§42 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
AUG 0 
the use of nitrogenous material in fertilizers, 
which has been seen lately, is doing a good 
deal of harm. 
The Rural’s “Eye-Opener” is a most valua¬ 
ble and well conducted department. 
Rural, July 12.—Mr. Woodward (p. 446) on 
“The Use and Abuse of Water in Horticul¬ 
ture,” writes practically end sensibly. He is, 
however, I think, in error in saying that “in 
very few of our Eastern States can rivers be 
utilizes! or reservoirs constructed so as to ob¬ 
tain sufficient water for irrigation.” Let a 
sufficiently strong necessity for it arise, and it 
would be us easy to irrigate Eastern as West¬ 
ern farms, and it could be done much more 
extensively. Eastern market gardeners are 
already demonstrating these facts. Both wind¬ 
mills and steam engines are being profitably 
used, where the natural situation does not ad¬ 
mit of irrigation by gravity. 
Dr. St ur lev uni's articles on Sweet Corn (p. 
447) are extremely valuable and interesting. 
They supply information that 1 have sought 
in vain, and 1 thank the Doctor heartily for 
them. 
1 cannot reply, in these brief notes, to the 
criticism of J. B. B. (p. 448) further than to 
say that he misunderstands the subject. Those 
“ wigglers” exist upon the green grass, and the 
steeping of the buy fur a few horn’s is only 
needed to revive them. By the way, the 
“germ theory of disease” is being badly run 
into the ground, and as an eminent physician 
lately remarked, “It is a comfort to ilud at 
least one disease (hay fever) that is admitted 
ly not due to bacteria.” These germs exist 
everywhere—and so does perfect health, in the 
midst of them. It has not yet been proved 
that they have any direet relation to conta¬ 
gions, or tbut there is such a thing as a specific 
"wigglor” for any disease. But the notion 
seems to be peculiarly fascinating to the popu¬ 
lar mind, and is having a great run in the 
papers. 
Dear Editor, wo spoke of a complete chemi¬ 
cal fertilizer in the Watchman as a “super¬ 
phosphate,” for the same reason that James 
was called Jimmy—because that was its name 
-not in the chemistry books, but in the vast 
avenues of trade. Truly, as you say (p. 449), 
it is “an everlasting hash;” but 1 never ex¬ 
pected to bo made accountable for naming it. 
Rural, July 19.—The Rural obliges us all 
by its line view pf the New Orleans Exhibi¬ 
tion buildings. Great expectations are 
based upon the success of this noble enter¬ 
prise, and seemingly nothing can defeat it, 
unless the cholera “ wigglers” should gain 
admittance there. 1 happened to be in that 
city during the cholera epidemic in the Win¬ 
ter of 1849-50, and the scare was worse than 
in the yellow fever seasons. The most rigid 
quarantine should be enforced at every port 
on this continent. 
No doubt the generous position you assumed 
towards those contemporaries who won’t print 
your ads. (p. 408) is the right oue, and the 
one that will pay best in the end. But the 
difficulty is that those contenqiornries who 
will not reciprocate confess, by refusing, that 
they do not believe they can stand the com¬ 
parison. 
You ask (p. 468) to be told your faults Oh! 
gracious editors. Most of us probably don’t see 
that you have any of a serious nature. But 
perhaps some of us have read Gil Bias—and 
dare not. 
l}oi1icutliR*jal. 
A KEROSENE-SOAP EMULSION. 
MY experience in making a kerosene emul¬ 
sion with milk did not result satisfactorily. I 
put one part of kerosene with four parts of 
milk, aud agitated the liquids vigorously for 
uu hour and a half. The “substance resem- 
bliug butter” failed to appear. My patience 
being exhausted, I applied a quantity of water 
to the mixture, when the oil quickly rose to 
the top. 1 found that almost constant stirring 
was necessary to keep the stuffs sufficiently 
mixed for application. 
Failing thus in my attempt with milk, I next 
tried an emulsion with soap, following a recipe 
furnished me by Prof. Liutuer, of Albany, N. 
Y. 1 took four pounds of common yellow bar 
soap, one gallon of kerosene, and one gallon 
of water, heating the mass over a stove, stir¬ 
ring it until it formed a homogeneous, thick, 
yellowish liquid. 1 then removed the mixture 
from the stove, aud continued the stirring 
until it became cool. This trial proved to be 
a complete success. It dissolves readily in all 
proportions, in warm soft water, and is truly 
permanent. I exposed a quantity of it, largely 
diluted with water, for two days, at the end of 
which, the liquid still retained the whitish color 
of soap-suds, smelling plainly of kerosene, but 
with no evidence of separation. 
I am now engaged in making experiments 
with this insecticide. The soap has the ad¬ 
vantages over milk of being cheaper, and the 
mass may be kept for an indefinite length of 
time without putrefaction. It is very much 
to be hoped that the kerosene emulsion will 
prove all that has been claimed for it. “elm.” 
A TILT FOR THE MARLBORO. 
My attention was called to-day to an article 
in the Rural of July 19 on page 468 over sig¬ 
nature of A. B. C. 1 suppose the editors can¬ 
not l»e considered responsible for exaggerated 
and untruthful statements by their contribu¬ 
tors; and yet I do not believe you would have 
the readers of the Rural wrongly iuformed. 
The part of the article referring to rasp¬ 
berries is merely a sort of advertisement 
blowing the writer’s own horn, running down 
the Marlboro (as he did not get a share and 
has no plants and praising indirectly the 
Han sell Raspberry, in which he is particularly 
interested. The statements in reference to 
the Early Cluster are not true, as compared 
with Early Harvest and Wilson Jr. The 
Early Harvest is not two weeks earlier, is not 
os productive, and is not more than about half 
the size of Early Cluster; aud the latter Is 
earlier than the Wilson Jr; will yield a larger 
crop in about half the time; the crop can be 
gathered aud finished up, about the time the 
Wilson Jr. is half done. 
I have testimonials from berry growers who 
have seen the Early Cluster in fruit at its home 
referred to, whose opinions are valued quite 
as highly as those of A. B. C., who rate the 
size of the Early Cluster with the Lawton— 
while the Early Harvest is very small and 
very poor in quality, 
1 published last year as good a lot of testimo¬ 
nials of the Early Cluster as I ever saw- on 
any berry, and have more for this season: aud 
can truthfully say that I never yet saw or 
knew of a peraon who tasted the berries with¬ 
out pronouncing them of the best quality: 
and never yet knew of a person who saw the 
berries when ripe on the bushes—grown even 
under unfavorable circumstances—who was 
not pleased with them, aud who did not say 
they were all that had been claimed for them. 
My first picking of Early Cluster this year 
was on J uly 1st, and the berries sent to mar¬ 
ket on the second, sold for 20 cents per quart. 
J. 8. COLLINS. 
[Mr. Collins takes for granted that he is 
acquainted with A. B. C. We may say that 
the person he supposes him to be, has not 
written a line for the lturul in a long time. 
We are testing both berries and our own 
report will probably help our readers to an 
impartial judgment. Edb, ) 
HIGH PRAISE FOR THE MARLBORO RASPBERRY. 
1 notice that Mr. Green says that the flavor 
of the Marlboro is not the best. [The writer 
of the article referred to was not Mr. Green. 
Eds.] I fear he must have had very poor cream. 
My Marl boros, with my cream and sugar, 1 
consider as delicious as any red raspberries 1 
ever tasted. Frauconia for years was the 
standard around here, aud while with many 
its acidity Is liked, it is too acid for me. Cuth- 
bert was a groat improvement in quality and 
as good as any hardy raspberry that 1 know; 
but the Marlboro I like better still. There is 
no accouutiug for tastes, you know. The 
Marllioro showed the first ripe berries with 
me on July 8d: The fruit was borne upon 
plants set last Fall, which were very severely 
root-pruned. My plants are most of them 
growing in a soil which I call a little too 
light to be the best for raspberries; but their 
robustness and productiveness show very 
plainly that upon good soil adapted to the 
varieties of raspberries of finest quality, the 
Marlboro will prove a success,—I think a 
grand sueccess. o. s. w ales. 
Rochester, N. Y. 
illiscfllanfons. 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED. 
sheep shears, scissors, razors, table cutlery of 
all kinds, and all other novel and useful things 
sold by this firm. 
J. T. Lovett, Little Silver, Monmouth Co., 
New Jersey. Pamphlets of pot-grown and 
layer strawberry plants, with instruction* for 
their cultivation. Most of tbe statement* of 
Mr. Lovett in his catalogues regarding small 
fruits are conservative and trustworthy. Tbe 
circular will lie sent free to all applicants. 
Gale Manufacturing Company. Albion, 
Mich. Thi* is an illustrated catalogue of 
walking, sulky and gang plows, cultivators 
one and two horse; corn plows, single and 
double shovel; also of sleighs with patent iron 
knees, and a light farm sleigh. This is an old 
established firm, which has won a very envia¬ 
ble reputation, and ita motto, “the best is the 
cheapest,” is oue which every fanner should 
adopt aDd strictly follow. 
Cottages, or hintB on economical building, 
containing 24 plates of medium and low cost 
houses, contributed bv different New York 
architects, together with a description of the 
same, aud practical suggestion* for building; 
compiled by A. W. Bruner, architect. There 
is also a chapter on water supply, drainage, 
sewerage, heating and ventilating, and other 
sanitary questions relating to country houses 
by W. I 4 , Gerherd, C. E. Published by W. T. 
Comstock, 6 Aster Place, New York. Price 
§1; well worth the money to any one contem¬ 
plating building. 
Manual of the School Laws of the 
State of New York. By C. P. Pooler, of 
Deansville, N. Y,; published by E. L. Kellogg 
& Co., N. Y. This i* a neatly printed and 
bound little hand book of some 40 pages, con¬ 
taining all tbe essential point* of the school 
laws of New York, pertaining to citizens, 
teachers and school officers. It is a valuable 
little book and should be in the hands of every 
citizen of the State, aud especially of every 
school officer. Most of the contentions in 
schools, which end in litigation and hard 
feelings, arise from ignorance of the laws 
which are here classified and treated in ho plain 
a manner that be who runs may read aud 
understand. 
Transactions of the Mississippi Valley 
Horticultural Society for the year 1884, 
being a report of the fifth animal meeting, 
held at Kansas City in January, 1884, contain¬ 
ing all the papers prepared for that meeting 
and the discussions on their content*: W. H. 
Rugan, Secretary, Greeucastle, Ind. This 
is a nicely printed uud substantially-bound 
book of some 800 pages, and, in addition to 
the above- mentioned contents, it contains a 
complete list of members, also a list of tbe 
officers of all the National, State, and local 
Horticultural Societies for 1884; also a horti¬ 
cultural directory of leading nursery firms, 
implement makers, and commission men in 
various cities, aud, last mentioned, but first 
in the book, a very fine likeness of the late 
Dr. Jno. A. Warder. Aside from the great 
value of the papers aud discussions to any live 
horticulturist, it is a very handy book of re¬ 
ference. The Mississippi Valley is a live hor¬ 
ticultural society, is doing an immense 
amount of good, aud richly deserves tbe 
friendship and support of all fruit growers. 
This volume is sent, post-paid, to all members. 
Membership $2, which can be sent to th6 Sec¬ 
retary. 
Messrs. Smiths and Powell write, under 
date of July 28, that their two-year-old heifer 
Aaggie Constance, 2629, H. H. B., has just 
made a milk record in one day of 67 pounds 6 
ounces, believed to be the largest two-year- 
old record ever published. She was imported 
in September, 1882, and is a daughter of De 
Ruiter, 89, N. H, B. 
Woodward’s work, The paper has acquired 
high standing through the efforts of Mr. Car¬ 
man, who has been singularly successful as an 
editor and manager of an agricultural paper 
that had lost its prestige wheu he took posses¬ 
sion. Mr, Carman may well be congratulated 
upon the acquisition of so capable a coadjutor 
as Mr. Woodward will be.” 
Ellwanger & Baxry, Rochester, N. Y. 
Descriptive list of pot-grown strawberries. 
Phcenix & Emerson, Bloomington, Ill. 
Price-list of nursery stock. A hardy Russian 
ipricot and Primus Simonii are mentioned 
imong novelties. 
Fall Plowing and profits resulting from 
a proper preparation of the soil, also Culture 
of Grass, by Henry Stewart. Published by 
Nash &■ Bro., Millington, N. J., and sent free 
to all who apply. 
Maher & Grosh, Toledo, Ohio. An illus¬ 
trated catalogue of pocket-knives, shears, 
The following isfrom the N. Y. Tribune.: 
“Mr. J. S. Woodward, a practical farmer, a 
man of exceptionable intelligence and facility 
of expression, and whose notable articles in 
these columns have rendered his name pleas¬ 
antly familiar to readers of the Tribune, has 
lately purchased a half interest in the Rural 
New-Yorker, and will now devote his useful 
talents and experience to making that excel¬ 
lent paper increasingly acceptable to its large 
list of patrons.” 
The following is from the Orange County 
Fanner: “Mr. E. 8. Carman, editor of the 
Rural New-Yorker, has associated with 
him Mr. J. S. Woodward, a well-known agri¬ 
cultural writer and the owner of a large farm 
in Western New York. Under their manage¬ 
ment this very excellent farm journal will be 
better able than ever to keep abreast of the 
times as it relates to the agricultural world.” 
A New Bleaching Process.— An editor¬ 
ial note in the Sun states that there is being 
introduced a process by which, it is claimed, 
flax-straw, cotton-stalks, corn-stalks and simi¬ 
lar fibrous materials, now wasted, can be util 
ized and turned to valuable account. The 
bleaching Is done by boiling the plant fibers 
for a very brief period in paraffine soap and 
water, 20 to 80 minutes being sufficient to 
bleach flax-straw and have the fiber come out 
white and clean. It is claimed that cotton 
stalks treated by this process yield a softer 
aud nicer material for some purposes than the 
lint from the rotten bolls, if one-half that is 
claimed for this process be true, it will help to 
save millions of dollars’ worth of materials 
now thrown away as worthless. The process 
is, of course, patented and owned by capital 
ists, who will give it a trial on an extended 
scale very soon. 
PITHS AND REMINDERS. 
The following is from the Husbandman, of 
Elmira, N, Y.: “The Rural New-Yorker 
has added to it* editorial staff Mr. J. 8. Wood¬ 
ward, of Lockport, N. Y., an agricultural wri¬ 
ter who has displayed a high order of talent 
in the columns of various journals to which he 
has been a more or less frequent contributor 
for m&uy years. Mr. Woodward has bought 
a half interest in the Rural New-Yorker, 
and will give undivided attention to the new 
duties which are fully iu accord with his in¬ 
clinations. He is known to many farmers as 
the disseminator of the Niagara Grape, in 
which he had proprietary interest. He is a 
member of the Board of Control of the New 
York Agricultural Experimeut Station, and 
has contributed many valuable suggestions to 
tbe management. The Rural New-Yorker 
will undoubtedly be strengthened by Mr. 
Who pay the expenses of,and furnish the pro¬ 
fits to the railroads—the legislators, judges and 
other office holders who ride on passes, or the 
farmers, who pay their way ( That is a ques 
tion which the Farm Journal a*ks. 
The Farm aud Fireside has used wheel hoes 
of various styles, and does not hesitate to say 
that a mau with a good wheel-hoe can do more 
and better work than five men with hand- 
hoes. Thi* may be true for an hour or so- We 
have yet to see the man, however, that cau 
use a wheel-hoe steadily for a day aud do bet 
tor aud more work than two men with hoes. It 
is desperately bard work.. 
“In setting out late cabbages wrap some 
green leaf about each stem. This will protect 
them from the cut-worm while young, and 
when the leaf rots the cabbage will be out of 
reach of the worm.” This paragrapu or some¬ 
thing like it, is going the “rounds.” Pray 
don’t do it. Old paper costs nothing, and can 
be cut or torn into any desired shape. After 
wrapping the stem twice, the paper is held 
without tying by merely burying the end in 
the soil. Why use leaves! They tear easily, 
do not last, and are hard to adjust. 
Mr. Purdy says that on his own grounds 
the Crimson Beauty ripened two days earlier 
than the Hansell... 
I)R. Sturtevant, thtfludefatigable Director 
of the N. Y. Ex. Station, planted peas April 
28, and Cleveland's Rural New Yorker had its 
first edible pod in 51 days; Daniel O’Rourke 
iu 52 days; Dexter, Ferry's Extra Early, Mar¬ 
ket in 50 days; Earliest of All, American 
Wonder, Caraetacus, Carter’* First Crop, Ex¬ 
press, Prince Albert, and a seedling from 
Messrs. Bliss, No. 72, in 54 day*.,...... 
Dr. Sturtevant placed a few American 
Wonder Peas in a box of moist sand in the 
greenhouse. These sprouted seeds were plauted 
in the garden April 14, and beside them a row 
of unsprouted seeds. The plants from sprouted 
seeds matured eight days before the others. 
TRANSCONTINENTAL LETTERS. 
IV. 
MARY WAGER FISHER. 
Along the Arkansas River, iu Southwest¬ 
ern Kansas, which is known as the Arkansas 
Valley, the irrigable lauds, as they are called, 
consist of a vast plain destitute of trees ex- 
-1 ept such as grow along the edge of the river , 
