PRAIRIE FARMER

A Weekly Journal for

The farm, orchard, and fireside.

Established in 1841. 
Entire series:  Vol. 56—­No. 1.

Chicago, Saturday, January 5, 1884.

Price, $2.00 Per year,
in advance.

[Transcriber’s Note:  Some pages in the original had the corner torn off.  Missing text has been marked [***].]

[Transcriber’s Note:  The Table of Contents was originally located on page 8 of the periodical.  It has been moved here for ease of use.]

THE CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER.

Agriculture—­Tall Meadow Oat-Grass, Page 1; The Barbed-Wire Business, 1-2; A Rambler’s Letter, 2; Let Us Be Sociable, 2; Seed Corn Again, 2; Field and Furrow, 3.

Live stock—­Mr. Grinnell’s Letter, Page 14; Prices of 1883, 4; Docking Horses, 4; Items, 4.

The dairy—­Lessons in Finance for the Creamery Patron, Page 5.

Veterinary—­Fever, Page 5.

Horticulture—­Ill.  Hort.  Society, Page 6; A Short Sermon on a
Long Text, 6; Prunings, 6-7.

Floriculture—­Gleanings by an Old Florist, Page 7; Am I a Scot or am I Not, Poetry, 7; Primitive Northwest, 7.

Editorial—­Items, Page 8; Seed Samples, 8; The Pork Question in Europe, 8; Corn, Wheat, and Cotton, 8; Chicago in 1883, 9; Strong Drink, 9; Questions and Answers, 9; Wayside Notes, 9; Champaign Letter, 9.

Poultry notes—­Chat With Correspondents, Page 10; Feather Ends, 10.

The apiary—­Keep Bees, Page 10; The New Bees, 10; Hive and Honey Hints, 10.

Silk culture—­Women In Silk Culture, Page 11.

Household—­The Schoolmarm’s Story, Poem, Page 12; A Chat About the Fashions, 12; A Kitchen Silo, 12; Items, 12.

Young folks—­Talk about the Lion, Page 13; A Jack-knife Genius, 13; Little Johnny, 13.

Book notices—­Page 13.

Literature—­Robin, Dear Robin, Poetry, Page 14; Mrs. Wimbush’s
Revenge, 14.

Humorous—­The Carpenter’s Wooing, Poetry, Page 15; Where the
Old Maids Come From, 15; Items, 15.

News of the week—­Page 16.

Markets—­Page 16.

TALL MEADOW OAT-GRASS.

Prof.  John W. Robson, State Botanist of Kansas, sends the prairie farmer an extract from his last report, concerning a tame grass for hay and pasturing which is new to that State.  The grass has been on trial on an upland farm for two years, during which time he has watched it very closely.  The Professor says, “It possesses so many excellent qualities as to place it in the front rank of all cultivated grasses.”  He enumerates from his notes: