1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
559 
Farmers’  Club  Discussion. 
( Continued .) 
ington,  Chicago,  etc.,  were  placed  back 
here  on  the  Green  Mountains  and  obliged 
to  go  down  every  day  through  a  Vermont 
winter  for  their  mail  or  go  without,  their 
complaints  would  be  a  great  help  to  free 
delivery. 
I  use  a  mowing  machine  about  10  years. 
After  that  it  is  constantly  breaking  down 
and  requiring  new  parts.  I  think  it  pays 
better  to  buy  a  new  machine  than  to 
tinker  with  the  old  one.  The  change 
saves  a  great  deal  of  time  and  patience. 
I  know  one  man  here,  39  years  old, 
who  has  a  good  farm  of  about  30  acres 
and  keeps  two  horses  and  two  cows  and 
has  built  a  new  house  and  repaired  the 
barns.  He  has  always  dressed  better 
than  most  farmers.  He  has  made  nearly 
receiving  the  award.  In  this  we  were 
unanimous.”  Who  will  say  they  were 
not  right  ?  This  explanation  satisfied 
me  on  this  point,  as  I  had  not  applied 
this  test,  still  I  felt  there  ought  to  be 
some  indication  of  the  why  and  where¬ 
fore  to  prevent  the  public  from  getting 
an  idea  that  “  kissing  went  by  favor.” 
5.  The  judging  of  melons  as  generally 
practiced  is  a  farce,  as  they  are  almost 
invariably  judged  by  appearance,  size 
being  the  ruling  factor,  and  oftentimes 
by  persons  unacquainted  with  the  varie¬ 
ties.  Muskmelons  are  often  evidently 
wrongly  named  and  so  mixed  by  crossing 
as  to  seriously  impair  the  quality,  but 
they  are  seldom  tasted,  and  taste  should 
be  the  deciding  factor  as  to  quality,  as 
it  often  would  be  of  identity.  If  there 
is  anything  more  disappointing  in  the 
The  canes  have  this  year  made  a  growth 
of  seven  feet . v . 
An  “  Abundance  ”  Plum  tree  received 
from  J.  T.  Lovett  in  April,  1890,  is  now 
bearing  six  plums,  all  of  which  are  of 
the  shape  shown  in  the  catalogue  cuts. 
Not  one  of  the  plums  shows  any  injury 
from  the  curculio.  The  tree  has  made  a 
fine  growth,  being  fully  15  feet  high. 
The  Abundance  is  a  promising  plum . 
It  may  now  be  said  “  without  fear  of 
contradiction”  that  The  R.  N.-Y.’s 
blackberry-raspberry  hybrids  are  good 
for  nothing  or  a  trifle  worse . 
Let  us  recall  the  above  paragraph. 
The  R.  N.-Y.  blackberry-raspberry  hy¬ 
brids  are  good  for  something.  They  show 
what  is  usually  the  result  of  hard  labor 
in  new  and  infertile  fields . 
Intelligent  Effobt  Prospers. — How 
CANADA  UNLKACIIED  HARDWOOD 
ASHES. 
Acknowledged  to  bo  the  best  and  cheapest  Fertili¬ 
zers  for  Grass,  Grain  and  Fruits. 
THE  FOREST  CITY  WOOD-ASH  CO.,  Of  London. 
Can., have  removed  their  selling  otllce  to  102  State 
Street,  Hoston,  Mass.  Address  as  above  for 
prices,  sample  and  free  pamphlet. 
NEW  YORK  STATE  FAIR 
52nd  Annual  State  Fair, 
Syracuse,  September  8,  9,  10, 
12,  13,  14  and  15. 
$25,000  in  Premiums. 
all  he  has  by  working  by  the  month  on 
farms  at  from  $18  to  $35  a  month.  He 
never  has  worked  much  in  the  winter. 
He  has  been  married  five  or  six  years.  I 
think  any  young  man  can  earn  a  good 
farm  here  in  from  five  to  ten  years  if  he 
is  willing  to  work  and  saves  his  money. 
Those  Fruit- Judging:  Questions. 
E.  Williams,  Essex  County,  N.  J. — 
1.  The  shape  of  various  sorts  of  fruit,  in 
my  judgment,  seems  of  far  less  import¬ 
ance  than  th’e  other  requirements  named 
in  a  late  Rural.  The  fact  that  one  sam¬ 
ple  of  Rartletts  is  long  and  slender,  and 
another  short  and  stout,  ought  not  to 
influence  the  award,  as  neither  could  be 
regarded  as  a  departure  from  the  typi¬ 
cal  shape,  and  it  is  hardly  to  he  supposed 
any  others  would  be  offered  in  competi¬ 
tion.  Abnormal  specimens  would  be 
considered  merely  as  curiosities.  When 
applied  to  collections,  I  suppose  such 
shapes  as  the  Bartlett,  Bose  and  Sheldon, 
widely  differing  types,  would  generally 
he  preferred  to  such  varieties  as  the 
Keiffer,  Edmonds  or  Sieulle,  but  this  mat¬ 
ter  is  of  minor  importance  to  color  and  ap¬ 
pearance.  Confining  myself,  therefore,  to 
the  narrow  limits  of  the  scale,  the  divi¬ 
sion  of  it  mentioned  is  probably  fair 
enough,  but  quality  should  demand  recog¬ 
nition  in  any  scale  that  would  be  of  prac¬ 
tical  use. 
2.  On  so  limited  a  scale  the  eye  would 
be  sufficiently  definite,  unless  the  result 
was  questioned. 
3.  If  the  variety  was  one  I  was  ac¬ 
quainted  with,  and  there  was  nothing 
in  its  appearance  that  would  indicate  or 
suggest  a  variation  in  quality,  externals 
would  decide.  The  great  bulk  of  fruits 
judged  are  not  in  condition  to  be  tasted 
at  the  time ;  hence  it  would  be  impracti¬ 
cable  to  do  so. 
4.  If  weight  was  the  condition  im¬ 
posed,  the  scales  would  be  the  determin¬ 
ing  factor,  from  which  there  could  be  no 
appeal ;  otherwise,  size,  growth,  quality 
and  ripeness  would  be  deciding  factors, 
and  weight  would  not  be  considered  of 
importance  whether  the  difference  was 
an  ounce  or  a  pound.  I  once  received  an 
award  for  a  collection  of  grapes,  which, 
to  all  appearances,  was  decidedly  unjust 
to  my  competor,  so  much  so  that  I  felt 
the  charge  of  favoritism  could  be  well 
and  justly  made.  I  sought  the  chairman 
of  the  awarding  committee  and  asked 
him  to  explain,  if  he  could,  the  grounds 
of  the  decision.  He  cheerfully  consented, 
and  together  we  reviewed  the  award, 
the  exhibitors  being  still  unknown  to 
him.  I  called  his  attention  to  the  size, 
appearance  and  general  well-known 
qualities  of  the  varieties,  comparing  the 
same  kinds  with  each  other  side  by  side, 
and  the  different  ones  with  each  other 
as  nearly  as  we  could,  showing  him,  as  I 
thought,  the  inconsistency  of  the  com¬ 
mittee's  action.  He  assured  me  they  did 
not  know  who  the  exhibitors  were,  and 
admitted  the  justness  of  my  criticisms. 
“  Did  you  taste  them  ?  ”  he  asked.  I  re¬ 
plied  I  had  not.  “  Well,  we  did,  and 
freely  !  We  noticed  all  the  points  you 
have  mentioned  and  considered  them  all ; 
hut  we  were  after  quality,  and  quality 
ruled,  for  in  every  instance  quality  and 
ripeness  were  in  favor  of  the  collection 
fruit  business  than,  after  cutting  a  large, 
handsome  melon,  to  find  it  no  better  than 
a  pumpkin  inside,  I  do  not  know  what 
it  is.  The  absurdity  of  the  indefiniteness 
governing  these  exhibits  and  awards 
must  be  apparent  to  all  who  have  ever 
had  anything  to  do  with  them.  The 
judges  should  he  experts  and  know  the 
tastes  and  characteristics  of  the  fruits 
they  are  to  judge  well  enough  to  recog¬ 
nize  any  departure  from  the  normal  con¬ 
dition,  and  the  schedule  of  instructions 
should  specify  and  define  what  is  meant 
by  best — size,  appearance  or  quality.  If 
the  former,  the  Hackensack  and  other 
pumpkin-hybrids  will  invariably  secure 
the  prizes  and  the  delicious  Jenny  Linds, 
Christianas  and  Golden  Gems  may  as  well 
stay  at  home.  The  nomenclature  of  these 
exhibits  needs  correcting  and  the  judges 
should  he  able  and  it  should  be  their  duty 
to  do  it.  Our  societies  should  secure  at 
least  one  expert  on  each  committee  and 
pay  his  expenses  ;  or,  better  still,  reduce 
the  duty  to  one  person  in  each  class  ;  let 
him  be  an  expert  and  pay  for  his  services. 
It  would  be  cheaper  for  the  society  and 
more  satisfactory  to  all  concerned  and 
more  expeditious  in  the  bargain. 
(5.  Potatoes  should  always  be  judged 
for  smoothness  and  freedom  from  scab, 
and  not  wholly  for  size,  as  is  generally 
done.  Size  is  the  all-important  govern¬ 
ing  factor  almost  invariably  in  this  mat¬ 
ter.  They  are  seldom  examined  inter¬ 
nally.  I  am  hardly  prepared  to  present 
a  scale  of  points  on  this  question,  but  I 
am  “  unanimous”  in  the  opinion  that  our 
premium  schedules  need  a  rigorous  re¬ 
vision  in  these  matters  ere  they  accom¬ 
plish  what  they  profess  to  be — educators 
of  the  people.  This  whole  matter  ought 
to  he  carefully  considered  in  all  its  bear¬ 
ings,  freely  discussed  and  finally  epitom¬ 
ized  and  crystallyzed  and  incorporated  in 
our  premium  schedules,  and  rigidly  en¬ 
forced.  Judges  who  would  select  the 
Martha  Grape  from  dozens  of  others  as 
the  best  grape  of  merit,  as  was  done  last 
year  at  one  of  our  leading  fairs,  are  out 
of  their  element,  and  such  incongruous 
and  absurd  awards  serve  not  only  to 
bring  them  and  the  society  into  ridicule, 
but  to  discourage,  if  not  disgust  honest 
and  conscientious  exhibitors  as  well  as  to 
deceive  the  general  public.  Let  progress 
and  improvement  be  our  motto,  object 
and  aim. 
Saunterings. 
Mr.  W.  Robinson,  the  proprietor  of 
the  Garden  (London),  Gardening  Illus¬ 
trated  and  Farm  and  Home,  remarks  in  a 
private  letter  :  “  Are  you  quite  sure  your 
hybrid  roses  are  as  pretty  as  the  pure 
single  kind  ?  I  know  they  must  be  very 
interesting,  but  few  roses  are  as  pretty 
as  the  white  Rugosa.  Have  you  tried 
your  hybrids  on  their  own  roots?  I  do 
not  like  to  hear  of  anything  being  budded 
on  the  Manetti,  as  it  usually  means  that 
in  good  time  the  Manetti  will  have  the 
thing  to  itself.” . 
Lovett’s  Best  Blackberry,  the  plants 
set  in  April,  1890,  is  of  excellent  quality. 
often  we  hear  that  “the  rich  are  getting 
richer  and  the  poor  are  getting  poorer.” 
This  is  a  great  mistake  is  the  view  of  an 
intelligent  correspondent  of  the  Country 
Gentleman.  If  we  look  about  us  we  will 
find  hundreds  of  rich  persons  becoming 
poor  and  thousands  of  the  poor  becom¬ 
ing  rich.  Young  men  growing  up  are  apt 
at  times  to  be  discouraged  by  hearing  so 
much  about  the  rich  of  our  couni ry 
monopolizing  everything.  There  is  no 
question  hut  what  the  intelligent  are 
getting  richer  and  the  ignorant  getting 
poorer.  The  fact  is,  the  day  has  come 
when  ignorant  labor  of  any  kind  is  a  drug 
on  the  market,  and  there  has  never  been 
a  time  when  intelligent  labor  has  been 
more  in  demand.  There  seems  to  be  no 
end  to  the  demand  for  the  man  who  is  up 
in  his  line  of  work,  who  is  intelligent, 
vigorous  and  prompt.  Young  men  on 
farms  and  everywhere  will  find  a  sharp 
demand  for  their  labor  if  they  earnestly 
seek  to  become  thoroughly  intelligent  in 
whatever  they  undertake.  It  is  the  in¬ 
telligent  man  to  day  that  we  need  on  our 
farms,  in  our  factories,  offices,  stores  and 
other  places.  There  must  ever  be  hewers 
of  wood  and  drawers  of  water.  But 
these,  too,  may  excel  in  their  humble 
work . 
IttimnuneouiS 
IN  writing  to  advertisers  please  always  mention 
Tun  Rural. 
Beverly  Strawberry. 
The  originator  offers  for  sale  plants  at  the  follow¬ 
ing  prices:  Rotted  at  $1.25  per  dozen;  Runners  at 
75  cents  per  dozen;  $1  per  100. 
BENJAMIN  M.  SMITH,  Beverly,  Mass. 
The  largest  ami  finest  exhibit  Inn  of  Horses, 
Cattle,  Sheep,  Swine  and  Poultry 
ever  seen  in  the  State. 
On  Saturday,  September  10,  Ills  Excellency,  the 
Governor  of  the  State,  IIoN.  ROSWELL  P.  FLOWER, 
will  attend  the  Fair  and  address  the  people. 
On  Tuesday,  September  13,  Hon.  J.  H.  BRIGHAM, 
Grand  Master  of  the  Farmers’ National  Grange  will 
speak  on  the  Fair  grounds.  This  will  be  the  largest 
meeting  of  Farmers  and  Grangers  ever  held  in 
tills  State. 
Every  day  of  the  Fair  trotting  and  running  races 
will  be  held.  The  MacDonald  Chariot  races,  and 
oilier  new  and  superior  attractions. 
Entries  of  live  stock  close  August  8.  Entries  for 
trotting  races  close  August  25.  Entries  In  all  other 
Departments  close  September  7.  For  details  and 
other  Information  apply  to  W.  JUDSON  SMITH, 
Secretary  of  the  New  Yoik  State  Agricultural 
Society,  Syracuse,  N.  Y, 
SCARLET  or  CRIMSON  GLOVER 
A  BOON  TO  AGRICULTURE. 
We  have  the  vnrlcty  that  Is  tested  and  acclimated. 
We  offer  pedigree  seed,  crop  of  ’<.>2,  inspected  and 
guaranteed  In  sealed  bags.  For  tlio  Scarlet  (Hover 
Bulletin,  No.  Ill,  of  the  Delaware  Agricultural  Ex¬ 
periment  Station,  circulars,  prices,  &e.,  address  the 
growers—  The  Delaware  Fruit  Exchange, 
SAM’L  U.  DERBY,  Sec’y,  Woodslde,  Delaware. 
PAGE  WOVEN  WIRE  FENCE. 
THE  SURVIVAL  OF  THE  FITTEST 
Is  a  cruel  doctrine.  Barbed  wire  makes  a  cruel  fence. 
It  yields,  however  to  the  above  doctrine  ns  the  deadly 
snake-bite  doth  to  wlilskv.  When  the  cruel  war  is 
over  the  ('oiled  Spring  Fence,  as  sole  survivor,  will 
arbitrate  all  differences  between  man  and  beast, 
PAGE  WOVEN  WIRE  FENCE  CO., 
Adrian,  Mich. 
2TOW  IS  THE  TIME  TO  SOW 
HENDERSON’S  SPECIAL  GRASS  MIXTURES 
FOR  HAY  OR  PERMANENT  PASTURE. 
These  mixtures  will  give  a  pasture  that  will  stand  without  renewal  for  20  years.  Thousands  of 
acres  are  now  sown  with  them  annually.  Fall  sowings  are  most  successful. 
Henderson’s  Progressive  Partners’  Manual,  offering  the  most  complete  listol  Grasses, 
Podder  Plants,  Cereals  and  Root  Crops,  mailed  free  on  application. 
PETER  HENDERSON  &  CO.  mmI  New  York 
TREES,  SHRUBS,  ROSES,  BULBS. 
fSAytJf  fek  We  offer  for  the  Coming  Season  one  of  the  finest  stocks  we  have 
^ JR  ever  grown;  handsome  blocks  of  Standard  and  Dwarf 
Pear,  Plum,  Peach,  Quince,  Grape  Vines,  Carolina 
WSM'JfM  Every  Nurseryman,  Dealer  and  Planter  should  send  for  our 
FREE  CATAL0GUE  AND  PRIGE  LIST<  Yf 
©FPl  38th  YEAR  -900  ACRES-28  GREENHOUSES. 
The  STORRS  &  HARRISON  GO.,  Painesville,  Lake  Go.,  Ohio. 
For  MAPLE,  SORGHUM,  CIDER,  and  FRUIT  JELLIES. 
Corrugated  Fan  over  Firebox,  doubling  boiling  capacity, 
I  Small  interchangeable  syrup  ® 
”  I  pans  (connected  by  siphons)  l 
easily  handled  for  |  cleansing  and  storing,  nnd  a  Perfect  J 
Automatic  Regulator.  The  Uhuinpiou  is  as  great  aiD 
improvement  over  the  Cook  Pan  as  the  latter  wan  over  the  old  iron 
kettle,  hang  on  a  fence  rail.  Catalogues  mailed  free  on  application. 
2.  CO.,  Hudson,  Ohio,  end  Rutland,  Vt. 
