740 
NOV <0 
tare oa a list of paying apples it would only 
be for this section. For Summer, I would 
mention Red Astrachau and Williams’s Favor¬ 
ite; for Autumu, Gravenstein, Maideu’s 
Blush, Porter, Sherwood’s Favorite; and later, 
or for early Winter, the Fameuse. For 
Winter, I should select Baldwin, Hubbards- 
ton, Jonathan, King, Spy, Greening, Rox- 
bury Russet, Peck’s Pleasant, White Pippin, 
and Kirtland. Twenty-five varieties will 
certainly cover all desirable sorts for any 
oeality and 13 would probably Constitute a 
better list. 
With pears I should be still more conserva¬ 
tive in planting. Beginning with Dearborn, 
Bartlett, Clapp and Tyson for Summer, 1 
would confine myself mainly to Sheldon, 
d’Anjou, Clairgeau, Onondaga, Duchesse tor 
Autumn, with a few Seekels, Howells, and 
possibly two or three more. For Winter, 
Lawrence and Josephine des Malines will pay 
and are fine. The three best paying pears, all 
in all, are Sheldon, d’Anjou and Clairgeau; 
and these are as grand as they are profitable. 
The Sheldon is first in quality, Clairgeau first 
in beauty, d'Anjou first in all else, and second 
only in the above points. E. P. Powell. 
Oneida Co., N. Y. 
OSAGE-ORANGE. 
The Osage-Orange (Maclura aurantiaca), 
sometimes called Bow-wood, is found native 
in the Southwestern States, in Texas, Arkan¬ 
sas, and the Indian Territory. Sometimes it 
grows to the hight of from 50 to 00 feet, and 
to a diameter of three or four feet, although it 
usually forms a low bushed tree, which in the 
Western States, is mostly used for hedges. The 
branches are armed with sharp, slender spines; 
the leaves are lance-ovate inform, entire, and 
with the upper surfaces very glossy. The tree 
flowers in the Spring, the stamiuate flowers 
being produced on one tree, the pistillate on 
another. 
In its native region the tree grows best on 
alluvial soil, but we have it growing at the 
Rural Grounds in many situations—in dry, 
Bandy soil, in poor soil, on the banks of the 
lake—and it seems to thrive well every where. 
The Osage Orange is especially valuable as 
a hedge plant, and is esteemed as such in the 
more open portions of the country. By cutting 
back from year to year it eau be made as 
densely foliaged as the Arbor-vitas, and 
armed, as it is, with very sharp spines, it 
makes a very disagreeable hedge for livestock 
to come violently in contact with. Its value as 
a hedge plant is also enhanced by the fact that 
disease and insects trouble it but little. The 
plants may be grown either from seed or from 
root cuttings; plants from seeds are best for 
hedges. 
We present to our readers, in Figs. 075 and 
076, sketches of the fruit of the Osage-Orange 
grown upon eight-year-old trees at the Rural 
Grounds. This fruit resembles the orange in 
size and shape, from which it derives its name. 
The fruit drawn, when brought from the 
Rural Grounds, was slightly shriveled, and 
the cross-section (Fig. 076) had cracked to some 
extent; cut open, the mass shows the remains 
of the flowers radiating from the center. 
When mature, the fruit becomes yellow, some¬ 
what pulpy, sweetish, but acrid and inedible, 
and the surface is covered with small protu¬ 
berances. 
Of late, attention has been directed to the 
feeding of silk worms upon the leaves of the 
Osage-Orange, and in many localities silk¬ 
worms are fed almost, exclusively upon them. 
While some consider them a poor substitute 
for mulberry leaves, others assert that the 
worms fed upon them furnish a better silk. 
farm Naples. 
NOVEMBER HINTS. 
Spread finely-broken manure over the lawn 
and around the trees and shrubs tbat have not 
made a satisfactory growth the past season .. 
.Winter is comiug. Clean up, and get 
things in ship-shape order for the Winter. Put 
the stables and cattle sheds in order. Nail the 
pickets on the fence. Have the hinges on the 
doors in working order. Cover the cracks in 
the barn, and make it as warm and comfort¬ 
able as possible. It is both unprofitable and 
cruel to keep stock in a barn which affords no 
protection from cold. Fix sheds for the re¬ 
ception of manure. Shingle the roof now, if 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
necessary.Bank up the celery a little 
more.An ounce of prevention is worth 
a pound of cure—then wash your trees with a 
mixture of quick-lime, sulphur, and whale-oil 
soap. The wash should be of the same con¬ 
sistency as lime-wash for walls. A tablespoon¬ 
ful of flowers of sulphur is enough for 25 trees. 
Add lamp-black to darken the color of the 
mixture. This wall keep off mice and rabbits. 
.Be careful not to let the corn fodder, 
that yon may want to put in the barn for 
Winter feed, staud too long in the field after 
becoming dry ; but don't get any in t Hat is at 
all wet. Stock will not eat musty corn fod¬ 
der, but we have seen a great deal of it piled 
in the mangers, eventually to be 
used for bedding. It doesn’t pay.. 
.... We suggested last month to get 
hay and leaves ready for covering 
the strawberries. Spread them 
over the bed, after the ground is 
frozen to about the depth of one 
iucli ... Don’t grumble on ac¬ 
count of the absence of those things 
you never had, or never will have, 
but thank the Lord for wliat you 
have got. and then try r and get 
more.Just now. while the 
husking is going on, you can pick 
out your seed corn better than at 
any other time. It will not pay you 
to wait untoTBpring, and then pick 
it out of the Winter’s leavings. 
Better still, get seed of some good 
stock from your neighbor. Aim 
for corn that will produce the 
least amount of cob and stalks 
and the most corn.Do you 
know of any* better season in which 
to cut out the canes of raspberries 
and blackberries that have borne 
fruit ( .Harvest the beets 
and mangels.Now isa good 
time to transplant the hardy 
trees.Rhubarb plants may r 
also be set out now. Divide the roots of 
old plants, and set them tliree feet apart.... 
....Get the trenches ready for wintering 
celery; they should he from one foot to 
18 inches deep, about one foot wide, and 
situated in dry ground.If in an ex¬ 
posed place, give Winter spinach a light 
covering of litter.Three things in the 
hot-house need particular attention this month, 
viz.; fire, air, and water. The former must 
be applied according to the weather, observing 
not to allow the temperat ure to get below 50°. 
The shutters may be put on nights, on the 
appearance of frost, and taken off eurly in the 
morning. Keep close during sudden changes 
in temperature. Have the water for watering 
as near the temperature of the roots of the 
plants as is possible. Be careful not 
to water bulbs too much. Keep de¬ 
cayed leaves constantly cleaned out 
of the house, and sweep and wash 
clean. Do try and keep the cat¬ 
tle clean this Winter. Thousands of 
farmers allow their cows to lie in 
beds of manure, and as a residt mass¬ 
es of it stick to the hind-quarters, 
which are disagreeable to come in 
contact with, are hard for the cows 
to rest upon, aud which are, to a more 
or less degree, responsible for the 
cowy odor to lx- found in the milk 
produced on many farms.Read 
the Rural thoroughly. Keep the 
poultry houses clean and sweet this 
Winter. Whitewash inside, aud ar¬ 
range barrels or boxes near the houses 
into which the droppings can be 
thrown every' week...Bell or kill 
cockerels not needed, but save the 
pullets, especially the early ones. 
Clean and store away coops not need¬ 
ed. See that the poultry house is 
warm, but ventilated. Feed charred 
bones. Provide a dust bath. Mix 
with it a little ashes and sulphur. 
Provide slaked lime, gravel aud sand. 
Sell only the poorest.Don’tlet 
It will not pay to winter them. Now is the 
time to make money and good sheep by- 
favoring the lambs. They will be all the 
better for a little extra grain and fod¬ 
der. You will be none the poorer.... 
.... Cattle will require considerable grain and 
fodder. Don’t let the calves lose a single 
pound of flesh. See that the cows maintain 
their flow of milk. It is just as important to 
provide good water now as in Midsummer. 
Don’t force them to drink out of filthy- pud¬ 
dles; you lose money by it. Repair and pre¬ 
pare shelters. If you can afford nothing 
better, make shelters of straw; they are not 
pretty, but they arc warm. Sheds should 
Osage-Orange,—From Nature.—Fig. 075 
open to the south: then the animals get the 
benefit of the son. Keep salt in the feed 
troughs. A little warm bran stew is good 
for cows and calves on cold mornings. The 
cows will not object to a few pumpkins. 
Feed the calves the cane tops. 
Chink the cracks in the horse stable; but 
don't make it too dark. Put a few panes of 
glass into the windows. These will keep out 
the cold and let in the sun; the horses will 
be warmer, and their eyes will be much 
better for it. The stable must be ventilated. 
The lattice-work cupola is a good contrivance 
for admitting fresh air and yet not lowering 
the temperature. Keep the stables scrupul¬ 
ously clean. The closely-confined air soon 
becomes foul aud unwholesome when circu- 
OsAGE-O raNGE, CROSS SECTION.—FROM NATURE.— 
Fig. 070. 
the hogs sleep about the straw stack. Make the 
herds smaller. Make use of the boar. March 
pigs are best. Keep the shoots growing. 
Feed green stuff as long as you can. Clean 
out all the shelters and sprinkle with quick¬ 
lime and sulphur. Remember that hogs need 
a rain and wind-breuk, but not litter. The 
rainy and cloudy weather will make mud. 
Don’t throw their corn in it. Feed on a plank 
floor. Better still, put the plunks over the 
animals, aud feed on dry ground while they 
are sheltered from cold rains. Feed pump¬ 
kins. Don’t forget to give charcoal. A little 
warm slop will be appreciated.Shelter 
the sheep from the rains. Keep them dry- 
under foot. Give bucks pleuty of nourishing, 
strength-producing food, but don't make 
them fat. They will be needed soon. Pre¬ 
pare them for it. Sort out the weak and 
sickly sheep and give them extra food and 
care. Get rid of the old aud inferior ones. 
latiug above manure, liquid und solid. Rub 
the mud off the horses each night with a wisp 
of hay- or straw, or wash their legs clean with 
slightly warn water. Brush well in the 
morning to keep the pores open. Lessen the 
feed of grain and increase the ration of hay. 
Farm horses not at work should be fed almost 
entirely- upon stover, unless the object is to 
increase their fat rapidly. Give the colts, 
however, some oats. They should lie kept 
growing...,.Watch the burrs; cut 
them and burn them, if you have foolishly 
allowed them to grow, before they- get in the 
sheep’s fleeces and the horses’ tails. Rake the 
leaves off the yard and lawn, und use them 
for litter in the stables or lor mulehiug. 
Clean up the garden and make a bonfire of 
the rubbish. Remove all filth und rubbish 
from the eeller, and sprinkle a little lime 
over the floor. See that the outside doors fit 
tightly-. Bank up around the house if the 
earth has sunk or washed down.Make 
the woodpile a big one. Now is a good time 
to sei posts aud repair fences. Don’t put off 
all this work till Spring. Plow sod for next 
year's corn crop. Crib the corn as fast as 
you can. Don’t put moldy or in anywise 
damaged ears in the crib. It you must feed 
them, give them to the cattle. If you build 
new pens, make the floors at least 18 inches 
from the ground. Grub out dead trees in the 
orchard, leaving the holes open. Smear the 
trunks of young trees w ith liver, to prevent 
the rabbits from nibbling them. Let the 
hogs make a final clean up of all the apples 
lying under the trees. November ought to be 
a very busy month with the farmer. 
Mulching Potatoes. —The study of last 
year’s experiments w-ith potatoes led the 
Director of the N. Y. Ex. Station to formulate 
a hypothesis, that for the best growth of the 
potato it was required to keep the tubers 
warm and diy. and the roots moist and cool. 
Accordingly, a number of parallel plots were 
so arranged that one-half received mulching 
in the intervals, w-ithout hoeing or other care 
during the season of growth, w-hile the re¬ 
maining half w as grown under the ordinary 
methods. For this experiment it was recog¬ 
nized, however, during the season of growth, 
tbat the conditions wore very unfavorable 
for success, as the prevailing wetness pre¬ 
vented the expected result of the procedure 
from taking place. The results are tabulated 
in the table which follows, and these certainly 
seem to give a sufficient answ-er, that under 
circumstances of a wet season, mulching 
without cultivation is not beneficial to yield, 
as compared with the ordinary care in grow¬ 
ing without the mulch. 
Plat. 
! 
Yield good potatoes 
C. 16. 
.... 1 Mulched 
474 lbs., 
4 OZS 
C. 14. 
.... | Not mulched 
(105 lbs.. 
12 OZ8 
r. 17 .. . 
.. Mulched 
430 lbs 
1 ozs 
C. IS . 
..|Not mulched 
467 lbs.. 
13 ozs 
2,B,1. 
... 1 Mulched 
I Not mulched 
290 lbs., 
457 lbs.. 
0 ozs 
9 ozs 
2,B,2.. 
... | Mulched 
1 Not mulched 
260 lbs.. 
444 lbs., 
9 ozs 
2 ozs 
2.B.3. 
... 1 Mulched 
1 Not mulched 
370 lbs., 
532 lbs.. 
0 OZ8 
11 ozs 
2,B,4. 
... | Mulched 
| Not mulched 
396 lbs., 
622 lbs., 
12 oz.v 
11 ozs 
2.B.5. 
... I Mulched 
1 Not mulched 
317 lbs., 
512 lbs., 
12 ozs 
15 OZS 
The Philadelphia Press notes that the Rio 
tlrande Sugar Company uses hogs largely as 
composters for salt muck and seaweed, and 
the compost they find an excellent manure. 
They started with 80 pigs, and are aiming to 
increase the number to 1,000. The surplus of 
sorghum seed is cooked and fed to the hogs 
along with butchers’ cracklings, and in this 
way they manufacture vast quantities of good 
manure at a cheap rate. 
Utilizing Nuisances.— The N. Y. Times 
thinks that the farmers of New Hampshire, 
brought to the verge of despair by- the terrible 
woodchuck plague, may Like a hint from the 
farmers of Sullivan County, N. Y. The hill¬ 
sides of this pleasing district are infested w-ith 
vast numbers of rattlesnakes, so much so that 
at this season of the year “they are found in 
piles and killed with flails.” Then they are 
" tried out” and made into oil, and this brings 
as much as $1 an ounce as a remedy for various 
diseases. And since a lady- in New York has 
made a handsome belt of a snake’s skiu, with 
its head and rattles on, the skins bid fair to 
become in great demand for this purpose. 
Now, woodchucks are fat and can lie tried out 
into a large quantity of oil. Moreover, the 
skins may easily become quite fashionable if 
ladies’ waists can only be turned in that direc¬ 
tion. It is only a question whether or not the 
New Hampshire farmers can surpass, or at 
least equal, their Sullivan County brethren 
in enterprise. 
Jt is painful to Americans to hear of an in¬ 
crease of the cattlo disease in the United 
Kingdom, writes A B. Allen to our respect¬ 
ed contemporary the Loudon Agricultural 
Gazette. He wishes the farmers would rise 
ni majisf aud compel the Government to for 
bid foreign importation entirely. There is 
no safety for them except in such a course. 
He never wants to see or hoar of uuother live 
hoof crossing the Atlantic from America to 
Europe. Let us ship dead meat from this 
side only. When we once set decidedly about 
the thing, it can be done to any extent, and 
the supply would be of as good a quality, and 
furnished at as low a price as from live ani- 
rnuls, and probably even at lower, and thus 
an end would be put to the dreadful suffer¬ 
ings of poor beasts in the transit. 
