JUNE ® 
from the house, and placing them under a 
tree in the orchard or meadow, having mowed 
the grass where there was any. Tn the It chat. 
of Nov. 8th, ’Tit, Col. Curtis tells how he cured 
a chick of gapes by making it inhale tobacco 
smoke until it. was .stupefied. This he did by 
placing the little wretch iu a coop with a ves¬ 
sel by its side containing burning tobacco, the 
smoko (>f which was prevented from escaping 
by means of a covering ovor the coop. 2. It is 
best to put the seeds in sand us soon as the 
ilosllis removed aud bury the box, planting 
the seeds in early Spring. But seeds from 
tliis plum can not be relied upon to produce 
the same. 8. From Milton P. Peirce, 117 
Market St., Philadelphia Pa., price §1. 
STEEP RODS FOR FENCING. 
Many Subscribers. — Where can' I obtaiu 
Bessemer steel rods for fencing, as described 
by Mr. Crawford in a late Rural, and what 
is tho price? 
A \.s.—From what we can learn Bessemer 
steel rods arc not kept in stock in this country 
and are only imported as ordered. They 
could bejsold, if on hand now at 8fi< 1 per ton 
of 2,840 pounds, iu large lots of 50 to 100 tons 
at a t ime, but this is more than farmers would 
want or could handle. They could hardly be 
bought in small lots of five tons, After July 
1st tho duty on these rods will be increased 
nearly 20 per cent, so that probably 805 per 
ton will be as low ns they can be bought iu 
five-ton lots. If parties would accept in lots 
of li ve tons or over, they could be imported at 
about 805 per ton net cash now, but the price 
would be subject to change with the fluctua¬ 
tions of the English market. A leading wire 
firm informs us that Mr. Crawford must be 
mistaken iu the size of the wire, and that uiue- 
tenths of all the wire rods imported or made, 
are of No. 5 gauge instead of No. 0, as stated 
by Mr. Crawford. No. 5 gauge is about three- 
sixteenths of an inch iu diameter aud 10 feet 
would weigh about 1 L pound. They can be 
obtained of Philip ,S. Justice & Co., No. 14 N. 
5th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
FODDERS. 
P. P. IF., Milford, Del .—1. Are broom corn 
and sorghum good for fodder, aud how do they 
compare with Corn fodder? 2, What, is the best 
fodder to sow after July 1, for pasture next 
year? 3. Is there anything that can be sown 
with Golden Millet for that purpose? 4. When 
should Lucom be sown, and with what? 
Ans.— t. Broom corn is too hard and dry to 
make good fodder: it has been thought and 
probably justly—to be injurious to animals 
that have been turned into the fields after tite 
brush has been harvested. Sorghum is hard 
after it has ripened and is difficult to cure 
without souring. Evergreen sweet coni is 
better than sorghum for Winter feeding. 
Many dairymen think it to be the very best 
fodder for Whiter use. 2. Orchard Grass is the 
best crop to be sown after July for the next 
year's pasture. 3. Golden Millet is too thick a 
crop to seed grass with; it is better to sow 
Orchard Grass alone. 4. Lucerne may be sown 
iu your locality iu August or in the Spring. 
It requires rich soil to make a good grow th. 
It is best sown alone, as it will not bear shad¬ 
ing; 12 pounds of seed per acre are sufficient. 
When it has taken well it will last many 
years if manured occasionally—pier haps 12 or 
20 years. 
CULTIVATION IN DRY WEAT1IER. 
S. K. M , Lockhart, Tex. —We plow land to 
pulverize tho soil and kill woods. Where 
there are no weeds to be killed, is it advisable 
to plow if the ground is so dry that it can¬ 
not be pulverized? Here’s u case—we are hav¬ 
ing a dry spell, and I have a piece of corn that, 
has been plowed three times since the last 
rain; tho ground is perfectly clean, and under 
four or five inches of dry, loose earth the 
ground is moist and full of corn roots; would 
not it be injurious to the crop to disturb this 
under-soil, aud as the top layer is too dry to bo 
pulverized, would it not be useless to disturb 
this? 
Ans. We think not. It, is of the first im¬ 
portance to keep the surface soil pulverized, 
or, at least, broken up, so as to admit the air 
and dew. Auy implement that will break up 
this crust without going deep enough to break 
the roots, will certainly.benefit the plants—rely 
upon it, 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
F. S., Eastman , 11 'is. —Three weeks ago 
a pregnant cow got mired iu a ditch full of 
melted snow water; by rolling her over three 
or four times we got, her out about dark; next, 
morning she could walk about, but a week 
later she couldn’t get up. Three days later 
she dropped a calf, but she has never risen 
voluntarily, aud when we have raised her she 
could not use her legs; what ails her? The calf 
was strong and lively, but after once sucking 
another cow he refused to suck again, or drink” 
ttnd died—why? 
Ans The cow may be suffering from the ef 
loots of exposure: the inability to move may 
•>e due to rheumatism, us it undoubtedly would 
be if «i ioh M hnd been exposed ih the (nYue tv«y 
THE RURAL M1W-Y0RKIR. 
363 
aud a cow is flesh and blood and suffers very 
much as a human being does. An owner of 
an animal should remember this aud act ac¬ 
cordingly. If the poor animal had been well 
rubbed with hot water and dried with a cloth 
and a little turpentine <>r other stimulant ap. 
plied, and had given to her a warm mess of 
slop with a little ginger in it. she might have 
escaped further mischief. It might be well 
to try this plan now. The call' should have 
been taught to drink and might then have 
been saved. A calf has very little sense and 
will not readily toko tho milk of another cow 
than its dam. When a calf will not drink some 
milk may be given from a bottle. There is 
always a way of getting the better, even 
of a calf. 
O. L , Gibson. Pa. —J. After two of my cows 
had calved five weeks ago, their bags became 
caked aud sort* and one gave bloody milk; by 
keeping the calves with them three or four 
days the caking of the bags disappeared, but 
they remaiued sore. Three weeks ago oue be¬ 
gan to grow poor and had a little cough, but 
she ate well and gave a good mess of milk. 
The cough has ceased, but she is falling off iu 
cod Jitiou and breathes hard. The other, too, 
has a wheezing cough and is growing thin; 
what ails them? 2. How should lime left over 
from plastering a house eight yeans ago, be 
used on the farm? I bought three barrels for 
25 cents, 3. How should the seed-end of pota¬ 
toes be planted? 
Ans.— 1, The probability is that the cows 
are suffering from pneumonia, aud the cakiug 
of tbe bag was due to the cold from which the 
disease originated. From the meager state- 
i ncut no satisfactory advice cam be given, If 
there is a veterinary surgeou iu the neighbor¬ 
hood it would l>e well to consult him. 2. The 
lime is of uo value now aud w as dear at the 
price given for it, 8. The seed-end of a potato 
should Ih, cut into small pieces of two eyes 
each; that is better than planting the whole 
of it with five or six eyes. 
E. G., M'uud/awn. Neb. 1, What is the name 
of the large white seeds in the Rural’s F. S. 
Distribution? 2. How can seedling Geraniums 
be made to bloom? 8. Will Geraniums live if 
taken up in the Fall and hung where they will 
not freeze ? 4. I have 25 seedlings from the 
Niagara grape seed—some thine inches high, 
having three leaves—I transplanted them iu 
a box three inches apart. Will it do to leave 
them in the box all Summer? 
Ans.— 1. We do not know which are re¬ 
ferred to. 2. By transplanting them. 3. It 
is veiy uncertain. In damp, frost-proof cel* 
lai-s most of them will live, but their vitality 
is seriously impaired. 4, We should careful¬ 
ly transplant them at once to the open ground 
and keep them well watered for two days and 
moist for two weeks, mellowing the surface 
soil os needed. For Winter protection, cover 
with the smaller twigs of evergreen boughs or 
straw. You may leave them iu the box if you 
like and sink that iu the ground and cover as 
stated above for Winter, transplanting uext 
Spring. 
E. C. P., Posemond, III .—Is there an appar¬ 
atus for fumigating plants to destroy insects, 
aud if so where can it be obtained, and the 
probable cost? 
Ans,— Yes. We understand that it can be 
obtained of Henry A. Dreer, Chestnut St.. 
Philadelphia, Pa. We cannot give you the 
cost. We have fumigated ver_v nicely with a 
piece of large-sized stove-pipe about oue 
foot high. Lay a piece of sheet-iron upon 
the floor of the greenhouse, ujiou which 
place three small three-inch flower pots bot¬ 
tom up, near together, upon which you 
cuu rest one eu« l of the pipe. W ithin the pipe, 
about two inches from the lower edge, fasten, 
so that they will stick temporarily, two or 
three pieces of wood, upon which you may 
place your shavings. Fire these, and then 
place the tobacco over the flames. This pro¬ 
cess is very simple aud tho fumigation can lie 
easily done at any time. Before buying costly 
apparatus, wo would advise you to try the 
above method. 
11. H, M,, Pay son. III .—Wlmt is the value 
of felt paper or mani 11a as a lining for build¬ 
ings under the weather-boarding to protect 
tho interior from cold; can it bo profitably list'd 
for roofing, and where can it be had? 
Ans, —Coarse paper is extensive! > Used for 
lining the walls of wooden houses ns a protec¬ 
tion against the entrance of air. It is also 
used to cover the sheathing of roofs uudor the 
shingles or slate, and prevents the drifting in 
of the flue snow. The paper is prepared with 
resin or tar to make it m<ire durable aud im¬ 
pervious to air. As its cost is small, aud it is 
a grant advantage and make's a house much 
wanner, its use is very desirable. The tarred 
felt is largely used for roofing and is very 
durable H. W. Johns Hi Co., of Maiden Lane, 
N. V., make an excellent article of this kind. 
E. /•’. />., Lynn, Mass, —1. What book gives 
special directions tor grafting roses, shrubs, 
etc., and propagating them? 2. Wlmt will re 
move boils from between the teats of a sow? 
Ans.—L H. B. Ellwauger’s book on The Rose 
is excellent (Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, 
N. Y). This does not give the details of graft¬ 
ing, however. Old files of the Rural or auy 
other agricultural paper will he found to have 
treated the topic fully. Grafti ng aud budding 
roses are performed just the same as for auy 
other plants. Roses are now propagated from 
cuttings in this country. 2. It is probably 
cow pox, which appears as large pustules or 
small boils on the udder. The disease is of uo 
importance; it will run its course and disap¬ 
pear in about 20 days. Apply lard to the 
pustules while they are hard and red; they 
will soon dry aud scab over. 
S. L,, Sharon City , N. Y .—How can I catch 
weasels ? What will they eat ? 
Ans,—I t is difficult to catch a weasel asleep 
or awake. They take only* living prey and 
suck the blood. They have been trapped by 
exposing a live rabbit iu a box with a spring 
trap iu the entrance. But an inexperienced 
trapper will fail a good many times before he 
succeeds. But why should a fanner or 
gardener wish to destroy a weasel—one of the 
best friends of agriculture as a persisteut 
enemy of rats, mice and iusects ? 
Chtderjin, Ark. —t- What is a good work on 
grape-culturo and wine-iuaking? 2. After 
planting a vineyard, how long will it take to 
come into liearing? 5. Would the Rural ad¬ 
vise a young farmer to 4 ‘go into”wine-making? 
Ans. — 1 . Hussinanu’s American Grajie-grow- 
iug aud Wine-making is the best work we 
know of: American News Co., N. Y.; price> 
81.50. 2. It is safe to say not less than four 
years. We would not advice young farmers to 
go into wiue-making. 
R. C., Uplands , Ont., Canada: What is 
Fenugreek, and what are its uses? 
Ans — It is Trigouella fcHnumgrtecum, au 
annual plant of the south of Europe and cul¬ 
tivated for its seeds, which contain oil and 
mucilage. They are employed in the prepara¬ 
tion of emollient cataplasms ami enemata and 
enter into the composition of some officinal 
ointments and plasters. Never used internal¬ 
ly. It would not pay to cultivate it in your 
climate. 
E. P. G., Montague, Mass.— 1. How late cau 
oats be sown to make a good crop of hay? 2. 
Were the Blush Potatoes seut to all subscribers? 
Ans. —1. Oats should be sown very early. 
We have never seen a good crop from late 
sow ing. They require much rain and cannot 
stand drought. Wo should not sow oats here 
later than April. 2. To every subscriber that 
applied, sending us six ceuts for part postage, 
the potato and seeds were sent 
J. .4. iV., Short Creek , O. —1. Who controls 
the Empire State Grape 4 2. Which is the best 
early strawberry for market—one better than 
Hart’s Minnesota? 3. Ls R. H Haines, of 
Moorestown, N. J., a reliable nurseryman? 
Ans.— 1. We believe J. G. Burrow, of Peeks 
kill, N.Y. 2. Hart’s Minnesota is good. Duch¬ 
ess and Duncau are the only early varieties of 
worth we can think of. 8. We do not know 
him. 
G. .4. B., Groton City, N. F.— Should un¬ 
leached wood ashes be applied to potatoes be¬ 
fore the vines appear or after, and should 
they be mixed with anything else ? 
Ans.—W e should prefer to cover the pieces 
lightly with soil and then sow the ashes. Ashes 
are good alone. Auy nitrogenous manure aud 
bone flour might lie advantageously added. 
E. .4. /?., Bailey. Colorado .—In what States 
and Territories are cranberries cultivated? 
Do they grow wild iu Nebraska ? 
Ans.—C ranberries are cultivated in nearly 
all the Northern and in some of Southern 
States. They are being tested in most of the 
Territories now. We have heard of wild 
cranberries in Nebraska. 
E. .1 JET. , Mason, X. II .—My strawberries 
set out about three weeks ago, make very little 
growth, but they are full of buds: will they 
grow faster if the buds are picked off? 
Ans. \ 0's, cut off the buds by all means. 
Strawberries set this Spring cannot make 
growth and strawberries too. 
J. E, J ,, Pittsburgh. Po .—Is Spring rye of 
any account? 
Ans.— Spring rye is very little grown. It 
requires early sowing. It is now too late for it. 
Communications received fob the week ending 
Satckdav.J uno i: 
U. K. 51. C. S. H. I„ s- H. —R. F. H.-A. J. C.-J.S. B. 
—T. I, B.-A. N. S. L. H.-W. H. T.-51. M. S.-J. D.- 
D. K.—1. M. E. T. li. H.—E. P. U.—51. K. H.-U. S. T.— 
C. M. C. -H. W.-U. 0. -J. 5V. S. —T. IL G. -B. J. R.-J. 
P. A.-J. 0. S. K. H. C.—W. H. C.-J. B. S.—T. P.—J. 
Q. S.—R. S. 55’. -J. S., thunks—'O. D.-vA. D. X;—I. D. C., 
thanks— R, J. W. M. -H. F.V K Cl Hathaway, thunks 
J. L. W.-N. H. R.—J E. C. F. D. O.-O.W. T.—G. K. 
1S.- M. J. S. M. W. F.-F. W. C. L. H.-li, C.-O. D. 
J. y. A.-J. W.-O. B. E. A. H.-C, K.T.-E. A. H. J. 
F. P S.-B. F. H. T. B. t.l.-\\\ u. \V„ thanks- W. U\ 
U. B. F. K, P. 51. W. K.F.-S, C. T.-E. P. it. It I, 
W.. thanks o. \v. E. j. n., plants received H. L.W. 
C. A. li. A. U. H. J. W, D. -C.5V.Y. J.as.-J. K. 
U. B. N -J. 11 B., the KUkai. hits never saiil, or at 
least sanctioned, that J. H. C. F, W C W P 9 
u a n \ E G-O. I 5V I, 8. H —5V \ v t 
2$bceUaneousi gnUnlteing. 
THE RUSSELL 
INDEPENDENT 
Lateral Moving Stacker, 
Complete. Convenient. Durable. 
It saves from two to fourmenonthestack. Saves 
the chat! by depositing it in the centre of the stick. 
PRICE, COMPLETE, $125.00. 
Furnished in Four Sizes. Can be adapted to 
any Thresher. Address for full particulars, 
RUSSELL & CO., Massillon, Ohio. 
NOYES’ HAYING TOOLS 
friction 
Hog 
Currier. 
OrappU 
fork. 
FOR STACKING OUT IN 
F1E1BS OR 51055 I.MJ 
A55'AY IN HARAS. 
Save labor and money: 
simple, durable, cost lmt 
little. No trouble to z«-t 
\ over blah beams nr to 
k \ rhe end ol deep buys. 
Thousands now in use. 
Wood Pulleys, 
Floor Hooka, etc. 
Send for circular 
and rteslpns lor 
truck.n« hams, to 
U. S. Wind Engine <£. Pump Co., Batav a, Kane Co., Ill, 
THE NEW PATENT • 
DUST-PROOF 
Stem Winding Open Face Case, 
MANUFACTURED BY THE 
American Watch Co., 
WALTHAM, MASS. 
This case is formed in one solid piece with¬ 
out joint or seam, opening in front only, thus 
avoiding the usual Cap, aud securing greater 
strength aud durability. 
These Watches are all open fare. The bezel, 
into which an extra strong crystal is fitted 
with au especially prepared water-proof ce¬ 
ment, is attached to the cast' by screwing it 
thereon, aud thus forms au air-tight junction 
with the body of the case, which is proof 
against dust aud moisture. 
To railroad men. travelers, miners, lumber¬ 
men and others who are aLinost constantly ex¬ 
posed and who have to make frequent reference 
to the watch, these qualities are of the utmost 
importance. 
The following letters tell their own 
story: 
“ Valdosta, Ga., July 20, 1882. 
" I sold oue of your Patent Dust-Proof Cases 
about teu mouths ago, and the other day it came 
back to me with the request to make it wind 
easier. On examination 1 found that the stem 
was rusty, aud I inquired into the cause of it. 
The gentleman stated to me that he was start¬ 
ing some saw-logs that had lodged in the bend 
of the river, when his chain caught in a bush 
aud threw his watch into about twelve feet of 
water, ami he was about two hours finding it. 
55’ hen he got it out it was running and he 
thought all right. In about three months he 
found that the stem was hard to turn and sent 
it to me. 
“ I can say that the 5vateh is all that the 
company claims for it, and recommend it to all 
railroad and mill men. B. W. Bently.” 
“ Clinton, Iowa, April 29, 1881. 
" 1 wish you would send me a spring for the 
Wm. Ellery Watch * * * By the way this 
Ellery is a watch I sold in yoiu* Screw Bezel 
Case to a farmer last Fall, The first of Janu¬ 
ary he lost the tvatch in the woods, and found 
it this week in about oue foot of water. It had 
lain three months and over in snow and water, 
with but slight injury to the watch—only a 
hair-spring. C. S. Raymond.” 
The above were very severe teste, and dem¬ 
onstrate beyond a doubt that for any reasona¬ 
ble length of time during which a watch might 
be under water it would receive no injury 
whatever. 
W e make these cases lit both gold and silver, 
Hildas h Perfectly Busi-Proof Stem Winding 
55 hi«* h fuse, Olralleuge the Worldto Produce 
Itn Kouul. 
SALS RY AU FIRST CLASS UWUtRS 
