402 
THE BUBAL HEW-YOBHEB. 
JUNE 24 
and others in close proximity left, is a mys¬ 
tery A gentleman living near this city re¬ 
ports that he picked up five humming birds 
which had been killed l»y the severity of the 
weather. These beautiful little strangers had 
been visiting our spring flowers iu great 
numbers. It is believed the Ottawa district 
bus suffered less than places to the west and 
south. This is the first Hpring in which dam¬ 
aging frosts have visited this section in the 
past 17 years. 
Ottawa, Canada. **• E - bucks. 
Arkansas. ^ 
Chidester, Ouachita Co , June 4.—The ^ 
weather has been wet and cool all Hpring. ^ 
Corn and cotton are one month late. Wheat ( 
and oats look well. I think 1 will gather oue 
bushel of Bluck Champion Oats. Garden ( 
•* sass” is line Native peas five to seven foot ^ 
high; the Cleveland H. N.-Y. Pea was the ( 
curliest—two-arid-a-half feet, high on April ( 
U5. Peaches a heavy crop. Our May peaches ( 
will not be ripe before June 10, Our Con¬ 
cord Gropes are as large as small buckshot. I 
This is a flue grape-growing country. Straw¬ 
berries, raspberries and huckleberries could 
be raised iu quantities to glut any market. 
T. B. o, 
Canada. 
Ciiauteauouay Basin, Quebec, June 3.—I 
went out into the garden and vineyard on 
the morning of May 31, and a feeling of dis¬ 
couragement took possession of me at the re¬ 
sult of the night’s frost. Home of the vines 
looked us if a tiro hud passed over them; others 
were only slightly scorched. Of the latter 
were Halom and Brighton, Duchess, I.ady and I 
Agawam, Concord and some others, while 
those that are most severely Injured are I'ock- 
llngton, Prentiss, Sweetwater and Niagara. 
Iu fact, the weakest viues have suffered most, 
and some have every shoot burned away. 
Amber Queen has only a few tips Injured, and 
Arnold’s Hoodling escaped without much in¬ 
jury. The leaves of pear trees ure blackened, 
and so are the flowers of the butternut. Iu the 
fields young clover is partially destroyed, and I 
the damage to orchards will never be justly 
estimated. Currant bushes that were in full 
flower have only sparse berries formed, and 
iu the garden the tender plauts are worthless. 
Ho “Puul may plant,” hut God who“givetb 
the increase” can send the frost and snow. 
Meanwhile dandelions and thistles flemish, I 
though the early beaus are black. It. is true 
the grapes ma> put forth more flowers, but I 
if so, the fruit will be late, and iu a climate 
where frost often comes the second week of 
September, this is a serious outlook, a. l. J. 
Kansas, 
Marietta, Reno Co., May 30.—"Wheat 
looks well—just heading out. Corn a little 
backward. Oats rather late. Prices are: 
corn, 30 to 38c.; wheat, 05 to 70c. for hard 
Tu. key, and 00c. to $ 1 for May and other soft 
wheats. Hogs, cattle and horses high. 8. a. 
Winfield, Cowley Co.—The copious show- 
era this Spring assure an abundant harvest. I 
Wheat never looked better. Corn is coming I 
on rapidly. Peaches in this county will be 
plenty, according to present Indications. 
Lands iu this valley are selling at good figures. 
The large crops the past few years have given 
it a boom. H - A - E - 
Maryland. 
Westover, Somerset Co., June 2.—We are 
now iu the midst of our strawberry season, 
strawberry raising being oue of the principal 
industries here. Ten care have been louded 
at our station par day with this fruit alone. 
Our farmers are also shipping peas. Weather 
rather dry, and wights quite cool. Hay will 
not be a full crop, but. will reach a fair aver¬ 
age. Home wheat looks very bad; some, 
very good; on an average there will be two- 
thirds of a crop. Oats are short, and unless 
we have rain soon, they will lie much shorter. 
Must of the corn is planted, and above grouud, 
but it hasn’t a good color—nights too cool for 
it, and it also needs rain. Of the Rural 
tomatoes, 1 sowed a part of the seed on Feb. 
18, and some of them later. 1 have now 
growing finely 321 plants; some of them bear 
youug tomatoes as large as a silver dime. 
8. C. S. 
Massachusetts. 
East Bridgeport, Plymouth Co., June4.— 
My Rural Peas look splendid; pods about half 
grown now; early for this part. Heavy frost 
last week cut potatoes, corn and strawberries 
very much. h. cole. 
Michigan. 
South Boardmax, June 4. We are hav¬ 
ing nice growing weather now; crops are 
looking fine, only a little backward. 
R. M. H. 
Now Hampshire. 
South Sutton, Merrimack Co., June5.—In 
the last nights of May, we had two heavy 
frosts which killed some of the tender crops. 
Corn, beans, tomato and grape-vines were 
considerably injured on the low lauds, so was 
the new growth of beech, oak, ash and butter¬ 
nut. trees. Fruit trees also were greatly dam¬ 
aged, a cold spell in April killed the peach 
buds; nevertheless many things lojk promis¬ 
ing. B - B - c ' 
New Jersey. 
Tom’s River, Ocean Co., June 2 —My Phil- 
adelphta Extra Early Pets, planted last 
of March, are now one-eighth of uu inch in 
diameter, and will be largo enough to pick in 
a week, or perhaps less American Wonder, 
planted at the same time, will be four to six 
days later. 1 have tried all the earliest sorts 
for years past, but never got auy as early as 
the Philadelphia, and it. is a sweet good pea, 
grown iu my soil. We have had very little 
rain fur two months past, and everything is 
very dry. The Philadelphia Pea vines began 
to grow yellow several days ago, so 1 have 
mulched them with coarse meadow- hay. This 
supplies the place of rain, in a measure. 
Champion of England began to blossom about 
a week ago. A - B - A - 
New York. | 
Geneva, Ontario Co., June 10.—We are | 
having fine rains for corn, barley, oats and , 
grass All Spring ciops are good, and at pres- , 
ent promise an abundant harvest. Wheat ; 
never looked better. Fruit was uot injured 
by the frost, as we greatly feared it would be. 
The outlook now for the farmer could not well 
be better. Il - J - 8 - 
Wrioht’h Corners, Niagara Co., June 8.— 
St ill the drought continues, and though it may 
be bad for late-planted corn, much of which 
will not. come up till it rains—und it. is bad 
also for the clover on some lands—it is just 
what the wheat needs, a* it had made such a 
rank growth that, with continued moist, 
weather, it would have all gone down, and, of 
course, lodged wheat uever fills well. The 
Rural never sent out a better thing than the 
Hybrid Mediterranean, and all who have the 
seed cannot be too careful of it, or give it too 
good a chance. I am very much pleased with 
it, as it shows decidedly ahead of anything 
else, both in rankness of growth, In color, and 
in length of bcud. There is no manure that 
can compare, for ull purposes, with barnyard 
manure, made from plenty of rich foods; and 
with an abundance of this well worked into 
tho surface soil, thin seeding is better than 
thick. W here I sowed the 1% bushel per acre, 
the wheat is now much the best. There it, 
stands thickest and strongest. J counted 70 
stalks, each with a good head, on a single stool. 
Cherries, both early and late, will be a light 
cr op—not half an average. The frost did not 
do as much harm here as at. first reported. 
The lowest thermometer was 86 p , and the 
mornings were cloudy, so that really but little 
damage was done. For some reason, store 
sheep seem pretty cheap. 1 bought 140 ewes 
for raising early lambs next Winter, at 3 to 
3’^ cents per pound. 1 want them to run in 
tho apple orchards. H. m. j. 
Ohio. 
Chardon, Geauga Co., June 7.—The season 
is backward. Orchard Grass is just commenc¬ 
ing to bloom. Wheat is just heading. Corn 
is big enough to cultivate without covering all 
up. Oats look sickly, short and yellow . Apples 
bid fair to be a fair crop. Small fruits will be 
goud from present indications. The frost of 
May 29 killed grape blooms and injured the 
vines a good deal. Grass looks promising for 
a good hay crop. VI heat is worth 81 per 
bushel; corn, fi() cents for TO pounds in the ear; 
oats, 50 cents per bushel. a. t. 
PennajIviuilK. 
Rockland, Venango Co., Juue 2 —The 
Hpring has been very cold and backward; but 
everything w-as gettiug started and growing 
nicely until May 28th, when a slight frost, fol¬ 
lowed by a harder one on the 29th, retarded 
growth considerably. Wheat thal was well 
advanced is injured somewhat, while that 
sowed a little later seems unharmed. Apple 
trees were remarkably full of blossoms; but 
the harvest will be small, owing to frost. 
Peach trees did not. blossom here—an uncom¬ 
mon occurrence. Owing to wet weather, 
there was not much corn up to be frozen, but 
that which was up was nipped, c. e. J. 
Washington Territory, 
La Conner, Whatcom Co., May 25.—The 
main crops grown here are oats, Timothy and 
hops. This Spring has been very early. Oats 
were put in in good season, and prospects are 
good for a big yield. Meadows never looked 
better. Hops are looking fine. The average 
yield last year was 1,600 pounds per acre—200 
pounds loss than the year before. This year 
they look finer, and prospects are favorable 
for a large crop. There are about 1,800 acres 
in bops Ibis year iu Pierce, King and Snoho¬ 
mish Counties. The picking is principally done 
by Indians. To gather this crop w ill require 
7,000 pickers. I am afraid we shall have to 
import some Chiuamen. The price paid pick- 
i ers is 81 per box of 16 bushels, which make 
s about 24 pounds of dry hops. b. a. c. 
b. a. 0. 
FASTENING WIRES ON A GRAPE TRELLIS: COW q 
STABLE. 0 j 
E. L. W ., Brooklyn ,Pa.-l. How can wires be p, 
fastened on grape trellis so they can be easily e i 
loosened and tightened ? 2. Will Mr. Stewart P, 
give more minute directions for constructing r< 
a cow stable, mangers, and w-ay of fastening, d 
etc., after his own barn? f< 
Ans.— 1 In many grape growing sections, b 
the wire* are fastened to tiba pools by apiece I „ 
of half round iron about four inches long, with , 
one end flattened, and a bole is punched 
through about inch from the flattened 
end. Into the post# holes are bored seven-six¬ 
teenths of an inch in diameter, and about two* I 
and-oue- half inches deep,on the back side. Into I 
these the iron plugs ure driven; the wires are 
I brought past the post, some on each side; I 
the ends are passed through tho holes and 
drawn up as tightly us they can well be with 
the bund; a common screw wreuch is then 
put ou the flattened end, and tho plug is 
turned, winding up the wires, as the strings of 
a piano are wound about the keys. Home- I 
times un inch-and-a-half woodeu pin haviug a ^ 
square head, is put through the post, and used 
in the same way. Of course, by unscrewing ‘ 
these the wires are slackened. 2. The stand¬ 
ing floor of my stable is 50 feet, long and 10 
feet wide, Of this 10 feet, 4J* feet are taken ' 
up for the cows to stand on, 10 inches are occu- 1 
pied by the manure gutter directly behind this 
standing floor; and there is a walking alley, 
four feet wide, ou the other side of the gutter. I 
The floor is not divided into stalls, excepting I 
by a short partition about 2% feet long be¬ 
tween the beads of tho cows, to keep them 
from stealing each others' feed, and fighting 
over it. These partitions are three feet high. 
There is a range of posts set up three feet four 
inches apart iu front of iho standing floor, 
against which the partitions ure fastened. 
These partitions also divide the feed-boxes 
from each other. The feed-boxes are 18 inches 
wide, and are boarded up iu front as high ns I 
the partitions, and have a sloping chute by 
which the cut feed is put in from the feed 
basket or scoop. The side of the feed-trough I 
I next the cow is only six inches from the floor, I 
and the floor is the bottom of the feed boxes. 
Abuve this front of the feed box are tho tie 
chains. These, of course, are three feet long, 
and there is a snap-hook in the middle of each, 
and a ring ut each end. These rings slip up 
and down iu a staple of H'-inch round iron 
bur, 18 inches long, driven into tho sides of 
the posts. The cows have, each, a leather 
strap around the neck with a ring upon it, ami 
I this ring is fastened to tho snap-hook, so that I 
the cows are tied up by the neck, and can lift 
the chain up and down as they wish, and can 
turn their beads, and have considerable free¬ 
dom; indeed, they would have too much free¬ 
dom were it not for the short partitions be¬ 
tween the stall# and the eight-inch deep and 
16 inch-wide gutter behind them. These com¬ 
pel them to stay in their places, and to let 
their neighbors alone. On tho whole, it is a 
I very convenient, simple and solo arrangement, I 
and many of my friends who havesoen it have 
adopted it, besides several persons for whom 
1 have made plans of farm buildings. 1 w ould 
not recommend stanchions for any cows, as I 
these hurt the cows’ jaws, confine them 
s cruelly, and 1 have no doubt are the cause of 
: niue-teutlis of the lasses of calves and cow-6 by 
; the prevalent abortions. 
AN ARTIFICIAL HEN, ETC. 
1 I) T., Aberdeen, D. T.—l How cau an arti- 
1 ficial hen be made? 2. In saltiug hay how 
1 much salt should be used per ton? 3. Which 
- i s the larger lumber market—Chicago or 
1 London l 
AN8.—1. There are various kinds of artifi¬ 
cial hens One, a recent invention, is made 
' of sheet-iron painted to imitate the feathers. 
1 It has clock-work inside, and a strong spring 
with a buzz saw attached; when the hen is 
wound up and set, it appears quite harmless, 
e I but when a hawk pounces upon it, the spring 
d goes off: the wings fly up and catch the hawk 
;s and hold it on to the buzz saw which soon re- 
•e I duces it to a mass of bone and feathers. It is 
d also useful for oppossums and other voracious 
. e eueinies of the hen. If this is not the kind of 
KJ I ben you refer to, perhaps an artificial 
ir “mother” is meant. This is a box in which a 
le frame is fitted, haviug strips of flannel fast¬ 
is eued to it and hanging downwards for the 
o- I young chicks to nestle among. Over the 
ie frame there is a tin box holding hot water, 
re which furnishes warmth when needed. The 
to box is made to shut up closely to retain 
k- the heat, and has openings in front for 
le I the chicks to pass in and out. 2. A 
j barrel of salt is quite sufficient for 20 tons 
of hay. 3. Chicago is by far the largest lum¬ 
ber market in the world. 
PLAN OF ICE ROOM AND DAIRY ROOM. 
Subscriber, coldress mislaid, asks for a plan 
of an ice room and dairy room for eight cows, 
and bow large a Cooley Creamer would be 
needed, for that number. 
A ns. —Eight cows would require a three-can 
Cooley Creamer, which would take Op a space 
of about 2>.;x3 feet. An ice house should not 
be less than 10x12. and 8x12 would be large 
enough for the dairy room, so that a building 
12x18, with 10 foot posts, would furnish ample 
room for all the work The house should be 
divided by a double wall, with double doors 
for the ice room, and the dairy room should 
be lathed and plastered. The arrangement 
w-ould be as shown in Fig. 195. 
Figure 195. 
This would save carrying ice auy further 
than necessary. The sink should be low, and 
a pipe should bo brought from the waste pipe 
to empty the water from the creamer when 
it is retjuirod. A sink a foot above the floor 
and 18 inches deep, is very handy to wash pans 
and pails in, and if a force pump and a short 
hose with a nozzle are used, the arrangement 
will bo exceedingly convenient for washing 
utensils; und more so if it is large enough to 
sot the churn iu, bo that it can l>e thoroughly 
washed with tho hose. An abundant supply 
of water is indisi>ensable for the dairy. 
TREATMENT OF STALLION. 
J. D. D., Freedom, N. F.—How can my 
stallion bo made surer? He leaves plenty of 
seed, but does uot stick more than one mare 
in 10; he is vigorous enough, and is always 
willing, and is worked moderately, 
Ans. —It doesn't seem to be the fault of the 
stallion that the mares do not get in foal; 
probably tbe fault lies entirely in the mares. 
When uot easily got in foal, a rnaru should be 
brought to the horse cool and not fatigued 
with exercise. Then let her be served and put 
into a cool stable by herself, where she will 
uot be disturbed by the sight, movement, or 
noise of any other animal. As soon as tbe 
horse can serve her again—which may be in a 
quartet to a full hour’s time, according to his 
vigor—put her to him tho second time, and 
then let her rest an hour or two, and do not 
let her get hot or be exercised much till the 
next day, and then and afterwards let her be 
gently and moderately worked. Some mares 
can never lie got in foal except by two ser¬ 
vices, and they occasionally require three, as 
fast as the stallion is able to ser ve them W ben 
put to tho horse the mare should be iu proper 
condition—neither fat nor lean, nor should 
she have been idle or worked hard, and she 
should have been fed moderately. Your treat 
ment of the stallion seems to be judicious, so 
far as giving bim moderate exercise daily. It 
is presumed he is properly fed bay or grass, 
with six to 12 quarts of outs per day, as be 
may need; or an equivalent of other graiu, 
such as middlings or shipstuff, mixed with 
one fourth to oue-haif of Indian meal; but 
oats are the best feed. Avoid pure corn, al¬ 
though at the South and ^Vest it is fed more 
or less with impunity; but there tbe horses 
are reared ou it, and being accustomed to it, 
they are not apt to be injured by it when fed 
pure in mo e ration. 
BAD DRAIN. 
A. F. B., No address. Last Fall I put a tile 
dram iu a springy soil, composed of about two 
feet muck on top, under which lay a sort of 
clay, stones, and very hard gravel. The tile 
w-as laid one foot in this cement-Uko soil, and 
covered with about six inches of straw, tbe 
earth being thrown back as it came out; the 
drain was properly laid. "W hy does it not work 
properly? There is a fall of one foot to tbo 
rod, yet the water stands over and on both 
sides of tbe drain, and only a small stream 
runs through it. 
ANSWERED BY PROF. R. c. CARPENTER, OF THE 
MICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 
The experience described above is certainly 
a novel one, and if the non-working of the 
drain is due to impermeable soil it is certainlj 
, a rare experience. No doubt some soils are 
i impermeable to w-ater, but a well authentic¬ 
ated case of failure of drains to work from 
> that cause, when the soil above is iu a natural, 
i unpuddled condition, is, so far as I know, yet 
to be proved. Clays, when puddled or starnp- 
L ed in place, cau be made nearly impervious, 
s | and it is possible that tbe soil in the bottom of 
