sheep. The wool will show it in a weak spot 
every time. These weak spots break and re¬ 
duce the value of the whole fleece. The lambs 
should l ie docked and the rains castrated while 
young; when a month old isn good time. To 
do this work easily, take a low block, as high 
as the lamb’s tail, back the lamb up to the 
block and bold it between the legs: draw up 
the skin of the tail, which is laid on the block, 
and cut it off with one blow of a sharp hatchet. 
One man can do this, but two arc better. A 
pinch of finely powdered blue vitriol is put on 
the wound. Castration at this age is very 
easy; the lauib is held between the knees, head 
downward; the cud of the scrotum is clipped 
off with a pair of shears; the glands are 
squeezed out and the attachments arc severed 
by scraping, not by cutting. This avoids 
bleeding. A little brown sugar and butter is 
put in the wound, which soon heals. 
SWINE. 
Give thejpigs a run on grass or clover that 
is intended for corn, or for pasture. But if 
this is not. possible, turn them out of the pens 
as soon as the weather permits. Castrate 
youug boars before the warm weather. No 
animal is more easily operated upon than a 
boar, if care is taken to sever the attachments 
by scraping, ami not by cutting, and to make 
the opeuiug low down, that the discharge may 
escape. As the sows come in, spare a little 
sweet milk for the young pigs. Give it In a 
shallow pan by themselves; they will soon 
leam to come for it through a small door in 
the fence. Couple the sows now for pigs in 
September. This is the best time for pigs to 
be carried over the winter. Avoid overfeed¬ 
ing the youug pigs. A quart of skitiuned- 
rnilk and half a pound of bran and corn meal; 
or of meal made of rye, corn and buckwheat 
in equal parts, are quite enough for u six- 
weeks-old pig for one day, given In two feeds. 
An old potato field is a good place for them to 
run in. 
STUD BOOKS AND HERD BOOKS OF THE VARIOUS 
* BREEDS. 
We are frequently asked for the names and 
addresses of those in charge of the different 
stud-books, herd books, records and registers 
of the various breeds of cattle in tins country. 
Here is a full list, which those who are not 
wise or careful euougb to keep files of the 
Rural, would do well to paste somewhere for 
future reference:— 
Cattle.— American Short-Horn Herd Book, 
J. H. Pickcrell, Editor, is Monta.uk Block, 
Chicago, ill.; American Hereford Herd Book, 
Charles Gudgell, Secretary.Indepcndnce, Mo.; 
Amerieau Galloway Herd-Book, L. P. Muir, 
Editor, independence, Mo.; American Aber¬ 
deen- Atigu i Herd Book, Charles Gudgell, Edi¬ 
tor, Independence, Mo.; Register of Red 
Polled Cattle, L. F. Ross, Iowa City, nml.f. C. 
Murray, Maquoketa, Iowa, compilers; Amer¬ 
ican Holstein-Friesiau Herd Book, Thomas B. 
Wales, Jr..; Editor, Iowa City, Iowa; Ameri¬ 
can Jersey Cattle Club Register, Thomas J. 
Hand, Editor, No. 1 Broadway, New York 
City; Amerieau Jersey Herd Register, O. B. 
Baldwin, Editor, Worcester, Mass.; American 
Devon Record, T. W. Reid, Secretary, Zanes¬ 
ville, Ohio; American Guernsey Cattle Club, 
E. Norton, Secretary, Farmington, Mass.; 
American Ayrshire Breeders’ Association, C. 
N. Winslow', Brandon, Vt. 
Horses. —Percberon Stud Book, S. D. 
Thompson, Wayne Ilk; National Draft 
Horse Register (Norman) G. T. Roney, Ed¬ 
itor, Bloomington, 111.; American Clydesdale 
Stud Book, Charles F. Mills, Editor, Spring- 
field, Ilk; American Shire Stud Book, Charles 
Burgess, Editor, Wenoua, III.; Clydesdale 
Horse Association, of Canada, Henry Wade, 
Secretary, Toronto, Canada; Cleveland 
Bay Breeders’ Association, P. Stericker, Sec¬ 
retary, Springfield, Ilk: Breeders’ Trotting 
Register. J. H. Sanders, Editor, Chicago, Ills; 
Wallace Trotting Register, J. H. Wallace, 
212 Broadway, New York; American Stud 
Book, S. D. Bruce, Editor, 30 Park Row', New 
York City. 
Swine. —Ohio Poland-China Record, Carl 
Freigau, Editor, Dayton,Ohio; American Po- 
land-Chinu Record, Juo. Gilmore. Vinton, 
Iowa; Central Poland-China Record, W, H. 
Morris, Editor, Indianapolis, Ind.; Northwest¬ 
ern Poland-China Record, J, O. Young, Edi¬ 
tor, Washington, Kan.; American Berkshire 
Record, Phil. M. Springer, Editor, Springfield, 
111.; American Duroc-Jersey Record, Cbas. S. 
Holmes, Editor, GrinneJl, Iowa; National 
Chester White Record, E. ft. Moody, Emi¬ 
nence,Ky; Record of Todd's Improved Chester 
Whites, Carl Freigau, Editor, Dayton, Ohio; 
Small Yorkshire Swine Register, G. W. Har¬ 
ris Editor, Box 3843, N. Y. City. 
Sheep. —American Shropshire Register, 
Mortimer Levering, La Fayette, Ind.; Amer¬ 
ican Cotswold Record, Geo. Harding, Editor, 
Waukesha, Wis.; American Oxford Down Rec¬ 
ord, T. W. W. Sumner, Editor, Spades, Ind.; 
American South-Down Record, S. E. Prather, 
Editor, Springfield, Ilk; Vermont Merino 
Sheep Breeders' Ass’ll, Albert. Chapman,Sec., 
Middleburg, Vt.; Ohio Spanish Merino Sheep 
Breeders’Ass’n, F. C. Stanley, See., Carding- 
ton, Ohio; Missouri Sheep Breeders’ Ass’n, 
H. V. Pugsloy, Sec., Plattsburg, Mo.; IT. S. 
Meriuo Sheep Breeders’ Ass'n, E. J. Hiatt, 
Sec., Chester Hill, Ohio. 
ffivm {Times. 
D 
BUCEPHALUS BROWN’S NOTIONS AND 
IDEAS. 
Loss of Manure.— Sir. J. B. Lawes tells us 
that after many years he gets back in grass 
crops but n very moderate percentage of the 
nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid he has 
applied to the land in stable manure. Yet 
the value of all manures is figured upon their 
full content of these substauces. If in 80 years 
we don’t average to get back more than a third 
Of w hat we figure values on, what is the figur¬ 
ing worth to a practical farmer? 
Yet it Pays. —Nevertheless every good 
farmer knows that, he can generally get back 
the cost of his purchased manure in his crops 
w'itli more or less profit, according to eireum- 
tauces. We apply, we will say, 20 tons of 
manure to an aero. This may average to hold 
10 pounds of organic nitrogen to the. ton.or 200 
pounds on the acre. Wc repeat this dressing 
annually for 10 years, putting on 200 tons, 
containing 2,ooo pounds of more or less avail¬ 
able nitrogen. Of this, Sir John says he gets 
back, with grass, only 14 per cent, or 280 
pounds, i. r. 28 pounds a year. Aud yet this 
is sufficient, with the natural resources of the 
soil, to give satisfactory crops. 
How with Fertilizers? It is important 
to know whether the plant food of coTbmereiul 
fertilizers is more available, on the whole, than 
that of dung. It may be that this has been 
worked out by Sir John, but if so the report is 
not accessible to me. A ton of Such a fertil¬ 
izer as is usually sold iu New' England for 840, 
rarely contains over 100 pounds of nitrogen, 
more or less available, according as it is there 
in bone, dried blood and meat, fish, or the ni¬ 
trogen salts. Few farmers, using the fertil¬ 
izer alone, on field crops, will apply over 500 
or 000 pounds to the acre, containing from 25 
to 30 pounds of nitrogen. (I am taking nitro¬ 
gen alone for the comparison, but the sumo 
rule applies to the potash and phosphoric acid.) 
If this is all available,anil is all actually needed 
by the crop the first season, then the supply of 
plant food in this dressing actually equals the 
the supply that can bo drawn from a dressing 
of 20 tons of stable manure. 
The Economies of the Case. —Twenty 
tons of manure will hardly any where cost the 
farmer less than $40 when spread upon the 
land. For that sum expended in fertilizers he 
can dress between three and four acres. In 
either case he may expect a good crop the first 
season, it will be said that, the manure will 
supply nutriment to succeeding crops. But, 
according to .Sir Jobn. it will only supply the 
same quantity of nitrogen annually, by re¬ 
peating annuully the same full dressing. 
The Nitrogen of Manure. —Analyses 
seem to prove that stable manure contains a 
large excess of nitrogen compared with com¬ 
plete commercial fertilizers as wegrt them. 
The effect on crops appears to show the 
same thing, heavy dressings of manure caus¬ 
ing small graius to lodge without, filling, and 
potatoes to rot or “run to vines.” On this 
ground I have thought it, preferable to use 
lighter dressings of dung, and harrow in phos- 
phatic and potash fertilizers, so as to reduce 
the nitrogen in the w'hole. The result has 
seemed to justify the theory. But if 20 tons 
of manure, uuuually, will furnish to the crop 
only as much nitrogen as is found iu 500 or 
(MM) pounds of standard fertilizer, this view of 
the matter would seem to lack foundation. 
The Other Elements.—I should be wrong 
to base a whole series of conclusions exclu¬ 
sively upon the case of nitrogen, since this is 
the most uncertain aud evasive of tho triad of 
essential elements iu artificial fertilization. 
But Sir John tolls us that, of the other two not 
one-third of the phosphoric acid, and less than 
one-half the potash, applied to his field iu 80 
years, have been recovered iu the crops. 
This being the case, how great is the actual 
cost of the really effective part of our man¬ 
ures! _ 
The Rock Phosphates.—A maker of bone 
fertilizers endeavors, in bis trade circular, to 
depreciate the value of the rock phosphates, lie 
declares that “insoluble phosphoric acid from 
Charleston rock is practicably of no value.’’ 
I take it that absolutely insoluble phosphoric 
acid from any source is “of no value.” But 
that is plainly not what he means to convey, 
for in afiotber line he says, “all farmers know 
the value of pure bone,” yet according to the 
agricultural chemists tho phosphoric acid of 
pure bone is “insoluble.” My own experience 
has seemed to show that of the two South 
Carolina “floats” is rather tho more soluble 
in tho water of the soil. But he also 
says that South Carolina rock “hasto l><’ very 
largely treated with strong sulphuric acid, to 
make it soluble,” while if this is done “it”—i. 
<>., the phosphoric add, I suppose, though 
grammatically the “it” as it stands in the sen 
tence refers to the sulphuric acid—“it, enters 
into chemical union with alumina, and iron 
and becomes useless.” But he fails to explain 
how it is that many of the fertilizers in which 
South Carolinu ruck Is used are reported in 
the station ana lyses to boas to their phosphoric 
acid, quite as soluble us the bone fertilizers. 
The Prick of Fertilizers.— I am glad to 
note a strong tendency among intelligent far¬ 
mers to buy fertilizers for cash, and among 
manufacturers to make liberal concessions to 
this class of buyers. An honest, high-grade 
fertilizer is as safe an investment as any far¬ 
mer can put his money into; and at the price 
at which it could be sold with a fair profit, for 
cash, it is a profitable investment for men who 
know how to use it. Let everything be done 
to bring seller aud buyer together on a 
cash basis. It is the only true way. 
CORRESPONDENTS’ VIEWS. 
“Blackbirds. ”—I want to find out wheth¬ 
er the Minnesota blackbird is a friend or foe. 
Does it destroy grain to any great extent? 
What do others think? 1 think it destroys 
more insects than grain. In this county a 
petition has been presented to the County 
Commissioners, asking that a bonus bo paid 
for killing blackbirds. I shall ho sorry if such 
u thing comes to pass. F. G. N. 
Howard Lake, Minn. 
R. N.-Y.—The “Minnesota” blackbird is 
probably the same which is known in New 
England as the red-winged blackbird, as this 
species extends all over North America from 
Nova Scotia to Mexico. It arrives in New 
York aud New England about April 1, and in 
Minnesota a little later. At that season it 
lives chiefly on insects and grubs; but later 
on youug and tender corn. Tho birds con¬ 
gregate in great numbers and in August when 
the young are ready to associate iu llocks 
they do considerable damage to corn. In the 
Northwestern States and Canada the name 
“ blackbird” is also given to the rusty grakle, 
belonging to the family of starlings, In habits 
the starlings resemble the smaller species of the 
crow family t o a great, extent, and their food 
consists of worms, snails, insects, seeds and 
fruit. They migrate 111 large flocks and often 
do some injury to crops. .Still the blackbirds 
of our Northern States are of great value to 
horticulture and especially so to general agri¬ 
culture. True, they do oat some grain, and 
are occasionally quite annoying in spring as 
they pull up the young corn for the kernels at 
the end. Still, they have eaten white grubs, 
wire worms and cut worms enough to pay for 
ten times the grain uud other crops they eat. 
After a close study of “blackbirds” we count 
them as among the excellent friends of the 
farm. 
A Victim of the “B.-A.” Swindle.—I am 
one of the many who were duped by the Brit¬ 
ish Claim Agency. It does not seem possible 
that such a miserable swindle could be perpe¬ 
trated. I am a cripple aud have been one for 
10 years. I cannot afford to lose the money I 
have sent to this concern. My father had 
wealthy relatives in Englaud, and as we are 
very poor aud tho advertisements seemed so 
plausible, aud we have not heard from our 
relatives for several years, we sent the money. 
Now, what we want to know is this: can we 
get any money back? We have onr registered 
receipts aud letters from the company to prove 
that we sent the money. .mbs. k. a. f. 
Oceana Co., Mich. 
R. N.-Y.—No, yon cannot get a cent back. 
These black-hearted rascals are too sharp to 
leave their stolen money where it can be cap¬ 
tured. None of it will overgo back to the 
senders. If it, lias not been spent already it is 
put away in some safe place. The rogues may 
be sent to prison, though it is by no menus 
sure that they will bo. But if tho “President” 
of this bogus “Agency” was a robber, who 
were his tools? llow did he reach the public? 
Are not the newspapers who pocketed his stolen 
money and placed the bait before the public, 
guilty? Of all the agricultural papers Unit 
published the advertisement we know of but 
one which has had the courage to admit the 
fact uud warn its readers. The others have 
pocketed the money and then sneaked away 
from an acknowledgment of their error. A 
few words from those who lost their money in 
this swindle sent to the publisher of the paper 
in which they saw the advertisement might 
help to purify its advertising columns in the 
future. No reader of the Rural should have 
been victimized by this fraud, for both on the 
editorial page and in the Eye-Opener’s depart¬ 
ment, wc repeatedly warned our friends 
against it, and proved the flimsy nature of its 
pretensions. 
The Special Premium Announcement in 
the Rural of March 12 surprises me. You 
offer so much for so little that it looks like 
some of the humbugs you have exposed so 
vigorously. If this gram drill is what you 
say it is, it is fairly giveu away for 25 sub 
eeribers. J- a. g. 
Smyth Co., Va. 
U. N.-Y.—The drill is, so far as we know,as 
good as any made by the manufacturing com¬ 
pany supplying it. Wo stated in tho an¬ 
nouncement, first, that we had but a limited 
number of drills, and, second, that we gave 
them at this low figure simply because we had 
no storage room for them, anil because we do 
not sell anything but the Rural. We stated 
that it will bo “first come first served;” that 
is, the first person sending us a club of 25 sub¬ 
scribers will get the first drill, the second the 
next., and so on until all the drills we have in 
stock are taken. The R N.-Y. never expects 
to make a single cent on any of its premiums. 
They are given to agents for just exactly what 
they cost us, in cash or advertising. A glance 
at our last year’s premium list will show that 
wc offer a value of from $t to *3 for each sub¬ 
scriber secured by our ageuts. So far as we 
can judge, the Rural gives to agents the most 
liberal terms of any paper in the country. 
Against Rum-selling. —I notice one thing 
that I like about the Crosby High-License 
Bill which proposes to largely increase the 
liquor license in New York and Brooklyn. 
Every rum-seller in the city opposes it. This 
fact alone would give it favor in my eyes. It 
seems to me nu evidence that they fear it, and 
an argument iu its favor. The respectable 
press of the city with singular unanimity 
favor this bill, as do a great majority of res¬ 
pectable citizens. They see tho danger into 
which New York with her thousands of sa¬ 
loons is drifting. The rum-sellers, dive-keep¬ 
ers and owners of gambling hells fight the 
measure. They don't want to pay $1,000 for 
conducting a cursed business which now costs 
them but f UK), If it were possible to shut up 
every rum hole iu the city and pour every 
drop of the damnable liquid into the harbor 
l would heartily favor such a plan. I never 
yet heard of any Prohibitionist, or any 100 of 
them, who were willing to undertake such a 
job. I welcome every measure that antago¬ 
nizes the rum shop. I believe it indicates the 
fact that public sentiment is slowly but surely 
rising to a point where the destruction of the 
liquor power will be possible. J. H. s. 
Orange Co., N. Y. 
One dollar never cost the farmers more than 
it does now. Eggs are exchanged for actual 
necessities. They arc too costly for our own 
tables. Many farmers are still paying inter¬ 
est with no money to spare for grape-vines or 
Russian apple trees. The Rubai, is doing a 
grand work for us. It tells us a remedy, but 
we HO sooner take a dose of the glorious medi¬ 
cine than some G. O. P. paper or lawyer comes 
along and administers an emetic or speech 
that destroys all effect. But there is hope. 
Keep right on. g. v. weeks. 
Walworth Co., Wis. 
Speaking of blowing out stumps with dy¬ 
namite, we have a man in this county who 
makes a business of doing such work. Last 
spring he threw out. for me, 40 rocks and some 
stumps in about two hours at a cost of $15. 
The work was very satisfactory indeed. 
Luzerne Co., Pa. u. k. birtch. 
R. N.-Y.—This plan is practical iu many lo¬ 
calities. It is a good one. Tho stumps are 
thrown out cheaply aud well, and the explo- 
sivesare used by a practiced hand,consequently 
the danger is greatly reduced. 
Va. Marl. —It is notgenerally known that 
we have extensive beds of marl in this coun¬ 
try along the rivers, easily handled. 1 have 
heard that New Jersey marl is hard to handle 
and mine. What we have here is firm and 
free from water. When exposed to the air 
for u few days it dries thoroughly uud can be 
readily screened—almost as fine as flour. It 
is rich in shell and occasional lumps of pet¬ 
rified shell and bone resembling the S. C. rock 
are found. When dug t hese shells crumble and 
pass through the screens. Shark’s teeth are 
very abundant. An almost inexhaustible 
store of fertility thus lies under our feet, only 
wuiting to bo developed. W. J. M. 
Fredericksburg, Va. 
The Marriage Insurance agent has been 
seen in this part of the land. Those who deal 
with him should look out. It is as bad a swin¬ 
dle as the Bohemian Oats. Give it no quar¬ 
ter. The Rural was right about tho dowry 
