74 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Jithstrial Copies. 
A COUNTRY 8CHOOL HOUSE.-No, 1. 
PROFESSOR XV. ,T. BEAL. 
In many cases the location is a desirable one. 
situated on a slight, elevation near a good road 
in a central portion of the district. In too 
many instances the house is built on a piece of 
low land, back from the main road, perhaps in 
the edge of the xvoods or more likely axvay 
from any trees. There is a little corner of half 
an acre, or less, cut off from a field. The lot 
is generally destitute of a fence, aod open to 
the frequeut, visits of cattle, sheep, and perhaps 
6xvine. These animals keep the turf closely' 
pastured, but otherwise damage the appear¬ 
ance of the yard. The land is rough and un¬ 
graded, just as Nature left, it, except the re¬ 
moval of all or a part of the trees. The stones 
arc scattered about, if stones are common in 
that locality Stumps and logs are plentiful, 
unless the country is old 
Toward tic rear of the lot are a couple of 
outbuildings inucli dilapidated, on account of 
frequent beatings by euudry stones and sticks 
thrown by mischievous boys. Several por¬ 
tions of the main building, especially at the 
front, are badly damaged bv hard u. age. In 
several places, scattered over the lot. are piles 
of stove-wood aud numerous sticks are strewn 
about in great confusion. Good order may be 
displayed in a wood-pile as well as in anything 
else. A mud puddle is situated nc-ar the front 
door. An old board or two serve to keep the 
feet partially out of the mud. if we enter the 
room, we shall not bo disappointed in finding 
that the iuside corresponds with the outside 
of the house. 
If the above description will not answer for 
most of our country school houses, ii ausxx-ers 
for too many of them. In a few ease* there is 
an attempt to ornament the grounds by shade 
trees and other menus, though even here usu¬ 
ally no good design has been followed. 
Tlie effect on teacher, scholars, visitors, and 
passers-by is auytbing but inspiring. Suppose 
the ground were graded even a little, and trees 
set here and there about. In grading, the sur¬ 
face should be made smooth, but not necessa¬ 
rily level or formally graded down. If cattle 
run on the road, a neat fence should cut oft 
their approach to the house. Let the teacher 
with the aid of the scholars, who will cheer¬ 
fully lend a hand, pick up everything tidily. In 
summer there should be a fexv neat flower¬ 
beds kept in good order. Shrubbery aud per¬ 
ennial herbs should find suitable places. It i6 
no use to say the scholars would not help, orthat 
they would destroy the plants after they xvere 
6et out. Any one who has tried it knoxrs bet¬ 
ter. 
A word about the house. It is usually plan¬ 
ned and built by those ignorant of the business, 
at least the plaus are usually poor. The house 
is plain aud almost always painted white, or 
sometimes red. I know of one ease in which 
the house is red and the battens are white, or a 
part of each is white. White, for a couutry 
house, is too glariug and conspicuous, present¬ 
ing loo strong a contrast withal! the surround¬ 
ings. I know of many instances where the 
houses cost, enough to be models of excellence. 
I tbiuk of one the walls of which were made 
of pressed brick. Every seat in the house is 
so high that hardly any one, except a ‘ six- 
footer,'' can sit dowu squarely aud rest his 
heels on the floor. On my visiting the school, 
the teacher said there was not a seat in the 
house, low enough for the largest scholar. The 
seats xvere narrow and flat, uot sloping back¬ 
wards. and the backs straight up and down. 
In such places the children are required to sit 
with feet dangliug midway between the seat 
and the floor, just because, some one did not 
put brains enough into his plan for a house. 
In most cases t he ceiling is tight, a stove sup¬ 
plies the heat, and there is no arrangement for 
ventilation except by the windows and doors. 
Sometimes there is no black-board, though 
generally there is a small one of poor quality 
in an inconvenient place. In some cases there 
is no wall under the sills. The cracks in the 
floor allow cold drafts of air to come up freely 
through it. 
In such forlorn quarters, with no sign of or¬ 
nament inside or out, children are banished for 
six hours a day, for several months of the year. 
Is it a wonder lliai some of them du not like 
the school i I hope tlie above picture is over¬ 
draw n, hut in the majority of eases with which 
I am acquainted, I atn sorry to say it to not. 
Would it uot he a good plan to put on a little 
more stylo ? Why should not the inside of tlie 
school-room look as well as the church ? This 
is the ease with many of our city schools. Or, 
again, xvhy should not tlie school-room he 
made as attractive as some of tlie v illage sa¬ 
loon-? Through a poor streak of economy 
people are employing tlie cheapest teachers 
they can gel. 
When a hoy, the writer hulcd school, hut did 
rot know why. It was not pleasant. To the 
test of his knowledge, the correct reason can 
be picked out of the. foregoing account of our 
country school houses. There was nothing 
cheerful in the surroundings; the seats were 
uncomfortable ; the hours were long and too 
many in each day; the air was impure, the 
teacher overworked and unskilled in awaken¬ 
ing an interest in the studies. The writer liked 
nature, but disliked books—at least such books 
as were accessible. The greatest needs of our 
country are educated voters and educated 
mothers. With plenty of these there is no 
danger that the Republic will fail. In future 
papers I shall try to suggest means for mak¬ 
ing our country schools more effective. 
Agricultural College, Lansing, Mich. 
(gbrrutolifrt. 
BEE HINTS. 
The apiarian has 6till but little to do about 
the bees, further than to see that the proper 
temperature is maintained (between 35® and 
50°), and to ascertain that they do not suffer 
from dysentery or the ravages of mice. But 
now is the time to make hives, frames and im¬ 
plements that will be needed during the busy 
season. Now is also the time to study good 
works on bee-culture, to familiarize one’s-self 
with the experience of others, to look into the 
causes of their success or failure. One w ill 
thu6 6torc up much useful knowledge that will 
be handy to draw' upon when occasion de¬ 
mands. 
- ♦ « ♦- 
Oleomargarine. —Of sixteen manufactories 
of this concoction scattered here and there 
through the couutry. thirteen, we learn, have 
already been closed by the pressure of hard 
times, though backed with an aggregate capi¬ 
tal of $ 1,800,000, to begin with, aud few if any 
are running at a profit. Among the cause's 
that have contributed to the stagnation in 
this greasy business not the least influential 
has been the lack, of late, of the liberal 
amount of free advertising foolishly accorded 
it by all our dairy conventions until the 
Rural entered a vigorous protest against 
the practice. At the late dairy show in this 
city the stuff failed to receive a single puff 
from any speaker, aud the underhand trickery 
by which its manufacturers hoped to profit, 
like trickery generally, flually proved injurious 
to the tricksters. They cunningly contrived 
to introduce a few tubs of the stuff among the 
butter from distaut points, and then loudly 
boasted that the judges could not detect the 
imitation from the reality ; but in every case 
the odor of the conglomeration alone betrayed 
it. Some farmers, too. aud even some cream¬ 
eries were, uot long since, accustomed to use 
a good deal of it for the purpose of adulterat¬ 
ing their butter ; but the public odium aud low 
prices that awaited upon detection, have 
greatly curtailed this opening for ite sale. 
The curiosity of the general public also w ith 
regard to the concoction, has been nearly sated, 
while the low price of genuine butter of late 
and the necessary improvement in most of it, 
I are also contributing to the unpopularity of 
oleomargarine 
--—*-*-*- 
Chufas, Teari, Millet and Prickley Com- 
frey.—A correspondent writes us from Hano¬ 
ver Co.. Va . that he has tried these three 
plauts during the pact year. The two first he 
considers really valuable farm crops, aud is 
especially impressed in favor of Pearl Millet. 
If it is not deficient iu nutritive elements—and 
such analyses of it as we have seen assign it a 
fair amount of uutrimeut—lie will regard it as 
the grandest forage plant he lias ever seen. 
His patch w as from nine to ten feet high and 
formed a mass of forage 2x',t feet all along 
the row. He did not cut it for forage, how¬ 
ever, but let it seed, lest it should fail to do 60 
certainly and freely if it were cut once and he 
should depend on the second growth. The 
Clmfat. on moderately good laud aud with 
only indifferent culture, yielded at the rate of 
154 bushels to the acre, as ascertained by 
measuring the tubers from a small area of 
average productiveness. After two years’ 
trial of them, lie is quite satisfied that they 
are a paying crop. 
Although the Prickley Comfrey was grown 
on very rich land, it proved of little use to 
him and he is about to abandon its culture, 
thus setting a much lower value on It than 
another of our correspondents who speaks in 
praise of it in this issue. 
♦ - 
Beaut y of Hebron.— The following is what 
James V’citeli A Sons, tlie well-known London 
Seedsmen, sav of this variety: It is an Ameri¬ 
can introduction, a seedling from the. Chilian 
Red. One of its special features is Its luxuri¬ 
ant and rapid growth, the foliage partaking 
much of the character of that of Early Rose, 
only somewliut more vigorous, it is a very 
heavy cropper and early, coming into use three 
or four days before that variety. The tubers 
are of handsome Kidney shape, slightly tinged 
with red around tlie eyes, of smooth texture 
aud grouped closely round the stalk when 
growtug. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS, 
Virginia, Matthews C. H., Matthews Co., 
Jan. 15th. 1S79.—We have the oldest and most 
thickly settled county in the State. Our popu¬ 
lation is something like (55 persons to the square 
mile, and most of our lands have been iu culti¬ 
vation for over a century without manure of 
any kind, with the exception of the old Vir¬ 
ginia rotation — “a crop of pines” — and. 
strange to say. they still produce something 
and respond finely to what manure is spread 
on them. There have been vast quantities of 
ship-timber and lumber of ail kinds cut from 
this county, and this has caused the agricul¬ 
tural interests to be neglected; but now we are 
turning our attention to farming and the oyster 
trade combined. The manner in which we 
improve ourlandsis unique : most of the farms 
lie on the water, aud the owners procure fish 
from the. uumerous ‘‘ pounds" and -‘purse 
nets,” and drop them iu the corn rows about 
two feet apart, using about 30 bushels to the 
acre. They arc covered by the plow and the 
corn is drilled on top This application gen¬ 
erally produces about eight to twelve barrels 
to the acre, and I have known twenty-five 
bushels of wheat to be raised to the acre after 
the corn crop. The fish cost, at the pound. 20 
cts per flour barrel, and the improvement 
would be permanent, provided clover and grass 
seed were sown on the wheat, which is not gen¬ 
erally the case. In the fall the oyster crop 
comes od, and the bivalves command a ready 
market, and for those having a suitable shore 
to plant on, the business is a very profitable 
oue. This is the most healthy portion of Vir¬ 
ginia. Billious diseases seldom occur, aud the 
low grades of typhoid fever so common in the 
Piedmout regiou aud West Virginia, arc excep¬ 
tions iu this country. Land here is worth from 
610 to 840 per acre, according to location aud 
improvements; corn, 50 to 60c. per bushel; 
wheat, 90c. to 81 ; eggs, 20c. per doz.; butter, 
30e. per pound : oysters, from 50c. to 61.25 per 
bushel. s. E. r. 
Connecticut. North Coventry, Tolland Co., 
Jan. 16.—AH grain crops yielded fairly iu this 
neighborhood; so did grass, and the farmer 
can find a ready market for all his products at 
good prices. The coru crop was a trifle below 
an average, owing to the weather having been 
too cold when the plant was setting ears. But 
what the farmer lost in his corn crop, has been 
well made up to him by others, especially buck¬ 
wheat. which ha6 been a fine yield—25 to 80 
bushels to the acre is considered a fine crop in 
good soil hereabouts. Buckwheat is now 
worth 50 cents per bushel; corn, 65c.; oats, 
40c.: rye, 75c. Our hay crop was very large 
aud of good quality, and is worth from 812 to 
$15 per ton at the barn. The potato crop xvas 
damaged considerably by the Colorado beetle, 
so that the tubers are not as abundant here¬ 
abouts as usual. They are quoted at $1 per 
bushel and upwards for the best Early Rose. 
Apples last season were plentiful, and many a 
farmer sold bis crop for 15c. to 20c. or 25c. a 
bushel on the trees. Stock growers aud deal¬ 
ers are now paying from 825 to $50 per head 
for good cows, while a few selections from 
blooded stock are worth tnoru, Working cat¬ 
tle arc worth from 8100 to $125 per yoke. 
Fat cattle, dressed, 6jc. to 8c. per pound ; hogs, 
6c. per pound : good butter, 25c. per pouud: 
eggs, 2Sc. to 30c. per dozen. Labor is cheap - 
good help can be obtained for 81 per day, and 
some few for 80c. a day, hoarding themselves. 
Many of the young men are teaching school, 
an occupation that pays better than farming- 
winter term, $25 to $80 per month for 30 days 
a month. We are having fine winter weather. 
The w ood market is dull ; good, hard, dry oak 
and w alnut are worth $5 per solid cord ; mixed 
wood. $4, delivered at tbo wood-yard. Such 
wood can be bought upon the lot standing for 
from 80c. to $1 per cord, solid measure. 
Kansas, Everett, Woodson Co., Jan. 11th. 
1879.—I have been living iu southeastern Kan¬ 
sas something over two years, this being my 
third xvinter here. Twm of them have been 
quite cold; tlie first winter we had about six 
inches of snoxv on a level, which lasted about 
two weeks. This winter lias been very severe, 
the thermometer standing as loxv as 16® below 
zero, with about 14 inches of snow on a level, 
some say two feet. The first snow storm com¬ 
menced on the 12th aud 18th of December, and 
there has been sleighing since that date. There 
is little or no frost under tlie snoxv, and all our 
storms of late have been snow storms. 1 don’t 
know how it is where L. J. Templin live.-, hut 
iu this vicinity xve have to feedstock nearly us 
tmteh aud for nearly the same leugth of time 
as we didin northern Illinois,where 1 cumofrom. 
“Bunny Kansas" is the theme of nearly every 
paper nowadays■, butpersona coming hero tolix e 
must uot expect to find everything as smooth 
as land agents aud R. R. Co.’s picture it. I do 
uotxvish the Rural or its readers to infer from 
theBe remarks that I do not like Kansas. I 
have traveled over a considerable extent of 
the western country, and am well suited with 
my present location, and I think it is a fine 
country for new beginners to start, but it is al¬ 
ways well to look at both sides of a bargain 
and then one is not so likely to b6 dissatisfied 
iu this ease us if be pictured the couutry only 
one degree below perfection. Good land in 
this section cau be bought, as low as $3 per 
acre, aud some 80-acro lots at from $300 to 
$500: and 160-acre lots at the same rate, the 
improvements in many cases being worth fully 
the price asked for tlie farm. «r. j. d. 
Indiana, Newton's Retreat, Tippecanoe Co., 
Jan 15.—We have had floe sleighing here for 
the last four xveeks. but most of the farmers 
would he glad if the suoxv disappeared and the 
weather moderated, for a great deal of the 
corn is still in stocks and some even Tet stand¬ 
ing; but at present there is little prospect of 
finer weather, for during the last week the 
thermometer has ranged from 10® above zero 
to 30® below, Wheat was a good crop here 
last year ; oats, however, were light, owing to 
the weevil’s depredations; corn was an aver¬ 
age crop. Trices for all kinds of produce are 
loxv. aud times are hard. Wheat sells for 88c. 
per bushel; rye, 4Uc.; oats, 20c.; corn, 25c.; 
hay. $8 to $7 per ton; live hogs. 82.80 per 
cwt: butter, 12k. per pound; eggs, I7c. per 
doz.: potatoes, 40c. per bushel; onions, 40 to 
50c. Business is improving slightly, and we 
hope times will be better in the near future. 
Tramps are plentiful, with some to spare. 
Hands on the farm get from $15 to $18 per 
month. There is plenty of work for those who 
are willing to do it at good prices. p. c. a. 
Onto, Dayton, Montgomery Co.. Jan. 20.— 
We. bad, nearly up to Christmas, as nice a fall 
aud xvinter as I ever remember to have seen, 
but a day or two before Christmas the cold 
snap set in, aud ever since thou the weather has 
been very cold—old men say the coldest they 
have ever seen. Potatoes aud fruit froze iu my 
cellar, a thing I never saw before. My flowers, 
kept iu my sittiug-room, liad a very narrow 
escape, and indeed some of the most tender 
did get somewhat frosted. Most of ray neigh¬ 
bors lost all of their floxvers. The thermome¬ 
ter is generally about 20° or 25® below zero in 
tlie morning, and that is what xve folks out 
here call cold. c. h. 
Utah. Nephi City, Juab Co., Jau. 14.—The 
weather is very severe in this part of the 
country. It is snoxving heavily noxv and has 
been doing just the same for the last four days. 
The crops hereabouts xvere very good last 
season ; wheat averaged 20 bushels to the acre : 
barley, SO bushels; oats, ditto potatoes, about 
70 bushels—which, of course, sboxved quite a 
failure—and they xvere not good at that. The 
crops of John Vickers, oue of the best farmers 
iu this part of the county, averaged: xx-heat, 
40 bushels per acre ; barley, 75 bushels ; oats, 
52 bushels. j. b. d. 
Kansas, Offerle, Edwards Co. Jan'y 19.— 
We are having one of the coldest winters ever 
known to white men in Kansas. It has been 
steadily cold since 12 Dec. The ground is 
covered thickly with snoxx- and Die stockmen 
are losing heavily, iu. they have no hay to feed 
xvith. A good many of the settlers that came 
here late last fall are also suffering, for as our 
winters are geucrally open and warm, they did 
not expect such severe weather as that we now 
are plagued with, aud accordingly made little 
or no preparations against such an unlooked- 
for visitation. s. u. a. 
Michigan, South Lyon, Oakland Co., Jan. 
20.—We have had 30 days of good sleighing. 
Wheat went under tho enow with light top and 
surface spotted by the fly. Corn yielded xvoll; 
oats, however, turned out. light, and potatoes 
were nearly a failure. Wheat was the largest, 
crop ever harvested in this x'ieiuity; but it xvas 
not of so good a quality as the year before. It 
is worth 87c per bushol; corn, 40c.; oats, 20c.; 
potatoes, 50c.; buckwheat, 50c,; live hogs 2.55 
per lOOlbs; steers, 3c. per pouud; butter, 10c.; 
eggs, 18c. a. b. 
Missouri, Louisiana, Pike Co., Jau. 16_ 
Since my last crop reports xve have been having 
continued severe winter weather for this lo¬ 
cality. Early yesterday morning xvo had our ■ 
nineteenth snoxv storm, with rain during moat 
of tlie day, which is tlie first rain for a long 
time. Stock water lias been scarce xvith many, 
so that animals had to be driven some distance 
to tlie larger water courses. Stock generally is 
doing well where properly sheltered and well 
fed. This morning the xveather is cold and tho 
roads frozen hard. 8. 
California, Punryu, Placer Co.—The culti¬ 
vation ot the Orange is the oue absorbing in¬ 
terest xvith a.- now. Our climate and soil have 
been both thoroughly i -i d as to their adapta¬ 
bility to its growth, aud the result has been 
beyond all doubt satisfactory, and l should not 
be surprised if before Jong, some one of tho 
many friends of the Rural iu this section, 
should send it some fine specimens of oranges 
groxvn on tho foothills of Placer Co, j. w. b. i 
