same conclusion, and in fact, as now judged by 
the growth of tops, are essentially a repetition 
of the results obtained in 1884. During the 
past 10 days the condition of the plants has 
been estimated by two persons, neither know¬ 
ing the fertilizers used in the trenches so 
judged. Ten indicates the best and 0 the poor¬ 
est plants: 
Rated at 
mot 1. Nitrate of soda.,... 3 
" !}*• Not hi,M . 3 
“ a. sulphate of ammonia. . 4 
" 3. Dissolved boueblnek. 4 
" 4. Aof ini/. i 
“ 5. Sulphate potash, . 2 
“ 6. Plaster..... 1 
“ 7. Not hi,.o . 2 
" 8. Nitrate of soda and dls. boneblack.. 2 
*' 9. Farm manure. 4 
" lu. Nitrut4> soda and snl potnsli. 2 
"11. Dls. boneblack and Bujpato potash.. 3 
“ 13. Nitrate soda, dls. boneblack and sul. 
p< dash. 3 
"13. Raw boue, line anil coarse mixed.... 1 
" II. Farm tnnnnrR... 4 
“ 15. Nothing . 2 
" Hi. Hen manure. 3 
" 17. Complete potato fertilizer, SoO ibs. to 
acre. 8 
" 18. Farm manure.. 5 
“ 19. Comiilete potato fertllser 1,300 lbs. 
to acre. 9 
“ 20. Add phosphate, muriate potash and 
nitrate sodn... 6 
"21. Acid phosphate,... 3 
" 22. Nitrate soda, muriate potash. 4 
“ 23. Ground flsh. 5 
"24. Complete potato fertilizer with mutch. 9 
" 25. Nothing . 2 
“ 26. Hen manure, double the quantity 
used In Plot If... 6 
" 27. Blood, nitrate of soda and sulphate 
ammonia applied at the rate of 
1,100 pounds to the tiere to ascertain 
if nitrogen,supplied in superabund¬ 
ance. would alve a large yield. 7 
“ 28. Complete potato fertilizer, 1,200 lbs. 
with the preceding nitrogenous fer¬ 
tilizer.'. (KXlitis. 10 
“ 29. Same as 2R. mulched. 9 
The average of plots which received the 
complete fertilizers Ls eight. The average of 
those which received hen and (arm manure is 
a fraction over four. The average of the 
trenches which did not receive either fertilizer 
or manure is a fraction over two. 
Wo shall expect that the farm manure plots 
will improve as the season advances, and that 
the plot to which nitrogen alone was furnished 
in excess will not hold its present rating. 
It will be soen that several of these experi¬ 
ments are designed to show whether acid phos¬ 
phate (that is. S. C. rock dissolved in sulphuric 
acid) and muriate of potash will serve as well 
as dissolved boneblack and sulphate of potash. 
The only contradictory part of these tests is 
shown in plot 13, which, though it received a 
complete fertilizer, is ranked but three. We 
have another series of potato experiments 
which differ from the others in the methods of 
planting—the fertilizers being the same— 
which promise to 1>0 of interest to our readers. 
Thrkb-quahter Ryk Hybrids.—T here are 
11 plants from the cross of rye pollen upon a 
head half wheat, half rye, made last Summer, 
The first plant bears regular wheat heads hi¬ 
t-lining to club-shaped, beardless. The upper 
part of the culm is downy. No. 2 is a regular 
beardless elliptical head, resembling wheat 
without down on the culm. No. 3 bears a 
small head heavily boarded, the straw or culm 
without down. No. 4 is a regular beardless 
head without down. No. 5, a very loose, bar¬ 
ley-like head without, down. No. ii is a narrow, 
beardless head with down. No. 7 is a loose- 
beanled head with down. No. 8 is like No. 1. 
No 9 is a tall plant, bearing 23 bearded heads: 
culm downy. All the heads seem to be sterile. 
No. 10 is also tall, culms slightly downy, pro¬ 
bably sterile. No. 11 is a short, beardless head, 
hairy culm. We anticipate great changes iu 
these plants another year. It will be reraera- 
bered that from the three-quarter rve plant of 
18,S’* several imperfect seeds were obtained. 
Throe plants grow. They bear lino, regular, 
half-bearded beads, and the culms are all 
hairy. No further resemblance is thus far 
developed towards rye In these three-quarter 
rye plants. The I test, of the heads were select¬ 
ed. and after castration rye pollen was again 
applied several times. 
The large plot of wheat-rye hybrids, all from 
Olio seed planted four years ago, is now the 
most interesting of all. Upon this plot wo 
have heads of all sorts, though the seed sown 
was from beads quite uniform iu appearance, 
all being half-bearded, regular iu shape, with 
downy culms. The straws of some of the 
plants are three times the thickness of ordin¬ 
ary wheat straw. Some are denseley downy, 
others are perfectly smooth. Twenty-five 
le-atls could be selected from thus plot differ¬ 
ing as much from one another as do any 
w heats iu cultivation. Rome of the heads are 
compound. Illustrations will apjKvir later. 
Pkas.—I t was claimed by Mr. Cleveland, of 
St. Vincent, N. Y., the originator (by select¬ 
ion) of the Alaska Pea, that it was the earliest 
blue pea in cultivation; that the pods 
and peas remain green longer than those of 
any other variety; that IK) per cent could be 
gathered at one picking. In order to test 
these claims u row 50 feet long was planted 
April 9th, and beside, it a row of the Clipper 
Peas sold by W. W. llawsou & Co., of Boston, 
Mass. This lust was selected, first, because we 
had never tested it, anti, second, because it 
was assumed to be a fair typo of the “First 
present no notable differences. Both varieties 
seem to mature at the same time and to be 
equally productive. 
Alaska: 100 pods weighed 10 ounces; con¬ 
tained 080 seeds which weighed six ounces. 
Clipper: Iimj pods weighed 10 ounces, con¬ 
tained 072 seeds which weighed six ounces. It. 
will be seen there is no real difference in the 
size or earliness. The peas wore cooked separ¬ 
ately, aud eaten by six persons. The Alaska 
when cooked is a lighter or more yellowish- 
green than the Clipper. Four of the six judged 
the Alaska to bo “more sugary” than the 
Clipper, and that the Clipper had more of a 
pea flavor. Two preferred the Alaska, four 
the Clipper. All agreed that the difference 
was infinitesimal. 
ground-work upon which to build an education, 
I would look for width between the eyes, a 
large brain, a pleasant look out of the eyes, and 
a fine coat of hair. If you teach a colt to ex¬ 
pect a blow instead of a caress, you will lie. 
sure to make a brute. If you tease him, look 
out for his heels when he grows up. I prefer 
a short, compact horse to a long and leggy 
animal. The first is tougher and costs less to 
feed and care for. d. w. d. 
Des Moines Co., Iowa. 
The washing machine which I obtained as 
a present from the Rural gives great satis¬ 
faction. It is the best machine I ever saw for 
cleaning clothes with the least labor. We 
have a beautiful herd of seven little Jerseys. 
One of them, one year anti 26 days old. has a 
heifer calf by her side, anti last week I made 
six pounds of butter from her milk, fed on 
grass alone. Rlie is a perfect little beauty. 
The Jerseys cannot be excelled for the dairy. 
Nunda, N. Y. MRS. j. e. m. 
CORRESPONDENTS’ VIEWS. 
I name no names. I content myself with 
saying that in more than one respect certain 
nursery catalogues stand sorely in need of 
improvement. The spelling is bad: the gram¬ 
mar is still worse. One man is unable to give 
correctly the name of the most popular of pears: 
another through page after page tramples 
The average hired man is an important but 
sadly neglected member of the farm stock. I 
wish to say a word concerning bis treatment, 
being one of the band myself. Few people 
know what farm laborers suffer. If they did 
know, the laborei-s would receive better treat¬ 
ment. The average “boss” regards his hired 
man as a superior horse or cow, possessing no 
more feelings than a piece of form machinery. 
He is paid liis wages, but there preparations 
for his comfort stop. His bed-room is usually 
au attic or some other room where nobody 
else will sleep. How can he do a good day's 
work unless he is made comfortable? The 
floor seldom sees a broom. If the bed is made 
(unless by himself), it is the next thing to a 
miracle. Often three or four men are crowded 
into one small room. The furniture consists 
of any rubbish that is not required in any 
other part of the house. If a chair is wanted 
in another room, the girl is always told to get 
it from the men’s room. A basin is never 
considered necessary, and nobody thinks the 
hired man ever wants to take a bath. He can 
walk to the pond or river for such a foolish 
operation. The hired girl apes the methods of 
her mnsterand mistress, and orders the hired 
man about at will. If the “boss” happens to 
be out with a horse at night, the hired man is 
expected to stay up to unharness. This is 
never supposed to interfere with his early 
rising next morning to do the “chores.” 
upon the laws of English syntax in a way of 
which a schoolboy would be ashamed. Wbat 
matters it..' I answer that to the nurseryman, 
at any rate, it matters much. A nurseryman 
%vho gives proof positive that he knows very 
little about his mother tongue, gives by that 
very fact proof presumptive that he knows 
very little about the practical science to which 
he is more especially devoted. Horticulture 
calls for intelligence. An ignorant man mav, 
indeed, grow fruit trees, but he will grow 
them in much the same way as the Irishman 
played the fiddle. For such trees and such 
music most of us have small fancy. Thus 
much for the present. More anon. 
A CATHOLIC PRIEST. 
Should there be any company, he is expected 
to wait for his meals till the family have 
finished, though no oue needs food more. All 
fanners do not use their help in this way, 
but too many of them tio, and to my mind 
they make a groat mistake. There are very 
few hired men who would not make a quick 
return for a little kindly attention to their 
needs and tastes. Try it, farmers; a hired 
man is not a brute. Why should you try so 
hard to make a brute of him? hiked man. 
A horse that is gentle and safe in all 
positions is worth three times as much as one 
of equal ability that cannot be trusted. If I 
wanted to pick out a colt which offered a good 
el, just as most of the beef breeds are of much 
the same shape. A dairy cow raised on the 
rich pastures of Holland] will ’have about the 
same shape as an Ayrshire raised on the barren 
Scotch pastnres. There urc’differenoes'iu color 
ami size, but the shiqie must be the same and 
the same orgaus'inust^bef developed in either 
animal. This holds ns true of scrubs or grades 
as] it’does of Thoroughbreds, and it is - what 
guides dairy experts in their selection .of. cat¬ 
tle. A good milker, no matter what the breed, 
must possess a‘feminine appearance. Heifers 
with a coarse, maseuliue appearance will nev¬ 
er makegood milkers, iu spite of good feeding, 
They will put on flesh easily and work off their 
surplus energy iu fighting, breaking down 
fences—in Short, doing anything but milking. 
A masculine heifer looks like a steer. She is 
coarse in the legs and horns, with a heavy 
head, neck and fore-quarters. A good cow 
should have a distinct “cowey” look. Rhe 
should be fine in the limbs and head, with 
slender horns, thin neck, light fore-quarters, 
yet wide enough to make room for a good- 
sized heart and lungs. I would look for a 
large stomach, short legs, large udder and 
milk veins and a small tail. F. k. m. 
St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. 
I have for several years been testing as to 
the hardiness and productiveness of raspber¬ 
ries. I would place them in the following 
order: Tyler, Doolittle, Ohio, and Gregg. The 
Tyler is very hardy and productive. The Ohio 
follows in good timp, Bomewhat later, and it 
is a large yielder. The Gregg, the latest of 
all. and liable to be winter-killed, is only pro¬ 
fitable on good upland and iu protected situ¬ 
ations. Of the red, the Philadelphia and 
Turner are perfectly hardy and yield a crop 
every year. The Cuthbert froze back to with¬ 
in two feet of the ground. It is a fine berry, 
but not as hardy as 1 would like. The Marl¬ 
boro wintered better. Shafer’s for six years 
has proved very hardy and productive. I 
have not lost a bush from auy cause. Insects 
and blight, that affect black raspberries, do 
not trouble it. This is enough like a black-cap 
to be classed as such and to take their place, 
as it is gradually doing w ith those who know 
its worth. Were I to confine myself to one 
berry it would be this. There are no suckers 
which with many varieties of the reds, are as 
troublesome as weeds. c. m. 
Onondaga Co., N. Y_ 
NOTES ON SWINGING GATES. 
Not long since a correspondent sent us the 
drawing of gates shown at Fig. 267-268. He 
wished to prove that the longer post, as in Fig. 
267. gave an added strength to the gate. We 
submitted the drawings to Prof. R. C. Car¬ 
penter, who replies in substance, as follows: 
“The strain on the hinges of a gate is the 
same whether the brace is inclined toward the 
bottom hinge or from the top hinge toward 
the bottom of the gate. This is proved by a 
proposition in physics or mechanics termed 
the Parallelogram of Forces, which is that, ‘If 
two sides of a parallelogram bo given, the 
direction of two forces and a length propor¬ 
tional to these forces, the diagonal of that 
parallelogram will be the resultant force.’ 
From this we cau deduce a simple rule for 
finding the strain on the hinges as follows: 
Divide the w eight of the gate by the distance 
between the hinges, and multiply this result 
by the width of gate. In all cases of two 
hinges and a vertical post the pull on the top 
hinge wall equal the push on the bottom 
lunge. 
As an example, suppose a gate five feet be¬ 
tween the hinges and 111 ffet wide. weighs 200 
pounds; strain on each hinge equal (200-5)x10= 
400 pounds, the tendency to overturn the post 
is the same, no matter what may be the bight 
of the [Hist, provided the weight Ls the same. 
Iu this case the tendency to overturn is found 
by multiplying the force acting, by the dis¬ 
tance, or arm with which it acts. Thus, in 
the last case, there were 400 pounds acting to 
overturn the gate post at a point five feet from 
the lower hinge. This would be equal to five 
times 400 pounds, or 2,000 pounds, acting at the 
lower hinge. If the hinges were twice as far 
apart the effect w-ould be the same, because 
the pull on the upper hinge is lessened as much 
as the distance is increased. Thus, if the 
hinges were 10 feet apart by the rule given, 
the pull ou the hinge would be (200-10) xl0=200 
pounds. This multiplied by 10, the distance, 
gives 2,000 as the tendency to overturn. So 
far as theory is concerned, it makes no differ¬ 
ence whether the gate is built in one or the 
other forms shown at Figs. 267—268. 
As the direction of the brace or diagonal of 
the gate is of no moment, I should consider 
the liest form of gate oue that provides the 
greatest strength with the least material. The 
form in Fig. 268 is superior to the form in 
Fig. 267, simply because it has less timber and 
is less expensive to build; the brace will do 
equally good serv ice from the other corners. 
My own observation leads me to believe that 
t he form of post gate in Fig. 269, is usually 
