cept for early table use, the large]- dent var¬ 
ieties yielding better. The peas aud beaus did 
well. Corn is worth 40 cents; wheat Ode to 
*1: oats, 35 cents; hogs, 3}£c. per pound: cat¬ 
tle. \% to 3c; butter, 15c.; eggs, 17c.; other 
things low. About the usual area sown to 
wheat; looks well. w. c. d. 
\ ermonl. 
Bakerfikld, Franklin Co., Jan. 2.—The 
past year was rather cool for some crops, es¬ 
pecially corn, squash, cucumbers, etc., but uni¬ 
corn was a fair crop. The vine crops were 
rather poor; but the potato, oats and wheat 
crops were good. Produce is selling very low. 
Butter. 15c. to 18c.; potatoes, 35c.; oats, lc. a 
pound; pork, 5 ! .,c.: l«?of. 5c.; apples, *1.50 
pel- barrel; hay. *12; old cows, from §5 to *10. 
The Rural corn did not ripen. The R, N.-Y. 
peas are two weeks earlier than any grown 
around here. Flageolet beans arc truly won¬ 
derful. N. o. s. 
Wisconsin. 
Franklin, Milwaukee Co., Dec. 31.—The 
Rural Union Corn (1884) is a very remarkable 
variety; it is the best corn I have ever seen; 
very large kernels. Everybody who sees it 
must have an ear, so I have put it away aud 
do not show it. The Diehl-MediteiTanoan 
Wheat stood the Winter very well, when my 
other wheat, within a roil of it. was all win¬ 
ter-killed; yield one quart. The Thousand-fold 
Rye was splendid; .yield three quarts. The 
Welcome oats 1 lost by brcachy stock. The 
Garden Treasures gave good "satisfaction— 
but that is the women’s department in my 
household. R- »• 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
anil address of die writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see If It is not answered in 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time.] _ 
SWINE PLAGUE, HOG CHOLERA. 
./. AT., Beattie , Kans .—What will stop the 
cough in my hogs: They will lie in piles and 
shiver as though freezing, and when driven 
off, they will cough very hard. They lose 
appetite, and die in two or three weeks. On 
openiug them, 1 find the greater part of the 
lungs decayed in some, while the lungs of others 
are badly congested. 
ANSWERED BY K. L. KtLBORNE. 
Your hogs are evidently dying of swine 
plague, aud that form of the disease in which 
the lungs are the seat of extensive lesious. 
The lung-worms—Strougylus paradoxus—are 
generally considered to be harmless to swine, 
while t heir absence iu some cases would show 
that they were not the cause of death iu the 
present c-ase, aud only incidental when they do 
occur. It would be well to examine the in¬ 
terior of the large intestines, especially the 
coBCum or blind pouch, aud about the ilio- 
coecal valve, where the small intestines join 
the large, aud if ulceration is found, or in 
recent acute eases only deep reddening of the 
mucous membrane, the disease is swine-plague. 
Treatment of the sick animals is very unsatis¬ 
factory. as well as unprofitable, except per¬ 
haps in the case of very valuable breeding 
stock. They remain so long unthrifty, usually 
from several months to a year or more, that it 
is better to kill all diseased animals at once, 
aud direct the attention to preventive measures 
to check the further spreading of the disease. 
Separate the healthy from the sick, aud re¬ 
move them at. least several rods away to wind¬ 
ward, if possible. Feed twice daily in the food 
of each animal one year old anil older, 20 drops 
of sulphuric aeid and one-hall’ dram of sulphate 
of irou. Pigs three months old may receive 
one-eighth, and those six mouths old, one- 
fourth of this amount. If treatment of the 
sick animals is desirable, they may receive the 
same dose. Watch the healthy animals daily, 
and remove any showing the first signs of ill¬ 
ness. Any pen not yet infected, and all now 
arrivals, should be very carefully guarded, so 
that dogs, rats, fowls, or other small animals 
cannot pass from the sick to the healthy. If 
possible, have a special attendant to care for 
the healthy animals; otherwise always care 
for the healt hy tirst aud the sick last, and then 
do not go near the healthy again until neces¬ 
sary to feed. Give special attention to the 
hygienic surroundings of the animals: the pen 
should be clean and comfortable; the food 
wholesome. It is better not to allow the 
animals the run of a yard, because of the 
difficulty of disinfecting it. All dead animals 
and their products should be deeply buried or 
burned. Disinfect all infected pens as well as 
everything else with which the sick animals 
have come in contact, with u two-per-cent, 
solution of sulphuric acid, one-half pint of the 
troug acid to each three gallons of water, 
BEANS, OATS AND BARLEY; PEAS. 
J. C. S ., York, Pa,— 1. What kind of beans 
are most profitable for field culture, aud what 
is the average yield per acre: 2, Would you 
recommend oats or barley as the most profit¬ 
able crop? 8. What is an average yield of 
peas grown as a field crop? 
Ans. —1. There are five varieties of beans 
that are grown as field crops—the Medium, 
the Pea or Navy, the Marrow and the Red 
and White Kidneys. There is more fluctuation 
in the price of Red Kidneys than in that of 
any other, and when grown at such a time as 
to strike the market at the top, there is plenty 
of money in a crop of them. The same is true, 
to a limited extent, of the White Kidney, and 
to a still less extent of the Marrow. The 
Medium is the great staple bean of the mar¬ 
kets, aud has the most uniform sale, and we 
think it is, all things considered, the best bean 
to tie to as a field bean. Its yield varies much 
with the soil aud season, and will run from 10 
up to 40 bushels under the most favorable cir¬ 
cumstances. Contrary to the opinion that 
any land is rich enough for beans, they respond 
always to manure and rich land. 2. Whether 
we would grow oats or barley, would depend 
upon soil and markets. A light, sandy soil 
that, made rich, would grow 75 or 80 bushels 
of oats iter acre, probably would not grow 2U 
bushels of barley, and that of lightweight; 
while a heavy clay loam, wdH enriched, will 
grow almost as many bushels of barley as of 
oats (a great mauy more pounds). We have 
raised on the Western N. Y. Farm over 73 
bushels of Manshury Barley iter acre. The 
safe way is to try an acre or two; you would 
then know just which your land was adapted 
to. 3. From 12 to 40 or more, the yield de¬ 
pending upon the soil, its richness, and much 
on the season. 
GYPSYM. 
.V. L. H.,Flora Vista, .V. M .—I am desirous 
of gardening here, and manure is hard to get, 
but we have an abundance of white gypsum— 
a compact, earthy substance—aud I would 
like to ask; 1. Ls this class of gypsum of as 
much value as a fertilizer as manure? 2. 
Should it be mixed-with the soil or used on 
the surface? 3. In what quantities can it be 
used4. Is not such gypsum a valuable arti¬ 
cle of commerce, and how much Ls it worth in. 
Eastern markets' 
Ans.— 1. We are half inclined to doubt its 
being gypsum at all. We have seen large 
quantities of a similar substance in Southern 
New Mexico, which was a sort of marl, if so. 
it is worth more as a manure than gypsum. 
But gypsum is not worth a tithe as much for 
manuriul purposes as stable manure. It only 
pays on certain soils and certain crops, and 
no one cau tell whether it will pay or not ex¬ 
cept by actual trial. 2. Gypsum pays best 
used as a top-dressing aud applied wheu the 
oro)i is iu active growth. 8. It. is usually ap¬ 
plied at the rate of about 100 pounds per aero, 
which pays about as well as more. 4. Gyp¬ 
sum is used quite largely in the East, aud is 
worth from *3 to *8 per ton ground ready for 
use. The gypsum here is found in the rock 
form, sometimes in large boulders and at 
others iu compact ledges. It is broken up and 
ground to a very tine powder, in mills similar 
to grain-grinding mills. 
EARLESS CORN-STALKS. 
A. F.,114 E. 52d it.. New York city .—Why 
do mauy stalks of corn which grow rank aud 
strong and of full bight have tassels but uo 
ears? 
Ans.— There is no mystery in this. Corn, 
like many plants, has its male aud female 
blossoms on separate parts ami sometimes on 
separate plants. The ear is made up of a cob 
on which are arranged the female blossoms, 
one for each kernel, aud the silk is the pistil, 
which must receive the impregnating influ¬ 
ence of the pollen in order to have the grain 
develop. The pollen is borne on the tassel, 
w hich contains the male flowers from which 
it is shed. In all fields some stalks bear 
only tassels and uo show of ears whatever, 
being male plants, called by the farmers “suc¬ 
kers,'’ aud unless cut out or at least unless 
the tassel is cut oil’ before shedding the pollen, 
the tendency is for these to increase. The 
best way to raise seed corn is to select a part 
of the field and from this, as soon as the tas¬ 
sels appear and before they shed their pollen, 
cut the tassets, not only from the male plants 
but from every plant, that has uot two or more 
well developed embryo ears. In this way the 
male parent of every kernel selected as seed 
for the next crop, will be a two-ear-bearing 
stalk. And, as like begets like, this has an 
effect on the succeeding crops. 
TREATMENT OK A BEACH ORCHARD. 
J. T. K., Hickory ?—1. Should a five-year- 
old peach orchard be cultivated every year .' 
2. Flow should the trees be trimmed and when? 
3, Would it be well to top-dress the orchard 
with stable manure? 4. Is soft soap a good 
wash for the trees ? 
Ans,— 1. No matter how oJd the orchard is, 
the land on which it stands should be culti¬ 
vated every year. 2. After the trees are five 
years old or more, the principal trimming they 
need is to cut out broken and dead branches, 
keep the top in shape, and, if too thick, thin 
out moderately. 8. Yes and also apply plenty 
of wood ashes, and if light land, bone dust. 4. 
Yes; but not so good as if it were made of 
caustic soda and water. 
“HOOKS” IN a HORSE. 
J. O. L., JfonteithviUe, Va .—Is it likely that 
the eyes of a two-year-old colt will be per¬ 
manently injured by “hooks” removed a year 
ago? 
Ans.— “Hooks” is an inflammation of the 
haw, or membrana nietitans,which passesover 
the eye from the inner comer to clear it from 
foreign matter. This membrane sometimes 
becomes swollen and the lacrymal duct is 
obstructed,causing severe tenderness in the eye, 
and sometimes sympat belie fever. It should 
never be “removed,” as the cutting of it out 
deprives the horse of a necessary organ. In 
the present case auv injury to the eye now 
may be due to the “removal” of the haw a 
year ago. Give an animal troubled with 
“hooks” one pound of Epsom salts, aud ap¬ 
ply to the diseased part, with a camel’s-hair 
pencil, the following solution: one dram of 
sugar of lead and ten grains of morphia in 
half a pint of water. Protect the eye from 
strong light and use the lotion freely. 
EXTRACTING HONEY. 
V. K. (address mislaid ).—How is honey ex¬ 
tracted from the comb ? 
Ans.—B y means of an extractor, which is 
a round, deep t ut cylinder like a barrel, inside 
of which an axle is placed, upon wh ich rests a 
rack or frame to hold four or more combs. 
By means of gearing, the rack is rapidly re¬ 
volved and the honey thrown from the comb 
by centrifugal force. Prof. Cook states that 
the principle which makes the machine effec¬ 
tive was suggested to the original maker, a 
German, by noticing that a piece of comb 
which was twirled by his boy at the eud of a 
string was emptied of its honey. 
Miscellaneous. 
J. C., Oil City , Pa .—Can bones be ground 
to fit them for fertilizing purposes, fresh as 
they come from the butcher shops? If so, can 
they be better fitted in any other way? 
Ans.— Bones in this condition contain much 
oil and some meat, and these make them very 
difficult to grind, and while the leau meat and 
muscles have considerable fertilizing proper¬ 
ties, the fat and oil are of no use whatever. It 
is customary to steam the bones and thus ex¬ 
tract the fat, after which they are dried and 
afterward ground. If to be used fresh, they 
may be broken quite tine and reduced with 
ashes or manure. 
11. R .. Herman , Afina,—1. Should night-soil 
and wood ashes be mixed as a fertilizer? 2. 
Are ashes a good fertilizer for potatoes? 
Axs.—1 Never, except they are also mixed 
with plenty of muck or loam, as the potash of 
the ashes would set free the ammonia of the 
night-soil; this is arrested ami held by the soil. 
2. Ashes, bone dust and salt are all good fer¬ 
tilizers for asparagus: so also is plenty of barn¬ 
yard manure; put it over the stuff ace of the 
beds in the Fall, and fork it in iu the Spring. 
2’. 11., Raymond, Dak.— I have a mule that 
is lame in the hind leg. From all I can ma^e 
out, the whirlbone is partly displaced, lhave [ 
been using liniments and latterly cantharides 
and turpeutiue, but the ailment does not seem 
to improve. It lias been so for two or three 
months. Can anything be done for it ? 
Ans. —Any displacement should have been 
replaced as soon as possible after the injury. 
Now it would probably be impossible to do so 
without a surgical operation, aud perhaps not 
even then. The only hope is to consult a com¬ 
petent veterinary surgeon if possible. 
F. B. J/., New York. —1, How much capi¬ 
tal would bo needed for starting in poultry 
raising as a business? 2. What are good works 
on the subject? 
Ans. —1. Wo would not advise anybody to 
invest heavily iu poultry raising at the outset. 
The business is very risky for a novice. Bet¬ 
ter begin in a small way, and as your experi¬ 
ence increases, increase the business. 2. 
Lewis’ Practical Poultry Book, $1.50; Wright’s 
Illustrated Poultry Book, *17.50; Wright’s 
Practical Poultry-Keeper. *1.50, and Tcget- 
meir’s Poultry Book, *0, are all good, and can 
be had through the American News Company. | 
C. D. C., Black Mingo, S. C.—l have a her¬ 
maphrodite hog w hich 1 claim to be the only 
living hog of that sort; am I right? 
Ans. —Monstrosities are probably more com¬ 
mon among swine than among any of the 
other domestic animals, so that hermaphro¬ 
dite animals should not be very uncommon. 
We have seen a number of monstrosities of 
pigs of various forms, but have never had our 
attention called to a hermaphrodite pig. 
c, B, 2/., Hobart, N, Y „—Is there such a 
thing as passing electricity through milk to 
separate the butter and save the labor of 
churning? 
Ans. —We have seen such an announce¬ 
ment, but have no knowledge of its being 
made practical. For the present at least we 
guess you will have to turn or string the chum 
either by hand or some other power. 
6’. W. Westchester, Lid .—Where can I 
get red Bush Alpine Strawberries? 
Ans. —You will not find it easy to get them—at 
any rate in quantity. Ellwanger & Barry, of 
Rochester, N. Y.. usually keep a few on hand 
to oblige customers, as do also Hovey & Co., 
of Boston, Mass. The running Alpines are 
much easier to get, both red and white. 
J, .4. -S’., Howensfiae, O .—Where can I get 
the Imperial Egg Food? 
Ans. —From J. M, McCullough’s Sons, Cin¬ 
cinnati, O.; the Plant Feed Co., St. Louis, or 
F. C. Sturtevant, Hartford, Conn. 
R. S. C., Harman's, Md., wants information 
about the Hoffman Seedling Strawberry, 
which, he says, is grown around Charleston, 
S. C. Who can furnish the information through 
the Rural? 
DISCUSSION. 
N. I. S., West Springfield, Mass.— I run 
a large cider mill, and find the talk in the 
papers about. the value off apple jelly, comes 
from men who know more about writing 
up the jelly than they do about mak¬ 
ing it. It is very difficult to make a good 
apple jelly at a profit. The cost of making 
exceeds the price at which it is sold. In the 
open-pan evaporation of the cider from un¬ 
assorted apples of different flavors, either sour 
or sweet, there is a great difference in the 
product, to the sight as well as to the taste. 
C.. Flushing, L. I.—Is not the Live Stock 
Indicator, page 847, in error in stating that at 
the public sales the past year the average 
price of Herefords as *343.14, and of Short¬ 
horns only *92.31 ? In the reports that I have 
seen of these sales the prices averaged only a 
little higher for Herefords than for Short¬ 
horns, while in England the case has been 
reversed. A great boom was run up by the 
breeders of Herefords from about 1S80 to 1884, 
but since that time the price has fallen rapidly, 
so that in England, particularly, they may 
now be bought for little above butcher’s prices 
for fat cattle. c - 
R, N.-Y.—The Indicator referred to the 
sales in the West, mostly in Kansas and Mis¬ 
souri. 
THE ROSTIEZER PEAR. 
A. B. A., Flushing. Long Island, N. Y.— 
Mr. Darnell, page 845, says that although 
this pear is one of our finest summer pears, 
and quite indispensable for home use. he does 
not think it would be of any value for market 
purposes, oil account of its small size. The 
case is quite the contrary where I am situated, 
! for it Ls the only sort I can sell at any profit. 
| Ripening so much earlier than nearly every 
other kind, it comes into market before them, 
and is eagerly purchased by the people of the 
village near me. It ripens here about the 
middle of July, just as raspberries aud black¬ 
berries begin to fall off, and before peaches 
and summer apples are fit for eating. Thus 
there is no other fruit of consequence to rival 
it, and it sells at a good price. Later on, pears 
are so abundant the}- pay no profit, except in 
a very scarce year. The clusters on my trees 
are so numerous that I pick, or rather cut off, 
two-thirds of the fruit as soon as the pears get 
to be about a half-inch in diameter; even 
when they come to ripen, [ generally think 
too many have been left; for in a very strong 
wind the branches a re loaded so heavily they 
occasionally break, and thus mar the shape of 
the tree. The trees are very hardy, grow 
thriftily, aud bear abundantly iu a poor sandy 
or light gravelly soil, requiring to do this only 
a little stable manure spread around them each 
Autumn. 
Communications Received for the Week Ending 
Saturday, January 23,1SS0. 
F. S. N.—G. A. D. C.—A. H. Grlesa, please send your 
address to R. N.-Y., River Edge, Bergen Co., N. J.—J. 
A. S.—A. W. R.—W. S. B.—51. E. N., thanks.—J. J. A.— 
J. W. R,—G. J, S.— Mark S.. thanks.—S. B.—R. M.—E. H. 
-F. H.-J. L.—J. R.—J. S. S.-W, C. D.-P. H. J.-F. D.- 
S. H.—J. P. R.—G. A. P.-R F-—J. W, S.-P. O. 51.—A, 
M. P.—M. \V\—F. B. B.—J. II.—IL E. K.—W. S. S.—J. O. 
B. -E. C. B.—A. V. V.-A. R.-E. H.—G. E. C.-V. T.-J. 
C. O.-H. S.-J. M. F.-F. H. r.-T. B. T.-W. P. K.-E. 
G. M.-E. J. B.—Treble.—J. J. E.-G. W. R.-P. T.-P. M, 
J.—S. J.—P. 51. G.—IV. F.-M. D.—C. G. R.—W. J. Paine, 
thanks.-J. E.-L. M. S.-A. S. B.-A. F. H.-F. F.-G. W. 
T—F.G. W.-J. A.S -H.S. I.*—J. C. C.-D. C. 51.—R. 
W.S.-A. H. B.-S. A. S.—J. C.—A. F.-N. L. H.-H. C. 
B. —M. H. McG.-J. R.-W, W, T.-R. R.-J. C. S.-J. E. G. 
P. 51. A.—S. H. O. N. C.-J. T. B.-V. 5V. C.-J. S. B.-L. 
O. -W. W. C-O. S.-A. .1. 51.-W. 51.—a H. R.—T. M. 
C. -C.N. B.-A. B.-J. B.-A. B. S.-G. E. C.—J. D. T.—J. 
V. n. N.-A. 51. T.-E. S.-T. C. B.-C. P. C.-R. K. P.- 
J. B.-C. B.-C. L.—J. D.-J. L.-C. 51 H.-J. 5I.S.-E.D. 
B.— O. S. B.—C. H. W.—R. V.-T A. H.-E.A.S.,thanks. 
—B. W. S.-II. H.—C. N.—F. B.-S. F., thanks.—J. 51. 
-C. S.—G. K. H.-J. L. B. F. F. O.—J. T.-V. and C. 
D. R.—A. B. E.—W. J. C.—S. S.C.—J. S.-J. T.—A. J. Me 
D.—T. D. C.—J E. G.—J. 11. G.-T. T. L.—E. Z. B.—W. 
\V. L.—V. McG.—T. D. C.—T. B. B., we will use If « * 
can.—P. K.-S. H. T.-A. K.-C. H —E. L. B.-A. L. B' 
A. 51. C.-G. tt. C.-E, F, Y.-L, E. S.-A. C.-W. D. H, 
