AUG. 8 
G04 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Jfann ®opirs. 
THE TRUTH ABOUT IT. 
[The object of articles under this heading is 
not so much to deal with “ humbugs” as with 
the many unconscious err6rs that creep into 
the methods of daily country routine life.— 
Eds.] 
MORE MUTTON SHOULD BE EATEN- 
THE REASONS. 
COL. F. D. CURTIS. 
A leading butcher in a suburban city in¬ 
forms me that he sold but oue sheep during 
the entire summer; in tact, he only sold a por¬ 
tion of that. After keeping it iu his ice-box 
more than a month, he took it home and ate 
it iu his own family- Notwithstanding the 
length of time he had it ou hand, it was sweet 
ami good, proving that mutton will keep as 
well as, if not better than, any other meat. 
During this time he sold thousands of pounds 
of beef which had been brought on the cars 
hundreds of miles. In the autumn he sold 
hundreds of pounds of pork. To ns there 
seems to bo a want of wisdom in all this. His 
patrons refused to eat the cleanest, healthiest 
and most easily digested meat in the world, 
and without thought apparently or considera¬ 
tion followed fashion, or habit and ate beef 
more or less feverish and unhealthy, uot 
knowing or earing where it came from, and 
pork which might have been reared in filth, 
aud might be reeking with disease. The fair 
mere would he glad to furnish mutton in abun¬ 
dance, if there was unly a detuaud. 
It seems to be a universal practice with 
Americans to dislike mutton, or, at least, to eat 
scarcely any meat except beef and pork. They 
will pay twice as much for beef as mutton can 
be bought for. Chops always sell high, be¬ 
cause every one wants them and nobody wants 
the rest of the carcass. Butchers say that they 
must sell one-third of the sheep for enough 
to pay for the whole, as all the rest has to be 
sold below cost. Americans seem to be totally 
unused to mutton in any form as corned or 
salted meat. There is no better meat than 
coi ned mutton. It is excellent for soups aud 
stews, or to boil. The hams may be corned 
and then boiled and eaten cold for any meal. 
There is no other moat which the farmer can 
more economically use while at the same time 
supplying his table with nutritious and wholc- 
Bomefood, asmutton will keep fresh longer than 
any other meat and may be safely cured iu hot 
weathei. A fat sheep will go a loug way at. 
the farmer’s table and make twice as many 
meals as its cash vuluc invested iu beef. The 
beef must be purchased at retail, while the far¬ 
mer could supply himself with more wholesome 
mutton at just what it cost him to raise it. 
A neighbor or two, would share the carcass 
with him and in turu he could do the same 
with them; this would he an exchange which 
would benefit both. A small flock of sheep is 
the most profitable investment any farmer in 
the old States can make. No stock will bring 
iu so much money iu comparison with their 
cost and, if he will try it, no stock will help him 
60 well in providing a supply of wholesome 
food. 
Sheep will winter well on straw supple¬ 
mented with plenty of turnips. These are an 
easy crop to raise aud may be put in any time 
before the middle of August. This is the best 
way to work the straw into manure—far bet¬ 
ter than to throw it into the yard where it 
cannot be converted into manure at all to be 
compared in richness to what it would be if 
fed to the sheep and mixed with their drop¬ 
pings. The straw thrown into the yard, makes 
a great deal of bulk to handle, with little value. 
The sooner American farmers begin to raise 
roots and turnips for 6heep, the sooner they 
will begin to swell the income of the farm by 
the direct return of more meat made to sell 
aud more manure to make more and butter 
crops. 
-»♦ 
SUCCESS IN SEED PLANTING. 
The Rural has often alluded to the necessity 
of care iu planting seeds of various kinds. 
Some seeds need to be put into the ground so 
much deeper than others, that to be successful, 
requires the exercise of sound judgment, and 
perhaps thorough practical knowledge. No ar¬ 
bitrary rule will work in all eases, as the cir¬ 
cumstances surrounding each case are so differ¬ 
ent. Seeds will grow well in the hands of some 
persons because they arc planted as they should 
be, the variations of soil, condition, aud wet¬ 
ness or dryness being taken into the account. 
Small seeds usually require very light cover¬ 
ing, while large seeds require deeper planting. 
This rule lias exceptions which experience 
only will teach. Beet seeds are not very large, 
aud the general custom is to plant them with 
a seed drill which barely covers them up. 
When planted in this manner, if the soil should 
be dry and continue bo. they will not ger¬ 
minate ; but if planted two inches deep and 
the soil packed over them either with a hoe or 
otherwise, they will come up in a few days. 
We know of a man who planted two acres of 
beets aud mangels last spring, aDd none of 
them grew. He then plowed the ground and 
put in turnips, after waiting in vain several 
weeks for the first, planting to appear At first 
he was inclined to lay all of the blame to the 
seed, hut when he learned that we had several 
acres of beets up and doing well, which were 
planted at the same time, he reluctantly con¬ 
cluded it was not the seed, but because they 
were planted with a drill and uot covered deep 
enough for the dry weather which followed. 
The successful seeds were covered with a hoe, 
and where covered deepest, came up first and 
best. We know of an instance where a choice 
lot of flower seeds were entrusted to a garden¬ 
er to plant, who “ knew all about flowers,” 
yet none of them were ever seen, except some 
sweet peas aud nasturtiums. The rest were 
buried so deep that they never came through 
to the surface. In another ease, in a dry time, 
a mau was set to planting corn, and told to 
step on each hill after covering the seed. He 
did so over half the field, and neglected to 
obey orders with the rest. The result was. the 
portion stepped ou came up promptly aud 
yielded well. The other portion did not grow 
for nearly a month and was a failure. Again, 
a neighbor spatted every hill of a large field 
of corn, of clayey soil, planting when the land 
was somewhat wet, aud there was such a solid 
crust formed on the top of each hill, that the 
corn could not penetrate through it, and he 
had to go over the entire lot and break it be¬ 
fore the corn could get through. 
These examples show that one cannot always 
follow arbitrary rules, or, in fact, follow bliud- 
ly any rules at all. Here is where the inex¬ 
perienced in farming tail. They get the theory 
and think they are all right, or, they follow 
some rule and calculate on a positive result, 
whereas they may meet with failure. Expe¬ 
rience is said to be the best teacher, but ex¬ 
perience, without taking into consideration the 
surrounding circumstances, may lead a person 
astray aud cause mistakes. It is just as im¬ 
portant to know token to plant deep, as it is 
important sometimes to plant deep ; aud it is 
as neeessary to know when to compress or 
pack the ground, as it is necessary sometimes 
to do so. As a rule, the earlier seeds of any 
sort are put into the ground the better; but 
ibis rule has many and vital exceptions. The 
nature of plants is so different, that to be suc¬ 
cessful with ail, requires a life-long study amj 
experience. It is a field of boundless extent 
and interest. v. ». c. 
Jiclii Crops. 
CRANBERRY CULTURE. 
P. W., Seattle , King Go., Wash. Ter., asks 1, 
howto raise Cranberries; how large a crop 
can he raised per acre; 2, where can the plants 
he had; 3, how large iB the berry; 4, can the 
plants be shipped, without injury, from any 
part of the United States to Washington Ter¬ 
ritory ? 
The Proper Location for a Cranberry lied 
is a matter of the highest importance to the 
prospective cranberry grower. The requisites 
for successful culture are: a soil of muck or 
peat that can be draiued from 1 2 to IS inches 
below the surface; a supply of water sufficient 
to allow the meadow to be flooded at will, and 
an abundance of pure saud dose at hand. 
The profitable sites for a cranberry bed are : 
swamp lands contaiuingdccp deposits of muck; 
heath pondsf, or low basins, places naturally 
flooded in winter; millponds, made available by 
simply drawing off the water; while savauuas, 
or grouuds lyiug between uplands and swamps 
aud partaking oi the nature of the latter, are 
sometimes turned to good account, but cran¬ 
berry culture m them is often a ri6ky business. 
In selecting a location, the presence of other 
plants often indicates a soil congenial to the 
growth of the Cranberry. For instance, the 
growth of the Feather-leaf aud Leather-leaf, 
generally abundant iu heath ponds, is consid¬ 
ered a sure sign of a proper locality, while the 
soil that produces the Ground Laurel aud Up- 
laud Huckleberry 1b generally too dry. Bwaiup 
lauds ou which the White Cedar, or .Juuiper, 
the Maple, Swamp Huckleberry, Magnolia 
or wild Cranberry thrive, when properly pre¬ 
pared, make lasting and valuable cranberry 
beds. Although much has been said In support 
of the practicability of successfully cultivating 
the Cranberry on alluvial uplands, wherever 
the experiment has beeu made, it has never, so 
far as we have heard, been attended with per¬ 
manent profit. Having selected a location 
combining water, sand and muck, the next 
step is 
The Preparation of the Moil. 
The method of doing this varies somewhat 
for the several locations mentioned. The first 
step in preparing a cranberry bed is usually 
the digging of a broad, deep ditch entirely 
around the patch, for the purpose of draining 
off the surface water, so that the ground can 
be cleared. If the soil thrown out of the ditch 
be sufficiently compact, it may form the em¬ 
bankment; if not, then other soil must be 
added. When the water has been removed, 
then clear off all trees, logs, brush and other 
incumbrances. This may often he most con¬ 
veniently done by the use of the torch, and the 
fire will not consume only all the briers, but 
also often a layer of the upper turf, so that 
the remainder can be more easily handled. If 
the muck deposit is deep enough, so that a 
portion of it can be spared, it may be profita¬ 
bly used to manure the neighboriug fields. 
Sometimes, too, this lowering of the bed will 
facilitate irrigation. A muck deposit a foot 
in depth iB quite sufficient. 
Where no mnek is removed for iuanurial 
purposes, some cultivators pare the ground to 
the depth of six to 12inches, and use the sods in 
constructing the enclosing embankment; while 
others, where sand is abundant, think {(.cheaper 
to spread on a thicker layer of sand, and leave 
the soil its natural depth. The whole meadow 
should be made quite level, or with only slope 
enough to afford good drainage, as one portion 
should not be covered much deeper than another 
when flooded. Where the soil Is sufficiently 
firm to admit of beiug plowed and harrowed, 
it is best to do so, as it can iu this way be pre¬ 
pared in the best aud cheapest manner. 
When the ground has been properly leveled 
aud otherwise prepared, it should be covered 
with a layer of pure sand to tbe depth of from 
three to eight inches, the depth being regulated 
mainly by the compact or loose nature of the 
soil. Too much importance can hardly be at¬ 
tached to the quality of the sand used for this 
purpose, as many a likely bed has been ren¬ 
dered unproductive by the use of an unlit 
sort. It should be as free as possible from any 
admixture of clay and loam, aud should always 
belong to the alluvial and never to the drift 
formation. Tbe following is a good test of the 
right kind: Take a handful of it aud squeeze 
it tightly; if it is the proper sort, it will fall 
apart when released; but if it adheres together 
after the pressure has been relaxed, reject it in 
every case. Beach sand should be preferred to 
all others. The saud prevents the growth of 
weeds, affords a genial medium for the plants 
to take root in, keeps the fruit clean and the 
surface always open and friable. If the muck 
bed is underlaid with sand and the soil is not 
too deep, pits may be dug at intervals aud the 
clean white sand from beneath thrown up, or 
a subsoil plow may be used for the same pur¬ 
pose. If under the bed there is a hard-pan 
formation, care should be taken not to break 
through it, lest the meadow should be drained 
dry. It is important that the layer of saud 
should be of uniform depth, and so the surface 
should be well leveled before its application. 
The plot should be surrounded with an am- 
bankmeut, suy four feet high, and ditches 
enough should be dug to drain all parts of the 
meadow' at least one foot below the surface. 
Just now is the best time to prepare a swamp 
for a cruuberry patch, as it is drier than usual, 
and therefore more easily worked. Tbe suud- 
ing completed, the next step is 
Planting the Vines. 
The usual time for doing this is from the first 
of April to the first of June, although the vine 
is so exceedingly hardy, that it will bear trans¬ 
planting considerably later on jo the summer. 
Sometimes the plants are put out late in the 
fall, the ground beiug covered with a sufficient 
depth of water to prevent the /recking and the 
throwing out of plants; but these appear to 
have uo advantage over those set out in the 
following spring. It is of great importance 
that the plants should be obtained from fruit¬ 
ful beds as well as those that produce the 
largest and best fruit. The best way to dis¬ 
tinguish the right kind is by the wiry texture 
of the wood aud the greeuish-browu color of 
the leaves. The poorer plautH are more vigor¬ 
ous, greener, brighter and have a more bushy 
foliage than tbe best, Cranberries can be pro¬ 
pagated by transferring the sods which bear 
tbe vines, or, better still, by cuttings from four 
to six inches long; the middle of which is cov¬ 
ered with the soil aud the ends left projecting. 
Vines have been cut into pieces two or three 
inches long by a common hay cutter, Sown 
broadcast and harrowed in. The better way, 
however, is to plant them from eighteen 
inches to three feet apart, according to the 
quality aud size of the plants; or two or three 
cuttings may be planted together with u dibble. 
There are several methods of planting, Bucb as 
hill planting, drill planting, planting by press¬ 
ure, aud, rarely, propagation by seeds, the ob¬ 
ject beiug in all cases to cover the ground with 
the vines as soon und conveniently as possible. 
As to 
Cultivation, 
but very little is needed. The weeds and 
grasses must be kept down for the first two or 
three seasons, by the close of which time the 
plants will have become matted, and require lit¬ 
tle or no further care, except that drainage must 
be kept perfect within at least twelve inches of 
the surface, exeept when flooded, as anything 
like Btagnant water is fatal to the Cranberry. A 
small application of guano, ashes, lime, marl or 
stable manure tends to produce a robuster 
growth of the plant, but in most cases it is 
doubtful whether it benefits the fruits to an ap¬ 
preciable extent. Muck seems the most effica 
eious agent for that purpose. 
FI oudlng 
iu winter is now considered essential to suc¬ 
cessful cranberry culture in all situations. It 
affords the plants protection from severe cold; 
it prevents the spring frosts from injuring the 
flowers; it destroys the cranberry worm, a 
foe alike to plant and fruits, aud it deposits on 
the bed a wealth of just the right kind of fer¬ 
tilizing elements brought down by the streams 
from field, garden, dung heap and creek bed. 
Many do not think flooding necessary until the 
third year after the plants have been 6et, though 
others deem it profitable from the first. The 
time for applying the water will vary in differ¬ 
ent localities, but it is a safe rule to let it on so 
soon as the cold stops vegetation and the vines 
begin to assume a dull-red appearance. All 
winter it should be kept deep enough to pre¬ 
vent the plants from freezing. As a rule, in 
this latitude, from the first to the fifteenth of 
May is early enough to let it off; the colder 
the season, the later it should be kept on. 
Sometimes it is advisable to flood tbe meadows 
during a severe drought iu summer, but then 
it is only necessary to apply water enough to 
give the soil a good Boaking ; to fill the ditches 
generally suffices. In this neighborhood 
Picking 
begins on savannas towards the end of Sep¬ 
tember, hut on densely matted swamplands the 
commencement is deferred until from the first 
to the middle of October. The pickers are paid 
about 50 eeute per bushel aud at that rate can 
earn from oue to two dollars a day. The vines 
should be picked clean. When gathered be¬ 
fore they are ripe—to save them from frost—or 
if the dew lies on them, the berries do uot keep 
well. Leaves, straws aud prematurely ripe as 
well as decayed fruit, should be removed. In 
gathering, a crauberry rake is sometimes used. 
It is made of bent sheet-iron, its lower edge be¬ 
ing furnished with a row of teeth shaped like 
the letter V. When it is drawu over the ground 
the plants escape but the fruit is gathered. 
Cranberries grown on meadows on which the 
vines are thickly matted, keep well, while 
those gathered where the vines are sparse, are 
apt to soften and rot early. Care should be 
taken to prevent bruising the berries in gather¬ 
ing or transporting them. They cau be kept for 
family use by placing them in stone jars with 
pure water. Those shipped to Europe are 
packed in water in Bmall kegs, and sometimes 
in sealed bottles filled with water. 
Prutll and Lock. 
The chief outlay iu cranberry culture is at 
the outset; when once productive plants 
are well matted, their care costs but little, 
while they bring in a good iucoiue for a life¬ 
time. Tin; cost of preparing the beds varies 
from $100 to $000 per acre. A thoroughly 
good preparation, and the selection of the 
best varieties of vines, are always the cheapest 
in the end. The yield varies from 50 to 400 
bushels per acre, with au estimated average 
crop of about 150 bushels, when the plants 
have begun to bear well. A barrel contains 
about two bushels and three pecks, and last 
fall sold here, on a weak market, for from $6 
to $8 for the Cape Cod berries, and from $4 to 
$7 for those from New Jersey. Much mouey is 
often lost by the setting out of unproductive 
beds, aud by the ravages of Insect enemies, 
frosts, scalding from excessive heat, etc., etc. 
2. Cuttings, plauts or seeds can be had from 
any of the many fruit nurserymen who adver¬ 
tise in the Rural. 3. How large is an apple? 
There is, proportionately, as great a difference 
in size between the Individual crauberries in 
each variety as between the individual apples 
of each sort, aud as great a relative difference 
between the different varieties. The berries 
vary from three-eighths to three-quarters of an 
inch in diameter. 4. Yes, if properly packed. 
^rborirultural. 
EVERY-DAY NOTES. 
8. PARSONS. 
Hydrangea iloialba. 
I cannot refrain from speaking briefly of a 
Hydrangea accidentally met with during a re¬ 
cent visit to Ceutral Park. While wandering 
about a wild rock garden ou a hill-side in the 
upper part of the Park, near Mt. St. Vincent, a 
friend pointed out a mas# of lurgo, resplendent 
corymbs of rosy-crimson flowers. They were 
borne by a plant of strangely unfamiliar ap¬ 
pearance, and yet one that we felt we ought to 
know. Soon afterwards, however, the name 
dawned on the mind of my friend, und wc both 
recognized an old acquaintance seldom seen in 
flower, Hydrangea rosalba. We attributed 
the existence of the flowers in this case to the 
very sheltered, dry position the plant occupied. 
Thus favored, the wood had fully ripened, and 
consequently passed through a severe winter 
