URAL NEW-YORKER. 
OCT.SO 
of the land, have destroyed the natural res¬ 
ervoirs for feeding springs, and allowed the 
water frora rains and melting snows to run off 
Stumediately instead of eoabiug intotheground. 
What shall be the remedy is the question. 
Steam may be used in place of water power, 
and the vast wind power blowing to waBte 
is not as yet utilized, but the barren hills and 
drying stream beds call for a greater reservoir 
supply either natural or artiflcia , and snch 
must needs be arranged for at no dlstart day. 
Jf. instead of drainingthe swamps these depres¬ 
sions had been excavated ten feet in depth and 
made into ponds, it would have given a par¬ 
tial reservoir supply, and in thousands of 
places there are natural depressions which 
may now easily be made to hold water, but 
the work mu«t be extensively and systematical¬ 
ly done to afford a complete remedy. b. 
-» *-♦--—- 
Those Promised Book Premiums. 
In the Rural, of the 16th inst, I And Con¬ 
rad Wilson’s explanation about the book premi¬ 
ums. Now I did receive the three paperB and 
book, but I was not aware that they were sent 
in place of the bonk premium. I did not so 
understand it. I acknowledged lhe receipt of 
them and think they were very good papers; 
but I take the Rural New Yorker and I got 
from it all the information that was in the 
other papers, and a great, deal more. I wrote 
twice to the Farmers’ Publishing Company 
and asked lor information (inclosing stamps 
to pay postage), and never got any answer, 
and I have received only the three papers and 
the little book. I had about made up my mind 
tbut. the Farmers’ Publishing Company was a 
fraud, so I thought that I would ask the Rural. 
I knew I would get an answer from it. 
Now. Mr. Rural, I question the right of Mr. 
Wilson ta make the change he did. I tried to 
fulfill all lhat was required in regard to the corn 
premiums, and did so to the satisfaction of the 
Rural and through it I got the Challenge 
Feed Mill promptly. Geo. W. Strong. 
Davenport, la. 
--- —» »♦ - 
Another Premium. —A friend writes us from 
Union. Broome Co. N. Y.—" I have from the 
Rural Free Seed Distribution a splendid lot 
of beets, some of wlneh are very large. I took 
the premium on beets at our fair, and hope 
to capture that Rural prize also. Only one 
of the raspberry plants lived but that has 
iuade a splendid growth. Five out of the seven 
willow cuttings lived and have thriven finely. 
The Ennobled Oats did well, and received a 
great deni of praise at the fair. They were 
not thrashed, but they looked excellent." 
-- 
Not a bit of doubt of it. —A friend and 
well-known agticullural writer says; 
“ I am glad to bear you were so successful 
at the Mineola Fair, fer you unquestionably 
fully deserved it. Every farmer on Long 
Island ought to take the Rural— it is doing so 
much for them, and they sadly miss their own 
Interests in not doing so." 
BRIEFLETS. 
Wb are receiving many congratulations 
upon our yields of com.Professor 
Beal improves the keeping qualities of white 
onions by using for seed only those which 
keep the longest in the Spring without sprout¬ 
ing.Now is the time to arrange Win¬ 
ter gardens for the kitchen or sitting-room. 
They may consist of flower pots simply—of 
soap or any other boxes that happen to be in 
the cellar or about the premises. It is easy to 
decorate these with moss, evergreen cones or 
something of the klod, so as to cover their 
ugliness. Then sow lettuce and radishes. An 
azalea, piuk, violet, pansy or other plan tthat 
thrives in a low temperature, may be intro¬ 
duced to make such little gradens attractive. . 
Gladiolus bulbs are best kept in paper 
bags in a room over 32 5 and less than 45 5 . 
Tube-roses are best kept in a warm room—say 
between 60 ® and 70 ®. Seed potatoes are best 
kept in dry sand in a temperature just above 
freezing. All roots may be ke*H well in this 
way .Where roots are ..ored in cel¬ 
lars we should avoid making the piles too 
deep. Nothing sooner promotes heating, fun¬ 
goid growth, dampness and decay.Pits 
for keeping mangels, turnips, beets, potatoes, 
etc. shoald be dug on ridges or at least on 
high, dry soil. They may be dug three feet 
deep and wide. After storing the roots, cover 
liirhtly with straw or hay—then earth and 
finally boards, so slanting and overlapping as 
to shed the rain. As Winter advances in¬ 
crease the amount of earth.Remem¬ 
ber the advice we have often given not to 
cover strawberry plants too early. The object 
of covering is not to keep them warm—or 
yet to keep them cold—bat rather to assist in 
preserving a uniform temperature and to re¬ 
tard the action of both heat and frost. A good 
time to cover strawberry beds is of lor the first 
hard freeze of Winter. ..... Let the cover¬ 
ing be us light as possible and yet cover the 
plants. Salt hay is excellent for this purpose 
—straw, leaves, the finer parts of corn-stalks, 
evergreen branches or long manure may also be 
used. Laths or Blender pieces of wood should be 
laid over thecoverlngtoretainitlnlts place. .. - 
Major Freas’B method of protecting trees 
against rabbits aud mice is to bandage them 
with any old cotton or woolen cloth—for mice, 
eight or ten inches high; for rabbits, two feet. 
..It would not be surprising ifFour- 
o’clocks were again to become fashionable. 
Already we find among the proprietors of 
costly grounds some who have never 6een 
them—know not what they are. Marvel of 
Peru is another common name for this plant, 
the botanical name being Mirabllis Jalapa. 
.Belle de Nult it is called in France. 
We find in English catalogues eight different 
sorts, viz., yellow-striped, scarlet, white or 
silver-striped, purple, sweet-scented, white 
and gold variegated leaved. The roots are 
perennial; the llowers bright and showy and 
the plant of quick growth and round, branch¬ 
ing habit.The Rural Branching Sor¬ 
ghum is at this date, Oct. 16, as green and 
fresh as ever. We are again cutting that 
which was cut in mid-August. It is now two 
to three feet high.What right has a 
man to fret or scold over poverty so long as 
he can find money to buy whisky, tobacco or 
cigars P We know of a grumbling farmer who, 
though not too poor to buy whisky, is yet too 
poor to provide his hard working wife with 
the necessary comforts of life. Do such peo¬ 
ple ever lake the above view of it?. 
The Syracuse Herald says that the report that 
Alice Oates is to be offered the position of 
Professor of Husbandry at Cornell University 
lacks confirmation. ..... Dr. Eagan has 
given immediate relief in every Instance for 
rbus (sumach) poisoning by topical applica¬ 
tion of fluid extract of Grindelia robusta, either 
pure or diluted as exigencies demand. As the 
Rural stated a year or so ago, physicians use 
this also for asthma.As stated else¬ 
where, we would be pleased to forward to any 
ol our readers who may apply the Rural New- 
Yorker "Poster” for 1880-61. We should 
be glad to have one of these tacked up in the 
barn or carriage house of every one of onr 
subscribers.Very few of our agri¬ 
cultural contemporaries have mentioned our 
yields of corn. Having the good of agricnltuie 
at heart, it might be supposid that they would 
hasten to present the facts to their subscribers. 
.The great London (England) seeds 
house of Jacob Wrench and Sons writes to one 
of our seedsmen as follows : *• We are sorry 
we cannot order the Beauty of Hebron Pota¬ 
toes unless you can guarantee that there shall 
be no dead beetles in them, as they are un¬ 
doubtedly a grand potato in every way—espe¬ 
cially flavor." (!)....., The following is a 
copy of a letter from the Commissioner of Ag¬ 
riculture, Gen. Le Due, to the firm that will 
next year offer the White Elephant Potato for 
sale; “ My opinion ot the White Elephant Po¬ 
tato Is shown by the expression now of my 
wish to learn what quantity you have for 
sale, and the price asked.".Prof. 
Roberts tells us that 50 bushels of wood ashes 
per acre increased the yield of grasB more than 
any other manure—ground bone improved the 
clover.Mr. E. H. Libby (late editor 
of Land and Home and previously cf the Ameri¬ 
can Agriculturist aud 8oieutifle Farmer) says 
in the Christian Union, that " a worse thing 
could happen than for the recently organized 
1 New York Experiment Station,' which, has 
done n r * work, has no foundation,no laboratories 
or trained specialists, to unite with the Cor¬ 
nell University Experiment Station, and give 
;he latter its present and prospective funds.” 
(!).A lady traveler remarks that the 
cleanliness and order on board ship, where ill 
the work is done by men, including lhat of the 
kitchen and the care of the cabins, almost con¬ 
vince her that woman has mistaken her vo¬ 
cation in attempting to grapple with house¬ 
work. 
WHAT OTHERS SAY. 
The amount of capital employed in British 
agriculture, inadequate although it often is to 
secure the fullest returns, is enormously in ex¬ 
cess of that required in ordinary farming 
throughout the States. So says Mr. Finlay 
Dun of England. 
House and buildings there cost less than half 
the amount expended upon them here, he 
continues. Great tracts of country are in lit¬ 
tle need of artificial drainage. Where frost for 
three months secures an adamant way of ice, 
aud Summer drought for a still longer period 
gives firm transit over meadow aud prairie, 
expensive roads aro little needed. The herd 
law, in force throughout many States, forbids 
cattle being turned out without a keeper, aud 
diminishes the need of fencing. These condi¬ 
tions obviously economize outlay. For £3 an 
acre American farmers are generally suppli* d 
with the requisite buildings and permanent 
equipments which in England cost £10. 
New Method of Preserving Raw Meat. 
—A new and apparently most valuable method 
of preserving raw meat, discovered by Profes¬ 
sor Artimini, of Florence, and patented in En¬ 
gland, promises to have a great effect upon 
their markets. According to a report by Pro¬ 
fessors Barff and Mills, of the Glasgow 
University, and Dr. 8teveneon, of Guy s Hos¬ 
pital, meat six months old was found to be 
perfectly sound aud good, the muscular fiber 
unchanged and the nutritive properties unim¬ 
paired. The material employed is said to be 
leBS expensive than salt aud not only whole¬ 
some but pleasant to the taste. 
Incubators. —" We recently heard it affirm¬ 
ed,” the Mark Lane Express (England), re¬ 
marks, " that incubators were being used by 
every poultry breeder in the country, and that 
these machines were a great euccasa, both of 
which statements are untrue. The makers of 
incubators have to sell their articles, and they 
endeavor by every means to induce people to 
purchase them. But it is very doubtful if a 
purchase is ever repeated. The real facte are 
that the large and more successful breeders of 
poultry will not Use the incubator, as they 
know from practical experience that a few 
good siltiDg hens, costing only a few shillings 
each, are more to be trusted, give less trouble 
and bring up the chickens stronger and better 
than when these are hatched itt an incubator, 
and reared under artificial mothers. The 
competition is now so keen amongst poultry 
exhibitors, aud the desire to win a cup at the 
Crystal Palace or Birmingham so great, that if 
these iucubators were actually found to be 
better adapted for hatching and rearing chick 
ens than a heD, they would at once come into 
general use, and the broody hen would have 
no duties to perform except to Lay eggs." 
Hog Killing in Chicago.— Professor Shel¬ 
don (our occasional English correspondent) is 
now visiting this country* The. following ac¬ 
count is taken from the Live Stock Journal of 
London:—“In Chicago I visited the meat¬ 
packing establishment of Messrs. Armour 
Co., which is situated close to the Uuiou Stock- 
yards. This establishment is said to cover an 
area of over twenty acres, and is, of course, 
the largest of its kind in the world.An 
inclined and covered way leads from the stock- 
yards to the upper story of the slaughter¬ 
house, and up this plane the pigs are driven 
direct from market. A pen holding about 
fifty of the doomed pr.rkers is situated nearest 
the place where they are knifed, and outside 
this one aie two or three cther6 adjoining the 
top of the plane. In the pen first mentioned 
two men are posted, whose duty it is to slip a 
chain-noose around a hind leg of each pig; to 
this chain is attached a swivel, which hooks 
on and slides along a horizontal bar of iron 
overhead. Immediately a pig is noosed he is 
hoietediu the twinkling of an eye some three 
feet clear of the floor, by means of a chain and 
pulleyp, the chain for the moment being 
hooked near the noose on the pig’s leg. Here 
the swivel is placed on a bar of iron, and a 
shove is given to the pig. which travels a few 
yards along the bar of iron, clearing alow 
door which separates the pen from the slaugh¬ 
ter-house proper. Iu the latter stands a man 
who is armed with a sure blade of steel, and, 
as the suspended animals glide past hitn. he 
gives each one of them the coup de grace with 
singular dexterity. Iu a moment the deed is 
done, and the pig glides along, beating the air 
with his helpless feet, the blood flowing out in 
a stream against the sides of the pen, until he 
fetches up a few yards away against a whole 
gallowe-ful of earlier victims. Sometimes 
the man with the knife takes a flying shot, and 
again a pair of them, but each time his aim is 
deadly and instantaneous. It is considered a far 
day’s work for this man to stick 3,600 hogs, 
but he has done as many as 5 000 in a day. . . . 
The earlier part of the process I have been de¬ 
scribing iB indescribably revolting, with the 
yells of the dying pigs and the streams of 
blood which fly about in all directions; but the 
latter part, after the disemboweling processes, 
is conducted with all the decency aud clean¬ 
liness possible in such a place. Here the men 
are cleanly in dress and person, whereas in 
the earlier stages such a condition is impos¬ 
sible. But everywhere system and order reign 
and labor-saving appliances are used wher¬ 
ever possible. 
Standard Currants and Gooseberries.— 
The standard currants and gooseberries which 
•were displayed at the Centennial excited a 
great deal of interest. It was then claimed for 
them that borers would not trouble the Mis¬ 
souri stock upon which they were worked 
and that the finest foreign kinds would not 
mildew. We purchased half-a dozen, paying, 
as we remember, $1 50 each. We found that, 
though the currants bore well and were curi¬ 
ous as ornamental plants, all of the gooseber¬ 
ries mildewed iu spite of the free use of sul¬ 
phur. Our report to this effect was not 
received at the time in a very friendly spirit 
and was attributed, in one case, at least, to 
"hasty conclusions." Now, however, that 
two years have passed elnce onr report, Mr. 
H. G. Hooker of Rochester, who, as we re¬ 
member, was the first to offer them for sale, 
writes to the Gardeners’ Monthly as follows:— 
Currants aud gooseberries will grow aud bear 
heavy crops when worked high (or low) upon 
the Missouri flowering currant stock, but the 
stock Is not stiff, and always requires a stake 
to maintaiu it upright. The fruit is not better 
or less liahle to mildew when worked in this 
manner ; and such plants must always be very 
bigh-priced, as they are difficult to work and 
the stocks need age to make them stout enough 
to stand well. They are curious, especially 
when currants and gooseberries, both red and 
white, all appear in one head upon a tall 
stem, and that is all the recommendation they 
will bear. 
The Ground Contact of Lightning-Rods. 
—We find the following in the Journal of 
Chemistry: In a recent article in the Jour¬ 
nal of Telegraphy, the noted electrician, David 
Brooks, argues that the subterranean section 
of a lightning-rod should be enlarged in a# 
great proportion as the earth’s specific conduct¬ 
ing capacity is leas. A half-inch square rod, in 
his opiulon, should have a ground-plate no 
less than 370 feet square. Iu lieu of this, there 
should be a connection with gas and water 
pipes. He adds that after thirty years’ obser¬ 
vation he has never known oi a case where 
the occupants were injured when the building 
was fitted with gas aud water pipes. The 
buildings were sometimes Bet on fire by the 
electric fluid passing from the lightning-rods 
or metallic roofs to the gas-plpos, but there 
was no injury to persons in any part of the 
building below tbe higher points to which the 
pipes extended, liis general conclusion is 
that gas aud water pipes are the best light¬ 
ning-rods ever erected, becauso they are elec¬ 
trically in perfect connection with the earth. 
They should extend to the very top of the 
building, or be connected by a rod running to 
that elevation. 
A New Vink.— The London Times has the 
following : A French explorer, M. Lecart, who 
is at present on the banks ot the Niger, writes 
home from *' Koundi.su (G ingaran), July 35," 
that he has discovered a new vine, which 
promises to be of great economical value. He 
says the fruit of the viue is excellent and 
abundant, its cultivatiou very easy, its roots 
tuberous aud perennial, while its branches are 
annual. It can be cultivated as easily as the 
dahlia. He himself had been eating the large 
grapes of the viue for eight days, and found 
them excellent; and he suggests that its cul¬ 
ture ought to be attempted iu all viuc-growing 
countries as a possible remedy against the 
phylloxera. He is sending home seeds for ex¬ 
periment, both in France and Algeria, and will 
bring home specimens of the plant at all 
stageB. It is not without dauger that M. Le- 
cjtri has been able to make this discovery, as 
he states that the people of the Soudan are in 
a state of great excitement and apprehension 
at the many attempts of white people to pene¬ 
trate into their country. The story oi the last 
expedition sent by Frauce into the south of 
Algeria has spread to all parts, and the con¬ 
viction of the natives is that the travelers are 
collecting information preparatory to con- 
quest. Perhaps the nitivee are not very farJ 
wrong. 
"BEYOND THE MISSISSIPPI.” “ 
The artice "Beyond the Mississippi,” by 
Bessie Victor, in a late Rural, tends to mis¬ 
lead rather than instruct. She should have 
given the town and county that are commented 
upon ; then the reader could learn something 
about some particular locality. Anyone 
would nuturally infer that Adair Co., Mo., was 
the place described, which is not at all the 
case. Adair County has no surplus of grapes 
to make into wine, no Llmburger cheese, no 
beer garden and but very few German residents 
that are not good citizens. We have no li¬ 
censed saloons; drug-stores only are open on 
Suudaye. There are no excursions on Sun¬ 
days, and but few dances or horse races, 
at least of an objectionable type. Bessie seems 
to see tbe wroDg side of tbe picture. Nothing 
is said about the good citizens of the commun¬ 
ity. The article is certainly a good one to 
encourage immigration, but not to this local¬ 
ity. Adair Couuty acknowledges no superior 
in the West for morale, educational advantages, 
health, good water, good crops of grain, grass 
and fruit. We have in Kirksville, the county 
seat, a State Normal school—tuition free to all— 
enrolling about 500 students a year; a public 
school of eight divisions; also one jail and 
nine churches, all orthodox. In the county 
there are about 65 district schools, and nearly 
all are U6ed for preaching, unless the neigh¬ 
borhood has a church. The:e are also four 
cheese and butter factories that do good work, 
while there are some creameries that make 
batter exclusively aud ship it to St. Louis. 
We have a first-class flouring mill and stores 
and groceries in abundance. We need a 
foundry and machine 6hop aud a plow and 
wagon factory to make matters complete. Our 
