VOL. XLVII. NO, 2020. 
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 13 , 1888 , 
PRICE FIVE CENTS. 
$2.00 PER YEAR. 
[Entered According to Act of Congress, In the Year 1838, by the Rural New-Yorker, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
(l\)€ tHtmjari), 
farm (Btotumuj. 
DEVICE FOR WATERING CATTLE. 
A friend of the Rural recently visited 
the dairy farm of P. Z. Kirkham, in West¬ 
chester Co., N. Y., and saw in successful 
operation, the system of watering, illustrat¬ 
ed at Fig 347. He was so much pleased with 
it, that he has had his own stable fitted up 
in the same way. Our picture shows the in¬ 
terior of the stable. We look directly down 
the feeding alley to the window at the end of 
the barn. The fodder is thrown down 
tbrough_the opening shown in the second 
floor. The two rows of cows stand facing 
each other, and are fed on the two narrow 
platforms just in front of the stanchions. 
The floor of the feeding alley is made of con¬ 
crete. The shape and arrangement of the 
water basins may be readily seen. There is 
one for every two cows. The basins are 
made of cast or galvanized iron, measuring 
10x13 inches top measure and 11 % inches 
deep, and holding about 20 quarts. The top 
of each basin is 30 inches from the floor. 
These basins are supplied from a tank, one 
end of which is shown under the stairs. The 
water stands at the same level in both tank 
and basins, being kept at a point two inches 
below the tops of the basins. As shown in 
the picture, a large pipe runs from the tank 
around the feed alley, and from this, smaller 
pipes run to the basins, entering at the bot¬ 
tom. The tank is fitted with a ball valve 
and float, so that the water cannot rise above 
the desired hight. Any possible overflow is 
provided for. The water in the tank can be 
heated, if desired, by means of a submerged 
kerosene stove placed in the tank. The cost 
of this system is estimated at about $2 ,‘per 
cow, where the farmer does his own pipe- 
fitting. 
DEVICE FOR MEASURING LAND. 
At Fig. 348 is shown a very handy contriv¬ 
ance for measuring land. It is made of 
pieces one inch square, neatly fitted together, 
with the lower ends just 5}£ feet apart, so 
that three steps with it measure just one rod. 
With a little practice, one can, by resting 
the hand on the top of the little frame 
measure as rapidly as he can walk. Such 
farm conveniences are easily made and prove 
to be very handy in a great many cases. 
Sheridan Co., Kan. e. k. moody. 
THE WEEPING NORWAY SPRUCE. 
In 1878, March 2, page 134, a very life-like 
portrait of a specimen of this tree was present¬ 
ed, drawn from nature, in the grounds of Mr. 
S. B. Parse ns, Flushing, N. Y. It was then 
five and a-half feet high, and had been grow¬ 
ing there some six years, being, at the time of 
planting, abouteight years old. 
The specimen, of which a free, though ac¬ 
curate sketch is given (Fig. 346), was planted 
in the Rural Grounds about 12 years ago. The 
first winter thereafter, the leader was killed, 
and its growth for two years after lost the 
drooping habit entirely, and, it was supposed, 
would never be resumed—a supposition which 
is shown to have been unfounded, by ourpres- 
sent illustration. 
About three years ago, it was found neces¬ 
sary, on account of encroaching contiguous 
trees, to remove it to its present position. The 
leader was at the same time cut back about 
two feet, and, it will be seen that another 
leader has not as yet made much headway. 
In the meantime, the drooping branches, as 
in the case of the first injury, have moved up¬ 
wards, and the tree, which is now seven and 
a-half feet high, is, therefore, less p. ndulous 
than before its removal. 
We hardly know whether to admire this tree 
or not. It is a queer, grotesque, sad-looking 
thing, and we are inclined to think that one 
specimen (outside of a cemetery), is quite 
THE GREEN MOUNTAIN GRAPE. From Nature, Fig. 345, 
enough. Our friends look at it with curiosity 
and ask what it is. Then curiosity ceases, 
and it is seldom an object of much interest 
afterwards. We are, however, great advocates 
of variety in the home grounds. 
We had rather have 100 different hardy de¬ 
ciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs select¬ 
ed at random than 100 of a few kinds of those 
which are accepted as the choicest and most 
beautiful. 
There is a shady, home-like place near us, 
which is planted chiefly with Norway spruces 
and Balsam firs. The spruces are. 40 feet or 
more high and they are noble trees, having 
retained their lower branches] unharmed. A 
few deciduous trees of well-known kinds are 
growing here and there. The first effect of 
these shapely, splendid spruces upon]a stranger 
is very pleasing, but the resident soon learns 
that there is little of the constant change go¬ 
ing on from week to week—indeed, from day 
to day that a variety of trees, shrubs and 
vines k can_hardly[fail‘to insure. 
This, variety, of'the Noiway spruce trans¬ 
plants as readily as the species, and seems*to 
be about as hardy. It never grows to any 
great hight,'^however, and is, therefore, 
best suited to some conspicuous place sur¬ 
rounded by low-growing evergreens. 
THE GREEN MOUNTAIN GRAPE. 
Tms’uew'grape was found.’growing [inj the 
Green.Mountains of Vermont, where it ripens 
its fruit perfectly. Although a chance seed¬ 
ling, it t as no appearance of a.wild grape, but 
resembles more a light colored hot-house 
grape. The vine is said to be vigorous and 
hardy, to bear young, and to [ripen its fruit 
early. The bunches are of medium size and 
shouldered; the berries are of medium size, 
and yellowish-green in color; the pulp is ten¬ 
der, sweet.and’agreeable. S. Hoyt’s Sons, of 
New Canaan, Conn., say that it is the earliest 
good eating grape they have ever seen. The 
two last seasons they picked the fruit, fully 
ripe, on August 25. This year the season with 
them has been a little later, and the first they 
cut was on August 31. 
Our'photograph.illustratlon, Fig. 345, is a 
portrait of what seems to be an average-sized 
bunch, judging [by the samples sent to us. 
The crack in one of the berries was caused 
by careless handliDg"after the bunch had 
left the Rural Office. 
ftural &oyic$. 
RUMINATION. 
HENRY STEWART. 
It is a good thing that the Rural givrs 
so much attention to rural education. That 
cartoon of the Country School should not 
pass into oblivion, for it represented the in¬ 
valuable idea that the school is the founda¬ 
tion of our national prosperity and great¬ 
ness. 
* * * 
Mr. Crosby hits the spike on the head 
when he says there is no need of having a 
poor quality of hay; but I think the Rural 
misses it when it says it will be a long time 
before American farmei s will preserve (by 
ensilage), green grass. If the hay is cut at a 
proper stage, cured quickly, and, if need be, 
protected by hay-caps from rains, all the 
valuable properties of the green grass may 
be preserved. But we are powerless when 
confronted by 15 days of constant rain, and 
60 days of wet weather, with intervals be¬ 
tween the showers too short to dry the hay. 
I have made my last hay. It has cost me 
three times as much this year to make my 
30 acres of hay as to cut it. Some of it 
has been two weeks in the field, and some 
oats have been turned and turned until they 
were actually worn out, and every panicle 
was left as bare as if the crop had been 
thrashed. It was the same with the finest 
crop of millet I ever grew. It could have 
been put into a silo as it was cut, and fully 
$2 a ton could have been saved, which were 
spent in turning it over between the rains 
and drying it,only to be wetted again. Think 
of the English farmers this season! With 
nine weeks of wet and cloudy weather, with¬ 
out one glimpse of the sun, as averred by 
Sir J. B. Lawes ! and then think of the 
value of the sweet silage method—an En¬ 
glish discovery, by the way. 
* * * 
The farmers do not get a fair share of the 
profits of the country. The Rural is un¬ 
questionably right. If an illustration is 
needed, let us consider the case of the 
Southern farmers. Incessant rains for two 
