THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
737/ 
crosswise, so that the first time it will cut the 
grass down along one row, and the next time 
it will cut what remained standing between 
the hills, and cover what was cut by the pre¬ 
vious cultivation, making a clean, thorough 
tillage which can be kept up till the corn is 
full-grown, or begins to glaze, as I did ten 
years ago, greatly to the advantage of the crop, 
besides keeping the quack entirely out of sight. 
This treatment gives the corn a little more cul- 
vation than it would be likely to get on clean 
soil, but no more than will prove profitable. 
The more quack, the more hoeing; the more 
hoeing, the more corn; the more corn, the 
greater profit. The corn stubble should be 
plowed and cultivated before winter, and the 
next year planted again to a hoed crop, so as to 
afford an opportunity to watch for and destroy 
any quack that may perchance have outlived 
the previous treatment. This time I prefer to 
plant the ground with potatoes, with rows 
both ways; for then I can do most of the tilling 
and hilling with the shovel-plow, seldom 
having to use the hoe at all, while securing a 
very clean culture and completely eradicating 
the pestiferous quack. 
Genesee Co., N. Y. 
-- 
THE HIGHWAY LAWS OF N. Y. STATE. 
I do not think that any State in the Union 
has better highway laws than New York. We 
have a very good Act prohibiting cattle occu¬ 
pying the highway, except as they are driven 
along it. This statute enables farmers to dis¬ 
pense with fences along the roadsides, to grade 
these and cultivate their lands to the edge of 
the road bed, it they wish. They can do this 
with safety; for, iuastnuch as they are obliged 
to take proper care of their own stock, so they 
have the means of compelling others to do the 
same with theirs. Now, if farmers would 
generally adopt this course with their road 
fences, their wealth would be materially in¬ 
creased, the appearance of their farms be im¬ 
proved and the roads be much more passable 
in winter. In St. Lawrence county, for a larger 
portion of last winter, the roads were through 
the fields. Why ? Simply because the road 
fences, not more lhan three rods apart on most 
of the roads, and five or six rails high, caused 
the snow to lodge in such quantities that nearly 
all roads were Impassable. I do not think that 
this would be the case if farmers could see the 
propriety of dispensing with their road fences. 
Not the least benefit intended to bo conferred by 
the statute, is that of avoidiug the outlay for 
keeping up these road fences. It is in all cases 
a useless expense. 
Another and later statute has also failed to 
accomplish the same end of improving the 
roads in winter. This Act provides that on 
highways liable to drift, farmers may lay down 
their fences in fall, and may commute their 
next season's road work to the extent of the 
time thus spent. X have never known of a 
farmer who availed himself of this privilege. 
In the face of these two statutes, our roads 
continue to be impassable winter after winter. 
Still another statute that aims as strongly at 
improvement, provides that tax-payers may 
commute their road tax for the succeeding 
year by settiug out certain varieties of trees 
along the highway. Few farmers, as near as I 
can learn, avail themselves of this opportunity 
of improving their farms. 
It is not fair to attribute disregard of the 
statutes, I have mentioned, to anything but 
ignorance of their existence. I have discussed 
the merits of these statutes with farmers who 
are eminently practical, and the provisions 
therein contained meet their heartiest approba¬ 
tion. I think it would be well to bring the 
matter home to tho farmers throughout the 
Stale,and more especially to road commission¬ 
ers aud overseers. I think a general discus¬ 
sion of the subject pro aud con. would not be 
without a good effect. There arc, of course, 
arguments,I do not kuow how strong they may 
be, against these statutes. I think, however, 
that the subject will boar thorough discussion, 
aud that the statutes referred to, are fully able 
to stand on their own merits. 
St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. V. K. Moreland. 
plural 3irdjitctturt, 
IMPROVED HOUSE PLANS. 
A subscriber to the Rural furnishes us the 
accompanying house plaus about which he 
writes: “In a previous issue you published 
plans aud elevation of a cottage that pleased 
me very much, but in studying tho internal 
arrangements, I discovered several defects, 
which a friend and practical builder has un¬ 
dertaken to remedy in the plaus herewith pre¬ 
sented. The improvement can be made without 
any iucrease in the cost. 
The kitchen, (see first story) is 15 by 13 feet. 
The flue from the range is carried oyer to the 
chimney in the dining-room, as indicated by 
the arrow and under the private stairs which 
are shown by dotted lineB over the fire-place, 
and the breast over the range is carried up to 
the ceiling. 
On the second floor, the chambers are sill 
private and easy of access from the kitchen or 
main hall. The bath-room is placed over the 
pantry, making close connection with pump 
and boiler, and can be reached from any cham¬ 
ber without passing through another. The 
as a window plant, requiring no care beyond 
keeping the bucket full of water. w. f. 
- 
Extirpation of Weeds. 
The distribution of weeds by purchasing 
wheat, rye, oats, barley and corn from weedy 
sections of country for seeding purposes, is 
probably far greater than that caused by any 
first story. 
situations and proportional dimensions of all 
rooms and closets, are so plainly indicated ou 
the plans that they will need no further expla¬ 
nation.” e. w. 
UfoccllaECOiis. 
A PRETTY LITTLE WATER PLANT. 
In one of our greenhouses we have a small 
wash-tub filled with water, aud in it are grow¬ 
ing half a dozen plants of Apouogeton dis- 
tachyon—a little aquatic from South Africa— 
in as many four-inch pots. Since October 
twelvemonth, until late in summer, these 
plants bore uninterruptedly their conspicuous 
white and fragrant blossoms. The leaves are 
oblong, on loug stalks, and float on the surface 
of the water; the flowers rise an inch or two 
above it. About the middle of last September, 
a year ago, we got these plants from Kew, 
England ; their corms were done up in damp 
moss packed in a small tin box which came by 
mail LTsing a compost of chopped spbagtmm- 
mos6 and fibrous old sod, a little leaf soil and 
sharp 6and, I planted each “ root" or conn in 
a three-inch pot and submerged them a finger- 
length in the tub of water. Right-away they 
neglect to kill weeds at home. As it is esti¬ 
mated that weeds absorb one-half of the ferti¬ 
lizers used, besides smothering the crops, their 
extermination becomes of paramount impor¬ 
tance. Good, clean seed and clean culture will 
soon put even a poor farm on its feet. Every 
farmer should grow on a specially prepared 
field all the seed he wants to sow, and care in 
weeding and in cleaning the seed, combined 
with a close cultivation, cannot fail to improve 
the quality, quantity and price obtained, as 
well as to reduce the labor of production. 
The spending of a few dollars in sieves of 
meshes suitable to pass weed seeds through, 
while holding the largest and plumpest crop 
seeds back, is all that is necessary, s. R. m. 
WHAT OTHERS SAY. 
Frequent Milking. —In favor of frequent 
milking L'Industrie Lailiere reports that in 
an an experiment with three milkings a day 
for eleven days, a cow gave 170 quarts of milk. 
With two milkings the same cow gave ouly 146 
quarts in the same number of days. Moreover, 
analysis showed that the milk in the first case 
was richer in butter globules than that in the 
second case in the proportion of 4. 1 to 3. 5. 
Observations with similar results have oiteu 
l been made in this country. The fact is well 
started to grow—leaves and flowers coming 
together. This little beauty should be grown 
in shallow water, and is hardy if the roots 
are beyond the reach of ice. But, like 
most African plants, it is essentially a winter- 
bloomer ; and, as a pot plant in a bucket of 
water, it thrives robustly, aud blooms freely 
established that the shorter the time the milk 
remains in the udder, the greater the quantity 
and the richer in butter, the wasting away of 
fats being less and the aggregate secretion more 
copious. The owner of the Whitestown herd 
of XIolsteins finds it a paying practice to milk 
three times a day. 
fnimstrial Jmplmrats, 
FLOUR, CORN AND FEED MILLS. 
The Nordyke and Marmon Company of In¬ 
dianapolis, Ind., is one of the largest corpora¬ 
tions in the country engaged in the production 
of milling machinery and appurtenances. We 
have chosen for illustration two of their mills, 
showing the horizontal and vertical styles. 
Without entering into technical details (which 
will be freely supplied on application to the 
company), we may say that these mills are 
perfectly adapted to the work required of 
them. Especially is the extremest care used 
in the selection of buhr-stones with a view to 
securing evenness of texture and perfect grind¬ 
ing surfaces. The firm have now in operation 
over two thousand of their mills, which is a 
satisfactory proof of merit. We have often 
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- 
expressed our belief that a good mill is a ne¬ 
cessity on the farm, and it is a question simply 
of cost with the farmer. We think he can 
easily demonstrate the saving and profit to be 
reaped by grinding feed, if he gives the ques¬ 
tion careful consideration. 
The Birdsell Manufacturing Company of 
South Bend, Ind., have just finished their new 
office. This new building is situated opposite 
their clover thrasher and halier shops on 
Columbia street. It is a handsome brick build¬ 
ing, 33 feet square, with projections front and 
rear. The main office is handsomely frescoed 
and finished off in black-walnut, ash and 
cherry. The desks are French walnut with 
ground French glass fronts. It makes one of 
the finest agricultural implement manufactur¬ 
ing offices in the country. The Birdsell Manu¬ 
facturing Company have done a very large 
business this seasou, finding it hard work to 
fill the constantly increasing orders for their 
celebrated “ Monitor” clover hullers and 
thrashers. 
--- 
In our report of the Pennsylvania State fair, 
while mentioning that the firm of Nichols, 
Shepard & Co. had on exhibition an engine of 
very superior workmanship, and one of their 
well-knowu “Vibrator” separators, we did not 
add an item equally important, to wit, that 
the engine was awarded a first premium. Sub¬ 
sequently, at the Delaware State fair, at Dover, 
both engine and separator were awarded a 
diploma, which will of course go back to Bat¬ 
tle Creek, but the engine and separator will 
remain in the State, having been sold to enter¬ 
prising men, who will show the Delawareans 
splendid results next season. 
-►*-«- 
The six-days' bicycle race, which took place 
at Agricultural Hall, Islington, England, dur¬ 
ing the first week of September, resulted in a 
victory for the present champion long-distance 
rider, Mr, Waller, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 
who obtained the lead at midday of Monday, 
and held it until the close of the contest, win¬ 
ning the belt, valued at £100, and £135 in 
money. He totally eclipsed all his previous 
performances, beiug credited with the remark¬ 
able record of 1,404 miles, 6 laps. The attend¬ 
ance was large and enthusiastic, especially on 
the last day, when 10,000 persons were present. 
- »» ♦ 
P. K. Dederick & Co. have finished two 
railway hay-baling establishments for Colo¬ 
rado. These establishments consist of a rail¬ 
road car forty feet long and containing a steam 
engine aud perpetual hay press. The work is all 
done in the ear, which is moved from station to 
station, according to requirements. There are 
also accommodations for the workmen to live 
and sleep in the car. They have also just 
I finished a handsome cotton ginning and press- 
I ng establishment on the same principle 
