THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
327 
lively, and a set of hands will thrash in the 
afteruoon what they can dig and gather in the 
forenoon. 
Marketing. 
I think it a good plan to allow the beaus to 
lie in the chaff two or three weeks, but in this 
case I had an offer for them as soon as they 
were thrashed, and, cleaniug them through 
the fanuiug mill, they were straightway drawn 
to market. They yielded twelve bushels per 
acre and I received $1.93 per bushel for them. 
My book shows that I received money for them 
Aug. 25th, making only three months from the 
time of drilling until I had the money in my 
pocket. There are not many crops from which 
the returns come so quickly. A short time 
after I sold my crop the market dropped, aud 
in the winter beans were only worth one dollar 
a bushel. I wish to show by this that itjis well 
to have them ripen early, and necessary to 
thrash them as soon as the weather will per¬ 
mit, in order to take advantage of any market 
which may be open for them. 
Remarks. 
I should have said that this ground was corn 
stubble, and I think we can insure the ripen¬ 
ing by a suitable selection of ground and prop¬ 
er cultivation. The only bean crop I have 
over raised that failed to ripen early, was on a 
June-grass sod. I am very chary of heau 
straw, as I consider it worth fully as much as 
clover hay for sheep, and 1 have never fed 
them any thiug they seemed to relish as well. 
Mendon, St. .Jo. C'o., Mich. a. a. a. 
vibe, the Hemlock, make no sharp demands 
upon us. I know of only one shrub that needs 
no trimming and Is always a beauty when 
grown as a hedge; I mean the Tartarian Hon¬ 
eysuckle. The evergreens named above can be 
trimmed at almost any season, aud dipped as 
well with a sickle as with shears. 
The above hints are meant only as a finger¬ 
post to point in the direction of economical hor¬ 
ticulture. The experienced aud thoughtful 
grower has learned a long list of time-saving 
expedients that in no way shirk the require¬ 
ments of honest work. 
mention the treatment appropriate to Callas 
generally : When you repot your Callas, say 
in August or September, put the biggest erowus 
into one pot and the smallest into another, 
using small pots in preference to large ones, 
and drain them well. For soil use a rough, 
open spongy but rich material, tliatauy amount 
of water canuot clog. Endeavor to get the 
pots well filled with roots before winter sets 
in. and give water liberally. Promote a stocky 
growth by free ventilaliou and a sunny place 
near the glass. If they have grown rankly, 
so much the better, as they will have made 
roots in proportion to their crops, and when 
they taste starvation then they will blossom. 
When flowers appear and you are satisfied the 
roots have consumed the fatuess of the soil, 
a mulching of manure, or occasional water¬ 
ings with manure water will enhance the qual¬ 
ity and quantity of the blooms and maintain 
the vigor of the herbage, but under no cir¬ 
cumstances should stimulants be applied to 
flowerless plants. The wide-spread notion of 
setting Calla-pots in saucers filled with hot 
water, and of applying scalding libations as 
you would ordinary waterings, with the view 
to forcing the Callus, aud the like, are the most 
ridiculous nonsense, a libel on vegetable phy¬ 
siology, aud murderous cruelty to the subjects 
operated on. Renoclaf. 
^loritultural. 
The readiness with which tobacco has been 
sold for the past ten years, while the market 
for nearly all other farm products is so stag¬ 
nant, will cause a decided iucrease of acreage 
for the coming crop. It is to be feared that a 
time 16 approaching when the price of seed- 
leaf tobacco wiH reach lower than for many 
years past. The tobacco business requires a 
considerable outlay of capital, aud it will not 
pay for fanners to invest in the necessary out¬ 
fit unless they propose, to make it a permanent 
branch of their business, Our best farmers are 
learning that it is not best to strive to produce 
the largest possible number of acres; that a 
fewacres with good culture aud proper manage¬ 
ment, will give more profit than h large number 
of acres which suffer from want of proper care. 
Doubtless the best rule for growers to follow is 
for them to produce no more tobacco than they 
are able to thoroughly fertilize with barnyard 
manure aud to give such culture aud care as to 
make it of the best quality. Managed in this 
way, we have found that tobacco does not ex¬ 
haust our soil. The heavy manuring and thor¬ 
ough cultivation which the crop receives, leave 
the soil loose, friable, free from weeds, aud in 
excellent condition for other crops. 
The cultivation of tobacco will be found 
more profitable in localities where the business 
is already followed to a considerable extent. 
Iu such localities there is usually some compe¬ 
tition among buyers, which is a decided ad¬ 
vantage to the growers. The demand for the 
best qualities of tobacco will probably continue, 
even though the market for the lower grades 
may fail. A few acres of the best part of the 
farm devoted to this crop, with extra culture 
and proper management, so as to obtain a 
large percentage of good sound leaves, will 
doubtless prove remunerative. The prices that 
have been paid for tobacco during the past five 
years, in the Chemung valley, range from ten 
to fifteen cents per pound for running lots, ac¬ 
cording to quality, without much fluctuation. 
The yield received per acre varies all the way 
from 1,400 to 2,000 pounds, according to tiic 
condition of the soil aud culture given the crop. 
Chemung Co. 
RAISING AND HANDLING BEANS. 
I would like to give through the Rural the 
method most eommouly practiced hereabouts 
of handling a crop of beans, and iu so doing 
I will give my experience with seventeen acres. 
IMautiug ami Cultivating 
The ground, which is a sandy loam, was 
plowed right after coin planting, harrowed 
until it was in good condition aud immediately 
drilled on the 24lh and 20th of May with a grain 
drill using 40 pounds of seed per acre, the 
rows being 85 inches apart. To the drill 1 at¬ 
tached a plank which was drugged after it on 
the ground, leaving the surface smooth aud 
making it much better to cultivate while the 
beaus were small. As soon as they were fairly 
up, I started a small cultivator with shield at¬ 
tached to the side next to the row aud running' 
close to the ground, to prevent lumps from 
falling on the row. Gy working slowly aud 
carefully a good job cau be done iu this way, 
while the vines are very small, which I have 
fouud to be a great advantage in keeping the 
start of the weeds. I cultivated three times, 
finishing while the beans were iu blossom, and 
as no more culture was given, they ripened 
early and quite evenly, which is a great ad¬ 
vantage, as they can ofteu be put on the mar¬ 
ket early aud sold for nearly twice w hat they 
would bring two or three mouths later on. 
leathering and Thrashing. 
The dry weather shortened this crop io a 
considerable extent while the beaus were set¬ 
ting; but they were ripe enough to couuueuce 
harvesting the 13th of August, aud were gath¬ 
ered and thrashed with flails at au expense of 
$25. This expense could have been reduced 
at least four dollars, if the weather had been 
as favorable as it commonly is at that time of 
year, but it was a bad seasou with very few 
hot, sunny days. My method of gathering the 
crop I consider more easy and expeditious 
than by pulling. 1 started a man aud team with 
a plow without wheel, as that would shell the 
beaus, the team spreading the row and the 
plow running au inch and a half or two inches 
deep, just deep enough to cut the roots but not 
to turn a furrow The vines will slide to one 
side and stand almost in the same position 
they occupied iu the row, leaving them in nice 
shape for the •• hands” to follow with forks, 
gathering them up and throwing three or four 
rows in one. I consider it an object to have 
plenty of help and drive this business when 
the weather is favorable. If the beans are 
quite ripe and the sun bright and warm, they 
can be dug lu this way iu the forenoon and 
thrashed very fast in the afternoon. I have 
knowu one man to thrash three acres in half a 
day, but it was exceptionally fast work. 
Thrashing usually costs from three to live 
cents per bushel. The beans having been 
thrown iu small windrows, a team with wagon 
was driven between them, a hand loaded from 
each side and the load was drawn to the barn 
where four men thrashed the crop on a dou¬ 
ble floor. Managed iu this way, the work is 
OKRA (Hibiscus esculentus). 
EXTERNAL PARASITES.-No. 3. 
This vegetable, so highly favored iu the 
South, so healthy, nutritious and of easy cul¬ 
ture, is totally uuknowu to thonsauds of North¬ 
ern families, while a Southern dinner—iu sea¬ 
son—without it, would be considered incom¬ 
plete. Served as soups, with green corn aud 
tomatoes, it has no equal; nor has it when 
stewed, fried, or prepared iu many other ways. 
It is also cut m rings or sliced and dried for 
winter use. 
The Okra is a tender herbaceous annual, 
resembling the Hollyhock plant, bearing its 
flowers and edible pods, like it, hi the axils of 
the leaves. The flowers, also, in shape aud 
size, resemble that of the single Hollyhock. 
Its color is a creamy white, and it is related 
to both the Hollyhock and the Cotton plant. 
The culture of Okra is a simple field culture, 
aud siuce it feeds principally on miueral mat¬ 
ters, it requires as fertilizer but six hundred 
pounds of good wood ashes or four hundred 
pouuds of some good commercial fertilizer to 
the acre. The soil for Okra should be light and 
warm. It should be broken deeply, as early 
in spring as practicable, with spade or plow, 
as circumstances demand. The fertilizer should 
then be scattered and harrowed in. As soon as 
soil aud weather get warm enough to plant 
corn and beans, the land is laid off in rows 
three feet apart, and the seed—having been 
previously soaked—is planted from four to six 
inches apart, according to Us quality. It would 
be proper here to remark that the seed does 
not germinate freely, and under unfavorable 
conditions, such as cold, wet weather, it will 
frequently rot in the ground. As soon as the 
plants are three inches high, thin to eighteen 
inches. All that is now requisite till frost is a 
clean, shallow culture. 
As soon as the pods have attained two-thirds 
of their full size, they are ready for gathering. 
This is done at first once a week; later, twice, 
aud when the plant is in full bearing, as ofteu 
as once a day, iu order not to allow tbe pods 
to get too old and tough. The pod is iu proper 
condition for gatberiug when it breaks easily 
from the stalk, or wheu its point breaks when 
held under a light pressure of the thumb. Thu 
rough, hairy surface of the plant is very irri¬ 
tating aud produces a burning sensation, aud 
persons with teuder skins, when gathering 
Okra without gloves, frequently get swolleu 
bauds from its effect. Where the skiu is ex¬ 
posed, this burning may be partly or wholly 
relieved by bathing the hands in strong salt 
water. Chas. Deckner. 
Fulton Co., Ga. 
(f-ntomolojital. 
ECONOMY IN HORTICULTURE. 
E. P. POWELL. 
Lice. 
As a rule there is no economy in crowding 
crops; that is, berries do better without hav¬ 
ing vegetables between tbe rows, aud can be 
kept in better cultivation. But there are plans 
for encouraging labor in the garden, that are 
seldom practiced. For instance, plant with 
your curly potatoes your early peas; say the 
Early Rose potato and the Alpha pea. This 
pea will grow to about the bight of two feet. 
It will not be iu the way of the first lioeiug, 
which should be very thorough aud a partial 
billing. Neither will it be iu the way of the 
plow, which should do the final hilling about 
Juno 1st. It uow falls over the side of the 
drills or hills, and will be ready for picking 
about June 20th. By this time set your celery 
plauts iu the furrows between the drills, and 
let them get a good start by ilie time the pota¬ 
toes are taken out for early use. The pea vines 
are then pulled and fed out; the potatoes dug 
aud the trenches utilized. The dirt is also 
ready to hand, as soou as the potatoes aroused, 
to be drawn up to the celery. In this way 
three crops are taken from one piece of soil. 
The labor is, at least, one-third less than w hut 
it would otherwise be; 1 think even less. 
There is, iu the same way. uo difficulty in dis¬ 
posing of our early beans iu the same hills with 
our sweet coru. 
There is but little economy in buying a lot of 
expensive tools aud improved machines which 
cost more than all the vegetables or crops will 
return for five years. As a general thing, few r 
tools arc used, aud the moat of them are in the 
waj'. But every gardener ueeds a light one- 
horse plow, an adjustable cultivator, and trow¬ 
els to assist iu planting and weeding. Weed¬ 
ing should invariably be done, trowel in hand. 
The trowel loosens the soil where the hoe can¬ 
not be trusted, at the same time removing the 
weeds. The economical rule is—buy few tools, 
but buy those you learn from experience that 
you need. Never borrrow and never loud. 
Economy of time also requires that the gar¬ 
dener or farmer keep a memorandum of what 
is to be done, lie should have this always iu 
his poeket, and jot down what lie sees will be 
required. Let him theu each night mark his 
work for the uext day. and lie will find at the 
end of a mouth that the little odd jobs, instead 
of haviug accumulated, are strangely decreas¬ 
ed, aud have been worked off without observa¬ 
tion or w orry. 
There may also be a large saving of time in 
the method of culture of many of our veget¬ 
ables and fruits. For instance, we may save 
tbe expense and trouble of poling our Lima 
beaus by growing them low, like hush beaus. 
They will icq litre no more pinching in than by 
the old method, and will give about the same 
crop. Raspberries may be grown two feet 
high, or a little more, and built up into snug 
shrubs, thus saviug slakes and wire. They are 
more easily haudled and bear equally well. 
In keeping up an ornamental homestead, 
hedges add greatly to the beauty, while they 
enable us to grow many trees otherwise too ten¬ 
der, serving as wind-breaks. But most hedges 
require so much toil to keep them in order that 
they become unsightly or a positive incum¬ 
brance. The Buckthorn, so flue iu all oth¬ 
er respects, must be trimmed when we are 
sure to be very busy iu regular farm work. 
But the Tartarian Honeysuckle, the Arbor- 
r/eX 
BED-BUO, MUCH MAGNIFIED. 
eious of life, as they have been kept in glass 
bottles for years without food, aud through all 
this loug fast seemed to lose none of their ac¬ 
tivity or appetite. The best remedy lor bed¬ 
bugs is a free use of tbe thoroughly rectified 
benziue. This will not injure bedding uud is 
quick death to all the bugs that It touches. It 
should be poured into all suspicious crevices. 
Old bouses that harbor these obnoxious pests 
should be closely shut up, and then thoroughly 
fumed with burning sulphur, which becomes a 
fitliug insecticide for the bugs. It would be 
better if the house were eutirely empty during 
this operation. Thorough veutitalion should 
succeed the fumigation. 
Among hcuiiptera we have, as external pai - 
asites. the nasty, disgusting and too common 
bed-bugs (Cimex leetulariii--, Lion) aud the 
ewu more repulsive llee. As l am not treat¬ 
ing at present of tbe human parasites. I will 
only say that the bed-bug is exceedingly tena- 
l.uutte Family—Petllculida?. 
The parasitic lice (Fig. 3) of man aud other au- 
imals are apterous bugs. Thu head ano’ thorax 
are small and narrow, the latter indistinctly 
segmental, while the abdomen is tiask-shaped 
with its nine rings ofteu plainly marked. The 
eyes are simple and very small; the anteme 
jaa five-jointed and 
I prominent,while 
f. « ty r ^ ie tar *i or feet are 
two-jointed, the last 
Mz i° lut which (Fig. 
2) is modified into a 
hook for grasping 
foot of ox-louse. the hair. The suck¬ 
ing tube of lice—tins casus belli, ul most of the 
hardest sera thing of the world—is very complex 
aud curious. The whole of this organ, when 
uot iu use, is drawn into ihe head. So all lice 
are criminals in the sight ut the law aud sub¬ 
jects for conviction on the grouud of bear¬ 
ing concealed weapons. The lower lip is 
thrown out. as we would push out the finger of 
a glove that was drawn iu upou drawing the 
glove from the hand. Inside of this areuumer- 
ous hooks which, wheu the tube is rolled out 
to its utmost, attain the outside and point back 
like the barbs of a fish-hook. When these 
barbs are pushed through a sweat pore, each 
hooks on to the wall. We thus understand the 
tenacious hold which characterizes a louse 
while at dinner. When, preparatory to suck¬ 
ing, the Looks have been duly adjusted, two 
other tubes, one within the other, spy-glass- 
like. are extended. *he maxilla;, forming the 
inner or terminal point of the extension, aud the 
maudibles the remainder. The whole probos¬ 
cis has been compared to an elastic probe. 
This is forced iuto the skiu till it pierces the 
blood vessels, when by the forcible action of 
the strong muscular sucking-stomach, these ir- 
DAHLIAS. 
What ails myCalla: it won't Blossom ? 
is a question ofteu asked of me by my neigh¬ 
bor lady amateurs, aud to which I almost as 
ofteu answer, “ It ueeds a far smaller pot aud 
a much more porons soil.” But as different 
eases may reuuire different cures, I will merely 
Though rather a coarse flower for cutting, 
the Dahlia, if properly grown, is a very show y 
plant, and is very desirable in some situations. 
It is very easily grown, though many are not 
at all successful with it. Those w ho dig a 
space six Inches square In the middle of agrass 
plot, and iu it plant roots which have been 
started in the house or hot-bed Hi February or 
March, sometimes leaving a dozen stalks in a 
cluster, need expect no success whatever. The 
tubers should not he taken out of the cellar 
util'll May; then they should bo cut up with 
only one eye, if possible, iu each piece. These 
should be planted iu a rich soil—I have uover 
found it could be made too rich—two and a 
half or three feet apart. A stake should be 
driven by each one, with the label attached, 
and when the plauts are grown, they should be 
tied to the stakes with strips of cloth. Hoe 
them to keep the weeds down and to loosen 
the soil. Dahlias will not succeed uear grass. 
My Dahlias yielded lust year a larger crop, 
according to the number of hills, than my hus¬ 
band’s potatoes did. Last whiter our cellar 
was colder than it had ever been before and 
my tubers froze. They will not bear a touch 
of frost. It is said that the best way to pre¬ 
serve the tubers is to slow them away beueatli 
potatoes iu a frost-proof cellar. 
Loretta E. K. Turner. 
