4885 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
484 
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING. 
(RURAL SPECIAL REPORT.) 
The little State of Delaware has a space 
near the south main entrance devoted to a 
select display of her leading products. There 
is a flue table of potatoes, showing ample va¬ 
riety and good culture though there were none 
of the mammoth size shown by some of the 
Territories. She has also a fair fruit exhibit. 
Then there is a sheet and corrugated iron dis¬ 
play which excels anything else of the kind 
here. Then there are tools of various kinds, 
and especially a case of electrical apparatus 
showing some finely finished instruments ; 
also a small case of mineral specimens worthy 
of attention in a State destitute of moun¬ 
tains. Her soil products are not so fully 
shown as might be expected. 
Florida, the laud of oranges, flowers, wiu- 
ter hotels, forests, swamps and alligators, has 
a most interesting exhibit. Her large variety 
of native woods is a notable feature. Some 
210 kinds are shown, both polished and rough, 
many of them aceouipauied by leaves and 
seed, aud often flowers peculiar to the species. 
This State is very rich in timber resources, 
especially pitch or yellow' pine. It is estimat¬ 
ed she has 48.000,000,000 feet of standing pine, 
or more than half as much as the three great 
lumber States of Michigan, Wisconsin and 
Minnesota combined. There is a large collec¬ 
tion of ferns aud grasses nicely mounted; 
canned fruits in variety, perfumery from the 
native flowers, au interesting show of corals 
and sponges from Key West, including a 
twin sponge united at the base curiously. A 
small table of State oranges, six sorts, deco¬ 
rated with the Spanish moss: pine-apple plants 
at different stages of growth. Then there is 
huge sugar cane from “Tiger Grove" on the 
old Doomad plantation which bus a record of 
of 4,000 pounds of 6Ugar to the acre, without 
manure—soil low hummock. Some fine lem¬ 
ons are here from Sumpter County, where it 
is said lemon growing is becoming more profit¬ 
able than orange culture. Pecans, peanuts 
and other nuts,guava and cassava, and a great 
variety of other special products are shown, 
including cocoa nuts and sweet potatoes. 
Georgia is not as prominently represented 
in this collective display as some other States, 
with the exception perhaps of her great staple 
product, cotton. This is very fully shown, 
from the plant to a great variety of manufac¬ 
tured articles. From a somewhat careful ob¬ 
servation, however, across the nor then portion 
of Georgia, it is apparent that her cotton 
fields are not half as productive as they might 
easily be made.*" Slip-shod culture and its re¬ 
sults are manifestly impoverishing, rather 
than enriching, the planters There is a fine, 
large mineral collection. Georgia is remark¬ 
ably rich in mineral deposits, especially coal 
and iron. A few samples of mica are also 
shown. Marbles and building blocks are well 
displayed. 
The thriving young Territory of Idaho has 
used her allotted space to such advantage that 
her exhibit attracts much attention. Of her 
fourteen million acres formerly considered 
sterile, much has been reclaimed by irriga¬ 
tion, which costs about $3 per acre. Her vege¬ 
tables are immense. The largest potatoes ever 
known are hero on her tables. A single spec¬ 
imen of the Mammoth Pearl weighs 1}4 
pouuds, and several other tubers of different 
sorts weigh from to 5’ j pounds. These 
were grown at Salmon City, Lemhi County 
on virgin soil with Irrigation. The fruit or¬ 
chards of the Territory are yet in their in¬ 
fancy; although It has only been lately 
discovered that fruits can be grown 
there; yet over a million barrels of fruit, 
principally apples, were shipped from the 
stations on the Oregon Short Liue Railway 
during the last four months of ISS4. Peaches, 
plums, apricots, grapes and pears are also 
raised, and the fruit acreage is being rapidly 
extended. Over a million bushels of superior 
wheat were produced there in 1SS4, the aver¬ 
age yield being 38 bushels per acre, as high us 
fi5 haviug been raised on au aero. There is uo 
trouble from rust, weevil or other Insect, 
lhere are some SO varieties of wheat shown 
here. Forage and other grasses are displayed 
in great variety, all showing most remarkable 
growth, especially the well known “Bunch 
Grass” aud “Rye Grass," some stalks of the 
latter being feet in length. There is also 
a good mineral collection with many fine 
specimens carefully selected, of gold, silver, 
copper, lead aud iron, some being unusually 
rich, others curious and often beautiful. 
The State of Illinois has an exceptionally 
fine educational exhibit. Her public schools 
are well illustrated; her natural resources and 
products are fairly shown, and somewhat in 
detail. Her immense coal fields are represent¬ 
ed by an attractive coal pyramid; fossils, 
woods and minerals are largely displayed, 
The Industrial University, at Champaign, 
has a fine collection of grains, seeds, fruits, 
etc.; building stones and clays, raw and 
manufactured, in a variety of articles. The 
grains and seeds are neatly ax-ranged in glass 
bulbs aud bottles properly classified, and the 
whole exhibit is systematic and interesting. 
The Hoosier State has a flue display of her 
native woods, both in the rough log, polished 
grain, and in various manufactured articles. 
A large exhibit of encaustic tile from Indian¬ 
apolis is meritorious. There is said to be only 
one other manufactory of this kiud iu the 
Union. These tiles are now adapted to a va¬ 
riety of uses. Farm seeds and grains are fair¬ 
ly shown, and there isa good exhibitor wools. 
There is also a curious collection of Indian 
stone implements, arrows, and other hunting 
appliances. 
The exhibit of Iowa is quite worthy of the 
Hawkeye State. There is a fine flour display, 
embracing a sack from every prominent mill 
in the State, ninety-five of the ninety-nine 
counties being represented. Elegant cases of 
fine geological specimens area prominent fea¬ 
ture. The woolen mills of the State are repre¬ 
sented by a line of fine fabrics, and various 
other manufactured articles are shown. The 
school work of pupils, and the educational ex¬ 
hibits in general are very good indeed. The 
State claims to have a school-house on every 
hill-top 
Kansas’s exhibit as a whole i3 among the 
most attractive here, the great natural resour¬ 
ces of this progressive Stale are very fully illus¬ 
trated. Aside from the skill of the designs, 
the products themselves are excellent. Her corn 
is here in almost endless variety, and very 
good. Near the center of the Kansas space 
is a monument surmounted by a colossal fig¬ 
ure of Ceres, the whole 42 feet high, and con¬ 
structed of corn, grasses, seeds and grains. 
Three separate sorghum sugar exhibits, and 
every variety of soil products are shown. 
The State is peculiarly rich in grasses, and 
the display here excels most others in variety. 
The vegetable collection, 114 kinds, is quite 
remaikable for the quality and size of the 
products. The State claims to raise one third 
of the eutire broom-corn crop of the Union— 
nearly 82,000,000 pounds. There is a good 
silk display, and this industry is now rapidly 
developing. Over a quarter of million dol¬ 
lars are invested in it. E. V. Boissiere, of 
Silkville, is the largest operator. The Mul¬ 
berry and Osage Orange are planted for the 
worms. Coal, zinc, Isad and a good variety 
of building stone are also shown. The Castor 
Beau is included, and also some 55 specimens 
of evaporated fruits and vegetables. Medi¬ 
cinal plants, 120 sorts, add to the grand col¬ 
lection. The educational display is also good; 
a very complete map shows the location of 
every school house In the State, and they 
seem to be numerous. The Stute claims to 
rival Egypt of old iu the quality und quan¬ 
tity of her corn, and it is believed if Joseph 
were alive now he would telegraph his 
brethren to take the first train for Kansas. 
Kentucky has ulso au instructive exhibit, 
peculiarly so in some respects. There ure 600 
photographic transparencies illustrating every 
portion of the State, its forests, streams, 
rocks, localities and industries; about 50 
samples of soils, 140 rock specimens, and over 
1,000 photographs on cards. Those desiring 
to learn the leading features of any special 
locality of the State, can here Und ocular 
demonstration thereof at once. Some 500 
specimens und 100 varieties of her native 
woods are shown, in the log and polished. 
The State has 13,700 square miles of coal 
fields, which is said to exceed the coal urea of 
Pennsylvania or that of Great Britian aud 
Ireland. A huge columu of solid coal has 
been brought here. Caunel-coal of superior 
quality is found to exist most abuuduntly. In 
the eastern section good cooking coal is found 
near the extensive iron ore deposits. There 
is a small table of vegetables, a fair display 
of tobacco, a large variety of seeds and grains, 
aud a good educational display. h. h. 
EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 
(RURAL SPECIAL REPORT.) 
I have intended to say something concern¬ 
ing the work of experiment stations and agri¬ 
cultural colleges displayed at the Exposition. 
The Illinois State University demonstrates by 
the exhibit made by its College of Agricul¬ 
ture, that it is already doing much valuable 
experimental work. Prof. Morrow's experi¬ 
ments, showing the comparative values of the 
different breeds of cattle as beef producers, 
are well known, And there is here a fine 
series of quautative. analyses of different 
grains and other food products, showing their 
comparative richness in starch, albumen and 
oils. There is also a valuable corn exhibit. 
The six species of corn, probably recognized 
by most of the Rural readers, are illustrated. 
There is the curious pod corn, where each 
kernel is enveloped in its own little busk. 
This is thought by some botanists to be the 
first type of the plant. The pop corn, the 
sweet corn, the corn of that species, of which 
the Tuscarora is the most familiar example, 
the old-fashioned flint corn, of which was 
made the pudding, the praises of which were 
sung by Joel Barlow, and, lastly, the dent 
corn, which is one of the great staples of 
American agriculture. This little exhibit of 
the six well defined sp>eeies, is followed by a 
list of about 200 varieties which are displayed 
in a very attractive way. The whole ear, a 
cross section, showing the size of the cob. and 
a glass of shelled kernels show the grain at 
every possible advantage; and the student of 
corn has an opportunity to become posted in 
everything that is new. 
To the interesting little recess which is oc¬ 
cupied by the display of the Colorado Agri¬ 
cultural College I go occasionally and look at 
that array of 296 varieties of wheat, 261 of 
them with names supposed to indicate a real 
difference that can be appreciated; and I 
wonder how many of them are of peculiar 
value; surely the sifting of so many sorts 
ought to give us something pretty choice as a 
final result. There, too, are the grasses and 
the other grains. It is a pity that means do 
not permit some one to remain with this ex¬ 
cellent exhibit to give us the full beueflt of 
its lessons. 
In the Ohio space, Mr. W, B. Alwood, the 
superintendent has arranged a small but in¬ 
teresting display of the work in which he has 
been engaged. There were many samples of 
products obtained Dy the analysi- of different 
grains and food products, a museum of which 
is always open to the inpection of farmers 
and others, showing the richness of various 
grains iu those elements which make them es¬ 
pecially’ valuable. There is also an exhibit of 
130 varieties of wheat with the full length of 
straw, tied in bundles and fastened inside of 
cabinets with glass doors. These were grown 
on similar plats of ground without the aid of 
manures aud are intended to show the com¬ 
parative weights of grain compared with 
straw, the length and strength of stem, the 
appearance and value of new varieties and 
their identity with each other or with the va¬ 
rieties already tested. The experience of Mr. 
Alwood shows that of the new varieties in¬ 
troduced a comparatively small number prove 
to be valuable and far too many are old ac¬ 
quaintances under uew names. 
The great saving of time and mouey in a 
community which can rely upon the intelli¬ 
gent investigations conducted at an experi¬ 
ment station in its immediate vicinity, can 
only be realized by those who have through a 
series of years conducted their own experi¬ 
ments in methods of cultivation, and made 
their own tests of new varieties at a very 
considerable expense of time and money. 
M. T. E. 
Societies, flc. 
AMERICAN INSTITUTE FARMERS’ 
CLUB. 
Peter B. Mead read a paper on Flowers 
for Couutry Houses. He said it was to be great¬ 
ly regretted that country people paid so little 
attention to the beautifying of their homes. 
There were, he was glad to say. a few excep¬ 
tions, and while the neighbors always Dointed 
to such as thrifty, to him they were those 
who had learned that “life was worth living.” 
Flower beds should be made with gentle 
curves aud proportioned to the size of the 
yard or lawn, two small or medium-sized 
ones were better than one large one. Usually, 
where the farmer thought he could not afford 
the expeuse, he could easily save the entire 
cost from his whisky or tobacco bill, aud be 
the happier and healthier. 
The soil for a flower bed should be moder¬ 
ately rich and not less than one foot deep. 
It is not necessary to get expensive plants, the 
old stand-bys are as good as any. He named 
as common and good: Scarlet Geraniums, 
Coleus Verschaffeltii, Petunia, Aehyranthes, 
Salvias, Ageratums, Verbenas, Fuchsias, and 
Cannaa, the last with a grouud-work of 
Sweet Alyssum, Mignonette and Lobelia Eri- 
nus. 
Among annuals : Phlox Drummondii, 
Petuuia, Douhle Zinnia, Dwarf Nasturtium, 
Couvolvotus minor, DiauthusCbinensis, Nerno- 
phila, Esehscholtzia, Godetia, Thunbergia ela- 
ta, and. for a late bed, Portuluca, make a fine 
bed. Only one kind of plant should be em¬ 
ployed In a bed. The Dianthus Cblueusis is a 
splendid free bloomer, and especially to be 
commended. It is always a favorite with 
those who know it. Heddewigii is one of its 
finest varieties. Roses, especially of the Tea 
variety, make a fine bed. In growing roses 
we should remember that “rich land manes 
rich roses.” One can hardly use too mnch 
manure, if well rotted; also use a liberal, 
quantity of bone dust. Be sure to get the 
plants all on their own roots. A fine collec¬ 
tion w’ould be Bougive, Madame Lambard, 
Rubens, Sombreuil, Angelo Jarquier. Catha¬ 
rine Mermet, Coquette de Lyons, Monsieur, 
Furtado, Pauline Labonte, Marie Ducher, 
Madame Bravy, Comtesse de Nadiallac, Ma¬ 
rie Van Houtte and Caroline Kuster. For 
a choice collection and all constant bloomers 
he would select Magna Charts, a hybrid Chi¬ 
na; Agrippina,a Bengal;Hermosa,Malraaison, 
Bourbon Queen, Geo. Peabody and Queen of 
Bedders, all Bourbons; La France, a hybrid 
Tea; Mignonette. Paquerette, and Cecils 
Bruner, the New Polyantba Roses. The last 
are very dwarf constant bloomers, and will 
be very popular when better known. 
A good protection for half-hardy roses is a 
covering of straw and leaves with a few 
evergreen branches to prevent their blowing 
away. These should not be put on until 
after considerable frost. 
11 is the duty (and it ought to be the pi easure), 
of every man to make his home beautiful and 
attractive. He should remember the kindly 
aid and loving support of his wife, and strive 
to make his home, and her home and the 
children's home, at once comfortable, beauti¬ 
ful and happy. 
March 10, 1885 
The Eye-opener of the issue of February 21 
contained 3ome well-deserved strictures on 
the spurious clergymen and 1 ‘retired” charla¬ 
tans who widely advertise medicinal nostrums 
throughout the country. Every word of cen¬ 
sure applied to these swindlers and mounte¬ 
banks was appropriate, aud the public cannot 
be too careful in dealing with any advertising 
“Rev’ds,”for, as we then said, “there is scarcely 
one of them, who isn’t a pestiferous swindler.” 
The “one” who is just outside this base cate¬ 
gory appears to be the Rev. T. P. Childs, of 
Troy, Ohio, whose advertisement was the text 
of our little diatribe. While we were careful 
to utter no word against him personally, it 
must be confessed that what was said might 
be readily applied to him—one of the evil 
effects of being in “bad company;” for there 
can be no doubt whatever that, as a class, the 
“Re v’ds” who advertise sanative nostrums are 
a “bad lot.” The Rev. T. P. Childs, however, 
we are pleased to learn, has a just claim to the 
“handle” to bis name. He is, we are informed, 
a Baptist minister, one of the pioneers of the 
denomination in Ohio. There is no doubt 
whatever of his excellent standing as a clergy¬ 
man, but an excellent healer of ailments of the 
soul may be a poor healer of ailments of the 
body, so that we can say nothing in favor of 
his special nostrum, having never tried it our¬ 
selves or known anybody who was benefited or 
injured bv it. Probably it will do good, how¬ 
ever, as the nearest drug store will supply 
good remedies for catarrh. 
In the same issue, we said that we could not 
recommend“J. Liun & Co.,” of this city; and 
in truth we cannot; but we have nothing to 
say about J. Lynn & Co., also of this city 
To numerous inquiries about the World 
Dispensary Medical Association, of Buffalo, 
N. Y., all we choose to say is, that while the 
goods ordered and paid for will probably be 
supplied, we would by no means place full re¬ 
liance on the claims put forth in favor of 
their efficacy. There are many advertisers 
of medicinal uostrum3 who always send some¬ 
thing in return for the money of their patrons 
or dupes, but that “something” is generally 
of little or no use. Some of the claims made 
for its nostrums by this “Association,” are 
simply preposterous; others are absurd,—hut 
the nostrums will be forwarded to those who 
are credulous enough to pay for them. 
To Several Inquirers.— Although we 
have stated very emphatically that we could 
not recommend the Farmers* Ledger, of Cin¬ 
cinnati, that in our opinion, indeed, It was an 
arrant humbug, and its offer of a four-per- 
ceut loau, “a delusion, a mockery and a 
snare,” yet we are constantly receiving inqui¬ 
ries as to the reliability of the old fraud. Let 
us say, with much emphasis, that we haven’t 
altered our expressed opinion a jot with re¬ 
gard to the character of the concern. . . H. 8. 
Moore & Co., of this city are, we are assured 
reliable. They tell us that they have been so 
overrun with orders of late that in some 
cases there was necessarily some delay in fill- 
lug them; but that all orders will certainly 
be satisfactorily filled. ..The Sherwood Novel¬ 
ty Harness, made at Syracuse, N. Y., is what 
it is represented .to be. The credit of the 
