FAIR NO. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
America, have equaled the larger class of this 
distinguished race; while those of medium 
size are equally admirable for the express 
wagon, the omnibus, and tram rail-road. 
There is a reason for this great superiority 
over other large breeds, as tradition affirms it 
originated early iu the eighth century, by a 
cross, on the large native Percheron and Nor- 
mau mares, of the high-bred, powerful Barb 
stallions, captured in great numbers from the 
Moors then invading France. This improve¬ 
ment thus judiciously begun, has been contin¬ 
ued down to the present day, by selections for 
breeding purposes of the best of their progeny, 
and by taking fresh crosses, now and theu, from 
stoat Arabian war horses—cognates of the Barb 
—broughthome from Palestine ou thereturnof 
the French crusaders. Another tbiug which has 
also contributed to the superiority of this class 
of horses, is, that the climate and soil of Nor¬ 
mandy, and more ^particularly of the Depart¬ 
ment of La Perche, are admirably adapted for 
the production of choice stock. 
Mr. Harris, of New Jersey, was the first 
person within my knowledge to import horses 
of tbiB breed. Traveling in France in the year 
I839, and observing the superior qualities of 
the large, powerful farm and road horses iu 
the Departments of Pcrche aud Normandy, he 
determined on an importation of one stallion 
aud Lwo mares. These being greatly liked in 
his native State, aud Been by several horse 
breeders in Pennsylvania, Maryland,|and Ohio, 
they followed Mr. Harris’s good example by 
the importation of alow each. From the last 
State, they spread into Illinois and Indiana, 
where, being found so much superior to all 
other largo farm stock, a quick demand at extra 
prices sprang up for colts bred from the males 
out of the common mures of tho country, and 
rapid importations from France soon followed. 
Mr. Dunham, of Illinois, has been by far the 
largest importer, having brought over from 
France upwards of three hundred horses 
within the past few years. The Percheronand 
Norman grades are now spreading rapidly over 
the conntry, from Canada on the north, to 
Virginia on the south; and from the Eastern 
States, to those of the farthest West. 
These horses Bland from 15 to 18 hands high, 
and weigh from 1,;M> to 1,800 pounds. Their 
superiority over other large European breeds, 
consists in their ivory-like bones; firm, 
tough muscles; handsome, powerfully knit, 
blocky forms ; extra-strong joints and limbs ; 
audclear, tough hoofs, well setup at the heels. 
This last good poiut enables them to endure 
stony roads and city pavements belter than 
most of the other larger class of horses. Added 
to the above, even those of the biggest size are 
very active, with a fast walk, aud reasonably 
quick trot. They are of great endurance, high 
spirit, aud indomitable courage; yet gentle and 
docile of disposition, little predisposed to dis¬ 
eases of any kmd, and especially those of the 
legs and feet, to which other larger breeds are 
so liable. 
Of the economy of dm use of an extra pow¬ 
erful horse, all will he convinced when they 
see that one of these can do the work of two 
of the common kind, aud a pair that of four. 
This saves considerably in stable room, feed, 
harness, shoeing, and wages, of grooms ana 
drivers, aud makes them much more handy aa 
a single team on the farm, and in the crowd¬ 
ed streets of the city, If a single horse—as it 
is well kuowu these can—will tarn as deep a 
furrow aud draw as large a load as a pair of 
smaller ones, it Is certainly much more con¬ 
venient and economical to use such. 
The first volume of the Percheron-Norman 
Stud Book, edited by Mr. J. H. Sanders, was 
published at Chicago in 1878. This is a hand¬ 
some work of 212 pages, illustrated with nu¬ 
merous portraits. 
It was got up for 
g= =— 7 u_ bred horses of this 
Eb ~ ^ class, thus to pre- 
from oeing impos- 
M ed upon by unprln- 
In a recent report of a committee of the 
French National Assembly on a project for 
the establishment of a new agricultural col¬ 
lege, the agricultural superiority of Germany 
over France, in spite of inferior natural ad¬ 
vantages, is very fully exposed, and It is at¬ 
tributed to the better development of agricul¬ 
tural education in that country, and the more 
common and intelligent application of scien¬ 
tific iules in agricultural practice; and it is 
stated in this report that there are in all 
Germany 184 agricultural colleges, besides a 
great number of schools of lower grades 
reaching clear down to the primary instruc¬ 
tion, and that Germany spends on agricultural 
education seven times as large a proportion of 
her income as does France. Yet the French 
Government this year appropriated 1,875,000 
francs, or #300,000. for agricultural education, 
of which nearly $150,000 were for the running 
expenses of her three agriculf nral colleges and 
the National Agricultural Institute, at Paris, 
over and above their receipts 
Germany has a better system of primary and 
higher education than we have, taking the 
country through, and yetshe finds It profitable 
to add toil all this system of special instruc¬ 
tion In agriculture ami branches relating to it. 
The agricultural conditions that prevail in the 
older and more thickly settled parts of this 
country arn very similar to those that prevail 
in that country, and whatever is found to be 
essential to the highest agricultural success in 
the one case, is likely to hold good for the 
other. If agricultural colleges and experiment 
stations are there found, after an experience 
of many years, to be 60 useful as to deserve 
and receive such liberal and hearty support 
both from the Government and the people, 
then, to say the least, they deserve fair trial 
here to the extent, if nothing further, of the 
like hearty suit port of the people. 
Let this matter take up some of your 
thoughts as you compare notes with your 
brother farmers at your fairs, and see if, given 
like business ability, the most successful men 
among you are not your best educated men, 
remembering, however, that the man wao 
raises the biggest pumpkins or the heaviest 
crop of corn or potatoes is not necessarily the 
most successful farmer. To compare notes 
justly you must go to his home aud look at 
his surroundings there--bis fields, hia barns 
and his house and his bank account, as well 
as his crops. Takiug all these things into 
consideration 1 venture to say, without fear of 
contradiction, that the man who is found to 
have the happiest family, the most children 
who are contented at Lome, the most pleasant 
house and convenient barns, the most service¬ 
able stoek.and the best looking farm with all 
its belongings, will be found to be the best 
educated member of your agricultural com¬ 
munity. And if this is so, ask yourself 
whether is is not your duty to fit out your son 
who wishes to follow your own most honor¬ 
able calling with all that is in your power to 
give him, that you may help him to gain a like 
enviable distinction. 
Cornell University. 
lime, if properly done, Is an effectual remedy ; 
but the leaves must be turned and the lime 
sprinkled on the plant lice, otherwise it doeB 
no good. 
Carbondale, Ill. 
A NEW WHEAT ENEMY 
PROFESSOR CTRUS THOMAS, 
The wheat throughout this section has been 
more or less injured by a new enemy so far as 
tills regioif is concerned. It is a minute 
reddish-yellow worm or maggot which lives 
inside of the stalk, near to and usually just 
above the joint, from one to three at a joint. 
As a general rule, they select the lower portion 
of the stalk, but not immediately at the 
ground. 
As there is seldom, if ever, any swelling or 
other unusual appearance of the stalk at the 
points infested, there i6 nothing to indicate 
their presence except the slightly unhealthy 
condition of the upper portion of the stalk 
and a tendency of the heads to curve down¬ 
ward. The maggots reside in the pith or 
central portion of the stalk, are about one- 
eighth of an inch long, and of a pale, reddish- 
yellow color; the two little hooklets at the 
anterior end being triangular and reddish- 
brown. 
I was enabled to rear but a single specimen 
to the perfect state. Unfortunately it com¬ 
pleted its transformation while I was ahsenfc 
from home, and was lOBt before mv return. 
My assistant succeeded in obtaining a descrip¬ 
tion sufficient to satisfy me that it 5 b a species 
of Chlorops—a dipterous insect belonging to 
the great family Museidic. 
Although specifically distinct, yet it is closely 
related to the Ribbon-footed Corn-fly (Chlorops 
tieniopus) of England; but the latter causes a 
very distinct swelling of the stalk, which has 
not been observed in reference to our species. 
The diflerence iu the method of operating and 
wing characters indicates pretty clearly that 
it la not the American Meromyza (Meromyza 
Americana). From the description taken by 
Mr. Marten, it appears to differ from the spe¬ 
cies of Chlorops described by Dr. Fitch. 
The only remedy I have to suggest is burn¬ 
ing the stubble soon after tho wheat is cut, as 
the worms do not appear to undergo their 
transformations until after the wheat is cut, 
and as they most usually reside in the portion 
of the stalk below the point at which it is usu¬ 
ally cut. 
I add here Mr. Marten's description of the 
perfect insect, in his own words : 
Kyes dark-green, glabrous, horizontal diameter 
greater than vertical. OoelUgeroua tubercle, 
black ocelli 8, forming a small triangle. 
Front yellow, projecting, a row of black bristles 
on eaeh side, and a row from the Inner angle of 
eaen eye to the center of front, forming a triangle 
inclosing the ocelli. 
AntenntB yellow. 8-jointed; second Joint twice 
as long as first; third Joint large, oval, with a 
stout curved bristle. Palpi small, yellow, covered 
with minute black hairs; proboscis geniculate, 
each Joint about twice as long as palpi; cheeks 
yellow. The snout projects below to an acute angle, 
from the tip of which the proboscis extends, yel¬ 
low. Olypens distinct; thorax yellow, with three 
longitudinal dark- 
brownish stripes, the r—— -- 
outcr ones curving 
slightly towards the 
scutellum; scutel- 
luin yellow, with a t 
longitudinal dark / > 
strip. Plura and pec- Jg| 
tus light yellow; 
halteres yellow; ah- / JgWA 
dotuen yellow, with ■: 
a dorsal dark stripe 
having a narrow i&gStf J&X 
dark line on each 
side extending over _ ^ 
tho first, second, and ====- _ 
third segments; s=s==- 
hlnder margin of 
third segment yel- 
low. Fourth sec- 
rnent has a large *’ ^ 
quadrate dark spot; ~ 
fifth segment yel¬ 
low ; legs yellow; 
hind pair of femora 
swollen; legs cov¬ 
ered with black and 
yellow halrB; wing 
vein extending to 
as Is the small cross 
Length not taken. 
but about one-eighth : 
of an Inch. 
very abundant and 
regIp:imj )i i he M ujsk 
vines. 1 have found ^ji 
that sprinkling H » '' ’Itl/ 1 " / 
th powdered 
are agricultural colleges OF ANY 
USE TO THE AGRICULTURAL COM¬ 
MUNITY! 
PROFESSOR O. O. CALDWELL 
This very important question could be an¬ 
swered on better evidence than we now pos¬ 
sess, if the farmers might be persuaded to give 
them for a few years a full aDd fair trial; hut 
the indifference of those for whose particular 
benefit these colleges were established is noto¬ 
rious, Let them be organized on the most 
liberal basis possible and manned with teachers 
who are masters of their respective professions, 
and every desired facility be offered for special 
education in all the branches pertaining to 
agricultnrc, amt yet their lecture rooms and 
laboratories are hut sparingly occupied by 
young men who come from the farm ami in¬ 
tend to go hack there. There seetus only’ to be 
a lavish waste of money, which might have 
been more .usefully expended if given to the 
poor. Where does the fault lie but with the 
farmers themselves if these colleges fail to do 
all their intended work.when the mass of them 
are satisfied to have their sons, or as many of 
them as they can keep at home, follow in the 
old ruts of practice which they themselves 
have followed and deepened, aod, of course, as 
they very correctly reason, no special educa¬ 
tion is necessary for such a life. 
I hold that in simple j ustiee to the farmer 
boy he should have as good a chance as the 
one who goes to the college to get what he can 
there to help him to attain success in some 
other field. Jf a youug man feels assured that 
to choose farming tor his culling will not prac¬ 
tically debar him from getting a liberal aud 
useful education adapted to his calling, he 
will be Jess likely to choose something else; 
and while with business ability and a taste for 
farming he will, it is true, make a good far¬ 
mer auyhow ; yet he cannot but make, a more 
honorable and successful career If he first 
spends three or four years miugliug with 
other youBg men, engaged in like manner in 
the study of those branches of science which 
are intimately connected with his life’s work. 
A writer in au English agricultural paper not 
loug since, speaking of the strengthening ap¬ 
preciation of the value of au education in 
that country, said, very aptly, “It is now be¬ 
lieved that energy, common sense and intel¬ 
ligence will everywhere outrun energy, com¬ 
mon sense and ignorance, and that technical 
and scientific education will confer on those 
who enter any profession immense superior¬ 
ity over those who have it not." 
THE PERCHERON-NORMAN HORSE 
For heavy farm and road work, the city 
dray and truck, no horses ever imported into 
cipled dealers, by 
Butsiitutiug grades 
for pnre-nred. 
I understand that a 
second volume of 
this work is in prep¬ 
aration, and will 
soon be issued from 
the press. Half and 
I I ree- fou rths - bred 
Percheron and Nor¬ 
man horses not on¬ 
ly fetch an extra- 
high price for home 
use, but also for 
exportation. The 
demund much ex¬ 
ceeds the supply 
and is likely to do 
so Lor years to 
come. They are un¬ 
doubtedly the most 
profitable stock 
the farmer can 
raise, as colts got 
by these stallions 
out of good, com¬ 
mon mares, are 
large and strong 
tnough at two 
scars old to be put 
to light work on 
the farm. By the 
time they are four 
(o five years old, 
and ready lor sale 
f-<r harder work, 
they will have earn¬ 
ed the cost of their 
production, and 
whatever price is 
then obtained for 
them will be a clear 
gain to the breeder. 
Is there an v thing 
more promising o’r 
profitable than this 
in the busimss of 
stock-raising ? 
a ms sfsvmsti or a pBatuahuh-NORiiAh smuofl.wwa. 290. 
