THE RURAL MEW- YORKER 
Clawson, to see which w*s the better. The 
Landreth sfcooled bettor and the heads were 
larger and whiter and gave a larger yield of 
grain. I bought the wheat of Mr. Bonnell 
with the privilege of naming it, and sold it to 
Mr. D. Laudretli, uamingit “Landreth White 
Wheat.” I send the Rural a sample grown 
by me on a field which yielded 41 bushels per 
acre. 
It has stood the test of tliis year better than 
any other, unless it is the Mediterranean Hy¬ 
brid, which lias done well. Some of the new 
varieties proved a failure this year, showing 
that the Landreth and Mediterranean Hybrid 
are the best of the new wheats experimented 
with by me. w. L. Eastman. 
Ovid, N. Y. 
[Thanks, but this does not give the origin of 
the Armstrong, which we find to be the same 
as the Landreth.— Eds.] 
^rigger plate hard upon the earth abovo the 
mole run, as it is moved by the mole’s push¬ 
ing aside a wooden pin attached to it at one 
end and entering the run so as to obstruct the 
mole’s passage. This frees the lever and the 
pins (two on each side),as in the case of Hales 
trap, are forcibly driveu downward, always 
matching the mole. He cannot escape. It 
seems that though moles do uot, like to come 
in contact with iron, they do not care for 
wood, and hence they press upon the wooden 
peg without fear. So far as we can judge 
from one season’s trial, this trap also is dura¬ 
ble and in no way liable to get out of order. 
The retail price is $2 each. One of these traps 
was sent, to 11 s at our request, by Young & 
Elliott, No. 12 Cortland St., N. Y. 
The Olmsted Mole trap (Fig 657) at first 
sight is the simplest aud most effective con¬ 
trivance of all, but in practice one is disap¬ 
pointed. Its operation is essentially the same 
as that of the others, but as at present con¬ 
structed, it has two faults—the spring is not 
strong enough, and the trigger plate (g, Fig. 
657) is neither long nor wide enough. The 
earth is forced up on either side of the plate 
and the trap is not in most cases sprung. 
When it is sprang the spring is not strong 
enough lo drive the pin points (three on each 
side) into the mole. Formerly this trap was 
worked by placing a heavy weight on the 
glossy that they reflect the light like so many 
little mirrors It is one of the first to unfold 
its leaves iu the Spring and one of the last to 
lose them in the Fall, while it seems to thrive 
in very dry situations as well as in those of 
medium or excessive moisture. If left to it 
self the branches grow long and whip like, the 
tree assuming a fastigiate form. But by the 
free use of the pruning knife it may be made 
to as-utne a round, spreading head, well clothed 
with foliage as darkly green as, and more 
glossy than that of the Southern Magnolia— 
M. grandiflora. 
MOLE TRAPS. 
There is no subject about which we have 
had more inquiries, first aud last, than the 
best means of killing moles. In our early ex¬ 
perience, we used every poison or device that 
we could hear of to rid our grounds of the 
pest, as at that time we were laying out and 
grading the Rural Grounds, and the fresh soil 
or earth seemed to attract all the moles of the 
neighborhood. The lawn and sod borders 
were riddled in all directions like a net work. 
The freshly sot plants were upset or so bur¬ 
rowed under that the roots were deprived of 
moisture. Even newly-set trees were so in¬ 
jured by them that, losing and putting forth 
new leaves several times in a season, they 
perished. Corn saturated with strychnine, as 
well as castor-oil beans and plants, sulphur, 
tar and we know not what, were all tried 
without disturbing them in the least. At that 
time we would have given $50 for any prac¬ 
ticable device or method of exterminating 
them or driving them away. At length we 
saw a trap iu the grounds of a neighbor, 
which be kindly loaned to us long enough to 
have a similar one made at the blacksmith’s. 
This consisted of six prongs on either side. 
To set the trap these were raised up by an up¬ 
right iron bar, and held by a lever connected 
with a flat plate which pressed upon the earth 
over the mole ran or tunnel. The mole in 
passing along would press the earth up, raising 
the plate and releasing a heavy, broad steel 
spring which drove the prongs into the earth. 
This was effectual if set every day so as to 
clear the holes for the prongs; for they would 
easily become filled. But, really, it was so 
much trouble to set it day after day that we 
finally gave it up as of more trouble than 
worth. An illustration of thus trap will be 
found in the Rural of 1880, page 184. 
Last Spring we visited several of our seeds¬ 
men and procured all of the different kinds of 
traps offered for sale by them. All have been 
carefully tried and most of them found use¬ 
less. A description of the useless ones will 
not interest our readers, so that we shall here 
confine our remarks and illustrations to the 
Hales’, Isbell and Olmstead, two of which are 
nearly perfect in their way. 
The Hales’ Mole-trap.— Instead of pre¬ 
senting the engravings of the inventors, we 
have had accurate drawings made of the Is¬ 
bell and Olmsted, which, we think, will better 
explain the way in which "they work. The 
engraving of the Hales’ shown at figure 655, 
is its inventor’s, and needs explanation. First j-A*' . jsW -" 
the rod is raised by the circular handle until 
the shoulders come above the frame of the 
trap. The shoulders are shown in the lower 
of the two small cuts near the top, to the right. |pl;| 
Then turn the handle slightly, which will ^ 
allow the shoulders to rest on the frame and 
prevent the spring from acting. Now. set the ' ll fir'//////it 
trap across the mole run and press the legs 
into the ground until the plate, or trigger, ‘ 
rests upon the run. Then turn the handle 
back and let it go, repeating until the pins 
(six in number, three on each side) have made 
holes for themselves in the ground and the 
pin plate strikes the cross bar of the frame. 
Now press the trigger ujion the soil, raise the 
rod and turn it sidewise, as before, The lever 
is now to be inserted more or less into one of 
the notches of the ti igger handle. Then turn 
the shoulders of the rod back until it is square 
with the frame, and the trap is set. When a 
mole passes either way, he raises the trigger, 
which allows the lever to fly out of the notch 
and the pins descending rapidly aud forcibly 
catch the mole. Of course, descriptions of the 
action of any contrivance are apt to convey 
an impression of complexity. But, in fact, 
the Hale s trap, after a little experience, is 
very easily set, and it rarely fails to catch the 
mole. This trap presents several advantages 
over any others we have tried. The shoulders 
to hold the spring enable one to set it with 
little exertion or trouble aud it may be set so 
lightly that the least disturbance of the soil 
in the mole ran will set it off. It seems to be 
very durable also. One of these traps well 
cared for, should last for years. The retail 
price is $2.50 each. It was sent to us by Mr. 
H. W. Hales, of Ridgewood, New Jersey at 
our request. 
The Isbell Mole Trap works upon essen¬ 
tially the same principle, though different in 
several minor respects. The spring is inclosed 
in a tube, as, shown by Fig. 656. It is never 
necessary,"Jin setting this trap, to press the 
SEED DETERIORATING. 
i was particularly interested in the notes of 
Dr. T. H. Hoskins iu theRuRALof Aug. 18th, 
on this subject. There are very few farmers 
who take anything like sufficient pains to keep 
up the quality of the seed they yearly sow, 
much less to improve it; while with the very 
largo majority this quality very rapidly dete¬ 
riorates, aud the maiu reason for all this is sim¬ 
ply carelessness. Even when an attempt at im¬ 
provement is made, no real advantage can 
be derived from the way the improvement 
is sought to be accomplished. 1 have known 
farmers, who, in every thing else were very 
particular, aud who would ordinarily be con¬ 
sidered good fanners, yet after they had found 
the quality of their wheat, corn and cane had 
“nm out,” would take a quautity to a 
neighboring farmer and swap with him; get¬ 
ting in exchange grain that bad been treated 
the same as they had always been in the habit 
of treating theirs; and the farmers who took 
the trouble to get “new” seed would wonder 
next year why the quality of the crop w as no 
better than that raised from their own seed. 
I have always advocated the improving of seed 
in the farmers’ hands; aud have maintained 
that he can best do this work, and produce 
grain better suited to his own land than any 
he can secure in any other way. I have heard 
good farmers in Illinois, who every few years 
sent off to Iowa for seed corn, say that it took 
two years for the corn to get acclimated or 
used to the soil and local climate, and then it 
began to show signs of deterioration, and in 
three more years it would be considered “run 
out,” and a new supply must be procured to 
go through the same process of acclimation 
and deterioration. 
My own experience is agaiust this practice. 
Where possible I prefer seed of my own rais¬ 
ing, and I take pains every year to make sure 
of a sufficient quantity for my own use. Not 
but that I try something new every year; 
unless this was done I would be unable to toll 
whether w hat I had was the best or not. It is 
only by testing these new varieties that I can 
judge of the quality of what I have; and when 
the new proves better than the old, then 1 
discard the old aud use the new It seems im 
possible to impress the necessity' of this practice 
upon the majority of farmers. A few only 
can be induced to take the necessary pains to 
secure only the best for seed, and to keep their 
seed constantly improving iustead of “run¬ 
ning out.” The great difficulty seems to be 
that the effect is too slow to be appreciated 
as readily as most fanners desire. Aud rather 
than wait, they are willing to pay to others 
who are more painstaking, large profits for 
w hat they might do themselves. 
Miller Co., Mo. N. J. shepherd. 
Broken Seed-Wheat. 
With seed time comes the annoyance of 
broken seed. Seed wheat should not be 
thrashed with spiked concaves, but with 
smooth ones. The cylinder alone will take 
out all wheat fit for seed or flour. Hold a 
ripe, dry wheat head, strike it with one finger, 
and you knock all tho grains out. Why 
have from three to five rows of spikes to cut 
the grain and straw and add friction and make 
more power necessary in thrashing ? 
I have some samples of seed wheat (some at 
*1 per pound), of w'hich I think 20 per cent, 
will not grow', on account of its broken condi¬ 
tion. It is not very pleasant to plant w'heat 
with a certain knowledge that some of one’s 
labor is lost, as some of the grain will not 
grow because its germ is destroyed. 
It is too late to apply' a remedy this Fall, 
but when I buy fancy seed w heat again I will 
expect whole grains. J os. H. Breth. 
Clearfield Co., Pa. 
NOTES BY A STOCKMAN, 
Dr. Hoskins asks (pago 606) which way is 
it? Well, thus way; There has been a boom 
in the Western cattle business. Purchasers 
from foreign countries have been rushing 
here imploring the stockmen to sell their herds. 
Of course, “Barkis is willin’” always, to the 
wooing of a good purchaser. And if there is 
anyone who can sharpen the eye-tooth of a 
Western ranchman or get ahead of him on a 
cattle trade I have not heard of him. The 
way of it too is this also. Rauches and stock 
have been sold by count. But in most cases 
the tally has been taken from the stock book; 
for it is not an easy thing to count up 10,000 
head scattered over 10 or 20 miles, from a 
horse’s buck, as they are driveu by. Butin 
time tho buyers find out that the number 
they have received is considerably smaller 
than the number they bought. That is when 
t hey get their experience. And what can they' 
do about it? 
The Origin of the Landreth Wheat, 
In the Rural New-Yorker of September 
8, I see an inquiry iu relation to the Landreth 
Wheat. As I am acquainted with the origin 
of this variety, I will tell about it to the read¬ 
ers of the Rural. About five or six years 
ago, Henry S, Bunnell, of Junius, Seneca Co., 
N. Y., selected some white-chaffed heads of 
whito-strawed wheat found growing with the 
Clawson, and sowed this selected wheat from 
year to year, and in 1881, 1 tliiuk, he had 16 
acres. In the Fall of 1881 the writer bought 
some of this wheat and sowed it after a crop 
of oats, using 250 pounds of phosphate to the 
acre, and harvested iu 1882, 85 bushels per 
acre of splendid wheat, some of which was 
sold and sent to David Landreth & Son, seeds¬ 
men of Philadelphia. The Fall of 1882 was 
the first time the wheat was known by tho 
name of “Landreth,” 1 hail some of tliis 
wheat ground, uud it made first-class flour. 
The Landreth Wheat has a harder berry than 
the Clawson, though not differing much in 
color of berry. The wheat crop of all kinds 
in this section is poorer the present year than 
it has been in eight years, 10 to 15 bushels 
being good averages, where farmers raised 20 
or more acres; while many do not get more 
than five bushels per aero. The Landreth 
Wheat has done as well as any kind with tho 
same chance the present year. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. Henry Percey. 
There is no doubt in my mind that the last 
one iu a boom is the one that is hurt; and if 
he happens to be a capitabst who goes into 
the stock business, of which he knows next to 
nothing, he must lose “no matter which way 
it is,” as Dr. Hoskins puts it. No, we wout 
take up a collection for them. These capital¬ 
ists went Into the business to Like up a collec¬ 
tion from the public, and if it happens tho 
other way, so much the better. Dr. H. will 
perhaps rejoice that, he gets a good steak for 
25 cents iustead of paying 30. 
The Olmstead Mole Trap.—Fig. 657. 
platform (e); but this weight was found to be 
too slow in its action, so that the spring has 
of late been substituted. If this spring were 
as powerful as that of either of the other 
traps and the trigger more easily movable, it 
does not occur to us why it would not be as 
effective. It is sold by most seedsmen at 
$1.50 each. 
Now, for the first time, therefore, we are 
enabled to answer the many' inquiries of our 
readers, “How to kill moles?” Our answer is, 
purchase either the Isbell or the Hales’ mole 
trap. A little practice will enable any one to 
set them properly and when so set. they will 
rarely fail to catch lliese little animals which, 
whatever good they may do in destroying 
harmful inBects, certainly do a discouraging 
amount of harm in many gardens. We much 
regret we were unable to present these notes 
earlier in the season. 
We made these tests unknown to tho 
inventors or introducers of the traps. Only 
one of them has ever been advertised in 
the Rural New-Yorker, or is likely to be. 
Many seedsmen are now selling these traps, 
so that they may' be purchased through them 
instead of through the owners. 
Tell my dear old friend Col. Curtis—long 
may he wave!—not to worry about the heifer 
calves. There was once u poor man who had 
a dog; poor men always have a dog, and gen¬ 
erally dogs. He took a fancy' to keep all the 
pups, and as his dog was one of the multiply¬ 
ing kind, it was not long before be had to leave 
and give up his place to the dogs. How long 
would it be before my dear old friend the 
Colonel would lie squeezed out of his Kirby 
Homestead if he didn't sell off some of his 
heifer calves? Figure it up 15,000,000 cows in 
10 years would increase to 2,400,000,000 if all 
the heifer calves were kept. The fact, is we 
must eat about five out of every six heifer 
calves or they would eat us. It won’t do, my 
dear old friend. Persuade the fanners to 
keep the best of them; but it will be better to 
let the rest go to make cutlets aud roasts, or 
ribs and rounds at two yours old. 
Origin of the Landreth Wheat. 
In the Rural of Sept. 8, I saw an article 
regarding the Landreth White Wheat, and 
1 wish to give a history of this popular va. 
riety: It was first lomd by Mr. H. G. Bonnell 
in his Clawsou wheat field. He saw a stool 
that was taller than those of Clawson, having 
heads a good deal larger and whiter, and he 
preserved the seed and planted it, aud from 
this sprung the Landreth. 
In the Fall of 1881, I purchased six bushels 
of this wheat, and sowed it by the side of the 
