SEPT 4® 
6 
2 
THE BDBAL HCW-YORKEH. 
The Stickine River empties into the sea 
from the mainland, a little north and oppo¬ 
site to Wrangell, and some 15 or 30 miles up 
this river, which is navigable for a long dis¬ 
tance, are two extraordinary glaciers; also 
gold mines. The largest glacier is said to be 
two-and-a-half miles across, and to extend back 
up into the mountains SO miles. There are 
also hot springs in the neighborhood of this 
river and some level land reported. So far as 
1 have been able to learn, the gold product of 
Alaska mines yields as yet but a moderate 
revenue, and I should say that a man is at his 
wit’s end to invest either his money or his 
labor in Alaska mining. 
At noon we were well into the Strait of 
Wrangell,the water opening among islands in 
every direction, and their shores green with 
grass to the waters edge. At half-past one 
we came in view of the glaciers and marvelous 
Alaskan range of mountains. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Canada. 
Listowel, Perth Co., Ont., Sept. 4.—After 
a very fine, warm haying, the weather has 
become very broken. A little of the fall 
wheat sprouted; spring wheat was generally 
destroyed by rust, and other crops, although 
good, have been very bard to save, and have 
been more or less damaged by rain. The tur¬ 
nips look well now; but they bad a hard time 
to pull through, owing to the dry weather and 
something that ate the roots. Potatoes are a 
tiuecrop; but rot is feared. The Rural seeds 
generally turned out well. Everyone was as¬ 
tonished at the peas, and beans look well. 
The Johnson Grass failed to come up. 
A. J. c. 
Idaho. 
Juliaktta, Nez Perces Co., Sept. 1.—Small 
grains are very heavy; wheat will go from 30 
to GO bushels per acre. The first barley I 
helped to thrash this season went 90 bushels 
per acre. Oats will go from 75 to 100 per 
acre. Flax is extensively raised here and is a 
heavy crop; the yield is variously estimated 
at from 15 to 30 bushels per acre. Vegetables 
a heavy crop. The Stratagem Pea did splen¬ 
didly, so did the Flagolet Beans. Potatoes 
are, as usual, a heavy crop. We do not need 
the trench system here. I cut three pounds 
of White Star Potatoes, one eye to the piece, 
and put two pieces in a hill; from five hills 
I got, by weight, 107 pounds. From the whole 
three pounds I got about 400 pounds. No 
manure of any kind was used. This is un¬ 
doubtedly the best poor man’s country in the 
world. s. w. B. 
Illinois. 
Springfield, Sangamon Co., Sept. 4.—The 
promise for a good corn crop in Central Illi¬ 
nois is better than it has been for many years. 
The cutting of corn for fattening bogs, feeding 
stalks and all, has begun. Considerable plow¬ 
ing for the sowing of Winter grain has been 
done. Owing to rain and wind storms some 
weeks ago, twisting the corn about badly in 
places, many farmers think they canuot sow 
grain in their standing corn this Fall. The 
recent report of Texas fever in Illinois calls to 
mind the experience of a prominent stockman, 
in the treatment of this disease here, some 
years ago. He drenched more than 30 affect¬ 
ed feeding steers with one pound of common 
baking soda to each. Nearly every animal 
recovered. He has great faith in soda as a 
remedy for Texas fever. F. t. 
Iowa, 
Oasis, Johnson Co.,Aug. 31.—We have had 
the most unpleasant season I have ever seen 
in Iowa—cold, heat, floods and wind—yet all 
the crops have pulled through fairly well. 
Grass, our main crop, was light: hay cut be¬ 
fore harvest was put up in bad condition, ow¬ 
ing to the rain; that cut since, was put up in 
fair order. By careful feeding we will have 
enough; but none to spare. The little wheat 
raised here, is good. Oats vary greatly,from 
30 to 50 bushels per acre, Corn is 13 days 
late, but if frost keeps off till late, we shall 
have a large crop. Timothy seed a little over 
half a crop. Clovers of all kind were killed 
last Winter,except in sheltered spots. I don’t 
know a single acre that will be cut for seed. 
Potatoes not a large yield, but fine In quality; 
no signs of rot yet. Apples scarce, but enough 
for home use. Small fruits light crops, except 
strawberries, which were a very large crop. 
Grasshoppers have done some damage. All 
kinds of stock are doing well: hogs healthy. 
Honey will be very scarce. I have never had 
so little top honey; but I think my bees have 
made plenty to keep them over Winter. 
D. M. D. 
Kansas. 
Lawrence, Douglas Co., Aug. 25.—Our 
wheat in this county is not over one-third of 
a crop. Oats yield 20 and 30 bushels per acre. 
Corn promises a heavy crop, with wet weather 
and late frosts. Early planted good. Straw¬ 
berries were an immense crop; other small 
fruits light. Apples about one-fourth of a 
crop. Pears fair. Peaches none. Early 
potatoes very fine. Late ones promise well, 
Vegetables of all kinds abundant and prices 
low. p. v. 
Industry, Clay Co., Aug, 2G.—Times this 
year remind one of early days—money ex¬ 
tremely scarce and prices low, very low—15 
cents have been offered for wheat, and hogs 
have been as low as $2.70. Cattle are away 
down:but butchers’ mentis still the same, 12% 
to 15 cents, and they don’t pay more than three 
cents. I have bought American beef in Eng¬ 
land as cheap. Bread is dearer in the sur¬ 
rounding towns than in England. Money 
three to four per cent, per month. Corn 
promises a fair crop in places; in others it 
will be poor. The crop was generally put in 
two to six weeks later than usual. There is 
not enough wheat in the neighborhood for 
seed and bread. Early potatoes are good: late 
not so good. Not very much fruit. We were 
auticipatiugagood crop of raspberries, straw¬ 
berries aud grapes; my apple trees were blos¬ 
soming for the first time when a severe hail 
storm struck us, broke our windows aud 
barked the trees, killing some, so that they 
started from the roots, and everything looked 
like Winter until the beginning of June. We 
all prize the Rural. g. j. s. 
JlngimchiiHCtts, 
Cunningham, Hampshire Co., August 31— 
Hay has proved a fair average crop. Oats 
and other small grain are rather above the 
average. Corn is a rank growth but. back¬ 
ward . Early apples a drug; some are making 
them into cider: winter apples will be more 
than an average crop for the odd year. Pears 
a good crop. Potatoes a good average. But¬ 
ter sells at from 20 to 35 ceuts; good cows 
from $40 to $G0. We are having plenty of 
rain and the pastures are good for the season 
and stock of all kinds is looking well. We 
are very much interested in the Rural West¬ 
ern Farm Notes. 
IUlchlcnn, 
Sears, Osceola Co., August 28.—We have 
had a good year for crops; but everything is 
late. Some oats are not ripe yet. Corn will 
be a good crop if the frost holds off long 
enough for it to ripen. I think some of the 
Rural corn will be ripe in a few days; bub 
some is very late. The Rural New-Yorker 
Pea is the earliest I have found. The Prince 
of Wales aud Stratagem did not all grow; 
but I have some and will keep them all for 
seed. The Garden Treasures are very fine. 
The Rural is a great help to me, and I shall 
do what I can to get my friends to take it. 
G. w. D. 
Nebraska. 
Loup City, Sherman Co., Aug. 31, 1885.— 
Middle Loup Valley is as fine and desirable a 
section of country as any in the State. This 
season has been unusually wet; it has rained 
nearly two-thirds of the time, and there have 
been some heavy hail storms in certain local¬ 
ities, which destroyed garden crops, but they 
came so early in the Summer that many re¬ 
planted to advantage. Wheat starts off at GO 
cents per bushel; oats, 10 cents; old corn, 35 
cents; butter 10 cents; cheese, 10 cents, and 
eggs 10 cents per dozen. Corn is the crop for 
this part of Nebraska. In the five years I 
have lived here I have never seen a more 
promising crop. To quote what Gov. Dawes 
recently said in regard to the corn prospects 
in the South Platte country: “I never saw 
such corn in my life. In color, stand and 
general appearance it excels any crop ever 
raised in the State. The indications are that 
the yield will be enormous.” This will apply 
equally well to all parts of the country where 
corn is raised. A great drawback to the home¬ 
steaders in this county is the fact that they 
are 30 to 45 miles from a railroad, so that they 
have had to haul their products for a long 
distance to a market; but this Fall there is a 
promise of better things. The U, P. R. R. is 
running a branch into Loup City, which will 
prove a great convenience to all concerned. 
This county has settled very rapidly. I do not 
know of a vacant section of Government 
land, and the railroad laud is nearly all, if 
not quite all, disposed of. c. H. p. 
New Jersey. 
Lambertville, Hunterdon Co., August 
31.—Taking one of the many trains of the 
Pennsylvania Railroad at Camden, N. J.,and 
passing through Camden and Burlington 
Counties, one sees upou either hand a luxuri¬ 
ant growth of vegetables of every variety. 
These two counties, for several miles out of 
Camden,comprise a portion of the great mark¬ 
et-gardening district, supplying the Philadel 
phia markets with fresh vegetables, and this 
branch of business is here carried to the high¬ 
est point of perfection. Leaving the train at 
Riverton, a short stage ride brings you to the 
nurseries of Win, Parry & Sons, where among 
many other varieties of fruits, we noticed 
some very fine specimens of the Moore’s Early 
I and Worden Grapes, also the Kieffer and Le 
Conte Pears, which by their rank foliage and 
abimdauceof fruit were very readily disting¬ 
uished from all other varieties. From this 
point up the Delaware River to Trenton, the 
country has the same general appearance, 
and the same manner of farming is carried on. 
Going northward from Trenton into Hunter¬ 
don County, N. J., we find ourselves in a fruit 
and grain growing section. The surface of 
the laud is hilly, aud in some places rocky and 
stony. More peaches aud pears are grown 
than any other fruit; but the peach crop in 
this couuty the present year is light. Orchards 
of all kinds, and especially young orchards, 
have been badly injured by the ravages of 
the 17 year locusts. Corn is looking splendid, 
and is getting timely rains. The farmers 
here are occupied in gathering the peach crop 
and preparing land for seeding wheat. 
Lambert. S. c. s. 
New York. 
Auburn, Cayuga Co., August 31.—The 
harvest weather has been very catching, but 
harvest is now all secured. I calculate that 
my two dollar investment in the Rural netted 
me an even $100 in one acre and a half of pota¬ 
toes, raised according to the system It advo¬ 
cates. My potatoes were early, smooth and 
large and No. 1. in quality. The ground was 
not once really wet from the time of plant¬ 
ing, still we had only one week without a 
good shower, 1 shall try the same plan next 
year—soil a heavy, sandy loam aud light clay 
and gravelly loam, with both eastern and 
western exposures, land thoroughly under¬ 
drained Weather warm; clear throughout. 
D. F. H. 
Tioga Centre, Tioga Co., Sept. 1.—We 
have an increased acreage of potatoes in 
this section; but dry weather has hurt them 
in size and quantity; still there will be about 
the same quantity as last year. I have 200 
bushels dug (Beauty of Hebron and Burbank), 
and have not found one rotten. c. p. 
Texas. 
Abilene, Taylor Co., Sept. 8.—In a late 
Rural “S. E. P..”of Cleveland, Ohio, writes 
to learn if Texas is a good place for a man to 
live who is “rather weakly.” If be has any 
lung affection, this place is certainly an im¬ 
provement on Ohio. My health failed me 
three years ago. and after traveling through 
this State, Colorado and Wyoming, l prefer 
this locality toany I know of. We are situated 
about 2,000 feet above the sea, and have a 
dry, pure atmosphere. This is a good small 
graiu section, and, though a new country, 
every one has great hopes for the future. 
There is a splendid oppoitunity for any one to 
go into raising mules, as they are in good de¬ 
mand and bring good prices. c. R. jr. 
Virginia. 
Peaksville, Bedford Co., Sept. 3.—We 
have not had such a prospect for tobacco aud 
corn in our section for 20 years. H. k. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
[Every query must be accompanied by thename 
and address of the writer to lusure attention. Before 
nuking a question, please see If It Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. AhIc only n few questions 
at one tlme.l _ 
ENEMIES OF THE BLACK WALNUT AND WIL¬ 
LOW. 
Subscriber (address mislaid).— !. A cat¬ 
erpillar about two inches long, black when 
full grown, aud covered with wool-like hairs 
of a whitish color, half an inch long or less, 
according to the age and condition of the 
pest, is very destructive to the leaves of 
the Black Walnuts here. Its head is black; it 
has three pairs of legs next the head, three 
segmeuts withoutlegs, then four pairs of legs, 
then two segments without legs, and terminal 
feet, or something like them. It first appears in 
July, and new broods, each of 100 or less suc¬ 
ceed each other till uearly October. The pests 
prefer to keep quite near together. They are 
often found in a bunch as large a9 a man’s 
fist on the trunk of the tree, where they some¬ 
times “molt,” with a slight web over the bunch. 
2. Another caterpillar, which when grown is 
two inches long, light yellow on the sides; 
light green on the back, one stripe gradually 
fading into the yellow stripes on the sides, 
haviug 11 pairs of legs, is very destructive to 
leaves of White Willow. The pests begin to 
appear tn July, or earlier, and continue till 
Fall. I never saw auy of them till last year. 
What are they? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. C. V. RILEY. 
L The black caterpillar covered with white, 
wool-like hair, which is destructive to the 
foliage of Black Walnut trees, is the larva of 
the Hand-maid Moth (Datana ministra). Its 
size aud coloration, but still more its gregari¬ 
ous habits and the peculiar positions assumed 
by it, render this caterpillar easily recogniz¬ 
able. When at re6t both extremities of the 
body are raised, the body itself being beDt 
and resting only on the four middle pairs of 
legs. If disturbed, the caterpillars throw up 
their beads and tails with a jerk, at the same 
time bending the body until tbe two extremi¬ 
ties almost meet over their backs. Another 
peculiar habit of the full-grown caterpillar is 
to descend and congregate in masses at the 
base of the tree. The moth produced by this 
larva is of light-brown color, with the head 
aud a large spot on the thorax brown, aud 
with four or five narrow, dark lines across 
the front wings. The whitish, globular eggs . 
are laid by the moth in a single cluster of 
from 70 to 100 in number firmly cemented to¬ 
gether on the surface of the leaf. Its grega¬ 
rious habit renders tbe destruction of the 
caterpillars easy. 2. The description of the 
second insect—that injurious to willow— 
plainly indicates one of the False caterpillars, 
{. e., the larva of a Saw-fly (Tentbredinidse), 
and, judging from the large size of the larva, 
it can only be that of the American Cimbex 
(Cimbex Americana). This Cimbex is a 
large, clutnsy-lookiug, four-winged fly with 
bluish-black wings and black body, the abdo¬ 
men being often ornamented with yellow 
spots, or even red, spotted with black. The 
larva, when young, is bluish-gray, but when 
full-grown it is very variable in color, being 
usually greenish-yellow or light green with a 
dark stripe along the back. The cylindrical, 
whitish eggs are inserted within the leaf, 
while the pupa is formed at the base of the 
plants uuiler old leaves. Should these saw- 
fly larva- become troublesome to cultivated 
willows, the best remedy would be the appli¬ 
cation of Paris-green stirred up in water and 
sprayed on to the plants. An illustrated ac¬ 
count of this insect will be found in my last 
annual report as U. S. Entomologist. 
THREAD WORMS IN A HORSE. 
C. N. S., Norris, Neb .—One of my horses 
has for several weeks been constantly rubbing 
the hair off his tail whenever be can get a 
chance; why: and how should he be treated? 
A NS. —Most likely the trouble is caused by 
thread worm in the rectum. Whenever a 
horse persistently rubs his tail against every 
object it approaches, the presence of these 
thread-like pests in tbo rectum may certaiuly 
be inferred, if, ou examination, no vermin or 
eruption can be found in the dock. As treat¬ 
ment, in ordinary cases, give an injection of 
salt-aud-water two or three days in succession 
by means of a syringe or a bladder with a 
pipe of elder wood made to fit the bladder’s 
mouth; then administer a ball consisting oE 
half an ounce of aloes aud oue dram of calo¬ 
mel. In bad cases a sure remedy is to inject 
every morning for a week, a piut of linseed 
oil, containing two drams of spirits of turpeu- 
tine. This will either kill the worms or bring 
them away, with the exception of a few that 
may bo driven higher up the colon, and by 
waiting a week, aud then repeating the treat¬ 
ment, these, too, will be got rid of. A dram 
of sulphate of iron (powdered) twice a day for 
a few days, given with green feed, is excel¬ 
lent after this treatment. 
BRONCHITIS IN A HORSE. 
It. M. II., Hath, N. Y.—For several months 
one of my horses has been troubled with a 
severe cough at intervals, accompanied by 
frequent discharges from the nose. What is 
the remedy and what the trouble? 
Ans.—T he trouble is chronic brouchitis. 
The treatment Is to give a free laxative—such 
as a piut of liuseed oil, repeated the third day; 
then a warm bran mash, and occasionally a 
quart of linseed steeped over night in hot 
water. Give, every morning, ouo ounce of 
hyposulphite of soda, and every alternate even¬ 
ing au ounce of niter. Give no dry grain un¬ 
til the cough has ceased. Keep a quart bottle 
of pine tar with a stick in it. and stir the stick 
iu the drinking water before the horse takes 
it. Use precautions against overheating aud 
exposure to showers whou hot, and keep the 
stable cleau and well ventilated, and the floor 
well sprinkled with plaster to avoid auy odor 
of ammonia, which irritates the air passages. 
Miscellaneous. 
R. G. B., Cottonville, La. —1. I wish to plant 
oats next October; have cotton seed meal and 
cotton-seed ashes (burnt hulls) for fertilizers, 
had I better apply these fertilizers this Fall, 
or next Spring; in what manner aud how 
much per acre? 2. The latter part of Janu¬ 
ary, 188(5, or the first part of February, I 
want to plant potatoes for the early market. 
Wlmt variety could I count on for earliness 
and productiveness? 8. From what parties in 
the North could I procure seed, as the further 
North we get the seed the earlier are our 
