202 
THE RURAI NEW-YORKER. 
MARCH 29 
cussion. I, for one, am satisfied from ex¬ 
perience and observation that there is 
more loss than profit in keeping dogs ex¬ 
cept in very rare cases. A good watch dog 
might be of use to guard from tramps a 
house where women lived alone, or a well- 
trained dog might be useful to a drover for 
driving stock, and these are about all the 
uses any community can properly have for 
these animals. 
ICE FOR FARMERS. 
J. E. H., Buffalo, N. Y.—An editorial 
on page 156 relates to ice ; and on the fol¬ 
lowing page are an inquiry and an answer 
relating to the same subject. In a part of 
England with which I was very familiar, 
the farmers had plenty of ice for the hot 
weather, which they procured in this way : 
They had sheet-iron receptacles made three 
feet long by two wide and one deep, 
clamped at the four sides, and these they 
filled, during the frosty weather, with 
spring or well water, and exposed to the 
atmosphere until their contents were 
frozen. Then they undid the clamps, leav¬ 
ing the four sides loose, and it was a very 
easy matter to extract the coagulated mass, 
wheel it to the ice-house, re-clamp the re¬ 
ceptacles and refill with the pure water, and 
so on, until in a few days or weeks, accord¬ 
ing to the severity of the weather, their ice¬ 
houses would be plenteously stocked. Is 
not this a feasible method for the farmers 
of this country to try ? 
R. N.-Y.—There will be very little chance 
to try this method before next winter, 
though ordinary freezing weather will pro¬ 
duce the ice, if the water is poured into 
the iron pans in small quantities. The R. 
N.-Y. once tried this method, using some 
old iron sinks as freezing pans. In order 
to get the ice out of the sinks we turned 
them over and poured hot water on the 
bottoms. One advantage of this method is 
that one can make ice of pure spring or 
well water. The man who provides him¬ 
self with a large outfit of pans will be sur¬ 
prised to see how much ice he can produce 
on an ordinarily cold day. 
LASTING EFFECTS OF FERTILIZERS. 
C. J. F., Delaware, Canada.— I see 
many of the readers of the Rural are still 
in some doubt as to the lasting efleets of a 
good fertilizer. I have used fertilizers for 
some years. Two years ago one-third of a 
field containing an acre and a-half, which 
had received a fair dressing of stable man¬ 
ure in the spring, was planted to potatoes, 
one-third to corn, and the rest to mangels. 
On the latter I applied 300 pounds of 
Mapes’s fertilizer and 200 pounds of salt. 
The following spring the field was sown 
with oats, and seeded down with clover. I 
had a good crop of oats but could see no 
difference in growth on the portion which 
had received the fertilizer, but the next 
spring as soon as the clover began to grow, 
one could at once see a marked difference 
both in the color of the leaf and in the 
growth, and when the crop was cut, the 
man said there was as much grass on the 
fertilized one-third as on the other two- 
thirds, and I am sure the extra yield of 
hay fully paid for the fertilizer, and, again, 
in the growth of the aftermath the same 
difference was to be seen, fully proving 
that a portion of the nitrogen was lying 
dormant, to be absorbed by the clover. 
For 12 years I have seeded down with oats 
and have always secured a good catch. 
MAPLE SWEETNESS. 
E. P., Jewett, N. Y.—It takes from two 
to three gallons of sap to make a pound of 
sugar and eight pounds of sugar to make a 
gallon of sirup. The sweetness of sap 
varies greatly in different localities and 
different seasons. A tree exposed to cold 
winds has much sweeter sap than one shel¬ 
tered from the cold and growing where 
the ground does not freeze very hard ; but 
the sheltered tree will usually run a larger 
amount of sap. Of course, the former tree 
is considered the more valuable as it does 
not require so much wood to boil its sap to 
sugar. For this reason, the trees that 
stand in the fields where the winds blow 
freely between them are considered much 
preferable to those standing in the woods. 
The sap is also much sweeter after a severe 
winter, when the ground has frozen very 
hard. But there is occasionally a great 
difference in a tree that stands with others 
under the same conditions in every way, its 
sap being twice as sweet. Why it should 
be so I have never been able to determine. 
If white, nice-flavored sugar and sirup are 
desired, the sap must be boiled as quickly 
as possible. 
THE “ LONDON LADY” AND MAMMOTH 
PEARL POTATOES. 
J. A. F., Terre Haute, Ind.—A mong 
the potatoes named by the R. N.-Y. as 
tested last season is Lady of London. I 
have good authority for saying that this is 
simply the Mammoth Pearl. About five 
or six years ago a large grower of potatoes 
in the western part of Indiana put this va¬ 
riety on the market under the name of 
London Lady. I was at once satisfied that 
it was identical with the Mammoth Pearl 
and so informed him and convinced him, 
I think, if he needed convincing. This 
name (London Lady) has cropped out oc¬ 
casionally since and very absurd stories 
have been told of its origin. As Mammoth 
Pearl is only second or third-rate in qual¬ 
ity, it is not desirable that it should be in¬ 
troduced again and under a false name. 
R.N.-Y.—We have tested several potatoes 
of different varieties under the name of 
Mammoth Pearl. It is our opinion that 
the variety was mixed when sent out. 
HARROWING GRAIN. 
A. S., Osseo, Michigan. —I have dragged 
wheat and rye in the spring with good re¬ 
sults on heavy clay as well as on gravelly soil, 
and from past experience I believe that the 
practice is beneficial, using alight, fine drag 
with short, sharp teeth. I prefer a sharp- 
toothed drag to a dull one, as it does not 
tear out the plants as badly, while it breaks 
the crust better. Any drag can be used by 
driving the teeth back so that they will 
not project more than three or three and a- 
half inches. Sometimes I drag the crops 
twice when the ground is very dry and 
hard. It should be done when the soil is 
not soft and sticky. 
CRUDE PETROLEUM FOR GOITRE IN LAMBS. 
J. A., Magee’s Corners, N. Y.—Some 
one inquired a few weeks ago for a remedy 
for “goitre,” or “swelled neck ” in lambs. 
I cured some very severe cases of the dis¬ 
ease last spring by applying crude petro¬ 
leum externally to the enlarged glands. 
One shouldn’t be afraid, but saturate the 
enlargement thoroughly once a day for 
three or four days. A marked difference 
will be noticed in the breathing of the 
animals in a few hours after the first appli¬ 
cation. 
The Possibilities of Milk.— The possi¬ 
bilities of milk are by no means yet ex¬ 
hausted as we showed in the R. N.-Y. two 
weeks since. The New York Times 
in alluding to the matter, says that 
the curd of milk has been mixed with 
some mineral matter and compressed into 
an excellent substitute for ivory, with all 
its hardness, elasticity, and fine grain. 
Made into billiard balls, knife handles, 
door knobs,and such useful materials, it has 
met with general satisfaction, and now 
that a new process by which the curd and 
whey together are evaporated and hardened 
into substances like marble, a new interest 
in milk is awakened. A food substance 
entirely indestructible by decomposition, 
possessing highly nutritious properties, is 
thus introduced, and one may have the 
satisfaction of filling his house with orna¬ 
mental work, that when the fashion 
changes may be ground up and eaten in 
various acceptable forms, as soups, cakes, 
tarts, biscuits,and other preparations which 
the cook’s brain alone is capable of invent¬ 
ing. The plasticity of milk curd is such 
that it can be pressed into a variety of 
forms, and its value as food when the sugar 
and the phosphates of the milk serum, or 
whey, are retained, as they may be by 
evaporation, will be considerably higher 
than that of the dried flesh which is pre¬ 
pared in a permanent form as pemmican. 
ALFALFA Again. —The New York Ex¬ 
periment Station for the past eight years 
has been experimenting with Alfalfa or 
Lucerne. The Director in a late bulletin 
arrives at the following conclusions : 
1. That Lucerne or Alfalfa may be suc¬ 
cessfully grown in New York State. 
2. That when once established it thrives 
well upon clay land, but will probably do 
better upon good light loam. 
3. That seed two years old loses its 
vitality ami fails to germinate. Undounted- 
ly many of the failures to secure a stand 
of plants may be traced to poor seed. 
4. That the seed-bed must be well pre¬ 
pared, and, in that latitude, it seems best 
to plant out the seed in the spring, and 
with no other crop. It should be but light¬ 
ly covered by rolling the ground. 
5. That for seven successive years at the 
station three and four cuttings per year 
have been taken from the plats. 
6. That last year, the sixth in succession, 
the plats yielded more than 15 tons per acre 
of green forage, equal to 5.6 tons of Alfalfa 
hay. 
7. That Alfalfa should be cut in early 
bloom, before the plants become woody. 
8. That it should be cured largely in the 
cock to produce the best quality of hay. 
9. That by chemical analysis the hay 
was found to be more nitrogenous than 
good Red Clover. 
10. That cattle, sheep and horses all 
relished the hay and seemed to do well. 
11. That it was found to be more digesti¬ 
ble than Red Clover hay. 
12. That if farmers w T ould try this 
crop we advise them to begin with a small 
piece of well prepared land, in order to see 
whether Alfalfa does as well with them as 
it has at the station. 
13. That probably success with Alfalfa 
will depend largely upon having fresh seed, 
a well prepared seed-bed and in covering 
the seed lightly with soil. 
“RAYS.” 
Myatt’s Linn.eus, all things considered, 
is as good as any other kind of rhubarb.... 
Whatever specimens are selected for 
lawns or small places, says Mr. Barry, 
should be of the finest species, of moderate 
size, of graceful habits of growth and 
handsome foliage. A pendulous tree or 
one with variegated foliage may be occa¬ 
sionally introduced, and will add to the 
beauty of the grounds. Depend mainly 
upon dwarf shrubs for small places, and in 
selecting aim at securing a succession of 
bloom. Dwarf evergreens are very useful, 
and in small grounds hardy herbaceous 
border plants can be used with the most 
satisfactory results; a proper selection 
will afford as much bloom as ordinary bed¬ 
ding plants, and at half the trouble and ex¬ 
pense. 
It is said that Reitenbach’s Maple, a va¬ 
riety of the Norway, bears dark purple 
leaves which retain their color during the 
entire season. 
The Japan Weeping Cherry is described 
as one of the finest of the small-headed, 
pendent cherries. The Japan Weeping 
Rose-flowered Cherry, it is said, is likewise 
well-suited to small places. The branches 
are slender and droop gracefully to the 
ground. Then there is a Dwarf Weeping 
Cherry ; a Double White-flowering Cherry 
(Siebold’s) and a Double Red-flowering 
Cherry... 
Ellwanger & Barry describe Cerasus 
avium flore alba plena as blooming in such 
profusion as to conceal the branches, each 
flower resembling a miniature rose. 
The Red-flowering Dogwood introduced 
some 10 years ago, is now offered by nur¬ 
serymen at $2 each. 
At least one specimen of the Double 
Scarlet Thorn (Crataegus) ought to be 
found in every collection. Probably Paul’s 
Double Scarlet is the best of this color. 
The little flowers are as double as possible 
TnE Fern-leaved Beech (Fagus sylvatica 
heteropbylla) is a slow-growing, symmetri¬ 
cal little tree of great beauty. It is well- 
named as scarcely two leaves can be found 
alike. 
The Journal of Commerce says that 
temperance is not the utter absence of in¬ 
dulgence, but habitual moderation in the 
exercise of the natural appetite. And so 
far from a temperate indulgence leading to 
drunkenness, it has been found the surest 
safeguard against it. An established habit 
of temperance is the best bulwark against 
excess. 
Teas’s Weeping Mulberry forms a per¬ 
fect umbrella-shaped head, with long, slen¬ 
der branches drooping to the ground, near¬ 
ly parallel with the stem. As it is a variety 
of the Russian it is very hardy. 
The Double Red-flowering Peach is a 
beautiful sight when in bloom. The 
Blood-leaved Peach is valuable for its 
foliage. 
Well-chosen collections of hardy shrubs 
may be purchased for from $3 to $12, from 
a dozen to 50 in the collections, and the 
same may be said of ornamental trees. If 
the purchaser is not well-posted he should 
order them rather than trust to his own 
judgment. 
Prof. I. P. Roberts says that beets are 
usually planted entiiely too late. The 
land should be fitted as early in the spring 
as possible. By planting early (at the mid¬ 
dle of May) and using plenty of seed that 
is known to be good, the Professor has 
raised crops at a cost so low that they can 
be fed with profit. 
Prof. Bailey says that the Crandall 
(black) Currant is a variety wholly dis¬ 
tinct from every other. It represents, he 
says, a new type of small fruit, which, 
when further selected and improved, must 
come to be a staple. 
Experiments made during the past four 
years at the New York Agricultural Ex¬ 
periment Station to determine which kind 
of corn would give the largest amount of 
forage per acre result as follows : 
Tons of green forage per acre. 
Average tons of 
forage per acre. 
Flint corn.15.88 
Dent corn.14.95 
Sweet corn....12 83 
Pop corn.12.63 
The corn was cut at the stage of maturi¬ 
ty when the pollen was falling. 
A further conclusion arrived at is that 
the greatest amount of nutriment, consid¬ 
ered from a chemical stand-point, is con¬ 
tained in the plants just before the grain 
ripens. 
Of Alfalfa or Lucerne sow 10 pounds (in 
drills) to the acre. The price is 20 cents per 
pound. 
Of Red Clover (upon Timothy) sow 10 
pounds per acre if you would insure a good 
stand. The great enemy to a full stand is 
that the seed is not well covered. As soon 
as the seed germinates it is very sensitive 
to heat and cold. 
Arrhenatherum avenaceum is the so- 
called “Evergreen Grass” or Tall Oat 
Grass. It is both praised and condemned. 
One thing is certain: it makes a fine 
growth the first season. It also starts 
very early in the spring, giving pasture in 
late May. It must be cut early. Accord¬ 
ing to analysis, it is more nutritious than 
Timothy. As a permanent grass it is gain¬ 
ing friends. Sow five bushels to the acre. 
Price per bushel (10 pounds) $2.00. 
It is as Dr. Jenkins puts it in the Country 
Gentleman: The thicker you plant corn 
the larger may be your gross yield though 
wholly made up of water. There is a me¬ 
dium rate of planting which gives the larg¬ 
est yield of dry matter—of real food- 
thick er planting as well as thinner plant¬ 
ing decreases this yield. This rate of 
planting which gives the maximum crop is 
not always and every where the same; much 
depends on soil, rainfall, sunlight, etc. In 
the two years of the Connecticut Experi¬ 
ment Station’s trials a rate of between one 
and two stalks to the foot yielded most. 
The drills were four feet apart. The quality 
of the crop was best where the stand was 
thinnest. It was not greatly inferior where 
the stand was one stalk to the foot, but 
was strikingly inferior where the stand 
was thickest. 
Nobody can afford to raise thick fodder. 
The Dakota Red Potato, now receiv¬ 
ing a good deal of attention,was originated 
by O. H. Alexander of Charlotte, Vermont. 
The potato long since passed out of his 
hands and he has none for sale. If we may 
judge by such disinterested evidence as that 
given by Mr. L. F. Allen last week, the R. 
N.-Y.’s report of it during the first season of 
its introduction and since repeated, was 
just about correct. 
Dr. Hoskins says that the word “cream¬ 
ery” as applied to butter has less magic 
than attached to it a few years ago. The 
superiority of the product of some of our 
best private dairies pretty effectually dis¬ 
pelled the charm. 
Why do you sit on the right side of a cow 
while milking? A correspondent of the 
Tribune gives as a reason that a man’s 
right arm is longer than the left, conse¬ 
quently he can reach the opposite side teats 
from the right side easiest; also in that 
position he can defend his pail from the 
kicks of the cow, as men almost always de¬ 
fend themselves from blows aimed at their 
person with the left arm. If the man who 
wrote this knew anything about boxing he 
would realize that the first lesson taught 
in that “manly art” is that of striking 
with the left arm and warding with the 
right. 
The cattle that are going to pay are the 
well-bred ones, fed well from the day they 
are dropped right on till the day they leave 
the farm.is the very sensible observation of 
the Farmers’ Advocate, which also says 
that if they are fit to sell coming two years 
old so much the better. The money is in 
goodjjearly-maturing animals. 
