236 
APRIL U 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
— 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
No. 34 Park Row. New York 
SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 1883. 
ALL SHOULD READ THIS. 
All applications made for seeds up to 
April 1st have been mailed. The potato 
is sent as the weather permits. Any of 
our readers who, having applied for the 
seeds prior to April 1st, have not yet re¬ 
ceived them, will please notify us by postal 
at once. We shall give notice as to the 
potato later. 
In each envelope of seed there should 
be (1) two small envelopes of the Black- 
Dearded Centennial Wheat; (2) one of 
Garden Treasures; (3) one of Niagara 
Grape; (41 one of Perfection Watermelon; 
(5) one of Wy sorts Shoe-peg Corn. 
All notification)* should l>e addressed to the 
Editor , at Hirer Edge, Bergen Co ., New Jer¬ 
sey. They will receive prompt attention. 
> • »—-- 
We call attention to Dr. Sturtevaut’s 
conclusions—so far as conclusions may be 
arrived at by one set of experiments— 
respecting the effect of ensilage and got¬ 
ten meal Upon the milk flow. It will be 
found under 'What Others Say.” 
-~ 
For a good garden soil we advise our 
readers, who have not already done so to 
try the American Wonder Pea. It grows 
in rich soil to the bight of one foot and 
needs no brushing. A good w T ay to plant 
such dwarf kinds is in double rows—that 
is, two row's one foot apart to form the 
double row—the double rows two feet 
apart. We commend this pea because it 
is nearly as early as the smooth, taller- 
grow'ing varieties, while the quality is 
excellent. 
A note just received from the Hon. 
Marshall P. Wilder says: “ I sec you keep 
the Kieffer Pear before the public and in 
its last debut among the conserves. The 
best pears for these that 1 know of are 
Catillac (a sketch of this with several re¬ 
marks appeared in the Rural of Feb. IT 
—Eds.) and Vicar of Winkfield. But for 
home use there is no need of canning, as 
they keep well through the Winter in a 
cool cellar. The Kieffer is a grand tree, 
and if it proves better than the above- 
named it will be an acquisition, if for no 
other purpose than for canning.” 
-♦ ♦ ■»- 
Wk planted a fortieth of an acre of the 
Bessarabia Corn, a fraud extensively ad¬ 
vertised, which the Rural was the first to 
expose, to ascertain if any part of the tale 
told by the advertisers was true. It 
proved to be the Southern dent corn. The 
stalks grew from 10 to 12 feet high, bear¬ 
ing one ear as a rule, and that usually six 
feet or more high. We have since exam¬ 
ined several specimens of this Bessarabia 
Corn and find them different varieties. 
The fact is the “introducers” bought their 
corn here or there wherever they could 
find large, showy kernels, probably with¬ 
out. any further knowledge of it whatever. 
Prof. Blount, of the Agricultural Col¬ 
lege of Colorado, repeats the statement 
that the pollen of any given corn-plant 
will not fertilize its ow r n ear. In an eight- 
acre field of our Blount’s Corn raised two 
years ago, we had occasion to spend sev¬ 
eral hours every pleasant day during the 
blooming period. We found that iu some 
plants the pollen was shed before the silk 
(pistils; was receptive ; in others the 
pistils were receptive before the pollen 
was ripe; in others both pollen and pistils 
w r ere mature at the same time. Prof. 
Blount will also find that in many varieties 
of sw'eet com the pistils are (unless the 
wind prevents) pollenated by the pollen of 
the tassels (male flowers) of the same plants. 
- ♦ ♦ ♦ — 
Gov. Dawks, of Nebraska, has appoint¬ 
ed Wednesday, the 18th inst., as Arbor 
Day. The State Board of Agriculture of¬ 
fers liberal premiums for the greatest num¬ 
ber of trees planted during the present 
month by any person, and for the greatest 
number planted during the present year, 
and it also offers a special premium—known 
as Arbor Day premium—for the greatest 
number of trees planted on the appointed 
day, and earnestly invites competition 
from all. The appointment of Arbor 
Days is now the rule^in ^several Western 
States.' We trust the practice will soon pre¬ 
vail in all the States, East and South as 
well as West. 
The works of the Kansas Sugar and 
Sirup Company at Sterling, Kansas, have 
just been sold to a syndicate of Eastern 
capitalists, most of whom are interested 
in the sugar w orks at Champaign, Illinois. 
The Company will adapt the works to the 
manufacture of sugar from sirup, accord¬ 
ing to The Champaign method invented 
by Professors Weber and Seovell, and in¬ 
tend to invest $250,000 in the business. 
They will also establish auxiliary mills 
throughout that section for making sirup 
which will be reduced to sugar at the Ster¬ 
ling works. The enterprise, a telegram 
tells us, is expected to revolutionize the 
sorghum sugar business of Kansas, and 
will give a great impetus to the cultiva¬ 
tion of sorghum iu the State. 
The tenth annual meeting of the Wyo¬ 
ming Stock-Growers’ Association lias just 
been held at Cheyenne. The report of the 
Executive Committee shows that last year 
220,000 beef cattle were inspected, an in¬ 
crease of 52,000 over tlie previous year. 
About 1,000 head were killed by the Union 
Pacific Railroad; as the cattle seek shelter 
along the depressed track from (he bleak 
winds of Winter, most of this loss w T as 
sustained at that season. The herds of 
breeding cattle are selling 25 per cent 
higher than last year owing to the large 
demand for this sort of stock on account 
of the great number of new men engaging 
m the business. This is one of the prime 
causes of tlie high price of beef. The 
Committee report that over $30,000,000 of 
English and Scotch capital wore invested 
during the year in Wyoming and Texas. 
In the April number of the Overland 
Monthly. Mr. J. G. Lemmon, devotes 
eleven pages to the discussion of the origin 
of the potato, and in relating his recent 
discovery of it in its wild and native state 
in Arizona, and promises more in a subse¬ 
quent number. Mr. Lemmon is very en¬ 
thusiastic over his discoveries, more so 
perhaps than he would be if he were aware 
that it was long ago settled that the potato 
in its original condition is found in many 
places in the Rocky Mountains, In 1880, 
A. S. Fuller gathered and brought from 
New Mexico a number, a description of 
which was published in the N. Y. Weekly 
Sun. These potatoes improved under cul¬ 
ture and leave no doubt those sent to 
Raleigh from Virginia in 158(1 were origin¬ 
ally from the stock. We make no criti¬ 
cism of Mr. Lemmon’s article, further than 
that he should not claim too much as 
a discoverer. 
a-•-»-«- 
An organization has lately been formed, 
tiuder the name of the Mexican Drainage 
Company, which has undertaken to drain 
the valley in wliich the City of Mexico is 
situated. This valley contains lakes Tez- 
cuco, with an area of 99 square miles; 
Chaleo, 54 square miles; Xoehimilico and 
Xaltoc-ean. 27 square miles each; Zum- 
pango. nine square miles, and San Cristo¬ 
bal, six square miles. Some of these over¬ 
flow during tlie rainy season, jeopardizing 
the City of Mexico, which has often nar¬ 
rowly escaped destruction by their inun¬ 
dation. The first of these is the exclusive 
depository of the city sewage, and to the 
miasmatic exhalations from this and, to a 
lesser extent, from the neighboring lakes, 
the insalubrity of the capita) is mainly 
due. The drainage now is very imper¬ 
fect. much of it being the work of the an¬ 
cient Aztecs. The new company proposes 
to drain the valley thoroughly, reclaiming 
a large area of land now forming the bed 
of the lakes. Many American capitalists, 
especially Congressmen, are pecuniarily 
interested in the undertaking. Senators 
Sabin and Lowery, of Minnesota; Butler, 
of South Carolina; Jonas, of Louisiana, 
and ex-Representative Townsend, of Ohio, 
being reported among the directors, while 
Commissioner of Agriculture Loring is 
president of the company, and Senator 
Call, of Florida, vice-president. It is to 
receive a subsidy of $9,000,000 from the 
Mexican Government, payable in monthly 
installments of $25,000 as the work ad¬ 
vances, and additional subsidies in the 
form of land in the area reclaimed. 
MORE ABOUT THE DRIVEN WELL. 
In the ease of Andrews et al vs Eames, 
just decided iu the United States Circuit 
Court for the District of Connecticut, a 
question of considerable importance in re¬ 
lation to the “driven well” trouble has 
been decided. The original patent, as we 
have before stated, was issued to Nelson 
W. Green on .January 14, 1868. A re-issue 
embracing, in reality, new claims, was 
granted on May 8, 1871, and the validity 
of the reissue has been tried several times 
before the United States Circuit Courts 
for various Districts, and once before the 
Supreme Court of the United States, on 
an appeal from the decision of Judge 
Gresham, the present Postmaster-General, 
in the case of Hines vs Wahl tried in the 
United States Circuit Court for the Dis¬ 
trict of Indiana. Judge Gresham had de¬ 
cided in favor of the validity of the re¬ 
issue, and his decision was recently affirmed 
by an equally divided Supreme Court. 
In the Connecticut case the validity of the 
reissue has been.again sustained on author¬ 
ity of prior decisions. It was further de¬ 
cided that the patent is infringed when, 
owing to the rough or stony nature of 
the soil, the upper part of a well has been 
dug or bored, but afterwards, before a 
supply of water has been reached, the 
“driven well” process has been used to 
obtain an adequate supply of water. The 
only way by which this oppressive patent 
can now be invalidated is by an appeal 
from a decision of some U. S. Circuit 
Court to the United States Supreme Court. 
In the case of llines vs. Wahl this Court 
was evenly divided on the question; but 
Judge Bradley was not present, so that in 
any future litigation the decision will in 
reality depend on his opinion of the matter. 
GRAFTING. 
Grafting is now' in order. The several 
methods have been so often described and 
illustrated in our columns that we pass 
over for this season their repetition. Cher¬ 
ries and plums are the first, fruit trees to 
be grafted ; apples and pears next. Graft¬ 
ing the peach rarely succeeds in the North. 
Many of our friends may derive pleasure 
from grafting several kinds upon one 
stock. This need not be confined to fruits 
at all, but may be effected upon ornamen¬ 
tal trees and shrubs as well. For example, 
reddish and white Lilac may be grafted 
upon the common Syringa—Svringa vul¬ 
garis. The white, rose, orange and red 
Japan Quinces may be grafted on one 
plant. The double white and red Thorns 
may be grafted on the common Thorn, 
Cratjegus oxyaeantha. 
We are often asked the question wheth¬ 
er or not it will answer to cut the cions 
from the trees when needed. It will an¬ 
swer quite well provided the cions are not 
more forward than the stocks. It is de¬ 
sirable that the reverse conditions should 
prevail for the reason that the precocious 
cion needs support at once, and not receiv¬ 
ing it from the stock shrivels up and dies. 
The art of grafting, as it has to do with 
the plants above named, is very simple. A 
downward slit is made in the stock and a 
wedge-shape cion inserted so that the in¬ 
ner barks of each are in contact. Then 
tie with yarn or bast and cover with 
grafting wax or, in its absence, with clay, 
and bind with a rag so as to exclude air. 
WHENCE SWEETNESS COMES. 
In view of the growing importance of 
domestic sugar making, it is a matter of 
interest to learn whence our foreign sup¬ 
ply is derived. The total value of mer¬ 
chandise imported into the United States 
in the fiscal year from June 30, 1881, to 
June 30, 1882, amounted to $505,491,966 
and of this total 18 per cent., or a little 
over $94,500,000, was in sugar, molasses, 
melada and confectionary. Cuba was the 
chief source ofsupply of sugar,$53,250,000 
worth having come from the “Ever Faithful 
Island.” Brazil sent us$8,500,000 worth; 
British Guiana a trifle over $3,000,000; 
British West Indies about $3,000,000; the 
Spanish possessions over $5,000,000: Por¬ 
to Rico nearly $3,500.000; French West 
Indies almost. $2,300,000; Dutch East In¬ 
dies, $994,000; Dutch Guiana, $257,000; 
Germany. $466,000; England, $251,000; 
Hong Kong, $372,000. The aggregate 
amount was valued at a trifle over $83,000, 
000 , Our imports of molasses amounted to 
a little over $10,000,000: of which Cuba 
contributed to the extent of $7,000,000; 
Porto Rico, $ 2 , 000 , 000 ; British West In¬ 
dies, $550,000; British Guiana, $27,000; 
Danish West Indies. $104,000; French 
West Indies, $32,000; San Domingo, 
$25,000, and smaller quantities were re¬ 
ceived from a few other countries. Our 
entire importations of melada were worth 
$344,735; of which $339,458 worth came 
from Cuba, and $3,557 worth from San 
Domingo. Imports of candy and confec¬ 
tionary amounted to $11,708 only, of 
which England furnished $5,065 worth; 
China, $2,942, and France, $2,407. The 
duty on refined sugar was nearly prohibi¬ 
tory so that we imported only $6,830 
worth of which $4,336 worth came from 
Canada. 
A HUGE LAND JOB. 
In the northwest of Texas a piece of 
land, almost square iu shape, projects 
northward between the Indian Territory 
and New Mexico. The tract embraces 
about 5,000 square miles, and is known as 
tlie “Pan Handle.” It is mainly an un¬ 
dulating plateau, from 2,000 to 8,000 feet 
above the sea. level. On parts of it, near 
the Staked Plain, vegetation is scanty; 
but most of it is well watered and tim¬ 
bered, good arable and grazing land. A 
year ago the Texas State Legislature ceded 
a portion of this tract, comprising 3,000,- 
000 acres, to a Chicago syndicate, composed 
of C. B. Farwell. J. V. Far well, Abner 
Taylor and A. C. Babcock, in considera¬ 
tion of the erection by the Company of a 
capitol building for tlie State in Aus¬ 
tin, to cost $1,500,000, thus fixing the 
price of the land at 50 cents an acre. 
These gentlemen straightway sought to 
dispose of their bargain to English capi¬ 
talists who, as is well known, have been 
for some time anxious to buy large, com¬ 
pact bodies of land at low figures any¬ 
where in this country, and especially in 
Texas. A telegram from Chicago last 
Thursday announced that a London syndi¬ 
cate had just been given the refusal of the 
entire 5,000 square miles until April 15, 
and the sale is declared to be virtually 
concluded. The agent of this syndicate 
made two propositions: To rent the privi¬ 
lege of grazing the stock or to buy the 
land outright. The sale was dosed on the 
latter proposition, on condition that the 
first payment be placed to the credit of 
the Chicago owners in the Bank of Eng¬ 
land on the date named. Last week we 
told of the largest, sale of cattle ever made 
in this country—that of 75,000 full-grown 
cattle at Fort Worth, Texas: it is proba¬ 
ble they are to go on the new British pur¬ 
chase. The Chicago syndicate, in loss than 
a year, cleared about eight-and-a-half mil¬ 
lion dollars by their little Texas land job. 
With ordinary husiNcss ability every dol¬ 
lar of that enormous sum could have been 
gained by the State of Texas. But if the 
State got the whole of what it ought to 
have obtained, where would be the fat 
“pickings” for the legislators who engi¬ 
neered the job 't How much of those 
eight-and-a-balf million dollars will find 
its way into the pockets of the Solons at 
Austin, or have they been paid already 
without the necessity for waiting for “a 
contingent fee ?” Unless our Texas “ex¬ 
changes,” especially the wide-awake Gal¬ 
veston News, belie the Texan legislators 
atrociously, there is no body of law-mak¬ 
ers in the country more likely to yield to 
bribery, especially in questions relating to 
the public domain, in which they appear 
to have absolutely no conscience. 
BREVITIES. 
We are sorry to learn of the great destruc¬ 
tion among the orchard trees of Iowa. 
We conjure our readers not to buy fruit 
trees, grape- viues, seeds or chemical fertilizers 
of unknown agents. 
Sow clover now for this latitude and as far 
north as the frost is out of the land. It is bet¬ 
ter to sow a quart too much than a quart too 
little 
Ik you want strawberries, you must not dis- 
turbthe plants or tlicir roots this Spring. Wait 
until the fruit is gathered. Mulch them as 
much as you like. 
If you intend to harrow your wheat, now it 
is the time to do it. Many think it is of deci¬ 
ded advantage to the crop, though the Rural 
is not among the nnmlier 
If you are behind iu your work, it is better 
to hire additional hands and rush things 
through than to remain behind all Summer. 
Or do you prefer to be behind i 
Geo. Peters Sun. of Fairmouut Nursery, 
Ohio, are offering Date-plums, Poplar-peaches, 
Bush Strawberries, apple trees that will bear 
fruit the next season, etc. Our readers should 
beware of such offers. 
For the climate of Chicago and New York, 
sow vour peas at. once. It is better to plaut 
the early, intermediate and late kinds at once, 
than to plant in succession. There is less harm 
from drought and mildew-. 
The present, warm spell which extends near¬ 
ly all over the country will be welcomed more 
heartily by few than by the maple-sugar 
makers of’ Vermont,. In the middle of the 
week the snow in the woods was still nearly 
three feet deep and the sugar lots were almost 
inaccessible. Scarcely a )>ound of new sugar 
hud been brought to market, though usually 
by that time the siigur season is half over. In 
many parts of the Green Mountain State ma¬ 
ple-sugar making is quite an important indus¬ 
try. In the little town of Wilmington alone 
the average yearly production is 300 tons; 
while as much as 360 tons are on record from 
100,000j trees. Such reports of the maple 
sugar crop as we have Tseen from other 
quarters speak of a’ fair_yield. 
