THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
JUNE 6 
we do not know a better investment any 
farmer or stockman conM make than that ex¬ 
pended iu the purchase of this book. The au¬ 
thor has long been ifnown to the farmers of 
the country through his numerous contribu¬ 
tions to the agricultural press, and, as he 
states,the preparation of this work was begun 
live years ago in a series of articles in the 
National Live Stock Journal, and he has also 
drawn to some extent on articles which he has 
written for the Country Gentleman and the 
Rural New-Yorker, That feeding must 
be taken into consideration oven before breed¬ 
ing is the main principle on which the entire 
work rests, hence the great importance of 
feeding, care and shelter. The necessity of 
mixed feeds to maintain the animal in good 
health is strongly dwelt upon. There must he 
starch or sugar to supply the carbon given 
off in respiration; fat to supply fatty material; 
albumen for the. natural waste of the muscles; 
earthy phosphates for the g rowth and waste of 
the bones: and saline substances to replace 
what is daily excreted. A brief synopsis of 
the work is here impossible, but we shall re¬ 
cur to it hereafter with pleasure to ourselves 
and profit to our readers, to whom we strongly 
recommend the purchase of this thoroughly 
practical, lucid aud important work. It is 
handsomely bound, clearly printed aud well 
illustrated. Its price is $2 and it is sold by the 
author, Professor E. W. Stewart, Lake View 
Erie Co., N. Y. 
Insects Injurious to Fruits by William 
Saunders, F. R. S. C.; illustrated with 440 
engravings; published by Lippineott & Co., 
Philadelphia, Pa.; price $3; 4.'15 pagos. Among 
the drawbacks to be found upon the farm fre 
quently arises the difficulty of growing crops 
or fruits on account of insect pests. Such is 
the case in some of onr Western States where 
certain fruit trees cannot be successfully 
grown owing to insect ravages. Any work 
treating upon injurious insects, that will 
enable the farmers to cope more successfully 
with the pests, should be welcomed by them. 
This volume gives in the simplest manner 
possible accurate descriptions of the various 
insects frequenting our fruit vine's and trees, 
with the best means of destroying them or 
preventing their ravages. TaIcing the insects 
injurious to the apple, it first considers those 
found on the roots, theu those on the branches, 
then upon the leaves and finally those attack¬ 
ing the fruit. Each genus is treated in a like 
manner. Although it will take time to 
demonstrate the value of this work, we see 
no reason why it should not become a valuable 
addition to every farmer’s and fruit culturist’s 
library. It is a very tastefully gotten up 
volume. 
First annual report of the Ohio Agri- 
cultural Experimental Station for 1888; 118 
pages; William R. Lazenby, Director, Colum¬ 
bus, Ohio. This first report of the Experi¬ 
mental Station of the State of Ohio, treats of 
a move in the right direction. The station 
has only bpen organized eight months, lienee 
its work cannot, lie considered fairly started, 
the interval haring been employed to a great 
extent in organizing, equipping aud establish¬ 
ing the station. Some results from tests with 
every day. I will state, light here, that in 
my business of farm-gardening I have had no 
extensive experience with the several stylos 
and makes of walking cultivators, and none 
at all with riding cultivators, so I can only 
give ray observations and the experience of 
my neighbors, as told me, relative to the 
merits and demerits of the riding cultivator. 
I observe that riding cultivators have been 
cast aside in ever}- case where they have beeu 
tried, and walking cultivators have taken their 
place. Upon inquiry as to the cause, I learn 
demonstrated in our College apiaiy, is fully 
recognized. It is no exaggeration, I think, 
when he states that at least 10 days are thus 
saved. The greatest error, I think, is made in 
reference to wintering. He favors out-door 
wintering; says we must have a double-walled 
hive, 25 pounds of honey and a February 
flight. But how often we get no February 
flight. With a proper cellar we may keep the 
bees in the hives safely from November 1st 
till April 1st, 
Mr. Alley thinks that although the laws of 
parthenogenesis are certainly tone in respect 
to the production of drones; yet the fact that 
queens are pure he thinks not a guaranty that 
their drone progeny will be. His only reason 
given is that it is not true of birds. From 
very close aud long observation, I believe it is 
true of bees. 
Mr. House wisely urges bee-keepers to con¬ 
tract the brood chamber in Spring, and to 
stimulate. He favors two-story hives, and 
says truly that foundation pays 300 per cent, 
on its cost. I am glad to read his praise of 
Pelham's foundation machine, and I have long 
urged, as he does, to extract just as capping 
commences. His directions as to preparing 
and marketing honey are certainly most ex¬ 
cellent. I cannot indorse what Mr. House 
says about wintering, or his advice as to 
clipping queens’ wings. 
Mr. Locke gives an excellent description of 
the various races of bees. Like Mr. Alley, he 
does not seem to understand quite clearly the 
meauing of the term race, else he would not 
call the Syrians a distinct race any more than 
the Cyprians and Italians. All of these have 
marked characteristics which are persistent. 
This makes a race. Mi-. Locke sustains what 
I have often urged, that the Syrian bees are 
doubtless the best race we have. 
Agricultural Coll., Lansing, Mich. 
sheet iron punched with a large number of 
holes in the manner of a common grater. A 
stationary frame is fitted inside the grater 
which holds the, potatoes against the sharp 
points inside and so rapidly reduces them to 
pulp. Water is kept constantly pouring into 
the grater, and as it escapes through the holes 
it washes the pulp into a trough under it. 
This trough is provided with a wire gauze bot¬ 
tom and is moved back and forth in the frame 
G by means of a shaking rod H, which is 
attached to a crank fitted to the shaft which 
U Fnd view of ( ) d - Discharge Pi/e 
dU/ts S-'QU/t/tln ir 
XXX 
Chicken Incubator.—Fig. 323.— See Page 359. 
that they have been condemned because they 
cannot be made to do satisfactory work among 
small plants, and also that the weight of the 
driver adds to the draft, which makes the 
work hard for the team. 
In using the walking cultivator all are 
unanimously in favor of those having very- 
high wheels, as it is claimed they will imi 
more steadily, with less whipping aud jerking 
of the team, while the draft is lighter and 
the shovels run more smoothly and are more 
easily managed, and, upon the whole, the 
high-wheeled cultivators are considered so 
much superior to those with low wheels that 
they are rapidly superseding them. My ex¬ 
perience with them is quite satisfactory and 
I consider them excellent amoug vegetables. 
In using one among small plants I have very 
narrow, long shovels, known as “bull tongues,” 
which I use where I wish to cultivate deep 
without throwing any dirt to or from the 
plants. Iu case I want to ridge up, I remove 
these and substitute the large, broad shovels. 
causes the grater to rotate on its central shaft 
Tins shaking trough or sieve is supplied with 
water from the pipe I, which pours a stream 
into a distributor J and a sprinkler K. The 
distributor lets fall a thin sheet of water into 
the sieve aud the sprinkler scatters a fine 
shower. The water carries the starch through 
the sieve into the lower trough L from which 
it is washed into the tank M. The waste is 
washed out of the sieve into the drain N 
which carries it to a proper receptacle. 
The starch and water are pumped from the re¬ 
ceiving tank to the washers and settling tanks, 
Fig. 32((. These are common tubs in which 
are fitted stirrers Fig. 327, moved by pulleys or 
gearing upon upright shafts to which they 
are attached. The shafts are held by cross¬ 
pieces on the vats or tanks and rotate slowly 
so as to keep the starchy water in motion that 
the remaining impurities may be fully separ¬ 
ated. The water is left to settle during the 
night, aud iu the momiug the upper jtortion 
is drawn off by the pipes 0, O, leaving the 
Jitfiufitml (Topics 
MANUFACTURE OF POTATO STARCH. 
Potatoes contain from 17 to 25 per cent of 
starch. The starch consists of roundish-oval 
grains about 1-300 of an inch in diameter. 
These grains have a specific gravity of 1.135, 
that is, they are nearly one-seventh heavier 
than water. The cellular fiber of the potato 
is rather lighter than water and will float in 
it. The starch granules are contained loosely 
in the cells of the tissue of the potato, which 
are five-sided, and when these cells are broken 
up by any means the starch granules may be 
separated from the cell matter, or tissue or 
fiber. On this account and on account of their 
heavy specific gravity it is a very easy matter 
to separate the starch and gather it in a pure 
state, more especially as it is wholly insolu¬ 
ble in cold water. All that are required for 
this purpose are a machine by which the pota¬ 
toes may lx* grated and the cells broke up, 
and a washing apparatus by which the cellular 
matter may be separated from the heavier 
starch. Starch is a staple article of use, aud 
as it is comparatively cheap the freight upon 
it when canned a long distance adds largely 
to its cost in proportion to its value. It may 
therefore be made in Western localities upon 
vary favorable competitive terms with the 
Eastern manufacturers, not only because of the 
saving of freight but because of the cheapness 
with which the potatoes may be grown. A 
bushel of potatoes will produce six to eight 
pounds of starch, and the refuse is of consider¬ 
able value for feeding to pigs when mixed 
with a certain proportion of corn. Its rela- 
jv HC ."V 
!§ 
Grater, Distributor and Sprinkler.—Fig. 325. 
starch with the rest of the water at the bot¬ 
tom. This is pumped into the next vat and is 
again washed and stirred aud settled, and so 
on until all the impurities are removed and 
the starch is left pure and clean. 
The wet starch is then removed with Bcoops 
and wheelbarrows to the drying kiln. This 
consists of a stove inclosed in a brick casing 
for safety. This is made in the cellar. The 
hot air from the kiln is led into a room above, 
which is well plastered aud is furnished with 
tiers of wire gauze shelves inclosed in a sort 
of closet on each side of the room, The hot 
air passes into these closets. The shelves are 
in three* tiers one above the other. As the 
starch dries it is raked over and the dried 
_ portion falls through the top sieve into the 
second one and so on to the bottom where it is 
. collected aud packed iuto barrels. The shelves 
p are about five feet wide and the drying closets 
in which they are inclosed are provided with 
gauze doors to secure ventilation. 
There need be nothing costly or expensive 
about this process. All the machinery may 
be home-made, but as profit is the object 
sought it is advisable to have the apparatus 
I believe manufacturers do not send out 
these “bull tongues,” unless requested. With 
such a cultivator, I find I can do excellent 
w ork with ease to myself and team, and this I 
cannot say for the old-fashioned single and 
double no-wheeled cultivators and plows. 
Wever, Iowa. w. j. s. 
iHisccl l ancons 
Feeding Animals, a Practical work upon 
the Laws of Animal Growth, specially 
applied to the Rcariug and Feeding of Horses, 
Cattle, Dairy Cows and£4wine, by Elliott W. 
Stewart This work is a boon to farmers. It 
is the condensed result of 30 years’ practical 
experience in stock feeding by a man of more 
than ordinary ability who has made a large 
number of careful experiments in order to 
acquire accurate knowledge. In reading over 
its pages, written in a style that renders them 
intelligible to afl, one is most strongly iu,- 
Stirrer.—Fig. 327. 
80 varieties of winter wheat, are encompassed 
in a table giving full details of the outcome of 
the experiment. Somewhat interesting experi¬ 
ments with corn and i>otatoos are also record¬ 
ed. In the potato experiments it was impos¬ 
sible to notice any difference in the growth 
and maturity of stem ends and seed ends; so, 
also with those planted cut slde-up aud cut- 
slde-dowu. The tubers from the seed end, 
however, weighed the heaviest, but were not 
of as good size. Those from “seed” planted 
eut-side-up, showed a better yield than those 
from cut-side-down. The report on insects 
is very interesting, treating of the various 
farm pests aud giving directions for prevent¬ 
ing their ravages. A table of analyses and 
the valuation of fertilizers is contained iu the 
last few pages. 
Robinson & Co., Richmond, lud. Illustra¬ 
ted catalogue of the Robinson Machine Works. 
It calls special attention to the Patent 
Bonanza Thrasher, Automatic Safety Gover¬ 
nor, Clover Attachment and Revolving Straw 
Stacker which deposits the straw in a semi¬ 
circle aud saves labor required iu stacking the 
straw. These works were established in 1842 
The Potato Washer.—Fig. 324. 
tive feeding value is estimated to be one- 
fourth that of hay, or 25 cents per 100 pounds, 
when hay is worth §1 per 100. 
The process of making starch is as follows: 
The tubers are first washed free from all sand 
ami soil in a long, round tubular or somewhat 
conical box made of slats or bars placed near 
together to prevent the potatoes passing 
through, but permitting the water aud soil to 
escape freely. This washer is shown at Fig. 324. 
The potatoes are shoveled in or fed in by a 
slide at A. A stream of water is led into the 
box and the potatoes are stirred by the curved 
arms upon the shaft B. These arms push the 
tubers forward as well as stir them, and 
when they reach the end they are lifted by* 
the last arm and thrown out of the opening 
D: the water escaping from the spout C as 
well as from the openings through the washer. 
As the potatoes escape from the washer they 
fall into the trough E Fig. 325, by which they 
pass into the grater F by an opening at 
one end. This is a cylinder of galvanized 
Washers and Settling Tanks.—Fig. 32(5, 
pressed with the great care taken to ascertain 
the truth of every statement, and the great 
moderation with which every statement is 
made. There are several other works which 
treat of stock feeding, but it can be fairly said 
that this is superior to any of them iu 
accuracy of information, lucidity of style 
aud abundance of practical knowledge. 
Its 520 packed pages treat clearly and fully of 
every question relating to stock feeding, aud 
made properly effective so that waste may be 
avoided and cheapness of the product secured 
by as great economy as possible. 
WALKING vs. RIDING CULTIVATORS, 
Surely the merits of riding and walking 
eultivatore admit of discussion as well through 
the medium of u journal as among neighbors 
where 1 hear discussions, pro aud con almost 
