JAN 13 
TMS RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Royal family is not behind others. I know 
not whether his Royal Highness will accept 
this commission, but I don't think there is any 
impropriety in offering it to him; and more 
especially aB there were several Canadian 
gentlemen present who would not be likely 
to violate “the proprieties.” Again, whilst 
all well-bred men avoid unsought associations 
with those of recognized superior rank, it 
seems to me to refuse advances made by such 
lacks somewhat the dignity of true independ¬ 
ence. “ A Prince may make a belted 
knight,” etc., etc. 
•• A man's a man for a' that!” 
I was not present when this appointment 
was made, so have no sensibility about it; but 
I know some of the men and they are nob 
“snobs.” Cassius M. Clay. 
White Hall, Ky. 
U l)C 
PACIFIC COAST CATTL.E RANCHES. 
J. B. ARMSTRONG. 
Between the Humboldt River in Nevada 
and Crooked River, in Eastern Oregon, there 
is a mouutain region extending over many 
degrees of latitude and longitude, monopolized 
chiefly by four great firms of cattle kings. 
Tne territory over which their herds roam is 
larger than the State of Pennsylvania. On 
the approach of Winter the cattle gather at 
a few central points called “ sinks,” where 
rivers disappear mysteriously in meadows 
and never rise azain. These sinks are 
lakes in the Spring and meadows from 
which hay is cut in the Summer. The 
firin3 of Riley & Hardin, Todhunter & De- 
vine, and Oienn <Sc French are the principal 
cattle owners. Outside of the bands owned 
by these, there are probably 10,0(K) head in 
that district, chiefly held by Burns, Stoffal & 
Co., who have about 8,001). Glenn & French 
own from 15,000 to 20,000. This is the famous 
Dr. Glenn, of Colusa, California, whose wheat 
crop averages about 1,000,000 bushels yearly. 
The two otuer firms own between 25,000 and 
30,000 each. They do not know the exact num¬ 
ber themselves. Their ranges cover a stretch of 
country' reacning from the Humboldt River, 
at or about the Central Pacific Railroad, 
north waruly to Crooked River, in Grant 
County, Oregon, wiaere, during the Summer 
time, after tne grand rodero, the cattle are 
suffered to run inmost at will. 
Between che extreme points the distance 
from near neighbors is forty or fifty miles 
after leaving tlie vicinity of Wmnemucca, 
and cue road, though rough, may be traversed 
on wtieels, A drive of 34 miles carries one 
across the picturesque Santa R>sa Rauge to 
Kane’s Spring, a range owned by Riley & 
Hardin, where the valley is covered with 
sage brush. It looks a picture of desolation 
hemmed in by naked mountains; but, being 
watered where cleared, the soil produces 
grain. Eight miles beyond u Buffalo Springs, 
a ranch where they grow 400 acres of barley. 
It is yet 13 miles to th.ir head quarters on 
Quinu’s lliver, where there ore dwellings, 
stables, aud corrals. Here are the meadows 
formed by the sluk of the river, which yield 
about 3,UOO tons of hay. No women or child¬ 
ren are seen. JVlen-cooks get up the “grub” 
aud dispense the hospitalities. They abuu- 
don housekeeping in branding time, and take 
the field with tents and wagons in the rear of 
the cowboys. These ranches are inclosed by 
40 miles of wire feuce, 
it is 50 nules northwestwardly to the next 
ranch owned by Kiiey & Hardin, called Ore¬ 
gon Canon. The intervening country of 
srnull gulches aud rougu mountain sides 
affords considerable feed, but would be value¬ 
less to a squatter, because the living water, 
here and tnere, is owned. There is still an¬ 
other reason, which is, that the Winters are 
sometimes very severe aud stores of hay are 
needed, especially for the cows. During the 
W inter of 1873- 74 Riley & Hardin lost 3,000 
cattle. In 1378- 70 their loss was still greater, 
though they had more than 1,000 tons of hay 
to eae out the feed. The timber cousistsof 
a few scattering quaking sup trees along the 
wuter courses, aud the only other shelter is 
the leeward sides of the hills. 
Warm Springs ranch is still 150 miles be¬ 
yond. The road leads through Todhunter 
& Devine’s range of 50,000 acres, most of 
which is patented. Isaac Foster is manager 
of the Oregon ranch, where there are 12,000 
cattle. Being in the region of fine bunch 
grass, very little hay is needed. When 
pinched with the cold and the ground is cov¬ 
ered with snow, there is plenty of browse on 
grease-wood aud brown sage, which keeps 
cattle in fair condition. It is not the sort of 
sage seen from the windows of railway cars, 
but a variety of smaller growth, which is 
more palatable. 
Few beeves are shipped East, though Riley 
& Hardin sold 200 head at $61 apiece last 
Spring for Chicago. San Francisco is their 
chief market, and the Quinn’s River Station 
is the point of departure, or clearing station, 
for all the others. Col. Hardin has charge 
here, with 400 saddle horses in reserve at the 
different ranches for his mm, 
Beef cattle have greatly increased in value 
during the past two years. Asan illustration, 
it may be mentioned that when John Taylor, 
a former partner of Riley & Hardin, disposed 
of his one third interest to them in the Warm 
Springs ranch, over two yearn ago, he con¬ 
sidered they were dealing liberally with him 
in allowing $12 per head for his undivided 
share. The same kind rate now at $25. Lang 
& Ryan, anE is tern firm of drovers, in July, 
1882, purchased 25,000 cattle in Oregon to 
drive to the States. While on the way East 
one partner sold out to the other for $260,000. 
profit. Riley & H irdin hada neighbor, named 
Brown, who was located in Oregon carton, 
where his little kingdom was undisturbed by 
rival claimants. Hehad corraled all the water 
and stretched a barbed wire fence around 
2,000 acres of green meadow-land where the 
stream disappeared, claiming not only the 
sink but a.l the adj«cent range by virtue of 
his rights of discovery and possession. In 
this these bold prospectors are protected by 
local laws, until the government makes a sur¬ 
vey. Then they may locate it under some of 
the various acts of Congress. The Swamp 
Act, setting it apart to the State, is extremely 
favorable, giving it to the purchaser on long 
time, by the payment of 20 per eeut. in hand, 
and one dollar an acre thereafter, with in¬ 
terest, day of payment deferred indefinitely, 
conditioned upon the land being drained. 
The Desert Land Grab Act values the land in 
the same way, and permits the purchaser to 
enter all he can piay for. Brown had not 
made an entry. Mis title was merely possess¬ 
ory; but, in that, it was good against all the 
world until the land was put in the market. His 
chief outlay was $3,000 for posts, wire and 
fencing. He had 3,000 grown cattle and 600 
or 700 calves. It cost as much to keep up 
this detached station as if he owned 10,000 
head. So he offered to sell out, lock, stock 
and barrel,—3,000 cattle, (uotcounting calves,) 
for eleven dollars each, and $3 0u0 for im¬ 
provements—total $30,000; one-third in hand, 
as soon as the cattle were hunted up, the bal¬ 
ance in one and two years, with 10 per cent, 
interest. When his offer was accepted the 
purchasers found enough bullocks lu market 
able condition to ship off to San Francisco, 
with the proceeds of which to make the first 
payment in the Spring of 1880. The natural 
increase of the herd, without making any 
other addition to it, together with the rapid 
advance in prices, enabled the buyers to meet 
the payment of 1831-'2, leaving them, at pres¬ 
ent, a drove worth fully $100,000. Liter on 
they entered the 2,000 acres of meadow con¬ 
trolling the range for $2,500, aud now po-sess 
a ranch well worth $30,000. This was the neat¬ 
est speculation ever nude by these cattle 
kings, though their unuual profits, from cattle 
growing, are set down at about $75,000, Dur¬ 
ing hay-cutting and branding time they em¬ 
ploy 75 men. 
In the Winter but few were kept. There 
are more thin 8,000 cows, many of them 
grades, and 200 Durham bulls. These were 
purchased of well-known breeders in Califor¬ 
nia. They are constantly improving their 
stock, aud year by year furnishing the mar¬ 
kets of the coast with better beeve8. 
Interviewing Mr. Riley, I inquired if he 
and his partner did not often lose small 
bands of cattle which were always roaming 
at will. He thought not; at least, they never 
missed any. If, by accident, those belonging 
to the next range were discovered with a 
neighbor’s herd they were promptly driven 
home. It is to the interest of all to cultivate 
the most friendly relations, and dishonest 
cowboys are not tolerated or employed. Par¬ 
ties of huaters sometimes get short of meat 
and are told to kill a bullock, or are given a 
quarter of beef, as a matter of course. A 
funny story is current here respecting such 
rights in property when hunger presses; but 
I do not vouch for its truth. Some cowboys 
were dining one day off an ox which bore the 
brand of a neighbor, us evidenced by the hide, 
which a passing wayfarer noted as he rode by. 
Arrived that evening at the owner’s shanty he 
was mean enough to inform him. The lord of 
countless herds, then engaged in butchering, 
looked up and carelessly remarked, “Drat the 
difference; I'm skinning one of theirs! ” 
At intervals of a few years apart there are 
Indian wars all aloug the hue of these fron 
tiers. Straggling bands of savages, tempted 
by plunder, sometimes make raids after cat¬ 
tle, aud start them off into the mountains. 
But the travel of oxen is not so swift as the 
pursuit of the hardy plainsmen, who live half 
the time in the saddle. They ride like Cen¬ 
taurs, are dead shots with a repeating rifle 
on foot or horseback, aud scornful of danger. 
The half-starved Indians, a whole tribe of 
them, are no match ia strength and audacity 
for a couple of hundred such men on their trail, 
and they know it. They make it a rule, as 
soon as they fi nd they are pursned, to abandon 
their prey, scatter, and “git” as fast as their 
long legs can carry them. Bat this is a sober 
business letter; the romantic and descriptive 
part is left for another time. 
Poitltnj 
Langshaas and Cochins. 
Although Dr. Stonebraker, of Texas, is 
doubtless able to defend his own case, I wish 
to show any and all of your readers who are 
sufficiently interested to compare the two 
breeds, that Langshans and Cochias are not 
identical as “A Judge of Poultry,” speakmg in 
a late Rural, would have people believe. 
Several of the points that he attempts to make 
are not worth noticing. Among others is this 
one: “They are not recognized as a distinct 
breed in the Standard of Excellence.” Tney 
are not; but soon will be for the reason that 
they are recognized as a distinct breed by all 
judges of poultry, 
“A J udge of Poultry” wastes a good many 
words trying to show that they are not dis¬ 
tinct, and only admits one point of difference, 
viz, the color of legs. Now to begin at the 
beginning—the egg. The egg of a Langshan is 
of a lighter shade or color than that of the 
Cochin. The chicks feather as early as chose 
of the small breeds of poultry, while all 
jrdges know that Cochin chicks are half- 
naked for several weeks. The skin of a LaDg- 
shan is white while that of a Cochin is always 
yellow. The legs of a Langsham are of a 
pinkish hue between tne scales, and the bottom 
of the feet are pink or flesh-colored, while 
those of a Cochin are yellow. A Langshan 
hen has no saddle and has a good-sized, fan¬ 
shaped tail.' The Cochin has a saddle and 
almost no tail. Tne Langshans are more 
active, better layers and not so porsistent 
sitters. These are all facts and have been 
learned without “glasses” by experience with 
both breeds. “A Judge of Poultry” must be 
a very close observer if after the experience 
he pretends to have ha i, he cannot tell “which 
is which.” Chas. Bennington. 
Otsego Co., N. Y. 
fie I'D Crojis. 
A CHAT ABOUT CORN. 
WALDO F. BROWN. 
I am just home from a corn show at which 
I was selected to act on. the awrarding com¬ 
mittee. The premiums—$10. $5, and $2,50— 
were offered for the ten best ears. I went to 
the show prepared to see good corn, for the 
Great Miami River, with its numerous tribu 
tanes, gives us a large amount of rich bottom 
in Butler County, and, besides we have a large 
area of black uplaud—sugar-cree land—which 
is still better than the bottoms. There were 
196 entries, and to my surprise the white corn 
comprised more than three fourths of the 
samples shown, there being 151 of that sort 
to 45 of yellow, red an l mixed. 1 think the 
50 best samples would have averaged more 
than twelve pounds to the lot of teti ears each, 
which would make about a bushel of corn— 
shelled, not ears—to each 55 ears There were 
samples tuat weighed as high as 17 pounds to 
the lot, but the ears were not uniform or 
perfect, and weight was not considered in 
making the award. The three lots that took 
the premiums were white, aud weighed 13 
pounds 13 ounces, 15 pounds two ounces, and 
14 pounds three ounces respectively, the light¬ 
est lot taking the first premium. After the 
awards had oeeu made we learned that they 
all went to one family, a father aud two sons, 
but all on different farms, and that they were 
noted for their fine corn aud careful selection 
of seed, and had taken premiums at tne Cen¬ 
tennial aud many other fairs where they had 
exhibited. 
I believe that most farmers undervalue good 
selected seed corn. 1 have long been ot the 
opinion that there was no other way in which 
we could so cheaply add to the > ield of our 
corn crop os by a careful selection of seed. To 
add twenty or even ten per cent to they ield of 
a com crop by extra fertilization or tillage, 
will require considerable outlay of time or 
money; but the amount of seed required for 
an acre is so small that the added cost is 
hardly worth computing, and I know that by 
a careful and persistent selection of seed we 
can add more than twenty per cent to the 
yield of the corn on many farms. 
I use the word “persistent,” and I consider 
persistence important, for he who selects his 
seed coru for three years and then fails to do 
it, loses all that he has gained. I do not in¬ 
dorse the plan of changing seed, which is re¬ 
commended by so many, and believe it is as 
uawise to change, unless you are sure of 
getting a better variety, as it would oe to do 
the same wuh a herd of cattle. My experi¬ 
ence in seedgro wiag has taught me someth mg 
of the importance of “ persistence,” and that 
it takes years to establish a variety. Nearly 
ten years ago I found an ear of an eariy 
variety of sweet corn, that was dark red, and 
i planted it. The product was mixed, more 
than half of it being white, aud the red all 
shades from very pale, to blood red. I selected 
each year the darkest colored, and in five 
years I had bred out the white, and established 
a blood-red variety. Careful selection if 
followed up loug enough will change au early 
to a late, or a large to a small variety or vica 
versa, with just as much certainty as the 
same care will estabiisn a p jiut in atocs breed¬ 
ing. I like Dr. Sturtevant’s idea of “ pedi¬ 
greed seed corn,” and I believe tnat one farmer 
who will breed a good variety till its type is 
established will find customers wflo will take 
his crop at prices that will give him a large 
profit. 
The only way to grow cheap corn is to in¬ 
crease the yield per acre, and we should take 
every possible means to do this. Tne average 
yield per acre for my {State (Onioj is now 
about 36 busnels, and ig will require no argu¬ 
ment to show that there cannot be much 
profit oa such crops, aud tnis being tne aver¬ 
age yield, there must, of course, be a large per 
cent, of the farmers wnose crops fail lar oe- 
low this and who produce corn at au actual 
loss. We at Che West, in the great corn- 
growing districts, can grow this crop much 
cheaper tnau the farmers of the Eastern States. 
I have for two months past been correspond¬ 
ing with farmers to ascertain their estimates 
ot cue cost of growing and delivering at the 
crib au acre of corn, and the average cost, 
including rent, is given by tneui at aoout $12 
per acre, in 1877 I offered several valuable 
premiums for tne best acre of corn, each siate- 
uisut to be accompanied with a detailed 
account of the cost or growing and cribbing. 
Nineteen reports were sent in, and the aver¬ 
age cos-, not allowing rent of land, was about 
$9 per acre. We will estimate cue entire cost 
of growing and harvesting an acre of corn at 
$14, and now let us see what che crop will cost 
per bushel with different yields: 
36 bushels to the acre will cost 39e- per bush., nearly 
40 *• 
44 
“ 35C. 
SO “ 
it 
" 230. 
60 “ 
ti 
“ 23e. 
73 “ 
it 
*■ is?*:. 
I think it is profitable to study such figures 
as these, for they show where the prodt comes 
in in grain growing. Tnere is a fixed cost 
in growing an acre of grain, whether the 
yield is light or heavy, aud every bushel we 
can add to the yield per acre reduces the cost 
per busnel. Still another pome 1 wish to call 
attention to is this : the farm always improves 
under such management as gives a large yield 
per acre, and deteriorates under small y leids. 
It I cultivate twenty acres to produce five 
hundred bushels of corn or two nundrea of 
wheat, I am certainly not improving the 
quality of the land, but if i grow this amount 
on ten acres it not only shows a much better 
condition of soil on the land under cultiva¬ 
tion, but on the ocher ten 1 can grow a reno¬ 
vating crop, like clover, which will give me a 
profit and at the same time fit the laud lor a 
heavier grain crop. Under tne first couduions 
there can be neitUer profit nor improvement; 
under the second, both. I have little doubt 
that in many of oar grain-growing sections 
tne decreasing of the area under cultivation 
by one half would in a few years give as much 
grain at a largely reduced cost per bushel. 
POTATOES FROM THE SEED BALL. 
I have waited for some one else to make 
this criticism upon the Rural's method of 
starting seedlings, that it is too slow, and 
loses the benefit of eariy training, and early 
maturity. “Just as the twig is bent so the 
tree is inclined,” two years are taken to pro¬ 
duce what one is sufficient to produce. 1 have 
often growa tubers weighing one-half, aud 
three-quarters of a pound the first season, and 
hills weighing from two to four and more 
pounds ajiiece, instead of the little babies the 
cut in the Rural represented. The process is 
very simpte,aud perfectly practicable, -simply 
siw the seed In pots in a not-bed ; then, when 
the plauis are two or three inches high, thump 
them out of Che pots, carefully separating, 
aud saving the roots intact; repot, and sink 
again in the hot-bed, or border, as the season 
may require, and then, when settled weather 
comes, make separate hills three feet apart 
for each plant. Success depends much upon 
the soil used for starting and potting. Sifted 
woods’ dirt, with a little wood a*>hes, has 
given me best results. Then if freshly burned 
soil with the imprisoned gases retained, be 
mixed in the hills before setting out the 
plants, the finest results may bo expected to 
follow. The creosote in the burned soil drives 
