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THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Aug.  13 
» 
“  There’s  my  tomato  plants,  50  of  them,  and  when 
the  fruit  gets  ripe  Thomas  will  eat  two  bushels  of  it 
himself.  I  have  several  ways  of  preparing  these 
things  for  the  table,  and  1  try  never  to  serve  them  the 
same  two  days  in  succession — unless  the  folks  ask  me 
to.  Celery,  cauliflower  and  egg-plant  I  never  had  any 
success  with.  Thomas  doesn’t  care  for  parsnips,  so  I 
grow  only  a  few  for  myself. 
“  Whenever  I  am  ready  to  plant  or  sow  anything  I 
tell  Thomas,  and  he  or  one  of  the  men  drives  in  here 
with  a  cultivator  and  puts  the  ground  in  good  condi¬ 
tion  in  a  few  minutes. 
“You  know  we  always  have  supper  at  six  o’clock. 
After  supper  one  of  the  men  comes  in  here  and  hoes 
an  hour,  while  Thomas  and  the  other  man  do  the 
chores. 
“  Now  you  see,  deary,  how  I  manage  to  have  all  the 
nice,  fresh  vegetables  we  need  throughout  the  entire 
season.  They  really  form  half  of  our 
living.  After  you  once  learn  how  to  man¬ 
age,  there  is  no  very  hard  work  about  it 
— if  John  will  help  you  with  his  team  and 
hoe  an  hour  or  two  every  week.  When 
you  have  plenty  of  vegetables  you  are  never 
at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  have  for  dinner 
and  supper. 
“  Think  these  things  over  now,  deary, 
and  try  to  arrange  matters  so  that  next 
year  you  will  have  as  good  a  supply  of 
vegetables  as  I  have.  You  have  no  idea 
how  much  trouble  and  worry  and  hard  cash 
they  will  save  you  !”  feed,  grundy. 
A  Standard  Taste  in  Grapes. 
Have  we  any  such  thing  as  a  standard 
of  taste  in  grapes  ?  Is  there  any  recog¬ 
nized  authority  in  this  matter? 
These  questions,  it  would  seem,  must  be 
answered  in  the  negative.  But  if  asked 
in  relation  to  any  other  fruit  an  affirmative 
answer  might  be  given  to  both.  The  qua¬ 
lities  which  go  to  make  up  a  good  apple  are 
conceded  by  all,  and  the  same  is  true  of 
pears,  peaches,  plums,  cherries  and  small 
fruits.  When  it  comes  to  grapes,  we  find  the  widest 
divergence  of  opinion.  Take  Niagara,  Woodruff  Red, 
Wyoming  Red,  Pocklington  and  Lady.  There  are  nu¬ 
merous  admirers  of  each  of  these  varieties  and  greater 
numbers  who  rebel  at  any  classification  which  rates 
them  as  good,  and  both  classes  have  representatives 
among  our  distinguished  horticulturists.  The  rock  on 
which  they  split  in  the  matter  of  taste,  is  the  peculiar 
aroma  of  the  Labrusca  family,  which,  for  want  of  a 
better  name,  is  called  “  foxiness.”  To  many  palates, 
this  is  not  an  objection.  We  know  very  many  accom¬ 
plished  horticulturists  who  enjoy  thoroughly  the 
Niagara  and  Pocklington,  despite  the  pro¬ 
nounced  development  of  this  peculiar  aro¬ 
ma.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  extremely 
distasteful  to  others.  Very  many  horticul¬ 
turists  dislike  this  flavor  so  much  that 
they  will  never  eat  grapes  in  which  it  is 
marked.  When  the  doctors  thus  differ, 
who  shall  decide  ? 
The  Rural  New-Yorker  suggests  that 
while  such  a  pronounced  objection  is 
known  to  exist  to  grapes  in  which  foxiness 
is  prominent,  such  grapes  cannot  hope  to 
be  rated  among  the  best.  We  hardly 
think  the  most  enthusiastic  admirer  of 
Niagara  will  insist  that  it  is  as  good  in 
quality  as  the  Delaware,  Ulster.  Agawam, 
Wilder,  Iona,  Duchess,  Eumelan  or 
Brighton.  We  have  never  yet  found  a 
lover  of  grapes  in  which  this  “native 
aroma  ”  was  prominent,  who  objected  to 
those  named  above  because  of  its  absence. 
It  would  seem,  then,  as  all  agree,  that  the 
varieties  named  are  of  high  quality,  while 
at  least  a  moiety  object  to  the  others,  that 
the  foxy  varieties  should  at  least  revert  to  second 
place — they  cannot  hope  to  be  rated  best. 
Of  course,  in  making  our  final  judgment  on  grapes, 
other  qualities  than  flavor  must  be  considered,  though 
flavor  naturally  comes  first.  The  coming  man  will  not 
eat  grape  seeds — indeed,  the  critical  grape  eater  does 
not  cat  them  to-day.  Hence  a  grape  with  a  tough 
pulp,  one  from  which  the  seeds  are  with  difficulty  ex¬ 
tracted,  would  be  objectionable.  It  may  be  fairly  as¬ 
signed  that  the  nearer  we  approach  the  solidity  or 
meatiness  of  the  Viniferas,  the  better  will  be  our 
grape.  Acidity  must  also  be  considered  a  factor.  Too 
much  acidity  is  objectionable  quite  as  much  as  a  de¬ 
ficiency  of  acid,  or  more.  The  careless  eater  of  grapes, 
who  gives  the  skin  a  pinch  which  sends  the  pulp  flying 
into  his  mouth,  and  promptly  swallows  it,  seeds  and 
all,  never  tastes  the  acid  of  the  grape,  and  really  does 
not  know  how  good  the  grape  is.  Not  so  will  the 
coming  man  eat  grapes.  He  will  crush  the  skin  and 
pulp  between  his  teeth,  manipulating  the  tender  in¬ 
terior  to  separate  the  seeds,  which  with  the  skin  he 
rejects,  tittilating  his  palate  meanwhile  with  the 
sprightly  acid  of  the  grape  which  next  blends  with 
the  sugar  from  its  exterior,  and  glides  down  the 
(esophagus  in  happy  compound,  fruit  of  all  fruits, 
beloved  of  the  gods. 
Breeding  Jerseys  on  the  Hills. 
A  SELF-SUPPORTING  THOROUGHBRED  HERD. 
Trip  to  a  Cooler  Region. 
Leaving  the  New  York,  Ontario  and  Western  Rail¬ 
way  at  Walton,  180  miles  from  New  York,  a  represen¬ 
tative  of  The  Rural  recently  boarded  a  train  on  the 
Delhi  Branch,  which,  terminating  at  Delhi,  the  county 
seat  of  Delaware  County,  is  17  miles  in  length  and  runs 
through  a  very  beautiful  valley,  through  which  flows 
the  head  waters  of  the  East  Branch  of  the  Delaware. 
It  is  a  steady,  though  not  steep  upward  grade  all  the 
way  to  Delhi,  and  when  there,  we  are  about  1,500  feet 
above  sea  level.  In  a  drive  of  seven  miles  from  Delhi 
to  Meredith  Square,  we  added  840  feet  to  our  elevation, 
Meredith  being  2,300  feet  above  the  sea.  It  was  a  hot, 
sultry  day  when  we  left  the  city,  it  was  delightfully 
cool  aWf,Ipleasant  when  we  reached  Meredith,  the 
home  of’ih'e  famous  Meridale  Jersey  herd  of  Messrs. 
Ayer  <fe  McKinney. 
Some  years  ago,  Mr.  Ayer,  in  search  of  a  healthful 
climate3ior  the  summer,  gave  Meredith  a  trial.  He 
found  it  so  admirable  that  he  built  a  cottage  there, 
and  not  long  after,  bought  about  40  acres  of  land. 
Mr.  McKinney  tried  the  place,  and  he,  too,  built  a  cot¬ 
tage  there.  Mr.  Ayer  thought  it  would  be  nice  to 
have  his  own  milk  and  cream,  and,  accordingly, 
bought  some  Jersey  cattle  and  grades  of  the  type 
then  so  prevalent  in  Delaware  County,  which  county, 
by  the  way,  has  a  larger  proportion  of  Jersey  and 
Jersey-grade  cattle  in  its  dairies  to-day  than  any  other 
in  the  State. 
Building  up  a  Jersey  Herd. 
An  increasing  interest  in  the  cattle  specialty  led  Mr. 
Ayer  to  the  idea  of  establishing  a  fine  herd  of  Jersey 
cattle.  Mr.  McKinney,  his  partuer  in  the  Philadelphia 
business,  took  no  less  kindly  to  the  idea,  and  together 
they  set  about  realizing  their  ideal.  Being  business 
men,  and  not  visionaries,  they  went  about  it  in  an  ex¬ 
ceedingly  practical  way.  They  studied  the  herd  book 
of  the  A.  J.  C.  C.,  and  from  their  investigations  made 
up  their  minds  that  the  strains  of  blood  they  wanted 
were  Stoke-Pogis,  St.  Lambert  and  Matilda.  Having 
made  this  selection,  they  started  the  herd  in  1889.  To 
get  the  animals  they  wanted  was  not  an  easy  task. 
For  one,  owned  by  Baron  Von  Richthofen,  then  of 
Denver,  they  offered  $6,000,  but  the  Baron  said  810,000 
would  not  buy  him.  They  made  here  and  there  some 
valuable  acquisitions  and  were  getting  on  fairly  well, 
when  in  March,  1890,  they  made  a  great  stride  to  the 
front. 
Baron  Von  Richthofen  sent  for  Mr.  McKinney  and 
informed  him  that  business  called  him  (the  Baron)  to 
Europe,  where  he  should  be  obliged  to  remain  for  at 
least  two  years,  possibly  longer.  On  the  occasion  of  a 
previous  visit,  his  herd  had  not  received  proper  atten¬ 
tion  and  he  disliked  leaving  it.  He  did  not  want  to 
see  it  broken  up  and  had  made  no  effort,  as  yet,  to 
sell.  If  Ayer  &  McKinney  wanted  to  purchase,  he 
would  sell  the  entire  herd  at  a  fair  valuation.  A  bar¬ 
gain  was  struck  and  Ayer  &  McKinney 
became  the  owners  of  the  Baron’s  herd. 
They  started  from  Denver  with  100  head; 
when  they  reached  Meridale  Farms,  as 
their  place  had  been  christened,  they  had 
103  and  15  minutes  later  another  was  born. 
Not  one  died  or  was  injured  in  transit. 
The  firm  thus  at  one  transaction  secured 
much  of  the  best  blood  of  the  strains  they 
desired,  and  from  that  date  have  occupied 
a  conspicuous  position  among  breeders. 
Meredith  Square  was,  before  the  advent 
of  Messrs.  Ayer  &  McKinney,  a  proverb 
for  unproductiveness.  The  lands  had  been 
allowed  to  run  down,  the  fences  were 
tumbling,  the  buildings  throughout  the 
section  were  unpainted  and  rickety.  Place 
after  place  was  acquired  by  this  enterpris¬ 
ing  firm  until  they  now  own  between  500 
and  600  acres,  of  which  perhaps  400  acres 
are  arable,  a  large  part  of  the  remainder 
being  in  timber,  some  of  the  woodlands 
being  as  fine  forests  as  one  could  wish 
to  see.  Large  and  commodious  barns  and 
stables  have  been  built  on  different  parts 
of  their  lands,  swampy  places  have  been 
drained,  walls  have  been  built,  the  paint  brush  has 
brightened  things  up:  in  short,  the  whole  section  has 
been  transformed.  Property  in  and  about  the  village  lias 
doubled  in  value  since  the  advent  of  Ayer  &  McKinney. 
Instead  of  worn-out  meadows,  the  eye  takes  in  a  great 
expanse  of  hillside  and  valley,  on  which  are  grow¬ 
ing  magnificent  crops  of  oats,  grass,  potatoes  and 
ensilage  corn.  The  transformation  has  been  complete. 
Looking  over  the  Herd. 
Early  in  the  morning  following  our  arrival,  we  were 
called  for  by  Mr.  McKinney,  and  together  we  visited 
the  stable  where  the  milking  was  goingon. 
The  part  of  the  herd  now  in  milk  numbers 
about  75  head.  The  entire  herd  comprises 
about  175  animals — bulls,  cows  and  calves, 
and  there  are  left  of  the  older  stock  eight 
grades,  now  in  milk.  These  will  soon  be 
eliminated,  leaving  nothing  but  thorough¬ 
bred,  registered  stock. 
‘  ‘  W hat  bulls  have  you  at  the  head  of 
your  herd?”  said  I  to  Mr.  McKinney. 
“  Ida  St.  Lambert’s  bull  19169,  Matilda 
Fourth’s  Son  20214,  and  Ida  of  St.  Lam¬ 
bert’s  Last  Son  23601.  Let  us  take  a  look 
at  them.” 
An  attendant  led  out  these  fine  speci¬ 
mens  for  our  inspection.  There  are  no 
finer  animals  on  the  continent,  and  they 
evoke  the  heartiest  praise  from  all  who 
see  them. 
“  They  do  not  seem  to  be  at  all  vicious,” 
said  I. 
“  Not  at  all,”  answered  Mr.  McKinney. 
“  Still,  we  never  take  any  chances,  always 
handling  them  with  staff  and  chain.  They 
are  always  treated  kindly  and  have  never  shown 
any  manifestations  of  ugliness,  nor  do  I  think  they 
will.” 
“  I  should  like  to  make  some  tests  of  your  milk,” 
said  I,  as  we  wandered  back  to  the  milking  stable. 
“  As  many  as  you  please,”  was  the  answer. 
The  Rural  representative  took  first  a  sample  of  the 
milk  of  Pomona’s  Ida  of  St.  Lambert,  59565,  a  full 
sister  to  their  two  bulls,  which  dropped  her  first  calf 
December  27,  1891,  and  was  a  little  over  six  months  in 
milk  ;  also  a  specimen  of  the  product  of  Praxitella 
2d,  and  then  one  of  the  milk  of  the  herd  when  mixed 
together.  We  also  took  samples  of  the  milk  of  five 
herds,  which  Ayer  &  McKinney  buy  and  manufacture, 
all  of  which  have  more  or  less  Jersey  blood  in  them. 
The  Babcock  tester  was  brought  into  requisition  with 
the  following  results :  Meridale  Herd,  4.9  ;  Pomona’s 
Ida  of  St.  Lambert,  6.4  ;  Praxitella  2d,  4.4  ;  Outside 
Dairy  No.  1,  3.5;  No.  2,  3.75;  No.  3,  4.50:  No.  4,  4; 
Ida  of  St.  Lambert’s  Bull  19169.  Fig.  224. 
