©ct a? 
704 THE RsJRAL NEW-YORKER. 
American people should eat more pork and 
export other meats, such as can be sold in 
foreign ports. In order to indfiee them to be 
thus patriotic, the growers of pork should en¬ 
deavor to produce a kind of meat which 
people can eat. Stomachs which have been 
trained to prefer beef or lamb, will not readily 
take to solid lard, w hick is the character of 
the great mass of American pork, but they 
might be induced to try a leaner kind of pork, 
tempting them with the better preparation of 
the meat, the hams, shoulders, sausages and 
bacon. We trust this National Convention of 
swine breeders will be so largely attended 
that its deliberations may work out gratifying 
results which shall extend into every locality. 
To this end, breeders and extensive owners of 
swine should at once make arrangements to 
take part in the labors of the Convention in 
person or by some worthy representative. 
THE GOVERNMENT AND PORK. 
If the foreign embargoes on American pork 
are not repealed when Congress meets, then 
Mahomet should go to the mountain. By- 
this I mean that although it may not be 
actually uecessary, so far as the prevalence of 
trichinosis is concerned, yet as foreign govern¬ 
ments make this the excuse for their arbitral 
and unjust action, radical measures should be 
inaugurated to overcome this foreign preju¬ 
dice by a rigid governmental inspection of 
swine flesh in all forms, before it can be ex¬ 
ported to determine whether it is in a health¬ 
ful condition or not; and if it is found by such 
inspection that any meat contains trichinae, 
such meat shall bo immediately condemned 
and destroyed. This summary action on the 
part of the government would compel packers 
and dealers to inspect the pork which they 
purchased and to know its condition, or to 
take the chances of losing it. The reform 
would extend further than this and would in¬ 
evitably produce a most salutary change in 
the sanitary conditions of breeding, rearing 
and fattening swine. When American pork 
raisers are forced to make these conditions 
perfect—which it is easy for them to do—there 
can be no grouud for an objection to American 
pork, and this great industry will be enhanced 
to an extent which will more than compensate 
for and justify the arbitrary, radical, and per¬ 
haps, somewhat expensive means which I 
have suggested. 
CORN AS COMPARED TO PORK. 
The relative cost of corn and of pork is a 
nice question to adjust. An old rule has come 
down from our forefathers that pork should 
bring as many dollars per hundred pounds as 
corn is worth shillings per bushel. To have 
this rule work well the conditions for fatten¬ 
ing must bo favorable. It cannot be done in 
cold weather when the pigs are exposed to the 
cold; neither can it be successful unless the 
food is given at the right time and in the 
right quantity. A very little waste continued 
from day to day would reduce the margin be¬ 
low any profit, so far as the changing of food 
to flesh is concerned. To make the best use of 
feed in the rearing and fattening of animals 
is an art in which not one.farmer in a hundred 
has ever attained perfection, and perhaps it 
would be equally true to say, anything like 
perfection. With regard to feeding grain to 
animals, I have a notion with which most 
farmers have no sympathy—they prefer to 
buy phosphates to grow crops, whereas 1 pre¬ 
fer to buy crops to grow crops, believing in 
that aphorism that • like produces like,” aud 
that purchased fodder converted into uiauure 
will raise crops better than anything else. If 
we can.buy nitrogen at a less price per ton than 
superphosphates, and then turn the greater 
portion of it into meat aud put the other por¬ 
tion at work as a factor to produce ammonia 
and more nitrogen aud so continue the work, 
one year’s benefit lapping over on to another, 
I insist that my notion is the best. This 
manure is more lasting than commercial fer¬ 
tilizers and the most profitable soil. Its use 
requires work, aud this may condemn it in the 
eyes and legs of a great many farmers who do 
not look with favor upon any plan which re¬ 
quires any calculation or which will make 
steps. I am so strong in these ideas that I 
would feed as many hogs as possible, even 
though there might not be any profit on the 
feed in the making of meat; that is to say. if 
the meat brought no more than the cost of the 
grain feed. One old hog while fattening 
should make two loads of the best kind of 
manure, formed by a combination of auimai 
excrement and litter. Here comes in the 
potash, the third constituent the phosphate 
agents talk so much about. I would make 
the pig a manufacturer, and he will be a pro¬ 
fitable one if he has the chance. With the 
majority of farmers it is the chance which is 
lacking aud not the ability. One thing is cer¬ 
tain, the farmer who makes plenty of meat 
on the farm does not make mortgages, but 
commercial fertilizers are au expensive lieu 
on the crop before it is out of the grouud. My 
fertilizer is paid for in animal growth. 
1) or tint Ultra!. 
EXPERIENCE WITH PEAS. 
Here is my experience with a few varieties 
of peas grown the past season, sown as soon as 
the ground was in suitable condition to work 
in Spring; soil a sandy loam; in fair condition 
but not rich. The ground was plowed and 
harrowed, and marked out with tlicplow. The 
peas were planted about three inches de-'p, 
and all were planted i» one day. Tho soil 
was manured with Mapes’s A Brand; the quan¬ 
tity was not measured, but l suppose theap- 
plieation was at about the rate of 1,000 pounds 
per acre, sowu along the furrow, and the peas 
were planted on it without any mixing with 
the soil. The peas were dropped about ouo 
inch apart. The varieties ripened as follows : 
hight* 
Junell Lamlreth Extra Early......42 la- 
13, Kentish luviutu.43 “ 
14, American Wonder. 13 “ 
15, lilue Peter.12 “ 
15, MeLean'H Little Gem.20 “ 
15, Preml .m Horn.21 “ 
20, Advancer, ..30 “ 
22, McLean’s Dwarf Prolific.30 “ 
22, Eugenie.48 •* 
24, Bishop's Dwarf Long Pod.48 “ 
24, Forty-fold. 72 “ 
24, Champion of England .....72 “ 
24, Dwarf White Murrowfut.48 ” 
26. Dwarf Blue Imperial.40 “ 
2li Day’s .Sunrise.70 “ 
The Extra Early were all ripe nearly at one 
time, so that tho crop was nearly gone by the 
time the Invicta commenced to ripen. The 
Blue Peter is a very good cropper for a dwarf; 
so are the Dwarf Marrowfat and Day s Sun¬ 
rise especially productive. The Advancers 
were large and of superior quality. The cul¬ 
tivation was mainly with the horse, and was 
no. very laborious. There is no product of 
the garden tliat can be more easily raised than 
peas, aud none more acceptable, and with 
horse and plow, enough can be planted in a 
couple of hours to supply the largest farmer’s 
family during the season, and by usiug early 
and late varieties all can be planted at one 
time. Peas should be sown early, so as to get 
their growth before the hot nnd dry weather 
comes, and in this section late peas get full of 
bugs or weevils. I. J. Blackwell, 
±Mi) Craps. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH CORN. 
For several years past, it has been my 
pleasure to test the different kinds of seeds as 
they come into market, and I think I see a 
time when the products will come as near 
perfection as one could expect. In using the 
word “perfection” 1 have in mind earliness, 
productiveness, size, eating and keeping 
qualities. 
My experiments with corn this year em¬ 
braced eight different kinds, I wished to 
satisfy myself, as in the past, if there were 
any varieties that would do better than the 
common eight-rowed yellow corn. The 
earliest for shocking was the Waushakuw. 
At the very start this kind grew the fastest 
and tasselod the earliest. Tho stalks were not 
high, and the yield was medium. The next 
earliest was a white* and mixed variety, I re¬ 
ceived the seed from a friend, and he did not 
know the name of it. Tho stalks grew from 
five to six feet high, and in some cases there 
were two ears to a stalk. It suckered os badly 
as the WaiLshakum, but yielded better. Pride 
of the North was ready to shock as soon as the 
common yellow; but the yield was considera¬ 
bly better, Although the ears are short, yet 
the grain is somewhat deep, and the cobs 
small. The average length of cars was about 
six inches; there were from ten to fourteen 
rows of corn on each car. The stalks grew 
from six to eight feet high, and the ears were 
set about three feet from 1 he ground. Queen 
of the Valley was right after Pride of the 
North. The two looked very much alike lav- 
fore the ears were fully developed; but at 
harvesting time a great difference was seen. 
The ears of the Queen were a trifle longer, 
and larger round than those of Pride, and 
did not dry as readily. The average length 
was about seven inches, aud there were from 
10 to 24 rows of corn. The kernels were not 
as deep, and cobs were quite large. Chester 
Co., Mammoth, which 1 have raised for the 
past three years, came next in earliness. The 
ears are uot what they were the first season. 
They resemble those of the yellow common 
corn, but have larger kernels, und the va¬ 
riety is earlier than it was tho flist year I 
raised it. The yield was not ns good us that 
of Pride of the North. Early Canada came 
next, but I do not call it early. The stalks 
grew about ten feet high. The yield was 
good. The ears were the longest of ull the 
varieties 1 raised this year. V\ here l shocked 
the Early Canada, I examined tho Shoe-peg 
variety, and found it about l ight for eating. 
I had seen enough of it to convince me that it 
was not a desirable kind on my farm. I there¬ 
fore cut up the. stalks and fed them out, aud 
used the ears for cookiug; the corn was good, 
but what monstrous cobs! Cloud’s Dent was 
the last to be cut up ou Sept. 18th. The 
stalks grew from 13 to 15 feet high, and tho 
cars were from five to six feet high from the 
ground. Tho ears were voiy large and some¬ 
what long—average length nine inches. 
There w ere from 18 to 24 row's of corn on the 
ears. The several varieties received the same 
treatment throughout. Tho crop of Queen of 
the Valley was the best of all in yield. There 
was scarcely a barren stalk in the plot. The 
suuie might be said of Pride of tho North. A 11 
of the above varieties were husked previous to 
Oct., 10th and the Waushaknm, the uanie- 
less kind, Chester Co., common Yellow, nnd 
Pride of the North, are ready for the corn 
sheller at the time of writing this. Scarcely 
any rain fell on the corn stalks after they 
were shocked, and tho stalks were taken to 
shelter at husking-time. c. m. parsons. 
Fairfield Co., Conn. 
•liliscfllftacaits. 
FARMING IN COLORADO. 
THE FERTILE VALLEYS TO BE FOUND AMID 
THE MOUNTAIN FASTNESSES OF THE DEN¬ 
VER AND RIO GRANDE RAILW'AY. 
MESSRS. HOLMES AND SW'EETLAND. 
Colorado cannot be considered au agri¬ 
cultural State, for it is a well known fact that 
the rainfull in this region during the season 
when it is most needed for the promotion of 
agriculture, has not been sufficient for the 
necessities of growing crops. Various theories 
have been advanced by different scientists re¬ 
garding an increase of rainfall produced by 
evaporation from the various irrigated*re. 
gions, and by other causes in a better settled 
community; but although some people claim 
that this desideratum has been readied, we 
have failed to obtain any reliuble duta that 
such is the case. 
The consequence is, that successful agricul¬ 
ture in Colorado, must depend upon assured 
means of procuring water at the proper time 
for the growing crops, and as that can only 
be done by a thorough system of irrigation, 
the proportion of agricultural land is,of neces¬ 
sity, small in comparison w ith tho vast amount 
of unproductive region; still it is uot so small 
that there are not thousands and thousands 
of acres to be procured by those desiring to 
follow agricultme in this part of the world. 
Now' as to the uext question—does farming 
in Colorado pay?—liuviug been asked it many 
times in our travels,it was with considerable in¬ 
terest tliat we obtained some information that 
would enable us to answer it in a trustworthy 
manner. In the first place, the outlay upou 
au irrigated farm is far more in proportion 
than on any other kind of farm; second, the 
amount of laud which a farmer may cultivate 
by this means, is considerably smaller than he 
could cultivate with tho same means elsewhere 
as it requires more care aud attention thun or¬ 
dinary funning; but the advantageto lie gained 
from raising grain or vegetables upou irrigated 
farms in Colorado, is.that until the State pro¬ 
duces as much as is needed for her own con¬ 
sumption. the prices to be realized for pro¬ 
ducts, are much greater thau they would be 
further east, aud as the shipments of grain, 
hay, and vegetables into Colorado for 1881, 
amounted to nearly > 11 , 000,000 iu value, the 
prospect of the Sfute producing enough for 
its own consumption at an early date, is rather 
slight; still a person not acquainted with the 
amouut of grain and vegetables produced at 
the present time in Colorado, will be surprised 
to loam that for 1882 the area and yield of 
crops were as follows: wheat, 101,125 acres, 
yield 1,538,740 bushels; oats, 34,051 acres, yield 
1,088,287 bushels; corn, 80,475 acres, yield 600,- 
058 bushels; barley, 10,516 acres, yield 261,185 
bushels; potatoes, 0,155 acres, yield. 844,000 
bushels; hay, 204,950acres, yield, 256,400 tons, 
making t he value of the agricultural products 
iu 1882 reach nearly 810,000,00(1. 
In addition to this wore the stock interests, 
which by curcfully gathered statistics we find 
to approximate $ 10 , 000 , 000 , und mining pro¬ 
ducts of not less than $26,000,000, all of which 
show a remarkable development of the nrom- 
iuent interests of the State during the lust five 
years. This development has been largely en¬ 
hanced by the increase in length of rail¬ 
roads, aud their extension into localities until 
lately unknown and unexplored. The Denver 
and Rio Grande Company now operates 1,281 
miles of tho 3,088 miles in operation iu the 
State, and is very rapidly pushing toward tie 
Utah border. The growth from 157 miles in 
1870 to over 3,000 in 1882, is something which 
would be remarkable w ere it not for the rapid 
railroad building of the present day. 
While speaking of the products of the State 
it would uot do to omit that of the Colorado 
Coal aud Iron Company, located in South 
Pueblo, which has grown rapidly iu wealth 
and importance, now owning over 100,000 
acres of land. '1 he value of the products de¬ 
veloped by it during 1882 is, coal, $ 2 , 000 ,- 
000; coke, $500,000; steel, iron and nails, 
$2,400,000, and iron ore $250,000. 
1 would we could take you, in fancy, along 
this beautiful route to Manitou, the Saratoga 
of the West, nestling at. the foot, of the gigan¬ 
tic Pike's Peak, to Grape Creek Canon; to 
the Grand (.anon and the Royal Gorge; to 
Marshall Pass, which is a bewildering series 
of grand surprises, as the train winds round 
aud round, threading its way past Ouray, the 
gloomy, grand aud solitary sentinel which 
guards the rocky gateway to the famous and 
fertile Gunnison; to tho Twin Lakes,o\ er 9,000 
feet above sea level; through Fremont Pass, 
a scene sublime aud awe-inspiring, where the 
railway crosses at au altitude of 11,540 feet— 
higher than any iron trail yet established in 
North America, or the Old World; through 
Veta Pass and the Horseshoe, where one 
grows dizzy, looking into the clouds and 
dimly destined trees, thousands of feet below; 
through Toltee Lovge, the most magnificent 
natural gateway iu the world, and thiough 
the many other astonishing surprises, which 
meet one ou every hand. But no words cun 
do justice to such scenes, and one, to enjoy 
the beauties of the “Scenic Route” of Amer¬ 
ica, must take the trip for himself, but the 
farmer in the valley can feast his eyes upon 
the grand and glorious scenery, until it ceases 
to appear marvelous, and is invested with 
the monotony of every day existence. 
NOTES FROM *COLORADO. 
REV. A. J. TEMPLIN. 
This State is known the world over as a 
great mining region. The rapid advance in 
the output of the precious metals duriug the 
past few'years has attracted universal atten¬ 
tion. California and Nevada had for many 
years contended for the supremacy in the 
production of gold und silver. In 1879 Colo¬ 
rado produced only $ 8 ,U(J(),IMJU. In 1880 the 
output ran up to $17,000,000. The same year 
California yielded $18,000,000 and Nevada 
contributed nearly $22,000,0110. The uext year 
Colorado came to t he front with $23,000,000, 
and California followed with $19,000,000 and 
Nevada with $15,000,000. This rapid increase 
iu the mineral product of this Slulc bus at¬ 
tracted so much attention to it as a mining 
country that its agricultural capabilities and 
resources seem to be almost entirely over¬ 
looked. Even the State authorities have not 
given attention either to the development of 
these resources or to the placing of a knowl¬ 
edge of them before the world. Until recent¬ 
ly, 1 believe no steps have been taken to col¬ 
lect the agriculitural statistics of the Slate. 
But last Winter a bill was passed by the Legis¬ 
lature of Colorado requiring tho assessors of 
the various counties to take, along with other 
property, a complete list of all the agricultu- 
lal, horticultural, and apiculturai products of 
the State, 'ihe assessors are to return these 
statistics to the county clerks who report 
them to the Secretary, of the State Board of 
Agriculture, w hose duty it is to collate them 
and publish the result for the information of 
the public. There has been some hitch iuthis 
work duriug the past Spring and Bummer on 
account, it is said, of the fact that no money 
was appropriated by the Legislature to pay tho 
additional expense of collecting these statistics 
and, in some cases, the county commissioners 
doubted their authority to appropriate money 
for this purpose. But 1 think in most eases 
the statistics have been secured and are now 
iu the bands of the officers, so that we shall 
soon be in possession of data iu regurd to the 
present agricultural status of the State. 
The Census Report of 1880, compared with 
that of 1870, shows a very fair increase in the 
various items of farm products. The follow¬ 
ing statistics will give a clearer idea of this 
advance than cun be given by any merely 
worded statement:— 
1880 1870 
Barley, bushels... .. 107.110 35,141 
Corn, bushels. 455,968 281,603 
Outs, bushels. 610,900 382.940 
Bye, bushels . 19,465 5,285 
W heat, bushels.1,125,014 258.471 
Potatoes, bushels. 883,123 121.442 
Hay, (tons). 85,062 19,785 
Here it will be seen that between the taking 
of the ninth aud tenth census, agriculture 
made a commendable advance in this State— 
not, of course, what would have been expected, 
and probably realized, in a young and growing 
State in an exclusively agricultural regiou; 
but it must uot be forgotten that Colorado is 
a mining region and probably nine out of every 
ten men wlio come here to stay', engage either 
iu mining, stock-raising or in importing sup¬ 
plies for those who are so engaged. 
In order to comprehend the situation as to 
agriculture in this State, it is necessary to take 
