THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
•luerle* About IV. C. nnd Vn. 
E. E. R., Shfodon, Wis., asks a number of 
questions about N. C. and Vn., as suitable 
places for Northern emigrants. 
Ans.— The Western part of North Carolina 
is noted for healthful ness, and would prove, 
as to climate, safe and pleasant to settlers from 
the North- As in other States, society varies 
in different localities. There arc places in the 
Piedmont section and also over the Blue Ridge, 
in which schools, churches. Are., offer good 
advantages. Jlouey of the best quality is pro¬ 
duced in that part of the State. The- mountain 
honey is proverbial for its excellence. Species 
of the Pine abound in different parts of the 
State. The question whether a Northerner 
would find North Carolina society congenial, 
depends very much upon the Northerner him¬ 
self. The man who goes South with good pur¬ 
poses, acts prudently, and shows himself 
friendly, will he sure to find friends aud win 
favor and kindness. A railroad will soon be 
finished that will connect Ashvilie with the 
well-known North and South lines of trade 
and travel, and will render that, highland town 
a place of great resort. We advise any one, 
however, before lie moves South, to be sure to 
have a thorough knowledge of the place which 
he selects. As worthy to be consulted for in¬ 
formation with regard to North Carolina, we 
mention Maj- W. G. Kerr, State Geologist and 
Col. L. L. Polk, Com. of Agriculture—both of 
whom may be addressed at Raleigh, N. C. 
Much of what is here said of North Carolina 
as regards climate, society, etc., is also true of 
Virginia. There lias been a pretty heavy im¬ 
migration of Northern people and Europeans 
into the latter State since the war, and during 
several trips through the State a few years 
ago, the settlers generally spoke highly of the 
country and its inhabitants. Of course, the 
character of different parts of the country and 
also of the dwellers therein varies considerably, 
so that in speaking of the State as a whole, 
generalities only can be employed. For ac¬ 
counts of different parts of the State, we refer 
our correspondent to “Everywhere" passim. 
Kentucky and Maryland both offer many ad¬ 
vantages of soil and especially of climate, to 
those who dislike the extreme severity of more 
Northern winters, but even if we were well 
acquainted with the circumstances of our cor¬ 
respondent. we should hesitate about advising 
him with regard to the choice of his future 
home, and as the ease stands, we must decline 
doing so. 
Duirrlurn in Horses, Etc. 
J. IV. h- y Owensboro , Ky., asks 1, the cause 
of diarrhoea in a colt, ulso a preventive aud 
remedy ; 2, what will start sweet potato slips 
to running; 3, do we coincide with Dr. 
A. C. W.’s plan of pulverizing the soil only 
shallowly for sweet potatoes; 4, is sod land 
good for them. 
Ans.—T here are several causes for such an 
ailment, among which may be mentioned: in¬ 
digestible and irritating food ; too much water; 
purgative medicine; disorders of the liver; 
cold ; over-exertion, and a natural tendency. 
In the present query no information is given . 
to enable us to decide to what cause to attri¬ 
bute the ailment. As a preventive, avoid the 
above causes where possible. The nature of 
the most suitable remedy depends greatly, of 
course, upon the character oi the disease aud 
itseause. aud as not a word is said ou this head, 
no special prescription can be given. In most 
cases, however, a safe remedy is rice boiled until 
quite soft aud mixed with warm water until of 
the consistency of a thin liquid. If not taken 
voluntarily it should he given as a drench. 
For a severe case one or two ounces of lauda¬ 
num may he added to a quart of rice milk, and 
given every time the bowels act violently. Or 
instead, a thin gruel may be made with wheat 
meal, and the laudanum mixed with it. In all 
queries about the maladies of stock, cafe 
should be takeu to detail at full length all the 
symptoms of the disease and circumstances 
connected with its appearauce. In the absence 
of such necessary information, no satisfactory 
answer can bo given in any special ease. 2. A 
dryish sandy loam is best for the sweet potato. 
If planted in such a soil witli enough manure, 
they require heat only to make them start, o. 
That depends upon the depth of the soil and its 
richness. Our idea is to use a subsoil plow if 
the soil is deep, and to pulverize thoroughly by 
repeated plowing and harrowing. 4. Yes. 
Huisiug Watermelon*. 
J. MLyn, Ont., wants to know how he can 
raise the largest crop of watermelons; at 
what time to plant the seed; how far apart; 
how to apply the manure and what varieties 
are the best. 
Ans. —The seed should not be planted till all 
danger of frost is over and the ground is 
warmed up somewhat by the snu; say about 
the middle of May. Select a warm,Uriah, sandy 
loam and plant the seed in bills eight by ten 
feet apart. It is a mistake to put all the man¬ 
ure in a small heap just under the seed in the 
hill. Dig out the hills broad and deep, and 
mix the manure thoroughly with the soil. 
If uight-soil can be obtained, this is the best 
fertilizer; otherwise use well decomposed 
horse manure or a mixture of horse and cow 
manures. The roots of melons do not confine 
themselves to the hill, but ruu out for several 
feet in the surrounding surface soil; it is 
therefore well to give the whole patch a dress¬ 
ing of manure, if it can be spared from other 
crops. Leave four plants in each hill, and 
when they have three rough leaves, water them 
with liquid manure, two pounds of guano to a 
barrel of water. The plants will fruit better 
if the tips of the leading shoots arc pinched 
off occasionally. Phiuney is au early variety. 
Black Spanish, Mountain Sweet, and Moun¬ 
tain Sprout arc all good. 
8pccinicn Applet*. 
W. 11. 11., Poughkeepsie, IV. Y., sends us a 
box of beautiful apples, rarely well preserved, 
lie desires our opinion. They are of medium 
size, oblong, a little conical—yellow, sometimes 
with a blush. Flesh crisp, sweet, though with 
a peculiar acidity—not juicy. We forwarded 
a specimen to Mr. Charles Downing who kindly 
replies as follows: 
“The apple, although rather small for a 
profitable market fruit, has a fine appearance, 
but the quality is not good enough for a first- 
class eating apple, and in comparison with a 
Newtown Pippin, Northern Spy, Swaar, &c M it 
is wanting in juice and rich flavor. This is 
only au opinion as to this specimen which may 
not be a characteristic one, but if it is, I would 
not think it worthy of introduction now that 
we have so many fine kinds.” 
Preventing Hoots from Obstructing Tile Drains. 
II. B. ft., Rockporl. Ohio, asks how can a 
fruit garden, orchard or vineyard be drained 
with tiles iu such a way that the roots will not 
cuter the drain aud prevent the flow of water. 
Recently he took roots of the Elder from a four- 
inch tile drain which had been put in at a 
depth of throe feet aud a half, three years ago. 
The roots, be finds, enter a very small opening 
at the joints and then throw out laterals that 
soon fill the space inside the tile and stop the 
How of water. 
Ans.— This question lias been pretty thor¬ 
oughly discussed of late by the Agricultural 
press and by farmers' clubs. We know of no 
other practicable method of preventing roots 
from entering tile drains, except by cementing 
the joints, or by using double tiles one inside 
the other, the joiutsof the inner occurring about 
the middle of the outer. 
Dark Grafting. 
0. T., Miller smile, 0., says that we advised 
bark grafting iu the Rural of the 12th of 
April, and asks what time of the year the 
bark will be loose, and. 2, if the cions should 
be out in the fall, and if so, how t hey should 
be preserved through the winter. 
Ans. —The baric is loose now iu the spring 
while the buds are swelling. 2. The cions 
may be cut off iu the full aud kept in a dry 
cellar during the winter witli the bud ends set 
in moist sand; or they may be buried iu dry 
ground out-of-doors, so deep that the frost 
cannot reach t.hcln. This is the best way; but 
they can also be cut off during the winter or 
spring before the buds begin to swell. 
Miscellaneous. 
C. T.. MUlersviUe , Sandusky Co., 0. asks 
for a remedy for the squash aud cucumber 
bug; 2, if it would be of any benefit to potatoes 
to put a handful of bran in each hill. 3. He 
desires a recipe for good grafting wax. 
Ans. —The only successful remedy we know 
of for this pest is to catch and kill the bugs 
early in the season, before they lay their eggs. 
They may be caugh t by placing small pieces 
of boards, bark or chips close around the plants: 
they will conceal themselves under ihese ob¬ 
jects daring the night, and can lie gathered 
early iu the morning before they leave their 
hiding-places. Also examine the leaves of the 
young plants for the eggs, which arc laid in 
clusters on the under side. 2. Wo have not 
tried it. It may help the growth of the pota¬ 
toes. but the crop will hardly be increased 
euougb to warrant Us use as a fertilizer in¬ 
stead of using it as feed for stock. 3. Down¬ 
ing recommends a grafting wax made of three 
parts of beeswax, three parts of rosin and two 
parts of tallow. If an equal portion of tallow, 
or eveu a little more than of the others Is 
added, the wax will be more pliable. 
Mrs. C. E., North Ltnndalr 0., would like 
to know, 1, how long it takes palm seed to ger¬ 
minate and, 2, how to destroy angle-worms in 
pots. 
Ans.-I t will vary with the species and the 
hardness of the outer seed coat—generally 
from two to four weeks. 2. Angle-worms m*uy 
be removed by turning out the bail of earth 
and picking them out, or if the soil is agitated 
with a long needle stuck into it, they will come 
to the surface and can he removed. Lime- 
water will also drive them out, aud if applied 
only iu moderate quantity it will act as a fer¬ 
tilizer as well. Slake a small piece of lime 
in a little water, and water the plants with 
it a few times. 
W. M. Ii., HubhardsviUe, N. Y., asks, 1 
where can he find a list of “ Next of Kin ” who 
have claims on property in Great Britain ; 2, 
will the corn the Rural sends out mature in 
Central New York. 
Ans. —Wc have seen such lists advertised in 
London (Eng.,) newspapers. They professed 
to he compiled from advertisements that had 
appeared during a number of years in papers 
in various parts of the Country and from re¬ 
cords of probate courts; wo do not now re¬ 
member, however, whore they can he had, nor 
can we learn by inquiry here among those who 
are generally “posted” in such matters. 2. 
Yes. 
1). and S., Utile Rock, Ark., having tried in 
vain to raise currants and rhubarb, ask, 1, 
the probable cause of their failure; 2, how long 
will it take currant seedlings to bear fruit: 3, 
they ask the Rural to send them a few seeds. 
Ans. —Wc cannot help you at all. Both 
plants should do well with you, aud both are 
among the easiest to cultivate. 2, Some seed¬ 
lings will bear fruit in two or three years; 
some iu not less than ton years; some not at 
all. The 6ceds are slow to germinate. 3. We 
could send them to you iu the season. 
Mrs. P. W. 11., Park Place, Ark., asks what 
Amorpha frutieosa is. as she cannot find it in 
any of her guides. 
Ans.—A morpha frutieosa has been referred 
to several times in the Bukal. It is an orna¬ 
mental shrub, of middle size, with compound 
leaves and violet or purple flowers in early 
summer. _ 
COMMUNICATIONS HKCKtVKI) FOR TJIK WEEK ENDING 
Saturday. May ad, 
T. II. II.—P. S.—C. L. S.—U. IE—"Jenny Joy 
Lucy Larcom—Lizzie L.—8. 1L—Free Lance.—M. 
B. P.—A. L. J.—K. It.—Apiarian—H. F. B.—M. C. 
1L—lb II.—L. II.—M. IL U.—<4. G., Jr., too late for 
this issue—E. P. P.—Clyde Raynor—G. C. C., 
thanks—E. W. S.-J. W.-H. S.-F. S. D.-C. C. V. 
W. II. L.—31. N.—G. G.—R. L.O.—“Saucy”—T. H. 
R.-M. C.—II. R.-L. H.—M. M.—T. H. S.—M. R. N. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Kansas, Washington, April 24 1871).—Wash¬ 
ington County raises us much corn as the State 
of Nuw Hampshire. It ie well watered with 
excellent spriugs, and there is not an acre of 
swamp laud in the county. Our lands are 
divided into upland prairie and bottom land on 
the creeks which are numerous, with good 
water aud mills ou them. The soil is a rich, 
black loam mixed with silica; the sub-soil on 
tlm prail ie is clay, about four or five feet down, 
particles of magnesia and liiuestoue perme¬ 
ating it. and to this it owes its reputation for 
the production of wheat aud all the cereals. 
Wheat averages 20 bushels to the acre, some¬ 
times reaching 40; oats, 90 bushels, aud rye, 
30. Corn is worth to-day 17c. per bushel; 
wheat, 75c; oats, 15c; pork, $2.40 to £3.00 per 
100 pounds. We have two railroads in the 
county—the Central Branch and the Hi. Joseph 
and Denver K. K. Stock of all kinds do well; 
there is plenty ol range for stock on the grass; 
and hay can be hired put up in the stack for 
$1.00 per ton. Our winters are mild, and it is 
a very healthy country, for Invalids often get 
a new lease of life in breathing tho pure air 
of these elevated plains. Sheep husbandry 
is quite a success. The first time a bee was 
seen in this county was live years since, and 
now I have a successful apiary. Last year 
front an investment of $50, I realized about 
$125 from the honey aud increase. Golden 
German millet on the high prairie yielded me 
last year 3), tons of hay after thrashing, and 
50 bushel of seed to the acre. Itis the best for¬ 
age plant tbaibasover found its way to Kansas. 
Our timber ou the creeks is Elm, Walnut, Cot¬ 
tonwood, Ash, Hickory, Oak and Locust. Apples 
Peaches, Grapes and small fruits arc a success 
when the tested varieties arc planted. Osage 
Orangeis hardy here aud will make a good fence 
in three years from planting. Wc have a herd 
law, and save the expense of fences. Any man 
that is willing to work and is temperate in his 
habits, is sure to succeed. There is work for 
everybody that is willing to work. The idle 
croaker thut sits on dry-goods boxes aud 
toasts his shins by tin? nimehant’s stove or iu 
the smoky, whiskey-seeutod atmosphere ol 
tho saloon, is a lailure here as every where. 
I speak this after 25 years’ experience in the 
State. Beginning without a cent in my pock¬ 
et, 1 am now in the midst of a community of 
well-to-do farmers who began their careers 
here in the same way. There are in this coun¬ 
ty to-day men who came here with an ox and 
cart, nine years since, that are now shipping 
their products of grain and cattle by the car- 
load. And yet in our county to-day, there are 
thousands of acres of land that can be bought 
at from two to ten dollars per acre, and school 
lands ul three dollars per acre, one-tenth down 
with interest at 10 per cent, the principal to be 
paid lu teu years. Those invite every poor man 
wherever he may live to come and do as wc 
have done. Wo have the best of schools ; wc 
have our churches, our iyceums, our lectures 
and our Sabbath schools. The new-comer 
here should secure the advice of some reliable 
and honorable old settler before trusting him¬ 
self to the tender mercies of the land agent in 
iu the selection of his future home. Of course 
we have reliable agents, who are honest gen¬ 
tlemen, but my advice will still hold. good. 
c. w r . 
Tennessee, Humboldt, April 2(1.—In Notes 
from Chapel Hill, N. C., in the Rural just re¬ 
ceived. the writer, speaking of fruits and 
vegetables in that section, says: “The strong 
winds of tho coldest nights, and the extreme 
dryness that prevailed, prevented the injuries 
which tho thermometer indicated,” amt also, 
“ the frost is not likely to destroy the buds 
when the air is dry." My observation leads me 
to differ with him. The worst frost I ever saw, 
aud the most destructive for fruits and vege¬ 
tables, was when the air was unusually dry. 
Tltis season, in April, the thermometer was 12“ 
below freezing point with heavy showers of 
rain for several days previous to frost, and the 
ground lias not been in good working order in 
our clay lands half the time during tltis month ; 
.yet our vegetables have not suffered from frost 
and we have some varieties of Peaches—the 
Beatrice, for instance,—that have a fair crop. 
The Alexandra lias but few. Tlic peach crop 
will be light generally with us, and so will 
pears. The apple and plum crops are a fair 
average, lu the year 1848 we had freezing 
weather sufficiently soverc to kill oak trees in 
the forest, English peas in the pods, and till 
kinds of fruit; yet it was ail extremely dry 
time. There had been no rain for a month 
previous to the frost on the Kith day of April, 
nor was there sufficient moisture in the ground 
to bring up corn or cotton. We have come to 
the conclusion from our observation, that 
when there is plenty of moisture, in the atmo¬ 
sphere, frost will not damage fruit as much as 
when the air is dry. The winds may have, 
and doubtless have, some, effect, but ou some 
of our large rivers and lakes, where there, is 
plenty of moisture, fruits scarcely ever fail. 
B. F. T. 
Iowa, Grand Junction, Greene Co.. April 22. 
—As specimens of tree growth on the prairie, 
I send the Rural a few extracts from my 
memorandum hook of tho growth of trees on 
my place. The trees mentioned all sprang 
from seeds planted iu the spring of 1875, and 
had attained the sizes specified at tho dates 
given: 
(in‘i;U Asti. 
(intali hi. 
Box Elder. 
Cotton woou. 
Honey Locust... 
Wliito Elm. 
White M nple. 
- l ull of ’77.-. -Full of ’7H.—, 
Miglit. Girth. IXiyriit. Girth. 
ft. m 
.. 8 
.. 8 
.. 7 Ul 
..9 8 
.. a s 
.. 8 4 
..it I 
in. 
m 
111 'A 
7 
7 
2k: 
5 
7 
jt. in. 
to e 
u t> 
a 
M 8 
5 
HI 
H 2 
ill. 
6 'A 
11 >* 
7H 
9k> 
3 
5 si 
8 
The snow-storm aud freeze in May, '78, de¬ 
stroyed the new growth on the Catalpa aud 
Ash; but the other varieties were not injured. 
In the spring of 76 the Catalpas were found to 
be nearly all killed at the top, from four to 
twelve inches. A majority of the terminal 
buds of Box Elder and White Maple were 
destroyed, eausiug them to throw out heavy 
side branches. During the winter of ’70-7 all 
of the Honey Locusts ami some of the Catalpas 
were girdled by rabbits. These trees were 
planted in drills six feet apart, and have had 
good cultivation. They have grown on the 
open prairie, with no protection. o. s. s. 
New York, Corning. Steuben Co.—A neigh¬ 
bor has been experimenting with Early Amber 
Cane the past season and, he asserts, with 
most flattering results. He has manufactured, 
on a small scale, sirup of excellent quality, 
and intends this year to greatly extend Itis 
experiments. He is sanguine that cane sugar 
will, after a few years, become the chief pro¬ 
duct ol tho Chemung Valley. The soli seems 
to be- especially adapted to its successful 
growth, uud the early-ripening qualities of 
this particular variety, make its successful 
culture a certainty. There is no doubt but 
that this country will, in a few years, produce 
all her sugar, either from beets or cane, per¬ 
haps from both, for Home consumption, and 
probably largely for export. Another neigh¬ 
bor has also obtained sdgar of good quality 
from beets. Cane sugar can be produced with 
less expensive machinery, however, and will 
no doubt have the preference here, with small 
growers. l. n. 
Illinois, Kisdon, April 21, 1879.—Weather 
continues cool, and farmers are busy planting 
corn. Wheat looks first-rate. Wc were be¬ 
ginning to uced rain badly, but had plenty last 
week. Oats are coming up well. We shall 
have plenty "l apples, but very few peaches. 
Gardens are backward, the cool weather keep¬ 
ing vegetation from growing. Wheat is worth 
<J7c.; corn, 45c.; potatoes, 50e. We have a 
stock law in this county, and a large number 
of farmers have taken up their fences along 
the road, and are only fencing what fields they 
want to pasture. M. 3. 8. 
New York, Whituey’s Point, May 1st 1879.— 
The month of April has been eool with high 
winds mostly from the northwest. Highest 
temperature 74 deg. Lowest temperature 32 
