he far West or from Minnesota
and Dakota. Still there must have been great suffering not only among
the dumb brutes, but among human beings as well. It is fortunate that
polar waves do not visit us more frequently.

The effect upon fruit, buds, trees, and shrubs is not yet ascertained.
It will be a marvel if many localities are not barren of fruit of nearly
all kinds next year.

THE PRAIRIE FARMER will be very glad if its readers will favor it with
their ideas and the results of their observations in regard to the
damage of all sorts done by the intense cold of the first week of the
year.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

William Miller and F. Myrick, Peotone, Ill.--1. What are the laws in
regard to drainage passed by the last Legislature? 2. Who is the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court and who his associates?

Answer--1. This is a question probably neither lawyers nor judges in
Illinois are competent to answer. It you doubt it procure from the clerk
of your County Court a copy of the public laws of 1883 and read the
fifteen pages relating to drainage. 2. The Chief Justice of the United
States Supreme Court is M.R. Waite, and his associates are S.F. Miller,
S.J. Field, J.P. Bradley, J.M. Harlan. W.B. Woods, S. Mathews, H. Gray,
and S. Blatchford.

Samuel Snodgrass, Meade Co., Ky.--1. I have some large, old, and
apparently healthy, apple trees, but they are comparatively barren. What
can I do for them? 2. I have others which appear to be going to decay
and will soon die. Had I better anticipate their death by cutting them
down, or try to save them as I would like to do, for their associations
with the past.

Answer--1. We know no better course for you to take than to dig a deep
ditch all around the trees, say three feet wide and as many deep, and
just within the outer reach of the limbs, and fill this in with half the
earth removed and the other half made up of vegetable matter, ashes,
road dirt, and such manure from the barn and stable as you can spare.
Having done this make an arrangement about each tree that will retain
all the rainfall which comes down to the earth beneath and collect as
much more from the open spaces about as possible. 2. Your old and
decaying trees may be saved if decay has not gone too far. But the
remedy is an heroic one, and rather expensive as you will find. First
treat the decaying trees as described for the healthy ones, with the
exception you add a greater proportion of fertilizers and