THE RURAL. NEW-YORKER. 
prize on eggs preserved for* three months at 
the London Dairy Show was won on a lot 
of eggs packed in sweet bran with the small 
ends down. The second prize lot had been 
NEWPORT WINTER SWEET. 
T. H. HOSKINS, M. D. 
This apple (Fig. 412, with cross-section at 
Fig. 413) is a native seedling of Newport, Or¬ 
leans Co., Vermont. The original tree, which, 
until the present season, is the only one which 
has produced fruit, is about 40 years old and 
is situated in an open field, where it sprang up, 
about half a mile from the west shore^of Lake 
Phinj ijttstwtviinj. 
A SCRUB COW AND HER DESCEN¬ 
DANTS. 
The illustrations and remarks on the scrub 
in a late Rural remind me of au experience 
I have had with the offspring of a cow during 
nearly a quarter of a century. Twenty-two 
years ago 1 purchased an old scrub that had 
been brought up on the plaius of Nebraska—a 
poor old rod, raw-boned tiling that had never 
seen a fence and had been kept tied to a stake 
and fed a half bucket of hard coru ears three 
times a day. The hide around the base of her 
horns was all worn away by the rope. Cows 
then were very dear here and very scarce. 
The only noticeable peculiarity with regal'd 
to her qualities as a milch cow was the large 
quantity of butter made from the very small 
yield of milk. She never tried to pass over a 
fence, even wheu it was no higher than her 
knees, and she was a very delicate eater. We 
kept her several years, feeding her with great 
care. She gave milk for five years and then 
calved, giving milk up to calving. We got 
two heifer calves from her; the sires were 
scrubs running loose. This old cow improved 
somewhat in her milk yield. Her heifers were 
carefully treated. Their offspring were treat¬ 
ed equally well. We now have two cows by 
scrub bulls from that old cow’s offspring. 
They resemble the old cow, except that they 
are very fat. They are just alike, and we have 
made 14 pounds of butter per week for several 
weeks from one, besides using cream freely. 
No richer, nicer milk was ever tasted. The 
skim-milk is a delicious drink. Our neighbors 
around have tine, costly, pure-breed Jersey 
and Aberdeen-Angus cows, but there is not 
one among them equal to ours. 
I ascribe this to unceasing daily care. 
Never once has either of them beeu neglect¬ 
ed. They have been pets, fondled from birth. 
They were just as easily milked the first time 
as the last. They have had good pasture all 
Summer; fiue clover hay all Winter, and nice 
slops of chopped feed twice a day the year 
round, with access to the best salt and water. 
Meanwhile, people complain that fiue stock 
deteriorates here, the climate is unfavorable I 
The truth is, they feed nothing but dry corn 
and poor hay. They are surprised to hear of 
“slopping” cows. After each milking twice a 
day, we give a good, liberal pail of mixed feed 
to each cow. No matter how full they may 
be, they are perfectly crazy to get this. They 
come right up to be milked to get that bucket 
of feed. 1 incline, therefore, to believe, that 
good feed is half breed. c. J. 
Holt Co., Mo. 
Sl)£ Pbwlini UauD. 
QUALITY AGAINST FEATHER. 
HENRY HALES. 
The main object in keeping or raising any 
kind of live stock on a farm is profit. How 
much this has been over-looked at different 
times during manias for certain breeds of poul¬ 
try and other animals is a matter of history. 
A few years ago Jersey cattle were much ad¬ 
mired for form and beauty, while too little 
regard was paid to their milking qualifica¬ 
tions. Many animals realized high prices on 
pedigree alone; now the butter or milk test is 
taking the lead. It is high time that more at¬ 
tention should be given to individual fowls 
regarding their laying capabilities. It is not 
enough that a breed should be entirely relied 
upon for its productiveness; individual hens, 
known as better layei's than others of the flock, 
can always be picked out by au intelligent 
poultry breeder on a farm, or by a fancier. 
Much more benefit would be derived by select¬ 
ing such hens to breed from, than by sacrific¬ 
ing such excellent qualities for the markings 
of feathers. This is especially ho with the 
farmer who makes profit from eggs, not from 
the sale of birds. The fancier can select such 
hens from bis best pens, but the fact is, we 
hear of nothing of the kind being done, as he 
pays more attention to markings. That there 
is a very great difference in birds of any par¬ 
ticular breed 1 am sure from long experience. 
Take Light Brahmas, for instance; 1 have 
known some flocks where the hens laid 
but a very few eggs and then wanted 
to sit, spending most of their time eating or 
sitting, whilo another man’s fowls of the same 
breed kept on laying all Winter. In one in¬ 
stance of this kind the flock of hens were shut 
up in a garret in the business part of New 
York City. In another case, a friend kept a 
popular breed that proved very poor layers; 
he changed for several different strains of the 
same breed with no better results; yet this 
same breed have done well with other people. 
It was not the care, but only the character of 
the birds that made the difference. It can be 
easily seen that selection for quality among 
the birds in any flock is of as much importance 
as the selection of breed that is supposed to 
possess said quality, and of far more impor¬ 
tance than selection for feathers. If every 
farmer’s wife or children who take charge of 
the poultry, will notice which hens lay the 
most and largest eggs, no matter what the 
breed, if good varieties, set their eggs and 
select the pullets for keeping—if this is done 
for several years, the result will be a fine 
prolific lot of poultry that could not be ob¬ 
tained by any other moans. 
Fowls for Table. —At English shows, 
poultry fitted for the table is shown. There is 
found to be a great lack of skill in preparing 
the birds in an attractive form. A cross of the 
the ground, oven when grafted quite high' 
The leaves are a dull green, whitish beneath, 
quite narrow and partially folded, giving the 
tree a unique look, not unlike a willow. 
The apple, which is a long keeper, is at 
maturity grass-green in color,with a brownish- 
red cheek, ripening during the Winter to a 
clear straw-yellow. In form it is round¬ 
ish-conical, sometimes slightly’ ribbed or an¬ 
gular. The stem is short, not large, in 
a shallow, abrupt cavity; calyx small 
and closed in a very small, regular basin. 
Flesh white, core small, with smallish, dark- 
brown seeds. Flavor a pure sweet without 
bitterness or acidity’, rather rich, making it 
considerably better than Tollman for eating 
uncooked, while it is quite as good for baking. 
In size it runs rather larger than Tolmau. It 
I seems equally productive, and I believe it 
NEWPORT WINTER SWEET APPLE. From Nature. Fig. 412. 
Dorking on the'Game gives the best table bird. would be a better apple to grow, even where 
It is thought, that birds from such a cross will the seasons would admit of a less hardy sort. 
mi m i _ 1 *__ L nil Lii4- Anv 
be fit for roasting earlier than any other. 
Prizes for Preserving Eggs. —The first 
luunou >uvu c» wt v/n • w 
wax and packed in coarse salt. The third 
prize lot had been rubbed,when new-laid,with 
mutton dripping and then put in powdered, 
dry lime. All these were in good condition 
for cooking at the end of 90 days. 
The Tolmau lives here through all but our 
hardest winters, but produces very little 
fruit. 
AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
AT CLEVELAND. 
(rural special report concluded.) 
Improvements in marketing through co-oper¬ 
ation of growers; bagging grapes; Ulster 
Prolific and Poughkeepsie Red Grapes; 
bagging 'as a preventive of rot ; close of 
the convention. _ 
After the reading of a paper on “Horti¬ 
culture in the Mountain Regions of the 
South,” by Dr. Samuel Hape, Mr. Myrick 
read a paper on “Selling Peaches,” by Win, 
P. Corsa, of Delaware. An outline of the op¬ 
erations of the “Delaware Fruit Exchange” 
was giveu, and the advantages to growers 
fully set forth. This was the third season of 
active operations, he said, with increased suc¬ 
cess for the Exchange and those doing busi¬ 
ness with it. Better distribution and more 
NEWPORT WINTER SWEET APPLE. Half Section. Fig. 413. 
Uemphremagog. It is perfectly sound and 
iealthy,and produces a largo crop nearly every 
rear. Six years ago I top-grafted cions from 
t upon a number of small nursery trees, 
vhicb were set in an orchard the next season, 
md have this year produced their first fruit, 
from one of which the engraving is made. As 
ihese young trees, as well as the old one, 
mssed through the fearful test Winter of 
1384-85 (during which the thermometer four 
iimes went more than 40 degrees below zero, 
wiping out entirely my Ben Davis, Tolmau 
Sweet, Red Astraclian, and all the root-g rafted 
Favorites) without even the slightest, injury, 
ibis variety may safely be claimed to be a 
:rue “iron-clad.” It is a free-growing sort, 
with long, slim branches and twigs, the trees 
terming round heads with limbs drooping to 
uniform prices are secured, and the condition 
and grading of peaches are improved. The 
commission men, of course, oppose this method 
of growers selling their own produce. Mauy 
advantages claimed for the system were enu 
merated, and the writer concludes with the 
followiug pertinent sentence: “l believe that 
if a determined effort could bo made in many 
localities to improve the marketing methods 
of farm products, we would introduce a 
wholesome thrift into agriculture that would 
eliminate much of the lottery nature that 
now palsies effort ” 
President Earle spoke of the necessity of 
baggiug grapes. “Where 1 live we cannot 
grow grapes at all without bagging, they rot 
so badly. All through Southern Illinois, Mis¬ 
souri and Arkansas, the rot is universal. Al¬ 
most every kind rots, no matter about the soil 
or anything else. Rot can be largely pre¬ 
vented by bagging, by which we get delicious 
grapes. The cost does not exceed one-half 
cent per pound certainly. I think, in all that 
region of rot, grapes can be grown with pro¬ 
fit by bagging.” 
Mr. Green, “1 think this discussion should 
not close without some mention of the Ulster 
Prolific and Po’keepsie,which we now have on 
the tables hero. They certainly are very fine 
and promising.” Inquiry was made as to how 
far north the Ulster had been grown, without 
eliciting any reply, the variety not being 
planted much as yet. Mr. Smith, of Wiscou- 
siu: “Baggiug improves the grapes. I heard 
of a gentleman who sold bagged grapes 
for twelve cents, when those unbagged from 
the same vine brought only seven. Bagging 
makes them a few days later.” Mr. Myrick 
had understood that bagging made the skin 
thinner and the grapes would not stand ship¬ 
ping as well. Mr. Cay wood: “Such I think 
is the fact; they are more tender when so ri 
pened.” Members generally agreed to this. 
If grapes are kept perfectly dry they never 
rot. Mr. Crawford: “1 find the Po’keepsie 
Red not a good grower, no better than Dela¬ 
ware; would like to have it. much better. Em¬ 
pire State makers a much better growth than 
either Ulster or Po’keepsie.” 
Friday, the next day, was wholly given up 
to sight seeing. The members took an early 
train for Lake View Cemetery and Euclid on 
the invitation of the Eastern Cuyahoga Horti¬ 
cultural Society. The Garfield remains and 
monumeut were visited. On alighting front 
the train at Euclid, on the’Nickel Plate Road, 
all were driven through the many extensive 
vineyards there, 3,000 acres in extent, and 
were greatly pleased with the high and suc¬ 
cessful culture everywhere shown. In the af¬ 
ternoon a sumptuous banquet was partaken of 
on the shady lawn of E. H. Cushman, where 
the Euclid Concert Band discoursed pleusaut 
music. After this President Earle called out 
many pleasant speeches in response to appro¬ 
priate toasts from members and guests, and it 
was nearly night when the party returned to 
Cleveland. H. H. 
-I«M- 
NORTH AMERICAN: BEE KEEPERS’ 
SOCIETY. 
(rural special report.) 
Converting honeycomb into beeswax; melting 
the comb; the solar wax extractor; its dis¬ 
covery; “ separators'foul brood and the 
remedies; honey plants; alsike , etc.; Chap¬ 
man's honey plant; the "‘coming bee"; con¬ 
trol of mating a prerequisite of art ificial 
improvement. 
This society held its 17th annual conven¬ 
tion October 12—14 at Iudiauapolis, Ind., sev¬ 
eral other organizations of boo keepers joining 
it in convention. 
Ttic process of converting comb into bees¬ 
wax was thorouglily explained iu a paper by 
C. P. Dadant, Illinois. This can be accom¬ 
plished by artificial or solar heat; but many 
inexperienced persons spoil their wax either 
by meltiug it without water, by over-boiling, 
or by using dirty iron kettles. When eombis 
melted over the stove it is not absolutely ne¬ 
cessary to have an apparatus made especially 
for the purpose. Any ordinary boiler will 
answer, but plenty of water must be used and 
only a moderate boat should lie applied. Wheu 
the wax is ineltud a basket of wire cloth eau 
be placed iuside the boiler and sunk dowu in 
the melted wax. The wax can then be dipped 
up inside the basket of wire cloth which acts as 
a strainer, and prevents the coarser impurities 
from being dipped up. Even the oldest and 
blackest combs will make nice yellow wax 
when thus treated; but, as a matter of course, 
a wax extractor will leave the wax cleaner at 
the first melting. If steam is used iu melting 
comb it ought not to be turned directly upon 
the comb, but into w ater below it, the steam 
often damaging the wax, giving it a granular 
character and greenish color. This unploas- 
aut result is sometimes brought about by over¬ 
boiling. If some wax remains iu the dregs it 
is not advisable to throw it aw’ay; put it in a 
box and expose it to the weather which will 
dissolve the foreign substances, but uot the 
wax, when it can be re-melted. Cappings of 
honey, removed when extracting, ought first 
to he allowed to drain, and then be washed, 
the sweetened water thus obtained can be used 
iu making vinegar. The solar wax extractor 
makes the best wax, as it not only melts but 
partially bleaches it. So far but little use has 
beeu made of this invention, but the time is 
not far distant when it will supersede the 
steam or stove wax ext ractor. 
O. O. Poppleton, Iowa, said that, he discov¬ 
ered the use of solar heat for meltiug wax, 
about 10 years ago, wheu he was experiment¬ 
ing in wintering bees under glass. The heat 
of the sun melted the wax. The melted wax 
from a solar wax extractor ought not to stand 
