transparent paper, very tougli, thoroughly 
weather-proof, and liked it very much. Bags 
made of it will last several years. It was pre¬ 
pared for a different purpose by a new process 
by a compay in New York, is cheap, and much 
the best paper I have used for making bags 
for the grape. 
It has often been asked if bees injure fruits, 
and the answer has generally been, in sub¬ 
stance, not if the fruit is sound. My own 
opinion has been, that if the fruit be ripe, it 
matters little to the V e8 and “ yellow jackets " 
whether it be sound or not. The exception, 
however, has usually been made in favor of 
the honey bee, and I wish there were reason¬ 
able ground for it. A few days since I was in 
a peach orchard, where peaches, bees, hornets, 
yellow jackets, etc., were quite plentiful, and 
I watched the operations of the honey bee very 
patiently. 1 saw one alight on an unripe 
peach, pass all over it, and leave it. I saw this 
several times repeated. Again, I saw a bee 
alight on a peach, pass over and around it. and 
finally stop and begin feeding. When a small 
puncture had been made 1 pulled the peach off, 
and found it to be ripe oil the side where the 
puncture had been made, but there was not the 
least sign of decay anywhere to be seen. This 
was repeated sufficiently often to establish it 
as a fact. It may be that the honey bee prefers 
bruised and rotten fruit, but it cannot be denied 
that it is not averse to peaches and grapes that 
are sound and ripe. I thiuk Mr. Williams 
could tell us something about this. lie is 
known to have given much attention to the 
subject. 
Times change, and often opinions with 
them. A well-known horticulturist says, in 
one of his catalogues (1880), that “he believes 
he is the first, to offer the native grape-vine 
grown in pots.” Knowing how such an an¬ 
nouncement had been received in the past, 1 
have been a little curious to see how it would 
be received in the present, and have waited 
accordingly. It seems to be generally and 
silently received as a good way to grow the 
native vine, aud I am of that way of thinking 
myself. More than twenty years ago, how¬ 
ever, when J)r. Grant thought that the best 
way, and grew nearly all of his immense stock 
in pots, he was almost savagely abused for it 
from all quarters of the country. I gather 
from this that opinions have changed with the 
times. It may be some comfort to the Doctor, 
in his helpless old age, to know that vines may 
now be grown in pots without eliciting unde¬ 
served abuse. 
Lightuing sometimes plays curious freaks. 
I was at Mr. Williams’s nurseries a few days 
since. A severe thunder shower passed over 
the place, during which a bolt struck a row 
of grape-vines about twenty yards from the 
house. The bolt descended on the end post 
of the trellis, and broke into numerous little 
balls, which took to the wires, and ran the 
whole leugtb of the trellis, several hundred 
feet long. The post first struck was badly 
splintered; the second, some fifty feet distant, 
was split, aud the others seemed to have 
escaped uninjured. The performance on the 
wires was singular enough. They were cut 
off smoothly at the first part, aud at intervals 
pieces about a loot long were cut clean out 
and dropped Lo the ground. In some places 
the wire was cut only half through. This 
was the condition of things for perhaps a 
hundred feet, aud the vines for that distance 
had mostly fallen to the ground. The lluid 
passed along the rest of the wires without 
cuttlug them. Many of the leaves were 
burnt to a crisp, and the bunches of grapes 
along the line of the electric fluid looked as 
if they had been scalded. It may be that, 
electricity has something to do with what is 
called “scald” in the grape. The trellises 
on either side did not seem to have be in 
disturbed, though they were not closely ex¬ 
amined. I requested Mr. Williams to note 
the results, aud he will probably be beard 
from lu good time. Much as I have been 
among vineyards, this experience was an en¬ 
tirely new thing to me. Has any reader of 
the Rural met With a similar cases' I should 
hope that Ibis particular application of elec¬ 
tricity to horticulture is not to become com¬ 
mon. 
I noticed at Mr. Williams’s that the Cham¬ 
pion was the first to color among his collec¬ 
tion of grapes, aud the Ives next, with but 
little difference betweeu them. I expected 
to find the Brighton as early, but was disap¬ 
pointed. Perhaps it thinks itself too good 
for such company, and could hardly be blamed 
if it did. Lady Washington was among the 
absent ones. 
Just now (August fitb) a peddler is canvass¬ 
ing the suburban districts around New York 
(and perhaps other places) for the sale of lily 
bulbs. He has badly executed pictures of im¬ 
possible lilies. whieh, he Bays, have just been 
discovered in California “ at a great expense,” 
and have never before been offered for Bale. 
He is quite safe in saying that lilies like those 
in his picture have never been offered for sale. 
Fortunately, there are only three of them, and 
for these be only asks the modest sum of three 
dollars and a half, but is willing to take two 
rather than lose a customer. In one place he 
sold six dollars’ wor b aud in another ten. I 
have just said to a friend in his hcariug: "The 
pictures are absurdities and the whole thing 
looks like a fraud. You had better let the man 
alone.” And this she did ; aud this is what all 
the readers ot the Kukau should do who may 
be waited upon by this inan or his associates, 
for there are gen orally several of them. 
Tub effects of the drought on our forest trees 
have now become very plain. In almost every 
direction 1 see dead and dying trees that look 
as if they had been burned over with fire. 
Even the Couifcnc have not escaped, and, sin¬ 
gularly enough, the pines have suffered more 
than the spruces. Lawn tree6 in some places 
have suffered greatly, especially transplanted 
evergreens. Of the latter put out last Spring 
more than half are dead, or so much injured 
as to be worthless. Transplanted retinosporas, 
so far as I have seen, have suffered least of all, 
a circumstance very much in favor of these 
graceful aud beautiful eveigreens. 
[They arc graceful and beautiful, and no 
reader of the Rubai, should select evergreens 
for his grounds without looking over speci¬ 
mens of the many species and varieties of the 
retinosporas now to be found in all good nur¬ 
series.— Eds.] 
A Writer in a cotemporary says that insects 
are not troublesome to window plants at this 
season of the year (July and August). His ex¬ 
perience has been singular as well as happy, 
or he has some magic remedy to keep them 
down. Window plants at this season of the 
year are like all other plants iu regard to in¬ 
sects aud enjoy no immunity from the pests at 
an 3 r time. It is better that those who grow 
window plants should kuow this, as they 
might not otherwise give that attention to 
their plants whieh they at all times need. The 
successful culture of window plants involves 
an almost daily contest with the “bugs.” 
Horticola. 
- 
JOTTINGS. 
Believing, as I do, iu calling things by their 
right names, I must take exception to the 
word staminale, as applied to the Mower of the 
Primo strawberry. I claim there are three 
kinds or classes of strawberry blossoms, viz.: 
staminate those with male organs only; pis¬ 
tillate, those with female organs only; aud 
hermaphrodite, those having both stamens ami 
pistils—in other words, both sexual organs. 
The first are barren or nufruilful of them¬ 
selves aud are only useful in fertilizing (be 
Mowers of the second class, while the third 
class which I call perfect —an easier and more 
expressive word—are not only capable of fer¬ 
tilizing their own flowers, but the pistillutes 
also render the first class unnecessary. Hence, 
for all practical purposes wc have no need of 
any but the pistillate and perfect-flowering 
varieties, the latter being most desirable, and 
the merest tyro in strawberry growiug should 
know that pistillate flowering varieties should 
only be planted in eounection with, or in close 
proximity to, some perfect-flowering variety to 
secure satisfactory results. I may not have 
stated the case with botanical precision, but I 
hope 1 have done so sufficiently plainly to Le 
understood. _ 
I like the way “Horticola” “goes for” the 
potted plants. There is a good deal of hum¬ 
bug about them. If left too long in the pots, 
so as to lili them with roots and become pot- 
bouud, the ball should be broken up and the 
roots straightened out wheu set, otherwise 
they are far inferior to good layers. If one 
has plants of his own growth near the new 
bed, he has no need of potted plants. If our 
berry-basket makers would give us a narrow, 
three-spliut basket, just sufficient to hold the 
earth about the roots to be set out with the 
plants, they would be far preferable lo pots. 
Here is a chance for a new " boom.” The box 
boom of two or three year6 ago failed, because 
tbe boxes were too small aud not deep enough, 
and instead of rooting the plants iu the boxes, 
for which there was no room, they were in 
some cases I know of dug up and set iu the 
boxes for shipment, with many of the roots 
outside. 
How prone we are to forgetfulness! The 
well-eared cut of corn embellishing the cover 
of the “Book of Ensilage,” by Dr. Bailey, 
struck me as familiar. I thought it a repro- 
ducliou of the “ Judson Branching" kumhuy of 
a few years ago, till on reference I found lo 
the contrary. Still I could not divest my 
mind of the idea that I had aecu it before, and 
wondered how so prolific a variety could have 
been originated aud brought to such perfec¬ 
tion, at “ Winning Farm, ' so quickly and 
quietly; but tbanks to tbe good Rural this 
week for solving the mystery. I have been 
much interested iu the ensilage question, aud 
as I hurriedly glanced over the pages of this 
book, 1 was and am still puzzled to know 
what was the chief object of the book, and 
which most to admire, the handsome frontis¬ 
piece of the author, the ensilage matter, or 
the method employed to give the “ Winning 
Farm” stock a first-class advertisement. I was 
most interested in the ensilage matter, how¬ 
ever, aud I have been thinking how baling the 
ensilage, either whole or ent, would answer be¬ 
fore putting it in the silos, with care to pack 
closely and leave no vacant places—would it 
succeed, and what would be tbe advantages or 
disadvantages ? Who will answer ? 
The war with weeds waxes warm this dull 
weather. In May and Juue the elements were 
in our favor, and if it was hot aud dry it was a 
pleasure to kill weeds. Since July 4th it has 
beeD harder work, with less pleasure attend¬ 
ing it. They arc more persistent; if hoed or 
pulled up to-day, a shower to morrow will 
enable them to look up and laugh at yon. Ex¬ 
cessive aud persistent vigilance is now essen¬ 
tial to their destruction. The importance of 
taking them as soon as they appear above 
ground, or a little before, is every day appar¬ 
ent, and if taken in time, the labor is as one to 
ten if neglected. A few days’ delay gives them 
the advantage, and you are at their mercy. 
KIT. 
Jatra topics. 
WESTERN FARMING.—XII. 
W. I. CHAMBERLAIN. 
Uonanza Farming. 
Everybody has heard of the Dalrymple 
wheat fields in Dakota, or of the Dulryniple- 
Graudin Estates, or of the Oass-Dalrytuple 
or the Cass-Cheeney farm. And there is 
au impression that they (or it) are somewhere 
along the Northern Pacific Road, or have 
something to do with the “ Jay Cooke fiasco.” 
But there are ro many names that people’s 
minds are like the Scotchman’s “ a’ a moodle.” 
There is considerable Dalrymple in it all, but 
just how much, no one seems to know. 
I was very glad, therefore, of a chance, 
yesterday, to visit the farm, see the wheat 
fields miles in extent, examine the machin¬ 
ery used, aud have a full convetsaliou with 
Mr. Dalrymple himself, who very courteously 
auswered my many questions, aud gave me a 
systematic outline of the whole business. I 
will try to give, as exactly and with as little 
varnish or enthusiasm as possible, the facts 
and figures 1 gained from him, 
The entire estate is properly known as the 
“ Dalrymple Farm,” and is a partnership af¬ 
fair. Originally, as I understand it, (though 
I did not think to ask Mr. Dalrymple about 
Ibis point), tbe Messrs Grandin and Cass aud 
Cbeeuey, non-residents, furnished mo6t of the 
cash capital necessary for tbe purchase and 
outfit, and Mr. Dalrymple furnished his pres¬ 
ence on the grouud, and the brain capital nec¬ 
essary for the personal oversight aud general 
management of so large a farming enterprise. 
The total of laud owned »-> 75,000 acres. The 
total now in wheat is 25,000 acres. For con- 
venicneeof management and division oT profits, 
the immense farm is separated into Uivisious 
known as the “ Grandin Farm,” “ Cass Farm,” 
and the “Cbeeuey Farm," etc., respectively 
named for the non-resident par mere. In each of 
these Mr. Dalrymple is half-owner, and sole- 
owuer of the “ Alton Farm." The Grandin Farm 
is several miles norlh of Fargo on tt.e Red River 
of the North. The others are west of Fargo 
on the line of the Northern Pacific Railroad. 
Each of thessj large farms has a separate su¬ 
perintendent and book-keeper, aud all supplies 
for each farm are drawn on a regular system 
of requisition like that used in the army. The 
expense accounts are all itemized or classified, 
aud each item entered under its appropriate 
heading. Thus there are separate columus 
for “breaking” the turf, for “backsetting” it, 
for seed and seeding, for harvesting and thrash¬ 
ing, for board of bunds, etc. 
Thus it may readily be seun what is the 
total cost of a given crop per acre or per 
thousand acres, and what is the exact cost of 
each item that enters into the account. Thus, 
too, as soou as thrashing and measuring are 
done and the account footed, it is known 
what is the exact cost per bushel ou board the 
ears. This exactness iu accounts is essential 
in managing so immense a farm. Wouldn’t 
it be a nice thing ou some of our smaller farniB 
at the East? Many “small” farmers keep 
their accounts on the plan of the river-man 
who took a raft of lumber down to New Or¬ 
leans. “ Look a’herc, boss" said he “ 1 hud 
jes’ filteeu dollars wheu I started and here’s 
my pile now," (showing a handful of quarters) 
“ that’s how 1 kep' my ’counts, and that’s how 
much I made,” Farmerd who have kept their 
aceouuts on that system of double entry some¬ 
times find “ how much they have made" when 
the sheriff sells them out. 
Each of the large “ farms" is divided into 
subdivisions of about 2,000 acres each, and 
placed under a division foreman, aud he, in 
turn, has several gang foremen, or riding 
bosses, under him. Thus all the men, bosses, 
foremen and superintendents of the whole 
75.000 acres, are under Air. Dalrymple himself, 
who is general-manager as well as more than 
half-owner of the whole. 
The cost of opening and stocking one of 
these large grain farms, including buildings, 
household goods for superintendent and work 
hands, and teams and machinery, is about $10 
per acre, or $20,000 for each large division. 
This does not include breaking, and there is 
no feucing. Small farmers are apt not to 
provide for this expense, essential in starting 
a faun, and to cripple themselves more or 
less in consequence. The buildings consist of 
a house, barns and sheds for stock and imple¬ 
ments. and a large yard or corral surrounded by 
a tight, high board fence for the stock to sun in, 
in winter time. The stock, machinery and 
hands used for working the 25,000 acres now 
iu wheat, are as follows 500 head of horses 
and mules are owned and 200 are hired, and 
in harvest and thrashing 800 men are employed, 
including teamsters. Only cows enough are 
kept to furnish necessary milk for use. The 
machinery used is as follows:—about 175 of 
John Deere's gang plows, or one tor each four 
horses; 500 pairs of Scotch harrows, and half 
as many Buckeye seeders, or one of the latter 
for each 200, and one of the former for each 
100 acres; also 155 self-binders, of the Wood 
and the McCormick make. Twenty-six steam¬ 
ers do the work of thrashing, most of them us¬ 
ing the Buffalo Pitts separator, nine of the en¬ 
gines being Ames’s straw-burnerB. These use 
straw for fuel, and have a self-feediug arrange¬ 
ment. They prove to be a success and are a 
great saving where fuel is Bcareeand the straw 
is deemed of no account and is burned on tbe 
field at any rate. The harvest takes about 12 
or 14 days and the thrashing is begun as soou 
as the harvest has been in progress five days, 
that is, long enough to have that first cut dry 
enough for thrashing ; aud continues about 
24 days. Tbe self-binders are run in “gaugs” 
around immeuse fields of a mile square or so, 
a dozen or twenty being run oue after an¬ 
other, the latter number being deemed about 
tbe limit of successful work in gangs. Each 
gang of self-binders has a mechanic, and a 
gang foremau or riding boss, and men enough 
to shock the wheat as fast as it is bound. Iu 
case any machiue getB out of repair, it pulls 
out into the open space for repairs aud the 
other machines pass on, and the mechanic, 
with supplies close at hand, promptly makes 
repairs. There is usually at harvest lime an 
expert from each of tbe manufacturing houses 
(Wood and McCormick), aud any serious diffi¬ 
culty with any machine is submitted to him. 
As I have said, after the harvest has been in 
progress five days, the thrashers begin. The 
wheat is not stacked at all, but thrashed from 
the shock, the usual dry weather of harvest iu 
this region favoriug this. Each thrasher turns 
out about IKK) bushels of wheat per day, 
the Btraw beiug short and dry, heads well 
filled, and the days long. Thus the 20 steam¬ 
ers would turn out over 215,000, bushels of 
wheat per day. or enough to load 00 freight 
cars and make two pretty long freight trains 
per day, the two with their eugines stretching 
a third of a mile. Thus the 24 days’ thrashing 
would give us about eight miles of freight 
trains full of wheat. Or, to figure it in bushels, 
23,000 for 24 days give us over 500,000 bushels. 
Or, In still another way, 25,000 acres, at 20 
bushels per acre, give 500,000 bushels. That 
was the yield per acre last year, aud Mr. Dal¬ 
rymple says it will be, if anything, a little bet¬ 
ter this year. To gel at the magnitude of this 
crop turned out by the braiu power and sys¬ 
tematic energy of a single man, we need only 
remember that the combined wheat crop of 
Ohio and Illinois for 1870 was 80,000,000 
bushels, and that both the acreage and the 
yield per acre were exceptionally large that 
year, especially in Illinois. And yet 100 such 
farms as this that is managed by a single brain, 
would produce as much wheat as these two 
great States, the largest in population aud 
about the largest iu wheat production, of all 
the great Western or Middle-western States. 
But it will be noticed that of this vast estate 
of 75,000 acres, only one-third, or 25,000 acres, 
are now iu wheat. Since the first experiment 
was made, some eight years ago, which proved 
that this land was remarkably adapted to pro¬ 
ducing largo crops of the best wheat, the sys¬ 
tem has been to “ break and backset 5,000 
acres each year, and the next year sow it to 
wheat and Tl<UI it to the previous wheat area. 
Thus, last year there were 20,000 acres in 
wheat; this year there are 25,000, aud next 
year there will be 30,000, and so ou, At that 
rate it will be ten years before the last acre of 
prairie turf is turned. 
The season’s work ou this great farm is 
Bomewhat as follows:—Harrowing and seed¬ 
ing to wheat begin almost before the fiost is 
out of the ground, usually before the middle 
of April, and last for two or three weeks. The 
ground has all been “ backset,” that is, plowed 
the previous fall. Then comes the breaking of 
prairie turf, which continues till uearly har¬ 
vest. Next follows haying for a few days, to 
