790 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
DEC 4 
n the Philadelphia Weekly Press. After a 
long dissertation on the supposed origin of this 
new pear, in which the writer endeavors to 
prove it is nothing more than an old dis¬ 
carded variety, he bestows upon all nursery¬ 
men who sell it a scathing rebuke. Especially 
have the poor nurserymeu of Pennsylvania, 
New Jersey and New York fallen uuderliis 
displeasure in this matter. It seems that the 
price—five dollars is one of the prominent 
elements iu this humbugging transaction, 
when tlu' writer, who is an old nurseryman 
himself, is well aware that all new plants 
must necessarily command a high rate, owing 
to the expense of introduction. 
The Kieffer Pear has been recommended, 
not especially for richness of flavor, nor does 
Mr. Hoopes believe that any conscientious 
nurseryman so designates it; but it is praised 
by all who know it well for remarkable 
beauty; for its fine size and color; for its 
melting, juicy flesh and agreeable flavor; and 
particularly for its healthy, vigorous growth 
and remarkable productiveness. So far as 
the latter qualities are concerned, it has no 
competitor, as it will grow and produce 
bountifully when no other of the older varieties 
w’ill succeed. 
Well does Mr. Hoopes remember about the 
year 1854, when the Concord Grape was first 
offered for sale by our Boston friends them¬ 
selves, how the periodicals teemed with the 
most exalted descriptions of this new berry, 
and he cannot forget the magnified illustra¬ 
tions that were distributed so bountifully. It 
is a useful grape, that every one must admit, 
but the vines were no more worth §5 each thau 
is the Kieffer Pear to-day. In conclusion, Mr. 
Hoopes claims that the position of the Concord 
among grapes is precisely what the friends of 
the Kieffer say should be its position among 
pears—a good, handsome, popular, reliable 
fruit, and nothing more nor less. So long as 
the demand exceeds the supply of trees, the 
price will continue firm, but, as was the case 
with the Concord Grape, when the plants be¬ 
come sufficiently numerous to meet this de¬ 
mand, then will the price fall to the level of 
the older varieties. 
FINALLY. 
Joseph Me dill affirms that drink is the 
progenitor of nearly all the ills to which the 
poor men of the United States are subjected. 
No trades unions or other combinations can 
ever bring relief to them in the absence of 
temperance and economy. That is as true as 
can be... 
So saith the Farm Journal: 
The farmer’s trade Is one of worth. 
He’s partner with the sky and earth, 
He’s partner with the sun and rain. 
And no man loses for his gain; 
And men may rise and men may fall, 
But the farmer he must teed them all . 
It also says: 
“Hold the baby half the time, and always 
start the fire in the morning and put on the 
teakettle. 
“Confusion,defeat and annihilation to every 
monopoly that preys upon those who work 
for a living. This is the flag that we fight 
under.”. 
President T. T. Lyon, of Michigan, feel¬ 
ingly remarks in our respected contemporary, 
the Michigan Farmer, that Charles Downing 
has so long stood at the front of the pomo- 
logical army that we may well ask ourselves 
upon whose shoulders his mantle shall fall 
when his already lengthened years shall come 
to a close...». 
Holding up the Milk.—A writer in the 
N. Y. Times says that of all the methods he 
has tried for making a cow give down her 
milk which she has been holding up, the best 
is to put a rope around her horns and lift her 
by it. This he has tried in the worst cases 
without failing .. 
The “ HOLE-IN-THE-GROUND” silo at El¬ 
gin, Ill.— simply an excavation eight feet deep ? 
in gravelly sub-soil, with sloping sides and 
ends, no masonry or wood-work, and covered 
with clover and a heavy layer of earth—is 
said by the Prairie Farmer to have kept corn 
ensilage so well last Winter that the owner 
Dr. Pratt, will refill it in the same way this 
Fall for a second experiment, So says the 
Orange County Farmer. 
The same journal states that the well-known 
Miss Penn rejected Mr. Hog merely because 
she could not hear the announcement in the 
papers under “marriages” of Hog—Penn.... 
It also offers the excellent piece of advice 
to farmers that plenty of good air, light diet 
and warm clothing are more desirable thau 
the buckwheat cakes and ham and bacon 
reeking with grease, and vegetables tough¬ 
ened and sodden with the same unhealthy 
substance...-. 
Ip, says Dr. Hoskins, the tendency of pov¬ 
erty is to breed envy and discontent, and 
drive men to crime by breaking down their 
respect for the rights of property, the no less 
sure tendency of wealth is towards over-in¬ 
dulgence, selfishness, and disregard for the 
rights of others. If poverty makes thieves, 
wealth makes tyrants, and which class is the 
more dangerous to society is not an easy ques¬ 
tion to answer.. 
Secretary W. 1. Chamberlain ex¬ 
presses doubts in the Ohio Fanner whether 
sorghum will ever pay in Ohio, or the manu¬ 
facture of sugar and sirup ever become an 
important industry, Silk-worms and ensilage 
and sorghum will pay in some parts of the 
world. Corn, potatoes, wheat, blooded horses, 
cattle and sheep, fancy butter and cheese 
seem to pay better iu Ohio. He says: “Let 
Cuba and Louisiana make the sugar.” Oh! 
Secretary W. I. Chamberlain! how dare you?.. 
WE should much like to have every sub¬ 
scriber send for our new posters and premium 
list. If every subscriber were instrumental 
in sending us one new subscriber, we should 
be too glad for anything. 
“Rural New-Yorker.— We omitted to 
notice the splendid fair number of the good 
old Rural. An exchange says of it: 'The 
annual fair number of the Rural New- 
Yorker comes to us once more, and there 
eau be no doubt that it is the handsomest 
agricultural publication in the world. We 
are proud to be able to say this of an Ameri¬ 
can journal, and we wish the Rural such 
liberal support as may enable it to continue 
to lead. We add to this encomium, not only 
the handsomest, but the best.' 1 ' So says the 
editor of the Vermont Watchman. 
Qrumjtoljn'C. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Canada. 
Aylmer, Elgin Co., Out., Nov. 10.— Wheat 
was a very poor crop, selling here now at 
from si to §1.04 and $1.05. Barley very little 
grown, and poor at that. No market as yet. 
Oats were a heavy crop; I hear of some turn¬ 
ing 60 bushels to the acre. None being sold 
now. The com crop was a total failure, 
owing to wet weather and early frosts. Hay 
was an average crop. Roots were very poor, 
and many farmers have to buy potatoes from 
other districts They are worth about 75 cents 
per bushel now. Dairying is the principal 
pursuit here, cheese bringing good prices this 
season. Milk has fallen very low, owing to 
early frosts killing the pasture. Most facto¬ 
ries are closed for the season. T. w. 
Iowa. 
Cedar Falls, Black Hawk Co., Nov. 12 — 
Oats a big crop; from 40 to 60 bushels per 
acre. Coni (Iowa seed) about, half a crop; 
Kansas and Nebraska seed almost equal to 
nothing; hard to estimate. Potatoes a big 
crop. Hay a fair crop. Sorghum half a crop. 
We think the RURAL a grand and good paper, 
and await its coming anxiously from week to 
week. G. a. f. 
Kansan. 
Litchfield, Crawford Co., Nov. 9.—Our 
corn crop is good: yield about 50 bushels per 
acre. Oats from 80 to 50 bushels: some claim 
as high as 05. No wheat raised in our locality. 
Early potatoes good; late potatoes, about half 
a crop. Garden vegetables of all kinds very 
good. D. F. D. p. 
Texas. 
Cove, Coryell Co., Nov. 8. —We have had 
the driest year I have ever seen in this coun¬ 
try. and I have been here nine years. We never 
had a good rain from the 1st of March until 
the 1st of October. G. J. B. 
■ - 
RURAL SEED REPORTS. 
Canada. 
Aylmer, Elgin Co.—My two small Blush 
Potatoes were planted.in three hills, but owing 
to wet weather and heavy clay soil, and some 
cows getting in aud tramping them down, they 
were almost a failure. I only got eight 
pounds, varying greatly in size, the largest 
weighing 17 ounces, and some as small as 
marbles. But we expect better things from 
them next year. The Perfection Watermelon 
was completely drowned out by rain. T. w. 
Moulton, Mouck Co.—Mv two small Blush 
Potatoes, cut to 15 pieces, with one eye iu a 
piece, and planted one piece iu a hill, yielded 
71 pounds of fine potatoes. I think they are 
just splendid. The Black-bearded Centennial 
Whoat never headed out. The Shoe-peg 
Coin grew 10 feet high aud eared out well; 
but the frost came too soon for it. The Per¬ 
fection Watermelon is rightly named. I have 
eight Niagara Grape-vines living R G. h. 
Illinois. 
Mt. Palatine, Putnam Co.—All the Rural 
wheat was winter-killed badly. The Shoe. 
peg-Coru grew well enough, but the ears are 
short and small. My Blush Potato had nine 
eyes, and from it I raised 78 pounds of good 
tubers. Of the White Elephant I had several 
that would weight three pounds; the yield was 
good. C. G. 
Iowa. 
Cedar Falls, Black Hawk Co.—My two 
very small Blush Potatoes were the smallest 
I ever planted. Cut one eye to a piece, they 
made eight pieces, which were planted in 
eight lulls. Yield, 94 potatoes; the five largest 
weight'd four pounds and 15 ounces, although 
hens had destroyed quite a number. I think 
the Blush a grand potato, and the yield enor¬ 
mous. Shoe-peg Corn planted on Timothy 
sod seemed to thrive, and looked flue until 
September 7th, 8 th and 9th, when the frost 
took it—too late for this climate. Had no 
success with grape seed. The Centennial 
Wheat made only three heads, and those were 
smooth, no beards appearing. G. a. f. 
Kansas, 
Litchfield, Crawford Co —My two small 
Blush Potatoes had seven eyes and made 
seven hills, which yielded 85 ,'>4 pounds of 
tubers. My Shoe-peg Coni was not worth 
sowing for seed. I have three fine Niagara 
Grape seedlings. d. f. d. p. 
M icliigan. 
Sodus, Berrien Co.—My Blush Potatoes 
made 11 hills, with one eye to the hill. In 
spite of bugs and frost, I saved nine hills, 
which yielded 21 pouuds of fine-looking tu¬ 
bers. Shoe-peg Corn too late. Did not make 
roasting ears. Rural wheats no good; 
rusted badly. Flower seeds did splendidly. 
SI. J. B. 
Nebraska. 
Oakland, Bent Co.—My Blush Potato 
weighed nearly one ounce; was planted in 
seven hills, and yielded 88 tubers, weighing 
17)± pouuds; yield, at least 200 per cent, bet¬ 
ter thau any oth?r one of my 1-5 varieties im 
six acres. I have 18 strong Niagara seed¬ 
lings, aud five more died. I have the product 
of seven stalks of the B.-b. Centennial Wheat. 
The Shoe-peg Corn is too late for this place. 
The Garden Treasures were grand and highly 
appreciated. e. j. s. 
New York. 
De Kalb, St. Lawrence Co.—My three- 
ounce Blush Potato made ten hills with one 
eye in each, and yielded 04 tubers which 
weighed 81 pounds. Eating quality first-class; 
better than Burbank or Early Rose. Shoe- 
peg Corn too late for this section. w. s. 
Texas, 
'Cove, Coryell Co.—My Blush Potatoes 
yielded about half-a-gallon of small 
tubers, although rain enough to wet the 
ground a half-inch did not fall from 
the time I planted them until the tops died 
down. The Shoe-peg Corn raised does not 
resemble the seed sent; it is the hardest kind 
of flint and it was not planted near any flint 
corn. G. J- b. 
Wisconsin. 
Pkwaukee, Waukesha Co,—My two small 
Blush Potatoes, cut into 11 pieces, and with 
one eye in a piece, yielded 14 pounds of good, 
medium-sized tubers. My White Elephants 
beat all the potatoes I ever saw. 8. H. 
&I)C dliterifil. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must De accompanied by the name 
aud address of the writer to Insure atteutlou.l 
SOMETHING ABOUT WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 
John, Brooklyn, N. Y .—Asks for some in¬ 
formation about Washington Territory. 
Ans, —Washington Territory lies between 
latitude 45 deg. 50 min. and 49 deg., so that 
the southern boundary, the Columbia River, 
which separates it from Oregon, is further 
north thau Montreal, Canada, the head of 
Lake Michigan, about 60 miles further north 
thau St. Paul, Minn., and nearly on a line 
with Duluth. Its greatest leugth, from east 
to west, is 840 miles, and its greatest breadth 
240 miles, its urea being 69,994 square miles, 
or some 8,600 miles greater than that of 
Missouri, and 1,646 miles more than the total 
area of all the six New England States. In 
topography, climate and productions Wash¬ 
ington Territory strongly resembles Oregon. 
Like the latter, it is divided by the Cascade 
Mountains into two portions, Eastern and 
Western Washington, which differ greatly in 
their general features. The former contains 
about 50,000 and the latter about 20,000 square 
miles. The Cascade Mountains stretch across 
the Territory from Oregon, on the south, to 
British Columbia, on the north. In Eastern 
Washington, on this side of the mountains, 
the surface is generally high, rolling and ir¬ 
regular, with occasional plains. The climate 
is dry, the average rainfall in the Walla 
Walla Valley being only 1* inches. The mean 
temperature there is as follows: Spring, 52 
deg.; Summer, 73 deg.; Autumn, 58 deg.; W in¬ 
ter, 84 deg.; the whole year, 53 deg. Further 
north towards the British boundary the Win¬ 
ters are several degress colder, and in all parts 
of that section the extremes of heat and cold 
are greater thau iu 'Western Oregon. The 
country, however, is healthful. Iu the Walla 
Walla, the Yakima, Collville and Pelouse 
valleys there is much good laud adapted to 
cultivation aud more suited to grazing, cat¬ 
tle thriving on Bunch Grass throughout the 
year. Large tracts iu this section might be 
rendered productive by irrigation. In western 
Oregon, along the Pacific, the year may be 
divided into the wet and dry seasons. The 
former lasts from November to March or 
April, during which period drizzly weather 
prevails; the latter covers the rest of the 
year. The weather then, however, is not 
absolutely dry, as showers arc not infrequent. 
Observations taken at Steilacoom (latitude 47 
deg. 10 min.) for four years, show the mean 
temperature to be: the year, 50.8 deg.; Spring, 
40 deg.; Summer, 08.8 deg,; Autumn. 51.9 
deg.; Winter, 39 deg.; coldest mouth (Janu¬ 
ary) 38.1 deg.; warmest month (July), 64.9 
deg. The average precipitation of rain and 
melted snow in the same place, judging from 
six years’ observation, is as follows: Spring, 
11.19 inches; Summer, 3.85; Autumn, 15.83; 
Winter. 22.62; year, 53,49. Immediately 
along the Pacific coast the rainfall is greater. 
In Summer the mercury occasionally goes up 
to 90 deg., but the nights are always cool. 
Snow rarely falls to a great depth and seldom 
lasts more than a short time, and but little ice 
is formed. Grass remains green nearly the 
entire year, and flowers are often in bloom in 
midwinter. The country is mostly densely 
wooded, though there are some prairie tracts. 
The soil is generally fertile, aud in some 
places very rich. The chief agricultural pro¬ 
ducts are wheat, barley, oats, rye. potatoes, 
turnips and other vegetables, apples, pears, 
plums, cherries, cranberries, etc. The three 
principal divisions of this Western section 
are the Columbia basin, which, back from 
the river bottoms, is high and broken;the val¬ 
ley of the Chebalis- River, embracing 2,000 
square miles, and varying iu width from 15 to 
50 miles: and the basin of Puget Bound, em¬ 
bracing 12,00f) square miles. At the census of 
1880 the population of the whole Territory 
was 69,116, against a population of 28,955 in 
1870. The most thickly populated counties in 
Western Oregon were Columbia, 6,626; Clark, 
4,427: King, 4,929; and Yakima, 3,456; while 
in Eastern Oregon, Walla Walla County had 
6,840, Whitman 5,935, Klikitat 3,594 and 
Spokane 3,565. At the same census the total 
number of farms in Washington was 6,529, 
against 3,128 in 1870. The land under farms 
amounted to 1,409,421 acres against 649,139, 10 
years before. Of the farm lands 484,346 acres 
were “improved,” against 192,016 in 1870. The 
average size ot the farms was 216 acres, and 
there were 62 over 1,000 acres each. The 
value of the farms was $18,844,224, against 
$3,978,341 in 1870, and the value of the live 
stock was $4,852,307 against $2,103,843 in 1870. 
FERTILIZER FOR POTATOES: RA’l.ONS FOR 
MULE, 
w. H. .4. No address, —1. Is the following 
a good mixture for Irish potatoes: Cotton¬ 
seed meal, 400 pounds; muriate of potash, 200 
pounds: pluster, 100 pounds; bone meal, 100 
pounds? 3, Could the plaster aud bone meal 
be omitted; 3. What could take their place? 
4 . Would 500 pounds of cotton-seod meal and 
100 pounds of kainit equal 400 pouuds of cot¬ 
ton-seed meal uud 200 pouuds of muriate of 
potash? 5. How should the mixture be ap¬ 
plied? 6 . Could the potatoes be dropped first 
aud then the fertilizer? 7. What would be a 
good ration for a mule, fed three times a day, 
oats, wheat, bran, cotton-seed meal aud Tim¬ 
othy hay? 
ANS.—1. It is. 2, Not well. 3. Nothing that 
would bo so cheap. 4. No, the potash would 
not be sufficient, us the kainit contains but 25 
pounds or less of it, while the 200 pounds of 
muriate would contain 100 pounds; that is, 
if it is high-grade muriate it has 50 per cent- 
of actual potash. 5, It would be better to 
drop the fertilizer, scatter a little soil over it, 
and then drop the seed; the muriate of potash 
is the only dangerously corrosive element. 
The cotton-seed meal is wholly free from dan¬ 
ger. 6 . One w ay is as good as another. 7. A 
good ration w r ould be 10 pounds of oats, five 
pouuds of wheat bran, fivo pounds of cotton 
seed meal, and 15 pounds of hay. If any of 
these is reduced it should be the hay. it would 
bo better, and a saving of at least one-third in 
beneficial effort, if the oats and bran were 
ground together and mixed with the meul, 
and six pounds of the mixture were given 
with five pounds Of hay cut iuto chaff with a 
fodder cutter, uud wetted. It is a question if 
so much w’ould be eaten, aud two-thirds the 
above quantity would not be equally useful 
as the whole fed dry. It is the food that I ^ 
/ 
