THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER, 
Nov.  19 
l6o 
THE 
Rural  New-Yorker 
TIMES  1WILD1NQ,  NEW  YORK. 
A  Rational  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  Homes. 
ELBERT  S.  CAKMAN,  Kditor-in-Chlef. 
HERBERT  W.  COLLINGWOOD,  Managing  Editor 
ERWIN  G.  FOWLER,  Associate  Editor. 
Copyrighted  1892. 
SATURDAY,  NOVEMBER  2.9,  1892. 
The  latest  is  the  Drexel  Hotel  Trust,  of  Chicago, 
with  a  capital  of  $3,000,000.  Already  it  has  secured 
the  lease  of  various  apartment  and  other  buildings  for 
occupancy  by  the  World’s  Fair  visitors,  and  contracts 
have  been  signed  for  accommodations  representing 
2,500  rooms.  Judging  from  the  loud  complaints  of 
those  who  attended  the  recent  Democratic  Convention 
in  the  Windy  City,  its  hotels,  lodging  houses  and  res¬ 
taurants  ha^e  learned  full  well  how  to  “  take  in  ”  the 
stranger  ;  so  that  the  creation  of  a  trust  to  still  more 
closely  fleece  visitors  seems  almost  superfluous. 
*  * 
It  appears  that  the  unjailed  bird,  J.  M.  Bain,  is  back 
of  the  new  swindling  dodge  of  selling  “  black  pepsin  ” 
for  increasing  the  amount  of  butter  to  be  churned 
from  a  given  amount  of  cream.  An  extract  from  this 
scamp’s  letter  was  given  last  week  (see  page  741.)  It 
is  a  fraud  and  a  humbug,  a  scheme  well  worthy  of  one 
who  has  robbed  thousands  of  women  by  his  fraudulent 
schemes,  in  the  guise  of  plating  machines,  incubators, 
pure-bred  chickens,  eggs,  valuable  new  seeds,  and 
other  delusive  temptations.  The  fraud  has  letters 
sent  to  an  alleged  “  Chemical  Co.”  in  New  York  to 
avoid  detection  and  make  his  absurd  offer  more  plau¬ 
sible.  To  their  disgrace  be  it  said  that  several  agri¬ 
cultural  papers  have  printed  this  stuff. 
*  * 
On  another  page  is  an  account  of  English  farmers 
who  are  turning  butchers — slaughtering  lambs  and 
selling  to  private  customers.  The  Scotch  farmers  are 
beginning  to  do  the  same  with  their  beef  cattle.  We 
read  of  one  man  who  began  with  three  small  steers, 
for  which  he  was  offered  only  $125.  He  drove  them 
home  and  fed  them  for  three  weeks,  and  then  slaugh¬ 
tered  and  sold  to  private  customers.  Here  are  the 
prices  charged  in  Scotland  : 
Farmer’s  Price.  Butcher’s  Price. 
Bolling  piece,  per  pound .  JO. 12  $0.16 
Stewing  “  “  .  0.14  0.16 
Roasts,  per  pound .  0.16  0.18 
Steaks,  “  .  0.18  0  22 
Sold  in  this  way,  he  received  $215  for  the  steers.  Lots 
of  farmers  are  so  situated  that  they  can  kill  and  dress 
lambs,  calves  and  pigs  and  sell  them  to  private  cus¬ 
tomers  just  as  they  now  sell  eggs  and  chickens.  A 
friend  in  Connecticut  has  developed  quite  a  profitable 
business  in  selling  lambs  in  this  way.  He  will  tell  us 
all  about  it  before  long,  and  we  think  his  account  will 
set  others  to  planning  for  a  share  of  the  butcher’s 
profit.  *  * 
A  few  days  since,  when  there  were  indications  that 
the  long  drought  was  to  be  broken  by  rain,  a  person 
was  heard  to  remark  :  “  I’m  afraid  it’s  going  to  rain 
to-day.”  Afraid  that  the  rain  for  which  hundreds  of 
thousands  had  been  praying  and  longing  for  weeks, 
would  come  !  Afraid  that  the  rain  would  come  to 
relieve  the  suffering  vegetation,  the  choking  cattle ; 
to  fill  the  depleted  cisterns  and  reservoirs,  the  ex¬ 
hausted  wells,  and  make  the  vanished  brooks  and  rills 
ripple  with  gladness  through  the  parched  land  !  And 
all  because  it  might  interfere  with  plans  for  some  per¬ 
sonal  gratification  !  There  is  too  much  of  this  selfish 
spirit  abroad  in  the  land.  We  are  all  inclined  to  think 
too  much  of  self,  and  too  little  of  our  neighbor ;  to 
have  too  little  of  that  spirit  that  desires  the  greatest 
good  for  the  greatest  number.  Not  only  will  the 
world  be  better,  and  a  more  desirable  place  to  live  in 
when  a  change  comes,  but  we  ourselves  will  be  hap¬ 
pier  and  enjoy  life  better  the  more  we  contribute  to 
this  end.  But  the  time  of  the  coming  of  the  Millennium 
is  uncertain.  *  * 
“  Have  a  basket  of  Concords  ?  Thirty  cents  ;  ”  and 
the  dealer  produced  a  10  pound  basket  of  that  variety, 
branded  with  the  name  of  some  Chautauqua  grape 
growers’  association.  “  But  your  sign  says :  ‘  Concords 
25  cents  per  basket.’  ”  “  Yes,  but  those  wouldn’t  suit 
you.”  So  the  writer  took  the  30-cent  basket,  glad  to 
get  some  the  dealer  could  recommend  as  all  right. 
You  see,  he  had  confidence  born  of  previous  transac¬ 
tions  with  him,  and  the  result  of  this  purchase 
strengthened  this  confidence.  The  grapes  were  fresh 
and  sound ;  the  clusters  large,  uniform  in  size  from 
top  to  bottom,  and  well  packed.  The  fruit  was  whole¬ 
some  and  really  cheaper  than  the  other  at  a  lower 
price.  Yet  most  dealers  must  keep  the  inferior  to  meet 
the  demands  of  purchasers  who  look  more  at  the  price 
than  at  the  quality.  Competition  is  fierce  and  must  be 
met.  We  hear  much  about  educating  growers  to  do 
better  work  in  packing  and  grading  their  products, 
but  little  about  educating  purchasers  as  to  the  differ¬ 
ence  in  values.  So  long  as  there  is  a  demand  for  cheap 
goods  without  regard  to  quality,  so  long  are  they 
likely  to  be  furnished,  but  it  is  a  satisfaction  to  those 
willing  to  pay  a  fair  price  for  good  goods,  to  know 
that  there  are  dealers  ready  to  meet  their  demand. 
«  * 
Down  in  New  Orleans  a  strike  is  in  progress  which 
illustrates  the  power  of  organized  labor  as  it  has 
never  been  illustrated  in  this  country  before.  The 
root  of  the  trouble  is  a  difference  of  opinion  between 
employers  and  organized  employees  as  to  the  rights  of 
the  various  unions  to  insist  that  nobody  except  those 
belonging  to  them  should  have  a  chance  to  earn  a 
livelihood  in  their  several  vocations.  The  “union” 
men  not  only  refuse  to  work  themselves  but  to  allow 
anybody  else  to  take  their  places,  and  are  prepared  to 
resort  to  any  extreme  of  violence  to  prevent  any  one 
from  doing  so.  All  business  is  absolutely  at  a  stand¬ 
still,  and  the  city  is  exposed  to  all  manner  of  noctur¬ 
nal  depredations,  as  it  is  left  in  darkness  at  night, 
owing  to  the  refusal  of  the  men  at  the  gas  works  to 
allow  them  to  be  operated.  The  men  at  the  water¬ 
works,  too,  struck,  but  a  threat  to  put  the  city  under 
martial  law  has  induced  the  leaders  to  permit 
them  to  resume  their  labors.  A  number  of  bankrupt¬ 
cies  have  already  occurred,  owing  to  the  trouble,  and 
more  are  threatened.  Numerous  assaults  on  “scabs” 
have  been  made,  a  few  of  them  fatal,  but  no  serious 
injury  to  property  has  been  done.  In  a  city  with  a 
population  of  over  300,000,  the  action  of  less  than  15,- 
000  organized  workingmen  has  thus  paralyzed  all 
business  and  industrial  occupations,  exposed  the  in¬ 
habitants  to  many  severe  hardships,  dangers  and 
alarms,  and  inflicted  losses  which  have  already  di¬ 
rectly,  indirectly  and  consequentially  reached  mil¬ 
lions.  It  is  said  the  greatest  excesses  of  the  lleign  of 
Terror  in  Paris  were  due  to  not  more  than  0,000  or¬ 
ganized  desperadoes  who  terrorized  over  1,000,000  of 
their  fellow  citizens — here  is  a  modified  instance  of 
such  a  condition  of  affairs. 
*  * 
An  official  report  to  the  French  Chamber  of  Depu¬ 
ties  shows  that  since  the  Franco-Prussian  war  in  1870, 
France  has  spent  $3,800,000,000  in  increasing  and 
maintaining  her  army,  in  a  time  of  peace!  This  in¬ 
volves  the  permanent  maintenance  of  500,000  men  and 
140,000  horses  in  a  state  of  absolute  productive  use¬ 
lessness.  Were  the  country  able  to  dispense  with  the 
costly  instrument  of  destruction,  and  devastation  she 
could  not  only  save  an  average  of  $150,000,000  a  year 
expended  on  it,  but  her  wealth  would  be  annually  in¬ 
creased  by  the  industry  of  all  those  idle  men  and 
horses  to  the  extent  of  probably  $400,000,000,  as  all  are 
in  the  prime  of  health  and  vigor — the  pick  of  the  land. 
The  same  woeful  waste  prevails  all  over  Europe.  It  is 
estimated  that  the  various  nations  there  spend  $1,000, - 
000,000  a  year  in  keeping  ready  to  fight  each  other, 
and  their  armaments  are  constantly  increasing.  Thus 
in  1880  the  number  of  men  trained  for  war  was  12,000,- 
000;  while  in  1890,  it  had  grown  to  18,000,000.  In  1892, 
the  increase  is  found  insufficient  and  in  spite  of  the 
industrial  depression  in  France,  Austria  and  Germany, 
the  threatened  bankruptcy  of  Italy  and  the  plague  and 
famine  in  Russia,  all  are  still  further  increasing  their 
armaments  and  expenditures.  The  greatest  danger 
to  Europe  at  present  is  that  some  of  the  governments 
may  soon  consider  it  less  ruinous  to  trust  to  the  for¬ 
tunes  of  war  than  longer  to  endure  the  burthen  that 
has  become  an  intolerable  incubus  on  their  industrial 
development.  An  occasional  glance  at  the  evils  of 
militarism  across  the  Atlantic,  will  make  us  all  the 
more  grateful  for  our  freedom  from  it  at  home.  But, 
again,  just  fancy  even  half  of  those  millions  of  robust, 
energetic,  trained  men  engaged  in  agricultural  indus¬ 
tries — what  European  market  would  then  exist  for  our 
surplus  agricultural  products  ? 
«  « 
The  Presidential  election  has  resulted  in  a  victory 
for  Mr.  Cleveland  that  is  simply  overwhelming.  In 
addition  to  the  South  and  all  the  doubtful  States,  such 
Republican  rock-ribbed  States  as  Illinois,  Wisconsin, 
Kansas,  Nebraska  and  Colorado  have  voted  against  the 
Republicans.  The  Democrats  will  probably  obtain 
control  of  the  United  States  Senate,  which  will  enable 
them  to  carry  out  such  legislation  as  they  may  see  fit. 
It  is  a  good  thing  the  victory  is  complete  rather  than 
close.  It  makes  the  dominant  party  alone  responsible 
for  its  actions  and  gives  no  chance  for  contests  or 
political  trading.  We  have  now  simply  to  go  ahead 
with  our  business  and  watch  the  events  of  the  next 
four  years !  What  does  the  election  mean  ?  Both 
Republicans  and  Democrats  agree  that  a  majority  of 
the  people  of  this  country  desire  to  try  the  experiment 
of  what  is  called  tariff  reform.  The  present  tariff  bill 
has  evidently  failed  to  satisfy  the  masses  of  the  people. 
Even  those  who  defend  it  most  earnestly,  must  admit 
that,  rightly  or  wrongly,  a  majority  of  the  people  want 
something  else.  While  other  things  contributed  to 
Republican  defeat,  the  chief  reason  for  it  is  the  fact 
that  the  Republicans  failed  to  convince  the  people 
that  their  best  interests  lay  in  a  continuance  of  the 
McKinley  tariff.  That  being  the  case,  all  sincere 
Republicans  should  be  satisfied  because,  if  they  were 
right,  the  results  of  Democratic  tariff  changes  will  be 
sure  to  prove  injurious  to  the  prosperity  of  the  coun¬ 
try,  and  will  hence  demonstrate  the  superior  wisdom 
of  their  own  policy.  The  Democrats  now  have  a  full 
and  fair  chance  to  prove  that  the  McKinley  bill  has 
truly  enacted  a  “  robber  tariff.”  There  is  nothing  left 
for  the  average  citizen  to  do  but  to  go  on  with  his  busi¬ 
ness  and  watch  the  course  of  public  events.  One  thing 
is  certain  and  this  election  proves  it — when  the  people 
of  this  country  get  an  idea  into  their  heads  that  a 
change  in  public  affairs  is  needed,  they  are  simply 
going  to  have  it.  The  people  rule  in  this  land  and 
they  may  be  trusted  to  do  what  is  right  in  the  end. 
Just  now  they  disapprove  of  the  policies  of  the  Repub¬ 
lican  party.  If  the  Democrats  do  not  satisfy  the 
people,  they  in  turn  will  be  swept  out  of  power. 
America  is  safe  so  long  as  the  American  people  rule  it. 
*  * 
BREVITIES. 
When  the  people  take  a  notion  In  their  head 
That  they  want  to  try  a  new  experiment. 
Then  the  politicians  better  go  to  bed. 
And  wait  until  the  tidal  wave  is  spent. 
In  the  end,  the  people  always  seek  the  right, 
Though  at  first  perhaps  they  travel  pretty  fast; 
When  they  rise  up  in  the  greatness  of  their  might, 
You  will  find  them  on  the  upper  side  at  last. 
Be  content  and  let  the  honest  people  rule, 
You  can  hardly  ever  fool  them  more  than  once. 
In  old  master  Tough  Experience’s  school 
They  will  never  make  a  record  as  a  dunce. 
Ckows  catch  mice. 
What  better  rat  trap  than  a  good  cat? 
Is  a  hen  ever  really  deceived  by  a  nest  egg  ? 
Don’t  let  the  pastures  and  meadows  become  moss-backed! 
Do  you  belojg  to  the  society  for  the  prevention  of  cruelty  to  farm 
era'  wives? 
A  breeding  duck  needs  water.  Without  it  she  will  not  take  exer 
else  enough. 
Sheep  raisers  should  be  prepared  to  meet  a  reduction  in  the  tariff 
on  wool  early  during  the  next  Administration,  and  probably  its  total 
repeal  ultimately. 
The  Irish  certainly  ought  to  be  the  best  judges  of  the  potato  that 
was  named  after  them.  According  to  our  friend  on  page  758  they  want 
‘freckled  potatoes.” 
That  was  a  lucky  smash-up  of  Mr.  Wells’s  hand-car.  In  results  it 
smashed  up  a  notion  of  the  chemists  and  let  in  a  whole  flood  of  light 
on  a  very  Important  matter. 
Strange  how  ideas  of  value  change.  At  one  time,  slaves  affected 
with  tape-worms  brought  an  extra  price  because  it  was  believed  that 
such  persons  were  stronger  and  would  live  longer. 
Who  has  heard  of  Texas  fever  the  past  year?  Is  it  the  restrictions 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  that  has  caused  its  disappearance 
as  completely  as  that  of  pleuro-pneumonia  contagiosa  1 
The  man  who  keeps  one  150-pound  cow  to  the  acre  does  well,  but  he 
does  no  better  than  his  neighbor  who  keeps  one  300-pound  cow  on 
every  two  acres.  The  neighbor  is  better  off  because  he  has  feed 
to  sell. 
Herodotus  states  that  the  workmen  on  the  Pyramids  consumed 
onions  to  the  value  of  nine  tons  of  gold.  Oil  of  onion  is  recommended 
for  baldness  and  raw  onion  and  bread  have  cured  many  a  case  of 
dropsy. 
A  good  example  of  the  rise  in  value  of  property  as  the  result  of 
careful  organization  and  work  is  shown  in  that  story  of  the  Sharon 
Creamery  Company  of  Vermont.  Here  is  an  “abandoned  farm”  made 
fat  by  butter. 
The  English  prize  farm  for  1892  is  on  land  so  heavy  that  four  horses 
are  needed  for  plowing.  These  are  driven  tandem— one  ahead  of  the 
other.  The  chief  thing  that  gained  the  prize  was  “  absence  of  weeds 
of  every  description.” 
Bone  in  the  barnyard  may  pay  as  well  as  bran  in  the  bin.  By  that 
we  mean  that  adding  phosphoric  acid  to  the  stable  manure  will 
enable  a  dairyman  to  grow  bigger  crops  of  corn  for  his  stock  as  surely 
as  adding  bran  to  the  feed  will  make  richer  manure. 
“  Sound  a  note  of  warning,”  writes  a  friend  in  Chicago  over  the  fact 
that  that  city  “  is  overrun  with  unemployed  men,  all  of  whom  claim  to 
have  expected  to  find  employment  here  without  trouble,  but  are  left 
stranded  shelterless  and  hungry.”  Don’t  go  to  the  World’s  Fair  ;city 
expecting  a  World’s  Fair  Job. 
Prof.  Craig,  as  you  will  notice,  does  not  believe  in  cross-bred 
rams  for  breeding.  Use  the  thoroughbred  every  time  he  says.  He 
sent  us  samples  of  wool  of  the  different  crosses  which  show  very  clearly 
the  difference  in  breeding.  We  tried  to  have  them  photographed  for 
illustration  but  without  success. 
Why  don’t  you  try  to  breed  some  of  those  $10  eats  by  cutting  out  of 
their  tongues  all  taste  for  bird  ?  The  “  possibilities  ”  of  the  thing  are 
immense.  One  pair  of  cats  and  their  offspring  will  “yield,”  say,  40  per 
year,  which,  at  $10  each,  makes  $400.  You  can  raise  20  pairs  per  acre, 
which  makes  $8,000  per  acre,  and  they  are  to  live  on  rats  and  mice  ! 
There’s  figuring  for  you,  and  as  big  a  “  paper  profit  ”  as  you  want  ! 
Complaints  about  the  exactions  of  middlemen  are  as  loud  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic  as  on  this.  An  Irish  lady  who  sold  her  rose¬ 
buds  at  a  shilling  a  dozen  tells  a  local  paper  that  she  saw  them  re¬ 
tailed  at  six  pence  each;  while  another  lady  who  was  paid  a  shilling 
per  100  for  her  pears  saw  them  retailed  the  same  day  at  18  pence  per 
dozen.  Doubtless  many  of  our  readers  have  had  similar  experiences 
on  this  side  of  the  water. 
Patriotic  Canadians  who  bitterly  scout  the  idea  that  their  country 
can  ever  form  a  part  of  the  United  States,  are  strenuously  protesting 
against  the  constant  heavy  emigration  of  the  most  vigorous  and  en¬ 
terprising  of  its  people  to  this  country.  It  is  time  that  they  should 
awake  to  the  Importance  of  this  matter.  The  United  States  care  little 
about  annexing  the  “  mud  and  snows  ”  of  the  Dominion  so  long  as  its 
brains  and  muscles  are  steadily  crossing  the  border  in  “  job  lots.” 
English  farmers  want  legislation  against  “bogus  beef”— that  is 
American  beef  labeled  and  sold  as  the  genuine  English  article.  Eng¬ 
lish  farmers  pride  themselves  on  their  breeding  and  feeding  and 
really  do  produce  excellent  beef.  They  claim  that  there  are  plenty  of 
people  who  will  pay  more  for  home-fed  beef,  and  when  some  dealer 
buys  American  beef  and  labels  it  “  English  Beef”  thus  securing  the 
highest  price,  they  get  warm.  We  are  with  the  English  farmer  in  this. 
American  beef  is  as  good  as  any,  but  it  must  sail  under  American 
colors.  Down  with  fraud  and  counterfeits! 
