334 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
MAY 24 
value of an abnormal growth ior crossing. My collection 
of skins in my warehouse proves much, but the experi¬ 
ment farm was to be the place to make proper tests and 
obtain accurate results. In this I have partially failed, 
owing to the almost incredible habits of the American 
workmen to-day. To do anything which does not prove of 
some immediate value they consider merely trifling and 
consequently not worthy of care. This I found the case 
with my helpers, and having to be away part of the time, 
I found that during my absence scarcely anything was 
done, except to care for some pigs and other domestic 
animals of no particular importance. My wild stock has 
mostly all been disposed of, but the several experiments I 
' have started will be carried along, so that something may 
be learned, if not gained in a commercial sense. 
The abnormal condition in which a cow is placed when 
carrying a fetus by a buffalo bull, is very interesting 
though very expensive to the breeder. Each of my buffalo 
half-bloods cost, on the average, the lives of eight good 
cows, and a great many others suffered loss of health 
through abortion. 
Sometime ago the press loudly encouraged the crazy no¬ 
tion that much could be done by breeding half-blood buffa¬ 
loes, using Galloway cows, etc. The thing is a brazen hum¬ 
bug. I have watched this part of the business very closely 
and have now, say, 60 cows in calf to buffalo bulls, and if 
I get four calves out of the lot at a loss of not more than 
20 to 25 cows, I shall be very fortunate. I have corres 
ponded with every breeder of half-bloods in America, C. J. 
Jones included, and they all wonder why they lose so 
many cows and cannot get many half-blood calves. Even 
“ Buffalo Jones” of Garden City, Kan., will not come out 
squarely and tell the number of cows he loses to one calf 
saved, or the number of buffalo half-bloods he raised, not 
counting those he purchased of Mr. Bedson of Stony 
Point, Manitoba, who bad been years breeding the few he 
possessed. Mr. Jones was here to look at my two half- 
bloods about 15 months ago, also to get me to join him in 
the purchase of t he Bedson herd, and up to that time he 
had saved but one balf-blood. I told him then that the 
loss was too great. The thing would not do except as a 
strictly scientific experiment. In spite of all these facts, 
the press—even the Popular Science Monthly—at that time 
told wonderful tales of what could be and what had been 
done by this gent leman, whereas in fact there was nothing 
in the whole business except that he had some buffaloes 
in Kansas and that he had purchased the herd in Mani¬ 
toba, and he is now trying to get rid of his elephant 
by getting the government to grant him a lease of 
financial life and plenty of funds to do something, which I 
trust, since he has so many animals to work upon, may 
prove of great value. 
As a result of all my four years’ work and a great loss 
of cows, I have but five buffalo half-bloods. But I have 
to night a very fine cow whose death is expected at any 
moment, though she is not due for a month. [The cow 
subsequently died.— Eds.] Cows bred to buffalo bulls 
all go the same way. I have tried Texans, pure bred 
and high-grade Short-horns and Holsteins, high-grade 
Herefords, Jersey grades, and scrubs—the rawboned cow, 
the fine cow, yearlings and old cows, all told, a great 
variety. This year I will try Galloway grades and a 
cross with the East India half-blood, and also a cross on a 
pure-blooded East India cow or Zebu. Three years ago, 
and again two years ago, I tried the Arni or Swamp 
buffalo of India, to begin a foundation, but failed. There 
is room for Uncle Sam to experiment in this line. 
By the way, I have succeeded in breeding an Angora goat to 
a sheep; in fact, I have three or four of such progeny, and 
expect about 25. I was trying to discover whether or not 
the same conditions would occur with the abnormal fetus 
of tLe goat in its sheep bed or earth, as in the fetus of the 
buffalo; but thus far it is not the case, though the ani¬ 
mals are tea on the same class of food in general. Dr. A. 
R. Wallace, of England, Dr. Darwin’s co-partner in origin¬ 
ating the development theory, which made the latter so 
famous, paid me a visit when he was in this country three 
years ago, and I outlined to him my belief—which I 
must say, I think he doubted—and which was and is, that 
from the abnormal we obtain the specific ; that a cross 
blended from the two natural branches of different 
species becomes abnormal, and that if the result is an 
abnormal development, and that development has suffi¬ 
cient vitality in all its functions, then it becomes specific— 
a condition which, as like begets like, must produce its 
own kind—a new species. And, further, 1 believe that it 
is the abnormal which produces a dropsical state of thd 
system ; this is simply an effort of nature to cause the cow 
to dispel the foreign substance—the abnormal germ—which 
in this case is the buffalo fetus. If abortion comes it affords 
much relief ; if not, then death is approximate. 
STOCK AND DAIRY NOTES. 
A Woman Farmer’s Root Growing.— Just as I was 
giving up the old farm I learned the secret way of raising 
roots with ease and success. This is the way 1 did it: In 
the first place the ground was plowed dteply, it having 
been previously heavily manuied with well-rotted barn¬ 
yard manure. This was drawn on the piece (about a 
quarter of an acre of gravelly soil;, and spread early in the 
spring. 1 did not feel very strong that spring and had not 
much appetite for weeding roots; but 1 knew 1 could not 
do without them with my herd of persistent Jerseys. I 
concluded to try an experiment: I got Socrates to plow the 
ground early in May, and harrow and pulverize all the 
lumps. When it was nice and mellow and the weather 
had become dry and warm, Socrates with a horse and the 
corn plow marked out shallow furrows east and west, two 
feet eight inches apart, just so that a cultivator could run 
through. Then I took the beet seed In a tin pail and stand¬ 
ing erect dropped it in the furrows about as fast as 1 could 
walk. After the pound of Yellow Ovoids was sown I 
passed up and down the remaining furrows with carrots. 
Socrates followed covering the furrows lightly with the 
head of a rake. They came up nicely and made a good 
stand. As soon as the plants were large enough to work 
rmong, I had them cultivated, passing twice in each 
row. This method kept all the weeds down and the roots 
were so thickly sown that but few weeds appeared. The 
last cultivating occurred in July, when the roots were 
thinned with a hoe which chopped out a hoeful, about the 
width of the tool, where they were too thick, but this was 
not necessary all over the patch. After the last cultiva¬ 
tion 1 sowed Purple Top Strap Leaf turnips, and thus 
there was no waste ground and I secured as fine a lot of 
roots as I ever raised. C. B. 
Millbrook, N. Y. 
Some Texas Jerseys.— The cattle business in Texas is 
not all confined to the production of stringy beef. It may 
surprise our readers to know that some of the best dairy 
cows in the world are to be found within 100 miles of the 
Gulf of Mexico. The following note from one of our sub¬ 
scribers in Texas indicates a business that a few enterpris¬ 
ing Southern men are developing. As is well known, most 
of the cattle in the Central and South American States are 
of little or no use as dairy animals. Dairymen in these 
countries find it necessary to import Jerseys, and the 
Southern-bred animals are about the only ones that can 
be safely taken there. This is because so many Northern 
animals aresure to die of “acclimation fever;” while those 
bred and reared at the South do not suffer. Our friend 
speaks of “ training ” family cows. This means that they 
are kept off the range and taught to lead and “ stand.” 
“ I have just shipped some grade Jersey cows and heifers 
to the city of Mexico. I sold one seven eighths and one 
three quarters Jersey cow, three years old, for $150 each ; 
one seven-eighths and one three-quarters, three years old, 
for $125 each ; one three-quarters, four years old, for $100, 
and two seven eighths, less than two years old, for $100 
each ; one three quarters, two years old for $75; one two- 
year-old heifer three-quarter blood, for $60; one eleven- 
month heifer, seven-eighths, for $75, and in each case re¬ 
tained the heifer calf from these cows. I have bred, 
trained and sold a great many grade heifers from two to 
three years old for $150 and $125 each, and my experience 
is the best sell first and more easily than inferior or less 
attractive animals. I was fortunate in getting choice 
thoroughbred bulls and cows and selected good native 
cows on which to cross them, and I have tested many 
grades that make us 1}^ and two pounds of butter per day 
for several months, and our butter is good, at least our 
family customers who pay us 50 cents per pound and 
grocers who take the remainder of my product at 85 and 
40 cents, say so. I am satisfied, for while I am feeding 
and developing my heifers and cows and training them for 
family cows, they pay me from 65 to 75 and 100 cents per 
day each for my trouble and care.” 
Coarse vs. Fine Grinding.— Quite a good many of our 
readers are asking questions like the following: “How 
much more is the feeding value of a ton of grain ground 
quite fine than the quite coarse stuff we usually get.” 
In the R. N.-Y.’s opinion this will depend more upon the 
animal to be fed than on anything else. We have ob¬ 
served that young, thrifty animals do about as well on 
cracked grain as upon meal. We do not believe that: 
whole, dry corn is ever perfectly digested. When thp corn 
is thoroughly soaked before being fed, it seems to be well 
digested, much less passing away from the animal than 
when it is fed dry. Young horses, with good teeth, have 
little difficulty in disposing of whole oats; in any event 
crushing seems to be all that is needed. TheR. N.-Y. has 
two old horses that cannot be kept in good flebh unless 
they are fed ground feed. The trouble lies in their teeth— 
not in the whole grain. The R. N.-Y. has a young Jersey 
cow that can readily dispose of ear corn, sheaf oats and 
ot her whole grain. We find that many farmers argue t hat 
the labor spent in thrashing and grinding costs more than 
the waste incurred in giving up the practice. 
Adulterated Cattle Food.— In England a great deal 
of oil-cake is fed to cattle. This “cake” is subject to 
analysis, as fertilizers are in this country. It is claimed 
that some dealers fraudulently enrich this cake with sul¬ 
phate of ammonia or nitrate of soda in order to make the 
substance analyze well. We have hardly reached a point 
in this country yet when it will pay dishonest dealers to 
adulterate the common articles of cattle food, but the time 
will doubtless come when such foods will have to be sold 
on guarantee. 
A Young Mother.—M r. J. H. Titsworth, of Pardee, 
Atchison County, Kan., has a full blooded Jersey calf that 
was dropped March 14, 1889. She gave birth to a heifer calf 
April 18, 1890, becoming a mother when only 13 months 
and four days old. The calf is a nice lively one of medium 
size. The sire is a two year-old grade Durham. 
H. M. RICE. 
A Family Cow.—The following statement is sent us by 
a snbsciiber in Fayetteville, Arkansas : 
“My cow was bought July 28,1889,with a calf two months 
old. She was served by a Jersey bull in November and 
aborted in April. She was sold May 3,1890, for beef. Dur¬ 
ing that time she gave 2,021 quarts of milk. A neighbor 
was supplied with some at five cents per quart and thereat 
was used in the family. No butter was made and no milk 
was wasted. 
The following is an exact account: 
To cash paid .. 
By calf. * 2 -°° 
To feed for 10 months. 86.45 
By 650 quarts of milk sold to neighbor at 5 cents. 32.50 
By 1 371 quartB of milk used at home, at 6 cents. 68.55 
By cash for cow. 
To .. 
$117.05 $117.05 
FARMING 900 ACRES AT A PROFIT IN WESTERN 
NEW YORK. 
KING CORN. 
Corn is king, and as planting time approaches it is well 
to acquire all the knowledge we can in regard to the crop. 
Although it is so cheap in many of the Western States as 
to be more economical for fuel than coal or wood, yet the 
farmers in those sections will continue to grow it for years 
to come in lieu of a crop that is better adapted for their 
soil and climate. Corn is king not only in the West, but 
in many parts of the East as well. The figures in the last 
government report show that more bushels of corn had 
been grown than of any other cereal in Livingston County 
the previous season, and that the total product of the State 
was more than twice as much as that of wheat. When 
the pioneers opened up the Genesee Valley, 1 (X), years ago, 
they found corn quite extensively cultivated by the 
Iroquois on the flats near the river. A local historian 
says: “ The corn thrived in a soil admirably adapted to its 
needs and with the most careless cultivation grew to a 
great bight and yielded enormously,” and that same soil 
in the valley and the lands adjoining, after a century of 
cultivation, continue to produce corn that “ yields enor¬ 
mously ; ” but it requires the best and cleanest of cultiva¬ 
tion in order to be a profitable crop. 
There are many farmers in New York who think that it 
is unwise to raise any corn at all since low freights and 
over-supply at the West place at our very doors for 40 cents 
a bushel of corn that was grown perhaps 1,500 miles away; 
but we think that in conjunction with general farming, 
corn is as essential in our plan of crop rotation as hay o 
wheat, and we havesuch'faith in it as a crop for profit that 
we raised 7,000 bushels last year and hope to have as much 
this season. 
In preparing a field for corn the first thing required is 
fertility, and this we furnish by abundant manuring on a 
clover sod. Corn is a rank grower and needs all the man¬ 
orial elements in abundance. 
Heavy manuring, say, from 35 to 60 two-horse wagon 
loads per acre, makes it possible to make 70 acres average 
100 bushels per acre. Such a heavy coat of manure is all 
that we can thoroughly plow under. Some might say 
that to apply so much manure at one time is throwing 
manure away, as the corn on one acre would not require 
one half of the application to make its best growth. 
Animal manure is not all soluble the first season ; in fact, 
only a comparatively small part is available for the first 
few months after application, and the effects of a thorough 
manuring are seen in the increase of the crop for at least 
five or six years. The surplus of plant-food from manure 
left in the soil after the first crop grown on it is supplied, 
does not evaporate and pass off into the air in the form of 
gases ; nor does it leach out of our soil; but, instead, like 
wine, becomes more valuable with age. Therefore, in man¬ 
uring our corn ground we provide plant-food for a barley 
or oat crop, a wheat crop and two hay crops at one time, 
and at small expense when divided between the five crops 
that reap the benefit. The plowing is done with large 
three horse plows, which usually turn a broad furrow of 
sufficient depth to give us plenty of earth to roll and har¬ 
row into a perfect seed-bed. The ground for planting corn 
cannot be too thoroughly prepared, as plenty of cultiva¬ 
tion before the seed is in the ground makes the plant food 
easily available, causing the seed to begin growing early 
and rapidly, and it also tends to do away with consider¬ 
able horse and hand culture afterthe plantis above ground. 
Although many scientific and practical farmers, too, have 
derhonstrated that 100 or 200 bushels of corn can be grown 
on an acre by sowing or plant ing in drills, we are just old- 
fashioned enough to plant the larger part of our corn 3feet 
apart each way, putting three to five kernels in a hill and 
doing most of the planting by the time-tried “ hand and 
hoe ” corn planters. We have tried corn in drills, and 
planted in hills three feet apart each way, and in both 
cases the results were uot such as to encourage us to con¬ 
tinue such close culture. 
Last spring I read an experiment station corn bulletin 
in which the statement was made that “ the results from 
a series of experiments in planting corn at different dis¬ 
tances proved conclusively that three feet yielded the best 
crops.” Swallowing this statement without stopping to 
meditate on it very long, I departed from our usual custom 
and planted a nine acre field that distance apart. Result, 
that field yielded a third less than the rest of the 70 acres, 
and father merely remarked : “ I told you so.” There’s a 
moral in this, and it is, that one shouldn’t change his own 
successful plan of cultivation because an experiment sta¬ 
tion says it is all wrong; but one should experiment him¬ 
self in a small way. After the corn is up we begin and keep 
up a continuous war on weeds until it is too high to be 
worked by a two-horse riding Planet Jr. and common wood 
and steel-frame cultivators, cultivating deep at first and 
then shallower for the last one or two times to prevent 
root-pruning. It is a bad practice to run a cultivator 
six inches deep, as three-fourths of all farmers do when 
the corn is two or three feet high. An examination of a 
hill of corn underground at that period of its growth shows 
a series of brace roots running in all directions a few inches 
below the surface. If these are severed so many feeders 
are taken away from the plant, and the crop suffers 
greatly. Besides cultivating continuously, we make it a 
point to hoe our corn at least once, and in some seasons, 
twice, by hand. This hand work, while rather expensive, 
always pays, and I do not know but that it would be econ¬ 
omy to hire enough extra help to hoe the corn twice every 
year. Last summer being so very wet, we were hard- 
pressed by work when the weather was at all favorable, 
and part of our corn was not hoed at all. The difference 
between that which had been hoed and that which had not 
was very marked. The hoed corn yielded a great deal 
more than the other, and we would have been repaid twice 
over for our work if we had carefully hoed every hill of 
