THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
plete fertilizer) produced 63 plants, 73 ears 
which weighed 25 pounds. 
We are unable to give the product of the 
other plots owing to an unfortunate accident 
which mixed them somewhat, and as exact 
results could not be ariived at, we prefer 
merely to make the general statement that 
the yield of the halves receiving potash and 
phosphoric acid and nitrogen, exceeded that of 
the halves receiving only potash aud phos¬ 
phoric acid as much as in the four plots 
above presented. 
It may also be stated that the stover was 
proportionate to the grain. The stalks and 
leaves of the halves which received the com¬ 
plete fertilizers were vigorous and green to 
the last—while the others were yellowish and 
comparatively feeble during the entire season, 
it may also be remarked that the corn of the 
former plots was a few days later in maturing. 
It is to be presumed that none of our readers 
will asciibe the greatly increased yield of the 
halves manured with potash, burnt bone and 
nitrogen, to (he nitrogen alone-. That would 
be a mistake wbicb, if acted upon on similar 
land, would surely lead to grave disappoint¬ 
ment. There is no doubt that had the nitro¬ 
gen mixture and potaEb (or phosphoric acid) 
been applied at first and the bone tor potash) 
applied afterwavds to the balf plots, the re 
suits would have been just the same. 
This series of experiments carried on for 
three years with different crops proves simply 
that this particular poor land needs complete 
fertilizers, and that anything else will fail to 
give good crops. 
What we earnestly desire to impress upon 
our readers are the Tacts, so often repeated in 
this journal, first, that chemical fertilizers as 
a class must not be condemned because special 
fertilizers fail; and, second, that the actual 
plant foods of fertilizers and farm manure are 
precisely the same. 
Suppose that after thoroughly trying potash 
or burnt bone, or nitrogen in any form, or 
any two of them, and finding that our crops 
were not benefited appreciably, if at all, we 
had condemned chemical fertilizers in toto as 
many after equally imperfect experiments do; 
would that be fair? A neighbor, with similar 
land, might in the meantime, have used com¬ 
plete fertilizers to bis great satisfaction. 
Were they useless in the one case and of 
great value in the other? 
Read the Special Fertilizer Number of 
the Rural New-Yorker. One writer says 
that he had used sulphate of potash aud that 
his money was thrown away. He would not 
put fertilizers on his land if they wet e given 
to him. Another bad used “superphosphate” 
and he could not tell from the plants or yield 
where it was applied. Therefore he would 
not buy them. This non-sequitur reasoning 
has done great harm, not only to those who 
hastily form such conclusions, but to those 
who are seeking information. If your land 
is not fertile, and potash fails to increase the 
crop, that does not prove that your laud does 
not need pot-ash. If, however, potash alone 
increased the crops, it would certainly prove 
that your laud does need potash. If a plain 
superphosphate (furnishing phosphoric acid 
only) fails to increase your crops, that does not 
prove that your land does not need it. If 
nitrogen fails to increase your crops, that does 
not prove that it does not need nitrogen. 
First, friends of the Rural. —you who need 
to use fertilizers—try iu separate plots, potash 
iu any form, burnt bone or nitrogen. If 
neither plot responds to the fertilizer applied, 
try two of them. If with the same negative 
results, try ALL. If all of them do not help 
your crops, the reason wifi be that your laud 
is already rich. Whether it pays to use chein 
ical fertil'zers is another question that each 
must decide for himself. 
lift torn}, 
$ural Wts Utn %}. J am Up¬ 
raising WINTER LAMBS. 
WHEN TO MARKET WINTER LAMBS 
is an important question to the grower, aud 
one which be should well consider. He wants 
money iu exchange for food, and the percent¬ 
age of profit comes in getting the most money 
for the least food; yet he cannot afford to sell 
while the gain in weight will more than bal¬ 
ance the fall in price. For instance, suppose 
a 35-pound lamb in February would sell for 20 
cents per pound.or seven dollars. The grower 
could not afford to sell it, if by keeping it an¬ 
other month he could make it gain 20 pounds 
more, making 55 pounds, and it would theu 
sell for only 18 cents, or $9 90 for the lamb, 
because *2.90 will much more than feed 
mother and lamb during the extra month, aud 
though the percentage of gain is less, the net 
gaiu is much more. If, on the other hand, a 
45-pound lamb in April will bring nearly or 
quite as much money as a 00-pouud lamb iu 
June or a 70 pounder in July, there would, 
most likely be a good profit if sold in April, 
and a loss if fed on till the later months. 
In most markets the demand for young 
lambs is quite limited before the 17 of March; 
but from that time on the demand is brisk 
and constantly increasing, while the supply 
raised in the ordinary way, is not available 
before the middle of June. 
It is safe, therefore, to have a few that will 
be ready to meet the demand iu February and 
first of March, and the bulk should come fit 
for sale as rapidly as possible after St. 
Patrick’s Day, when the regulation dinner is 
green peas, spring lamb and mint sauce. The 
best weight is from 50 to 00 pounds, live; they 
should be plump and tat (little danger of be¬ 
ing too fat). A little plump 40 pound lamb 
‘‘as fat as butter” will sell much more quickly 
and for more money in any market, than a 
large-boned, lank one, even though it weighs 
60 pounds or more. We may prate about “baby 
meat,” and ridicule “gobs of fat,” as much as 
we please, yet there is a growing demand for 
each, and as long as they “ capture the dol¬ 
lars,” the lamb grower will be most successful 
who eater's to it. 
WHERE AND HOW TO MARKET 
are momeutous questions, and should be de¬ 
cided before any lambs are fit to go. On the 
decision arrived at depends much of the grow¬ 
er’s reputation, aud not a little of his profits. 
We have seen lambs come to market lank and 
shrunken, in appearance half starved, that no 
doubt left home in good shape; but a lamb 
gains rapidly, and shrinks more so, aud if 
more than two days on the journey from pen 
to the shambles, looks bad, if sent alive. If 
kept as we have directed, they are but little 
used to walking,and if driven only a few miles 
they become very weary, shrink rapidly, and 
when killed, the meat will have more or less of 
a dark aud inflamed appearance. 
It is therefore best, generally, to select the 
nearest good market, and t ) put them there 
with the least delay and fatigue possible. In 
all cases we would carry them in wagons. If 
to be sent on the cars or boats alive, we would 
recommend having light crates, with close 
bottoms, holding from five to eight lambs. 
These can be readily picked up ami carried 
from wagon to car, or the reverse, and will 
prevent the lambs being kicked or beaten, 
and, what is still better, will prevent the bar¬ 
barous practice of catching and lifting them 
by grasping the wool, a thiDg that should 
never, never! be done. These crates should 
be made light and strong, and will usually be 
returned by the transportation company Tree 
of charge. 
But in all cases where they are to be sent 
more than 100 miles we would recommend 
sending them dead. This is easily done, and 
if properly dressed, and, when thoroughly 
cold, well packed, they can be put into mar¬ 
ket witbin a distance of 500 or 000 miles in as 
good condition as if only ascoreof milesaway. 
In preparing lambs to send iu this way, they 
should be slaughtered and dressed the day be 
fore being sent; they should be well bled and 
then skinned, the pelt remaining attached to 
the back of the neck aud to the rump near the 
tail. The carcass should then be opened and 
the entrails taken out; but the head and feet 
should be left on, and the heart, liver, lungs, 
and tongue should be left iu place. The caul 
should be spread over atd wrapped about the 
saddles, and the kidneys should be loosened 
u p and pulled through a small bole cut in the 
caul in the proper place. When the carcass 
has hung and become thoroughly cold, a suit¬ 
able piece of white muslin should be put about 
it inside the skin, and pinned on; over this put 
a thickness of gunny sack or other coarse 
goods, and over the whole wrap the skin, 
tying it with strong twine; and on each lamb 
a card should be put with full directions for 
reaching the consignee. At the same time, 
write him telling when and by what line they 
were shipped. These cloths will be returned 
free by the express company, and the muslin 
can be washed, and the whole used many times 
over. As the weather gets warmer the “has¬ 
lets” (liver, heart, and lungs) should be re¬ 
moved when dressing the lambs, as by so 
doing there is less danger of injury from the 
heat. 
We have thus minutely given our method 
of rearing wiuter lambs, and have tried to do 
it so plainly that a good observer, with no 
knowledge whatever of the business, could 
follow us to a fair success. Connected with 
the business, however, are Borne incidents that 
under certain conditions, might arise, and of 
these we will briefly speak. 
FAILURE TO CUT THE FRONT TEETH 
sometimes happens, and though not a very 
serious matter, as, if the lamb is strong, the 
teeth will soon come through, yet sometimes 
the covering is so firm, and it becomes so m 
flamed that the lamb will refuse to suck. We 
have found it beat to look each lamb In the 
mouth, and if the front teeth are not through 
! the gums, to force them through by rubbing 
the thumb over them, or if necessary, using a 
piece of stick, stone or brick. 
TICKS ON THE EWES 
are sometimes so plentiful that they will go 
to the lambs in sufficient quantity to prevent 
all gain, and where so numerous will also 
prevent thrift in the ewe. They may be easily 
destroyed on the ewes by mixing lard or lard 
oil and kerosene or crude petroleum, equal 
parts, aud having made it quite hot, pouring 
it from the spout of an old fashioned lamp 
filler along the backs of tbe sheep in openings 
of the wool made for that purpose; one such 
application will put a quietus on every tick on 
the mother, and this should be done before the 
lamb has wool enough to iuvite the pests from 
the ewe. 
EATING WOOL 
from the mother is also an incident of lamb 
raising, which sometimes is carried to such an 
extent as to seriously diminish the weight of 
fleece, and to cause the lambs to become pot¬ 
bellied and unthrifty, by interfering with 
their digestion. This is mcstly a habit, and 
so far as we could ever see, is not the symp¬ 
tom of any disease, or tbe result of anything 
besides pure viciousness; nor do we know of 
any remedy, save one, and that we will 
treat of in our next. Many letters containing 
inquiries are being, from time to time, re¬ 
ceived. They are most welcome, and the 
questions are answered in the general way of 
articles, or are beiug filed aud preserved, and 
each will be treated in its proper place, es that 
particular branch of the subject comes up. 
While we thiuk this better than to stop to an¬ 
swer each as received, they are uone the less 
welcome, as they serve to show which points 
our friends would like to have made most 
clear. 
As some of the Japanese plums are now 
being propagated for distribution here, it is 
just as well that we should know something 
about them iu advance, more especially as it is 
proposed to give them a character quite at 
variance with wbat I learned of them some 
years ago. I therefore wrote to a lady who has 
resided in Japan a number of years, and who 
has taken pains to make herself familiar with 
the fruits and flowers of that country, for 
which she has had exceptional opportunities. 
She writes: “The plum tree iu Japan is culti¬ 
vated chiefly for its blossoms; the fruit, to 
such a people as the Japanese (so fond of the 
beautiful) is a secondary consideration. There 
are some plums, however, which we foreign¬ 
ers stew, being much too hard to eat other¬ 
wise; but the Japanese pickle them in salt 
aud vinegar for winter use, to eat with 
their rice. They pickle nearly everything; 
aud to go past one of their pickle shops is a 
trying ordeal, unless one has lost the sense of 
smell.” Certainly plums of this description 
would be no desirable addition to our present 
list. 
* * * 
The few- Japanese plum trees that I have 
seen, are beautiful subjects for the lawn; but 
he who plants them in the orchard for the 
sake of the fruit will make a great mistake. I 
have good reason to believe that there are 
some plums in Japan which our California 
friends might well import aud propagate, but 
not as fruit trees. Sell them for what they 
are. Tbe praise that it is now proposed to be¬ 
stow upon the fruit could be safely and hon 
estly transferred to the flower. 
♦ * * 
The best way that I know of for growing 
the Calla Lily (Richardia jEthiopiea), especi¬ 
ally for those who have no green house, is to 
put it iu the old-fashioned stone ware butter 
crock, which is about a foot in diameter. It 
has no hole iu the bottom, and saves at least 
two-thirds of the trouble in watering. The 
best callas I have ever had have been grown 
in this way. Th?se crocks, with slight flaws 
in them, can be bought cheap. The calla is a 
semi-aquatic plant, aud delights in plenty of 
water. Add to the soil some old manure and 
a good supply of leaf mold. In the Spring I 
put the plants out of doors under shelter 
where they will get no water, and, uot later 
than the first of June, I turn the pots on then- 
sides to insure their drying up, and let them 
remain so till they show slgus of growing, 
which will usually be iu the early part of 
August; all of which saves a good deal of 
trouble in watering. 1 theu knock them out 
of the crocks, shake off the loose soil, aud put 
them back lu the crocks with fresh soil, tilling 
up to within two inches of the top. When 
repotting, break off the small plants, retain¬ 
ing at least three of the largest in each crock. 
The small ones can be put lu small pots in tbe 
usual way. Water sparingly at first; but 
when the plants have begun growing freely, 
water till it nearly stands up at tbe top of the 
crock, and repeat the watering before the top 
gets dry. One watering will last a good 
while. A little manure water, or ammonia, 
may be added at times, if the plants are not 
growing well. There are two varieties of the 
common calla, one much dwarfer than the 
other, aud bearing smaller flowers, and the 
latter is the one I much prefer. 
* * 
The calla is commonly believed to be a very 
tender plant; but this is not so. I have- sev¬ 
eral times bad the plants frozen stiff, both iu 
the green-bouse and the sitting-room; but iu 
each case I have drawu out the frost without 
much apparent injury to the plants, though it 
may be doubted if it did them any good. The 
tenderness of a plant, however, depends much 
upon the temperature in which it has been 
grown. 
* * * 
There are some coincidences in Nature, the 
cause of which can only be guessed at. I 
have before alluded to the wonderful profusion 
of bloom ou the potato this year. The same 
thing. I learn, has happened in England the 
past season. The abundance of bloom on the 
potato there has been the subject of almost 
universal comment. So, too, Pbormium ten- 
ax has flowered in Englaud this season, iu the 
opinion of some for the first lime. About two 
montb8siuce I saw Fhormium teuax variegata 
blooming flaely at Mrs, Barr’s, at Orange, 
N. J , beiDg the first instance I have seen or 
heard of in this country. The flower stalk is 
tall aud stately, but the flower itself is not 
particularly striking. 
* * * 
A very pretty plaut for winter blooming, 
aud a great favorite with me, is the blue lobe¬ 
lia. For a small basket or suspended pot, 
Lobelia gracilis, or any of the forms of L. 
speciosawill do. Plants of tbe latter cau be 
bought of almost any florist, or may be raised 
from seed; but plants of L. gracilis are rare¬ 
ly seen for sale. It is easily raised from seed, 
however, and comes into flower when quite 
young. For a hanging pot or basket, from 
five to six inches in diameter, L. gracilis is 
the better plant, owing to its procumbent 
habit. It will make a drooping mass of flow¬ 
ers two or three feet long. If you want 
flowers rather than foliage, the soil should be 
only moderately rich. After the plants come 
into bloom, some mild liquid manure may be 
used occasionally. 
* * * 
The seeds of the lobelia are very small, and 
should be sown ou the surface and pressed in 
firmly. Watering should be carefully done to 
avoid washing the seed out. As soon as the 
plants show two or three leaves, transplant 
them. In a pot or basket four or six inches 
in diameter, put one plant, and no more. It 
locks like a very small object in a pot of that 
size, but in tbe end you will thiuk it is just 
right. I have tried all the way from one to 
50 plants in a pot; but I have found one not only 
to be enough, but better than more. You cau 
try more, however, if you wish. Water freely 
and give plenty of light, and you will have a 
basket that will be good for two years at least 
by simply cutting it in, next August. 
* * * 
A very pretty companion for the lobelia is 
tbe Sweet Alyssum; and of the several kinds 
now growu, Tom Thumb is much the best for 
our several purposes. Plants of this are now 
kept for sale by all florists. The treatment is 
much the same as that for the lobelia, except 
that the soil may be a little richer. The 
Sweet Alyssum Is not a trailing plant. Novices 
usually make a terrible mess in repottiDg this 
AlyBSum. aud it certainly requires careful 
handling in being transferred from a three- 
inch pot. Buy small plants, therefore, and 
put at once into a five or six-inch pot with a 
couple of inches of charcoal drainage at the 
bottom. As with lobelia, put only one plaut 
iu this pot, aud by Easter you will have a 
mass of snow-white bloom coveriug the pot 
haDgiug dowu an inch or two over the ritn. 
It will be quite pretty enough, simple little 
flower though it be, to carry to church ou 
Easter Sunday, and you should grow at least 
half a dozen for this very purpose. 
HORTICOLA. 
.ptniifllogicAl 
ROOT GRAFTING THE STONE FRUITS 
AND THE PEAR. 
PROF. J. L. BUDD. 
At the West we have had much trouble 
with hardy varieties of these fruits when 
budded in Eastern nurseries ou tender stocks. 
Even when sot sightly deeper than they stood 
iu nursery, the trees, in our light, porous soil, 
are apt to be lost by root-killing. Aware of 
this fact, we have queries from Eastern prop¬ 
agators as to our method of root grafting- 
