AUG 4 
THE 
BUBAL WEW-YOBKER. 
the same city, and Harrison Lockwood, a 
builder of CJintondaler The ice-house was 
put up last Fall, aud 1,000 tonsof ice were put 
in. The fruit rooms are now under way, to be 
completed in September. The rooms are six 
in number—three on the fiist door and three 
above, the lower ones being *30 by 40 feet in¬ 
side measurement; the upper ones, 20 by 33 
feet. The storage capacity is 350 tons of 
grapes as ordinarily packed, allowing a ample 
room for passage-ways for the transfer of 
packages. The system of refrigeration is 
kuowu as the Ridgway system—the Ridgway 
Company, at Philadelphia, who hold the pat¬ 
ents, being well-known manufacturers of re¬ 
frigerators aud coolers, of whom any' one feel* 
ing an interest in the subject may obtain full 
nformatiou. It is enough for the purpose 
here to say that by this system it is claimed 
that pure, dry, cold air is secured at an aver¬ 
age temperature of 40 degrees. The ice-house 
is entirely separate from the fruit rooms, re¬ 
frigeration being accomplished by means of an 
ice-box at one end of each room, and a series 
of V-shaped troughs running backward and 
forward until the cooling properties are ex¬ 
hausted. These boxes hold about 10 tons 
each, and the daily consumption of ice for the 
six rooms will be about 12 tons. This is the 
first large house that has been attempted on 
the Rulgway plan—the patents of that com¬ 
pany being hitherto applied exclusively to 
smaller refrigerators, curs, etc , and in so far 
as it is on an untried scale it will be an consid¬ 
ered au experiment, until further tested. Con¬ 
sequently many growers here are watching re¬ 
sults closely, all hoping tin.* enterprise well be 
successful. 
As to the utility of cold storage for grapes, 
different opinions are expressed, some claim¬ 
ing that grapes so treated must be sold and 
used very soon after exposure, being more 
liable to decay than those not so treated. 
Others think that if they are kept at the 
proper point of temperature—neither too cool 
nor too warm—they will keep as long as others. 
But against all theorizing aud fancied objec¬ 
tions we have the solid tact that more money 
is obtained by the practice, and the average 
Ulster County fruit-grower is still so human 
as to allow that consideration to overtop all 
others brought against it. As above remarked, 
all hope cold storage will be successful—even 
those who doubt its utility—for they see in it 
a prolongation of the season of marketing, a 
stoppage of the over-supply glutting the mar¬ 
ket, and a consequent tendency to steady aud 
better prices. Aud any enterprise promising 
these desirable results is certainly worthy of the 
attention of fruit-growers, and should have a 
fair trial, which we are waiting to see. What¬ 
ever results may attend, Rural readers will 
be apprised. Ward D. Gunn, 
The Dairy says that sulphurous acid is a 
most effective antiseptic and anti-ferment, 
and may be produced by burning sulphur 
upon live coals upon a shovel or a bed of 
earth, carried into a stable, with ]>erfect 
safety. It will also be fouud an excellent 
method for freeing dairy rooms aud cellars 
from the spores of mildew, which have a very 
injurious effect upon the milk, and upon 
butter or cheese made from milk that has been 
exposed to them. In fact, from constant pre¬ 
valence of these spores, it might be useful to 
make a practice of fumigating dairies 
occasionally, especially after a bad, damp 
spell of weather during the Rummer season. 
The homeliest writing is worth reading, if 
only it be to the point, says the London Ag. 
Gazette, and if it lie founded on personal ob¬ 
servation of something which concerns every¬ 
body. Of those who hash up afresh other 
men's writings we have enough and to spare; 
of those who would make the events of every¬ 
day life the moans of advocating some favorite 
theory we have oven a great superfluity; of 
those who will communicate to a farm paper 
their genuine farm practice and its results, 
whether these have been failures or successes, 
we have not half enough. 
-»♦« — 
The Breeders’ Gazette says that in view of 
the prejudice which has existed in favor of 
red Short-horns, it it worth recording that the 
Illinois Industrial University, the Ohio State 
and the Wisconsin State Universities Short¬ 
horn herds are now headed by roan bulls. The 
same is true of many tine herds belonging to 
private individuals. The bull which many 
judges have pronounced “the best bull in 
America,” is a roan. Is it not time to pro¬ 
claim emancipation from the foolish prejudice 
which has kept many excellent animals from 
service? American Jersey bleeders deserve 
credit for making the butter production 
standard popular, instead of the absurd one 
which rested so largely on color. English 
Short-horn breeders have never bowed down 
before the red fetich. Need Americans do so , 
PITHS AND SUGGESTIONS. 
Mr. A. M. Purdy says that the Manchester 
is a splendid market strawberry, but so nearly 
like Hovey in plant and fruit that he can 
hardly see the difference. With him both are 
great yielders, and if there is any difference 
the Hovey is the better-flavored berry. 
Hk says that his Big Bob strawberries were 
magnificent.. • * *. 
Mn. Purdy has whitewashed his fruit, trees 
for 30 years and closely observed the results 
which have invariably been to make smoother 
bodies aud healthier trees. He therefore 
designates the articles in some of his exchanges 
which oppose whitewashing as injurious to the 
trees as ‘•merebosh”. 
The Garden mentions a case where a pains¬ 
taking but poorly informed gardener first 
shelled his fine harvest of Lima Beans and 
sent them to market in barrels—in a most 
superior shape, as he thought. The green 
beans just from the pods, thus packed close 
together, soon molded, and by the time they 
reached the commission merchant they were 
only fit for the garbage cart. 
A ROUGH method of raising strawberries i s 
also mentioned, that of first mowing with the 
mowing machine and then plowing alternate 
stupe three to four feet wide. In this way a 
bed of Crescents and Charles Downings (which 
supplied a large Summer boarding-house) was 
kept up for years,... 
If any grain, vegetable or fruit, has superior 
merit, it will soon be ascertained in the 
present age, because numbers stand ready to 
try everything new, that has any promise, re 
marks the editor of the Rural Home. It is 
almost impossible for any man to form an un¬ 
biassed judgment, or to make a perfectly fair 
trial where he is interested, however honestly 
he may seek to do so. In the language of 
Burns: 
“ When self the wavering balance shakes, 
It’s rarely right adjusted”. 
The Haitford Courant says that in solving 
many of our agricultural problems, the ob¬ 
serving farmer is the peer of the mer e 
scientist. The safest guides for the farmer are 
observation aud experience directed by the 
lights of knowledge. Now that is a good, 
forcible way of putting it. 
Swivel plows and disc harrows, with a 
dressing of good fertilizer and seed, will renew 
an old meadow at once, and there is no more 
profitable time to plow than during cloudy 
weather in July and August.... 
The Dairy names Heury as the poultry 
maid’s young man, aud Cowper as her poet... 
But is it necessary to go to Englund for 
polled cattle? asks Mr. A. W. Cheevcr. Right 
here in our own country he believes there are 
now more polled cattle suitable for foundation 
stock, than exist in all England But isn’t it 
the black Scotch not the red English Polls 
that are booming ?..... 
lx is Mr. W C. Strong’s judgment that it is 
quite time that the truth should be published 
that there are few kinds of pears aud apples 
worthy of cultivation. 
If you have no fruit room, Winter j>eurs arc 
worthless, says Mr. E. W. Wood. .. 
The Fruit Recorder says that the quicker 
you get out } ouug strawberry plants after 
this date, the larger the crop next. year. In 
fact, if sot this month, they w ill yield almost 
a full crop next year..... 
Cut off the tips of blackberry and raspberry 
canes—that is, the tips of the new grow th.... 
Look for your money whore you lost it. 
Mu. Olcott says that rusted, blasted and 
winter-killed strawberry plants, can no more 
use manure than a loan sick with malaria can 
make the best use of food... 
Oliver Wendell Holmes says that 
science is a first-rate piece of furniture for a 
man's upper chamber, if he has common sense 
on the ground floor. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Canada. 
Brighton, Ont. —Spring w'as late aud cold. 
Winter wheat and clover came out well in the 
Spring. The latter is u tine crop. The former 
promises well, the heads are well filled. Bar 
ley and oats are looking flue, (ora and 
potatoes are backward Corn will hardly 
make a good crop this year, 'through June 
ami so far in July there has been a heavy rain 
every week. The apple crop is thin. Other 
fruits abundant; iff, m. 
Dakota Territorj. 
Aberdeen, Edmunds Co., July 9.— 
It is very dry with only now aud then a 
shower which does not amount to much. 
Ever' thing is suffering for rain at present. 
Wheat which two weeks ago bid fair to go 
from 30 to 35 bushels per acre, is all eady re¬ 
duced one-half. Our potatoes are being 
damaged by a small bug which resembles the 
lightning bug, but is a shade smaller. Its color 
is sometimes black and others are a grayish 
green. H. T. D. 
Westport, Brain Co., July 10. —From my 
Niagara Grape seeds I have 27 very nice grape 
sports, some of them have the fifth leaf out. 
My Shoe-peg Corn is looking line. The wheat 
is uot doing very well, but it has been very 
dry here this season, and I lay the fault to 
that. The melons are doing nicely. J. e. p. 
Illinois. 
Chicago, Cook Co., July 16—I hear very 
little complaint alxmt the crops here in the 
Northwest. Wheat aud oats, except in locali¬ 
ties visited by the cyclones and hail storms, are 
all reported a fair average and corn is doing 
very well. The only complaint 1 hear about 
is in Southern Indiana and Illinois. There 
wheat aud corn will not go much over oue- 
half or two-thirds of un average. h. w. k. 
Walnut, Bureau Co., July 15.—We have 
had a wet, backward Spring—prospects of 
crops are poor. Wheat not. much sown. 
What there is, is looking well. Oats are a 
large acreage, but prospects rather poor. 
Corn is backward. The greater portion had 
to be replanted on account of a severe, cold 
Spring, Hav is a fine crop. As for potatoes 
there was never a better show for gooa 
yield. Fruit has a poor prospect, excepting 
small fruits, cherries und such, which are doing 
well. 
I n il i mm. 
W. C. 
Fairmount, Grant Co., July 16.—Crops in , 
this part of Indiana were rather late, and a 
large amount of raiu fell; but, considering 
both drawbacks everything is looking well. 
Corn is just beginning to tassel out, and has a 
most beautiful color. Outs have grown rank. 
In harvesting wheat it was found to bo light, 
aud it shrinks badly in curing, being injured 
by the rust. Fruit will be a better crop this 
year than last, as the trees have recovered 
somewhat from the cold, of the past Winters. 
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries have 
been plentiful with those who have plants. 
Vegetables were uever better. It is the gen¬ 
eral exclamation of those who raise them, 
“My potatoes uever were so nice os this year 
—large, smooth, and plentiful in the hill.” 
Melon vines are growing nicely. Insects are 
less numerous than usual. This is especially 
the case with the currant worm. Rome made 
their appearance earty and were dispatched 
with some kind or other of insect-killers, und 
since then they have not made their appear¬ 
ance, Cabbage worms and potato bugs have 
been scarce, I have noticed the cherries on 
young trees were mostly stung, but that is a 
common thing with young trees. Hardy 
flowering plants were badly injured by the 
cold last Winter. Tulips, Pinks, and many 
other kinds were nearly all killed in our gar¬ 
den, thus we are deprived Of many flowers. 
Our Niagara Grape vines are coining up well; 
10 are-up. They were planted in the garden 
rather late, but urc now looking well. A. I*. 
La Porte, La Forte Co., July 14.—If the 
crops are all in as good condition throughout 
the West as they are between Kulauiuzoo, 
Mich, and here, I do not see what the farmers 
have to complain of. To be sure there has 
lieeu a great deal of rain, but corn is away 
ahead of Iasi, year and 1 have only seen one or 
two poor fields. Wheat and grass look 
splendid. The wiieat, harvest is in progress 
and 1 have seen some fine samples of this year’s 
wheat; the heads are long and well filled with 
plump lierries. The thrashing machine men 
tell that there is a full average crop in South¬ 
ern Michigan and Northern Indiana, w. h. k. 
Iowa. 
Cottonville, Jackson Co.. July 12. —Hay 
the heaviest for years, oats look excellent, and 
more were sown in this vicinity than in any 
previous year. Not much wheat sown What 
Fall wheat is sown looks very good at present 
Corn is coming out finely since the warm 
weather commenced and promises to lie a 
good crop. T. c. 
Ob K a LOOS A, Mahaska Co., July 11.—We 
have lmd three wet Summers in succession, 
which is uot common. We lmd in the latter 
part, of June two weeks of dry and warm 
weather, the mercury standing at, times at 100 
degrees. It altered the appearance of corn 
greatly. Since July can e it ha-s been raining, 
which puts a damper on haying. Grass is 
abundant,, oats and rye good, aud wheat is 
good, what little wheat, was sown. Corn now 
looks as if it might be an average crop. All 
kinds of stock are good. Prime cows bring 
from to $50; good horses for service with¬ 
out blemish, $106 to $200; butchered stock, $3 
to $3.50 per cwt.; Chickens, 20c. to 25c. a- 
piece; Bpring chickens, $4 per doz. s. R. p. 
iUIo ItiKun. 
Bear Lake, Manistee Co., July 14.— My 
Niagara Grape seeds were divided into three 
parts; all received four days’ soaking in warm 
water. One portion was kept, moist all the 
time aud began to germinate freely in about 
four weeks till about twenty plants were 
visible. A few of those died. Another part 
v as left more as nature does her work, 
watered occasionally, aud did not begin to 
germiuate under six weeks aud then very 
slowly; but the plants seemed much stronger, 
though perhaps uot so numerous. There were 
but a few seeds in the third dish, and these 
were left to freeze, and it was fully two months 
from the time of planting before they showed 
a sign of life. Then three plants put iti an ap¬ 
pearance, and now three more have just got 
above ground. I lost some in transplanting, 
but have about 80 good plants, besides two 
plants from raisin seeds. Borne of the “ garden 
treasures” arc doing well, others are slow 
about showing green leaves. m. e. a. 
Bear Lake, Manistee Co., July 10. —Wheat 
is a poor crop, being very spotted owing to 
the deep snow of Winter and excessively dry 
weather through the month of April. May 
was as much too wot, for there ivas almost a 
continuous fall of rain all through the month, 
and until the 26Hi of June, which kept the soil 
cold so the funnel's wore late about getting in 
Spring crops. Oats for the most part look 
well, though I notice some pieces are locking 
very yellow. The season is fully' two weeks 
later than usual, so corn looks small for this 
time of year. Much of it has only been culti¬ 
vated through for the first time. Quite a large 
area has been put into potatoes. The potato 
beetles still hover around as numerous as ever, 
notwithstanding the tons of Paris-green and 
London-purple that are used for the extermi¬ 
nation of the pests. In going through the 
orchards 1 find but very few apoles, even on 
trees that blossomed full. Peaches bid fair to 
be abundant. Plums are “ curcuiioed ” nearly 
to death. Pear trees blossomed full, but the 
fruit is very scarce, as are also cherries. Every 
fanner has at least a small strawberry patch, 
and the strawberries pay about as well for the 
trouble bestowed as any fruit that grows. It 
is a crop that seldom fails in this country, aud 
comes into bearing the soonest of all. m, e. a, 
Stanton, Montcalm Co., July 16. —After a 
dry season unusually long, about May 2 it 
commenced to rain and has rained about four 
times a week over since. Corn was planted late 
and abonthalft.be seed failed to grow, and the 
weather has been so wet, that fanners could 
hoe only very little of what did come up. The 
stand is very late and wont be over half a 
crop, even if we have a lute Fall. It has been 
too wet for oats: they are about three-quarters 
of an average crop. Grass is good, but it is 
doubtful if we can make hay on account of the 
wet weather; some have been trying to do so 
for two weeks, but have had poor luck so far. 
There is but little fruit, in this section. A 
great many potatoes rotted before they came 
up, and the bugs are terribly thick on those 
growing. Wheat is very lute—will be ready 
to harvest in about two weeks if we get some 
good weather. H. T. c. 
ill inue*olu. 
Clyde, Winona Co., July 16,—Notwith¬ 
standing the lateness of the season, all crops 
look very well here. Corn ha« made u won¬ 
derful growth since the first, of July. Bmall 
grains are “booming.” The prospects fora 
fair crop of wheat have not, l»ecn better in five 
years. The acreage is quite small, some of 
our l>est farmers not sowing more than five 
acres, 80 acre* living a maximum. Potatoes 
are doing well. The beetle is here but doing 
very slight damage; in fact, this section is 
1 singularly free from all insect (tests this year. 
Shoe-peg Corn tall; will tassel hIkjuI July 35. 
B b Centennial Wheat goue to grass; will uo^ 
head. Blush Potato a powerful grower; later 
than Early Rose. Watermelons growing hand 
somely; not a good country for melons. 
Balance of seeds doing well. This is one of 
the most beautiful States in the Union; with 
its hills, green fields, groves, aud snug farm¬ 
houses. Red barns and wind-mills are quite 
a feature, almost every farm having its wind¬ 
mill. I can count 30 farm-houses from where 
I live. * I. M. W. 
Wyoming, Chisago Co., July 17.—Crops in 
t-liis part of the country are looking well. 
Borne corn is nearly waist high, w bile some is 
smaller. The prospect of a good crop is better 
now than last, year at, this time. The acreage 
in potatoes is larger than last years. The war 
with the bugs is at its bight. Chinch bugs 
damage the Bpring wheat. Ryu is very nice 
aud promises a large yield. The Rural eorns 
created u surprise last year, and I intend to 
have them better ripened this season. The 
Rural w heats have remarkably largi heads. 
Thanks to the Rural’s instruction, I have the 
bust'gardon in the town, H * 
