NOV. 6 
specified as allowable, shall be considered as 
mail matter of the first class and, as Boch, be 
charged with letter postage. According to the 
classification of mail matter as now arranged, 
the third class consists of books and other 
printed matter, while the fourth class comprises 
all that may be denominated merchandise in a 
general term, which would include fruits, plants 
and the like, as mentioned by our correspondent. 
In regard to the writing that ruay be conveyed 
in packages of this class, the law, according 
to the Act of March 3, 1879, section 231, reads 
as follows: "Upon any package of matter 
of the fourth class, the sender may write or 
print his own name and address preceded by 
the word "From.” and there may also be 
written or printed the number or names of the 
articles included; and the sender thereof may 
write or print upon, or attach to any such 
articles by tag or label, a mark, number, name 
or letter for purpose of identification." Ac¬ 
cording to ibis, then, the sender can write the 
name of, and attach it to, each article in the 
package, and on the outside of the package 
he can write his own name and address, 
preceding it with the word ** From," which is 
all that is necessary. Should he add anything 
beyond what is hero made allowable, it is the 
duty of the postmaster to charge letter postage. 
Wintering Bees. 
F. ESouth Jefferson, N. Y., a6ks, 1, at 
what time bees should be taken into the cel¬ 
lar ; 2. also if the hives should be left on the 
bottom boarde and the entrance closed; 3d, 
if hives are left on the summer stands, ehould 
they be closed to keep the bees off the snow. 
Ans. —1, The bees ehould be removed to their 
winter-quarters on the approach of cold 
weather, which, of course, will vary with the 
latitude. For Central New York, the beginning 
of November will generally be time enough. 
2, The hives should remain on their bottom 
hoards at all times, though it is conveuient to 
have the latter loose for purposes of cleaning, 
transferring, etc. The entrance ehould be 
dosed against mice and also to keep the bees 
in, but not so as to exclude the air. A piece of 
wire-gauze, or a piece of tin perforated with 
small holes, tacked over the entrance will 
answer the purpose well. 3d, If the hives are 
left ou the summer stands and well protected 
against the weather, it is not necessary to 
close the entrance to prevent the bees from fly¬ 
ing out on the snow; on the other hand, it is 
preferable that they should be permitted to fly 
when needed, which can be done by lettiDg a 
wooden tube lead from the entrance to the out¬ 
side of the covering. Were the hives to be left 
uncovered, it would be necessary to close the 
entrance, as the sun might raise the temper¬ 
ature within and excite the bees to fly when it 
was yet too chilly for them outside; but in 
hives properly covered, the temperatnre will 
not be subject to such fluctuations, and the 
bees will venture out only on warm days. But 
though it is desirable in this case to allow a 
passage for the bees, the entrances should, 
nevertheless, be closed against mice. To effect 
this: tack a piece of tiu over the opening so that 
the lower edge of it is one-quarter of an inch 
from the bottom board; this will allow a pas¬ 
sage for tho bees and still exclude the mice. 
For the method of packiug the hives, sec 
Apiarian in Rural for October 25th. 
Bone Fertilisers, etc. 
J. M. G., Tulahonia, Temi .. asks 1, whether 
bones simply burned will make a good dura¬ 
ble fertilizer; 2, which is the more valuable 
for fertilizing purposes—bone Hour or hen 
manure; 3, where can he obtain tho Gipsy 
wheat illustrated and described in the Rural 
for Oct. 25. 
Ans.—B urnt bones retain all their fertilizing 
ingredients except from two to four per cent 
of nitrogen they contain in the raw state. As 
bones are used chiefly for the phosphoric acid 
they contain, the loss of this small percent¬ 
age of nitrogen, is counterbalanced by the 
great ease with which they are reduced to 
powder, so as to be readily available as plant 
food. To reduce bones to this condition on 
a larm, It Is doubtful if there is any better 
means than burning them. If desirable the 
email loss of nitrogen can be readily made 
good by supplementing the pulverized bones 
with a small proportion of guauo, blood, or 
.some other nitrogenous fertilizer. 2. Bono 
dust isior most crops a more valuable fertiliz¬ 
er than hen manure, although the latter will 
often have a more powerful effect on the first 
crop, but the former is more lasting in Us 
effects, lien manure, however, is rich iu ni¬ 
trogen ; bone dust, in phosphoric acid, so that 
where cither of these ingredients of a complete 
fertilizer is deficient in the soil, that form of 
fertilizer that contains the most of what is 
lacking, will generally have the best effect. 
3. We do not know. 
The 1’nrndUc Stock. 
J. F., Brantford , Canada, wants to know 
what is the Paradise stock spoken of in a 
recent Rural, as a suitable stock on which to 
graft other Apples. 
Ans.— Tho Paradise Apple is a distinct spe¬ 
cies of Apple, Pyrus Malus prwcox. Its home 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
is in Russia, and from there it has been spread 
to all parts of the world wherever pomology 
is recognized as an industry. It is very 
dwarfed in its growth, and is therefore admir¬ 
ably fitted for stocks on which to graft dwarf 
apple trees. One American author asserts 
that the tree never grows more than three or 
four feet in hight; wc have, however, many 
times picked apples, in Europe, from Paradise 
trees 10 to 12 feet in hight. The fruit is poor, 
small, oblong, sweet witii a touch of bitter, 
and ripens very early. We have never known 
a tree to send up a single straight trunk from 
the root, but always a number of branches, 
of which one or two wore slightly stronger 
than the others. From this characteristic it 
is properly a shrub, and not a tree. In 
Europe, where dwarf trees are in high favor, 
it is used extensively as a stock, aud its use 
here for the same purpose is increasing. 
MiacetlaneouH. 
A. C. W., no adiiress, asks, 1, for a descrip¬ 
tion of the Hoope Apple; 2, what is the origin 
of the grub worm; 3, who manufactures self¬ 
binding reaping machines ; 4, when were they 
first introduced to the public, and by whom. 
Ans. —1, Wc presume our correspondent 
means the noopes, also called the Hopsey, but 
more commonly known as Grey House. Ac¬ 
cording to Downing, it is supposed to have 
originated in N'ew Jersey. It lias been long 
grown and is highly valued for cider-making. 
Tree, a strong, erect grower, aud productive. 
Fruit medium, oblate, nearly globular, dnll- 
red, with faint stripes. Flesh firm and dry, 
poor in quality. A long keeper. 2, We are 
not sure that we know what is meant by the 
grub-worm. "Grub” is the general term ap¬ 
plied to the larva of a beetle, and grub-worm 
may therefore with equal propriety bo ap- 
aplied to thousands of species. If the white, 
fat pest is mcaut that is so injurious to pota¬ 
toes, corn and the roots of other crops, then 
it is the larva of tho June-bug or Dor-bng, 
Lachnostcrna fnsca. 3. Self-binding reapers are 
manufactured by the Walter A. Wood M. A R. 
Co., Hoosick FallB, N. Y.; by D. M. Osborne 
& Co., Auburn, N. Y ; Johnston Havcstcr Co. 
Brockport. N. Y; C. Aultman A Co., Cantou 
Ohio. The self-binding reaper was invented by 
Mr. Locke, and first made and sold by Walter 
A. Wood named above, who introduced it in 
1876. 
E.J.B., Croton, N. Y. inquires what can 
be the probable cause of the uutbriftiness of 
a variegated Ivy which hgs only grown four 
inches in two years. He has noticed, how¬ 
ever, that the leaves and stem arc covered 
with a scaly insccl similar to the bark louse 
of the apple tree. 
Ans.— The plant is choked with scales. Wash 
every part of the leaves aud stem iu strong 
soap-suds to which has been added a little 
carbolic acid, aud when the scales are all re¬ 
moved, sponge off tho plant in clean water. 
Tho variegated varieties are not vigorous 
growers, though they are in good health. 
IF. E. M., North Branch, Lapeer Co., Mich., 
asks if we know of auy illustrated work on 
lawn planting. 
Ans. —F. J. Scott's Landscape Gardening is a 
very beautiful work. Downing's Landscape 
Gardening is also excellent, it costs about $6.50. 
Kemp's Landscape Gardening is a smaller 
work, but very good. Any bookseller can sup¬ 
ply or procure cither work. 
B. I). N. Sherburne, N. I'., asks what is 
Uncle Mark's address. 
Ans. — “Unde Mark” Rural New-Yorker, 
78 Duane St. 
Communications received for the week ending 
Saturday, Nov. l. 
E. J. F. B.—A. C. H.—W. B. D.—G. P. V. D.—W.— 
J. H. C.—It. V,—T. I. B., thanks—Clara—T. T. L., 
thanks—it, R.—L. J. T., (Kansas)—G. li.—A. E. 
II., thanks-J. E. T.—W. S. H.—W. 51. N T _J. G. It. 
—T. B. G.-G. L. G.—H. 8. W.—W. H. N.—W. E* 
M.-W. I. C.—E. J. B.—II. A. W.—Mrs. It. 
F.—W. P. S.—S. J. B.—T. G. B.—J. P.—J. W. S.- 
J. 51. U.— J. II.—P. 8.—A. L. H.—N, it. O.—T. II. 
M.—B. SR. N. B.—B. D. 51.—J. S.-O. R. W.— 
C. B.—II. J. S., thanks—51. E. T.—C. G.—51. L.— 
8.0., many thanks.—A. J. R.—L. E. K. T.—C. & 
B. —E. E.—B. G. J.—51. W.—F. D. C.—II. S. 
Various, 
CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL EXPERI¬ 
MENT STATION. 
Bulletin 31.—Oct. 17, 1879. 
Analyse* of Hay. 
Samples of hay from A. J. Coe, West Meri¬ 
den, received Juno 27, 1879: 
LXL—Cut May 30, from dry upland, gravel¬ 
ly loam. Seeded with blue grass, white clover, 
timothy aud red-top and mown three years. 
LXII.—Cut June 5, from dry upland. Seeded 
with red clover and timothy and mown two 
years. 
LIX.—Cut June 17, from dry upland. Seeded 
with timothy aud red-top and mown throe 
years. 
LX III.—Cut June J.8, from moderately dry 
irrigated intervale. Seeded with timothy and 
red-top and mowu four years. 
LX.—Timothy. Cut June 23, from meadow 
never plowed. The growth was very rank, 
the stalks averaging 4—44 feet high. 
The water contents of these hays when re¬ 
ceived at the laboratoiy was as follows : 
Per cent. 
LX 1.13.42 
LXII ....IS.R8 
LIX.14.7c 
Per cent. 
LXTTI.17.91 
LX.16.77 
To render the results comparable with other 
analyses on record, they are all reckoned on a 
water content of fourteen and three-tenths 
per cent. For comparison, are given Wolff’s 
averages of German hay from “Menzel A I.en- 
gerke's kalendar " for 1879. See also report of 
this station for 1878, page 57. 
Classified according to tho results of German 
analyses theso five samples would rank : LXI 
as “extra,” LXII as "very good,” LXII I as 
“ bettor,” and LIX aud LX as “ inferior." 
They were sent bj r Mr. Coe as samples of 
early-cut hay and it will bo observed that, with 
one exception, the quality deteriorates with 
age. It is an undoubted fact that early-cut 
hay is, in general, superior iu quality to late- 
cut, other things being equal, but while some 
of tho variations of the above samples must be 
attributed to this cause, they are probably 
also caused in part by differences in soil, ma¬ 
nuring, species of grass, etc. Very likely tho 
high percentage of albuminoids in LXI ancl 
LXII is to some extent to be attributed to tho 
clover which they contain, though the low per¬ 
centage of fiber, especially in LX I, shows that 
the vegetation was still immature. 
Iu comparing the results of theso analyses 
with those previously made ut this statiou (see 
Bulletin 23), wc should consider separately 
those containing clover, and thoso free from 
it. To the former class belong XLVIII, LIT, of 
Bulletin 23, LXI, LX II, and of these the two lat¬ 
ter, cut about the first of June, show a decided 
superiority, both as regards albuminoids and 
fiber, over the two former cut respectively iu 
July aud August. It is to be remarked, how¬ 
ever, that ecarse aud rank grass, like LIT, is 
generally woody and poor in albuminoids, as 
is well illustrated by' LX. 
Of those samples containing uo clover, viz.: 
XLIX, L, LI, LIU, LYIl,LYIU. LIX.LXIIiand 
LX, tho earlier cut ones reported in this Bul¬ 
letin, 6how a slight superiority as regards al¬ 
buminoids over the later cut ones loimerly 
reported, but none of them are equal to the 
average Germau hay as giveu by Wolff. From 
all the analyses thus far made it would appear 
that oiir hays as ordinarily met with are of a 
coarser aud more woody quality than those of 
Germany and Austria. Whether tb is difference 
is due to soil, climate or the kind of grasses 
grown, would bo an interesting point to deter¬ 
mine. 
In three of the above samples an attempt has 
been made to separate the true albunUuoids 
from the non-albnminoid nitrogenous Hint 
tors. The albuminoids were determined by 
four different methods, with concordant re¬ 
sults, as follows : 
Total 
Nitrogenous Matter. Albuminoids. 
Per cent. Per cent. 
EXT.14.42.11.41 
LIX. 7,85 . 7.12 
LX . 4.84.... 3,'JO 
These results show that a not inconsiderable 
part of the so-called albuminoids in these 
samples consists, in fact, of substances whose 
nutritive value is much less. At the same 
time the differences are not nearly as large as 
those which have been obtained by various 
German observers and may possibly indicate 
that our apparently poorer hays contain 
relatively as much true albuminoids as the 
seemingly better Gorman ones. The nature of 
the non-albuminoid nitrogenous matter is still 
under investigation. 
This bulletin has been prepared at my re¬ 
quest by Dr. Artnsby, chemist to the station. 
8. W. Johnson, Director. 
A PROFITABLE SHEEP ACCOUNT. 
In view of the increasing interest felt in 
sheep, we send the following to remove, if 
possible, tho doubts of some who may not be¬ 
lieve sheep raising to be a profitable business. 
In the first place, we wish it understood that 
the flock from which the account was taken 
were not fancy sheep; for they are nothing 
more than what any intelligent fanner might 
possess; that is, good cross-breeds. Secondly, 
we do not write this as au advertisement, for 
wo say plainly that we have uo sheep to sell, 
and we contemplate purchasing instead. The 
lambs from the flock were from a pure South- 
Down buck. The buck lambs were sold to 
butchers by the pound, the ewe lambs were 
kept and are valued at five dollars each, which 
is less than the price for which they could be 
bought. Tho following is the account. 
18 Ewes, (3$5. $90.1,6 
One South-Down buck. 26.00 
$115.00 
Cr. 
18 Ewes. each. $90.«) 
One South-Down buck. 26.00 
I I Buck lambs, 1,006 pounds (56 cts. per lb. 50.30 
10 Ewe lambs, (®$a each. 50.00 
85 pounds ol wool, 33 cents per pound. 28.06 
$243.35 
115.00 
$128.35 
The ewe lambs are worth the same as their 
dams, as wo used a thoroughbred buck, which 
improved them. Tho 18 ewes consisted of five 
yearlings (two of which were barren) and the 
remaining 13 were two, three and fonr-ycar-old 
breeding ewes. There were 25 lambs—nioe 
pairs of twins. We lost one by accident, some 
of the buck lambs wero sold at the age of 
three and a half months. They simply had 
good care—no petting. The 18 sheep could be 
kept on the same feed that would bo required 
for two cows, aud they would not require more 
than a quarter as much care. By the way, we 
think it worth mentioning that wc had the 
curiosity to weigh one of the lambs iu the 
spring, and it weighed 55 pounds when 52 days 
old. Can you beat that ? 
Saratoga Co., N. Y. Abel Hoyt & Son. 
—--*-*■•*- 
SHELTERING SHEEP. 
I think that Col. Curtis in his article on the 
proper caro of long-woolcd sheep iu the Rural 
of Oct., 25, has exaggerated a trifle with regard 
to the necessity for sheltering them, etc. I was 
raised on the Cotswold Hills ; my father had 
a flock of about 450 sheep. After I loft him 
aud started on my owd account, I had a flock of 
about 700, and farmers in all that part of Glou¬ 
cestershire had flocks ranging from 300 to SCO, 
in a few instances to as many as 1,000. I have 
helped the shepherd in his care of his charge, 
generally getting wet once or twice a week 
and sometimes it would rain for days together, 
yet none of those sheep w as ever sheltered, ex¬ 
cept the ewes for one month and then only in 
a yard. The wool of tho tegs etc., however, 
was so long and dense that I don't believe it 
often got wet through, and the animals were 
so thriving that they never seemed to mind 
the exposure. They would cat about 20 to 25 
pounds of cut swedes per day along with their 
hay and would weigh 80 to 100 pounds, dressed, 
aud cut from eight to ten pounds of wool. 
Those having barley, peas or oil-cake would 
weigh from 100 to 120 pounds and cut from 12 
to 14 pounds of wool. These would be about 
14 months old. It is the keepiug of sheep too 
warm and dry that makes them tender. In 
the Northern States, however. I concede that 
sheep require shelter in winter. 
By the way, I allow that the Rural was 
right in its remarks on my communication 
published iu the issue of Aug. 33. with refer¬ 
ence to the depressed condition of English 
agriculture. Later information convinces me 
that the plight of the Bristish farmer is much 
worse than I was then aware of. g. g. 
Orange Co., X. Y. 
- . 
Tub Black-faced Scotch Sheep, the old¬ 
est breed in Scotland, are very muscular, 
active and extremely hardy, able to endure 
the privations incident to a life of continual 
exposure upon the bleak ami storm-beaten 
mountains. In storms they instinctively herd 
together, and, although completely buried in 
a snow-drift, will manage to push the snow 
from their bodies aud form a cave over them, 
Iu which they will live on what scanty herbage 
may be within their reach, until help comes. 
Thus buried, they have managed to live two or 
three weeks bvforo they have been found and 
extricated. 
