OCT 43 
675 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
and green squash all ruined. Sowed Fultzo- 
Clawson Wheat last Fall; it grow grandly, but 
rusted and I did not save a kernel. Sowed 
Shoemaker Wheat’same time; grew finely, 
and have again sowed the seed raised; it is up 
and looks well. Sowed but 20 kernels Black- 
bearded Centennial Wheat last Spring; five 
beads formed, but not one matured; have 
sowed the remainder this Fall. Sowed my 
Niagara Grape seed in a raisin box. I have 
15 plants 2},.j to four inches high; look well 
and no sign of mildew. ‘‘Garden Treasures’’ 
did well; one plant has leaves somewhat like 
a grape; has tendrils and climbs; it is two feet 
high. What is its name ? [We do not know. 
—Eds.] I prize the Rural more and more as 
I carefully read it; it certainly is the prince of 
the agricultural journals. O. s. 
Schofield, Marathon Co., Sept, 23.— 
The Niagara Grape germinated and grew 
out died before the second leaf made its 
appearance. The Wysor Coin is a perfect 
failure; only one ear set and silked out. The 
Perfection Watermelon was a failure owing 
to the cold, wet season. Corn, an entire 
failure in this county owing to the frosts of 
September. I planted my Blush Potatoes, 
weight two ounces, in good sandy soil whence I 
had removed a pig pen. I cut them one eye 
to the piece, making six hills; dug September 
3, 32 pounds of tubers, 140 tubers; the six 
largest weighed five pounds five ounces to the 
eye; 100 were marketable, 15 as large as tho 
one planted, 13 as large as butternuts, 10 as 
large as good sized walnuts. According to 
the Rural measurement of land this is at tho 
rate of 1,280% bushels per acre. s. D. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention.] 
•ME HANDMAID MOTH. 
II. B. S. Rockport, Ohio sends specimens of 
worms found on Black Walnut and Hickory 
trees, and asks the name and history of the 
pests. 
ANSWERED BY PROF. C. V. RILEY. 
The worms so destructive to hickory and 
walnut trees are tho larval of the Handmaid 
Moth (Datana ministra, Drury) of the family 
Bombycidm. They are readily distinguished 
by their comparatively large size and their 
coloration, but still more so by tho peculiar 
attitude they assumo when not feeding, both 
extremities of the body being raised and the 
caterpillar resting only upon the four middle 
pairs of legs. When full-grown they are 
about two inches long, thinly covered with 
long, soft, whitish hair, black, the hotly being 
ornamented with eight narrow, yellowish, 
longitudinal lines. The pests occur only in 
the latter part of the Summer and as they 
invariably live in clusters on a branch they 
can thus readily be observed and destroyed 
before they have done much mischief. When 
full-grown they enter the ground where they 
change into a brown, naked chrysalis. The 
moth which issues therefrom the next Sum¬ 
mer, is of a light-brown color with a large, 
dark spot on the thorax und several dark- 
brown, narrow lines across tho fore-wings, 
the hiud-wmgs being uniformly pale yellow, 
An ichneumon fly greatly reduces the num¬ 
ber of this species and the many larvas that 
can be soon restlessly wandering about are 
mostly infested with that parasite. The 
species was unusually numerous tills season 
over a large extent of the country. There 
would be nothing of special interest attached 
to the natural history of t he Datana were it 
not for the presence of auotber caterpillar 
feeding ou, ami occasionally injurious to ap¬ 
ple and other orchard, and various shade trees, 
which has the same yellow stripes as our 
hickory and walnut feeding species, but 
which is invariably fighter in color and, what 
is the most striking ifiU'eronoe, the thoracic 
joint is orange-led. As these two differently 
colored caterpillars briug forth exactly the 
same species of moth there eau be no question 
as to the specific identity of the two, and the 
differences can only be explained from the 
difference in food. We have to do herewith 
a phenomenon which the late Mr. Walsh 
called “ ph tophagic species or varieties” i. e. 
marked und constant differences between 
two races of a species caused by the differ¬ 
ence iu food plants. 
RAISING GRAPES, ETC. 
c. 11. 11., Uwtlile, y. Y. —1. What are the 
best varieties of grapes to grow for market, iu 
this latitude 1 2. Give suggestions about 
propagation, care, culture und marketing of 
grupes. 3. What is the best book ou the cul¬ 
ture of “Small Fruits 1” 
Ass.—1. Amoug the old kinds, Concord and 
Catawba. 2. This Fall get cuttings from good 
healthy, stocky grape vines. They may be 
from nine to twelve inches long. Bury these 
cuttings this Fall out-of-doors in well drained 
soil, or keep them in a cool, moist cellar. Iu 
the Spring set them about one inch apart in 
rows two or three feet apart. After one year 
they are ready to be put in the vineyard. The 
best locality for a vineyard is on an upland 
where the air is cool and dry. If well tilled 
and manured, grapes will grow on almost any 
kind of soil, although light soil is preferable. 
Have tbe rows six feet apart, and the plants 
about eight feet apart iu the row. Cutback 
the young vine to be planted in the vinejard, 
to within two or three strong buds from the 
ground, and allow only one shoot to grow, 
nibbing off the others so as to make, this one 
good and strong. In the Fall pnine back to 
three buds if the vine has grown well. The 
next season let two of the three shoots grow. 
In cultivating be careful not to cultivate deep 
enough to injure the roots. There are various 
ways of training vines, one of which was 
given and illustrated in a late Rural. As 
for marketing, the best mode will depend 
upon circumstances. We should say, select 
only the best of bunches, cutting off all imper¬ 
fect or rotting berries. Most of tbe berries sent 
to the New York market are shipped iu bas¬ 
kets containing 10 or 15 pounds, which are 
made especially for the purpose. If one lives 
near a good market,‘he can deliver his fruit 
himself; otherwise, he must arrange with some 
reliable commission merchant to dispose of it 
for him. 3. E. P, Roe’s “Success with Small 
Fruits,” for sale by Dodd, Mead & Co., New 
York; nriee, $5. You will find the Rural to 
be a valuable aid iu the work of the vineyard. 
PREPARING TOBACCO FOR HOME USE. 
C. G. D., Long Island, Ala. —How can to¬ 
bacco be prepared for home use ? 
Ans. —Cut the plants off at the surface of 
the ground, and la}' them upon the ground 
until the leaves become wilted. Then carry 
them to an airy building, and hang them up, 
the top of ^hc plant hanging downward. They 
may be hung by cutting a slit through the 
stalk of the plant, near the base, and slipping 
them upon laths, or the plants may be huug 
upon nails driven through the laths, slanting 
upwards, so as to form hooks. About six 
plants should he put upon a lath four feet 
long. Tho laths are hung supported at a 
proper bight from the ground, or floor, by 
placing their ends upon scantlings, placed 
horizontally and four feet apart, the plants 
hanging between. The laths should lie placed 
about a foot apart. In dry weather keep the 
building closed; in moist, hot weather open 
all the doors and windows to promote circula¬ 
tion of air. When all the leaves have assumed 
a cinnamon Color, the tobacco is cured, and is 
ready to be taken down and stripped, which 
means to take tbe leaves from the stalks. 
This should be done in damp weather, when 
the leaves may be handled without breaking, 
Tbe leaves may then be tied up in small 
bunches of about a dozen leaves each, and the 
buuebes, which are called “hands,” should be 
pressed snugly into a box The box should be 
kept in a moderately damp, warm place for 
about six mouths, or unti I the warm weather 
of the succeeding Summer has caused the to 
bacco to pass through tho proper degree of 
fermentation. 
TOP-DRESSING MEADOWS.—THRUSH IN HORSE’S 
FOOT. 
C. A. S., Wallaceton, Fa.—1, What is the 
best time to top-dress Orchard Grass; 2, What 
is a remedy for thrush in a horse’s foot? 
Ans. —1. The present is a good time to top- 
dress meadows, and perhaps the best, as the 
manure becomes well incorporated with tbe 
sml and tends to encourage a vigorous root 
growth. The work may be done from now up 
to the freezing of the ground. Manure, how ¬ 
ever, must bo applied with caution to hilly 
ground subject to washing by heavy rains; 
upon such places it would be better to spread 
it iu the Spring, if there is any danger appre¬ 
hended of loss. 2. Thrush is caused by ulcer¬ 
ation of the bones and tissues of the interior 
of the foot near to the frog, and generally the 
frog is involved. The t reatment should be to 
inject warm water in which a little carbolic 
acid has been dissolved, say 1-40th part, until 
the parts have been thoroughly cleansed. 
Then inject tincture of myrrh and fill the 
cracks in the frog with lint dipped in the 
tincture. Put a cloth pad ou the sole and se¬ 
cure it by a bandage. Avoid with great care 
all filth that might come iu contact with the 
sole. All rotten, diseased horn should be pared 
away very carefully. 
BEST GRAPES FOR THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. 
R, /.., Calumet, Canada .—What are the 
three best varieties of black, red and white 
grapes suitable for vineyard planting iu the 
Province of Quebec, m the same latitude as 
Montreal and one degree further west, the 
points by which their merits are to be judged, 
being hardiness, productiveness, early 
maturity and quality ? 
Ans. —Three best black grapes for profit 
in Quebec: Tolman’s (Champion). Hartford 
Prolific, Moore’s Early. Three best black 
grapes for amateur: Moore’s Early, Worden, 
Burnett. 'J bree best red grapes both for pro¬ 
fit and amateur: Salem, Brighton, Delaware. 
Three best white grapes for profit: White- 
water, Eva, Lady. Three best white grapes 
for amateur: Allen’s Hybrid, Lady Washing¬ 
ton, St, Sulpice. These selections are greatly 
limited by the necessity for earhness in 
Quebec. Gther selections as good might 
perhaps be made. Consult the reports of the 
Montreal Horticultural Society for more in¬ 
formation. 
RICE STRAW. 
M. M. B. R., Washington, N. C .—Here, for 
four years past, we have been raising large 
quantities of upland rice; cattle will eat the 
straw only when half starved: It cannot be 
converted into manure, for it will not rot; 
every year thousands of tons of it are burned 
to cleai 1 the ground; how can it be utilized ? 
Ans. —Thousands of tons of rice straw 
could hardly be utilized in feeding cattle for 
want of the other kinds of food necessary to 
be used with it, as cattle cannot be fed upon 
it alone. No doubt it could lie turned to pro¬ 
fitable use for paper or straw board. Paper 
mills are generally profitable enterprises, butit 
does not follow that one could be made to pay 
by any person, as paper making is a skilled art. 
It is quite possible that a paper manufacturer 
could be induced to put up a mill to work up 
the straw, if there is a good opportunity to 
get the paper to market. Much depends upon 
that. It would be well, perhaps, to negotiate 
with some paper-maker or agent in New York. 
NAVICULAR DISEASE IN A HORSE. 
T. S., Pottersville, Mich .—The fore-feet of 
my three-year old mare are very tender. Her i 
steps are quick and short as if moving hurt her, 
especially on hard ground; what ails her and 
what should be the treatment? 
Ans. —If the horse when at rest stands with 
the foot pointed forward and resting on the 
toe, the trouble is navicular disease or inflam¬ 
mation of the navicular or coffin bone. This 
is very probably what is the matter. The 
remedy is to give the animal a dose of cooling 
medicine la pound of salts), to steep the hoof 
in warm water, or apply a blister to the hollow 
of the heel. Keep the horse standing on wet 
clay. Never pare the frog but leave it al¬ 
ways to come to the ground, and use shoes with 
heel calks. 
REMEDY FOR BLACK-KNOT. 
M. T. C., Seymour, Out .—How can cherry 
trees lie protected from “black lumps” inside 
of which grubs or worms are found ? 
Ans.—T he “black lumps” referred to are 
doubtless what is usually known as black-knot, 
which attacks plum aud cherry tress. This is 
a diseased growth consequent upon the pres¬ 
ence of a fungus in which the larvae of the 
eurculio are occasionally found. The only ef¬ 
fectual remedy known is to cut away the dis¬ 
eased growth as soon as discovered, and burn 
it at once. The cut must be made well below 
all appearance of diseased growth. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
F. L. S.. Corn wells, S. C .—1. What are the 
plants specimens of which are inclosed? 2. Can 
srnilax be wintered in a room without fire ? 
When does it bloom ? How is it propagated ? 
3. is Lemon Verbena hardy i 4. Do hornets 
remain in their nests all Winter ? If so, how 
can they be gotten out without injuring the 
nest i 
Ans. —1. One looks like Velvet Grass; the 
other is Perilla Naukeuensis. 2. Srnilax is 
tender. It is not cultivated for its blossoms, 
which arc small und appear at no set time in 
the greenhouse. It is propagated from seed 
which, however, germinates very slowly, 
lying sometimes three or four months before 
it all comes up. 3. No. 4. No; they nearly 
all die when cold weather comes on. If any 
remain iu the uest, they cau be expelled or 
killed by sulphurous fumes, ether or chloro¬ 
form. 
<!>’. <$. B., Delta, Cal. —1. How cau I build an 
ice-house in the absence of sawdust for pack¬ 
ing ? Lumber costs §30 a thousand. Aspen 
logs are abundant, however, aud so is straw. 
2. Would hog-raising bo likely to prove profi¬ 
table here ? A neighbor hail to pay $4<J for a 
sow w ith pig, and to haul her 30 miles. 
Ans. —1. An ice-house ean be built of logs as 
well as of boards. It would be better to how or 
flatten the logs so as to make tho wall as tight 
as possible. Make double walls aud fill iu with 
straw aud clay beaten hard. It would be bet¬ 
ter to have the house partly underground and 
covered wit h earth und sod. The walls should 
be two feet thick and protected, if possible, by 
a bank ou tho south. 2. The question as to 
hog-raising depends upou the feed. If feed is 
plentiful it should pay well to rear pigs at the 
price mentioned. If feed is scarce or costly it 
might uotpay even at that price.. 
B. , Jacksonville, N. Y. —1. My sheep are 
to lamb in the tt inter months; can they be 
profitably fed on corn-stalks with a due allow¬ 
ance of grain ? 2. Can they be safely kept in 
roomy pens ? 
Ans. —1. Sheep will eat only the leaves and 
fine parts of corn-stalks; if the stalks are cut, 
the sharp pieces are apt to make their mouths 
sore. It is a question to consider if the waste 
of the whole stalks can be submitted to. 2. 
Sheep must have exercise and it would be 
better to give them the run of a roomy dry 
yard always, and a field in fine weather, and 
to feed them in the field when possible. 
There is no journal published that gives more 
attention to sheep culture than the Rural 
New-T orker. A special work on sheep, that 
would be useful is Stewart's Shepherd’s 
Manual. 
C. A, T.. Warwick, Kan. —Which is the 
most profitable—selling cream enough for a 
pound of butter at GQc.,making it into butter 
at 8c., or giving it in fresh milk to young pigs 
which sell for 3JoC. live-weight ? 
Ans. —There is very little difference between 
selling cream and making butter at the prices 
mentioned. But we do not see why it is neces¬ 
sary to make butter for eight cents per pound 
when good, well-packed butter will readily 
sell at Kansas City for 20 cents a pound at the 
least. The young pigs can be reared just as 
well on skimmed milk; 10 pounds of skimmed 
milk should make a pound of pork. 
G. C., Fitchburg, Mass. —1. Why do apples 
become “railroady ?” 2. What is the cause of 
“powder-post” in wood ? 
Ans, —1. We are not sure what is meant by 
“railroady” as applied to apples. If our 
friend will more fully describe the matter we 
will reply farther. 2. The condition known 
as “powder-post” in timber is the work of a 
borer, which attacks the wood when cut. but 
not dry or seasoned. It will not occur if the 
timber is cut during late Summer. If the 
bark is removed and the lumber promptly 
dried, its durability, as well as its quality, 
will be greatly improved. 
P., Queens , L. I .—Is John B. Alden, 18 
Vesey Street. N. Y. , a trustworthy man ? 
Ans. —This John B. Alden is the same man 
who managed the American Book Exchange 
which advertised very extensively a couple of 
years ago, and then suddenly became bank¬ 
rupt, al ter incurring a multitude of debts of 
various kinds. Several meetings of the 
creditors took place in this city, and some 
bitter accusations were made against Alden 
who presented a defiant front. So far as we 
can learn, none of the creditors of the concern 
have ever received a cent. We certainly 
would have no further dealings with Alden. 
J. T. D., Brookside, Y. J .—Why should 
corn-and-eob meal be better feed for cattle 
than corn meal i 
Ans. —The cob has some light nutriment in 
it, but the principal advantage is that it 
serves to add bulk to the food, which is 
necessary for cows and other rnminating 
animals. The economy of feeding cob meal, 
however, is questionable, the cost of grim ling 
it being perhaps more than the cob is worth, 
aud unless it is ground very fine it is in con¬ 
siderable part indigestible. 
G. E. W., Rutland, VI .—Can turnip plants 
started now be wintered over in cold-frames 
the same as cabbage t Would there be no 
danger of their running to seed in the Spring ? 
Ans. —They would almost invariably run to 
seed, especially those of the English turnip 
class, such as are grown for early supply. 
J. F. S,, Faircicw, IF. Va .—Where can I 
get the Salome Apple ? 
Ans. —From Elias C. Hathaway, Ottawa, 
Ill. 
Mrs. D. H., Williams Co.,Ohio .—We cannot 
name the wheat as it seems to differ slightly 
from any of our kinds. Thanks. 
Communications Received for the week Ending 
Saturday, Oct. 6. 
T. H. H.-J. A. F.-B. F. J.-T. H. H.-W. H. H.-C. 
L. H.—J. T.-A K. C.-M. E.-J. F. S —E D. M.—C. V. 
R. —a F.—W. P., plants received—M. B. P.-A C. S.— 
W. F. T.—J. B. C —C. P.—A. C.S.-H. M.-C.H, S.—W 
E. B.—F. K. P.-J M. N -H. H.-Mrs. E C. A—E. P. 
P.—F. E. F.. answer In Rural— L. G. M. S.—A B. C , 
thanks—S. M. J. H. H , thanks—J. W. R.—E. a. R,— 
A. S.-C. H. S.-E P. P.-X. -B. F. J -S. W.—H. E. B.— 
J. B. B.—M. D. E.—S. D.—C. E. T.—E. N. C.-A. H.—R. 
S. B.—S. M. T.—VT S. M.—J. P. C. S. A. R.—T. R. W. 
-M. L.-R. R. -T. H. H.-R. W. V.-P. B. P.-A. J. D.— 
J. H. McF.—James Dougal, thanks—a tine plum—Mrs. 
M. M. L. Buy less, many thanks—W, L. Eastman, 
thanks for wheat—R. L.—F. D. 1\—F. K. B-—U. A S.— 
G. P B.-A. K.-R. F.—tV. F S.-Ivy Green - J. W.- 
E. V. H .thanks—J, W. K,, thanks— S. R. Macaulay. 
thanks-M. K. D.-M. k. P.-S. H. P.-W. J. C.-J. B.- 
H. B, S,-J. C. W.-F. J. C.-A, L. S —T- T, U—W. P. 
R. —H. G.-J. M. D.-O. S. B.—G. P. B.-D B. P.—\V. 
J. V.—K. S. G.—H. H.—A. B. Coleman, thanks— F. H. 
S. —Mrs. W. H. S.. the query was duly received, hut 
we have uot as yet been able to answer It—E. A. H.— 
O, W. St J.-A M. C.-A. I. I-Ii. L. M ,-S. C.—T 
W. B.-G. W.-T. \V.—L. E. G.-I. H. & S.—P. M. A., 
thank.- J. H. B.—G. \Y. L., ihaukb—K. C. K.—L. H. 
P. -D S. M. T. Y.-J. W, G.-C. A, S.-C. W. W.- 
