fed with silage than with hay; eight pounds 
of corn meal and two pounds of cotton-seed 
meal would be sufficient for a medium-sized— 
a 1,500-pound—animal. The succulent condi¬ 
tion of the fodder would tend to make the 
digestion of the meal easier and more complete 
and the animal would therefore gain more on 
such feeding than on wholly dry fodder, This 
effect of succulent food is well known in re¬ 
gard to the value of roots for winter feeding, 
the results attained being more favorable when 
these are given along with the dry hay and 
moal. The manure question as connected 
with feeding fattening animals, is one of the 
highest importance, as it relates to the enrich¬ 
ment. of the laud under this system of winter 
feeding. Straw and all other kinds of fodder 
can foo used for feed, and all sorts of absorb- 
is cooler now. The frequent spring rains 
have delayed the getting in of crops. No corn 
will be planted for a week. Grass is growing 
nicely. Farmers in general have had bad luck 
with young pigs, having lost 40 per cent. This 
is our year for fruit. D - E - E - 
Marion Co., April 26.— Last year’s straw¬ 
berry crop was too large for the demand. We 
all as fruit growers lost money. The vines for 
fully breed. Other varieties may be tried as 
an experiment, but a man must become iden¬ 
tified with a breed before be can secure the 
confidence of purchasers and obtain fanciers’ 
prices..... 
He says it is usually more satisfactory to 
sell chickens or fowls, than eggs. 
Prop. Shelton says that while most of the 
students at the Kansas Agricultural College 
are sous of farmers, many of them get their 
first lesson in hauling manure a-field on the 
College farm, 
good work. ' 
to the middle; since then like Summer. 
Vegetation is coming forward faster than I 
ever know it to come at this season. Fruit 
prospects good. I never knew mosquitoes so 
numerous in this month before. H. M. 
Texas. 
Evant, Coryell Co., April 10,—Farmers are 
up with their work; only about half as much 
land under wheat as last year, and what was 
planted was partially frozen out during Win¬ 
ter; but what came through looks fine. Oats 
a large area and looking fine. Early planted 
corn froze out in the latter part of March; 
corn generally up. Cotton planting is the 
order of the day. The poach crop was thinned 
out by the late freezes, and in some places 
completely mined. Prices, com, 40 cents per 
bushel; wheat, 75 cents; oats, 25 cents. In 
spite of the freeze at the end of March, the 
R. N.-Y. Peas are now loaded with bloom and 
young peas. Pulaski Peas planted March 10 
are now in bloom. G. J. B. 
The Kansas College is doing 
The students wall take the lossons 
they have learned home with them. The 
value of the education will show on the farms 
of Kansas. 
R. M. Littler, the Secretary of the Nation¬ 
al Butter Cheese and Egg Association, says 
that farmers who do not cast their ballots in 
accordance with their own wishes, and for 
the promotion of their own welfare, have 
no business to be free men. 
The Farm Implement News says that a 
sharp knife in a mowing machine saves time, 
team, labor and temper. Right, successful 
hay-makiug begins with good tools. 
The Western Rural thinks many men are 
handicapped with accomplishments. Their 
step is too delicate; their touch too soft; their 
boots too polished and their gloves too fine. 
These are not the kind of men who have 
aided civilization.*. 
Sprinkling eggs in the nest during incuba¬ 
tion is often recommended, but it is immeasur¬ 
ably better to thoroughly wet them by dipping. 
Mr. Bliss’s practice for several years has been 
to wet all the eggs about the 19th or 20th day. 
If the hen be taken from the nest so that the 
eggs are in full heat, which is much better 
than to take the eggs after the hen has gone 
off and they have become partially cooled, the 
water should be at a temperature of 100° F. 
If they are cooled the water should be tom. 
pored accordingly, so as not to suddenly heat 
up the shells. The eggs at this stage will en¬ 
dure considerable change of temperature if it 
is not too rapid, but it is better to avoid it al¬ 
together ..* .. 
Experiments made at the Massachusetts 
Agricultural College to ascertaiu what dis¬ 
tance apart corn should be planted, the variety 
Iwing a medium-sized, early, yellow dent, 
show that rows three feet eight inches apart 
and 11}.; inches apart in the row, yielded the 
most. The next heaviest yield was from 13 
inches, the lightest from 15>£ inches, which 
was the lightest stand. 
The straw of the Welcome Oats was weak, 
that of White Russian stiff. We doubt if the 
oats were true to name. At the Rural Farm, 
the straw of the Welcome is fully as strong as 
that of the Russian. 
In another series of experiments, 19 inches 
apart in the row, the rows being the same, 
The cross-roads store loafers (who are such 
only on rainy days) declare this season to be 
the most backward of any within their remem¬ 
brance. The excessive and long-continued 
cold weather, with the superabundance of rain, 
has delayed planting, ami crops generally 
are from three to four weeks late. Very 
little oats passed the Winter in safety, and few 
planters put any in this Spring. Corn is just 
being worked the first time; usually it is from 
three to five feet high at this season. Cotton 
seed is scarce, and planters arc buying from 
the oil mills, as a great deal of land has to be 
entirely replanted. Plant cane looks well on 
the highlands, but the stubble was mostly 
killed. Early potatoes looking well. Last 
night a heavy lmil-storm passed over this 
section, leveling fences and blowing trees 
down. The hail ruined garden vegetables, 
breaking tomato vines, cabbages, beans, peas, 
etc. The cotton which was up suffered severe, 
ly, but it will l>e several days before wo can 
find out whether replanting will be necessary. 
Coni and potato vines were ridilled. R. G. B. 
New Jersey. 
HiGHTSTOWN.Mercer Co.,May 1.-Wheat and 
grass look better than at this time last year 
Peaches look well: one-third killed. Cher, 
ries killed very badly indeed—over one-half. 
Prospect for all other kinds ol' trait fair. 
Prices low: wheat, 95; corn, 45; oats, 40; 
butter, 25; eggs, IS; potatoes, 70 cents per 
bushel. 8 - B> 
New York. 
Apalachin, Tioga Co., April 27.—The 
warm weather of the past two weeks has 
brought vegetation forward rapidly: there is 
need of ram at present. Wheat looking faii^ 
with the exception of some places which were 
winter-killed in spots. Oat seeding about 
over—about the usual area. Potato ground is 
being fitted as rapidly as convenient. Dakota 
Reds, Burbanks and White Stars are the 
principal varieties that will lie planted. 
Potatoes selling at 35 to 40; oats, 28; wheat, 
$1; veal calves, 4 to 5 cents alive; butter, 20 
cents; eggs, 12 cents; other things in propor¬ 
tion. c. f. G. 
SnARON Centre, Schoharie Co., April SO.— 
The weather has been unusually fine for the 
last half of April. Sowing is very nearly 
all done, although we expected grass to be 
badly winter-killed, we have never had as 
good a growth in April as now. Clover sown 
last year looks very fair. I have 10 acres that 
would make vei*y fine feed now. Fruit and 
forest trees are leafing out very fast. Plum 
and cherry trees in blossom in April have 
it contains so little fertilizing matter ana 
decays so slowly that nuyllung else, even 
saud, would be preferable. The profit of 
feeding cattle is at present quite small; but 
the indirect profit in the shape of manure is 
always sufficient to pay the farmer for the 
labor, while the fodder and grain, although 
this latter maybe purchased, are repaid for 
at better prices than they could be sold for in 
the market. The profit made, however, is 
always iu proportion to the skill employed in 
the feeding and iu the economical manage¬ 
ment all through the business, the buying 
and selling being done with judgment so 
that losses are not made. 
NORTHERN FRUITS IN THE SOUTH. 
W. A. J., Long Jstand City , N. Y .—Will 
fruit trees grown iu Northern nurseries, 
change seasons wlien planted in the South— 
say in Southern Virginia? 
ANS.—There is little objection, save that of 
distance, to the use of Northern grown trees 
for planting at the South; or vice versa. It is 
true, however, that the later varieties (more 
especially of apples and pears) are increased 
in size, and mature early as they go south¬ 
ward. This Is not found to be au objection, 
iu the ease of early or summer varieties, since 
increased earliness is the object sought. Such 
apples as Baldwin and Rhode Island Greening, 
however, while they are increased in size at 
the South, lose both iu quality and season, be¬ 
coming fall apples, while fall apples mature 
iu Summer: Baldwin aud Rhode Island Greeu- 
ing are found to be of little value south of cen¬ 
tral Pennsylvania and Ohio. Northern peach¬ 
es succeed perfectly at the South—merely ma¬ 
turing earlier. Cherries do not generally 
succeed at the South, and may be expected to 
be only moderately successful iu Southern 
Virginia ; although in a cool situation—say a 
Northern exposure—with suitable soil, and 
only moderate annual growth, they will prob¬ 
ably give satisfaction. 
MYROBOLAN STOCKS FOR PLUMS. 
6. s., Ontario , Oregon.— My neighbors and 
myself have bought fruit trees from a travel¬ 
ing agent for a Walla Walla nursery firm. 
We were told that they had been grafted 
on Merrablin roots, imported from France, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
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asking a question, please see If It Is not answered in 
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SILAGE FOR FATTENING CATTLE, ETC. 
L. M. L., Cortland, N. F.—Would it be a 
good investment to build a silo and fill it with 
silage for fattening cattle through the Winter? 
Just before Winter most farmers have heifers 
which they wish to stable instead of inferior 
dairy auimals, such as farrow cows, light 
milkers and old scrubs. They haven’t room 
for all, aud at weeding time the Bologna sau¬ 
sage man alone wants to buy, so that prices 
are very low, and many a young cow in fair 
condition goes at “scrub” prices, because she 
is not wanted in the dairy, and the dairyman 
as a rule, does not raise much grain and can¬ 
not fatten her profitably, buying the grain to 
do so. I have this Spring seen cows fat 
enough to butcher, that have been fed on silage 
and milked all Winter and were coming in, 
and the owners said they had had very little 
grain; now if silage increases the flow of milk 
aud fattens breeding cows, ought it not to 
fatten a steer or dry cow very fast? 
Ans.—T he feeding of cattle for the market 
upon farms is necessarily becoming a most 
important matter for farmers to consider, and 
the methods of growing feed and of feeding 
deserve careful study. As regards the ques¬ 
tions put by our friend, we have to say that 
silage, is an excellent food under special cir¬ 
cumstances; that nothing is gained in the pro¬ 
cess in the feeding value of the fodder; but 
that some loss occurs through the fermenta¬ 
tion. This loss, however, is reimbursed by 
the more palatable and digestible condition of 
the fodder when ensiloed. Corn fodder so 
prepared is therefore a better winter feed for 
fattening cattle than dry corn-stalks; but it is 
not so nutritious as hay. But again, this 
difference against the fodder vanishes when it 
is known that 20 tons of green, succulent feed, 
equivalent to five tons of hay, can lie grown 
upon au acre of land which would not produce 
more than two tons of hay. As 80 pounds of 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
well ou with their spring work. Sugar-mak¬ 
ing is au extensive industry, and the. quantity 
and quality of the product is unusually good 
this year. Maple sirup sells readily for SI a 
gallon, and many farmers make several hun¬ 
dred gallons. Y * 
Connecticut. 
South Glastonbury, Hartford Co., April 
19 .—We are having a very favorable Spring 
here, and the season is about two weeks earlier 
than last year. j. H. H. 
Dakota. 
Mandan, Morton Co., April 30.— Last Sum¬ 
mer hail destroyed al 1 our crops. The weather 
has been very cold since April 25, the ground 
ou two mornings being frozen an inch deep. 
Farmers are about through seeding. There is 
a large acreage of grain. Wheat looks first- 
rate. I picked the first prairie flowers to-day 
on land that was burned over last year. 
G. w. G. 
Illinois. 
Leaf River, Ogle Co., April 39.—General 
farm work began April 12. We had weather 
hot enough for Juue the first few days, but it 
