serve tuaiuly to prolong their fertility. Hence 
it is that while one fanner who has manured 
his soil sulliciently and has tried hone or pot¬ 
ash or nitrogen, or two of them or all, may 
conclude that commercial fertilizers do not 
pay on his soil. Another, however, who 
works a “run-down” farm may find them as 
valuable as farm manure.. 
An impoverished or “worn-out” soil means 
that it needs food. You may supply it with 
farm manures or with fertilizers. But the 
food must be supplied or the crops will be 
light....... 
Maw soils do not need potash; but nearly 
all soils need bone or phosphate of lime... 
The Elmira Husbandman well says that the 
evil which rum floes is a thousa nd times greater 
than that of all the thieves in the land, and 
every neighborhood might far better have in 
its midst a licensed thief than a licensed liquor 
seller, for it is possible to lock doors against 
the former, but who can feel sure of safety for 
the young men from the devilish enticements 
of the latter... 
A writer in the National Stockman repeats, 
in other words, the sense of what we have 
often endeavored to impress upon our readers. 
He would rather have one acre of oats put in 
before the middle of March than two acres 
the last half of April, He has sown oats in 
February and had the land frozen solid for 
weeks after, and with the first warm weather 
they came up and made a much heavier crop 
than those sown later.. .. 
The Hatch Bill, as it stands at present, lays 
down no rule to prevent grievous abuse of the 
appropriation, says the Press. 
Here is an agriculturally funny thing from 
Life: 
J’rofessor (who has been giving simple les- 
sous ill physiology) to little girl; “Where is 
your heart, dear?” 
Mabel: “Hero.” 
Prof,: “And where is your liver?” 
Mabel (indignantly): “I haven’t any. Cows 
have livers.” 
Pro/.: “Oh, yes you have. 
Mabel (after some thought): “Well, theu, 
where is my bacon?”. 
Edward Burnett stated at nlate meeting 
of New England farmers, that he wouid by 
far rather take the poorest cows and give 
them the right sort of feed for butter than 
have the best butter cows and give them poor 
feed. . 
Mr. Burnett is a high advocate of clover 
hay, of corti-and-cob-meal, of roots in the 
winter, if we are to make lino butter. He 
does not favor silage. 
“Mend your ways,” is the advice of Henry 
Clay to those country people who do not care 
what sort of roads they travel over. 
Editor Stiles asks if there is any former 
with 100 acres of land who would lie sorry to 
have of these acres—the Jo acres least 
adapted to the use of modern machinery— 
covered with a thrifty growth of Sugar Maple, 
chestnut, hickory and White Oak. 
The Western Rural says, truly enough, that 
the careless milker of a number of cows is a 
very expensive man to have about. 
Prof. Long, of England, advises working 
people to keep a goat, because it cau be kept 
more cheaply than any other animal and will 
yield a profitable return in milk. He thinks 
the expense of maintaining one would not ex¬ 
ceed live dollars a year.... . 
Wk find upon looking over the new cata¬ 
logues at hand, that, regardless of the fact 
that, we have shown that no less than six dif¬ 
ferent names have been given to the same 
oats, they are all described as in last year’s 
catalogues.... 
Several reasons induced Prof. Roberts of 
Cornell University, to quit using silage. He 
states in the N. E. Homestead that these rea¬ 
sons are: 
I. They could not get a ton of it ready for 
the cattle any cheaper than a ton of roots. 
The roots leave the ground in far better 
condition than fodder corn, 
;i. The smell about the barn was objection¬ 
able. 
4. Their customers were very much preju¬ 
diced against milk produced from feeding si¬ 
lage. Some who had young children would 
not pui eliaso it. at all. After using it three 
years and carefully noting results, lie came to 
the conclusion that with their environments 
they could not afford to feed silage. 
The sweetest sweet corn, according to a 
writer in the above journal comes from the 
ears having the most shriveled kernels. . 
A writer in the Iowa State Register says 
that he began planting White Pines in is,> 7 , 
and planted them by the thou sou l trees. They 
are now large enough for pretty good saw 
logs, aud seem to be quite at home in Iowa, 
lio settled on his farm twenty years ago and 
is completely sheltered by a pine forest. 
The Williams & Clark Fertilizer couipan 
are reported in the N. E. Farmer as saying 
that, all the responsible fertilizer manufactur¬ 
ers would sell their goods at what the experi¬ 
ment stations report them to lie worth, pro¬ 
vided the credit system could be abolished... 
WnEN farmers talk about saving money by 
buying chemicals and mixing them at home, 
the above lirm states, they do not tell the whole 
story; chemicals are sold for cash, as meal and 
flour are sold, aud at prices that pay only a 
living profit; hut the ordinary fertilizers are 
sold on six to nine months’ credit aud many 
times even theu the notes have to be renewed. 
Farmers, the firm says, had better pay ten per 
cent, interest on borrowed money and buy 
fertilizers for cash... 
That may be quite true; but we hold the 
fertilizer firms accountable who offer their 
goods on time as well as the farmers who buy 
on time. There are fertilizer firms who sell 
onlj/ for cash..... 
The same is true in a general way as to 
farm machinery. It is sold to be paid for 
mouths ahead after it is partly worn out. A 
country grocer told the editor of the N. E. 
Farmer tbut he would mark all the goods in 
his store down fully ten per cent, if he could 
have the pay for them as soon as they were 
delivered over bis counter. If every pur¬ 
chaser who buys ninety cents worth of goods 
at a dollar realized that the extra ten cents is 
for insuring payment it would probably open 
his eyes to the real situation.. 
The new rose “Bride” is unequaled by any 
other white Tea that we have over cultivated. 
A sport of the well-known pink rose Catherine 
Mermet, it is tho same in habit, though a 
somewhat freer bloomer.. 
“One-horse” farming is said by the Cour¬ 
ier to be the real cause of the depression of 
agriculture in South Carolina. 
Among small fruit novelties of the season 
are Johnson’s Sweet Black-cap Raspberry 
and the Ttasca Strawberry. We shall try 
both. The Itasca, it is claimed, is the equal of 
the Crescent in every way and of much better 
quality. The raspberry excels in sweetness.. 
Quite a number of new double lilacs are an¬ 
nounced as haviug originated with M. 
Lemoine, of France who offers t hem for sale. 
Beware of the bull! The Live Stock indi¬ 
cator insists that if the bull appears to be kind 
and gentle, we should watch him the more 
closely. In nine eases out of 10, it is tho gen¬ 
tle bulls that do the mischief. We are uatu- 
rally prone to be careful with the bulls known 
to be vicious..... 
Mu. Milton, in the Horticulturist, says 
that the now rose, “Her Majesty,” is now, 
with most florists, “crowded in some corner, 
covered with mildew and looking ashamed of 
itself.” We were unable last summer to in¬ 
duce this rose to make a start at the Rural 
Grounds..... 
And now 'tis said that the new rose—the 
$5,000 rose, W. F. Bennett—will in no way 
take the place of Gen. Jack. 
A disgrace to the State of New York is its 
so-called "State Ag. Society.” The sum of 
$28,000 is appropriated every year by tho 
Legislature. Ought not the farmers to re¬ 
ceive some sort of benefit?. 
A writer in the N. E. Farmer by no means 
agrees with Mr. O. S. Bliss as to the value of 
sun-flower seeds for poultry. He raises sev¬ 
eral barrels of the heads annually, which he 
places in the poultry houses without thrash¬ 
ing out the seeds. The hens enjoy picking tho 
heads to pieces and eating the seeds. A 
moderate quantity he believes to be conducive 
to the health and productiveness of the fowls 
in wiuter. 
Among new jieas, a variety named “Antici¬ 
pation" is offered by the London seedsmen, 
Carter & Co. It is a second early aud glows 
- 1 feet high. A life-size, colored illustration 
is given in their new catalogue. 
The bunches of grajios must be choice or a 
writer in the Orang#Co. Fanner would not 
give a snap for all the cold storage houses In 
existence to-day. Absolutely fine fruit will 
pay. But a bruised or a pulpy cluster among 
a hundred good dusters will spoil the whole 
lot.... .. 
Laboring men and eveu mechanics are ad¬ 
vised by the Farm Journal to economize iu 
butcher and store bills by keeping poultry 
and cultivating a garden. 
Why not have hoe handles Hat or 
oval like axe handles ? asked Mr. Atkin¬ 
son. With such a handle the workman can 
strike more accurately and so work nearer to 
plants because the hoe will not turn iu his 
hands. The edge will wear evenly and the 
hoe last longer thun with the old round 
handle. The wrist is not so soon tired nor tho 
hands cramped with the fiat handle. When 
you come to repair the old hoes put an oval 
handle in one of them. 
Alluding to the Hatch Bill, J. B. Oleott 
says that what plain farmers wish to know, 
before going ahead, is whether the proposed 
dividend of $15,000, annually, to each State, 
“ is conscience-money,” to be given to the 
real needs of agriculture,, or only a tub to the 
agricultural whale in view of fresh national 
steals..... 
The Spectator states that the Quagga, the 
itfild, striped ass of South Africa, has ceased to 
exist—like the buffalo. The hides of these 
animals were needed for making boots for 
sportsmen, and as a consequence whole herds 
were slaughtered. Lot man go to work, un¬ 
hampered by all laws, and be would quickly 
clear the world of all save himself. 
A writer in the Kansas Fanner, who has 
tried the plan of dehorning cattle advocated 
by H. H. Haatf, says he was entirely success¬ 
ful. The pain and loss of blood were slight, 
and the advantage to the herd immense. 
John B. Smith writes to the Popular Sci¬ 
ence Monthly about some beetles which are a 
veritable nuisance. They are the Dynaster 
tilyus of entomologists. They have a most 
offensive odor, comparable to tobacco steeped 
iu acetic acid. A single specimen placed in a 
room will completely saturate the atmosphere 
and be perceptible for days. Near Memphis, 
in June and July, a very offensive odor was 
noticeable. The Board of Health destroyed 
bog pens, drained pools and performed other 
sanitary operations, but produced no effect 
upon the foul smells. It was found at last 
that the trouble was caused by these insects, 
which had accumulated by the thousand iu 
old stumps in the vicinity of the city... 
In spite of the fact that thousands of wash¬ 
ing machines are sold yearly, the consump¬ 
tion of wash-boards remains as great us ever. 
At least DUOJKXI dozen are sold yearly, be¬ 
tween the Allegheny Mountains and the Mis¬ 
souri River. There appears to be a general 
superstition, well founded, that iu such work 
as picking cotton, washing clothes, or milking, 
no machine can ever fully take the place of 
the human hand... 
A mixture of four parts yelk of egg and 
five parts glycerine, formerly sold as a secret 
preparation but now generally sold in British 
pharmacies, is fouud very efficacious in the 
treatment of skin diseases, sore nipples, erup¬ 
tions, aud especially burns. The mixture can 
he made with more ease by first well beating 
the velk. So says the American analyst. We 
doubt not somebody made a fortune out of 
this preparation... 
Dr. Lopez of Philadelphia proposes to bring 
about a better development of boys as well 
as to save them many scoldings by advocating 
an arrangement of pockets based upon true 
physiological principles. He proposes to do 
away with the common pant’s pocket, leaving 
only the hip pocket and two or three in the 
jacket so high that the boy must reach up to 
put his hand into them. If the boy must 
put his hands in his pockets he will assume a 
better position, and lie will bo spared many 
admonitions, frequently accompanied by a 
box on the ear, that greet him when he puts 
his hands in the pockets of his new pants and 
walks up the street to show them off. 
An English authority estimates that at least 
1,000 hours iu the school life of each child are 
lost by reason of the irregularities of English 
spolllug. An i must follow o in conceive aud 
precede it in believe; two e*s must come to¬ 
gether iu proceed and be separated iu precede; 
uncle must bo spoiled with a e, but ankle 
must possess a k. Iu many of our district 
schools, where spelling forms the most attrac¬ 
tive study, these rules, for the existence of 
which no person has yet been able to give a 
satisfactory reason, absorb a great proportion 
of the time of pupils, and this, too, while 
children are often left iu ignorance of the 
most elementary laws of health. Surely there 
is a real chance for reform in spelling, but 
who is brave enough to be pointed out as a 
poor speller for the sake of inaugurating it?.. 
Doctors tell us that colds most frequently 
enter the system through the feet or the 
throat. The philosophy of prevention is to 
toughen these avenues of approach. The 
throat is to be frequently bathed and the feet 
frequently dipped in cold water. The treat¬ 
ment is rational for a healthy person, but 
suicide for one with a weakened constitution. 
It is noticed that the treatment loses its effi¬ 
cacy after a time. Every year the practice 
of taking a cold bath every morning is urged. 
The supposed beneficial results arc attributed 
to the water, which we think is a mistake 
There is more virtue in the hard, dry rubbing, 
which should follow the hath... 
Communications Received for this Week Kndi.no 
January is, iSSL 
S. E. W,-L. J. r.-L. a, K.. thanks. — L. B. R.-C. V. 
U. 1\ o. n. thunks,-\Y, 1\ \V s. B W. H. K. f. 
H. H.—P. E , thanks.—J. B.— A. L., thanks.—A. J. C.— 
W. K.-W. F. B. -J. H. I’. V. R.-M. I). T.. thanks. 
J. T—J. U. H.. thanks.—J. T.. thanks—A. W. C.-L. B. 
H.-J. Mu T.-T. A. M T. U. K. K. Me M.- P. E.-T. H. 
H.-L. E. B, W. /.. H. C. T. \V. P.-.V. V. M.-J. D. J. 
M C. W.-J. II. B.-J. II. S.-P. D. K.-K. a C.-G, M. 
A.-D. E.-H. L.-M. H. C.-W. P. A.-A. J. P.-E. P, N. 
-J. P. D.-E. P. P.-S. F. W.-H. h.-H. G. H, 
PtecelliincottjS §MU’erti,$inth 
R-K-.rtu.EN eOMPANvY) SEEDS SENT 
189-131 WATER ST. N.V. | everywhere by mail. 
FAIRVIEW MIKSFRIES 
ESTABUHttEI) LX 188V-OLI>KXT IN THE STATE. 
10,000Globe Peach; 7 r >,0u) Peach. leading kinds; in,000 
Lawson iCotnetl Pear. Wilson Jr li. B., HaucoCas R. B., 
May Kins: tun I other Strawberries; Fay’s and other 
Currants: Millions of Fruit Trees and Small Fruit 
Plants Catalogues free. 
C. II. PERKINS, Muorcstown. Ji. J. 
SPRING VEGETABLES AND FLOWERS. 
Also Early and Prime Tnlmrrn Fled Plants. 
FatiMerx. Gardexeua. and Ploiukts. use the PATENT 
PROTECTING CLOTH originated and prepared only 
by undersigned, it is equal to gloss sash (and costs 
hut cent)! as mucin oil Cold Frames and Hot Beds, and 
for Tobacco Plant Betla has unequal. Protects from 
frost. Promotes it.utnv amt KAi'in ouowto. Don’t 
shrink or decnv rapidly. Widely known, strongly 
endorsed, ond freely U«ed by large .-rmu-rs Retails 
for.1.0. and 3 cts per yard, aud la inches wide. Send 
for circulars. Samples, etc., free. 
I'. 5*. W ATER PIUIOKI N<; FIBRE CO .. 
5tt SOUTH STREET. NEW YORK. 
K YEEGEEENS. 
FOREST TREES.-11,.*114,000 sold in 18S6. 
Ten times as many ready for ISST. I offer the largest 
stock, greatest variety, and lowest prices to be fouud 
in America. Wholesale lists free. 
Geo. Pinuev, Evergreen, Boor Co., VVis. 
NEW ami GREATLY ENLARGED CATALOGUE 
Magnificently illust., sent to any addiess on receipt of 
1 el« in stamps to pay postage Regular customers 
supplied free. Special list for Market l iardeuers, offer¬ 
ing So.-tls -a wfi.iie-'.n.le price-.. Seudforit Address 
Sll AKER SKEIM O...AIT. LEBANON, N.Y. 
Cd rLIFLOnryRS A NI) HOW TO O ROW 777EM. 
Plain, practical and explicit directions In minute de¬ 
tail Rv mall -20 cent*. Catalogue of CHOICE 
LONG ISLAND GARDEN SEEDS FREE, 
FRANCIS BRILL. Hempstead, (L I.) N. Y. 
ro r r My I SN? Catalogue of New ami True 
I II 6 ” Seeds, at .Inst Prices, ifli pkt. col. 5->c. 
(ieo. H. Colvin, Seed Brower, Dalton, Pa. 
KANSAS S E E n HO USE 
F. BARTELDES & CO., 
LAWRENCE, KANSAS. 
SEED GROWERS. IMPORTERS AND DEALERS 
Tree Setds a specialty. Catalogue mailed free on ap¬ 
plication. 
ibley’s Tested Seed 
Catalogue free on application. 
Semi for it 
HIRAM SIBLEY A CO.. 
Rochester, X. Y. A Chicago. III. 
Ulster. Po’kcepste. amt Duchess GRAPES: Miune- 
waskl Hl.ACKHERKYr Uicrctla DEWBERRY; Mare 
bOPl RASPBERRY aud Comet PEAR Send for de 
-crlptivccircular to A, J, CAVWOOI) & SON, 
MARLBORO, X. Y. 
Lame fiui-den Guide 
Free toall. You should 
have it. Best varieties, 
alltested.at low prices. 
vedsmen, Fella, la. 
1 ..'>00.000 Strawberry. Raspberry and Blackberry 
Plante, old and new varieties Headquarters for Wil¬ 
son. Jr., and Early Harvest Blackberry Plants. Root 
Cuttings. 
Originators of the Hamilton or Ross Raspberry aud 
Acme strawberry. Flue stock of two year old Con¬ 
cord Grapes. Fruit Trees. Gooseberry Vines, etc., etc. 
Send for Catalogue aud sec low prices. Address 
BROOKLYN NURSERY GO., 
OflirCiOlil No. 229 \V. Pratt St. 
Chas. H. Avdebson.M anager. Baltimore, Md. 
Qrrn potatoes 
\tt\i AND SEEDS 
^^From the Famous AROOSTOOK. 
The v rv.lt superiori¬ 
ty of true Aroostook 
grown potatoes for 
seed Is well known. 
Wherever planted, 
large crops 
pie tubers, 
notably five from dis¬ 
ease. And the short, 
quick season of this 
far north-east lana 
makes all our seeds 
hard y, productive, 
mu! early. 
My ll.LUSTK.VTKI> 
.ITAtOvt’E will Ihi 
sent EKtK to all 
Write for it. 
GEORGE W.P.JERRARD. Caribou, Maine 
Over 6,0OO,OOO PIOPLEUSE 
FERRY’S SEEDS 
D. M. FERRY A CO. 
are admit ted to be the 
LARGEST SEEDSMEN 
in lit world. 
!><■.- 
1887 
will ha mailed 
FREE to all 
applicants, and 
to last season’s 
customers 
without or¬ 
dering it. 
f* niiliable to 
oil. Avery per. 
ii-nny ear- 
den, Held or 
F>orerr SEEDS should 
send for it Addre.3 
D. M. FERRY & CO. 
Detroit, Mich, e 
