APRIL n 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
—then the straw does not lodge, and full 
grain crops are secured. As “man liveth not 
by bread aloue,” and yet bread is the staff of 
life, so stable manure alone will not produce 
the largest crops without the help of artificial 
fertilizers. 
But when a farmer has no manure at all 
scarcely, and his farm is so poor that it will 
not grow clover, then artificial fertilizers are 
the only resource, and they are so effective 
that, as in my own case, they soon put the 
farm in a condition to make a large quantity 
of manure, and relieve the farmer from sole 
dependence upon them. 
The people who were made victims of the 
infamous British Claim Agency should cer¬ 
tainly be entitled by law to recover damages 
from the publishers who were the means of 
misleading them by inserting the advertise¬ 
ment in their - journals. Certainly the pub¬ 
lishers of the newspapers are part.ioeps crim- 
inis, for these swindles could not be perpe¬ 
trated without their help. The responsibility 
of a newspaper should be equal to the influ¬ 
ence it exerts, and this view should be a guid¬ 
ing rule to all honest conductors of newspap¬ 
ers and journals. 
Mr. C. F. Lufgen (page 221) might have said 
much more in favor of the swivel plows. I 
have been using these plows for level land for 
25 years past. I am plowing my rolling hilly 
laud just now with one of these plows and 
find au easy way to get rid of the stones which 
abound, by putting them in the furrows and 
covering them at the return of the plow. 
They are so abundant in places that the furrow 
is filled quite closely with them, but they are 
all covered. For any extra large one the fur¬ 
row is deepened a little with a mattock. The 
land is to be seeded with grass for several years; 
hence the slight expense is of little moment as 
compared with the riddance of surface stones. 
By using the Acme, or the smoothing harrow, 
the stones are not disturbed. By using a well 
made, steel mold-board swivel plow, the draft 
is not at all too heavy for a light team. 
The Rural Experiment Farm has more to 
show in the way of useful results than any 
State station I know of. The fact mentioned 
on page 222,in regard to the large and perfect 
growth of cow-peas, is oue of these valuable 
results. Following this particular experiment, 
I grew cow-peas on my New Jersey farm and 
cut them foT a soiling crop for my cows. The 
herbage was much heavier than a good crop 
of clover; it came in good season, when green 
fodder was uot abundant, and the cows ate it 
with great avidity,making good butter from it. 
The cow-pea is a valuable crop to grow as far 
north as the latitude of *New York City and 
probably somewhat further. 
G. W, G., of Catonsville, Md., will find an 
easy way of spreading lime is to drop one 
bushel of the fresh lime every 23 feet apart 
each way. This makes exactly 40 bushels to 
the acre. One shower of rain slakes the lime 
into a fine powder, and with a long-handled 
shovel a man can spread the fine dust 16j^ feet 
every way from the heap with perfect ease on 
a still day. I have done it, and anybody else 
can. This makes everything sure and certain. 
This quantity of lime just whitens the land as 
a white frost or a little whiff of snow would; 
or just makes the lime visible. 
OOL. F, D. CURTIS. 
It is a very easy thing to make a male pig 
impotent. A little too much fat will do it, or 
a lack of exercise. Generally both go togeth¬ 
er, and the pig knows uo world except a close 
pen where it eats and sleeps with very little 
development of its stamina, and consequently 
of its procreative powers. Its organs de¬ 
pend very much on vigor and physical force 
and these qualities do not come from inertia, 
hut from an active and healthy life. The 
male pig, therefore, must have u chance to 
move about, to run, root, jump, and indulge 
in a full bodily development. 
When a proper place has been secured for it 
to grow in, the next thing to consider is the 
food. Variety is the thing. All corn, or all 
anything, is not the proper diet for any grow¬ 
ing animal, and most decidedly not for a male 
pig. Light food should exceed the heavy or 
rich foods. A chance to eat grass, and walk 
about on the ground is of the first importance. 
Tbis opportunity will supply the material to 
make bone and sinews, and exercise or 
stimulant to develop these important parts 
and to inuke them strong. W ithout good legs 
a mule pig is good for nothing. More bran 
than meal should be the rule. Milk is good, 
mixed with bran. Vegetables are valuable, 
and the growing pig should have some every 
day. Fat is not required, and is the last thing 
to be desired; in fact, it is never wanted iu a 
sire. As I have said before, fat is a poor 
father and a poor mother. While this is true) 
the muscles need uot be starved nor the tissues 
lacking in substance, or there will be weak¬ 
ness in the secretions which should be charged 
with a full vital force. The proper eonditiou 
is not a fa tone, but one undoubtedly thrifty. 
When an animal evinces that it lacks not in 
vigor, which may be apparent by its move¬ 
ments, by its coat, by its appetite, and by its 
ardor, then it is fit to be a sire. 
A more careful consideration of these things 
would reduce the number of weaklings bora 
to suffer or to die. The best way to improve 
ous growth. It is the same law which makes 
grade animals the best for fattening—they 
are the strongest. At the Fat Stock Shows 
the grades, or crossbreds, win. The older 
breeds have the advantage of more fixed 
types, and where the breeder has a special 
fancy for anything it can best be gratified in 
the well established breeds. There is a pleas¬ 
ure in doing something ourselves, hence many 
like to own and breed from the newer breeds. 
BUILDING FOR HOGS AND CORN. 
I am well pleased with the building shown 
at Figs. 182 and 183. It is 48x30 feet with 12- 
foot posts and one-third pitch roof. There 
is a drive-way 48x8 feet, with a corn-crib of 
the same size on one side; on the other are 
four pons, 12x14 feet, connected with each 
other and with the yards outside. The crib 
will bold 1,800 or 2,000 bushels of corn, and 
oue must use his own judgment as to the 
number of hogs. We have the best results, 
when fattening hogs, by shutting eight or 10 
in one pen, giving them the run of small yards 
outside. Over the pens wo have a space 14x48 
feet, which can be used for hay, straw grain, 
machinery, etc. The arraugemeut for load¬ 
ing hogs is shown at Fig. 183. A door, 2 1 , 1 x3*^' 
feet, is fitted at the side of the pen, fastened 
at the bottom with heavy hinges and at the 
top with hooks. There are also two side doors, 
hinged one on each side of the other door, 
with bottoms like an incliued plane, and with 
heavy staples in the lower corners. When 
loading, swing the side doors out from the 
seems a growing interest in this work, espe¬ 
cially as there are many more who grow a 
supply for family use than heretofore, and 
few who are once prevailed upon to do this 
are willing thereafter to forego the luxury of 
a bountiful Rtipply of these delicious ami 
wholesome fruits. 
Among the old standard varieties, or those 
which have been on trial long enough to have 
established a reputation, none has given more 
universal satisfaction than the 
Crescent.— Here, as everywhere, East or 
West, this has proved one of the most profit¬ 
able sorts ever grown, combining, as it does, 
hardiness and vigor of plant with immense 
productiveness. Besides being as early—or 
nearly so, at least.—to ripen as auy other kind, 
• it continues iu fruit on my grouuds almost ns 
late as the latest. As to quality of the fruit, 
I believe much depends on the soil and cul¬ 
ture—more, perhaps, with this sort than with 
most othere, at least 1 kuow from practical 
experience that good soil and high culture 
will greatly improve the quality. 
Crystal City, which by mauy has been so 
highly recommended ns an extra-early va¬ 
riety, I have tested, and though one may get 
a few nice berries from it very early, it is lit¬ 
tle in advance of the Crescent in season, and 
with me has yielded so sparingly ns to be en¬ 
tirely unsatisfactory after three or four years’ 
trial, and I have discarded it. 
Wilson still retains its place as a standard 
market sort, and ou account of its superior 
shipping qualities, it is among the most desir¬ 
able for a distant market. Though for home 
use wo have many better kinds, still wheu al¬ 
lowed to become fully ripe on the vines before 
picking, oue who is uot satisfied with its qual¬ 
ity is hard to please. 
Charles Downing is a grand old berry, 
and among other good qualities the fact that 
it does best in old beds is a strong point in its 
favor. 
Glendale also greatly pleases me, being 
remarkably healthy in growth of foliage, 
productive of large berries of fair quality su¬ 
perior, to my taste, to the Wilson, and like the 
Downing, doing better after the plantation is 
two or three years old than during the first 
bearing year, if given good care. 
Captain Jack on very rich soil and with 
high culture, is by me esteemed one of my 
best sorts, and last season it bore a considera¬ 
ble second crop, ripening iu October, and by 
covering a few of the vines with glass, I had 
several ripe berries on November l, at which 
time there were yet many green ones as well 
as numerous blossoms. 
Big Bob proved a big humbug, though 
somebody made some money out of it through 
big advertising. 
Sharpless, with me, has proved rather un¬ 
productive as compared with some other sorts; 
but it is quite popular generally in this locali¬ 
ty on aecouut of the large size and the good 
quality of the fruit. 
James Vick, grown in narrow rows on 
laud made immensely rich, and given good 
care, is productive, and the fruit is of good 
quality and attractive in appearance, though 
on poor soil the viues set so many berries that 
most of them are too small to bo of any value. 
Manchester of all sorts introduced during 
the last few years I believe to be, all things 
considered, one of the most desirable for our 
section, combining, as it does, hardiness of 
plant with great productiveness, and fruit of 
uniformly large size, which, though some¬ 
what acid, is almost universally conceded to 
be of good quality. It is certainly a great ac¬ 
quisition and has “come to stay.” 
Atlantic among the newer sorts has 
proved unproductive and lacking in vigor on 
my grounds after two seasons’ trial, and I 
shall discard it as unworthy of a place with 
me. 
Cornelia, planted at the same time, pleases 
me much better, bearing fairly well; fruit of 
very large size, having much the appearance 
and, to my taste, about the same flavor as the 
Manchester, and though two seasons’ fruiting 
is hardly enough on which to base a decision 
as to the real value of a new fruit, I shall 
retain it for further trial. 
Mrs. Gabfied, though bearing a few large 
berries, is neither vigorous nor productive; 
moreover, the fruit is quite soft aud insipid 
as grown on my grounds, and therefore it 
must go. 
Daniel Boone, though differing greatly 
from Cornelia in form and general appear¬ 
ance of plant aud fruit, promises to be of 
value, bearing well, berries large and of 
good quality, so far as tested in two seasons’ 
trial. 
JEWELL I nave had only on spring-set 
plants, but as the plants were very strong in 
growth, I allowed a few berries to mature, 
and am greatly pleased with its apparent 
vigor, aud the fine quality and appearance of 
the fruit. e. j. brownell. 
Delaware Co., N. Y. 
SPRINGFIELD AND DAVISON’S THORNLESS 
RASPBERRIES NOT IDENTICAL. 
In a lute Rural inquiry is made as to 
whether the Springfield black-cap Raspberry 
is the same as Davison’s Thornless. While wo 
have not had the latter for some years (it not 
being large or productive enough to be of val¬ 
ue with us), we ace planting aud growiug the 
Springfield as a valuable variety, tree from 
thorns, producing an abunduuce of fine, large 
fruit of good quality; a great improvement 
ou the old Davisou’s in all respects except ear- 
liuess. The Springfield originated 25 miles 
north of us, and, knowing its history as wedo, 
we have been disappointed in seeing the 
charge made that it is an old sort under a new 
name. While, like the Davison, it is free from 
Fig. 182. 
stock of any kind after they are bora, is to 
select types for mating, aud never should such 
selection be made from the feeble or the de¬ 
fective. Animals with constitutional weak¬ 
nesses or blemishes should not be used; nor 
those with objectionable blood. Blood will tell. 
Not more surely are the lifo currents carried 
along by it than are the taiuts, the poisons 
and the weaknesses of its progenitors. 
The male pig will, if he be a thoroughbred, 
stamp his own qualities on his offspring; 
heuee, if improvement is desired, too much 
care cannot be exercised in the selection. 
There is not so much difference in the breeds 
as many people would lead us to believe. 
The small breeds are all quite similar, aud au 
argument in favor of one kind will apply well 
to the others, except, perhaps, the fancy of 
color. In the larger breeds there is more dif¬ 
ference, as there is a difference in the color 
and also in the constitutional vigor. As a 
rule, the newer breeds of animals are the 
most desirable for physical stamiua and vigor- 
building; letdown the other door; backup 
the wagon or sled, and you are ready. The 
whole thing fits inside of a wagon-box. 
Buchanan Co., Iowa. h. s. fowler. 
STRAWBERRIES IN DELAWARE 
COUNTY, NEW YORK. 
SOME OF THE OLD AND NEWER SORTS. 
The progress of small fruit culture iu our 
section seems remarkably slow to oue who has 
seen the development of this industry in West¬ 
ern New York aud many other parts of the 
country during the past 15 or 20 years. While 
in many localities a field of less than oue to 
five acres would be considered a small patch 
of strawberries or rasplierries, there are in 
this whole county few plats of even half this 
size, and yet, as I am glad to see there 
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RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Fig. 183. 
