APRIL 12 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
233 
without any great leverage or strain, irresisti¬ 
bly lifts the most stubborn roots out of the 
ground. The motion is so steady and progres¬ 
sive that although the operation would seem a 
slow one, the work is accomplished with celer¬ 
ity. From an economical point of view,—and 
who does not look in that direction now—the 
ing. The drifts are softening so that it is near¬ 
ly impossible to get throngh them. Wages, by 
the month, $13@15; maple sugar, 14c. per 
pound ; potatoes, 60c. per bushel. The depth 
of snow that has fallen during the last winter is 
about six feet. Stock looks well hereabouts. 
Dry in spite of the long, steady winter. 
M. B. D. 
North Carolina, Aslivillo, March 29.—The 
tobacco crop has been quite a success in west¬ 
ern North Carolina this season. The crop has 
passed off at exorbitant prices. Jn fact no¬ 
thing like it has ever been known in any sec¬ 
tions of the South. It was nothing uncommon 
for a farmer to make $300 per acre, without 
manure. 
As predicted by me teu years ago, this is des¬ 
tined to be the finest section in the world for 
yellow wrappers. Thousands of acres of origi¬ 
nal forest stand among these mountains, which 
only wait to be cleared to yield a rich return. 
Nothing but virgin soil will grow the fancy 
wrapper to its perfection. s. 0. s. 
Amherst, Mass., March 29.—We have had 
but little extremely cold weather during the 
past winter, the coldest time being 6 deg. be¬ 
low zero. About half of the peach buds are 
killed. There is about six inches of snow still 
on the ground, w hich is slowly going off. But 
little frost in the ground, even in open fields. 
ting up their wood. Market prices for produce 
of all kinds are very low. Corn, 60c. per 
bushel; oats, lc. per pound: potatoes, 65c. per 
bush.; butter, from 15 to 18c. per pound; pork 
and beef are doing a little better; veal calves 
arc only $4 per hundred, live weight; seed 
wheat of the Lost Nation variety is still at $2 
per bush.; Golden Sheaf at $1.75. Wood, lum¬ 
ber, shingles, etc., arc vory cheap. Hired help 
is abundant and wages very low, from $8 to 
$15 per month for good help. Resumption of 
specie payments has not effected much change 
as yet. R> 
New York, Charlton, Saratoga Co., April 1. 
—Last year plowing began abont the middle 
of March. Potatoes were planted and oats 
sown in March; now the enow is seven feet 
deep between the house and barn and people 
travel with sleighs. North and south, roads 
are full of snow. Winter grain is all covered 
up and has been all winter; can't tell how it 
looks. Robins came the middle of March, and 
since then we have had two severe snow storms, 
snow six inches deep; am afraid the birds are 
dead. To-dajv the wind is cold and freezing, 
from the west. The crows held a council the 
other day, hundreds being present. We never 
knew so many to winter here before. Farmers 
are worried to know what potatoes to plant. 
Peach-blows do not yield well, and Early Rose 
are also running out. r- c. 
Ohio, Cardington, Morrow Co., March 28.— 
The winter has been admirable for our wheat. 
I do not thiuk it has been injured in the least. 
Still for success we shall require a favorable 
season from this time on. Provisions of all 
kinds arc cheap; hay, $5; wheat, 95c.; corn, 
30c.; oats, 22c.; potatoes, 75c.; butter, 12c. per 
pound; good stock cattle,3 to 3Jc. per pound; 
hogs, $3.30 per hundred; sheep, $3.75 to $4.25 
per hundred: horses from $75 to $225. Stock 
of all kinds look well. Money seems a little 
easier and business men seem hopeful for the 
coming season. Indeed, the outlook Is en¬ 
couraging. Economy and perseverance will 
soon bring about better times. j. o. o. 
California, Carpentcria, Santa Barbara Co., 
March 25.—Grass and grain are looking well- 
more than knee-high and thick on the ground. 
Fruit trees never looked so fine. Apricots and 
Peaches are in bloom. Pears and Apples be¬ 
gin to blossom. Early potatoes look well. 
Farmers have their land nearly ready for 
planting corn and beans. Corn is worth from 
$10 to $12 per ton at the crib ; beans, l$c. to 
four cents per pound ; barley, $c, per pound; 
potatoes, one to two cents per pound; pork 
and beef, four to five cents; hay, $5 to $8 per 
ton. N> <5 
Kansas, Seapo, Republican Co., March 29.— 
I immigrated to this State five years ago, but 
labor. I should like to tell those who are suf¬ 
fering f rom that plant how easily and profitably 
they can get rid of it once and forever—if after¬ 
wards they will be careful to sow clean seed. 
Ground that has been seeded down to wild 
buckwheat should be well cultivated with a 
cultivator, then harrowed any time in April. 
On no account should the ground be plowed 
either in spring or fall, as it turns some of the 
seed under to such a depth that it will not 
sprout. After harrowing, the ground should 
be left till about the first of June, when the 
buckwheat will commence to blossom. It 
should be immediately plowed and well turned 
under, then harrowed. Next, sow on it from 
16 to 18 quarts of either millet or Hungarian. 
Harrow it well and then roll the ground. If 
this plan be followed to the letter, there will be 
a. splendid crop of grass. It should be cut 
when it is in the blossom, as it then makes finer 
hay- The reason why Hungarian or millet 
should be sown is this: It makes a very rapid 
growth and smothers any seed buckwheat that 
may have been turned np to the surface in the 
last plowing, and after the crop is ent the frost 
kills the buckwheat before it can mature its 
seed. s - B> 
Vermont, Williamsville. Windham Co., 
March 31st, 1879—The winter here has been 
a long but not a cold one. Owing to a severe 
freshet, the business of road building has 
been and is in a most flourishing con¬ 
dition. Our heaviest storms have come this 
month, and snow now 16 three feet deep on a 
level. March 27th gave us 12 inches of snow ; 
it was very moist, clinging to the branches 
until all kinds of tree resembled the Weeping 
Willow—in shape. Sugaring comes on late, 
and but part of the tapping has been done. 
The quality of the sugar thus far made, is good ; 
sells at 12c. to 14c. Produce is low: butter 
brings 18c, to 20e. per pound ; eggs, 12c. a doz ; 
potatoes, 75c. a bushel; oats, 45c. and North¬ 
ern corn 75c. Wheat is hardly quotable here, 
as but little is raised—average yield 20 bushel 
to the acre. Western meal is $1.10 aud wheat 
bran $1.05 per hundred. Hay $10 a ton and 
plenty of it. Dressed pork is 5c. and dressed 
beef 6c. per pound. A narrow-gauge railroad 
is now being built to run through the center 
of the town. It is to be completed Oct. 1st 
1879. Until that is finished we are 12 miles 
from a railroad. s - m. 
Alabama, Newmarket, Madison Co., March 
g(),—The prospects for wheat, fruit, and the 
grasses are very flattering in this country. We 
had for this region a very cold and unusually 
long winter. Much corn has been planted, and 
some of it is up and worked over. Preparations 
are being made for a large cotton crop. Clover, 
timothy, orchard grasses arc luxuriant—half 
leg-high. Asparagus, lettuce, radish and onions 
are plentiful; peas are nearly on hand. 
Provisions low; butter, 10c.; eggs, 5c.; 
beef 5c.; pork, 8c.; lard, 6Jc.} bacon, 6lc.; 
corn, from 40 to 60c.; oats, 30c.; wheat. 
90c. The practice of potting Strawberries 
is becomiug general. I have adopted a 
new plan which succeeds admirably and 
costs nothing. In all our towns large 
numbers of oyster-cans are thrown away. 
They make excellent pots. Put them in 
the fire and unsolder thorn. You now 
have a cylinder which only needs a small 
string to keep it in shape, and it is easily 
pushed into the soil near a plant, and 
as easily removed. By merely making a 
hole, inserting the can, removing the 
string, you have all the advantages of 
Chamberlin Stump-puller is a good improve¬ 
ment to buy. as the irons and screw are ship¬ 
ped independently of the woodwork, with 
simple directions that are sufficient to direct 
the most inexperienced how to supply and fit 
the former. A saving in first cost and freight 
is thereby realized, that makes it an object 
for any one plagued with unsightly, heavy ob¬ 
structions, to thiuk attentively of the cost and 
profit of their taking off. Pamphlets and 
other pertinent matter are sent out by the 
manufacturers on application. 
Vermont, Newport, April 8, —We are buried 
in snow here more than at any time dur¬ 
ing the winter. But our seasons change so 
abruptly that next week we may be making 
garden. Last year at this time we were plow¬ 
ing T, H. h. 
Ohio, Hillsboro, March 31.— Weather change¬ 
able ; mud roads impassible; wheat looking 
well where properly fertilized. Corn, 30c; 
oats, 25c; wheat. 95c; potatoes, 40c to 80c; 
THE WATERTOWN ENGINE 
The first manufactory of portable and 
mounted steam engines established in the 
country, was that founded thirty years ago by 
Hoard & Bradford, to whom the Watertown 
Steam Engine Co. are successors. 
This engine received the Medal of the New 
York State Agricultural Society in 1850, and a 
few years later Messrs. Hoard <& Bradford ap¬ 
peared upon the State Fair Grounds at Roch¬ 
ester, N. Y-, with the first traction farm engine 
ever built in this country. 
The reputation of the firm has been amply 
sustained by their successors, and we give this 
week an illustration of the latest improvement, 
a new mounted engine that combines many 
superior advantages. The engine has a strong 
bed. that relieves the boiler of strain from the 
working of the engine, permitting it to be 
removed from the boiler and placed on a sep¬ 
arate foundation if desired. The frame, 
cylinder head, guides, and boxes for main shaft, 
are east in one piece, avoiding strain, and ren¬ 
dering it impossible for these parts to work 
out of line. The dome of the boiler contains 
the heater, the base of the cylinder being 
joined to the dome. The heat of the boiler 
is thus imparted to the cylinder. The 
steam passages are reduced to a mini¬ 
mum. the condensation of steam in the 
cylinder is effectually checked, and the 
greatest possible economy of steam is 
secured. Another distinct feature is the 
placing of the engine frame in a direct 
line, the connecting rod taking hold of 
a double crank shaft with driving pulleys 
on each end, thus doing away with all 
side straiu. Particular attention has been 
given to the improvement of the “ gov- 
v. ernor." By the simplest device, and with- 
§||! out the intervention of cams or levers, 
weights, a perfect stop motion, has been 
5§| added, which on the breaking or slipping 
^ of the belt, will at once shut off steam 
^ and stop the engine without jar or strain. 
^ This is an Improvement over all previous 
devices. In work of differing amount and 
ft r different purposes.with varying power, 
pf it is often necessary to change the speed 
I fe of the engine to suit the nature of the 
i|K| work or the amount of power required, 
if™ To meet this there has been added to the 
governor a spring balance, operated by a 
hand wheel, instantly changing and ad- 
I m justing the speed to any rate required, 
/ fm and that without stopping the engine. 
laB This improvement is found on no other 
engine, we believe. 
flfi The “ pop ” safety valve with which this 
engine is equipped should be found on 
H every farm engine, as it is conducive to 
SCREW STUMP-PULLERS 
It is hardly necessary to enumerate the ad¬ 
vantages to be gained by clearing the land of 
stumps. They are unsightly, a constant an¬ 
noyance when there is plowing to be done, and 
render the land unproductive aud unprofitable 
in proportion to their numbers. To remove 
them partially by burning, and then counting 
upon time and decay to do the rest of the work 
is poor economy, hence a multitude of me¬ 
chanical devices have been employed to accom¬ 
plish the work at a saving of time, labor and 
expense. One of the most successful ma¬ 
chines is the stump-puller illustrated in this 
THE WATERTOWN ENGINE. 
issue. The manufacturers, the Chamberlin 
Mfg. Co., of Olcau, N. Y., have only arrived 
at the present complete result after ten years 
of experiment, alteration, adaptation aud 
thorough-going endeavor. The screw princi¬ 
ple was demonstrated to give the most satis¬ 
factory results, aud our engraving shows clear¬ 
ly how it has been applied to the perfected 
stump-puller. Every part has a straight draft 
upon the “ cap" to which the supports are at¬ 
tached, aud the horse, acting as the motor, 
has a radius about the offending stump, and 
have been farming on my own account only 
four years last November. I have raised as 
high as 80 bushels of corn per acre without any 
manure whatever. The corn in most parts of 
this country is badly “mixed-" I’ve devoted 
much time and care to the selection of seed- 
corn, hut have not yet been successful iu mak¬ 
ing it a pure seed. I am certain, however, that 
we have a good corn country. G. w. c. 
New York, Whltuey’s Point, March 29, '79.— 
Weather moderating- Snow disappearing fast.. 
Roads impassible ; neither wagoning nor sleigh- 
Vermont, Randolph, March 27- —The snow 
is very deep, and but a very few warm dayB 
have as yet beamed upou us. Sugaring is two 
weeks later than last year, certainly. It has 
been a good winter for business, as there has 
been sledding all the time. Many farmers have 
hauled their manure into the fields since get- 
