445 
THE BUBAL 
cwt. for six months and $1.30 for the other 
six months, making an average of $1.20 
for the year. It was a new undertaking here, 
and consequently some of the farmers were 
slow in taking hold of it. The first milk will 
be received on the evening of July 8, and the 
milk from 800 cows has already been con¬ 
tracted for. The company will run only one 
vat or pan at present, for they must have the 
milk from 10,000 cows to enable them to run 
to their full capacity. The heavy parts of the 
outfit are already in place, but an immense 
amount of light machinery is now being put 
in. The present pay roll amounts to $2,000 a 
week for the mechanics and laborers. The 
general manager says $1,000,000 will not 
more than pay for it. An artesian well 1,700 
feet deep is located within the factory and 
gives 400 gallons of water per minute. An¬ 
other well about 600 feet northwest of the 
factory, is 1,600 feet deep and produces 600 
gallons per minute. The weather is pretty 
wet. Oats and wheat are looking very rank. 
Clover is a good crop and will be cut by June 
20. Corn has had a hard struggle with frosts 
and cold winds, but the outlook for the crop 
is very favorable now'. Prices are: corn, 28 
to 30 cents; oats, 16 to 18 cents; good butter, 
10 to cents. I am glad to see that the 
Rural is coming down on trusts, which are 
the enemies of the farmers in general. 
j. w. K. 
Hannan. 
Vidette, Shawnee County, June 17.—The 
extreme range of the thermometer so far in 
this month has been between 60 and 98 de¬ 
grees, with two inches of rainfall. Wheat 
promises to be very good. Oats good in 
straw; corn is making a good growth with a 
few exceptions where chinch bugs are at work. 
The abundance of rain we are having is a 
hindrance to the bugs and an advantage to 
the crops. All kinds of fruit promise to be 
plentiful. Everything looks flourishing for 
the agriculturist. j. e. m. 
Michigan. 
Marlkttk, Sanilac County, June 18. 
Wheat, oats, barley, peas, horses, cattle, sheep 
and wool are our money products. They 
are sold at the elevators and shipped East. 
Some barley is fed to stock. All of it should 
be and no beer should be made. The farmer 
would then get more profit. The best of the 
white peas are sold to be used for the purpose 
of adulterating ground coffee, etc. We have a 
good cheese factory that makes an excellent 
cheese, and also a creamery; therefore some 
are paying greater attention to their cows 
and increasing the number of them, and with 
the aid of the silo, the prospect is fairly good. 
An oat-meal mill is nearing completion here. 
It is said to be the only one in the State. 
Prices at present are: Wheat, 77 cents; oats, 
23 cents; barley, 50 cents; peas, 40 cents; 
wool, 15 cents to 32 cents. Some fanners 
have a better grade of stock, are better 
feeders, and obtain better prices. Then by 
cleaning their seed grain thoroughly, sowing 
their seed early on carefully prepared soils, 
they generally have paying crops. I do not 
know of any that are making any one branch 
a specialty. I have been paying more atten¬ 
tion to sheep than to anything else. I have a 
flock of Shropshires. also Merinos, and some 
half-breeds. I filled my silo with uncut corn; 
and fed the silage to horses and cattle. They 
ate it all up, but the sheep did not eat all they 
got of it. I should prefer cut fodder for sheep. 
Of late years many have been reading the R. 
N.-Y. and several other valuable papers, and 
they have improved much in the general man¬ 
agement of their farms, and appear to pros¬ 
per, in spite of hard times. Many herds have 
been much improved by the introduction of 
Short-horn blood. Farmers have good teams 
and are raising good colts. I think those 
farmers who have not tried growing peas, 
should do so. They leave tne land in good 
condition for fall wheat; the straw is good 
sheep fodder. Two or more acres sowed with 
rape make a good pasture for sheep in the 
fall. Last year l had four acres of rape sown 
broadcast, five pounds per acre, in June, and 
found it a great help towards getting my 
sheep in good condition for the winter. The 
great thing to bring prosperity to the farm¬ 
ers would be Prohibition. It would give us 
a better market for our grains. Instead of 
the low price given by the Brewers’ Trust we 
would get the fair price regulated by the de¬ 
mand of the people. If there were no liquors, 
there would be more money in the hands of 
the poor, and consequently a greater demand 
for our products. This would, of course, in¬ 
crease the sale and the prices would go up. 
J. M. 
Rollin, Leiiq^vee County, June 17.—The 
cities are increasing in population faster than 
the country and must be fed so that the out¬ 
look for the future is brighter. The temperance 
question will not rest until it has been settled 
right, and then there will be more money to 
spend on nice fruit and good meat. There 
are some farmers here who are getting extra 
good prices for their products. A number of 
men are sending their butter directly to the 
consumers the year round, and getting 20 to 
25 cents per pound for it all the time; where¬ 
as it brings now in our local market only 11 to 
12 cents. Some introduce new kinds of wheat, 
oats and potatoes, and sell them for seed at a 
large advance on the market rates. Some 
raise blooded cattle or sheep or hogs and sell 
their progeny to farmers at better figures. 
The following changes have been made within 
10 years: Hay is now baled ana shipped as far 
as to New York and Boston. Now we have 
canning factories in many villages. We 
raise sweet corn, tomatoes, squashes, pump¬ 
kins, berries, etc., more than we used to do. 
Our farms are small; more of them are under 
80 acres than above that figure. Quite a large 
number of our farmers sell more or less wood 
or timber every winter, and maple sugar mak¬ 
ing in the spring is an increasing industry. 
In fact our resources are great and varied; if 
this were not the case we never could bear 
the strain that is upon us, what with mon¬ 
opolies and trusts, sharks and tramps, floods 
and frosts, drougths and taxes. We still, how¬ 
ever, survive. Though often down, we are 
seldom in despair. j. o. b. 
Minnesota. 
Mentor, Polk County.—Considering the 
unfavorable conditions our grain crops have 
had to contend with this spring, it is a won¬ 
der that the small grains look so well as they 
do. We have had the driest spring in the 
history of this settlement. Unusually heavy 
winds have blown a large amount of grain 
out of the ground and in a good many places 
it was necessary to seed the ground all over 
again. Heavy frosts, too, about the first of 
June thinned out the oats somewhat, but what 
there is left now is doing remarkably well for 
grain that has not had a thorough wetting 
since it was planted. Pastures are very short 
and dry. I have never known the cows to do 
so poorly in June. Creameries are paying 10 
cents per inch for cream in cans 12 inches in 
diameter. It is hard to dispose of stock at 
any price for cash. What little money there 
is in the country seems to be in the hands of 
loan agents. Unless we have rain soon 
our hay crop will be very short. There has 
been a good deal of comment among the farm¬ 
ers in regard to the Meat Inspection Law. 
Most of those I have talked with do not seem 
to be able to see anything beyond the 50-cent 
inspection fee, and are growling at our law¬ 
makers for putting another burden upon the 
already down trodden farmer. Before the 
Inspection Bill passed meat was hard to sell 
at 2% cents per pound on foot; now it is rath¬ 
er easier to sell it at the same price, and that is 
about the only material difference we have 
been able to see thus far. f. a. h. 
Nebraska. 
Sidney, Cheyenne County, June 18.—Cattle 
and corn are the main branches of industry, 
which farmers depend on for cash. These 
products are sold here (Sidney) except cattle, 
which are shipped to Omaha. Prices have 
been very high for corn, etc., but low for cat¬ 
tle, but prospects are favorable for the future. 
A few by having good stock and raising a 
good quality of produce get extra good prices. 
The land here less than five years ago was all 
used by the cattle-men. The immigration to 
this part of the country has changed it from a 
grazing to an agricultural section. One of 
the best changes for the benefit of this country 
would be to import a high class of pure-bred 
cattle and horses to improve the stock that is 
here. j. d. b. 
New York. 
Prattsburgh, Clinton County.—Develop¬ 
ments since the frost of May 29th show a 
fair prospect for currants and berries of all 
sorts ou my premises. There will be very 
few pears, no grapes, plums, peaches, quinces 
or cherries, with a prospective yield of apples, 
from over 200 bearing trees, that I would will¬ 
ingly exchange for five bushels of sound fruit 
in autumn. Hay a light crop in this region. 
Winter and early-sown spring grains on dry 
land are promising. Corn backward and 
sickly. As a whole, the present prospect is 
against a recurrence, this year, of any com¬ 
plaints about over-production. w. b. p. 
Ohio. 
Lodi, Metl.ua County, June 17.—Wheat 
and milk are our money products. 
W heat is sold to warehousemen and milk to 
the cheese factories. Wheat has averaged 
about 80 cents per bushel; milk 80 cents per 
cwt. There appears to be no prospect of bet¬ 
ter prices in the future. There are farmers 
who get prices above the average. They excel 
in the quality of their goods, are reliable, 
honest aud ’‘square” In every line and they 
sell to those who know and appreciate good 
things. There has been some change in 
a few localities wjthm 10 years, Potatoe* and 
horses are raised more than formerly. Low 
prices for buckwheat have probably caused 
the change. i. w. “ 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
[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.] 
KILLING SNAPDRAGON. 
A. R. Q., Fannin gdale, N. Y .—Does the 
Rural know of any way to kill snap¬ 
dragon ? The more I turn it under the better 
it appears to come up. 
FROM W. J. BEAL. 
I think there is no royal way to kill trouble¬ 
some weeds ; but thorough cultivation will 
subdue any plant. If it is not allowed to get 
a leaf above ground for even a short period.it 
must die. Linaria vulgaris is no exception 
to the rule. 
Ingham County, Michigan. 
FROM W. B. PRATT. 
I am not conversant with “snapdragon;” 
but a farmer a few miles distant describes it 
as an annual, with bushy tops, pale yellow 
flower, growing only on wet land bordering 
on rivulets, never invading uplands, nor in¬ 
creasing under neglect in its natural home. 
He assumes that continuous pulling year 
after year and the consequent prevention of 
the ripening of new pods would in time effect 
its destruction.—[It is a perennial.— Eds.] 
Steuben County, N. Y. 
FROM J. TALCOTT. 
I know of no way to eradicate any noxious 
weed except to destroy it root and branch. 
The worst pests are those that propagate 
from the roots. Those that grow from seeds 
only are much more easily destroyed. If the 
plot is not large, by digging it over and care¬ 
fully picking out all the roots for a few years, 
all weeds must succumb. The more thorough 
the work, the speedier their destruction. 
The morning glory or India creeper is one 
that spreads from the roots and no cold will 
kill it in this latitude. 
Oneida County, N. Y. 
FROM DR. B. D. HALSTEAD. 
This is a vile weed and it cannot be easily 
overcome. The snapdragon “ butter and 
eggs” "toadflax” or “ Ransted weed” 
takes almost complete possession of the soil. 
The only way to eradicate it is by frequent 
plowing and removing the roots. Keeping the 
plants closely cut will prevent the formation 
of seeds, but the plants themselves are long- 
lived. If the infested soil is turned frequent¬ 
ly there will be an end to the trouble. How 
many weeks or months it will require de¬ 
pends upon circumstances. The weed killers 
must follow the illustrious example of the 
spider, and try and try again. 
Middlesex County, N. J. 
FROM A. A. OROZIER. 
This imported weed has become exceedingly 
troublesome in all the Northern States east of 
the Mississippi and is spreading into other 
parts of the country. Besides the above name, 
it is known as toad flax, butter-and-eggs and 
Ransted-weed. It is said to have been brought 
to the United States by a Mr. Ransted of 
Philadelphia, probably for ornament, as it 
was often cultivated in flower gardens at an 
early day. It has become so common as a 
weed, however, that it is no longer offered by 
seedsmen. It occurs mainly along roadsides 
and in pastures, its fetid odor preventing 
stock from eating it. It is perennial, grows 
in continuous masses, and spreads by its 
creeping root stocks. To eradicate it I would 
suggest plowing the laud deeply and care¬ 
fully in June, and sowing to buckwheat or 
millet, following, the next year, with a hoed 
crop and remove any that may remain. In 
the West or in a dry seasou it could probably 
be killed by shallow plowing in July or Au¬ 
gust, setting the plow so as to prevent the fur¬ 
rows from falling flat, after the manner of 
breaking a prairie. 
Iowa Experiment Station. 
FROM PROF. H. H. WING. 
Snapdragon or butter-and-eggs (Linaria 
vulgaris) is .a perennial, spreading from root¬ 
stocks. It also produces an abundance of 
seeds. It is therefore a doubly troublesome 
plant to subdue. An absolutely bare summer- 
fallow or a positively clean hoed crop for two 
or three seasons in succession must kill it out. 
The question is whether it is worth the time, 
the trouble and the interference with rotation 
that such a course would entail. One or two 
other courses that give promise of success are 
open. The first is to mow the land early, 
turn the sod under, make the soil rich and fine 
and sow to millet or Hungarian grass. The 
success of this method depends on getting a 
quick and vigorous growth of the millet. A 
hoed crop should follow the next year. The 
second method is to pasture the land with 
sheep so heavily that they will be induced to 
eat every living plant. Of course, the sheep 
most have grain of some kind supplied to 
them. This method has the additional advan¬ 
tage of adding to the fertility of the land and 
I have known of instances in which it has 
proved efficacious. 
FROM J. H. ACKLEY. 
I am wholly unacquainted with snap¬ 
dragon except as a flower in the garden; but 
the question gives rise to a few thoughts as to 
the management of pestiferous weeds on a 
farm. My experience with them has led me 
to believe that they can be wholly extermin¬ 
ated if properly treated, and I find the plow 
is the main tool to be used In their extermin¬ 
ation. The next important point to be stud¬ 
ied is at what point of their growth it can be 
used with the best results. Hence the nature 
of weeds one may wish to destroy, as well as 
their habits must be studied, and they should 
be handled when their growth is the most 
vigorous, and hence when they are most ten¬ 
der, for if they are severely dealt with at this 
stage of growth, they will receive the great¬ 
est injury. To illustrate this more fully, I 
give my experience with Canada thistles. A 
three acre lot became overrun with them. I 
fought them on all sides by hoeing and cut¬ 
ting them back; but all this seemed only to 
make them grow more vigorously. I came 
near giving up the field to them in despair. 
While in this mood, I began studying this 
matter and the thought of being beaten by a 
thistle made me desperate, and I resolved to 
fight the pests to the end. It was a newly seed¬ 
ed meadow, and there was a very poor catch 
when I “ went” for them about the middle of 
June. They were so rank that I had to first 
roll them down, then turn them under, plow¬ 
ing deep, and I sowed the field to fodder corn. 
The weather was warm, and it grew very 
rapidly and got far ahead of the thistles. 
Again I plowed it early in the fall, sowed it 
to oats early in spring and treated it to a coat 
of 200 pounds of fertilizer to the acre, seed¬ 
ing it to clover. The result was a fine lot of 
oats, a good catch of clover, and a sickly lot 
of thistles that never headed out, and to-day 
the field bears as stout a lot of clover as any¬ 
body could wish for; while the thistles are so 
scarce that it is hard to find one. I have 
tried the same process on other lots, except 
that I did not plow the ground a second time 
until spring, and this I think preferable. 
Even if it is plowed in the fall it should be 
turned over again in the spring so as to make 
sure of the pests’ destruction. This treatment 
can, I believe, be applied to any and all ob¬ 
noxious weeds successfully. 
Cattaraugus County, N. Y. 
GROWTH OF POTATO VINES AS AN INDICATION 
OF YIELD OF TUBERS. 
F. P. Q., New York City .—I planted some 
potatoes in trenches, according to the Rural’s 
system, Mapes’s fertilizer being used in the 
bottom of the trenches and also on top of the 
seed-pieces, which were cut to one and two 
eyes to a piece, planted on April 25, and 
covered with six inches of soil—a rich sandy 
loam. The day after planting there was a 
heavy rain. The vines are now three feet high, 
strong and stocky. I have teen obliged to 
drive in stakes along the rows so as to tie the 
vines to them to prevent them from falling 
down between the rows, as I planted peppers 
there. The varieties planted are White Star, 
Early Puritan, Seneca Red, O. K. Prolific, 
Rose's Beauty of Beauties, Empire State, 
Early Ohio, Clark’s No. 1, Queen of the Val¬ 
ley and Rural New-Yorker No. 2 The last 
was a long time coming up aud is not so bushy 
in growth as the others. What sort of a yield 
is indicated by such a heavy growth of vines? 
Ans —Your fine vines indicate, in the R. 
N -Y.’s opinion, a heavy yield of tubers. This 
is an old question and one which we have en¬ 
deavored to solve. The R N.-Y. has never 
raised a large crop of potatoes unless the vines 
were correspondingly vigorous in growth. As 
a rule , the crop of tubers will be proportionate 
to the size of the tops. This we have shown 
again and again by our published estimates as 
judged by the size of the vines at certain 
periods of growth. We can at th»s time show 
our readers 26 little plot* which received at 
