56 
January  23 
THE  RURAL  NE  W-"Y  O  R  K  E  R.  * 
THK 
Rural  New-Yorker 
TIMES  BUILD  IK  O,  NEW  YORK. 
*  * 
A  National  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  Homes. 
*  * 
ELBERT  8.  CARMAN,  Editor  in  Chief 
HERBERT  W.  OOLLINGWOOD,  Managing  Editor. 
Copyrighted  1892. 
SATURDAY,  JANUARY  23,  1892. 
Every  one  raises  tomatoes.  The  object  of  thisnum- 
ber  of  The  R.  N.-Y.  is  to  present  to  our  readers  all  of 
importance  that  is  known  regarding-  the  tomato  up  to 
date.  Nothin#  of  the  kind,  in  so  far  as  we  are  aware, 
has  hitherto  been  attempted. 
*  * 
1  HE  R.  N.-Y.  has  several  times  expressed  the  opinion 
that  varieties  of  tomatoes  probably  cross  in  the  field 
or  garden.  It  was  a  mere  opinion,  however,  based  upon 
the  construction  of  the  flowers  and  the  variability  of 
varieties.  The  Cornell  Station,  according  to  a  late  bul¬ 
letin  (32),  confirms  Tjie  R.  N.-Y.’sopinion  by  the  results 
of  field  experiments.  #  # 
It  is  hard  to  find  a  more  beautiful  fruit  than  toma¬ 
toes  ripened  in  paper  bags,  unless  it  be  bagged  grapes. 
1  he  tomatoes  are  thus  protected  from  all  blemishes  or 
weather  discolorations — the  skin  is  perfectly  smooth, 
the  color  intensified.  The  R.  N.-Y.,  as  has  been 
stated,  found  last  year  that  bagging  tomatoes  (the 
first  of  such  experiments  on  record)  caused  an  earlier 
maturity.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  our  readers  will  thus 
early  make  a  note  to  try  the  tomato-bagging  experi 
ments  next  season.  #  # 
The  R.  N.-Y.  has  raised  tomatoes  experimentally 
for  20  years,  and  it  is  our  belief,  based  thereon,  that 
varieties  vary  greatly  from  year  to  year,  let  the  seed 
selections  be  made  ever  so  carefully.  They  vary  in 
size,  color,  smoothness  and  quality  as  to  fruit,  while  the 
plants  vary  as  to  vigor  and  productiveness,  all  in  a  way 
and  to  an  extent  which  cannot  satisfactorily  be  ac¬ 
counted  for  by  differences  of  soil,  manures,  fertilizers 
or  weather  conditions.  We  are  inclined  to  regard  the 
tomato  as  the  most  unstable  fruit  that  is  raised. 
*  * 
Prof.  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  Cornell  University,  last  win¬ 
ter,  made  crosses  between  the  Ithaca  and  the  Currant 
Tomatoes.  The  Ithaca  is  a  round  tomato,  while  the  Cur¬ 
rant  is  a  distinct  species — Lycopersicum  pimpinelli- 
folium — bearing  racemes  of  berries  the  size  of  Cherry 
Currants.  The  fruits  of  the  hybrids  were  four  times 
larger  than  those  of  the  Currant  Tomato,  and  there 
were  more  to  the  racemes,  which  were  from  six  to 
eight  inches  long,  being  of  a  deep-red  color.  A  new 
race  of  tomatoes  may  be  developed  from  this  initial 
cross. 
* 
Tobacco,  Stramonium  (Datura — Jamestown  Weed), 
Henbane,  Matrimony  Vine  (Lyceum),  Alkekengi,  Horse 
Nettle,  Common  Nightshade,  Belladonna,  Bittersweet, 
potatoes  and  tomatoes  are  all  members  of  the  same 
great  Nightshade  family  (Solanaceae).  Botany  respects 
the  members  of  its  families  all  alike.  It  recognizes 
that  all  plants  are  useful  in  one  way  or  another;  that 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  weed  except  as  a  plant 
“out  of  place”  or  whose  value  has  not  yet  been  as¬ 
certained.  Man  is  the  one  that  abuses  and  disgraces 
plants.  #  # 
When  the  People’s  Party  of  Ohio,  last  year,  declared 
itself  in  favor  of  government  control  of  the  liquor  busi¬ 
ness,  a  storm  of  ridicule  greeted  the  proposition.  It 
appears,  however,  that  there  are  two  sides  to  the 
matter.  In  Sweden  and  Norway  drunkenness  has  been 
greatly  decreased  by  a  singular  system  of  license.  The 
right  of  local  option  is  given.  If  a  town  decides  against 
the  sale  of  liquor,  prohibition  is  enforced.  If  the  vote 
is  in  favor  of  liquor  selling,  the  State  takes  charge  of 
it,  granting  the  privilege  to  a  company  of  respectable 
men,  who  must  conduct  the  business  under  government 
supervision.  The  saloons  must  be  as  open  and  plainly 
furnished  as  ordinary  stores,  with  no  tables  or  places 
to  sit  down  and  drink.  The  saloon  keepers  must  all 
wear  uniforms,  like  other  public  officers.  They  are 
not  permitted  to  sell  liquor  to  children,  chronic  ine¬ 
briates  and  certain  other  classes.  The  books  of  the 
company  must  be  constantly  open  to  government  in¬ 
spection,  •  nd  all  profits  above  five  per  cent  belong  to 
the  State,  av  lgo  to  reduce  the  tax  levy  or  to  aid  hospi¬ 
tals  and  char,  lable  institutions.  This  plan  has  proved 
highly  successful  in  Norway.  The  things  that  seem  to 
make  it  most  effective  are,  taking  the  excessive  profit 
from  the  liquor  seller  and  compelling  him  to  conduct 
his  business  openly.  When  all  over  five  per  cent  profit 
goes  to  the  State,  the  rum  seller  does  not  exert  himself 
to  secure  “  new  trade.”  He  is  an  “  office  holder”  any¬ 
way,  and  who  ever  heard  of  such  a  person  ruining  his 
health  with  work  ?  The  men  who  take  the  privilege 
of  selling  the  liquor  arc  often  the  best  temperance  men 
in  the  place,  who  take  this  means  of  reducing  the  evils 
of  intemperance.  #  # 
I  he  English  word  of  direct  Indian  origin  most  fre¬ 
quently  in  use  is  tomato.  A  native  of  tropical  or  sub¬ 
tropical  America,  it  was  cultivated  by  the  subjects  of 
the  Incas  and  Montezumas,  as  well  as  by  the  other 
semi-civilized  natives,  long  before  the  advent  of  Euro¬ 
peans  on  this  hemisphere,  under  the  name  of  tumatl 
or  tornatl.  Though  introduced  into  Europe  almost  as 
early  as  its  congener,  the  potato,  it  is  only  lately  that 
it  has  made  its  way  into  popular  favor.  'There  it  was 
first  known  to  the  English  as  love  apple,  to  the  French 
as  pomme  d  amour,  and  to  the  Italians  as  pomi  d’amore, 
and  these  names  are  still  in  use.  perpetuating  the  old 
widespread  notion  that  its  use  as  food  had  an  influence 
on  the  amatory  passions. 
•*  * 
A  few  days  since  the  daily  papers  of  this  city  chron¬ 
icled  the  freaks  of  a  policeman,  who  became  suddenly 
insane.  Inquiry  developed  the  fact  that  he  had  been 
taking  some  pretty  large  doses  of  quinine  and  it  was 
thought  that  it  had  caused  the  outbreak.  The  Medical 
Record  of  this  city,  a  high-toned  journal  of  the  allo¬ 
pathic  school,  once  admitted  that  quinine  “  produced 
insanity  of  a  mild  and  curable  type.”  If  this  be  so,  and 
there  seems  to  be  but  little  doubt  of  it,  it  will  be  the 
part  of  wisdom  to  let  the  drug  alone,  especially  the 
practice  of  resorting  to  it  on  all  possible  occasions.  It 
is  getting  to  be  a  habit,  like  the  use  of  opium  or 
brandy,  and  at  very  many  of  the  high-toned  bars  of 
this  city,  one  can  procure  “  quinine  and  whisky”  or  a 
quinine  pill.  #  # 
A  BILL  has  been  introduced  into  Congress  “regulat¬ 
ing  the  expenses  of  funerals  of  its  members.”  The 
bill  is  good,  so  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  should  go  farther, 
and  prohibit  such  expenditures  entirely.  Within  the 
past  two  or  three  years,  some  very  scandalous  affairs 
have  taken  place  in  the  conduct  of  funerals  of  Sena¬ 
tors  and  Representatives— scandals  which  set  the  entire 
country  wondering.  The  whole  business  is  wrong. 
When  a  Senator  or  Representative  dies,  let  his  family 
or  friends  attend  to  his  funeral.  Nothing  can  be  urged 
in  favor  of  an  expensive  funeral  for  him  at  the  public 
expense,  that  would  not  with  equal  force  apply  to  any 
respectable  constable  or  pound  master  who  should 
shuffle  off  his  mortal  coil  during  his  term  of  official 
service.  The  whole  business  is  an  abuse,  pure  and 
simple,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  reflect  that  this  fact  is  be¬ 
ginning  to  penetrate  the  minds  of  some  of  our  law 
makers  at  Washington. 
*  * 
It  is  hard  to  believe  that  the  little  Cherry  Tomato  is 
the  original  tomato — the  parent  of  all  the  kinds  known 
to-day — and  yet  all  the  evidence  which  we  have  points 
in  that  direction.  The  instability  of  such  wfell  defined 
kinds  as  the  Peach,  the  Potato-leaf,  the  French  Upright 
and  the  Fig  is  well  shown  by  the  fact  that  crosses  with 
the  ordinary  kinds  are  liable  to  give  seedlings  which 
bear  no  distinctive  resemblance  to  either  parent  and 
that  seeds  of  these  crosses  again  planted  will  produce 
plants  which  vary  greatly  in  leaf,  habit  and  fruit.  The 
R.  N.-Y.  shows  elsewhere  that  the  Station  Tomato — a 
cross  between  Alpha  and  the  Upright — though  pro¬ 
duced  seven  or  eight  years  ago,  is  no  nearer  a  fixed 
type  or  variety  than  it  was  the  first  season  of  its  ex¬ 
istence.  So,  too,  with  the  Peach,  the  origin  of  which 
we  have  been  unable  to  ascertain  :  of  20  or  more  plants 
raised  from  crossed  seeds  of  the  Peach,  not  one  plant 
bore  a  fruit  with  the  characteristic  downy  skin  of  the 
mother.  It  may  well  be  assumed  that  tomato  culture 
and  evolution  are  in  their  infancy. 
*  * 
The  milk  producers  on  the  North  Pennsylvania  Rail¬ 
road  who  ship  milk  to  Philadelphia,  are  just  now  and 
for  some  days  have  been  engaged  in  a  lively  fight  with 
the  dealers,  who  refuse  to  pay  the  price  demanded  by 
the  association  to  which  the  shippers  belong,  and  they 
have  withheld  their  milk  from  the  market.  The  deal¬ 
ers  promptly  made  arrangements  with  that  arch  enemy 
of  producers,  the  New  York  Milk  Exchange,  Limited, 
for  at  least  a  partial  supply,  and  since  the  9th  or  10th 
the  exchange  has  shipped  from  200  to  300  cans  daily  to 
Philadelphia.  This  milk  must  cost  the  dealers  in 
Philadelphia  more  than  the  producers  for  that  market 
demand,  but  present  expense  is  not  cared  for,  if  they 
can  succeed  in  breaking  the  farmers’  organization. 
The  New  York  Milk  Exchange  met  on  Thursday  of 
last  week,  and  ordered  a  reduction  of  half  a  cent  in 
the  price  of  milk — a  proceeding  utterly  uncalled  for 
and  unjust.  Three  and  a  half  cents  per  quart  is  as  low 
as  milk  can  be  profitably  produced  at  this  time  of  the 
year,  with  the  prevailing  high  prices  of  feed.  But 
such  little  questions  as  equity  and  fairness  never  dis¬ 
compose  the  milk  magnates  of  New  York.  They 
believe  in  extorting  from  the  producer  the  last  mill 
that  he  can  part  with,  short  of  absolute  bankruptcy. 
So  it  goes.  #  # 
A  good  illustration  of  the  folly  of  trying  to  compete 
in  the  market  with  a  poor  article  against  a  good  one 
is  seen  in  the  trade  in  Irish  live  cattle.  English  and 
Scotch  farmers  formerly  bought  these  animals  to  fatten 
on  their  home  farms.  Since  Canadian  live  cattle  have 
been  admitted  to  the  English  ports,  many  farmers 
have  ceased  to  feed  Irish  live  stock,  because  the  Cana¬ 
dians  are  better  bred,  better  handled  and  better  fed. 
That  is,  farmers  prefer  to  go  across  the  ocean  for  a 
good  beast  than  to  go  across  the  Channel  for  a  poor 
one.  There  is  about  the  same  difference  everywhere 
between  good  and  poor  stock.  To  partially  remedy 
the  matter,  Irish  farmers  are  interesting  themselves  in 
a  “meat  agency,”  which  is  to  slaughter  and  ship  cattle 
somewhat  after  the  plan  of  the  American  dressed  beef 
companies.  The  company  is  to  have  a  capital  of  $200,- 
000  and  efforts  are  being  made  to  sell  the  stock  at  $5 
per  share  so  that  farmers  will  come  in  and  make  it  a 
cooperative  enterprise.  The  company  will  erect 
slaughter  houses  in  various  districts,  where  farmers 
may  drive  their  cattle.  It  is  proposed  to  accept  the 
offal  of  the  cattle  as  full  payment  for  killing,  cooling, 
shipping  and  selling.  That  is,  the  company  takes 
hide,  hair,  bones  and  tallow  and  pays  the  farmer  the 
price  obtained  for  the  meat.  Such  an  arrangement 
may  be  possible  in  Ireland.  Here,  the  “  Big  Four  ” 
went  ahead  and  proved  the  scheme  practical.  While 
doing  it  they  secured  a  monopoly. 
Brevities. 
Uncle  Billy  had  one  failing,  used  to  go  off  on  a  spree 
When  he  felt  a  bit  down-hearted;  came  home  drunk  one  night  and  he 
In  a  a  fit  of  drunken  anger,  raised  his  hand  and  struck  his  wife, 
And  the  act  just  knocked  him  sober;  loved  her  better  than  his  life; 
Took  an  oath  he’d  break  off  drinking,  slick  and  clean,  and  kept  his  word 
Though  the  way  he  fought  and  struggled  with  the  drink  no  man  has 
heard. 
Sometimes  when  the  demon  tempted  so  it  seemed  he  couldn't  stand, 
He'd  just  shut  his  eyes  and  whisper,  reaching  out  with  trembling  hand 
“Mary!  Maryihold  me  from  it!  let  me  get  a  hold  of  you! 
Now  I  need  you,  stay  right  by  me  till  I  tight  the  feeling  through.’’ 
Then  he’d  grip  her  hand  in  silence  till  the  craving  passed  away. 
Not  a  single  drop  of  liquor’s  passed  his  lips  In  many  a  day. 
Lots  of  people  tight  temptation,  dreading  how  the  tight  may  end. 
Pitiful  their  mute  appealing!  Ah!  that  some  strong,  earnest  friend 
Then  might  reach  a  hand  toward  them  which  their  faltering  will  might 
hold, 
That's  the  test  of  friendship— help  them  when  their  faith  and  hope 
grow  cold. 
Are  you  a  slave  to  stable  manure  ? 
In  what  coin  does  your  dog  pay  for  his  board? 
Will  it  pay  you  to  tit  out  with  a  spraying  outfit? 
Are  you  fattening  useless  cat-tlesh  this  winter? 
Diet,  exercise,  water  and  tomatoes— the  secrets  of  good  health. 
Better  have  two  pairs  of  boots  and  “  change  off  ”  now  and  then. 
’Tis  a  very  poor  joke  to  see  a  boy  puffing  his  brains  out  in  smoke! 
Six  square  feet  of  clean  space  is  plenty  for  a  hen  to  make  an  egg 
record  in. 
We  want  to  correspond  with  parties  who  have  been  successful  with 
pipe  or  tank  irrigation. 
They  tell  us  that  among  the  dairies  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa 
a  cow  with  her  horns  on  is  a  thing  of  the  past. 
If  you  want  your  cattle  polled,  here’s  the  way  to  work,  I’m  told;  nip 
the  calf’s  horn  in  the  bud;  that’s  as  clear  as  liquid  mud. 
Should  we  wash  the  mud  off  a  horse’s  legs  or  let  it  dry  on  and  then 
brush  it  off  ?  Good  horsemen  differ  on  this  point.  What  do  you  say? 
Here  is  a  true  word  from  a  subscriber  in  Manitoba:  “•  Buy  a  dog. 
The  kind  folks  give  away  is  not  worth  the  wind  in  '  Thank  you.’  I  have 
tried  both  kinds.’’ 
The  tomato  and  potato  may  be  regarded  as  half  brothers  as  it  were. 
One  is  valuable  to  us  for  the  work  he  does  above  ground,  the  other  for 
the  work  he  does  below. 
There  are  lots  of  men  in  the  country  who  would  like  a  breed  of 
sheep  with  no  more  wool  than  is  required  to  keep  the  mutton  warm . 
There  is  money  in  mutton  without  wool. 
A.  L.  Crosby  says  that  when  one  is  feeding  a  dairy  cow  he  should 
watch  not  only  her  head  end,  but  the  “udder"  end!  Correct!  The 
udder  is  the  rudder  that  points  the  cow  to  profit  or  loss. 
Think  of  making  a  hen  with  a  feathered  leg  stand  in  the  cold  mud 
all  day.  Why  Bhould  she  be  made  to  carry  a  pound  or  more  of  soil 
around  on  her  legs?  Are  you  training  leg  muscles  or  egg  muscles? 
The  tomato  is  just  as  much  a  berry  as  is  a  currant  or  a  grape.  It  is 
the  fruit  of  the  tomato  plant,  the  same  as  the  potato  ball  or  apple  is  the 
fruit  of  the  potato  plant.  In  fact,  structurally,  the  potato  ball  is  the 
same  as  the  tomato. 
Here  is  one  thing  for  the  men  who  are  talking  so  loudly  about  the 
churn  test, to  remember.  The  chemical  test  is  accurate— that  is,  it  always 
gives  the  same  result.  There  are  at  least  three  “makes”  of  churns 
that  will  differ  in  results  and  at  least  99  classes  of  churners  all  of  which 
have  to  be  detected  by  the  chemical  test! 
A  hen  with  wet  feet  will  never  compete  at  the  egg  box  with  one  that 
is  dry.  To  dry  out  her  stocking  will  make  such  a  shocking  waste  of 
time  that  Biddy  will  cry.  And  while  she  is  crying  the  good  days  are  fly- 
ing  and  ’tother  hen's  laying  her  eggs  and  drawing  a  prize,  while  the 
people  despise  poor  Biddy,  who  swallows  the  dregs. 
A  friend  in  Pennsylvania  says  he  would  like  to  Bend  us  a  club  of  sub 
Bcriptlons,  but  he  is  the  only  one  at  his  post  office  who  subscribes  for 
a  rural  paper!  He  says:  “  If  you  have  anything  favorable  to  farming 
by  signs  of  the  zodiac,  or  can  indorse  hollow  horn,  etc.,  send  it 
along  and  you  will  succeed ;  but  when  the  world  has  moved  a  great  deal 
more,  it  will  be  time  to  expect  a  change  here.”  Wonder  if  they  call 
for  “ free  rural  mail  ”  at  that  post  office! 
Mr.  Springer's  tariff  bill  recently  introduced,  puts  on  the  free  list 
all  wools,  hair  of  the  camel,  goat,  alpaca  and  other  like  animals,  also 
waste  wools,  woolen  rags,  muugo  and  flocks.  We  see  no  good  reason 
why  we  should  encourage  the  importation  of  woolen  rags,  for  they  are 
ground  up  into  shoddy  or  of  mungo,  which  is  only  another  name  for 
shoddy,  or  of  flock,  which  is  more  worthless  than  either  of  the  above 
—all  three  of  which  are  used  to  adulterate  and  cheapen  woolen  textiles. 
