THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
. - -gv;- T" Mt 
season for doing this, as may he convenient— 
and the orchard would be benefited by being 
kept as a pasture. 3. Blind staggers, or a 
dull, stupid conditi®n, with staggering and 
turning round and round, is indicative of indi¬ 
gestion ; perhaps from want of regular salting 
or eating coarse weeds. Sheep will eat weeds 
when they can get nothing else, just as “ the 
man filled his belly with the husks that the 
swine did eatbut neither is wholesome food. 
Give the sheep a teacupful of linseed oil each; 
put them on a good clover lot and give them a 
haudful of bran a day. The reaction may 
cause diarrhea and that should be looked for. 
If it appears, give, each sheep a tablespoonful 
of prepared chalk, and a teaspoouful of ground 
ginger iu a tcacupful of peppermint tea. Salt 
should be left in a box m the pasture for the 
sheep to lick when they waut. 4. The old 
bees are the ones that swarm out in quest of 
a new habitation, and some of the younger 
bees too, though as a general thing a majority 
of the latter remain in the hive. 5. Yes, old 
bees can build comb, as we have ascertained 
by experiment. A colony that had been with¬ 
out a queen for some time, and consequently 
had but few young bees, was confined for 
eight days in an empty hive, no frame having 
even a piece, of foundation, and fed on a sirup 
prepared for the purpose, ■when quite a quan¬ 
tity of beautiful, white, translnscent comb was 
built. In the economy' of the hive, under nor¬ 
mal circumstances, the young bees build the 
comb and store the honey aud pollen, which 
the old bees collect. Since the old bees swarm 
and build comb in a new place, this is proof 
enough that they can build comb. 
How to Raise Onion Sets from Seed. 
R. M. B., Almond., If. Y., asks ns to inform 
him of the method of raisiug onion sets from 
6 eed, at what time to sow the seed, and how to 
preserve the sots, etc. 
Ans. —As early in the spring as the ground is 
fit to work, prepare a piece of poor land for 
the sced-bcd, by plowing, harrowing and level¬ 
ing. No manure should be added as the object 
is to grow the sets small, those rangiHg be¬ 
tween the sizes of a pea and an aeorn being 
the best. When the land is prepared, drill the 
seed in thickly in rows one foot apart. During 
the summer, the sets should have cultivation 
enough to keep the weeds down, but nothing 
more. In August they will be ready to take 
up. When well dried, they should be removed 
to a barn loft or some similar place, the tops 
adhering, and here spread out some five or six 
inches thick. On the approach of cold weath¬ 
er they must be covered with hay or straw to 
protect them against the frost. If they are 
spread on a loft over a warm stable, there will 
be no danger of frost from beneath, otherwise 
a layer of hay should first bo spread on the 
loft, this covered with canvas to prevent their 
beiug lost in the bay, and the sets laid oa the 
canvas. A little frost will do no harm. Early 
next spring they are again plautcd in rows a 
foot apart and three inches between the sets, 
this time in rich laud, as the larger they now 
grow, the better. The best way is to plant 
them by hand, pressing each bulb down firmly 
and taking care that the top points upward. 
The crop will be ready for market by the end 
of June. 
Vinegar from Grape Pomace. 
IV. IV. TV., Atlanta, Ga., asks—1st, how to 
make vinegar from the pornaoe of grapes after 
the wine has been preseed out; 3d, what grape 
Is best for making raisins? 
Ans— 1. Grape pomace is not counted of 
much value for making vinegar—at least when 
apples and cider are cheap. The argol or tartaric 
acid it contains is not as good for vinegar as 
the malic acid of the apple; still, a fair article 
of vinegar can be made from it iu {he follow¬ 
ing manner: Breakup the pomace fiuely, 
aud make a firm pile of it on a floor or iu a 
vat, adding a little warm water, as the pile is 
increased—as much as it will hold without 
draining out. Let it lie aud ferment for seve¬ 
ral days, or as much as it will without niHst- 
iug; theu press out, aud if the liquid seems 
weak add grape sugar (glucose) ; it is cheapta- 
aud much better for the purpose thau caue 
sugar or molasses. Theu let it staud iu opeu 
casks or vuts, in the summer air, or iu a warm 
place, to ripeu, 3d. None of our American 
grapes are suitable for tnaki#g raisins. All are 
too juicy. Several of the European sorts hav¬ 
ing film or ‘•meaty” texture, are used for the 
purpose in foreign countries aud iu Califor¬ 
nia, especially the Maluga, the Muscatel, or 
‘•sun raisins,” which, uulike most kiuds, do 
not drop from the vines when ripe. 
I«a«(s for Name. 
If- C., Berlin, Conn., sends specimens of in¬ 
sects, whose specific names he requests us to 
mention, as the family group to which they 
may belong is less diiJieult to determine. 
Ans. —The flies which are sent belong mostly 
to a family of those which feed in decaying veg¬ 
etable matter; us might be suspected from the 
tenor of the* statement accompanying them. 
They have been very little studied iu their 
winged state, aud perhaps still less in their 
earlier stages, so that a request for their 
“specific names” cannot easily be complied 
with at all. At the risk, therefore, of seem¬ 
ing to give just the auswers which are depre¬ 
cated, we take up our correspondent’s queries 
iu order. “ No 170” belongs to the genus 
Nycetophila; No. 174 to Sciara ; bottle No. 
181 contained at least two species of larvae, 
one of which may be a Sciara, but the other 
seems very different, and is not known to us at 
all. No. 183 refers again to larvae and flies 
which seem to be Sciara, and No. 189 to pupae 
which we cannot identify. No. 185 can be 
identified as Stictocephala, var —Say. No. 193 
is a species of Anthomyia. Specimens of flies 
cannot be preserved in liquid in such a way 
as to make them available for study iu con¬ 
nection with published descriptions. 
Tnwney Oat* and Challenge Australian 
Wheat. 
A SubscrPier, Greensboro, N. C-. asks what 
is the reputation S. G. Staines <fc Co., seeds- 
mau of Philadelphia, aud whether anything 
is known to us of the above grains which they 
strongly recommend by circulars. 
Ans. —We scut our reporter to Philadelphia 
•to make the necessary inquiries concerning 
this firm. It was impossible to find any rep¬ 
resentative of the firm. A small room does 
duty as an offiee and it seems to be locked 
most of the time. There is nothiug to indi¬ 
cate that a business of any kind is carried on, 
and every thing points to the conclusion that 
it would be as well to have uo dealings with 
the parties. The oats aud wheat are unknown 
to us, and are, iu all probability, old,well-known 
varieties undernew names. Wearc always ready 
to investigate anything of doubtful character iu 
the iuterestsof our subscribers, and if we wore 
notified in every iu'stauce before purchasing, 
many dollars would be saved to our readers, 
and many " humbugs” would be shorn of 
most of their opportunities for evil. 
nioodv Milk. 
J. B., Union, Broome Co., If. Y., writes that 
he has a cow which gives bloody milk from 
two teats at the last of each milking. She has 
bccu given about a teaspoonful of saltpeter at 
a time every morning for eight or ten days; 
she has had poke root about the same num¬ 
ber of times and also condition powders but 
seems to get no bettor, and he asks the cause 
aud a remedy. 
Ans. —Bloody milk is the result of conges¬ 
tion or inflammation of the udder, and this 
may he caused in a variety of ways:—by blows, 
irritating plants in the food, rheumatism, by 
beat or rut, by a sudden increase of the ration 
with rich food, or a considerable augmentation 
of the flow of blood to the part, as happens at 
calving. "We would advise a purgative con¬ 
sisting of one pound of Epsom or Glauber 
salts, to be followed, after the effects have sub¬ 
sided, by ono ounce of saltpeter and twenty 
drops of tincture of aconite twice a day for four 
or five days. If there are hard lumps found 
in the udder, the part should be bathed with 
tincture of camphor or with a mixture made 
by adding one part compound tincture of io¬ 
dine to four or five parts of water. 
Ammonia Salta. 
W. V, F., Debnont, Pa., asks, 1, where he 
can obtain the ammonia salts referred to iu 
Mr. Lawes’s address on farming, published in 
the Rural of Juno 14; 3, when to apply it to 
laud—after wheat has been sown on it. or just 
before; 3, what is the price of uiumonia salts 
by the 100 pounds. 
Ans.— 1, Of any of the firms that advertise 
commercial fertilizers in tho Rural aud simi¬ 
lar journals. 3, That depends; sulphate of 
ammonia is preferable for winter wheat, and 
if the seed is drilled, the fertilizer should be 
drilled in with it, whereas, if the former is 
sown, the latter should be applied just before 
the sowing. Nitrate of soda is most effective 
as a top-dressing iu spring. Both these fertil¬ 
izers should be used with care. A more even 
distribution may be secured by mixing them 
with coal ashes, dry earth, gypsum or even 
sand, according to the nature of the soil. 3, 
Nitrate of soda is worth about four cents a 
pound iu small quantities; sulphate of am¬ 
monia, about five ceuts: dried blood, about 
three cents. 
The Rural Ground* and Farm. 
L. M. C., Erie, Pa., asks why we write from 
both the “ Rural Farm" aud " Rural Grounds:" 
why not write them under the head of “ Rural 
Experiment Grounds ?” 
Ans. —The " Rural Grounds” consist of a 
fraction over two acres. Here all sorts of 
evergreen aud deciduous shrubs aud trees, as 
well as hardy herbaceous perennials. Grapes, 
all small fruits and vegetables are tested. At 
the “ Rural Farm,” which embraces 80 acres, 
ouly farm crops, manures, ckc., are tested. The 
two places are 40 miles apart—the former 
beiug ill Bergen Co., N. J., aud the latter iu 
(Queens Co., Long Island, N. Y. 
Catalonian Jasmine. 
Mrs. A. TV., South Reading, 17., wants to 
know how the Catalonian Jasmine should be 
treated, and how old a Cyclamen must be be¬ 
fore it will blossom, and if it blossoms more 
than once. 
Ans.— TBhe Catalonian Jasmine, otherwise 
Jasminum grandiflorum, is a lovely Bhrub from 
East India. It is hardy in the Gulf States, but 
in the North it must be growu in the green¬ 
house. It thrives best in a soil composed of 
equal parts of loam from decayed sod, and leaf- 
mold, with a little manure and some sand well 
mixed together. The pot should be of but 
moderate size and well supplied with drainage. 
The slender branches should bo tied to a trellis 
erected in the pot. The Cyclamen blooms iu 
the third year from the seed, and continues to 
bloom for many years. 
Miscellaneous. 
S, C. C., Lems Co., If. Y., asks where can 
he get a sorrel tree, and whether it has any 
other name. 
Ans.—O t Ellwanger aud Barry or Frost & 
Co., Rochester N. Y., or Parsons' Company, 
Flushing, Long Island. It is also known us 
Sour-wood, and its botanical name is Oxyden- 
drum arboreum, 
H. K. J., Westchester Co., X. Y., asks our 
advice as to “pot-grown" Strawberries, and 
where he can purchase them. 
Ans —If properly growu and transplanted, 
and planted now dr later, they will produce 
nearly as large a crop next summer as if 
planted last spring. F. R. Pierson, Tarry- 
town, N. Y. E. P. Roe, G'ormvall-on-Hudson, 
N. Y. 
./. I). T., Brookside N. •/., asks where can he 
get a good, cheap, durable miter-box for cut¬ 
ting moldings for picture frames. 
Ans. —TheLangdon Miter-Box Co., of Miller’s 
Falls, Mass, make a metal box that is said to 
be the best. 
Communications received for the week ending 
Saturday, July 19th. 
A Subscriber— L. A. B.—K.—8. S.—S. M. C.—S. 
W.-G. W. F.-E. J. B.— M. W.-T. U. H.-A. ft. 
D.—E. 13.13.—E. S.—F. S.—C. E. S.-Lakeslde-J. 
C. C., thanks—ft. A. McB.—Ch. P.—ft. Z. E.—E. L. 
T.—H. W.—W. J. F.—L. & G.—C. W,—M. E. W.— 
M. 13. P.—n. L. \\\—W. U. F.—F. M. B.—A. TV. M. 
—M. B. B.—ft. TV. N.—E. P., thanks-H. E. S.—O. 
H. II.— N. B. P.—"Grandmere”—S. K. K.—J. H. L. 
S. A. M.—F. D. C.-N. TV. S.-J. V. L.—TV. F. 
English and American Farming.— A recent 
number of the London Economist gives an in¬ 
teresting, and. as it would seem, very careful 
comparison between farming in England and 
farmiug in America. In England one acre 
yields ou an average thirty bushels of wheat, 
while in America it yields on an average only 
thirteen. The American fanner must, conse¬ 
quently. cultivate two aud a half acres in order 
to produce the same quantity of wheat as the 
English farmer raises on one acre. How is it, 
then, the paper asks, that the American far¬ 
mer can. nevertheless, not only compete with 
the English farmer, but even beat him in his 
own market? The answer which first pre¬ 
sents itself to this question is the enormous 
difference of rent in England and America; 
but this difference is. as the paper shows, 
nearly if not altogether, obliterated by the cost 
of transportation from the western fields to 
the English market. The real advantage which 
the American farmer has over the English lies 
in the cheapness of cultivation. In tho settle- 
meuts along the Red river, in Northern Min¬ 
nesota, a plow may be run through the soft 
alluvial soil for more than fifty miles iu a 
straight line without encountering a stone, a 
tree or a hill, a feature to which England does 
not offer the faintest approach. 
Influence of the Time of Calving on 
the Yield of Mllk.—A note on this subject, 
from tbe peu of an experienced Dutch agri¬ 
culturist, appears in the columns of Bieder- 
mann’s Centralblatt. Iu Northern Germany it 
is generally arranged that cows shall calve be¬ 
tween November and February, under tho im¬ 
pression that the largest yield of milk is thus 
obtained; iu HoHaud, on the other hand, 
March aud April are considered the most 
favorable months. In order to arrive at some 
definite conclusion as to the respective merits 
of the systems, the author kept a careful 
record ot the milk obtained from 143 cows of 
about the same age aud condition of nour¬ 
ishment. One day iu each week ho had the 
milk of each cow weighed separatelv. and 
calculated tho weekly yield on that basis. Un¬ 
til ihe beginning of March the cows were kept 
in their sheds, and thence to the beginning of 
November were driven out to pasture. The 
results obtained showed clearly that, alter the 
mouth of February, a constant decrease iu the 
yield of milk aud in the duraiiou of lactation 
occurred, in direct proportion to the lateness 
of the dale when the cows calved. The quality 
of the milk was also iuterlor iu the later-calv 
ing animals. 
England "need not despair.’’— M. J J. 
Mechi, the Tiptree-Hall farmer, writing to 
Loudon papers under date of Juue 30, says : 
“ The old story over again—low temperature, 
flooding downpours, uo suushine, uo ripening, 
crops late. I passed through 70 miles of Essex 
yesterday. Barley was distressingly yellow 
and waterlogged. Both wheat and barley 
fields were bright with erops of eh'arlock (wild 
mustard) infull bloom. Hand-hoeing has been 
impossible, so the laborers’ earnings have been 
small. Slicep still suffer from wet jacket aud 
damp bed. Uncovered farmyards and exposed 
dung-heaps are contributing their "strong tea" 
abundantly to tho brooks and watercourses. 
Well-drained farms, with covered homesteads 
aud horse-hoed crops, have many advantages 
this year; but on all farms a more ripening 
condition is required- On the whole, the out¬ 
look is at present gloomy and unprofitable, but 
we need not despair.” 
Transplanting Beets.—T be Concord Ru- 
ralist, as quoted iu the N. Y. Tribune, says; 
“ In the garden ilicrc was a bed of beets which 
had come up remarkably thick in some places, 
while others were wholly bare. So I trans¬ 
planted enough from the thickly grown to tho 
bare part of tbe bed to equalize matters—re¬ 
sult, they wilted, and the farmer made merry 
at my expense. But I had faith; watered 
them, and had the satisfaction of getting some 
monstrous beets from the transplants, while 
those that grew where they were sown were of 
ordinary size.” Now if the beets when first 
transplanted, had been set in puddled holes, 
they would not have wilted at all. and subse¬ 
quent watering would have been unnecessary. 
Moreover, the beets would have grown still 
larger. 
How the Chinese Raise Weeping Trees.— 
It is stated in Regel’s "Gurtenzeicung” on the 
authority of Dr. Bretsehncider who translated 
it for the London Gardeners' Chronicle, that 
the Chinese raise their weeping trees by plant¬ 
ing two seedlings side by side. The tip of one 
of them is then bent downward and inarched 
on the base of tbe other, top downward. As 
soon as the graft has properly taken, the tree 
that was doubled down is dug up, roots and 
all, and tho roots, denuded of the soil, turned 
uppermost, aud the stem attached to a stake iu 
this reversed position. The stem of the tree, 
which serves as a stock, is then cut off at the 
poiut of uuion of the two, and the roots of the 
reversed tree form the crown of the artificial 
tree. In this position they require shading 
from the sun until they have formed some 
branches. 
Loss of Ammonia. —Much has been written 
by theorists about the escape of ammonia, re¬ 
marks Mr. J. C. Linville. The fact i«, thereiB, 
as a geueral rule, but little free ammonia in 
barnyard mauuro when hauled to the field, and 
if there was, it would take flight immediately 
when spread, even before it could be plowed 
down. He once plowed a field covered with 
maun re In the early part of August, with the 
exception of about an acre. This lay bleach¬ 
ing and roastiDg in the sun for about a month: 
a plentiful crop of weeds grew up through it, 
and it was turned down in the beginning of 
September and produced by far tbe best wheat 
in the field. 
Removing Suckers from Corn. — Pres. 
Hoffmau, of the Elmira Farmers’ Club, as re¬ 
ported in the Husbandman, says that if the 
plants stand thick, pulling suckers will im¬ 
prove the crop. Some years ago he pulled the 
suckers from part of a corn field, and at busk¬ 
ing found that portiou had a better crop thau 
the remainder not sbekered; but it was not 
enough better to pay for tbe lubor of pulling. 
This is contrary to the careful experiment of 
Prof. Beal. But different varieties may change 
the result, and then the season is not without 
influence. 
A Rude Awakening. —The London Ag. Ga¬ 
zette speaking of the Kilburn Agricultural 
Show, says that if an American phrase be allow¬ 
able iu English pages, (!) we may say lhat there 
is many a section of the show which will cer¬ 
tainly prove an "eye-opener” to English far¬ 
mers. Probably the good and fresh condition 
of the beef and mutton from tbe other side of 
tho world, after the severest trial of the means 
taken to preserve it, will awaken us still more 
rudely to the uearnes3 of our new rivals for the 
custom of tho British beef-eater. 
Cure for Barrenness.— Mr. A. B. Craudell 
says that pampered cows, overshadowed by 
the diguity of pedigree iu a long aud distin¬ 
guished line, prove an auuoyiug and expensive 
luxury to breeders. A cure for barrenness 
which is common under such circumstances, 
has been fouud by Mr. Van Meter of Kentucky, 
iu the sovereign remedy for obesity aud effem¬ 
inacy—work. It is a seusible idea. Severe 
exercise with moderate feeding wrought the 
cure. 
Pearl Millet ?—Blessed is the mau who, 
having nothing to say, abstains from giving 
ns wordy evidence of that fact.—from calling 
ou us to look through a heap of millet seed iu 
order to be sure that there is uo pearl iu it. 
George Eliot. 
Potting Soil.—A writer in The Garden says 
that if polling soil is placed for a day or two 
in the hen-yard, every particle of it is dug over, 
and all grubs aud eggs of insects picked out. 
