THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
blage of Americans, Russians and Creoles it 
was—more amusing to us onlookers than the 
Indian dance. All officials, of course, looked 
in on the ball, from the Governor down, as an 
encouragement to the firemen. 
During our stay in Sitka we had two row 
boats placed at our disposal, one for the lake 
back of the town, abounding in small fish and 
yellow pond lilies, the other for the bay, and 
in it we made excursions to various small 
islands in the harbor. On one island I found 
quite a flower garden red aquilegia (colum¬ 
bine), painted cup, and on the rocks, as every¬ 
where, a kind of buttercup with leaf like the 
strawberry. The Indians have gardens on 
some of the islands. We found the rocks full 
of sea life—sea anemones, sea urchins, many 
and various star fishes, jellyfishes, small but 
beautiful abelone shells, and a multitude of 
small shell life. 
A VISIT TO THE HOT SPRINGS. 
Some 13 to 18 miles from Sitka, according to 
the route taken, are hot spriugs, which in Rus¬ 
sian times were regarded as efficacious in 
curative properties. Land travel in Alaska is 
impracticable, and the only way to get from 
one point to another is by water, and chiefly 
by canoe, paddled by the Indians. They charge 
a dollar a day and three or four dollars for a 
canoe for a few days. We had about conclud¬ 
ed to hire such an outfit for the Hut Springs 
excursion, when there came into port a small 
sloop or yacht, built and manned by a single 
Russian, who had come in it from Port Towns¬ 
end. He was desirous of taking us to the 
springs, and so, with a party of five persons 
besides ourselves and an Indian boy for 
“chores,” we set sail one fine morning, under a 
stiff breeze, with tents, blankets and hampers 
of provisions and cooking utensils snugly 
stowed away in the small cabin, while we 
ranged ourselves on deck on bear-skins and 
rugs. We had a splendid sail of four or five 
hours in and out among islands, with a sharp 
outlook for rocks, which at high tide are cov¬ 
ered, The sloop carried a small boat in which 
two could ride, and in this we got one by one 
ashore, and pitched our camp on a sunny slope 
within a few yards of the dilapidated old bath 
house. On every side were “no end” of salmon- 
berries, large, very beautiful, some dark and 
others yellow, fully ripe and really luscious, 
and the whole party went foraging. After 
camp fire and dinner, we hunted for the 
springs, of which there are three mineral— 
two magnesia, probably, and warm—a third 
sulphur and hot. I put a fresh egg in the 
stream near the rock where it bubbled out, 
and in 10 minutes it was soft done, just right 
for eatiDg. The mineral incrustation at all 
the springs is very heavy, and we brought 
away chippings a quarter of an inch thick. 
The magnesia water is pleasant to drinir, and 
in connection with the sulphur feeds a bathing 
tank, but the water was so hot that although 
I cooled it off by turning off the sulphur, the 
bath quite parboiled me; but the sensation 
was delightful, and I think it should be de¬ 
cidedly beneficial in many ailments; and in 
200 years from now, when Sitka is a fashion¬ 
able summer resort, the “Springs” will un¬ 
doubtedly be brought into requisition, and 
pretty cottages stand where now the Rubus 
spectabilis grows undisturted. We slept in 
tents that night, but owing to careless 
arrangement, were nearly devoured by gnats 
and mosquitoes—large, fat mosquitoes I 
AND TO THE REDOUBT. 
After breakfast, we struck our tents, 
and sailed for the Redoubt, the captain of the 
sloop carrying us "piggy back" from the shore 
to the boat. The Redoubt is an old Russian 
fort, now a fishery of considerable importance, 
and its location is very picturesque. The 
mountains rise almost perpendicularly 3,000 
feet at one side of the bay, or pocket of 
water that runs inland, and which at its bead 
receives the outlet of Lake Ozerskey, a moun¬ 
tain lake 10 miles long and full of fish. A dam 
is built across the rapids at the outlet of the 
lake, and in the dam are fish traps, and all 
along on the top of it is a wide walk,an eighth 
of a mile long or more. Five of the old Rus¬ 
sian buildings are still in good condition; they 
also had a jail here and a church, now blown 
down. (Every where the Russians builtatowr. 
in Alaska, they planted a church- The first 
thing the American plants is a saloon; and the 
scboolhouse comes tiefore the church). Cap¬ 
tain M.—a Massachusetts Irishman whom we 
had met in Sitka, and w ho has charge of the 
fishery, gave us a hearty welcome, and sent 
Indians with a canoe to bring us into shore. 
When he offered us the hospitality of all the 
log houses on the premises and a brick fire¬ 
place for a cook stove. But wo had come to 
“camp out,” set up our tents and build our 
camp fire. The captain furnished us with 
delicious fish—smoked salmon, salmon bellies, 
salmon trout and halibut fins—which, after 
being soaked over-night and boiled, tasted 
very like pig souse. He says what everybody 
else says, that the Pacific coast fish are inferior 
to those of the Atlantic, and gives as a reason 
that this coast has no banks like the Atlantic, 
on which the fish may feed. I remarked to 
him that I could get no good codfish here, and 
he said that the cod caught chiefly off the 
Shumagin Islands, 600 miles west of Sitka, are 
salted there and then resalted in San Francis¬ 
co, and the result is not good. Last, year at 
the Redoubt fishery, he put up 700 barrels of 
salmon—pink, red and the tyhee—“tybee” 
meaning “big,” “best.” But the market is 
overstocked, and he is doing very little at 
present. 
We had abundant salmon-berries at the Re¬ 
doubt also, and one of the men—a Russian and 
very fair—brought us a dish of preserved 
berries which we might have relished if there 
had not been in the fruit a German silver tea 
spoon, yellow as saffron! However, I ate some, 
called it nice, and passed it around! The ac¬ 
ceptance of hospitality demands courtesy, 
even at the cost of internal wincing. We 
made our tents mosquito-proof that night and 
slept well, aud on the following afternoon set 
sail for ISitka which we reached safely—our 
three days 1 picnic being pronounced a perfect 
success. One of our party bad camped for a 
week at the Hot Spring in the past February, 
and great! 3 ' enjoyed it. Anent mosquitoes, 
we were not troubled with them at Sitka, but 
at times gnats were annoying along the 
Indian River. 
-♦ ♦ ♦ 
* RURAL SPECIAL REPORT. 
Illinois, 
Erie, Whitesides Co., Oct. 20.—The Rural 
has done more for me than any other paper I 
ever took. I was raised on a farm and am 
still a farmer; but I have learned a great deni 
from the Rural. I used to think nobody but 
an Irishman could raise potatoes; but I fol¬ 
lowed the Rural’s plan and now my neigh¬ 
bors say no one can raise potatoes like me. I 
have raised from two to three hundred bushels 
per acre ever since I struck your plan. Of 
the Manshury Barley I got through the Rural 
I raised 40 bushels per acre, and have follow¬ 
ed the Rural's advice, feeding it to hogs, and 
found it “the thing.” It keeps them healthy 
and in good growing order. The weather in 
Western Illinois is more rainy than ever be¬ 
fore. Hay very scarce; wheat, oats and rye 
very much damaged by rain. Potatoes are 
rotting very badly; worth 45c. per bushel. 
Corn nothing to speak of on account of the 
poor seed. Prices are very low, and railroad 
freights high; that is where we Western farm¬ 
ers “get left” on both sides. e. w. r. 
Indiana. 
Grass, Montgomery Co, Oct. IS,—I see in 
the Rural of Oct. 10, that a killiug frost had 
seriously injured the tobacco crop of Warrick 
aud Spencer Counties, Iud. This is a mistake; 
tobacco in the counties mentioned is uot 
injured at all; in fact the frost did us no dam¬ 
age whatever. Our tobacco crop was all 
housed some two weeks ago. The weather 
has been very favorable since for curing it, 
and it is almost out of danger from a freeze. 
Crops in this section above an average. I 
tried the Rural’s trench plan of growing po¬ 
tatoes, but failed. S. A. mcd. 
Kansas. 
Winfield, Cowley Co., Oct. IS.—The Ru¬ 
ral seeds have not proved much of a success 
with me; but the season was not the best; dry 
weather set in the middle of July and lasted 
six weeks. The 50 varieties of corn were cut 
short by drought, having been planted the 
last of April. I gathered half a peck of imper¬ 
fect nubbins. Of the peas neither variety 
came up well. The beaus came up and bloom¬ 
ed well; but the web-worm took them and the 
peas. The tomatoes did fairly, but were of 
poor quality. The Johnson Grass came up 
sparingly, aud made a slight growth; but was 
on light ground. The Garden Treasures en¬ 
tirely failed to come op. As to the general 
crops of this neighborhood, corn is light—30 
to 40 bushels per acre. Wheat about half a 
crop—5 to 20 bushels per acre from what was 
not plowed up in Spring. Oats first-rate. 
Hay and fodder plentiful. A. b. 
Michigan. 
Adrian, Leuawee Co., Oct. 18.—We have 
had a very fruitful season, although there was 
frost every month except July. Oats were 
somewhat damaged by wet weather mostly 
after they were stacked. Hay rather light on 
old meadows. Corn and weeds had a race and 
it is hard to place the blue card, although we 
have a good crop of the former. Potatoes a 
fair crop. d, r. 
New York. 
Bluff Point, Yates County, Oct. 26.—Our 
vineyardists have completed their bountiful 
harvest, which caused many anxious thoughts 
during the cool, wet days of September. The 
last two nights gave us the first frosts near 
our lake, this season. Thu crops from some 
vineyards are supprising—eight tons per acre 
of Concords are claimed to have been picked 
in a few instances, and four tons and over 
per acre in nearly all Concord vineyards. 
The price has been satisfactory and is still im¬ 
proving. The low prices for grain and stock 
have induced many to engage in the culture 
of grapes, to which a limited area of land 
seems peculiarly adapted. Other sections are 
given more particularly to the culture of the 
raspberry. Apples are plenty and cheap. 
Altogether, it has been a seasou of prosperity 
for the farmer and fruit grower. Would 
more read the Rural and heed the advice 
therein, (here would be fewer sharpers scour- 
iug the country looking for subjects upon 
whom to ply their villainous craft. Success 
to the Rural! s. w. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
[Every query must be accompanied by thename 
and address of the writer to insure attention. Before 
aalclUK a question, please see If It Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask. only a few questions 
atone time.] _ 
SAND OR QUARTER CRACK. 
II. J. McL., Severn Bridge, Ort ., Can .—A 
horse had a quarter-crack 12 months ago, and 
by properly shoeing the crack “grew 
out.” While away from home the animal 
was shod by another man, and he came 
home with the crack open from the coronet 
to the sole, and bleeding; what would be the 
best treatment? 
ANSWERED BY F. L. KILBORNE. B. V. S. 
It is impossible to say just what caused the 
quarter-crack. Very likely there was a pre¬ 
disposition to a quarter-crack in the unnatural 
brittleness of the hoof. The cause of its break¬ 
ing open afresh after the last shoeing, may 
have beeu due to the shoe having been im¬ 
properly applied,so as not to bear equally at all 
parts, or because the hoof-wall was weakened 
by the coo free use of the drawing knife. A 
false step, slip, or sadden twisting of the hoof, 
may have been the cause. The treatment is 
very simple: clean the crack carefully of all 
gravel and dirt,then bind the edges firmly to¬ 
gether with two or three horseshoe nails 
placed at equal distances, and driven so that 
they will pass into and out of the hoof about 
one-half inch on either side of the crack, and 
clinch them after pressing the edges together. 
Care must be taken not to imprison the sensi¬ 
tive parts beneath, A notch may be cut in 
the hoof to receive the head of the nail and 
the clinch so as to leave a smooth surface. If 
the crack stops short of the coronary band, a 
groove nearly or quite an inch long is to be 
cut to the quick, at right angles to the crack, 
between the upper end aud the coronary band. 
This is to prevent the crack from extending 
into the new born as it grows down. If the 
crack now extends to or into the coronary 
band you must wait until it has grown down 
a short distance below the band, and then cut 
the groove. But if the crack should extend 
across the coronary baud so as to destroy a 
portion of the secreting structure, a false- 
quarter will be the result, aud a perfect hoof 
can never be obtained. In this case the only 
thing to do is to shoe carefully with a bar- 
sboe, bind the crack together if it appears 
necessary, and favor that foot when possible. 
Any active inflammation is to be relieved by 
poulticing, after which apply a bar-shoe to 
press equally all around except at the crack 
where the pressure should be removed. In 
case of little or no inflammation, apply the 
bar-shoe at once. The three essential points 
in the successful treatment of a sand-crack 
are, first, to bind the edges firmly together so 
as to prevent all motion during the move¬ 
ments of the horse; second, to prevent the 
crack from being perpetuated as the new 
horn grows out, by the groove cut at the upper 
end; and third, to allow sufficient time for the 
crack to grow entirely off at the bottom of tho 
hoof before putting the horse again into active 
service. 
TnE grain moth. 
Subscriber, Decatur, Mich., sends a packet 
of wheat that baB been eaten by a “worm” in 
the granary, and wants to learn all about the 
pest, 
ANSWERED BY PROF. C. V. HILKY. 
The caterpillar is the well known larva of 
the grain moth (Asopia farinalis). House¬ 
keepers are frequently disgusted on finding 
specimens of these yellowish white larvm in 
their flour barrels, and, worse still, In the flour 
and meal itself. But besides feeding on Hour, 
they are very frequently iu largo numbers 
stored in wheat and other grains, iu various 
flower-seeds, etc., and therefore must be 
classed amoug the worst insect-pests of the 
grauai’y and store-house. The greatest dam¬ 
age done by them consists less in what they 
consume, than in what they defile and waste. 
They always well togethor large masses of 
flour or wheat when about to transform, in¬ 
side cf which they spin about themselves 
silken tubes or cases, which are so tough that 
they can scarcely be pulled apart. After 
baviug changed into a small, brown pupa, and 
rested for about two weeks in this condition, 
the moth issues. It is quite a pretty insect, 
and presents a very curious appearance when 
resting with its tail curled over the back. 
The wings when expanded measure an inch 
and one-fourth; they are of a grayish color, 
tinted with green, crossed ty two curved 
lines of white, aud with a large spot of choco¬ 
late brown at the base aud tip of each of the 
anterior wings. >Soon after issuing, many 
eggs are deposited on or about the grain. It 
is easy enough to get rid of this pest in the 
store room by thoroughly brushing out and 
scalding the infested receptacles for flour and 
meal, and keeping them closed afterward. In 
granaries, however, it is not as easy, and quite 
difficult if the insects are once thoroughly 
established. The bfst and adopted remedy is 
to carefully winuow the grain by the fanning- 
mill; the grain should be used as soon as 
possible afterwards. The use of bisulphide of 
carbon in a tight compartment will kill the 
worms, but will not clean the grain, 
SMALL FRUIT QUERIES. 
J, Toronto, Ont., Can.— 1. What is the 
best method of keeping grapes for Winter? 
3, Is it safe to transplant Pocklington vines 
three years old or Concords six years old, to 
be moved only a short distance? 3. When 
should black cap raspberries be put down for 
tip-rooting? 4. What is the best way to anni¬ 
hilate chick-weed? 5, What addition should 
be made to hard-wood ashes as a fertilizer for 
grapes, and would the same bo good for cur¬ 
rants, raspberries, and gooseberries? I wish 
to get along without barn-yard manure, 
Ans.— 1. We have found no more effectual 
way to keep grapes than to remove all broken 
or decayed berries, aud then place them in 
layers (not touching each other), between 
white printing paper in shallow trays or bas¬ 
kets. to be kent in a dry room, where the tem¬ 
perature will be uniformly at about 35 degrees. 
2. A vine three years old, if uot too large, 
may be safely moved; but we should prefer 
throwing one six years old away and planting 
even a cutting in its place. But is the Poek- 
liugton worth the powder? We do uot think 
it worthy of cultivation. Black-caps should 
be put down to root as soon as the ends of the 
canes reach the ground and assume a swollen, 
red appearance, which time is usually in the 
first part of September. They would not take 
root now this year, as it is too late. 4. Chick- 
weed grows everywhere when the ground is 
made rich; it is an awful pest in the garden. 
How to eradicate it is too hard a question 
for us. We would like to know. Can any 
one tell? 5. Boue dust added to wood 
ashes we regard as a specific manure for 
grapes, and also for the other small fruits 
with an addition of nitrate of soda or sulphate 
of ammonia. The quantity to be used will 
depend upon the character of the land. From 
300 to 400 pounds of nitrate of soda and from 
12 to 20 bushels of ashes per acre would not be 
too much. 
ABOUT STRAWBERRIES. 
W. B. F„ Round Knob, N. C —What is the 
best time to set out strawberries; how soon 
aud how long will they bear ? What quantity 
of berries can Vie obtained from 1,000 plants? 
Ans.—T he best time to set out strawberry 
plants is in early Bpring as soon as the ground 
can be worked, and the plants begin to make 
a few leaves by which they can be bundled. 
Deep rich soil is best for the production of a 
heavy crop, but any soil that is in good con¬ 
dition for ordinary garden crops will grow 
good strawberries Littlb or no fruit can be 
expected the year they are planted. The next 
best time for planting out strawberries is in 
August. If the w eather proves moist, they do 
well; but should the season he very dry, it is 
best not to attempt planting. In favorable 
seasons, it is generally attended with fair suc¬ 
cess; the plants will then get strong before 
Winter, an I bear well tho following season; 
the next year they will bear tho heaviest crop. 
Tho length Of time the beds will continue to 
bear aud the quantity from a thousand plants 
will greatly depend upon the depth aud rich¬ 
ness of tho soil and tho system and care iu cul¬ 
tivation. Under ordinary cultivation in 
Bingle hills, one plant, to a bill, ouch will yield 
half u pint of fruit; with extra caro in cul¬ 
tivation, a larger quantity may be obtained. 
Plants should be set out in rows two-and-a- 
half foet apart, the plants about a foot apart 
in the rows. In field culture, where the cul¬ 
tivating ia done by horse, the rows should be 
throe foot apart. Single rows or hills are 
good for about three years. 
SCALE OF POINTS OF WYANDOTTKS, ETC. 
D. B. S., Greenville, Ky. —1.—What should 
