which purpose, indeed, it is extensively used 
in the South. But being so rich a Food, it 
cannot be given to animals, except in small 
quantities ; Two pounds daily are quite enough 
for a cow that is milking; a calf should not 
have more than two to four ounces; pigs will 
not. thrive on it at all, as it is too rich for them, 
except when given in small quantifies mixed 
with bran slops or cut roots. Horses do well 
on it, if given two pounds daily with corn 
meal; I thiulc two pounds of it equal to 10 
pounds of oats. But if fed too abundantly, 
the bowels are made very costive and the kid¬ 
neys are affected. This is doubtless on account 
of its highly nitrogenous nature, as the waste 
nitrogen is eliminated from the system through 
the kidneys, and they are too actively excited 
by very rich food. The next ill effect is an 
inflammatory condition of the system, aud in 
cows there is danger of garget, and horses 
suffer from irritation of the skin, sore mouth 
and hide-bound, ft is as though a man were 
fed on extract of beef, rich pastry and such 
food ouly ; when he would soon be in the doc¬ 
tor’s or undertaker’s hands. 
Wheu used judiciously and with a knowledge 
of its character and value, it is the cheapest 
(at its present price, $30 a ton,) and one of the 
most useful foods we have. Beiug rich in 
nitrogen and oil, it should be used with food 
rich in starch, as potatoes aud roots. One 
pound of cottou-seed meal mixed with half a 
peek of boiled potatoes and mashed together, 
would make a good feed for a fattening pig or 
a milking cow, but the pig should have corn 
or bran for the second daily feed. One pound 
of cotton seed meal I consider equal to two 
pounds of corn meal. II I were feeding store 
pigs. I would add a peck of the cotton-seed 
meal to a barrel of sour milk or milk slops, 
aud give oue feed of it every day ; but I would 
in uo case u$e Lite meal exclusively for food 
any more than I would feed myself ou “ pies 
and things.” 
AN EASY-DUMPING SLED. 
Our readers sometimes ask for illustrations 
of home-made farm implements which they 
can themselves construct duriug the winter 
months, when there is but little else to be done 
on the farm. Besides being inexpensive such 
implements often have merits that may be 
looked for in vain in shop-made goods. We 
here present uneasy-dumping sled that is espe¬ 
cially suitable lor drawing manure, sand and 
the like, and which anybody handy with tools 
can make. A rear view is seen of the sled iu 
I 
fig. I. Instead of one. there are two boxes, a, a, 
each of which is hinged to the corresponding 
runner. To bring the center of gravity nearer 
the outside and thus facilitate the dumping, 
the boxes stand on inclined planes and also 
flare outward. At a. ou the extreme right, is 
shown the position of a box when dumped. It 
is easily turned back agaiu. and a bolt is passed 
through the two adjoining sides of the boxes to 
TT 
hold them together, or this may be done with 
a hook. The two runners, b, b. can be made 
ot any durable hard wood, but to make the 
sled run lighter, they should be shod with iron, 
Fig II gives a side view of the sled, and in 
fig. Ill is shown the manner of hinging the 
boxes more in detail. A is a side view, showing 
III 
how the staples are driven into the runners, 
and B gives an end view of the same, showiug 
how the hinge is fasteued to the bottom of the 
boxes, (bus serving to strengthen the bottom 
at the same. time. 
ENGLISH FARMERS. 
1 must take a different view of the present 
condition of the English farmers, from that of 
the “Eds. Rural New-Yorker." English 
farmers are not a thinking class ; they are 
THE BUBAL HEW-YOB&EB. 
mere tools in the hands of the owners of the 
land, who in their turn are entirely governed 
by the Professors of Agriculture. The farmers 
are not fitted by education to he trusted with 
the ordering of the land ; the owners (the no¬ 
bility mostly) arc fitted by education, but un¬ 
fitted by their social and political duties, and 
the only class which 1ms brains adapted to the 
arts of production, and which is entirely un¬ 
trammeled by outside influences, is the profes¬ 
sional one. 
The present arrangement is a happy condi¬ 
tion for the agriculture of that country, aud to 
a certain extent, it would be a blessing to 
America, but the everlasting Yankee “can’t be 
quiet;” be must be farmer, owner and pro¬ 
fessor on his own land. It is a great under¬ 
taking, but. be would not be a Yankee if any one 
else had to do bis thinking for him—he would 
then be an Englishman. 
Now the reason why we are beating the Eng¬ 
lish on our own ground and theirs too, is that 
we are ou the right track. In their little 
pent-up country, every man may follow one 
lead, but iu our vast extent of soil and climate, 
every farm must have its separate thinker, 
and, 1« ! it has him. 
To give a homely comparison in England 
the flock follows a few wise old rams, here 
every man rams arouud for himself, s. r. m. 
On Worm-Eaten Peas. 
Now I have no wish to contradict any one ; 
iu fact, I do not believe my evidence will con¬ 
tradict, for I believe we are all working at 
different problems. I will uot now raise the 
question of different varieties of pea bugs ; for 
I am uot sure there are different varieties, but 
may not the bugs have ditlereut ways of work¬ 
ing? I think you will all agree with me when 
I say that if the germ be not. destroyed, the 
pea will grow. [No, we cannot, agree to this, 
because w r e know from careful experiments 
that such is uot the case. Just iu the propor¬ 
tion that the eotyledous (first leaves) are in¬ 
jured, iu just that proportion the plant will be 
weakened. The germ (embryo) must depend 
upon the first leaves for nourishment. As 
they get less or more the plants will be weak 
or strong.—Eos.] I will not say how vigorous 
a growth it will make; but will merely say 
that it will grow. My seed peas last spring 
were badly worm-eateu, aud I had doubts about 
their growing. A son of one of my neighbors 
said they would grow as well as any peas, aud 
iu proof thereof showed that tire germ was m 
every case left perfect. Still skeptical, I sowed 
them, and he, takiug a handful, counted out25 
peas, all worm-eaten, aud took them homo aud 
planted them iu a row iu the garden. In due 
time 25 peas grew from those sowu. In my 
field the peas grew thick enough, but were 
very uneven—when the first were ripe some 
were still iu blossom. 
Now, to my mind this proves that some wurnj- 
eaten peas will grow, or a very large percen¬ 
tage will; but that they are very poor seed for 
causes named. [We ask our friend to select 
weevil-eaten peas only, himself, plant them— 
give them every care aud report the results to 
us.— Eds.] 
Scrap-Books. 
Don't cut up the Rural New-Yorker to 
make a scrap-book; don’t cut up any paper 
that is in convenient shape for biudiug; but 
in many families there are several papers 
taken, which are not worth preserving uud 
have many good things iu them which one 
would wish to save. To meet this ease, make 
a serap-bouk. You eau get, from a juuk deal¬ 
er, some old books with good bindings, as, for 
example, old blotters, day-books, journals, 
etc., of defunct Arms; Patent D&ee reports, 
reports of Congressional committees, Census 
reports, etc. A neighbor, the other day, 
bought at auction sixteen volumes of the 
“Ku Ktux Klan” reports, aud nine volumes 
of the Patent Office reports for 8160- At rnauy 
newspaper offices they are sold still cheaper. 
I would leave the fly leaves blank, aud cut 
out, as I tilled in, two-thirds of the leaves. 
Use flour paste; rye is best; never use muci¬ 
lage. Go to a stationery store and buy a black 
book indexed clear through; or. if you feel 
able, get “ Gould’s Index Rerum,” (not Todd’s). 
Always index under at least two titles. Study 
up the articles on indexing in the Rural fur 
1878, and common seuse will greatly help you 
to get a good grip ou indexing. It is tedious 
work, but it is worth a mine when done. It is 
not a bad plan to out slipsfrompolitical papers 
Irom time to time, which represent your views 
politically. A back look at these will give you 
au idea of how men change, and will tend io 
make a man less partisau. 
lteiiiarkublu! 
About thrashing time, wheat was from 80 to 
85 cents, (No. 1 spring). Many farmers hav¬ 
ing machine notes to pay, rushed iu with their 
wheat until it began to rise; then they paid 
part of their notes and got au extension on the 
balance, paying a bonus therefor. As wheat 
climbed up. they slapped their hips aud looked 
wise. It touched 81 27 aud then began to re¬ 
cede. Now when you meet them, they will 
ask you : “ How’s wheat?" aud look blue. It 
scorns improbable that wheat will again reach 
that figure before New Year's, and they begin 
to think of greasing their wagons again. 
Rhodesjand McClure, Methodist Book Block, 
Chicago, 111. Price for Conversational Audi- 
phone $10; Opera, $15. We may have occa¬ 
sion to refer more at large, ere long, from 
practical experience, to this invention, which, 
if it does ouly a part of what is claimed for it, 
must be an invaluable blessing to a class than 
which noue stands more in need of aid from 
science or ingenuity. 
- ♦ »♦ — 
A DUMB-WAITER FOR THE FARMERS’ 
WIVES. 
This is the season of the year when the 
thoughtful farmer can “ fix up" handy little 
contrivances for the “glide wife,” about the 
house, to make work less laborious aud save 
time, aud thereby money—aud, better still, 
lical th. I know of no device that would be more 
acceptable to the majority of farmers’wives 
than a dumb-waiter from the kitchen, pantry 
or dining-room, to the cellar. The number of 
steps it would save in running up and down 
stairs, cannut be estimated—so many little 
things, like a pitcher of cream, an opened can 
of fruit, a fowl or joint of meat, the dish of 
tapioca or boiled custard, cau theu be sent to 
the cool regious of the cellar and brought up 
therefrom without taking a step. 
The construction of such a device is a very 
simple matter. Construct a rectangular box, 
A, two feet square, and long enough to reach 
from three or four feet or more, if desired, 
above the floor, down to the collar bottom. 
This may be made of inch boards. Sliding 
freely within this box is the carrier, B, with¬ 
out front or back and with any uutuber of 
shelves. It should be three inches narrower 
than the box. A, to allow room for cleats to 
guide it iu its passage up and dowu. To the 
top of the carrier, is attached a rope, C. which 
passes over two small pulleys, aud thence 
down through the floor to the counterpoise 
weight, D. A door should be fastened to the 
frout of the box above the floor. 
Ontario Co., N. Y. William K. Brooks. 
PAMPHLETS AND CATALOGUES. 
Tue AtJDiPnoNE. — This pamphlet of SO 
pages, gives a full description ot the device 
lately invented by Richard R. Rhodes, by menus 
of which, it is claimed, the de a 1 can hear 
through the medium of the teeth and the deaf 
and dumb can hear and learn to speak. From 
the illustrations and description, this invention 
iu Us natural posltiou looks like a rectangular 
fan with a convex end. When not in use for 
hearing, it cau be employed as a fan, and so Us 
real purpose may bo concealed. When pre¬ 
pared for use as an aid to hearing, it is bent 
somewhat by pnlliug a string Which connects 
the handle with the outer end. The extent to 
which it should be bent, or, iu other words, the 
amount of tension needed for each person, aud 
under different conditions, is regulated exactly 
by experience. Many testimonials of its effi¬ 
ciency, some of them from well-known public 
men, together with a number of nowspuper 
notices aud several interviews with deaf people 
who have tried it, make up the bulk of the 
pamphlet. The audiphone is sold only by 
Circular.—N ew York State Dairymen’s 
Association, the Annual Convention ol which 
will be held in Stauton Opera House, Oneonta, 
Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday, Decem¬ 
ber 16, 17, 18. 
----. 
Sale of Imported Cattle. 
Philadelphia, Dec. 3, 1879 . 
At the auction sale of imported cows aud 
heifers from the British Isles, which took place 
yesterday at Herkness's Bazaar, the following- 
were the most promiueut lots offered and dis¬ 
posed of:— 
Blythesome. calved Sept. 25, 1877; Mr. T. S. 
Cooper, Coopersburg, Pa.... $310 
Apple, uot. 2 . 1874; ex-Governor Smith, of St. 
Albans, Vt . 240 
lvlsbor, Jersey bull, two years lour months’old • 
ex-Governor Smith. . 300 
Winsome. July a. 1 ,- 477 ; Mr. S. II. Gilbert, PhlliL 
delplilu. 240 
Lily, Feb. 13, 1877; Mr. R. F. Warner, Phila¬ 
delphia .. 330 
Panse.v, Get. 2 , 1874 ; Mr. John H Phillips,'Bal¬ 
timore. 350 
Ma Belle. Sept.. 28, isrs; Mr. S. M.' Burnham, ' 
Saugatuek. Conn, . 300 
Lady Jane. April i>, 1877: Mr. J. l). Lipplucoit, 
Phliacletpiiia... 270 
Coquette, two years old; Mr. E. P. coffin, 
agent, mtsbuiy. p». ’205 
Surprise. Oct. IS, 1877; Mr. Jas.Mooney, Phila¬ 
delphia. ... 240 
Lively, Dec. 20 , 1877 ; Mr. P. McEvoy, Trenton, 
><• -J... 205 
Belle de Trodals 2d, Aprils, iS77; Mr. W.'lV. 
Mot'ready, saugatuek. Conn.... 40 u 
chevalier. Sept. 4,1804; Mr. W. K MoCready. 270 
Gipsy Maid, Feb. 10. 1878; Mr. H. Watson, 
New York. ’230 
Rosalind, Aug. 1, 1877 ; Mr. If. Watson...' 230 
H. 
---- 
HOW TO MAKE STRAW MATS. 
Every bopt who has had any experience 
with cold-frames aud hot-beds knows how use¬ 
ful straw mats are as a protection against 
frost. Not only are they much more easily han¬ 
dled than straw or hay, hut they keep out the 
cold better, and the surroundings can be kept 
more tidy. Nor are they useful as a covering 
for sashes alone, there are many occasions on 
the farm when straw mats are more handy for 
covering things than anything else, as, for in¬ 
stance, to throw over a heap of potatoes, if 
the cellar should not be quite frost proof, or for 
liuing the inside of a cold stable, aud the like. 
To bind straw mats, the first thing to be pro¬ 
vided is the frame. It may be nailed together 
of three-inch wide strips of a one-inch thick 
board, and it should be of a size that will suit 
the purpose for which the mats at e to be used. 
For hot-beds the mats should be at least a foot 
longer than the sashes they cover, so as to 
overhang a little at both ends, Mats about 
6even feet long and four feet wide, are as large 
as can be conveniently handled. At each end 
of the frame, put in five or six pegs, according 
to its width, aud to these tie the strings serving 
as “ warp” on whieh the mat is bound. To 
each bottom peg. tie also a cord wound on a 
“spool.” as shown in the engraving, and the 
operation of binding can commence. 
Now take a small lock of clean, straight, rye * 
straw, and turning the butts outward, make 
the first knot ou the outside cord, bv putting 
the spool above the straw aud around the cord, 
as shown in the cut. Next, take a similar lock 
and in the same manner tie that to thp cord on 
the other side of the frame, and ilum* keeping 
the tops straight, iu the middle of the mat. the 
remaining knots are lied. The process is very 
simple and, once started, there is no variation 
till the mat is completed. The cord used 
should ho tarred hemp twine, as it will last 
longer than if not tarred. Straw mats properly 
made, uot too roughly handled, and if spread 
out to dry whenever they have become wet, 
will last three winters as a covering for hot-beds. 
