5 
shall teach the scientific side of the work, and 
the practical work to be under the supervision 
of a pood practical fanner, who, working in 
harmony with the professor, shall teach the 
practical, the work of the farm to be per¬ 
formed by the students. h. h. l. 
INEXPENSIVE SUMMER-HOUSES. 
W E have talked in previous numbers of 
“nooky places;” of their importance 
in making grounds home-like, just the same as 
a room may be made cozy by nick-nacks, by 
pictures, by a clever arrangement of little 
interesting things that fill up without clutter- 
ing. It is easy to conceive of two rooms, one 
of which is furnished in the most costly man¬ 
ner without being cosy, the other of which is 
furnished in an inexpensive way and is still 
most restful and inviting. 
It is just as easy to apply the simile to the 
grounds about our houses. There is nothing 
whatever about the Rural Grounds of a costly 
or pretentious character. Simplicity rules, 
and we have always thought that a great 
part of the praise which these two acres have 
received has been due to this one fact. 
The vine-clad arbor and border surrounding 
it, shown in our photographic picture, Fig. 
2, give us a forcible illustration of this prin¬ 
ciple. It was constructed about 15 years ago 
of Red cedar. It is octagonal in form, about 
10 feet in diameter, with rustic seats around the 
inside and a rustic table in the middle. The 
entire cost for material and carpenter work 
was $12. Back of it is an old apple tree that 
serves chiefly as a support for vines. The 
Trumpet-creeper—most home-like of vines— 
and the Virginia Creeper, after climbing to 
the peak of the summer-house, have reached 
out and taken possession of it. The structure 
is a matted mass of these and also of the 
Dutchman’s Pipe, desirable for its big leaves, 
rubbery stems, curious flowers and freedom 
from insects ; houeysuckles, so fragrant in 
flower, so rich in their nearly evergreen 
foliage; clematis, which brightens all with its 
wealth of conspicuous flowers. Besides these, 
the Moon-seed (Menispermum Cauadense) and 
the Celastrus scandens, so notable for its scar¬ 
let arils, help to make an entangled covering 
concealing all else from view. On the right 
of the picture is one of a dozen different 
vai ieties of rhododendron, growing in the 
crescent bed, selected for hardiness and for 
variety of color. On the left is a rock-work 
which, for the most part, has been taken pos¬ 
session of by the Ribbon grass (Phalaris 
arundinacea picta), so often seen in old gar¬ 
dens, and so valuable, too, as a part of semi¬ 
wild gardens or in half-kept, remote parts of 
grounds where plants are left to grow un- 
tiained as if nature had placed them just 
there and was caring for them in her own 
unassisted way. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Ohio. 
Guysville,'Athens Co., Dec. 15— Here in 
Southeastern Ohio the plow has become the 
land’s greatest terror. With the exception 
of the river bottoms, Its too frequent visits 
are unmistakably telling upon the once fertile 
soil, which is carried off in the loads and loads 
of golden grain and can not bo replaced by a 
few sacks of “fosfate” sown broadcast. The 
incessant cropping, together with the reckless 
waste of manure, is fast impoverishing our 
soil; but it seems useless to raise a cry. Many 
| will tell you it was only due to the season 
that their crops were not so good this year as 
last. 
The great and unsurmountable difficulty 
here to-day is, to get and keep a good catch of 
grass. The writer, though young in years, 
can remember riding the mower in clean 
Timothy that stood as high as the horses’ 
backs, but such growth cannot be made again 
upon the same land although it is in good 
hands. Why? Simply because the feeding 
qualities of the soil are to some extent ex¬ 
hausted. 
The question here arises: Can this fertility 
ever be returned to the soil by the use of 
commercial fertilizers? I answer, yes, but it 
will force the owner to mortgage his f arm. 
Not only will behave to mortgage it,but the 
sheriff will foreclose the mortgage and some 
one else will have a rich farm. 
A. B. S. 
intervals of two or three weeks, being sown 
through the rows before the cultivator 
(Planet hand hoe), was used. This land was 
cultivated every week, and as soon as the 
silks appeared the last 10 pounds of fertilizer 
were applied This plot yielded 25 bushels 8 
pounds of dry shelled corn, shelled in 
January; or nearly 151 bushels to the acre. 
My next crop—grown on the same land the 
next year—was Pride of the North corn. It 
was treatod in precisely the same way; the 
l summer was very dry and several smutty 
ears and stalks were destroyed as soon as they 
appeared: the yield was 14 bushels and a 
quart, equal to 84 bushels to the acre. 
One year since then I had 17 bushels on 
the same ground, equal to 102 per acre, 
the cultivation and fertilizing being the same. 
I grew corn consecutively on this piece of 
land, (a light clay loam rather damp and low) 
for seven years, when smut prevailed so much 
that I discontinued. The smallest yield dur¬ 
ing all this time was 80 bushels per acre. As 
my farm was devoted to dairying and soiling 
crops only were grown, I did not grow corn 
| after 1SS2 there. In 1883 I had several acres 
of Evergreen sweet corn on the farm for 
market ears, and from one measured acre 
I picked over 11,000 ears, which is equal to 
more than 100 bushels per acre of ordinary 
com. The same fertilizer and mode of culti¬ 
vation were used, that is. the use of one half 
the fertilizer harrowed in before planting, a 
portion sown after planting, and the rest at 
intervals up to the time of silking; the crop 
was cultivated as nearly as possible once a 
week, it being the regular work for Mondays, 
weather permitting, until the silk appeared.’ 
I feel confident that the frequent cultivation 
and repeated fertilizing as the crop increases 
its demands for food are two most important 
requisites for large yields. I am still using 
(and always shall) this method of cultivating 
a plot of about five acres fcr potatoes next 
spring as follows : 1 plowed it as deep as I 
could and subsoiled it six inches; not throwing 
the subsoil out. This stirs the soil 14 inches. 
Now what process would the Rural recom 
mend next spring before planting ? I have 
two plans in my mind—one to plow the 
ground four inches deep and drop the potatoes 
in every third furrow; the other, to plow and 
subsoil again and pulverize the soil and then 
mark out and plant in furrows. Which is the 
better? 
Ans. Our preference would be to plow a 
furrow both wavs, leaving theequivalent of a 
trench a foot wide and six inches deep. We 
would drop pieces of not less than two or three 
strong eyes a foot apart, and fill the furrows 
by harrowing. Let the furrows be three feet 
apart from the middle of each. Before plow¬ 
ing the trenches we should again plow the 
land and harrow it, but omit a second sub¬ 
soiling. 
The R. N-Y. would be glad if in one trench 
he could use at the rate of 1.000 pounds to the 
acre of some high-grade potato fertilizer for 
comparison. 
corn. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
ASHES AS A FERTILIZER. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see If It Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper. 
HOW OVER 100 BUSHELS OF SHELLED CORN 
WERE RAISED. 
C. R: IF., Westfield. N. J .—How did Mr. 
Henry Stewart raise over 100 bushels of 
shelled corn in New Jersey? 
Nebraska. 
W eston, Saunders Co., December 11. _ We 
have had one inch of snow to-day—the first 
this fall. Last summer was rather dry. We 
had just rain enough to make a good average 
crop of everything but wheat. We have not 
had a good rain since August 14. Hardly 
any fall plowing has been done, the ground 
being too dry. Corn is all gathered and 
farmers are busy marketing the crop at 20 
cents per bushel. Feed of all kinds is plenti¬ 
ful, and stock of all kinds are doing well. 
Success to the Rural! p. t n 
New IlampMliire. 
Keene, Cheshire Co., Dec. 10.— The hay 
ciop in this part of New Hampshire was 
large, but on account of too much rain, much 
of it was of poor quality. Rowen was poor 
for the same reason. Rye and oats made a 
large growth, but were secured in poor con¬ 
dition. Potatoes, early varieties, a large 
yield, quality No. 1. Late varieties are in 
some places badly rotting. Corn, on account 
ot the frosts on September 5 and 6, was very 
poor. Corn fodder is nearly worthless. 
Apples in some places are a full crop; in 
others half one. Pears, a very small crop. 
lums, one-third of a crop; lotting badly 
Grapes, an entire failure. There was too much 
rain this yeur ; we have had more than 60 
days of rain in the last 100. 
ANSWERED BY HENRY STEWART. 
My first attempt to raise a large crop ot 
corn was as follows: 
A piece of old sod land containing four 
acres of light sandy loam sloping slightly to 
the south, quite free from stone, on my farm 
near W estwood, N. J. was plowed early in 
May, 1831; thoroughly wpII harrowed and 300 
pounds per acre of the Mapes’s special corn fer¬ 
tilizer were harrowed in. One half was 
planted with the Prolific Tennessee corn and 
the other half with a white corn from Long 
Island similar in all respects to the corn 
grown on the Rural Farm on Long Island. 
The corn was planted three feet apart each 
way. As soon as the corn was planted 300 
pounds more of the corn fertilizer were sown 
broadcast per acre. The land was cultivated 
several times until it was showing the silk 
and the horse was hidden in the rows. This 
was all. Most of the stalks had two good ears; 
the Tennessee corn averaged three fair-sized 
ears and some stalks had three or four small 
ears in addition. The corn was husked by 
the bushel and was carefully measured by the 
busker in the field and by me as it was brought 
in. There were 398 bushels of ears of the Long 
Island corn and 412>£ bushels of the Tennessee 
corn. I he rows and cross-rows were finally 
counted, to be sure about the quantity of 
ground and measured 93 rows one wav and 
207 the other. 
The next year the land that had grown the 
Tennessee corn was put in corn again, and 
with precisely the same treatment yielded 198 
bushels of corn shelled, but there were not 
quite two acres in this piece; the rows were 
not the same as the previous year, being five 
less and were consequently a little further 
apart. The same year I had a piece of land 
in my garden (a very poor piece I thought), 
at my residence at Hackensack, N. J , 40 
yards long by 20 wide, which had been In’ po¬ 
tatoes the year before; and was planted with 
the Prolific corn of seed from the previous 
crop on my farm. This ground was plowed 
with a Rue’s hand-plow, by myself, and 
crossed; then raked smooth and marked out 
accurately in squares of three feet. Fifty 
pounds of the Mapes’s fertilizer were raked in 
and after planting, 20 pounds more were sown 
on the surface; 30 pounds more were used- at 
Subscriber (address lost) —1. I have a patch 
of Snyder blackberries which were set out 
four years ago on good corn ground, but 
which have never amounted to anything. 
They make a growth of two or three feet 
every summer, then die down, and never 
sprout. Would a dressing of wood ashes be 
likely to benefit them? I can get the ashes 
for a dollar a load, and manure for 50 cents; 
which would do the more good? Would the 
ashes be of any benefit to an old pasture, and 
when should they be applied? Will the 
Downing mulberry winter-kill here? 
2. I have a patch of Black-cap raspberries 
that are set on loose black ground; they bore 
a very heavy crop this summer. As soon as 
the crop was taken off I cut the old canes out 
and put a large shovelful of wood ashes 
arouDd each hill. What does the Rural 
thinks of this plan? 
Ans.— 1. There is no better fertilizer than un¬ 
leached wood ashes. The only trouble is that 
they have no nitrogen. Now if you will use 
the manure and the ashes, you will furnish 
all the land needs. We cannot account for 
the feebleness of your blackberries unless the 
soil is too impoverished. At such prices for 
manure and ashes, your farm should not suf¬ 
fer for food. Yes, ashes will help the pasture 
fields; but you should add nitrogen in some 
form. The best time to spread ashes is in the 
spring. Downing’s mulberry will stand the 
climate of central and southern Ohio we 
should say. 
FEED FOR SHEEP. 
-I• ^ Dansville, .V. Y.—I want to mix 
beans, middlings and oats in equal quantities 
to be fed to sheep; what amount should I 
feed per head, feeding twice a day ? Could I 
make a better composition by increasing or 
lessening any of the above ingredients? Would 
corn be a better substitute for the beans? 
Ans.—S heep will not eat beans whole, and 
if mixed as above suggested the beans would 
be left unconsumed. At least the majority of 
sheep refuse beans when given whole. But if 
the beans are ground with the oats aud the 
meal is mixed with the middlings, the whole 
will be readily eaten. As a rule, however, 
sheep will do better upon whole grain than 
on fine meal, which they are apt to bolt too 
greedily without mastication and so suffer 
from indigeitiou. At the present price of 
beans they cannot be fed with profit, but only 
at a large loss. A moderate allowance of oats 
or corn with good clover hay, makes the best 
feeding for sheep, and the cheapest at present 
prices. A sheep of 100 to 120 pounds live 
weight should have three pounds of hay and a 
pint of mixed corn and oats, or buckwheat 
added. Buckwheat, rye and oats are excellent 
grain food for sheep. When beans are dis¬ 
colored in harvesting and are thus damaged 
for sale, they may be usefully fed with corn to 
sheep or horses or pigs. 
ABOUT PLANTING POTATOES. 
-d G. L., Sterling, Kans .—I have prepared 
LAMENESS IN A HEIFER. 
J. C. C. New Brunswick , N. J .—For four 
or five months a young heifer has been so 
lame in one of her fore legs or shoulder that 
she hasn’t put down the affected member. 
The lameness came on gradually. There is no 
heat, soreness or swelling. She lies down most 
of the time. She is in good condition, and 
will drop a calf soon. What is the trouble; 
and how should she be treated? 
Ans. Your description gives us no clue to 
the cause or location of the trouble; we can¬ 
not therefore advise as to treatment. Care¬ 
fully re-examine the whole limb. Look es¬ 
pecially to the foot to see that it is clean 
between the claws, and has not been pricked 
by a sharp-pointed body. Move each joint 
slowly backward and forward and endeavor 
to locate the seat of tenderness. If you can¬ 
not locate the trouble call a competent vete¬ 
rinarian to diagnose it and treat the cow for 
you. 
COLD IN A HEN. 
A - F - M -' Martinsburg, Mb.—What ails my 
hen? She is laying and seems well except 
that every little while she shakes her head 
and says “pip.” A year ago she and some of 
her chickens batched from her own eggs were 
troubled in the same way; one of the chickens 
died. What can I do for the poor thing? 
Ans.—T he trouble is a cold which "clogs 
the nostrils, the “pip” being simply a sneeze. 
It is due to a draft of air from some source 
either from a crack in the wgjl 0 f the poultry 
house or from a top ventilator. High winds 
will also cause it, or exposure to dampness^ 
A drop or two of kerosene, injected into each 
nostril, will probably effect a cure if the hen 
is kept in a dry, warm place. 
DUCKS. 
C. W. E., (no address)—Bo the Aylesbury 
ducks mature as early as the Pekin or Roueu 
and which lays the largest number of eggs ? ’ 
Ans.— With equally good care and feeding 
the Pekin duck will develop a greater weight 
at an early age than the Rouen or Aylesbury 
but there is not much difference in the time 
of maturing between Aylesbury and Pekins, 
but, as the Pekin is the larger duck, it gets 
and keeps the earliest start in size. In regard 
to laying, the Pekin is the earliest and largest 
layer, but it must be remembered that feeding 
and care tell much more on ducks than on 
hens in the production of eggs, especially with 
the Pekin and Aylesbury. 
THE RURAL’S CARROT CROP. 
E. V. A., Bethlehem , N. F.—What manure 
was used in raising the Rural’s carrot crop, 
and how was it applied? When was the seed 
sown? 
Ans.—F arm manure (20 tons to the acre) 
was spread in the spring and plowed under. 
It was harrowed well and then 400 pounds of 
Mapes’s potato fertilizer were sown broadcast. 
The land was again harrowed and the seed 
drilled in very thick in drills three feet apart. 
The carrots were hilled up as they grew. 
Mlscellaneons. 
IF. S. Me. IF., Brooklyn, N. F.—What 
variety of yellow corn will mature by Septem¬ 
ber 10, if planted from May 25 to June 1? 
Ans. Pride of the North will come the 
nearest to ripening in the time mentioned of 
any dent we know of. We should not fear to 
risk it It can be had of any seedsmen. 
G. W. S., (7io address ).—A friend has re¬ 
cently brought me from England a few of the 
English Magnum Bonum potatoes for trial. 
Have they been tested in this country, and if 
so with what success? 
Ans. Yes; the R. N.-Y. planted them when 
they were first introduced in England some 13 
