62® 
SEPT 22 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
A Jdress 
THK RURAL NF1Y-YORKF.R, 
No. 34 Park Row. New York 
SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 22. 1S83. 
Bearers oftiie Rural New-Yorker ! 
What two varieties of strawberries (early 
and late) do you prefer for market? What 
two for home use? What two raspberries 
(early and late) do you prefer for market 
and home? Kindly answer at once by 
postal card. It will help you and every 
reader. Let us have a strawberry and 
raspberry election for different parts of 
the country. 
The latest trustworthy reports from 
England. Ireland and Scotland through 
the Agricultural Gazette, show that the 
wheat crop is again very far below an av¬ 
erage, while the crop of barley, oats, 
beans and peas is a full average. 
TnE Rural New-Yorker has been 
talking of flat culture for corn for six 
years, and of flat culture for potatoes for 
three years, and we are going to keep 
talking about it. Our tests of the pres¬ 
ent season, the latter part of which has 
been the driest of anv we call to mind, 
have heaped proof upon proof that pota¬ 
toes and corn will stand drought better 
under level than hill culture. 
If by recent plowing the lower soil is 
loose, rolling the surface will not furnish 
the conditions favorable to a good crop 
of wheat. Rolling the surface does not 
necessarily compact the soil in which the 
roots are to grow. A loose subsoil and a 
compact surface soil are the revprse con¬ 
ditions to those in which wheat thrives. 
From an experience of six years or more 
with a heavy roller, wp say never roll land 
after sowing or drilling in wheat. 
In the early part of the Japan (Kaki) 
Persimmon flummery, a friend in Central 
Michigan wrote to an Eastern nursery firm 
to ask if the tree would prove hardy there. 
The answer being in the affirmative, an 
order was given for himself and several 
neighbors. The trees werp set in the 
Spring and they died before the next 
Spring. The Kaki is about as hardy as 
the Fig. and yet much fault was found 
with the RrRAT. because we so advised 
our readers in time to save them the ex¬ 
pense of ascertaining this fact for them¬ 
selves. 
Tf we ask the advice of a good lawyer, 
we are charged five dollars for the infor¬ 
mation obtained. We pay a physician 
from one to five dollars a visit, whether 
he benefits the patient or not. Twenty- 
five dollars are often paid to cattle experts 
to select a good Jersey cow or bull. Is 
such information more valuable than that 
we often ask of pomologists or horticul¬ 
turists or educated, experienced farmers 
who have gained their knowledge by years 
of labor and study? And yet in case of 
these latter we deem it a discourtesy if 
our letters of inquiry are not promptly 
replied to, even though we forget to in¬ 
close a three-cent stamp. 
Our Victoria (Miner) grape is again (for 
the third year) loaded with large, per¬ 
fect bunches, while most others, including 
Concord, El Dorado, Herbert, Lady, Lady 
Washington. Niagara, et nl. are rotting. 
It is the hardiest and healthiest vine in 
onr test grounds, and during the oast 
three seasons has borne more fruit than 
any other. From conversation with Mrs. 
Miner we are inclined to the opinion that 
through some mistake, this variety has 
never been disseminated, since no favor¬ 
able account of it has ever been printed, 
and it is unreasonable to suppose that the 
Rural Grounds is the only place where it 
thrives. 
From the passage of the Homestead 
Aet on May 20, 1862 1o June 30, 1883, 
008,030 homesteads have been taken up, 
of which 50,520 were entered last year, 
22,001 of them in Dakota. The number 
of homesteaders is yearly increasing’ as 
the public domain fit for profitable til¬ 
lage is fast becoming private property. 
The increase in the number of homestead 
settlers last year over the year before was 
about. 25 per cent and a like increase 
occurred under the Pre-emption and Tim¬ 
ber-culture Acts. “How to Obtain a 
Farm,” to he found on the ninth page of 
this issue, gives some excellent hints on 
securing a good start in life on the public 
domain under any of these three acts. In 
such cases the main thing is to turn one’s 
attention in the right direction: fuller in¬ 
formation can then he easily obtained? 
■ ■ - «■»«- 
What shrubs and trees should T plant 
about my home? Which ones are the 
most hardy and beautiful? Which, in 
short, are the best adapted to my climate, 
and will give me the most pleasure? Tf T 
examine nurserymen’s catalogues, T find 
hundreds of kinds all roundly praised. 
Without experience, how am I to select? 
Eleven years ago the Editor of the Rural 
began to answer these questions, for Ms 
climate and situation. Every year since 
many new kinds have been added; many 
rejected. His choice will he found on 
page 622, and it is to be hoped may serve 
as a guide to many who are now situated 
as he was 12 years ago. It may he added 
that the Rural Grounds are located in a 
valley running north and south that gen¬ 
erally experiences the last frosts of Spring 
and the first of Fall, and where the 
thermometer has recorded 26 degrees be¬ 
low zero. 
It has often been asked how large, con¬ 
tinuous tracts of land in the Western 
States fall into the hands of single indi¬ 
viduals or companies, despite the prolus¬ 
ions of the law ordaining that only com¬ 
paratively small areas shall be disposed of 
to any one person. One of the tricks of 
monopolizers has just been exemplified in 
California, though the Golden State can¬ 
not be charged with its conception, for 
it has been practiced in various forms in 
every border section as the pioneers moved 
westward from the Alleghanies to the Pa¬ 
cific. Congress by a special act provided 
for the. sale to individuals of separate 
tracts of timber land in California, Oregon, 
and Washington Territory, at $2.50 per 
acre: but it has been discovered by tlie 
General Land Office that fraud has been 
practiced in the purchase of these by the 
procurement by one person of a large 
number of such tracts through the co-op¬ 
eration of others who purchased them 
only to transfer them to him. in clear vio¬ 
lation of the spirit of the law. Large 
areas of grazing, arable, mineral and tim¬ 
ber lands in the West have fallen under 
the control of single parties in the same 
way. Commissioner McFarland has sus¬ 
pended action upon all timber land in 
California, Oregon and Washington Ter¬ 
ritory so that no one can get a patent for 
such land until he is satisfied of the 
honesty of the entries. It is morally cer¬ 
tain that there is no part of the public 
business so thoroughly permeated with 
fraud and trickery as that relating to the 
public domain. 
THE “COLD WAVE," ITS RESULTS 
AND LESSONS. 
In the width of country it covered, its 
severity in many places and the amount of 
injury it inflicted on the agricultural in¬ 
terests of a vast section of country, the 
“cold wave” the progress of which was 
marked by frosts more or less severe on 
the nights of Friday, Saturday and Sun¬ 
day, September 7th, 8th and !)th, was un¬ 
precedented at that season of the year. 
The sudden fall of temperature advanced 
from the northwest, but was almost sim¬ 
ultaneous in parts of the country widely 
separated. At 7 a.m. on September 8th, 
the thermometer at Fort Garry, Manitoba, 
registered 25 degrees—over 24 degrees 
less than 24 hours previous. At Bismarck, 
Dakota, the merem y had fallen in 24 hours 
22 degrees; at Davenport, Iowa, 21 de¬ 
grees; at La Cross,Wisconsin, 20degrees; 
at Milwaukee, IS degrees; at Grand Ha¬ 
ven, Michigan, 18 degrees, and at Chicago, 
16 degrees. During the day the “wave” 
moved rapidly to the east and south. 
At 3 f.m. the thermometer had fallen 24 
degrees at Leavenworth; 24 degrees at 
Louisville; 111 degrees a! Cincinnati; 14 
degrees at Toledo; 13 degrees at Erie and 
Buffalo and 14 degrees and 10 degrees re¬ 
spectively at Memphis and Nashville. On 
a clear, still night a light, frost, may occur 
at a temperature of 47 degrees and a heavy 
frost, under the same conditions, at 30 de¬ 
grees; and the Signal Service reported 
frosts on Friday night at, Huron, Dakota; 
Omaha and North Platte, Neb:aska; Du¬ 
luth, Minnesota, La Crosse, Wisconsin; 
Detroit and Marqette, Michigan, and at a 
number of intermediate points in the 
Northwest, the temperature ranging from 
36 to 45 degrees. Later telegrams 
from a multitude of points tell us that on 
the nights of Saturday and Sunday frosts 
prevailed throughout the entire North¬ 
west and Michigan, in Northern Illinois, 
Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania: in near¬ 
ly the whole of New York and New Eng¬ 
land, and in parts of New Jersey; while 
reports of light frosts also come from parts 
of West Virginia, and from a few points 
even as far south as Georgia. 
No material damage was done to wheat, 
oats, rye or barley. The injury to corn 
was most severe in Michigan and Wis¬ 
consin, where the loss is estimated at from 
36 to 40 per cent of the entire crop, hut 
the loss of the entire crop of lliese States 
would only be about three per cent of the 
total crop of the country. The loss in 
Towa was also heavy, especially in the 
northern parts of the State, amounting to 
about 20 to 25 per cent, of the estimated 
crop. The percentage of loss in Minne¬ 
sota was probably about the same; but in 
both States the set-hack will render many 
farmers reluctant to try corn again. Very 
little corn is grown in Dakota, and the 
damage there was not so heavy as farther 
east. Some injury was done in Northern 
Nebraska and Missouri; hut the loss can¬ 
not he heavy. In Northern Illinois and 
Indiana, however, serious in jury was done 
to the crop, amounting probably to 20 per 
cent, in the former and 10 to 15 per cent, 
in the latter section. The Department of 
Agriculture puts the loss in Ohio at 20 
per cent; but other estimates do not make 
it so heavy. In Pennsylvania and New 
York there is also some loss, especially { n 
the northern counties. The damage would 
be pretty serious in New England, were it 
not that very little corn is grown there. 
Monday morning the frost scare caused 
great excitement in the Chicago market. 
The prices of com opened IL'e. higher 
than the closing prices on Saturday, but 
after violent fluctuations, they closed a 
quarter of a cent lower than on Saturday. 
In the great corn licit of Kansas. Missouri, 
Southern and Middle Illinois, and Indiana 
and in all the Southern States no injury 
was done to the crop,and throughout the 
damaged region it is not thought probable 
the loss will be heavier than from 10 to 15 
per cent of the estimated aggregate yield, 
and as there are 2.500,000 more acres 
under corn this year than last, the loss it 
was thought would he made up by the 
increase of acreage. The Department of 
Agriculture estimates the loss from frost 
at about four per cent of the entire crop 
of the country. A great deal of the 
damaged crop too, will be saved for fod¬ 
der. many farmers having already out it 
for that purpose, while others have turned 
their stock into the ruined fields. Were 
it not for the drought which for some 
weekshad prevailed throughout nearly the 
whole frost-visited section the injury 
would have been much heavier. Com in 
the low lands and along the river bottoms 
andeven in sags between knolls in tlie fields, 
was in nearly all cases greatly injured or 
ruined, while that on high ground escaped 
with comparatively little loss, the line of 
damage being oflen elcarlv discernible on 
sloping fields and hillsides. Corn on the 
uplands in many places, and also where 
the frost was light was benefited by it, ns it 
checked the exuberant growth, inducing 
earlier maturity. A great deal of Kan¬ 
sas, Nebraska and Missouri seed corn had 
been planted in Iowa, Minnesota, Wis¬ 
consin, Michigan. Illinois and Indiana, 
and in all cases the product of this suf¬ 
fered far more severely than that of lo¬ 
cally-raised corn. The growth was gen¬ 
erally tall, hut the ears were always either 
not formed at all or in the milk, and the 
stand was ruined. It is likely this result 
will teach farmers the advantage of se¬ 
lecting locally raised seed, and the un¬ 
wisdom of using seed from more southern 
latitudes in sections where there is danger 
that the crop will he nipped by early frosts. 
Flint com was injured less than dent. 
Tobacco suffered great injury cverv- 
wliero. Of the 12,308 acres of the ‘ ‘ weed” 
in Wisconsin 11,500 are in Dime and 
Rock Counties, There about one-third 
of the crop was cut before the frost, and 
about half the remainder will be a dead 
loss. In Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan 
what tobacco is grown was also greatly 
damaged. Tt is estimated lhat a loss of 
$100,000 was caused in the tobacco crop 
within 15 miles of Elmira, N. Y., and 
the loss waa even heavier about Lookport. 
In Connecticut tlie damage to tobacco is 
estimated at from $100,000 to 8200.000 
due to frost and drought. Franklin 
County, Mass., will lose from $50,000 to 
$75,000, and Hampshire County, $45,000 
on tobacco alone. Early in tl c week re¬ 
ports from Cincinnati told of considerable 
injury to Kentucky tobacco; but later tel¬ 
egrams from Louisville contradict these. 
Reports of disastrous injury to the to¬ 
bacco crop, owing to drought, also come 
from. North Carolina. 
In Michigan, Wisconsin, Towa and es¬ 
pecially in Minnesota, thesorghum growth 
was greatly injured or entirely ruined. 
News comes from several places that, 
works erected for making sirup and sugar 
will not start up this year as cane enough 
has not survived to supply them. This is 
the more regretable ns it is likely that the 
growth was unusually rich in saccharine 
matter this season, for tests of the unripe 
sorghum about. Champaign, Illinois,where 
no injury was done, show thatthere is al¬ 
ready five per cent, more sugar in the 
cane than last year. Reports from Michi¬ 
gan and Wisconsin tell of considerable 
in jury to apples—all the sadder on account 
of the exceptional scarcity of apples this 
year in nearly all parts of the country. 
Some damage was also done to peaches. 
Cranberries were also greatly injured in 
Michigan. Wisconsin and Minnesota, and 
accordingly several canning establish¬ 
ments will not run this year. Tt is also 
announced from Cape Cod. Mass., that 
drought and vine worms have caused 
havoe in the great cranberry fields there, 
and that copious rains can now do little 
good on many plantations. Tomatoes 
•were seriously injured everywhere, and 
though the crop was unusually abundant 
this year, some of the canneries in the 
frost-damaged region will, it is feared, 
have to curtail operations. All through 
the Northwest all vines, including grnue, 
cucumber, squash, etc., suffered severely. 
The Hudson River vineyards and those on 
the islands of Lake Erie, however, es¬ 
caped material damage. Reports from 
hundreds of points say buckwheat w T ns 
disastrously frost-bitten.and cakes arc sure 
1o he luxuries the coming Winter. Seed 
clover and late potatoes, bops, and tender 
garden vegetables were greatly injured or 
utterly ruined. Altogether, the loss in¬ 
flicted on the farmers of the northern 
part of tin* United State-sby the late cold 
snap will amount at least to about a 
couple of hundred million dollars. 
BREVITIES. 
Pi. ant peach pits. 
A man nlwnvs does a thing better if he 
knows why he does it. 
Why not tench the rudiments of agricul¬ 
ture in our common schools? 
Rave the seeds of vour best tomatoes—of 
the best musk and watermelons. 
A frost occurred nt the Rural Grounds 
Rep. 10severe enough to kill all tender plants. 
Tttk American Cultivator makes the state¬ 
ment—at least we find the statement in other 
journals credited to the Cultivator—that the 
roots of the Chinese Yam (Pioscorea batatas') 
are not hardv. We have a specimen which 
has been growing in a Northern exposure for 
ten years. 
Westfrn readers, prepare your wheat fields 
better than ever before and see whether it pa vs 
von or not to do so. That the vields of rich 
Western wheat field* should he lint from 15 to 
20 bushels ner acre shows that the preparation 
isneglpcted. How much extra labor can you 
afford to increase the yield 100-fold? 
Confidential. The Rural Nfw-Yorkfr 
hasnoeasiou to feel more than satisfied with 
its present circulation. That is as true ns it 
can he. But suopoea we itiw to increase its 
circulation during the next subscription sea¬ 
son—let ns say 25 per rent, to be within rea- 
Fon. Will you help us, subscribers? Well, 
that is what we are going to do. and if we suc¬ 
ceed. our friends shall be benefited ns well 
as ourselves—and tin's js no idle promise. Tbe 
Rural has never failed to keen its promises 
to its patrons and we hope that the charge 
can never justly be made against, us. Re¬ 
member, readers—an increase of 25 per cent. 
Now let us see! 
We have received the following announce¬ 
ment for publication;—“In accordance with 
manv requests which have been marfo and al¬ 
so with a resolution passed at the last Conven¬ 
tion. a National Pwirto Breeders 1 Convention 
is called to he held at the Grand Pacific Hotel 
Chicago, on Nov. 14 1883, AH swine-breeders 
in the United States and Canada arc cordially 
invited to attend and participate in the delib¬ 
erations. Tt is not exncctvd to consider the 
question of breed or other matters of separate 
interest so much ns those of general importance, 
viz: breeding, feeding, diseases, foreign mar 
kets. necessary legislation, etc. 
Signed, 
F. D. Curtis ) Committee of National 
•T. M. Millikin [ Swine-Breeders’Conven- 
J. P. Roberts ( tion of 1872, held at Tnd- 
A. C. Moore I innapolis, Ind,” 
Tnu Kansas Citv Live Stork Indicator, 
edited liv the well known agricultural writer 
Hon. F. D. Coburn, who. by his excellent ar¬ 
ticle. helped to make the Fair No. of the 
Rural itist what it is. fiavs: “The Thirty- 
fourth Annual Fair Number of (he Rural 
New Yorkfr, hearing date of Sept. 1st. is by 
all odds the handsomest and most, valuable of 
any publication of its character we ever saw, 
and in its way probably never equaled, Everv 
one of its 40 nagrs shows the enterprise and 
sagacity of its editor and conductor. We 
don’t knowthe price of this number, but if it is 
not more than two dollars we advise our 
readers' to huv and preserve it. However, 
we'helievc that, sun pays for"this mosC'exeel- 
lent. journal an entire year,'with some valua¬ 
ble seed premiums thrown in.” 
