248 
THE BUBAL fSEW-YOBKfR, 
APRIL 7 
and plow all day. The farai being one mile 
long, not much time is taken up in turning. T 
shall soon throw away the sulky. I do not 
want n plow that needs so much attention. 
Besides it is much cheaper to plow with oxen. 
Tljev never get anything to eat except grass 
or hay. which in this locality is - not worth one 
cent a ton more than the cost of putting it up. 
It is worth about SI per ton to put. up hay in 
the Red River Valley. I would not take a 14- 
ineh hand-plow for a gift. It, will not run 
alone, like the 16-inch and does not do so good 
work when held. J. S. Parsons. 
Richland Co., D. T. 
Jiliscdlancous. 
FARM GATES. 
[For Illustrations, see page 211.] 
With the harvester comes a demand for 
wider gatewaj's: therefore. I send my plan of 
a double gate which may be of use to farm¬ 
ers who object to having gates 14 or 15 feet 
wide. The cut. Fig. 104, explains itself. 
The small gate is hung to post A. and the large 
gate to post C. Post R is set in Itox D. which 
is made of two-inch plank. Box D is set in 
the ground the same as a post and the earth 
packed firmly around it. When used as a 
double gateway, both gates are open and post 
R lifted out. A cover should be placed over 
the box when thus used. The small gate will 
be found very handy, and often saves opening 
the large one. This style of gate will prove 
very convenient in haying and harvesting if 
one wishes to handle large loads of hay or 
grain. perry tillson. 
Gas Tar for Curculio. 
A neighbor of mine who has a number of 
fine pJum trees has been constantly disap¬ 
pointed in them, as they did not mat ure fruit, 
owing to the stiug of the curculio. Last year 
he procured .Mime gas tar, and nailing an old 
tm vessel to the end of a pole, so as to l*e able 
to reaeh the higher ltranches, pul into the ves¬ 
sel some of the tar and, setting fire to it, gave 
the insects a daily fumigation. The result, was 
that for the first time in a number of s eal’s he 
had the satisfaction of a full crop of porfectly- 
matured plums. S. 
->->-♦-- 
Onion Maggots.— I would say from my 
own experience that the following is a sure 
remedy for maggots in onions and also in 
roots of cabbages: Make a leach out of ashes. 
Take the Jye. which should be quite strong, 
aud pour it around the onions or cabbages. It 
will destroy the pest and at the same time act 
as a fertilizer. J. C. Bradish. 
Lewis (Jo., X. T 
Kicking Cows.— I break all my heifoi-s to 
milk, as well as any kicking cows that X have, 
in the following manner; Take a . -inch rope, 
having a loop in one end, and pass it around 
the cow's body just ill front of the udder, 
shirring it quite tightly. The cow will then 
not have much use of her hind parts and 
cannot kick Of course, she should be first tied 
or put in a stanchion. \v. H. 
The Brighton Grape. —F. >S. W. Laramee 
Junction. Mich., asks—page 151—the Rural's 
opinion of Brighton Grape. With me it is 
very productive, of good quality and early. 
Succeeds remarkably well in this section and 
in southern Vermont. d. e. h. 
Northampton. Mass. 
Dr. Collier on the Sorghum Industry. 
—Dr. Collier, the earnest chemist of the 
United States Department of Agriculture, 
lectured before the New York Caue-growers’ 
Association, and from his remarks we make 
important extracts, as we find them reported 
in the Husbandman of Elmira. “We are 
growing,’' he said. “ a crop of corn which oc¬ 
cupies 3S per cent, of all our cultivated land 
alone, which can be substituted by sorghum, 
aud the sorghum seed will take the place of 
the com for all feeding purposes or for eating 
if we choose, and we may then have a crop of 
stalks as rich in sugar, if worked up at the 
proper time, as the sugar-ane of the tropics.” 
lie was asked if he had found a satisfactory 
process of defecation, that is, of separating 
the juice from the foreign matter, or impuri¬ 
ties in it. oue that he would recommend as 
In'ing practical i lie replied that he had no 
doubt that lime, il properly used, is one of the 
best agents. It is universally used * He had 
] been experimenting with lime and sulphite of 
lime mixed, with excellent results, but would 
prefer not to publish them until he knows a 
! little more about the matter, aud then, of 
course, they will all be published. 
#tt 
Dr. Collier displayed ft specimen of corn¬ 
stalk sugar, made simply in an open pan. It 
was two years old and had been kept in a close 
jar, but was a good specimen of brown sugar. 
The stalks it was made from gave 69 bushels 
of shelled corn to the acre. Nothing but lime 
was used iu defecation and that was prepared 
the same as for white-wash. The effect of 
stripping, he said, is to diminish about six per 
cent, the amount of available sugar, and to 
increase about six per cent, the amount of sirup. 
A question was asked asto the effect of frost 
upon the cane. He replied that if the cane is 
thoroughly ripe the effect is almost nothing; 
if the cane is in process of ripening it is most 
disastrous. 
The president of the Rio Grande Company 
assures Dr. Collier that they can get 100 
pounds of sugar from the ton of cane. Refer¬ 
ence was then made to the comparative failure 
of the Department to make sugar in 1880-81. 
In the latter year the failure was due to the 
fact that the crop was planted so late that it 
did not mature. In 1880 the department had 
a good crop of cane, not a largo crop, but in 
good condition for making sugar: but. through 
no fault of the Depart incut, the machinery 
which was to lie ready iu time, was. in fact, 
not ready, nor in order till after the frosts. 
Besides, it was found to bo quite unsuited for 
use, and had to lie abandoned at the most 
critical period. But for all that, a large 
amount of sugar was made, and the crystalli¬ 
zation was effected in the vacuum pan pre¬ 
cisely as they did this year at Rio Grande. In 
| short, the Doctor had the ciop in 1880, but not 
! the mill in time to work it. Tu 1881 he had 
the mill in good order (os it now is), hut he 
did not have the crop. The Doctor deems it 
simply outrageous that along with this ad¬ 
mitted failure Pi make sugar in 1881 , the rca- 
j sous were not given, for they were obvious 
I and conclusive. 
! It appears theu that any immature cane is 
good to make sirup of, but for sugar, imma¬ 
ture cane is worse than worthless. If we take 
a ton of cane in the blossom, and a ton of cane 
| with ripe seed, and put them together, wo will 
' not get a pound of sugar, whereas we may get 
• 190 pounds or more from the ripe cane alone, 
j The question was asked how long after the 
seed is ripe should the cane stand to get the 
I most sugar out of it: ? Dr. Collier replied that 
' if he were going to take charge of works for 
j the production of sugar, he would login to 
! work when the seed is hard, desiring to save 
j the seed. Then ho would have varieties that 
\ would come iuto that condition in succession. 
If one chooses he can keep different plantings 
of the Early Amber ripening iu succession; 
but, the Doctor would have it supplemented by 
some other varieties, so that they might be 
taken just after they became ripe. 
Dr. Collier said that the name of Early 
Orange was misleading, since it is not an early 
kind. It matures in 115 days and Link's Hy¬ 
brid in about 195 days. Iu answer to a ques¬ 
tion he said that he would not let the cane lie 
a day after beiug cut before making sugar out 
of it, but sirup can lie made even though it 
should lie until it soured. 
“ It is wonderful how most of the American 
land companies recently established with 
British capital pay,” says a correspondent of 
an English paper. “I know of three whose 
offices are under one roof iu London, oue of 
which pays Id per cent, to the shareholders, 
while the other two pay 15 per cent. The 
youngest of the three has an immense tract of 
land, acquired on astoundingly easy terms, to 
dispose of. or use for cattle raising. The man 
of whom the company bought a large portion 
of the land went out a few years ago with 
$80,000. He sold liis estate to t he company 
for 8750,000. after living out of it during his 
Occupancy, lie was engaged largely in cattle 
raising.” 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Alabama. 
SaNP Swung, Limestone Co., March 19.— 
We have had a fine Spring for farm work; 
though it has been cool aud backward wiien 
the wind has been from the north; wheat was 
sown late here last, Fall, mostly ou account of 
Hie late cotton picking, many not sowing until 
December; therefore it looks small and back- 
ward now; but the st and is line, ha v ing not win¬ 
ter--killed hardly at all Oats were nearly all 
i 
I 
i 
I 
sown last, month. Farmers are now busy prepar¬ 
ing their coni and cotton lands. Reach and plum 
trees are in full bloom and grass is up nice and 
green. Wheat sells at $1,25; com, 40 ct.s.; oats, 
50 to 75 cts.; Irish potatoes $1 to $1.50; sweet 
potatoes 60 to 75 cts.; horses and cattle are 
high-priced this Spring for this county, w .m. 
California. 
Fresno. March 15.—The acreage sown in 
this part of the county is greater than that of 
last year, but owing to scarcity of rain it will 
not yield a great return. Wild feed is shorter 
this year than I have ever known it, and I 
have been here nearly eleven years, s. h. h. 
Canada. 
SweetsbuRG, Province of Quebec, Maivh 
12.—We are situated iu what is called the 
Eastern Townships in the foot-hills of the 
Green Mountains and between that range and 
the valley of the St. Lawrence. Our county 
joins Vermont, an imaginary line only divid¬ 
ing them, and unless informed of the fact you 
caunottell which country you are in. Several 
farmers have parts of their farms in each 
country and plow backwards and forwards, 
first into one country then in the other, little 
thinking or caring that they are taking a for¬ 
eign tour twenty times a day. This is a beau¬ 
tiful rolling country, devoted almost exclu¬ 
sively to dairying, principally choose making. 
No land to be taken up here. All of it was 
lxiught from the Crown many years ago. Im¬ 
proved farms are now worth from $25 to $50 
per acre. Cheese factories are seldom more 
than two mill's apart. When wo get, 12L. 
cents per pound for cheese, out of which we 
pay lLj cent for making and furnishing, w r e 
consider ourselves fortunate. Butter is worth 
22 cents; potatoes, 50; com, $1; oats, 40. dry, 
hard cord-wood, $3; beans, $2; eggs, 25; farm 
hands, from $15 to $20 aud found for the 
Summer; female help about $2 per week. It 
is a good country for a man with from $2,000 
to $4,01X1 to make a comfortable living in. 
Our principal trouble is that allpersonal prop¬ 
erty aud the property of religious denomina¬ 
tions are untaxed, aud whisky can be bought 
here as easily ns anywhere I know of. There 
is a strong temperance party, hut it, is not 
quite Strong enough to carry the polls. Rail¬ 
roads cut the country up in every direction. 
The farm buildings are principally frame and 
brick, though occasionally a log-house is seou. 
reminding one of the days when they had to 
“blaze” the trees between neighbors to find 
their way home, Onr taxes at present are 
light. C. s. c. 
Kansas. 
EdGERTOX, Johnson Co.. March 15.—Wo 
have had a long and steady cold Winter here, 
the thermometer at one time marking 18 = Inf¬ 
low zero, which is something unusual for this 
place: hut Spring has conic at last, warm and 
bright, and fanners are plowing, sowing oats 
and planting potatoes, etc. The wheat fields 
are getting green, and the prospect now is Unit 
we shall have a bountiful crop. The peach 
buds are all killed. Apples, pears, cherries, 
grapes, are all right, oven the Kitttatinny 
Blackberry seems to be unharmed. The Cuth- 
liert Raspberry is killed to the ground: while 
the Mammoth Cluster on the same ground is uu- 
iujuml and promises to produce a full crop. 
Stock of all kinds have come through the Winter 
in excellent condition, and 1 n jver before saw so 
much feed left over; there is fully enough in 
this locality to last over another Winter. Corn 
here is worth 38 cts.; wheat. 80 to 90 cts.: oats, 
30 cts.: hay. $4 to $5 per ton; potatoes, so cts. 
to $1 per bushel; butter, 12’ J cts. per pound; 
eggs, 10 cts. per dozen. a. r. n. 
9Ilehl(nn. 
Amber, Mason Co., March 19.—Our lauded 
“ Lake protection” does not pan out well; the 
mercury was 14 minus this morning and 
touched 24 below once this Winter. Snow is 
28 inches in the woods and nearly as solid as 
ice—violent snow-storm yesterday. Peaches, 
excepting varieties known as frost-proof aud 
some very hardy seedlings, are killed. The 
wood aud buds of all trees were well matured 
and as there bus been no warm weather dur¬ 
ing the Wint/'r to swell buds the outlook for 
the 11 off year” apple crop is favorable. Hay 
and potatoes plentiful. Apples scarce and 
high. Cattle which have been kept without 
roots or other green feed are thin. Bees 
which were left out-of-doors have not win¬ 
tered well. .L h. 
New York. 
Watertown, St. Lawrence Co., March 29. 
—The past has been an exceptional tic Winter, 
viewed from the stand-point of its relation to 
the Winter wheat crop. Of course, I am aware 
of the fact that in some sections the crop lias 
already suffered severely. Even in bleak, 
snow-bound St. La wrence County such rumors 
have reached our Pars. But in St. Lawrence 
County and in adjoining sections, where Win¬ 
ter wheat was put in <>n suitable soil, there is 
every prospect that the crop will come out in 
Spring in good condition. The ground had 
hardly frozen in the Full ere it was covered with 
snow, and has remained covered to a certain 
extent ever since. It is true that we have had 
several slight thaws sufficient to remove the 
snow in exposed spots on hill-sides, but no 
damage ensued to wheat except perhaps on 
low lands where wheat ought never to be sown. 
I have since February seen several wheat fields 
covered with water. It is the rule in t his sec¬ 
tion that wheat ought to lx? sown on high 
land; success ou low laud is exceptional. 1 
have seen ggpd wheat crops on low land, but 
it was when the plant was at no time covered 
with water and was not subject to any serious 
thawing nn<l freezing. The conclusion that I 
have long since arrived at is that wheat should 
be sown on high land, well drained. Wheat is 
oue of the most profitable crops that I grow: 
it is profitable because I can sow it iu the Fail 
and harvest it after haying and before the rest 
of the harvest work crowds us. It is profitable 
because it pays better than nuy other grain 
crop which we can grow. The grain produced 
on three acres last season sold for $42.50. f.m. 
Ohio. 
Zanesville, Muskingum Co., March 10.— 
We had a good crop of wheat last year, but 
thousands of bushels were damaged by wet 
weather and poor stacking. Much of the wheal 
was hauled iu damp, and the ricks built, like a 
meat dish—the middle the lowest. The com 
crop was poor, owing to the cold, late Spring 
and very wet Summer. The late potato crop 
was very poor on account of a blight. When f 
is not looking well, owing to absence of snow 
aud the alternate freezing and thawing of the 
ground. Tin* Beauty of Hebron is the best 
early potato we have. The prospect new for 
a full crop of fruit is very promising. Wheat, 
$1.10; corn, 65to 70cents; potatoes, $] to $1.20; 
hay, $8 to $10 per ton. G. t. k. 
Oregon. 
King's Valley, Benton Co., March 5. —The 
Winter has been a very hard oue for this 
country—flirt the floods and then the freezing 
while the ground was full of water have 
killed a great part of the Fall-sown grain, the 
ground beiug still frozen and this is almost 
gardening time; but in some respects the freez¬ 
ing will lienefil the fruit-grower, as that crop 
is always good after such a Winter, b.s.w. 
Wisconsin. 
Fact Claire, Eau Claire Co., March 18.— 
We in this northern country have had plenty 
of snow and cold weather: but the snow fell so 
early that the ground is not frozen on sod 
and very little on plowing anil we look for an 
early Spring. We have had very pleasant 
weather so far for March; ueither rain nor 
snow to speak of. It has l>een a hard Winter 
for the lumberman to get in logs, for these 
bury themselves in the snow. Lumbering is 
the principal business here. j. b. e. 
Ft. Atkinson, Jefferson Co., March 12.—I 
have been out iu the surrounding Country the 
lust week and the winter wheat looks good 
where the snow has been on it; lint one piece 
where the snow had gone off looked pretty 
dry. It will come out in good condition. I 
think, if we don't have any more severe 
weather. There have only been about four 
inches of frost in the ground this Winter. 
Snow is going off slowly without any rise in 
the rivers as yet. i. s. 
<Tl)C COumst. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must ho accompanied by the name 
nmt address of the writor to insure attention.! 
raising sweet potatoes—grace-vines from 
cuttings. 
,/. F.. Cnrbonrlale, Kan. —1. At what time 
should sweet potatoes be planted to raise plants, 
aud bow should they lie treated? 2. What is 
the best method of raising grape-vines from 
cuttings? 
Axs.—1. They are started about the flirt of 
April, in hot-houses, and their growth will 
depend upon the condition of the soil and 
the quality of the seed planted. The plants 
should bo ready for the market from the 15th 
of May to the 1st of June. Cut the potatoes 
lengthwise, and put in pieces, cut side down, 
close together in the drill previously made, 
and cover to the depth of three or four inches. 
The soil still needs watering every few days, 
so that there will be moisture enough for tlm 
sprouts to start and grow; but too much 
water must be avoided, or the potato will 
rot. In a few weeks, if the potatoes planted 
were fresh, aud not dried or shriveled up, 
the sprouts will liegin to show through the 
soil, and. in due time, commence to grow 
more or less rapidly, according to the richness 
of the soil and the care given. We plant in 
ridges, from oue foot to 18 inches apart. 2. 
Cuttings may be made either in the Fall or 
Spring. If in the Fall, they should bo buried 
