Nearly all the bearing apple trees have died 
this Summer. A. R. 
Nebraska. 
Frenchtown, Antelope Co., Sept. 18.— 
Corn is generally very good. Corn from the 
Rural 50 crosses is in all conditions; some of 
the stalks are about three feet high with a 
ripe ear on each; others are higher with two 
ears apiece; aud so on, some being nine feet 
high with eight silks on it just beginning to 
fill. Johnson Grass a total failure. Small 
grains turning out well. Some rye sowed. 
Fall plowing going on. A. w. L. 
Pennsylvania. 
Wexford, Allegheny Co., Sept. 21 .—Wheat 
was a very bad crop—the worst I can remem¬ 
ber. Oats were a very large crop; the quality 
was very good and all was housed in good 
condition. Hay a fair crop; quality the very 
best. Potatoes are just middling; in some 
places only a half crop. Wheat is nearly all 
sowed, and put in in first-class condition. 
The corn crop is going to be good, the absence 
of frost having allowed it to make a good late 
growth. Fall pastures good. This is what is 
called the Brush Creek Valley of Western 
Pennsylvania, which includes Allegheny, But¬ 
ler and Beaver Counties a. m. 
Washington Territory. 
Badger, Mt. Douglas Co.—The Johnson 
Grass has done well, growing to the hight of 
three or four feet, although the Summer has 
been dry. This is not a corn country, but I 
have picked out some flue ears well ripened 
from the Rural mixture. The Stratagem 
Pea was the largest I ever saw. The pods 
measured six inches in length. The gophers 
got away with most of them. The Flageolet 
Beinsdid not do well; couldn’t stand the dry 
weather, of which we had two months. We 
are 100 miles from a railroad. Our market is 
at home. Wheat, $1; oats, 50 to 00 cents; 
potatoes too abundant to sell. No fruit. 
Crops are generally good. F. M. a. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
(Every query must be accompanied by thename 
and address of the writer to insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see If It Is not answered lu 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
at one tlme.l 
ABOUT ASHES AS A FERTILIZER. 
W. M. 17., Thorold, Ou t., Can. —1. What is 
the comparative value of soft wood ashes made 
from elm and soft maple, and those made 
from hard woods! 2. Should they be applied 
in Fall or Spring, and with or without stable 
manure? 3. How much to the acre for grape¬ 
vines, peach trees and berries? 4. How long 
do they last in the soil, or should there be a 
yearly application? 5. Of what value are 
they compared with stable manure? 
Ans. —1. Elm mates as good ashes as auy 
timber—probably the strongest. Soft maple 
makes a very strorg ash also. The ashes of 
these trees are classed aruoug hard-wood 
ashes. 2. If the laud is notsubject to overflow, 
it makes but little difference when they are 
applied. Early in Sprlug is the safest. Apply 
always to the ground, and harrow in when 
possible. Stable manure may be put on before 
or after. 3. There is no danger of applying 
too much; from 10 to 25 bushels per acre area 
fair dressing. 4. The potash will remain iu 
the soil, if not overflowed, until taken up by 
some growing plant; but it is best to have an 
abundance in the ground, and a yearly mod¬ 
erate application is best. 5. Ashes contain 
only potash and a moderate quantity of phos- 
pborie acid—about six per cent, of potash and 
1)^ of phosphoric acid. Barn yard manure 
contains a much less proportion of these; but 
in addition, it holds a proportion of nitrogen. 
It is not easy to compare their values; but for 
grape viues and peach trees, we do not recom¬ 
mend much barn-yard manure—none for 
grapes, uuless the soil is badly worn out. It 
produces a too luxuriant aud woody growth, 
aud ono more subject to disease. We should 
use for these ashes aud a moderate quantity of 
bone dust. For berries, barn-yard manure is 
good, but we should also use ashes or potash 
in some form. 
BARREN CORN-STALKS. 
A, IF. L., Frenchtown , Neb. —I find iu my 
corn field many barren stalks; they are not 
so tall as the others, seetu logrow stouter,with 
shorter joiuts and broader leaves; they bear 
tassels but uosilk: what causes them and what 
purpose do they fulfill in the corn Held ! 
A ns. —They are merely barren stalks, prob¬ 
ably from degeneracy, possibly because only 
male plants. In any case they do no good; 
but. like all evil in the world, have a de¬ 
moralizing influ<mce,and should not be allowed 
to exert it upon the prolific stalks through the 
medium of the pollen. If allowed to grow and 
shed this, the tendency is to have them be¬ 
come more numerous. We have often re¬ 
commended to go through the corn field as 
Boon as the tassels show above the “boot,” and 
cut off all from such stalks and also from such 
stalks as have hut one set, thus causing all 
ears to have for male parent such prolific 
stalks as set two or more ears. There is no 
doubt but in this way a variety may be 
bred up to producing twin or triplet ears on a 
large majority of stalks. 
SPEEDY CUT IN A MARE. 
P. R. O. A., Woodmont, Conn —A valuable 
mare of mine has injured her knee by strik¬ 
ing it with the opposite foot. The skin is not 
broken, hut the bone appears i jured. A 
hard bunch has formed on the inside of the leg 
a little below the joint, and there is also a 
swelling over the knee-cap. She jdoes not go 
lame; bnt the leg is tender to the touch. 
What is the proper treatment? 
Ans.—L et a wet rag hang loosely over the 
swollen part, and bathe frequently with an in¬ 
fusion of oak bark or galls. Internally, give 
four or five drams of Barbadoes aloes. After 
the tenderness has disappeared, apply tincture 
of iodine to remove the remaining swelling. 
Particular attention must be paid to the 
shoeing: keep the foot narrow on the inner 
side, see that no nail clinches project, and 
have the shoes reset about every three weeks. 
If this does not prevent the striking, a boot 
must be worn extending as high as the knee, 
with a rim or projection at the top to warn 
the animal when her foot comes too near. 
THUMPS IN PIGS. 
R, 37. 77., Cleona, Ind. —I have lost several 
pigs from a disease the chief symptom of 
which is the rapid breathing of the affected 
animals, which pant as if they had been run¬ 
ning hard; this increases until they die; what 
ailed them, aud what should have been the 
treatment. 
Ans.—T he disease was palpitation of the 
heart, called “thumps." It is hardly notice¬ 
able in its early stages except to the careful 
observer; at that time, it may be cured by 
administering extract of digitalis twice a day 
—one or more drops according to the size of 
the animal; or a few drops of spirits of turpen¬ 
tine may be given. The ailment is probably 
caused by an excess of fat around the heart. 
As soon as detected the pigs should be turned 
out on the ground and the sow should be 
given less food to lessen the fatty condition of 
the pigs. 
Miscellaneous. 
T. 77., Westfield, Wis. —1. On account of 
short crop of clover hay, I will be obliged to 
feed much hay and straw to m 3 ' young stock 
next Winter. I intended to feed barley and 
oats and corn, and will grind them together; 
will it pay to use a little oil meal in the mixt¬ 
ure? 2. With barley worth 35 cents; oats 25 
cents, and corn 30 cents, what can I afford to 
pay for oil meal, and should it be fed dry or 
wet? 
Ans.— 1. A little oil meal has a beneficial 
effect on stock, aside from its nutritive 
value; for that reason, if for no other, we 
would advise feeding a little mixed with the 
other feed—say, as much as a half-pound for 
each full-grown steer. 2. You can afford to 
pay as much as $25 per ton, delivered. It may 
be fed either way as suits you best Of course, 
if the anima's have all dry food besides, it is 
better to feed in a mash, cr, better still, with 
some roots or other green fodder. 
O. 37., Cowles, Neb. —1. In which way* will 
small grains staud drought best—sowed on 
plowed ground and harrowed in, or sowed 
and plowed in and harrowed afterwurd? 2. 
Will Johnston Grass stand drought? 
Ans.— 1. We should prefer to sow on 
plowed grouud and cultivate in, for the reason 
that grain sowed at moderate depths comes 
up much soouer aud makes a much quicker 
growth than that sowed so deep. By sowiug 
very early the grain should be nearly ripe 
when the drought comes. When plowed in, 
the whole substance of the plant is used up in 
reaching the surface, and growth for some 
time is slow, and hence it does not mature so 
quickly, besides, when planted so deep, the 
real feefling roots grow from near the surface. 
2. Few plauts staud the drought better, and 
few droughts do it any barm. 
.7. P. ?/., Millboro Springs, Va. — 1 . What is 
the botanical name of the inclosed grass, 
here called Coru Grass, and has it any value! 
2. How should sheep that “run” at the nose be 
treated? 
Ans. —1. Fanicum clandestiuum—Hidden- 
flowered Panic Grass. It is valuable, aud the 
stock are very fond of it; but its growth is 
such as to make it not profitable for cultiva¬ 
tion. Seed cau not be bought. 2. The sheep 
are suffering from cold, probably takeu dur¬ 
ing some change of the weather, or by being 
hurriedly driven and then allowed to stand or 
lie in a cold wind or draft. Little can be 
done more than to give them a daubing on 
the nose with pine tar, aud providing them 
dry quarters in the cold, autumnal storms. 
W. S. S, Lovettsv.ille, Va .— 1. Would Red 
Top be a good grass to sow with Timothy this 
Fall, and clover in Spring, for pasture and 
hay, and how much seed should be used per 
acre? 2, What would be the cost of the ma¬ 
terials for painting a frame barn 32x40 feet 
and 16 feet high, from basement up, including 
a 10 foot gable? 3. Would the Buff Cochin 
be a good hen to cross with the Light Brah¬ 
ma? 
Ans —1. Yes. The Red Top will overcome 
the Timothy in two years. You should sow 
not over five pounds to the acre with Timothy 
and clover. 2. The darK red mineral powder 
costs a mere nothing. The linseed oil will 
make the cost. Eight dollars should cover 
the whole. 3 We should prefer the Black 
Cocbius or Langshans. 
T. G. T., Horbrook, Iowa. —What are the 
small egg-like bodies covering tbe inclosed 
grape leaves, and tbe “worm” in one of them 
which is curled up? 
Ans. —Tbe worm or caterpillar is one of the 
common Sphinx larvae found on the grape¬ 
vine. and is called Darapsa myron (Cramer). 
Tbe white bodies like "eggs” are tbe cocoons 
of a little parasitic fly, which lays her eggs in 
the caterpillar. From these eggs are hatched 
maggots whieh feed within tbe larva 3 and 
issue when full-fed.and spin these little white, 
silken cocoons, attaching them to the cater¬ 
pillar’s back. The flies which issue from the 
cocoons are small, black, active creatures, 
bearing tbe name of Apanteles congregatus. 
S. IF. 37, Griffin, Ga. —Bishop Clark of 
Rhode Island, in a late New York paper, says 
that, meu without the aid of bees now make 
and sell “comb honey,” in which neither wax 
nor honey is U3ed; that the comb is made of 
paraffine, and filled with substance resem¬ 
bling honey. If this is true, it is a death-blow 
to the honey trade; if not true, the agricul¬ 
tural press ought to contradict it, 
Ans.—I t is probably true; but the sale of 
such imitations must be limited to those ignor¬ 
ant of the properties of genuine honey. Such 
concotions will not be a death blow to the 
honey trade auy more than the sale of oleo¬ 
margarine and similar imitations has been a 
death-blow to the dairy' business. Of course, 
such frauds injure fair trade, but they cannot 
destroy it. 
L. C. K„ (mislaid address). —1. Can I sow 
rye on a steep hill side this Fall and clover in 
the Spring with good results in the crop and 
in preventing the land from washing ? 2. 
What quantity of each should be sown per 
acre? 8 Should I use any other grass, and, if 
so, what ? 4. Would Alsike be better than 
Red Clover? 
Ans.—L Yes, if the laud is poor.usiDg some 
fertilizer. 3. Sow two bushels of rye for this 
purpose, and eight pounds of clover seed in 
the Spring. 3. Yes, sow this Fall six pounds 
of Timothy seed and the same quantity of 
Orchard Grass and Kentucky Blue Grass. 4. 
Not on such laud. Alsike does best on flat and 
rather wet land. 
G. A. P., Wilawana, Pa. —1. Would it be 
advisable to sell barley somewhat shrunken at 
60 cents a busheL, and buy wheat middlings at 
$1.10, or coru meat at $1.25 per hundred 
pounds? 2. Which of the latter would be the 
better for fattening calves aud a farrow cow? 
Ans. — 1. Selliug barley at 60 ceuts per 
bushel is getting $1.25 per hundred pounds. 
If somewhat shrunken, it may be as much as 
one-fourth or more merely shell or husk, and 
this is of no use as a food beyond giving bulk. 
We would certaiuly advise the exchange. 2. 
We should prefer a mixture of the two in 
about equal parts by weight. 
A. G., Cameron, H is.—What kind of bar * 
ley is the inclosed I Where did it originate, 
and what is it good for? 
Ans.—I t is hard to name a variety of grain 
from only a sample. It is one of the hulless 
barley's, possibly Nepaul, although we are not 
just sure. It has been many times offered 
uuder various names and at high prices, and 
has no value except for feeding purposes, aud 
all that we have tried yield too poorly to be 
valuable to raise for that purpose. 
A. 7.., Handsboro , Miss,— A valuable horse 
of mine is losing flesh, becoming thinner every 
day although he is liberally fed three times a 
day: He eats his own excrement and is 
troubled with suppression of urine, what ails 
him? 
Ans —The symptoms enumerated are not 
sufficient to euabln us to satisfactorily diag¬ 
nose the case. If the suppression of uriue is 
at all morbid, we would advise that you con¬ 
sult a competent veterinarian at an early 
date. 
H. (?., Hamburgh, Conn. — Which, is the 
best time for applying wood ashes to fruit 
trees—Fall or Spring? 
Ans. —On land not subject to overflow we 
would apply them in tbe Fall, harrowing into 
tbe ground, and on all land put them on, if 
not in the Fall, as early as possible in Spring. 
When harrowed or cultivated into the ground, 
there is only a very remote possibility of any 
portion of the rotash being carried away, 
even when the land is flooded. 
J. C., Bunker Hill, III. —Which is the best 
raspberry ; where can I get the plants, and at 
what price. 
Ans —It is impossible to answer a question 
so general in its scope. We cannot tell wheth¬ 
er a black or red berry is wanted; whether 
one for canning, drying or table purposes, or 
whether for market or home use. Nearly all 
berries are now in the hands of the general 
nursery' trade,and are ad vertised and described 
in their catalogues and prices are given. If 
our friend will tell us wbat he wants, we will 
try and help him further. 
7. 37. A. New Haven, Conn. —1. Ought 
sweet potatoes, to keep well, be dug before the 
frost bills the vines? 2. At what temperature 
should they be stored to keep best through 
Winter? 
Ans.— 1 They should, or if caught by a 
frost, the vines should be cut off below where 
they are frosted before they are thawed. 2. 
They should be kept dry and in an even tem¬ 
perature, and the nearer 60° the better. 
Never below 50 F. 
N. B. A , Owasso, MirJi.— What are the five 
best varieties of pears and plums for market, 
everything considered? 
Ans —Angouleme, Anjou, Bartlett, Flem¬ 
ish Beauty, Seckel, Winter Nelis. Plums: 
Bradshaw, Coe’s Golden Drop, Lombard 
Washington, Jefferson. 
W. E ., Indianapolis, Ind — My chicks move 
feebly about with their wings drooping: their 
heads turn black and they die in from 24 to 36 
hours, and on examination their craws are 
hard and the contents black; what ails them? 
Ans. —The trouble is chicken cholera. See 
article on the subject elsewhere in this issue. 
Mrs. L. A. 77, Chickamanga, Tenn. — Are 
sorghum leaves injurious to stock, and if so 
why? 
Ans. —There is nothing injurious to stock 
iu sorghum leaves: on the contrary, if well 
cured, they are fair fodder. 
J. H. S , Hillman, Mich. —What is the best 
way of preserving the tops of mangels, car¬ 
rots and turnips for winter use? 
Ans. —The only way to preserve them is to 
put them in a silo. When put into piles, they 
soon heat and spoil. 
DISCUSSION. 
C. C. A., Pittsfield, Mass.—In a late Ru¬ 
ral is a paragraph from the Secretary of 
the Maryland State Board of Agriculture, in 
which is cited a case of draining land in Scot¬ 
land by means of a siphon. 1 am prompted 
to give my experience in the same line. While 
rector of a parish in an adjoining town, I had 
a glebe which had not received the attention 
of an intelligent agricultural parson, however 
wise in other ways my predecessors for a cen¬ 
tury may have been. Back of my barn was 
a gradually sloping hill, and beyond this a 
swamp. The lane to the pasture ran along 
the boundary line through this swamp, and 
my cows had difficulty iu going through it, 
while the swamp itself was useless. So I put 
a drain tile with branches through the swamp 
towards the baru and emptied Its contents 
into a well ten feet deep, dug for that purpose. 
From this well I ran a siphon lead pipe to my' 
barn-yard, 25 rods distant, and thereby sup¬ 
plied my horses and cows with water all the 
year. The next year the swamp was so well 
drained that the water ceased to flow after the 
rains. I then plowed, manured and seeded 
the swamp and made it a good grass land 
over which a team could be driven. My lane 
was so dried that the cows after that could go 
through, like the Israelites “on dry land." 
While digging the tile-drain ditch through 
the hard-pau, a very intelligent (?) man 
stopped to argue that the water could never 
go through it, aud he talked till the water 
stood in the bottom of the ditch. I silenced 
his argumeut by askiug how the water (point¬ 
ing to it) got there—the best reply I could 
have made. He was convinced. The land 
could not have been drained otherwise, except 
by permission of the owner of the adjacent 
farm, who had all the water he wanted to 
take care of. c .c. 
Communications Received fob the Week Ending 
Saturday, Octohkk 3, !SS.‘>. 
L. s. h.— r. r. vv.—h, .1. B„ thanks, -c. l.-e. w.— 
T. V.M.-T. T. L -J. T. L.—H. A. C.-.T. L. B —T. H. 
H.-B. F. J. J. H. S.—G. W, C.—E. J. B.—J. P. W — 
G. W. G.—\V. F. K.-A. L. J.-R. C. H.—H. C. K. 
—W. P.—J. J. Vulti, thanks.—\V J. O.—F. G.—C. B. 
G.-M. P. W.-P. J. B.-R. G. C. and S.—H. J. H—T. 
T. L.-S. R. C,—W. C.-N, E.-A, M. O.-J, 8.-W. A. M 
