1892 
21 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
is  not,  still  I  think  it  is  quite  an  object  when  I  come 
around  to  44  pap”  about  the  Fourth  of  July,  or  a  little 
before  show  day  or  fair  time,  and  say,  “Well,  do  you 
suppose  there  is  any  chance  of  our  getting  to  cele¬ 
brate  this  year  ?”  and  he  says  :  “I  don’t  know  ;  I 
haven’t  any  money,  and  I  don’t  know  where  I  can 
get  any.”  That  settles  it— when  the  day  comes  I  go 
out  and  follow  the  plow,  or  pitch  hay  or  grain  as  the 
case  may  be.  When  I  see  other  folks  going,  I  think. 
“  I  wish  I  could  go,  but  I  can't,”  and  console  myself  by 
thinking  that  “  maybe  I  can  go  next  year  ;  ”  but  next 
year  comes  and  goes  and  that  is  the  way  with  a  farmer 
boy  as  far  as  I  have  got.  I  know  of  a  good  many  young 
men  who  have  gone  away  from  here,  but  not  one  of 
them  has  done  any  good.  I  know  the  preachers,  the 
doctors  the  editors,  the  lawyers  and  every  one  under 
the  sun  but  a  farmer,  will  advise  a  boy  to  be  a  farmer. 
I  advise  him  not  to  be  one. 
A  17-YEAR  OLD  IOWA  BOY. 
ANSWER  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
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Something  About  the  Idaho  Pear. 
THE  QUESTIONS. 
1.  Have  you  fruited  the  Idaho  Pear  at  your  place  ? 
If  so,  2,  is  it  equal  in  quality  and  size  to  the  specimens 
grown  in  Idaho  ?  3.  It  is  urged  that  the  fruits  from 
the  Western  slope  of  the  Rockies  and  the  Pacific  coast 
lose  their  peculiar  flavor  and  quality  when  grown  east 
of  the  Mississippi.  Is  this  a  fact  ? 
THE  ANSWERS. 
Here  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  we  have  not  yet  been  able 
to  test  the  Idaho  Pear  grown  here.  We  had  a  few 
specimens,  but  they  did  not  ripen.  w.  c.  barry. 
Yes.  Almost  every  kind  of  fruit  bore  well  here  in 
1891,  but  the  Japan  Pears,  for  some  reason,  had  but 
little,  and  the  Idaho,  which  seems  related  to  them, 
showed  but  two  clusters  of  bloom  on  which  five  pears 
set.  Two  of  these  I  removed  early.  Two  others  were 
knocked  off  by  stones  thrown  by  wanton  boys  from  an 
alley  full  of  road  pebbles.  One  matured  and  was  cut 
October  20,  and  my  diary  entry  says  it  measured  “2% 
inches  in  diameter,  both  across  and  in  line  with  the 
stem.  Sweet,  tender  and  pleasant,  but  not  sprightly. 
Perhaps  it  was  gathered  and  cut  a  little  too  soon.  ” 
The  heavy  stones  thrown  by  the  boys  may  have  checked 
growth,  but  the  growth  is  not  free  on  any  of  the 
several  trees  on  which  I  grafted  it  when  first  sent  me 
by  Mr.  Lewis.  It  grows  best,  but  not  handsomely,  on 
a  Louise  Bonne  dwarf.  The  tree  which  bore  the  fruit 
yielded  fine  Anjous  and  Winter  Nelis,  and  is  quite 
healthy.  It  does  not  seem  as  if  the  Idaho  is  likely  to 
reach  either  the  size  or  quality  here  which  it  appears 
to  attain  at  its  home.  Le  Conte  does  well  here  in  Penn¬ 
sylvania,  and  has  yielded  handsome  and  good  fruit  for 
three  years  and  is  quite  a  rival  of  the  Bartlett  and  the 
Boussock.  Our  Idaho  sample  closely  resembled  in 
form  the  specimen  sent  me  by  Mr.  Lewis,  though  much 
smaller.  w.  G.  waring. 
1.  At  my  place  in  Van  Buren  County,  Michigan,  the 
Idaho  has  not  fruited  yet.  A  tree  topgrafted  in  1889, 
has  not  yet  shown  fruit;  and  has  blighted  so  badly, 
the  past  season,  that  I  fear  I  may  lose  it  before  fruit¬ 
ing.  2.  Fruit  grown  at  the  East  can  scarcely  be  ex¬ 
pected  to  equal  in  size  that  grown  in  Idaho,  with 
irrigation  ;  though  it  may,  quite  probably,  even  exceed 
it  in  quality.  3.  Facts  show  quite  the  reverse  of  this. 
All  the  hardy  fruits  (grapes  possibly  excepted),  as 
grown  at  the  East,  lose  sadly  in  flavor  and  quality 
when  grown  west  of  the  Rockies,  and  more  specially 
so  when  taken  southward  ;  and,  by  parity  of  reason¬ 
ing,  Western  varieties  may  be  expected  to  gain  in 
these  particulars,  when  transferred  to  Eastern  soils  and 
climates.  t.  t.  lyon, 
I  have  never  planted  the  Idaho  here  in  Oneida  County, 
N.  Y.  In  my  judgment  we  have  ail  the  pears  we  want 
except  a  better  keeper  in  place  of  the  Bartlett,  and  a 
really  fine  late  winter  sort  as  good  as  the  Anjou.  I 
do  not  believe  any  fruit  loses  in  quality  by  being 
grown  east  of  its  native  place,  but  it  is  pretty  sure  to 
lose  in  size.  e.  p.  powell. 
My  Idaho  Pears  have  not  fruited  yet.  It  is  a  well 
established  fact  that  California  peaches  and  pears  do 
not  compare  favorably  in  quality  with  ours.  The 
Delaware  and  Maryland  peaches  are  inferior  in  quality 
to  New  Jersey  stock  as  we  get  them.  Early  gathering 
in  order  to  bear  transportation,  doubtless  has  some¬ 
thing  to  do  with  this  ;  but  Western  New  York  apples 
as  well  as  those  from  Ohio  and  other  Western  States 
are  inferior  in  quality  and  flavor  to  New  Jersey  fruit, 
though  smooth  and  fairer.  The  Concord,  Niagara,  and 
probably  other  grapes  grown  in  New  Jersey  are  of 
higher  quality  than  those  grown  in  Western  New 
York,  and  have  less  of  the  native  aroma  called  foxiness. 
This  is  probably  due  in  some  degree  to  the  longer  sea¬ 
son,  but  somewhat  to  the  newer  and  richer  soils  of  the 
western  latitude.  Adaptability  comes  in  here  again  ; 
for  some  varieties  that  fail  to  attain  mediocrity  here 
reach  the  highest  perfection  in  some  Western  localities, 
notably  the  Louise  Bonne  de  Jersey.  E.  williams. 
We  have  not  fruited  the  Idaho  Pear  and  think  very 
few  have  been  fruited  in  the  East.  Our  experience  in 
Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.,  has  been  that  the  varieties  of 
fruit  which  have  originated  in  the  East,  when  grown 
on  the  Pacific  slope,  lose  in  flavor  and  increase  in  size, 
the  climate  and  soil  there  producing  rapid  growth, 
coarse  grain  and  insipid  flavor.  From  this  fact  we 
anticipate  that  fruit  taken  from  the  West  to  the  East 
would  be  reduced  in  size,  but  improved  in  grain  and 
flavor.  SMITHS  &  POWELL. 
Cider  Vinegar. 
W.  D.  C..  Watertown,  Conn. — I  have  a  barrel  half  full 
of  vinegar,  and  wish  to  fill  it  with  cider.  How  old 
should  the  latter  be  to  make  the  best  vinegar  of  the 
whole  ? 
Ans. — It  should  be  old  enough  to  have  a  “  mother  ;  ” 
that  is,  it  should  be  vinegar  itself.  It  will  make  little 
difference  how  old  the  cider  is.  The  newer  it  is  the 
longer  it  must  “  work  ”  to  change  into  vinegar.  Any 
cider  will  turn  into  vinegar  if  left  long  enough. 
Plastering  and  Eire  Brick. 
F.  P.,  Stockport,  N.  Y. — To  make  mortar  for  inside 
plastering,  what  is  the  best  proportion  of  lime  and 
sand  ?  How  can  I  mend  and  patch  fire  brick  in  a  stove  ? 
I  have  tried  fire  clay  and  sand,  but  it  does  not  get 
hard. 
Ans. — The  usual  proportions  of  lime  and  sand  for 
plastering  are  as  follows  :  One  barrel  of  lime  to  two 
of  clean  sand  and  three  bushels  of  hair.  This  will 
cover  70  square  yards  of  lath  with  one  coat,  or  make  00 
yards  of  first  and  second  coats.  One  bundle  of  lath 
and  500  nails  are  required  for  4  %  square  yards.  The 
lime  is  slaked  in  a  box,  and  strained  into  another,  and 
the  plaster  is  mixed  and  well  worked  and  thrown  into 
a  heap  and  covered  from  the  weather.  It  should  be  kept 
in  this  condition  for  a  considerable  time,  as  it  improves 
in  quality  by  keeping.  When  used  it  is  moistened  to 
a  proper  consistency  for  laying  on  the  wall.  Fire  brick 
cannot  be  made  in  the  way  mentioned.  The  heat  of 
a  stove  will  not  bring  the  materials  into  a  condition  to 
resist  the  heat,  and  the  clay  and  sand  will  crumble 
when  heated.  An  intense  heat  is  required  to  make 
fire  brick  and  bring  the  clay  and  sand  into  the  right 
combination.  It  is  best  to  procure  new  bricks  for  the 
repair  of  a  stove  or  to  procure  a  soap-stone  back,  which 
is  far  more  durable  than  the  fire  brick. 
A  Student  in  Cotton  and  Peanut”Culture. 
J.  M.  R.,  Oklahoma. — I  have  recently  settled  in  Okla¬ 
homa  and  find  the  soil  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of 
sweet  potatoes  and  peanuts,  while  the  climate  is  suited 
to  cotton  culture.  I  should  like  practical  suggestions 
from  Southern  subscribers  of  The  R.  N.-Y.  Cotton 
seed  can  be  procured  for  10  cents  per  bushel.  How  and 
to  what  stock  can  it  be  fed  ?  Could  it  be  ground  with 
corn  in  a  farm  feed  mill  ? 
Ans. — We  shall  be  glad  to  have  our  Southern  sub¬ 
scribers  help  this  reader.  He  should  send  to  the  agri¬ 
cultural  experiment  stations  at  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  Knox¬ 
ville,  Tenn.,  Lake  City,  Fla.,  Experiment,  Ga.,  Auburn, 
Ala.,  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  Fayetteville,  Ark.,  A.  and  M. 
College,  Miss.,  and  College  Station,  Tex.,  for  their  bul¬ 
letins  on  stock  feeding  and  cotton  seed.  The  Tennes¬ 
see  Station  has  issued  an  excellent  bulletin  on  peanut 
culture.  These  bulletins  will  give  more  facts  about 
cotton  seed  than  we  could  give  in  ten  pag-es  of  The 
R.  N.-Y. 
“  Direct  Issuance  of  Money.” 
E.  L.  S.,  N.  Truro,  Mass. — Will  The  Rural  explain 
why  direct  issuance  of  money  by  government  involves 
adopting  the  44  Sub-Treasury  plan.”  It  seems  to  me 
it  could  be  put  in  circulation  by  paying  expenses  with 
it.  One  curse  of  the  National  Bank  system  is  that  the 
notes  are  not  circulated  until  they  are  borrowed  at  in¬ 
terest.  Other  men  and  corporations  pay  interest  on 
their  debts;  but  the  banks  grow  rich  on  the  interest  of 
what  they  owe — which  is  commonly  thought  a  joke  or 
an  impossibility. 
Ans. — We  do  not  see  that  the  government  must,  of 
necessity,  adopt  this  scheme  in  order  to  issue  money 
directly  to  the  people.  As  we  understand  it,  this 
“Sub-Treasury”  scheme  is  merely  one  form  of  such 
issuance.  Farmers  who  advocate  it  argue  that  other 
forms  of  property  are  more  easily  turned  into  cash  than 
grain  products,  which  also  present  the  most  inviting 
field  for  speculation.  They  claim  that  the  “Sub-Treas¬ 
ury  ”  scheme  would  cure  both  evils,  because  they  could 
obtain  the  cash  equivalent — or  nearly  so — of  their  grain 
or  cotton  just  as  holders  of  silver,  gold  or  bonds  now 
do,  while,  as  they  say,  speculators  would  have  no 
chance  to  handle  it.  The  chief  objections  urged 
against  it  are  that  it  would  directly  benefit  not  over  20 
per  cent  of  the  farmers;  that  such  money  would  be 
based  on  materials  that  fluctuate  in  price  from  year  to 
year,  and  would  therefore  not  be  constant  in  value, 
and  that  speculators  would  have  a  better  chance  than 
ever  to  control  the  crops.  As  will  be  seen,  this  scheme 
recognizes  the  fact  that  the  farmer  is  to  turn  a  share  of 
his  property  over  to  the  government  in  exchange  for  a 
paper  representative.  The  only  difference  between  a 
silver  and  a  wheat  certificate  would  be  the  substitution 
of  wheat  for  silver  in  the  present  legend  “  there  has 
been  deposited  one  silver  dollar.”  The  “land  loan” 
is  another  seheme  for  “direct  issuance.”  Here  the 
farmer  gives  a  mortgage  on  his  land  for  paper  money 
which  could  only  certify  to  the  fact  that  he  had  done 
so.  The  government  cannot  give  anybody  4  4  money  ” 
that  will  be  worth  anything  unless  those  who  get  it 
give  some  value  in  return  and  the  money  will  be  only 
a  certificate  to  the  effect  that  such  value  has  been  ren¬ 
dered.  Whether  you  can  pass  such  money  will  depend 
upon  whether  the  man  you  trade  with  is  ready  to  ac¬ 
cept  the  government’s  estimate  of  the  value  of  your 
property  or  services. 
What  Shall  a  Horse  Stand  On  P 
L.  F.  W.,  Allegany  County,  N.  Y. — I  am  preparing  to 
build  a  carriage  house  and  stable.  What  objection,  if 
any,  is  there  to  dispensing  with  the  usual  plank  floors 
and  letting  the  wagons  and  horses  stand  upon  the  earth? 
I  am  informed,  by  a  man  of  considerable  experience, 
that  there  is  no  better  way  to  keep  carriages  and  wag¬ 
ons  in  good  condition,  especially  where  they  are  not 
used  much.  Why  is  it  not  the  best  way  to  keep  horses 
also  ? 
Ans. — Our  own  objections  to  earth  floors  for  horse 
stalls  are  :  1.  The  horse  will  paw  and  tear  them  up 
and  plaster  himself  with  dust  or  mud.  2.  They  are 
apt  to  become  sticky  or  muddy,  particularly  when 
male  horses  are  kept.  3.  The  greater  part  of  the 
liquid  manure — the  most  valuable  part  of  the  excre¬ 
ments — is  lost.  We  prefer  a  concrete  stall  floor  so 
graded  that  the  water  will  run  away  quickly  into  the 
gutters.  Of  course  such  stall  floors  require  plenty  of 
bedding.  Old  wooden  floors  are  apt  to  become  rotten 
and  filthy.  We  shall  be  glad  to  have  the  opinions  of 
others. 
44  Convict  Labor  ”  and  European  Roads.” 
C.  F.  C.,  Elgin,  Mich. — I  admire  the  thoroughness 
with  which  The  R.  N.-Y.,  takes  hold  of  a  matter  ;  as, 
for  instance,  that  of  good  roads.  I  should  be  glad  if  it 
would  call  the  attention  of  its  readers  to  the  means  by 
which  foreign  countries  have  made  their  roads  so  good, 
i.  e..  by  the  use  of  convict  labor.  I  do  not  think  it 
right  that  this  kind  of  labor  should  come  in  competition 
with  honest  labor,  as  it  must  do  if  used  in  any  other 
way.  Besides,  I  think  we  can  obtain  good  roads  by 
this  means  much  more  economically  than  by  any  other. 
Ans. — One  of  the  best  things  our  friend  can  do  will 
be  to  send  to  the  State  Department  at  Washington  for 
a  copy  of  “  Streets  and  Highways  of  Foreign  Coun¬ 
tries.”  This  will  show  him  how  roads  are  managed 
abroad.  In  most  European  countries  we  believe,  con¬ 
victs,  vagrants,  and,  to  some  extent,  soldiers  are 
employed  at  road  making.  It  does  not  appear  that 
this  is  the  chief  reason  why  these  countries  have  good 
roads — the  employment  of  this  class  on  the  highways 
is  only  a  plan  for  trying  to  make  a  useless  class  of  per¬ 
sons  not  entirely  a  burden  to  the  State.  The  best  roads 
abroad  appear  to  be  the  State  or  military  roads  which 
are  built  and  kept  in  repair  by  the  government,  being 
under  the  regular  charge  of  uniformed  officers,  and 
entirely  removed  from  the  direction  of  the  petty  road 
officers  found  in  American  road  districts.  Where 
foreign  roads  are  better  than  ours  it  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  they  are  under  State  control  rather  than  to  con¬ 
vict  labor.  This  answer  may  not  suit  our  friend,  but 
we  believe  he  wants  the  facts. 
Miscellaneous. 
Epilobium  angustifoUum. — II.  M.,  Banquette,  Tex. — 
This  grows  almost  evei-y  where  in  wild  lowlands,  and, 
being  regarded  somewhat  in  the  light  of  a  weed,  is  not 
offered  for  sale  by  seedsmen  in  so  far  as  we  are  aware. 
Cutting  Clovei'  Hay. — Several  Subscribers. — It  seems 
to  be  an  undecided  question  as  to  whether  it  pays  to 
run  clover  hay  through  a  cutter  before  feeding  it  to 
stock.  We  think  it  pays  to  cut  at  least  enough  of  it 
to  mix  with  the  ground  feed.  We  are  certain  that  cat¬ 
tle  waste  less  of  the  cut  than  of  the  long  hay.  Director 
C.  S.  Plumb,  of  the  Indiana  Station,  (Lafayette,  Ind.) 
has  just  issued  a  bulletin  on  this  subject.  He  has  fed 
four  steers  on  long  hay  and  four  on  the  same  sort  of 
hay  run  through  a  cutter — exactly  the  same  amount 
of  grain  being  given  to  each  lot.  The  steers  fed  on 
the  cut  hay  made  much  better  growth  with  nearly  50 
per  cent  more  gain  than  the  others.  We  believe  that 
an  ensilage  cutter  can  earn  good  wages  for  itself  by 
44  helping-  the  cows  to  chew.” 
