4884 
THE BUBAL NEW-YOBKEB. 
contain above 10 per cent, of nutritive matter, 
and it is only equaled in this by such plants as 
the cabbage and beet. Stock may refuse to 
eat it at first, as they sometimes do with clo¬ 
ver. and some care may be required to accus¬ 
tom them to the new food. It should be cut 
and fed when the plant is young and tender, 
for when old, the prickles become hard and 
formidable. We do not doubt this statement 
at alL We have had a single plant growing 
at the Rural Grounds for eight or nine years, 
and it has always been cut twice or thrice 
each season. It has received no mauure at all 
and is still as vigorous as ever. It suffers 
neither from drought nor wet. It is absolutely 
and teetotally hardy And rampageous. Of late 
one of our horses has taken to the leaves and 
he likes them as well as those of corn. Really, 
we should like to see this plant tested thor¬ 
oughly. If it is nutritious, if the animals can 
be coaxed to like it, there is no other forage 
plant to take its place. 
Col. Weld says, in the “Flower Pot,” that 
the farmer who does not know enough not to 
kill or sell to the butcher, a calf that will 
make a 20-quart cow, needs to take lessons of 
somebody in the a-b-c- of his business. Such 
a man has probably several cows in his herd, 
which never give over ten or twelve quarts 
of milk, and, very likely, poor milk at that. 
The Colonel went through, as they say, a 
lot of veal calves a few weeks ago. They 
were tolerably fat, a uniform lot about six to 
eight weeks old, nearly half heifers. It struck 
him that he would see what, they promised to 
make if they could l>ecome cows, and he was 
surprised at the number of unusually promis¬ 
ing ones. There were uo Dutch heifers (Hol- 
steins), or half-breeds among them. There 
were many Short-horns and Jerseys, a few 
evidently of Ayrshire blood, aud of course a 
good many—fully one-half—of no obvious 
breed (natives). Not long before he had been 
at one of Kellogg's sales, and believes that he 
could have picked out from these calves, which 
were all veal before the next day, those which 
would have proved better milkers, if not bet¬ 
ter butter-makers, than nine-tenths of those 
sold at one hundred to five hundred dollars 
each. 
The New York Times says that a writer 
whose chief purpose in life seems to be to puff 
up Jersey cattle without regard to truth, 
would have farmers believe that “a quart of 
water may lie added to a quart of Jersey milk, 
and one will have two quarts of ordinary 
milk.” This is not only not true, but it is offer¬ 
ing a temptation to some foolish persons, if 
there are any so foolish, to buy Jersey cows 
and go into the business of adulterating milk 
and of cheating, Such palpable foolishness is 
an injury to a breed of deserving cattle, which 
would probably be worth more to-duy, on au 
average, had it not been fox* false representa¬ 
tions such as the above, and a good deal of 
immoral trickery, that is worse than useless, 
because sensible fanners see very clearly 
through it. 
Mr. Allen, of Illinois, tests a cow that he 
thinks of buying, by milking her quickly and 
clean, and at once straining an ordinary tum¬ 
bler full of the milk. He says any cow that 
will not produce three fourths of au inch of 
cream on that much milk, should at once be 
rejected. 
WIDE-AWAKE ITEMS. 
We must not let cucumbers ripen if we 
would not ruin the crop from the vines which 
feed them....... 
Yes, it is bad policy at this seasou to let the 
ganleu go to-grass! ...... 
There is room for a live young mau in 
every neighborhood, who knows how to deal 
with the insect peets of the farm, says the 
Farm Journal. 
The Farm Journal presents a portrait of 
our friend and occasional contributor, Hon. 
F. D. Cobum, the Editor of the Kansas Live 
Stock Indicator. He has done a great deal of 
good for Kansas agriculture. 
The Philadelphia Weekly Press notes that 
the Arab compels his horse to feed from the 
ground in order to maintain the curve of the 
backbone. This is the natural way of feeding, 
aDd is an argument for low mangers...,. 
If Blue Grass has half a show, it will grow 
as luxuriantly in Kansas as in Kentucky, says 
the Live 8tock Indicator. “Grass is king, 
and deserves the care and homage of all good, 
loyal subjects.”. 
Sow Rutabagas-It does not pay to stake 
tomatoes-Prepare new strawberry beds 
and set the plants as soon as you choose. Raw 
bone flour i3 a good fertilizer; but the soil 
should be mellowed with old farm manure.... 
Read the R. N.-Y. attentively-Prepare 
for the Diehl-Mediterranean Wheat..... 
Larger fields and cheaper fences, says 
Uncle Waldo, in the N. Y. Tribune. He af¬ 
firms that at least one-half of the best plow 
and on every farm could be profitably thrown 
in one field aud never pastured-There are 
thousands of farmers, he thinks, who have 
planted largely of hedge, who would be willing 
to lose the whole of it if they could burn it 
up; but the digging out of an old hedge in¬ 
volves nearly as much expense as making a 
new fence. He has had 82 years’ experience 
with Osage Orange hedge, and finds it so 
troublesome to care for, that he would not 
allow a man to plant another on his farm if 
he would do it for nothing aud care for it till 
it would turn stock.... .... 
Uncle Waldo is of the opinion that wire 
is a cheap material for fence, as it enables the 
farmer to use crooked posts, and also to set 
them at a greater distance apart than can be 
done when boards are used; but ho is afraid 
to use or recommend barbed wire to much 
extent, as there is great danger to stock, espe¬ 
cially horses, from its use. Within the past 
three months two of the 12 members of the 
farmer’s club to which he belongs have had 
horses injured on it..... 
Mr. E. Y. Teas, of Dunreith, Ind., thinks 
that the new shrub, Prunus Pissardi, is by 
far the handsomest purple-leaved tree he has 
seen. It flourishes admirably with him, and 
the foliage retains its purple hue the entire 
season. Mr. Teas is right. We shall have 
something to say of this beautiful plant short¬ 
ly. 
Cultivate between the raspberries. Now 
is the time to rid the land of weeds and suck¬ 
ers. Tie up the now canes to stakes securely 
set. Pinch off the main canes and laterals so 
as to induce a stocky growth. Do the same 
for blackberries..... 
It pays to pinch off the tips of Lima bean 
vines when they reach nearly to the tops of 
the poles. Pinch off the ends of melon vines. 
Move the vines of sweet potatoes so they will 
not take root.........» 
Plow for winter wheat at once. 
“The cabbage caterpillar, the larva of Pie 
ris rape*, was effectually mastered by tho use 
of Buhach powder applied with bellows. 
We are making further trails in order to deter¬ 
mine what degree of dilution may answer for 
successful use.” Ho says Dr. Sturtevant in a 
late bulletin. Our readers are aware that we 
have used this powder for three years to repel 
or kill the cabbage worm, and have repeatedly 
advised its use as blown through bellows. 
Dr. H. will find that it is safer to use it pure.. 
TRANSCONTINENTAL LETTERS. 
V. 
MARY WAGER FISHER. 
I CAN scarcely give, in any satisfactory 
way, the result of my eight days of sight-see¬ 
ing in Kansas, within the compass of this hit¬ 
ter, aud shall necessarily leave much unsaid. 
We left Kansas City on the morning of June 28, 
and reached Coolidge, the boundary point be¬ 
tween Kausas and Colorado, at daybreak .July 
1, Our line of travel was over the Atchison, 
Topeka and Santa F6 Road, which, for brev¬ 
ity, I will call the Santa FA We spent four 
days in Lawrence, one in Topeka, and three in 
Emporia. The Santa FA Road, which has 
played an important part in the development 
of the State, and continues so to do, lias for 
its President a Boston mau, and Boston money 
has, in large part, built it. It is a single 
track, exceedingly well built, and follows 
from Kansas City the Kansas River until 
Topeka is reached, and from Emporia it fol¬ 
lows the Cottonwood for a long way, and 
strikes tho Arkansas in the south-western part 
of the State, where it traverses a great tract 
of what is now called irrigable lands of the 
Arkansas Valley. The courses of all those 
rivers are marked by what the Kansans call 
“timber”—a growth of trees, chiefly elm 
on the Kansas, and cottonwood on the Cot¬ 
tonwood aud Arkansas. A few willows are 
seen. These trees grow to a goodly size, and 
the habit of the cottonwood resembles that of 
the elm. None of these rivers is navigable 
in a practical sense, but the two first-named 
are very charming streams, while also being 
of further value in furnishing water powei\ 
Probably no State in the Union has, in later 
years, been so much talked about and thought 
about as Kansas. On its soil tho battle for 
freedom was begun. The City of Lawrence 
is, in a way, the Bunker Hill of the West. 
We drove past the house where the first man 
was shot by Quantrell. It is now deserted: 
the windows are out, and a pig was browsing 
in the weedy door-yard. The walls of the 
little stone house in which Governor Robinson 
lived are still standing on the hill where the 
State University is now located. Men walk 
the streets in Lawrence, who still carry in their 
bodies Quantrell’s bullets. The day of bis raid 
is the historic day of the State. John Brown 
began his work in Kansas, and in the State 
Historical Society’s quarters at Topeka, are 
many interesting relics of his life there. 
Lawrence was uamed for Amos Lawrence, 
of Boston, who contributed largely to the sup¬ 
port and defence of the first free soil colonists 
sent into the Sfate, and he has further con¬ 
tributed 8100,000 to the State University, 
which in some ways, has enough of wide-awnk- 
eduess for half a dozen Eastern institutions. 
One of its professors, with the help of one of 
the pupils, has made a collection of 800 varie¬ 
ties of the native birds of the State, all beau¬ 
tifully stuffed and mounted. I was amazed at 
the variety of the collection, from storks to 
gayly-tinted paroquets. The University lias 
over 500 pupils, of both sexes. Its Greek Pro¬ 
fessor is a woman. In mineralogy and natu¬ 
ral history generally, it merits distinguished 
mention. As a city, Lawrence has suffered 
commercially from its nearness to Topeka, 
and Kansas City; but as an educational cen¬ 
ter, with many highly cultured people, it is 
not surpassed by any city in Kansas. It has a 
census population of 10,000. Like all Kansas 
towus, it has very wide streets—from 125 to 
150 feet—too wide to be kept in good condi¬ 
tion. The town is well shaded, and is the cen¬ 
ter of a large agricultural district. 
Topeka is the State Capital, superbly loca¬ 
ted, with very substantial public buildings, 
beautiful private residences, and the Santa 
F» ; has here its shops aud olUecs. The railroad 
has also built a public library, which is an ex¬ 
quisitely beautiful building, with all Its ap¬ 
pointments iu like keeping—statuary, pic¬ 
tures, hooks, lecture room, etc. If one has not 
arrived at tho point of not. being surprised at 
anything, he would be surprised at some of 
the architecture in Kansas. The State has au 
abundance of fine building stone, light in 
color—a magnesian limestone—which is very 
durable and handsome. The railway station 
at Emporia is built of it—a beautiful struc¬ 
ture—and the State buildings at Topeka are, 
I think, of the same. Hard wood finish is tho 
rule iu the best of the now buildings. One of 
tho private residences in Emporia is finished, 
in the different rooms, in mahogany, cherry, 
and oak. Topeka has a population of 25,000; 
Emporia one of 8,000. Our host at Emporia 
was one of the men who located tho city and 
has been connected continuously with its 
growth and development. He has a daughter 
15 years old, born and brad in Kansas, who is, 
I think, the most beautiful girl I have over 
seen—her head beiug what one dreams of— 
and I have seen many pretty girls there, na¬ 
tive to the State. Emporia is a very lively 
town, and has a groat future before it, ns it is 
a railway center and a commercial place of 
large importance. Its wide streets are beiug 
parked—25 feet being set off at the sides for 
grass and trees, It has gas and water works, 
street cal's, aud daily papers. 
Newton (s another thriving town, in tho 
midst of a lurge Mennomte settlement. Wi¬ 
chita Is another place of wealth aud impor¬ 
tance, like unto Emporia. Real estate iu all 
these towns increases rapidly in vuluo. About 
three miles froux Emporia we visited a farm, 
or ranch, of 1,840 acres—180 acres are in grain 
and tho rest in pabture. The owner is raising 
Galloway and Polled Angus cattle, and has 
about 100 of these breeds iu his herd of 400. For 
shipping purposes, these hornless cattle are 
for obvious reasons preferable. On this ranch 
wo saw tho best of conveniences for securing 
water, preparing feed for the stock, feeding 
and rearing pigs, etc. The farm is inclosed by 
a wire fence. The barbed wire stretches like a 
net-work all over Kansas. The railway fenc¬ 
ing is considered a good model—three wires 
and one board, the board set inside aud next 
to the top wire. There are miles and miles of 
Osage Orange hedges, which are beautiful 
when well trimmed; but many are untrimined. 
In many parts of the State, weeds have a good 
time. Particularly iu towns, door-yards are 
iu au unkempt, condition, and in open spaces, 
and along the absurdly wide streets, weeds 
grow rampantly—wild sunflower, Cockle 
Burr, May-weed, etc. Not many (lowers are 
cultivated. One lady gave as a reason the 
extremely long and hot Summers. I was told, 
at Topeka, of two women there who cari'y on 
the business of florists, and have an extensive 
patronage. They hire a Fi'euchman to do the 
heavy part of the work. I often wonder that 
women do not monopolize this business—so 
peculiarly suited to them. One of the lai’gest, 
ranches near Emporia belongs to a woman. 
She mounts her horse every morning, and 
rides to some part of it to direct her work¬ 
men. She raises cattle, aud succeeds as well 
as a man. From one of the cattle ranches 
near hers, from $00,000 to $80,000 worth of 
cattle are sold annually. 
As to Kansas farms, we saw the State in the 
hight of her glory—in green and gold: corn 
and wheat. The wheat fields and corn fields 
began soon after Kansas City was left, and 
there was no break until Newton was reached, 
where agriculture began gradually to give 
way to stock farms. Beyond Newton we 
noticed the fii*st sheep ranch, and here the 
beautifully rolling prairie of Eastern Kansas 
began to subside into a vast plain. 
Hutchinson is a beautiful town—almost 
densely wooded, with planted trees. Along 
the route wheat was being cut and bound by 
machinery. Sulky cultivators were generally 
used in the corn fields. Corn throughout all 
tho West is iu a backward condition, but tho 
hot weather in Kansas was rapidly bringing 
it forward. 
The unattractive features of Kansas are the 
low, small, unkempt, unadorned farm houses, 
for the most. part. I do not think it probable 
that any finer country is to be found in Kan¬ 
sas than that traversed by the Santa Frf road; 
but over all that superb agricultural region I 
did not see over a dozeu houses that looked as 
if I would like to live iu them. On account 
of the high winds that sometimes prevail, tho 
people are timid, and build their houses close 
to tho ground. Eveu in tho towns, there are 
some pretty, new houses, in which the rooms 
are all on one floor. In any country, sleeping 
moms are more healthful if well up from the 
ground. Large barns are rarely seen, and the 
farm buildings are in no way in keeping with 
the magnificence of the farms. Oats grow 
well, but little is sown. Very few potato fields 
were seen. Potatoes were scarce and high last 
Winter. Most fruitsgrow well aud vegetation 
grows rapidly. To some portions natalpa trees 
are being largely planted. Strawberries were 
unusually fine and abundant tho present sea¬ 
son. At Topeka cherries and gooseberries 
ranged in price from $2.25 to $8 per bushel. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Canada. 
Lake Shore, Raleigh, July 28.—Cherries 
aud peaches are a failure. Pears medium. 
Apples a very light crop for this place. Wheat 
about two-thirds of a crop. Oats, barley, 
beans and peas good crops. Corn rather back¬ 
ward for the season. w. n. 
Dakota. 
Leola, McPherson Co., July 27.—I came here 
from Jackson, Mich., with my partner a year 
ago the fourth of last J uno, and this is our first 
crop. Everything is looking fair. Wheat 
and oats looked as though they would go 
from 20 to 40 bushels per acre; but we had 
some hail on J aly 25, which took about one- 
fourth of the crop. Corn fair. Weather fine 
and, on the whole, we have had a favorable 
seasou. o. j. r. 
Illinois. 
Farmingdale, Sangamon Co., July 30.— 
Crops generally look well. Tho weather has 
beeu seasonable for corn. Wheat hoe turned 
out better than was expected. Oats are an 
average. Hay was good. Pastures are ditto. 
No bugs on potatoes. Apples are generally 
ruined by the Codling Moth; this year will 
not be an exception. Poaches wore spoiled 
by winter or spring frosts, so wo are not dis¬ 
appointed. Pears are ruined by blight, or 
spring frosts, every time. Cherries arc wormy. 
Grapes half a crop, owing to injury in Win¬ 
ter. Berries were generally good, especially 
strawberries. B . b. 
Indiana. 
Poplar Grove, Howard Co., July 28.— 
Wheat good in quality, averaging 15 bushels 
per acre. Com good. Meadows first-rate; 
very little clover seed to ba saved. Oats fair; 
a small area sown. Stock of all kinds healthy 
and thriving. Prices of all furm products 
tending downward. w. m. 
Maryland. 
VVehtovkr, Somerset Co., July 28.—We 
have had a copious rain, which was beginning 
to be badly needed. Com is now looking 
well where It has been properly tended, and it 
is almost all laid by, except some that was put 
iu late after strawberries. Some farmers who 
have suitable land are engaged in trucking, 
and art now shipping tomatoes and musk- 
melons: the raiu came just in time to save the 
melons from being a failure. s. c. s. 
Michigan. 
Holly, Oakland Co., July 29. — We are 
having fine,growing weather, with occasional 
showers. Crops are looking well. Wheat is 
all secured in fine condition, but little thrash¬ 
ing has been done yet. The yield is good, and 
the quality can’t be boat. Oats will be ready 
to harvest iu a few days. Corn, though badly 
hurt by the cut-worms, is coming on wonder¬ 
fully. Potatoes are doing their level best to 
beat everything else. Apples promise to be a 
fair crop, especially Baldwins. A. p. f. 
Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co., July 26.— 
While making a short trip through the rural 
districts between Grand Rapids and Kalama¬ 
zoo, my road led through “The Colony,” a 
region so called because settled by the Dutch 
nearly 4U years ago. The “old colony” look 
of things has very much passed away, and to 
a great extent everything looks new. Instead 
of dense forests, one sees splendid farms com- 
