farm (Topics. 
CORRESPONDENTS’ VIEWS. 
THE WASHINGTON SEED STORE. 
THE OTHER SIDE. 
I see frequently in the Rural a blow 
struck at the Seed Bureau of the Agricultural 
Department at Washington,and in the Rural 
of February 32 was an article headed “With¬ 
out a Friend.” Now the writer was entirely 
wrong in thinking that the seed distribution 
has no friemls. I arn acquainted with several 
parties in my own neighborhood who have 
been greatly benefited by that department. 
The Representative from this district dis¬ 
tributed several varieties of wheat to his con¬ 
stituents, such as the following, White Russian 
(fall), Clawson and Fultz, all of which proved 
to be good varieties. I sowed the tirst Fultz 
wheat that was raised iu this neighborhood, 
and I am still raising it. _ 1 have tried several 
Varieties, but have found nothing that will 
fill its place. It looks to me as though the 
howl raised against the seed department was 
raised in the interest of seed dealers and uot 
iu the interest of the farmer. As I under¬ 
stand it. the object of that department is to 
send out new' varieties of seed into different 
sections of the country to be tested, and if any 
prove good, they are to take the place of some 
chat are uot good. The farmer can get noth¬ 
ing new through a seed firm without paying 
exorbitant prices, and then perhaps he will 
get a worthless thing, as I have done more 
than once. Some seed firms send out seed 
that is not true to name, being entirely distinct 
from the variety named. I don’t see the neces¬ 
sity for abolishing the seed distribution, but 
I can see good reason for maintaining and 
improving it, so that the fanner will uot be 
entirely at the mercy of dishonest seed firms, 
Bohemian Oat peddlers, and the whole cata¬ 
logue of swindlers. I like the Rural and its 
plan of sending out new varieties of seeds, 
but I don’t like to have it use its influence to 
break down the Seed Department at Washing¬ 
ton. I suppose the reason you have not heard 
from its friends is because they are all farm¬ 
ers, like me. and are not in the habit of 
writing articles for publication. I must enter 
my pretest, against the doing away of tho 
seed distribution. jas. d. 
Bloomiugdale, N. Y. 
R. N.-Y.—We are glad to publish the above, 
because we want all sides to obtain a fair 
hearing. We have stated our objections to 
the seed distribution several times. We have 
received hundreds of letters, thanking us for 
the stand we have taken. We have received 
just three letters of protest. Our esteemed 
correspondent, whose letter we have printed, 
covers the points raised by the others. The 
Rural has nothing to suppress, nothing to 
cover up. If tho majority of those who have 
used the Government, seeds feel as our friend 
does about them, we will willingly record the 
fact. 
A New Idea for Farmers.— The pleasant 
statement concerning the division of a year’s 
profits of a leading Americau manufacturer 
with his employes, of which I read in the Ru¬ 
ral a short time ago, suggests the question, 
“Why cannot farmersindulge in an industrial 
partnership!” The plan has never had a fuir 
trial iu this country; but in England and 
Scotland it is no new' thing, and wherever it 
has becu applied its results are said to be in¬ 
variably happy. The farmers risk but little 
and incur only au occasional loss, aud in the 
long run gain considerably by permitting tbeir 
laborers to share with them in the surplus. 
Mr. Duncan, at Lavenham, iu Suffolk, had in 
1882 put into his dairy nine Cooley creamers, 
and wheu I was there last year he was practic¬ 
ing a dairy system on this plan. I went out 
of my way Id miles on a miserably bleak day 
just to see bow the idea worked. When I 
reached his place his men could not under¬ 
stand me when I said that my errand was to 
see how the industrial partnership was main¬ 
tained. “Ir. is the creamers that’s w anted to 
be seen at, hey?” Hodge said with a character¬ 
istic English grunt. “ Not at all,” 1 answered, “I 
have seen hundreds of the creamers at home. 
It is the system of dividing the profits between 
the dairymen aud maids that i have a Yankee 
curiosity to look into.” “Ami do ye mean to 
say that, the plan is such a novelty to ye that 
ye have come out purposely to see it? ’ he, 
asked; aud when l told him it was he exclaimed, 
“Ho, odds bobs I I took it ye came, as a great 
mauy do, to see the dairy machinery. As for 
anyone coming to study the seestom, why. good 
Peter! it'scommoniu all sorts of farming, as 
say hens, and vegetables, let alone the dairy!” 
I found this true, and while I will not bur¬ 
den my communication with a description of 
the Duncan or any other system, it occurs to 
me to ask some of our thinking readers why 
it would not w’ork in this country. M. c. l. 
“Oleo.” —Some of the leading political pa¬ 
pers of Michigan are claiming that the tax on 
“oleo” falls upon the “poorest of the people.” 
From my own observation I believe this state¬ 
ment is wrong. In this part of the State “oleo” 
is used mostly iu second-rate hotels or in tho 
lumber camps, because it “lasts longer than 
butter.” People have too much pride to put 
the stuff on their own tables. When too poor 
to buy butter they will use pork fat alone, 
rather than pay the price of butter for “doc¬ 
tored” lard aud tallow. There is a visible im¬ 
provement in tho quality of the butter of¬ 
fered for sale by retailers in northern Michi¬ 
gan since the new' law went into effect. The 
manufacturers of “oleo” would like a return 
of the palmy days of old. They need votes to 
bring it about. Let not the poor be blinded 
into their support. f. m. benham. 
Mackinac Co., Mich. 
Dynamite for Stumps. —Some time ago a 
Rural writer advised us to hlow stumps out 
with dyuaniite at a cost of 10 cents each. 
He did not tell us how to do it, how to get 
the explosive or how to carry and take care 
of it. 1 wish those who have- used explosives f r 
stump removing would tell us tbeir experience. 
I want to take up some old applo trees. It 
takes me half a day to dig one out aud cut it 
up ready to haul away. c. R. winans. 
R. N.-Y.—We have never been very suc¬ 
cessful wdth explosives in removing -lumps. 
We know of several accident to t hose hand¬ 
ling the explosives. Those who have found 
an easier way to remove stumps than the old 
style methods of digging them up or hunting 
them ought to let us know about it. 
Oct in this country people have a few 
raffling matches for turkeys every winter. 
These are very profitable for the boss. Plenty 
of men lose $5.00 at such sport through the 
winter, and then come out too poor to pay for 
a paper devoted to their business. Plenty of 
men scrimp the b'nlies and minds of their fam¬ 
ilies at home and yet think nothing of “setting 
’em up” when they meet a chum in town. The 
fact of it is, if a man can get more enjoyment 
out of a dollar spent for beer than he can out 
of the same money put into reading matter, 
"what are you going to do about it?” 
Indianapolis, Jnd. K. H. c. 
In Sowing Alfalfa my experience here 
in New Jersey is that it pays to prepare the 
ground thoroughly and manure it well in the 
spring, I get two cuttings the same season, 
which I think pays well for the extra fitting. 
Stelton, N. J. G. w. t. 
CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONI A. 
GENERAL CHARACTER AND SYMPTOMS OF THE 
DISEASE. 
DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
In view of the alarming extent to which 
pleuro-pueumouia exists in this country, and 
its liability to appear in nl most any section 
not yet infected, it becomes of the utmost im¬ 
portance. to the cattle interests of the country 
that stockmen should be able to recognize 
the disease as soon as possible after its first ap¬ 
pearance in a locality. Owing to the insidi¬ 
ous nature of the disease this is not always 
as simple as might be supposed, and certainly 
not as could be desired. 
A knowledge of the general character and 
symptoms of tho disease, while it will not en 
able all stockmen to definitely recognize the 
disease at the outset, will place them in a po¬ 
sition to recognize the possibility of the pres¬ 
ence of this disease whenever a suspicious con¬ 
tagious outbreak tuay occur in their locality, 
aud at, the same time enable them to take the 
necessary precautions to prevent further 
spreading. 
The disease is due to a specific germ or con- 
tagiurn, which usually gains access to the sys¬ 
tem through the respiratory passages into the 
lungs, where Its action is mostly limited, 
there producing characteristic changes in the 
lung tissue by which the disease Is recog¬ 
nized from other forms of lung diseases. This 
contagium is produced in immense numbers in 
the lungs of a diseased animal, and it is by 
the transmission of this contagium from the 
sick to the healthy that the disease is 
spread. Contact w’ith a diseased animal or 
with the diseased products from such an ani¬ 
mal is necessary to contract the disease. 
Stables, yards and fields wherein the disease 
has berm, any articles or substances that have 
been in contact with the sick animals or their 
products, or eveu the clothing of attendants . 
may all contain the living germ of the disease 
for a variable length of time, and during that 
period are capable of conveying the disease to 
a healthy animal coming in contact with the 
same. 
The period of incubation—the lapse of time 
after the specific poison enters the system and 
before it produces changes sufficient to inter¬ 
fere with the general health of the animal, 
aud by which it may he recognized—Is ordin¬ 
arily ten days to three weeks, but In excep¬ 
tional cases may extend to three or four 
months. Generally the disease is of a linger¬ 
ing, often of an insidious character, running 
a course of two to ten weeks or even longer 
and terminating in death, or a slow, uncer¬ 
tain recovery. But, during its first appear¬ 
ance in a district ami also in warm weather it 
commonly runs a more rapid course, the ani¬ 
mals dying in a few days with acute symp¬ 
toms; however, this is the exception rather 
than the rule. 
The general symptoms are essentially those 
of other diseases of the lungs. An increased 
body temperature of two to three degrees 
Fahr. usually appears a few days or a week 
before auy other symptoms. But as this can 
be ascertained only by the use of the clinical 
thermometer, it becomes of uo general diag- 
nostic value except in suspected herds or cat¬ 
tle known !<• have been exposed. In such in¬ 
stances, however, the thermometer becomes 
an important aid to recognizing the disease 
iuan animal before the general symutoms ap¬ 
pear. 
The first outward or obvious symptoms are 
usually erection of the hair, especially along 
the back, giving the animal a general un¬ 
thrifty appearance, aud a slight, dry, short 
cough, which gradually increases in severity 
and is aggravated by cold or drinking cold 
water. These are soon followed by loss of ap¬ 
petite, increased respirations and pulse, which 
may be accompanied by shivering; the 
horns, ears and limbs alternately cold and 
hot, the muzzle usually dry; rumination be¬ 
comes irregular or soon ceases altogether 
when the animal refuses to eat; the secretion 
of milk is diminished and soon ceases; tho 
bowels become costive, followed later by 
diarrhea. There is tenderness, often ex¬ 
treme, causing the animal to wince or groan 
when pressure is applied along the back or 
between the ribs. Percussion and ausculta¬ 
tion of the chest will show dullness and ab¬ 
sence of the normal respiratory murmur over 
particular parts of the luugs; structural 
changes will be found rapidly going on within 
the luugs, and such unnatural sounds as fric¬ 
tion,, wheezing, crepitation, etc., may usually 
be heard. 
The breathing now becomes more difficult 
ami labored, while all the symptoms become 
aggravated until the animal stands persistent¬ 
ly with fore limbs apart and elbows turned 
out, back arched, the head carried low and 
extended on the neck, tho mouth open, nos¬ 
trils dilated, aud each breath accompanied by 
a painful moan. 
These symptoms vary greatly in different 
cases, depending largely on the severity of the 
attack, ami the portion of lung involved. In 
some instances the animal appeal's unwell for 
several days with an occasional cough, and un¬ 
less recognized, the disease may progress in a 
mild form and the animal apparently recover 
without showing any decisive symptoms, itis 
these mild cases that at times make the disease 
so difficult to recognize and so liable to be 
spread unknown. Then, too, the general 
symptoms In mild cases are so much like those 
of the simple, non-contagious inflammation 
of the lungs that in isolated cases the only 
I tositive means of diagnosis is by u postmor¬ 
tem examination of the ca% r ity of the chest. 
In the contagious disease there will be found 
the characteristic marbled appearance on sec¬ 
tion of the diseased lung due to the difference 
iu coloration of different lobules, and the dis¬ 
tention of the inter-lobular connective tissue by 
extensive exudation,appearances very different 
from those seen in simple inflammation. There 
is also more or less effusion usually found in 
the pleural cavity. These characteristic le¬ 
sions are easily recognizable by one familiar 
with the disease, and readily distinguished 
from the lesions caused by other diseases of the 
luugs. 
fiflt) Crops. 
Large Potato Yield.—I have read the re¬ 
ports of large yields of potatoes. I am uot a 
champion farmer, but I can beat some of those 
given thus far. My farm is what wo call 
river bottom with u little sand mixed. Ill 1885 
1 planted 10 acres on clover sod. plowed in 
spring six inches deep. The varieties were 
Blue Victor and Mammoth Pearl. We dropped 
the sets by hand in drills, three feet apart, 12 
inches iu rows. They ware harrowed os soon 
us up w ith a common barrow and worked ouco a 
week with a wheel cultivator. No fertilizer was 
used but tobacco stalks dropped in the drill 
on the potatoes. Dug in September with a 
potato digger, the poorest acre yielded 220 
bushels and the best 440. They bi ought40 cents 
on the cars. In 1880 I planted the same number 
of acres mid gave the same cultivation, only 
using more Paris green and plaster as the 
bugs were more plentiful. Mammoth Pearl 
yielded 210 bushels and Blue Victor 180. These 
sold at 85 cents per bushel. I find Vanguard a 
strong grower and good yielder. Empire 
State is a rank grower and good yielder. 
Jersey Shore, Pa. G. c. s. 
Brazilian Flour Corn —My experience 
with Brazilian Flour Corn the past season is 
very similar to yours. I planted May 20 and 
gave good cultivation. The fall was very late, 
no frost till almost October, aud still the corn 
was more than half in the milk. 1 had to cut 
and shuck it; that saved it. Had a bushel of 
ground meal, which was delicious meal, but 
not flour. But I do not consider it was fairly 
tested, as if. was ground on corn bars and af¬ 
ter corn, and should have been much whiter. 
For table use, in a green srate, we liked 
it very much, but I doubt if it can be suc¬ 
cessfully grown in Northern Illinois. The sea¬ 
son was unprecedentedly dry. however, and it 
is probable that both growth and maturity 
were retarded thereby. j. w. baker. 
Bureau Co., Ills. 
Get a few beds, made up and in working 
order, as soon as possible. We want some 
early cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuces 
started; also egg, tomato aud pepper plants. 
Two or three weeks later on we shall have to 
make auother hot-bed, into which to remove 
the egg, tomato mid pepper plants, as these 
will uot do well in the frame, after the heat 
begins to wane, till the end of April, anyway. 
There is nothing gained by starting early 
and later on stunting the plants half to death 
by cold. But the cabbage, cauliflower aud 
lettuces w ill not need a second hot-bed; they 
will attain a fair size in the first one, aud re¬ 
quire to be gradually hardened off when 
about big enough to plant out. Radishes 
may also besowu in hot-bods now. Cucumbers, 
treated as egg, aud pepper plants, by solving 
in a hotbed, and later on removing to a new' 
hotbed, and planted out 111 it., do very well at 
this time of the year, fruit, freely in May, aud 
are not subject to the black aphis which is so 
destructive to them out of doors or in frames 
in the fall. Pit-beds are the easiest to make, 
fill aud work, and the most economical so far 
as quantity of fermenting material is used. 
Fresh horse manure, strawy, and well wetted 
in the stable, is the best for hot-beds. But if it 
is not well moistened at the stable, wet it 
with water, or with liquid from the stable 
tank, for no dry manure or material of auy 
kind should be used in hot-beds, and to in¬ 
crease the bulk, as w’ell as lessen the violent 
fermentation, add a lot of leaves to the pile, 
mix all together, aud let it be steaming hot 
before you fill up the hotbed with it. Iu 
making up hotbeds there are a few points we 
should bear iu mind: 
Use no old rotted manure or rotted leaves iu 
tho heutiug material; have the pile well 
mixed up together ami all thoroughly moist¬ 
ened, but uot wet. and let the w’hole mass be 
steaming luff whon used. In filling the pits 
shake, spread evenly, pack firmly and till up 
to withiu 10 Inches of tho glasB. Put in the 
sashes at once and keep them close till the heat 
rises. Don’t put in the soil on top of the ma¬ 
nure till the heat begins to decline. Don’t 
sow or plant till the heat gets under 1(X) de¬ 
grees. When it gets down to this point it will 
soon fall a few degrees more and there is no 
danger in planting now. If the beds are full 
of steam after the seedlings are up or the 
plants set out in the frame, kepp a sash tilted 
Up a very little to let it out Have early hot¬ 
beds in a warm, sheltered, sunny place. If 
there is uo natural shelter, a temporary board 
or hush fence set along on tho north and west 
sides will be a great help in keeping the frames 
warm aud lessen the need of heavy covering 
lip at night 
Among egg plants Early Long Purple conies 
in a few days ahead of the other standard 
sorts. Improved New York is the best kind 
of plant. Among early lettuces I like the 
Tennis Ball, uo matter whether the black or 
white-seeded variety, but many on account of 
its lurgo size, prefer the Silesia. The English 
cucumbers, as Telegraph, are the most prolific 
aud, in my opinion, tender, but they cost too 
much. A basket of seed costs 25 cents and 
contains six, 10 or 12 seeds, while we can buy 
two ounces of White Spine cucumber seed for 
the same money, ! like Tailhy’s and Boston 
Market as well as any. If you wish a long 
radish, Wood’s is tho earliest, but Beckert’s 
