106 
FE® 14 
but little attention yet; in fact, stock seldom 
need any close attention here, till towards 
the latter part of Winter. In the “Nation,” 
just West of here, stock will live through the 
Winter without being fed, but here in the 
State, that way of raising stock is “played out.” 
Most farmers now try to raise plenty of hay 
and grain, and provide shelter for their stock. 
Cattle are cheaper here than they were a year 
ago. Cows and calves can now be bought for 
*15, whereas they sold for £25 last year. 
Last year's calves are selling £6r £5. Wheat 
is not looking sc well this Winter, owing to 
the alternate freezing and thawing of the 
land and the absence of snow. There is not 
as much sowed this year aB there was last. 
The crop last year was light, averaging about 
five bushels per acre. The corn is about the 
same as last year. Hogs are in good demand 
here at fair prices. Although the cotton crop 
was about an average, money is very scarce, 
and this is mostly owing to the credit system 
which prevails here. It takes about all the 
farmers get for their crops to pay their store 
bills in the Fall; then they have to go in dpbt 
again to make another crop; consequently 
they are all the time just one year behind. 
Many say that they have resolved ‘'to pay as 
they go'' henceforth, and do without what 
they can't pay for. Prices are; wheat, §1; 
corn, 50c ; oats, 50c.; pork.fi to Sc.; butter, 
20c.; eggs, 10c.; sorghum, 50c.; honey, ex¬ 
tracted, 12c. H. c. B. 
Illinois. 
Russelvillk, Lawrence Co., Jan. 17.— 
About four fifths of the usual amount of 
wheat was sowu last Fall, and most of it was 
rather late. It has stood the Winter very 
well so far; but was needing its snowy mantle 
badly when the storm came on January 15. 
Our last year’s crop was very light. Corn did 
nut turn out as well as anticipated, the aver¬ 
age for the country being reported at 22 
bushels per acre. Low prices and short crops 
make our farmers wear long faces. Nearly 
all who could do so, are still holding their 
little surplus for better prices. This state of 
affairs makes pretty hard times with us just 
now; but the Rural must not get discour¬ 
aged about its “clubs” too soon. Let it wait 
till it gets the returns from the “back coun¬ 
ties.” 1 am going to send you a club if I have 
to pay every subscription myself. I have 
one man on the string now, and as soon as 1 
can catch another shall begin to send, and al¬ 
though 1 have no expectation of winning any 
of the premiums you may rest assured that 
the attempt to deserve one will be faithfully 
made. [Thanks.— Eds.] a. j. h. 
Iowa. 
Oskaloosa, Mahaska Co., Jan. 16.—We 
are having very cold weather with a good 
deal of snow; thermometer often down to 20 
degrees below zero, with an abundance of feed 
for stock. a. b. 
Nebraska. 
Unadilla, Otoe Co., Jan. 28.—Crops in 
this part of Nebraska were excellent the past 
year; corn, wheat and rye very heavy; we 
had also a large crop of hogs: but cholera and 
other ailments have killed off more than half, 
some men losiug them by hundreds Apples, 
grapes and small fruits did well, except black¬ 
berries. The Snyder has proven the hardiest. 
Prices are very low for all produce: corn, 20 
cents; wheat, 50 cents; hogs, £0.25 to £3 75 
per cwt. H. j. p. 
New Hampshire. 
Greenville, Hillsboro Co., Jan. 10.—The 
Winter so far has been mild, except two days 
about December 20th, when the thermometer 
reached from 16 to 21 degrees below zero. We 
had no snow since Christmas till last Friday; 
now there are about six inches, with a hard 
crust on top. It has been quite uuhealthy on 
account of the very sudden and frequent 
changes in the weather, as the thermometer 
would vary from 80 to 6u degrees inside of 24 
hours The bay crop last season fell short 
from 30 to 40 per cent , and hay would com¬ 
mand extremely high figures, if it were not 
for importation of Canada hay, which can be 
bought for 818 to £20 at the cars. Nearly all 
other crops were above an average, and prices 
were quite low. Loose hay is now worth 
from £18 to £28; meal, £21; shorts and 
middlings, £18; and cotton seed meal, £29 per 
ton; potatoes, 50 to 65 cents per bushel; ap¬ 
ples, £1.25 to £1.75 per barrel; carrots and 
turnips, 50 cents per bushel; beets, 60 cents 
per bushel; pork, £7, and beef 86 to £8 per 
cwt.; eggs, 32 to 35 cents per dozen; butter, 
82 cents per pound. Peach buds are killed in 
this section. O. w. G. 
New York. 
Avoca, Steuben Co.—The crops last season 
were very good, the first part of the Summer 
having been wet end very favorable for a 
luxuriant growth, and all kinds of spring 
grain had obtained such a start as to ba but 
litue injured by the late drought. Winter 
grain was injured somewhat by the Winter, 
but was a fair crop. Potatoes, of which large 
quantities are produced here, yielded well. 
Fruits, except pears, were plentiful and 
cheap. Winter grain at the present writing 
is looking fair, but is impaired somewhat by 
the absence of snow. m. a. h. 
Perry, Wyoming Co.—Wheat looks rank 
and green under the snow. I raised 20 bushels 
of Blush Potatoes. Beans through this section 
yielded about 18 bushels, on an avarage, per 
acre. The bean crop pays the best this year 
of any of our crops. White Kidneys sell for 
£2 00 per bushel. f. h. r. 
Ohio. 
Hazlewood, Katn. Co., Jan. 20—Ther¬ 
mometer at zero; ground covered one inch 
deep with snow and ice together. Wheat 
sowed late and very backward. The corn 
crop of the past harvest was the lightest for 
many years. Oats a good crop. Wheat half 
a crop. Fruit of all kinds very scarce. Po¬ 
tatoes a light crop. Timothy an excellent 
crop. Clover half a crop. N. s s. 
Yankee Bridge, Coshocton Co , Jan. 19 — 
We have had a very changeable Winter here 
so far. At present everything is weighted 
down with ice, and the weather is too cold for 
a thaw. Fruit trees, especially peach trees, 
are badly damaged; old trees are almost de¬ 
molished. The prospect so far is good for the 
growing wheat crop. Stock that has good 
shelter looks well; but the poor animals that 
have to rely on finding a shelter in some feuce 
comer or old straw pile look in rather poor 
condition, especially since the sleet which fell 
last Thursday night and Friday. There is 
abundauceto eat in this vicinity, and to spare, 
but prices are so low that money is scarce. 
J. H. D. 
RURAL SEED REPORTS. 
Iowa. 
Wesley, Kossuth Co.—The Rural N.-Y. 
Peas were very Early; they were not so nice 
in quality as some others Horsford’s M G. 
Peas were prolific and late. The Rural Union 
Corn grew about 10 feet high, with two ears 
on a stalk. I do not think it is as nice as some 
other kinds for this section. The Black Cham 
pion Oats were destroyed. The tomatoes were 
splendid. The flowers gave a profusion of 
blossoms. We cannot raise winter wheat 
here, so we did not plaut the wheat, w. s. P. 
(Every query must be accompanied by thenaroe 
and address ot the writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see If ll Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
at one time-l _ 
MANURING AN ORCHARD. 
L. II. P., Wolf Run, Pa. —Father’s orchard 
has been bearing 25 years and has not been 
plowed in that time. Though the trees ap¬ 
pear healthy, we have not had a full crop in 
four years; what ails it ? 
Ans. It is probably starving. Manure it 
heavily with coarse burnyard manure, putting 
it on as a mulch, or manure and plow lightly; 
also apply one bushel of hard wood ashes and 
four pounds of some good superphosphate to 
each tree; aud if the tops are too thick, give 
a moderate pruning. It may convince him 
that even trees need feeding. 
FEEDING RYE TO 8TOCK, ETC. 
G, S., ParJeville, Midi., 1, asks several 
questions as to the value of rye for feeding 
different kinds of stock, aud as to how it 
should be fed; 2, a market for a small lot of 
tobacco? 
Ans. 1. Rye should be freed from ergot or 
smut, and ground with other grain. It 
is then a good feed for a working animal, or 
for cows at all times, or for bogs of all kinds 
and at all times, old aud young. It is not so 
good as corn for fattening auiruals or for 
hens, though a small quantity may be used 
for these purposes. 2. So small a quantity 
would not pay to ship, aud should be sold to 
some local dealer. 
«♦«- 
Miscellaneous. 
G. D. L , Pittsfield, III. —1. How is the bud¬ 
ding of fruit trees performed? 2 Will salt 
spread on land freshly manured, injure the 
manure? 8. Is there a simple way of telling 
what our soils need to produce better crops, 
or iu what properties they are deficient? 
Ans.— 1 Bee Youth’s Department of the 
Rural of February 7. 2. Not in the least. 
3. Yes; ask the soil by a few experiments, 
carefully watching for the auswer For in¬ 
stance, apply to Bmall plots different plant 
foods, in differentquantitiesaDd combinations, 
carefully noting down the application and 
watching the results. But it is safe to make, 
save, and apply all the barnyard manure you 
can. That is a perfect food that agrees with 
all soils. 
A. E. W., Everett, Pa. —1. Does the new- 
proeess flour contain the good properties of 
Graham flour? 2. What is the best braud of 
commercial fertilizer for potatoes ou a worn- 
out, red slate land, and what amount per acre 
can be used, and what is the best method of 
cultivation? 
Ans. —1. If you mean roller flour, no. 
There is a flour, however, called “entire wheat” 
flour, made by some patented process, which 
coutains the whole product of the wheat. 2. 
We have tried but few, aud don’t know. Use 
any good one that contains phosphoric acid 
from eight to 12 per cent.; potash from six to 
eight per cent., and nitrogen from three to 
six per cent. Use anywhere from 260 to 1,000 
pounds per acre. The most advantageous 
amount cau be accurately told only by ques¬ 
tioning the land, by experiments. Our method 
is wide, deep trenches, the seed to be at least 
four inches below the surface, the manure to 
be placed above the seed, aud flat cultivation 
to be given, keeping off the trench so as to 
leave it as loose as possible. Try it. 
F. G. K. Hav,anna. III .—L When and how 
much nitrate of soda should be put on corn 
and where can it be bought, and the price? 
2. With equal parts of oats, corn and ryo 
ground together, do I need bran ? 3. Should 
the steel calks on horses’ shoes be tempered 
for the best result? 4. Are the neve-rslip 
horse shoes an improvement? 
Ans. —1. In view of the large amouut of 
manure we have seen going to waste in 
Illinois, we thiDk uitrogeu can be got cheaper 
in this than io nitrate of soda. When used 
the nitrate should not be applied until the 
corn is five or six inches high, and should then 
be put on broadcast at the rate of 100 pounds 
per acre, and raked or cultivated iu. 2. No. 
3. Yes, as hard as they can be and Dot. bieuk. 
4. We think they are worth trying; ’twill not 
cost much. 
./. E. T,, no address .—1 What would be 
your method of starting a hedge fence? 2. 
Which is better—hedge or wire? 
Ans. —1. If the hedge is to be of Osage Orange, 
set plants one year old in a row IS inches 
apart; cultivate thoroughly for two years, 
when three years old cut to the ground and 
the new growth will be dense enough to turn 
cattle. Wires may be stretched near the 
ground, while the plants are small, and the 
hedge will then he bog proof. Such a hedge, 
to be kept in shape, must be trimmed three 
times during each Summer. 2. Wire is best 
in many situations ; hedge in some; if the 
hedge can be allowed to grow as a shade and 
wind break, it will be the cheaper; but if it 
must be trimmed, wire will probably give the 
best satisfaction. 
W. W. F ., Watervillc, O. —1. Is it advisa 
ble to plant currants among apple trees iu an 
orchard? If so, what is the best distance 
apart? 2. The Baldwin Apple fails here iu 
the trunk; could it be top grafted on other 
hardy sorts'? 
Ans.—1. On the Hudson River nearly 
every apple orchard is planted to currants or 
berries. It is only a question of how much 
manure you are willing to apply; but where 
land is cheap, it may be better to plaut them 
separately, as it is much less work to culti¬ 
vate; three by seveu is a very good distance- 
for currants. 2. They can be so worked if 
you wish to grow Baldwins. 
M. N. B., Dagget, Ind.—l have 130 acres 
seeded to the Mammoth Red Clover. I wish 
to get the largest crop of seed possible, while 
injuring the land as little as I can. How shall 
I treat it? 
ANS.—You cannot mow this kind of clover 
and grow seed from the secon i crop,so pasture 
it pretty closely till about June,cuttingatthat 
time any spots that may have been avoided 
by the stock. It will then grow aud mature a 
crop of seed; aud after the seed is cut, if it is 
not pastured, it will make a large crop to fall 
down to enrich the soil aud protect the crop 
the succeeding Winter, 
8. N. M., Clay Center, Kansas ,—Will Eng¬ 
lish Hawthorn grow as a hedge in Kansas; if 
so, how should it be started ? 
Ans. —We should think it would, except, 
perhaps, iu the extreme northern part. It is 
started by planting the “haws” or plums; 
they should he 6own in the Fall thickly iu 
seed-beds, or they cau be mixed with moist 
sand or loam and exposed to the frost and 
rain of a Winter and planted in Spring; but 
iu any case many will not vegetate till the 
second year. When one year old, plant in the 
hedge. 
W. 1 V., No address. —Which is the best j 
manure, that from horses having plenty of ■ 
grain, or that from cows eating only hay and 
straw? 
Ans.—N o animal can make something out 
ofnothiug; so the manure can be no better I 
than the food eaten; on the contrary, animals ' 
extract about one-fifth of the manurial value 
of the food consumed. So remember, the 
more grain and the richer the food, the more 
valuable the manure. 
G. G. R., Reeds, Mo. —Where can I get 
Stephen Roper’s complete work on Steam 
Engineering? What is the price? 
Ans. —Roper has written five woks ou en¬ 
gineering, etc , but his Engineer’s Hand book, 
price £3,50, is probably what yon want. It 
can be bought of the American News' Co,, 39 
Chambers St., New York City. 
T. A C\, Crawford, N. Y.— 1. Will Frank 
Wilson’s £5boue-millgrind oyster shells, corn, 
etc.? 2. Where can one be bought in New 
York City ? 
Ans.— 1. Yes, nicely; as well as you could 
wish. 2. Write to him for a circular and ask 
him. 
J. K. S., Catawissa, Pa. —Where can I get 
seed of the Golden Heartwell Celery? 
Ans. —The true Golden Heartwell was dis¬ 
seminated by the Rural New-Yorker. Out 
seed was procured from Thorburn & Co., 15 
John Street, New York. 
D. L. S., Bushberg, Mo —1. Which is the 
best manure for a light clay loam for wheat- 
manure from grain-fed horses, or unleacbed 
hard-wood ashes, both free aud from the 
same place? 
Ans. —Both are excellent; put on twenty or 
more loads per acre of the manure and 100 
bushels of the ashes. With such facilities you 
should raise more than 40 bushels per acre, 
T. T., East Saginaw, Mich. —Where can I 
purchase sets or seeds of Prickly Comfrey? 
Ans. —It is raised from sets; for these write 
to Gilbert Petersou, Lockport, N. Y.; we 
think he would gladly get rid of what he has, 
as he makes no use of it any more. 
M. S F., Kingston , Mass, —Will quince 
trees do well on the edge of a peat swamp that 
has been cleared up; and which is the best 
kind? 
Ans.— If not too peaty, we should say, yes. 
Try Oraugeand Rhea’s Mammoth—Champion 
is too late. 
W. J. it., Saline, Kansas .—Is there danger 
in feeding a chop of rye, wheat, and corn to 
pregnant auimals? 
Ans. —Not iu the least, if the grain was 
cleaned so as to contain no ergot or smut, and 
if fed in moderation. 
J C. It., Truro, N. S. — What periodical is 
devoted to market gardening, 
Ans. —We know of none. 
-- 
DISCUSSION. 
Mrs. J , Conklin Center, N. Y.—In the F. 
C. of the Rural for January 31, it is said 
that white flakes in butter are due to several 
specified causes. According to my experience, 
they are composed of dry cream which can 
not be softened, but which can be prevented. 
Two hcur& after the milk is strained, cover the 
pan with another pan; but the covering need 
not be perfectly air-tight. Let the milk stand 
from 36 to 48 hours, according to the warmth 
of the room; but uot any longer. All the 
cream will huve risen then and will be soft. 
Keep the cream jar covered with a cloth. 
Churn when the cream lias the temperature of 
rain water in the Summer. If when all is 
ready, the cream froths and is rather cool, if 
the churn is small, put it in a pan or tub of hot 
water and the butter will soon come. 
J. W. G., Cunningham, Mass.— In the 
grain ratiou for cows, given in the Rural of 
Jan. 24th, among the ingredients you say, 
“three parts of corn meal,”—do you mean by 
weight or measure? 
Don’t you think it would be better for R. 
W., Charlton, Muss., (page 58) to plow the 
sod under, say four or five inches, then har¬ 
row aud sow the sulphate of potash and gras* 
seed. I believe the rotting of the old sod 
would well pay for the expense of plowing. 
I believe your advice to J. B. S., New 
Britain, Conn., (page 59) is sound, especially 
as regards the application of ashes or lime. 
R. N.-Y.—In giving mixtures for feeding 
rations, we mean weight unless we 6tate to 
the contrary. We incline to the belief that 
plowing such lands, for the mere sake of 
plowing, would not pay. A thorough harrow 
ing will break up and fine tkeold sod, aud mix 
it with the surface soil, and so placed we think 
it would have more beneficial effect than 
when several inches below. 
Communications Received for the Wbkk Ending 
Saturday, February 7, 1885. 
M. B. P.-C. L. Y., thunks II. S.-TT. P.-J. J. C.- 
W. II. R., thanks. H. H. J. S, Jr.-P. A. W , thanks. 
J H J. J. N. T.—F. 0. C.-0. 0. N. W.Z H.-D. B. 
S.-J.H.-L A. H.-P. V.H.-J. A. C.-A W.-C. A. G. 
—C. H.-T. U II.-H. a W.-J, M. N. “Kim”—11, F 
E B. Z-K. ». It. -It. M. M. E.-J.A.W. -Ii.W.P., 
thanks.-J L. W. -O. C. I*. G. C. H.-F. D. C. 0. 
W. A.-F. L. G., thanks.- J. N,— F. G.-T. H. B., 
many thauka.-O. C.-L. A. 11.-M. W. F.-W. H.- 
J. N. H.—E. H.—G S.—G. W. Clarke, yes thanks.—J. 
L. B.—R. D., thanks.—J. L.—F. J. K.—C. L. A. -M. C. 
-W. K.-A. P.-R. L.-O. E. S.-J. U.-J. T. 
