THE RURAL HEW-VORKER 
tain the hiberuating eggs may be gathered 
and burned. This work may be so easily done 
that there is no excuse for the increase of this 
species. From the natural history facts given, 
it is clear that they begin their work as soon 
as the leaves are fairy developed, and arseni¬ 
cal mixtures properly sprayed on the trees 
about the middle of May, and repeated once 
or twice at intervals of a fortnight later in 
the season, will prove an effectual protection 
to trees of all kinds. This can be done at 
small expense, and will prove the salvation of 
the trees. That the thorough spraying of our 
Arbor-vibe did not kill or harm the worms, 
is due, we must assume, to the fact that it 
was deferred too loug (August 7) and that 
they were in a period of their lives when they 
do not eat. 
Noth:. —Since writing the above, the writer 
finds that other Arbor-vitee trees in the vi¬ 
cinity of the Rural Grounds are also infested 
with this Bag-worm. We are now gathering 
all the worms by hand—a tedious work. 
A CHEAP AND CONVENIENT LITTLE 
GREENHOUSE. 
FRED. GRUNDY. 
For growing very early vegetables and cab¬ 
bage and sweet potato plants on a small scale, 
the little greenhouse shown at Fig. 336 cau 
hardly be excelled. It is a cheap affair, sim¬ 
ple in construction, and admirably adapted to 
the wants of the live farmer, who desires to 
enjoy green delicacies earlier than they can be 
grown in the open ground, and who wishes to 
avoid the trouble and labor of makiug common 
hot-beds every spring. 
It is regarded as indispensable by its 
owner, a farmer living in the western part of 
this State. The manner of its construction is 
plainly shown in the sketch. It runs east aud 
west, and has a southern exposure. It is eight 
feet wide and is long, contains a single bench 
under the glass 48 inches wide, a back bench 
22 inches wide, aud an alley 20 inches wide. 
The bight from the floor of the alley to the ties 
is 5* ,j feet. The posts are oak or cedar, set in 
the ground, as shown. The topi are sawed off 
evenly and a 2x4 plate is spiked on, upon 
which the ends of the 2 x I rafters rest. The 
sash are common 3x(J feet, and their outer 
edges rest ou the rafters, which are placed 
three feet apart. Without these rafters to rest 
on, the sash is almost Certain to sag more or 
less. The roof is common boards covered with 
double-thick rooliug felt, or rubber roofing. 
The back, front and ends are common boards 
covered with heavy felt aud weather-boarded. 
The front bench is six inches deep, and its 
floor rests ou 2x4 cross-pieces. The back 
bench is solid earth, and on it are grown rhu¬ 
barb, asparagus, etc. The alley is boarded up 
to the top of the benches The entrance is 
through a little 6 x 8 foot building, erected at 
the west end, and not shown in the sketch. It 
serves as a wind-break at that end, and as a 
place for necessary tools used in the house. 
Under the front bench is an open space where 
pots anil dormant plants may be kept, celery 
blanched, etc. If desired, the house may be 
heated, during cold spells, by excavating a 
pit iu the entry building, puttiug in a grate 
and laying a Ouo of drain-tile under the front 
bench, connecting with a chimney of the same 
material at the opposite end. 
The owner of the ouo from which the sketch 
was made, almost buries it in straw every 
autumn, and be grows lettuce, asparagus and 
rhubarb nil winter, and has nice turnip rad¬ 
ishes for his table before seed can be sown in 
the open ground. lie keeps frost out during 
severo weather with a two-burner oil-stove, 
placed in a shoot-iron case aud set in the ally. 
As the house is tight, the air inside is easily 
kept above freezing point, even when the 
weather outside is near zero. A two gallon 
tin can, rest ing on iron bars across the top of 
the stove-ease aud filled with water, keeps 
the air sufficiently moist. 
From the middle of January to the middle 
of April, or until farm work begins, theowner 
spends about one-third of his time iu it, pot¬ 
ting his jdauts aud observing their growth. 
His lettuce comes on the table crisp and tender, 
and as white as well blanched celery. Aspar¬ 
agus and rhubarb grow luxuriantly on his 
back bench, and the celery he blanches under 
the front bench is simply delicious. In sum- 
nier the house is used by the ladies for grow¬ 
ing cucumbers, rooting flowering plants, 
drying fruit, etc. The soil on the bench is 
thoroughly worked over and partly renewed, 
and fresh clumps of asparagus aud rhubarb 
are set In the back bench early in the fall of 
each year. 
Such a house as this is within the reach of 
every farmer who owns his farm. It costs 
ut little, is easily managed, much more satis¬ 
factory than hot-beds, while it may be made 
a source of much pleasure, aud some profit. 
Christian Co., Ill. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(Every query must lie accompanied by the name 
and address <>t the writer to Insure attention. Before 
nakln« a question, please see IT It Is not answered 111 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions oil u separate piece of paper.] 
THE TASSELS AND SILK OF CORN. 
R. S., Provincetonm, Mass .—What is the 
tassel of corn ? Is it the top of the stalk which 
contains the pollen, or is it the silk on the 
ears i Would there be any corn if the top of 
the stalk was cut off before it bad shed its 
pollen. Does it make the ears grow larger to 
cut the top down close to them after it has 
shed its pollen 1 Is the coru rendered less 
sweet by cutting the stalk off down close to 
the ears ? 
Ans. —The tassels are the male flowers 
which terminate the stalk. They bear the 
pollen which, when ripe, drops upon the 
“ silk” of the sets or embryo ears below, or is 
blown to the silk; of other plants. The silk 
consists of many silk-like threads one of which 
goes to each ovary or.embryo kernel of corn. 
These threads are the pistils or female organs 
of the plant and comprise the germ or ovary 
(kernel), a long stile, (silk) eudiag in n divided 
stigma which will be seen to be clothed with 
minute hairs. The pollen grains from the 
“ tassel ” fall upon the stigmas and commence 
to grow, as it were, until, through the silk, 
they reach and impregnate the ovule of the 
ovary (kernel). Now, unless each stigma re¬ 
cer in the navy or marine corps, or any en¬ 
listed man, however employed, in the military 
or naval service of the United States, or in its 
marine corps, whether regularly mustered or 
not, disabled by reason of any wound or in¬ 
jury received, or disease contracted, while in 
the service of the United States and in the 
line of duty. 
Second. Any master serving on a gunhoat 
or any pilot, engineer, sailor, or other person 
not regularly mustered, serving upon any 
gunboat or war-vessel of the United States, 
disabled by any wound or injury received, or 
otherwise incapacitated, while in the line of 
duty, for procuring his subsistence by manuaj 
labor. 
Third. Any person not. an enlisted soldier 
in the army, serving for the time being as a 
member of the militia of any State, under 
orders of an officer of the United States, or 
who volunteered for the time being to serve 
with any regularly organized military or 
naval force of the United States, or who 
otherwise volunteered and rendered service 
in any engagement with rebels or Indians, 
disabled in consequence of wound or injury 
received in the line of duty iu such temporary 
service. But no claim of a State militiaman, 
or non-enlisted person, on account of dis¬ 
ability from wounds or injury received in 
battle with rebels or Indians, while temporar¬ 
ily rendering service, shall be valid unless 
prosecuted to a successful issue prior to the 
fourth of July, 1874. 
Fourth. Any acting assistant or contract 
surgeons disabled by any wound or injury re¬ 
ceived or disease contracted in the line of 
duty while actually performing the duties of 
assistant surgeou or actiug assistant sur¬ 
geon with any military force iu the field, 
or in transitu, or in hospital. 
Fifth. Any provost-mursbal, deputy pro¬ 
vost-marshal, or enrolling-officer disabled, by 
reason of any wound or injury, received in 
the discharge of his duty, to procure a subsist¬ 
ence by manual labor. 
GREENHOUSE 
ceives pollen the kernel to which the silk leads 
will not develop, aud we shall find that there 
will be no kernel upon the cob. It we cover 
the set or embryo ear with paper, so excluding 
all pollen from the silk when it appears we 
shall have no grain. If we should cut off the 
stigmas of half the silks lief ore they have re¬ 
ceived pollen, half of the cob would have no 
corn. It would not be a difficult thing to 
destroy a certain number of silks and to fore¬ 
tell just how many kernels would be missing 
in the matured ear. 
Our friend will see, then, that if a single 
corn plant were grown far away from any 
Other corn plant and its tassel were destroyed 
before shedding any pollen, the plant 
could not possibly produce a single kernel of 
coru. The same thing often occurs without 
the interference of man. If, when the pollen 
is ripe, a continuous strong wind occurs, the 
pollen is blown away from the plant and the 
silk and ovaries must perish. 
It is our belief that if the tassel bo cut off 
as soou as it begins to grow the ears will 
be the larger for it. Of course such emascu¬ 
lated plants must receive pollen from other 
plants not beheaded. But we should never 
cut off the plants ‘'close to the ears,” because 
the leaves arc essential to the production of 
the grain, which is just as much the fruit of 
the corn plant as the apple is the fruit of an 
apple tree. We do not know what effect such 
treatment would have upon the quality or 
“sweetness” of the coru. 
PERSONS ENTITLED TO PENSIONS. 
IF. H. E., Bans ford, Canada .—My father 
served in the War of the Rebellion, and my 
friends say lam entitled to a pension. Will 
you tell us who can claim pensions i 
Ans. —Section 4,(523 of the Revised Statues 
gives the following list of those who are en¬ 
titled to government bounty : 
First. Any officer of the army, including 
regulars, volunteers, and militia, or any offi¬ 
If any person embraced within these pro¬ 
visions has died since March 4, 1861, or here¬ 
after dies by reason of any wouud, injury or 
disease, which would have entitled him to an 
invalid pension had he been disabled, his 
widow, or if there be uo widow, or in case of 
her death, without payment to her of any 
part of the {tension, his child or children, under 
16 years of age, shall be eutitled to receive the 
same pension as the husbaud or father would 
have beeu entitled to had he been totally dis¬ 
abled, to commence from the death of the hus¬ 
band or father, to continue to the widow dur¬ 
ing her widowhood, aud to his child or children 
until they severally attain the age of 16 years, 
and no longer; and, if the widow remarry, the 
child or children shall be entitled from the 
date of remarriage. 
In the administration of the pension laws, 
children born before the marriage of their 
parents, if acknowledged by the father before 
or after the marriage, shall be deemed legiti¬ 
mate. 
The remarriage of auy widow, dependent 
mother or sister, entitled to pensiou, shall not 
bar her right to such pensiou to the date of 
her remarriage, whether an application there¬ 
for was filed before or after such marriage; 
but ou the remarriage of any widow, depen¬ 
dent mother, or dependent sister, having a 
pension, such pension shall cease. 
OIL-MEAL AND CORN AS FEED. 
E. D. K., Burlington, Kan .—What weight 
of shelled corn is a tou of old-process oil-meal 
equivalent to* I have.a large number of 
Merino sheep to wiuter aud have only prairie 
hay aud corn-fodder, part of the latter with 
the nubbins on, and part tasseled and full- 
grown without having made auy shoots. The 
oil-meal cau be kud down at 821 per tou, aud 
1 have thought that a light feed of it in con¬ 
nection with all the hay and fodder they will 
eat would winter them in fair condition. If 
I could learn the cost of an equivalent amount 
of meal, I could determine how much to pay 
for corn. 
ANSWERED BY HENRY STEWART. 
Linseed meal—old process—consists of the 
following substances that are digestible; viz 
Albuminoids 
27.6 
per 
cent. 
Carbohydrates 
27.0 
77 
11 
Fat 
10.6 
M 
11 
Corn contains 
Albuminoids 
8.4 
» 
11 
Carbohydrates 
60.6 
11 
11 
Fat 
4.S 
n 
11 
As fat is estimated at 2V£ times the value of 
carbohydrates (the reason for this will be ex¬ 
plained in the next article on feeding sub¬ 
stances and feeding) the carbohydrates to¬ 
gether with the fat in the linseed meal are 
equivalent to 53)4 per cent., while in the corn 
they would be 72.4 per cent, the excess being 
12 per cent, in favor of the corn, while the ex¬ 
cess of albuminoids is 12 per cent, in favor of 
the linseed meal. Corn-fodder is exceedingly 
deficient iu albuminoids, containing only 1.1 
per cent, against 37 per cent, of carbohy¬ 
drates, heuee the linseed meal would be a 
considerably more valuable food than corn, 
both on account of the excess of albuminoids 
and the beneficial result of this excess upon 
the digestion of the corn-fodder and the coarse 
hay. A fair estimate as to the money value 
of the two substances would be 25 percent, 
more for the linseed meal than for the corn. 
J. Ti., Onoontct , N. Y .—The grass sent for 
name is Crab Grass—Panicum sanguinale. 
It is an annual grass aud easily exterminated 
by not allowing it to mature seeds. It grows 
rapidly during the hottest months. It makes 
good hay, but has few leaves at the base, and 
forms a poor sward. All grass-eating animals 
are fond of it. 
DISCUSSION. 
BERMUDA GRASS. 
A. A. Crozier, Dep't Ag ; l, Washington, 
D. C.—Iu the Ritral’s editorial of August 13 
it was mistaken iu supposing that I recom¬ 
mended Bermuda Grass for cultivation north 
of Washington, It is certainly, however, 
practically hardy in Washington aud vicinity. 
Dr. Vasev, Botauist of the Department of 
Agriculture, who has known it here for fif¬ 
teen years, states that it will stand any num¬ 
ber of winters. It withstood the unusual 
severity of last winter wherever tdere was a 
continuous sod, only the exposed runners 
living killed back, and it seems to be gradually 
spreading in this vicinity. One of the most 
vigorous patches 1 have seen is situated high 
up on the south face of an exposed bluff some 
20 feet high. The grass now occurs iu all 
quarters of this city ami on many of the sur¬ 
rounding farms. There is necessarily much 
difference of opinion as to how far north it is 
of value, and I have attempted to have it bet¬ 
ter known mainly that growers might judge for 
themselves. I have thought it worthy of 
more atteution in Virginia for summer pas¬ 
ture, as it is at its best when Blue Grass aud 
clover fail. Farther north its growth is too 
small to be of much value, though iu places it 
withstands the winters as far north as Michi¬ 
gan, where Dr. Beal states that it “more than 
holds its own.” The Rural's is the first seri¬ 
ous objection that I have heard to Bermuda 
as a law® grass on account of its habit of 
growth. It is largely used for that purpose in 
the South, and 1 daily pass a lawn chiefly 
composed of this grass, where it forms a close 
uniform turf and does not throw up its strag¬ 
gling runners as where left to itself. 
J. B., Chicago, III.—In the article headed 
“Public Dairy Contests,” iu the Rural of 
i Aug. 20th, the paper says, “The Jerseymen 
yvould evidently wish to confine the test to 
butter alone, paying less regard to the skim- 
milk or calves.” This the Jerseymen will not 
admit. Niue out of 10 of them raise their 
calves on skim-milk and make as good use of 
it as the Holstein men do of theirs, but the 
Jerseymen would have very good aud suffi¬ 
cient reasons for refusing to accept the 
Rural’s proposition of estimating the value 
of the skim-milk at so much per pound. They 
might justly claim that would be paying too 
much for water. If the skim-milk is t.o count 
as a factor in such tests, then a much more 
equitable way would be to ascertain the actual 
amount of solids it contaius aud give credit 
accordingly, eliminating the water entirely. 
Comm exic .itions Received for the Week Ending 
September 3,1SS7. 
O. P. B.-J. P.-A. L. C.-F. L, D.-J. B. M.-J. W. G.— 
T. H. Y-, thanks.—S E.—S. C. L.—E. P.—E. B T.—J. F. 
—H. A. \V.—E. D.-S. P. & L.—T, D. C— C. W.—D. R. D. 
—E. S. G.—C. E. 1\, thanks.—G. E. C —T. H. Y,—T.H.H 
J. J. M -J. 11. a.-R. V; thanks.—H., s.-L. H. S.-i. p. 
S.-F. E. H - .1. B. L.-A.G. B.-T.V. M.-A. A. C . thauks. 
II. H.—S. E.-S. B. U. II. W. H.-G. H. \V—H. A. T.-J. 
B.. grapes received. S. H. Sims, grapes received—Styer 
Bru’s, grapes received. P. H. J.—J. R.—J. W. A.—W. 
M. It.—J. T. SI., thanks -T. H. H.—T. B. A.- L. L. C.—J. 
R.-H. V.-J. W. A.-J. H. W.-J. E. B.—W. H. B.-P. J. 
B„ thanks.-O. A. E. S.—A. B. A.—F. B. M.—B. S. W.-J. 
W. S.-M. B. P., thanks-L. A. R. 
