SEPT.§0 
brood of chickens, raised from Light Brahma 
eggs, have nearly all five or six toes on each 
foot; he a6ks if. this is common. 
Ans. —1. The bed is worn out. We would 
advise our friend to plant a new bed now from 
the strongest runners, if the variety is de¬ 
sirable. Then cleau the rows of the old bed, 
cover it with a coat of manure during the win¬ 
ter, and let it give what it can for another 
yeur. Meantime the new bed will come into 
bearing. 2. Fall planting of Blackberries is, 
perhaps, most successful. Dig out young 
plants and set them in prepared gr'ouud in 
rows six or eight feet apart. 3. It is not com¬ 
mon. We surmise that there is some Dorking 
blood in the fowls; otherwise tbo fifth toe 
would hardly appear in so many of them. The 
sixth toe is a monstrosity. 
The Chinese Sand or Le Conte Pear. 
A. M. A., no address, asks information about 
the Chinese Saud Pear introduced about 2(5 
years ago into Liberty County. Ga., from New 
York city by Major Jack Le Conte, and where 
cuttings aud layers of it cau be obtained. 
Ans. —In answer to tins inquiry Mr. Charles 
Downing writes us,** The Chinese Saud Pear or 
Le Conte, as it is now called, is not the true 
Chinese Sand Pear, but probably a cross 
between it and some cultivated variety, and 
partakes more or less of the nature of both. 
It is much better in quality than the genuine 
Chinese Sand Pear—which is not eatable—but 
is not equal to the best garden varieties. The 
tree is said to be hardy, and, so far, it has not 
been affected by the pear blight. It is an early 
and very abundant bearer. Young trees and 
cuttings can ho obtained from H. H. Sanford, 
of Thoraasville, Ga.. and probably of other 
nurserymen in that locality.” lu the weekly 
Tribune of Aug. 30tb, we. see the Georgia Hort. 
Society reports that Leander Vcrnadol, of 
Tkomasville, marketed 150 bushels of LeConte 
pears this year from 13 trees. 
Chronic Rheumatism in a Horse. 
11. F. E., Webster City. la., has a six-year- 
old gelding that from its colt-hood has been 
troubled m ith stiffness in one of his hind legs. 
The stiffness is shown in the morning after a 
working cm the farm the previous day. When 
started he cannui betid either the hock or stifle 
joint, but drags his foot on the ground and 
jerks it up a few times, after which he goes 
along all right for the day, aud sometimes lor 
weeks. The ailment is worse during the latter 
part of summer than in winter or in any other 
part of the year, and he asks for some cure for 
the animal. 
Ans. —This is doubtless a case of chronic 
rheumatism, and from the fact that the horse 
has beeu trembled with it from colt-hood, it is 
probably constitutional aud incurable. Relief 
may possibly be found by rubbing the joints 
with a mixture of four ounces of olive oil and 
two ounces of aqua ammonia several times a 
day, aud giving half ounce doses of bi-sulphate 
of soda daily for several weeks in the feed. 
This may not curcthc complaint, butitmay pre¬ 
vent deposition of bony matter at the joints or 
the spread of the inflammatory action to the 
substance ot the bone. 
The Five-Spotted Sphinx. 
H. L. R., no address , seuds a moth and re¬ 
quests us to give its name, habits aud all about 
it. 
Ans.— The moth is of the sphingidae family 
and is known under the not vury euphonious 
name of Maerosila quinquemaculata (Ha¬ 
worth), or, iu common language, the Five- 
spotted Sphinx. Its larva is the well-known 
tomato worm. The moth is among the largest 
known. It has five distinct orange-yellow 
spot6 on each side of the abdomen, aud the 
tongue, which is usually coiled up, can be ex¬ 
tended to the length of five or sixiuches. The 
female lays her eggs ou tomato aud potato 
plants in July. The eggs soon hatch, and by 
the end of August or beginning of September 
the large green lame are full-grown, when 
they measure some three inches iu length and 
are as thick as the little finger ou a man's 
hand. They thou bury themselves iu the 
ground, where they pupate aud remain till the 
next summer, when they again appear as 
moths. Whenever the iarvte bvcorne trouble¬ 
some to the potato vines, they are easily killed 
with Paris-green; on the tomato vines, hand¬ 
picking is the Best remedy. 
Miscellaneous. 
S. A. A., Champlain, N. Y., asks our opinion 
as to the comparative merits of Maryland, Vir¬ 
ginia and Florida, for raising strawberries and 
otLer small fruits, as well as early vegetables 
for the Northern market. Ho prefers Florida 
for several reasons, despite its distance from 
New York, as transportation rates are low. 
Ans. —Not kuowiug the reasous which influ¬ 
ence our correspondent in favor of Florida, we 
cannot form auy opinion as to their weight; 
but we arc disposed to thiuk a more northern 
locatiou preferable for the purpose here iuti- 
mutod, chiefly because it i» very probable that 
uiuuy of the most profitable fruits aud vege¬ 
tables would thrive better farther from the 
tropics, and because meaus of transportation 
thence to market would be more numerous, 
cheaper and speedier, and with perishable 
THE RURAL NEW-/0RKER. 
goods, such as many of those in which our 
friend intends to deal, the last consideration is 
important. A good locatiou. handy to railroad 
or steamer and with the right kind of soil, ex¬ 
posure and labor facilities, either in Maryland 
or Va., would doubtless prove profitable in the 
hands of .the right sort of man ; for, after all, 
more depends on the owner’s character and 
abilities than upon anything else, iu such an 
enterprise undertaken by a man of fair intelli¬ 
gence. Our “Everywhere” has furnished 
mauy hints during the year as to a suitable lo¬ 
cation, 
A. F., Howard, Minn., 1. makes inquiries 
about plants a clip of which is said to have 
beeu iuclosed in the note; 2, a dwarf English 
Clematis which she expected to bloom twice 
each season, has never bloomed, though this 
is its second season, and she wishes to learn the 
cause; 3, must Marechal Niel Rose be a year 
aud a half old before blooming—she has odg 
that must be two years old, yet it has only 
a single flower yet; 4, should it be cut back 
when brought into the house this fall. 
Ans.—1. There were no slips inclosed. 2. 
Clematis, as a general thing, makes very little 
growth the first season. It ought to grow vig¬ 
orously the second. The finer sorts of Clema¬ 
tis upon their own roots are less vigorous than 
if grafted upon strong-growing stocks. We 
would advise that the plant be cut off withiu 
three inches of the ground this fall, aud after 
the first severe frost, or upon the approach of 
settled cold weather, covered with long stable 
litter, two inches deep. 3. Marechal Niel 
Rose should bloom the second year. 4. Yes. 
LI. A. IF-, Kearney, Neb., asks at what time 
the following tree seeds get ripe, and when 
should they be planted and flow : 1, Cotton- 
Wood, Box Elder, Ash. Elm, red aud white, 
Sycamore and Sugar Maple; 2, how should 
seed of the Osage Orange be treated before 
planting; and, 3, where can he get basket 
Willows. 
Ans. —1. Seeds of all the above trees ripen 
variously ; we canuot tell the exact time iu 
the above locality. The seed can be sown im¬ 
mediately after they are gathered or early in 
the spring. Sow in rows uiue inches apart, 
aud from one-half to an inch and a half deep, 
according to the size of the different kinds of 
seed. 2. Soak Osage Orange seed in water a 
couple of days before sowing. 3. Basket Wil¬ 
lows can be obtained, or information fur¬ 
nished as to where they can be had in the 
above section, from any nursery in the neigh¬ 
borhood. 
II. E.. Ont., Canada, 6ays that her tomatoes 
sent by the Rural rotted on the blossom side 
before ripening, aud she asks whether the 
mishap was due to the nature of the soil. 2. 
She has some Weigelas only an inch high, and 
she inquires whether they can withstand the 
winter iu the open air or should they be re¬ 
moved into the cellar. 
Ans. —1. We have had a few similar complaints 
from different sections of the country, which 
6eem to indicate that the charge of causing the 
tomatoes to rot, cauuot justly be laid to the 
soil. It may be that it is caused by some pe¬ 
culiarity in the season, but it seems more rea¬ 
sonable to suppose that it is a teudeucy iu the 
variety. One correspondent states that the 
Acme was grown side by* side with other toma¬ 
toes, aud these were not affected, though the 
Acme was. 2. Weigelas are hardy, and will 
stand the winter perfecily out-of-doors. 
A. W., Soulhold, N. 1'., asks, 1, whether R. 
G. Chase & Co. and D. II. Putty «fe Co., of Ge¬ 
neva, N. Y., are reliable; 2, whether there is a 
better wringer than the Universal; 3, do we 
know anything about the Foster Peach; 4, 
what are Russian Apples. 
Ans. —Chase & Co. are trustworthy nursery¬ 
men ; Patty & Co. we do not know. 2. The 
Universal is a good wringer; 60 is the Peer- 
loss, price $8, which the Rural offers for a 
club of 15 subscribers. S. No. 4. The Rus¬ 
sian Apples were introduced some years ago 
into this country chiefly by the Department of 
Agriculture, and distributed for trial among 
pomologists living mainly in the cold parts of 
the couutry, in order to test their hardiness 
and adaptability to the “cold belt." Duriug 
the last couple of years the Rural has had 
several articles giving the results of these 
experiments, and to these we must refer our 
correspondent; see our Pomological Number. 
Nov. 16, ’78, and issue of July 36, ’79. 
W. T. A., Greenville, Pa asks if the process 
of weaving designs In ribbon is brought to 
6ueb perfection that a name can be put in at 
comparatively little expense. He deals in 
supplies for agricultural fairs, and would like 
a lot of officers’ badges made by weaving in 
the words ••Secretary,” “President," etc. 
Ans.— Badges such as these are made, but 
they will cost much more than if the names 
were printed. A badge of fine quality, six 
inches long, with name or motto weaved iu, 
will cost about 40 cents. For further iufonuu- 
tiou, address the American Silk Label Manu¬ 
facturing Co.. 389 Broome Street, N. Y. 
J. IF 5., Owensboro, Ky., has a horse one 
of whose,velus was cut ou the iuside of the 
leg about two inches above the hoof; the 
wound has healed, but its site is marked by a 
knot, and he asks how the enlargement cau be 
reduced. 
Ans. —The swelling is probably caused by 
infused blood from the vein, or may be a thick¬ 
ening of the tissue caused by inflammation. 
The only method of treatment that would be 
effective and safe is to rub briskly with the 
hand, and apply iodine ointment at the 6ame 
time, rubbing it well in. This may produce 
absorption. If no effect is seen iu two or three 
weeks, it would be best to leave it alone. The 
friction will be the most effective and should ’ 
be gentle and long-continued. 
G. £?.—no address —lias a hen that for some 
time has beeu troubled with a short, quick 
croak or cough, breathing sometimes like a 
person troubled with asthma; otherwise 
she is in good couditiou and eats well, 
and he ^isks her ailment and a remedy there¬ 
for. 
Ans. —The hen has a cough or cold. Take 
of sweet spirits of niter, one ounce; paregoric, 
one ounce. syrup 6quills, one half ounce; mix 
thoroughly and give one half teuspoouful 
t wice a day. In slight attacks, no medicine is 
necessary ; the fowls usually get well in a week 
or two; but iu severer cases give the above as 
directed or oftener. as required. 
A. I). G., Holland , P. 0., Ohio, says that 
millers thereabouts affect to dislike Ulawsou 
wheat, while growers admire it greatly, aud 
he asks what fault it has and whether the mil¬ 
lers’ dislike is real or affected. 
Ans. —Millers object to Clawson because it 
has a large per cent of starch and a low per 
cent of gluten, and being a very soft wheat, it 
is impossible to make first-class flour from it. 
This query and several others with regard to 
wheat and its culture were fully answered in 
various articles in last issue. 
C. A, M., Ly saruler, N. Y., sends plants for 
name. No. 1 is found in swamp places, and 
blooms from the last of June until the middle 
of August; No. 2 is found iu old pastures aud 
by the road-side. 
Ans. —No. 1 seems to be a Desntodium—Tick- 
Trefoil. No. 2, Piuk Root—Spigelia Marylau- 
dieu. Would our friend kindly luruish us with 
other specimens ? The above were so crushed 
that we could uot determine them positively. 
J. II. JCoxsackie. N. Y, asks what vari¬ 
ety of wheat besides the Clawson we would 
advise him to sow this fall, uud where it can 
be had. 
Ans. —For desirable sorts of wheat, see our 
Wheat Number, dated Sept. 13. The various 
sorts cau be generally procured from the large 
seedsmen, such as Thorburn & Co.. 15 John 
street, and Peter Henderson. 35 Cortlandt 
street, R. H. Allen, 189 Water 8t.. this city. 
J. A. IF., Castile, N. Y., asks for some bet¬ 
ter way to cleau the paint off paiut brushes 
than by the use ot hot soap-suds or spirits of 
turpentine. 
Ass.—Thu ingredients of the different paints 
vary considerably, so that certain solvents act 
more effectively on some than ou others; hut 
we do not know of any so generally efficacious 
as spirits of turpentine :—who does? 
R. S. H., Ilailettville, Dei, asks whether 
multiplying pounds sterling by five will give 
correctly their value in American dollars. 
Ans. —No. A year or so ago, Congress en¬ 
acted that the English sovereign, or pound 
sterling, is worth only $4.84 iu American 
money. Multiply the uwnber of pounds ster¬ 
ling, therefore, by 4 84, instead of by 5, to ob¬ 
tain the equivalent sum iu American specie. 
P. S. IF., Newmarket, Fa., asks where and 
to whom he can sell Confederate money aud 
stamps. 
Ans.—W e really do not know. Neither of 
these has uow auy intrinsic value beyond 
that of old paper; and whoever might pur¬ 
chase either would do so out of mere curiosity 
or from a wish to possess specimens among 
his antiquarian treasures. 
J. W. IF., Faotoryville, Pa., wishes to ex¬ 
hibit a sample ol Blount's Prolific corn at the 
local fair, and asks whether his doing so would 
interfere with his competing for one of the 
premiums. 
Ass.—Certainly not; returns, however, must 
be made of the yield of the exhibited corn as 
well as of the rest of it. 
J. A. B., Montreal, Can., sends specimens of 
a shrub for name. 
Ans.— The shrub is Viburnum acerifolium, 
the Maple-leaved Arrow-wood, common in 
rocky woods and hedges. The showy fruit, 
which is now bright crimson, will soon turn 
purple. 
L. A. R., Roselle, N. J., sends a plant which 
is very common iu that locality, and asks for 
its name. 
Ans.— Gerardia tenuifolia. 
Note.— The letter and flower received from 
a correspondent of Republican City, Neb., were 
mislaid. Would ask him to repeat his in¬ 
quiries. 
A Subscriber, Ceres, N. Y., asks where can 
he obtain laud plaster. 
Ans. —Through almost any couutry store, 
♦ 611 
W. A. B., Yorkshire, N. Y., asks where can 
he buy Todd’s Young Farmer's Manual, 3 vols. 
Ans. —Through this office:—price $4.50. 
Communications received fob the week ending 
Saturday, Sept. 13. 
.1. W. 8.—Pioneer—R. R.— R. H. C.-C. T.—“ Ty¬ 
ro”— H. D. R.—D. H.—M. N. N,—H. A.—E. S. W.—. 
J. N.—M. L. S.-L. A. G.—H. A. T—A. M. L.—W 
A. II. — L. A. V. — Eva Edgerton-J. >1.—H. J. S.— 
i) mo its. 
THE FARMERS AND THE RAILROADS. 
J. M. PETERS. 
The influence which the railroads of the 
couutry have hitherto had upon its agricultural 
development,suggests a traiu of possibilities for 
the future, which am worth the consideration 
of those who own or till the soil. Their first 
effect was a division of labor, by making the 
cheap and fertile lauds of the West the great 
grain-growing and sheep-grazing sections, 
while the more costly Eastern farms were re¬ 
stricted chiefly to those branches of farming, 
which required nearness to the most populous 
markets, and which could stand the enhanced 
cost of cultivation resulting from the greater 
value of the farm lands and the more expensive 
labor at the East. Withinadecadevheconstant 
complaint of the Western farmer was, that he 
was able to use the Eastern markets only at 
great cost to himself in freight charges for a 
thousand miles or so of railroad transporta¬ 
tion, and grain was the only considerable pro¬ 
duct upon which lie could afford to pay this 
tax. Latterly the policy of the competing 
lines of railroads connecting the Great Wert 
with tite seaboard, lias beeu such that the 
Western fanner lias beeu able to reud his pro¬ 
ducts a Lhousuud or fifteen huudred miles at 
less cost Ilian the farmer withiu the boundaries 
of New York State could place Lti» goods upon 
the New York market. The result has beeu the 
rapid development of the West and ihe gradual 
decline of farming operations, because of in¬ 
creasing unprofitableness, at the East- 
Much of the agricultural products of the 
West ia, according to the statements of actual 
cost of transportation made by the railroad 
companies themselves, carried at a loss—the 
result of ovei-competition. If this bo the case, 
there is reasou to believe that the rate will ul¬ 
timately be advanced, aud if this advance be 
material, it will reduce the profitableness of 
farming at the West, and increase the chances 
of Eastern competition. On the other hand, 
should tile local rates at the East be brought to 
a basis of equality with the through rates, the 
farmers east of Ihe Ohio will agaiu be iu the 
ascendant iu all branches of their industry ex¬ 
cepting those which are specially adapted to 
the broad fields of unexhausted soil in the sec¬ 
tions of the West, which are constantly becom¬ 
ing more remote. The stability and permanent 
profitableness of American agriculture depend 
upon a system of internal transportation, 
which shall be stable, aud shall overcome geo¬ 
graphical difference? without unjust discrimi¬ 
nations. Otherwise the abnormal development 
of one sectiou of the country at the expense 
of another, must bring periodical disasters 
which will affect our individual and our 
liatioual prosperity. The remedy requires 
something more liberal than grangerism. aDd 
something houester than party politics. I com¬ 
mend the subject to the attention of the free- 
thinking and non-partisan readers of the 
Rural. 
-M-*- 
A CHANGE IN PROFESSORSHIPS 
Prop. Geo. T. Fairchild, who for many 
years has occupied the chair of English Litera¬ 
ture in Michigan State Agricultural College, 
has recently been elected president of Kansas 
Agricultural College. Professor Fairchild is 
an able teacher and manager, and we congrat¬ 
ulate the Kansas College ou choosing so effi¬ 
cient a president, as well as the Professor ou the 
recognition of his abilities. But what is gain 
to the Kansas institution is loss to the college 
iu Michigan. Michigan Agricultural College 
has. ever siuoe its establishment, merited aud 
held the reputation of beiug the best institution 
of its kind in the Union, bur at present it seems 
as though she was destined to be deserted by 
her ablo professors. Only a short time ago 
Professor Iugersoll, who was Prolessor of Ag-. 
riculture, left for Purdue Uuivemiy, Indiana; 
now Professor Fairchild is likely to leave, and 
there have been indications that others of the 
professors might do the same, while Professor 
Shelton, of Kansas, has declined the ch- ir of 
Agriculture, which was offered him in Michi¬ 
gan. \V« hope that the Michigan Legislature 
will take, warning from these fact-- a d iu the 
future make bener provision fur the college. 
This houorable body exhibited their skill as 
financiers by pinching ihe appropriations for 
the college to a pittance. The consequences 
were, that the. State Board of Agriculture were 
obliged to reduce the salaries ol the pro lessors. 
This justly gave rise to some di»siuisf«etiim, 
aud other institution* taking advantage of ihe 
opportunity, have lost no time iu offering 
tlieir professorships to the Michigan nieu. To 
economize in this manner is ol doubtful ad¬ 
vantage to the State. 
