JULY 24 
Tf the Rural, will give a good recipe, I will 
forward the price. 
Ans, —The quickest way to cure bacon is to 
rub the salt, into the fleshy side, and then pile 
the pieces on top of each other for the absorp- 
tion to be completed. As soon as the surface 
of the meat begins to be dry, it may be 
smoked. This period depends upon the 
thoroughness of the rubbing mostly, and some¬ 
what upon the condition of the curing room, 
a dry room being preferable to a damp place. 
For 100 pounds of meat, make the following 
mixture: Six pounds line salt, one ounce salt¬ 
peter, two quarts of molasses, or its equivalent 
iu sugar. For long keeping, use one pound more 
of salt. All the useful information in our own 
possession or that we can procure from others 
for “love” or money, is heartily at the dis 
posnl of every one of our readers “free, gratis, 
for nothing ”—except the subscription price of 
the paper. We are always glad to answer all 
questions because it isn’t always easy for us 
unaided to strike upon subjects for the Rural 
that are sure to lx* useful to our friends, while 
in answering a question, we are sure that at 
least one person will bo benefited. Our ambi¬ 
tion is that every issue of the paper should be 
chokeful of interesting, instmctive, and, 
above all, useful matter, aud that in no part 
of it should there be a line which did not come 
up to this standard; and iu asking questions 
our friends aid us to carry out the object of 
our ambition. 
SUMACH AND ITS USES. 
If. B. B., TMierence, Kan. —I have a great 
quantity of sumach growing on my place: 
can it be utilized profitably? Is there a market 
for it iu the West '. How aud when should it 
be prepared? 
Ans. —Sumach is used for binning light-col¬ 
ored leathers and iu dying and calico printing; 
it yields with different mordants a great va¬ 
riety of tints. Of late years the collection and 
preparation of the leaves of our native sumachs 
have assumed considerable importance espe¬ 
cially iu Virginia aud Tennessee, the headquar¬ 
ters of the industry being situated at Rich¬ 
mond, Va There are three varieties of which 
the leaves are list'd indiscriminately, viz: the 
Smooth, the Stag-horn and the Mountain Su¬ 
machs, but as the Smooth is most abundant, 
the product consists mainly of that. The 
gathering begins early in J uly and continues 
till frost. The leafy tops of the plants are 
broken off and carefully dried, the best being 
that dried iu the shade; when dry they are 
thrashed with Hails to break them up, sifted 
from all rough parts, and are then grouud 
finely in a mill, which is a largo circular stone 
set on edge and made to run in a circular 
trough by means of horse-power. The fine 
powder is sifted and bagged for sale. We 
have no knowledge of a Western market for 
sumach. 
BLISTER-BEETLE. 
11. J., Iredell Station, Texas, sends for name 
specimens of a beetle which devour the tops of 
Irish potatoes, leaving only the bare stems. 
Ans. —The insect belongs to the Coleopter¬ 
ous fumily Meluida* or Blister-beetles, the s{>o- 
i'ies being Macrobasis albida, Say. There are 
several species of this aud allied genera of 
Blister-beetles which, iu the imago state, in¬ 
juriously affect potato vines; while iu the 
larva state they an• beneficial to man by prey¬ 
ing upon the eggs of locusts. Paris-green or 
London-purple, applied in the way now fami¬ 
liar to every fanner, ts a good remedy for 
these Blister-beetles, but iu favorable localities 
they can also be driven from the fields into 
windrows of straw aud there destroyed by 
fire. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
O. J. II., West Lowville, N. Y.. asks for plan 
of root-cellar in hill-side. 
Ans. — A plan of a root cellar, cheap, simple 
aud easy was given in the Rural of June 38. 
With very little modification it could be 
adapted to our friend’s use. If the grntiud is 
hard, so that it will not cave in, it is not neces¬ 
sary to have any walls at ull. The cheapness 
of plank, or stone, depends upon local cost. 
Stone would be much more permanent Roof 
may be covered with scantling and boards, 
with the earth thrown out of the pit put over 
them. Dig back into the hill 20 feet, and 12 
feet wide and six feet high in the sides, would 
make a root-cellar large enough. There should 
be a ventilator through the center. Roots 
may r bo buried the same as potatoes, covered 
lightly unt il very euld weather, so that they 
will not heat. Then put ou manure for pro¬ 
tection. Long piles arc preferable to large 
round ones, being not so liable to heat. There 
should bo frequent veuts, through wisps of rye 
straw. 
II. II. T., Clyde, N. Y. —The bag of a cow 
that calved a fortnight ago, became caked a 
co tple of days afterwards, but was all right 
in a short time. Lust night one of the teats 
was caked very hard while the rest of the 
udder was ull right. This morning she gave 
bloody milk out of the affected teat, the 
stream at first being watery. Sh" runs iu 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
a swamp near the river; what ails her? What 
is the insect on the inclosed beans? 
Ans. —The cow probably goes iutotlie river 
and stands there as cows will do, and this 
causes the garget. If this is so, the removal 
of the cause will effect a cure. If not, the cow 
has ta ken cold, perhaps by lying in the w et. 
Bathe the part of the teat w T ith warm water 
and rub it with camphorated ointment Be 
sure to draw all the watery matter and blood 
out of the teat. 2 The bean weevil is, alas, a 
common thing now. It has come to stay-. We 
know of no remedy but to kill all the 
beetles, but we have grave fears of the 
possibility of it! 
W. F. T., Annin Creek, Pa .—What ails my 
pig? All Winter she throve well on oats and 
corn ground together. About five weeks ago 
on going to feed her I found her lying on the 
floor and shivering as if iu midwinter. She 
lay- there day- and night shivering and refus¬ 
ing to eat for five days. Towards the end of 
t hat period she would got up about once a day 
and take a drink if there were no food in it. 
As she improved in health she lost the use of 
her hind-quarters, and is still in this state, 
having to sit down when eating, otherwise she 
is now in fine condition. 
Ans. —The shivers, or convulsions were 
caused by constipation, or interuni inflamma¬ 
tion, maybe by worms. Feed a quarter Of a 
{mhi ud of Epsom suits dissolved in milk. If 
this does not cure, give a tablespoonful of 
spirits of turpentine diluted with milk twice, 
one day intervening, which will kill worms. 
Turn the pig to grass, if possible. The ina¬ 
bility to use the hind legs often indicates 
worms in the kidneys. 
M. W., Potsda m , N. Y., 1. Is there a breeder 
of Guernsey cattle iu this (State? 2. Are the 
Guernseys a distinct breed of cattle? 8. Are 
they superior to the Jerseys for butter and 
quanity of milk. 
Ans. —1. Among others the following 
brood Guernseys iu this State.—L. W. Led- 
yard, Cazeuovia; Henry A. Morgan, Aurora, 
Howard G. White, Syracuse, Seth Bonfoy, 
West Winfield, and W. Crozier, NOrtliport, 
L. I. 2, Yes. 8, They tire uot considered so. 
There arc no records of Guernsey cows that 
have produced such heavy butter yields as 
those credited to some Jerseys; but Guernseys 
in general are thought to be about as good as 
ordinary Jerseys for butter aud milk The 
Jerseys, however, undoubtedly have won a 
higher reputation, and we are not among 
those who run down or protend to undervalue 
a person or thing because he or it hasachieved 
success. 
A. It., Decatur, Mich. —I. Is the green worm 
about one-fourth of an inch long that is eating 
the leaves of my currant bushes, the currant 
worm, aud how should it be treated? 2. How 
old are quinces when they begin to bear ? 
Ans. —1. Yes, the currant-worm, no doubt. 
Yom’ best remedy would be to dust the bushes 
with hellebore mixed with plaster, Hour or 
tine sifted coal ashes in the proportion of one 
part of hellebore to ten of the other. Be sure 
you get pure hellebore. You may use Paris- 
greeu or Loudon-purple in the proportion of 
oue part of poison to 200 of plaster or flour 
with safety. But we don’t care to recommend 
its use. 2. The Champion Quince often bears 
the second year. The Rea’s Mammoth, or 
Apple, iu about four years. Would choose 
either of the last named. 
O. J. />., Cave, Tex. —1 wish to set out some 
grape-vines this Fall. 1. What distance apart 
should they be set each "ay? 2, What length 
should the posts be cut? 3, Should I set the 
posts when 1 set the vines? 
Ans. —1. The distance apart will vary some- 
wlint with the varieties planted. The rows 
may be six feet apart, as this distance will 
give room enough for cultivating with the 
horse. Slow-growing varieties may bo planted 
six feet apart in the row, rapid-growing ones 
from eight to ten feet apart in the row. 2. 
The end posts may be nine feet long, the in¬ 
tervening ones eight feet six inches. 8. Yes. 
We would recommend our subscriber to read 
the very useful communication of E. Will¬ 
iams upon a “grape-trellis” iu the Rural of 
June 80. 
«/. Shocmakertown, Pa. I would like to 
exchange seeds or roots with men readers of 
the Rural. 
Ans. —For two years after the Rural came 
under its present management, we tried a 
Flower and Seed Exchange Department with 
very unsatisfactory results. Some people 
were constantly trying to get in free adver¬ 
tisements; others to get stamps from our 
readers to jiay the postage ou seeds, etc., a d 
once having obtained the stamps, they failed 
to send the seeds; others practiced other petty 
frauds or tried to, so that in justice to our 
friends and to ourselves, wo discontinued a 
scheme w hich experience taught us was \ ery 
liable to abuse; nor have we since seen any 
reason for believing there is any sensible dim¬ 
inution in the number of rascals who would 
abuse such a department. 
•I. H. S., Hickory, W. Ya .—1 wish to plant 
next Fall about 40 each, of blackberry and 
raspbeiry plants, and 200 Btrawlterry vines; 
which would be best suited to this section for 
succession? What does the Rural think of 
the Big Bob Strawberry? 
Ans. —Blackberries: Kittatinuy 20;Willson’s 
Early 10: Taylor 10. Strawberries: Duchesse, 
Duncan, Charles Downing, Cnmberland Tri¬ 
umph, Sharpless, Kentucky, Manchester. 
Raspberries: We should try Eansell for earli¬ 
est—Turner, Cuthbert, Caroline (yellow) and 
New Rochelle (purple). For your climate we 
would prefer Fall as you state. We do not 
think favorably of the Big Bob thus far. 
D.C., Hermitage Landing, La.-Three weeks 
ago I planted seeds of the Sharpless Straw¬ 
berry in a bucket having a hole dialled in the 
bottom aud containing two quarts of earth. 
This was placed in a tin pan of water about 
an inch deep and set on t he veranda. All the 
seed germinated, but the vines though at first 
well and vigorous-looking pined and died 
away in couple of days; what ailed them? 
Ans. —The reason is plainly that the plants 
“damp off,” as it is termed. The drainage is 
not good. The soil becomes “soar.” Try a 
a flower pot with a handful of broken crock or 
stoues iu the bottom. Use sandy loam and 
keep it merely moist, not wet. You will then 
have no trouble. 
FI. B Bainbridge, Pa. —When is the prop¬ 
er time to set out celery, and how should it 
be done? 
—From July 1 to August 1. Plant in 
rows four feet apart and six inches apart in 
the row r . It is not necessary to plant in 
trenches, although very shallow' ones may be 
made, say four inches deep, into which the 
plants may lie set, haviug the soil underneath 
them well mixed with good, rich barnyard 
manure or fertilizer. Commence to earth up 
as soon as the plants begin to spread, so as to 
keep them growing in an upright position, 
taking care not to choke them with too much 
earth at one time. When earthing, keep the 
leaf stalks together. 
1 • F. -4., Londnnville, N. Y. —1. Can hedge 
fence lie planted exactly on the line between 
different forms f 3. What is the best pro¬ 
tection for a young hedge ? 
Ans. —1. An owner of laud owns from the 
exact line up and down to the sky and the 
center of the earth, so that- without his con. 
sent it is uot possible to plant a hedge ou the 
exact line, because every branch that grew 
over the line would trespass upon him and so 
would every root. No law can deprive a man 
of this right, iu his property. 2. A young 
hedge is best protected by a barbed wire fence, 
which will not interfere with the growth. 
IF. M., Herkimer, JV. Y. —In “Querist” of a 
late Rural, it was stated that Jerseys and 
Alderaeys were distinct breeds. How comes 
it then, that Jerseys are generally known as 
Alderney s? 
Ans. —The fact is dueiu a great measure to 
the persistency of error. Few, very few cat¬ 
tle w ere over exported from Alderney, but 
vessels trading with the Channel Islands usu¬ 
ally touched at Alderney last, aud being, in 
nautical fashion, “reported” as from that isl¬ 
and, all the cows ou board, though really from 
the Island of Jersey, were called Alderneys, 
from the name of the island from which the 
vessels were reported. 
S. E. V., Commerce, Iowa. —What is the 
value per bushel of the refuse coru from a 
starch factory, when ordinary corn is worth 
45 cents a bushel? 
Ans.—W ith corn at 45 cents a bushel, starch 
waste is uot worth more than lt‘> cents per 100 
pounds. It would be far cheaper feed to mix 
100 jtounds of corn meal costing, ground, $8 
cents, with 200 pounds of bran or shorts cost¬ 
ing $1.00, that is an average of 81 cents per 
100 pounds of the best dry feed against 24 
cents per 100 pounds of wet inferior feed. 
Twenty cents per 100 pound is too dear for 
this waste. 
-4. A 7 .. Madison, D. 7’.—Would the Yellow- 
Wood he likely to stand this climate; can it 
be raised from seed? 
Ans.—W o cannot say. Its natural habitat 
is from Kentucky southward, but we have no 
hardier tree at the Rural Grounds. It has 
stood 2C C below zero without having a bud 
harmed. \ os, it may easily be raised from 
seeds which ripen in late August. Better save 
the seeds iu sand until Spring and then plant 
iu drills. 
H. S. , 1 ork, A eb. —Which is the best and 
largest Strawberry 
-4 ns.—The Sharpless is the largest straw¬ 
berry and the quality is very good. It is ir¬ 
regular iu shape generally and not remarkably 
productive. Sometimes the berries have a 
white “ tip.” The plants are extremely hardy 
and vigorous. Pres. Lincoln is also large, 
generally irregular, but it thrives only iu a 
few places. Wo should not look for size, qual¬ 
ity, productiveness and vigor in one variety. 
J. S. L., Freeport. Ill ,—What will prevent 
cattle feeding in clover from bloating? 
Ank, i ’attle only bloat when turned upon 
450 
clover when it is wet with rain or dew, or 
when they eat too much of it. They w’ill not 
do this after having been on a few days, and 
when they are first turned on it is best to take 
them off in an hour or two and gradually in¬ 
crease the time. It is also well to give them 
plenty of salt while they are on the clover. 
“ Gretchen ,” no address, —What ails my 
Tulips that they wont bloom ? Three years 
ago, the bulbs were removed from the garden 
where they bloomed profusely to a bed in the 
front yard near to but not directly under a 
walnut tree; since then they have never 
bloomed, though there arc nearly 100 bulbs. 
Ans. —No doubt the roots, drip and shade of 
the walnut are the cause. Few plants will 
thrive near this tree. 
H. A. W ., Fluvanna, N. Y.—l. Can rasp¬ 
berries be set out in July or August with any 
prospect of a fair crop in 1884 ? 2. For home 
use which variety would be likely to afford 
most satisfaction ' 
Ans. —1. Not unless you take up suckers or 
roots and water and mulch them. It will 
hardly pay—better wait till Fall 2. If con? 
fined to one variety, we should use the Charles 
Downing for your soil and purpose. 
V. B., St. Catharines, Chit .—Will a drain 
made of pine lumber one-aud-a-quarter inch 
thick, cut five and six inches, nailed together 
,\-shape answer as well as tiles for a drain? 
Would it last many years if put three feet un¬ 
derground ? 
Ans. —We have just such drains that are 
still sound after eleven years' use. But the 
boards must rest in perpetual moisture. 
J. C. It., A o Address .—When should grape 
seed be planted, and on what kind of soil t 
W ill all kinds of grapes grow from seed ? 
Ans.—As soon as the grapes are ripe is the 
best time, if you have a suitable bay w-indow 
or conservatory to grow them in. Otherwise 
it is best to put the seeds in sand iu a box amt 
bury the box until you can sow in the Spring. 
Yes. all kinds will grow from seeds. Mellow, 
rich sandy loam is best. 
A. iS P., no address .—1, Would the iminers 
ing of shingles in coal-tar or oil render them 
more durable if allowed to dry before laying 
them ? 2. Where can I get a barrel of crude 
petroleum > 3. Where can 1 get a large map 
of the United States ? 
Ans.— 1. Unquestionably. 2. Your grocer 
can procure it for you. 3. Of Colton & Co 
N. Y. 
E. P B., Shelbyville, Ky„ I bought a set¬ 
ting of Langshan eggs from a party in Phil¬ 
adelphia. but the chicks are marked exactly 
like Plymouth Rocks, except that the legs 
are heavily feathered; Ls this right? 
Ans— The chickens should be marked 
much like Black Cochins. Many think the 
Langshans are merely Black Cochins. 
E. L . M.. Comoro, I a .—Several of my best 
apple trees have turned yellow; is there any 
treatment that will restore their former 
healthy color I 
.4as. —We do not understand the case. How 
old are the trees? Are they infested with 
borers? Is the land well-drained ? Is the soil 
good or impoverished ? 
-4. L. P,, Milwaukee, Wis.—How can a 
flower bed be cleared of ants? Do ants injure 
cherry trees which they infest? 
Ans.— Lime water or a tablespoonful of 
crude carbolic acid to two gallons of water. 
The ants do no harm to the cherry trees. 
Probably they are after the aphides (lice) on 
the leaves. 
J. A., New Sttlem , JV. Y —Where can I ob- 
tain Charles Downing strawberry "plants and 
what are some otiler good varieties i 
-ins. Write to any small fruit grower. 
The Manchester, Bidwell, Sharpless and 
Miner s Prolific are all first-class varieties. 
A. 7. Frazer, Kans .—Sends specimen of 
grass for name. 
Ans. — It is Eatonia obtusata, Gray—so 
named after Professor Amos Eaton. 
-Vmne Lost .—The bean sent to us has been 
injured by the bean weevil. 
Commcsicatioxs Received for the week endiso 
Saturday. July U: 
E. W. M,—G. G. B.—I. N. P.—T. F.-L. S. P.—R G 
tor Fair No., thanks A.S.D.-“Mlnnehaha,” accepted 
with thanks— \V. F.-R C. C.-R. G. G.-J. I. R.-f. L 
*'•— J H, D.—E. P. B.—F. F.—J. A. F.—W. I C —N R 
for Fair No’-M. W. F.-J. U. E.-A. F. B.-H. A K.- 
i; TF ~G s. a. F. D. C.-E. J. K.-Mrs. D. 
i •—H. r. K., St. Joseph Co.. Mtch., thanks; we like 
Items of ex|>ertcnce—T. P. W.-N. S. R., weeds for 
name received l. IV B. F. Y. C. v. R. j. , s. 
thanks— J. S. l’.— W. I1.T.-J1. tv. H.s.-H.s. j.p 
-A. B. C. S. J. H. S.—A. L. C. —U. E. R.—C V R 
B. W—u. Gr C.-H. A. W. - P H. G.-A. ll.-E. L. N„ 
M.D.; alas, we know not!— P. M.—L. A. R — C E P 
thanks— \\ F.-P.s.-W.W. J., a poor grain, eer’- 
taiuly— b.g., Jr., thanks—thauks J.K. — A.B A 
