MAY 49 
EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND. 
I am curious to know the source of the Ru¬ 
ral's information iu regard to the Eastern 
Shore of Maryland, as imparted to T. A., 
Fanlkland, Canada (page 182). 
[Our chief source of information was the 
recollection of a visit madt to the section sev¬ 
eral years ago, when Federaisburg was on the 
border of Caroline and Dorchester Counties; 
we approached the place from the Choptank, 
having traveled overland a few miles, hence our 
mistake in thinking it was uj>on that, and not 
on the Nantiroke, that it stood. This is a very 
trivial “.slip,’' however, and, barring it, our 
friend’s information agrees with our recollec¬ 
tion and with the condensed account given of 
it on page 182.—Eds.] 
Federaisburg teas on the border of Dorches¬ 
ter aud Caroline Counties, but by a recent act 
of the General Assembly it is wholly within 
the county of Caroline, and it is situated on 
the Nauticoke River, instead of the Choptank. 
Practically, it is an inland town, for the sim¬ 
ple reason that the Nauticoke at Federaisburg 
is barely a rivulet, and is navigated by boats 
drawing only a few inches. Of the soil I can¬ 
not knowingly speak, but of other parts of 
Dorchester I kuow a little. From a shifting 
sand to the stillest clay, all grades of soil can 
be fouud, and often a half-dozen kinds can be 
found on a 100 -acre farm. For instance, where 
I reside one furrow may pass in a straight line 
from yellow clay loam through a dark brown 
soil sliadiug down to white clay, thence 
through whitish clay loam to a light sand, aud 
on to a sandy loam and nearly white sand, 
again shading to a black, mucky soil. There 
is not more than a difference of three feet in 
the level of any of the different places men¬ 
tioned. 
Corn and wheat are the principal crops, al¬ 
though fruit-growing and trucking form a 
considerable part of our industries. When the 
peach craze reached here everybody plauted 
peaches. All Worn-out sandy laud that would 
not produce 15 bushels of com to the acre was 
stuck over w ith peach trees, and the enormous 
prospective profits were in fancy lavished 
freely. The result is that thousands of trees 
have been cut down after nearly a score of 
wasted years. And so with small fruits;— 
Strawberries aud the like were plauted exten¬ 
sively on the poorest land, and disaster fol¬ 
lowed as a matter of course. All book farm¬ 
ing (as it is called, though why books and pa¬ 
pers are not as reliable as the accidental and 
carelessly-repeated utterances of a practical 
farmer, I am at loss to understand) is so de¬ 
spised that no heed was given to instructions. 
It was conceived that something could be pro¬ 
duced from nothing, and hence failure fol¬ 
lowed. 
The exceptions were iu the case of men who 
used their brains aud were not ashamed to 
avail themselves of the experience of others. 
Such men have succeeded, and have demon¬ 
strated that fruit growing is a profitable in¬ 
dustry aud also that th is section is well adapt¬ 
ed to such occupation. Stock-raising, as a 
business, is inconsiderable. Yet there are 
thousands of across of fresh and salt marshes 
belonging to the State that are admirably 
suited to cattle-raising. I have frequently seen 
cattle pastured the year round on the marshes, 
with the addition of a small quantity of marsh 
hay. As a rule, cattle for beef are never fed 
from the time they are calves till they are 
ready for killing, except on marsh hay, and 
straw or com husks. Very little shelter is re¬ 
quired, though of course the more the better. 
A grass-fed three-year-old will bring from $20 
to $40, which is nearly all profit. Yet no one 
raises cattle on a large scale. The principal 
produce of the swamps and marshes seem to 
be mosquitoes, fever and ague, and bilious fe¬ 
ver and bilious dysentery. The last three may 
be avoided by proper hygienic precautions, 
though many are careless in this respect, and 
usually pay the penalty. Taken altogether, 
if a man can do well anywhere he can live 
well here. “Dorsett.” 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
California. 
Modesto, Stanislaus Co., April 24.—Grain 
at present is looking fine. What rain we have 
had kept the grain growing, but we cauuot 
make any calculations as to yield yet, for next 
month is generally the worst,; often hot winds 
dry up everything. A very large acreage is 
in this year in this county, and it is the Ban¬ 
ner County in the State for grain. All arable 
laud is irrigated except the “bottoms” along 
the rivers. j. l. c. 
Canada. 
Oakland P, CL, Brant Co v Ontario, May 
THE RURAL. NEW-YORKER. 
1.—We are having a very late and cold Spring. 
Farmers are just beginning to work on their 
farms; Fall wheat will not be half a crop. It 
looks a great deal worse than it did when the 
snow first went off. Clover on old meadows 
is nearly all lolled. 
(Hlchiv&u. 
Oshtkmo, Kalamazoo, Co., April 30.—Our 
Winter from the middle of January till now 
has been, with the exception of a few warm 
days the fore part of this month, steadily 
cold. Snow left iu the fore part of the 
month. We have not had any rain to men¬ 
tion siuee the first week iu February, and the 
dust, has been in the roads since the middle of 
March, with high winds from every quarter 
nearly every day during April. The earth 
has become thirsty, and wheat and grass are 
at a stand-still for the want of water. My 
one acre of Blaclc-bearded Centennial, which 
lias gone safety through two Winters, has suc¬ 
cumbed to the freezes of this Spring, aud is 
wholly dead. Such are the fortunes of new 
ventures. Wheat on the ground is 80 per 
cent, of a stand, and could we get rain soon 
to wet up the parched and thirsty plants the 
crop might possibly be better than that; but 
without rain very soon it must go below 65 per 
cent. I have never kuowu such a dry, cold 
and windy April. Every drop of moisture iu 
the earth seems sucked up by the very touch of 
those fierce northeast and west winds, blowing 
alternately three days from one point and then 
three from another. The prospect for fruit is 
quite promising iu apples and peaches; the 
buds developed sufficiently to show the blos¬ 
soms ready to burst when the weather is warm 
enough to admit of their opening. T. p. D. 
Minnesota. 
Pine City, Chemung Co., May 5.—Six 
inches of snow fell here yesterday. Season 
very cold aud backward. Seeding about half 
finished. Milch cows scarce aud in great de¬ 
mand. Stock of all kinds high and tending 
upwards. G. a. r. 
Missouri 
Eldex, Miller Co., May 1.—Spring very 
backward. Farmers through sowing oats ami 
very busy pkmtiug corn. A larger acreage 
than usual 't ill be put under this year. We 
are about three weeks behind in planting com¬ 
pared with last year. Cold, wet weather has 
retarded vegetation of all kinds. Wheat* 
especially where sown broadcast, is badly 
winter-killed, and will hardly make a fail- 
average crop. Where drilled in the wheat 
looks much better and is not nearly so badly 
frozen out, n. J. s. 
<Tl)f l/hunst. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(Every query must be accompanied by the uame 
and address of the writer to insure attention.] 
STRUCTURE AND CARE OF A COLD GRAPERY. 
R. L., Calumet Station, Canada. —How 
should a “cold grapery” be erected and 
cared for? 
Ans.—A span, half-span, or lean-to roofed 
structure of such porportions as you wish—the 
lean-to is the sort most commonly used. The 
front may be one to three feet high, the back 
nine to fifteen feet or more, the width 15 to SO 
feet or more, and the pitch of roof from SO to 
45 degrees. Use locust, cedar or other long-last¬ 
ing wood under ground,good pine stock for raft" 
ers and mountings, double thick glass aud ha ve 
means for ample ventilation at the top of the 
bouse and a moderate amount at the front. The 
house should face from southeast to south' 
southwest, but uever north or west. The 
border should run the full length of the house, 
be two feet deep and consist of enriched turfy 
Loam, as that obtained from rotted sod from 
a pasture. It may not be over four feet wide 
for a year or two, but room should be left to 
increase it on demand to 12 or 15 feet wide 
The border may be altogether outside and the 
vines brought inside into the grapery through 
holes iu the front and near the ground, or the 
border may be partly inside aud partly out, in 
which case plant the vines inside. It is <>f 
extreme importance that the border should be 
thoroughly drained. The vines should be four 
feet apart, and confined to the one-rod princi¬ 
ple. Wires should be stretched ulong inside 
the grapery 18 inches from the glass aud eight 
inches from one another, on which to traiu the 
vines. Some gardeners prefer the wires 15 or 
16 inches apart, but those that are closer ad¬ 
mit of the alternate lateral plan of training. 
When Die vines are growing encourage them 
by means of a warm, moist atmosphere; use 
the hose or syringe and sprinkling-pot freely* 
and water the border copiously. Ventilate 
moderately iu warm and mild weather, keep 
somewhat close in cool weather, avoid cold 
drafts and ventilate more freely_ as the 
fruit aud vines approach maturity. Do not 
hose the vines while in blossom, nor when the 
grapes are coloring. When the fruit is all out 
give all the ventilation available, and when 
the wood is well ripened aud the leaves have 
fallen, prune the vines, unfasten them from 
the wires and after a time bend and cover 
them over with earth as you would raspberry 
or out-door vine canes, or cover them up with 
mats and straw. If your vines are plauted 
inside the house and you keep out frost from 
it for the sake of other plauts you may grow in 
it, t his covering is unnecessary. A little ar¬ 
tificial heat as may bo contributed from two 
four-inch hot water pipes, although riot abso¬ 
lutely ueeessarv is of good use in a cold 
grapery to maintain a sweet atmosphere at 
sotting and stoniugtimes, on dull, muggy days, 
and assist iu ripening the wood. If a cool 
grapery is used for other plauts as well, it is 
almost impossible to keep the grape-vines free 
from mealy bugs and other vermin. When 
pruned the vines should be thoroughly cleaned. 
When growing, thrips aud red spider will 
appear if the atmosphere is diy, aud mildew 
if cold drafts are admitted; ahum hint 
sprinkling and syringing may check the in¬ 
sects. anil flowers of sulphur dusted on the 
mildewed, leaves may stop the ravages of that 
evil: but either, if once established, is hard to 
erase. The Black Hamburgh is the best grape 
for general cultivation; Muscat of Alex¬ 
andria is the best “white:” Black Alicante 
aud Lady Downes are good late kinds. Uue- 
year old plants are best, and in planting un¬ 
ravel and spread out the roots: if you plant 
them intact as you turn them out of the pot 
they will uever make the fine growth they 
would otherwise. 
"HELP” FROM CASTLE GARDEN. 
Several Subscribers ask how they can obtain 
“help” from the Labor Bureau at Castle Gar¬ 
den, the great immigrant depot of this city. 
Ans.—F rom an interview with the Super¬ 
intendent and other sources we have learnt 
the following particulars:—The office charges 
no fee or commission of any sort to employer 
or immigrant. It furnishes not only domestic 
help, agricultural or nuskilled labor, but also 
all kinds of skilled laborers, mechanics, ar¬ 
tisans, etc. Land speculators arc excluded 
from the privileges of the Labor Bureau, and 
all propositions looking to the sale or leasing 
of land to immigrants w ill be rejected. Em¬ 
ployee applying at the office must l>e either 
known to the Superintendent, or produce 
satisfactory reference. Agents must be duty 
authorized by their principals, aud be well 
recommended. The office does not make con¬ 
tracts for immigrants with the employer; it 
does not fix the amount of wages, or the 
time of service, or prescribe any other con¬ 
dition of the contract; it leaves all these mat¬ 
ters to be settled by the voluntary- agreement 
of the parties immediately interested, and 
assists them only by giving all needful in¬ 
formation aud advice. Employers must iu 
all cases provide for the transportation of their 
employes to the respective places of destina¬ 
tion, If means sufficient to pay traveling ex¬ 
penses are remitted to the office, care of the 
Superintendent, with the request to send 
hired help to the applicant, the office will see 
that the employe is properly started on his 
journey. Iu such applications employ ers should 
state distinctly the description of labor re¬ 
quired. the nationality preferred, and the rate 
of wages proposed. Remittances to the office 
should be made in National Currency, Post- 
Office Order, or Checks on a New York City 
Bank. To secure the arrival of employes, 
where it is possible their baggage will be 
checked through to destination, aud the checks 
sent by mail or express to the employer. 
When through checking of the baggage is not 
feasible, it will be forwarded by express. It 
is suggested To employers residing in the 
country, who desire Immigrant help, that the 
expense and risk of transportation to distant 
places may he greatly reduced by their club¬ 
bing together and appointing one of their 
number as employing and forwarding agent 
for all tlie members of the club. 
“PRIOR RIGHT” TO WATER FOR IRRIGATION. 
Subscriber , Johnson Co., Wyoming. —What 
constitute a prior right to the use of water 
from a stream for irrigating purposes? Here 
is a case: A. has taken out the “first" ditch, 
but not chartered the same. B, has taken out 
the second ditch aud “ chartered ” the same. 
Now suppose tlie stream to contain only 
enough water to supply one party at a time, 
which partv lias the “ legal right ” to the first 
use of Die water f 
ANSWER BY PROF. A. K. BLOUNT,OF COLORADO. 
"The questions involved in the distribution of 
water for irrigating purj ones in this as well as 
other State are very complicated, No de¬ 
cision with regard to the real ownership of 
water has ever been given by the Supreme 
Court in this State. If A. settles on a stream 
appropriating a part or all of the water he or 
his heirs can hold it forever, charter or no 
charter, provided he can prove his priority to 
the w ater or to the ditch he took out. The 
charter makes no difference. It gives uo more 
title to the water than if he had noue. 
Priority is the only thing that gives the 
"legal - ’ Dtle. He has a right to run ditches or 
canals over government, lands anywhere across 
the Plains for 100 miles more or less, to get 
w ater on his claim and no one can interfere. 
If his ditch or canal takes all the water ns the 
first ,aud he can prove it,nobody can take water 
above him or above liis gate out of the same 
stream, or even out of a fork of the stream, 
neither can anybody divert any part of it or 
build a dam to turn it.” This is a matter 
of equity aud the rule should hold as good iu 
Wyoming or anywhere else as in Colorado. 
MILDEW ON LETTUCE, ETC. 
.4. E. G\. Westfield, Mass. —1. Is there any 
remedy for the rust that attacks lettuce iu the 
hot-houses? 2. Is there any variety of lettuce 
free froui the disease? 8. What, is the cause of 
this rust? 4. Has anyone tried the filling of the 
bench, first with coarse gravel, next with sand 
and then with prepared soil? 5, Would such un- 
derdrainage lie likely to savothecrop? (1. Would 
concrete composed of stones, pebbles, coarse 
gravel, sand and cement lie good material for 
the sides of a greenhouse? 
Ans. —1. None of any practical importance. 
Lime or sulphur sprinkled frequently and 
freely over the plants Is very beneficial, but to 
remove such substances when the lettuce is 
wanted for the table is so puzzling a task as to 
b a serious objection to their use. 3. None; 
so far as our experience has extended, all 
varieties are more or less subject to this de¬ 
structive (>cst. 3. It is caused by a mildew- 
very similar to the grape mildew, although 
more rapid aud destructive in its work. 4. No 
one that we know of. 5. No, wo thiuk that it 
would do but very little, if any, good. 6. Yes. 
If our correspondent desires to cultivate let¬ 
tuce under glass we advise the use of fresh 
soil for every crop, as we have liud no trouble 
from mildew on soil where lettuce lias uot 
been previously grown, and we think that our 
correspondent w ould do much better by culti¬ 
vating lettuce in frames rather than in a hot¬ 
house, so that the sash can be removed and 
air be given on all suitable occasions. An 
abundant supply of air aud the use of fresh 
soil for every crop will do more to prevent the 
mildew, or rot, thau anything else we know of. 
SOWING-GRASS SEED. 
C. W, London. —1. How about sowing gras 
seed among coni or beans just after cultiva¬ 
tion? 2. What mixture of grass seed would 
be best for a strong loam soil? 
Ans. —1. To sow-grass seed in a cultivated 
crop is to do away with most of the benefits 
of the cultivation, and it would be a veiy poor 
way of gettiug grass, as the grass would be 
much injured by the tramping and working 
over it. It would be better to clear off the 
crop as early as possible, seed down to rye 
with the grass seed and cut the rye in May 
for green fodder, which would give more feed 
than pasture, and wait until Full for the grass 
to grow. 2. A good mixture of grasses for 
pasture would be Perennial Rye Grass; 
Meadow Fescue; Meadow Oat Grass aud 
Fow l Mcudow Grass, of each three pecks pel- 
acre. These seeds are very light and bulky, ’ 
but the above quantities will furnish a thick 
growth and make a close sod in two years. 
DISTANCE IN SHIPPING FEACnES. 
H. T. V., West Point, Ark .—How far cau 
peaches, packed in boxes aud intended for 
railroad shipment, be hauled without damage 
iu a spring wagon ? 
Ans.—T he distauceto which peaches can be 
transported over a good road, in a proper 
spring wagon, is principally dependent: 1, 
upon the rqiencss of the fruit, and 2, upon Die 
temperature at the time. Much will also de¬ 
pend upon the distance they are to go, after¬ 
ward by rail; anil the delay in reaching the 
consumer. The constant jar, and the rough 
handling inseparable from ordiuaiy railroad 
transportation, comiug after the fruit has be¬ 
come mellow, are far more frying than precious 
transportation on springs. We would consid¬ 
er the necessity of wagon transportation, be¬ 
yond a distance of five to ten miles, as u serious 
obstacle to success in peach growing for mur- 
ket, especially when railroad transportation 
must follow. 
GARGET. 
E. M. Van C., Seneca Falls, N. V .—The 
milk iu one of the teats of a cow that calved 
a week ago, is watery, thick aud lumpy. The 
milk from the other teats is all right, but. she 
didn’t, yield ns much as usual after comiug iu, 
and although she is we) laud hearty, she appears 
to be drying up; bow- should she be treated? 
Ans.- The cow is suffering from garget or 
or inflamed udder. It is necessary iu such a 
case to draw all the milk very carefully, and 
especially get away all the clotted and thick 
matter, which it left iu the milk ducts will do 
