Apples, pears and cherries failures. Grapes 
in good condition. h. k. 
Canfield, Blackhawk Co.—The weather 
very dry. Corn looks good. Oats nearly a 
failure—the poorest crop for the last five 
years. Rye a total failure. Potatoes a light 
crop. Roots and garden vegetables all dried 
up. Apples none. No Timothy or clover. 
Pastures all dried up. A little hay iu the 
slews. Hay is the poorest crop for the last 20 
years. But little corn, unless we get rain. 
a. c. v. 
Davenpoet, Scott Co.—Hay is not a quar¬ 
ter of the usual crop ; pastures on the upland 
are as dry as in winter ; barley, oats and 
spring wheat half crops; potatoes (early 
varieties) half crop * late, will not amount 
to much unless we get abundant rain soon. 
Orchard fruits, prospect of less than half a 
crop. Corn promises a full crop ; grapes au 
average crop ; clover a failure. E. sr. 
Ogden, Boone Co.—On au average, crops are 
in a better shape than for seven or eight years 
except hay which is almost a failure, it won't 
make one-third of a ton per acre. It is soall over 
the State. Corn is ahead of any year for the last 
25 ; oats are about an average crop and it bus 
taken the place of wheat, so there is consid¬ 
erably more grain than there used to be. Wbeat 
never did make a good crop in this county 
and what little there is will make from eight 
to 10 bushels per acre. Flax is looking very 
weJl since the June rains set in. Wild hay is 
doing finely. Garden crops are late on account 
of the drought in the spring. S. T. s. 
Kaniaa. 
Independence, Montgomery Co.—The out¬ 
look for corn is the best for four years; acre¬ 
age above an average. It is in silk and well 
cultivated. Wheat thrashing is in progress; 
area about 18,000 acres; mostly on river bot¬ 
toms; turning out frou 25 to 15 bushels pei¬ 
ne re; berry plump and sound. Oats almost a 
failure. Rye good: acreage small. Potatoes, 
root crops and garden vegetables, extra good. 
Orchard fruits, half a crop. Hay, pasl-ure 
grass and clover, good. All kinds of stock 
are healthy and doing well. Hogs, scarce; 
worth four cents in this market. Corn, 35 
cents; new wheat, 55 cents. Some little dam¬ 
age by chinch bugs. b. m. 
Parkkrsvillr, Morris Co.—Corn is looking 
much better tbau it did at, this date last year. 
Wheat is a total failure on account of the dry 
weather lost fall and this spring. Early oats 
are looking very well, and one or two more 
rains will make a good average crop. Potatoes 
are looking very line: there is a much greater 
area planted than for some years. Vegetables 
of all kinds are looking fine. Fruit iu general 
is light. The prospect for a good crop of lmy 
is very good, and stock is doing finely on pas¬ 
tures. j, s. 
Parsons, Labette Co.—We are now beyond 
midsummer and Kansas, generally, never bad 
a finer crop prospect. Corn is “immense.” I 
should suppose that nine-teuths of the cultivat¬ 
ed laud is in corn. It is now just beginning 
to tassel, and with a rain of four inches on 
June 24 it will go through to earing, when, if 
we get another soaking, we cannot fail to get, 
not only the biggest crop we ever had. but we 
shall surpass Illinois and Iowa. Wheat is 
much better than in the two last seasons. 
Oats are a full average. Grass is good. Po¬ 
tatoes will likely be unusually good. Apples 
not over half a crop. j. b. 
Walnut, Crawford Co.—'The spring and 
summer of 1887 so far have been very favor¬ 
able for nearly all kinds of vegetat ion. Plenty 
of ram, but no floods or destructive storms. 
Wheat, is all harvested and ou bottomland, 
where it was manured, it is a fair crop. Mauy 
fields on the upland have been nearly ruined 
by chinch bugs, and adjacent corn fields have 
been greatly damaged. A large urea of oats 
was sown, und the crop is a medium oue. 
Some fields were injured by chinch bugs. 
More corn lias been planted than ever before 
and it could not look better. Some fields are 
iu tassel and the outlook is very promising. 
Castor-oil beans are au important crop here, 
and are now looking fine. Apples will be a 
light crop. Grapes promise well, but other 
small fruits made a small yield. Grass is tiue, 
and stock cf all kinds are doing well. h. g. 
Kentucky. 
Greenville, Muhlenberg Co.—The outlook 
for crops, as compared with an average for the 
last five years, is as follows: Corn area, 110; 
condition, IK.); wheat area, 85; condition, 95; 
oat area, !>0; condition, 100. Potatoes, gar¬ 
den vegetables, orchard fruits about au aver¬ 
age. Hay and pasture grass up to uu average. 
The worst catch of clover for five years. To¬ 
bacco will bo 50 jier cent, of au average. A 
few farmers raise rye crops but are not very 
successful. Since Mureh wo have had the 
most fuvorable season for plauting aud culti¬ 
vating crops we have had for five years. 
D. B. s. 
Henderson, Henderson Co.—Crops in Hen¬ 
derson and Union Counties are above an aver¬ 
age for the last five years. Wheat and oats 
are very fine. Wheat is harvested in good 
order. Oats are now being cut. Corn is 
looking well, but wanting rain. If we get 
timely rain a good crop may be expected. 
Early potatoes about average; garden vegeta¬ 
bles good; grass and clover very good, Timo¬ 
thy about au average. Tobacco only about 
half a crop because of low prices, and dry 
weather. Apples, peaches and cherries, good 
crops. d. s. B. 
Owensboro, Daviess Co.—Wheat fully up 
to the average; all harvested in good condi¬ 
tion. Buyers are offering 60 cents per bushel. 
A large crop of corn is planted and looking 
well. More oats were sown than usual and 
the crop promises to be the best for years* 
Early potato crop light—not up to the aver¬ 
age. Owiug to low prices and scarcity of 
plants at transplanting time, not more than 
one-tbird of a crop of tobacco was planted, 
and should the present drought continue 10 
days more very little of what is planted will 
grow. Grass is generally very good. Apples 
are almost an entire failure, peaches a good 
crop. _ j. H. H. 
Louisiana. 
Benton. Bossie Parish.—The corn crop is 
perhaps 20 per cent, better than an average. 
Cotton is somewhat better, but late. No rain 
to bring it up until May 3, Oats are not an 
average; cut ofT by the,drought in March and 
April. Private gardens are ouly tolerably 
good. Apples and peaches are not an average; 
some killed by the frosts. No crops are raised 
here of any consequence but cotton, corn and 
oats, and not enough corn and oats to supply 
home demand. D. w. 
Maryland. 
Catonsville, Baltimore Co.—Wheat about 
usual breadth sown, but mostly put in late. 
Much winter-killed and stand thin iu conse¬ 
quence. Yield will be light. Hay better 
tliau last year in quality, being freer from 
weeds; yield a full average. The weather 
has been favorable for oats where it was 
sown eaily. Potatoes look well and arc not 
overrun with weeds as last year. About the 
usual corn area planted and it looks well so 
far, ‘ OfT’ year for apples. Peaches unin¬ 
jured by cold, but have dropped off somewhat 
after having set fruit. The weather has been 
good for nearly all growing crops, but the 
rains damaged Orchard Grass hay, which is 
almost a matter of course. A. c. C. 
MnxMuelniHetts. 
Belchertown, Hampshire Co.—The areas 
of the different crops vary but little from year 
to year iu this neighborhood. Corn is late 
but is doing well ; potatoes came up poorly, 
coming on slowly ; oats au average ; rye. 
winter-killed, below average ; apples promise: 
a large crop ; hay, average. E. R. 
Leominster, Worcester Co.—The areas and 
outlook for potatoes, garden vegetables, hay 
and pasture grass are above the average. 
W. E. A. 
West Springfield, Hampden County.— 
The crop prospect m this part of the State is 
about the same as for several years past, al¬ 
though the dry weather iu May put back some 
crops and a good many of the seeds did not 
germinate. The cut-worm aud maggot have 
done u good deal of damage. Some pieces of 
onions and cabbages are about ruined. This 
is quite a place for vegetables, aud some of 
them are looking very slim. There is a good 
crop of berries, but the price is low. There is 
u good show tor fruits of all kinds. Most of 
the farmers si'll their milk, as there is good 
market for almost all kinds of farm produce. 
Eggs are worth 18 to 20 cents; butter, 20 to 
25. _ s. J. s. 
Michigan. 
Alpena, Alpena Co.—Wheat, corn, pota¬ 
toes aud oats good ou high land. Grass im¬ 
mense. Garden truck good. Apples, pears 
and plums look good. This is a new county 
not rightly developed yet. C. H. h. 
Concord, Jackson Co.—The area of wheat 
is much more than in 1886, but the crop is 
ouly two-thirds us large, lusects are cutting 
down mauy pieces very much. Corn is a 
pretty average crop. Oats very good. Pota¬ 
toes uu ordinary crop, if the bugs don’t des¬ 
troy them. Garden vegetables looking very 
well. Fruits of all kinds a failure; our large 
orchards will not afford more apples than for 
house use. Cherries none to speak of. Peaches 
will be plenty. Hay aud pasture grass very 
good, especially clover aud Timothy. Natural 
meadows light. Harvesting is just commenc¬ 
ing. Ilay is coming iu very fine, without 
much vain. s. o. e. 
Covert, Van Buren Co.—With 100 as the 
maximum for areas, wheat is 75; potatoes, 
100; corn, 80; oats, 00; rye, 50; garden vege¬ 
tables, 00; grass 80 (including clover). Corn, 
wheat, grass, fruits of all binds, especially 
peaches, looking fine. H. M. m. 
Detroit, Wayne Co. —Grass a full average. 
Oats good. Many lots of potatoes poor ; some 
medium to good, and other garden vegetables 
mostly good except perhaps onions aud early 
cabbages, which have suffered from maggots 
at the roots. e. m. b. 
Lapeer, Lapeer Co.--Tbe areas of corn, 
oats and potatoes are rather larger than an 
average and all promise more than an average 
yield. The area of wheat is nearly an average 
and the condition of the crop is better than an 
average. Hay about an average, and pasture 
more than usually abundant. Small fruits 
are unusually abundant, and apples less than 
half a crop. All crops are about ten days in 
advance of the usual stage at this season. 
R. l. t. 
South Bergen, Van Bureu Co.—Coni and 
oats an average. Wheat a decrease of 10 per 
cent. Hay an increased acreage of 25 per 
ceut. with average yield. Potatoes an aver¬ 
age. We are in the midst of the peach belt, 
aud by peaches we live and move and have 
our being. The area under peaches is largely 
increased with prospect of an immense crop. 
_ d. w. H. 
Minnesota. 
Le Sueur, Le Sueur Co.—Less wheat was 
sown thau usual; prospects fair. Oat outlook 
fine. Barley prospects poor. Corn never 
looked better. Potato outlook fine, but bugs 
bad. Very poor hay and fruit prospects. 
Weather very hot—has been 98 degrees in the 
shade. e. w. d. 
Missouri. 
Bethany, Harrison Co.—Corn never looked 
better at this time of year. Acreage about as 
usual. Wheat good; straw and heads short 
owing to drought; grain large and plump; 
acreage larger than usual. Oats injured by 
drought; straw and heads short: berries very 
plump, two-thirds crop; acreage larger than 
usual; rye, straw and heads short, berry 
plump, one-half to two-thirds c-op, acreage 
about as usual; potatoes very fine, acreage 
larger than usual; garden vegetables extra 
fine. Hardly any orchard fruits owing to 
drought; hay late and not more than oue-half 
crop; pastures renewed by rains, and stock 
doing well. m. c. L. 
Bonanza, Caldwell Co.—Fixing the area 
and the average of crops for the past five years 
at 100, the following shows the condition of 
crops thus yi ar: Corn, area. 100; prospect, 125; 
wheat, area, 100; prospect, 100; oats, area, 
100; prospect, 90; rye, area, 100; prospect, 
90; potatoes, area, 100; prospect, 100. Root 
crops are very little in this line, except as gar¬ 
den vegetables, of which there is a litt.e more 
than an average. Small fraits almost an en¬ 
tire failure. We will have a very few peaches 
where there are any—trees the first for five 
years. The trees were mostly killed by the 
three cold winters prior to last. Hay area, 
105; prospect, 80; pasture area, 110; prospect, 
SO; apple area, 100; prospect, 60. Clover 
seed but little raised; about an average. 
Sugar-caue or sorghum, area, 100; prospect, 
100. To sum up, the prospect is now that we 
will have a larger crop of corn thau we have 
had for 11 years, and taking the wheat, oats, 
rye and grass into consideration, the outlook 
is very encouraging for farmers in this coun¬ 
ty. A few are losing their hogs by cholera. 
8. e. s. 
Summerville, Texas Co,—Corn every¬ 
where looking well with a prospect of good 
returns. Wheat all cut and will he a good 
average. Oats fair, iu some places only half a 
crop. Potatoes are doing well and promise a 
large yield. There is a large increase m area 
this year, both in corn and wheat. Few tame 
pastures, but wild grass is abundant aud stock 
of all kinds ure in excellent condition. Peach 
trees are loaded with fruit; so are the apple 
trees. Cherries have been iu abundance. 
_ W. M. c. 
Montana. 
Cottonwood, Fergus Co.—Principal crops 
are oats and potatoes. Wneat is raised only 
enough for homo consumption, Early-sown 
crops are fully up to the average for five 
years, which is as loug as this valley has been 
settled. Later-sown crops ore beginning to 
need irrigation, but we have prospects of a 
good water season. A good deal of Timothy 
sown this spring; grass the best in four 
years. G. w. m. 
Nebraska. 
Broken Bow, Custer Co.—It is very dry 
here. Small grains look well, and a large 
area has been sown. Corn looking well. Po¬ 
tatoes are being cut short by the drought. 
Land is being brought into cultivation very 
fast. j. c. 
Crete, Saline Co.—The outlook for crops in 
this section is about as follows: Com, 110 per 
cent, of an average; wheat, 75, and being 
steadily decreased because of the ravages of 
the chinch bug; oats, 120; rye, 110; barley, 
100; potatoes, 100; grapes, 125: apples, 100. 
Tame grass, area increased by 25 per cent.; 
average quality. Wild grass, 90 per cent, of 
average stand on ground. Millet, area 100, 
bu f being cut short by chinch bugs. Season 
as a whole, too dry. t. l. 
Girard, Saline Co.—Acreage of wheat, 
small; crop poor. Com and oats, largely 
planted; prospect good. Potatoes looking 
well; no bugs. Orchard fruits very light; 
Prairie grass and clover splendid. Timothy 
badly winter-killed. Very few acres of flax 
sown: prospect good. Chinch bugs doing 
much damage to wheat and oats. w a. 
Homer, Dakota Co.—Wheat and oats are 
looking well and if it bad nob been for dry 
weather early in the season would have given 
us large yields. Rye is looking well and is 
nearly ready to harvest. Corn is splendid 
and gives promise of oue of the largest yields 
we have ever bad. Potatoes are immenseand 
so are the bugs. Grass, hoth tame and wild, 
is looking well and with rain will give us a 
good crop. Acreage of all crops is larger 
than in any previous year on account of new 
land being constantly broken up. Gardens 
are looking fair. 
Plum Creek, Dawson Co.—The area culti¬ 
vated in this county is 50 per cent above that 
for the last five years. Wheat good ; oats 
ten per cent, below. Corn ten to 15 above. 
Barley and rye an average. Potatoes good 
average. Root crops an average Garden 
vegetables good. All other crops about an 
average. B. s. a. 
Steele City, Jefferson Co.—Fall grain and 
corn are six to 10 days in advance of the usual 
season. Wheat that promised well has been 
damaged 50 per ceut. by chinch bugs; and 
unless we have the best of weather corn will 
be much hurt. The area and outlook of our 
crops are as follows: Corn, area 110, outlook- 
100; wheat, area 100, outlook 50; oats, area 
100, outlook 90; rye. area 90, outlook 90; Bax, 
area 110, outlook 100; potatoes, area 100, out¬ 
look 110; tame gras-, area 100, outlook 50; 
wild grass, outlook 100; root crops, condition 
100: vegetables, 80; barley, 50; fruits 50. 
While you are fighting the potato bugs in the 
East we have scarcely enough to start a col¬ 
lection in natural history. C. W. L. 
New Jersey. 
Rahway, Union Co.—Corn, fair prospect; 
wheat excellent; oats und rye good; potatoes 
extra; root crops below average; garden veg¬ 
etables good; orchard fruits not promising; 
hay aud pasture not up to average on ac¬ 
count of a dry May. w. H. M. 
(Continued on page 694.) 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address cl the writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking n question, please see If It Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
oue lime. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
CONSTRUCTION OF SILO.S. 
E. .4. L., Buffalo, la .—Does freezing injure 
the contents of a silo i Is frost injurious ? 
What is the best way to protect against frost 
when the silo is partly above ground ? 
ANSWERED BV JOHN GOULD. 
The contents of a silo do not freeze, at least 
I have never known of such a "case. 
When silage is filled iu slowly and heat devel¬ 
oped with each newadditiouof fodder, it cools 
off ouly iu part as the silage rarely falls below 
80°, where it remains at a uuiform tempera¬ 
ture. A mass of 50 to 100 tons of silage at 808 
is its own protection from freezing. 
Sometimes in cold countries, like Vermont 
and Wisconsin, owing to the lung-continued 
assaults of cold weather the frost will “go 
through” the walls of masonry aud freeze an 
inch or two—sometimes four inches—of the 
silage along the exposed surface ; but it thaws 
out readily causing no loss, for there are no 
rains to wash out the food elements, as when 
frosted com fodder is exposed to drenching 
rains. 
As stone walls are conductors of frost it is 
better where wiuters are loug and severe to 
put iu au inside lining of wood so as to form 
an air-space of a couple of iuches between it and 
the walls of tnasoury. It is for this very rea¬ 
son that wooden silos have become so popular. 
Walls of boards and a thickness of building 
paper are sate uou-conduetors of frost, and 
preserve the silage better thau stone. The 
warm silage against the walls of stone con¬ 
denses the “ frost ” and often a considerable 
amount of silage is^injured^agaiustjhe walls, 
