<888 
so many sheep. The disadvantages are that 
the dehorned animals have a very disagreea¬ 
ble appearance, and will always have, and 
many stockmen with old notions and humane 
instincts will hesitate long before they will 
consent to have the bloody work done. 
Agriculture in Massachusetts. —The 
Report of the Massachusetts State Board of 
Agriculture to the Legislature is interesting 
in regard to agricultural matters. From it 
it appears that the most important agricul¬ 
tural industry in the State is fruitgrowing: 
grape growing has increased fourfold within 
the last 10 years. Butter making has of late 
received increased attention. Co-operative 
creameries have been started to a small ex¬ 
tent, usually with favorable results. More 
creameries, however, have been established, 
which do not work on the co-operative plan. 
There are few, if any, contagious diseases 
among live stock. The hay crop is one of the 
most important. The Grange has greatly 
helped agricultural progress; more than 20 
new branches, with a membership of over 
1,500, have been established the past year. 
Tree culture is strongly recommended. 
WORTH NOTING. 
Prof. Shelton, of the Kansas Ag. College, 
says that so far as general farming goes, he 
has found no single variety or combination of 
sorts that equals the mixture of Orchard 
Grass and Red Clover, using a bushel and a 
half of the former and about three quarts of 
the latter to every acre of ground. Other 
kinds in particular localities may be better 
than the Orchard Grass. Timothy often is 
excellent, although never reliable on the col. 
lege farm. English Blue Grass (Festuca ela- 
tior) is, in many situations, unequaled, while 
Alfalfa and Red Clover have a place upon 
nearly every Kansas farm; but the mixed 
Orchard Grass and Red Clover are likely to 
satisfy more farmers than any single sort or 
combination . 
Waldo F. Brown, in the Country Gentle¬ 
man, suggests several experiments for the 
stations to take hold of: Let them select sev¬ 
eral lots of hogs, feeding one lot all the corn 
they will eat, another lot half as much corn 
and a certain amount of bran and oil-meal, a 
third lot bran and oil-meal alone. 
Again, does it cost as much to feed two 
cows weighing 2,400 pounds as three whose 
aggregate weight is the same—or, in other 
words, is the food of support in proportion to 
the weight of the animal? This question may 
be already settled, but the figures would bo 
interesting if the cattle were weighed weekly 
and the food and milk product weighed daily. 
There is a very strong prejudice on the part 
of most farmers against Jersey cows, simply 
because they are small, and if it can be shown 
by conclusive experiments that there is a sav¬ 
ing of one-third of the food by the use of an 
800-pound cow over the feeding of one of 1,200 
pounds weight, it ought to remove this pre¬ 
judice. 
Another thing which ought to be tested is 
the per cent, of food lost by exposing cattle to 
cold. Mr. Brown has tried to experiment a 
little in this line himself and has reached the 
conclusion that a stable as warm as it ought 
to be would save $5 per head in wintering a 
full-grown cow or steer, and that not one barn 
in 10 is made as warm as would be profitable 
for the stock. He can build a complete cow 
barn, large enough to accommodate 10 cows 
and their food, for $300, and.if this estimate is 
correct, the mere saving of food would pay 
back the principal in six years. 
Prof. Swenson, of Fort Scott,Kansas, says, 
in the Husbandman, that Dr. Collier was the 
first to call attention to the presence of large 
quantities of sugar in the sorghum cane. It 
was due to his researches that the work was 
taken up by other States and by private per 
sons, until finally success has been achieved. 
This, together with his staunch defense of the 
industry “when it needed friends,” entitles 
him to the honor of being the founder of the 
sorghum sugar industry. 
Which is the more profitable for the dairy, 
a small cow or a large one? Dr. Collier, of 
the N. Y. Experiment Station, considers this 
an important question, and he considers that 
experiment stations should investigate it. 
Dr. Collier proposes also to investigate 
the following problems: 1. Whether with two 
foods of similar composition both will affect 
equally the milk and butter yield or whether 
one will tend more to the production of body 
fat and less to an increase nf the milk. 2. The 
influence of the various grains fed separately 
and combined in rations, and to what extent 
the chemical and physical properties of butter 
are influenced by different foods. 
Is it a fact, as Column’s Rural World states, 
that the laboring man in the city has more 
fruit and vegetables on his table, and for a 
longer time, than the average farmer?. 
A TRlAL^mentioned.by Major Alvord in the 
the rural new-yorker. 
Bl\ 
Boston Cultivator, which took place at the 
Massachusetts Agricultural College, shows a 
remarkable daily variation in the daily weight 
of cows which were during the trial fed and 
treated the same. Neither animal held the 
same weight on any two consecutive days dur¬ 
ing the month. There are three or four dif¬ 
ferences of 12 pounds in 24 hours, and one in¬ 
stance of an apparent gain of 20 pounds in a 
day. 
An Order in Council in England exacts 
that the local authorities shall cause all cattle 
that have been in any way in contact with 
animals affected with pleuro-pneumonia to be 
slaughtered within 10 days after the fact has 
been ascertained, aud the cattle to be slaugh¬ 
tered must be kept in a shed till their death. 
The owners are to be compensated out of the 
local rate, the compensation being the value 
of the animal immediately before it is slaugh¬ 
tered; but in no case must it exceed £40— 
$200 The agricultural press is jubilant at 
this arrangement, as it is hoped that thereby 
this ruinous plague will at last be eradicated. 
The Husbandman says that of all amazing 
paradoxes, that is the most amazing which 
says duties removed from foreign wool will 
make domestic wool dearer and cheapen 
woolen fabrics. 
The late Report of the Massachusetts Agri¬ 
cultural College seems to show that potash 
alone brings better crops than complete fer¬ 
tilizers—so that for the present the soil seems 
to be well supplied with both nitrogen and 
phosphate. 
Industrious Professor Beal, of the Michi¬ 
gan Agricultural College, published, in the 
February number of the American Natural¬ 
ist, a paper with illustrations showing the 
usefulness of some minute, but constant floral 
features, such as botanists largely depend 
upon to distinguish species for the determina¬ 
tion of different varieties of fruits. The 
usual book descriptions of these are so indefi¬ 
nite as to very seldom enable one to decide 
upon a sort, the given account often suiting 
two or three or more sorts as well as either 
one. Prof. B.’s illustrations show the very 
marked differences in the make-up of the 
styles of each flower and their supporting 
stipes, as seen, for example, iu comparing 
those of the Red Canada, Talman Sweet, 
Sweet Bough, Rambo and Wagener. The 
calyx lobes also show plain marks of differ¬ 
ence, but the stamens not so much. The sea¬ 
son is now near at hand for observations of 
these characteristics in fruit-tree flowers. 
In the same paper Professor Charles E. 
Bessey, of Lincoln, Nebraska, Editor of the 
Naturalist, says that Mr. Arthur and Prof. 
Burrill have demonstrated beyond cavil that 
pear blight is caused by bacteria, after two 
years of close personal study. 
Stephen Powers describes, in the Country 
Gentleman, an easy, inexpensive way of taking 
a summer outing, with all its benefits of rest, 
change, fresh air, and renewal of health and 
spirits—only requring a happy united family 
preferring each others’ company before that 
of strangers to make it Arcadian content 
and joy if not elysian ecstasy. It is simply 
tenting under the trees in the door yard, and 
living—for asanitary alterative—on the plain¬ 
est food, taking hunger for the sauce, and 
dispensing for the time with all extra dishes 
as well as with all extra cares. A cook -tent 
was used besides the marquee, and a room 
in the house was at hand as a resort for the 
more timid in case of storm. But the mar¬ 
quee had a fly, or a second roof painted with 
linseed oil and yellow ochre. The tents were 
used nearly three months, and found delight¬ 
fully cool, and the fresh inspiriting air su¬ 
premely enjoyable. 
ABSTRACTS. 
Husbandman: “If there are different de¬ 
grees of lying it must be a little worse to lie in 
print than by word of mouth, because of the 
greater effect.”-“On the theory that‘it’s 
a poor rule that won’t work both ways,’ a great 
many men never do to-day what can be put 
off until to-morrow.”——-“Out of debt, in 
health, with wholesome work that brings fail- 
returns, is a condition that, supplemented by 
a clean conscience, comes very near happiness.” 
-B. F. J., in the Albany Cultivator: “It is 
getting to be recognized that to sow fall wheat 
in the standing corn is not only the best way to 
secure a crop, but it is the cheapest and most 
rational. Breaking the land—an oat or wheat 
stubble—iu the fall for next year’s corn crop, 
cultivating that crop so as to keep the weeds 
in subjection, is taking successive steps in a 
course of rotation which iu practice can 
scarcely be improved upon. Of course, the 
essentials for success are a good stand of corn, 
clean cultivation and drilling in the wheat 
seed by implements that stir all the surface 
soil between the rows, and cover the seed at a 
good depth.”-— 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Illinoifi. 
Pleasant Valley, Jo Daviess Co., April 
25.—We are having a very dry, cold, backward 
spring. No rain to do any good has fallen 
since the snow left a month ago, except once. 
Small grain is all sown but very little is up al¬ 
though much of it has laid in the ground two 
weeks. Cattle have to pick up a living as best 
they can, for there is not feed enough through 
these parts for work teams, without buying 
thousands of dollars’ worth iu town. It is very 
hard to get land seeded to grass these dry sea¬ 
sons ; for if it starts the young plants finally suc¬ 
cumb to the heat and drought of midsummer. A 
much larger acreage than usual has been sown 
to oats this spring—I should say 10 per cent, 
more. Fall grain came through the winter 
in fine condition, but isn’t improving much 
this cold dry windy weather w. s. 
Indiana. 
Rockville, Parke Co., April 23.— Wheat 
will be about one-fifth of a crop in this coun¬ 
try,and judging from the published returns of 
the State,we will have only about half a crop. 
Grass is short; oats not much sown. A large 
corn crop will be put out if the ground will 
ever dry sufficiently for plowing. Feed is 
scarce and high. Fruits, such as berries, ap¬ 
ples, pears and plums, promise well. Gardens 
are not forward and people cannot pay the 
high prices asked for the indifferent stock of¬ 
fered for sale from the South. On the 19th 
and 20th we had stinging frosts and also ice 
within the last seven days, and but little sun¬ 
shine. Vegetation is but little advanced as 
yet. b. 
• Louisiana. 
Cottonville, E. B. R , April 20.—Cold, 
damp weather in the early part of the Spring 
retarded planting much. Early potatoes were 
frozen down and are fully two weeks later 
than last year. A large crop was planted; 
but the seed failed in a majority of cases, 
some parties losing almost the entire crop. 
We have a drought at present with cold nights 
which are rough on vegetation. Cotton plant¬ 
ing is almost finished. Corn looks well, but 
is small. r. g. b. 
Minnesota. 
Mentor, Polk Co., April 27.—We were a 
few days late in commencing to seed this year; 
but the farmers are well along with their 
work now. A cold snap about the 18th of 
April stopped the seeding for three days, but 
otherwise we have had good weather; not 
much rain yet, and sandy land is dry and 
dusty. Grass beginning to show the green 
around the wet spots. h. 
North Carolina. 
Mooreville, Wedell Co., April 25.—This 
is a late spring here. It has been too cold 
for all vegetation. The rainfall has been 
abundant, but not enough to hinder farm 
work, which is fully up or ahead of the season. 
The farmers of this section have bought con¬ 
siderable quantities of commercial fertilizers, 
and greatly increased the size of their com¬ 
post heaps all of which they are using to stim¬ 
ulate their crops. Corn is plenty and cheap: 
50 to 55 cents per bushel; cow-peas the same, 
and no market for them. Clover and wheat 
are doing well. Oats are badly damaged by 
cold weather. Irish potato tops are from four 
to six inches high. Manufacturing is on a 
boom in this section. Cotton mills are going 
up in every town of any size. There will be 
10 or 12 factories ^r mills) built within 30 
miles of this place during this year, that wilj 
employ from 50 to 200 hands each. Peaches 
were nearly all killed on March 24th. Straw¬ 
berries will be ripe in a few days. Cherries, 
apples, plums, etc., have not been hurt by the 
cold. Hogs are very scarce here; pigs of com. 
mon stock at six weeks old sell for $2 each. 
The Farmers’ Alliance is moving along. The 
Alliance for this county was organized here 
last Saturday; 11 subordinate lodges were 
represented. The next thing for the farmers 
to do is subscribe for the Rural New. 
Yorker. w. h.b. 
Pennsylvania. 
Kane, McKane Co., April 27.—We have 
had a backward spring. Last week it was 
cold and there was a little snow every night. 
The last three days this week have been quite 
warm aud balmy. We had a very severe 
winter. The time New York suifered from 
the blizzard, our road, 50 feet wide, was filled 
up in one night as high as the fences, w. w. 
MAKE HENS LAY 
S heridan -s condition powder is absolute¬ 
ly pure and highly concentrated. It is strictly 
a medicine to be given with food. Nothing on earth 
will make hens lay like it. It cures chicken chol¬ 
era and all diseases of hens. Illustrated book by 
mail free. Sold everywhere, or sent by mall for 
26 cts. In stamps. 2><-lb. tin cans, $1; by mail, 
$1.20. Six cans by express, prepaid, for $6. 
i. S. Johnson * Co., P. O. Box 2118, Boston, 
TIIE ALUM BAKING POWDERS. 
The Massachusetts State Board of Health, 
like the State Food Commission of Ohio, pub¬ 
lishes the names of the alum powders found on 
sale within its jurisdiction as the most affect¬ 
ive way to prohibit the sale of what it classes 
as a detrimental article of food. 
The report names twenty-seven brands of 
alum baking powders detected, many of which 
will be recognized by housekeepers who have 
been using them under the representation that 
they were pure and wholesome cream-of- tartar 
baking powders. 
Being cheaply made these goods are sold to 
the retail dealer at a price that affords him a 
large profit, and the retail dealer, probably 
unaware of their nature, is induced to push 
their sale in place of pure powders upon which * 
the profits are smaller. In this way they are 
being placed in considerable quantities into 
the hands of consumers who have not a suspi¬ 
cion of their real character. 
Alum baking powders have been legally de¬ 
clared adulterated articles of food in the State 
of New York, and several parties have been 
convicted of violating the Food adulteration 
laws in selling them. 
The prevalent method of disposing of these 
goods where it is not prohibited by law, is by 
accompanying each package with a gift or lot¬ 
tery ticket. In several States acts have been 
passed making this a misdemeanor. In such lo¬ 
calities manufacturers of alum baking powders 
who regard the law have been compelled to 
reduce the price from 30 or 40 to 20 cents per 
pound, at which rate they are now generally 
sold without a gift. As an illustration of the 
low value of the alum baking powders, the fact 
is stated that one of them, no’worse than the 
others, is sold at five cents a pound. The ex¬ 
tent to which the poorer classses, who are 
their chief users, are imposed upon when they 
are charged from 20 to 40 cents for a similar 
article is quite apparent. 
The following are the names of the alum 
baking powders as given by the reports of the 
Massachusetts State Board of Health: 
Davis’s, 
Henkle, 
Silver Star, 
Ne Plus Ultra, 
Enterprise, 
Can’t Be Beat, 
Eureka, 
International, 
Puritan, 
Albany Favorite, 
Golden Sheaf, 
Burnett’s Perfect, 
A. & P. 
State, 
Silver King, 
Welcome, 
Old Colony, 
Crystal, 
Centennial, 
Gem, 
W indsor, 
Sovereign, 
Daisy, 
Geo. Washington, 
Fleur de Lis, 
Forest City, 
Feather Weight. 
While many of the alum baking powders 
named are only known locally, others are 
in almost all sections of the country. Those 
of largest sale are made in New York and 
Ohio. An avoidance of the brands named by 
the Ohio and Massachusetts State authorities, 
will not insure against the use of the objeet- 
ionble article altogether, for manufactures 
when the fact is published that a particular 
brand contains alum, will simply change the 
name, and the sale goes on as before. Large 
quantities of these goods are also sold in bulk, 
by weight, while there are hundreds of differ¬ 
ent brands put up by small dealers in different 
parts of the country where the public analyst 
is not yet known. 
Official examinations like those by the Mass¬ 
achusetts and Ohio authorities, which give 
reliable information as to the real quantities 
of articles of food and furnish a guide by 
which consumers can determine the pure and 
wholesome from the impure and dangerous 
without chance of mistake, are of great pub¬ 
lic benefit. 
The Massachusetts analyst have tested the 
various cream-of-tartar and phosphatic baking 
powders sold in the State, and their report 
that the Royal baking powder is superior to 
all others in purity and wholesomeness and 
contains nearly 20 per cent, more strength 
than any other, is quite as important to con¬ 
sumers as the information relating to the alum 
powders. The exact determination as to 
strength of the several brands was as follows, 
the figures representing the number of cubic 
inches of leavening gas from one ounce of pow¬ 
der: Royal, 126,15; Ceveland’s 107,7;Congress; 
81,2; Horsford’s, 95.1. 
A very earnest effort is being made to secure 
the passage by Congress of a law that shall 
foster the trade in pure food. The proposed 
law provides for the examination of manufac¬ 
tured articles of food, drink, and drugs, and 
for the publication, in the manner already a 
dopted in Ohio and Massachusetts, of the 
names of those brands found adulterated or in¬ 
jurious to health. A law of this character, 
that shail impose suitable penalties upon im¬ 
porters and manufactures of such commodi¬ 
ties, will be of vital importance to the whole 
country. 
