(Continued from page 257.) 
which makes a rampant growth in Maryland 
and Virginia, tried there? Here it yields 
more peas than any other sort, olten produc¬ 
ing (50 for one. It is also by far the best to 
turn under for green manuring. 
It. N.-Y,—The so-called “cow-peas" which 
we tried were sent to us under various names, 
such as Whippoorwill, Java, Conck Pea, Goat 
Pea, Poor-laud Pea, Blaek-eye Crowder, Little 
Lady Pea, Little Black, Three-crop Pea, Tory 
Pea, Early Favorite, Red Ripper, Goose Pea, 
etc. We cannot now state whether auy of 
the seed was “black with a white eye" or not. 
Some of the above named peas ripened in 
mid August, the Poor-laud Pea, for example. 
The vines were two feet in hight, spreading 
out four feet. The Conck Pea grew one foot 
in hight, spreading out 12 feet, covering the 
ground entirely. It did not bloom—and so 
they differed as fully described at the time. 
(Oct. 9,1880, page 070). 
Exaggerated Praise- —Professor Shelton 
wonders if the unsavory Bohemian oat swin¬ 
dle, or the demonstration made at the Rural 
New-Yorker experimental grounds—uud for 
that matter upon his own college grounds— 
that a half dozen of last year’s highly puffed 
novelties in oats were one and the same sort, 
and a very “ornary" sort at that, has been an 
eye-opener to farmers in general, and seeds¬ 
men in particular. In some of the catalogues, 
he says, a strong desire to “boom" new va¬ 
rieties of corn is mausfest, the display of 
fanciful cuts aud exaggerated statements 
rivaling in some cases the performance of last 
year with “Welcome" and other sorts of oats. 
He notices some worse than misleading state¬ 
ments auent certain grains and grasses, which 
are sure to make trouble for many innocent 
cultivators. For example, that in the North, 
—wholly worthless Johnson Grass. Sorghum 
halapense,—is lauded at great length iu several 
of the catalogues, one going so far as to pro¬ 
nounce it superior to most other cultivated spe¬ 
cies, aud worthy of general cultivation. About 
the best thing. Prof. (Shelton says, that can be 
said of this coarse glass is, that it kills out, 
almost completely, every winter in his section. 
It will be remembered that the R, N.-Y. sent 
this out in one of its seed distributions made 
three or four years ago. Over 20,000 packets 
were mailed from the Rural Office aud it has 
beeu tried everywhere iu the North. We 
were induced to make this distribution, first, 
from the fact that the roots, as we supposed, 
endured one winter at the Rural Ex. Grounds 
and, second, because the grass may be cut 
twice in a season. We are now in doubt 
whether the roots live through the winter, or 
whether the successive years’ growth does 
not spring from the seeds which fall aud, 
remaining iu the soil, sprout the next spring. 
Certain it is wo have had no reports from the 
thousands of trials which must have beeu 
made from the Rural seed that it is hardy in 
the Northern (States. 
ATrjfle “Too Previous.”— “This paper, 
less than tw r o months ago, was the first iu all 
the land to suggest that bonis should aud 
must go,” says the good Kansas City Live 
Stock Indicator, of March 24, and forthwith 
it claims no little glory in that half the agri¬ 
cultural papers it now sees “speak of 
the proposition as though they had beeu 
its life-long advocates.” How very, very 
oblivious some excellent people are of the 
merits of others, and how very mindful of 
their own! Over four years ago, the advant¬ 
ages of hornless cattle w ere discussed at length 
iu the Rural New-Yorker by '-Stockman" 
and others. It was strongly urged that, ow¬ 
ing to their great prepotency, polled bulls 
should be employed to cross on all horned 
cows, with a view to the production of horn¬ 
less progeny; add as the change to be wrought 
by this means must necessarily be very slow, 
the expediency of dehorning cattle, or, better 
still, of destroying the nascent horns on calves, 
was dwelt upon at length. Ever since, the 
the subject has beeu frequently discussed iu 
the Rural aud in other papers, many of 
which quoted from our columns. In the issue 
of May 29, last year, we gave a length}' account 
of polled cattle, in connection with the fine 
polled head of Lady Fulton, and were very 
emphatic in our recommendation of hornless 
beasts, expatiating at considerable length on 
the evils arising from the possession of horns 
aud on the advantages of their absence, 
(since then, this question of “horns or no 
horns” has been very freely discussed in our 
pages, both in the text and pictorially. Iu 
the Rural of August 14th last, for instance, 
we forcibly illustrated our view of the matter 
in two very expressive cuts, “ Horns,” and 
“No Horns,” and Brother Coburn, Editor of 
the Live Stock Indicator, spoke very appre¬ 
ciatively of the merits of the two pictures. 
“Twomonths ago" from March 24th, w r ould be 
about December 24th. It will therefore be seen 
that whatever glory there may be in the early 
advocacy of dehorning cattle, the Rural’s 
claim to it is a loug way ahead of that of the 
lively, piquant, excellent, but iu this case 
oblivious Live (stock Indicator. 
France against Fraud in Oleo. —What¬ 
ever excuse the makers and dealers of bogus 
butter may make for their opposition to 
State and National law's regulat.iug its sale, 
the real ground of their hostility lies iu the de¬ 
sire that its sale should be ent irely unrestricted 
—as free as when at the outset they secured it 
a foothold iu domestic economy by passing it 
off as genuine butter. All countries, how¬ 
ever, seem resolved to put an end to this dis¬ 
honest practice, and the rigid nature of the 
laws they find it necessary to pass amply 
shows the great difficulty they find iu compell¬ 
ing the “oloo” meu to deal honestly. Accord¬ 
ing to recent law's in France, it is illegal to 
sell, import or export margarine, oleomarga¬ 
rine, or any other mixture of fat. or oil under 
the name of butter, whatever may be the 
quantity of these substances that may be mix¬ 
ed with it. The penalty for a violation of the 
law is from £10 to £750, aud from six days’ to 
as many months’ imprisonment. All fraudu¬ 
lent mixtures of butter and fat which are 
prohibited are liable to confiscation. The 
court is empowered to publish particulars of 
the fraud aud of the punishment inflicted in 
the newspapers, public markets, or places 
wffiere the fraud was committed, or upon the 
doors of the house or shop of the delinquent, 
at his expense. A person convicted a second 
time will in all cases receive the extreme pen¬ 
alty. Every seller of imitation butter or 
mixture of butter, is buuud to inform the 
buyer of the nature of the compoun ’, and 
have the casing or wrapping paper printed 
with the words, “margarine” or ‘'oleomarga¬ 
rine" iu plain characters. All articles for 
holding these fats must have these words 
burned in by manufacturers and wholesale 
dealers. The same words are to be used upon 
all invoices and bills, between buyer aud sel¬ 
ler, aud the same terms must also be used by 
carriers, under heavy penalties. 
A contrast. —B. F. Johnson favors us with 
a slijj which compares the programmes of the 
graduating exercises at the Iowa ami Illinois 
land-grant colleges for the year 1880, which 
show that in the former agriculture is not 
neglected, while iu the latter it is not consid¬ 
ered at all. Here is the low r a programme: 
“1. Agriculture, its Development as an In¬ 
dustry; 2. The Growth of Ancient Religious; 
3. An American Coach Horse; 4. The Growth 
aud Culmination of Government; 5. Tuuuel- 
ing in Soft Material; <5. The Horse’s Foot and 
its Diseases; 7. Test of Hardiness iu Fruit 
Trees; 8. A Pratt Truss Bridge; 9. Structural 
Steel; 10. Street Pavements." 
Here is the Uliuois programme: 
‘•1. The Uses of Mystery; 2. Mind Moulds 
Material; 3. Influeuceof Goethe; 4. Construc¬ 
tion of Science; 5. The Impelling Forces of 
Civilization; 0. The Power of Public Opinion; 
7. Human Responsibility; 8, Development 
of Mind in Democracy; 9. Relation Between 
the Industries and the State;. 10. Mahommed- 
istn; 11. Personal Liberty; 12. Judgment and 
Revelation." 
Reformation in Nomenclature. -In Agri¬ 
cultural Science, an article by Professor 
Bailey,of the Michigau Agricultural Coliege, 
gives good, sound reasons why the late reform 
iu the nomenclature of pomological varieties 
should be carried to all cultural varieties. 
This confusion, he says, owes its origin to an 
aping of botanical methods. There is no rea¬ 
son why Latin adjectives should be applied 
to cultural varieties, while there are several 
reasons to the contrary. "We need to distin¬ 
guish between uutural and artificial varieties. 
The former should be designated by Latin ad¬ 
jectives, the latter by English. For instance, 
Juniperus (Sabina var. proeumbens is a nat ur- 
al variety. Juniperus Sabina vur. variegata 
is a cultural form, yet the names do not des¬ 
ignate the fact. 
Again, vve have lots of such catalogue names 
as Petunia liybridu grandiflora fimbriata 
flore pleno. This might better be expressed in 
English as the “Large”-flow r ered, fimbriated 
double Petunia, which as Professor Bailey 
says, anwsors every purpose of the Latin jar¬ 
gon while it is more intelligible and does not 
mislead. No such plants exist as Petunia 
grandiflora and P. hybrida. These names are 
untrue. The very trinity of excellence iu the 
binomiul system—accuracy, perspicuity, ele¬ 
gance—falls by this methods into confusion 
and repulsiveness. * 
For similar reasons the Agricultural Bot- 
auy proposed by the indefatigable Director 
of tfielfew York Experiment (Station has lit 
tie to commend it. We do not see any advau- | 
tage that can follow an agricultural nomencla¬ 
ture which proposes to substitute Latiu for 
Euglish names, such, e, as Zea everta, Z. 
indurata, Z. indentata, Z. amylacea, Z. sach- 
charata, Z. amylea*aceharata, for Pop, Flint, 
Dent, Soft, Sweet Corn, etc. 
Village Improvement.—A writer iu the 
Century Magazine remarks that iu regard 
to the planting of trees iu village streets much 
might be said. This is, probably, one of the 
first things thought of aud undertaken by Vil¬ 
lage Improvement Societies. This is well. 
And perhaps it may be said that every tree 
thus planted is a positive gain both iu regard 
to appearance and comfort. But there is often 
so little care taken in planting trees or iu 
their subsequent management, that we get 
many sickly'and imperfect specimens where 
we should have noble and stately growths. 
Here it is emphatically true that what is 
worth doing at all is worth doing w ell. Then 
w r e make the mistake of limiting ourselves to a 
very' few species of trees, when we have au 
almost countless variety from which to choose. 
No other country is so rich in the variety ami 
beauty of its trees as ours. Yet wo have re¬ 
stricted ourselves in street-planting for tho 
most part to the elms and maples. Why 
should we not make use of the ash, the birches 
the beech, the basswood or linden, the locust, 
the chestnut, the hickory, the sycamore, the 
magnificent tulip tree, the cypress, the larch, 
with the cedars, and other evergreens, not to 
speak of the mauy other trees, by a wise se¬ 
lection from which we may secure endlessly 
varied effects of foi’m aud color? asks the 
writer in the Century. 
The general view taken above is good 
enough, but we should never mention the 
birch, locust, sycamore, cypress, larch, cedar, 
as suitable for tho purpose. 
Value of American White Oak.— If our 
wasteful laud-flayers and ax-men could hear 
or see what is thought abroad of our white 
oaks, perhaps they would be more inclined to 
spare them. Much as is said and sung about 
British White Oak, the Garden places the 
American White Oak quite above it both as to 
free growth of the tree aud its value for tim¬ 
ber, and says, after enumerating a great 
many of its special adaptations, that it is due 
to this wood that the American coach wheels, 
shafts, implement handles, etc., are so much 
lighter and neater than the English, the wmod 
being so mueb tougher and twice as durable. 
It is what enables the Americans to surpass 
the English in carriage and steamboat build¬ 
ing. This was well show r n by American mak¬ 
ers at the lute Edinburgh Forestry Exhibition. 
The value of the tree has been loug known 
abroad. Loudon says that thousands of pounds 
have beeu spent iu Great Britain in vain 
efforts to import its acorns and grow' them. 
It is lamentable to see how the young trees 
are w ickedly wasted from our woods as soon 
as they become fit for hoops. 
Doesn’t Want a Secretary of Agri¬ 
culture. —Professor Shelton, of the Kansas 
Agricultural College, is uot in favor of raising 
the Commissioner of Agriculture to the dig¬ 
nity of a cabinet official, “flow the appoint¬ 
ment of a politician every t hree or four years 
to a seat iu the President’s Cabinet can help 
agriculture has neveryet been, and we ven¬ 
ture to say never will be, clearly shown," ex¬ 
claims he in the College Industrialist, He 
is quite well aware t hat the Government per¬ 
forms a useful and legitimate function in col¬ 
lecting statistics, and in encouraging ex¬ 
perimental and educational undertakings, 
but he is confident that the agriculturist 
may w'eil pray to be let alone by statesmen of 
every grade and political complexion. A live, 
progressive agriculture is impossible except 
where there are intelligent, industrious fann¬ 
ers; and such farmers are nob likely to be 
helped, even in their feeliugs, by having a 
boss at Washington. 
FULL AS A TICK. 
President Barry deems a poor pear worse 
than a poor apple... ... 
Editor J. J. Thomas of the Albany Culti¬ 
vator, gives a number of rules to be observed 
in laying out and pluuting ornamental 
grounds... 
Set off ground for no more ornamental 
planting than can be well performed aud well 
taken care of. 
Avoid laying out too many w'alks; one or 
two, neatly kept, are better than many in a 
state of neglect. 
Parallel walks should be avoided, or, if ne¬ 
cessary, they should be hid from each other 
by plantings... 
Let every wulk lead to some special point 
or object, as a seat or a summer house, uud 
uot “end nowhere”..... 
Great advantage may be taken of undula¬ 
tions fo* increasing the beauty and variety 
of the place, and a great deal be thus compris¬ 
ed within a moderate extent. 
A simple plan, well executed, is far better 
than a complex one under neglect. 
Barns and outbuildings symmetrically 
built, even of rough materials, may present a 
good appearance if partly or slightly hid with 
trees, aud give the impression of a complete 
farm home....‘ 
In setting young grape-vines, a writer in the* 
good Farm Journal cuts back to two buds and 
lets the uew growth run on the ground for 
the first season. He has never succeeded m 
getting a good healthy growth w hen he has 
attempted to train the new canes. Our ex¬ 
perience differs from that of the F. J. corres¬ 
pondent. We think it best to give support to 
the new shoot from the start. Whether it be 
the uew growth of the grape or auy other 
vine, it can scarcely bo benefited by being 
twisted aud beaten about by every wind. 
Major Brooks reminds us that the exces¬ 
sive bearing of fruit trees lessens tho future 
crops more than it increases the current crop. 
Wm. Francis Bennett, The Bride and 
American Beauty are now being offered at 23 
cents each.... 
A whiter in the London Garden lEuglaud) 
says that American blackberries are quite a 
failure with him. They cannot be induced to 
make any growth either with or without ma¬ 
nure. The only sort that, makes any growth 
worth notice is tho Parsley-leaved kind, but, 
he says, it cannot be compared with the na¬ 
tive bramble. We believe, however, that the 
Parsley-leaved is a variety of the European 
blackberry, Rubus fruticosus. 
The Popular Science News says that the ad¬ 
vertising quack doctor will have a hundred 
patients w'hero the skillful,scientific pli}sician 
will have one. Aud at the word of some blat¬ 
ant demagogue, thousands of hard-workiug 
men will stop their employment and trans¬ 
form themselves iuto enemies ol’ public order. 
Life has been described, says the above 
journal, as “a disease exceedingly contagious 
and invariably fatal”.. . 
A celebrated doctor of Germauy is treat¬ 
ing diphtheria very successfully by the appli¬ 
cation of a red-hot platinum wire to the mem¬ 
branes. It causes very little pain aud the 
cauterized sores are totally sterilized. The 
fever disappears and the membranes do not 
re-form. This doctor, and he is supported by 
others, believ es that this uew mode of treating 
diphtheria will reduce the number of fatal 
eases to a minimum it the patients are treated 
in the propermanner and without loss of time. 
It is well that farmers should understand 
that the use of plaster iu stables is economical. 
Prof. S. W. Johnson explains itsimply iu this 
way: Carbonate of ammonia is volatile at or¬ 
dinary temperatures. The strong ammo niac- 
al odor of stables aud urinals is due to it. 
Now, if we use plaster, which is sulphate of 
lime, in stables or on manure piles, sulphate 
of ammonia aud carbonate of lime are formed. 
But sulphate of ammonia is not volatile. An¬ 
other advantage of using plaster iu stables is 
that the air which the animal breathes is 
sw'eeter and purer ... 
The almost entire exclusion of the great 
w ealth of hardy plants from American gar¬ 
dens m favor of a few, hardly a score, of ten¬ 
der ones, lias so impoverished them of all 
real beauty as to make them monotonous aud 
uninteresting iu the extreme, says Mr. B. A. 
Elliott. The great advantage of gardening 
with hardy plants, not considering then- 
greater beauty, is that every dollar spent for 
them is u permanent investment, undone that 
will greatly increase in value every year, and 
if but half the money spent annually for ten¬ 
der plants were invested in hardy ones, our 
gardens in a few years would fairly overflow 
with floral beauty. Arranged with some 
judgment at first, the hardy garden might iu 
a great meusure lie left to take rare of itself; 
time would add to its attractions, aud the 
happy owner might go away foryears aud 
find it beautiful on bis return. 
Professor Shelton, of the Kansas Farm 
College, amazes us. Speaking of “horns” or 
“no horns” he does not understand why the 
reforming brethren stop at horns; why uot 
lop from their dumb charges tails and ears, 
which are certainly expensive superfluities. 
And, besides, the tail is really dangerous, in¬ 
flicting greater misery (as every milkman 
knows) upon the human race. Prof. S. is con¬ 
fident, than tho horns have yet beeu cap¬ 
able of. Why, Professor Shelton! Isn’t tho 
tail a very, very valuable whisker-off of 
files, the greatest torment of cattle iu hot 
weather! And the ears!—aren’t (hey very, 
very valuable collectors of sound. 
During tho past three years the farm 
teachers of the Kansas Agricultural College 
have been trying to procure a first-class feed- 
mill, and duriug this time have used no less 
thuu seven different mills, selecting these no 
