•5ME25 
to cover almost the whole surface with their 
cast in a week of dry weather. 
Wo plow in manure, continues Dr. H., in 
the same journal, so as to give it a chance to 
rot, and to mix it all through the soil, know¬ 
ing by experience that this is best. Yet he 
prefers, on level land, to spread manure iu 
the fall aud plow in the spring; thus giving 
the rain and melting snow a chance first to 
soak all the soluble part into the laud before 
the insoluble parts are turned in to decay. He 
is well convinced from all liis experience and 
observation that Prof. Storer, in emphasizing 
this matter of intimate mixture of manures of 
all sorts with the soil, has struck perhaps the 
very most important of all notes in relation 
to plant feeding. It explains what other ex¬ 
planations have not very satisfactorily done, 
the wonderful advantage of repeated plowings 
and harrowings. Unquestionably a large 
part of this advantage is due to the better 
pulverization of the soil, but a larger part 
still must be accounted for otherwise, and no 
better reason can be imagined than that the 
foraging roots find food in every inch of this 
territory. It is exactly parallel to the differ¬ 
ence bet wecu a good pasture and a poor pas¬ 
ture for cattle. In a good pasture the cattle 
fill themselves quickly iu a small range, aud 
then lie down to masticate aud digest, without 
further expenditure of vital force. An ex¬ 
penditure of force, means a waste of substance, 
and a waste of substance necessitates a larger 
supply of nutriment, or a lessened growth. It 
is exactly so with plants. If they must ex¬ 
pend force uselessly iu penetrating hard soil, 
or in rumaging through barren soil to reach 
their feed, then by so much must their growth 
be lessened and retarded. 
Atwater on Olko.— Several quotations 
from Professor Atwater’s statements respect¬ 
ing oleomargarine, as published in the J une Cen¬ 
tury Magazine, do him injustice, The quota¬ 
tions are correct, certainly, but leave the im¬ 
pression that he favors the sale of oleomargar¬ 
ine as butter. Ho says that the difference in 
digestibility between butter and oleomargar¬ 
ine is at most too small to be of any consider¬ 
able cousequeuco for ordinary use. The nu¬ 
tritive values of the two are very nearly the 
same. In fulfilling one of the most important 
functions of food, that of supplying heat and 
muscular energy, butter and oleomargarine 
excel iu efficiency all, or nearly all, of our 
other common food materials; at least such is 
the outcome of the best experimental testi¬ 
mony. In appearance aud flavor the common 
kinds of oleomargarine resemble butter so 
closely that it is difficult even for au expert to 
distinguish between them. 
These butter substitutes are manufactured 
at very low cost, so that they can be sold at 
retail at about half the price of butter. They 
are, therefore, food products of large econo¬ 
mic importance and of great benefit to that 
large class of our population whose limited in¬ 
comes make good dairy butter a luxury, and, 
for that matter, to all who need to economize 
in their living expenses. 
Like many other manufactured food pro¬ 
ducts, continues Professor Atwater, oleomar¬ 
garine is likely to be rendered unwholesome 
by improper materials aud methods of manu¬ 
facture. Butter, likewise, is often improper¬ 
ly made aud is liable to become unwholesome. 
In the considerable mass of evidence which 
has come under bis observation, there is no in¬ 
dication that butter substitutes, as they are 
actually sold in our markets, average less 
wholesome or healthful or are in any way loss 
fit for human food than ordinary butter, 
though some observers in whose judgment he 
has confidence are inclined to think that on 
the whole the advantage as regards whole¬ 
someness is somewhat in favor of butter. 
Among the chemists who are recognized as 
authorities in these matters, both in this coun¬ 
try and iu Europe, there is very little differ¬ 
ence of opinion as to the value of oleomar¬ 
garine for food. 
There is, however, a populur prejudice 
against imitation butter which is very unfor¬ 
tunate, Prof. Atwater thiuks, especially for 
peoplo in moderate circumstances and for the 
poor, whom it is most calculated to benefit. 
The prejudice, which a new food material 
very naturally meets, is fostered, aud often 
conscientiously, by representatives of the 
dairy interest, which fears from imitation 
butter a damaging competition, though the 
most accurate statistics show it to be far loss 
serious than is generally believed. “ On the 
other hand,' 1 says Prof. Atwater, "the benefit 
which butter substitutes are calculated to 
bring is largely prevented, and an immense 
wrong is done bit the very general sale of the 
imitation under the guise and name and at 
the price of butter.'" 
In a number of States in which the dairy 
interests are large, the manufacture and sale 
of butter substitutes have been prohibited by 
legislative'aetion.^ In other States laws have 
THE RURAL fiEW-YORKER. 
been enacted to regulate their sale and prevent 
fraud. An attempt was made in Congress to 
check the manufacture and sale by taxation 
sufficient to bring their cost nearly up to that 
of butter. In the law as actually passed, 
however, the tax was very much reduced, so 
that while it maj help toward preventing im¬ 
proper sale of butter substitutes and, by oblig¬ 
ing sellers to pay high license fees, may con¬ 
siderably interfere with their general use, it 
will not be as effective in excluding them from 
the markets as was desired. 
This is a case where mechauical invention 
aided by science is enabled to furnish a cheap, 
wholesome and nutritious food for the people. 
“ Legislation to provide for official inspec¬ 
tion of this, as of other food products, and to 
insure that it should be sold for what it is 
and not for what it is not, is very desirable. 
Every reasonable measure to prevent fraud, 
here as elsewhere, ought to bo welcomed. 
But the attempt to curtail or suppress the 
production of a cheap and useful food mate¬ 
rial by law, lest the profits which a class, the 
producers of butter, have enjoyed from the 
manufacture of a costlier article ma} r be di¬ 
minished, is opposed to the interests of a large 
body of people, to tho spirit of our institu¬ 
tions, aud to tho plainest dictates of justice.” 
As Professor Atwater was writing the 
above, he received the report of the Dairy 
Commissioner of Connecticut and quotes from 
it the following : 
“Asa protection to consumers, the national 
law is a failure, and the present tax is too 
small to benefit our dairies to any appreciable 
extent.; a ten cent tax might, more nearly 
have accomplished what, the national law was 
intended to accomplish, but as matters now 
stand the national law is simply a source of 
revenue to the national government, and prac¬ 
tically levies a tax on poor people who can ill 
afford to bear it •’ 
According to the Agricultural Department 
blue-stone or sulphate of copper was more ef¬ 
fective in arresting mildew and grape rot than 
anything else experimented with. Here is the 
formula: 
Simple Solution op Sulphate of Copper. 
—Dissolve one pound of pure sulphate of cop¬ 
per in 25 gallons of water. Spray the vines 
with a convenient force-pump having a nozzle 
of fine aperture. Less lasting iu its effect than 
tho next, as it is easily washed off by rains. 
The Audoynaud process is as follows: 
Eau C&LESTK, Blub Water. —Dissolve one 
pound of sulphate of copper in three or four 
gallons of warm water; when completely dis. 
solved and the water has cooled, add one pint 
of commercial ammonia; then dilute to 22 
gallons. The concentrated liquid should be 
kept in a keg or some wooden vessel and 
diluted when required for use. Apply the 
same as iu the case of simple solutions. The 
effects obtained by this preparation have been 
equal to those resulting from the use of the 
Copper Mixture of Gironde given below and 
are said to be even more lasting 
Copper Mixture of Gironde, Bordeaux 
Mixture —Dissolve 10 pounds of sulphate of 
copper iu 22 gallons of water; in another ves¬ 
sel slake 30 pounds of lime iu six gallons of 
water. "When the latter mixture has cooled, 
it is slowly poured into tho copper solution, 
care being taken to mis the fluids thoroughly 
by constant stirring. It is well to’have thi* 
compound prepared some days before it is re¬ 
quired for use. It should be well stirred be¬ 
fore applying. Some have reduced the ingre¬ 
dients to two pounds of sulphate of copper and 
two pounds of lime to 22 gallons of water, and 
have obtained good results. Well-made pumps 
with specially constructed nozzles are required 
for the application of this compound, unless 
we resort to the tedious and wasteful method 
of using brooms or whLsps made of slender 
twigs, which are dipped into the compound 
and tbeu switched right and left so as to spray 
the foliage. Tho Vermorel apparatus, Com. 
Column says, including reservoir, pump and 
spraying nozzle, is well adapted for vine¬ 
yard uso, aud is specially constructed for ap¬ 
plying the various liquid preparations con¬ 
taining sulphate of copper. It is probable, 
Corn. Col man says that the Audoynaud pro¬ 
cess or the above copper mixture will be found 
equally serviceable in preventing potato blight 
aud rot. The price of sulphate of copper, 
pure, by the barrel is five to six cents per 
pound. __ 
A Plea for Our Birds.— A writer in the 
Fruit Grower says that the school - vacation 
season is here, and t.lie city aud some country 
boys, released from the restraints of school, 
delight in eoing u-gumiing through fields and 
pastures. He is sorry to sea that boys aud 
meu think it proper to kill and cripple useful 
birds. The cruelty of leaving the latter 
wounded and starving on the field, unable to 
get shade or water, is not an act to boast of, 
aud is condemned by all right-thinking peo¬ 
ple and in the sight of God. And how can 
any boy rob a useful bird’s nest when its 
mother pleads for mercy? To the writer it 
appears that of all inferior creatures Heaven 
seems to have intended birds as the most 
cheerful associates to the human family. It 
is an evident fact in this day that some birds 
are wholly indispeusable to the successful 
fruit-grower. 
Tree Planting and Forestry were dis¬ 
cussed at a meeting of the Massachusetts Hor¬ 
ticultural Society. It was stated that 100,000 
acres are chopped daily or au area equal to 
that of the State of New York iu a j r ear. 
This is an alarming view, and justifies the 
many urgent appeals to plant all poor, waste, 
hilly or rocky land with trees, even if wo 
leave the cherishing of spring waters out of 
the question. Pines seem to bo favorite trees 
for planting iu New England; the average ago 
at which they become tit to cut is given as 30 
yearn. Iu very bleak places or near the sea 
the Red Cedar is found to be tho best nurse 
tree, while valuable iu itself. Salix purpurea 
is also very enduring, and mokes good hoop- 
poles. On barren sand the ailanthus grows 
freely, is easily set, sprouts rapidly after cut¬ 
ting, and the wood is as strong and heavy as 
oak. The demand for soft woods for paper 
stock is bringing into prominent notice the 
lindens, poplars, tulip trees, and magnolias. 
Loans on Western Farms —Eastern 
money has been loaned at the West on farm 
mortgages during the last three years literally 
to the extent of millions of dollars. From in¬ 
quiries made by the Boston Journal, in Now 
Hampshire it appears that many depositors 
are withdrawing their funds from the local 
savings banks in order to place them in Kan¬ 
sas, Iowa and elsewhere, at the higher rates 
offered beyond the Mississippi The treasur¬ 
ers of the savings banks in Concord say that 
the withdrawals are larger than usual. One 
of them declares that during no spriug since 
his institution was organized have they been 
more frequent or in greater amount*. Tho 
New Hampshire savings banks themselves are 
exteusive lenders on real estates abroad. In¬ 
vestments of this description have been greatly 
promoted and strengthened, not to say occa¬ 
sioned, by the creation of the Western loan 
companies which have become so numerous of 
late. These concerns must be reckoned an 
important addition to the financial machinery 
of the day._ 
Native RaEEr of South America. —E. L. 
Baker, United States Consul at Buenos Ayres, 
in his monthly report to tho Department of 
State, treats iu great detail of the native sheep 
of the Argentine Republic aud the practica¬ 
bility of introducing them into this country. 
He describes tho larger sheep—the llama and 
alpacen, tho former of which attains tho bight 
of five feet—as being animals having many 
points in common with the camel. The al- 
pacca is the most valuable of the South Amer¬ 
ican sheep on account of its soft and abundant 
wool, its fleece frequently attaining u length of 
10 iuches. Of tho smaller varieties of sheep, 
the gunnaco and vicuna, the wool of the latter 
is the most silky aud is known and regarded 
as the most valuable iu the world, while that 
of tho former is found to be the best in the 
manufacture of hats aud umbrellas. The 
guanaeo runs wild and its fleece cau only be 
obtained by tho killing of the animal. Most 
of the animals killed are females, whose curi¬ 
osity leads them to approach the hunter. 
Consul Baker thinks that all these varieties 
could be domiciled with advantage in the 
desert portions of Texas, New-Mexico and 
Arizona. 
Gambling at Fairs.— At the last meeting 
of the Minnesota Horticultural Society Mr. 
O. C. Gregg had the following remarks on 
gambling at agricultural fairs. The State 
legislates against gambling in winter, but ex¬ 
pends its monoy iu autumn to sustain the 
places whore gambling schools are held The 
The State pays a bounty for wolf scalps; let 
it now go to raising wolves. Tho fair is now 
a bait that brings the farmer within the reach 
of the net of the sharper; he then is made food 
of by fakir sharks. Country folk, not worldly- 
wise, are easiest caught; for this reason the 
highest license is paid by fakirs for these fair¬ 
ground permits. These grounds so occupied 
by games are doubly dangerous, as respecta¬ 
bility, like a cloth, covers the hidden trap. 
Betting proposes to swap a useless opinion for 
another man’s money; a clear case of getting 
something for nothing. Betting is backing 
one’s opinion with scrip instead of sense; a 
bankrupt bead banking on the pocket. To 
“put up or shut up” is to close the mouth of 
the intelligent poor and open the mouth of the 
bawling rich. Wisdom is gagged and folly 
excited to foolishness. Gambling is the action 
of the child man, the vice of the savage, the 
foe of industry aud the prolific mother of dis¬ 
content. Gambling has no defender*; society 
shrinks from it, laws brand it, and its road 
leads to despair. Surely such a thing should 
not have any place in tho educational centers 
of a state, or anywhere else whatever. 
Treatment of Insane.— The Scientific 
American tells of the treatment given two vic¬ 
tims of insanity at Blackwell’S Island. Each 
possessed a special delusion, one to the effect 
that he was a cow, the other that.his head was 
an iron ball, and was to be rolled along the 
floor. They curried those beliefs into action, 
one striking bis head against the padded walls 
of his cell, the other rolling Ids head, ami of 
course his body with it, along the floor. Tho 
two patients were placed together, aud each 
was privately informed of the other’s weak¬ 
ness and warned to watch his companion to 
prevent him taking his own life. Thus each 
had a charge in the other. Their vigilance 
was unceasing. Each supposed himself per¬ 
fectly sane, and this belief was accompanied 
by considerable scorn for the other’s weakness 
of intellect and accompanying delusions. 
Gradually under the influence of this treat¬ 
ment the patients were observed to improve. 
To have their attention centered on definite 
duty and on objects external to themselves 
proved a tonic for their diseased minds, and 
gradually a complete cure was effected, aud 
and they received their discharges from the 
asylum. 
ExroRT of Apples.— The season for tho 
export of apples to England has closed, says 
the Boston Bulletin. The season of 1880-87 
lasted the usual length of 86 weeks and has 
been larger iu amount shipped than any sea¬ 
son excepting last year’s, since the season of 
1880-81. This year there have been shipments 
from the whole United States and Canada, of 
811.410 barrels, against 889,375 in 1885-86. 
Liverpool receives the mostapples from Amer¬ 
ica and Glasgow next. Boston has shipped 
241,038 barrels to Liverpool and 54,780 barrels 
to Glasgow. The average weekly shipment 
from Boston amounted to about 18,037 barrels 
and from New York to about 9,410 barrels. 
On the week euding the sixth of November, 
however, there were shipments of 34,353 bar¬ 
rels, which was the largest shipment of the 
season. 
Glanders in the West. —According to 
Montana advices, there are now not less than 
500 cases of glanders iu tho Territory, aud 
the wide spread of tho disease is due to 
an incompetent veterinary surgeon, who 
called the affection nasal gleet, aud allowed 
the matter to run until the hprses in many 
sections of the country were badly diseased. 
Through shipments from these infected dis¬ 
tricts the disease is liable to spread still fur¬ 
ther, aud the result may yet be more disas¬ 
trous tbau uow anticipated, 
FINALLY. 
For striped melon bug it is recommended 
that we add a tablespoonful of keroseue to 
about two quarts of plaster aud rub the mix¬ 
ture between tbe hands until the kerosene im¬ 
pregnates the mass. Rut this ou the leaves 
the same as we would use plaster, ashes or dry 
soil. 
During May it was noticed that our rose 
bushes (about 100) were attacked by red spider, 
tlirips aud tho “green fly” or aphis. Four 
tablespoonfuls of helleboro aud four of bu- 
hach were stirred into a paste, having added 
a sufficient, quantity of hot water, and this was 
stirred iuto six gallons of water and pumped 
through a hose aud cyclone nozzle. For tlirips 
and red spider it is useless to apply any insec¬ 
ticide that does not touch tho under sides of 
the leaves. The hose and nozzle enable one 
to spray underneath as well as ui>ou the 
leaves. The rose bushes have been free of tbe 
above pests since... 
T. B. Terry, in the Ohio Fanner says that 
he loses money when lie leaves the field and 
takes the pen... 
Let us repeat: take two tablespoonfuls of 
bubach or pure pyrethum powder uud moisten 
it with the same amount of hot water. Mix 
into a paste. Then stir this in two gallons of 
water and use' it to kill cabbage worms either 
through a watering pot or spraying bellows or 
spraying nozzlu. Woodasou’s or similar bel¬ 
lows should be used if the dry powder is to be 
blown upon the worms. 
Pinch out the axilary shoots of grape-vines: 
pinch off rampant shoots and the laterals also, 
wbeu too loug. Pinch off or cut off with a 
sickle, tho tips of young canes of raspberries 
and blackberries—those which will bear tho 
fruit next season... 
Are your paper bags ready for covering the 
bunches of grapes? This work pays well. 
Bujf when the berries arc the size of peas. 
Uncle Ekkk, in the Century Magazine, tells 
us that “Profuseness is not liberality, any 
more than niggardliness is economy;” that 
“No man ever got rid of a lie by telling it; ’ 
that “The man who can do four things fairly 
well will find four men who can do each one 
of tho four things better—aud thus his occu¬ 
pation is goue.”. 
The good mail and good farm oditor, A. 
