719 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
New York. 
Madison Co.. Oct. 13 —Potatoes only a 
small crop this season. The Rural Blush did 
as well as any I had. miles* I except White 
Elephant. Neither of these rotted this dry 
season, and both were consequently all right. 
The Blush did not straggle nearly so bndly as 
last year. o. h. 
Texas. 
Leakey, Bandera Co., Oct. 13—We have 
made good crops of corn and oats; but our 
cotton is poor. I had a very good garden in 
the Spring; but the Summer was so dry that 
everything dried up. s, b. 
Utah. 
Ogden City, Weber Co., Oct. 8.—The crops 
in Weber Co are generally good, and all were 
harvested before bad weather commenced, ex 
ceptin a few of the higher or mountain valleys, 
which were caught by a snow storm and n slight 
frost in the early part of Sept.; but not much 
damage was done. w, j. h. 
RURAL SEED REPORTS. 
California. 
Lemoore, Tulare Co.,Oct. 10.—Let me thank 
the Rural especially for those tomato seeds; 
I never raised such a nice, even, smooth lot 
before. The peas did remarkably well. Tlie 
Rural Treasures were just splendid; we had 
a very large bed of them, including 20 differ¬ 
ent sorts. G. H. w. 
Kanam. 
Blaine, Pottawatomie Co.—The Rural 
Peas did finely; have saved them all for seed. 
The Garden Treasures were planted in a hot¬ 
bed. and transplanted to the open ground as 
soon as the weather permitted. I had over 40 
varieties, most of which bloomed and were 
the admiration of all who saw them. The 
corn was doing nicely—just earing out—when 
a horse got loose and destroyed it. We all 
look for the Rural as regularly as we do for 
our meals, and if it fails to come on Saturday 
—as it sometimes does—it is a great, disap¬ 
pointment. h. v. M. 
Strong City, Chase Co., Oct. 15.—The 
Rural seeds have done well with me, but the 
corn is uot as good as some we raise here; but 
it is very early. j. g. 
MnssnchuaeitH. 
Pittsfield. Berkshire Co., Oct. 15 —My 
little White Elephant Potato had 17 eyes and 
was planted in nine hills; I harvested 63 
tubers; among them some very large potatoes. 
I gave away seven, and 56 were planted the 
next Spring, and 12 bushels were dug the fol¬ 
lowing Autumn: but owing to having culti¬ 
vated too highly, we lost by hard rot all but 
a barrel and a half. The third year we had 
52 bushels, and this year 200, You must not 
suppose that I have not cooked any of them. 
O no! for they are the test potato T have ever 
cooked or eaten. Out butter customers think 
so too; we baited them last year with a few 
of them. and they want them agaiu this year. 
The only failing they have is that when they 
begin to grow they do not know wbeu to 
stop. J. F. C. 
iBvery query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of tbe writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking a ques Ion, please see If It Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
at one timed 
BOW TO RAISE A. LARGE POTATO CROP. 
./ D. W., Hudson. Wis. —1 have 20 acre* of 
sandy loam on which I wish to grow potatoes 
next year. It grew over 30 bushels of wheat 
per acre this year; last year it bore oats; the 
year previous corn, and was then heavily 
manured. It is now plowed, and on 10 acres 
rye is sown to be plowed down next Spring. 
I can get plenty of hard wood ashes and lime, 
also plenty of stable manure and stock-yard 
scrapings. What shall I do and how treat it 
to grow 300 bushels per acre? 
An 8.—We recommend the application of 
10 large two horse loads per acre, to the 10 
acres not sown to rye, of stock-yard scrapings 
or well rotted barn yard manure, and scatter 
it at once and plow as deeply as possible, say 
six to eight inches, if a good, deep loam. 
During Winter gather up *00 bushels of hard¬ 
wood ashes, keeping them dry. Also get two 
tons of very line bone flour or of some good 
brand of superphosphate. Plow tbe land in 
Spring, and after barrowing, mark it out for 
planting, just three feet apart, by using a 
plow and two horses, and plowing two fur¬ 
rows for each row. leaving a clean ‘‘dead’' 
furrow just where you would have the row of 
potatoes. Then with a horse and one-horse 
plow, go a “bout'* in each one of tnese fur¬ 
rows to loosen the soil in the bottom, and leave 
it as mellow and smooth as possible. On this 
drop tbe seed—cut to two eyes on a piece—just 
one foot apart, and cover about one inch deep 
with a hoe or other implement. Now sow in 
the furrows, and above the potatoes, the ashes 
and bone flour or superphosphate at such a 
rate per acre as will use the eutire quantity 
on the 20 acres. After this is done, with a 
team and barrow, bv going crosswise of the 
row*, barrow’ it all down level and smooth. 
Watch the field carefully, and just before the 
potatoes are up, go over it, this time length¬ 
wise of the rows, with a smoothing harrow, if 
you have one; if not, with au ordinary har¬ 
row. Cultivate and keep clean as long ns you 
can get through without breaking the vines; 
but do not hill them tip at all. Towards Fall, 
should many tubers stick out of the ground, 
go through with a hoe and pull a little soil 
over them By faithfully following this plan, 
we think at digging time you will find more 
than 300 bushels per acre; but, of course, 
much will depend upon tbe variety selected 
for seed. 
FRUITS FOR ONTARIO. 
J. M. K., Niagara Falls . Ont.., Canada .— 
1. Will the Wild Goose Plum do well in Can¬ 
ada? 2. What Is tbo earliest Gage Plum, and 
what varieties do you recommend here for 
early to late? 8 What of cherries? 4. What 
are the best pears for profit? 1 wish to plant 
about two acres of each. 
Ans. 1. No. The Wild Goose is uot profit¬ 
able anywhere iu the North, and is a plum of 
very poor quality anywhere. 2. July Green 
Gage is early, but not profitable. It is hard 
to recommend fruit for market purposes, as 
each market hasit.sowu favorites. We think 
well, on our Western New York Farm, of 
Bradshaw, Bavay’s Green Gage, Smith’s Or 
leans, Prince Engleberfc. Richland, uud Wash¬ 
ington when it will not rot. 3 The same 
general remark applies to cherries. We 
like Early Richmond, Black Tartarian. 
Governor Wood. Morrello (common red), 
Downer's Late and Bigarreau, where it does 
not rot. 4. Bartlett. Aojou, Flemish Beauty, 
Louise Bonne, Rostiezer (for home use) and 
Augouleme for dwarf; but probably of a half 
dozen people asked, each would give you a 
different list. 
SMUTTY SEED WHEAT. 
T. McC., Raymond, Dak. — l. Would it be 
wise to use for seed next Spring wheat con¬ 
taining kernels of smut? 3. Is the origin of 
smut a settled question, atid does it spread 
when once it gets into the seed grain? 
Ans. —t Wo should prefer to sow seed as 
nearly perfect as it is possible to get it. A 
few dollars paid forelean seed is money well 
invested. It simply does not pay to take the 
chances of sowing poor seed. 2, Hmut is a 
plant, a fungus that grows und matures on 
the juices that would support and develop the 
perfect grain. The dust-like spores of the 
smut kernels, when broken, ore the seeds. 
Soaking the seed to he sown in strong brine 
or in copneras (sulphate of iron) water will do 
much to kill the seeds of smut; but by far the 
best way Is to procure seed wheat entirely 
free from the pest. 
A LARGE POTATO YIELD. 
W. (}., Brookfield, Mass. —I planted a pound 
of Dakota Red Potatoes May 10th, using no 
manure except Bradley’s superphosphate. I 
hoed them twice, and at each hoeing I put a 
handful of the phosphate around each hill, 
kept them level, and harvested 107 pounds, 
the largest weighing 2 14 16 pounds. The row 
was 64 feet long and three feet wide—peus on 
one side, tomatoes on the other—what was tbe 
yield per acre? 
Ans. —- A plot 64 feet long by three feet wide 
contains 103 pqiiare feet, and one acre contains 
226% times as much; if. therefore, your plot 
grew 107 pounds, one acre would grow 44.604 
pounds, equal to 744.0 bushels of 60 pounds 
each; a good yield certainly. Would it not 
pay to treat a full acre in the same way? 
How much phosphate did you use on the plot? 
CLEANING A CHIMNEY. 
A. M ., Kama smile, Wis. —1. Wbat will 
clean a chimney filled with soot, beside burn¬ 
ing it out? 2. Wbat is the earliest musk- 
melon? 
An«.— 1, Unless thechimnev islargeenough 
bo that it can be cleaned by hauling a bundle 
of small limbs up and down it, we know of no 
way except burning out. This is not danger¬ 
ous, if done when roofs are damp, and suf¬ 
ficiently often so that there is not too large an 
accumulation of soot. Arrange so that you 
can control the entrance of air below, and you 
can cause it to burn slowly. 2. The Christi¬ 
ana is the earliest. 
Miscellaneous. 
S. C. S., Westover, Md. —1. I send you a box 
containing sample of what I bought as kainifc; 
of what is It composed and what is it worth? 
2. Would you advise its use as an ingredient 
for composting with plaster, ashes, dry earth 
and ground pressed fish? 
Ans. —1. We cannot tell its ingredients with¬ 
out a careful analysis, which would cost $80 
or more. It looks, however, like a fair sam¬ 
ple of “kuinit,” and as such should contain 
about 12% per cents, of actual potash, or 250 
pounds lu a ton. Besides this, it probably has 
as much ns .500 pounds of salt in a ton, which 
is worth something. If you enu buy it at such 
a price that the potash does not cost over 4% 
or 5 cents per pound, it will pay to u»o it. 
3. As a rule it is not advisable to mix potash 
or lime with decomposing nitrogenous sub¬ 
stances like fish meal; but if you use plenty of 
dry earth and plaster with the mixture, there 
can be no objections to it. 
F. P. 13., Havanna. N F.—1. What are the t 
fertilizing properties of soot and ashes made 
by burning soft coal under a steam boiler,and 
what is their value to use on a clay loam for 
strawberries? 2, Is it advisable to cultivate 
strawberry beds in Spring, after they have 
been mulched during Wiuter with wheat 
straw? 
Ans. —1. If the ashes can be got in quantity 
and the distance is not too fur to draw them, 
it will probably pay to apply them; yet they 
contain but a very small amount of potash or 
of other fertilizing ingredient. Their action 
would be more mechanical than manurial. 2. 
We think not, we would prefer merely to re¬ 
move the mulch from the crowns, leaving it 
between the hills, 
S. C.S. , Westover, Md. —What are the best 
varieties of apples, for this sectlou for Sum¬ 
mer, Autumn ami Winter, for shipping and 
for home use? 
Ans. —The following list includes only the 
best, the double starred varieties for Mary¬ 
land: Hummer: Red Astraehnn, Hummer Bose. 
Late Hummer: Hummer Pippin. Early Au¬ 
tumn: Maiden’s Blush. Jefferi*. Late Autumn; 
Oruvenstein, Cornell's Fancy. Winter; Can¬ 
non Pearmain, York Imperial, Fullawster, 
Gilpin, Rawle’s Genet, Shockley, Winesap, 
Tewksbury Winter Blush, and Smith’s Cider. 
E.W. It., Columbia. D. T .—How are chicory 
roots prepared for market and when should 
they be taken up? 
Ans. —The roots are washed and scraped; 
when clean, they are sliced quite thin—half an 
inch or less in thickness, and kiln-dried. Full 
is the time to take them up. 
E. F. S , Hope Church, Pa .—Can covers for 
volumes of the Rural be obtained at the Rur¬ 
al Office; and if not, where can they be ob¬ 
tained and at what price? 
A ns —Nothing is sold at this office except 
copies of the best agricultural paper on this 
continent. Covers can be obtained of the 
American News Co., this city; prices will vary 
with the character of the oovers—-from 56 cts. 
to $50. 
E. P. IV., Canandaigua, N. Y .— By whom 
is Giant Powder made and sold ? 
Ans. —By the Atlantic Giant Powder Co., 
Varney & Doe, agents, 50 Park Place, this city. 
These people do uot supply the article direct to 
consumers.but on application they will tell the 
nearest dealer from whom it can bo obtained. 
A. M.. MU brook, N. Y. —How can T get the 
silk-worm eggs offered free by the Department 
of Agriculture, as stated in a late Rural? 
Anh —By applying to the Hon. G. B. Lor- 
ing, Commissioner of Agriculture, Washing¬ 
ton, D. C. 
W. T. C ., Salina, Kans., semis two peas 
for name. They grow in pods 25 inches long, 
are prolific, and dry weather does not seem to 
hurt them, 
Ans —We think they are a variety of the 
Cow Pea. 
E. C. It., Portland, Me .—Sends a package 
containing three bean-pods for name. 
A nh.—T he two pods seem to lie those of 
the Dutch Case Knive; the single pod is that 
of the Marshall Pole Bean, out of use now. 
B. W., Terre Haute, Ind .—Of whom can I 
get the Burning Bush? 
Ans.— Of any nurseryman. It will be 
found in every catalogue announced in our 
columns. 
Inquirer, Sodus Point, N. J —Who is the 
breeder of Cleveland Bay horses? 
Ans.— Of Cheesman Bros., Reno, Kansas; 
Stericker Bros. Springfield, III.; Geo. E. 
Brown & Co., Aurora, 111.; or the Bremer Co. 
Horse Importing Co.. Waverly, la. 
C. , Cedar Rapids, Mich. — See about 
“splint” in last week’s F. C. 
DISCUSHION. 
W. F., Queens, L. I.—If A. B. in F. C., page 
671, means to convey the idea that any species 
of cactus can lie utilized as a hedge-plant in 
any part of Ohio, I wish he would tell ils ex¬ 
actly what is the species or variety he refers 
to So far as my observation extends, I do 
not know of any species of any genus of 
cactus available as an Ohio hedge plant. A. 
B. tells us the Bush Cactus is extensively used 
as a hedge plant in Texas. In Southern and 
Southwestern Texas large bushes and broad 
patches of Prickly Pear (opimtiu) Cacti are 
of frequent occurrence, hut 1 do not remem¬ 
ber having ever seen it there used as a hedge 
plant. In the Northern State* Opuntia vul¬ 
garis, Rnflnesquf, Missourlonsi* and several 
forms are hardy enough, but of little, squat 
tilings like them no one could make a fence. 
O C. W., Providence. R. I.—E. G. B.. 
Dover. Del., asks in the F. C. of the Rural, 
p. 671, how hay may be made to pay $P' ner 
ton und corn 50 coni* per bushel by fading 
them on the farm. I have been asking my¬ 
self the same question with regard to surplus 
forage. I concluded, from a very limited ex¬ 
perience, to try the farrow cow experiment 
as practiced by some farmers in New York 
and elsewhere. Last November I bought a 
poor, old. abused farrow cow out of pity. 
She looked so wretched beside my large, well- 
fed Holutoins that I was ashamed to have her 
in sight. I hid her away as much as possible, 
and determined to experiment with her. I 
resolved to feed her at an expense or 30 cents 
per day. She was said to be 16 years old and 
estimated to weigh 900 pounds. She was evi¬ 
dently a grade Devon, with possibly a dash 
of Hhort, horn blood, and though very poor, 
she was of fine form ami texture. Hhe was 
fed lightly of grain at first, but in 10 days she 
was brought up to the following daily ration, 
from which there was no deviation during the 
210 days she was in my possession: 
5*i lh*. corn ensilage. 
10 Ih*. KOOd buv . 
.... 5cents. 
. In “ 
9 11)k. winter brim . 
,0 «« 
5 ll>«. cottonseed meal. 
.... « « 
Total. 
Si) “ 
Dr. 
Cost of eow. 
£'yi 
Cost or food 9io days fa 30c. 
Butcher’s Commission. 
.. . . 68.00 
4 00 
Cr. 
Butcher’s return... 
a; 02.00 
_ 470 
Milk. 9,ino nto »r,c. nr no 
Manure (?* Bay. io.'oo 
„ , * 185 . 1.0 
Balance...$83.50 
Buteher’ii return In particulars: 
Hide, fill lb*, oil He . *;t <n; 
Tallow, 3H Ujh. (.» 5U« .. i'm 
Ret.i.* 
Sides, 750 lba. fa 8J*e.g<t jn 
$70 50 
This cow gave four quarts of milk on the 
second day after coming to my stables. Three 
weeks later she was giving thirteen quarts. 
She gave an average of ten quarts per day for 
the 210 day*. She was giving eight quarts a 
day when sold for beef. She gained flesh 
steadily from the first, and rapidly during the 
last thirty days. The milk was sold at the 
door for five cents per quart. The cost of la¬ 
bor in feeding and milking is not, noted, it be¬ 
ing unappreciablo in tills instance, 
I have reported this experiment us being 
somewhat,instructive. If a farmer is in a lo¬ 
cality where he can sell milk at four cents a 
quart, or, say,two cents a pound at the stable, 
l am quite sure he stands a better chance of 
getting the market value of his produce than 
by feeding for beef or mutton. A ration 
that will produce 20 pounds of milk will 
hardly produce 40 cents worth of meat under 
any circumstance. It is almost always safe 
to estimate the price of beef, of whatever 
grade, on the first of June at something higher 
than on the first of November. Ho, if the 
farmer sells his “machine" at the end of the 
200 days, for no more than lie gave for it. he 
stands a good chance of receiving something 
more than the market price for his crops. In 
the case of this cow, suppose I had sold her 
for $40 instead of $70, and suppose I had re¬ 
ceived only four cents for the milk, she still 
would have given mo over #60 for the ton of 
hay consumed, after paying for the actual cost 
of ensilage and grain. 
A goes! meadow of 30 acre*, properly hand¬ 
led. should easily produce all the forage and 
some of the grain required to feed 40 cows for 
200 days. To be entirely rid of the care of 
animals during the season of gre wing crops is 
no small boon. Three grod men can care for 
40 cows during the Winter, and these same 
men should produce tbe forage for them dur¬ 
ing the Hummer. There are. no doubt, many 
small farms so situated a* to make this kind 
of farming feasible. It hardly need be seid 
that to select profitable farrow cow* requires 
experience and the very test judgment. No 
farmer should fill his barn full of such stock 
without the aid of an expert, unless he be an 
expert himself. 
Communications Received for the week ending 
Saturday. Oct. 18. 
Mrs. Morse, for potato premium—M. B. C.—W. L. 
D.-A.L..T. W, P.-F.. A.F.-W. H. MeN.— G. J. F.— 
H. H.-K & B.-B.-B. W.-W. F. A. M.-L. H. B„ Jr. 
—O. H. —W O.-II. B. F. P B., please do.—J. D. W, 
—8. C G.— M E. C , thanks.—W. F., see K, C — J II. B.. 
thanks, W.J.2. W.H.B. a. 8 g r. w.it. s. 
ft, thanks.—B. L. C. A. I,..I. H. s, F. 1>. C.-W. F. 
—A. B. C.—Subscriber.—M. S. IT. P. M.-W. M. U.— 
R, C, S.-G. H. F.. J.I.-It. H. y,-T. J IT.. for ootato 
prern. J. II. I).S. M H. W.,foriotato premium. 
—H P. M.— G. M. H.-J. MeN, M . thanks.-G. E S.-T. 
H. H.-T. B. M., for Rural potato premium.—A. P., 
ditto.—0. A. C.—J. H. B.. for potato premium.—G. M. 
II.-W. F.-J. B. 8., thanks.-H. 8. 
