MARCH 47 
465 
bo used and the land be in the right condition, 
for the more tender crops. There is no best date 
for the planting of anything, or at least none 
that can be foretold, bnt the farmer who gets 
his laud ready in time to plant early has a great 
ad vantage over the one who is behind. 
The State Agricultural College at Arnes, 
Iowa, has about 10,000 young Russian apple 
trees for distribution mainly grown from cions 
received from Russia. These trees will be sold 
at ten cents each, irrespective of variety, age 
or kind. The selection must he left to the col¬ 
lege. Prof. .T. L. Buddhas the matter in charge. 
For cabbages, here is a list furnished by a 
writer in the Albany Cultivator with a comment 
or so: Early Etnmpes (earliest), Early Winning- 
stadt. Early Jersey Wakefield, Henderson’s 
Early Summer, Early Drumhead (very early, 
large and solid). For late—Late Drumhead, 
Premium Large Flat Dutch, Onondaga Prize 
Medal (large, solid, sure), Fottler’s Brans wick 
Drumhead. Set the last two from July 1st to 
15th for Winter use, as the heads are likely to 
burst if they mature before October. For early, 
sow in house or hot-bed about middle of Feb¬ 
ruary. Will grow in any soil, but a deep, 
rich, light one is best; never set in cold, wet, 
low ground. Set deep (up to lower leaves) in 
rows, from two feet to 80 inches apart, and 
in the row 20 inches apart. Set just before a 
rain, if possible, rather than after. Hoe or 
cultivate often, and do it early in the morning 
while the dew is on. For sauer-kraut, the Fil- 
derkraut is very much the best, the head of 
which is not troubled with worms. 
Ever-blooming Roses. —V. H. Hnllock, 
Son & Thorpe express the Rural's views as 
to these inimitable flowers. They are noted 
for their quick and profuse bloom, their ex¬ 
quisite beauty and delicious fragrance, which 
give a charm and pleasure to either city or 
country homes. They begin to bloom early in 
the season, or almost as soon as planted, and 
continue blooming through all the Slimmer 
and Autumn months. The flowers are of 
beautiful form, double and full, growing lux¬ 
uriantly iu all parts of the United States and 
Canada. They will bear considerable freezing 
without injury, and even when killed quite to 
the ground, if cut back they will throw up 
new shoots and bloom as well as ever. When 
well established they will usually survive the 
Winter in the southern parts of the Middle 
States. If they are occasionally lost it is not 
a serious matter: new plants can be obtained. 
Bedding plants are set every Spring for that 
season only. Ho flowers will bettor repay 
their trifling cost than roses. In the South they 
flourish luxuriantly and need no protection. 
Professor Scovell remarked to the St. 
Ixmis Cane G rowers’ Convention last Decem¬ 
ber that the best result obtained by the com¬ 
pany (Champaign) during the year was upon 
a plot of 12 )i acres of Orange cane, grown by 
Mr. John G. Clark. The analysis at the time 
of working showed 10.17 per cent, cane sugar, 
2.48 per rant, grape sugar and a specific grav¬ 
ity of 1.160. The yield per acre was 12L 
tons. This product yielded 9,600 pounds of 
sugar aud 1,450 gallons of molasses; yield of 
sugar per acre, 768 pounds; gallons of mo¬ 
lasses per acre, 116. Value of product: Sugar, 
9,600 pounds, at 8,’^ cents, $816; molasses, 
1,450 gallons, at 40 cents, $580; total, $1,896. 
The cost of the cane and expense of manufac¬ 
ture were $653.48; profits, $742.57: profit per 
acre, $59.46. 
- 
Making Butter.— Uncle Waldo tries to 
make it appear, in the Ohio Farmer, that 
from a considerable experience here and there 
he knows something about making butter. He 
finds two things indispensable to the making of 
good butter, and they arc—that the milk be 
kept pure from surrounding influences, and 
that the temperature be under control. He is 
takiug for granted that one has good cows 
and good food in abundance. Now to se¬ 
cure the two points which lie speaks of, he finds 
covered cans, and either a supply of ice or 
plenty of cold water, indispensable. He knows 
that good butter can be mode from setting the 
milk in open, shallow pans, in a good cellar, 
but he ulso knows that it can lie done much 
more easily with deep, covered cans and ice or 
cold water. He used four-gallon cans, ten 
inches in diameter and twenty inches deep, 
and placed them in an ice chest, which was 
made with doom at the side which he could 
open, and slide in the cans under a slatted 
floor. Ou this slatted floor, through a lid at 
the top of the chest, he placed ice, aud as it 
melted the cold water dripped over the cans. 
He did not wait for the milk to cool or the ani¬ 
mal odor < f) to pass olT, but strained it at once, 
covered it tight, and put into the ice chest. 
When the cream had risen ou one of these cans 
the aroma from it was as delicate as from a 
clover field, aud iu the hottest weather his 
butter was as sweet and fragant as that made 
in May. If one has a cold spring and can 
submerge the cans, it is as good, and more con¬ 
venient than the ice. 
BOILED DOWN AND SEASONED. 
Uncle Waldo tells the Ohio Farmer he 
sows peas in February and they are rarely in¬ 
jured. Spinach, lettuce and cabbages will 
also stand a pretty hard freeze and may be 
sown about the same time as early peas. Rad¬ 
ishes and beets may be added. 
A Rural reader showed us fine peas grown 
from seed sown in the Fall. They were plant¬ 
ed five inches deep. Sow oats as early 
as the land can be worked. The West¬ 
ern Rural says that raw ripe tomatoes nibbed 
upon warts will make them disappear.. 
Noble L. Prextis of Kansas is not specially 
prejudiced either for or against Short-horns. 
His predilections are in favor of the Mangel 
Wurzel.. .. 
At the late convention of the Short-horn 
breeders Prof. E. M. Shelton introduced this 
resolution:—“That we urge upon our senators 
and representatives in congress the importance 
of ’protecting 1 the agricultural and producing 
classes against the rapacity of monopolies cre¬ 
ated by law ... •.. 
Gov. Glick remarked that he believed that 
the people of Kansas had the vim and energy 
to produce the best cattle in the world, and the 
future would show their Short-horn cattle as 
the equals of the products of the famous Ken¬ 
tucky Blue Grass region .. 
He also remarked that the demand is ever for 
better cattle, as evidenced by the fact that high 
grades are selling for six cents while natives 
are only bringing four cents, and it costs no 
more to fatten a grade than a native steer.... 
Prof. Cook says that sulphur and kerosene 
made into an ointment will effectually rid 
lien houses and poultry of lice, if applied to 
the roosts and a little rubbed imder the wings 
of the fowls. 
Mr. Ramsdell, as quoted by the Michigan 
Farmer, says that a patch of corn upon which 
salt had been spread was not so much affected 
by drought as another patch upon which farm 
manure was used. The yield was also larger. 
.The Rural has tried salt on wheat 
without auy effect whatever. But the Rural 
farm is near the ocean. 
There are some people in this world who 
closely resemble mosquitoes. There isn’t much 
of them, but they tease and fret you all the time. 
Mr. Strong deems the white Weigela Can¬ 
dida as a decided improvement upon the 
white Weigela nivea.Spiraea Thunber- 
gii deserves, he suys, general cultivation be¬ 
cause of its graceful habit and foliage, which 
is pretty enough for bouquets and table deco¬ 
rations.......... 
Col. Hoffman says that we cannot afford 
to do without clover even if we have to pay 
$20 per bushel for it.Secretary Ann- 
strong (Elmira Farmers’ Club) auswers the 
question as to whether to sow the small or 
large clover by submitting the reply of a 
friend:—“If I want clover to make bay. or to 
pasture, I sow seed of the medium variety, 
but when the principal object is to improve 
the soil, 1 sow sapling clover seed and let the 
crop rot on the land after cattle have grazed 
what they will take”. 
The question was asked, “What is the best 
remedy for lice ou cattle (cows) ?” S. M. Carr 
replied that washing with carbolic soap is a 
sure remedy. Ho had tried it several time's 
and always with success. 
Mr, Hoffman said that in his first experi¬ 
ence, some years ago. he was told that applica¬ 
tions of kerosene oil would kill lice. He found 
it true, aud learned also something more—that 
kerosene would take the hair off. Ho used it 
afterward mixed with fish oil, half and half, 
and that was effective. Any oil will kill bee. 
President McCann said that some years 
ago he bought a few steers in fine condition, 
aud after a while he found one of them cov¬ 
ered in spots wit h blue lice. Somebody told 
him to wash with strong soap suds. He did, 
and it killed the lice, but it took the hair off 
too. Weaker suds will destroy lice without 
injury to the hair. 
(Onerbt. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(Every query must bo accompanied by tbe name 
ami address or the writer to Insure attention.! 
A CONCRETE FRUIT-HOUSE. 
.4. C., Forney , Lid .—Wishing to build a con¬ 
crete fruit and vegetable house for storage in 
Winter: 1. Will a wall 15 inches thick, with an 
inner frame lathed aud heavily plastered, mak¬ 
ing an air chamber of, say, from two to four 
inches betwoeu the walls, tie sufficiently frost¬ 
proof to protect fra it and vegetables, where 
the ground freezes from two to three feet drop 
each Winter! If not. how could 1 best build 
such frost-proof walls? 2. How much hydrau¬ 
lic cement will it take to make the wall of a 
house 16 foot square and eight feet high, the 
wall being 15 iuehes thick? 8. Should such 
walls be stayed across the tops with iron rods 
to keep them from spreading out? 4. Should 
a house built for storing fruits and vegetables 
be partitioned off so as to store vegetables in 
one room and fruit in another, or will 
they do as well all stored in one room? 5. 
How many bushels of fruit and vegetables can 
lie stored so as to keep in first-class condition, 
in a house 16 feet square with walls eight feet 
high ? 
Ans. by E. Williams.— 1. If the wall is to 
be above ground I should unhesitatingly say, 
No! I should recommend it to be entirely un¬ 
der ground, or so that it could be banked up 
to the top. and even then care should be taken 
that no crevices exist between the wall and 
silks, where the wind can creep through. If 
the wall is above ground a foot even, I should 
doubt if a 15 or 18-inch wall would insure 
against frost if there was but one air chamber. 
Two air chambers would no doubt be neces¬ 
sary if the wall is at all above ground and where 
one is subject to such low temperature as we 
have, had this Winter. The walls secure, the 
floor beams should lie lathed and plastered, and 
if deafened between, making two air chambers 
there, it would probably make the cellar 
frost-proof. 2. About 50 barrels woidd be 
enough, according to the opinion of a practical 
mason; one shovel of cement to two of sand or 
gravel. If stones are used in addition to the 
grout, they will, of course, diminish the 
amount of cement required. 3. Presuming a 
building is to surmount the walls, the weight 
of this will be sufficient to keep the walls from 
spreading, if properly built. 4. It would be 
preferable to store them in separate rooms. 5. 
A room 16 feet square and eight feet deep con¬ 
tains 2,048 cubic feet, affordiug a total capac¬ 
ity of about 1,645 bushels. A partition one 
foot thick would diminish the capacity a little 
over 100 bushels. With these figures as a guide 
you can make due allowance for the space 
needed to work in. and note that these remarks 
apply only to the entire storage capacity; 
not to the condition, a feature on which I 
should not venture to hazard an opinion, so 
much depends on contingent circumstances. 
As nothing was said about the use of ice as a 
means of retarding decay, I have not thought 
it necessary to speak of that matter. The 
house above outlined will be sufficient for 
those who wish a place in which fruit aud 
vegetables can be kept in ordinary good con¬ 
dition, separate from the dwelling-house for 
sanitary reasons. 
BRICK MILK TANK, etc. 
W. E. .If., Wallsville, Pa .—I wish to make 
in my Spring house, a tank for the deep-set- 
Fig. 120. 
ting of milk: 1, will one made of brick laid in 
cement do as well as the cement arrangement 
described in the “Querist” of the Rural for 
Jan 20? Which would be the cheaper? 2. 
which is the best material for milk cans—tin. 
zinc or galvanized iron? 
Ans.— 1. A brick tank may be made as follows: 
The brick may be laid on edge and bedded in 
cement. This will gi ve a wall 2 k' inches thick. 
If the sides of the pool are not made quite even 
it would bo well to ran thin cement in at the 
back of the wall to make it close and solid. 
Near the top a row of brick on each side 
should be laid flat so as to project an inch and 
a half, as shown. This gives a bearing for some 
bare, with cross pieces fixed to them, to be fitted 
across the pool for the purpose of keeping the 
deep pails upright aud from oversetting, 
which they will easily do. A tank or pool of 
this kind is about as cheap and less trouble¬ 
some than a cement one. If the pool is made 
wholly or partly above ground the wall should 
bo ei fit iuehes thick unless it is strengthened 
by a frame, when it may bo four inches, and 
it should be cemented inside. 2. Zinc will not 
do to put milk in, it is very easily corroded 
by acid, and is poisonous. Galvanized iron 
is iron coated with zinc. There is no better 
material for milk pans than tin. 
a manure cellar. 
L. D ., Nova Scotia. —1. What would be the 
best material for building a manure cellar— 
stone, brick or wood? Stone can be got for 
quarrying ami hauling four miles; brick costs 
$5 per thousand, and lumber $8; freshly burnt 
lime is 45 rents per barrel of 2‘i bushels; 
cement $5 per barreL 2. What are the best 
small fruits for this section? 3. Has the Rural 
tried Pringle's American Triumph Outs? 4. 
What are some good now peas? 5. What de¬ 
gree of cold will bees stand if kept undercover? 
Ans.— V\ ood is the poorest aud most costly 
(iu tbe end) material for a manure cellar. 
Stone, muler the circumstances named, would 
be the best; the floor should be cemented, aud 
the wall also, about two feet up. The stone 
may be laid in lime mortar. If the manure is 
kept turned all the liquid will be absorbed, 
unless water gets in; and if plenty of litter is 
used for the cattle. 2. Raspberries: Clarke, 
Turner, Caroline (yellow), Cuthbert. Black¬ 
berries: Snyder. Strawberries: Jucunda, Wil¬ 
son, Charles Downing. Sharpless. Gooseber¬ 
ries: Houghton. Currants: Grape, Cherry 
and Old Dutch, 8. No, we have not tried them. 
4. Yes. Try Laxton’s Alpha, American Won¬ 
der and Stratagem. Champion of England i 
good for late. 5. Bees will stand any usua 
cold of an ordinary Winter; but the wanner 
they are kept the less honey they consume. 
The hives may be kept in a cellar, or on the 
usual stand, well protected with straw. 
cattle stable floors. 
H. D. W.. no address .—Are cow stables made 
of cement or concrete durable? What are the 
best floors for cattle stables? 
Ans.—A cement floor is better than wood 
because it will not wear out if it is rightly 
made. The best floor is made of small round 
stones, set on edge as here shown. This repre- 
Fig. 122. 
sents a floor having a gutter for the manure. 
The earth is first leveled in a proper manner 
and raked smooth; the stones are then laid 
firmly and bedded in the earth so that the sur¬ 
face is even. They are then rammed down 
firmly. Lastly, thin cement, made of one bar¬ 
rel of cement to three of sand, is poured on the 
floor and worked in among the stones with an 
old stiff broom. Coal ashes and lime will make 
an excellent floor. If this floor is then satu¬ 
rated with hot gas tar or asphalt, it will be 
dry, water-proof, vermin-proof and very dura- 
ble. Or an excellent floor may be made of a 
concrete of coarse gravel, five parts, mixed 
with cement mortar made of three parts of 
sand and one part of cement. This floor must 
be well rammed down, by which it is made 
tough and lasting. A very good floor may be 
made of common clay puddled with water and 
worked up until it is very sticky and then mixed 
with an equal part of wetted coal ashes. When 
it is spread it must be beaten very firmly and 
not used until it is dry. This makes a lasting, 
firm floor, but it will absorb moisture and is 
not rat-proof. 
portable fence, etc. 
J. D. S., Whitewater , TT'i'.s-.—1. On my 80- 
acre farm there are no inside fences or wood 
to make any. I wish to keep sheep: but if I 
fence five or six fields with boards or wire, the 
fencing will cost more than the sheep. Is 
there any way by which I can have the sheep 
without the fence? 2. How long must hens 
ran with a cock before the eggs are fertile ? 
Ans.— 1. You would find portable fences very 
useful in this case. Hurdles of the kind here 
represented at Fig. 121 would perhaps be the 
best for you. This is made of strijis of three 
by one with posts of three by one-and-a-half 
or split round poles, and barbed wire between. 
The hurdles are set in the ground, heues being 
made, with a bar for the ends of the posts. 
which are driven in with a mallet or axe. The 
hurdles are wired together at the ends. 2. 
Hens must be about 10 days with the cock be¬ 
fore the eggs are fertilized. 
RAISING POTATOES ON SHARES—BRAN. 
P. R, G., Woodmont, Conn.—1, Two men, 
A. aud B., propose to cultivate an acre of po¬ 
tatoes on shares; A, to furnish land, manure 
and seed, B. to do all the labor: manure to be 
carried about one-fifth of a mile; the crop to 
be divided equally, and each to dig his own 
portion. Are the conditions fail'? 2. In Mr. 
W. F. Brown's article, February 17th, he 
speaks of bran. Here bran is a term applied 
to a whole class of food, known as 40 pound, 60 
pound and 80 pound feed. It is also quoted as 
such in the New York market report. To 
which does he refer in his article ? 
Ans.— 1. The bargain is too good a one for B. For 
instance, if the land is worth $100, the interest 
and taxes will be about $7; 10 loads of manure 
will be worth probably $20; seed will be worth 
about $7. To plant and cultivate an acre of 
potatoes should not cost more than $15 or $20 
at the outside, unless the circumstances are 
unusual. The usual rule is that the labor takes 
one-third of the crop; that is, when the soil is 
good enough to give a fail' yield; when the 
crop is worked on halves the owner of the 
land finds half tbe I and half the manure 
