6?o 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Oct.  il) 
Buckshot  from  Buckman. 
B.  B.,  Sangamon  County.  III. — The 
cartoon  in  a  late  Rural  showing  the 
relative  profits  of  the  producer  and  mid¬ 
dleman  is  very  truthful.  We  cannot  en¬ 
tirely  do  away  with  the  commission  man, 
hut  he  who  sells  his  own  products  will, 
as  a  rule,  realize  the  most  money. 
As  to  creeks  rising  before  a  storm,  there 
is  no  doubt  of  it.  Roth  creeks  and  wells 
furnish  more  water  before  a  storm.  This 
is  due  probably  to  atmospheric  pressure 
— sometimes,  perhaps,  to  a  lessened  evap¬ 
oration. 
The  Ponderosa  Tomato  has  not  been  of 
much  comparative  value  here  this  sea¬ 
son  ;  it  has  cracked  around  the  green  stem 
end  and  rotted  badly.  Although  very 
large  and  of  good  quality,  I  prefer  other 
kinds  both  for  home  use  and  market. 
I  am  surprised  at  the  statement,  on  page 
028,  that  a  large  part  of  the  grapes  “will 
be  tumbled  into  the  city  winemakers  at 
2%  to  3  cents  a  pound,”  as  usually  this  is 
about  all  the  Eastern  grapes  sell  for  in 
November  in  this  market,  after  all  the 
costs  of  picking  have  been  added.  Why 
not  sell  all  for  wine  and  cut  off  railroad 
and  middlemen’s  charges  ? 
Where  Does  the  Water  Come  From  P 
II.  Stewart. — I)o  streams  rise  before 
rain  ?  It  is  very  desirable  to  sift  the 
many  popular  beliefs  that  are  thought  to 
be  questionable,  because  people  base 
their  actions  on  them  to  a  great  extent. 
Hence  it  would  be  very  interesting  if  J. 
O.  W.  would  tell  us,  or  even  suggest, 
where  those  two  inches  of  water  which 
rose  in  the  creek  in  dry  weather,  and 
when  no  rain  had  fallen,  came  from.  The 
variation  in  air  pressure  could  not  pos¬ 
sibly  cause  it,  because  this  does  not  vary 
in  any  place  within  a  few  miles.  Where 
did  the  water  come  from  ? 
How  the  New  York  Alliance  Saves. 
Edward  F.  Dibble,  President  New 
York  Alliance. — The  article  in  a  late 
Rural  entitled  “Out  with  Useless  Middle¬ 
men,”  is  very  interesting  reading  to  me 
inasmuch  as  the  Farmers’  Alliance  has 
that  the  average  profits  to  the  middlemen 
on  what  farmers  buy,  range  from  30  to 
50  per  cent. 
Upon  my  election  to  the  office  of  Presi¬ 
dent  of  the  State  Alliance  a  year  ago,  I 
set  to  work  to  reduce  these  middlemen’s 
profits  and  to  save  members  30  per  cent 
on  all  purchases,  over  what  would  be 
ordinarily  paid  at  local  retail  stores. 
How  well  our  trade  plan  has  succeeded 
may  be  judged  by  the  following.  In  the 
past  six  months  we  have  purchased  from 
one  firm,  in  the  neighborhood  of  2,000 
tons  of  fertilizers  of  two  different  grades. 
Grade  No.  1  shows  an  analysis  of  nearly 
838  per  ton  according  to  the  Ohio  and 
New  York  Experiment  Stations,  while 
the  price  to  us  was  827.  Grade  No.  2,  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  station  analysis,  was  worth 
between  831  and  832.  Our  price  was  823 
f.  o.  b.,  whenever  ordered.  These  goods 
are  made  of  strictly  first-class  materials 
by  one  of  the  largest  concerns  in 
America,  and  the  results  have  been  satis¬ 
factory  in  every  instance.  If  we  could 
have  bought  a  5,000  ton  lot,  we  could 
have  saved  a  still  larger  percentage.  Our 
coal  trade  last  year  reached  thousands 
of  tons  and  in  many  cases  81  a  ton  was 
saved.  On  groceries  at  least  one-third 
was  made  and  the  quality  was  far  su¬ 
perior  to  that  commonly  found  in  coun¬ 
try  stores.  Hardware  of  all  kinds  was 
bought  at  wholesale,  and  in  steel  nails 
two  cents  a  pound,  usual  price  four  cents, 
we  have  a  fair  illustration  of  the  reduc¬ 
tion  in  prices.  Nearly  all  the  standard 
makes  of  plows  were  obtained  in  the 
same  way;  a  two-liorse  cost  only  88,  a 
three-horse  only  89  to  811,  while  the 
usual  prices  were  respectively  812  to  817. 
Plow  points  cost  30  cents  each,  usual 
price,  45  cents.  Kerosene  oil,  water 
white,  150  degrees  test,  bought  of  an  in¬ 
dependent  refinery  not  owned  by  the 
Standard  Trust,  was  sent  to  any  part  of 
the  State  f.  o.  b.  the  cars  for  five  cents 
per  gallon.  Binders,  mowers  and  twine 
were  all  obtained  at  wholesale  rates ; 
in  fact,  I  could  go  on  and  point  out  the 
practical  results  of  our  trade  arrange¬ 
ments  in  every  line  of  business,  and  the 
more  members  we  have  the  more  buyers 
we  should  have  and  therefore  the  cheaper 
could  we  buy,  and  to  that  end  I  wish 
every  farmer  reader  of  The  R.  N.-Y. 
belonged  to  the  Alliance.  The  organ¬ 
ization  is  non-partisan  and  there  are 
making  an  appearance,  but  the  vines  were  green  and 
thrifty  until  the  last  of  August,  while  those  of  the 
Pearl  of  Savoy  and  Beauty  of  Hebron  were  all  dead 
by  August  1.  The  potatoes  exhibited  weighed  from 
three-fourths  to  one  and  one-half  pound  each.  I 
am  selling  them  for  $2  per  bushel  for  seed.  This 
year  the  potato  crop  Is  not  considered  over  50  per 
cent  of  an  average  In  this  vicinity. 
Tiie  R.  N.-Y.  is  glad  to  be  able  to  state 
that  it  has  originated  two  other  potatoes, 
an  early  and  a  late,  thus  completing  a 
set  of  three  (counting  the  R.  N.-Y.  No.  2) 
viz.,  early,  intermediate  and  late.  The 
early  potato  is  much  the  shape  of  the 
No.  2.  The  flesh,  however,  is  peculiarly 
white,  the  quality  perfect  and  the  yield 
immense  for  an  early.  The  other  is  a 
late  potato  and  yielded  more  the  past  un¬ 
favorable  season  than  any  variety  ever 
before  tried  at  the  Rural  Grounds.  The 
shape  and  color  of  this  are  much  like 
those  of  the  No.  2.  The  tubers  are  all 
large,  and  so  closely  do  they  grow  in  the 
hill  that  all  are  thrown  out  with  one 
turn  of  the  fork.  A  small  potato  is  a 
rarity.  This  late  variety,  as  well  as  the 
early,  are  being  propagated  for  introduc¬ 
tion,  an  event  regarding  which  our  read¬ 
ers  will  receive  early  notice . 
We  are  in  receipt  of  the  following  letter: 
Editors  R.  N.-Y.: 
We  have  noticed  In  several  Issues  of  Then  ew- 
Yohkeb  unfavorable  opinions  of  the  Parker  Earle 
Strawberry.  This  variety  has  done  admirably  on  our 
grounds,  and  a  second  season’s  trial  convinces  us 
that  It  Is  a  variety  of  merit.  In  looking  over  the  re¬ 
ports  with  regard  to  the  past  summer,  we  notice  the 
following,  and  beg  leave  to  append  them.  The 
Rural’s  opinions  generally  so  nearly  correspond 
with  ours  that  we  rarely  have  to  take  Issue  with  It 
as  In  the  case  of  the  Parker  Earle,  and  we  simply  do 
so  now  in  order  that  the  editor  may  perhaps  decide 
to  make  further  experiments  at  his  place  with  the 
Parker  Earle  next  year.  ellwanger  &  barry. 
Then  follows  high  praise  of  the  Parker 
Earle  from  such  authorities  as  M.  Craw¬ 
ford,  J.  T.  Lovett,  L.  J.  Farmer  and  C, 
A.  Green. 
Assuming  that  our  respected  friends, 
Ellwanger  &  Barry,  read  The  R.  N.-Y., 
we  are  surprised  that  they  are  not  aware 
of  the  fact  that  we  were  the  first — out¬ 
side  of  the  originator’s  grounds — to  try 
and  report  upon  it ;  the  first  to  present 
its  picture  ;  the  picture  of  its  originator, 
and,  in  short,  to  tell  the  whole  story  re- 
( Continued  on  next  page  ) 
If  you  name  The  It.  N.-Y.  to  our  advertisers  you 
may  be  pretty  sure  of  prompt  replies  and  right 
treatment. 
been  enabled  during  the  past  year  to 
purchase  nearly  everything  that  we  need 
either  in  the  house  or  on  the  farm,  at 
wholesale  through  our  trade  relations 
with  prominent  houses,  and  we  are  about 
formulating  some  plan  by  which  we  will 
be  enabled  to  sell  our  produce  directly 
to  the  consumer,  although  in  my  opinion 
the  average  community  needs  from  one 
to  three  good,  reliable  grain  dealers. 
Take,  for  instance,  my  own  town  of 
Honeoye  Falls.  Here  we  have  three 
dealers  besides  two  mills  for  grinding 
wheat,  that  make  each  200  barrels  of  flour 
per  day.  The  competition  between  these 
five  firms  is  sufficient  to  give  us  Buffalo 
or  Rochester  prices  for  wheat  as  a  rule, 
and  the  same  is  true  of  barley,  oats, 
beans  and  potatoes  ;  in  fact,  at  the  pres¬ 
ent  time  we  are  obtaining  New  York 
prices  for  the  latter — 50  cents  per  bushel 
directly  from  the  field.  Being  somewhat 
familiar  with  the  commission  business 
as  conducted  here,  I  know  that  all  these 
buyers  figure  on  is  a  gross  profit  of  two 
cents  per  bushel  from  which  have  to  be 
deducted  help,  car  buildings,  insurance, 
wear  and  repairs  on  warehouses,  etc., 
and  I  would  be  very  glad  if  The  R.  N.-Y. 
w’ould  tell  us  how  to  market  our  crops  at 
a  less  expense. 
Of  course  we  may  be  in  a  favored  sec¬ 
tion  and  there  may  be  localities  where 
the  middlemen  absolutely  skin  the  farm¬ 
ers.  I  should  be  glad  if  the  readers  of 
The  Rural  would  promulgate  some  plan 
by  which  we  can  meet  our  consumer 
friend  at  a  less  expense.  I  believe,  how¬ 
ever,  that  I  have  shown  that  we  pay,  as 
a  rule,  not  over  five  per  cent  and  fre¬ 
quently  as  low  as  one  per  tent  on  what 
we  sell,  whereas  it  is  generally  known 
no  “  politics”  in  it,  although  we  try  to 
teach  our  members  the  “science  of  gov¬ 
ernment  ”  which  should  be  the  true 
meaning  of  “  politics.”  Any  person  or 
persons  desirous  of  joining  us  can  find 
out  “how  to  do  it  ”  by  simply  writing  to 
the  Secretary-Treasurer,  George  A.  Scott, 
Belmont,  N.  Y. 
Wide-Awake  Items. 
The  University  of  Michigan  is  the 
largest  university  on  the  continent,  hav¬ 
ing  enrolled  during  the  last  j^ear  no  less 
than  2,692  students . 
Frank  P.  Hallett,  of  Hyannis,  Mass., 
says  the  local  paper,  took  the  premium 
at  the  county  fair  for  the  largest  and 
prettiest  potatoes  ever  there  displayed. 
They  were  as  handsome  as  any  specimens 
ever  seen.  The  two  bushels  exhibited 
were  sold  for  84.  Mr.  Hallett  raised 
about  40  bushels,  and  there  were  less 
than  two  bushels  of  unmerchantable  po¬ 
tatoes.” . 
Mr.  Hallett  writes  us  as  follows : 
The  potatoes  exhibited  were  the  Rural  New-Yorker 
No.  2.  the  product  of  the  single  potato  sent  me  by  the 
paper  four  years  ago.  The  yield  this  year  was  45 
bushels  on  one-seventh  of  an  acre,  with  only  2b& 
bushels  of  small  potatoes,  over  a  bushel  of  which  are 
reserved  for  home  use.  Planted  alongside  the  Pearl 
of  Savoy  and  Beauty  of  Hebron,  with  the  same  cul¬ 
tivation,  the  yield  of  the  Rural  New  Yorker  No.  2  was 
over  one-third  greater,  showing  conclusively  the 
superiority  of  the  seed.  In  addition  to  a  small  quan¬ 
tity  of  dressing  plowed  under,  I  used  at  the  rate  of 
800  pounds  of  Stockbrldge  potato  fertilizer  to  the  acre, 
applied  In  the  furrow.  Planted  the  first  week  in 
April,  they  were  10  days  later  than  the  others  la 
Joseph  ltuby. 
a  As  Large 
As  a  dollar  were  the 
scrofula  sores  on  my 
poor  little  boy,  sicken¬ 
ing  and  disgusting.  They 
were  especially  severe 
on  his  legs,  back  of  his 
ears  and  on  his  head. 
I  gave  him  Hood’s  Sar- 
Joseph  Ruby.  saparilla.  In  two  weeks 
the  sores  commenced  to 
heal  up ;  the  scales  came  off  and  all  over  his 
body  new  and  healthy  flesh  and  skin  formed. 
When  he  had  taken  two  bottles  of  IIOOIA’N 
ISM  A  l*  A  1C  I  LifiA.be  was  free  from  sores.” 
Harry  K.  Ruby,  Box  356,  Columbia,  Penn. 
HOOD'S  Pills  are  a  mild,  gentle,  painless, 
safe  and  efficient  cathartic.  Always  reliable.  25c. 
Sheridan’s  Condition  Powders 
HENS 
If  you  can’t  get  It  send  to  us. 
«liri  I  MAPH’Y^  Kinds,  Water,  Gas,  OH, 
Li  I  I  HI  n  U  II  I  Mining,  Ditching,  Pumping, 
U  ■  I"""  |  I  Wind  and  Steam:  Heating  Boilers,  Ac.  Will 
you  to  send  25c.  for  Encyclopedia,  of 
1500  Engrauings.  The  American  Well  Works,  Aurora, III 
also,  Chicago,  Ill.;  Dallas,  Tex.;  Sydney,  NSW 
QJ|Vr^|TQ  TRADE-MARKS,  CAVEATS, 
I  A  I  CH  10  OR  NO  FEE, 
Send  model  or  sketch  for  free  advice  as  to  patent¬ 
ability.  Full  Information  In  mv  50-page  book,  FREE. 
Address  SAML.  O.  FITZGERALD,  Atty., 
1003  F  Street,  Washington,  D.  C. 
GrIVE  •  TIIE  •  BABY 
IF  YOU  WISH  your  infant  to  be 
we!!  nourished,  healthy,  and  vigorous. 
THE  •  BEST  •  FOOD 
For  Hand-Fed  Infants,  Invalids,  Conva¬ 
lescents,  Dyspeptics,  and  the  Aged. 
Our  Book  for  MOTHERS, 
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Mailed  free  upon  request. 
*bLiBER-Goo dale  Co. .Boston, Mass. 
YANKEE  DOODLE  ON  THE  FENCE. 
Every  boy  who  reads  The  R.  N.-Y.  should  send  a 
postal  for  the  new  Illustrated  version  of  the  song 
which  our  grandfathers  sang  a  hundred  years  ago: 
“  Yankee  Doodle  Is  the  tune 
Amerlc  ns  delight  In. 
*  Twill  do  to  whistle,  sing  or  play. 
And’s  just  the  thing  for  flghtln’.” 
PAGE  WOVEN  WIRE  FENCE  CO., 
Adrian,  Mich. 
) 
When  furnished  with  Graphite 
the  GEM  WIND  ENGINE 
oiling,  no  climbing  of  towers,  no 
frail-jointed  towers,  and  practically  no 
tion,  yet  is  guaranteed  more  durable 
other  Mills  that  are  oiled.  Truly  a  GEM 
and  worth  Its  weight  In  gold.  The 
GEM  STEEL  TOWER  is  made  trian- 
gular  in  shape,  the  corners  and  girts 
of  angle  steel ;  the  braces  are  steel  rods, 
of  which  can  be  firmly  drawn 
pendent  of  the  other.  It  combines 
strength,  durability  and  simplicity  to 
greatest  degree,  and  is  much  more  easily 
erected  than  a  tower  made  of  wood. 
We  also  manufacture  the 
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SPECIALTIES. 
Bend  for  catalogue.  Address 
U.  S.  WIND  ENGINE  & 
PUMP  CO., 
BATAVIA,  ILL., U.S.A, 
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OUR  HAY  CARRIERS 
are  the  best  suited  for  all  kinds  of  buildings.  Use 
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FOWLER  &  FARRINGTON. 
Taughannock  Falls,  N.  Y 
GENUINE^  "GALE”  REPAIRS 
(  CX  Y  A  ]  for  Gal  e  Flows  and  other  goods. 
\J ^  J  This  trade  mark  will  tell  the  story. 
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AGENTS  WANTED  ON  SALARY 
or  commission,  to  handle  the  New  Patent  Chemical 
Ink  Erasing  Pencil.  Agents  making  $50  per  week. 
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CLAREMONT  Land  Association.  8S^cS°vfc 
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