YHE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
cheap fertilizer for cow-peas to be turned 
under green? 
A ns. —You can gpt seeds of Bermuda Grass 
of J. M. Thorburn & Co., 15 John St., N. Y. 
You will have to buy sods of farmers upon 
whose land the grass grows. Japan Clover 
seeds are not yet offered for sale by seedsmen. 
Ask H. W. Ravenel, of Aiken, S. C. 2. Two 
bags of floats to one of kainit. 3. The floats 
and kainit would be good with the addition of 
cotton seed. 
DISCUSSION. 
OVERPOTTING. 
A. P. New York City. —A late Rural 
asks what is overpotting and why is 
it injurious to plants. Overpotting is 
putting a small or weak plant in a pot too 
arge for the size or the state of health of the 
plant. All plants take their nourishment in a 
fluid state i. e. when held in solution by the 
water contained in, and administered to, the 
soil; therefore water is a direct and necessary 
agent in the absorption of the food of plauts. 
But the salutary influence of water is only 
exerted when it is evenly and equally dis¬ 
tributed among the particles of the soil, and 
disposed in such a maimer as to prevent the 
circulation of the constituents of the atmos¬ 
phere throughout the soil, as it is only in this 
state that chemical changes can go on be¬ 
tween the air, the water, and the substances 
forming the compost, which render the plant- 
food soluble and fit to be taken up by the 
spongioles, and thus appropriated to the 
nourishment of the plants. Whenever there 
is an excess of moisture present in the soil, it 
becomes less open and porous: the particles of 
water cohere, instead of being separated, and 
consequently the free access of atmospheric 
air is prevented; the soil eventually becomes so 
saturated, sodden, and soured that the absorb¬ 
ing fibers (fibrillas and spongioles) become so 
surcharged with food (which the small or 
weak plant cannot assimilate) that stagnation 
follows, the fibers rot and the whole plant 
decays. All this takes place iu a pot which is 
too large; overpotting is therefore really over¬ 
watering; the plant cannot take up all the 
moisture and evaporation is too slow; the air is 
excluded; the soil becomes soon sodden and 
packed, stagnation and fermentation set in, 
and the gardener states that the plant was 
overpotted. 
SNOW AND COLD WEATHER IN 
CALIFORNIA. 
Heavy mow and unprecedentedly cold 
weather; condition of things in Placer 
County; great injury to fruit trees in the 
Sacramento Valley; fruits from Auburn; 
grasses all annuals; irrigation extor¬ 
tion; a change for the better. 
Rural readers have heard of the terrible 
storms and intense cold that have from time 
to time reigned in the Middle and far North¬ 
western States since the week after Christ¬ 
mas, but I doubt whether they have any 
more than a vague idea of the character of 
the present winter in California. I have to¬ 
day—Jan. 16th—received a letter from an in¬ 
telligent fruit grower located at Auburn, 
Placer Co., Cal.—approximate latitude 38° 
40 min. N., longitude 121° west. He writes 
under date of Jan. 9th, and says: 
‘“We are now in the midst of a winter such 
as has never before been known in this part 
of California, though that of 1852 somewhat 
resembled it in the features of low tempera¬ 
ture and snow. We have had about eight or 
ten inches of snow, and if it had been dry 
there would have been not less than 12 inches, 
and it has now been on the ground for three 
days. For three nights the thermometer has 
registered from 16 to 20 degrees above zero. 
This morning, now as I write at 5.30 a. m., 
the figures are 15 above—the coldest yet. I 
turned out quite early this morning, raked 
out the coals and put on pine chunks, wonder¬ 
ing all the while what effect this cold snap 
would have on real estate. The papers here 
keep shady as to the severe character of this 
unprecedented cold spell. The snow down in 
the valley of the Sacramento River melted 
as fast as it fell, and how badly it frosted 
things I have not yet beard. HeVe we fear 
the orange and lemon trees are all killed; 
still, some think snow on the ground may 
save them; but we shall not know for a week 
or two what the damage is. I have not heard 
from the Los Angeles country yet, nor shall 
I get any trustworthy account until I see in¬ 
dividuals from there. The Sacramento 
papers report that we here in Auburn have 
two inches of snow, but they don’t say a word 
about the range .of .temperature. Of course, 
till we know to the contrary, we try to .feel 
everything is all right except the olives. 
We sent a carload of our fruit products to 
the fail' at IrfQS Angeles, to let them and the 
world know that that section is not all of Cali¬ 
fornia and to demonstrate also that we 
were about to make the citrus fruits a special¬ 
ty, and olives into the bargain. We can grow 
better shipping grapes—Tokays, Muscats and 
Cbasselas—than folks can lower down in the 
valley, as ours are firmer and bear transporta 
tion better, and our olives too are free from 
the scab, the scourge of the valley. We have 
no fogs and our oranges are freer from rust 
than those of the warmer valley climate far¬ 
ther south. 
If the late cold weather has killed the cit¬ 
rus, olive, and other tender fruit trees, there 
is an end of our fruit boom at present. Our 
grasses here are all or nearly all annuals, and 
hay is $20 a ton—not a bad price for Californ¬ 
ia since it is worth $12 in the corn and cattle 
counties of Illinois. At least the people here 
say the grasses come annually from the seed, 
and I think it is so, for where they have 
started, there are no more- roots in the soil 
than are to be found in germinating Timothy 
or Red Top. Cattle men have to fodder a 
great deal more than people East realize. 
The irrigation companies have bedh making 
new arrangements about water. Last year 
the price of it was 25 cents per day for what 
water would run through an inch-square hole, 
with six inches of head. One could take it as 
long as he chose after he began; but if he 
stopped he could not renew. Now one must 
take it five months at 30 cents an inch, or one 
year at 123 4 cents. So we have to pay 
the same money to the company anyway, 
whether we take it five months or twelve. 
What I am writing applies to this section of 
the foot-hills, in Placer County. Up to this 
cold snap we have had delightful weather— 
just cool enough to be pleasant. We worked 
in our shirt sleeves, drove to town bare¬ 
handed; saw lots of children barefoot until 
after New Year’s, though the weather was 
too cold for exposure of the kind to be safe. 
Later in the Day —The sun is coming 
out brightly and I hope and. think the snow 
will soon be over.” J. J. b. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Dakota. 
Alexandria, Hamon Co., Dec. 27.—We 
are having a greater amount of snow-fall 
than during any of the three previous win¬ 
ters I have been here. Farmers are looking 
for a proportionate increase in next year’s 
crops. Those who always see shadows in a 
cloudless sky are looking for a large crop of 
“chinch bugs,” because the snow came before 
the ground froze. We shall see wbat we 
shall see. T. h. y. 
Idaho. 
Horse-Shoe Bend, Boise Co., December 22. 
—The following notes may be usdful to some 
readers of the Rural who intend planting a 
new orchard in this region. The nights of 
the 11th, 12th and 13th of May (1887) were 
very cold. Generally frosts are not later than 
the 10th of May. The thermometer read 24, 
25 and 25 degrees above zero. Quite thick ice 
was formed. I had planted Alfalfa and Red 
Clover and they were just up; a few plants 
had the first leaf. I was surprised to find ray 
Alfalfa uninjured. Most-seed catalogues will 
tell you to plant it after frosts are over in the 
spring. In many places barley, oats and 
wheat were killed entirely. The early-fruit 
buds of raspberries, blackberries and straw¬ 
berries were injured. The fruit buds of apple, 
pear, peach, plum and a few other trees 
were frozen to death, except in favorable 
places. The phrase, “in favorable places,” 
means this: For four years past, I have been 
making notes of our climate iu connection 
with fruit-bearing trees. By comparing my 
notes I am led to the following conclusions: 
1. Those orchards that bear fine fruit every 
year are favored with steady winds every clear 
night from March to the middle of May, and 
through September and October. 2. These 
winds are never known to blow in low, level 
valleys. They are always found from 20 to 
1,200 feet perpendicularly up the hill or moun¬ 
tain. The mountain must slope directly to 
some prominent valley. 3. They always blow 
down hill and are very close to the earth. 
They are confined to gulches or ravines. 
Their path is so definitely marked that that 
part of an orchard crossed by them will* be 
full of fine fruit while the trees in the same 
orchard, not in the breeze, would bear no 
fruit at all. These light winds are never very 
cold. A person riding across the country de¬ 
tects the warm air the moment he enters it. 
Small fruits and berries favored with these 
warm currents of air pass through the winter 
quite free from injury, while those of the 
same kind growing in a quiet place would be 
killed to the snow line. If therefore one 
plants an orchard here on the high table lands 
lying between the Rocky Mountain ranges on 
the east, and the Cascade Range on the west, 
and looks for fruit every year he must select 
a location where the down-hill wind blows the 
steadiest and strongest during the clear nights 
of spring and late fall. It is not every hill or 
ravine that is blessed with warm winds so 
that one must go where he thinks the wind 
may blow, and then he must watch a few 
evenings and mornings in the spring and the 
fall. If the winds are favorable he can 
plant his orchard and he is sure to 
reap a good reward. If he wants fruit every 
two years in five, let him plant in a quiet ra¬ 
vine, in a low, level valley, “subscriber.” 
Illinois. 
Chicago, Cook Co., Jan. 24.— The continu¬ 
al home demand for corn and its high price 
have put a good deal of money into circula' 
tion this season. When an Illinois farmer 
can get 45 to 50 cents a bushel for corn in 
January, there is little inducement to hold 
it until summer. Hence less than usual corn 
is in cribs in the surplus corn belt. Corn is 
selling at all points at from 35 to 40 cents per 
bushel. The crop of D86 is all gone. The 
Southern demand for corn continues. Nebras¬ 
ka had a fair crop, but she has shipped so 
much to other States that she has not been as 
bare of corn for years as she is to-day. In 
Northwestern Iowa, where the crop was good, 
farmers are selling corn quite freely. The 
demand for shelled corn from Wisconsin is 
steadily increasing. The blockade of snow 
through Minnesota and Dakota and some por¬ 
tions of Iowa has put a stop to the movement 
of spring wheat, and there is no probability 
of any change in this respect until after seed¬ 
ing is over. The absence of freezing and 
thawing weather and the fair amount of snow 
upon the ground are good for wheat. While 
the country was greatly relieved by rains 
during November and December, at the same 
time, there are only small reserves of mois¬ 
ture in the ground to-day. M. s. T. 
Kansas. 
Emporia, Lyon Co , Jan. 9.—Wearehaving 
an open winter so far, but it is very cold 
in spells. Good for stock. A great many 
farmers haven’t a nubbm of corn but what 
they buy at 45 to 50 cents per bushel. It’s 
hard on us when we lose the corn crop. Very 
little of any grain was raised in this vicinity 
last summer or indeed for the last two seasons. 
Every thing we have to sell is low except 
hogs which bring a good price, but they were 
cleared out early half fat. All kinds of stock 
are healthy. Very little wheat has been 
sown. As hard as the times are I don’t know 
how to do without the Rural. I like its vig¬ 
ilance in exposing frauds. w. H. w. 
Walnut, Crawford Co., Jan. 12.—We have 
had a pleasant winter so far; not much snow 
or rain and no bad storms. The fierce bliz¬ 
zards which sweep over the elevated bleak 
plains of Western Kansas, lose their force be¬ 
fore they reach this corner of the State. This 
county suffered but little from drought, and 
our crops were fairly good. Some farms are 
changing hands at $20 to $25 per acre. Corn 
is selling at 40 cents a bushel and hay at $8 
and $3 per ton. Coal at the mines in this 
county retails at $1.25 per ton. h. g. 
Conway, McPherson Co., January 13.—We 
are having quite a pleasant winter for stock 
feeding in the central part of the State. The 
weather has been dry and the ground bare 
most of the time, with not_more than two 
inches of snow-fall at any one time. There 
have been some storms, but not’ very severe, 
the thermometer only going'below zero four 
times thus far in January, this morning being 
the coldest—10 degrees below. Stock is do¬ 
ing well considering the scarcity of grain. If 
the weather continues as favorable there will 
be plenty of feed to carry stock through in fair 
shape. Corn is scarce and is worth 40 to 45 
cents. Oats are plenty and farmers generally 
have some in stock for sale; present price 28 
cents. Considering that .the pastj'season was 
the driest in the history of this county, far- 
mere will feel that they are tiding over win¬ 
ter quite well. Several creameries are just 
starting in the county and better prices for 
butter are looked for. Presentjprice, 15 to 18 
cents; eggs, 20 cents. Wheat looks well. 
J. M. R. 
Nebraska. 
Coxville, Dawes Co., January 8.—This in 
the northwestern part of Nebraska is a new 
country. We have only commenced farming 
within the last two years. My potatoes yielded 
at the rate of 240 bushels per acre on ground 
plowed the second time from sod. All are not 
rotted yet. My cabbages were very good, 
some of them weighing 18 pounds each, and 
my corn was as good on new breaking as lots 
of the corn in the East on old ground, and 
other crops were just about the same. 
J. c. M. 
Sweetwater, Buffalo Co., .January 20.— 
Reports that are coming iu show that the loss 
of life by the late blizzard exceeded that by 
any other for a number of years. It swept over 
us very suddenly between the hours of 12 and 
one o’clock ou January 12. The mortality 
was not caused by the amount of snow that 
fell but by the dryness of the air and the ex¬ 
treme cold, the thermometer being down to 
25 and 30 degrees on the succeeding two morn¬ 
ings. The’snow was blown from the rolling 
and table lands and’lodged in the ravines, 
and the traveler found it impossible to follow 
the public highway where from four to 10 feet 
of snow had lodged. Cattle are better cared 
for among farmers, even if they have only 
straw sheds for shelter,than by the great cat¬ 
tle kings on the plains. The cattle were 
shipped in the past by the cattle kings and 
sold in small herds to the farmer on time 
enough for him to fatten them, and turn them 
off and turn over his money. There is no doubt 
that the’severe weather has cut down the 
number of the cattle on the plains by 35 per 
cent. Among farmers here hay is plenty 
and cheap. I had 75 tons of my own put up 
without any injury from rain for 50 head of 
cattle,and also 25 acres of corn stalks for them 
to run in, in the [winter. Cattle among the 
farmers are doing well and there is no sign 
of disease yet. Hogs have been nearly a total 
failure. This is the third season in which dis¬ 
ease has played havoc among them. There 
are but few fat hogs fit for market in the 
whole county. It seems strange that prices 
have not advanced more than they they have. 
It is also reported that the hogs were swept 
away by the million in Southern France. My 
prediction is that pork in two years more will 
be worth eight cents. h. a. b. 
New York. 
Sandy Hill, Washington Co., Jan 20.— 
The Rural seeds arealways planted and cared 
for with an expectant pleasure and hope for 
their success that are not experienced in the 
care of the common garden seeds. Each va¬ 
riety is carefully planted and labeled with 
the name of the seed and the date of planting. 
The Northern Pedigree Sweet Corn is the ear¬ 
liest I have ever grown. It is of excellent 
quality, but not productive. Ears about six 
inches in length; good for the home garden 
for extra early; dwarf. Cleveland’s Improved 
Valentine Bean is not surpassed here for a 
green podded medium string bean; quality ex¬ 
tra, and it is an immense cropper. I planted 
24 hills, and after using all we wished green, 
I harvested two quarts of fine beans, and will 
plant them all for marketing next spring. 
The Early Orange Squash is in quality about 
like the Hubbard, and its earliness and fine 
appearance should make it a favorite. 
m t. w. 
Pennsylvania. 
Fayette, Fayette Co —We had dry weather 
here from July until January 1; but now it is 
as much too wet as it was formerly too dry. 
Wheat in the ground looks very well. It is 
short, but stands', very well. There was an 
average crop of everything except fruit and 
potatoes, which were almost total failures. 
New Alexandria, Westmorelaud Co., 
Jan. 20—I have been taking the Rural New- 
Yorker for eight or 10 years, and we all 
vote it No 1 among agricultural papers. In¬ 
deed, we think there are few, if any, religious 
papers that take the high moral standing of 
the R. N.-Y. Farmers in this county have 
no cause to complain. Wheat, corn, oats and 
hay were all above the average. Potatoes 
and apples half crops. Peaches and pears 
good crops. Most farmers had apples up to 
January 1. Potatoes made up in price what 
they lacked in quautity, selling from 75 cents 
to $1 per bushel. Wheat brings 85 to 90 cents: 
corn, 55 to 60 cents; oats35, and hay about $10 
per ton. The fall wheat is a good stand 
where sown early. Very little snow up to 
date. No sleighing yet, but the roads are in 
good condition for snow. Westmoreland is 
the banner county for natural gas in Ameri¬ 
ca. w. 
Privations of Work-Girls.— Mr. Dana 
says that it is only the poor girls who have to 
live upon what they earn and have no other 
means of support that are the sufferers; and 
their privations are often extreme. They can 
easily be distinguished from the others by 
their pinched, pale faces,their faded and well- 
mended dresses, and their silence. They sel¬ 
dom join in that loud chorus of laughter- and 
babble, that musical and almost charming 
vulgarity, which is the exclusive property of 
the working women of New York. They are 
silent because they are hungry. They are the 
victims of a system whicn regulates the price 
of labor, not according to the amount or qual¬ 
ity of the work; but according to the ruthless 
competition of the market. This competition 
is mainly kept up by farmers’ wives and daugh¬ 
ters^’the country, who are independent at 
home, and sew at [odd hours for next to noth 
i ug. (Jurjjg ir ls themselve s are also somewhat 
o blame in this matter) because tbe majority 
