3 ® 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
(Ktejriujjm. 
NOTES FROM FLORIDA. 
TnB weather here since the first of July has 
been extremely warm, tho thermometer having 
been as high aB 108 degrccB in the shade once 
or twice, and a great many days from 05 to 98 
degrees. This is the warmest weather ever 
known in this section, so say reliable people 
whohavealwayslivedhere. ToNorthernpeople 
who have never been hero ill the summer, I 
suppose it seems as though the heat must bo 
nlraoBt unendurable j but it. is not bo : there is 
always a cool breeze either from the ocean or 
the Gulf, which tempers the heat of the sun so 
much that a hot day here is more comfortable 
than at the North. Wo never have any of 
those still, sultry days when it seems as though 
every breath of air came from a furnace, and 
which make one feel too indoleut to do any¬ 
thing but try to keep cool. Sunstrokes are 
very rare, and wo very seldom hear of any bad 
effects from the heat cither to man or beast. 
The darkies will hoe cotton tho warmest days 
from sunrise to sunset, and never complain 
of the heat, but white people try to keep in the 
shade during the middle of the day as much as 
possible. I had occasion, on one of the warmest 
days, to take a four-mile ride iu the hottest part 
of the day on horseback, with the sun pouring 
down on my defenceless head. Such an ex¬ 
posure at the North would have sent me to bed 
with a raging headache, while here I felt no 
bad effects from it at all. We have had heavy 
showers nearly every day since tho Fourth of 
July, and yet we have none too much rain un¬ 
less on very low land with insufficient drain¬ 
age. 
Grope are uuusually backward, but looking 
good where they have had good cultivation. 
We picked our first cotton on August 2. We 
picked the Blount corn for seed oh July 26. 
The stalks were very email; one bad four good 
ears; a few had three, and the rest two, with 
more set that did not come to perfection. We 
have only kept the best for seed aud shall 
plant no other next year, as we are satisfied 
that with proper fertilization It will yield 
much better than the kind raised hero. The 
soil where it was planted was poorer than we 
thought, and we did not fertilize it enough. 
We have learned a good deal about corn this 
year, thanks to the Rural. Our Voorhis wa¬ 
termelons were good ; the two largest weigh¬ 
ing 20 pouude each, but some of our Iceland 
weighed 80 pouuds. The largest one sold in 
Starke weighed 52 pounds. The Iceland is cer¬ 
tainly the flues HI avo red melon I ever tasted, but 
it should be borne in rnind that watermelons 
grown and eaten here, taste very differently 
from those grown in a colder climate, or from 
those picked here before they are fully ripe and 
chipped North to ripen on the way. They are 
co much better here that I think if I should 
go North again, I should never care to taste 
one. The Acme tomatoes were the fiuest I 
ever tasted; they also reach a degree of perfec¬ 
tion, ripened uuder this semi-tropical sun, 
never obtained at the North. I have some 
plants from the Hibiscus seed the Rural sent, 
nearly five feet high and blooming finely tho 
first year. I think wc have seed enough from 
the Pearl Millet to seed half of Florida, and we 
have only allowed a few plants to go to seed; 
the rest we are still cutting for fodder. One 
eeed head measured 24 inches in length, and 
four in clrcumfereuee. When the seed heads 
are cut, the plants put out new ones from the 
joint below, and the stocks arc making another 
crop of seed. It has been grown in the rich 
hummock lands for some time and has been 
tried here, but with no success until this year, 
for tho reason that they did not understand 
that it would not grow In this soil without 
heavy manuring. It has only been tried in 
small quantities as an experiment this year, 
hut next year I think there will be a good deal 
planted. One man who saw ours, told my 
husband he wanted a peck of seed. I think 
if he plants a peck of seed, he will not 
plant ranch else on his farm. The problem, 
how shall we furnish fodder for cows and hor¬ 
ses is a serious one here, and anything that 
will help us to solve It, Is worth a great deal. 
Mrs. Increase Sumner. 
Bradford Co., Aug. 4. 
—-- 
KANSAS NOTES. 
Since writing you about a month ago, we 
have had, with slight intermission, a succession 
of very hot days, with, for a wonder, light and 
intermittent winds. The heat has been more in¬ 
tense than any timo within five years. Till 
Sunday last, and the two succeeding days, the 
thermometer in my sitting-room was at no 
time higher than 98 deg. On the days named, 
it was 101 deg. and 102 deg. The manner in 
which vegetation shrivels, under such tem¬ 
peratures, accompanied, as they are, by an 
absence of dews, and unusually warm nights, 
may be called rapid. Kansas does not suffer, 
hardly ever, from protracted absence of rain 
but from extremely rapid evaporation. You 
will see a rainfall of two inches, in the night, 
and the dust blowing from the road the evening 
of the next day. This may be strange, but it 
is true. Our crops In this section will prove 
above the average certainly, but were one to 
believe ail the saugulue Kansan believes or 
tries to make believe, we should say they were 
not only unprecedented but so large that diffi¬ 
culty would be found iu moving them to mar¬ 
ket. There is a singularity in the opinions 
that were entertained regarding the present 
wheat crop. In the month of April the west¬ 
ern counties—which are the wheat counties— 
were represented as having the promise of the 
largest crop ever raised. We down here, had 
the moat unqualified opinion that we should 
and must have a very inferior crop. The re¬ 
sults from the harvest are that the}/ have one- 
third of the crop predicted (say seven bush¬ 
els) while we have three times the amount we 
expected (20 bushels). Our crop varies from 
10 to 85 bushels, with light straw, and full 
heads. Our corn crop will be good, probably 
very good, possibly magoifleent. The only 
detriment to the last may be the general prev¬ 
alence of the chinch bug. If the pest be par¬ 
tial, as we think, then there will be a mag¬ 
nificent aud an early crop. Perhaps I can tell 
you another strange thing—there was a load 
of new husked corn iu Parsons yesterday, 
which was sold for feed. My Junior sent it, 
and (with pain, it was said, because he would 
like his fattier to have the biggest corn) the 
earB were 10 to 18 inches long, aud as our ears 
have from 10 to 18 rows on tho ear, it does 
go to show we shall have some corn. Our 
oats were short emphatically, and the same 
must be said of the haj' crop. Castor beaus 
are one of our staple crops, and this season 
they are unusually good. Potatoes are in¬ 
different, both in quality and quantity. Or¬ 
dinary culture, under our long and iutense 
heats, does not succeed—wc have had but oue 
good crop iu five years. Mulching succeeds, 
and of course Irrigation would pucceed. Rates 
on this market, are: wheat (prime winter), 
75e; corn, 25c; oats, 18c; castor beans, $1.00; 
prairie hay, $3.50; potatoes, 50o ; coal, $2.50 
per ton; flour $3.00 per 100 lbs ; tat cattle $1.75 
to $2.00; hogs, live, $2.50 ; butter 12Je; eggs, 
8c. Watermelons have literally been piled 
upon the market at the rate of two and three 
cents apiece. This place is growing fast—from 
100 to 300 houses have been built so far this 
season—partly caused by an influx of immi¬ 
grants who scttlo bore in the expectation that 
this will be one of the points of junction of 
oue or more of the several railroads that are 
now being constructed or projected to the 
west and northwest. 
Some of us expected that with the resump¬ 
tion of specie payments there would be a con¬ 
traction of credit, and consequently harder 
times. Now, even here, we see plainly the 
contrary has occurred. Railroads arc extend¬ 
ing westward to the tune of hundreds of miles. 
Nails and calico arc both up. So man pro¬ 
poses. but God disposes. It is well settled that 
iu Texas, and perhaps in all the Southern 
States it is an impracticability in the hot sum¬ 
mer months to raise vegetables with a reason¬ 
able certainty without irrigation. It is cer¬ 
tainly so heie, at least the way we grow them 
does not snofteed. There has been an exceed¬ 
ingly small growth iu all vegetation ibis sea¬ 
son, except eoru. Why is this thus? Is 
it that we ara apt to cousider that corn must 
be cultivated three or more times, and that 
vegetables are generally planted for Laud cul¬ 
ture, and this kind ef culture is given them 
about once, if at all. It seems there Is some¬ 
thing in cultivation that makes things grow. 
Our hedges and trees have not, made half a 
growth. Our oats aud wheat were very scant 
in stem aud foilage, and yet the only thing 
that we do care for—the only thing we are 
scrupulously careful about in seed, iu planting 
and cultivating, succeeds in growing in spite 
of a succession of droughts which “ finished ” 
most of the articles the nurseryman furnished 
for this season. Even here there are a few 
that are afraid to cultivate dry ground, but 
tney are becoming beautifully less. j. n. 
Parsons, Labette Co., Aug. 7. 1879. 
—-6-M- 
NEBRASKA NOTES. 
In the Rural of Feb. 15 I threw out a sug¬ 
gestion, that we be given a binder combined 
with a table-rake, aud showed the advantages 
to be gained. My suggestion, perhaps, was 
the ‘‘shadow ” cast before ‘‘the coming event," 
which is now in the field and called a platform 
hinder. The binding attachment, can be used, 
or it cau be removed and the ruachiuo operated 
as an ordinary table-rake. 
The unique plow which was figured and de¬ 
scribed in the same number, 1 have been using 
through the season, and I find it to be more 
valuable than I anticipated. I broke fifteen 
acres before the plow needed to go to the 
blacksmith’s shop for sharpening. It is not as 
good as the slanting-cut for opening a land, 
hut bettor for finishing, as there is no gauge 
wheel in the way. The draft is about one-third 
lighter. It is not so good when the ground is 
very wet as from medium to nearly dry. I 
would 6ay to my brother farmers, if you 
have buffalo sod to break, don’t hesitate to 
order a square-cut plow to be made, even 
though you have a new slanting-cut on hand. 
“EvergreeD6 won’t live, in this country "is 
the opinion of nine-tenths of the people iu 
Nebraska. I think there are two causes of 
their mortality, that cover more cases than 
all others combined, and cau6e9, too, that can 
be obviated. First: the roots arc exposed 
either to sun or wind, or to both, until tho 
trees are dead, before they are planted. Sec¬ 
ond: evergreens are usually desired to grace 
tho lawn, hence on their arrival, a hole is 
speedily dug two feet wide aud oue foot deep, 
and thelree planted. Nlne-teuths of our na¬ 
tives would die under such treatment. My 
advice is : plaut half the number of trees de¬ 
sired, but plant them in mellow 6oil and feed 
tho roots liberally on water, and then shade 
them, and your evergreens won’t be over yel¬ 
low. Let no grass or weeds grow within six 
feet of a tree. 
More convenient than a boot-jack at bed-time 
is a lifting jack when the farm wagon or car¬ 
riage is to be oiled. Better than al! the patent 
jacks—and tkdy are legion—that I Lave seeu, is 
a simple one that I have used for years, which 
did not take more than five minutes to con¬ 
struct or cost more than five cents for mate¬ 
rial. Make oue to-day and try it. Take a 
piece of inch board ten inches wide and from 
one and a half to two inches longer than tho 
bight of tho hind axle above level ground. 
Measure from oue end of the board a distance 
oue aud a half or two inchos greater than tho 
bight of the front axle, and then saw the board 
half off. Cut out the corner, leaving your board 
as; shown on p. 537. One made of hard wood 
would be better, but pine will do pretty well, 
by binding the ends with a scrap of hoop iron. 
Modus operandi: Place the end 1 beneath the 
hiud axle, the end 3 resting on firm, even 
ground. The board will stand inclining. The 
wagon or carriage can easily be moved for¬ 
ward or backward as the case may deuiaud, 
until the board is perpendicular, when the 
wheel will be free. Fig. 2 is for the forward 
axle. Its weight and convenient shape make 
it a vade-mecum. Suppose on the road with a 
neavy load, a wheel commences to “ curse the 
driver," how easy to place the board iu posi¬ 
tion in front of the axle, let the horses move 
the load forward a few inches, and the wheel is 
free. If there is any other liftiug jack that 
can be run by horse-power, “I elevate the 
sponge." 
I think 1 saw, some time ago, in the Rural, 
the statement that Pearl Millet would not ma¬ 
ture its seed in northern Kansas. I have it 
now growing in southwestern Nebraska, from 
seed which I saved last year. 
Boys, did you ever get into trouble with the 
old gun ? I did when a hoy, and so did my boy 
the other day. As a prelude to a ducking ex- 
cursion he attempted to clean the gun. He 
wrapped a bit of cotton cloth about the eud of 
the ramrod, wet it, and rammed it into tho gun 
on an exploring expedition. It went In readily, 
but refused to come out. A pound’s pressure 
would thrust it farther in, but a hundred 
pounds’ pressure could not withdraw it. I 
knew it was almost impossible to unbreech the 
gun, aud was thinking of some acid to eat 
away the cotton cloth, when the good woman 
suggested soft soap. Some, new and warm, 
was at hand; a tablespoonful was turned into 
the barrel, and in a minute tho ratnroi came 
out as easily as a rat’s tail out of a jug of mo¬ 
lasses. Boys, soap the barrel to clean it quick¬ 
ly, riuse it thoroughly dry and oil it, then bang 
away. R. H. Crane. 
Harlan Co., Neb. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Mass., Cambridge, Aug., 1879. —Times are 
better this year than they have been 6iuco the 
panic, but as margins are narrow, a deal of 
business has to be done to make it pay. La¬ 
borers and mechanics have all the work they 
cau do in the mean time ; laborers’ wages av¬ 
erage 12$ cents an hour; mechanics’, 12$ to 20 
cents. Clerks, salesmen and printers, in 
places, stick closely to their situations, as the 
supply of men is immensely in excess of the 
demand, and their pay is proportionately low. 
On account of cheapness, ladies are being em¬ 
ployed, to a great extent, iu place of men, for 
light work; but school-ma’ams are, perhaps, 
the best paid, easiest worked aud most discon¬ 
tented of all female servants. They get from 
$300 to $720 a year, and a long vacation, too. 
F. 
Conn., Cliuton. Middlesex Co., Aug. 12.— 
We cut to-day some Pearl Millet raised from 
seed sent by the Rural. It was 6ix feet aud it 
had only ordinary culture. I think it worthy 
of cultivation. w. a. d. 
N. Y., Garrettsville, Otsego Co., August 5.— 
Crops, including corn, oats, wheat, aud pota¬ 
toes, are good. Buckwheat promises well; 
hay is mostly 6tored and it is a good crop. 
K. T. 
Penn., Hosensack, Lehigh Co., Aug. 9.— 
We have a wet season just now, and corn looks 
very good and promises a good yield. Oats 
were very good, but winter grain was not half 
a crop, especially wheat. Rye was good in the 
straw, but not in the grain. Pasture is plen¬ 
tiful aud cattle are in a good condition. Tho 
weather is very warm with occasional show¬ 
ers. H. E. e. r. 
Ink., Roanoke, Huntington Co.—For over a 
month we had no rain until the 3d and 4th 
inst., aud the weather was extremely hand ot 
dry. The corn and gardens were suffering, 
and will lie soon again unless we have 6ome 
more rain ere long. It is quite cool now. 
Corn promises to bo a good crop, with favora¬ 
ble weather. Potatoes will be short—at least, 
that is the present outlook. Ten days ago they 
were selling for from 20e. to 25c. per bushel ; 
now they bring from 30c. to 40c. Now wheat 
is selling for from 90c. to 95c.; oats, 18c. to 
22c. Wheat was above the average both in 
quantity and quality, aud new oats are very 
good, too, here. The apple crop will not be 
heavy, though summer apples are very low 
now. Our Blount eoru is very large and nice, 
from 10 to 12 feet high, nearly all in tassel, 
many stalks showing from three to six ears, 
with some also on the suckers, some of which 
are almost as large as the main stalks, though 
there arc ofteu two or three of them to a stalk. 
My wife’s Voorhis watermelons are growing 
finely. She planted the flower seeds in a hot¬ 
bed, but most of them failed to germinate. 
The Yucca, Mulberry and Hibiscus were total 
failures. The E. Leavenworthii alone is thrifty. 
The Golden Rural tomato ripened for her ten 
days ago. We have had so much dry weather 
that she is inclined to attribute the failure of 
the seeds to it. a. o. ii. 
III., Edwardsville, Madisou Co., Aug. 11.—I 
planted in spring Beauty of Hebron, Extra 
Early Vermout and Early Rose potatoes on the 
same day. in the same field. Beauty of Hebron 
came up two weeks ahead of the others, and 
kept that start until mature. All who saw 
them were surprised. The yield of the Beauty, 
too, was about oue-third greater thau that of 
the others, while the tubers were larger and 
of better quality, c. p. b. 
III., Wheaton, Du Page Co , Aug. 6.—Wo 
have heavy crops of wheat aud oats, mostly iu 
the shock. The mouth of July did wonders 
for the corn, aud it is now very promising. 
Potatoes are good, but I think not a heavy crop. 
Up to last Sabbath it had beeu very dry for 
some weeks, but then we had a fine rain and 
some large hailstones. No damage was done, 
however. o. f. l. 
Mien., Plymouth, Wayne Co., Aug. 12.—My 
Blount corn is doing splendidly. It was plant¬ 
ed on the 14th of May and now it has stalks 5} 
inches around aud from seven to nine feet 
high, with from three to four ears on a stalk. 
I think Pearl Millet an excellent fodder plant. 
n. c. w. 
Iowa, Bryant, Cliuton Co., Aug. 8.—Farmers 
are just finishing up harvest operations. Crops 
generally are good and have beeu secured iu 
fair condition except some of the earlier-cut 
hay which was lost owiug to wet weather. 
Arkansas, Vau Burcu, Crawford Co., Aug. 
4.—Last year I obtained about two quarts of 
Beauty of llebrou potatoes aud gave them to a 
tenant of mine, and the way he bragged about 
them was a cautiou. In July I dug a hill and 
tho yield was remarkable; as my tenant ex¬ 
pressed ii “ they were three stories high” aud 
literally pushing out tho soil. Last spring I 
planted a few iu my garden, but the grouud 
having been too well supplied with green man¬ 
ure. they burnt up before maturing in June. 
Still I regard that variety as being most re 
markable for its abundant yield. l. c. w. 
Ky., Smith's Grove, Warren Co., Aug. 5.— 
Crops hereabouts are, on the whole, very 
short; corn is from one to two bushels per 
acre below the average, while wheat has aver¬ 
aged only from half to two-tlilrds of a crop. 
There isn’t a full crop of anything. .r. w. l. 
Tknn, Tullahotna, Coffee Co, Aug. 4, 1879.— 
We are having line growing weather; it rains 
about every day. Although dry weather pre¬ 
vailed for weeks, aud crop prospects became 
very discouraging, yet wo shall make fine 
crops of corn. My Blount Prolific corn was 
nearly ruined for want of rain; it has two and 
three silks to the stalk. My Hebron Potatoes 
excelled my hopes, and my Acme tomatoes 
are doing finely ; we have plenty of ripe ones. 
I should have mentioned the Pearl Millet first; 
it surpasses anything of the kirnl I ever saw. 
It is heading, at about seven feet high; the 
heads are 12 and 14 inches in length, and if it 
i8 as good for stock as it is for fodder it will 
be invaluable .T. m. o. 
Va-, Worsham, Prince Edward Co., July 
81. — The Beauty of Hebron potatoes sent 
me by the Rural, ripened about the same time 
as the Early Rose, and made larger tubers, but 
both were very much injured by drought. The 
Blount's corn has also suffered very much from 
the same cause, though I hope to make euough 
to plaut several acres of it next ycaK 
G. A. B. 
Texas, Dayton, Liberty Co., Aug. 9.—No 
rain for over a mouth, and all growing things 
