SEPT 8 
§ 0 ^ 
THE RURAL MEW-YORKER. 
ens—about 300—also 34 Toulouse geese and 59 
Pekin ducks in a joint w ay. They sell ducks, 
geese, hens and hen eggs, and you ought to 
see the changed aspect around our home. The 
boys are no more sleepy and stupid; the girls 
are no more indifferent; but everything seems 
to be hurry and bustle. Work seems an en¬ 
joyment instead of a drudgery, and it does 
Mary and me good in our leisure momeuts to 
hear them laying plans, arguing points and 
discussing their work and intentions. 
Well, after all the change, Mary and I 
thought we would run a little farm of our 
own, so I staked off an acre for us, and we 
took the Rural’s seeds and some others that I 
was experimenting with, and plauted them. 
About 79 per cent, of everything came up and 
all were doing finely till a frightfully wet spell 
came on One night a thunder-gust came up 
and my Shoe-peg Cora started for the Gulf of 
Mexico. The Black-bearded Centennial t\ heat 
all went except 11 heads and they had no 
beards. The watermelons all went but one 
hill, and it wont amount r.o anytbiug. We 
saved a few flowers and the Blush Potato in 
one corner of the patch. This I had cut into 
six pieces: they look fine and are earlier than 
the Early Rose, but I have not taken them up 
yet as I want all for seed next year. Thrash¬ 
ing is going on. Wheat is making from 10 to 40 
bushels per acre; rye from 15 to 30; oats from 
30 to 60; and corn promises from 30 to SO; 
cows bring from £40 to £00: horses from £75 
to £175; wool 13 cents per pound; lambs $1.25; 
wethers £2.25, and ewes $8.25; butter 10c.; 
eggs 10c.: corn 28c., oats, new, 10c.; rye, new, 
25c. and no sale; wheat, new Spring, OQc.; 
potatoes 30c. J - H. N. 
Maryland. 
Kennedy ville, Kent Co., Aug. 21 —My 
Blush Potatoes are fine. I had 22 eyes and 19 
came up and grew. I planted them on May 
15, and on Aug. 18, I dug 29>, pounds of large 
tubers and pounds of small ones. They 
are as pi c-tty as can be grown. My corn is 
fine. We have half a crop of peaches in this 
county and are getting fine prices. Potatoes 
a good crop, and coni is more than an average 
crop. c - E - 
Missouri 
Saleh. Dent Co., Aug. 24.—Harvest over 
and nearly forgotten. Thrashing nearly done; 
yield short in wheat but good in oats. Hay 
crop light, it ami wheat having been badly 
winter-killed and badly damaged again by se¬ 
vere frost in May. Prospect for corn aud po¬ 
tatoes, in bushels, good; but in price poor. 
The season, all the way through, has been a 
great deal too wet—too wet to plow to-day. 
None of my grape seeds grew. The Rural 
has been very valuable this year. w. h. f. 
New York. 
Brocton, Chautauqua Co., Aug. 18.—The 
fore part of the season was very wet up to 
about the middle of July; sineo then it has 
been quite dry. Hay, a good crop. Grapes 
were very badly injured last Winter by the 
cold weather, so there will not be a very large 
crop. 1 planted the Niagara Grape seeds 
about the middle of March. Only two started 
and they withered and died. I planted the 
Blush Potato at the same time as the Early 
Rose, on the same kind of ground, and they 
were up four days ahead. The Shoe-peg Cora 
is doing well; one stalk measures eight feet 
aud will have two ears on it. A, Subscriber. 
Portville. Cattaragus Co., Aug. 18.—We 
had a very wet Spring and Summer up to Aug. 
1, since which date it lias been very dry. Oats 
are first-rate. Hay has been about an aver¬ 
age and is almost all cut aud in. Cora almost 
a failure, owing to the wet Spring. Winter- 
wheat better than usual; but the weather has 
been too wet for getting it in, and some has 
grown. Early potatoes are badly rotting— 
not more than one-third good. Buckwheat 
looks about an average crop. Scarcely any 
apples here. Pastures are all drying up, aud 
milk receipts falling off fast. G. w. P. 
Ohio. 
Newport, Washington Co., Aug. 12.—I 
have this day dug my Blush Patatoes. I cur 
the original two little potatoes into 20 pieces, 
with one eye to the piece, making 20 hills. 
Planted in good garden soil. Dugand weighed 
each bill Ly itself, making 74).i pounds. One 
hill was dug into by a dog; another broke off 
when it was in blossom; had they not been in¬ 
jured I would have had 80 pounds. The seven 
best hills averaged five pounds. Giving five 
square feet to the hill, which wus all they had, 
it w r ould give 7891^ bushels to the acre. The 
best hill would have averaged 850 bushels to 
the acre, having produced 5$£ pounds. I have 
been raising potatoes for 50 years; but I have 
never got so many from so little seed. If two 
ounces give 74 pounds, one bushel would give 
593 bushels. My grape seeds all came up but 
many of them died after they had the third 
and fourth leaves. I have about 20 nice vines 
hat I will watch with interest s. a. d. 
Pennsylvania. 
Stroudsburg, Monroe Co., Aug. 19.— 
I received this Spring two small Blush Po¬ 
tatoes in the Rural Seed Distribution. At 
the time they were carefully put away, but 
when planting timo came I found my little 
girl bad taken possession of those two potatoes 
and planted them for her benefit between two 
hot-bed frames in the garden. I gave them 
up for lost, especially on seeing vines three 
feet long ami over, but on the 17th inst. she 
surprised me with the remark that her pota¬ 
toes were ripe and had to be dug There 
were fifteen potatoes in the hill, weighing three 
pounds five ounces, and of two of them I send- 
n drawing—one weighing 15 ounces, the other 
IP 1 , ounces—only to show what this potato 
will do without even the slightest cultivation. 
The potatoes were planted about May 1, aud 
taken out August 17. E. U. 
[The larger drawing shows a potato six and- 
a-balf inches long by three in diameter.—E ds.] 
Wallsyille, Lackawanna Co.. Aug. 22.— 
Corn and potatoes nearer a failure than at any 
time for tire last 40 years at least, owing to 
continued wet weather from soon after plant¬ 
ing until past the time for a second hoeing, 
consequently there is a large growth of weeds 
and a small growth of com ami potatoes. Oats 
were excellent-better than an average. Win¬ 
ter grain a fair crop. Apples scarce; pears 
and peaches middliug. Wild blackberries 
abundant, many of which it would be hard to 
beat with cultivated varieties. 1 think there 
must be some mistake about the Shoe-peg Corn 
ripening any where in the 1 uited States. 
Mine, planted about May 25, is eight to 10 Feet 
high, not all fairly tasseled yet. w. e. n. 
Texas. 
C’ircleville, Williamson Co., Aug. 14.— 
I’ve just been reading the Rural and feel so 
much encouraged by it that 1 cannot help 
writing to say so. This has l<een a very dry 
year with us. We have had only three light 
rains since crops were planted; but they have 
done better than we expected. Corn will 
make from five to twenty-five bushels per 
acre; wheat from five to fourteen; oats from 
five to forty. Cotton it is estimated w ill make 
about, one bale to six acres. Our Irish pota¬ 
toes were plauted in February and harvested 
in June; they made at the rate of 54 bushels 
per acre. Our land is black aud very spongy; 
it requires a great deal of rain to keep it wet. 
Wells of water are obtaiued from eight to 
thirty feet deep, and there are various sorts 
of water from lime to sulphur. The timber is 
little—Elm, Oak, Pecan and Walnut princi¬ 
pally. Of the Shoe-peg Cora 58 kernels were 
planted and 5U came up. A mule eat half of 
the com after it was in tassel, and crows ate 
about half of the remainder, so I only realized 
enough grains for testing in 1884. 1 believe it 
will do well here in a seasonable year. The 
Black-bearded Centennial Wheat came up 
splendidly, but as only one rain fell on it, it did 
not head out well aud a stray hen with a brood 
of little ones got before me in gathering il. 
It was almost too late to plant in this 
climate. N- m - 
£l)t (Jlufrisi. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to insure attention^ 
POINTS OF EXCELLENCE OF BROWN LEG¬ 
HORN FOWLS. 
A. H., Bath, N. F, What are the “Points 
of Excellence 1 ' of Brown Leghorn fowls? 
DISQUALIFICATIONS. 
Ans.— Comb, twisted, or falling over to 
either side, in cocks, or pricked or duplicate 
in hens; red ear-lobes; crooked backs; wry 
tails; legs other than yellow; white or par¬ 
tially white feathers in hens. 
{White or partially white feathers in cock¬ 
erels to be cut severely as a defect, but not 
as a disqualification.) 
THE COCK. 
Head: Short and deep, and, in color, a 
dark, reddish-bay, shading into a lighter hue 
on the neck;—Beak, yellow, with a dark stripe 
down the upper mandible:—Eyes, red, full 
and bright:—Face, bright red, free from 
wriukles or folds. 
Comb: Bright red, of medium size, firmly 
fixed on the head, single, straight, deeply ser¬ 
rated {having but five or six points) extending 
w ell over the back of the head, aud free from 
twists, side-sprigs or excrescences. 
Ear-lobes and Wattles ; Ear-lobes, white 
or creamy-white, fitting close to the head, 
and rather pendant, smooth aud thin and 
free from folds or wrinkles:—Wattles, bright 
red, long, thin and pendulous. 
Neck: long, well arched and well hackled, 
the hackles being a rich golden-bay, striped 
with black. 
Back: Of medium length and width, very 
dark red, approaching black on the lower 
part, each feather striped with golden-bay. 
Breast and Body: Breast, black, full, 
round, and carried well forward:—Body, 
rather broad, but heaviest forward, the un¬ 
der part black. 
Wings: Large aud well folded; bows, dark 
red. each feather striped with golden-bay; 
primaries, black, each feather edged with 
golden-brown; secondaries, black, the out¬ 
side web broadly edged with brown; coverts, 
a metallic or greenish-black, forming a well 
defiued bar across the wings. 
Tail: Upright, large and full: sickle-feath¬ 
ers, large and well curved; color, metallic or 
greenish-black; coverts, rich black, with a 
greenish reflection. 
Legs: Thighs, of medium length, and black 
in color:—Shanks, long, and, in color, bright 
yellow: Feet, yellow, with a delicate dark 
stripe down each toe, the smaller the better. 
Carriage: upright and proud. 
THE HEN. 
Head: Of medium size, dark brown, ap¬ 
proaching bay, the feathers shading off to 
yellow behind the comb, striped with black: 
—Beak, rather long and stout, in color, yel¬ 
low, with a dark stripe down the center:— 
Eyes, red, full and bright:—Face, red, and 
free from wrinkles or folds. 
Comb: Red, of medium size, single, droop¬ 
ing to one side, evenly serrated, and free 
from side-sprigs. 
Ear-lobes and Wattles: Ear-lobes, white 
or creamy-white, fitting close to the head, 
and rather pendant, smooth and thin, and 
free from folds or wrinkles;—Wattles, bright 
red, thin, and well rounded. 
Neck: Long ami graceful; color, yellowish- 
brown, each feather striped with black. 
Back: Dark-brown, each feather penciled 
with a lighter brown. 
Breast and Body: Breast, full and round: 
in color, a dark salmon-brown, shading off 
light under the body:—Body, deep aud 
plump, and broader in front than in the rear 
—color, brown. 
"Wings: Large and well folded; primaries, 
a dull black, the outer edge slightly penciled 
with light brown; secondaries, a dull black, 
the outer web finely penciled with light 
brown ; coverts, dark brown, finely penciled 
with light brown. 
Tail: Upright, loug and full, color, a dull 
black, unevenly peueiled with light brown 
outride; inside a dull black. 
Legs: Thighs, slender, and of medium 
length; in color, ashy-brown:—Shanks, long, 
and bright yellow in color:—Feet, yellow, 
with a delicate dark stripe down each toe, the 
smaller the better. 
Carriage: Not so upright as that of the 
cock. 
POINTS IN BROWN LEGHORNS. 
Symmetry,. 
Size,. 
Condition,. 
Head, ,. 
Comb, . 
Ear-lobes and Wattles, 
Neck, . 
Back,. 
Breast and body, . . . . 
Wings, .... 
Tail,. 
Legs, . , . . . 
10 
10 
10 
ry 
15 
15 
5 
l 
o 
. 8 
. 5 
5 
5 
100 
HOLLOW-HORN AND WOLF-IN-THE-TAIL, ETC. 
J. I. C., Marietta,Ga .; 1, How about Hollow 
Horn and Wolf-in-the-Tail? 2, Will land made 
rich with mineral fertilizers aloue produce 
good crops continuously for years? 
Ans.- 1 , Hollow- horn, as the term is generally 
nsed, is one of the “imaginary diseases 11 of 
cattle. Very early in life a cavity begins to 
form in cattle in the bone of tne skull beneath 
the horn which it penetrates, continuing to 
enlarge during the life of the animal. In old 
animals the bora couedste of a thin shell of 
bone with a large c-avity inside, divided, per¬ 
haps, by thin, bony partitions, aud lined with u 
delicate, sensitive mucous membrane. This is 
the natural condition of the horn designed by 
Providence to lighten what would otherwise be 
heavy and cumbersome. Attention was prob¬ 
ably directed to the horns as the seat of the 
disease, because in all serious troubles the ex- 
tremities—the ears, horns aud limbs— are cold 
or alternately hot and cold. On boring, it 
was found that the horn was hollow, while it 
was supposed that it should be solid, and it 
was therefore imagined that the horns were 
the chief seat of the disease; and poor ani¬ 
mals already ailing have over and over 
again, bean subjected by ignorance and quack¬ 
ery to keen suffering on account of their horns 
being pierced with gimlets aud filled with 
irritating matter. The symptoms usually at¬ 
tributed to “hollow-horn” or “horn-ail” are in 
reality signs of some disease in some other part 
of the system, and with the removal of this, 
the “horn-ail 11 symptoms will disappear. 
According to Professor James Law, however, 
real horn-ail sometimes does exist, but is of 
very rare occurrence. Matter collects inside 
of the horn, and eveuin the forehead, in lar¬ 
ger quantity than can be readily discharged 
through the nostrils. It may be recognized by 
the discharge from the nose of a white or yel¬ 
lowish matter, and sometimes of pure blood; 
by the heat and tenderness at the root of the 
horns aud in the forehead; by the hanging 
head, the partially closed eyes, great, dullness 
and listlessness, aud by the absence of a hollow- 
sound when the forehead is tapped with the 
tip of the middle finger. Boring the horn 
with a gimlet or sawing it off must not, how - 
ever, be practiced as a remedy. The treat¬ 
ment should be absolute rest, a dose of open¬ 
ing medicine, a semi-liquid, more stimulating 
diet, the application of cold water, or oven hot 
fomentations steadily maintained, to the fore¬ 
head, steaming the nostrils by hot-water 
vapor, aud in obstinate cases, opening the 
cavity between the eyes aud syringing daily 
with a mild astringent lotion until healthy ac¬ 
tion has been established. This operation 
should be performed by a veterinary surgeon, 
however. 
“Wolf-iu-the-tail" usually co-exists with 
“hollow-horn” and is equally without founda¬ 
tion as a cause of disease. In the tall of a 
healthy cow the bones, which are quite large 
at the root, gradually diminish in size until 
they finally disappear entirely, their place 
being supplied by a rather soft, flexible gris¬ 
tle. During any serious internal disease the 
circulation in the tail, as in the other extremi¬ 
ties, is lessened, and the part becomes relaxed. 
Sometimes there is a slight dropsical infiltra¬ 
tion, which often makes it difficult for one who 
handles the tail to convince himself that some 
of the bones ore not really wanting. I heir 
absence is then accounted for by supposing that 
they have been devoured by a hypothetical 
worm—the “wolf 1 —but though “cow doctors 1 ’ 
have sometimes found this marvel we have 
never heard that it has been seen by a trust¬ 
worthy practitioner. Here, asinhollow horn, 
when the real disease is properly treated, the 
imaginary disease ol wolf-in-the-tail disap¬ 
pears. 2, Yas, if the right sorts are used. 
FRUITS FOR SOUTHERN TEXAS, ETC. 
J. H. T., Eureka, Nevada, 1, What is a 
good work on cotton culture, aud, 2, what is 
a standard one on general farming? 3, W hat 
fruit trees would be suitable for Southern 
Texas? 
Ass.—1, Cotton Culture, by Joseph Lyman, 
andJ. R. Sypher, price $1.50; The Cotton 
Planter’s Manual, by J. A. Turner, price 
$1.50; both to be obtained through the near¬ 
est book-store or the American News Co.,* 
N. Y. 2, Farming for Profit; price $4.50, pub¬ 
lished by J. C. McCurdy & Co., Philadelphia, 
Pa., is as good as auy we kuow of; but a 
really good work on the subject is a desidera¬ 
tum. 3. M ost kinds of peaches do well. As 
the early varieties ripen in May, they are 
perhaps the most preferable; the ding-stones 
are in greater demand than free-stones for 
local markets. The trees grow well aud come 
into bearing early; but they arc not long- 
lived. Spring frosts or cold, wet “uorthers 1 
often hurt the peach tree blossoms, and in that 
way shorten the crop, but taking every¬ 
thing into consideration Tcxus is an ex¬ 
cellent peach State. Early Beatrice, Rivera, 
Tillotson, Amsden, Alexander, Troth’s Early, 
Crawford’s Early and Late, Large Early 
York. Coe’s Early Red, Stump-the-World, 
Amelia, Columbia. Druid Hill, Yellow St. 
John, Lady Parham, Baldwin’s Late, Moun¬ 
tain Rose, Picquctt’s Late, Smock, Susque¬ 
hanna, Chinese Cling (the most favored of all) 
Indian Blood Cling, Lemon Cling, Oldmixon 
Cling, Heath Cling, Washington Cling, Rod¬ 
man's Cliug. Grapes are uot such a certain 
crop as peaches are. The vines grow well 
for a few years, but in mauy eases soon be¬ 
come enervated. They often bear heavy 
*erops of fruit and uot infrequently the grapes 
rot before they ripen. It is evident we are in 
need of a set of grape-vines especially adapted 
for Texas. The Vitis vimfora or foreign 
grapes have not been grown very successfully 
in Texas; iu fact, phylloxera often kills them 
there. Agawam, Concord, Delaware, Merri- 
mae, Massusoit, Iona, israella, Delaware and 
Hartford Prolific do fuirly well iu Southwest¬ 
ern Texas aud very welliu Eastern and North¬ 
ern Texas, but the licrbcmont is the very best 
of all grapes so far generally tried for lexas. 
For that section we cannot recommend cur¬ 
rants, gooseberries, or raspberries; with con¬ 
siderable trouble aud pains some of the latter 
may be grown. Blackberries in moist places 
do fairly well. Triomphe de Gaud aud J ueun- 
