288 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
April  30 
THE 
Rural  New-Yorker 
TIMES  BUILDING ,  NEW  YORK. 
*  * 
A  National  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  Homes. 
EI,BKKT  S.  CAllMAN,  Editor  In  Chief. 
HERBERT  W.  COLLINGWOOD,  Managing  Editor. 0 
Copyrighted  1892. 
SATURDAY,  APRIL  30,  1892. 
In  1887  The  B.  N.-Y.  tried  the  Polaris  and  Early 
Puritan  Potatoes  In  all  respects  they  seemed  alike, 
as  was  stated  at  the  time.  Now  that  readers  are  buy¬ 
ing  seed,  it  is  important  that  this  should  be  borne  in 
mind,  as  both  kinds  are  conspicuously  advertised  at  dif¬ 
ferent  prices.  *  * 
An  excellent  dairy  dairy  school  has  just  opened  at 
Cornell  University.  Tuition  is  free,  with  board  at  $3  to 
$3.50  per  week,  and  room  about  $1  per  week.  The 
first  term  of  nine  weeks  is  devoted  to  cheese  making. 
The  fall  term  covers  butter  making,  and  the  winter 
term  is  given  up  to  breeds  and  feeding.  A  student 
attending  this  school  can  also  take  the  lectures  in 
chemistry  and  other  sciences  that  bear  directly  upon 
dairying.  After  a  year’s  patient  study  at  such  a  course, 
a  young  man  should  have  little  difficulty  in  securing  a 
good  position.  Young  dairymen,  where  are  you  ? 
*  # 
In  1891  the  losses  of  property  by  fire  in  the  United 
States  amounted  to  $140,000,000.  Such  losses  are  the 
worst  that  can  befall  a  country.  The  money  filched  from 
the  pockets  of  taxpayers  by  bad  legislation,  as  well  as 
that  misappropriated  by  dishonesty  or  stolen  by  theft 
is  not  altogether  lost.  It  is  merely  transferred  from 
the  rightful  owner  to  another.  Eire  losses,  however, 
are  complete.  The  lost  property  is  converted  into 
smoke  and  ashes.  The  only  losses  that  can  be  com¬ 
pared  with  them  are  those  inflicted  on  agriculture  by 
unseasonable  weather  and  insect  depredations.  Both 
misfortunes  inflict  heavy  injury  on  individuals  with¬ 
out  benefiting  anybody. 
*  * 
According  to  the  latest  telegrams,  the  Indian  lands 
in  the  Dakotas  which  were  thrown  open  to  settlement 
last  week  have  not  yet  been  all  taken  up.  It  is 
announced  from  several  adjacent  towns  that  there  are 
plenty  of  farms  still  open  to  homesteaders.  Earlier 
dispatches  stated  very  positively  that  all  the  desirable 
land  in  the  Sisseton  Reservation  had  been  occupied  by 
the  first  tumultuous  rush  of  boomers.  We  hope  that 
the  later  news  has  not  been  promulgated  by  speculators 
who  look  for  heavy  profits  by  attracting  people  to  the 
Dakotas.  These  gentry  have  lots  of  land  on  hand 
which  they  are  quite  ready  to  sell  to  newcomers  at 
from  five  to  ten  times  the  government  price.  Such 
tricks  have  been  frequently  played  on  intending  home¬ 
steaders  before,  and  a  word  of  strong  caution  is  there¬ 
fore  now  necessary.  Both  of  the  Dakotas  have  a  fine 
prospect  before  them  without  resort  to  such  unscrupu¬ 
lous  means  of  increasing  their  population,  and  enrich¬ 
ing  a  few  reckless  speculators. 
*  * 
The  Canal  Committee  of  the  New  York  State  Senate 
reported  adversely  on  Senator  Smith’s  bill  directing 
the  State  to  build  and  operate  elevators  at  Buffalo. 
Whether  it  would  be  wise  for  the  State  to  do  this  work 
may  be  an  open  question  ;  but  of  the  necessity  of  tak¬ 
ing  some  measures  for  breaking  up  the  tyrannical 
monopoly  which  prevails  there  now,  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  There  are  between  30  and  40  elevators  in  that 
city,  and  they  have  formed  a  pool.  We  believe  less 
than  a  dozen  do  the  entire  work,  but  the  dividends  are 
large  enough  to  cover  the  stock  of  the  entire  pool.  In 
other  words,  the  people  are  mulcted  in  rates  heavy 
enough  to  pay  for  the  work  two  or  three  times  over. 
We  have  made  the  canals  free,  but  the  benefits  have 
not  accrued  to  the  people.  The  elevator  men  of  Buf¬ 
falo  have  seized  the  bulk  of  the  reduction  and  the  in¬ 
surance  men  have  the  rest.  The  poor  boatmen  are  no 
better  off  and  bid  fair  to  be  in  a  worse  condition  than 
before.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  how  much 
this  adverse  report  cost  the  elevator  monopoly. 
*  * 
Now  that  so  much  earnest  discussion  is  taking  place 
among  farmers  with  regard  to  the  currency  question, 
the  statement  just  issued  by  the  Treasury  Department 
is  of  special  interest.  It  shows  that  the  total  amount 
of  money  in  circulation  is  $1,009,558,892,  equivalent  to 
$24.74  for  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  country. 
There  is  an  increase  of  $91,119,573  compared  with  the 
corresponding  date  last  year.  Judged  by  expansion 
in  trade,  high  wages  and  high  prices,  it  appears  that 
the  period  of  greatest  prosperity  the  country  has  ever 
enjoyed  was  in  1869-72,  and  yet  the  amount  of  money 
then  in  circulation  was  only  $17.00  per  capita.  In  the 
Treasury  statement  nine  kinds  of  money  are  enumer¬ 
ated  as  in  the  Treasury  or  in  circulation,  the  total 
amount  being  $2,236,494,518.  Silver  holds  by  far  the 
foremost  place  in  this  enormous  aggregate.  In  all 
there  are  $412,000,000  standard  silver  dollars  ;  $77,000,- 
000  in  subsidiary  silver  ;  $328,000,000  in  silver  certifi¬ 
cates,  and  $85,000,000  in  silver  Treasury  notes,  repre¬ 
senting  purchases  of  silver  bullion  at  the  rate  of 
4,500,000  ounces  per  month — a  total  of  $900,000,000. 
Of  paper  money  there  are  $340,000,000  “greenbacks,” 
$172,000,000  national  bank  notes,  and  $29,000,000  cur¬ 
rency  certificates,  leaving  $006,000,000  in  gold  coin  and 
$178,000,000  in  gold  certificates  to  fill  out  the  total.  Sta¬ 
tistics  are  generally  dry  to  the  average  reader,  but, 
under  the  present  circumstances,  these  seem  interesting. 
*  * 
The  average  price  of  coals  at  the  mines  is  $1.85  and 
at  tide-water  $3.50  per  ton  ;  while  the  average  price  to 
the  consumer  in  the  seaboard  States  is  at  least  $5.25. 
Thus  it  is  clear  what  the  producers  and  carriers  get. 
A  New  York  Legislative  committee  is  now  trying  to 
find  out  what  becomes  of  the  remaining  $1.75.  The 
jobbers  swear  that  they  never  make  more  than  10  to  15 
cents  per  ton,  while  the  retailers  swear  that  their 
profits  do  not  exceed  25  cents  per  ton.  What,  then, 
becomes  of  the  $1.35  or  $1.40  unaccounted  for  ?  Cer¬ 
tain  it  is  that  the  middlemen — both  jobbers  and  re¬ 
tailers — grow  rich  and  prosperous  on  their  share  of  the 
difference  between  the  price  the  producers  get  and  the 
price  the  consumers  pay,  and  in  spite  of  their  oaths  to 
the  contrary,  the  public  strongly  believes,  that  they 
pocket  the  missing  balance. 
*  * 
Some  interesting  facts  about  the  possibilities  of 
farming  in  the  arid  regions  are  given  in  a  bulletin  is¬ 
sued  by  the  Arizona  Experiment  Station.  Vast  tracts 
of  land,  within  irrigating  reach  of  the  rivers  of  Arizona 
now  lie  useless,  exposed  to  the  burning  sun.  This  soil 
is  warm,  easily  drained,  free  from  injurious  alkali  and 
not  deficient  in  plant  food.  All  it  needs  to  produce 
full  crops  is  water,  organic  matter  and  a  slight  admix¬ 
ture  of  clay  to  improve  its  mechanical  texture.  In  ir¬ 
rigating  water  from  the  rivers  and  in  Alfalfa  the 
whole  may  be  supplied.  Careful  analyses  of  the  Col¬ 
orado  River  water  show  that  in  one  acre  inch  or  the 
amount  needed  to  cover  the  acre  to  the  depth  of  one 
inch,  there  is  deposited  a  total  average  residue  of  818 
pounds  containing  204  pounds  of  clay,  58  pounds  of 
lime,  IX  of  potash,  1  1-5  of  phosphoric  acid  and  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound  of  nitrogen — the  whole  worth  over 
25  cents  as  manure,  entirely  aside  from  the  water.  In 
Colorado  about  40-acre  inches  can  be  profitably  em¬ 
ployed  on  a  crop.  This  amount  of  the  Colorado  River 
water  would  supply  over  50  pounds  of  potash,  48  of 
phosphoric  acid  and  30  of  nitrogen,  all  delivered  free 
on  the  soil.  With  Alfalfa  to  supply  “humus”  and  to 
catch  extra  nitrogen,  and  the  millions  of  bones  that 
lie  bleaching  in  the  sun  to  supply  needed  phosphoric 
acid,  the  Arizona  farmer  would  be  far  ahead  of  any 
“  chemical  and  clover  ”  farmer  yet  heard  from  in  re¬ 
duced  cost  of  manures. 
*  * 
A  vast  amount  of  money  has  been  collected  in  this 
country  from  credulous  people  by  unscrupulous  law¬ 
yers  and  “  agents  ”  who  persuade  them  that  great  es¬ 
tates  abroad  are  awaiting  claimants  and  that  they  are 
the  lucky  inheritors.  This  swindle  has  been  frequently 
exposed  in  The  Rural,  but  still  flourishes  rankly. 
The  latest  notorious  instance  “  went  the  rounds  of 
the  papers  ”  a  few  weeks  ago.  Widely  circulated  dis¬ 
patches  from  Springfield,  Ohio,  announced  that  the 
vast  Ilyde  estate,  consisting  of  $65,000,000  and  2,000 
acres  of  land  in  the  heart  of  London,  would  soon  be 
finally  settled  in  the  English  Court  of  Chancery,  and 
that  a  large  number  of  the  heirs  resided  in  this  coun¬ 
try,  and  contributions  were  solicited  from  them  to 
insure  a  due  representation  before  the  court.  Hun¬ 
dreds  of  dupes,  it  is  reported,  represented  their  status 
in  that  connection,  and  contributed  more  or  less  lib¬ 
erally  to  the  “  investigating  fund.”  Investigations 
just  published  show  that  the  Court  of  Chancery  has 
never  heard  of  the  case,  and,  of  course,  that  no  such 
case  is  on  its  docket;  that  the  Bank  of  England  doesn’t 
hold  a  dollar  to  its  credit,  that  Hyde  Park,  London, 
which  is  claimed  to  be  a  part  of  it,  lias  for  centuries 
been  public  property,  and  that  the  whole  affair  is  a 
flagrant  fraud.  Will  this  instance  serve  as  a  warning 
to  greedy  dupes?  Certainly  not  ;  thousands  of  them 
will  still  fill  the  pockets  of  scheming  tricksters,  and 
even  many  of  the  bamboozled  “  heirs  of  the  Hyde  es¬ 
tate”  are  certain  to  continue  their  contributions. 
*  * 
The  number  of  farmers  who  believe  that  the  clover 
crop  is  their  best  nitrogen  factory  is  rapidly  increas¬ 
ing.  So  much  has  been  said  of  late  about  the  ability 
of  clover  and  other  legumes  to  collect  nitrogen  that 
the  theory  of  using  clover  sod  and  potash  and  phos¬ 
phoric  acid  becomes  very  plausible  indeed.  We  say 
theory,  because  that  is  all  it  is  to  the  majority  of 
farmers  who  use  fertilizers.  While  many,  on  favor¬ 
able  soils  and  with  proper  rotations,  have  been  able 
to  cut  down  their  purchases  of  the  costly  nitrogen,  the 
increased  sales  of  complete  fertilizers  indicate  that  the 
majority  have  not  reduced  the  new  system  to  a  fact. 
The  connecting  link  between  theory  and  fact  is  experi¬ 
ment.  How  shall  a  farmer  experiment,  from  the  top 
or  bottom  ?  Shall  he  begin  with  the  complete  fertil¬ 
izer  for  a  standard  and  gradually  reduce  the  nitrogen 
in  other  mixtures  until  he  knows  how  much  nitrogen 
he  can  afford  to  buy,  or  shall  he  use  potash  and  phos¬ 
phoric  acid  on  sod  as  the  standard  and  use  increased 
quantities  of  nitrogen  on  smaller  areas  for  compari¬ 
son  ?  The  answer  will  depend  upon  the  farmer’s  loca¬ 
tion.  If  he  is  situated  where  his  products  bring  the 
highest  prices,  there  will  be  less  risk  in  the  first  plan. 
If  he  is  selling  in  a  low  market,  the  other  way  may 
pay  him  better.  The  great  problem  is  how  to  reduce 
the  cost  of  nitrogen,  and  whether  a  man  works  from 
the  top  or  the  bottom  he  should  coax  the  clover  plant 
with  all  his  arts.  *  * 
Brevities. 
Oh!  The  “  know-it-all”  man  has  come  to  town, 
He’ll  settle  your  business  right  up  brown, 
Tell  you  just  how  you  should  run  your  affairs, 
From  paying  your  taxes  to  saying  your  prayers. 
Give  you  a  pointer  on  any  tough  plan, 
Mighty  big  head  has  the  ”  know-it-all”  man. 
Modestly  state  what  you  think  is  so— 
“  Knew  It  all  25  years  ago. 
Chestnuts!”  The  "  know-it-all”  man  will  say 
“I  wouldn't  live  back  in  yesterday; 
Can’t  expect  me  to  learn  things  of  you. 
Why  don’t  you  brace  up  on  something  newt” 
No  use  to  argue  with  “  know-it-all”  men, 
Prove  that  you’re  right  to  a  dot,  and  then 
They’ll  only  wag  that  provoking  head 
Blandly  and  say:  “Why!  That’s  just  what  I  said!” 
No  use  to  thump  him  or  curse  or  kick, 
Not  a  spot  on  him  where  light  can  stick. 
Nature  provided  for  him  in  her  plan. 
Got  to  endure  him — the  “  know-it-all”  man. 
Dk.  Hoskins  seems  to  have  discovered  an  aunt  of  nitrogen. 
In  plowing  an  acre  eight  inches  deep,  your  horses  lift  over  1,000  tons 
of  soil 
We  have  less  respect  than  ever  for  the  cut-worm.  It  will  eat  the 
tobacco  plant. 
Who  have  found  that  separated  cream  does  not  satisfy  the  ice 
cream  makers  ? 
Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  leaves  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  for 
Pomona  College,  California. 
WE  want  more  facts  on  that  smoke-frost  question.  Is  Jack  Frost 
afraid  of  smoke  in  your  berry  patch? 
WK  are  glad  to  see  our  friend  come  to  the  rescue  of  the  skunk  on 
page  283.  Who  is  to  deny  that  he  is  right? 
A  small  plot  has  been  planted  to  the  rye-wheat  hybrids  of  The  R. 
N.-Y.  The  Intention  to  see  what  they  will  do  as  a  spring  grain. 
Large,  handsome  kernels  of  the  Seven-head  or  Egyptian  wheat 
were  carefully  planted  two  weeks  ago  1)4  inch  deep  in  rich  soil.  Not 
a  kernel  germinated.  It  was  six  years  old. 
The  government  of  Argentina  has  raised  the  tariff  on  American 
playing  cards  from  $40  to  $00  per  gross.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
why?  Are  games  of  chance  a  luxury  or  a  necessity  in  that  country? 
If  this  “  Western  competition  ”  has  made  grain  a  losing  crop,  and 
you  think  said  competition’s  come  to  stay,  don’t  sit  and  twirl  your 
fingers  while  the  wheels  of  labor  stop;  get  up  and  hustle,  find  a  crop  to 
pay. 
The  man  who  wants  to  buy  a  Jersey  bull  and  who  has  not  made  a 
study  of  pedigrees  will  have  to  trust  a  good  deal  to  the  honesty  of  a 
reputable  breeder  to  supply  what  he  needs.  A  trade-mark  for  honesty 
is  valuable  property  whether  one  sells  bulls,  fertilizers  or  flour. 
Prof.  Roberts  well  says  that  many  farmers  now  use  land  plaster 
in  their  stables  Instead  of  spreading  it  directly  on  the  clover.  It  is  in 
many  respects  a  good  change.  The  plaster  is  just  as  effective  in  the 
clover  field,  while  it  brings  along  lots  of  good  workers  that  would  have 
run  away  had  it  not  arrested  and  held  them  for  trial. 
A  youth  of  17  in  this  city  was  recently  convicted  of  forgery.  The 
Judge  said  he  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  him— the  young  prisoner 
was  so  thoroughly  evil  and  so  hardened  in  crime.  He  wished  that  he 
cculd  order  a  stout  man  to  thoroughly  horsewhip  him.  There  are 
times  when  a  shingle— with  a  hole  in  it— is  an  incentive  to  virtue. 
The  Colorado  potato  beetle  has  reached  Nova  Scotia  in  force  and 
promises  to  do  serious  damage  within  a  few  years.  From  some  notes 
printed  in  Insect  Life,  it  appears  that  the  farmers  in  Nova  Scotia  want 
to  go  to  law  against  the  intruder.  Several  propose  a  law  for  compell¬ 
ing  every  farmer  to  use  Paris-green  and  a  line  for  neglect!  Why  not  ? 
Georgia  farmers  have  been  discussing  the  cost  of  growing  a  pound 
of  cotton.  The  average  cost  is  put  at  eight  cents,  while  men  who  prac¬ 
tice  high  farming  have  been  able  to  reduce  the  cost  to  four.  These 
men  used  fewer  acres  and  more  manure.  There  is  surer  profit  always 
in  cutting  down  the  cost  of  production  than  in  trying  to  sell  for  a 
higher  price. 
A  grasshopper  plague  in  the  West  is  announced  for  this  summer. 
A  similar  visitation  in  1874  is  estimated  to  have  cost  the  farmers  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley  not  less  than  $50,000,000.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  progress  of  entomology  and  fresh  discoveries  in  preventives  of 
insect  depredations  in  the  last  18  years,  will  greatly  diminish  the  losses 
from  a  like  affliction,  even  should  the  vaticinations  of  the  prophets 
prove  true. 
Prof.  Lintner  told  the  bee  keepers  that  he  wanted  further  proof 
that  bees  are  killed  in  any  large  numbers  by  spraying  apple  trees  for 
the  codling  moth.  He  wants  samples  of  bees  apparently  killed  In  this 
way.  Analysis  would  settle  the  matter.  Bee  keepers  generally  are 
convinced  that  many  bees  are  poisoned  by  spraying.  This  is  why  ef¬ 
forts  have  been  made  in  several  States  to  regulate,  by  law,  the  time 
for  spraying  apple  trees. 
Judging  by  the  number  of  “green  goods”  circulars  which  have 
been  received  by  subscribers  to  The  R.  N.-Y.,  and  by  them  forwarded 
to  us,  the  sharpers  must  he  pushing  their  business  with  renewed 
energy.  Of  course,  readers  of  The  Rural  will  not  be  caught  in  any 
such  dishonorable  business— they  have  been  too  often  informed  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  swindle.  It  would  be  well  to  mention  the  matter  to 
neighbors  who  do  not  read  The  Rural  and  who  might  be  tempted  by 
the  specious  promises  of  these  sharp  scoundrels. 
Now  comes  the  statement  that  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
Company  will  sell  its  coal  through  the  Reading  Coal  and  Iron  Com¬ 
pany,  as  soon  as  the  new  Board  of  Directors  can  be  chosen.  This 
means  another  shackle  on  the  consumers.  We  shall  next  hear  that 
the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Co.  has  joined  the  combination.  If  there  ever 
was  a  propaganda  for  State  socialism,  these  immense  corporations  are 
just  that  and  nothing  more.  They  are  demonstrating  what  can  be 
done  by  vast  aggregations  of  capital  and  doing  all  in  their  power  to 
make  necessary  a  more  paternal  government  in  the  interests  of  the 
masses.  They  will  some  day  get  a  practical  application  of  the  lesson 
they  are  teaching. 
