432 
FEB 28 
improbable that our statesmen will listen to 
any proposition that seeks to tax the food of 
the people, it is probable, therefore, that 
rents of arable farms will have to be perma¬ 
nently lowered, and when this is done I con¬ 
sider that we can still grow wheat in competi¬ 
tion with the rest of the world—providing we 
have good seasons. 1 am persuaded, indeed, 
that, notwithstanding the grumbling which 
our wheat-growing farmers are indulging in, 
they are notso “hard-up” as the wheat-grow¬ 
ing farmers in—well, in America and Cana 
da, for instance; or, for the matter of that, in 
any other country. Given good seasons, my 
belief is that we can still grow wheat at a 
profit, in the average of years, and in con¬ 
junction with the other strings which British 
farmers have to their bows, in competition 
with any country whatever. 
Taking a broad view of tbe condition of 
British agriculture, I am constrained to ad¬ 
mit that it is not in a very satisfactory state; 
but it has within it certain potentialities 
which will keep it swimming on much longer 
than croaking pessimists imagine. 1 have 
much hope in the year which has just begun, 
which, I trust, will be a happy one for you 
and us as well. 
Surrey, England._ 
ficiir Crops. 
JOHNSON GRASS. 
I wish to say a word in regard to Johnson 
Grass, or Sorghutn halapense. As I believe 
the Rural is working for the good of farmers 
in general, and as it is going to present seeds 
of this plant to its subscribers, I write a word 
of caution. Admitting that it has all of the 
good qualities claimed for it, yet it is a pest. 
It becomes thoroughly established in one year, 
and then it is there to stay. It roots to the 
depth of six feet in our black land, and with 
a span of horses and common plow one can¬ 
not plow through it. Digging it up to the 
depth ol’ from six to twelve inches has no ten¬ 
dency towards killing it; no matter how hot 
and dry the weather may be, it comes up 
from below just as thick as ever. It spreads 
very rupidly from both roots and seeds—a 
bunch from three seeds spreads to a diameter 
of five feet, in one year, and is just as thick as 
it can stand. 
About five or six years ago. the Hon. John 
Hancock (ex-M. C.) sowed a field of about ten 
acres to Johnson Grass, about a mile across a 
pasture from his main farm; (he was going to 
confine it to that field) now it is scattered 
over his farm for over two miles from where 
it started. A correspondent of Texas Farm 
and Ranch said that plowing Johnson Grass 
in June would kill it just as easily as any 
other grass. Now any one that has had any 
experience with it knows better; and I speak 
from observation and dear experience. I do 
not know of a farmer who has it, who does 
not wish it was off his place; but they canuot 
get rid of it. 
Now, Messrs. Editors, if you will let your 
subscribers know the bad side as well as the 
good, and that there is danger of their farms 
being ruined by Johnson Grass, it may save 
some hard feelings. 
Travis Co., Texas. E. L, Saunders. 
[The facts in tbe case are precisely what we 
desire to be made known. Many do not agree 
with Mr. Saunders, insisting that good culti¬ 
vation will exterminate it, and this is the side 
of the question we incline to.— Eds.] 
tjoriicullnml. 
HORTICULTURAL ADVANCES. 
PROFESSOR J. L. BUDD. 
The Worden Grape. — Favorable stories 
have been told in our Western societies for a 
number of years past in regard to the hardi¬ 
ness of vine, perfect leaf and high character 
of fruit of tbe Worden. Slowly, without un¬ 
due puffiug, it has made its way, on its own 
merits, from point to point until now the 
word comes from a thousand sources that it 
is the'king grape of the Mississippi Valley, at 
least north of Missouri. The call for vines 
will be immense until such time as our people 
are sure that we have something better. Per¬ 
sons in the East who have a low opinion of 
its quality, should defer final judgment until 
they have had a chance to eat a few bunches 
ripened in tbe hot, dry air of Illinois and 
Iowa. 
The Russian Mulbekrv.— The Iowa So¬ 
ciety, after much discussion, resolved that 
this vaunted forest und fruit tree was only 
valuable for a low, bushy wind break, and to 
furnish food for the birdB in cherry time. 
Beyond doubt this is the real status of the 
plant, as grown from seed and sent out by our 
friends in Nebraska. As I have seen it in this 
couutry and in Russia, it is low and bushy in 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
habit, and not one tree in a hundred is worth 
growing for fruit for dessert use. In Russia 
it is used for screens and bushy wind breaks 
on the steppes, and from it the peasants pick 
more or less of the fruit to dry for wiuter use. 
Yet the time will come iu the near future 
when selected varieties of this hardy race 
will he propagated from cuttings aud prized 
for the size and quality of the fruit. 
We saw low, bushy trees at Varmesh in 
Central Russia, which bore, we were told, 
fruit of large size and as good in quality as 
the best grown in Germauy. We have plants 
of this variety, which will soon tell the story 
of their value iu our climale. 
The Codling Moth.— At tbe New Orleans 
meeting of experts from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific, and at the Iowa meeting, tbe possible 
extermination of this pest was discussed. The 
Hon. John N. Dixon, of Iowa, read before 
our society, the year preceding his death, a 
prize paper on the subject, iu which lie boldly 
assumed that sprayiug the trees after the fruit 
was formed, but while the expanded calyx 
was still upward, with arsenic water (one 
pound of arsenic to 200 gallons of water) 
would give ns every time a crop of apples free 
from worms. 
This essay was published in pamphlet form, 
and widely announced in tbe papers. Many 
copies were sent by the writer to California, 
Ohio, New Jersey, and other Eastern and 
Southern States. So far as heard from, tbe 
remedy has proven all that Mr. Dixon claim¬ 
ed. Where Paris-green was used in New York 
and Michigan the success was quite as perfect, 
but the arsenic ix soluble, and does not clog 
the sprinkler when used for the destruction of 
any kind of insect, and experience has shown 
that it is less dangerous than the Paris green. 
To show the efficacy of its use, Mr. Dixon sold 
many car-loads of apples iu Minneapolis, and 
other Northern cities, in which not one wormy 
apple could be found. 
Tests of Hardy Trees.— At the Iowa 
meeting Mr. C. Vincent, a special student in 
horticulture at the Iowa Agricultural College, 
read a paper ou this topic, which brought out 
some discussion. The points made were: 1. 
The leaves of the apple and pear which best 
perform their work of maturing ceil structure 
in our climate, have from one to three or more 
rows of pallisade cells than the varieties ;iu- 
digenous to moist climales. 2. Other things 
being equal, we find that trees of upright 
habit have in like manner a deep exteusiou of 
roots, which fit them better for standing our 
severe Winters following our very diy Bum¬ 
mers. 3. Varieties we call iron clad, such as 
Duchess. Wealthy aud the Russian varieties 
E< nerally, store a large amouut of starch in 
the cell structure of the new wood iu all parts 
of the tree. In other words, the varieties 
that never fail in our test winters store far 
more starch than those which are injured by 
such Winters. 4. Tbe varietias having the 
essentials named above, have leaf aud fruit 
buds j>ecnliarly protected from winter injury, 
and after the blossoms unfold, they are larger 
and firmer in all their parts than varieties 
like Perry Russet and Yellow Bellflower, 
which usually fail with us to hold aud perfect 
a crop, even when loaded with blossoms. 
These points have been carefully studied 
with the aid of our best microscopes, and pro¬ 
mise valuable aid in the way of helping to 
form a correct, opinion of the prospective 
value of new seedlings and newly introduced 
varieties. 
Ames, la. 
-- 
Of 14 varieties of strawberries the Man¬ 
chester last season was the champion; Sharp¬ 
less aud Crescent did well; Bidwell did not 
meet my expectations; Triple Crown and Mt. 
Vernon were failures; Charles Downing and 
Wilson almost the same; Jersey Queen was 
net very productive, hut the berries were the 
i erfection of beauty. H. y. k. Cadiz, O. 
A NEW REMEDY FOR THE IMPORTED 
CABBAGE WORM. 
PROF. C, V. RILEY. 
One of my correspondents, Mr. Charles H. 
Erwin, of Paiuted Post, N. Y., has accident¬ 
ally hit upon so simple aud yet, according to 
his experience, so perfect a remedy for the 
imported cabbage worm tbat I wish to give 
his experience as much publicity as possible, 
that, it may be widely tested and. if possible, 
verified the coming season. It is (to sum up 
au extended experience which he narrates) 
simply ice-cold water, or water but a few de¬ 
grees warmer than ice-water, sprinkled upou 
the worms during the heat of the day. Mr. 
Erwin found that such an application iu the 
hot sun caused them to quickly let go their 
hold upon the leaves, curl up, roll to the 
ground and die, while the cabbages suffered 
nothing, but looked all the fresher for the 
application. 
Should this method prove as successful with 
others as it has with him, it is evident that we 
have here a remedy of very general applica¬ 
tion, ami one which in cheapness and simpli¬ 
city far transcends the pyrethrum which, since 
I first discovered its value for the purpose iu 
18S0, has been, on the whole, oar safest and 
most satisfactory remedy agaiust Fieri* rap®. 
Where ice is readily obtainable, as in the 
more Northern States, or where cold springs 
are found, Mr. Erwin’s discovery will prove 
of very great value to cabbage growers, and 
will probably prove just as useful against 
some of the other cabbage worms. 
faxm Cctmonuj. 
ANOTHER GOOD FENCE. 
The fence shown in Fig. 83 is the invention 
of Mr. Augspurger, the inventor of the fence 
shown in the Rural ’of February 14. This 
fence, the patent of which expired in April 
last, is built iu panels of any conveuieut length, 
of material only heavy enough to insure 
strength. There are five rails nailed to the 
posts and suitably braced. The post, A, of one 
panel is shorter than the corresponding post, 
B, of the next panel, as sbowu iu the cut. The 
panels are connected by hooks, C, and eyes or 
staples, I). Each post has upon it a block or 
cleat, a b, attached to its proximate sides in 
such a manner that when tbe panels are ar¬ 
ranged iu zigzag form the cleat, a, upon the 
post bearing the staples, will engage the under 
side of cleat, b, and prevent it from lifting. 
♦ ■ . 
FARM FLAT BOAT. 
We are indebted to Mr. W. S. Smith for a 
drawing of the bandy fiat boat showu at Fig. 
84 It is made of fence boards 115 feet long 
aud six inches wide. The cross-piece at the 
front is fastened in place with bolts; the re¬ 
mainder of the boat is fastened together with 
wrought nails. It can be made as wide as 
seven boards, or from five to eight feet. Mr. 
Smith says three men and two teams can stack 
more hay in the field with two such sleds than 
could four men and two teams with a wagon, 
and they can do it much more easily. In rais¬ 
ing a large stack a wagon must be used to 
build the upper part after the stack has got 
so high that the top is beyond reach from the 
ground. This boat is ulso good for hauling 
over soft ground. A sick cow or any other 
large animal can be moved on such a boat, 
and dead animals can be conveniently hauled 
away on it. 
A GENERAL PURPOSE BARN. 
I have bad a great deal of experience in 
building barns both in Maine and Wisconsin, 
and never would have a barn less than 42 feet 
in width. That gives 14 feet for width of 
stable; 14 for the barn floor; and 14 for the 
bay. The length can be just as the owner de¬ 
sires—40, 50, 60, or 100 feet. 1 would always 
have the barn floor posts extending up to the 
roof. The advantages are these: long, heavy 
timbers are not then needed for beams and 
plates; there are no long timber but tbe sills. 
By having those floor posts extend to the roof, 
there is the best possible chance to bolt on 
planks (if a balloon frame, or spike on, if a 
timber frame,) at the head of the posts, near 
tbe roof and ou the floor side, for the hay car¬ 
rier to run on By putting pieces between the 
plank and posts just thick enough to clear the 
carrier from the posts, there will be a clear 
run the whole length of the barn on both 
sides. This is by far the most convenient stylo 
of barn I have ever built or seen. Where the 
location is on level ground, aud the barn 00> 
80, or 100 feet in length, it is well enough to 
have a large door at each end; but I prefer to 
have a scaffold over tbe barn door, extending 
to the second “bent,” aud a bead scaffold at 
the back end (if not more than 50 feet in 
length) just high enough to allow a team to be 
driven under it. With these scaffolds you can 
fill both euds to the ridge. The barn floor 
should he well lighted, aud I would always 
have a window over the barn doors, with one 
or two tiers of lights. 
Where the barn is 80 or 100 feet long, have 
a window over the doors at both ends, and 
there should also be two sash windows in each 
gable, so as to let in the air and let out dust, 
as well as to light the barn. There should al¬ 
ways be a manure shed attached to the barn, 
ou the stable side, wide enough for a wagon 
or cart to be driven iu for loading. 
In building on the side of a hill, so as to 
have a basement, an excavation should be 
made of sufficient width for a shed under 
which the manure may bo thrown, even if 
there is a stable on each side of the Darn. 
The most handy way to feed is from the barn- 
floor, having a space about 15 inches wid“ 
through which the hay can be pushed. Board 
up above this, and have boards hung with 
hiuges to till this space, aud turn them down on 
the hay. 
The accompanying plan, Fig 85, is for 
17_ 1 
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Fig 4 
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B 
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UJLi 
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Jjj 
1 1 
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R.N-Y, 
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Fig.5. 
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what is commonly called a “balloon-frame, 
and needs no large timber except the sills. 
Fig. 3 shows end of the barn and manure 
shed to the right, showing the frame aud also 
the locution of the windows. Fig. 4 shows a 
side-view of the purlin frame or the one next 
the baiufloor, ou tho side opposite the stable, 
A. being tbe girth for the scaffold over the 
floor; B. being also a scaffold girth at the 
end of the floor opposite the entrance, and C. 
the “straddle girth” between the floor aud 
bay. Fig. 5 shows the opposite side of th 
