ms 
to discover the conditions [necessary to pro¬ 
duce the very early lambs, and we shall never 
be satisfied until we can have at least half of 
our crop dropped before December 15. 
Which Males Best as Sires.— We have 
again this year raised lambs from South 
Down, Shropshire and Hampshire males, 
crossed on'the Michigan Merino ewes, and we 
are more than ever pleased with the Hamp- 
• shire as a sire. His lambs are stronger when 
dropped, grow more rapidly, and get of a 
shippingsize quicker, and, besides this, their 
faces and legs are more deeply colored, of a 
more uniform color than those from the South 
Downs even, and doubly more so than those 
from the Sbropshires. We have yet to mar¬ 
ket nearly 500 lambs, and it is very easy to go 
into the pens and select the Hampshire crosses, 
and hereafter we shall use more of them; and 
if after another year’s trial they show as 
marked superiority, we shall cease to use any 
other. Besides this, for growing lambs up, 
for feeding when coming one year old, these 
grades show greater superiority, as they will 
weight nearly 20 per cent, more at one year 
than either of the other crosses. 
Corn-fodder versus Clover Hay. —Mr. 
Brick, of New Jersey, asks if he can substi¬ 
tute corn-fodder as a forage in place of clover 
hay, and this question is being asked by many 
who would increase their flocks if a good sub¬ 
stitute can be found for clover hay. Corn¬ 
stalks, or the stover from which the ears have 
been taken, will make good sheep food, pro¬ 
viding the corn is cut as soon as ripe (glazed 
corn is ripe) and the stalks are put into large 
stooks and well cured. But stalks are of 
much the same nature as Timothy hay and of 
nearly as great value as the best hay of that 
kind, and more than* that made from over¬ 
ripe grass. But, like that hay, they are de¬ 
ficient in albuminoids and to make a well-bal¬ 
anced ration should be supplemented with 
new-process linseed meal and bran; or cotton¬ 
seed meal may be used in nlace of the linseed 
meal, though we have had ho experience with 
it. Possibly, also, dried brewers’ grains may 
be substituted for the bran, but when the 
ewes are “in lamb” I would much prefer the 
bran as having more of the bone-forming ele¬ 
ments. If the sheep can have what corn-fod¬ 
der they will eat, (of course they must not be 
expected to eat the buts and coarse stalks) 
and are to be kept only in thrifty store con¬ 
dition, and are, as they should be, housed in 
warm dry quarters, they should have, of a 
mixture composed of 150 pounds of bran and 
50 pounds new-process linseed meal, enough to 
keep them finely thriving If to this there be 
added a moderate feed of Swedes, or man¬ 
golds each day, or at least twi-e a week, they 
should keep in perfect health, come to 
spring in the best condition for dropping 
healthy, vigorous lambs, and for furnishing 
them an abundance of milk as soon as dropped. 
As manure making is one of the objects which 
is, or should be sought, on every farm, this 
combination will, if the droppings are prop¬ 
erly housed, make manure of the richest char¬ 
acter and worth at the very least half as 
much as the food will cost. No direction can 
be given as to the quantity to be daily fed 
farther than to say feed enough to keep the 
sheep in a thriving condition. 
Niagara Co., N. Y. 
GOUTY AND PITHY GALLS. 
The gouty swellings on the raspberry and 
grape are the work of Coleoptera, which be¬ 
long to the gall-making insects. As yet but 
two families are known to produce these galls, 
viz., the Curculionidse, or Snout-beetles, and 
the Buprestians. In each family, so far as is 
known, the habit is confined to a single genus, 
particularly in this country. In others there 
are a number of gall-making Curculionidse, as 
also in the families of the Sagridae and Lam- 
idse. 
Our first example, of which an illustration 
is given at Pig. 71, is the work of a Bupres- 
tian, (Agrilus ruficolis. Fabr.), which makes 
what is known to naturalists as the gouty 
gall. This is a woody swelling of the canes of 
the raspberry, caused by the presence of the 
larvae of this insect,commonly called the Red¬ 
necked Agrilus. When the leaves have fallen 
lrom the canes these swellings become quite 
conspicuous. The swelled portions are not 
smooth, but have the surface roughened with 
numerous longitudinal slits, and when they 
are cut in two there will be found the passage¬ 
way of a minute borer, and often the larva 
can be found which is quite thread-like, with 
a large flattened head and two small horns at 
the end of the body. In color the agrili are 
of a pale-yellow or whitish; the two slender, 
• lark-brown horns which arm the tail have 
each three blunt teeth on the inner edge. In 
each gall several of these larvae may be found 
Tl''ey work chiefly in the sapwood, and often 
so completely girdle the cane as to cause its 
death. The larva, when full-grown, measures 
about six-tenths of an inch in length. The 
eggs of this beetle are probably deposited in 
•July on the young and tender canes, where 
they hatch, and the young larvjB immediately 
eat through the tender epidermis and into 
the cane when the swelling of the gall com¬ 
mences. In the following April or May they 
penetrate into the pith, where they are more 
secure from insect and other foes, to change 
into chrysalides, from which early in sum¬ 
mer the perfect beetles emerge. These are 
about three-tenths of an inch long, with 
rather small, dark-bronze heads, bright cop¬ 
pery thoraxes and wiug covers of a brownish- 
black, which in some lights looks like a me¬ 
tallic green. 
Of the other class, the curculionidse, we 
have the grape-vine wound gall, which is 
caused by the Sesostris snout-beetle-Apel- 
oglypter Sesostris. Lee. These galls, which 
assume the form of elongated knots or swell- 
ings, are usually situated near the node or 
joint of the vine, and usually there is a lon¬ 
gitudinal depression or fissure on one side, 
dividing that portion into two prominences 
which usually have a rosy tint. During the 
early part of July the insect punctures the 
tender vine and deposits an egg in the hole, 
which when hatched produces a tiny larva or 
whitish grub. The beetle is about one- 
eighth of an inch long, of a reddish-brown 
color, with a stout beak half as long as its 
body. The thorax is punctated and the wing 
cases polished and glossy. These beetles un° 
doubtedly insert their eggs in a hole first 
made with their snouts, and it is quite prob¬ 
able that the gall growth is started by this 
action. 
Another very conspicuous gall found on 
mm 
Psm 
m 
1*1 
Fig. 72. 
the canes of the blackberry, is called the 
pithy gall, and is caused by the insect known 
as Diastrophus nebulosus O. S., shown at Fig. 
72. This insect belongs to the order of Hy- 
menoptera or Clear-wings. These galls are 
from two to three inches in length, and in 
color a dark-red. In form the)' are oblong 
with deep longitudinal fissures. Their sur¬ 
face is uneven, and the entire gall is divided 
more or less into four or five portions corres¬ 
ponding to the portions of the cane on which 
they grow. They are polythalamous and con¬ 
tain in each oblong cell, which is about one 
eighth of an inch in length, a single larva. 
These larva; are about one tenth of an inch 
in length, of a whitish color, with the mouth 
parts reddish-brown. On each side of the 
second segment just back of the head is an 
oval spot of the same reddish-brown color. 
New York, N. Y. k. b. southwick. 
faring man could understand, for trimming 
my vines. His “rule” is so definite and so 
short that I send it. It is: trim away from 
a three-year-okl vino in good condition all 
but 12 feet of new wood, divided among the 
different branches, and train the arms of the 
vine as much as possible in a fan-shape on the 
trellis. Give older aud stronger vines more 
wood; weaker ones less. k. t. 
Ed wards vi lie, Kansas. 
PLAIN DIRECTIONS FOR TRIMMING GRAPE¬ 
VINES. 
My grape-vines are three years planted, 
have never been trimmed and have made a 
good deal of wood—they are exactly like the 
average farmer’s. Meeting Mr. Espenlaub, 
one of the most successful and extensive vine- 
yardists near Kansas City, I asked him to 
give me some plain directions, which a way- 
O' 
i. 
RUMINATION. 
HENRY STEWART. 
The last few years have made a wonderful 
change in the condition and position of farm¬ 
ers. Mr. T. B. Terry’s account of the Ohio 
Fig. 71. 
institutes, in a late Rural, proves how much 
things have changed since JO years ago, when 
any farmer who read books or studied the 
science of his art was an object of contempt 
and ridicule as a “book farmer.” This 
change is the result of education by means of 
good agricultural journals and books. Truly, 
the farmer has already taken a high position 
in the affairs of the world and exercises a 
strong influence in forming aud shaping pub¬ 
lic opinion. Of late, there has been no other 
writer who has done more to help raise the 
standard of thought and of intelligence among 
farmers than Mr. Terry. “May his shadow 
never grow less!” 
One other most valuable result of the con¬ 
stant reiteration of the benefit of dehorning 
cattle is the actual establishment of the prac¬ 
tice. For many years past Las old files of the 
R. N.-R. will show.— Eds.] I have been advo¬ 
cating this practice, and it was in 1804 that I 
first took out the embryos of a calf’s horns 
with complete abolition of the growth. I am 
still in favor of this early operation, knowing, 
contrary to Prof. Cook’s belief, that the 
nerves, and consequent sensitiveness, are not 
at a minimum when the organ is mature and 
completed in growth, but when it is in its 
adolescence. Every shepherd knows that the 
detailing ;I only follow rule with dehorning) 
of a lamb and the much more painful opera¬ 
tion of emasculation, are more easily per- 
{Continued on next page.) 
Grapes and Berries.—M r Barrow, of the 
< fueida Community, who has had more exper¬ 
ience than the most of us in grapes, says that 
were he confined to one kind, he would take 
Worden; for two only, add Agawam, as a 
long-keeper. I can truly agree with his judg¬ 
ment, aud would name for other additions 
Brighton and Salem, then Concord and Lady. 
Among all the new strawberries no oneseeins 
to take the place of the Wilson for Madison 
Co., N. Y. I would be glad to chronicle a 
different story. Manchester is a long way 
ahead in a favorable season—perhaps once in 
four years. The masses are getting tired of 
so much praise of new kinds, that have no 
especial merit. H 
Madison Co., N. Y. 
Manly 
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