740 
06T £7 
and add that the others depend entirely upon 
how cheap you can buy each. I have seen a 
milk dairy profitably combined with truck¬ 
farming and fruit-growing. In many locali¬ 
ties the right breeds of sheep for fattening 
are not available, and the same may be said 
of cattle, though the latter are more easily got 
by rail. If pigs are to be fattened they may be 
both bred and bought, according to the method 
of that eminent agricultural Congressman, 
Mr. Burnett, cf Mass. In this case it is de¬ 
sirable to have those you buy contracted for 
early in the season, which can often be done 
with the butter and cheese dairy or factory- 
man. Fix the weight desired and the time of 
delivery, together with the price and breed, 
and you may then be prepared to finish them 
off, I think with more profit, perhaps, than 
any other stock—especially if you butcher 
and prepare the meat for some good retail 
market in a near city. 
HINTS TO EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 
We think your action in publishing sug¬ 
gestions from prominent farmers and stock- 
men is laudable, and will meet the approval 
of the breeders and the agricultural readers 
throughout the country, and we certainly 
wish you God-speed in your work. There is 
so much that a station can do, if its resources 
will enable it to work properly, that we hardly 
know what to suggest. 
We should think the trouble would be that 
many of the experiments that would be most 
valuable to the dairy community would be so 
expensive, and consume so much time that 
the stations would not think them worth the 
trouble. For instance, the farmers through¬ 
out the country would be glad to be apprised, 
through some actual test, where the animals 
of the various breeds were brought into actual 
competition, under the same care and feed, 
which of the dairy breeds ;s the best for the 
general farmer. Another quite proper ex¬ 
periment in the line of dairy economy would 
be the rearing of calves—the best methods, the 
cheapest and best feed, and the difference in 
value between full-milk, skim-milk, grass and 
grain feed. Another experiment that would 
be of great value, if properly conducted, 
would be the testing of a number of females, 
carefully selected, of the various dairy breeds 
as to their productive powers in butter, milk, 
cheese and beef, under similar conditions, 
same feed, etc. These are a few of the many 
suggestions we would offer. 
SMITHS, POWELL & LAMB. 
JlflmnUgiaxl. 
SOME OF THE MORE RECENT STRAW¬ 
BERRIES. 
PRES. T. T. LYON. 
Sunapee, although it sets a very large 
amount of fruit, undertakes altogether too 
much. If valuable anywhere, it will proba¬ 
bly be on rich soil and under high culture. 
Pearl was received, for trial, from the 
New Jersey Nursery Co. The plant is vigor¬ 
ous and the fruit of fine, even size and of ex¬ 
cellent flavor. So far as productiveness is 
concerned, further trial is needed. The blos¬ 
som is bisexual. 
Hoffman was received, for trial, from a 
gentleman residing in Maryland. The plant 
is vigorous, and may prove productive; but a 
longer trial is needful to determine its value 
here. 
Garibaldi is said to be of European origin. 
The plants, last winter, were more seriously 
injured than almost any other in our collec¬ 
tion. For this reason the trial, so far, is not 
satisfactory. It may probably be written a 
failure here, unless carefully mulched in 
winter. 
Emerald is liable to the same objection as 
the foregoing, although not to the same extent 
Dewey and Acme are two novelties not 
yet disseminated, coming from the same source 
as Jewell and Gold. The plants, so far, appa¬ 
rently lack vigor, and possibly hardiness also. 
Warfield .(No. 2) was only planted last 
spring, hence w ? e can only say that the plant 
sustains the character for health and vigor 
given it elsewhere. 
Richmond was found growing in the forest 
at New Richmond, Michigan. Specimens re¬ 
ceived from the discoverer, a couple of years 
since, created the impression that it might 
prove valuable; but its subsequent perform 
ances have not quite realized such anticipa¬ 
tion. The plant is a strong grower, but is 
not, so far, sufficiently productive. Bisexual. 
THE RUBAI. $EW-Y0RiCER. 
Ohio is a late variety, comparable in season 
as well as in some other respects with Ken¬ 
tucky, and may prove a rival of that old 
popular sort. 
Monmouth seems to lack vigor of plant, 
and with us, so far, has not been as productive 
as we had been led to expect. 
Lida has so far developed fully medium 
vigor and great productiveness. The most 
serious objection to it consists in its pistillate 
character. 
Havkrland was planted last spring, hence 
we can only say, the plant is abundantly vig¬ 
orous. 
Gould is another of P. M. Augur’s origina¬ 
tions from the same parentage with Jewell. 
The plant is of fully medium vigor, and puts 
forth runners much more freely than Jewell. 
Cohanzick, from a single season’s fruitage, 
creates the impression that it may probably 
prove valuable; but a more lengthened trial is 
needful to determine the question. 
Itasca was sent out with the assurance of 
great productiveness. The specimens this 
year have been of fine size with us, but we 
regret to say the promise as to quantity has 
not been redeemed. The failure, however, 
may perhaps be attributed, at least in part, 
to the unfavorable seas n. 
Gandy, with a single season’s fruiting here, 
leaves a very favorable impression as to its 
prospective value. The plant is vigorous and, 
so far as we can judge in a somewhat excep¬ 
tional season, it shows a fair degree of pro- 
d uctiv eness. The specimens are large to very 
large, and of good quality for such large fruit. 
Coville proves here to be no earlier than 
several older varieties which far excel it in 
productiveness if not in quality and size also. 
Unless it shall do far better in the future it 
must go upon our rejected list. 
Bubach. We rebelled at paying $5 per 
dozen for this when first sent out, and have it 
bearing this year for the first. If it performs 
as well in the future as it has done this year it is 
pretty sure to go to the head of our list. Its 
pistillate character is its chief defect. 
Belmont has not borne as well with us this 
year as formerly. The plant is very satisfac¬ 
tory, and we earnestly hope it may do better 
another season. Its fine size and good flavor 
are greatly in its favor. 
Summit has been in our collection (under 
number) for several years. Its lateness, large, 
even size, and moderate firmness as well as 
productiveness, render it valuable, although 
the plant is somewhat deficient in vigor. 
Ontario is by some persons claimed to be 
identical with Sharpless. With me, under the 
same treatment, in the same soil, there are 
obvious differences, and these seem to be, on 
the whole, rather in favor of Ontario. 
Logan has now been two seasons in our 
grounds. Though sent out by the originator 
with high commendation, its performance, so 
far, has not realized our anticipations so far 
as productiveness is concerned. 
Jessie has done well so far as the vigor 
and health of plant are concerned; but we must 
wait till another season to determine the ques¬ 
tion of productiveness. If this shall prove as 
satisfactory as its backing has been persistent, 
it ought to distance all competition. 
Burt comes to us from the Empire State. 
It is vigorous and a prolific producer of plants. 
It has not yet fruited with us. 
Earle was received from T. V. Munson, of 
Texas. It has not fruited here, and originat¬ 
ing so far south its success here may reasona¬ 
bly be considered doubtful. 
Mammoth comes to us from New Jersey. 
If the name is indicative of its character, as 
occasional reports lead us to suspect, it can 
hardly become more than a curiosity. Not 
yet in fruit. 
President is a variety received last spring 
from New Jersey, of which we know little be¬ 
yond the fact that it is a vigorous grower. 
Bomba, originated by the late Wm. Parry, 
of New Jersey, was highly commended by 
him. With us It proves to be very vigorous. 
We have not yet fruited it. 
Martha is a new, undisseminated variety, 
originating with Wm. Lyons, of Minneapolis, 
Minnesota, of which plants were received last 
spring. It is very vigorous, with unusually 
substantial dark-green foliage. A few im¬ 
perfect berries indicate that it is of rich color 
and good flavor. 
Van Buren Co., Michigan. 
AT THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
Sunapee, Hoffman, Dewey, Ohio, Lida, Hav- 
erlaud, Gould, Cohanzick, Itasea, Gandy, Bel¬ 
mont, Summit, Jessie and Bomba have all been 
tried at the Rural Grounds and found to be 
wanting in one way or another. At any rate 
they are not superior to better known varieties. 
A FEW FEEDING NOTES. 
Feeding cotton-seed and linseed-oil meals ; 
how much feed to each animal? Effects 
of these foods on animal health and milk 
and butter production. 
FROM SMITHS, POWELL & LAMB. 
We never used cotton-seed meal but once, 
and then but for a short time, discontinuing 
its use because we feared an injurious effect 
on our heavy milkers. We may not have had 
experience sufficient to warrant our expressing 
an opinion as to its general use, but we con¬ 
sider it a heavy stimulating food, and would 
advise its being fed in small quantities and 
with great care in the case of large milkers. 
We never fed it to sheep, horses or hogs. 
FROM C. M. WINSLOW. 
The only experience I have had with cotton¬ 
seed meal was in feeding it to cows for a few 
months a few years ago. My opinion, after 
using it for awhile, was that it largely in¬ 
creased the quantity and the quality of the 
milk, but that it was a dangerous food for 
cows in calf—causing them to abort. While 
I should not like to feed it to a breeding herd, 
I see no objection to its use in a stable where 
cows are fed for milk and afterwards sold for 
beef. 
Brandon, Vt. 
FROM L. P. SMITH. 
What amount of oil-meal can be safely fed? 
I have never tried to find the limit, but from 
six to eight pounds (three to four quarts), a 
day to a grown animal are safe enough. There 
is not the danger from overfeeding with lin¬ 
seed meal that there is with cotton-seed meal. 
What fodder is best to feed it with ? It can 
be fed to advantage with any fodder, except 
a leguminous fodder, like clover; it might pay 
even here, but not to the extent that it would 
with corn-fodder and hay from Timothy, Blue 
grass and the like. 
Do you feed it with grain ? I always feed 
the oil-meal with other grain; with corn-meal, 
middlings, shorts, etc., to cattle, and with oats 
to calves. In the case of older animals, just 
enough was added to the ration to bring it up 
to the standard according to Wolff’s tables; 
with calves one part oil-meal and three or four 
of oats were mixed together, and one or more 
handfuls given to each calf after having had 
its milk, the quantity depending on the age 
of the calf. 
What effect does it have on the animals? 
It keeps the animals in good health, with 
sleek coats, bowels in good order. 
I can’t say as to its effect on butter, hav¬ 
ing never fed cows with it, whose milk was 
intended for use in butter-making. I have 
never noticed anything out of the way in 
the milk sold from stock fed with it, nor 
heard any complaint from customers. 
The question of the value of oil-meal com¬ 
pared with other foods, is a misleading one; 
for if it has any peculiar office in the ration 
different from other foods, it is to supply 
nitrogen more especially. It is like compar¬ 
ing potatoes and meat in our own rations; 
we could live on either for awhile, but can 
do much better on both. 
Oil-meal is usually rather costly, and out 
of the reach of most farmers. Where the 
price of oats or corn per ton is two-thirds the 
price that linseed-meal can be had for, it is 
a safe investment. We can get along with¬ 
out it in the same way that we can get along 
without many other things where tne price 
is so high that we have to. 
Oil-meal has given excellent results when 
fed to ewes with early lambs, and to fatten¬ 
ing sheep. It is also a fine addition to the 
ration of a sow with young pigs, increasing 
the flow of milk and keeping the little pigs 
sleek and in fine growing condition. 
Iowa Agricultural College. 
FROM H. T. FRENCH. 
In feeding oil-meal to cows, we feed it in 
the ratio of one to 10. The grains fed with it, 
or with which it is mixed, are corn and oats, 
ground hall-and-half, and bran. We feed a 
good deal of bran. I do not know what the 
exact effect upon milk and butter products is. 
We make no butter and sell milk to students. 
Some experiments in this line are being plan¬ 
ned for our department of station work. We 
think that oil-meal, fed in connection with 
other grains, helps the assimilation of the 
whole, and is in chief a sort of nitrogenous 
material. We also feed it to cows quite liber¬ 
ally just before the end of gestation. It has a 
laxative tendency, which is of prime impor¬ 
tance at this time. We buy our meal in car¬ 
load lots, paying $22 to $24 per ton on the 
oars. 
We have been feeding nut-cake for some 
time and like it very much. This is the oil¬ 
cake broken into lumps the size of hickory 
nuts. These lumps have to be soaked when 
fed to young calves, but, at the age of six 
months, the calves will grind these lumps 
without difficulty. The advantage claimed 
for the nut-cake is this: The animal cannot 
eat it so rapidly, and hence it is more thor¬ 
oughly masticated. The cake, as it is sold in 
large layers, broken by hand into lumps the 
size of walnuts or a little larger, is readily 
eaten by older animals. I have never fed oil- 
meal to sheep, but think it might be fed judi¬ 
ciously with good results, especially in connec¬ 
tion with other grains. 
We keep a sack of meal in the horse barn 
and feed a little to the horses every few days, 
especial y in winter, when horses get no laxa¬ 
tive food. It helps to keep the coat bright 
and smooth. 
Our herdsman thinks a little oil-meal cooked 
with the other foods, very beneficial to pigs. 
We do not feed quite one-tenth oil-meal to 
hogs. At present we are mixing one-half 
bushel bran, one-half bushel pea-meal and two 
quarts of oil-meal together, making a mash 
for young pigs—those just weaned. On the 
whole, it is my belief that oil-meal is a cheap 
and profitable grain when properly fed. We 
have always fed it in connection with other 
foods, except in a few cases, as with calves, or 
cows just before calving. 
Michigan Agricultural College. 
FROM B. IRBY. 
We have fed from two to four pounds of 
cotton-seed to dairy cows. Our experience 
is that it increases the flow of milk very much, 
and where other feed-stuffs, less concentrated, 
are given, manes a very nice quality of butter. 
If fed alone, the animals will not thrive on it 
any more than they will on other concen¬ 
trated feed-stuff fed alone. 
When fed in connection with other feed- 
stuffs I consider it healthy. It is fed in the 
dry state or moistened with a little water— 
clover-hay, corn chops, cow-pea-vine hay, the 
different grasses, with wheat, bran, oats, roots, 
silage, etc., are given with it. It is the cheap¬ 
est stock food we can buy here in Mississippi. 
We fed it largely to our beef cattle last 
winter and got better results from it than 
from any other food. We have not fed any 
sheep at the college on it, but know it to give 
good satisfaction. Where horses can be in¬ 
duced to eat it, cotton-seed would make a good 
feed if given in small quantities. Some people 
claim that they have fed hogs very economi¬ 
cally on it. I have had no experience. 
Mississippi Agricultural College. 
FROM L. F. ALLEN. 
I have never used cotton-seed meal in stock¬ 
feeding of any kind. My course of feeding 
dairy cows has been to give them cut hay with 
common mill-feed,chiefly wheat middlings and 
malt-sprouts mixed with it. The hay is well 
moistened in mixing. S mietimes a little lin¬ 
seed-oil cake is included. That kind of food I 
have also fed to my young stock, calves includ¬ 
ed, as the best I could find. 
Buffalo, N. Y. 
SMALL FRUITS. 
C. A. ROBINSON. 
The matter of fertilizing grape vines is one 
that of necessity requires some judgment. The 
first time 1 bought grape vines the agent told 
me not to fertilize them because they would 
not do well. I took him at his word. I lived 
then in a valley and the ground was naturally 
fertile and a gravelly subsoil. This was in the 
fall. In the spring following I came in pos¬ 
session of a worn-out upland farm and deter- 
\ mined to move up on it, and bring it up. 
Among the first things I thought of was putting 
out some small fruits. I concluded to remove 
the grape vines* 1 upon the hill” as we termed it, 
and asked some pretended grape-growers, as 
well as the agent, if I must manure them on 
the upland, and they replied, ‘‘By no means.’’ 
Well, I followed their advice and the first 
year lost several. I then concluded to try 
a little experiment which I was satisfied was 
not original, but which I would test to my 
entire satisfaction. In the spring following 
the one in which I moved to the upland, 1 
plowed the ground between the vines and 
planted it in potatoes. When these were just 
up I covered them with old straw, taking care 
to place the most rotted around the vines. 
They grew much better tuat year, and the 
potatoes did extra well. The same year I 
put out some currant and gooseberry bushes 
and used the same method as before, to begin 
with, and with the same result. 
