280 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
APRIL 25 
bushel, under the boom given to it by a great 
deal of very suspicious free advertising. 
We presume that the above paragraph, 
copied from the New York Tribune, refers to 
wbatthe Rural New-Yorker has said of 
the Johnson Grass, though we hope not. We 
found accidentally that this very valuable 
grass proved hardy at the Rural Grounds 
during the Winter of 1884. We were sur¬ 
prised aud pleased thereat, and, desiring to 
know just how well it might be adapted to 
the Northern States, procured seed, for which 
we paid from four to six dollars a bushel, and 
placed it in our Free Seed Distribution, it 
certainly does not follow, because it stands 
one Winter that it will stand all Winters; 
but when it is considered that it may be cut 
twice during a season, having in both cases 
attained a bight of six feet, and that there is 
a chance of its proving hardy, it is certainly 
worthy of being tried with a view of test ing 
its hardiness. There is no deceit about it. As 
to “free advertising,” the Rural, inasmuch 
as it has never sold a grain of the seed directly 
or indirectly, can scarcely with any fairness 
be accused of any selfish motive which the 
words would imply. Even supposing that it 
does not prove hardy, we are still in doubt 
whether it will uot prove a very desirable 
fodder plautin the North. When the Rural 
is trying to do good by the introduction and 
dissemination of the bast seeds it can procure, 
such hasty judgments are somewhat unpala¬ 
table. 
We again advise all of our readers to sow 
the seeds we have sent them. Not much will 
be lost in labor or cost if the plants prove ten¬ 
der or eveD worthless. Little progress can be 
hoped for if we condemn new plants without 
trial. 
the results from the application of various 
fertilizers and barn-yard manure, which caus¬ 
ed the Director to conclude that there is no 
danger of farmers making too much manure. 
It also contains a chapter on insects and reme¬ 
dies; one on weeds, and the necessity of clean 
culture; another on the grasses for pasture, 
meadow and lawn. This report contains much 
that will repay careful reading, and it can be 
bad by applying to the Director, Columbus, 
Ohio. 
Higganum Manufacturing Corpora¬ 
tion, Higganum, Connecticut.—A circular il¬ 
lustrating and describing the Corbin disk 
harrow as a simple cultivator and pulverizer, 
and as a broad-cast seeder, cultivator and 
coverer combined. These tools are all made 
with steel disks and are of various sizes. In 
all sizes the disks of each gang are indepen¬ 
dent of the other, and are perfectly flexible 
and adjust themselves to the surface, no mat¬ 
ter how uneven or rough, and by a lever 
within the reach of the driver they oau be in¬ 
stantly set to cut at different angles to adapt 
them to bard or soft places in the field. Tel 
the firm you take the Rural, and they will 
send free one of these circulars which is worth 
reading. 
The American South Down Record, Vol. 
First; Phil. M. Springer, Editor, Springfield, 
Ill.—This volume contains the Constitution 
of the Society, and rules of entry in the re¬ 
cord; also the “points” of the Standard of 
Excellence by which South Downs are to be 
judged. Besides the records of nearly 1,000 
sheep, it gives a concise history of South 
Down sheep, by Hon. D. W. Bmith. of Ilinois. 
There is also a chapter on the South Down 
sheep, their breeding and management, by 
Henry Wood, of Thetford, England. It has 
also very full indexes both of sheep and 
breeders. It is a carefully edited work of 320 
pages, and is of especial interest to every 
breeder of South Downs. 
Fruit Culture, and the laying out and 
mauagement of a country home, by W, C. 
Strong. This is a book of about 200 pages, 
nicely printed on fine paper. It is mostly de¬ 
voted to the culture and propagation of the 
various fruits, and is not designed, as the 
author says, to supersede the rnauy books 
written on this subject, but as a sort of a con¬ 
densed, simple hand book which be has trPd 
to make so plain that any cultivator of ordi¬ 
nary intelligence may find it a guide. Mr. 
Strong isarnun who has bad much experience 
and writes from what he knows It is pub¬ 
lished and sold by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 
Boston. Price, $L 
Crown Manufacturing Co., Phelps, New 
York.—An illustrated circular of the Crown 
Drill, which has a new and very complete de¬ 
vice for sowing all kinds of grains, fertilizers 
and grass seeds, by wi ich the distribution is 
constant, and no sort of seed is ever broken or 
injured. Also circular of the Crown Grass- 
seeder; also on a new principle. There is also 
a circular of the Crown Hay-carrier which by 
means of hay slings, unloades the very larg¬ 
est loads in about three sling fulls. All these 
circulars will be sent free to Rural readers. 
L. Waterbury & Co., New York.—Jin¬ 
gle’s Illustrated. This is a very cute, Illus¬ 
trated catalogue of the tin tag twine, aud 
contains mauy amusing rhymes that will 
please the little folks. L. Waterbury & Co. 
w r ill be pleased to send it free to every reader 
of the Rural who applies for it. 
E. C. Brinser, Middletown, Dauphin Co., 
Pa.—An illustrated circular of one of the 
oldest, we almost said the best, grain cradles 
made. They have been made at the same 
place for 80 years, and rich would be the mau 
who had all the grain they had helped to har¬ 
vest. Bend for the circular aud see how a 
first-class cradle is made. 
Humphrey Bros., Wakeman, Ohio.— A 
circular illustrating their method of cutting 
seed potatoes, and also showing the knife 
which they have designed for assisting in cut¬ 
ting them into the proper shape. They claim 
this knife will pay for itself many times in a 
single season. Circular sent on application. 
The William Cabblk Excelsior Wire 
Manufacturing Company, 43 Fulton Bt., 
New York.—Illustrated catalogue and circu¬ 
lar of the various styles of galvanized wire 
mesh fencing made aud sold by this firm; will 
be sent to our readers free on application. 
attractive. I speak of these things because 
they form the leading features in this space. 
The geological display comprises several cases. 
There are numerous fossils; samples of iron 
ore, a good collection of building stone and 
marble, finely polished, a very small display 
of native woods, a small salt exhibit fr< m On¬ 
ondaga County, fine sped mens of international 
Scotch granite from Jefferson County, aud a 
tall column of granite and other native stone 
carefully arranged in strata as found. But. 
aside from an indifferent exhibit of cereal 
grains by an Albany commission dealer, no 
visitor would suppose that the soil of the Em¬ 
pire State was producing any crops now worth 
showing. There are neither fruit, vegetable, 
nor other faim crops included in tbe exhibit. 
But Major Truman, the Couimissoner in 
charge, expatiates upon the merits of the ar¬ 
ticles shown as best he can. 
The exhibit of North Carolina is exception¬ 
ally full, from the ores of her mountain to 
the fisheries of her waters. Her mineral dis¬ 
play embraces gold, silver, copper, tin, zinc, 
irou and mica In tbe production of mica 
North Carolina stands neaily alone. Gold 
nuggets aud precious stones, diamonds, emer¬ 
alds, garnet?, rubies, and others, all found in 
the State, form a most attractive collection. 
A §1000 gold nugget, 4 % pounds, nearly pure, 
gets special notice. Tobacco, tbe cereals, and 
cotton, the native woods in variety, highly 
polished, and a pyramid of medicinal plauts 
in jars, ail add to the general display. Grasses, 
wool, and a large silk exhibit are all worthy 
of careful examination The products of 
the resinous pine, so large an interest in the 
State, and all the implements and processes 
used, are well sbowu. Tbe fishery exhibit of 
this State is one of great interest, exceed mg 
anything of the kind here except that of the 
United States Fish Commission. The classi¬ 
fication and arrangement are excellent. The 
nets and all manner of entrapping devices are 
well shown. 
The Ohio display has many creditable 
features. Fine brick, tile and sewer pipe 
show good form and careful manufacture. 
There is an ample display of coal, grind-stone 
and building blocks in great variety. A large 
variety of well grown potatoes, carefully 
labeled, is a pleasaut feature. Cereal grains 
and other seeds are also neatly arranged in 
glass cabinets. Tbe flouring interest is wel- 
shown. There are excellent wool fleeces, 
good vegetables, tobacco, and a large variety 
of tbe many valuable woods grown in tbe 
State. A large apiarian exhibit in all its 
products is meritorious. Her space is well 
filled and many of her leading resources are 
carefully indicated. 
The products and industries of Oregon 
are most happily shown, aud many a visitor 
has been grandly surprised by tbe wonder¬ 
ful exhibit of this great Pacific State, 
especially in her soil products. Her cereal 
display shows high rank. Wheat, without 
irrigation, yields 60 bushels per acre. The 
straw is 0 % feet high, heads six inches long. 
Oats grow over 7 feet, straw 1 % inch 
around at base, heads lb inches long, yield 
126 bushels an acre. Sixty-three grasses 
are shown. Timothy, seven feet; Kentucky 
Blue, 5—4; Red Top, 6—2. Oregon takes 
second place to no other region on tbe Pacific 
slope for fruit of auy kind; aud her present 
winnings in Horticultural Kail, beur out that 
claim. The vegetables shown are of immense 
proportions, a rutabaga weighs 58 pounds; a 
turnip a bead of cabbage 41; a potato 
onions measure 16>^' inches; radishes 
13>£ long, 10 inches around; carrots, 32 long, 
17 around, aud so on. There are excellent wool 
fleeces, and manufactured woolens. The 
great salmon industry is well displayed in 
cans and alive in tanks. The mineral col¬ 
lection includes mauy fine specimens of all 
leading ores; and the entire State exhibit is 
one of special merit. H. h. 
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING, 
(RURAL SPECIAL REPORT.) 
Missouri has an attractive exhibit here, 
especially in tbe Department of Ethnology. 
There are cases of relics from the old Indian 
mounds, and sbelh, stone implements, pottery, 
bead-work, flint implements and a large vari 
ety of articles belonging to the Stone Age. A 
corn-stalk pavilion covering a pyramid of 
grains, seeds aud vegetables, and surrounded 
by a large variety of apples, is a central fea¬ 
ture. A granite iron-ware display, and a large 
sewer-pipe exhibit merit notice. There is a 
large variety of native woods, also State mar¬ 
bles and minerals. 
The Woman’s Annex contains an exceed¬ 
ingly interesting variety of articles illustra¬ 
ting woman’s industries, not her elegant pas¬ 
times, but the work she livas by. 
The Territory of Montana, which will soon 
be knocking at our Congressional doors for 
admission as a State, is here with many 
plausible reasons for such an appeal. Cereals, 
grasses, fruits and vegetables are well sbowu. 
In tbe foreground massive blocks of copper, 
silver and gold ore rest upon decorated 
pyramids. A fine gold specimen from tbe 
Cable Mine shows §3,500 of free gold. Cop¬ 
per ore 70 per cent, pure, is shown. The en¬ 
tire miueral collection evinces exceptional 
richness. The charming wild scenery of the 
Territory is well shown on canvass and in 
photographs. Bierstadt’s picture of “Old 
Faithful,” the noted geyser, is here, loaned to 
Commissioner Clark. 
The remarkable exhibit of Nebraska having 
been bo carefully described in a previous 
numhar of the Rural, I shall not speak fur¬ 
ther of it now. In man}’ respects it excels all 
others here, showing au exemplification of 
the scriptural prophecy, “the desert shall 
blossom as the rose.” Who shall fathom the 
future greatness of Nebraska? 
Nevada is here with abundant evidence of 
her mineral wealth. Her immense mining 
interests are largely displayed, and tbev are 
of the richest character, some of tbe rare 
minerals being really beautiful. A model of 
the Northern Belle Mine, showing shafts, 
levels aul complete workings is interesting. 
The paleontological collection is exceedingly 
attractive, including fossils, teeth of ele¬ 
phants and mammoths, hugh jaw-bones and 
other relics. Here, too, are casts of human 
fuot-priuts found in the sandstone stratum in 
the prison yard at Carson from 12 to 40 feet 
below the surface; a petrified bird’s nest with 
eggs, is unique. There are also some splendid 
potatoes; five of the tubers weigh 27 pounds, 
and they are smooth and fine. 
New Hampshire, like most of the New Eng¬ 
land States, is rather slimly represented here, 
especially the products of her soil. Dry goods, 
hardware and other manufactured articles, 
are here in large variety and of fine quality. 
Her native woods are alt represented, and the 
arrangement is excellent. 
New Jersey has a very fair exhibit, taken as 
a whole. Among her fruits are ten varieties 
of cranberries, being tbe only crauberry ex¬ 
hibit. There is au excellent collection of veg¬ 
etables, in which are the largest aud smooth¬ 
est sweet potatoes to be found here. Corn and 
other farm grains and seeds are well sbOAn. 
Four exhibitors have 20 varieties of native 
wines. The Btate Agricultural Experiment 
Station has 200 artificial fertilizers made in 
the State, with au analysis of each. Over 100 
native woods are handsomely displayed. 
Mr, Edmund Hirsky, of Massachusetts, re¬ 
marked at a late Farmers’ Club, as reported 
in the Massachusetts Ploughman, that seed 
potatoes from Nova Scotia gave bim nine 
bushels of crop, where his home-grown seed 
gave but five,..... 
Mr. Hirsey made an experiment which 
tends to show that we should carefully pre¬ 
serve the sprouts of seed potatoes and not rub 
them off... 
The farmers of the club, from experiments 
made, believed that the crop of potatoes from 
the seed-end was a week earlier than the crop 
from tbe stem-end......... 
Mr. Warren, an experienced Massaobi** 
setts potato-grower, doesu’t care w hether his 
“seed” comes from Maine, Massachusetts or 
New York.... 
Henry Stewart remarks,in the New York 
Times, that more chickens are lost by over¬ 
feeding than by any other mistake. A 
young chicken weighs but little over an ounce 
aud 15 grains of food are sufficient for a daily 
supply. That is about as much'as will lie upon 
a dime. One ouuce of food per day is enough 
for 30 chickens... 
The owner of a dairy herd i hat will not 
produce over 200 pounds of butter per cow 
yearly, ought not to rest satisfied with its per¬ 
formance. He has to carry too many animals 
and support too much weight for the small 
returns, and he can uot begin to improve 
them too quickly. So says Prof. Arnold in 
the N. Y. Tribupe.. 
Col. Curtis says it may not be many years 
till there will be lots of scrub Jerseys becauge 
of the short-sightedness of the A. J. C. C. in 
raising the registration fee to ten dollars. 
In ill e forthcoming report of the New Jer¬ 
sey Horticultural Society will be found some 
lists of p. aches recommended as the best for 
New Jersey. Mountain Rose, Old Mixon, 
Moore’s Favorite, Stump the World, and Late 
Crawford are the favorites. Among tbe new¬ 
er peaches noticed are Bay view Free, Miller 
Peach, Ford’s Late and Camden, all white 
peaches. The Bayview is said to be almost 
identical with Arnsdeu aud Alexander. 
Secretary Russell says, in the New Eng¬ 
land Farmer, that for a horse weighing 1,000 
pounds to be maintained in good working con¬ 
dition, twenty pounds of bay and grain are 
ample, and that more horses are fed too much 
than too little....- 
Prof. Maynaud says that the strawberry 
u a botanical sense is analogous to an ear of 
corn; that as the cob exists merely as a recep¬ 
tacle for tbe kernels, so the pulp—edible part 
—of a strawberry, exists merely fur the sake 
of the little seeds which dot its surface. We 
only wish the “cob” of the strawberry was 
several timeB as large ... 
Waldo F. Brown states, In the Natioual 
Stoekmau, that au examination of the statis¬ 
tics shows that the average value of the 
potato crop, one year with another, is nearly 
three times as great as that of corn or wheat, 
and that often the careful, intelligent potato 
grower realizes his greatest profit in the years 
when the crop is the poorest. [ This estimate is 
miles and miles away from tha truth Accord¬ 
ing to the last Ceusus, the aggregate crops of 
CATALOGUES RECEIVED 
Report of the Ohio Agricultural Ex¬ 
periment Station for 1884, Prof. Win. R. 
Lazenby, Director. A pamphlet of nearly 800 
pages, containing a summary of the Station’s 
work for the year. It embraces a view of the 
comparative value of varieties, tbe effects of 
thick and thin seeding, of sowing at different 
dates, distances apart and depths, tbe com¬ 
parative value of different fertilizers, and 
methods of applying aud of different systems 
of culture and seeding. It also details the en¬ 
couraging results of experiments to test the 
improvements in the crop by the selection of 
the best seed. It like wise tells of experiments 
in mulching wheat, which show good results 
from a very light mulch, and disastrous re¬ 
sults from a large application, It also gives 
Johnson Grass. —It is to be feared that 
Johnson Grass is a coming deceiver. It does 
not follow because it survived oue Winter in 
the North that i t is ' hard y.ttrTho, price of its 
seed has suddenly advauced from §2.50 to §5 a 
