species. 
This germs is very destructive to plants both 
in the larval aud imago state. The larvae eat 
the roots of grass and other plants, and the 
perfect insect feeds on the leaves. Though we 
have not heard of its attacking the Blackberry, 
yet it is not unlikely to be the case. Ascertain 
at what time they work, then shake them off on 
a cloth and kill them with hot water or other 
wise. 3. The leaves sent v/ere those of the sweet 
clover—Melilotus alba. It is a leguminous 
plant cultivated in some places for forage; but 
it is loo coarse for this purpose, aurl spreads 
like a weed. It is an excellent honey plant, 
and hence is often sown by bee-keepers near 
their apiaries. 
How many sheep 1 
W. F., Almonte, Onl., has 309 acres of land, 
half of which can be cultivated, while the rest, 
beiug rough, stoney and busbVi is unfit for Ull¬ 
age. Although a novice in the business, yet 
he is thinking of goiug iu to sheep husbandry 
exclusively, and asks how many sheep could 
he raise successfully on his land, and would 
the industry be likely to turn out profitable. 
Wool is now selling for 35 cents, and lambs 
will bring from $3.50 to $3 in tfoe fall. The 
winters there are long, necessitating from six 
to seven months’ feeding. 
Ans. —The question cannot be answered pre¬ 
cisely withoutknowing several points of which 
no information is given. The number of Eheep 
to be kept depends upon the am»nut of pas¬ 
ture, the condition of grass and the amount of 
feed for winter use. If there is fair feed on the 
150 acres of rough land, 800 cheep could be kept 
on that portion of the farm in the summer; the 
better way would be to divide the land into 
five fields, and pasture each in succession. 
The land might be improved without plowing 
by scattering grass and while clover seed on 
it, aud the sheep will trample it iu aud manure 
it. In time, by gradually clearing off tbe 
brush, the 150 acres may keep three or four 
sheep to the acre. If the rest of the farm is in 
grain, hay and roots, winter feed for 300 sheep 
can be easily produced. Ten or 12 acres of 
mangels and the straw, with some hay, would 
feed a tloek of this size. Whether it would be 
profitable or not would depend on the manage¬ 
ment. A flock of native Canadian ewes and 
Colewold rams, well managed, could notfailto 
be profitable. The long winter's feeding is an 
advantage inrespcctof making als.rge quantity 
of manure; for Lhis. gather leaves from tbe 
woods for bedding aud keep all the straw lor 
feeding with tbe roots. 
Foot Hot In Sheep. 
J, IJ. B., Topeka, Kan., asks for a remedy 
for foot rot in sbeep, how totreafitaud the 
cost. 
Ans.— This disease Is contagious and may 
spread through the whole flock, unless 
prompt preventive measures are taken. In it 
the whole hoof becomes inflamed, blisters 
form on the heels and between the toes, which 
break and iu a few clays form ulcers which, 
excrete fetid matter. The fore feet are usually 
affected, aud the sheep then goes about feed¬ 
ing painfully on Us kueos. The hoof is lost in 
course of time aud a sore stump aloue is left. 
It is usually the result of feeding on wet pas¬ 
tures. It should be treated on the first ap¬ 
pearance of lameness, for afterwards the 
whole condition of the animal is demoralized. 
All raw, loose or diseased horn should be cut 
a way, aud if any pus, or matter, is found under 
the horn it should be removed. The feet 
should then be washed with carbolic soap and 
water twice a week, and after each washing a 
piece of soft tow or lint steeped iu the follow¬ 
ing mixture should be bound on the foot and 
between the toes: oxide of copper, four 
ounces; arsenic, half an ounce; acetic acid, 
three ounces; honey, eight ounces. We have 
also heard of excellent effects from washing 
clean the affeeted part with Buchan’s Carbolic 
Soap number 12, and then applying- Buchau’s 
Crcsylic Ointment. No. IS soap costs 50 cts. a 
cake which will wash 100 sheep. A four-ounce 
box of cresyLic ointment costs 25 cents, and is 
enough for 12 or 15 sheep. The above soap, it 
is also claimed, is au excellent remedy for all 
kinds of skin sores in horses and cattle gen¬ 
erally. 
Early or Late Fouls—Which f 
R. II., Scranton, Pa., asks what is the best 
season at which foals can be dropped, and 
whether it is better that they should be dropped 
early or late. 
Ans. —February or March is as good a time 
as any. If the dam is then well fed she will 
have plenty of good milk, and the foal will 
soon learn to eat with her, supplementing her 
milk, aud when it goes to the pasture with her 
in April or May it will be iu condition to crop 
the young, succulent grass. If foaled as late as 
May cr June, and put ou the pasture which is 
already becoming rank and dried up, it won't 
eat tbe grass while any of it is yet in good con¬ 
dition, and, supported on its mother’s milk 
alone, it will not grow fast aud large, and 
when old enough to graze, the grass that is 
left is of too woody a fiber for ycting foals— 
colts or fillies. Rather than have a foal 
dropped later than the commencement of 
June, it would generally be well to wait and 
breed for an October foul to be with the dam 
all winter, and be in fine condition for pas¬ 
turing in spring. 
Honing Alfalfa. 
j. A. P., Portsmouth, Va., asks, 1, whether 
Alfalfa would do well in that section; 2, 
whether it can be seeded to advantage in Sep¬ 
tember ; 3, does it require a rich soil, and, 4, 
what is t.he best fertilizer to use in seeding it. 
Ans. —Alfalfa ought to do well in that sec¬ 
tion. 2, Alfalfa seed is generally sown in the 
spring at the same time and in the same 
manner as clover. We should uot consider it 
safe to seed down a very large area in the fall. 
Try a small plot as an experiment and report 
the success to the Rural. 3, It requires a 
very rich, deep, mellow soil. A sandy and 
thin soil is uusuited for it- 4, This question 
must be decided by the character and needs of 
the land, rather than by the seed. Any fertil¬ 
iser rich in ammonia, will be of value to the 
crop. Should the land be deficient in other 
elements, as lime or potash, for example, 
these should be supplied. 
Miscellaneous. 
W. S. R-, Newark N. J. finds his pretty 
rose bushes infested with thte green fly and 
also with some green worms, and asks what 
they are and what will kill them. 
Ans. —The green lly is so common that* no 
description is necessary; but it would not be 
safe for us to attempt to name the worms 
without having seen them. It may possibly 
be the rose-slug— Selauderia rota?—which is 
the larva of a saw-fly, though this pest seldom 
appears until later In tbe season. Syringing 
with a weak solution of carbolic acid, coal 
oil or whale oil soap will kill them. 
J. D. S, Bowling Green. Kg., has a two-acre 
lot overgrown with burdock and he wants to 
know how to get rid Of it. 
Ans.— Thorough cultivation is the cure. The 
root of the coinmou burdock, Lappa officina¬ 
lis, is biennial, and the weed need, therefore, 
uot be fouud on the land more than two 
years, if prevented from going to seed. There 
is no easier or surer way of extirpating it than 
by thorough culture. 
A. O., Nao Tacoma, W. T., wants some 
books that will give him instruction in propa¬ 
gation ami general horticulture. 
Ans. —Barry's Fruit Garden is a good work 
ou the propagation and care of frnit trees, 
price $3.50, and Henderson's Floriculture and 
Gardening for Profit, $L.50 each, will give in¬ 
struction in the culture of flowers and vege¬ 
tables respectively. Mr. Roe's new work on 
small fruits is also excellent. 
«S’. F. B., Buckeye Center, III., wants a good 
work on photography. 
Ans. —Abney's Treatise ou Photography, 
price $1.50, is a good work, aud so is Vogel’s 
Handbook of Photography, $3 50; both can 
be had of D. Van Nostrand, 23 Murray 8t., N. 
Y. City. 
COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED FOR TDK WEEK. KNDINL 
Saturday, May 30th. 
O. 0.- 
F. G.A.- 
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E. 
N. 
—VV. 11. D.—C. K.—F. 
R. N.—F 
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c. 
— N. 
E.—J. R., thanks.—G. 
R.-J. R 
. 8.—Mrs. 
s. 
A 
C. O.—D. J.—P. J.-S. 
B. C.-C. 
D. S.-Wm. 
E. 
V 
. 8.—M. A , yes.—S. G. 
C. -G. G. 
- J. C.8- 
-A. 
M. 
s. 
—O. W.D.—R. W. H.— 
\V. H. M.—“ Panscy S. C. G.-T. T. L., thanks.— 
S. C. tt.-N. C.-G. B. U. F. S.- J. W. R., M. D.— 
,T. G. B.—“Chandler" U. McF.—M. B. B.—D. S. 
M.., thanks—A. B. A.-MayEdgerton. W. U. n.— 
w. A.—L. R. McH., thanks —W. W. W.—R. R.—G. 
E. N.—A. T. L.—W. C.—R. NH. S-—J. P. 
