4886 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
farmer to begin to do his chores, as such work 
is commonly called on the farm. The sheep 
have pretty nearly done their grazing for the 
day, but will be very willing to eat a grain 
ration at that time. If this were fed to them in 
the morning, they would not have so good an 
appetite for grazing, and consequently would 
not do as well as when it is fed at night after 
their day’s graziug is nearly over. The rea¬ 
son Mr. Talcott advises to sell wheat and rye, 
and substitute corn and oil meal in their plac¬ 
es, is that he has seen sheep scour badly from 
eating wheat. No doubt they had too much 
to begin with, but they did not do well for 
some time afterward. Sheep feeding is very 
simple and easy, but it requires careful at¬ 
tention on the part of the shepherd to see that 
all have a chance to get their share; also that 
the shoe]) have full confidence in the person 
who feeds them, so that nothing is wasted 
either in feed or in flesh by fright or abuse 
of any kind. Mr. Talcott now has 45 lambs in 
a flock; they get a daily feed of oats, bran, 
with a little oil meal and salt, all mixed and 
fed about 5 p. m. It is an easy matter to take 
many of them around the neck and lift them; 
they seem to feel perfectly safe with him and 
show uo fear. Such sheep or lambs if well fed 
always do well, and pay for their care and 
feeding id increased growth and early maturi¬ 
ty, both in wool and flesh. As soon as the 
fall rains become cold and disagreeable, all 
fattening sheep should be housed at night, and 
fed a ration of first-quality hay, clover being 
preferred. After being fed their grain ration, 
they will eat a little every night, and that 
little will be of great benefit to cither a fatten¬ 
ing or store flock. Such attentions to a flock 
frequently show a balance on the side of profit, 
while the same flock neglected a re kopt at a 
loss. 
Swill Feeding and Pleuro. —Heury 
Stewart saj's, in the N. Y. Times, that the out¬ 
break of contagious pleuro-pneumonia—as the 
disease is alleged to be—in the swill stables of 
Chicago is nothing strange. As this disease 
has its hotbeds in the swill milk dairies of 
Brooklyn, New York, Philadelphia and Balti¬ 
more, so the Chicago distillery-slop feeding 
sheds may bo expected to breed this dangerous 
disease there. Hot, reeking wash from the 
stills, the foul and fetid atmosphere of the fil¬ 
thy dungeons in which the beasts are confined, 
and the insufficiency of this food to supply the 
needs of the animal system, all combine to 
I>oisou the blood and produce disease. Just as 
hog cholera (intestinal fever) is produced in 
swine, so pleuro-pneumonia (lung fever) is pro¬ 
duced in cattle by these overpowering un¬ 
healthy conditions. If the Bureau of Animal 
Industry is authorized to slaughter infested 
cattle, why should it not be empowered to pre¬ 
vent its origin in these pesthouses and from 
this pestilent feeding! 
The Rotuamstkd Ensilage Experiments. 
—The following summary of the conclusions 
at present to be deduced from the ensilage ex¬ 
experiments appear from the pen of Sir J. B. 
Lawes in a late Agricultural Gazette: (1) 
That the crops which had been cut. green and 
placed at once in the silo could be preserved 
for several months in a state suitable for tood 
for stock. (2) That duriug fermentation in 
the silo, some of the nitrogen of the fresh food 
was destroyed, while another portion was 
changed from the albuminoid form to com- 
pouudsof a lower food value. (Ml That there was 
a considerable loss of other food compounds, 
amounting probably to about one-tenth of that 
contained in the crops when placed in the silo, 
while on the other hand there was no clear 
evidence that during fermentation any food 
was produced from substances which were 
not foods when placed in the silo. (4) That 
with very few exceptions, cows took readily to 
the silage, and when used with appropriate 
food—although slightly inferior to mangolds 
—it proved to be well adapted for dairy pur¬ 
poses. (5) That when used with cuke and 
corn for fattening oxen, it proved to be quite 
equal to swedes and clover hay, used with like 
quantities of cake and corn. Those results, 
comments the London Live Stock Journal, if 
they do not confirm the exaggerated state¬ 
ments that have been put forward by some of 
the advocates of silage, ut all events prove it 
to be a useful food, and as such we may con¬ 
sider that further investigations in regard to 
its properties would l)e desirable. 
The Japanese Bean. —We have several 
times called attention to the Soy Bean, which 
is so extensively eaten in Japan. Consul Hub¬ 
bard sends to tile State Department, a trans¬ 
lation of an article published by the Educa¬ 
tional Museum of Tokio. from which we con¬ 
dense the following: The beau <8ojit hispida) 
was first raised in China about. 200 years B. C. 
Its use iu Japan dates bark to the 14th cen¬ 
tury. It is a round, yellowish-white bean, 
which in composition comes nearer that of 
animal food thau any other vegetable product. 
The beans are used principally for making 
tofu or bean curd. They are soaked in water 
for 24 hours, and then ground in a stone mill 
into a thin pulp. This pulp is boiled, cooled 
with cold water, and then boiled again. It is 
then placed in a bag and pressed. The liquid 
is placed in a tub and receives a quantity of 
strong brine. This is well stirred into it, and 
as a result a curd forms about as thick as sour 
milk. This is the tofu. It is pressed into 
about the consistency of a cooked omelet, and 
cooked in various ways—fried, toasted, or 
made into soup. The warm water in which 
the beaus are first soaked is used as soap, 
while the dry pulp is used as a fertilizer or as 
a feed for cattle and horses. An analysis of 
the Soy Bean shows it to contain: 
Wafer. 
Ash. 
. 11,32 
. S.8S 
Fat. 
Albuminoids. 
Fiber. 
2.0*) 
SiarrJi, etc . 
It will be seen that it is particularly rich in 
fats and albuminoids; how rich may be seen 
by comparing it with other foods, as below; 
Corn-meal. 
Albuminoids. 
.. HA 
Fat, 
3 o 
oat meal. 
. 15,1 
7.1 
0.8 
2.1 
1.1 
1.8 
Rye-flour. 
Beans... 
.. 23.2 
Wheal-flour. 
Pens.. 
The bean has been cultivated in Germany 
with success. The stalks and leaves of this 
plant, as raised at the Rural Grounds, are of 
little value as cattle food. 
General-Purpose Horses.— The “horse 
men’’ are down on the “general-purpose” 
horse Prof. Roberts says in the Weekly Press; 
but after all that’s what the millions want. 
An old-fashioned Morgan enlarged to 1,100 to 
1,300 pounds, with perfect feet and limbs, and 
after that as much style as one chooses to pay 
for—this is the type for every reasonable use 
and for money in any market. The general- 
purpose horse, no matter what name he is 
found under, is always inquired for. We ad¬ 
mire the general-purpose man and woman. 
This country is populous with them. Not 
Jacks at-all-trades and good for none; hut 
evenly developed men and women good for 
everything their hands and heads find to do. 
But a very small fraction of the world’s work 
can be done with slim, tucked-up thorough¬ 
breds—or leggy, elephantine draft horses. 
Better far to raise first class general-purpose 
horses for general-purpose men and women 
who want their work done cheaply, speedily 
and neatly. 
Great Fall in the Prick ok Beef in Eng¬ 
land.— The wholesale price of beef has, says a 
Liverpool journal,of Oct. 2, not been so low for 
the last 80 years. Prime carcasses of Amer¬ 
ican beef were disposed of a fortnight since at 
the Birkenhead Lairages at fourpence three- 
farthings (9>£ cents) per pound. First-class 
store cattle were a drag at Chester fair, and 
could be sold only at a reduction of at least 50 
per cent, as compared with the prices realized 
two years since. It is, therefore, expected 
that very heavy losses will be sustained by the 
exporters of American live cattle and dressed 
beef. 
Silage for Horses,— Mr. E. Stanley, Gov¬ 
ernment Veterinarian for New South Wales, 
has conducted an elaborate investigation into 
the circumstances attending a serious attack 
of blood poisoning among horses at Coonong, 
in which sixteen valuable animals died. As a 
moans of prevention, he suggests u change of 
feed for silage, such as chaff, with bran, oats, 
oaten hay and grass—and a constaut supply of 
salt within their reach. The hoi-ses had been 
living on silage for the last six months, getting 
a fresh supply daily, and they did satisfactor¬ 
ily oil it. “Cattle and sheep,” remarks Mr. 
Stanley, “do well on this artificially-pre¬ 
served food; but it is never advisable to limit 
unimals to one article of diet. Change of food 
is as necessary for them as it is for human be¬ 
ings* doubt ruminating auimals, which 
have only to eat and sleep, aud time to browse 
over the paddocks, stand a far better chance 
of thriving on food of this character than the 
single-stomached, hard-worked horse, who is 
required to exhaust his muscular strength day 
by day, so that ho cannot thrive and work nn 
less fed on clean and wholesome food with con¬ 
centrated nutriment in small bulk Hence, 
grain of some kind or other is his usual fare.” 
The Minneapolis Exposition.— It appears, 
according to the Minneapolis Tribune, that 
the recent exposition at Minneapolis was a 
success financially. The figures are giveu as 
follows; Cost of building, $370,880; mechauic- 
al equipments, healing, electricity, etc., $53- 
342; furniture, $4,354; total cost, $330,410. 
Total value of build big and grounds, $550,000. 
The earnings have heen $80,047, the lost three 
days being estimated at $ 10,000. The net profit 
this year, the expenses being especially heavy, 
will be from $25,000 to $30,000. A dividend 
of from six to eight per cent, will be paid, and 
a fair surplus be left ou hand for repairs on 
building and making preparations for next 
year’s show. 
Cutting the Roots.— In the case of the 
trees and large shrubs which we intend to 
transplant next Spring, we should now cut in 
their roots. This is done by describing a cir¬ 
cle around the tree, say some three to six feet 
from the stem, and along this ring digging a 
deep, narrow trench in order to sever all the 
roots that stetch beyond. As soon as the 
trench is dug out, fill it up again. By this 
means, before planting time in Spring arrives 
the young trees operated on will so far have 
recovered themselves that with a hard heading 
in and proper attention in planting they do 
not suffer nearly so much as they would if the 
roots had not previously been cut around. 
This is the substance of excellent advice which 
Mr. Falconer gives the Press. 
Defective Cotton Pickers.— According 
to the Savannah News the introduction of 
successful cotton-pickiug machines “is still 
apparently as far in the future as it was two 
years ago.” The News adds: “There is no 
doubt that hopeful progress has been made by 
the inventors, and it is not disputed that ex¬ 
periments have been made in several instan¬ 
ces that were very satisfactory to the parties 
concerned and to intelligent spectators; but if 
the practical success of the harvesters had 
been demonstrated it is pretty certain that the 
machines would now be in use on many plan¬ 
tations.” The Mason Harvester Company, of 
Charleston, S. C , however, last Saturday in¬ 
vited the New York Cotton Exchange to send 
representatives to witness the trial of an im¬ 
proved machine in the open field at Sumter, 
South Carolina, on Wednesday last, and 
the Exchange appointed three delegates 
for the purpose. The value of the cotton crop 
is estimated at $350,000,000, and the cost of 
picking at $40,000,000, so there’s room for a 
large saving by the use of machine power in 
the work. 
The Cotton Harvester Experiments.— 
The Cotton Exchange committee, who at¬ 
tended the recent field trial of the Mason cot¬ 
ton harvester at Sumter, S, C., on the 13th 
inst,. have made their report to the Board of 
Managers. They speak very favorably of the 
results of the experiment, saying: 
“As a test we found upon timing its opera 
tions and weighing the result that the machine 
in its present shape has a picking capacity of 
about 2,000 pounds per day. We would 
further state that while some open bolls es¬ 
caped the “picker stems” aud were left on the 
plant, the general results were of such a char¬ 
acter as to justify the belief that Mr. Mason 
has discovered the true principle, and may 
ultimately overcome all defects, and we con¬ 
gratulate him upon having made thus far the 
most successful solution of the problem.” 
The committee also speak in high praise of 
the Mason cylinder gin, based on the same 
principle. 
Slug-shot.— Mr. W. Barringer, of Ohio, 
says, in the Garden, he thinks the visually fair 
and impartial Rural New-Yorker has be¬ 
come prejudiced against the use of slug-shot, 
or labors under a very imperfect experience in 
its use. and is unduly exercised in regal'd to its 
harmful influence. If it were necessary, he 
could cite many cases in his immediate neigh¬ 
borhood where it has been used, and not one 
bad result has come to his knowledge. 
Slug-shot and Paris-green.— Dr. Hexa- 
mer says, in the same journal, that he believes 
that slug-shot is “less dangerous to higher 
animals” than the ordinary mixtures of Paris- 
green. Having used large quantities of Paris- 
green, and having had to entrust its mixing 
and application to hired men, he had ample 
opportunities to notice the constant danger to 
which those who handled it were exposed. In 
slug-shot—being already mixed and ready for 
use—all danger duriug the mixing operation 
is avoided, and also, ou account of the arseuio 
contained iu it Wing more evenly aud uni¬ 
formly distributed through the mass thau this 
can he done on the farm, a given quantity of 
slug-shot can never contain as much poison as 
is frequently contained in an equal quantity 
of ordinarily mixed Paris-green and plaster. 
To this very fine and minute division of the 
IK'isonous principle contained in slug-shot, 
much of its efficacy is due, aud it is maiuly 
for this reason that even very small quantities 
of thus insecticide prove so destructive to in¬ 
jurious iosects. 
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS. 
Were I establishing a home, my first act, 
after preparing protection from sun and 
storm, would be the planting of grape-vines 
says Chas. A. Green. Twine them about the 
stoops and piazzas, over the gabies; cover the 
sunny sides of the out-buildings; build rough 
arbors of poles on the lawn and in tho by¬ 
places, ainl let the vines clamber over these. 
Train them to stakes in the garden. Plant a 
vine. 
The coarsest manure, says Dr. Haskins, in 
724 
the Mirror and Farmer, should be drawn out 
and spread in tne Fall, so as to allow the Fall 
rains and the melting snows to wash all solu¬ 
ble matter into the soil. Then in the Spring 
the coarse remainder can be turned under, 
and in its decay exercise an ameliorating ef¬ 
fect upon the earth itself. The doctor is en¬ 
tirely opposed, upon grounds of experience, 
to composting or keeping manure, with the 
often and long recommended view of increas¬ 
ing its values. Dung is never worth any more 
than when it is dropped, and under all ordin¬ 
ary circumstances it is losing value every day 
afterwards until it is put where it is to stay.. 
There is still time to increase the rhubarb 
plantation by dividing the roots and replant¬ 
ing them. A litttle covering will help to se¬ 
cure a strong growth next Spring. 
The farmers about the Rural Grounds all 
broadcast their seed rye. One of our best 
farmers uses the Cahoon broadcaster. He 
thinks that the rye is sown in half the time 
that it can be sown by hand, while it is dis¬ 
tributed more uniformly... 
A writer in the Canadian Horticulturist 
living in Owen Sound, praises the Golden 
Queen Raspberry as a grand grower and 
altogether promising. 
The Springfield Blackcap (thornless) has a 
peculiar and very pretty habit of growth. 
After the canes reach the hight of four or five 
feet they become mere switches and grace¬ 
fully droop over ou all sides giving the plant 
quite the appearance of a weeping bush. 
Oliver W. Holmes says that writing is 
like shooting with a rifle; you may hit your 
readers’ mind or miss it; but talking is like 
playing at a mark with the pipe of an engine. 
If it is within reach and you have time enough 
you can’t help hitting it. 
Mr. Holmes also says that only very rich 
persons can keep race-horses, and ^everybody 
knows they are kept maiuly as gambling im¬ 
plements. They are gambling implements as 
much as j'oulette tables. , .,. 
London is like a shelled corn-cob on a Derby 
day, says Mr. Holmes, and there is not a clerk 
who could raise the money to hire a saddle with 
an old hack under it that can sit down on his 
office stool the next day without wincing. 
Prof. Shelton finds that Orchard Grass 
will stand any amount of tramping and close 
grazing. He thinks, as we have already told 
our readers, that it is a mistaken practice to 
sow very thickly iu order to counteract its 
tendency to grow in tussocks. 
The S. S. Times truly says that skill in 
any one direction is commonly a result of toil 
in a great many directions. No man can do 
one thing well, if he never does more than that 
one thing. Let him who would be a mechanic 
or a farmer or a business man or a preacher 
bear this truth in mind. 
Not one of the least of the qualities we de¬ 
sire in a rose is fragrance; in this regard all 
classes must do homage to La France, which 
H. W. Ellwanger characterizes as the sweetest 
of all roses. If he were compelled to choose 
one variety it would be La France. It is rather 
tender, but it can easily be protected, and so 
winter safely. It does not always open well, 
but it is a simple matter to assist it; an opera¬ 
tion not practicable with most varieties that 
do not opeu perfectly. If La France does not 
develop well, by pressing gently with the fin¬ 
ger the point of the bloom, and then blowing 
into the center, the flower will almost invari¬ 
ably expand, the pent up fragrance escape and 
almost intoxicate with delight our sense of 
smell. 
W. C. Baxter, of Kansas, says the Indus¬ 
trialist, dug a sweet potato weighing six 
pounds.... 
Professor Long, of England, advises work¬ 
ing people to keep a goat, because it can be 
kept more cheaply than auy other animal and 
will yield a profitable return iu mik. He 
thinks the expense of maintaining oue would 
uot exceed $5 a year, while it will eat almost 
any kind of food and yield from 1' 4 to two 
quarts of milk a day worth at least eight cents 
a quart. We find this bit of information in 
the Live Stock Indicator. 
It is pretty certain that we shall have large 
importations of English potatoes this year, in 
spite c,f the import duty of 15 cents a bushel. 
In Cheshire, close to Liverpool, the crops this 
year of potatoes are absolutely unprecedent¬ 
ed, and the price is Lower than ever before 
quoted in the Chester market. Really splen¬ 
did Magnum Bonums are quoted at wholesale 
prices as low ns .£2 ($10) per ton. 
Five pounds of common white beans ground 
fine, anil fed iu half-pound doses with bran 
^wice daily, will cure the worst case of bloody 
milk, says a writer in the Farmers’ Gazette, 
England... 
No man ever found pigs profitable who did 
not provide warm, sheltered beds for them in 
cold weather. Food supplies heat, and where 
