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THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Nov.  26 
THE 
Rural  New-Yorker 
TIMES  BUILDING,  NEW  YOllK. 
A  National  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  Home*. 
ELBERT  S.  CARMAN,  Editor-in-Chief. 
HERBERT  W.  COLLINGWOOD,  Managing  Editor 
ERWIN  G.  FOWLER,  Associate  Editor. 
Copyrighted  1892. 
SATURDAY ,  NOVEMBER  26,  1892. 
The  price  of  THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER  for 
1893  will  be  ONE  DOLLAR.  Explanation:  We 
want  500,000  readers ! 
»  * 
Two  thousand  dollars  is  a  large  pile  of  money. 
Yet  it  is  all  to  be  given  to  friends  of  The  R.  N.-Y., 
who  raise  clubs  of  new  subscribers.  Three  thousand 
dollars  is  more,  but  is  less  than  the  value  of  the 
“special”  premiums  to  be  given  to  club  raisers,  in  addi¬ 
tion  to  the  $2,000  cash.  Five  thousand  dollars  is  more 
yet,  and  even  that  is  only  a  fraction  of  the  actual  value 
of  the  seeds  and  plants  to  be  given  to  all  subscribers 
for  1893.  Of  greater  importance  still  is  the  reduction 
of  $1  a  year  in  price. 
*  # 
Christmas  presents  of  use,  beauty  and  value,  every 
one  selected  for  its  real  merit,  may  be  found  in  num¬ 
bers  among  our  premium  offers  in  this  issue.  Books 
of  every  good  sort,  subscriptions  to  any  periodicals 
wanted,  the  best  of  watches,  useful  articles  in  great 
variety,  all  are  represented,  and  any  of  them  are  to 
be  had,  in  connection  with  subscriptions,  at  wholesale 
prices.  In  selecting  for  Christmas  use  it  is  important 
that  you  order  early  in  order  that  ample  time  be  al¬ 
lowed  for  the  goods  to  reach  their  destination  in 
season.  #  # 
Here  is  a  bit  of  advice  from  the  New  York  Sun. 
After  stating  that  the  recent  election  disposes  entirely 
of  the  project  for  creating  a  national  Department  of 
Roads,  this  wise  oracle  says  : 
Instead  of  adding  to  the  Cabinet,  among  the  most  splendid  Illustra¬ 
tions  which  Mr.  Cleveland  will  be  able  to  exhibit  of  genuine  Democracy 
will  be  to  abolish  the  showy  and  useless  Department  of  Agriculture* 
and  when  the  door  closes  on  uncle  Jerry  Rusk,  by  far  the  more  able 
and  picturesque  of  the  two  political  farmers  who  have  figured  In  the 
United  States  Government,  to  seal  It  up  forever,  and  put  a  coat  of 
prime  Jeffersonian  paint  over  the  spot. 
This  is  the  biggest  nonsense  of  the  year.  The  Agri¬ 
cultural  Department  has  come  to  stay  and  is  the  most 
effective  and  practical  Department  in  Washington. 
*  * 
Have  any  Rural  readers  tried  making  sweet-eream 
butter?  There  is  a  growing  demand  for  it,  and  in 
several  of  our  best  clubs  in  this  city  no  other  is  used. 
At  first  taste,  many  seem  to  think  it  lacking  in  flavor 
—bouquet — but  after  using  it  a  few  days  it  becomes 
more  to  their  liking.  It  is  certainly  very  delicate  and 
delicious.  Such  as  desire  to  try  it  will  do  well  to  bear 
in  mind  the  methods  pursued  at  Ellerslie,  the  farm  of 
Vice-President  Morton.  In  order  to  get  all  the  butter, 
they  find  it  necessary  to  churn  the  sweet  cream  at  a 
very  low  temperature,  36  to  39  degrees  being  the 
figures  they  prefer.  We  should  be  glad  to  hear  the 
experiences  of  any  who  may  try  it. 
*  * 
Read  these  extracts  from  a  recent  strong  editorial 
entitled  “  Farmers,  Awake  !  ” 
Things  have  grown  desperate,  and  heroic  and  desperate  remedies 
must  be  applied  unless  agriculture  has  to  cease  to  exist  in  this  coun¬ 
try.  We  do  not  care  to  waste  time  in  considering  the  causes  of  the 
present  state  of  affairs,  except  In  so  far  as  such  a  course  may  be  neces¬ 
sary  in  considering  what  remedies  may  be  necessary,  for  if  anything  is 
to  bo  done  it  must  be  done  quickly,  or  it  will  be  too  late. 
The  farmers  of  this  country  are,  however,  a  power  if  they  will  only 
be  united.  They  have  a  perfect  right  to  demand  assistance  from  the 
Government,  and  if  they  demand  it  with  one  voice  no  Government  can 
afford  to  ignore  their  demands.  Let  there  be  no  mistake  about  what 
we  are  saying;  we  are  not  talking  politics;  we  are  not  attempting  to 
damage  any  particular  party,  or  to  play  into  the  hands  of  another,  for 
all  are  equal  sinners  in  this  respect.  A  demand  should  be  made  at 
once,  and  it  should  be  made  in  the  most  uncompromising  manner.  It 
should  be  deliberate  and  strong,  and  should  have  no  uncertain  sound. 
What  do  you  suppose  that  is  from?  Some  “Farmers’ 
Alliance  paper  ?  ”  No;  from  the  Mark  Lane  Express, 
the  most  conservative  and  influential  agricultural 
paper  in  England.  It  advocates  the  formation  of  an 
English  farmers’  party  to  demand  and  secure  legisla¬ 
tion  for  the  benefit  of  English  farmers.  English  agri¬ 
culture  was  never  in  worse  shape  than  now.  Con¬ 
tinued  bad  seasons,  foreign  competition,  decreased 
prices  and  continued  high  rents  have  pushed  the 
English  farmer  to  the  wall.  He  begins  to  feel  that 
his  country  does  not  need  him — that  foreigners  can 
feed  the  townspeople  cheaper  than  he  can.  He  sim¬ 
ply  cannot  pa#  his  present  rates  and  taxes  unless 
prices  for  his  products  rise  or  his  rent  comes  down. 
As  it  is,  foreign  farmers  are  sending  in  nearly  $800,- 
000,000  worth  of  produce  to  compete  with  what  he 
grows,  while  his  landlord  demands  a  full  measure  of 
rent.  England  now  levies  a  tax  on  tea,  coffee,  sugar, 
etc.  Most  of  the  new  farmers’  party  would  take  this 
duty  off  and  place  a  similar  one  on  flour,  meat,  etc., 
but  “protection’  with  them  is  of  less  importance 
than  the  rent  and  tax  questions.  These  things  are 
now  all  against  the  English  farmer,  and  it  will  be  in¬ 
teresting  to  see  how  he  will  go  to  work  to  remedy 
matters.  One  thing  is  sure — he  must  soon  quit  at  the 
present  rate.  #  # 
At  the  last  meeting  of  the  American  Horticultural 
Society  a  committee  was  appointed  with  T.  T.  Lyon 
as  Chairman,  to  suggest  some  plan  for  improving  the 
present  system  of  naming  new  fruits.  Their  report 
contains  two  chief  suggestions.  The  various  horti¬ 
cultural  divisions  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
at  Washington  are  to  be  considered  final  authority  in 
naming  fruits  and  distinguishing  new  from  old  vari¬ 
eties.  As  to  originators  and 'introducers,  the  committee 
say: 
Resolved,  That,  in  compliance  with  the  foregoing,  we  urge  upon  the 
originators  and  introducers  of  horticultural  novelties  that,  prior  to 
publishing  or  placing  such  novelties  on  sale,  these,  together  with  their 
proposed  names  be  submitted  to  the  proposed  authority  for  such  es¬ 
timates  of  value  and  approval  of  name,  and  that  in  the  absence  of 
the  requisite  indorsement  public  patronage  be  withheld. 
The  committee  hope  that  all  horticulturists  will  unite 
with  them  in  furthering  this  plan. 
*  * 
Col.  Albert  A.  Pope,  of  Boston,  may  be  termed  “  a 
road  crank.”  He  is  constantly  devising  schemes  for 
interesting  the  people  in  the  subject  of  better  roads. 
Here  is  the  latest.  This  petition  is  to  be  signed  by  as 
many  people  as  possible,  and  forwarded  to  Post  Office 
Box  B,  Boston,  Mass. : 
We,  the  undersigned,  citizens  of  the  United  States,  hereby  most  re¬ 
spectfully  petition  that  there  be  founded  in  the  city  of  Washington’ 
in  the  District  of  Columbia,  a  Road  Department,  similar  to  the  Agri¬ 
cultural  Department,  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  knowledge  in  the 
art  of  constructing  and  maintaining  roads;  and  we  ask  that  in  such 
Department  provision  be  made  for  teaching  students  so  that  they  may 
become  skilled  road  engineers.  In  connection  with  this  Road  Depart¬ 
ment  we  request  that  there  be  established  a  permanent  exhibit  in 
which  shall  be  shown  sections  of  roads  illustrating  various  methods 
of  construction  and  also  the  best  road  materials  and  machinery.  We 
further  petition  that  Congress  appropriate  funds  sufficient  to  erect  a 
building  at  the  World’s  Columbian  Exposition  for  the  purpose  of  a 
comprehensive  road  exhibit. 
All  who  favor  this  scheme  of  road  education  will  do 
well  to  join  in  the  movement.  It  is  a  good  thing,  let 
us  all  help  it.  *  # 
For  many  miles  along  the  lakes  in  western  New 
York,  the  country  is  nearly  all  one  vast  vineyard. 
Establishments  for  the  propagation  of  new  vines  are 
numerous  where  the  wood  pruned  from  the  vineyards 
is  easily  and  cheaply  procured.  Hundreds  of  acres  are 
thus  used,  and  each  acre  is  capable  of  producing  up¬ 
wards  of  150,000  vines.  One  of  the  Fredonia  propaga¬ 
tors  has  120  acres  devoted  to  this  purpose,  enough  to 
turn  out  annually  in  round  numbers,  2,000,000  vines, 
enough  to  plant  close  to  4,000  acres  of  vineyards.  And 
there  are  dozens  of  similar  establishments.  And  yet 
the  cry  comes  from  the  grape  growers  that  prices  have 
fallen  to  a  point  that  yields  no  profit,  with  other 
thousands  of  acres  yet  to  come  into  bearing.  What  is 
to  be  the  outcome?  Either  production  must  decrease; 
the  cost  of  production  must  be  lessened;  consumption 
and,  hence,  selling  prices  must  be  increased;  or  new 
outlets  must  be  found  for  the  crop.  Among  the  latter, 
are  unfermented  wine  and  the  export  trade,  two 
methods  which  are  comparatively  new.  They  are  both 
worth  investigation,  and  may  help  to  a  partial  solution 
of  the  difficulty. 
*  # 
The  sugar  makers  of  the  country  should  be  pre¬ 
pared  for  a  vigorous  effort  in  the  next  Congress  to 
secure  the  repeal  of  the  sugar  bounty,  and  not  improb¬ 
ably  the  effort  will  be  wholly  or  partly  successful. 
The  enormous  pension  payments  and  other  demands 
on  the  National  Treasury,  have  created  a  deficiency  in 
the  annual  national  revenue,  and  this  must  be  made 
good  either  by  the  imposition  of  new  taxes  or  the  re¬ 
peal  or  modification  of  old  ones.  The  pension  laws, 
and  several  others  requiring  heavy  outlays,  cannot 
well  be  repealed,  as  they  have  established  vested  in¬ 
terests  or  contracts  which  cannot  be  annulled.  The 
sugar  bounty  amounts,  at  present,  to  about  $10,000,000 
a  year,  and  as  domestic  sugar  production  is  certain  to 
increase  rapidly  during  its  continuance,  its  amount 
must  annually  increase  in  like  proportion.  Although 
duties  on  foreign  competing  goods  are  substantially 
indirect  bounties  on  domestic  products  of  the  same 
nature,  legislation  granting  direct  bounties  is  an 
anomaly  in  this  country.  Then  again,  the  number  of 
those  benefited  by  the  measure  is  comparatively  in¬ 
significant,  and  the  status  of  those  affected  by  it  can 
hardly  appeal  to  public  sympathy  in  case  of  the  re¬ 
peal  of  the  law.  With  the  exception  of  the  small 
number  of  maple  and  sorghum  sugar  makers,  whose 
share  of  the  largess  is  comparatively  a  mere  trifle, 
the  manufacturers  of  all  sorts  of  sugar  are  wealthy 
men,  who  pay  as  little  as  possible  to  the  growers  of 
the  raw  material  and  the  laborers  who  manipulate  it. 
The  repeal  of  the  bounty  law  would  therefore  benefit 
the  vast  majority  of  our  population  and  injure  only  a 
small  minority.  It  would  reduce  the  apprehended 
deficiency  in  the  national  income  over  $10,000,000  a 
year,  and  would  cause  little  general  dissatisfaction  ; 
still,  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  by  far  the 
greatest  benefit  our  tariff  laws  have  conferred  on  any 
branch  of  agriculture.  #  * 
BREVITIES. 
Old  Father  Time  has  swung  his  scythe  again, 
And  dead  behind  us  lies  another  year. 
But  memories  now  the  cares  and  the  pain 
Drive  out  the  sorrow— bring  the  blessings  near. 
Let's  think  no  more  of  what  the  year  has  cost. 
Let  a1  the  debts  It  owes  us  go  their  way 
Unchallenged— be  the  key  forever  lost 
That  unlocks  sadness  on  Thanksgiving  Day. 
I  think  it  very  likely  that  you  haven’t  got  a  cent 
Ahead  of  what  you  bad  last  year. 
If  piling  up  a  bank  account  has  been  your  only  stent, 
You  haven’t  got  it  done.  I  fear. 
But  If  you’ve  done  your  dutv  and  the  past  year  has  no  file 
Of  bitterness  that  you  must  gnaw; 
If  people  love  and  trust  you  and  are  glad  to  see  you  smile, 
You’ve  something  to  be  thankful  for. 
Do  you  call  coffee  a  luxury  or  a  necessity? 
It  Is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  feed  a  horse  oatsl 
Drink  In  self-respect  till  It  shines  out  of  your  eyes. 
Does  a  little  tree  ever  have  a  fair  show  among  big  ones  In  an  old 
orchard? 
The  latest  Is  "cranberryade”  In  which  cranberry  juice  takes  the 
place  of  lemon. 
Charcoal  and  condiments  fed  to  animals  only  take  the  place  of 
proper  exercise. 
There  are  lots  of  farms  that  never  can  support  live  stock  until 
chemical  fertilizers  start  the  food  crops  growing. 
The  silo  prevents  many  a  young  animal  from  making  Itself  pot¬ 
bellied  In  an  effort  to  digest  a  lot  of  hard,  stiff  fodder. 
The  American  people  eat,  every  year,  over  65,000,000  pounds  of 
raisins.  It  would  be  a  good  thing  If  they  ate  twice  as  many. 
As  Mr.  Sears  feeds  peas  and  oats  mixed  to  his  cows,  they  form  al¬ 
most  a  complete  ration— as  complete  as  a  ham  sandwich  for  a  man. 
One  of  the  strangest  things  In  this  world  is  that  the  use  of  tobacco 
should  have  become  so  general.  It  has  never  been  rationally  ex¬ 
plained. 
How  Is  It  to  be  explained  that  any  sane,  healthy  man  would  prefer 
to  take  12  hours  to  do  a  piece  of  work  that  could  as  well  be  done  In 
eight  hours? 
Has  It  ever  been  explained  why  many  of  us  are  so  deeply  concerned 
as  to  failings  and  faults  of  our  acquaintances  and  so  little  concerned 
as  to  our  own? 
Yawning  is  good  exercise  for  the  ears  and  upper  throat.  Doctors 
now  recommend  gum-chewing  In  lever  cases  where  the  tongue  Is 
parched  and  dry. 
One  of  our  novelties  for  the  coming  season  will  be  an  account  of  a 
160-acre  Illinois  farm  from  which  the  owner  sells  hay  and  grain  and 
uses  only  chemicals — no  live  stock!  Think  of  that,  ye  cow  slaves! 
Mr.  D.  C.  Lewis  says  he  would  rather  lose  any  crop  In  his  rotation 
than  the  clover  crop.  While  that  brings  him  In  the  least  cash,  it  Is  the 
best  worker  and  helps  the  soil  more  than  any  other.  Long  live  clover  1 
The  first  report  of  a  heavy  wagon  with  pneumatic  tires  comes  from 
Glasgow,  Scotland.  An  omnibus  there  has  rubber  tires  3)4  Inches  In 
diameter.  They  are  covered  by  several  plies  of  canvas  and  a  wire 
netting,  to  protect  from  pavement  stones. 
Don’t  forget  The  R  N.-Y.’s  advice  to  keep  the  nostrils  well  smeared 
with  vaseline.  This  will  save  many  a  cold  and  lots  of  trouble 
when  you  are  doing  dusty  work  like  thrashing,  or  handling  coal  or  fer¬ 
tilizer.  Rub  the  vaseline  inside  the  nose  and  keep  it  there. 
“  I  have  just  been  talking  to  a  man  who  annually  uses  3,000  pounds 
of  fertilizer  to  the  acre  on  potatoes,”  said  the  writer  to  J.  H.  Hale. 
”  I’ll  guarantee  he  would  rather  use  1,000  more  than  500  less,”  he 
replied.  Right  you  are,  and  every  fertilizer  farmer  says  the  same. 
Read  what  Is  said  about  the  “Nose  Expander”  on  page  781.  Look 
at  the  noses  of  your  friends  and  see  how  few  can  dilate  their  nostrils 
or  take  a  full  breath  through  the  nose.  Many  a  mouth  breather  will 
have  cause  for  thankfulness  when  his  nostrils  come  back  to  their 
proper  shape. 
The  French  do  all  In  their  power  to  encourage  thrift  and  saving 
among  the  common  people.  As  a  result  the  deposits  In  French  savings 
banks  are  Immense.  In  French  schools  Instead  of  offering  prizes  of 
gaudy  picture  books  as  rewards  of  merit,  a  deposit  of  a  few  cents  In  a 
savings  bank  Is  offered. 
That  Is  an  interesting  account  of  Mr.  Burr’s  strawberry  farm.  He 
gives  the  crop  farm  culture,  you  see.  A  superstition  regarding  the 
absolute  necessity  of  stable  manure  In  farming  would  have  driven 
lots  of  men  away  from  that  place.  Mr.  Burr  is  satisfied  with  chemi¬ 
cals,  and  he  well  may  be. 
The  Minnesota  Experiment  Station  has  been  making  some  baking 
tests  to  determine  the  best  of  a  number  of  samples  of  flour.  What  is 
a  good  flour?  They  tested  the  “  strength  ”  of  the  flour,  that  Is,  the  size 
of  the  loaf  baked  from  a  given  amount  of  flour  and  yeast  mixture, 
also  the  weight  of  such  a  loaf,  to  test  Its  absorptive  capacity. 
A  mean  fraud  practiced  in  some  parts  of  England  is  to  cut  a  small 
gash  on  the  side  of  sow  pigs  and  put  in  a  few  stitches.  Then  c  stom- 
ers  are  assured  that  the  sow  has  been  spayed  and  will  fatten  more 
easily  and  quickly.  There  Is  a  good  demand  for  spayed  sows,  and  this 
clever  fraud  enables  growers  to  get  an  extra  price  for  the  pigs. 
IT  gives  one  a  little  Idea  of  the  extent  of  the  fertilizer  trade  of  this 
country,  to  learn  that  in  New  Jersey  alone  last  year  there  were  sold 
43,414  tons  valued  at  $1,346,482;  of  these  29,431  tons  were  complete  man¬ 
ures,  worth  $1,007,423.  There  were  9,569  tons  of  bone  and  rock  phos¬ 
phate  and  superphosphates  and  only  1,344  tons  of  potash  salts. 
A  few  days  ago,  we  went  Into  the  markets  and  bought  of  a  com¬ 
mission  merchant  12  baskets  (5  pounds)  of  Catawba  grapes  at  15  cento 
per  basket.  We  must  confess  to  a  guilty  feeling  at  buying  them  so 
cheap.  There  Is  mighty  little  for  the  grower  in  a  live-pound  basket 
of  grapes,  which  sells  for  15  cents,  out  of  which  freight  and  commis¬ 
sion  charges  are  to  be  paid. 
The  Agricultural  Chautauqua  Is  a  course  of  reading  on  agricultural 
topics  that  was  devised  by  Prof.  H.  J.  Waters  of  the  Pennsylvania 
College,  State  College,  Center  County,  Pa.  It  is  an  excellent  course  and 
boys  and  girls  who  are  growing  up  on  the  farm  and  do  not  yet  feel 
ready  or  able  to  attend  an  agricultural  college,  would  be  greatly 
helped  by  studying  the  books  selected  for  this  plan  of  reading.  Let 
every  young  farmer  send  for  the  pamphlet  describing  this  course. 
If  any  farmer  has  an  idea  that  chemical  fertilizers  will  “  leach  out 
of  the  soil  “  burn  up  crops,”  or  do  any  of  the  other  terrible  things 
attributed  to  them,  a  visit  to  Mr.  Robinson  Gordon’s  place  would  prove 
an  eye-opener.  Never  was  a  more  practical  or  severe  test  given  “  bag 
manuring  than  on  this  ”  Barrens  ”  farm.  No  reasonable  man  can 
examine  Mr.  Gordon’s  farm  and  then  deny  that  it  is  possible  to  use 
fertilizers  as  the  only  source  of  plant  food.  The  possibilities  are  there 
illustrated,  but  it  does  not  fellow  that  such  farming  Is  most  suitable 
everywhere.  Shall  it  be  barnyard  or  bag?  Both  have  their  places. 
Which  fits  yow  farming  best  ? 
