JUNE 4@ 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
375 
t>f the thorough cooking of ]tork, the pork 
tape-worm is destroyed, or the larva that pro 
duo's it. All kinds of meats are infested with 
parasites, particularly game, and even fish, so 
that it is well for meat eaters to have their 
meats thoroughly subjected to heat before 
eating them. Possibly to destroy parasites 
was the origin of cooking, as the human ani¬ 
mal is the only one to oat its food cooked, anti 
a most ugly and infernal parasite, a burrow¬ 
ing worm that is generated in some of the 
lower classes of people in the Far East, is 
thought to be the fiery serpout of olden times. 
That animals Ihx-uiuc infected with the tape¬ 
worm lavvm is attributed by Dr. Loidy to 
their having access to human excrement from 
persons ha ving the tape-worm. Although neat 
cattle eschew unclean food, yet in their graz¬ 
ing habits, if hurnau excrement has been de¬ 
posited in their pastures, and the larva of any 
parasite hi connection with it is within range; 
of the licking tongues of the animals, they 
are very liable to take it in and swallow it. 
Some time ago a man in Texas sent a piece of 
pork to the Doctor in a very measly condition, 
asking him what was the matter with it, and 
adding that all the hogs in that section were 
affected with it and that the people were very 
largely dependent upon hog meat. Dr. Leidy 
replied that the hogs of that vicinity must 
have access to human excrement, to which the 
Texan replied that he did not believe there 
was a privy or water-closet building in the 
whole section! What a commentary,and what 
a punishment on uucleauliness. That 1 have 
not given Dr. Leidy’s talk with technical 
accuracy, is more than probable, but the cen¬ 
tral truth of it I believe to be correct, aud 
it sho dd serve aa a w arning to people w ho 
are careless or ignorant of the sanitary signifi¬ 
cance of which the ignoring cost numerous 
Texans so dearly. 
The Doctor mentioned the dog as being an 
animal peculiarly atflieled with parasites, aud 
that while he is in one sense one of the lx*st 
friends of man, he is in another, the worst. 
Aueut the dog, i have u friend who suffered 
greatly from a poodle dog, that, despite her 
abhorrence of it, persisted in jumping upon 
her. The dog was, unknown to its mistress, 
suffering from the mange, aud some of the 
parasites la-coming transferred to my friend's 
head produced great mischief. She had a 
great quantity of the most beautiful suuny, 
shining hair— yellow, like ripe wheat—that 
rippled below her knees, aud this began to fall 
out in the most unaccountable maimer, until 
she was in danger of becoming bald, and it 
was only by going to a specialist in scalp dis¬ 
eases that she was enabled to save a remnaut 
of it and to "enjoy the felicity” of being 
assured that that "beloved dog” was the cause 
of her misfortune. That a large proportion of 
diseases are the product of parasites has now- 
become generally accepted by scientists, aud 
the marvelous investigations and experiments 
made by M. Pasteur in Paris, are throw ing a 
world of light on many obscure maladies, and 
revolutionizing the science of medicine in 
many respects. 
A number of my acquaintances have lately 
becu suffering from rheumatism, and 1 can’t 
help thinking that this i>niuful malady, with 
many others, is often developed by living in 
rooms insufficiently heated. The tendency 
among housewives to take down tic- stoves 
upon the advent of the flr»t warm May day, 
and leave the house without the means of 
being warmed on the multitude of cool and 
damp days that unfailingly occur from May 
to October, seems irremediable. It is one of the 
most effective ways of bringing down iijsju 
the family a "dispensation of Provideueo.’’ 
The removal of Winter tlaunels aud warm 
clothiug, as well as bed covering, breeds in¬ 
finite mischief that is entirely unnecessary. 
At our house w r e have an uiien wood lire the 
year around, except in extremely warm 
weather, and the comfort, convenience and 
delightsomeness of it are more than any other 
thing iu the house, and we wouldn’t be de¬ 
prived of it for millions. 
±lft& 
NOTES BY THE WAYSIDE. 
Tall Meadow Oat Grass. 
Southwestern Virginia is not surpassed 
as a grazing section anyw here iu the United 
States. Its people know all about two tilings: 
the grasses aud cattle. Indeed, l sometimes 
fear they know- too little about anything else. 
Both the cattle and their owners hold the Tall 
Meadow Out Grass in the utmost contempt. It 
should always be written with Lhe prefix Tull, 
for its Tulin,sx is its only naxaneudution. It 
is true that it is I Kith the earliest aud the latest 
ol' grasses, but what of that if stock will uot 
eat it except when they can’t get anything 
better? I once knew a farmer to sow a strip 
of it through u pasture field lor the purpose of 
testing it. On either side were Timothy and 
clover. The cattle did uot eat any of it dur¬ 
ing the whole season. As a hay grass, it is 
uot equal to Timothy, aud it is, besides, a 
greater impoverisher of the soil. An uncle of 
mine persisted in sowing "Evergreen,” as we 
call it, and nothing else for 25 years. At the 
time of his death, his farm was worn so badly 
as to produce uext to nothing. He even per¬ 
suaded me to try some of it about 15 years 
ago, and 1 have been trying ever since to get 
rid of it. If cut for hay, it must be mown 
within a period of a few days. If it gets ripe, 
the straw is not as good as that of ripened 
chess, aud its ripening is very rapid, coming 
in, too, about harvest. 
1 make this note about this grass, because 1 
see that Prof, Shelton is disposed to regard it 
with considerable favor for Kansas. The 
people of Kansas might much better sow Or¬ 
chard Grass, though cattle are not very fond 
of that. It is certainly a better hay grass 
than the "Evergreen.” 
rural wheat tests. 
In its issue for May 18, the Rural gives 
the percentage of hardiness of a number of 
kinds of wheat. The only one that is rated at 
1<X>—that from Sir J. B. Lawes— is the only 
one of the lot which would probably lx* en¬ 
tirely worthless in this climate*, except, per¬ 
haps, on the Pacific Slope. This shows that 
there are other things to be looked after be. 
sides hardiness. A variety of which not less 
thuii 75 per cent, would survive in a severe 
Winter will answer well enough if it comes up 
to the requirements in other respects. 
My own fields of wheat were sown broad¬ 
cast about the 20tb of t )c to tier. Being in a 
sandy soil, ten) deeply plowed, aud the Fall be¬ 
ing unfavorable, the wheat got a bud start, 
and did not reach hard-pan liefore the lx-giu- 
uiug of Winter. Of the B-b. Centennial, of 
which I sowed one bushel, grown last reason in 
Pemisy Ivauia, alx_>ut one plant iu every square 
yard remains. Of the Dallas one-half is ki lied: 
all the seed was grown here last Summer. It 
promises yet. however, to make a good crop. 
Uf Fuitzo-Clawson very little is injured— 
perhaps five per cent. White Mediterranean, 
imported last year from France by the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, is exceedingly har¬ 
dy. It was sown November 15th. and not a 
single plant is killed. 
I am more that- ever convinced that four 
inches, thoroughly pulverized, is deep enough 
plowing for wheat. The sooner the plants 
reach the hard bottom and get a firm hold, the 
better. The sure plan is to drill the wheat 
after having rolled the surface, aud plant, 
neither too early nor too late. If I had used 
the roller, I should have saved both the B-b. 
Centennial and the Dallas. 1 noticed that uo 
plants of the latter were missing where 
some; horses got in aud rolled over a few spots 
shortly after it was sown. 
Pulaski Co., Va. Hugh L. Wvsor. 
entomological. 
SOME INJURIOUS INSECTS. 
The report of an experiment station should 
be* strictly correct or it u ay do more harm iu 
one way by misleading than it will do gexd in 
another. If it is wrong in one respect that 
error weakens its authority upon ull other 
points, in the report of the Ohio Agrieul 
tui-ftl Experiment Station there are some 
errors iu regard to the insect ix-sts of the gar¬ 
den, which might bo pointed out. In regard to 
the squash vine borer, it is said that nothing 
but preventives can Ik- of use; and it is recom¬ 
mended that “the vines should be pulled up 
and burned as soon as affected/’ That is a 
heroic remedy; but it may be spared. The 
eggs of tlj is moth are not always deposited 
near the base of the stem, nor nearly always; 
but more often near the joints of the vinos, 
and where the scars made by the entry of t he 
larva- are seen the grubs may lx- found ami 
killed. To do this slit one side of the vine w ith 
a penknife and open it a litt le to find the grub, 
which can tie picked out. A little eartn drawn 
over the joint and the vine w ill soon bring out 
roots and heal the wound. But no harm will 
happeu even if the vine is left uncovered. 
The beau weevil is Bruchus olssoletus and 
uot B. faba*. 
Wire-worms are uot larva* of the Elator or 
Snapping Beetles, but a true worm belonging to 
the genus Julius of the family Millipedcsor My- 
rioiXMlsor "Thousand-logs.” It has two pairs of 
legs to every joint aud a large number of joints. 
It has two short jointed anteum-e. It is the cause 
of the scabby spots upon potatoes,us I have very 
clearly proved the j»ast Summer, by putting 
them in (Hits of earth with perfect potatoes 
which were taken out badly scablK-d, The 
larva- of the Elator loo ties are cqlbd wire- 
worms, but differ outirely from the real wire- 
worms in having but six legs and no autouuu*. 
They are uot made up of rings as the wire- 
worms are. The suggestion that "applications 
of lime, salt or ashes, to the the soil is (the 
station should not use such bad grammar)— 
also found to lie beneficial,'' is not well founded: 
the best preventive is either to use fresh ma¬ 
nures or none at all. The worms are very 
abundant iu old rotten manure and newly- 
eh arefl ground. I recently opened the stom¬ 
ach of a field-mouse caught iu my barnyard, 
and found it to contain the remains of a good 
many of these wire-worms. Perhaps it might 
be well to let these inoffensive mice live some¬ 
times. H. Stewart. 
tiural <£flj)ics. 
RURAL PRIZE) SERIES, 
PROFITABLE FARMING FOR 
A POOR MAN. 
How to Become a Successful Farmer 
[The above Is the title* of n series of essays, for the 
best of which premiums wore offered by ihe Kckal 
Nrw-Yohkkm Inst, yonr, the object being to assist 
those farmers who have limited inruns or those hav¬ 
ing a small capital, about to engage in farming. 1 
They are for the most part written by those who 
have passed- through the trials of an Impoverished 
beginning to real success.] 
[Concluded.] 
Without go<xl management the garden of 
Eden would be made to produce briars and 
thorns in place of a royal harvest of profit¬ 
able crops. Place ti thriftless man on the best, 
appointed farm in the State, and it will not be 
long before he will be hedged in with "rule 
liLsh and broken pieces of old ruins iu con¬ 
fusion.” A board will be seen on the gate post 
lieariug Pilate’s inscription, “This farm for 
sale.” 
How to manage a farm successfully is one of 
the important problems of our times, aud yet it 
is accomplished by* a few; while mauy fail 
to solve it. A serious evil is found in a 
persistent determination to move iu old 
grooves, ruts and a "planting in the moon” 
system of "unlettered farming.” Thesubject is 
as wide and varied as our domain. The East, 
West and South require skill in raising the 
different, kinds of tarm products peculiar to 
the climate and soil of each section. Where 
stock raising is the most profitable, there the 
ranches are lurge and covered w ith “cattle 
upon a thousand hills.” Where the cereals 
can tie grown to profit, there a Dalrymple is 
managing successfully his scores of thousands 
of acres. Thus we say, 40, 80, or 100 acres can 
be made to pay the farmer with limited means 
who manages on the same general principles. 
Every farm requires the presence of the 
guiding (mud in performing the work to be 
done. There is alxmt the same difference be¬ 
tween “come boys,” ami "go boys to your 
work,” as there isbet.veeH success and failure! 
The plans for the day having been well 
matured, the tield is entered through a good 
gateway with all bauds on deck. The owner 
and manager must open the gate and be the 
first to outer the tield followed by the help, if 
there beany. If plowing is the work in hand, 
orders are given hi plow deep and leave not a 
foot unturned by the plow. The hands or 
teams an* not to be overcrowded in perfonu- 
ing the daily task. It is more important to 
have the work thoroughly done than to do a 
little more than can be easily performed. 
What is overdone one day will be lessened the 
next. All crops, in their season, should have 
the advantage of being vorly sown. Every 
advantage of climate, soil ami early culture 
should bo given them. I cannot urge too 
strongly the iiiqiortunee of securing the most 
perfect seed to be sown or planted. By early 
testing, its vitality may be positively known, 
and uo risk should endanger a good crop, it 
is also important that the very best varieties 
of cereals should lie sown so that a whole 
year’s labor be not lost. 
The careful attention of the successful farm¬ 
er is directed to the rotation of crops to be 
made in Ids management of the farm. He will 
uot crop year after year with the same cereal 
unless he can supply the waste in the soil with 
abundance of plant food in the form of manure 
or other fertilizers. A good plan, when other 
fertilizers ore scarce, is to “rest the land” with 
a growth of Red Clover for "green manura.” 
This is In-ing done every third year where the 
soil is thin or light, and will soon lleeome the 
rule with successful farmers. Such crops 
should be raised as are indicated by t he state of 
tiie market, present and prospective, which 
will be furnished you in your agricultural 
uupor, which must be carefully noted from 
week to week just previous to preparing the 
laud for seeding. In a word, the farmer is 
constantly on the lookout at masthead, that 
he may note the changes of the climate, the 
"conjunction of the planets,” the gradual or 
rapid changes in the market, the sudden ap¬ 
pearance of destroying insects aud the rem¬ 
edies to be applied, and the amount of farm 
produce in sight and on the market. His 
paper must be always right, and not mislead¬ 
ing; hence the best is the cheapest. This 
work of the head will make the labor of the 
hands easy as well as interesting, and is ap¬ 
plicable to the dairy and eminently so to the 
business of stock raising on a scale large 
or small. 
The busiuess of raising stock exclusively on 
a farm requires more capital than our ideal 
man is supposed to possess, hence we say to 
him not to buy even one cow at a fancy price. 
Money paid for mere “record” or pedigree is 
a waste of the "raw material . r The man 
with "small means’" should be content with 
scrub stix’k or grades. Much information 
may be gained by improving au early op¬ 
portunity to form friendly relations with 
the farmers iu your neighborhood, who take 
aud read agricultural papers aud belong 
to the progressive class of farmers. Note 
Carefully the unproved methods of such men 
and the results of their experiments, letting 
those who are older and possessed of cuusider- 
ablc means lead in untried paths, being care¬ 
ful to profit by their success iu the past. This 
will not deter you from making such experi¬ 
ments as are inexpensive anil yet leaa in the 
tine of investigations and awaken increased 
interest iu farm work. 
Caution should be exercised iu deciding to 
go into “special cultures” on a scale that would 
either injure you or draw largely upon the 
regular crop production of the farm. Hop 
growing has its attractions, but these attrac¬ 
tions iRaw 1 k- st, abuut as often as the return of 
the locust, and had better be left to those w*ho 
are in a situation to meet the large outlay 
necessary to make it pay, which will be about 
once in seven years! 
NOTES ON BACK NUMBERS. 
T. H. HOSKINS, M. D. 
Rural, May 12.—That is a fine cow, Bertha 
Morgan <p. 2SSj. She is a noble representative 
of the "Black Jei’seys,” among which are some 
of tin* best I have seen; though there are not 
many in Vermont. Some of our fanners, in¬ 
deed, hardly believe they are true Jerseys, so 
exclusively familiar are they with the light 
fawns. 
There have been a number of attempts to 
introduce not only ground limestone but 
ground slate into the fertilizer market. Prof. 
Johnson’s a rticle (p 2144) is, therefore, as timely 
as it is conclusive. There is but little soil in 
Vermout deficient in calcareous matter, yet 
quicklime often acts powerfully on our soils 
iu developing fertility. 
The method of sweet potato culture advised 
by "Dorset” |p. 21)5) was exactly that pursued 
in Kentucky, in the vicinity of Louisville, 25 
years ago. Thera is no better way, aud Dor¬ 
set's directions are very plain. 
"Elm’s” description of bis hay-rack, with 
the illustrations (p. 295-’96), is a model not 
only of how the thing should lie made, but 
also of how it should be described. An}' 
bright niau, handy with tools, can follow it 
successfully. Too many attempted directions 
of this kind are utterly blind because of omis¬ 
sions of essential points, or confusion iu the 
use of terms. 
The application of aloes for cabbage worms 
(p. 2".IT) is well worth trying. What is wanted 
is something that will kill the worms as a 
poison, yet will uot be poisonous to human 
beings. Aloes will stick to the outside leaves, 
and remain a long time. LAu atom of the 
dust will also remain in the mouth for a long 
time—several years, as we remember.— Eds.] 
It is useless to try to stop fools from rushing 
into hop culture tp. 21)7). There are hundreds 
whom the glitter of impossible dollars makes 
hopelessly insane, This is the very worst time 
of all to set out hop-yards. The shrewd old 
heads will plow theirs up next Fall,and leave 
the field to the chaps that are paying them £5 
a bushel for roots. When these are "busted” 
will be their time to slide in again. It is a 
gambling crop anyway. 
Farmers are always, and rightly, demand¬ 
ing to be taught by experienced, practical 
meu, both in matters of tillage and stock 
raising. Now there is a kiud of stock raised 
on farms called boys, that is too often shame¬ 
fully neglected and abused. Let Rural 
readers who want practical knowledge on this 
subject read Mr. Chamberlain’s article on p. 
•101. It may surprise some to hear it, but 
there is as much science in raising boys as in 
raising colts. 
Rural, May 10.—Thera was a time, uot 
long ago wheu there was little dauger iu 
urging higher fexxiing upon the farmers of 
this country. The change iu this respect has 
lieeu great iu ten years. Therefore, Col. Cur¬ 
tis is fully justified in eautiouiug against too 
