THE ftHttAL 
-V6RK€«. 
m 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED. 
T HE ROSE GARDEN, by Will’am Paul 
& Son, Waltham Cross, London, Eng¬ 
land. The first edition of this magnificent 
work was written 40 years ago. Much of 
the present (ninth) edition is rewritten. To 
express it in familiar words, this book is 12 
x 10 inches in size, 365 pages, large, clear 
print upon heavy paper of the finest quality. 
There are 20 strikingly beautiful colored 
plates of our finest garden roses, 16 full-page 
wood engravings and 80 smaller engravings. 
The work is iu two divisions. Tne first em¬ 
braces the “ History and Pcetry of the Rose, 
the Formation of the Rosarium and a De¬ 
tailed Account of the Vaiious Practices 
Adopted in the Successful Cultivation of this 
Popular Flower.” 
The second division contains an “ Arrange¬ 
ment, in Natural Groups, of the most esteemed 
varieties of roses recognized and cultivated 
in the various rose gardens, English and 
foreign, with full Descriptions and Remarks 
on their Origin and Mode of Culture.” 
Finally, in an appendix are two valuable 
articles on, first, “ The Botany of the Rose,” 
illustrated, and, second, “ The Entomology of 
the Rose,” also illustrated. The book closes 
with a list of “Works on the Rose with Date 
of Publication and Author's Name,” and 
a plain, comprehensive index, it is bound in 
cloth and the price is $5.10—21s. The 
same work (Imperial 8vo., illustrated with 
wood-cuts only) is §2 55—10s 6d. This is 
probably the finest work of the kind ever 
published. 
Ladoga Wheat.—T his is the general sub¬ 
ject of bulletin No. 4 of the Cauadian Experi¬ 
ment Station, sent by Wm. Saunders, Ottawa, 
Canada. There is no problem that more vi¬ 
tally concerns the future of Canada than that 
of evolving early-ripening varieties of hard 
wheat and other grains. Tl e soil of the great 
plains of the Northwest is so liberally sup¬ 
plied with fertility that its productive capac¬ 
ity can hardly be estimated. But with this 
vast store of fertility is coupled a season so 
short that the ordinary varieties of wheat are, 
in the majority of instances, killed by the 
frost. Nature has distributed herfavorswith 
a just hand. She has given to the cold Noi\li, 
with its short season of warmth the power to 
produce wheat of the highest quality, abso¬ 
lutely necessary in the production of the fin¬ 
est flour. If, then, a wheat can be found that 
combines with the finest flouring quality an 
ability to ripen before the danger from early 
frosts, the agriculture of the Northwest will 
be safe and ptrmanent, because it can mon¬ 
opolize a product that is an absolute necessity. 
This is about the reasoning of the directors of 
the Canadian Experiment Station. They de¬ 
cided that the Ladoga wheat—a native of 
Northern Russia—gives the best promise of 
all varieties they could find. Samples of this 
wheat were sent to various par.s of Canada 
and this bulletin deals with the facts brought 
out by this distribution, chemical analysis 
of the wheat and other tests. The conclusion 
seems to be that the w heat is well w orth try¬ 
ing and that it will doubtless adapt itself to 
the demands of Canadian agriculture. 
Williams’s Mower and Reaper Knife- 
Grinder.— Circular ficm tie Williams 
Brothers’ Manufacturing Company, Naubuc, 
Conn. This machine is so simple that a boy 
can grind machine knives with peifect ac¬ 
curacy. With this machine the bevel of 
knives can be adjusted readily and every 
knile ground on the same bevel, or other¬ 
wise, as desired. This appears to be a very 
useful little machine,and we hope our readers 
will send for the circular and see what they 
think of it. 
Records of Dairy Cows —Bulletin Num¬ 
ber 32 of the Massachusetts Experiment Sta¬ 
tion. This is quite an important dairy publi¬ 
cation. In many respects, the experiment it 
records is unique and so directly in the line 
of practical dairy usage that it points out a 
startling truth. It was proposed to copy, as 
tar as possible, the conditions lound ou the 
average milk dairy farm. Twelve cows, 
grades ot the different breeds, were bought as 
soon after calviug as possible. Tney were 
milked until their daily yield of milk fell be¬ 
low live or six quarts when they w ere sold to 
the butcher. Thus two cows cost lrtm $57 to 
$72, while they sold for $25 to $35 each. A 
careful record was kept of the food consumed, 
the milk yielded, aud weights of the cows at 
different periods. The result is that we have 
a series of very important figures showing the 
relative profit of each cow, and ihe cost of 
milk from such a herd. 
We desire in this review simply to call at¬ 
tention to a few points of particular impor¬ 
tance. The bulletin is [of such value that 
every milkman who buys and sells cows ought 
to have it. Before giving any comparative 
Jiguresiwe may say that the milk w as sold at 
three cents per quart. The profit of the cow 
is reckoned as lollows: The original cost of 
the cow is added to the ccst of her feed. This 
sum is subtracted from the sum of money ob¬ 
tained freni the milk produced by the cow 
tnd the price obtained for her from the 
butcher. The value of the manure was esti¬ 
mated at the usual rating given by the chem¬ 
ists for the food, less 20 percent, taken by the 
milk. For example; one cow ate $59 worth 
of food. It was estimated that her manure 
was worth $22.27. As the value of manure is 
so greatly dependent upon the care that is 
taken of it, it is hardly fair to give this value 
without explanation. 
Of the 12 cows two were grades of the 
Jersey, two of Short-horn, one of Devon, five 
of Ayrshire, one of “ Dutch,” and one native. 
The cow givmg the test returns, exclusive of 
any valuation for the manure, was an Ayr¬ 
shire. This cow was milked 584 days. She 
cost $60 originally, gave milk valued at 
$203.37, consumed food worth $135.05 and 
sold finally for $28. A Jersey cow, eight 
years old, was milked 599 days, but her milk 
yield was less than that of the Ayrshire. 
Perhaps she would have made more butter, 
however. This cow cost the same as the Ayr¬ 
shire, but sold for $3 less. Tne poorest cow in 
the lot was a Short-horn grade. She gave 
only $75.83 worth of milk, and ate $80.08 
worth of food. Taking the cash profits of the 
cows, exclusive of the manure, it is found 
that one cow paid over $35, two over $20, five 
over $15, two over $10, one under $5, while 
one lost $34. Nine nut of 12 therefore made a 
profit of below $20. The one bad cow that 
lost $34 reduced the average of the entire 
herd. Is there any such cow in your herd? 
Two cows were bought on the same day, sold 
on the same day, and fed the same quantity 
of grain. They were of the same age also. 
The cows were milked 374 days. Here is the 
record. 
COST 
80LD 
FOR 
X 
£3 
S3 
9 
^ ot 
HAY 
PROFIT 
tt **3 
geg 
* £ 
Jersey.... 
Ayi shire.. 
. .( 6". » 2 s.co 
. .$65. $36 50 
8,724 
4.063 
1.947 
1.947 
4,223 $P.73 
5,122 $17.75 
$22.27 
$24.66 
Giddings & Read, Rutland, Vermont. 
—A variety of field corn called the Giddings 
is said to have teen carefully selected from 
and improved during the past 100 years. It is 
represented as “the most perfect type of corn 
grown in this section” and certain to mature 
in the most unfavorable seasons. This cata¬ 
logue offers a first rate list of potatoes among 
which are Albino, Summit, Gov. Foraker, 
Mrs. Foraker, Crow'n Jewel, Nott’s Victor, 
Delaware, Ben. Harrison, Rogers’s Seedling, 
etc., etc. The catalogue itself, which will be 
sent to our readers on application, must be 
examined for descriptions. 
The Same old Story, with hardly a vari¬ 
ation. Victim, farmer Daniel Keller, aged 
70, the owner of several fine farms in the 
neighborhood of Bear Gap, Northumberland 
County, Pa. Time, last Monday. Loss, $4,- 
700. A w'eek before the close of the play a 
well-dressed, middle-aged stranger of engag¬ 
ing manners called on Keller and said he 
wanted to buy a farm. Keller showed him 
about one of his; but the dt al hung fire and 
the agreeable stranger remained at the farm¬ 
house as a guest. Last Monday a well-dressed 
young man appeared on the scene iuthe char¬ 
acter of a son of John B. Packer, President of 
the Bank of Sunbury. He wanted to buy a 
Short-horn bull. Keller invited the two 
strangers into the parlor, and in course of a 
pleasant conversation, the last comer pro¬ 
duced a pack of cards, and proposed to show 
the others a tine trick. He selected the ace of 
spades and two spot cards and began tossing 
them about, facedown. The trick wastoselect 
the ace. 
Tbe original stranger tried his hand with 
varying success,and then the self-styled Pack¬ 
er said he would bet $5,000 that neither of bis 
companions could pick out tbe right card. 
At this Stranger No. 1—who, of course, was a 
perfect stranger to StraDger No. 2—picked up 
the winning card, gave the wink to his friend 
Keller, bending the end of the card so as to 
leave a slight crease. "I’ll go you $5,000 on 
that,” said the farmer, who had by this time 
become greatly excited at the sight of a cer¬ 
tain way of scooping in a large sum in a mo¬ 
ment. The cards were again thrown and 
Keller picked up the creased one and turning 
it over, exclaimed: “There you are: now pass 
over the money.” The young man frankly 
acknowledged that he owed the farmer $5,000 
and produced a big roll of what appeared 
large bills, to show that he was prepared to 
pay tt. 
“You can’t have it, however,” said he, “till 
you show you made the bet in good faith. 
Show up your dust so that 1 can see ycu could 
have paid me bad I won in place of yourself.” 
Keller said he bad the money all right, and 
after rummaging different hoarding-places in 
the house, laid $4,700 on the table. Quick sis 
a flash, his old friend,Stranger No. 1,whipped 
out a revolver and sticking the muzzle against 
the old man’s pallid brow, swore he would 
blow his brains out if be uttered a cry or 
moved hand or foot. The other man grabbed 
the money and fled. Then his pal, still cov¬ 
ering the victim with his revolver, backed to 
the door, passed out, closed it, and sped away 
after his confederate. When old Keller 
had recovered enough to make his way to 
Sunbury, no trace could be discovered of the 
rascals. Does 70-year-old farmer Keller take 
the Rural? Certainly not. If he did,he would 
now be vastly richer in general knowledge 
and $4,700 richer in cold cash. 
A Device for swindling farmers, that has of 
late been pretty extensively practiced in some 
parts of the country is the following: An 
offer is made of nursery stock, which need 
not be paid for till it bears fruit, when pay 
will be taken in fruit. Nothing could be 
fairer, eh? No fear then of losses from grow¬ 
ing plants untrue to name! Of course, how¬ 
ever, a note is incidentally required, merely as 
“a matter of form;” and to insure that it 
shall not pass to strangers, the words “ Not 
transferable,” are boldly written on the face 
of it. In spite of all, however, it is sent back 
for collection by some “ innocent holder;”but 
now the words written boldly on its face are 
“ Note transferable,” io that it has become 
“negotiable paper.” As a rule, some bold 
bluffing by a smart lawyer soon exacts pay¬ 
ment; but it is very doubtful whether any 
jury would render a verdict in favor of such 
a clear case of swindling. 
“ Cur win’s Hog-Powder,” puffed up by a 
Pennsylvania humbug as “sure cure” for 
swiue plague or cholera, has been aualyzed by 
Dr. G. C. Caldwell, Chemist of the National 
Agricultural Experiment Station, at Ithaca, 
N. Y., and be says the mixture consists sub¬ 
stantially of 78 per cent, of common salt, the 
rest being sulphur, charcoal and copperas. 
The whole would be worth only 25 cents per 
pound, and, as Director I. P. Roberts remarks, 
if these substances could do what is claimed 
for them, “bog cholera” would have been 
wiped out of existence years ago, “ for they 
have all been fed in large quantities to hegs 
for this very purpose.” 
PijsreUancou.s ‘3Uvcrti$ing. 
CHEST PAINS 
Coughs,Golds 
Chest Pains, Coughs and r'olds, Weak 
Lungs, Backache. Kidney Bains. Rheumatism and 
all Muscular Pains, relieved iu one minuie by 
tot Guticura Anti-Pain Plaster. 21 
only Instantaneous pain killing, strengthening plas- 
-.- or Pottkb Dkuo 
ter. 25cts.: 5 for $1. At druggists,or 
and Chemical Co., Boston, Mass. 
150,000 FARMERS HAVE USEE 
AND APPROVED THE 
“ACME” 
[LVEKIZING HARROW, CLOD 
CRUSHER AND LEVELKR. 
teel Crusher and Leveler. Double Gangs oi 
ustable Reversible Coulters. Lumps Crushed, 
I Cut, Lifted and Turned in one operation. No 
ke or Spring Teeth to pull up Rubbish. No 
aring Journals. Practically Indestructible, 
nes 3 to 12 f *. vide. With and Without Sulky. 
Deliver Free at Convenient Dis- 
buting Depots West and South. 
! m | Don’t Buy a Bud imitation or Inferior Tool. 
| Order a Genuine Double Gang Acme os 
| | A mitt, to be Returned at my Expense If not 
Agents 
Wanted 
The Best 
Selling Toe 
on Earth. 
Illustrated Pamphlet FREE. * 
DUANE H. NASH. Sole Manufacturer, 
* Millington, New Jersey. 
ISpr Mention This Paper. 
Who lays a snare for others falls therein 
himself. Use 
Warner’s Log Cabin LIVER PILLS, 
you will find them no snare for yourself or 
others; the benefit derived from them is im¬ 
mediate and permanent. 25 cents a bottle. 
FERTILIZER MANUFACTURE. 
A WONDERFUL CHANGE IN FIFTEEN YEARS. 
IT is hardly possible to realize the great pro¬ 
gress which has been mede in ihe fertilizer 
business during Ihe fast fifteen years. In 1871 
Dr. James R. Nichols, speaking before the 
State be ard of agriculture, said be had investi¬ 
gated seventeen of the most popular super¬ 
phosphates and found that tbe difference be¬ 
tween their plant-food value and their selling 
price gave an average loss to farmers, upon 
every ton purchased, of 34 90, and he added. 
“ I have reached the conclusion that it is im¬ 
possible for manufacturers to supply . . . 
any compounded fertilizer so as to give ihe 
farmer a just return for his money.” 
The following year tbe president of ihe agri¬ 
cultural college—Hon. Wm. S. Clark—at the 
State board meeting grouped in one class 
horse jockeys, rumsellers and fertilizer manu¬ 
facturers. 
Durffig these years a young man had 
graduated from the Massachusetts agricul¬ 
tural college and started in the manufacture 
of fertilizers. He was a farmer’s son who 
had worked his way through college fitting 
himself especially for this business. This 
young man—Mr. W. H. Bowker—started out 
with the idea that the manufacture and sale 
of commercial fertilizers was as legitimate and 
honorable business as any, if honestly con¬ 
ducted. The late Capt John Moore of Con¬ 
cord, Mass., voicing ihe sentiment of the time 
told him: “ If you remain henest one year you 
will do more than any other man who has 
gone into the business;” yet he persisted in 
his course and to-day can claim tbe honor of 
having been one of the prime factors in the 
great change that has taken place both in 
public sentiment audjin the unifoimity and the 
reliability of commercial fertilizers As the 
New England Homestead very justly says: 
“ Mr. Bowker has been a power in elevating 
the of 
It now 
States. 
Mr. Bowker published the first classified 
agricultural chemical price list in tbe coun¬ 
try, and sold the first muriate and sulphate of 
potash to farmeis in New England, and also 
introduced sulphate of ammonia for agricul¬ 
tural purposes. 
Probably no one in the business has been 
consulted more by experiment stations or has 
supplied so many chemicals for experimen’.al 
purposes. Only recently his concern has t een 
favored wi'ha large order from Secretary 
Rusk of the United States Department of 
Agriculture at Washingtc n to be used in car¬ 
ry ing on important experiments with refer¬ 
ence to peach y ellows. 
It would take quite a chapter to show what 
the Bowker company and its energetic foun¬ 
der have done to place the business on a gcod 
footing, for it is one of the most progressive 
concerns in the country in the fertilizing 
business and has been alive to every new im- 
provemeLt. 
The great work, however, of this company 
has been the introduction of special manures 
under the name of Prof. Levi Stockbridge, 
which at first was much ridiculed, partly be¬ 
cause they weie the fii st manufactured fer¬ 
tilizers that contained potash, but the prin¬ 
ciple is now recognized by practical and 
scientific men as being the only rational basis 
of fertilization. 
The Bowker company is also undoubtedly 
aswell equipped as aiiy concern in the coun¬ 
try to do the business. It has two large fac¬ 
tories,it manufactures its own sulphuric acid, 
has its own steamboat in New York harbor 
and a large phosphate mine in Canada. Its 
sales have grown from 125 tons in 1873,(which 
Mr. Bowker. assisted by Mr. L. A. Sparrow 
tbe present chemist of the company, per¬ 
sonally manufactured and sold), to over 30,- 
000 tons in 1888, or 100 tons for every work¬ 
ing day of the year. We have watched the 
progress of this concern from the beginning, 
and it is a pleasure to note its success. Its 
efforts have been justly' appreciated by the 
farming public, for it was the pioneer com¬ 
pany to put the business on a scientific basis, 
stating what it sells and selling what it states. 
Mr. Bowker has by bis methods on his merits 
won a prominent position in tbe agricultural 
world, both as one of the trustees of the State 
college and as a writer and speaker on agri¬ 
cultural topics.—Aetc England. Fanner. 
