THE BUBAL 
poor, being fully two or three weeks late. 
Strawberries paid well. Blackberries and 
raspberries sold very low, leaving the grower, 
after paying expenses, from 10 cents to 25 
cents per 10 quart case and in a few instances 
they did not pay expenses. As these are what 
most farmers here make their money on, the 
outlook is bad for this winter. We have now 
had three very poor seasons. For my part I 
expect to make but very little this year, but J 
can go into a machine shop for the winter and 
make up for the shortage a little, as I work¬ 
ed at that business before I began on the farm. 
R. B. 
South Haven, Van Buren County. August 
18.—Potatoes are 85 to 90 per cent, of a crop. 
Some rot is reported on low ground caused 
by excessive rains. Bugs are not so bad as 
in some years. f. d. n. 
Minnesota. 
Mentor, Polk County, Aug. 20.--To the 
young man who is striving to make a living, 
and build up a homo in the Red River Valley, 
this country offers a good many inducements. 
As the Red Lake Indian Reservation is about 
to be thrown open to settlement, there will be 
considerable land that can be had free from 
the government. For those who would like 
more of the benefits and improvements of 
civilization, there are numerous opportunities 
to rent farms that are all plowed up and have 
good buildings, fences, etc.. The owner 
usually takes a fourth or a third of the crops, 
and the renter takes the remainder, and fur¬ 
nishes seed, tools, etc. It would probably be 
a quicker way of making a good home to rent 
for a while, as the immediate use of the land 
(from 160 to 300 acres) helps a man to make a 
living, and to pay for what he buys as he goes 
along. As a general thing, this country is a 
good one for raising wheat, oats, barley, 
potatoes or any other hardy produce, but for 
fruit and any tender vegetables, it is not a 
success. The best way of getting such is to 
buy them, if we have the money; if not, we 
generally do without. I came to this country 
with the idea of overcoming some of the dis¬ 
advantages of the weather, but have not made 
much progress in the seven years of my resi¬ 
dence. F. A. H. 
Minnesota City, Winona County, Au¬ 
gust 20.—Potatoes are not rotting in this 
country. There will not be a half crop ow¬ 
ing to their ripening prematurely on account 
of the dry weather. There never was a bet¬ 
ter prospect two months ago. Small grains 
are excellent. Corn is now doing finely and 
will be a very good crop if frosts hold off. 
e. b. d. 
Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County. Au¬ 
gust 19.—Potatoes around here are fair; there 
is very little rotting, and fewer potato hugs 
than in past years. Some damage has been 
done by centipedes and cut-worms. Farmers 
around here do not raise any more potatoes 
than enough for home consumption, n. n. 
New York. 
Center Lisle, Broome County, August 20. 
—The blight has ruined the potato crop in 
this section. The vines are all dead. Late- 
planted potatoes are hardly worth digging and 
those planted early were frozm in Juue and 
injured so that there will be from this class 
hardly a quarter of a crop. Those planted in 
May will be about half matured and are rot¬ 
ting. Upon the whole, we cannot expect more 
than one-fourth of a crop. c. M. L. 
Canandagua, Ontario County, August 
18.—Late potatoes iu this neighborhood are 
first-class; early potatoes are rotting some¬ 
what, but there are no complaints that late 
ones are doing so. The vines lock vigorous 
and good aud there is a fair prospect of a large 
crop. In some parts too much wet drowned 
the crop at planting time. e. p. w. 
Avoca, Steuben County, August 19.— 
Early potatoes are rotting very badly in gar¬ 
dens—at least 50 per cent, are rotten. In the 
fields on low ground they have blighted, and 
are rotting badly; but on higher ground they 
are all right. We will have, I should think, if 
the weather is favorable for the next six weeks, 
60 per cent, of an average crop. Tney have 
not blighted so much during the last week. 
Apples are a complete failure. c. H. e. 
IN'orlh Carolina. 
S. Washington, Fender County, August 
19—Since my last report, on June 25, we have 
bad constant rains aud almost all crops have 
been cut off fifty per cent, aud farmers are 
looking blue now. No potato rot here yet. 
Melons all killed out by wet weather and all 
vine crops and all peaches are rotting badly, 
aud will be almost a total loss. There are 
no apples. Hogs are dying with cholera in 
this section. The cotton crop is almost a 
total failure. Some farmers who bought 
guanos for cotton and who have no cotton to 
settle bills with, will be ruined, d. j. mc m. 
Ohio. 
Xenia, Greene County, August 20.—What 
does the Rural know about winter oats 3 
Will they do as well as our spring oats? 
[Your climate will prove too severe for them. 
Eds.] Our wheat crop is fair both in quality 
and quantity. I think the yield is about 
three-quarters of our average. Oats very 
fine. Potatoes, early planting, good. Rural 
No. 2 a failure. The beetles and dry weather 
were too much for it. Hay was good and 
harvested in good condition. We have had 
but very little rain for the last four weeks, 
consequently the corn crop must be light. 
We have no pasture to speak of at this time. 
D. D. M. 
Pennsylvania. 
Broad Ford, Fayette County, August 19. 
—All harvesting and haying are about done. 
There was a very good wheat crop—30 per 
cent, better than last year. The oats were the 
best since the war, and grass and hay were 
very nearly double an average. I think hay 
will average nearly three tons to the acre in 
this neighborhood. Corn is good on high, 
dry ground that was planted early and ridged 
up, but most of it could not be worked enough 
and will not be more than three-fourths of a 
crop. Potatoes are also very good where they 
were ridged up early; but they are badly 
rotted where the land was not ridged. Level 
culture was a sad failure here with both com 
and potatoes. Theoretical faiming does not 
always do the best if it does look nice in 
print, and agricultural writers should be 
quite suro they are absolutely right before 
they ridicule every one who does not follow 
their teaching. There is a fair crop of apples. 
Some plums, but very few peaches. b. r. 
Industry, Beaver County, August 25.— 
There is an immense crop of hay this year 
mostly put up in good order. Wheat and oats 
are good. Corn is late, but may mature if 
frost stays off late. Potatoes give a good 
yield, but are rotting badly. Apples scarce. 
Peaches a failure. Small fruits from very 
poor to extra good according to location aud 
variety. The Crescent and Kentucky Straw¬ 
berries did well; so did the Snyder Black¬ 
berry. It is a heavy cropper of medium size 
and very good quality and sells well in the 
home market. The summer has been quite 
wet all the way through. e. e. 
Sarversville, Butler County, August 19. 
—Crops in this aud the adjoining counties, so 
far as I know, have been better than for many 
years. There is an abundance of hay, and 
notwithstanding the wet weather more than 
half of it has been put up iu excellent order, 
though some was spoiled a little and some a 
good deal. The price is low, or rather we 
look for it to be so, for no new hay has been 
put on the market yet. Wheat was got up in 
good shape. Oats not all iu yet. I fear much 
will be wasted—an excellent crop. Pastures 
have kept green and juicy all summer, conse¬ 
quently cattle and young horses and colts are 
in fine condition. This is a great place for 
Clydesdale horses, there being a great market 
for them. Fall colts sell at from $65 to $85 
each; yearlings do not bring much more, and 
two-year-olds sell from $100 to $140; three- 
year-olds from $120 to $160. Corn looks rea¬ 
sonably well, but potatoes promise a poor 
yield on account of wet weather and blight. 
M. N. G. 
Martin dale, Lancaster County, August 
20.—The condition of potatoes in our neigh¬ 
borhood is good. There is a slight appearance 
of rotting, but it is not serious. The crop is 
being dug. The weather is favorable and the 
yield is about an average, aud perhaps better 
than last year’s s. w. s. 
Wisconsin. 
Fayetteville, Walworth Couuty, August 
17.—We are having another very dry season. 
Hay is a fair average crop. Wheat very 
poor. Thrashermen report from four to 11 
bushels per acre. Oats a fair crop Barley 
less thau the average. Corn the poorest crop 
I have ever seen at this time of the year; it 
can’t possibly be half a crop unless frost holds 
off very late. A good many pieces will not 
yield the seed used to plaut them. Almost 
every night is cold. Flea-beetles are going to 
ruin the potatoes. Tomatoes are rotting as 
soon as they begin to turn red. Everything 
looks discouraging for farmers. e. r. b. 
.Waunakke, Dane County, August 17.— 
The Colorado beetles, early, or rather late 
frosts, aud the present dry weather have hurt 
the yield of potatoes in this section; but the 
quality of the crop is better than it has been 
for years. There is no rot in this yicmity. * 
We shall be likely to get two-thirds of an aver¬ 
age yield. e. c. d. 
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. J 
BUNCHES OR TUMORS ON A HEIFER’S LEG. 
C. B., Chemung , N. Y. —About two years 
ago a sore was produced on one of the fore 
legs of my four-year-old cow by a bruise 
made by a knot [in the stable floor. On the 
place a large tumor or bunch grew and dis¬ 
charged matter freely. After a while tu¬ 
mors appeared on other parts^of the leg, 
broke and discharged a thick pus. Since then 
they have continued to come and are now on 
all four feet and on the breast. They are 
mostly in groups of four to seven and range 
from the size of a hickory nut to that of a 
hen’s egg. Some that had been opened with 
a knife discharged bloody matter. After'do- 
ing so some disappeared, but others took their 
places. The animal is in good flesh and health, 
fattens more readily than most other cattle 
and i3 quite frisky. What is the trouble ? 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
The bunches are probably constitutional 
with this heifer, and it may require a long 
course of internal treatment iu connection 
with the local treatment to remove them. Or 
they may be of such a nature that they will 
resist ordinary treatment or disappear at one 
point only to reappear at another. The sim¬ 
plest course would be to fatten the heifer for 
the butcher. But if you desire to treat her, 
try the removal of the bunches either by dis¬ 
secting them off and then thoroughly cauter¬ 
izing the surface with a stick ot nitrate of sil¬ 
ver, or by tying a strong cord tightly around 
the neck of each, to be tightened daily until 
they slough off. If an open sore remains, cau¬ 
terize with the nitrate of silver as advised a- 
bove. Internally give one uunce each of bicar¬ 
bonate of soda and Glauber salts twice daily 
for 10 days or two weeks. Then give Fowler’s 
solution of arsenic for a week, beginning with 
ODe-ounce doses night aud morning and grad¬ 
ually increasing the dose to two ounces by 
the eud of the week. Watch the patient while 
giviDg the arsenic, and if indigestion or diar¬ 
rhoea occur, stop the medicine. If found de¬ 
sirable, repeat the above course two or three 
times, alternating the salts with the arsenic. 
BLOODY MILK FROM INFLAMMATION OF THE 
UDDER IN COWS. 
J. H. IF., Medina, Mich. —A few nights ago 
while milkiug one of my cows, I noticed that 
she seemed restless, and that the teats were 
unusually warm. The next morning sue gave 
bloody milk from one teat, and only a small 
quantity at that, while the others were almost 
entirely dried up. One side of the udder was 
caked very hard; the other side not at all. 
She had been giving 12 quarts at a milking. 
The udder is inflamed to such a degree that 
she moves the hind legs with difficulty. Last 
night auother cow came up with the same 
difficulty. 1 had another sick the same way 
last year. They have been giving milk sev¬ 
eral months; are from six to 12 years old; 
grade-Short-horns, aud deep milkers. .Pas¬ 
ture, bottom land. Some say that “buck¬ 
eyes,” to which they have access, are the 
cause, but the nuts are scarcely half grown. 
I have done nothing for them except to give 
them salts and apply soft soap to the udders. 
What is the trouble ? 
Ans.— The inflammation is probably the re¬ 
sult of injury. If due to feeding on any in¬ 
jurious plant or tree, the whole udder would 
probably be similarly affected. Your treat¬ 
ment has been good. If the cases become se¬ 
vere, aconite, in 25 drop doses, two or three 
times daily, may be added, and a belladonna 
ointment may be applied to the udder after 
bathing it with the hot water or the sott soap, 
rubbing or kueadmg it for 15 to 20 minutes 
each time. Also milk three or four times 
daily. 
STIFLE LAMENESS IN A HORSE.—DISLOCATION 
OF THE PATELLA. 
J. M. IF., Eugene, Oregon. —About fifteen 
months ago, my three-year-old mare became 
suddenly lame in her left hind leg which ap¬ 
peared to be paralyzed. She would go along 
dragging the front of the hoof on the ground. 
The first time it occurred she remained lame 
for half a day; then was all right again. 
Since then she has been troubled three times 
in the same way, but these attacks were not 
so severe as the first. There is no swelling or 
any sign of injury to the leg. 
Ans. —The periods of lameness in your mare 
are due to dislocation of the patella or knee¬ 
cap at the stifle, the relaxation of the liga¬ 
ments allowing the bone to slip outward where 
it may be felt at the outer angle of the joint. 
When thus dislocated, the patella may some¬ 
times be thrown into place by starting the 
horse under the whip, the sudden effort made 
to bring the limb forward jerking the bone 
into place. The safest method, however, is to 
draw the limb forward with a rope around 
the fetlock, and passed through a collar 
around the neck. While an assistant draws 
the limb forward with the rope, you press on 
the outside of th8 knee-cap with the hand, un¬ 
til it slips into position. An active blister ap¬ 
plied over the whole joint will tend to 
strenghen the ligaments so that the bone can¬ 
not slip out of place. 
SMALL FRUITS FOR MINNESOTA. 
J. J. IF, Walkerville, Mont.— Will you 
kindly inform me through your correspon¬ 
dents’ column what are the best and hardiest 
market varieties of the following small fruits 
for Minnesota near St. Paul: strawberries, 
currants, gooseberries, blackberries; and will 
the canes stand the cold winters there without 
protection? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. J. L. BtJDD, AMES, I A. 
All the leading varieties of the strawberry 
with good foliage do well near Minneapolis, 
with proper winter protection. The Crescent 
fertilized by the Countess is largely grown 
there by small fruit growers. Windsor Chief, 
May King, Jessie, Bubach, and many other 
good sorts have been favorably reported upon 
in that region. All the currants do well 
there. Probably Red Dutch, Victoria, Long- 
bunched Holland, White Grape and Fay take 
tho lead with the larger growers. Of goose¬ 
berries Downing, Houghton, and American 
Seedling are favorabty reported. Of black¬ 
berries Ancient Briton, Snyder, Stone’s 
Haray and the Windom Dewberry take the 
lead. In Iowa as well as in Minnesota it pays 
best to lay down the canes in the fa'l. 
HOW TO GET RID OF COCKROACHES. 
J. C., Great Eills , V. Y. —How can roaches 
be destroyed? 
Ans. —A friend 3ays he has completely rid 
his house of roaches by a conscientious use of 
California Buhach, aud as his house was com¬ 
pletely overrun by the creatures he considers 
it quite a test case. He purchased the fresh 
Buhach from a wholesale grocer, and every 
evening before going to bed puffed it with a 
small pair of bellows thoroughly through the 
rooms in which the roaches abounded, par¬ 
ticularly iu the kitchen and pantries. He 
pursued this course every night for a week 
after which a cockroach was*a very rare 
thing. Every one who has tried this method 
fairly, reports the same result. There are 
other methods, but this is so completely satis¬ 
factory that they are not worth trial. 
YOUNG PIGS DYING. 
J. H. L., Emporium , Pa.—I have a sow that 
gave birth to eight pigs and seemed to do well, 
but did not eat for two days, and appeared 
lame. The pigs throve well, but now when a 
week old they are dying. They seem weak 
and scour. I have fed them on house slops 
with milk and chop. They appear hungry 
The sow is in good flesh. What is the matter 3 
Ans.—T he.described condition of the young 
pigs may be due to any one of several causes, 
viz.—feverish milk, owing to disease of the 
sow; unwholesome or unsuitable food; a close, 
fowl pen; or to a specific disease, as hog chol¬ 
era or swine-plague. Treatment of such cases 
is unsatisfactory. The condition is one to be 
prevented rather than treated. 
Miscellaneous. 
Several Subscribers.—The Occident Cream¬ 
ery, mentioned in a recent Rural, is made 
by the Moseley & Pritchard Manufacturing 
Co., Clinton, Iowa. 
V. L., Caledonia, iV. Y.—A friend has an 
11-month old Jersey heifer which has never 
had a bull, but she has a large'.bag full of 
milk. 
Ans.— Our advice would be not to milk the 
heifer. By regular milking probably a con¬ 
siderable flow of milk could be developed; but 
“Herbrand” Fifth Wheel for.Bu^giei, 
