*884 THE BUBAL NEW-YOBXEB. 4SI 
was lost. It was a handy and convenient ar¬ 
rangement for getting into bed—one button, 
one flirt of the trousers, one jump, and he was 
in bed! ................ 
The day is coming, Mr. Beecher said, when 
timber is going to be timber in New England. 
It is said that he that plants forest trees plants 
for posterity: and the same thing is said of 
pears. He never planted at Peekskill any 
pears till after ho was fifty, and he has picked 
pears for the last ten years. I f a farmer is 
fairly intelligent and industrious and abstains 
from whisky he will prosper, and his children 
will rise up to bless him . 
Interesting experiments made by Prof. 
W. A. Henry, of the Wiscotison Ag. Ex. Sta¬ 
tion, go to show that corn smut is not lessened 
by soaking the seed in blue vitriol (sulphate 
of cooper) or carbolic acid. In one case bunch¬ 
es of the smut found on the corn were sown 
upon the row* of corn, and yet this corn 
suffered no more from smut than the rest. 
Mr. Culverwell of England claims to 
have made a cross bet ween a strawberry and 
a raspberry. Dr. Focke of Bremen, au au¬ 
thority on hybrids, doubts it. 
In another very interesting series of exper¬ 
iments made by Trof. Henry, it was found 
that sorghum seed has a value of only 
a little over half that of corn meal, for 
fattening pigs. Chemically the difference in 
value between sorghum seed and Indian 
corn is far less than bis trials would Indicate. 
The Live Stock Indicator says that a sight 
of nonsense is being printed from time to 
time about the pleasures and profits of rais¬ 
ing si Ik-worms They are ail right for some 
persons and some places; but the average 
mortal can invest$8 in a down good business 
hens (not thoroughbreds either), and with 
half the care may realize from them ten 
times t he profit he or she would ever make 
from a bushel of silk worms...... 
The Mobile Register makes the remark that 
a lot of designing dead beats who liaug uround 
Washingtou City, aud live off the Governinent 
by their wits, have planned a bureau of silk 
culture, to receive from Congrats an annual 
appropriation of $150,000L.... 
TRANSCONTINENTAL LETTERS. 
MARY WAGER FISHER. 
We left Harper’s Ferry at dawn of day, and 
the train sped on past great fields of luxuriant 
clover and flue fields of wheat. The country 
presented a beautiful appearance, and the 
farms wore an attractive and prosperous look. 
The track of the Baltimore and Ohio Road 
followed the bed of the Potomac River for the 
most part, and from the moment the ascent of 
the Alleghany Mountains was begun, the 
scenery occupied the entire attention of the 
travelers, and there is prob*ably none finer on 
this side of the Rocky Mountains, 
At Piedmont a second engine was added, as 
the ascent became more difficult. For miles 
the roai lay along the brink of the deep bed 
of the river, the bottom of which was only 
visible at intervals. Coal cropped out fre¬ 
quently in the mountains, aud mountain 
streams came gurgling down in refreshing 
abundance. Thu coal cars used on this road 
are peculiar. They ure like three largo irou 
boilors joined together, and arranged so that 
the coal can be let out of the bottom. As we 
ascended the mouuluins and approached the 
level at the top, where Deer Park and other 
mountain summer resorts are located, at an 
altitude of 2,700 feet above the sea, the foliage 
of certain trees presented a curious appear¬ 
ance. The cold weather had killed the first 
leafage und a second crop of leaves was com¬ 
ing out- Toward the dose of day we reached 
the Ohio River, and continued on our way 
through Southern Ohio until Chicago Junction 
was reached late at night, where we alighted 
for a few hours' rest aud sleep. The country 
we passed through in Ohio was not attractive, 
having the appearance of extreme newness, 
and of pioneer living. At Chicago Junction, 
which is about 38 miles south of Lake Erie, 
excellent butter was selling for 10 cents per 
pound and eggs for 12 cents a dozen, while 
milk brings five cents a quart the year round. 
Many Germans seemed to have settled in the 
country, and their comfortable-looking dwell¬ 
ings of hewed logs were in nearly every in¬ 
stance devoid of trees or shrubs. Rome of these 
rude houses looked as if they had been built for 
a quarter of a century, and yet Summer after 
Summer they stand roasting in the boiling 
sun, if a house can be said to roast. As we 
crossed into Indiana, the country improved. 
There were good fields of corn, and many of 
wheat. We had seen no Jersey cattle in the 
fields since leaving Marylaud aud Virginia. 
Hogs abounded, and windmills were frequent¬ 
ly seen. The women who entered the cars 
wore more or less.tawdry jew elry, with imita¬ 
tion diamond ear-rings; while their teeth 
showed ro acquaintance with the tooth brush. 
Showy yellow chaius about the neck and 
dangling bracelets were affairs of more im¬ 
portance than taking care of the teeth. For 
miles before reaching Chicago the land is low 
and wet, and the people fairly plant their 
bouses in pools of water. Everything is low 
aud flat, the lake is os high as the land, and 
one wonders how the land is to be drained. 
For some distance the Baltimore and Ohio 
cars run over the Illinois Central Road, so that 
upon entering Chicago the surroundings are 
very attractive. Various suburban stations 
are passed through.glimpses of Michigan Ave¬ 
nue, with its stately buildings, are obtained, 
with the great, lake at the right hand, until 
finally the train stops in the heart of the city, 
and the metropolis of the Great North Middle 
West is reached. 
My former visit to Chicago was before the 
41 Great Fire;” but the city impresses me 
much the same now as then. I liked it then, 
and I like it now. I know of no other 
city quite like it for energy, for dash, 
and “go.” It has no picture galleries 
or museums, no fine gardens worth men¬ 
tion. Its parks are numerous and pretty, 
but every mound and hill and lake in 
them have been artificially formed. The 
trees are small, and the shrubs and flowers are 
two weeks later than at Philadelphia. A 
great many beds of pelargoniums are in splen¬ 
did bloom. In Garfield Park—renamed from 
Central after the President's death -an ar¬ 
tesian well was sunk for the purpose of ob 
taining water to fill a lake. At a depth ot 
two thousand foot or more, a flowing well was 
reached, which acts like u fountain, and the 
water is highly charged with mineral proper¬ 
ties, largely chalybeate. A large artificial 
lake is filled from this well, and people come 
with bottles and jugs to fill them with the 
medicinal fluid. 
The cable street-cars are quite a feature of 
interest, and it is indeed a novel sight to see 
these headless cars moving through the street 
with no motor in view. We visited the cable 
engine works, where the power is equal to 
2.200 horses, aud the equivalent of seven tons 
of coal are consumed daily. But, as in muny 
engine houses of Chicago, stable manure and 
shavings are largely substituted for coal. Al¬ 
though the machinery for propelling cars by 
means of a cable is ingenious and necussnrilv 
very expensive; the cost is less than by horse 
power, aud this method will, in all probability, 
become generally adopted throughout the lead¬ 
ing cities of the country, for which all lovers 
of horses will be duly grateful. 
Chicago has no markets, or practically 
none. Provision stores have superseded the 
old market system, as being a grout deal more 
convenient, and they are scattered through¬ 
out the city. The restaurants are good and 
not dear. Home of the hotels are marvels of 
luxury and showy ornamentation. The shop 
keepers utilize the side-walks to quite an ex 
tent in displaying their wares. The city is 
essentially cosmopolitan iu its newspapers 
aud variety of population. One sees all sorts 
and kinder people in tile busy streets, it is 
a study to note the different styles of dress 
worn by women. All the fashion illustra¬ 
tions have been patronized. All kinds of 
fruit are cheap, anil we have bought among 
other things some large, clear, red plums— 
wild, probably—that looked more tempting 
than they proved to be delicious. We visited 
the handsomely fitted-up Court House, and 
court rooms, aud the shabby Board of Trade 
that is soon to be superseded by fine new 
quarters of vast dimension*. The Board 
of Trade is very much of a bedlam, well pep¬ 
pered with corn and wheut and other grains 
thickly over the floor, and small paper bags 
holding samples of grain. To watch the pro¬ 
ceedings of the grain dealers from the gallery, 
one wonders that grain and hay are ever ac¬ 
tually bought and sold through that medium. 
A lawyer told Anaximander an amusing 
story indicative of the esprit, ilu corps of the 
Chicago people. One of their most prominent 
citizens, who is always iu debt up to his eyes, 
i?ave a dinner to Lord Coleridge, when that 
English jurist was In this city, und a creditor 
of the host levied upon the dinner, so that the 
dispenser of that sumptious repast had to pay 
the bill presented, before he could invite his 
guests to the dining room. Although the story 
immediately became current, not a newspaper 
in Chicago alluded to the occurrence out of 
regard for her distinguished citizeu, who is 
capable of makiug an immensely funny speech; 
and very witty and agreeable people the world 
over, are, as a rule, poor financiers. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Alabama. 
Sand Springs, Limestone Co., July 10.—We 
had a cold, wet, backward Spring; not much 
planting was done until after Easter. Corn 
and cotton are very backward; but since the 
first cf June they have been coming on amaz¬ 
ingly, for we have been having good, season¬ 
able rains. All kinds of fruit are abundant. 
Grass aud oats look well. Wheat was very 
thin on the ground owing to late sowing and 
being poorly put in. and the cold Winter. The 
grain is good, and we wei-e not much troubled 
with the rust or the fly. It was harvested 
about the middle of June, and we call it about 
a half crop. Wheat sells at $1; corn, 60 cents; 
oats, 50 cents; cow-peas from f l to $2; bacon, 
12&cents; beef cattle, $2 to $3 gross; eggs, 
10 cents; butter, 10 cents to 20 cents; flour, $3 
to |4 per 100 pounds. w. m. 
California. 
Middletown, Lake Co., July 4. — This 
year has been peculiur for California: usually 
the rainy season clows about the first of April, 
but this year we have had so much wet 
weather that grass has kept green; the ground 
is wet, and a great amount of hay has been 
spoiled. To offset these losses, we have a 
prospect of abundant crops of fruit. It has 
lieen a good year for planting vineyards, sow¬ 
ing Alfalfa, etc. w. r. c. 
Canada. 
Fort Qtj’ Appelle, N. W. T., July 7.—The 
fore part of the Summer was rather dry out 
here; but the rains of the past two weeks have 
greatly revived all the crops. No frost round 
here this Summer; tho past few days have 
been cool. The Rural seeds are growing 
well, especially the peus; the pods are filling 
well. l. M. 
Galt, Waterloo Co , Ont., July 5. —The 
Rural I consider second to no paper on this 
continent iu agricultural aud horticultural 
information. The Rural Union Corn is look¬ 
ing fine Tho tomatoes did well, and are now 
flno plants. The peas were fine: all used up; 
planted the first, week in Mav, they were fit 
for use ou Juno 21. Flower seeds uot much of 
a success, but they did uot get a fair chance. 
The Blush Potato, which did bo well last, sea¬ 
son from small seed, is doing very poorly 
this season; planted in both field and garden, 
It looks poor alongside of the Elephant, Beauty 
of Ilebron, and two or three other kinds. (Jur 
crop prospects are good. Hay fair, about half 
secured. Wheat looking very well. Bariev 
and oats looking splendid. Potatoes and tur¬ 
nips have got a good start, as wo have had 
fine rains during the past two weeks. Apples, 
from some cause, will ho short one-half. Hmall 
fruits pretty good. Plums and cherries a com¬ 
plete failure; trees all dying out. Peaches 
not much grown in our county. r. b. 
Listowell, Ont,, July 1.—Lost, Winter 
was very hard on tho fall wheat, and most of 
it was no good; still, here and there a field 
protected by wood will turn out very good. 
We have lost about all our trees planted lust 
Fall and Winter, and most of our grapes were 
killed to the ground, although in some cases 
they had been planted five or six years. With 
me Moore's Early stood the best, and Duchess 
(white), three years planted, though last year 
it made vigorous growth, is dead. The Outh- 
bert Raspberries, although iu a somewhat ex¬ 
posed situation, are loaded with fruit. Fruit, 
generally here will be scarce, except apples, 
crabs, and possibly pears. Strawberries, 
gooseberries and currants, especially black, 
will bo euly half a crop, aud in some pluces 
not that. A frost in May caught the fruit, Just 
as it was setting. a. j. c. 
Ht. Giles, Prov. Quebec, July 5.—Of the 
seeds of tho It. N.-Y. Pea about one-half came 
up and one-third of these died out when about 
six inches high. I could not find any insect 
troubling them The rest are doing very well, 
and are exactly as represented in the eugrav 
ing. Hors ford’s Market Pea is very dwarf; 
pods only now forming; a few of these also 
missed R N.-Y. Corn and Tomatoes were 
both killed by frost on May 31, except four 
tomatoes and five stalks of the corn, which 
were hurt but not killed. The Garden Treas¬ 
ures mostly failed. The Champion Oats are 
splendid. I dibbled in the seed in rows 12 
inches apart and six inches apart in the rows; 
they have tillered so that they are already 
much too thick. We are at least 15 days later 
than last year. May was very wet and cold; 
Juue dry and hot; both months very windy. 
Hay ts light; grain and the potatoes not in¬ 
jured by the frosts, are average crops. Beans, 
corn and garden stuff generally are failures. 
Apple aud plum trees in many places killed by 
the frost. Some of my neighbors complain 
sadly of the Colorado pest; but I find very 
few compared with the numbers in previous 
seasons. w. h. t. 
Dakota. 
Altoona, Spink Co., July 5.—Away out in 
this “desert country,” crops are looking flue. 
Barley is almost ready for the harvest aud is 
uu immense crop, good for 50 bushels per acre. 
We sow mostly a six-rowed variety. I see 
scattering heads of bald barley in my field, as 
described by "H. M. J.” in the R. N.-Y., page 
418, and his suggestion beiug a good one, I 
shall pick out and sow some by itself. This is 
a better year for corn than for wheat; the 
weather was too warm in Spring during stool- 
ing season for wheat, but it was fine for corn. 
Old land corn looks fine, aud bids fair to be a 
good crop; the stand aud color are good. 
Wheat is doiug well, hut will fall about five 
bushels per acre short of last year’s yield. 
Oats ore the last seeds we sow. aud the dry 
weather of three weeks ago set them back, but 
late rains have improved them. My Cleveland 
R N. Y. Peas are ripe and shelled; T think they 
are tbo earliest pea I have ever sown. My 
wife thinks much of the Garden Treasure 
seeds: wo have a flue flower bed from them. 
My R. N.-Y, tomatoes are doing finely: I 
hope to find among them some tomatoes suit¬ 
able for this climate. Tho farmer has nothing 
to complain of In this country this year Bar¬ 
ring hail-storms, the harvest will bo bountiful. 
M. c. P. 
Chapklle, Creek Valley, Hughes Co., 
July 6.—The prospects for all kinds of crops 
in this vicinity are good, except in this valley, 
where everything was completely destroyed 
hy the hail storm of July 1. Even tho prairie 
grass after tbo storm presented the appearance 
of having been mown, while the wheat, oats, 
corn, etc.. wore cut to pieces and driven into 
the ground. Htock that, happened to be out in 
the storm were severely injured. Windows 
were broken, even the siding aud shingles on 
the houses were split aud broken into slivers. 
The storm seems to have extended from north¬ 
east to south-west for about 10 or 12 miles, 
covering a strip from two to three miles wide. 
I had 25 acres of wheat, five acres of oats and 
a fine garden destroyed—all my crops. Thus 
the work of a soason is swept away in half an 
hour, and this being my first crop iu this coun¬ 
try, it is rather discouraging. To see what 
might have furnished us our Hviug this Win¬ 
ter, paid our debts, and furnished seed for a 
larger crop next year all gone, makes one feel 
almost like giving up, for truly 
Of Hi! sail wortls of ton Sue or pen. 
The saddest are these, It might have been 
H, 8. C. 
Jamestown, Stutsman Co., July 5.—Crops 
are all looking well. Wheat very heavy. 
Farmers are all jubilant, expecting from 25 
to 30 bushels per acre. Oats and barley good. 
Potatoes and all kinds of vegetables will be 
immense crops this year. o. o. 
Mandan, Morton Co., Juty 4.—It lias been 
remarkably wet here through June and up to 
date. For about three weeks past, almost 
every afternoon it would begin to thunder- 
generally in the west, about six o’clock, aud 
there would be one continued roar of heaven’s 
artillery, attended with heavy wind, and a 
few times hail would precede the rain. I hear 
of considerable damage having been done, but 
the injury was light at my place, o. w. o. 
I own. 
Excelsior, Mahaska Co., July 11.—Tho 
Union Corn isdoing well, except some few hills 
injured by the “worm." The rest is doing 
splendidly: 1 planted it May 15; it is now 
about 4‘,; feat. high. The R. N.-Y. Peas I 
planted on May 20: I planted the Rural New- 
Yorker, the Horsford's, and the American 
Wonder at the same time and on the same 
ground. The R. N.-Y. is a few days earlier 
than the American Wonder, and Horsford’s is 
three weeks later than either. The R. N.-Y. 
were ready for use about June 25; Horsford’s 
are not quite ready yet. I aui saving all of 
the R N Y, for seed; have nearly a quart. 
They are a very nice pea; very regular in 
size of pod, with six and eight peas in most of 
the pods. The tomatoes are doing well. My 
wife is very proud of the Garden Treasures. 
She has a very nice show of flowers from the 
seeds. w. n. r. 
Liberty Center, Warren Co., July 6.— 
Our crops here are everything we could wish: 
corn looks grand, and Is being laid by iu splen¬ 
did condition; rye good, and almost ready for 
the reaper. Oats and wheat promise abundant 
yields, and potatoes!—if I should attempt giv¬ 
ing tho bare facts of their promised yield, I 
fear I would be classed with the Editor of the 
Rural for veracity. But if nothing happens 
to mar the prospect, I don’t think they will 
bring more than 10 or If* cents per bushel this 
Full. I think everybody has taken your ad¬ 
vice about planting more than usual last 
Spriug. The ants of the community have 
their corn laid hy and we busy cutting their 
clover, and the drones are fast following suit. 
J. H. M. 
[Our friend is somewhat, mistaken with re¬ 
gard to the nature of the advice we gave. 
We said that owing to the low prices commonly 
paid for the last crop of potatoes, it was very 
likely that a much smaller crop would be 
planted this year, so that, there would be a 
scarcity next season, aud consequently higher 
prices, and we advised our friends not to fol¬ 
low the general example in greatly curtailing 
the acreage under potatoes.—K dh.1 
Kansas. 
Parsons, Labette Co , July 5.—Our wheat 
and oats are in stack, aud promise to be by 
far the best ever raised in the county. Ad- 
