4i8 
•JUNE 28 
THE BUBAL WEW-YOBXEB. 
strawberry bed is a wonder to all here. 
Crescent and Mountain Alpine are the sorts 
planted. Some are an inch in diameter. They 
exceed in size and appearance any berries that 
I ever raised. A rkanaas City is booming, and 
Cowley County is considered as one of the 
best in the State. I prize the RUBAt, and 
think it leads all other pajiers of its kind. 
w. J. M. 
Keklvillk, Cherokee Co., June 10.— I am 
raising “wine plant” seed, and gathered three 
pounds last week. The last. Spring I sowed 
about a quarter of a pound of seed—enough 
to plant an acre—which would yield 1,600 gal 
Ions of wine. J H. 
[The wine from the “wine plant”—rhu¬ 
barb—is such poor stuff that few would 
care to u«e it. while many consider it inju¬ 
rious. About I860, great efforts were made to 
promote the cultivation of the plant for wine¬ 
making purposes, but the product proved so 
inferior that the business has been abandoned 
almost every where. Eds] 
Missouri. 
Hedaua, Pettis Co., June 9. —We have had 
a very wet, backward season. A great deal 
of the corn bad to be planted the second time 
on account of heavy rains and possibly poor 
seed. Wheat promises fairly well. Oats very 
good. Grass very fine. No peaches. Apples 
a moderate crop. Small fruits good. 
w. h. n. M 
New York. 
Catharine, Schuyler Co., June 10.—Wheat 
looks well. Oats and barley are doing finely. 
Com is making a good start; most of it has 
been cultivated in this section. Apples will 
bo a small crop this year. Grass and hay 
about average crops. Potatoes are not far 
enough advanced to come to any conclusion 
about them; not as many plautod as usual. 
We had heavy frosts on May 29 and JO, with 
the ground covered with suovv on the 30th. 
All garden truck that was up was frozen and 
killed. Grapes and strawberries suffered, as 
well as some apples, cherries, plums, and 
other fruits; but the weather has been warm 
and pleasant since, and vegetation i» coming 
forward rapidly. L. L. c. 
Blci Pi, ats, Chemung Co., June 2.—Farm¬ 
ers are getting along very well with their 
work. Oats and wheat are looking well Corn 
is just coming up. Tobacco is the principal 
crop here, and it looks as though there would 
be quite an acreage of it put in. A consider¬ 
able number of grower* have set some, but 
the cold snap, With frosts on the nights of the 
28th and 29th ult, killed most that had been 
sot. A few of the earliest plants wore tough¬ 
ened, so they live All other things suffered 
severely, so that fruit of all kinds, we are 
afraid, will be scarce. It killed all the vines 
of early potatoes which had appeared above 
ground. s - c. L, 
PoRTVTLIjE, Cattaraugus Co., June 10.— 
When the frosts struck this place at the end 
of May, outs were all iu and up from one to 
six inches. Some potato vines were three 
inches high, and there was a good prospect for 
fruit; but the frosts brought discouragement 
to the farmers’ hearts. First came a cold 
north oust, wind; then, ou May 27, a heavy- 
frost that, with a hot sun on the morning of 
the 28th, killed all fruit buds and most of the 
leaves of the trees; cut potatoes to the ground, 
and on May 80th the ground was white with 
snow. Truly, the heart of the farmer is sad. 
Wheat looks very good. a. w. p. 
W right's Corners, Niagara Co., June 15. 
—Wheat is mostly headed out and steadily 
improves; the heads ure remarkably long; 
some bus lodged during the late rain, and I 
fear it will not again straighten up. This 
will of course diminish the y ield. We have 
had two days of slow rain, which has done an 
immense amount of good to everything ex¬ 
cept, wheat, though it has not rained as much 
as we should have liked. 1 found in my field 
last year nine heads of beardless barley 
which 1 planted this Spring beside Imperial 
und Memory, and it is now much stronger 
than either, being at least one-fourth taller. 
This is not the llulloss or Nepaul Barley that 
was scattered over the conn try a few years 
ago; but it. is to all appearances a genuine six- 
rowed barley, less the awns. A good beard¬ 
less barley is a great desideratum to barley 
growers. My potatoes are now up, but l shall 
harrow them with the smoothing harrow 
again tomorrow; it saves an immense 
amount of hand work. 1 planted my corn 
jti drills for the first time this year, and 
have already harrowed it once and shall 
do so once or twice more I am well pleas¬ 
ed with the drill method of planting. 
Apples in old orchards will be a good crop 
again. Bartlett pears w ill be about half a 
crop, but Duchesse were just in the right con 
ditlon to stiller most by the frost, and will lie 
almost an entire failure. The frost also killed 
a large part of the grapes. Clover is a heavy 
grow th, and would begin to show blossoms 
freely now only for the prevalence of immense 
numbers of the clover midge. I never saw them 
half so plentiful before, and if they continue 
so thick during the Summer, not a single seed 
will form. 1 notice what you say in the Ku- 
rai. in regard to wheats crossing naturally: 
last Fall I selected several beads that looked 
different from the main crop, and planted the 
kernels from each bead by themselves, so that 
there could be no chance for them to become 
mixed, and yet there are, in one plot, two dis¬ 
tinct varieties. h. m, j. 
Ohio. 
Greenhburg, Trumbull Co., June 9.—A 
cold wave struck this section on May 28th, 
and many woke up on tbo morning of the 
29th to find their gardens ruined, while tome 
found their corn damaged, but no material 
injury was done to this crop because it was 
not advanced far enough. My 144 tomato 
vines, however, were ruined. J. K N. 
Texas. 
Abilene, Dickinson Co., June 7.—The 
Cleveland R. N.-Y. Peas were planted at, the 
sarin* time as three other kinds of extra early 
peas, but the 11. N.-Y. is from 10 to 12 days 
earlier than any others. I regard this as being 
the best early. 1 shall sow a part of my seed 
grown this year iu about 10 duys, so as to have 
plenty for next year. R. a. l. 
Virginia. 
Farm vILLS, Prince Edward Co., June 3.— 
On March 28, 1884, I planted the Cleveland 
Rural New-Yorker Pea; on May 7 it was in 
bloom, and on the 22d of May many were ripe 
for the table. The vines were loaded. 
Crops of all kinds are looking well, though 
suffering for lack of rain. Farmers generally 
have finished planting tobacco—plenty of 
plants and a fine season. The Rural Cham¬ 
pion Oats are looking well and promise a large 
yield. The same may be suid of the Rural 
Union Corn, though some of it was destroyed 
by moles or rats. The Washington Oats are 
Mill doing well with me—much bi t,ter than any 
other kind w - tt 
care of a horse. 
A. W., Everett, Pa.— 1. Will it pay to cut 
straw or hay for working horses, and how 
fine should it be cut? How much grain, and 
what kind should he fed, and bow fine should 
it Us ground? How wet should the feed be 
made? 2. What is the best cutter, with crank 
or lever, and what is its cost? 3. Duos the 
Rural believe in the use of the curry-comb, 
and when is the best time to use it? 
A ns. —L Fora working-horse we most assur¬ 
edly believe in feeding cut straw or hay, with 
which should be mixed the provender. For 
this, we like a mixture of corn-meal, 300 
pounds; bran, 200 pounds, and new process oil- 
meal, 100 pounds, which should be very inti¬ 
mately mixed together. Use good, bright 
straw or clover hay, and cut it in lengths 
one-half to three-fourths of an inch long Use 
water just sufficient to make the provender 
adhere to the cut feud, aud feed from half to 
three-fourths of a bushel of the cut feed, and 
sufficient of the mixed feed to keep the animal 
in good condition. It is hard to give uny 
specific directions, much depends upon the 
size of the home, the amount of work he has 
to do, and upon the care he receives. In 
addition to thus food, he should have a moder¬ 
ate amount of good hay. 2. There are so 
many good foddercutters uow, that we would 
not like to say which is the best; but we would 
advise one with a crauk, by all means, to cut 
as much feed as would be needed for four 
horses. 8. As well ask if we believe in wash¬ 
ing ourselves aud combiug our hair! Certaiu- 
ly we do, aud it is just as essential that the 
horse should be thoroughly groomed every day 
aud kept clean. Iu using the curry comb, we 
should use much discretion, so as to thoroughly 
clean the hide and hair, and this without 
injury or pain to the horse, und especially 
would we be careful if the comb is new and 
sharp. But if it is desired that the horse should 
do well and feel well, the comb and brush, or 
cloth, must be used so as to keep him clean. 
TREATMENT OF RASPBERRIES, ETC. 
77. St. Joseph, Mo. —1. My Cuthbert 
Raspberry has not done well; is it advisable 
to cut it back while growing, and if so, how- 
near to the ground ? 2, My orchard was under 
Red Clover for two years; I mowed, but did 
not pasture it; this year my Milam Apples 
are badly blighted, while the Russets, Wine- 
saps, Janets and some others are in fair con¬ 
dition; what causes the difference? 
Ans. —Select from two to five of the best 
young canes of Cuthbert, and cut the remain¬ 
der off close to the ground; top those left for 
bearing next year at three feet from the 
ground, and they will branch out, forming a 
sort of top. As soon as they have done bear¬ 
ing, remove ail the canes that bore this year; 
give the ground a gooddressiug of well rotted 
barn-yard manure, and cultivate well. Next 
Spring cultivate again, and don't allow more 
than four or rive young canes to grow, re¬ 
moving all others as though so many weeds. 
If you have them, apply at the rate of 100 
bushels of hard-wood ashes ami five bushels of 
salt per acre. Don’t fail to keep them well 
cultivated or mulched, 2. In the orchard 
some varieties will endure more abuse than 
others We suggest either to give the ground, 
as far out us the limbs extend, a good coating 
of strawy barn-yard manure, or else manure 
well, and plow the whole surface; also bo sure 
to cut off every limb that shows blight, and 
burn it as soon us cut. 
CONDITIONS FOR CRANBERRT CULTURE. 
C. E. T., IHxmark, Iowa.— Can cranberries 
lie grown in Iowa, and how? 
Ans.—C ranberries can be grow-n in any 
place where proper conditions can be secured 
for them. Those conditions are a low lying 
piece of ground that can lie flooded at will, 
and can also be kept from flooding when 
necessary. A peaty flut. with water 10 to 15 in¬ 
ches below the surface, but with a supply so it 
can be raised one or two feet above the surface, 
is the best place. Any one having such a 
place can prepare it by cutting off all weeds, 
bushes, or turf If it is sodded, then applying 
from three to six or eight inches of clean 
sand. A dam should be put in. so that. 1>> insert¬ 
ing gates the water can be raised as before men¬ 
tioned. Plant the cuttings (portions of vinos) 
by placing them in shallow marks and cover¬ 
ing them a half inch deep. All weeds should 
be kept entirely out. and when Winter comes 
the gates should he closed, and the plantation 
flooded, remaining so until about the last of 
May or first of June, or until all danger of 
frost is passed, as frost is very destructive to 
blossoms or fruit. Flooding is also very use¬ 
ful at any time, should insects attack fruit or 
vines. The fruit should be gathered by pick¬ 
ing, and never with rakes, as these greatly 
injure the vines. 
HOW TO GET rUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 
E.S. Ii., Enilora, Kans.— Where can I ob¬ 
tain the Report of the Commissioner of Agri¬ 
culture for 1883 ? 
Ans.—R egular works printed at the expense 
of the General Government, ara divided into 
three parts. Of these the largest is placed 
at the orders of the House of Representa¬ 
tives, the next largest, ut the orders of the 
Senate, and the smallest, ut the orders of the 
Department which issues tbo work. The an¬ 
nual reports of the Department of Agricul¬ 
ture are divided in this way. The members 
of the House and the Senate!* distribute 
nearly all of them among their constituents, 
the Department of Agriculture retaining 
only enough to distribute among those who 
make reports to it, and other special persons. 
Any one who may want any work, printed at 
the national expense, therefore, should apply 
to the U. S. Representative for his district, or 
one of the U. 8. Senators for his State. Each 
of these has a certain number of works as¬ 
signed to him, and the works are sent by the 
several Departments to the persons for whom 
he orders them, being charged to his account. 
CURL LEAF IN REACH TREES, ETC. 
IF. M. I)., Strong City, Kansas.— 1. What 
ails my peach trees? This is their first bear¬ 
ing year, and they made a flue growth early 
iu the season; hut for 10 days the leaves have 
been shriveling up and dropping off, and the 
trees seem to be decaying, I have dug into 
roots of several, but find nothing? 2. Would 
nails driven into trunks of trees cause the 
death of borers? 
Ans.— L. We think the trees are troubled 
with what is known as curl-leaf, caused by the 
very cold winds of the period at which they 
were attacked, und we think they will bo all 
right as soon as the weather gets warm again. 
Sometimes the curl-leaf is so bad as to cause 
the loss of fruit. We know of no remedy, as it 
seems to be caused entirely by climatic influ¬ 
ences. 2. Driviug nails will not have the least 
effect on the borers. The only way iron will 
effect them is when they are punched with the 
end of a sharp, flexible iron wire or the point of 
a kuife. Dig them out aud apply the wash re¬ 
commended in the F. C. lately. That will 
prevent the small borers from first entering. 
GROWTH OF GRAPES ON TRELLISES. 
C. S. L„ Canyon City, Oreg.-On page 
251 of Rural, Fig. 116, is shown a system of 
training the grape with long arms. Are the 
arms renewed each year, aud if so, how? 
Ass.—As thereto stated, these arms have 
from 10 to 12 buds, or eyes, each; of course 
these buds, not shown in the cut. develop and 
grow canes aud bear fruit. At the winter 
pruning, the cane growing from the base bud, 
or one nearest the mam stem or upright, is 
taken for renewal; the arm that was tied down 
is cut off just beyoud this, aud this caue is cut 
to the requisite 10 or 13 buds again, ana iu 
Spring, at the proper time, is put down to re¬ 
place the one bearing the previous year, and 
which was cut off. This same operation is 
repeated each year. Of course, the stub, or 
part nearest the upright, elongates each year 
one joint, aud if at any time it gets too far 
away, it is cut clear back to the upright, and 
a new cane is grown to take its place This 
occasions the loss of one year’s fruiting of that 
side. 
BRVOBIA MITES. 
,/. H. E., Diamond Hill, R. /., sends for 
name specimens of an insect that appeared in 
the bouse in immense numbers a few weeks 
ago. 
Ans.—T he specimens were flattened out into 
almost indistinguishable spots in the envelop 
in which they were inclosed; still, enough 
could be seen to identify them as belonging to 
one of the almost omnivorous species of the 
mite genus, Bryobia. These mites are known 
to feed upon other insects and also uj>on many 
kinds of vegetation. Their appearance in im¬ 
mense numbers in houses has not as yet been 
satisfactorily explained, and such instances 
are rare. They can be readily killed with 
pyretkrum powder, or with kerosene, or ben¬ 
zine. They should be carefully studied to see 
whence they originate aud upon what they 
feed in the house. 
FRUIT QUERIES. 
B.S. K.,New York.— 1. Will sprinkling with 
water earlv in the morning save fruits trees, 
etc., from injury by frosts ? 2. Is it as well 
to plant peach pits, in Connecticut, from 
Southern growu peaches as from those grown 
North ? 8. Where and how should they be 
planted ? 4. Can I get a bearing orchard 
sooner by planting where the trees are to re¬ 
main than In any other way ? 
Ans. —1. It would have a slight tendency to 
do so. 2. Wo should prefer the Northern 
seed, if we were sure it was healthy: but this 
is so uncertain that most pits plauted are now 
of southern growth 8. A very simple way is 
to plant the pits iu the Fall in drills, and keep 
them free from weeds. They will sprout, the 
next Spring. We have raised many in this 
way. Or they may be planted closely together 
in htile plots and transplanted as soon as they 
are a couple of inches high, care being used 
not to injure the young root. 4. We doubt it. 
Transplanting, well done, does not harm the 
trees, while it Induces an earlier fruitage. 
FIRE BLIGHT IN APPLE TREES. 
G. Ii., Tolono, III.—My apple trees are look¬ 
ing bad; the leaves are blighted and the lower 
limbs are dyiug. What ads them, and what 
is the remedy ? 
Ans —From the brief description given, it 
is hard to say what is the trouble; but we 
think it is what is sometimes called fire blight. 
No preventive is known, and the only re¬ 
medy recommended is the severe one of the 
knife or saw. It is seldom that the whole 
tree is attacked, aud by keeping a close watch, 
and on the first appearance of the malady, 
cutting out all diseased limbs, cutting well 
down below any appearance of disease, and at 
once burning, it can usually b© kept well 
in check, and the orchard saved for many 
years. Luckily it is prevalent only in an oc¬ 
casional year. 
BLOODY MILK. 
W. T., North Keppel, Canada. — How 
should I treat a cow that yields bloody milk ? 
She calved six weeks ago. 
Ans. —Bloody milk is caused by the con¬ 
gestion of the udder and the fine net-work of 
milk ducts. The glands secrete blood instead 
of milk. The only effective treatment is to 
reduce the feed, giving only a bran mash, 
and no corn meal, and even the pasture should 
be light. Give a cooling laxative, as a pound 
of Epsom salts. Give also one ounce of nitrate 
of potash every second day for a week. 
Bathe the udder with cold water after milk¬ 
ing und keep the cow quiet. A cow once thus 
affected will probably prove more profitable 
for beef than for milk. 
Miscellaneous. 
J. A. J., Chruikshanks, Tenn. —1. What 
would be the probable cost of a bull calf of 
each of the following breeds: Holstein, Red 
Polled, Short-horn, Devon, and Hereford. 2. 
Which of these breeds would be likely to give 
most satisfaction wheu crossed on common 
stock with the ohject of milk aud beef pro¬ 
duction? 3. How does pork made from Jersey 
Red hogs compare with that made from 
Poland Chinas, especially the hams? 4. Who 
was the author of the Swiss Family Robinson, 
and was there any foundation iu fact for the 
story? 
Ans. —The price of a bull calf of almost any 
of these breeds will depend considerably upon 
the tribe or strain to which it may belong. 
This is especially the case with Holateins, 
Short-horns, and Herefords. A good bull calf 
of either breed ought, however, to be pur¬ 
chasable for from $50 to $100. Better write 
to breeders of each sort as follows: Holstems. 
Smiths aud Powell, Syracuse, N. Y., Of S. S. 
