r 
THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
©E6 34 
window, where they will bloom for two or 
three months. When they have finished 
flowering they maybe kept in a partially dor¬ 
mant state until t.be beginning of March, when 
they should be started to make growth for 
cuttings, which root, freely in sand. The 
young plants will be ready for planting out 
in about two months. Young plants produce 
finer flowers than old ones. 
Jessamine is a charming thing for the con¬ 
servatory or window-garden, with a tempera¬ 
ture of 60° to 65°. During the summer the 
pots may be plunged into an open border, and 
brought iu before frost. 
Paris Daisies, or Marguerites, will bloom 
profusely all winter. The leaves are very 
graceful, aud the flower looks like an ideal¬ 
ized Ox-eye Daisy. This requires a cool tem¬ 
perature; during the summer it may be put 
out-of-doors. 
Bouvardias are always admired by every¬ 
one who visits a greenhouse, aud they are 
equally satisfactory iu the house. The deli¬ 
cate pink variety Bride is especially lovely. 
The only disadvantage of this plant is its lia¬ 
bility to become infested with mealy bugs; 
patience and a camel’s-hair brush are the only 
remedies. 
The Oxalis is a very familiar house plant. 
Oue of its peculiarities is that it thrives in the 
heated atmosphere of a room near the ceiling. 
If planted about the first of October the plant 
will be in bloom by December, and remain so 
for months. It must be watered frequently, 
as it suffers from drought. The question of 
walering is a very important one in every 
ease, aud there is no point of culture iu which 
more mi.-takes are made. The best advice is 
a catalogue of “dori'ts”. Dou't water a plant 
already wet. Don’t let any other than an 
aquatic plant stand in a pau of water. Don’t 
use ice-cold water. Don’t sodden the soil. 
Don’t omit plenty of drainage. 
EMII.Y LOUISE TAPLIN. 
The presiding officer here is always one of 
the “regular” force who has push, tact and ex¬ 
perience in handling such meetings, and he 
makes a success where an “influential man in 
the village” would “wreck” the institute. The 
value of the addresses is chiefly dependent 
upon the discussion that follows them, and iu 
this the chairman must be quick to inspire, 
draw out and “make it lively.” An encourag¬ 
ing word from the chairman will often bring 
to his feet a timid farmer, or one lacking in 
confidence, who may give really valuable ex¬ 
perience and incident. The superintendent 
should always,if possible,gain some knowledge 
in advance of the “drift” of a new man’s ef¬ 
fort, or local help for that matter, and thus he 
will be often enabled to “nail” a cranky ef¬ 
fusion, or a wholly irrelevant subject. Again, 
practical farmers do not care to listen to long, 
winded, wordy efforts, and whenever the 
crowd gets wearied with such and begins to 
get restless, the chairman should call time, 
aud introduce something iuterestangand fresh 
even if he smashes the programme. After 
three years’ experience in the matter aud with 
a good kuowledge of the benefits of such a 
course, I bold that strict programme following 
cannot be complied with in doing practical, 
thorough institute work. 
Often it is fouud that the local committee 
in making up the programme have put a ter¬ 
ribly small “stick ’o timber” in for the closing 
exercise, and to i lose thus would lie to disperse 
under a wet blanket. The institute should 
close with the best man up, so that the wind¬ 
up will leave the crowd cheerful and enthu¬ 
siastic, and to do this a speaker must be often 
changed, a new man put on, and the result is 
that the adjournment is the best thing of the 
session. Briefly, then, the successful insti¬ 
tute can be secured ouly by shutting off pol¬ 
iticians, cranks, and long-winded efforts, try¬ 
ing to ioterest the people in what they want 
to hear most about, and keeping up the spirit 
and interest, even if to do so takes an entirely 
new programme. 
Madison, Wis. 
“bin” always sprout less than those iu the bar¬ 
rels. Why they should sprout more in barrels 
than in larger bulk l never could see. I have 
twice wintered potatoes in pits, but both 
times they sprouted so badly that they bad to 
be sprouted to make them marketable and 
that before the middle of May—Burbanks too. 
So I prefer a cellar because I can go into that 
and know' just what the temperature is, while 
in a pit one must wait till spring only to find 
perhaps that they are either sprouted or 
frozen. 
I see Mr. Brownell advises storing in bar¬ 
rels or boxes. Why? Mr. Hose wants 400 
bushels or more iu one bulk. Why? Professor 
Bailey speaks of having the floors of the bins 
raised three or four inches. Why? Mr. Alex¬ 
ander says the seed potatoes should rest on the 
cellar floor. Why ? All agree I think that 
they should be kept cool, but uo ono names 
the degree. My opinion is that the tempera¬ 
ture should be from 80° to 35°. 
Dakota Co., Minn. A. C. carpenter. 
BREEDING, REARING AND FEEDING 
FOR QUALITY. 
PROFESSOR I. P. ROBERTS. 
Nature of ordinary beef: breeding and feed¬ 
ing for meat nut fat : exercise and nitro¬ 
genous food necessary; bad methods to be 
dropped: experiments of Professors San¬ 
born and Henry; a practical suggestion. 
The beef that comes into the public market 
is mainly of two classes, fat and lean or good 
aud bad, the latter class being much the 
larger. The wealthy who always purchase 
what is known as “prime cuts,” can hardly 
realize the amount of ‘skinned” beef that is 
sold at low prices. The prices realized for 
the former are often two or three tin.es as 
much per pound as those for the latter. This 
has led feeders into the habit of feediug for 
fat rather than for flesh and quality. 
How can breeding, rearing and feediug be 
so managed as to give the consumer beef that 
is neither surrounded by an inch or two of 
hard tallow, nor composed of tough, skiuny 
fibers? If we can change the methods of 
breeding, rearing aud feeding so that they 
will be not ouly practical but .scientific, we 
may soon have breeds that will transmit the 
tendency to become muscular or fleshy with¬ 
out excessive fatness. 
How shall this be done? First by giving 
the young animals a reasonable amount of ex¬ 
ercise; t.tiat is, do not tie calves in box stalls 
till they are one or two years old while feed¬ 
ing unlimited amounts of corn meal: nor. on 
the other hand, turn them out al two or three 
months of age to half starve and suffer for 
long periods until they are two or three years 
old: wheu according to present methods, they 
are fattened by overfeeding OH rich carbon¬ 
aceous foods without exercise. We cannot 
wonder that animals reared by such methods 
as are now practiced, have a small amount of 
muscular development, thickly over-laid with 
adipose matter. If we are to improve the 
quality, muscle must be developed not only by 
healthy exercise but by judicious feeding. 
Judicious feeding is that which produces con¬ 
tinuous, healthy, normal growth with foods 
wtiiekbave sufficient albuminous or uitrogen- 
ous compounds to supply tne animal with the 
elements of which Ran meat is composed. 
It should be remembered that animals can 
not transform heat and fat-producing foods 
into lean meat; but they can, if necessity re¬ 
quires, make some use of nitrogenous com¬ 
pounds for the production of heat and fat. T 
believe that, animals reared and fed in a low 
temperature with an abundance of rich car¬ 
bonaceous foods tend to lay the fat on t he sur¬ 
face; while animals which are fed in warm, 
comfortable quarters and on foods rich in al¬ 
buminoids produce juicy, tnarblei/.ed meat. 
Profassors Henry and So nborn have both 
shown that the quality of pork may be greatly 
changed and improved by judicious aud in¬ 
telligent feeding. Without doubt boef and 
mutton may be improved in like manner by 
like feeding. There is a ready market at high 
prices for meat of a better quality. Every 
winter prime early lambs sell readily in the 
New York market for 50 cents per pound. 
How shall we induce breeders aud feeders to 
improve the quality of our meats? By induc¬ 
ing the managers of fat stock shows to offer 
their largest prizes for animals showing the 
best quality of meat rather than for animals 
that, show the greatest quantity of fat, The 
bast method of determining quality may bo 
somewhat difficult until some experience is 
had. I suggest that the animals competing 
for the prizes offered for quality should be 
slaughtered, and photographs and drawings 
be made of cross-sections of the loins anti 
hiutl quarters. These cross sections might 
then be cooked by an expert—without trim¬ 
ming—and passed upon by a committee ap¬ 
pointed from the proprietors of leading hotels 
and restaurants, or front their stewards or 
cooks. A statement of breeding, rearing, age 
and feediug should accompany each entry. 
POULTRY NOTES. 
Directly after snow storms always 
clear some portions of the ground around the 
hen-houses for the comfort and health of the 
stock. Standing on snow is not as good as 
on earth. If the fowls cannot get off the 
snow, they crowd too much in the houses. 
Scaly Legs. —Nothing is easier to cure or 
preveut thau this disfiguring ailment. Lard 
mixed with a little kerosene aud crude car¬ 
bolic acid, rubbed iu thoroughly on the legs, 
will soon destroy the insect that causes the un¬ 
sightly disease. The second application will 
uot often be necessary. 
Colo water for drinking is better than 
warm for bens. They are apt to drink more 
warm water than is good for them. They will 
sometimes drink it till they vomit. It is dif¬ 
ferent with warm food which strengthens 
them. 
Dirty and dusty windows on the south 
side of the houses should lie cleaned, so that 
the strong sunlight will not be obstructed. 
A damp FLOOR is a sure source of disease. 
If possible keep the floor tilled up above the 
outside level. 
Feeding for eggs is the principal thiug.uo 
matter what breed oue may keep for winter 
laying. Hashed potatoes in the soft food are 
very desirable two or three times a week. 
Vegetables are necessary as well as grain aud 
animal food for a full development of the 
laying capacities of any breed of poultry. 
Artificial heat for laying hens has beeu 
frequently tried and discarded; it makes the 
birds too tender. The fowls when going from 
a heated building to the outside air are very 
likely to take cold. Warmly built houses, al¬ 
though more costly than cheap ones, are the 
most profitable in the loug ruu. 
HENRY HALES. 
£arra (Tomes. 
1 
PAINTING. 
BY AN EXPERIENCED PAINTER. 
NO. 1. 
Earliest record of painting ; the art among 
the Egyptians , Hebrews and Greeks ; prim¬ 
ary and secondary colors; their modifi¬ 
cation to minor tints. 
FARMERS’ INSTITUTES. 
JOHN GOULD. 
TFtscolistn institutes as models: a change of 
programme often necessary: long winded 
speakers and uninteresting subjects to be 
eliminated ; great importance of the super¬ 
intendent-, the close of the session must be 
lively. _ 
The attention given in the Rural to farm¬ 
ers’ institutes is pi aise worth} ; and any encour¬ 
agement or influence ihnt can be given to 
the.-e “farmers’ colleges,” by citizen or press, 
should i>e extended, aud after reading “Grum¬ 
bler’s” article in the issue of December Sri, I 
wondered if he had ever attended a genuine 
farmers’ institute. Iu the case of the incident 
he speaks of, the trouble was that he bad got in¬ 
to a senatorial caucus, permitted by the farm¬ 
ers, aud not into uu institute. 
Our Wisconsin institutes are models, aud 
all State institutes caa be conducted iu the 
same way if the farmers will see that the su¬ 
perintendent is not a politician. Generals, 
senators. * reverends,” patent right advertis¬ 
ers and cranks are “killed off” at the start, 
and i be programme is made up of addresses 
and discussions t*y farmers and those who are 
especially adapted for the work. The regu 
lars are four m number, who attend each in¬ 
stitute. arid these are assisted by such local 
taknt a- is furnished; but the superintendent 
has the power, and exercises it, to make all 
speakers conform to the same rule—Darnel}', 
to speak right to the point. A man, even if a 
United States senator, would be rapped to or¬ 
der, who would open up on free trade, tariff or 
polities. Farm topics are the matters that 
must L.e discussed, and theory aud grandilo¬ 
quence are shut off at ouee, 
1 do not agree with either the “Grumbler” 
or the Editor of the Rural New-Yorker that 
programme changing is * 1 dangerous business.” 
No series of institutes—and that for three win¬ 
ters—has ever equaled that of Wisconsin, aud 
Mr. Morrison the superintendent, is a most 
persistent programme smasher, as well as re- 
constructor. The success of an institute often 
demands that an entire change should be 
made; that a man should be dropped out, a 
new man put iu, or the entire order of proceed¬ 
ings reversed. A man Is named for the even¬ 
ing to speak on a certain subject, and the 
crowd that assembles is not interested in the 
matter: but to amend such a subject will be of 
importance, and a “swop” is made for a sub¬ 
ject that will prove acceptable,and all are sat¬ 
isfied. One speaker may prove wearisome,and 
if another uo better was to follow the hall 
would become empty. A man that has the 
proper spirit as well as understanding is sub¬ 
stituted for No. 2, and the audience is held, i 
SEED POTATOES. 
Best temperature for preserving seed pota¬ 
toes ; a freezing cellar a good receptacle; 
moderating excessive cold: storing in bar¬ 
rels; some pertinent inquiries. 
A Professor to whom I used to go to school 
was fond of saying: “I had rather uot know 
so many things than to know so many things 
that are uot so ” Mr. Waring, speaking of 
seed potatoes, says: “While we all know that 
a low temperature prevents their sprouting, 
it is not so generally known that cold much 
below 40 degrees, and quite above freezing, 
will permanently impair their power of ger¬ 
mination.” 1 had seen a similar statement 
before, but I know that it has no foundation 
in fact. I have kept potatoes for seed for 
several winters in a cellar over which there 
was no fire. There is but one window, con¬ 
taining three lights of glass at the north, and 
this is banked under so there is practically no 
light or ventilation. The walls are cover¬ 
ed half way down with sparkhug frost nearly 
all winter, so that if the potatoes touched the 
wall they would freeze. In our climate it is 
easy to keep a cellar cool enough by leaving 
the stair door open when it is found to be too 
warm. To prevent actual freezing of the 
potatoes, I keep a teacup of water aud a 
thermometer in my cellar, and wheu the 
water freezes (which it often does; and it 
srands on a hie of board quite near the pota¬ 
toes), then I take some couls from a hard¬ 
wood fire and set them on the cellar bottom. 
Sometimes this is necessary twice a day when 
the thermometer outside shows 20 to 40 degrees 
below zero. The temperature in the cellar is 
never above 85 degrees through December, 
January, and February, aud the most of 
March. It ofteu sinks to 20 and 80 degrees. 
Water iu the cup when not over half an inch 
deep has frozen solid many and many a time. 
I have never lost a potato by frost since 1 
kept them from touching the wall, aud the 
seed pieces not only germinate the next spring 
when planted, but grow with unusual vigor. 
I cut to one and two eyes and plant one foot 
apart in the row, with the rows three feet 
apart, and notwithstanding the dry weather 
tuis year my seven acres turned out 1,100 
bushels, and from the growth of the vinos in 
June one might have expected twice as much: 
the horse could not tell where to go iu some 
parts of the field when 1 cultivated them last 
the vines so completely covered the ground. 
I raise the Burbank and the Early Rose. The 
former winters perfectly, but the latter will 
begin to grow a little in April. I often store 
some potatoes iu barrels aud set them around 
so as to form a biu for more. Thoso in the 
Painting is applied to buildings, either for 
preservation or decoration, aud sometimes 
both objects are eorabiued. The earliest 
mention of the use of a material tor preser¬ 
vation refers to antediluvian days: Noah 
was commanded to “pitch” the Ark “within 
aud without with pitch.” This must have 
been accomplished with some sort of brush. 
Only oue mention is made in Scripture of 
painting for the decoration of a building, 
where Jeremiah speaks of chambers “ceiled 
with cedar and painted with Vermillion.” 
The early Egyptian buildings, with theirenor- 
mous pillars of stone, were mostly decorated 
with strong rich colors. These were gener¬ 
ally the primary colors, yellow, red and blue, 
black and white being used with fine effect to 
define the parts; green being used for foliage; 
and orange and purple but sparingly. The 
last three colors are called secondaries, being 
made half-way between the primaries. The 
Egyptians were profuse painters; they painted 
their walls and goods wit h hieroglyphics of 
historical records, aud even their tombs and 
stone coffins were similarly decorated. The 
Greeks did much the saui", even tinting their 
great world-renowned marble statues. Even 
savage races are, many of them, fond of colors 
showing at once there is a taste for colors im¬ 
planted in the human family, and each nation 
has a peculiar taste and style of painting 
traced more especially to primitive races. 
The colors used by aucieut nations were very 
durable and stand the test of centuries, 
(ready mixed aud chemical paints being theu 
unknown.) 
Every color must have a tendency to either 
of the primaries, red, blue or yellow, uo mat¬ 
ter how they are combined; but if so combined 
as to make them extremely neutral, no beau 
tiful effect can be produced, as one or more of 
the primaries must predominate to give pleas¬ 
ing effects. It is very difficult to describe 
colors by words alone, at least to give any ef¬ 
fective description, auy more thau we can de- 
