y . > 
YHE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The moth and rust do not here destroy 
(there are no clothes moth here); and with 
the certain and early advent of the railroad 
into these mountains the fruit-grower will 
find a boundless market at home aud abroad 
for his excellent products. 
ing in every direction, floating over the low j 
ground in a stratum as clearly defined as it is 
in the accompanying sketch, Fig. 536. I 
stopped and watched the cloud of smoke 
which remained stationary and appeared 
quite level on its upper surface, only broken 
into flat streaks as the reversed currents car¬ 
ried it from the mountain sides and spread it 
over the valley. On descending the slope and 
entering the belt, the warmth of the air was 
particularly noticeable, until the level of the 
lower surface of the cloud was reached, w hen 
the air was quite chilly, and an overcoat was 
found comfortable. 1 had previously in the 
past two weeks passed through several of 
these thermal belts, but had only this one 
clearly visible indication of the cause of them. 
These belts are found wherever a few neces¬ 
sary" conditions preva 11. These are a sufficient 
elevation—that is from 1,000 to 1.500 feet 
above a valley to confine the warm air—a 
southern, south-eastern or south-western ex¬ 
posure of the valley, a still atmosphere or an 
absence of high winds, and a soil that is reten¬ 
tive of the heut. The sun shining upon the 
low ground and the mountain slopes, warms 
theearth during the day; in the evening when 
radiation is active, the low ground cools and 
the warm air, which is continually rising 
while the ground is warm, is no longer recruit¬ 
ed by the supply from below, but ascends as 
a cloud would do until it meets the colder air 
which is descending from the mountain when 
it remains stationary between the denser 
stratum below it and another above it. This 
warm air, thus inclosed, parts with its heat 
slowly and cools but very little during the 
night when its presence is most noticeable 
Frosts occur, and ice even forms above and 
below it; but where this warm air remains 
the green vegetation and foliage and even the 
blooming flowers mark its boundaries soclearly 
that we may see tb e broad 1 i ne of verd ure around 
the slopes as clearly as if the mountains were 
painted, and so they are by the Almighty 
trough, this pin is withdrawn and the lever 
pressed down to the ground, which tips the 
trough into sneb a position that it can easily 
excellent honey producer,- only the first crop 
of each season produces seed. 
Officers elected: President, Prof. A. J. 
Cook, of the Agricultural College; First Vice- 
President, R. H. Tat lor, Lapeer: Secretary, 
H. D, Cutting, Clinton; Treasurer, M. H. 
Hunt, Bell Branch. The next meeting will be 
held with the North American B. K. Associa¬ 
tion, at Detroit, in 1885. 
Rogersville, Mich. w. z. HUTCHINSON. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Connecticut. 
Greenwich, Fairfield Co., Dec. 12.—The 
weather has been very mild here; to day we 
are having our second snow-storm. The apple 
crop was unusually large, except on a few 
farms, where the worms injured the crop in 
the Spring. Potatoes fair; in some places 
very good; others say they never had so 
light a crop. Very little wheat raised in 
town. Rye and oats good crops. Hay uneven; 
some farms had a very light yield; others a 
heavy one. One could not ask for a better 
corn crop. H. d. 
Indiana* 
Lorane, Whitley Co., Dec. 12.—We have 
had the best year so far since 1843. Farmers 
are mostly done with their fall work, and are 
taking a rest. Wheat was a good average 
crop, and corn was the best we ever had. 
w. H. c. 
Illinois. 
New Windsor, Mercer Co., Dec. 3.—I used 
to take the Rural for the Seed Distribution; 
hut now 1 would give twice the subscription 
price for it without the seeds Corn will av¬ 
erage about 83 bushels to the acre; oats, 40; 
wheat, 16; but not much is raised; and but 
very little rye. Potatoes a fair crop. 
w. E. K. 
Iowa. 
Wellman, Washington Co., Dec. 1 —The 
season has been fuir for all crops. Everything 
has declined In price from 10 to 20 per cent, 
in the last ten days. Wheat 15 to 20 bushels 
per acre; worth 50 ecuts. Oats badly lodged, 
uot as good crop as last year; 25 to 35 bushels 
per acre; worth 20cents. Corn a fair crop; 
40 to 60 bushels; worth 18 cents: at present 
farmers generally holding for better prices. 
Hogs $8 to #8 50 per cwt.;calves $12 to $15 per 
head. Yearling steers $20; two year-olds $30. 
Horses, work. *120 to $140; roadsters, 6140 to 
$200, Potatoes 25 cents per bushel. Apples 
50 to 75 cents. Laud ranges in price from $25 
to $40 per acre. A great deal of tiling has 
been put in with good results. The weather 
lias been fine for all work till last week which 
has been very cold. E. B. s. 
H ansas. 
Dennis, Labette Co., Dec. 8 — We are hav- 
incr a verv wet Winter here. We haven’t had 
The Annual Meeting of the American 
Guernsey Cattle Club was held at. the 
Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York, Dec. 10th, 
1884. There was a good attendance. The fol¬ 
lowing officers were chosen: J. Nelson Bor¬ 
land, President; Edward Norton, Hec’y aud 
Treas.; James M. Codmnn, Silas Bette, L. W. 
Lidyard, Henry Palmer, E. F. Bowditcb, Ez¬ 
ra Michtnor, I. J. Clapp, Executive Com¬ 
mittee. The Secretary’s report showed the 
club to lie in a prosperous condition, there be¬ 
ing about ninety members. Over 800animals 
have been registered during the past year. 
Total legistry over 3,000. Arrangements were 
made for conducting official testa of the milk 
and butter records of this valuable breed; 
also for organizing local clubs which shall 
meet often, where papers of definite value 
shall be read and discussed and reported to the 
central club. 
A Dumping Pig Trough. Fig. 585. 
be scraped, washed or scrubbed out. As is 
plainly seen,all refuse in the trough is dumped 
outside of the pen and can readily be removed. 
•Jfctiscellaneous 
(Tljc Sunnc-i) an) 
THERMAL BELTS, 
HENRY STEWART. * 
There has been a good deal said about the 
“thermal belt” of the southern mountufn 
country. This belt is a strip of laud upon the 
east and south sides of the mountains, varying 
in width, and in which spring uud fall frosts 
are never known to occur, ibis exemption 
from frosts and sudden changes in the even¬ 
ing and night temperature is exceedingly fav- 
STATIONARY PIG TROUGH WITH 
CUT OFF. 
When pigs are fed shelled corn—and exper¬ 
ience teaches that thiB is the most economical 
method of feeding corn—good, substantial 
troughs should be provided. The corn should 
be evenly distributed the whole length of the 
trough, and the pigs be kept away while this 
is being done. For this purpose a club is gen¬ 
erally used, but as I intend to show,this is not 
necessary. The sketch, Fig. 584, shows how 
Pig-Trough with Cut-off. Fig. 534. 
p. cut off may lie arranged, which shuts off the 
pigs, and at the same time brings the trough 
outside of the pen. The swing board A, is 
hung upon strong hinges, and has a barbed 
wire fastened along its lower edge. It is 
raised and the pigs shutoff from the trough by 
means of a lever B, which in the sketch is shown 
at the end of the trough to make it plainer, 
though it should be about the middle. The 
top of the lever is held out by a forked or 
notched stick C. hung upon the outside of the 
building or fence, When the cut off is down, 
its lower edge rests agaiust the blocks D, one 
of which is sbowu in the sketch, aud is per¬ 
fectly secure. The barbed wire along its 
lower edge prevents any attempt of familiar 
ity on the part of the pigs, and also induces 
thorn to stand buck when the cut-off is being 
raised This is a good, substantial arrange¬ 
ment and will give inliuite satisfaction to any¬ 
one who may adopt it. “picket. 
A Thermal Belt. Fig. 536. 
Artist in the most exquisite tints. Never at 
any other time, and nowhere else, have I seen 
such gorgeous painting as the foliage of these 
mountain-sides w ith their varied vegetation, 
more varied here than anywhere else in the 
world. The maples in &earlet and gold most 
wonderfully blotched and varied; the oaks in 
criq^on; the birches in bright yellow; the 
hickories in old gold ; every shade of yellow 
aud red mixed with the vivid green of the 
hemlocks and the deeper colors of the rhodo¬ 
dendrons and the laurel groves, here and 
there streaked with bands of shade und bril¬ 
liant sunlight which brighten the picture and 
seem to give it life and action. And most 
conspicuous in the whole are the broad bands 
of greeu, as yet untouched by the frosts 
which have given all this coloring to the foliage 
But there is a practical and busiuess view of 
(bese thermal belts, which should not be over¬ 
looked. Their beauty and their healthfulness 
appeal to the lovers of the picturesque and 
the invalid or the overworked business man; 
the absence of early and late frosts, and the 
length of the growing season make them ex¬ 
tremely valuable to the fruit-grower. Here 
grapes, peaches, pears, and apples are pro¬ 
duced in perfection, aud even the Muscat and 
the Black Hamburg Grapes are growing out- 
of-doors. All tender vegetables may be grown 
for nine mouths in the year. Apples especially 
find every congenial element for success and 
perfection. The trees begin to bear at four 
years of age, and at eight bear full crops. The 
flavor of the fruits is very fine. The speci¬ 
mens sent herewith show how the climate 
affects favorably the appearance and quality, 
while no healthier bark and foliage need be 
seen. The borer alone troubles the orchard. 
orable to the growth of tender vegetables and 
fruits, and also to the health and comfort of 
invalids or persons whose lungs and bronchi 
are susceptible to such changes. 1 am now on 
the edge of the Blue Ridge in Macon Co , N. 
C., from which 1 can look over a wide ex¬ 
panse of mountain and hill extending 70 miles 
south and east. It is the south-west corner of 
North Carolina, and quite close to the lines of 
South Carolina and Georgia. Here the “ther¬ 
mal belt*' can be studied In perfection. To¬ 
day (November 4th.) 1 see tomato vines bearing 
blossoms and fruit; locust trees in full leat, 
uninjured by frost; the woods appearing in 
full verdure in a broad belt around the slopes 
of the coves in the mountains where the val¬ 
leys run up into them, formiug, as it were, 
bays of land with high promontories on each 
side runnmg out for a mile or more down into 
the transverse valleys. These broad, green 
strips are the thermal belt, or, more propeily, 
thermal belts, for each of these coves or val¬ 
ley's has its thermal belt, more or less devel¬ 
oped as its peculiar form or exposure may 
vary. Iu a ride of 20 miles along a mountain 
road one may pass through several of these 
belts and experience, as he descends a slope in 
the lower valley' aud ascends again to the 
mountain, a difference of 15 to 90 degrees of 
tompei'atUre, which is more marked in the 
evening than atauy other time. 
Returning in the evening, I had a visible 
explanation of the phenomenon. Some one 
in the valley w r as clearing a field of stumps 
and brush. The smoke from the fires ascend¬ 
ed perhaps 400 or 500 feet.directly upwards; it 
then spread in a horizontal cloud over the 
valley, mounting the sides of the mountains 
and curving over the valley again, and spread- 
i Every query must be accompanied by theuame 
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GROUND BONE AND WOOD ASHES. 
A. S. S., North Orrmgton, Me.'— 1. What is 
the best way to apply ground bone and un¬ 
leached ashes to the land for a general crop— 
to sow them broadcast dry, or to mix and 
wet, letting them stand for a few weeks? 2. 
What proportion should 1 apply? 
Ans.— 1. Much depends upon how fine the 
bone is ground; if like mere flour or dust, 
then the best way is to apply them dry and 
cultivate into the soil. If not so fine, then 
mix them in large tubs or hogsheads and 
apply just enough water to keep them moist. 
If a little plaster be sprinkled on the top it 
will prevent all loss of ammonia. In, say 
four or six weeks, more or less, according to 
the fineness of the bone, it will be thoroughly 
decomposed, and the mixture can be sown on 
the land and harrowed in. 2 The proportion 
should be 800 pounds of bone to 1,200 pounds 
—24 bushels—of ashes, and apply from 200 to 
400 pounds per acre. 
A DUMPING PIG TROUGH 
All pig troughs, especially those in which 
soft food or slops are fed. should be cleaned 
out at least once each day. With a trough 
fastened down in one place, this isa very diffi¬ 
cult matter, uud a loose trough will never be 
found in its vdaee when feeding time arrives. 
In view of these facts, the dumping trough 
shown at Fig. 635 was designed. As shown, it 
is placed close to un opening in the side of the 
building or fence. Each end is attached to a 
cross-piece fastened upon short, solidly' set 
posts by a single half-inch bolt The dumping 
lever A,is firmly fastened to the middle of the 
trough by frame-work, as plainly shown in 
the sketch. This frame-work stiffeus aud 
strengthens the trough and at the same time 
firmly secures the lever to it. The lever ex 
tends* outside and rests between two blocks 
attached to the building or fence at B, where 
it is securely hold in place by a pin, which 
passes through it and the blocks. To dump the 
