TOLm%^
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, JUNE 7,1884
NO. 23.
t&! jVt th. Indian* Farmer
AGRICULTUEE
As Seen From Washington.
lrtesUn Wells and Silk Culture.
"Vmution reaching  here   from   the
...t-nr-st indicates that the wheat and
- ..■_ cmps of that section are likely to be
-...illy good this season.   Private ad-
Tsfwui Iowa show that the corn crop
ssert I* ten days ahead of its usual obndi-
;-:3itihis time of year, while from Min-
:*u»ml Dakota comes news that the
_i*a has not for many years promised as
irl Megate Raymond, the chief farmer
'ii. Hous., receives frequent and thus
itftrry cheering advices from his home,
«ir» be has 3,500 acres of wheat growing
: i single farm.   And what a farm it is;
.uurwina body.   He keeps about 20
•-.|!« employed the year round, to man-
e> the (arm, and then employs help in
srtt numbers when   the  busy   season
-.~m on.  "There is no trouble in getting
_: tetulp I need," he said to your corre-
.;. _ lent.  "Of course I have to have hun-
:.-.!* of hands at certain seasons of the
nr.tmt they always come on at about
•_« lime they are wanted, and disappear
an after their work ends.   They are a
-ci'.a set, who make thia sort ot work a
realty. They winter in the pine woods
_ ihe north and east of us, chopping saw-
<i an.l working at the mills.   As the
r;_? comes on and the lumbering season
:!«, thev come out of the woods and are
s*iy to employ for the spring seeding.
_\n they run their logs down the river,
mnlown to the south, and are ready to
Wo the harvesting work there, which
-sae_.es in May in that section.   Then
| ;rr follow along up toward the north as
.'season advances, through Tennessee,
...'.tacky and Indiana, and so on up to us,
! ti when our harvest comes on they come
I . :*, thoroughly trained—in fact 'profes-
. -il harvesters.'   After the harvest is
■nlie season of threshing begins, and
....it is time for them to go into the
In ..again."   Mr. Raymond's system of
I -.-resting is one that would have aston-
1 >>1 ia when we were boys at home on
> firm-indeed which is quite astonish-
•:.•_.*. He cuts his grain with a half
I a. or more self binding reapers, and all
sushs harvest hands have to do is that
I <»_ was considered "boys' work" a few
I .-wigo-to shock the grain.   This done,
I cl the whole lot cut down, he sets to
II rk to thresh his grain direct from the
I *-<*." He starts in one threshing ma-
[ ■:■..», the next day a second, and the day
'■: *ing a third, and then runs his three
--iines until the season is ended, and
| i*-hat is all threshed.
THE AORICULTURAL BILL.
TifLwrirnlturalbill aa amended by the
*-a* appropriates $20,000 for new arte-
*« wfU experiments on the plains of the
I '* tad .15,000 for silk culture. The two
•nTiofnt- are looked forward to with
- vi interest b v the Department, and will
•* »rr carefully watched. The bill as.
<-:tvt to the House appropriates $65,-
-ifr the salaries of  the commissioner
I aiVj assistants. The salaries paid are
warp, the commissioner himself get-
•■1 hi ftSOO, while the other officials of
stlftrtment are also poorly paid. Jnst
h? tie head of the Department of Agri
culture should get but a trifle more than
one-half the salary of the cabinet officer is
hard to say. The following are the sums
allowed by the bill: Commissioner's office, $65,680; Chemical Division, $11,500;
Entomological Division, $27,900; Garden
and Grounds, $ 19,350; Microscopical Division, $S00; Botanical Division, $3,000;
Museum, $4,120; Laboratory, including
sugar experiments, $50,000; Seed Division,
$8,240; Agricultural Statistics, $134,000;
Library, $1,500; Investigating Diseases of
Animals, $25,000; Artesian wells in the
arid sections, $20,000; Forestry Investigations, $10,000; Tea Culture Experiments,
$3,000; Silk Culture Experiments, $15,000;
Miscellaneous Experiments and Expenses,
$25,000.
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.
The Treasury Cattle Commission is fully
convinced that the reports of. the presence
of foot and mouth disease in the western
States were entirely without foundation,
in fact, the disease in question having
been produced by feeding cattle "smutty"
corn and ergoted hay. A.
Washington, June 2, 1884.
*glxz ■gixxrn.
Postal Card Correspondence.
• NI>IA_. A.
Vermillion Co.—Late frosts did no
damage.   Wheat heading out.        P. P.
Cass Co.—Wheat looks very well. Corn
fair.   Light frost May 29th.        Z. BJ W.
Clarke Co.,—Wheat, oats and grass
fine. G. P.
Montgomery Co.,—No damage- by late
frost. S. D. S.
-Light frost May 29th. No
J. P. C.
Jennings Co,
damage done.
Allen Co.—Frostinlow places on morning of May 29th.   No damage.   W. P. Y.
Henry Co.—Little or no damage by late
frost.   Farm prospects generaUy fair.
W. D.
Warrick Co.—We are beginning to
want rain.   Corn mostly planted.
J.P. W.
Hamilton Co.—Frost 29th ult. nipped
tender plants.   Wheat not damaged.
S. M. W.
Crawford Co.—Corn coming up pretty
well. Some claim to have seen frost May
29th. J. M. J.
Bartholomew Co.—Frost 29th and 30th
of May and hail storm 26th, doing some
damage. J. A. P.
Morgan Co.,—Wheat and corn looking
splendid, with good outlook for an early
harvest. H. A. S.
Rush Co.—Wheat heading out; corn in
fair condition. Vegetation was not damaged by late frost. E. K.
Wayne Co.,—Late frost did, little or no
damage* Corn comiugupnicely. Wheat,
grass and oats doing well. J. M. G.
Wabash Co.—Thin ice formed on the
29th and30th of May with heavy frost. I
do not think much damage was done.
T. C. H.
Harrison Co.,—Wheat is nearly all
headed out and some in bloom, and still
stands at 110 as compared with 1883.
M. A. H.
Gibson Co.,—Wheat   all   headed   out,
looks fine, but needs rain; corn all
planted; no rain for three weeks, and need
it badly. E.J.
Clinton Co.,—Some fields of corn have
had to be replanted, but as a general thing
the stand of corn is good; the recent frost
injured nothing. E. H. S.
Noble Co.—Spring is backward for
corn. Wheat and grass fine; apple and
cherry prospect favorable. Heavy frost
29th of May, aud light one 30th.      J. H.  .
Switzerland Co.,—Wheat in bloom
and continues thrifty; sparrows with their
fighting propensities have' driven out
many of our wild birds, the robins and
blackbirds alone "hold the fort." The
little lady bug is doing a good work in the
destruction of insects. C. G. B.
LaPorte Co.,—Heavy frost May 29,
can't tell yet how much damage done, but
think not much; corn up mostly, but
looks sickly on account of late spring;
cold and rain and grubs, wire worms and
moles taking it in some places; sheep
shearing mostly done; wool very cheap
20 to 21 cents. Mrs. B. A. Davis.
Brown Co.,—Farmers not all done
planting yot probably will not get done
before the first of June, it has been very
cold and wet. Wheat badly frosted out
but what is standing looks well; peaches
all killed; apples, cherries, raspberries,
blackberries plenty; ■ cattle and hogs are
scarce; bees have died badly with what
they call spring dwindling.
R. J. Miller.
Miami Co.—Too much rain to plow corn;
some have their corn worked over once,
while others are not done planting. The
seed that was planted was good, and those
who planted early have a good stand. The
cold damp weather gives the cut worms a
nice show for their harvest on the corn,
and they are getting in their work to a
disadvantage to the farmer. Fallow
ground wheat is looking very well, but
corn ground wheat is not looking very
promising. Oata only an average crop
sown, and looking well. There was
scarcely any flax sown. There will be a
large crop of potatoes planted this year.
Cattle and hogs are doing well and are
scarce. There is hardly an average number of stock hogs here and very few fat
ones. D. W.
i-.-_i.nois.
Wayne Co.—Wheat looking fine; other
crops in good condition.' C. E. R.
KANSAS.
Wilson Co., May 25.—Good weather.
Wheat, oats, corn and grass doing fine.
Prospect good for a large crop of apples,
cherries and gooseberries. Plums and
pears not so plenty. Peaches almost a
failure. J. W. R.
OHIO.
Richland Co.—Wheat will be a fair
crop. Season backward for corn; othor
crops fair at this season. W. W. R.
Franklin Co.,—The prospect for wheat
in this county is very good with a few
exceptions. The corn is not aU planted
yet; some planting the third time, but
there are a few fields large enough to
work. There is a very fine prospect for
a very large hay crop. Granger.
CONDITION OP THK WEATHER IN THE STATH
OF INDIANA, FOR THB WEEK LENDING FBI-
DAY NIGHT, MAY 30.
Indiana.
Temperature.
No. clear A
clo'tly days
lUln
Oount.es.
9
m
tr
8
£
"0
70
80
72
80
73
ST
-1
rt
m
\
36
42
40
51
48
45
<
lb
R
?
55.4
59.(1
02.0
lil.O
03.0
lil.O
n
*.
-.
i
3
3
3
3
3
2
t
3
2
2
Q
o
£
t
4
3
i-t
D
rs
tr
n
d"
0.03
ii'.'..
0.74
0.50
1.10
_/,
o
s
a
-*
i.
. i
■i
Crawford -	
3
3
32
74
81
74
79
75
44
47
40
48
42
35
63.0
61.1
55.0
61.0
02.0
59.0
1.
3
_
*
3
3
1
1
1
2
(I
3
4
1
0.19
1.41
0.5O
0.311
1.40
3
4
3
3
85
70
77
50
IS)
39
07.5
61.0
57.0
3
5
3
_
2
1
1.1*1
I
0 0.2.
30.41
1
4
1
82
72
45 01.1
4
3
0
4
all.or
21.0*
3
4. 58.4
3
75
3357.2
3
1
'ii. ie
5
76
TO
SO
Tl
75
43-3.(1
K«_3.fc
38 58.5
40 01.1
5003.1
2
3
4
a
*
2
3
i
3,0.3.'
i	
2 O.O
3 1.0*
 1	
1
2
;>
..
Wayne-...™.™ .....
73
4ll)5S.2|     2j     3'     21.55      3
The Greenback National Convention
held last week adopted a platform endorsing the legal tender decision of tho
Supreme Court, an eight hour law, and
the submission of prohibition and woman
suffrage to the people. Ben F. Butler, of
Massachusetts, was nominated for Presi-
dent,and Gen'l A. M. West, of Mississippi,
Vice President.
Grain and stock gambling ought to be
a felony. Some of the States have taken
steps in this direction, and every State
legislature should be urged to prompt action in this respect. This species of gambling is effecting legitimate business and
general industry more than all other
causes combined, and should be stamped
out speedily.
 »_ _
The English government is taking steps
to ascertain what that country can rely
upon in regard to the production of wheat
in East India. It is believed that on all
the lands so situated as to be irrigated
wheat can be grown to advantage. The
railway buildings are also a factor in the
problem, as they will greatly lessen the
distance and expense of transportation.
Our foreign trade shows that the exports of domestic merchandise in April
were $48,379,014, and in April, 1883, $59,-
133,242. This is a loss of about §11,000,000,
or nearly 20 per cent. In imports there
waa a decrease of $3,000,000, and the net
balance was against us $4,268,998, while in
April, 1883, the net balance was for ua to
the amount of $3,897,000. The net export
of specie and bullion in April, 18S4, was
$19,082,116, and in April, 1883, $403,806.
The balance against us is increasing steadily. In the ten months ended April 30,
our domestic exports amounted to $625,-
504,019, a loss of about $70,000,000 compared
with the same period in 1882-83. In the
latter period the net balance in our favor
was $109,307,462, and $78,912,413 in the
former period. The imports were $143,-
167,238 in 12 months to April 30,and in the
corresponding 12 months of 1882-83 they
amounted to $1,644,833,914.