DEO 24 
a 
abundant stage and a most valuable crop for 
green feeding or for dry fodder or for ensil¬ 
age. Sorghum is not as desirable a fodder 
plant as corn. Corn should not be sown for 
fodder, but planted in drills 30 inches apart, 
with see l dropped six inches apart singly or 
three or four together IS inches apart. Sun¬ 
shine aud air ore indispensable to the matur¬ 
ing of the crop; in thick shade, as by broadcast 
sowing, the corn is of very inferior quality 
and quite watery. 
HEN MANURE AND LAND PLASTER. 
Subscriber , Huntington. L. I. —1. Will a 
mixture of hen manure atd plaster produce 
a good crop of cabbage and cauliflower, and 
how is it best applied ? 2. Where can I buy 
land plaster by the barrel? 
-4 ns. —1. Yes, if a sufficient, quantity be 
used. The plaster adds but little to the value 
of the manure. It simply holds or fixes the 
ammonia. We use it at the rate of say 10 
pounds of plaster to the barrel of ben manure. 
As to the comparative value of hen manure, it 
may be roughly cstiuiat.nl that -400 pounds of 
it coutain nearly as much value in plant food 
as one ton of ordinary stable manure. As a 
rule we have found it most useful in the hill 
or drill. 3 It can be ordered from either 
Bloomer & Co., James Slip, or J. B. King & 
Co , 18 Coeuties Slip, If. Y., and brought out 
by packet. 
CARE OF GRAPE-VINES. 
G. McB., Bon Accord , Kan .—Last spring I 
planted over 100 grape-vines all of which 
made an excellent growth. How should they 
be protected in winter and treated next 
spring. Which would be the better plau—to 
mulch with, say, six inches of straw, or cut 
them back and cover them with a few inches 
of earth ? 
Ans. —We should prune them at once and 
lay the canes down, holding them down by 
stones, sticks or anything of the kind. Then 
cover them and the soil about the vines with 
a loose mulch, such as long manure, evergreen 
boughs, etc. We do not approve of an earth 
covering except it may he further north. In 
the spring remove the covering not until the 
buds are ready to push. 
Miscellaneous. 
A. IF., Jamestown, N. V .—My 16-year-old 
mare urinates about six times as often as she 
ought to. A part of the time the discharge is 
milky and thick and somet imes sruel Is very bad. 
She grows poor and lags behind when at work. 
She has been this way about three months I 
have been giving her salts and condition pow¬ 
ders and sweet spirits of niter, hut no good 
has been done. How should she be treated? 
ANSWERED BY DR, F, L. KILBoRNE. 
Y'our description is too brief and unsatisfac¬ 
tory to enable one to prescribe very definitely. 
Change the diet as far as possible, and make 
sure that ouly good, sound food is supplied. 
Mouldy or musty hay or graiu is especially to 
be avoided. Give one pint of flaxseed, well 
boiled, in the feed night and morning. Dis¬ 
solve two ounces of iodine aud one ounce po¬ 
tassium iodide in eight ounces of water, and 
give one tablespoonful night and morning in 
the drinking water, or as a drench in one pint 
of water, one hour before feeding. Coutiuue 
until the excessive secretinu of the urine is 
checked. The salts and niter you have been 
giving aggravated the difficulty instead of re¬ 
lieving it. This Is one of those instances 
where it would have been much better to have 
given no medicine than to have dosed the ani¬ 
mal indiscriminately, with no definite pur¬ 
pose. Supply only good, wholesome, nourish¬ 
ing food aud continue the flaxseed or substi¬ 
tute linseed meal. Report condition in one 
month and carefully describe the case if fur¬ 
ther treatment is needed. 
J. M. IF., St, Morn's , Pa. —1. How high 
must a fence be to keep in Wyandottes? 3 Is 
it practicable to irrigate a truck patch by 
means of artesian wells'? 3. Is the Michigan 
Carbon Worns of Detroit, Mich , reliable as n 
fertilizer establishment? 4, How can 1 best 
estimate the value of tannery refuse? 5. What 
is the difference in value of hemlock and hard 
wood sawdust when used for composting aud 
atterw-ard.s applied to the laud, and in what 
docs it consist? 
Ans. — 1. Our fences are about 4}- feet high 
and hold our Wyandotte s. 2, Yes, where 
the artesian well can be secured. In s very 
dry seasou, when a steady flow of water can 
be secured, a man with a good team of horses 
and au ordinary sprinkling cart can make 
watering pay well. 3. Yes, so far as wo 
know. 4. Probably by experimenting in a 
small way. That is doubtless the best way to 
determine the matter. 5. For fertilizing 
purposes the hemlock sawdust is worth about 
60 per cent of that from hard wood. The hem¬ 
lock sawdust contains more water than ihe 
other, less potash and less phosphoric acid. 
There is not so much difference in the amounts 
of soda and lime. 
J H., Des Moines, la .—Can the Rural 
furnish me with some tubers^of its Rural New- 
Yorker Potato No 3? 
Ans. —As scon as a large enough stock can 
be pro] agated for the purpose we propose to 
send n small tuber to all of our subscribers 
who apply-. 
S., Savannah . Ga. —Would the CereusThur- 
beri of Arizona be worth a trial here on sandy- 
soil? Where can plants be obtained? 
Ans. —It is an extremely rare species in cul¬ 
tivation. How it may succeed in Georgia 
can only- be known by experiment. Try 
Lois Mtuard, Menard Station, Albany, N. 
Y., or A. Blanc, Philadelphia. 
J. F ., Overbrook, Kans —How many- cubic 
inches should a box contain to hold a bushel 
of potatoes level full? 
Ans. —The standard bushel measures ]8Vx 
19and 8 inches deep. Most of the boxes 
made lor the special purpose of holding pota¬ 
toes appear to measure a little less than this 
to allow for heaping. 
-4. N. 8., Guysville, Ohio. —What Is the best 
kind of churn for a farmer who keeps two to 
four cows, and wants to make butter merely 
for home use? 
Ans. —For our own use we should get either 
a Davis swing churn or one of the many bar¬ 
rel churns. 
II. G. M., Spring Valley , N. Y, —A harness 
grease can be made as follows: One quart 
neat’s-foot oil, four ounces beef tallow and 
three tablespoonfuls lamp black. For use in 
summer weather add to this four ounces bees¬ 
wax. 
F. B. S., Academy. —What are the most 
profitable plums to be grown for maiket pur¬ 
poses here? 
Ans. —Our friend neglects to tell us in what 
State he lives. 
DISCUSSION. 
E. W. B., Barnsville. O.—I read the arti¬ 
cle on district schools, page S15, w ith much in¬ 
terest, but think the writ'r failed to empha¬ 
size sufficiently the importance of a united 
support of the teacher, not only- by the offi¬ 
cers, but. by the patrons of the school. No 
matter how poor a teacher may be, as long as 
he is retained as teacher, let him have the 
support of all the patrons and officers: the 
poorer the teacher the more such support is 
needed, till his place can be filled by a better 
one. E. w. s. 
Painesville, Ohio. 
R. N.-Y.—This is an important point. In 
some districts, when the parents find the 
teacher is not first-class, they give him up en¬ 
tirely, aud give silent encouragement, if not 
open support, to their children in complaints 
against hmi. This is wrong. While the teach¬ 
er teaches he should be supported. 
“WORTH OF LABOR.” 
H. W. L., Brooklyn, N. Y.—Iu a late issue 
of the Rural, under “What Others Say-,” 
appeared a quotation from the Comic paper 
Puck to the effect that uo worker is worth 
more thau his work will fetch. When a senti¬ 
ment is quoted without comment, the quota¬ 
tion is usually considered equivalent to ap¬ 
proval; is it so m the present case? I can 
hardly think so; for the sentiment here ex¬ 
pressed is so illiberal. ungenerous, unjust and 
tyrannical that 1 cannot believe the Rural 
can endorse it. The whole tendency- of all 
civilization is to repudiate and execrate it. 
Its infamous embodiment in practice has 
caused more suffering, oppression, crime aud 
terrible reactive violence and outrage of all 
kinds than any other social sentiment that 
ever found utterance or was ever put into 
practice. It has teen the cause of nearly 
every uprising of the laboring classes that has 
ever horrified the world, from the revolt of 
the Helots against the Spartans of old, to that 
of the French Revolutionists of less than a 
century ago against the execrable rule of the 
Bourbons and their infamous court aud under¬ 
lings. 
The more recklessly the idea has .been 
enforced, the more terrible have been the suf¬ 
ferings of the victims aud the more tierce and 
vindictive the retribution when their intoler¬ 
able oppression has finally forced them to 
levolt. In all ages this idea has been, bs it is 
to-day, the contemptible excuse offered by the 
most ignoble of the employing classes for 
“grinding the faces” of the employed. Adam 
Smith has given it in recent days a sort of dis¬ 
reputable respectability by enunciating the 
formula that the wages of labor depend on the 
“supply and demand.” It might be so if all 
the instruments of labor were inanimate; if 
they could neither feel, think nor plan of their 
own accord; if all tlieir actions depended on 
the will of their employ era. But millions of the 
instruments of labor are endowed with all 
the faculties and powers of their employers, 
and will never submit to the heartless dogma 
of the political economist. Society in this 
connection has to deal with human beings, not 
with inanimate machines. Even the latter 
must have ample food aud care or they 
will stop work. Why should more be ex¬ 
pected from the former? All the modern 
attempts at labor unions, with their strikes and 
boycottiugs; all the conpiracies of Nihilists 
and Anaichfets, with their assassinations, and 
their outrages, are only- more or less desper¬ 
ate protests against the idea that “no worker 
is worth more than his labor will fetch.” Civ¬ 
ilization aud Christianity alike insist that the 
laborer “is worth” n fair proportion of Ihe re¬ 
sults of his labor. How many millions in 
this and other lands are still kept in a chronic 
state of starvation, discontent and turbulence 
because this just rule has not yet. become gen¬ 
erally recognized. In New York City alone 
how many tens of thousands are in a woebe¬ 
gone condition from the cradle to the grave 
bedhuse among the meanest classes of employ¬ 
ers the opinion still prevails that “the work¬ 
er is worth only what his work will fetch;” 
and, alas! the number of workers exceeds the 
amount of work, and many must therefore 
labor for the paltriest pittance to enable fcbeir 
employers, out of the unjust profits of their 
labor, to lay by wealth which they cannot use 
and w-hich—thank God!—will make it harder 
for them to enter Heaven thau for a camel 
to pass through the eye of a needle. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Indiana. 
Pendleton, Madison Co., December 13.— 
The fall w-as unusually dry, but the average 
amount, of wheat was put iu in a satisfactory 
way. We have had frequent rains iu the past 
two weeks, insuring an ample supply of water 
for winter. Three-fourths of our wheat crop 
was sold at 65 cents. It is uow worth 75 cents. 
The growing wheat is in good condition. 
Corn worth 55 cents for home consumption. 
Hogs, three-fourths sold, worth $5.35. Cattle, 
few- for sale at 3j^ to 8J-£ cents. s. w. H. 
Iowa. 
Des Moines, Polk Co., December 5—We 
had an unusually- cold snap at last of Octo¬ 
ber and first of November,which greatly- dam¬ 
aged all vegetables that were out, and but few 
things were gathered as no one was looking 
for such cold weather so early in the season. 
The light showers of September and October, 
with the flue, warm Weather had made quite a 
crop of late potatoes, beets, turnips aud late 
cabbage. These crops were iu a very unma¬ 
tured state aud consequently were badly dam¬ 
aged by the frost and will not keep well. 
Mauy potatoes were frozen iu the ground ami 
the rest were put away iu a bod shape, so far 
as I noticed I do not think potatoes will 
keep well this winter. After our cold snap 
we had flue weather up to Thanksgiving 
when we had our first suow, about four inches, 
and a haixl freeze-up, as we thought for the 
winter, but in a few days it turned wanner, 
and now- the frost is nearly all out of the 
ground aud the suow uearly all melted and 
soaked into the ground. Then we have had 
two days and nights of rain, so our laud is get¬ 
ting pretty- wet aud our roads muddy-, though 
we have not had rain enough to do our wells 
any good and unless it raius more w-e are 
hound to suffer for water this waiter. We 
were greatly afraid we would have to go iuto 
winter again dry, but the prospect now is 
that we will have an open rainy winter; at 
any rate the snow that has melted and the 
rain together have greatly revived our hopes 
aud will do much good even if the downpour 
does not reach to the wells. The crops of this 
section are all harvested. The coni'crop was 
an average of about 35 bushels per acre. The 
hog crop light, y. s, w, 
Kaunas, 
Conway, McPherson Co,, December 10.— 
This has been one of the driest seasons for 
Kausas. Still we have raised enough to do us 
Oats were a splendid crop and are now worth 
35 cents. Com was nearly a failure except 
for fodder; selling uow at 35 and 40 cents. 
Plenty of prairie liny and straw. Potatoes 
and turnips good. This is one of the best 
farming counties in the State. Land rates 
from $30 to $5<> per acre. Nearly in the center 
of the State. Has six railroads. County seat 
has five miles of street railway, electric lights, 
water works, etc. Farmers are fairly pros¬ 
perous but they are very careless iu the care 
of machinery and feed and scarcely make 
any use of manure. j. m. r, 
Louisiana. 
Shreveport, Caddo Parish, December 12.— 
I wish more of our planters had the Rural 
as a weekly visitor as I am satisfied it would 
be worth hundreds of dollars to them aud 
thousands to our State. We have a healthy 
eountry. We have had no drought sufficient 
to interfere with our making a fair crop iu 
the 15 years of my residence here. We have 
au orderly aud moral community with schools 
aud churches. Stock ruu at large the entire 
year aud are raised at merely uomiual cost. 
many a steer going to the market whose cost 
was merely the expense of getting him from 
the range to the stock-p< n. Land sells at 
from $3 to $5 per acre ready tor the plow 
with fences and improvements. On our hill 
lands by intelligent, well directed labor the 
farmer can make a competence with ease. 
Cotton is selling at SJ^ cents per pound; corn 
50 cents per bushel: sirup 50 cents per gallon; 
sw-eet and Irish potutoes 50 cents per bushel. 
J. H. s. 
Nebraska. 
Brokenbow-, Custer Co., December 6.— 
Winter has set in quite early. We have 
about eight inches of snow and not more than 
half the corn is gathered. Corn is selling at 
30 cents; oats at 30; wheat from 50 to 55; pota¬ 
toes 35 cents per bushel. j. c. 
Washington Territory. 
Davenport, Lincoln Co.—Our crops 
were quite fair here this year; they would 
have been excellent had it not been for frost 
in June aud July. 
Wisconsin. 
Appleton, Outagamie Co., December 9.— 
We have had another dry season yet most of 
our crops have been good. Winter wheat 
yielded from 20 to 35 bushels per acre. Spring 
wheat was almost a failure, the chiuch bugs 
spoiled it. Oats were a good crop.—from 40 
acres I had 1,600 bushels machine measure. 
They overran 10 to 15 bushels in a hundred 
by weight. Corn was an extra crop and rip¬ 
ened up in good shape. Potatoes were a 
light crop, but of good quality. We had very 
few apples. The fall has been favorable for 
plowing and doing other farm work. Stock 
went into winter-quarters in good condition. 
Most farmers have plenty of feed. We have 
had one or two cold snaps and a little snow 
so far this winter; but the weather is mild and 
soft now. Prices of farm produce areas fol¬ 
lows: Wheat 70 to 75 cents per bushel; oats, 
30 cents; corn, 50 cents; potatoes 75 cents; 
dressed pork is six cents a pound; beef, four 
cents. Some of our best farmers buy steers in 
the fall aud feed them through the winter, 
selling them in the spring, realizing a fail- 
profit on their feed and labor. e. n. 
West Salem, Lacrosse Co., Dec. 10.— Our 
Comity Institute here has just closed after 
two days' 1 work of five sessions. Prof Henry, 
of Madison; John Gould, of Ohio; Mr. Time, 
Superintendent of the Horse Department of 
the State Fair, Thao, Lewis, the veteran hog- 
raiser; and Dr. Atchison, the State Veterina¬ 
rian, with some able papers from our local 
talent made it a lively, interesting aud in¬ 
structive meeting. Some of those who bad 
attended other institutes declared ours to have 
shown a greater degree of interest than any 
held thus far iu the State. Current prices 
here are: wheat, 60 to 68 cents; oats, 30 to 33 
cents; corn, 88 to 43 cents. Cattle eau hardly 
be said to have a market, but they bring from 
$1.35 to $2 per 100 pounds Pork is in gco l 
demand; alive, $4.60 to $5; dressed, $6 to 
$6.30; potatoes 50 to 65 cents per bushel. Wo 
have had n week of dull weather ami hardly 
any sunshine with the thermometer at or near 
the freezing point. People in this section fully 
appreciate the full value of feed. Hay is sell¬ 
ing at $11 for marsh and $12 to $14 for tame. 
We arc feeding quite liberally with shorts 
and ground screenings, w-itb a good deal less 
hay thau usual aud with very good results. 
F. H. N. 
Sorghum Sugar Factories.— How small 
or cheap a factory eau be built to make sugar 
successfully (which means profitably, of 
course) can not be said just now, says Mr. 
Parkiuson, of Fort Scott, Kansas, in the Jour¬ 
nal of Agriculture. It requires quite as much 
skill to make sugar on a small scale as on a 
large one. In fact, it is moi e difficult to grain 
sugar in a small vacuum pan tliuu in a large 
one. (juiteau item in theexpen.se of sugar mak¬ 
ing is the matter of skilled help. It is appar¬ 
ent that in this particular, as in fact in most 
others, the relative advantages must tie great¬ 
ly iu fuvor of larger works. The Fort Scott 
factory is capable i f working about 175 tons 
of Held cane, or about 135 tons of cane cleaned 
of seeds, heads and leaves, the latter being 
done entirely by machinery. At a very tri¬ 
lling additional expense tney could operate a 
factory with a capacity of 250 tons of field 
cane per day—trifling except iu the additional 
amount of fuel required and that would be 
relatively less. Just what the maximum ca¬ 
pacity shall be cannot be stated. It w ill be 
limited, no doubt, by the amount of cane that 
can be most economically handled at u given 
point, provided the amount is not less than say- 
15,000 or 20,000 tons of field caue. The facto- 
