THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
£l)? Sl^kriatr 
ALSYKE CLOVER FOR BEES. 
C. M GOODSPKED. 
Up to last year there liad never been much 
of this kind of clover raised in this section; 
but one crop that netted $60 per acre for seed 
the year before, was the cause of a liberal 
so wine lost year. It began to bloom shortly 
after White Clover did. and held out well 
nearly through basswood. My bees never 
stopped working on it to any perceptible ex¬ 
tent, even iu the best of the honey flow from 
liasswood and teasels. 
All the early white honey about here is 
tinged with it; the first sections taken off, 
when held up to the light, show White Clover 
to start on, while towards the bottom of 
the section is seen the characteristic pink of 
the Alsyke. I know of no honey superior to 
this, all things considered. It is classed in 
market with the best white. Though it. is not 
so white as teasel or basswood hooey, yet it 
cannot easily be told from White Clover, ex¬ 
cept by looking at it where the light shines 
through it. 
Iu localities where White Clover is scarce, 
as it is here, Alsyke as a honey plant is just 
perfection. If the apiarian can afford to 
raise any crop for honey alone, it would be 
this: but it rarely happens that the specialist 
in bee keeping owns much laud, and there Is 
one barrier in the way of its general cultiva¬ 
tion by farmers, and that is its lack of any 
aftergrowth to speak of. I am aware it has 
been claimed that Alsyke could be cut two or 
three times, but I have grown it several years 
and find it essentially the same as Mammoth 
Clover in this respect. What it will do in 
other localities I do not know; but here it can 
be cut only once with profit. It is evidently 
a cross between White and Mammoth Red 
Clover, and what we want now is a cross be¬ 
tween the small Red Clover and Alsyke. Who 
will give it? Alsyke now. iu my opinion, pro¬ 
duces the best bay of all known grasses, but it 
lacks rapidity of growth. If it could be crossed 
with something that would start quickly after 
being cut (perhaps Alfalfa), farmers would 
take hold of it with a vim and bee keepers 
would be happy. 
Tboru Hill. N. Y. 
' Bagging Grapes—The Rcral New- 
Yorkkr was the first journal, from its owu 
experience, to popularize the bagging of 
grapes. Three years ago the method of bag¬ 
ging them was explained in an illustrated 
article, and the method then advocated is the 
same as that In vogue now. We are pleased 
to see that, the Weekly Press of Philadelphia 
publishes articles from several well known 
horticulturists, which fully justify all that 
the Rural has said Jn favor of the practice. 
Mr. E. Williams of Montclair, N. J. says that 
by bagging he is sureof securing a reasonable 
annum* of flue fruit; without it the result is 
extremely problematical. To put it more 
plainly, on his grouuds, us far as the choice 
varieties are concerned, bagging constitutes 
just the differeuce between success and failure. 
If he wants to be sure of fine clusters of so 
common a variety as Concord he bags them. 
Mr. J, H Hale of So. Glastonbury, Conu. 
says that for the past two seasons he has 
bagged all bis best grapes, and he proposes to 
continue to do so in the future, for by so doing 
he gets more perfect bunches, berries of larger 
size, ripening more perfectly, and a more per 
feet bloom than ou the uubagged fruit. Asto 
quality, four years 1 test has failed to show him 
that it is either improved or injured by the 
bagging. Mildew has been very prevalent 
this season, and on some varieties he would 
not have had a siugle perfect buuch had it uot 
beeu for the bags. They also serve as a pro¬ 
tection against, frost, which, early iu the 
mouth ruined all unprotected fruit, and there 
have been several hard frosts since, and yet 
everyday up to the time be wrote he was enjoy¬ 
ing many of his best varieties fresh from the 
viue and in a perfection of freshness that he 
had never seen at that season in grapes not so 
treated. So much in favor of and uotbing 
against the system, except the very light ex¬ 
pense of the bags and pins and the labor of 
putting them ou. He believes it will pay well 
to bag the fruit in a market viueyard, and he 
knows that for family use the satisfaction 
of having so much better appearing fruit 
more than compensates for the slight expense. 
Mr. k Charles A. Green of Clifton, N.Y., 
says that his object in bagging grapes is to 
preserve specimens of the different varieties 
in the best possible condition. In localities 
where rot is prevalent bags are used for the 
purpose of preventing rot, with good results. 
He finds that the paper bags cause the grapes 
to mature from a week to ten days earlier 
than usual. (?) The grapes reach a higher 
perfection of color and quality in the bags 
than without. The bloom, which is a promi¬ 
nent feature in the grape, is undisturbed in 
the bags, and is apparently more noticeable 
when thus protected, It is surprising to learn 
how many grapes maybe bagged iu a day by 
a skillful person who is quick-motioned. The 
expense, however, is worth considering, and 
will prevent the practice from becoming gen¬ 
eral. except to prevent rot, and the depreda¬ 
tions of birds and fowls, and damage by frost 
If one has only a few vines in the garden, it 
is an easy matter to make them secure against 
rot and other serious dangers by bagging 
them, and the expense is hardly worth men¬ 
tioning iu such cases. Mr. Green’s experi¬ 
ence is somewhat different from ours. Our 
bagged grapes are a few days later in ripen 
ing than those not haggeil, and the protection 
of bags only partially prevents rot. 
English Ensilage.— The Private Ensilage 
Commission of England recently made a first 
report to the Agricultural Department, This 
Commission was organized for the purpose 
of making a full inquiry as to the value of 
silage as a food for stock. It had no direct 
authority from the Government, and its mem¬ 
bers were strong advocates of the system dis¬ 
cussed. There was no disposition to exclude 
unfavorable testimony, though tbe Commis¬ 
sioners naturally desired to make a favorable 
report. They were looking for a success and 
uot fora failure. Sir J. B. Lawes gave his 
opinions at length, and. in all, 38 witnesses 
were examined. The testimony of these wit¬ 
nesses forms a boob of 212 pages. The in¬ 
vestigation appears to have been begun with 
the following advantages claimed for silage: 
1 It is safe at all seasons; there is no loss n 
the preservation of green crops. 2. It is a 
valuable food, producing beneficial effects on 
tbe health of stock when fed with discretion. 
5 . It utilizes substances otherwise almost 
valueless 4. By its use an increased number 
of stock per acre can be maintained. 
The idea of the investigation seems to have 
been an attempt to discover how far these 
claims have been realized in actual practice. 
The lauguage of the report is conservative. 
Tbe evidence appears to show that a useful 
food for animals can be preserved without the 
drying process, though iu some cases tbe re¬ 
sult has been far more satisfactory than in 
others. It is shown that in the process of 
preserving, different degrees of heat and of 
consequent chemical change are produced. 
The degree to which such chemical changes 
increase or diminish the feeding value of 
silage is at present a matter of opinion. More 
experiments are needed. Both rapid and slow 
filling of the silos has given good results. 
Much has beeu said of late concerning the 
system, practiced to a certain extent in Hol¬ 
land. of stacking green crops in the field and 
simply placiug a weight at the top. thus reaDy 
securing silage without a silo. The Commis¬ 
sioners decline to express any opinion as to 
tbe economy of such a practice. It was found 
that the complaints of tainted milk that came 
to the attention of the Commission were trace¬ 
able to the close proximity of strong-smelling 
silage, or to persons who had handled it. 
rather than to the use of such material as food. 
The substance of tbe report may he summed 
up iu tbe Commissioners’report: They have 
heard sufficient evidence to justify them iu en¬ 
couraging the development of the system of 
storiug of undried green fodder crops as a 
valuable auxiliary to farm practice. 
Certain American papers are enthusiastical¬ 
ly quoting from this report. It is hardly fair 
to do this. The climate of Englaud is so un¬ 
like that portion of our own country where 
the silo woul 1 be most useful, that English 
experiments are hardly a fair test for us. 
Some interesting facts concerning the ensilage 
system are found in the last report of the 
English Agricultural Department. The total 
number of silos in Great Britain is given as 
1,183, which is about double the number for 
last year. Over 100 of these silos are pits, en¬ 
tirely below the ground, aud 450 are partly 
below it. The English silos are principally 
filled with grass and clover thrown directly in 
from the mowing. Corn, so largely used iu 
this country. Is but little used there as yet. 
Their silage is simply uncured hay. Silage 
has been fairly well preserved lu casks and 
barrels. The Royal Agrioult.'iral Society has 
offered a prize of £25 (#121.50) for tbe best 
silage made without a silo. Opinions differ 
as to the cost of silage as compared with hay. 
The cost of cartage of green fodder is con¬ 
sidered three times that of hay. Out of 104 
answers recorded, 79 persons’eonsider silage 
cheaper than hay; 72 consider them to be al¬ 
most equal in cost, and 20 think hny the cheap¬ 
er. It is evident that we have not yet reach¬ 
ed the bottom truth of the matter. No man 
should borrow the money to build a silo yet. 
Cooking Feed Not Profitable.— Gen. 
Diven, as bo states in the Husbandman, went 
to a good deal of expense to provide appli¬ 
ances for steaming food for cattle and 3wiue. 
He made a chest of large capacity to receive 
the cut food, and into this steam was conduct¬ 
ed to cook fodder and grain, whatever was 
introduced. For swine feeding, he made sim¬ 
ilar preparations. His cattle were fed 
cooked feed through two Winters, and he 
continued longer to cook for swine. While he 
made no seien fie test, his conclusion, reached 
through geueral observation, was that the 
whole labor of guttiug fodder and cooking 
was lost, so far as the cattle were concerned. 
He is yet in doubt about the advantage of 
cooking food for swine. 
Advantages of Cutting Fodder.—S. 
M. Macomber informs the N. E. Home¬ 
stead that he has cut corn-stalks for the last 20 
years, and is satisfied that it pays. The cat¬ 
tle eat them better and there is less waste. 
Besides, there are no long stalks to bother 
when drawing out manure. When fodder is 
scarce, it is a good way to cut straw and mix 
it with the cut stalks. It will go much fur¬ 
ther. If one will try both ways (leaving any 
prejudice in favor of either entirely out) he 
will always cut his corn-stalks afterward. 
Another correspondent says that if anyone 
will try cutting his hay and stalk3 (and bed¬ 
ding, too) one Winter be will he convinced 
that it pays. And it pays in more ways than 
one. It pays in making his feed go farther. 
It pays when he cleans his stables. It pays 
when be cleans out his manure pit, and it 
pays when he spreads his manure and plows 
or harrows it un ier in the field. Last winter 
he cut all his hay and bedding one inch long, 
and bis stalks one-fourth of an inch long with 
a cutter driven by a one-horse power, and the 
results will induce him to do so again this 
Winter. 
Dr. Sturtevant, at the N. Y. Experiment 
Station, has been investigating the effects of 
exposure upon the value of clover hay. While 
he discovered that after a whole month’s ex¬ 
posure there is but very little chemical change, 
he finds that the cows refused the exposed 
porcion. and ou digesting the differentsamples 
artificially, he fonud the reason for their re¬ 
pugnance, which was that, while iu ordinary 
good hay over 73 per cent, of the albuminoids 
is digestible and available as food, only about 
4!) per cent, of those contained in the exposed 
hay is available. It is well to remember 
these important facts in making hay. It is 
never injured by being kept from rains and 
dews. 
Experiments in Steer Feeding.— Prof. 
G. E. Morrow, of the 111. University, reports 
tbe result of feeding some steers on the col 
lege farm, as follows: Ten steers, all having 
some Short-horn blood were purchased: they 
had been cheaply wintered, had run to grass 
till August 20, since when they had been fed 
com At first it was fed in the stalks, then in 
the husk without the stalks, theu husked. 
They were kept iu good pasture and fed corn 
three times a day. During the heaviest feed 
ing they ate a little less than one-third of a 
bushel of corn per dar. Iu sixty days the 
average gain was 157 pounds. Two high 
grade Jerseys in the same time made a gain 
of 162 pouuds. At eveu the present low 
price, #4 50 per 100 pounds after shrinking 
three percent., this gives.he thinks, a fair pro¬ 
fit, especially when the value of pork made by 
hogs following, is taken iuto account. He 
says the profits were greatly lessened owing to 
the fact that during last Winter they were 
wintered as Western cattle usually are, being 
allowed to run In the corn-stubble and to the 
straw stack unhoused, and each fell away in 
flesh. Three purebred and high-grade 
Short-horns were wintered in good stables 
and were fed crushed eorn and oats and 
a very little oil meal, and were fed a grain 
ration during Summer. The purebred Short¬ 
horns made a gain of 636 pounds from Dec. 
1, 1884, to Nov. 2. 1885. As might have been 
expected, the largest and fattest steer when 
the test commenced made the least gain, 
while the lightest and thinnest made most 
gain. Shelter aud warm quarters were 
showu to be cheaper thau grain—a lesson it 
would be well for Western feeders to heed. 
the best of known ryes. It was imported 
from Germany. One pound sacks are sent 
out by the University for 20 cents . 
In the book “How the Farm Pays,” bv 
Messrs Crozier & Henderson, Mr. Crozier rr 
marks that he has known many who have 
made large investments in farming and 
stock-raising, but bas never known one in¬ 
stance where the owner who failed to take an 
active part in the work ever made it a 
success.. 
The true way for one who has previously 
been engaged in other business and who wishes 
to become a farmer, is to get the privilege of 
taking active hold of the work under the in¬ 
struction of some farmer who ba3 made the 
business a success. Twelve months tbns spent 
with energy aud application, would give him 
a knowledge from which a reasonable chance 
of success might be expected, always provided 
he has the elements of success within himself. 
Such advice, Mr Crozier explains, is appli¬ 
cable only to young men. It would be folly 
for men of middle age or past it to make 
the attempt. 
In this connection, Mr. Crozier mentions a 
little anecdote. It seems that Dr. Shann, of 
England, wrote to him about 12 years ago ask¬ 
ing him to take his son, a young man of 21. who 
had just completed a college course at Cam¬ 
bridge. Mr. Crozier agreed to the proposal, 
and the young student dnly appeared one 
morning.very uulike the ideal farmer, dressed 
in the latest fashion and cane in hand. Mr. 
Crozier was afraid to look at him and that he 
would not be a success at tbe plow. After 
allowing him to prospect around for a few 
days, he told him that ths contract required 
that he sbnnld take hold and obey orders the 
same as ordinary hired help. The young man at 
once went down to the village, rigged himself 
out with a pair of overalls, fianuel shirt and 
strong boots and announced himself ready. Mr. 
Crozier soon found he was of tbe right stuff 
and placed him during the year and a half be 
wa3 with him through all the grades of farm 
work. He was so energetic and thrust worthy 
that he was entrusted to take a lot of cattle, 
sheep and swine to a State fair in Georgia, 
with permission to sell all if he deemed the 
price sufficient. This he did to Mr Crozier’s 
satisfaction The youDg man while there saw 
a farm which bis father purchased aud stocked 
for him. and he is to-day one of the most suc¬ 
cessful farmers in Georgia-... 
Tire editor of the Orange County Farmer 
saw in a farm house in a closet adjoining the 
kitchen, about 75 empty bottles which had at 
one time contained patent medicines of vari¬ 
ous sorts. The medicines had all beeu swal¬ 
lowed by the farmer’s wife, who told him that 
she was constantly ailing. It was a surprise 
to the editor that the lady still lived. 
The same journal advises its readers to 
bury hickory nuts and chestnuts in moist sand 
out of doors, or under an inverted sod. Next 
Spring take them up and plaut them where 
you want them to stay. It costs but a small 
expenditure of labor to start a nut grove, 
which will in 10 years time add thousands 
of dollars to the value of the farm. The ad¬ 
vice is well put aud good . 
Gov. Martin speaking of some of the far¬ 
mers in his State (Kansasl, savs he knows 
men abundautly able to build comfortable 
homes, and to surround them with all that 
makes life opulent and happy, who seem con- 
teat to exist arnid the meanest and most 
squalid surroundings. The charm and glory 
of a beautiful land are all about them, no re¬ 
sponsive chord in their hearts is touched. 
Their houses are not homes—they are simply 
places iu which to eat and sleep. 
One objection to planting early varieties of 
potatoes early, J. Taleott states, in the 
Cultivator, is that he never raises so good a 
crop as from later planting. The earliest 
RURAL’S LIFE NOTES. 
Prof. E. W. Hilgard, of the University 
of California, Berkely, Cal., speaks well of 
the Black-bearded Centennial Wheat dissem¬ 
inated a few years ago in the Rural’s Free 
Seed Distribution, and afterwards by the 
United States Department of Agriculture. 
He olao praises St. John’s Day RyeJ.as one of 
I^-QUESTIONS^! 
A forcible answer to which trill be found 
by turning over the leaf. 
1. What rural paper has no axe of its 
own to grind! 
2. What rural paper has the best con¬ 
tributors in tbe laud? 
3. What rural paper gives500 original 
illustrations per year' 
4 . What rural paper conducts an Ex¬ 
perimental Farm in the interests of its 
readers? 
5. What rural paper places the interests 
of its patrons beyond its advertising pat¬ 
ronage ? 
6 . What rural paper tests all uew seeds 
aud plants, and renders impartial reports 
thereupon ? 
7. What rural paper is the farmers’ 
friend and conscientious adviser? 
S. W hat rural paper should all pro¬ 
gressive farmers subscribe for? 
