610 
SEPT \7 
in good, healthy, growing condition. Give a 
restricted laxative diet; grass, eoru-fodder, 
roots, wheat, bran mashes, ground linseed, 
etc., are all excellent. If necessary, keep the 
bowels open with small doses of aloes. 
BURNING STUBBLE. 
13. B., Crawford svit I e, 2nd.—I have 
been advised by a neighbor to burn the wheat 
stubble to increase the next crop of wheat, or 
at least to do so on a strip as an experiment. 
Now I am opposed to burning anything that 
can be plowed under. Admitting that the 
next crop would be increased by buring over 
the ground, would I not lose in the long run ? 
It seems to me the humus of the soil is in¬ 
creased by the continual rotting of stubble 
and roots, while the constant burning of 
these would have a tendency to make the 
ground more like hard-pan. I have observed 
that if manure, straw, or trash of any kiud is 
plowed under on ground so hard that one can 
hardly keep the plow in, the ground will in 
time become loose and friable. 
Ans. — tn the Rural's opinion our friend is 
wholly right. We gain nothing by burning 
the stubble except, perhaps, a readier solu¬ 
bility of the potash and phosphate contained 
in the stubble. On the other hand, the nitro¬ 
gen is lost. 
POOR-CONDITIONED HORSE. 
C. P. 13., Stafford. N. Y. —1. My six-year- 
old horse is out of condition. He eats well, 
but blotches appear on or under his skin, 
especially under the collar, and galls are easily 
produced. He is also troubled with scratches 
and his sheath is sometimes swollen. How 
should he be treated ? 
ANSWERED BT DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
1. Give five drams of Barbadoes aloes twice 
daily, one-half ounce each powdered gentian, 
niter and carbonate of soda, Tf there ismuch 
itching of the skin wash once or twice daily 
with strong soap-suds or carbonate of soda, 
one dram in each pint of water. The animal 
should be thoroughly groomed to keep the 
skin clean; the stable kept clean, dry and 
airy; the diet restricted and laxative. 2 . 
Soften and remove the scabs with warm cas- 
tilo soap-suds. Then apply benzoated oxide 
of zinc. When the skin becomes clean apply 
vaseline or an ointment of spermaceti and 
almond oil. 3. See that the sheath is kept 
clean. For occasional slight swellings apply 
cold water. In cleaning the sheath great 
care should be taken not’to injure the parts. 
CARE OF CIONS CUT IN FALL. 
F. S. IF., Sweetwater , Iowa .—How shall I 
take care of jiear and apple cions if cut this 
fall so that they will grow in the spring ? 
Ans. —In the North cions cut in the fall are 
best preserved by tying them in bundles, care¬ 
fully labeled, aud packing them firmly in 
green sawdust, just a-s it comes from the wet 
log. This is just wet enough to keep them 
fresh, and yet not too wet, so as to cause 
them to mold or rot. But as far South as 
Tennessee, when it is necessary to cut them 
in advance of the time when they are to be 
used, they could be well preserved by burying 
them in the earth in a spot where water will 
not get to them. To beep them accessible in 
freezing weather, the place where they are 
buried should be covered with a sufficient 
depth of straw. Where sawdust cannot be 
had we find that clear sphagnum moss, de¬ 
prived of all the water which can be removed 
by strong pressure, makes a good packing 
material. Sand and earth are used, but they 
make the cions gritty, thus dulling the knife 
ingrafting. Cions placed in a box, whether in 
sawdust or moss, should be closely covered 
and kept in a cool place to prevent drying 
out. 
THE HIGHEST TIDE. 
C. W. B., Millcreek, Pa .—Does the tide rise 
anywhere to a hight of 75 feet t Does it 
reach that hight at Truro, Nova Scotia, 
Canada ? 
Ans.—T he highest tido in any part of the 
world occurs in the Bay of Fundy, a deep in¬ 
let of the Atlantic separating the Canadian 
Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. 
The tide here begins to rise unusually high at 
the mouth of the Bay, between the south¬ 
western end of the pen insula of Nova Scotia and 
Maine, and continues to rise higher and higher 
as it advances up the contracting bay, at the 
upper end of which it attains the greatest 
hight. The upper part brauckes into two 
inlets. That on the west runs 30 miles to the 
north, between New Brunswick and Nova 
Scotia, and is known os Chigneeto Bay ; that 
more to the south is called Mines Channel and 
opens into Mines Basin in Nova Scotia. Truro 
is at the head or eastern end of this Basin. 
The usual rise of the tide in the Basin is about 
45 feet, while in the upper part of Chignecto 
Bay it rises to a bight of GO feet or over. 
Spring tides are probably from eight to 11 
feet higher in both places. When a heavy 
storm from the south drives up the waters 
during a spring tide, it may reach a hight of 
75 feet at Hopewell at^tko kead^of„Ckigneeto 
Bay, but hardly at Truro, at the head of Mines 
Basin. 
KEEPING SWEET POTATOES. 
K. T. Erlwardsville, Kan .—How can sweet 
potatoes be kept? 
ANSWERED BY M. B. PRINCE, OF N. C. 
The appliances in use here for keeping sweet 
potatoes are quite simple as is also the process, 
but the success of the method is fully attested 
by the fact that seed is usually plentiful in 
spring and our markets are well supplied 
nearly the year through. For storing, we 
build a log cabin about 10 feet by 10 feet aud 
five to six feet high; cover with poles and 
earth sufficient to exclude frost, and over this 
a roof projects to protect the walls, leaving 
the gable ends open. Tlie walls are chinckod 
and thoroughly daubed on both sides. Bins 
are built around the inside, iu which the pota¬ 
toes are placed on the day they are dug. 
"When,after a few days they sweat, a charcoal 
fire is used. A small hollow in the earth floor 
or an old kettle bolds the fire. Many make no 
preparation, but when fire is needed merely 
shovel up a pailful of hot ashes or coals from 
the sitting-room fireplace. After the sweat¬ 
ing has subsided, fire is seldom used in 
this climate until near Christmas: but occa¬ 
sionally a little—aud but a little—ventil¬ 
ation is required and this is obtained 
by leaving the door ajar for an hour 
in the middle of warm days. I can re¬ 
call no instance where a thermometer is used, 
and will not attempt to give the temperature 
at which it should stand. Fire is used when¬ 
ever the one in charge judges it necessary. 
There is no danger of keeping the place too 
warm or too dry, provided sprouts do not 
start. A fire producing smoke injures the 
potatoes for market. When large quantities 
are to be storpd, I know’ no reason why any 
frost-proof building warmed by stoves might 
not supply every requisite. 
Miscellaneous. 
S'. E., Alexandcrsmlle, Ohio .—What kind 
of commercial fertilizer would be best for 
wheat and barley on sandy loam bottom la’ d. 
The land is underdrained and usually yields 
15 to 25 bushels of wheat per acre and from 
35 to 40 bushels of barley. 
Ans. —You can ascertain whether your 
land needs one or all of the food constituents 
needed by these crops only by trial. If you 
can not make the trial, the only safe wav is to 
buy “complete” fertilizers, put up by manu¬ 
facturers for wheat and barley, or purchase 
your own ingredients if you can save by so 
doing. You need a fertilizer whtrh will give 
the following proportions of plant food : 
ammonia six per cent: pboshporic acid eight 
per cent; potash seven per cent. If you wish 
to try fertilizers with a view to ascertaining 
what constituents your land most needs, try 
on one plot kaiuit; on another burnt bone; on 
another raw’ bone flour, and then on other plots 
various combinations, adding to one sulphate 
of ammonia, nitrate of soda, blood or some¬ 
thing else containing more nitrogen than the 
ra w bones contain. 
P. S. SJasper, A r . Y —My young mare 
has been coughing up the. thickest kind of 
matter for over a year. She has a rattle in 
her nostrils, but there is no swelling about 
her head or neck. If she gets a little tar iu 
the morning, she won’t cough during the day, 
but the cough is as bad as usual the next day. 
Bow should she be treated? 
Ans. —Apply some counter-irritant over the 
whole region Of the throat once or twice a 
week. Equal parts of olive oil, ammonia and 
oil of turpentine are excellent for this purpose. 
Mix, shake well before using, apply to the 
throat and rub well in with the hand. If re¬ 
peated applications raise a blister, apply less 
frequently. It will be well to slightly blister 
the throat, but it should not be severely blis¬ 
tered. Internally continue the tar in small 
doses if it proves effective, or give twice daily 
two drams each of solid extract of belladonna, 
chlorate of potash and niter, mixed with honey 
or sirup to make a thick paste, and then 
smeared upon the back teeth, to be swallowed 
at leisure. Also give the following powder 
night aud morning in the feed: one-hall’ounce 
each powdered gentian and giuger and two 
drams sulphate of iron. Omit the iron on al¬ 
ternate weeks. The diet should be laxative 
—grass, corn-fodder, roots, etc.—or the bowels 
kept open by dram doses of aloes with the 
above powders. 
W. M. H ., Hosensack , Pa .—When should 
peach stones be put in sand? How thick 
should the sand be between the stones ? Shou Id 
it be kept wet or dry ? Should the place be 
cold or warm in winter? When should the 
pits be planted ? 
Ans.—A s soon as the pita are taken from 
the peaches and dried. Let the layer of sand 
merely separate the pits. The sand may be 
merely moist. The box may be buried a foot 
deep in a well-drained place, or kept in the 
cellar. The pita should be planted, in the 
spring in drills. They may be planted now. 
They will sprout next spring. 
G. IF. P, J f'l iionb'ir i, Y. Y .—What can 
be done for a young horse inclined to rub his 
mane and tail? What will make the hair 
grow where it has been rubbed off? 
Ans.— "Wash w ith some soap-suds ami when 
dry apply sulphur and oil of tar ointment. 
Various causes, as lousiness, mange, skin erup¬ 
tion, intestinal parasites or want of proper 
grooming may’ induce the rubbing. Try to 
discover and remove the cause. The hair will 
grow w’hen ihe horse ceases rubbing, if he 
is in good, healthy condition. 
R. A. T., Branford , Fla. —What is the 
name of the latest variety of peach that is suc¬ 
cessful iu the South, aud where can it be ob¬ 
tained? 
Ans.—T f the inquiry is confined to Florida, 
we mention the Pallas Peach, one of the Chi¬ 
nese varieties. The Persian sorts do not suc¬ 
ceed v’ell there, though succeeding well in 
some parts of the South. 
A. IF., St. Louis, Mo. —We cannot name 
the insect from the description. Tell us its 
size, color, w hat it feeds upon aud all the par¬ 
ticulars possible. 
G., Queens Co., N. Y. —Whomakos the hay 
press which is said to press hay so compactly 
that it has the appearance of wood, spoken of 
in a late Rural. page 543? 
Ans.—P. K. Dederick & Co., of Albany. 
N. Y. 
DISCUSSION. 
STRAWBERRY SETTING TN THE FALL NOT 
ADVISABLE. 
C. E. B . Middleton, Pa.—In the Rural 
of Sep. 3 is a fine illustration of Green's 
method of potting strawberry plants. 
The fine view in the engraving and 
the reading of the accompanying description, 
afforded me much pleasure; but I, for one, 
am not favorable to fall setting of strawberry 
plants even if pot plants can be secured. 
While it may be admissible in a small way or 
in extremely rich soil, it certainly is not. the 
best in large plantings. While an expert may 
carry them through so as to get a good crop iu 
nine mouths from planting, the inexperi¬ 
enced, nine times iii tan, will fail to secure a 
paying crop so soon,and will have much more 
trouble with weeds in early’ spring. The past 
w’iuter w r as extremely hard ou strawberry 
beds,and fall settings were nearly, if not alto¬ 
gether, ruined in our country. Last August I 
obtained a few’ dozen pot plants of new varie¬ 
ties in good condition, I had no trouble to 
grow. I gave them extra care, watered them 
in time of drought and gave them hand cul¬ 
ture, mulched them well; still there was but 
a very moderate supply of fruit. Of course 
they commenced growing early, and for 
awhile were ahead of spring-set plants, but at 
present my spring set plants give promise of 
a better yield than they. While T saved mine, 
I could notice a number of failures among 
those who set layer plants in the fall. If four 
men can pot only’ 1,000 plants per day, it 
seems to me that old varieties must cost con¬ 
siderable or tho grower will be “left;” while on 
such varieties, as the Jessie, it may be a little 
bonanza as long as the price keeps up. I set 
out 20 Jessies in the spring; a few fruited and 
the fruit was large aud of the very best quali¬ 
ty. It. is the most promising variety in 
growth I now have among 18 different kiuds. 
It makes plenty of plants. I expect to raise 
1,000 plants from those 20 set out. I have one 
iu the garden on which I can now see 100 or 
more. Gandy’s Prize is also a good grower. 
Jewell is very particular as to soil in my ex¬ 
perience. It does well in one kind of soil I 
have, while in a different one it does poorly. 
Bubach seems to be all right so far. 
W. H. R. TOUGALOO UNIVERSITY TOUGALOO, 
miss.— On page 501, Aug 27, Mrs. Mary 
Wager-Fisher asks if any’ Rural reader can 
tell her tho name of the tree described by her 
as growing in Atlanta aud other southern 
cities, It is, undoubtedly, Paulownia im¬ 
perial is, order, Scrophulariaceae. I have seen 
it growing here. Tho China-tree, (Melia Aze- 
darach) is au entirely different sort both in 
form of leaf ami blossom. The Paulowuia 
has leaves resembling thecatalpa, but perhaps 
larger; while the China-tree has a pmuately 
compound leaf, with a small lilac-colorod 
flower, instead of tho very large purple flower 
of the former. • 
DELAWARE WATER GAP. 
(EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.) 
Why we selected the Delaware Water Gap 
for a short vacation, among the hundreds of 
attractive summer resorts within the same 
distance of the Rural Grounds, is a question 
that may interest many of our readers who, 
like ourselves, feel that no matter how attrac¬ 
tive one’s own home is, a change of scene, of 
air, of faces, is really needed from time to 
time. A paradise becomes insufferable just 
as soon as one feels lie is confined there for 
life. Those who dwell near the ocean Jong 
for the mountains, and the dwellers among 
the mountains enjoy the ocean and its salt air. 
Here we are in the mountains—spurts of tho 
Blue Ridge, 80 miles from New York—on the 
banks of the Delaware, This river is 400 feet 
above sen level, while the mountains on eith< r 
side, of every shape and size, reach their high¬ 
est altitude with Mount Minsi on one side and 
Mount Tammany on tho other, their precipi¬ 
tous sides forming what is known, as the Gap, 
through which the Delaware flows iu its beau¬ 
tiful, winding course. The fishing, mostly 
Black Bass, is generally good, and a multitude 
of nicely’ fitted boats and a tidy little steamer 
are always ready for the guests of the hotels. 
One of these, tho Kittatiimy House, is located 
almost perpendicularly’ above, the river, 150 
feet, upon a natural plateau of the mountain, 
an acre or so in extant, with a circuitous, wild 
but good road leading to tho village one way 
and along the river the other. Still above, 
150 feet more, is the Gap House Both houses 
are fine structures, capable of accommodating 
300 guests each. Beds of flowers are every- 
wbere. Vines of many different kinds are 
trained over the piazzas. Both houses are on 
the friendliest of terms and the guests of either 
freely visit aud are welcomed by the other. A 
charming lake of pure water spreads out be¬ 
neath the Gap House, surrounded by the or¬ 
iginal forest trees—oaks, chestnuts, maples, 
tulips and hemlocks. 
Paths leading hither and thither through 
the forests, over rocks, giving glimpses of the 
grand scenery around, lead to many’ delight¬ 
ful places of interest. The glens, little valley’s, 
ravines, giddy hights, varied vistas, graudly 
extended views; the mountain springs that 
trickle over the rocks, the refreshing water¬ 
falls that rush over oue ledge of rocks to 
splash over another ledge far below—such 
beauties abound here and give the visitor 
never-failing sources of delightful occupation, 
But I must not dwell upon these things. The 
air is dry and pure. There is no malaria 
whatever, uo mosquitoes and but few flies. 
The drainage, so imperfect at many so-called 
"health” resorts, is here absolutely perfect; 
the slops from the kitchens and vaults being 
carried through large iron pipes down tho 
mountain out into the Delaware. The moun¬ 
tain springs and water-courses supply both 
houses with pure water and give the power 
for raising the elevators. 
There are many hotels here. It is a place 
of hotels and “cottages.” All seem to work 
in unity. I have never heard one proprietor 
speak slightingly of another. At the station, 
omnibuses are ready for all new-comers, but 
there is uo loud talk. No bawling among the 
porters to call attention to their respective 
houses. The Kittatiuny where we are stop¬ 
ping is a bome-like hotel. The proprietors 
have always lived hero with their families 
who mingle freely and courteously with the 
guests, always obligingly’attentive, never ob¬ 
trusive. Home-like, yes. It is no place for 
those who set themselves up as better 
than anyone else; uo place for those who de¬ 
mand that their money should insure them 
marked consideration. Everything works in a 
way that does uot show the labor, the friction, 
the constantuod trained care indispensable to 
a well-conducted summer hotel. We hear no 
wrangling among servants, all of whom are 
colored, many having served here for half 
their lives. The children are allowed every 
liberty short of the license which would auuoy’ 
others. 
The Gap House is couducted in much the 
same way, though the higher situation and 
quieter surroundings uttract a somewhat 
more fastidious class of people. 
The mountains iu nrnuy parts are clothed 
with the Rose Bay (Rhododendron maxi¬ 
mum) some of them 20 feet high, making in • 
earlier summer a grand display of floral 
beauty, scarcely equaled by’ any other moun¬ 
tain shrub. I need scarcely leugthen my 
letter to speak of this captivating country ag¬ 
riculturally. Corn, oats, rye aud buckwheat 
are the chief crops—tho fertile lands of the 
Minnisiuk Yalloy yielding them bountifully, 
while cattle-raising is becoming every year 
more and more engaged in by enterprising 
farmers. 
Well, you see, good readers, that we find 
time to think of you even during a little 
sojourn away from home which, iu spite of 
our philosophy, we rarely’ find time to 
enjoy. _ _ c. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Iowa. 
Des Moines Polk, Co. Sept. 2.—The 
corn crop is made. No change iu the weather 
