SEPT. A 
THE BUBAL WEW-YOBKEB 
571 
Idaho, Genesee, Nez PerceB Co., Aug., 18.— 
Our soil is new and fertile and tlxe cultivated 
acreage is being increased largely. Owing to 
the grasshopper and the extreme heat, with hot 
wiDds. our crops have been damaged, caus¬ 
ing almost a total failure in some localities1 
but in this place we are more favored. 
Wheat, flax for seed, barley and oats grow 
abundantly here, but will all fall short of an 
average this year. Corn is but little produced 
outside of the garden. Sorghum has not been 
tested- The potato and many other vegeta¬ 
bles are abundant. Tbe Ovoid Mangel and 
Ennobled Oats succeed here. The cow-pea is 
a failure. Small fruits, such as currants, 
gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries and 
strawberries do well. Larger varieties have not 
been fairly tested yet. o- «• 
Iowa, McGregor, Clayton Co., August 20 — 
My place is on River Hill, 300 to 400 feet above 
the level of the Mississippi, opposite the mouth 
of the Wisconsin River. The land is rich— 
not as rich as some and not as poor as some, 
but pretty good. Now I know this to be so, 
because the potato patch, just along side of 
the wheat patch, produces the biggest crops of 
grass and weeds I ever saw in my life. Why, 
they grew so fast and got so big at last, that I 
couldn’t plow them out. When I left the bat¬ 
tle was still raging, and the potatoes crying for 
quarter. A late despatch from the battle field 
states that Major-Gen. Foxtail had gained a 
complete victory; the last intelligence states 
that a small brigade of General Potato’s forces 
had escaped and were strongly iutreuched. I 
hope they will hold out. Well, it is not much 
use to go back and tell what kind of a Spring 
or Winter we had five or six months ago. Suf¬ 
fice It to say we have had as fine a season as 
any one could desire, and it is my opinion that 
the crops are unusually fine, though l have not 
been round through the country to make obser¬ 
vations, except once—on the 10th of .June, 
when I had the pleasure of a ride out to the 
county seat, 20 miles across as good a farming 
country probably as any in the State. At that 
time growing crops of all kinds over the prairie 
were a splendid 6igbt. However, as a wheat 
buyer said to me. “ We can only tell what the 
wheat crop will be when we get it in the half 
bushel." We have had splendid weather for 
harvesting. Farmers are not yet through 
stacking, though a great majority are. One 
of my neighbors had 20 acres in Lost Nation, 
wheat—good heavy wheat it is. This kind 
fails, I believe, in a good many localities, from 
some cause or other. Thrashing has not com¬ 
menced In this neighborhood yet, but will, I 
suppose, iu a few days. There is a heavy crop 
of apples in this sec Lion wherever the trees are 
in bearing. Wild blackberries are selling at 
10c. per quart. The crop of strawberries was 
light owing to neglect, which is probably the 
true reason of failure in a great many other 
things. j. r. J. 
Iowa, Le Mars, Plymouth Co., August 20.— 
The grasshopper pest destroyed nearly all the 
small grain in several of the eouuties of North¬ 
western Iowa last year, aud farmers, as a rule, 
sowed less this year. This Spring opened very 
dry and wiudy, blowing the small grain in 
many fields entirely out of the ground, so that 
much of it had to he planted to corn. A few 
pieces of wheat, sowed on last year’s breaking, 
are excellent, yielding from 20 to 30 bushels of 
No. 1 wheat; iu fact, the wheat is genet ally 
good—what there is of it. The few hot days 
in the fore part of July, blighted a small per¬ 
centage of the wheat and made the oats light 
in weight. There was very little barley sowed 
P, crc —yield rather light. Considerable flax 
was raised, and it will yield from sis to twelve 
bushels of seed per acre. But little sorghum 
was planted; much of it has been sadly neg¬ 
lected and it will be a light crop. Corn in this 
part of Iowa is above an average crop. It bids 
fair now to yield from forty to sixty bushels. 
The small package of Mold's Ennobled Oats 
received from the Rural last Spring. 1 drilled 
in on a piece 4x5 feet in ray garden. The hot 
weather made them very light—1 have got only 
about one pound. I think they would do well 
here in a season favorable for small grain. 
W. B. M. 
Iowa, Wolfdale, Woodbury Co.—Wheat here 
will yield from 15 to 80 bushels per acre ; oats 
from 25 to 50. Corn is still “booming,” but 
wants rain badly. Wells and creeks are dry¬ 
ing up fast. Grass is good on low lands. 
H. T. 
Kansas, Parsons, Labette Co., August 16.— 
We have the finest crops ever known in East¬ 
ern Kansas. Grass, fruits, roots, graiu, and 
castor beans are all good. Corn is a better 
crop than ever known. Uplaud and lowland 
have both done excolleutly. So far neither 
floods nor storms have done any dam ige. The 
husks on the early planted corn are while. Onr 
Texodusters have succeeded In raising a good 
crop of cotton, yet it will prove injurious to 
them and the country if they, from this in¬ 
stance, repeat the attempt, as experience here 
is adverse to success. If they have more skill 
in the business they may do b/tter than their 
predecessors. But the summer season is too 
short. Our neighbors iu Northern Texas are 
jubilant over their corn and cotton. Both 
crops are splendid. We shall supply them 
with considerable wheat; but hardly any corn. 
The Rocky Mountain locusts have been so few 
this season that they have excited no comment. 
Yet they have not failed to put in an appear¬ 
ance. A week or two ago, while the wind was 
in the northwest, I shaded my eyes and looked 
as near the sun as I could, about midday (this 
being the best time to observe), and saw the 
little white specks floating iu the wind away 
up hundreds of feet. They seemed like small 
flecks of snow. I think we are never free from 
Ibem, and it is only under circumstances favor¬ 
able to their propagation in the mountains 
that our great allliclion from them comes. Our 
farmers have made an astonishing increase in 
capital. There is notau unimproved quarter- 
section from here to the county seat, a dis¬ 
tance of 20 miles, and were yon to see some of 
the localities on the line, their houses, barns, 
fences, osage hedges, orchards, avenues of 
trees, and fields of corn and wheat, you would 
have »u extended conception of American 
agriculture. Wheat is coming in to market. 
The quality is not quite equal to that of last 
year’s cron, nor is the yield; but the increased 
acreage will give au aggregate of one half 
more. Vegetables and fruit are very plentiful. 
Cabbages, three centB ; apples, 50c.; peaches, 
00c. to $150 per bushel: melons two to five 
cent* each, fine and good: potatoes, 40c. per 
bushel ; prairie hay. $2.50 per ton. delivered 
to consumers; oats, 15c. per bushel; corn. 
20e.; wheat, 60 to 75c.} flour. $3 per 100 
pounds; butter, 10c.; eggs, 8c.; coal, $2 50 
per ton. J * 
Mo , Pleasant Mount, Miller Co., Aug. 29.— 
Tbe weather has been exceedingly dry for the 
past six weeks, aud has damaged corn very 
badly, so mneb so that in dry, saudy, or rocky 
soil it will not yield ten bushels to tbe acre. 
The ground is very dry—too dry to plow lor 
wheat. Stock of all kinds are suffering for 
water, us the continued drought has dried up 
all the small creeks, and in many cases stock 
have to be driven two or three miles to be 
watered. Wheat is yielding well. Although 
this is not really a wheat country, vet enough 
i&iaiscdfor home consumption. The exten¬ 
sive range here makes stock the principal de¬ 
pendence of the farmers; hence wc see more 
cows, meadows, and pastures thau we see in 
Southern Illinois. Wheat is worth 75c; corn, 
30e;oats, 25c ; young hogs that will do to push 
along aud fatten for market this Winter, are 
selling at $3. per 100 pounds. n. j. a. 
N. Y., Little York, Cortland Co., Aug. 19.— 
Farmers are in low spirits in this section, on 
account of tbe grasshoppers, which have de¬ 
stroyed fully one half of their Spring crops, 
including grass. Potatoes were an exception 
and they look fair at present. D. w. c. 
North Carolina, Brookston, Warren Co.. 
Aug. 23.—After a dry April, May and Juue 
came frequent showers with an excess of rain 
in early August. Crops that were clean when 
the raius came are wouderfully fine. Such 
corn and cotton l never saw here before. To¬ 
bacco has been injured bj too much wet— 
drowned in some places. That early-planted 
which had the top leaves well grown when the 
rains came is hard to beat. Fodder pulling 
begun last week. Of four varieties of corn, 
Blonnt's is earliest and gives most fodder. 
Turnips are getting a fine start. Cow-peas 
are making au extraordinary growth of vines. 
Grapes are nearly all gone, and 1 believe at 
quite satisfactory prices. m. b. v. 
Ohio, Van Wert, Van Wert Co., Ang. 20.— 
So far as the products of the farm in this sec¬ 
tion are concerned, we are well pleased. Ihe 
yield of wheat will average 20 bushels per 
acre. Oats are light; potatoes good ; corn is 
very promising for a heavy crop. Fruit is about 
half a crop. Farmers are well supplied with 
reapers, mowers and labor-saving agricultural 
machinery, aud now considerable attention is 
being given to underdraining with clay tile. 
e. k. w. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name aud 
address of the writer to iusure attention.] 
Experiment IV'eeded. 
5. W. H., Hempstead, L. 1., says that his farm 
comprises 175 seres of tillable land. It is 
mostly black “ plain ” soil capable of yielding, 
in the present condition, half a ton of hay per 
acre, in an ordinary year. He wishes to grow 
hay on the whole of it and asks whether it 
would be Well to plow 90 acres of mellow 
ground next Spring, sow on it corn broadcast, 
using a quarter of a ton of special corn mau- 
ure per acre, plow the growth under about 
July 1, and resow corn in drills four feet wide, 
and seed with rye; would this plan be as en- 
riehiig to the soil as though he sowed the 
corn h roadcast and proceeded as before using a 
“fiat" of barn-yard manure, costing $35, be¬ 
sides the expense of hauling it three miles. 
Ans. —This is a case in which no risks should 
be run and in which it would be better to wait 
a year, rather than make a mistake; for no 
one can say positively what can be done in this 
case, although in other analogous cases certain 
results may have been reached- A safe plan 
would he to try 10 acres, half iu one way and 
half in another: say five acres dressed with 
600 pounds of the best (but be sure it is the 
best), complete manure at a cost of $10 per 
acre and planted to corn—sorghum might he 
still better as giving a heavier growth—not 
plowing it in until August, when the stalks will 
be seven feet h'gh. The seed should be planted 
in rows three feet, apart, and about an inch 
apart in the row; which will give 30 tons to 
plow in. The. other five acres may be manured 
in the ordinary manner, as suggested, which 
with the hauling will cost over $10 per acre, 
and be sown in the same way as the other 
plot. About tbe middle of August, the corn 
may be rolled down the way the ground is to 
be plowed, and covered with a deep farrow, 
with a chain on the plow beam to draw the 
corn into tbe furrow. This will put the corn 
under the soil. The ground should then be 
rolled to compact the surface, and afterwards 
worked shallow with a cultivator to get a seed¬ 
bed. It may then be sown to rye aud Timothy. 
Whichever way is seen to be the best may then 
he followed with the remainder of tbe land, 
with better surety of success than now. If the 
plan fails, the rye should be cut for straw, and 
will pay a good profit on the cost. The plan may 
then be modified in some way which will be 
better discovered then than now. 8uccess 
would be more likely if the land was treated 
to 25 or 30 buBheis of lime wheu seeded to 
rye. If the plan succeeds, as it should do, and 
probably would, the land Bhould give fair 
crops of hay with the help of moderate fertil¬ 
izing occasionally. 
Draining a Plal. 
A. AC., Bay City, Mich., is engaged in re¬ 
claiming a large tract of land in the Saginaw 
marshes by diking and pumping the water 
from the dredge ditch. There is but a slight 
fall to the dredge ditch into which the small 
ditches lead. The surface between these latter 
is so flat that the water from heavy rains re¬ 
mains and injures the crop. He wishes to get 
the whole area under Timothy without the 
expense of tile-draining. The soil is rich, from 
one to two feet deep ; then comes plaster clay 
or marl. Having heard of the “mole" plow, 
which leavus a hole in the ground for drainage, 
after it has been drawn under the surface, he 
asks whether its use on his land would be 
effective under the above conditions, 
Ans.— This is a casein which the land should 
be plowed in “ twice gathered” ridges. This 
is done by first laying cut “lands" 44 feet wide 
in tbe following manner;— First open a furrow 
in the center of the “land.” Then plow this 
shut with a deep furrow on each side, throw¬ 
ing the earth as high as possible. Then plow 
on each side to this, making up the ridge 44 
feet wide. Flow the whole this way. Then 
harrow along the ridges and when the ground 
has settled, begin again in the center of each 
land aud throw up a back furrow again and 
plow to it on each side ; but as the outside of 
the lands are reached the furrows should be 
made flatter so as to slope down to tbe hollows 
gradually- Then harrow over and over again 
until the ridges are made even and smooth 
with Ihe tops two feet higher than the centers 
of the open furrows. These may be cleaned 
out with a doable-mo Id-board plow and a 
round-pointed shovel, so as to make good 
channels for the water, and have them deeper 
at the lower end. The ditches mav he made 
so wide aud of such a gradual slope, that a 
mower may be driven across them without 
difficulty. If at any future time it is desirable 
to lay tile drains, the work is half done, and 
the ditches may be dug in these open furrows, 
mostly with a plow. But for grass these sur¬ 
face drains will, doubtless be better than tile 
dniins. If the land is ever tile-drained, it may 
be left as it is or plowed back again iu “ single 
gathered” ridges, which will bring it nearly 
to a level again or make only slight depres¬ 
sions over the drains, which will be useful. 
The mole plow is only a make-shift, and very 
unsatisfactory for such a use as this. 
Koses at an English House. 
M. W.-F., Bryn Mater, Fa., saysIn a 
late number of Lippincott’s Magazine—August, 
I think—Rose Kingsley, the daughter of the 
late Canou Kingsley, in writing of an English 
home, tells of a yellow briar rose that is said 
to have been brought from Damascus, a hun¬ 
dred years ago. She says it is very har dy, as 
are all of its numerous progeny; that it is 
sweet-scented beyond tbe telling.aud very beau¬ 
tiful. It remains in bloom for three weeks. 
She herself was in the habit every year, when 
these roses were in bloom at Eversley Rectory, 
of putting in every room a plate of them, with 
a border of ferns and large black velvety pan¬ 
sies dotted among the roses. These plates of 
ferns, yellow roses and dark pansies have often 
danced before my eyes since reading about 
them, and if ever a woman was “ crazy” for a 
new bonnet, lam" that daft” for that kind of 
a yellow rose. I have a yellow rose, but it is 
not particularly fragrant, and its growth is 
stunted rather than otherwise. It is a briar 
rose, too ; but I can’t imagine it bearing’its 
thousands of blossoms like that one at the 
English honse. Can yon tell me if that rose 
has been introduced into this country, and 
under what name ? 
Ans. —It is Eglantina lutea, yellow, an im¬ 
mense bloomer, the beet of all the yellow roses. 
It is sweet-scented, but not so sweet-scented 
as that our correspondent describes. Loudon 
calls it a native of Germany and the South of 
France. It cannot be a regular Damask Rose, 
for roses of that kind are neither briar nor 
yellow. 
Miacellaneouii. 
E. W. K„ Elens Falls. N. Y.. asks whether 
a farmer can make a living in Southwestern 
Iowa, on a farm of 40 or 50 acres, without 
raising hogs and cattle for market. He has 
been told that no farmers live in Iowa without 
raising cattle and hogs for sale. 
Ans. —There is nothing we know of in the 
soil, climate or location of Southwestern Iowa 
which would preveut a man on 40 or 50 acres 
from making a living, as well as in Illinois or 
any other State in the West. In fact, not one 
farmer in twenty begins with any more stock 
than that of his team—a pair of horses—a 
cow or two and as many pigs and a few fowls. 
Wheat and flax are his best crops, because 
they are easiest and quickest made; then fol¬ 
lows corn, and with corn, oats, potatoes, vege¬ 
tables, etc., etc. Finally, when he has got 
“ well heeled," as the phrase goes, as a grain 
farmer, be then naturally drifts into stock. 
L. It. G., Sledman. _iV- F„ says that a tree 
agent has been selling what ho claimed to be 
Russian apples in that section, aud he asks, 1, 
whether any Russian apples are raised in this 
country, and if so. whether they are good ; 2, 
are there any blight-proof pears. 
Ans. —There are ruauy Russian apples cul¬ 
tivated in this country, and some of them are 
of first value. To many cf these tbe Rural 
New-Yorker has given special attention dur- 
the past 18 months. The best of them are sold 
by nurserymen at the usual price. 2, Not that 
we know of. Some kinds are more liable to 
blight than others. Kieffer's Hybrid is said 
by some to be “ blight-proof." but we know of 
instances in which it has blighted. 
J. W. L., Smith's Groce. Ky., asks which is 
the cheaper—wheat bran at 10 cents per bushel 
or corn at 50 cents. 
Ans —We suppose our friend means for 
stock feeding purposes; if so, a reference to 
the table of the relative value of feeding stuffs, 
under the heading “ The Dairy Cow,” on page 
520, of onr issue of August 14 will show him 
that while 100 pounds of wheat Oran are worth 
$1.58 100 pounds of Southern corn are worth 
only $1,67. It will readily be seen, therefore, 
that at the above prices tbe wheat bran is the 
cheaper. 
E. C. P., Newport, Oregon, asks, 1, where 
can he obtain seeds of the Irish Juniper—none 
of the catalogues meutions them ; 2, how 
should juniper seeds be treated. 
Ans.— 1. The so-called Irish Juniper is mere¬ 
ly a variety of the common Juniper and does 
not come true from seeds. 2, Sow the seeds in 
mellow, sandy loam. Keep it moist, though 
never wet. Shade with lath covers, the laths 
nailed two inches apart. The seeds may be 
sown in the Fall. If in the Spring they should 
be placed in sand in boxes and buried oyer 
winter. 
j G, a., Baltimore, Aid , says that the 
Laurel-leaved Willow he received from the 
Rural is growing nicely and has three shoots, 
and he asks whether it would be better to cut 
off two shoots and let the third grow, or to 
trim all three back. 
Ans.— Just as you prefer—it is purely a 
matter of taste. The tree will bear cutting 
back to auy extent. We prefer to have them 
brauch low. A long, naked stem impairs the 
beauty of this handsome little tree. 
UL.K.. Republican City, Web.,asks 1, howto 
treat a Chinese Primrose, whose leaves die so 
that there are only two or three leaves on a 
dead-looking stalk, and a heliotrope that does 
not blossom. 
Ans —Too much water aud imperfect drain¬ 
age are probably the trouble. Were you to 
tell ns of the treatment you have given, we 
could advise you more definitely. 
That furred tongue, bad tasting mouth and mis¬ 
erable teellng, says you need Hop Bitters. 
Communications Received for the week end¬ 
ing Saturday, August as. 
S. F— A. B. A.—“Jot.”— W, 1. C.—W. S. T.—G. 
E. N.—C. S. L.—T. J. H.-W. M. C.-T. H. H.- 
S. R. M.-S. S. S.-R. H. S-H. S.-C. V. R.-B. F. 
J.— Note. The accumulation ot MSS. tor our Fair 
No., interrupts the timely publication ot regular 
contributions— S. T, 1\—B. A E. R.—A. M. A.— 
N. K.—H. L. J— W. D. II.— G.S.—C. It. E — L. K — 
A. C.—K. S. W.-J. B.- T. G.-n. 5.-11. P-—W. B. 
M.—N. J. II.—II. AC. J.—S. B. I’., thanks.—C. T.— 
II. L. K.-L. A. R.-J. T.—D. E. S.-P. S. W.—L. 
C. r—a. J. B.—J. W. L. H. L. J.—C. A. M.-F. 
M. S.—ft K.-J. G.—A. S.—H. J. S.-G. IL_ 
