made for butter from cows feed on silage 
alone. The prize went to cows fed on a daily 
ration of 50 pounds of rye silage. Other prizes 
were offered for ornamental designs in butter; 
also for modeling in flowers. 
Ciifnjwljcrc. 
Colorado. 
Montrose, Montrose Co., Oct. 18. —Every¬ 
thing is growi here by irrigation, and although 
crops are lighter than ever before in this val¬ 
ley, there will be a very fair average, except¬ 
ing potatoes, which are only one-half a crop, 
but of extra quality. Prices are only fair: 
wheat, per 100 pounds, SI. 50 , oats and bar¬ 
ley, SI.90; potatoes, SI. N. N. J. 
Illinois. 
Chicago, Cook Co,. October 26.—No gen¬ 
eral break-up as yet in the beautiful seasonable 
weather which October has so far given us. It 
might have sent us a little more rain in 
Southern Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee for the 
newly sown wheat, as already complaints are 
coming in that the ground is get ting too dry for 
the newly sown crop. In Dakota and North¬ 
ern Minnesota fall plowing goes on steadily, 
but under difficulties. Much stubble laud will 
lie over, and there has been but little break¬ 
ing up this Summer. Iu Stanton. Kidder and 
Burleigh Counties, along the line of the 
Northern Pacific, leas than two inches of rain 
have fallen since harvest and not a thor¬ 
ough wetting in over twelve mouths. All 
surplus wheat beyond seed is inoviug out as 
soon as thrashed, aud farmers accept fifty 
cents as readily as though that was a 
boom figure. I have as yet no hard frosts to 
report, with a week of very mild weather up 
to Monday night. The com is drying 
out slowly. With the absence of frost 
there does not seem to bo any desire on the 
part of farmers to gather the crop, aud deal¬ 
ers are not anxious to take hold of it. while it 
is as green as now. Millers are reporting a 
very excellent and iu fact heavy demand for 
mill feed. I thinK this goes to show conclu¬ 
sively that neither the corn nor the oat crop 
is as large as is generally supposed. Another 
tact which confirms this.statement is that the 
cribbed corn at railroad stations is yet in large 
supply. Farmers and grain dealers continue 
to report that the standing corn is iu very poor 
condition for a w et Fall. Hog cholera does not 
seem to be very prevalent this Fall except in 
some counties in Southern Ohio and Indiana, 
and no matter how fatal aud widespread the 
disease may be, the area of our country is so 
great that it actually seems to make very In¬ 
difference at the end of the season, in the num¬ 
ber of hogs which are packed, whether we 
have had any disease or not. Fanners tins 
Fall seem inclined now to fatten their hogs as 
early as possible ami get them into market ir¬ 
respective of prices, There never has been a 
season when farmers have taken prices so 
freely as they have this Fall, rather than to 
wait for an advance. R- N. 
Montana. 
Fridley, Gallatin Co., Oct. 15.—The crops 
in this county are all gathered in and no one 
seems to complain of the yield, and prices are 
good. No frost yet. Tomatoes not hurt yet. 
Onions are one of the best paying crops here, 
they are never less than three cents per pound, 
and generally five cents, and we raise as nice, 
large ones as I ever saw. Potatoes this year 
ran about 200 bushels to the acre, aud bring 
75 cents per bushel. Oats aud wheat are sell¬ 
ing at cent per pound. We have the finest 
kind of land here for all kinds of farming pur¬ 
poses, and the very best of spring water. One 
of the best locations for a creamery that 1 
know of would be here in the vicinity where 1 
am. Plenty of fine pasture, and nearly double 
prices of Eastern markets for butter and 
cheese. I suppose some time some one will go 
into it—there is a fortune in the business in a 
short time. Butter from a good-sized creamery 
can be sold at an average of 35 cents for the 
entire season right here. Vegetables of all 
kinds bring good prices and ready cash sale, 
and plenty of places can be got reasonably for 
such business. The ranchmen as a rule don’t 
pay much attention to anything else thau look¬ 
ing after increase in their herds of cattle aud 
horses. b, p. van h. 
Hew York. 
Jamestown, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., Octo¬ 
ber 25.—The grape season on the Lake Shore 
region in this county has about closed and ple¬ 
thoric pocketbooks attest that it has beeij a 
very profitable one to the growers. While the 
south shore of Lake Erie rises into hills a few 
miles back from the water, the most of the 
way from Buffalo to Cleveland, the locality 
which receives especial attention from vini¬ 
culturists is mainly in the town of Portland, 
in this county, the railroad shipping station 
of which Is Brocton, on the Lake Shore and 
Michigan Southern and Nickel Plate Rail¬ 
ways. From some unaccountable reason 
grapes are said to grow larger and to attain a 
greater degree of richness of flavor in that vi¬ 
cinity than elsewhere along the Lake Shore, 
and land owners are taking full advantage of 
that fact, for where a few years ago one could 
purchase form lands at $50 per acre the figure 
is now three or four times that price. In 1885 
a very profitable season was experienced, the 
bearing being exceedingly large and the mar¬ 
ket ready anil at good prices. But the season 
just closing has exceeded anything ever 
known. From Brocton alone considerably 
over 200 cars have )>een loaded with grapes 
and sent East aud West, New York, Chicago 
and St. Louis taking the bulk of the crop, 
which will net the grape growers of the town 
of Portland between $100,000 and $200,000 
in addition to the receipts from the 
sales to the immense wine houses at 
Broctou and to peddlers who take them inland. 
The Concord grape is the staple, while the 
Delaware, Pocklington, and especially the 
Niagara, are the choicest and lightest priced 
varieties. About three cents a pound is the 
average price which the growers receive, and 
so profitable is the industry that last Fall the 
acreage devoted to grapes in Portland was 
doubled, and the ratio promises to be even 
greater this year before Winter sets in. The 
contrast between the prosperity of the grape- 
growers on the shores of Lake Erie and the 
dairy farmers of the central and southern por¬ 
tions of Chautauqua County is very marked 
and not altogether agreeable for the latter to 
contemplate. Should there be several succes¬ 
sive good seasons the. lake shore portion of the 
county will become immensely valuable as the 
center of the grape-growing interests, and 
nearly every acre will be set out to vines. 
L. M. K. 
Utica, Oneida Co., Oct. 25. —There was a 
fairly active cheese market opened to-day, 
with sales much smaller, ruling the same as 
last week. The sales amounted to 8.529 boxes, 
ruling at 10K cents, as follows: 3,006 boxes at 
10% cents; 1,026 boxes at 11 cents: 828 boxes 
at 11.V 8 cents; 1,188 boxes at 11% cents; 867 
boxes at 11% cents; 1,087 boxes at 11 cents; 
410 boxes on private terms, and 692 boxes on 
commission. It is probable that the next 
Board will show a slight frilling off. Little 
Falls sold 6,115 boxes cream and 945 boxes 
dairy—total. 7,060 boxes, ruling at 11 cents. 
There is a fairly good demand for best dairy. 
The butter market is falling and the make is 
becoming poorer, as the pastures have thinned 
out, and in some places have been frosted. 
There is plenty of medium butter for sale, but 
buyers are shy, and while the prices are nomi¬ 
nally the same, the bottom has fallen out. 
Really first-class, however, readily commands 
more than quotations, and there is consider¬ 
able of this laid down. Only 110 packages 
reached this market last week; the dairy sell¬ 
ing for 22 to 24 cents, aud creamery at 25 to 
28 cents Little Falls to-day sold 90 packages 
dairy and four packages creamery at these 
quotations; bulk at 22 cents and 25 cents. 
Nothing new iu hops, and everybody waiting 
for something to turn tip. Dealers do not feel 
like moving under present circumstances, and 
there is general apathy. Prices are therefore 
nominal. Old dealers say they will clo noth¬ 
ing at present, in fact, cannot. Commission¬ 
er Coleman announces his intention to thor¬ 
oughly investigate the hop pest in this section. 
Reports of unusually flue hop crops in Oregon 
and Washington Territory tend to make buy¬ 
ers reluctant to invest at present prices here; 
and high prices cause the use of many adulter¬ 
ating substitutes in beer-making. R. L. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(Every .query must tie accompanied by the name 
and address of the 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 
ne time. Cut questions ou a separ ateptece of puper 
KINDS OK DUCKS; AILING CHICKS. 
W. A. L„ Kingville , »S’. C. —1. What is the 
difference between common ducks aud “ ring 
ducks”—the latter, I think, are called Rouens. 
Don’t both kinds lay light, greenish-blue eggs? 
2. What kind of a duck is the Avery? Have 
canvas-back ducks ever been domesticated? 
4. The combs, ear-lobes and gills of my chicks 
are sore aud festered, aud their eyes are wa¬ 
tery. They eat well, but move about sluggish¬ 
ly and look drooping; what ails them? 
ANSWERED BY' H. HALES. 
The domestic duck iu all its varieties, ex¬ 
cepting the Muscovy, which is another species, 
is bred from the mallard (Anas boschas) which 
in its wild state inhabits all the wild parts of 
the Northern Hemisphere, and northward Jo 
the arctic regions; on our continent from 
Mexico northward. In Europe, when not dis¬ 
turbed, they become very tame, coming to a 
call to be fed by a person who regulavly feeds 
them. Iu Aberdeenshire, Scotland, hundreds 
live on a mill-dam aud are so fed. From some 
other places similar instances are reported. 
The Rouen duck is nearer iu color to the wild 
mallard than other domestic ducks, having 
the white ring on the neck more perfect than 
that on the others. The superior size has been 
gained by selection and feeding. The white 
ring is not as well preserved in many tame 
ducks as in the wild ones. There is a variety 
of wild sea duck known as the ring-necked 
duck (Fulix collaris) which has a tufted 
head, which with the upper neck is greenish- 
black, with purple reflections. On the nock is 
a brownish-red ring, widest in front. It is 
met with along the upper coast and in the in¬ 
terior. It swims, dives and flies well: aud its 
flesh is said to be excellent. Eggs of all the 
varieties of the domestic 'species are bluish- 
green; but in the white varieties some of the 
eggs are nearly white, especially the last eggs 
of a clutch. 2. I know of no duck called 
Avery. 3. The Canvas-back duck (Aythyta 
vullisneria)*is entirely a North American spe¬ 
cies, breeding principally from Oregon north 
to the Yukon River, and the lakes aiul rivers 
of the fur country. I uever heard of any be¬ 
ing bred in domestication; such a case is high¬ 
ly improbable, as they are wilder in t.lieir na¬ 
ture thun the mallard. In Winter they mi¬ 
grate as far South as Central America. 4. I 
suspect the chickens are suffering from small 
ticks, which, in the Southern States, attach 
themselves and burrow into the combs and ex¬ 
posed skin of the head; or the trouble may be 
chicken pox, iu which case the scabs are first 
small and whitish, enlarging all over the comb 
and head, closing the eyes. The description of 
the trouble is not clear enough for me to 
judge. If the first, anoiut the head with car¬ 
bolic salve (carbolic acid and lard). If the 
latter, kill off every affected chicken; for the 
disease is highly infectious. 
PREPARATION FOR GRAPE-VINE POSTS; MUCH 
ABOUT THE JAPAN CHESTNUT. 
/<’, A., Jefferson, N. J. —1. Is pulverized 
charcoal boiled in linseed oil a good prepar. 
ation for grape posts; and how should it be 
fixed? 2. How near together should Japan 
chestnuts be planted; that is, how large do 
they grow? 3. What is the earliest-ripening, 
grafted, reliable variety, and how large are 
the nuts? 4. Will it do to top-work sappling 
chestnut trees? 5. Would it tie better to chop 
them down aud graft the suckers on land that 
has never been cleared, or would it bo advis¬ 
able to let the American chestnut grow? 
A ns. —1. We think coal tar or roofing pitch 
would be better and cheaper than the charcoal 
and linseed oil. The best of all are cedar or 
locust posts. 2. So far as known the Japan 
nuts in this country are of dwarf habit as com¬ 
pared with our native kinds, and may be 
planted like cherry or pear trees, say, 20 feet 
apart. 3. The trees propagated in this coun¬ 
try are seedlings, and, like other seedling fruits, 
differ greatly. Care is being taken to graft 
from tbebest, though nothing entirely reliable 
is on the market as yet, as the first graftings 
were of a mixed lot, and it will take time to 
ascertain which are most worthy to propagate 
from. 4. The trees seem to be of species or 
varieties sufficiently different to make graft¬ 
ing not very easy, like apple aud pear 
worked together. Cleft grafting on largo 
stocks has not been very successful, as the 
wound seems difficult to heal often forming a 
sort of callus, the graft growing for several 
years and finally blowing out. A friend who 
has hud much experience, always succeeds 
best in splice grafting with cion and stock 
nearly equal in size, and they must be cut very 
smooth and fit well, and be well covered with 
wax, and even then there will lie many fail¬ 
ures. The best, way of all is to graft the roots 
of one-year-old trees. 5. It might do to try in 
some-yenrs’-old suckers; but let only one or 
two grow at a stump. 6. For timber, the 
American grows very rapidly; but it may be 
many years lx*fore it fruits. Then, too, comes 
the seedling problem: some will bear when 10 
or 15, others not until they are 30 or 40Jyears 
old. 
SQUANTUM AND POTTER’S EXCELSIOR SWEET 
corn, etc. 
A. AHolyoke, Maas. —1. In a late Rural a 
correspondent says the Squautum and Pot¬ 
ter’s Excelsior sweet corns are the same; why 
then, does Gregory catalogue both kinds? 
2. Is the Optimus Tomato as smooth as the 
Favorite? 3. Which sweet corn is the best 
for market? 
Ans. —Squantum was introduced about 
three years ago. The ears average six inches 
long, about two inches iu diameter at the 
butt tapering to the tip. Rows variable— 
from 10 to 18. Kernels large. Plant about 
the hight of Concord. It bears its ears low. 
Potter’s Excelsior was introduced eight years 
ago. The rows are often so irregular that 
they can not be traced. The ears average 
shorter than those of the Squantum and taper 
less towards the tips; rows less variable as to 
number; kernels uot quite so large. Plants 
about the same size and habit. The above and 
Concord grow to just about the same hight 
and mature about the same time. Evergreen 
is a taller plant and bears its ears higher. 
2. The Optimus Tomato Is fully as smooth as 
the Favorite, and is more solid anil a better 
keeper with us. 3. Our choice of the varieties 
of sweet corn mentioned would be Excelsior 
for intermediate and Evergreen for late. 
FUTURE PRICES OF POTATOES AND OTHER 
t CROPS. 
L. D. (no address ).—What are the pros¬ 
pects for higher prices for potatoes? 
Ans —The only basis on which we or any¬ 
body else can form a reasonable estimate with 
regard to the future price of any product is an 
approximate knowledge of the probable yield 
thereof, and demand therefor. With regard 
to any crop the surplus of which is marketed 
in other countries where there is a competition 
with similar surpluses from other nations, we 
must have a pretty accurate knowledge of the 
yield not only at home, but in all other com¬ 
peting countries also, including that, in which 
our market lies, before we can make even a 
good guess at the future prices. Potatoes are 
so bulky in comparison with their price, that 
it. will not pay to export them to Europe, ex¬ 
cept, perhaps, from the Atlantic States when 
they have a large surplus, while there is a 
great shortage across the water, so that while 
prices are unusually low here, they are 
unusually high there. The great comparative 
expense of transportation to which this is due, 
also prevents us from supplying the shortage 
in one section at home from the surplus of any 
other section, if the two are far distant from 
each other. Thus if New York had a very 
abundant, potato crop and Kansas a very 
scanty one, the shortage there could hardly be 
made good from the overabundance here. 
Prices, therefore, might be high in Kansas and 
very low in New York at the same time. The 
difficulty would be less where the price of the 
product is higher iu comparison with the cost 
of transportation, as in the case of wheat or 
flaxseed; aud greater where the price is lower 
in comparison with the freightage, as in the 
ease of pumpkins or watermelons. With our 
present knowledge of the crop hereabouts we 
do not think that the price of potatoes will 
rise enough to compensate for shrinkage, rot 
and interest; but the case may be different in 
some other sections, and we do not know 
where our correspondent lives. Great care is 
taken to collect all attainable information 
with regard to crops at homo and abroad, and 
condense it every week under the caption 
“Crops and Markets.” If our friends will read 
that Department carefully every week, 
they will be able to form a very fair idea of 
the yield of the various crops not, only in the 
whole country, but also in the different parts 
of it., and in the rest, of the world, aud in this 
way be in a position to form a pretty correct 
idea of what prices will probably be. 
FRUIT QUERIES. 
“Amateur,” Delaware Co., O. —1. What 
apples are likely to succeed in Central Ohio, 
hardiness of tree and quality of fruit to be also 
taken into consideration? 2. Wliat about Jon¬ 
athan, Pewaukee, Sops of Wine, Wealt hy and 
Yellow Transparent? 3. W T hat are half a 
dozen of the hardiest peaches? 3. What about 
the Kilboume Ironclad Peach? 6. Will the 
grafting of cions from two-year-old apple 
trees into liearing trees hasten their bearing? 6. 
Iu Spring can the tops of small trees be graft¬ 
ed at the same time the trees are transplant¬ 
ed? 
Ans.— Belmont, Ben Davis, Grimes’s Golden, 
Peck’s Pleasant (Winter); Ruutbu (late Au¬ 
tumn); Red Astrachau (Summer); Red Cana¬ 
da (Winter): R. I. Greening (Winter); Rome 
Beauty (late Autumn); Summer Queen (Sum¬ 
mer). To these we eould add many that suc¬ 
ceed in many localities in the State; but the 
above are those that succeed generally. Bald¬ 
win, Bullock’s Pippin, Early Joe, Early Straw¬ 
berry, Esopus Spitzenberg, Fatneuso, Garden 
Royal, Graveustein, .lofferis, Melon, Mother, 
Newtown Pippin, Northern Spy, Rawle’s 
Genet, Priinute, Porter, Summer Rose, Swaar, 
Wagoner, Westfield, Seek-no-further—all of 
which are of the liest quality, thrive well in 
some parts of Ohio. 2. The Jonathan is a 
very good winter apple of medium size. It is 
an American tipple suitable for family or mar¬ 
ket. The Pewaukee is a large American win¬ 
ter apple of fair quality only. Sops of Wiuo, 
medium size, fair quality, early Autumn. 
Wealthy is of medium size, very good quality 
—Winter—American. The Yellow Transpa-* 
rent is of Russian origin, medium size, fair 
quality, early Summer. Alexander is a Rus- 
