264 
THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
APRIL 46 
A Good Word for Sorghum.— Dr. Collier 
of Washington, in a late lecture before the 
Chamber of Commerce of this city, said the 
average yield of sorghum seed per acre, in 21 
different States, is 30 bushels, and that it is as 
valuable as corn for stock feeding: that the suc¬ 
cess attending theraisingof sorghum and mak¬ 
ing the sugar and sirup is wonderful when we 
consider that it is only about four years since 
many doubted its adaptation to making sugar* 
At Rio Grande, N. J., in the past three years, 
over one million pounds have been made, 
and many thousands of gallons of sirup. The 
product there had steadily increased, and iu 
18S4, 375,000 pounds of sugar had been made, 
and 87,000 gallons of sirup. He said there is 
as much sugar in the stalks of sorghum as in 
the best ribbon cane, and the only reason why 
we are not now making our own sugar, is that 
these facts are still unknown to the mass of the 
people and capitalists have not as yet turned 
their attention that way. He says the cost of 
manufacture with a mill that works 300 tons 
per day, is about one cent per pound, and 
working 500 tons of cane it is only 89 cents, 
and the cost, per gallon, of sirup ranges from 
11 to 7% cents. He thinks it may be fairly 
claimed for sorghum that it is a plant as val¬ 
uable in its grain as corn, and as rich iu sach- 
arine matter iu its stalks as the sugar cane of 
the South, and predicts a glowing future for 
the sorghum industry. 
Sir J. B. Lawks and Ensilage.— Sir J. 
B. Lawes, iu an article on ensilage in the 
Scottish Agricultural Gazette, thinks it ex¬ 
tremely difficult to believe that a cow eating 
70 pounds ot silage containing only 15 pounds 
of dry matter, could be kept in milk and im¬ 
prove in condition, when, according to Ger¬ 
man experiments, it would require some 17 
pounds of dry matter to merely sustain exist¬ 
ence. He says the experiments so far reported 
with silage are more or less like experiments 
with pigs, in which an unknown weight of food 
is stirred in a pail of water, and the weight of 
the mixture is taken, He thinks we have ar¬ 
rived at the fact that various green crops, 
when fermented in a pit, produce good food, 
but beyond that point, it is not easy to ad¬ 
vance without very careful experiments. 
SHORT AND FRESH. 
Puck designates corn popping as agricult¬ 
ural reports. 
Mr. BuokmaSTER says that every farmer 
is in partnership with God, and He would do 
his part if the farmers would do theirs. 
Many a man has broken his back and lost 
heart on a poor farm which he has suffered to 
run down by bad management, says the Rural 
World, spreading the labor and capital over 
100 acres, when by confining himself to twenty- 
five or thirty he might have become happy 
and rich.*. 
The same authority states a truism which 
cannot be too often repeated: Among think¬ 
ing farmers discoveries that lead to larger 
profits are constantly made, and those who do 
not avail themselves of them, necessarily lag 
behiud.*......... 
Have you no apple trees, and are you too 
old to plant standards and wait ten years for 
fruit? Then try the Paradise stock. Toucan 
buy a dozen true to Dame for three dollars.... 
I*rok. Geo. H. Cook, of the New Jersey 
Ex. Station, thinks that the experiments of 
the season with sorghum warrant, the conclu¬ 
sion that both sugar and molasses can be suc¬ 
cessfully made iu New Jersey at the present 
prices. To do this will require the exercise of 
skill and economy—labor must be judiciously 
expended, the w hole of the sugar must be ex¬ 
tracted, and all by-products must be utilized. 
We learn that the Woodruff Red Grape has 
endured 29 degrees below zero without harm 
to the terminal buds. 
Ellw anger & Barry say that among the 
many espalier forms for training the dwarf 
apple, none are so simple or so beautiful as 
the horizontial cordon. Trained along the 
walls of a fruit or kitchen garden, they occu¬ 
py literally no space. The stem is from one- 
aud a-balf to two feet, aud each tree has two 
arms trained on a wire or wooden rail. The 
most suitable trees for this mode of training 
are one year from the bud, on Paradise stocks. 
They also say of the Kieffer: “As grown 
by us (Rochester) the fr uit will scarcely rank 
as ‘good.’”.... 
Sir J. B. Lawes remarks, iu the London 
Live Stock Journal, that we have arrived at 
the fact that various green crops, when fer¬ 
mented in a pit, produce a good food, but be- I 
yond that point it is not easy to advance with¬ 
out careful experiments. 
Mb. Stiles, the diligent ag. editor of the 
Weekly Press, says that after reading a few 
pages of catalogues where only superlative ad¬ 
jectives are used, one distrusts every state¬ 
ment. Indiscriminate praise of plants and 
seeds of novelties no longer has the desired 
effect, and advertisers are moderating their 
descriptions to suit the times. We are glad 
of it... 
When you desire instructions as to sowing 
seeds, arranging cold-frames, etc, please send 
for seedsmen’s or florists’, catalogues, and con¬ 
sult them.... 
Best Plums. —John B. Moore, of Mass¬ 
achusetts, says that Bavay’s Green Gage is 
fiue for table or market: it ripens very late. 
The Bradshaw is large and showy, but not of 
the highest quality. Coe’s Golden Drop is 
productive, and ODe of the very best, and 
hangs on well. The Green Gage is of the 
highest quality. The Imperial Gage is almost 
as good, and a better grower. The Jefferson 
and Lawrence are among the best. Pond’s 
Seedling is of splendid appearance, but the 
quality is cot good. Prince’s Yellow Gage is 
of the best quality. Smith’s Orleans and 
Washington are large and fine, but the latter 
is inclined to rot. For market fruits and for 
canniug the Lombard and Damson will bring 
as much money as any... 
The Philadelphia Press says that the man 
who reaches the end of a long life without hav¬ 
ing planted a tree, ought not to be without 
remorse on bis deathbed.. 
Blue Grass is as good as any for lawns. Next 
we should choose Red-top. The latter will 
make a sod quicker than the former. Do not 
fear to sow three or four bushels of seed to 
the acre... 
The Dairyman asserts that one cow which 
will give 5.000 pounds of milk in a season,will 
bring more net profit than three cows produc 
ing only 3,000 pjuuds each. 
The N. Y. Tribune says that, typhoid fever 
was conveyed to 104 persons in England by 
means of milk from a siugiefarm in Ayrshire, 
where the cows had filthy drinking water..,. 
J. J. H. Gregory says that the purchaser 
of nitrate of soda should see that it dissolves 
entirely iu water and does nut taste distinctly 
of salt ... ••• 
Dr. Hkxamer, in the Garden, which is 
now published by Mr. E. H. Libby, prefers 
the Perfect Gem Squash (sent out in the Ru¬ 
ral’s Free Seed Distribution when first intro¬ 
duced) for Summer, and the Hubbard for 
Winter. Hetbmks the Egyptian Beetauswers 
for all purposes; that the Early Jersey Wake¬ 
field is the best early cabbage, Late Flat Dutch 
the best for winter use, and the Improved 
American Savoy the best at any time. He 
commends the Early Marblehead Sweet Corn 
for earliest, Triumph for medium aud Stowell’s 
Evergreen for late. The Yellow Danvers and 
Red Wethersfield Onions; the Purple top 
Strap-leaf, Yellow Aberdeen aud improved 
American Ruta baga Turnips; Early Curled 
Simpson for earliest. Black-seeded Butter aud 
Salamander and Deacon Lettuce, for sum¬ 
mer use; Golden Heart Dwarf aud Boston 
Market Celery; Early Horn for early, and 
Long Orange Carrots for winter use; Early 
Valentine Bean for earliest, Refugee for late, 
and for pickliDg, Large White Kidney for 
shelling, Crystal White Wax, are all men. 
tioned as the best of these kinds..... 
•Hliscdlanfoua. 
PROTECTION AT THE “SNOW LINE.” 
Looking over the horticultural journals,and 
also in the light of my own experience, I am 
often convinced that the merit of fruit re¬ 
ports from Canada are not properly under¬ 
stood, and this has been confirmed during the 
last two years, in which, a number of fruit¬ 
growers have written to ascertain the hardi¬ 
ness or otherwise of certain fruits iu the 
Province of Quebec; for it seems to growers 
living further South that this must be a 
reliable test, when, iu fact, a great deal is to 
be allowed for the depth of snow that gives 
the ground a uniform covering from Decem¬ 
ber till April. The editor of the Rural 
New Yorker expressed surprise to me that 
the Brincble’s Orange Raspberry was hardy 
here, when I first wrote of small fruits in 
this locality; but it was doubtless due to the 
fact of nature’s covering being such a safe 
protection. Now aud then there is an odd 
season, when the freezing and thawing of an 
open Winter are death to many u tender plant. 
In such a year we have lost choice grapes and 
pears that have lived for half-a-dozen of the 
snowy years. So, the question remains, are 
we to judge by the one, or the half dozen 
opposite seasons? 
Canada is considered so intensely cold, 
that a recommendation from this region is of 
some importance; but we often find in the 
matter of raspberries, in seasons of heat at 
mid-winter, that they are all frozen and 
dead above the snow line. But this pruning 
often results in a good crop of fruit below, 
and satisfactory results as far as a crop is 
concerned. The same may be said of shrubs, 
there being at the time 1 write—March 25th— 
from six to eight feet of snow over my Deutzias, 
Spiraeas aud Rhus Cotinus—the latter may 
be killed to the snow line perhaps, but often 
survives without injury. The Duchess Grape 
went safely through a inild, snowless season, 
when the Poeklington and Prentiss were quite 
dead in Spring, and such comparisons are to 
be depended upon if the plants are all equally 
healthy. But I should not think it a sure test 
of hardiness, in view of the facts, to say a 
plant was hardy because it Led lived through 
a Canadian Winter under its blanket of 
SHOW. ANNIE L. JACK. 
■ ■ ■»■+■♦ — - 
PRICKLY COMFREY. 
Mr. Garretsee is a good name; the Western 
New York is a good Farmers’ Club; Prickly 
Comfrey is a good grower; six bogs are a 
good many on 30 by 50 feet of it; altogether 
the story (p. 813) is a striking one, the most 
comfortiug Comfrey story heard for a good 
while. I remember a strong advocacy of 
Comfrey for cottager’s cows as far back as 
1833. _ _ w. 
Cast Iron Troughs in Winter are wicked 
—cruel ; yet we see them recommended (not 
in the Rural N.-Y.). They take the skin off 
the poor hogs’tongues. j. H. c. 
CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Report of the Missouri State Horti¬ 
cultural Society for 1884, L. A. Goodman, 
Secretary, Westport, Mo.—We are indebted 
to the kindness of the Secretary for tnis vol¬ 
ume of 424 pages, which should be in the hands 
of every lover of fruit in the State. It de¬ 
votes 200 pages to the reports of essays and 
discussions at the semi-annual meeting of the 
Society held at Springfield, aud the annual 
meeting at St. Joseph; also a condensed report 
of the Mississippi Valley Horticultural So¬ 
ciety’s meeting at Kansas City.iu Jan., ’84. The 
rest of the book is made up of the Secretarj’s 
Budget, which contains the newest informa¬ 
tion, aud the brightest sayings on horticultural 
subjects from all sources within his reach. 
Altogether, this is a very readable book, and 
very valuable as a reference to every fruit 
grower iu the State, and we were surprised to 
see that in so large a State and one so fiuely 
adapted to the growth of fruits and flowers, 
this worthy Society had less than 200 members, 
when it should have at least 20,000. How 
much more pleasant would be the homes and 
happier the occupants, were this book in every 
family, its contents carefully read and its in¬ 
structions followed? 
Belcher & Taylor, Agricultural Tool 
Co., Chicopee Falls, Mass.—A descriptive aud 
illustrated catalogue of the various agricul¬ 
tural implemeuts made by this firm, among 
the most important of which, we notice plows 
of the Artnsby pattern, the National Steel 
Metal plow, the Mead, the Lion, the Cylinder, 
Double Mold-board, Sub-soil, Side hill, or 
Swivel, aud the Oneouta plows. The firm also 
makes a half dozen styles of harrows, among 
which Monroe’s Rotary attracts attention, and 
also Randall’s pulverizing barrow. We also 
notice True’s potato planter, which cuts, 
makes furrows, drops the potatoes with or 
without fertilizer, as desired, aud covers them 
any desired depth. We also notice more than 
a half dozen Htyies of corn and potato culti¬ 
vators, among which is front’s hoeing ma¬ 
chine, which we have used several years, with 
much satisfaction. Bent free to our readers. 
S. L. Allen &. Co , Philadelphia, Pa.—An 
illustrated catalogue of the Plauet Jr. and 
Fire Fly families of garden aud farm imple¬ 
ments, consisting of seed drills using the firm s 
peculiar device for distributing the seed to 
avoid injury aud insure regularity iu sowing; 
the combined drill wheel-hoe aud cultivator; 
the Fire Fly plow, wheel hoe unil cultivator; 
horse hoes, and combined hoes, cultivators 
and coverers. These tools are tnudo of iron 
aud steel, and are so arranged that they cau 
be adapted lo any kind of crop and uuy de¬ 
sired mode of culture. We have used several 
of them, and are highly pleased with their 
work. It will well repay the trouble to send 
for this catalogue and read it. It will be free 
if you mentiou the Rural. 
F. C. Stevens, Attica, Wyoming Co., 
N. y.— Catalogue of the Maplewood herd of 
Holsteins, beiug a book of 180 pages printed 
on fine, heavy paper, aud containing the pedi¬ 
gree, description and history ol 21 males and 
150 females. Among the latter is the wonder¬ 
ful cow Echo, which weighs 1,920 pounds, and 
produced, in one year, 23 775 pounds of milk, 
or 12 1-3 times her ow u weight. 1 he cata¬ 
logue is illustrated with nine full page lilho 
graphs of the best animals in this herd. It 
also contains an essay on the Holstein aud its 
claims for superiority in the different points 
of value in cattle. This is a fine book and 
would be an ornament in any cattle man’s 
library. 
Edmiston & Waddell, 351 and 353 First 
Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.—Circulars of their 
smoothing harrow with solid steel teeth; their 
iron reversible harrow, also with steel teeth, 
and the teeth bo put, in that they can be made 
to slant forward or backward, or stand per¬ 
pendicularly, just as desired; also their im¬ 
proved double-hinged barrow. They also 
show a full line of plows, from the very light 
one-horse plow up through all grades to the 
heaviest four-horse, each adapted to its special 
range of work. There is also a circular of 
the celebrated Strowbridge broadcast sower, 
of which they are the Eastern agents, and 
which is warranted to distribute evenly all 
kinds of grains aud fertilizers. 
The Report of the Kansas State Board 
of Agriculture for the year 1883-4.—This 
is a fine volume of over 700 pages, containing 
a summary of the development aud progress 
of the State since its organization, fully illus¬ 
trated with Colored maps of every county in 
the State; also a description of each county, 
its resources and advantages, together with 
the amount of its settlement. This is a valu¬ 
able book to all those who contemplate a re¬ 
moval to, and settlement, in this young and 
prosperous State. 
The Progressive Farmers’ Memoran¬ 
dum Book, by the Cayuga Plaster Co., Union 
Springs, N. Y.—This is a very convenient 
little book, setting forth the merits of Cayuga 
laud plaster as au application for various 
soils and crops. Every other page is left for 
memoranda, aud, aside from all this, there is 
much useful information on matter's of every¬ 
day life. A postal card and mention of this 
paper will secure one free. 
The Eastern Manufacturing Co., 268 
South 5th Street, Philadelphia, Pa.—Circular 
of the Granger fruit and vegetable evapora¬ 
tor, fully describing this simple, cheap and 
convenient fruit and vegetable evaporator. 
It is not designed to be used in large fruit¬ 
drying establishments, but simply at the home 
and in connection with the kitchen stove. 
Send for the circular. 
E. J. Knowlton, Ann Arbor, Michigan.— 
A little book of nearly 50 pages, treating on 
bathing aud its importance in health and dis¬ 
ease, aud fully describing the Knowlton bath¬ 
ing apparatus, telling its advantages and how 
to use it. It contains much useful informa¬ 
tion, aud will pay you for the reading. Send 
for it, mentioning the Rural, and it will be 
sent free. 
Nebraska: Her Resources and Advan¬ 
tages. By Ex-Gov. Robert W. Furnas, of 
Brownsville, Neb. This is a history of the 
State and its settlement, and a description of 
its resources. It should be studied by all who 
think of “going West.” 
A. F. Swan, 46 Cortland St., N. Y.—Circu¬ 
lar of standard two aud three ply roofing and 
standard roofing cement, with full directions 
for applying so as to do first-class work. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Illinois. 
Springfield, Sangamon Co., April 2.— The 
Spring time has come in Central Illinois, but 
as 3 el there has not been enough warm weath¬ 
er to make the bright (lowers bloom over the 
lea; uct even enough to tempt any one to set 
early cabbage or tomato plants. Doubtless 
when these are put out this season, t hey will 
be out to stay, for the indications are that not 
a vestige of winter will be left over, of which 
to make late Spring frosts. p. t. 
Tennessee. 
Sunbright, Morgan Co.—From over five 
years’ residence in this county on the Cumber¬ 
land plateau, 1 conclude that no place in 
the United States has more natural advantages 
aud less disadvantages. We have the best 
climate, plenty of timber, one of the best 
watered countries iu the world, aud plenty of 
the natural grasses. As Commissioner Kille- 
brew says, “The herdsman’s paradise.” It is 
a splendid country; iu short, any thing that cau 
be raised in the Northern States may be raised 
here, aud the couutry wants only Northern 
enterprise aud money to bring it to the front. 
1 have uo laud to soli and am no agent for 
the sale of land; but I came here to stay and 
bought a farm, and many Northern men are 
settling iu this county. c. m. g. 
Vermont. 
Braintree, Orange Co.—The R. N.-Y. Peas 
were two weeks earlier than Horsford’s; bore 
a very full crop; but just as they were ready 
to harvest my bcus found them aud eat them. 
I saved one pint, of the Horsford’s- The Ru¬ 
ral wheat and rye made a splendid growth, 
aud looked well last Fall. Corn too late for 
our seasons. Oats rusted. __ L. H. s. 
