7A 
THE RURAL MEW-YORKER. 
The fir forests are of great extent and of great 
value. But both the coal and the timber have 
largely fallen into the possession of corpora¬ 
tions, who have obtained the land by perjury 
in a great degi’ee, and the profits thereof do 
not accrue to the Territory. Iron is worked 
somewhat, but it will necessarily be some 
years before native ores can be made a source 
of much profit. The country undoubtedly 
has a great future before it; but it will not be 
in "our days”I The trouble along all this 
coast is the effort to push the development 
far beyond what the requirements of the 
country justify. Talk is cheap, but practical 
success is quite another thing. 
There is one other thiug to be taken into 
consideration by parties who have children 
to rear, or who value the influence and efl>ct 
of good morals. Immorality abounds much 
more here than in the East, and Sunday is not 
the Puritan Sunday by any means. A good 
ma uy shops are open, and [ hear parents bitter¬ 
ly complain of the evils and temptations to 
which their eh ildren are subjected. The people 
become “easy-going” in their morals as in 
other things. Preaching is of a more euter- 
taiuing kind than is usually found in the East, 
and churches are sufficiently numerous. 
1 rode some distance one day with a young 
teamster from Missouri. He said he bad been in 
Seattle a year—that he paid $500 for his team; 
$140 for his wagon and $150 forhisliarness He 
charged $6 per day for himself and outfit. 
Teamsters get from $55 to $00 per month Last 
Winter hay was $‘35 a ton. He thought the 
horses generally were very good. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Illinois. 
McHenry Co., Ill.—Our crops of all kinds 
were good last harvest. We had fine crops of 
oats, corn aud potatoes. Although the yield of 
the last was uot so great as that at the Rural 
Grounds, still it was large enough for us. I 
am well pleased with the Rural, and also 
with the free seeds. r. s. 
Indiana, 
Tilmak. Carroll Co., Jau. 18.— Weather 
cold. Wheat not looking very well on ac¬ 
count of thawing during the day, and freezing 
at night. Wheat worth 78 cents; corn, 28 
cents; oats, 25 cents; hogs, about $4. j. w. 
E«mm, 
Colony. Anderson Co.—We had a splendid 
season. Crops were good. Corn is 18 cents; 
wheat, 40 to 50 cents; potatoes, 50 cents; ap¬ 
ples, 60 cents per bushel. Some are losiog 
cattle by turning them into stalk-fields; I hear 
of one man who lost seven out of 14 head. 
Rotten coru and ergot are said to be the cause. 
What does the Rural think is the real cause? 
I believe it is the want of water. w p d. 
[The trouble is fully explained in the Rural 
of January 3, page 2, first column.—E ds.] 
ItllKNOUrl. 
Eldon, Miller Co., Jan. 11.—We have so 
far bad a very severe Winter on wheat—too 
much thawing and freezing. Wheat is al¬ 
ready badly injured. Corn is about two- 
thirds gathered. Farmers sold their hogs at 
a low price, considering the price of corn. 
Corn is retailing at 40 cents; hogs at 5 cents 
net. N. j. s. 
New York. 
Norton Hill, Greene Co., Jan. 10.—The 
season of 1884 could not be complained of in 
these parts Crops of all kinds were fair. 
Oats yielded ahoutSO bushels per acre; wheat, 
10 bushels; buckwheat, 15 bushels; rye, 18 
bushels; corn, 30 bushels shelled; potatoes, 
100 bushels. Pork fattened extra-well and 
we lost no hogs this year, I think on account 
of the plentiful fruit. In fattening either 
pork or beef we think it necessary to have 
eit her roots or fruit to produce healthy and 
juicy meat, and also to reap the best result 
from feeding. Winter rye and wheat as yet 
look well, although there has been much 
freezing and thawing; but I never saw so 
much pains tuken iu preparing ground for 
seed as with the crop iu the Fall; hence the 
stand is good. Prices for farm produce here 
are fair, so that there is not much complaint 
of hard times on most farms. Here a course 
of mixed farming is pursued. The sales com¬ 
prise all kinds of grain, hay, straw, potatoes, 
pork, beef, mutton, wool, lambs, calves,fowls, 
eggs, butler and beans, as well as apples and 
pears. 1 think there is scarcely a farm about 
here that has not a snug income aud Is not pay¬ 
ing. A good many milch cows are sent, from 
here to the New York market, and usually 
biing a good price. The only drawback to 
this place is transportation, as it is 17 miles 
from the river, and there is no railroad any 
nearer, but I think, on the whole, we are just 
as well oJT, as 1 know there are few places 
more prosperous. j. w. j. 
Avoca, Steuben Co.—The crops last season 
were very good, the first part of the Summer 
having been wet and very favorable for a 
luxuriant growth, aud as all kinds of Spring 
grain had obtained such a start as to be little 
injured by the late drought. Winter grain 
was injured somewhat by the Winter, but was 
a fair crop. Potatoes, of which large quanti¬ 
ties are produced here, yielded well. Fruits, 
except pears, were plentiful andebeap. Win¬ 
ter grain at the present writing is looking 
fair; but is injured somewhat by the absence 
of suow. m. a. H. 
Ohio. 
Dayton, Montgomery Co., Jan. 15.—I have 
been taking the Rural two years and I like 
it better than any agricultural paper I have 
ever taken, it gives so much practical knowl¬ 
edge. The Eye-opener by itself is worth the 
money, We have had a very mild Winter up 
to this date; we bad about eight inches of 
snow, but it vanished iu a few days The 
ground is freezing and thawing. Wheat is 
looking green; but the plants are small, and 
the w r eather is hard on the crop. We had a 
very dry Fall for sowing wheat, and a great 
deal was put in the ground late. Our corn 
crop was a fair average—from 80 to 50 bushels 
per acre; potatoes from 50 to 100 bushels. We 
have a good market at Dayton, the popula- 
lation of which is 40,000. i. n. 
-- 
RURAL SEED REPORTS. 
Canada. 
Killean, Wellington Co., Ontario.—The 
Rural seeds did well. The Rural Union Coru 
grew about 10 feet high. I raised about a 
bushel of ears from about 60 grains, but I 
think it too late for these parts. The peas did 
splendidly, but were nearly all destroyed by 
field mice before they got quite ripe. I man¬ 
aged to save about as many as I planted; I 
will plant them again next year. The Black 
Champion Oats grew splendidly; but are 
rather too late; I had about a peck of good 
grain. The tomatoes grew large, but are too 
late; very few ripened before being frozen. 
The Garden Treasures were beautiful, a. b. 
Lake Frances, Manitoba.—The Black 
Champion Oats are too late for this country; 
they tillered wonderfully, and headed fairly 
well, but only a few ripened. The R. N.-Y. 
Pea I did not find any earlier or better than 
Ferry’s First and Best. The Hereford's Market 
Garden is a good pea, being very prolific. 
The flower Beeds did well; we had quite a 
time guessing the nuuies of them. The wheat 
and rye I sowed in drills two feet apart, und 
four inches apart in the drill. They look well, 
and if I do uot get a bushel of grain from each 
kind I will be disappointed. c. F. 
Colorado. 
Coal Creek, Tremont Co.—The Rural 
Treasures have been treasures to us indeed, 
out here in the mountains. They brought 
more than one ray of sunshine with them. 
The peas did well, but we did not cook one of 
them. I have one quart of each sort for seed. 
The tomatoes were very fine and the corn did 
well; I have nearly one bushel, but, a portion 
of it did not ripen fully, yet I think it will he 
valuable for this place. Most crops were poor 
here this year; and, then, strikes among the 
miners make hard times. s. w. 
New York. 
Avoca, Steuben Co.—The Rural seeds 
were a valuable acquisition to my garden. 
During the Summer and Fall we greatly en¬ 
joyed eating the fruits. I consider the Free- 
Seed Distribution worth nearly as much to me 
as the cost of the Rural, besides having for 
one year one of the best agricultural and 
home papers ever published, and I wonder 
how any farmer can be so short sighted as to 
deprive himself and family of its bright, 
cheerful visits. m. a. h. 
Norlli Carolina. 
Waldo Countv.—I like the Rural very 
much, and would be glad to see it prosper 
even more than it is prospering at present. 
The Freo-Seed Distribution is, I think, very 
helpful to farmers. My Blush Potatoes did 
well. The coru was all too late for this cli¬ 
mate. The oats were late. The flowers were 
very flue. 1 take great pleasure in flowers, 
and do ull the work on them, though 1 am 77 
years old. R. G. 
Pe nnsy I vuula. 
B rock ways villk, Jefferson Co.—Fully 
one third of my Blush Potatoes this year 
turned out to be white potatoes looking very 
much like the old Harrison; but they were 
not mixed, for I have no such on my farm, 
and they grew on sod ground. The seed was. 
all from the one potato sent me by the Rural 
t. ». K. 
Everett, Bedford Co,—The Cleveland 
Rural New-Yorker Peas, planted at the sum e 
time as Burpee’s Burliest, were fit to use two 
weeks ahead of the latter. The Horsford’ fl 
Market Gaiden Pea also did well. 1 raised 
some of the finest tomatoes 1 ever had from 
the R. N.-Y. seed. The Black Champion 
Oats were a failure, as the calf got iu aud ate 
them when very promising; am going to try 
the little I have left, another year. In spite of 
the dry Summer, I had half a bushel of 
Rural Union Corn. The Garden Treasures 
gave a fine show of flowers. H. s. 
[Every query must, be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see If It Is uoi answered in 
our udvortlsinj; columns. Ask ouly a few quest ions 
at one time.] _ 
NONSENSE ABOUT “FALSE BUTTER.” 
A. L,, Englewood, N. J. —In the Spirit of 
the Times, of December loth, last, I find the 
following: “What is the cause of false but¬ 
ter iti the churning and the prevention or 
care? Answer.—When the milk contains 
oleaginous properties in sufficient quantity .and 
the proper temperature is observed by a ther¬ 
mometer, there ought to be no difficulty in 
churning. The days of witch craft are ended, 
now that instruments of precision are obtain¬ 
able, regulating thermal influence.” How 
does the Rural agree with the ahovef 
Ans.— The Rural cannot agree with the 
above. First, because the reply is nonsense, 
and, secondly, because it does not answer the 
questiou proposed, [first, milk can not con¬ 
tain oleaginous properties; it may possess 
them. Second, the temperature cannot lie 
obtained by a thermometer. Again, instru¬ 
ments of precision do uot regulate thermal 
influence. These are all violations of gram¬ 
mar and common souse. If by “false butter” 
is meant the white flakes which are common 
in butter at this season of the year, these are 
caused, first, by the presence of albumen in 
milk, from the dry feeding, and, second, by 
the coagulation of this albumen by various 
means, as by the souring of the rniJk, or by 
warming the cream preparatory to churning, 
or by putting hot water iu the churn. Of 
course, the trouble may bo avoided, but from 
experience, the writer knows it is not a very 
• easy thing to do iu the Winter. 
FARMING IN IOWA AND TENNESSEE, ETC. 
P. E.J., Lima, IV. Y. —1. I broke eight acres 
of clover and timothy sod which hud been 
seeded three years and considerably run; one- 
half I covered with barnyard manure, what 
shall I put upon the other half to produce 
good corn? 2. Is Tennessee a good farming 
country ? 3. Is the western part healthy? 4. 
Can corn, wheat and oats be raised as well 
there as in Iowa? 
Ans. —1. Apply 400 pounds of some good 
complete fertilizer per acre after plowing, and 
harrow in. 2. Many parts of Tennessee are 
line sections and the climate is mild. 3. 
Some parts, especially the hilly sections, are 
healthful; along the rivers fever-and-ague 
prevails iu Summer. 4. Of lute years, wheat 
has not done well iu Io wa; bat more than three 
times us much is grown there a* in Tennes¬ 
see. In the CensuB year, the average yield 
of wheat in Iowa was ten and one-third bushels 
per acre; while in Tennessee it was ouly a 
trifle over six bushels; the average yield of 
corn in Iowa was a trifle over forty bushels 
per acre; while iu Tennessee it was only a 
little over eleven bushels; the uverage yield 
of oats in Iowa was very nearly forty bushels 
per acre; while in Tennessee it was only a 
little over ten bushels per acre. The yield 
that year (1879; was a fair indication of the 
general run of these crops in both States. The 
great difference, however, is due less to the 
fertility of the land than to the mode of cul¬ 
ture iu the respective States. It requires 
good farmers just as much as good farms to 
produce good crops. 
AIR-SLAKED LIME. 
A. K, J., Stapleton, N. Y .—On page 844 of 
last year’s Rurai., Mr. 11. Stewart advises 
his readers t*> pile lime on the field, aud let it 
lie until slaked by air aud rain, and then 
spread it. At the close of the article lie 
says the price of fresh lime is 10 to 12 ceuts 
per bushel, and half that price for slaked 
lime—“the former is the cheaper:” why is 
this so, if it is to be spread to slake? 
Ans. —The reason for Mr. Stewart’s state¬ 
ment. is that lime air slaked iu the field, as 
described, is in the best condition for use on 
the land, and cannot be spread until it is 
brought into that condition. It then retains 
all its chemical alkaline qualities, which give 
it value. But the slaked lime which is sold 
under that uatne is Hie refuse lime which is 
thrown out of the kiln, aud is not only partly 
spoiled by the exposure to the weather, but iR 
so much expanded in bulk by the slaking as to 
be reduced in value considerably below the 
fresh lime. In air slaking, a bushel of lime 
of 80 pounds absorbs 27 pounds of water, and 
is then a perfectly dry powder. The common 
slaked lime contains 40 per cent, of water, 
and is only slightly moist. 
LISr OF AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES. 
S. E., Alexanderi ille, Ohio .—Will the 
Rural, please, publish a list of agricultural 
colleges and their location? 
Ans.— 
Name of tlio institution. 
IPost-ofllce ad¬ 
dress of the 
president. 
Auburn. 
Fayetteville.. 
A«. and Meeh. Col. of Ala... 
Ark. Industrial University. 
Ait.. Mining, and MeeU. Arts 
Col., Unlv. of Cal. Berkeley. 
Ar. Col. of Colo.. . Ft . Colons .. 
Sh. nield Seleu. SeU’l, Yule Col. New Haven. 
Alt. department; of Del. Col. Newark...... 
Florida Slate Ak'I Col.. Tulluhassee . 
(Hi. State Col, of Aff’J and Mccti 
Arts. . A the us. 
North Ga. Ar‘1 Col. DuhUinegn... 
Illinois. Industrial Untv. .. Crl.nna ..... 
Pardue Unlv. Ae'l Col. La Fayette... 
Iowa state Ag’l Col... Ames. 
UiuiMa- Stale AjPI Col. Manhattan.. 
A«'l and Meeh. col., Ky. Untv... I.cxlnuton... 
Ag’l und Meeh. Col. of La, . New Orleans 
Mr. State col. of Ag. und Meeh. 
Arts.... ...Orouo. 
Mftiy land Ag'l Col.. Ag'l Col. 
Mass. Inst, id Technology ||„ston 
Mass. Ag'l Pot. . Amherst. .... 
Hussy Institute. Cambridge.. 
Mleli Stale Ag'l Col. .... Lansing. 
Col. of Ag. and Meoh. Arts, Unlv, 
or Minn,.. .. Minneapolis. 
Ml*s. Agricultural College.Ntorkvllle .. 
Alcorn Unlvi rally. Rodney . 
Ag'l and Meeh. Col Unlv,of Mo. Columbia.... 
Mo.School <>l Mims and Metal¬ 
lurgy, Unlv. of Mo. . Kolln. 
Ag'l Col., Unlv. of Neb. Lincoln. 
Col. of Ag.. Unlv. Of Nov.I Elko. 
N. 11. Col. ol Ac and Meeh. Arts, 
Dartmouth Col .. . Hanover. 
Scientific School of Rutgers Col, N.Brunswick 
Col. of Ag. Meeh. Arts, Ae , Cor 
mdi Unlv. Itliaca. 
Ag'l ami Meeh. Col., Uuiv. of 
N O . 
Ohio Ag’l and Meeh. Col. 
stale Ag'l t'ol,, Corvallis. Oreg.. 
Penn. State Co], of Ag. 
Ag'l and Scientific ilep't Brown 
Unlv.V.. ... 
8. C. Ag'l Col. and Meeh. Inst., 
ClaiPn unlv.., . .OrungeburKh 
*Vnn. Ag'l Col., Unlv. of K.Tenn. Knoxville- .. 
Ag’l and Meeh. Col. of Texas Collegestnt’n 
Uuiv. of Vt. and Stat.i Ag’l Col. Burlington. 
Vn. Ag’l and Meeh. Col. ..IHucksburgh. 
Hampton Normal aud Ag'l Inst Hampton ... 
Ag’l aep’t, Uuiv. of W. Vn. Morgantown. 
Col. of Arts ,&<•.., t'niv.of Wls.. Madison 
Chapel Rill... 
Columbus.... 
Corvallis. 
Slate College. 
Providence... 
State. 
Ala. 
Ark. 
Cal. 
Col. 
Conn. 
Del. 
Fla. 
Ga. 
Ga. 
HI. 
Ind. 
Iowa. 
Kan. 
Ky. 
La. 
Me. 
Md. 
Mass. 
Mass. 
Mass. 
Mleb. 
Minn. 
Miss. 
Miss. 
Mo. 
Mo. 
Neb. 
Nev. 
N. H. 
N. J. 
N. Y. 
N. C. 
Ohio. 
Oreg. 
Pa. 
R. I, 
S. C. 
Tenn. 
Texas. 
Vt. 
Va. 
Va. 
W. Va. 
Wls. 
THE RURAL'S METHOD OF POTATO CULTURE. 
G. W., Hock Fall a, III .—While there is so 
much to be learned from the experiment at the 
Rural Grounds, of course you do not expect 
us to become mere imitators of your methods. 
Now, I propose to raise a “big” crop of pota¬ 
toes on two acres of rich prairie soil, with 
cluy subsoil, sloping to the north with a fall 
of 10 feet in 300. I shall plow eight inches 
deep, in lauds running north and south, 
and follow, in the tame furrow, with a sub¬ 
soil plow drawn by another team. The sub¬ 
soil plow is flat on the bottom and about eight 
iuehes broad, and by going about six inches 
deep it will fill the first furrow completely 
full of loose soil, and this iu turn is covered 
by the stubble plow. After the ground is 
thoroughly harrowed, 1 shall mark furrows 
for planting, three feet apart, with a one- 
horse, mold-board plow, mid cover and use fer¬ 
tilizers, as you do, only I shall use guano and 
plaster in the drills (to keep off the wire- 
worms) and wood ashes after the vines come 
up. What are the objections to the use of the 
subsoil plow instead of “trenching” in the 
row? 
Ans.— Yes, we do want you to imitate our 
method of potato culture exactly—at least in a 
small way; then improve upon it ns you may; 
but give it n full, fair test. The system as 
stated is quite different. We want the tren¬ 
ches—they are trenches—first plowed out. 
Then the pieces are to be covered with two 
inches of soil, and upon this the fert ilizer is to 
bo strewn, if the land is inclined to be moist 
and does not usually suffer from drought. 
But if otherwise, we insist. that two inches of 
cut hay or straw, or refuse of some kind, must 
he strewn over the two inches of soil, in which 
case the fertilizer should be strewn over this 
mulch instead of upon the two inches of soil. 
Then cover. Again, in harrowing, tho horses 
must not tread upon the trenches—it had bet¬ 
ter bo done before planting. We do not ad¬ 
vise either plaster or guano in place of the 
bone, potesh, nitrate of soda, magnesia and 
salt we have recommended. Many will try 
the Rural’s method after a fashion. Few 
will trouble themselves to give it a fair, 
square trial. 
MAKING “CUTTINGS.” 
I). W. B., Dcmsville, IV. F.—1. When is the 
best time to make cuttings of grapes, currants, 
raspberries and basswood? 2. Where can I 
obtaiu reliable information about land, its 
price aud quality, in Tennessee? 
Ans.— 1. We have met with satisfactory 
success making the cuttings of grapes and 
currants in tho Fall, and at once placing them 
in beds of mellow soil covered, after frosts, 
with a mulch of auy kind. Black-caps root 
freely by the tips. In late Summer, cover 
the tips so as to keep them in place. First-rate 
plants will be produced in this way. The 
roots of raspberries which produce suckers, 
may be taken up in tho Fall, after growth, 
and cut in lengths of three inches. These 
may be buried beneath frost liue iu a dry 
place, or arranged iu boxes, alternating a 
layer of the cuttings with a layer of soil. 
