THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Datnj ijitsbanlirij. 
DAIRYING IN 1878. 
Thehe can be no disguising the fact that the 
season of 1878 has been a hard one for the 
dairy iuterest of the country. The prices of 
butter and cheese have been extremely low, 
and wherever milk lias been sold, the price of 
that has corresponded with those ol its pro¬ 
ducts. As a result dairymen are generally dis¬ 
couraged. With most of them, besides loss from 
low prices, there has been an additional loss in 
the value of their stock. For those who bought 
on credit last spring, in hopes of paying from 
the season's profits the outlook is as had as it 
well could be. 
Dismissing this feature of the ease, let us see 
if there arc not. some compensating advant¬ 
ages in low- prices for those who make the 
business a permanent one. 
First: the decline in prices of stock for those 
who are not in debt or do not care to sell, can 
scarcely be called a loss. It makes no difference 
to the productive capacity of ten cows whether 
wesel] them at twenty-five, or ouc hundred dol¬ 
lars each. Ju the latter case, the owner is apt 
to spend money more freely on personal ex¬ 
penses, live higher and finally cqwc to grief. If 
he calls his cows worth ouly twenty-five dollars 
each, he does not expect, to make so much, and 
so manages to come out all right. Calling our 
property worth more than it is, has been the 
ruin of many a business man these last few 
years. 
Second: with cheaper cows we are getting 
dowu to bottom prices iu the cost of produc¬ 
tion. This is greatly enlarging the market for 
our dairy products. American cheese is going 
abroad more extensively than ever before- We 
undersell English cheese-makers in their own 
markets. Our own people are learning to use 
cheese more than ever before. When once 
they begin to use it they will not soon discon¬ 
tinue it. But for the extremely low price of 
meats, cheese would be used still more than it 
is. The difficulty in getting a good market for 
cheese has bean that the great mass of farmers 
through tile country who do uot make cheese, 
manage to do without it. Hereafter it is almost 
certain that dairy products will be higher ; but 
so far as cheese is concerned, this will not in¬ 
duce farmers to engage iu its production. It 
requires too many and too expensive appli¬ 
ances. and altogether more skill than any can 
afford except they make dairying a regular 
business. Yet wherever the liking for cheese 
has been learned, there will be a sure and 
steady demand even at considerably higher 
prices than now prevail. Whoever then can 
manage to rub along this year, may confidently 
hope to do better in the near future. 
Monroe, Co., N. Y. w. J. Fowler. 
tihr |)oultrg HarO. 
HOW MANY EGGS CAN A HEN LAY ? 
Ttteke is little doubt but that away back 
before the arrival of historical times, the hen 
had been domesticated, and supplied the rude, 
scantily clad tribes of those days with eggs and 
toothsome morsels. Since then few animals 
have been so closely connected with domestic 
life, or have afforded both hy their numbers 
and their iutimate relationship to man, so 
many opportunities of ascertaining everything 
of interest concerning themselves, and yet, 
strange to say. considerable doubt still rests 
upon the Dumber of eggs any breed of them is 
capable of laying under any particular kind of 
treatment. Iu order to arouse a legitimate 
iuterest ou the subiect with a view to settle 
the question ou a basis of ascertained facts, we 
gave in the Rural of Dec. 21, a statement by 
a practical poultry keeper of the number of 
eggs from different breeds of fowls. Again, in 
our issue of Jan. 11, we quoted from the work 
of Prof. Miles a statement of Oe.yelin. given 
with the assurance characteristic of a full- 
fledged scientist, to the effect that no hen can 
lay more than 600 eggs, and the learned man 
condescended even to specify the proportion in 
which these would be dropped in each of 
eleven years. Tn giving tin's statement, we 
ventured to doubt its complete accuracy, des¬ 
pite the scientific reputations of its author and 
indorser, because, among other reasons, a 
generalization on tlie matter could not be cor¬ 
rect on account of the fact that some breeds of 
poultry arc vastly more prolific than others. 
Our correspondent. Mr. Nelson Ritter, is also 
hold enough to differ in opinion from such 
eminent authorities, hut then he modestly 
gives a pretty good reason for his dissent, 
lie says : •• While I dislike to disagree with 
the scientists who are supposed to know 
whereof they affirm, yet 1 cannot accept the 
conclusions of Oeycliu regarding how many 
eggs a hen can lay. as stated in Rural of .Tati. 
11th. I have at this moment liens not seven 
months old, that have laid twice the number of 
eggs he allows for the first year, and am con¬ 
fident they will continue to lay for several 
months to come. Were I convinced of the 
truth of Geyelin’s statement, I should certainly 
‘drop’ the hen business and that immediately. 
I have found the greatest profit in keeping 
hens only until they were eighteen months to 
two years old,” 
Isn't it about, time that in this age of inves¬ 
tigation. congressional, ecclesiastical, prac¬ 
tical and scientific, some lover of truth and 
research should set himself the task of finding 
out by careful experiment through a number 
of years how many eggs a hen is actually 
capable of laying. To a regular poultry keeper 
of a systematic and inquiring turn of miud, 
there would be little extra labor or trouble iu 
keeping a careful account of all the particu¬ 
lars necessary to give value to the investiga¬ 
tion. 
(fcbrrgtojjfrr. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Mississippi, Okoloua, Chickasaw Co., Jan. 
21st.—We have had a severe winter hitherto 
and no work has yet been done towards next 
year’s crops. Usually we have a considerable 
amount of plowing done by this time. Our 
people declare they will piaut less cotton than 
usual the present year and more of the neces¬ 
saries of life; but, judging from the fate of 
similar resolutions in the past, I fear that wheu 
seeding time comes they will forget or disregard 
this decision, and neglect everything else iu 
the interest of cotton. Our forage crops were 
very short last year, and we shall he short of 
forage for making the next crops. Cotton did 
not nearly pay the expense of production. As 
for myself, I have not raised any cotton ou my 
farm for the last three years, and was iu hopes 
that my neighbors would follow my example; 
and, indeed, I think they would have done so 
were itnotfor the unjust discrimination against 
us made by railroads in the matter of freight. 
We arc ouly 200 miles from Mobile; St. Louis 
is 650 miles from it, yet St. Louis ships freight 
to Mobile for $10 Jess per car-load than wc can 
from this point—$10 more for transporting the 
same amount of freight for but a trifle over 
one-thud of the distance! The railroad may 
possibly find that such an injustice may put a 
few dollars more in its treasury; hut some of 
us begiu to doubt whether the privileges granted 
the road were bestowed on it in order to enable 
i6 to gain an unjust profit at the expense of 
those living along its route, by whose votes 
those privileges were conceded on the plea 
that its construction would be a special benefit 
to them. It seems to me that those interested 
in the agriculture of the country could in some 
honest way force a change in this dishonest 
system. The fanners of the country are the 
chief sufferers by it: but then to rouse farmers 
to united effort against corporate injustice and 
oppression, requires ten times the provocation 
that would hand together in vigorous action 
any other class iu the community. a. m. 
California, Santa Rosa, Sonoma Co., Jau. 
20.—Since May 1, 1878. our rainfall has been 
5. 70-100 inches; at this time last year it was 
14. 95-100 inches. We may expect more rain 
up to April 1, and occasional showers, perhaps, 
iu April. Our wheat on summer fallow is 
looking well. The ground was cross plowed 
and seeded before the rains. The deep and 
mellow soil retains moisture enough to keep 
the plants growing. But fields of wheat ad¬ 
joining, uot summer-fallowed, look badly for 
want of rain. Ours, however, is a notable 
exception, and we attribute its better plight to 
the heavy coat of stable manure received a 
year ago last summer. During the mouths of 
Dee. and Jau. so far, the days have been clear 
and pleasant—temperature, at noon, about 55". 
But the uights were invariably cool, with fre¬ 
quent heavy white frosts. Newly plowed 
ground will he found at sunrise with a frozen 
crust nearly strong enough to walk over. Plan¬ 
tations of young Eucalyptus trees have suffer¬ 
ed, and the teudergrowing branches of exposed 
Oranges were nipped. But their matured 
leaves and hardened wood stand cold that 
freezes them as stiff as sheet-iron, unless the 
thermometer falls below 18°. Ours are. not 
injured; but they arc somewhat protected by 
branelies of Cypress, The mode of doing this 
is to drive, cluso to the tree, a high stake from 
t ile top of which depends evergreen limbs of 
any kind, which mingle with the branches and 
shelter the tree from the direct rays of the sun 
wheu the leaves thaw out. Alter the tree is 
six or seven years old, if is harilj liero. Any 
evergrecu shelter is better than straw, or mats, 
or other covering. We never lost a tree pro¬ 
tected iu this way, while extensive young 
plantations covered with sacks, have been 
destroyed. Svecs. 
Missouri, Kingston Furnace, Washington 
County, Jan. 24.—The winter of 1877 8 was ol 
"ethereal mild ness" result, a splendid crop of 
peaches and no crop of ice. The first part of 
flic season of 1878-9 bid lair to follow in the 
same footsteps, but changed its mind, and we 
have bad it ranging from 10 to 20 degrees be¬ 
low zero—result, such an ice crop that ex-Gov. 
Fletcher said at Washington, that when he 
left home the population of Missouri "was en¬ 
gaged iu two principal pursuits—gathering ice 
and running for the U. $. Senate, Another 
result, by no moans so pleasant, is a total loss 
of our peach crop for the coming season. 
However, the trees did so well last season that 
they needed "a rest.” The w inter wheat has 
come out from under the snow looking No. 1, 
hut now comes the danger of successive freez¬ 
ing and thawing in which the drilled wheat 
stands a better ehauce than the broadcast. An 
acre of red, rust-proof winter oats, sown Aug. 
17th last (an experiment herein farming) went 
under the snow r in first-rate condition, and 
have come out from under it in like good 
order, but. I do not consider them out of the 
woods yet by auy means. In a Rural article 
ou alfalfa, it is said that it loves the sun. 
With this I agree, but it does well in Germany, 
where, 1 think, the cold is as intense as in New 
Hampshire. I propose this season to try the 
German plan of "soiling" hogs upon it. Here 
nearly all who work fanifi.lg in summer, mine 
for lead ore in winter, and just now are busy 
harvesting their winter crop. n. v. b. 
Minn.. Lakeside. Riverville Co.. Jan. 28.— 
Grasshoppers and blight played sad havoc the 
past year with our crops iu this portion of the 
country. The wheat crop was badly blighted 
and graded mostly No. 4, worth at the present 
time, 33c. per bushel; average yield, about 12 
bushels per acre. Corn was a full crop. 40 
bushels per acre ; price per bushel, 20c. Oats 
yielded 50 bushels per acre, aud its price is the 
same as that of corn. Potatoes were a light 
crop owing to the ravages of the potato bee¬ 
tles; price, 20c. to 25c. per bushel. Pork is 
worth 82 50 to $3 per 100 lbs. ; beef, ditto; 
butter, 16c. per pound ; eggs, 12ic. per dozen. 
We hard had a remarkably fine winter so 
far. Only about an inch of snow has fallen. 
Wheeling is superb. The first week in January 
was remarkably cold, the thermometer on the 
2d registering 26° below zero. The sun lias 
not boeu behind a cloud for nearly a mouth. 
Not a day has been lost down to the present 
time by teamsters or out-door laborers. 
M. T. R. 
Ohio, Willersburg, Jan. 27, 1879.—We have 
had very good sleighing the past four weeks 
until lately. Within the last two days it has 
thawed considerably, and the jingle of sleigh- 
bells has ceased. The weather has been very 
cold. The thermometer was the lowest, ou the 
morning of Jan. 3d. being 23 0, below zero. 
Apples, potatoes and other vegetables were 
frozen in large quantities in almost every cel¬ 
lar I know of. It was also very severe on 
game, especially quail. They were found in 
bunches of eight or ten frozen stiff. Times are 
dull, and produce low. Wheat, 88c. to 90c. 
per bushel; flour. $4.50 to 83.50 per bbl. : rye. 
40c. per bushel; corn, 30c-; oats, 20c.; barley, 
50c.; timothy seed, SI 25; clover seed, 83.60 ; 
lard. 9c.; butter. 12c.; eggs. 20e ; apples, 30c. 
to 40c. per bushel; potatoes. 60c. to 65c.; live 
pork. 82.25 to 82.50 per hundred : beef cuttle, 
83.00 to 83.25. Feed is plenty and stock is 
looking exceedingly well, notwithstanding the 
cold weather. o. w. o. 
New York, Ithaca, Jan. 24. — Strong winds 
and heavy snow ; many cross-roads badly 
drifted; hard times for farmers, particularly 
for those in debt. Beef, dressed, 4c. to 6c. per 
pound ; pork, 83 50 per cwt. ; hay, 84 to 87 
per ton; buckwheat, 40c. per bushel; wheat, 
95e. ; oats, 24c.; corn, 45c ; potatoes, 60 to 
70c.: apples, 25c. to 35c.; butter, 14e. to 17c., 
per pound eggs. 20c. per doz. Clover seed is 
turning out very poor, a large amount of hay 
is being shipped. 
New York, Ithaca, Jan. 28.—This is a regu¬ 
lar spring day, clear aud warm; the snow is 
disappearing very fast. The State Grange of 
New York is in session here and lias a very 
full attendance, l. m. 
Iowa, Manchester, Delaware Co.. Jan. 26.— 
Last year I raised the Acme tomato and found 
it the finest tomato I have ever raised and I 
have had the Trophy for many years, a d. 
®)}f <$UfUSt, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Potato Culture, Etc. 
L. IF. It., Chenango. jV. 1'.. asks 1, the best 
way to get the largest quantity of potatoes 
from a pound of seed; 2, whether it would be 
safe, the coming season, to plant potatoes on 
the same piece of ground on which Ihc pota¬ 
toes planted there last year, were very much 
injured by angle and wire-worms; 3, what Is 
the best way of using hard-wood ashes, as a fer¬ 
tilizer for potatoes; 4, how are potatoes raised 
under straw; 5, will peanuts bought raw at 
the stands, grow. 
A ns. —A pound of potatoes will go a good 
ways in planting, if each eye is cut hy itself 
with as much of the potato as there can he. If 
the piece is not larger than a pea, the eye will 
sprout and form a hill. The butt or stem end 
may be cut jnjo small pieces, aud many of 
them will sprout even if no eyes are visible, 
just as buds will come out of limbs of trees 
where they are not discernible. With ordi¬ 
nary culture, when the seed is prepared in this 
way, several huudred-fold of potatoes may be 
growu. A large crop can be raised by planting 
the potatoes in a hot-bed and allowing them to 
sprout, and then removing the sprout and 
planting it in ground carefully prepared, aud 
letting the potatoes throw out another from 
the same eye, which, in its turn, is likewise 
transplanted, aud so on, until the vitality of 
the eye is exhausted. A number of settings, or 
hills, may he obtained from all of the eyes in 
this way, and the yield from each eye very 
largely multiplied. This is the way the great 
yields arc obtained. To be successful, the con¬ 
ditions of soil, temperature aud moisure must 
be just right, that, is, in a condition to promote 
rapid and vigorous growth. Any one familiar 
with the manipulation of hot-beds could, 
doubtless, succeed in the. sprouting method; 
but if the grower is uot thus familiar, it would 
be best to cut the potatoes in small pieces and 
piaut each piece, with the eye, iu a hill in the 
open ground. The richer the ground is made, 
the larger will be the growth ; but such over¬ 
grown tubers are more apt to rot. We would 
not recommend making the ground too rich, 
as healthy potatoes are the best for the table 
or for seed. 
2. We do not think angle-worms ever injure 
crops, as they extract their food from the 
ground. Wire-worms prey upon the roots of 
plants, and might injure the potatoes by eating 
off the roots to the vines, or by feeding upon 
the potatoes themselves. Grubs are the most 
damaging to potatoes, as they eat holes into 
them. It does not follow that either will dam¬ 
age a crop the second ycai because they did 
the year before, as the same conditions may 
not exist; and then again, the winter may be 
such as to make a decided change. From 
these facts there may he no risk in planting 
the same ground successively with the same 
crop, and we should prefer to plant potatoes 
on potato ground rather than on sod or stub¬ 
ble, where, if the season is favorable for the 
growth and development of worms and grubs, 
they would be sure to be fouud the most active. 
The grubs last year were uot caused in such 
large numbers by the potatoes, or by auy 
crop, but by the favorable conditions which 
must have existed for a space of time long 
enough to bring them into existence, and, 
in the absence of grass l oots or other vegeta¬ 
tion, they fed upon the potatoes. A mild 
wiuter is conducive to the development of all 
sorts of worms and grubs, aud one of opposite 
character is destructive to them. 
3. Unleaehed ashes should be sown broad¬ 
cast and harrowed in. but leached ashes, not 
being so strong in alkali, may be used to the 
best advantage by dropping a handful iu the 
hill. They may he dropped on the ground aud 
the potato pat on top, or the potato dropped 
first aud the ashes put on top of it. It is im¬ 
material. The ground will absorb enough of 
the potash iu uuleached ashes so that the po¬ 
tato will not be injured by it, and the ashes 
will retain moisture so that the potato will 
come up sooner. Potatoes exhaust the soil of 
potash, and on this account a dressing of it in 
the form of wood ashes, is most valuable, and 
will materially increase the yield. With an 
occasional dressing of ashes, a patch of ground 
may be devoted to the culture of potatoes for 
years with excellent returns. It is one of the 
few crops where a direct application of manure 
containing its chemical constituents, has a direct 
aud perfect effect- This is owing to the simple 
organism of the plant. Quite a poor soil con¬ 
tains starch enough to supply the demauds for 
successive crops of potatoes, if potash is not 
wanting. 
4. The culture of potatoes under straw is a sim¬ 
ple matter. The seed should be placed ou the 
surface ol the ground, at short distances apart, 
say 16 iuchcs. and then carefully covered with 
straw. If the ground is comparatively free 
from weeds, the straw need not be more than 
six inches thick ; but if the land is very foul, 
the covering of the straw should he at least a 
foot deep. Rye straw, if it has been bound up, 
will lie closer, more solid, to the ground and 
need not be so thick. The light must be ex¬ 
cluded from the potato, and it will grow aud 
take root in the ground. There must bo straw 
enough to produce darkness, and this is all 
that is required. The straw does not turn to 
mold during the season, hut packs down aud 
affords a complete protection, so that the hills 
ol young potatoes form on the top of the 
ground with nothing over them but the mulch 
made by the straw. Of course, there is no cul¬ 
tivating or hoeing, hut if weeds make their 
appearance above the straw they must 
pulled out. 
5. Peanuts, as they are found in market, 
not too old, will grow. After they are scorche 
or baked, they will not grow. 
Preparing Muck . r I'se; Alfalfa. 
A Subscriber—address mislaid —asks, 1, wheth¬ 
er muck, dug out now, would be in a fit condition 
to apply to root and other crops in spring, and 
what is the best way of preparing it iu the 
shortest time; 2, how much clover seed should 
