F32 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Dec.  17 
THU 
Rural  New-Yorker 
TIMES  BUILDING,  NEW  TORE. 
A  National  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  Homes. 
ELBERT  B.  CARMAN.  Editor-in-Chlef. 
HERBERT  W.  COLLINGWOOD,  Managing  Editor 
ERWIN  G.  FOWLER,  Associate  Editor. 
Copyrighted  1892. 
SATURDAY ,  DECEMBER  17,  1892. 
The  price  of  THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER  for 
1893  will  be  ONE  DOLLAR.  Explanation:  We 
want  500,000  moreYeaders. 
*  * 
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.  Rooks 
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. 
*  * 
The  American  hog  is  destined  to  grease  the  world. 
France  welcomes  his  toothsome  hams,  and  streaked 
sides  of  fat  and  lean.  The  German  smacks  his  chops 
over  home-made  frankfurters  made  of  non-prohibited 
American  pork.  The  Greasers  of  old  Mexico  are  greas¬ 
ing  up  with  American  lard,  which  sells  in  the  city  of 
Mexico  for  25  cents  per  pound,  wholesale — a  cent  a 
pound  less  than  the  Mexican  product.  So  his  majesty 
is  sliding  his  corn-fed  sides  into  all  markets,  and  if  the 
way  isn’t  already  greased,  he  can  furnish  the  lubri- 
cant.  «  , 
The  farmer’s  wife  who  has  not  in  her  cellar  at  this 
season  a  liberal  supply  of  celery,  has  reason  to  re¬ 
proach  the  head  of  the  family  for  his  neglect  of  her 
interests  as  well  as  of  his  own.  So  very  many  farmers 
do  neglect  the  home  garden  that  these  reminders  seem 
necessary  and  well  timed.  Not  long  since  the  writer 
visited  in  a  single  day  eight  farms,  and  inquiry  showed 
that  but  one  of  them  had  a  supply  of  celery  for  the 
family  use.  It  is  not  only  celery  but  almost  all  kinds 
of  vegetables  that  are  deficient,  save  perhaps  cabbage 
and  potatoes.  This  should  not  be. 
*  * 
What  do  you  think  of  that  Kansas  woman’s  work 
record  printed  on  page  828  ?  Did  you  ever  see  such 
a  record  before  ?  A  woman  may  not  seem  to  accom¬ 
plish  much  in  the  course  of  a  day,  but  put  the  total 
work  of  365  days  together  and  it  makes  a  man’s  back 
ache.  Now  that  housework  kept  the  whole  farm  on 
its  feet,  so  to  speak.  Without  it  that  home  would 
have  been  a  hole  for  staying  in  and  that’s  all.  The 
worst  of  it  is  that  woman’s  work  is  not  appreciated 
because  it  makes  no  direct  return  in  dollars  and  cents. 
All  honor  to  the  faithful  farmer’s  wife  !  For  heaven’s 
sake  don’t  wait  for  her  to  die  before  you  show  the 
world  what  you  think  of  her.  The  record  of  your 
appreciation  will  show  better  on  her  face  than  on  any 
gravestone  that  ever  was  made.  It’s  Christmas  and 
time  for  gifts.  #  # 
Is  the  game  worth  the  candle  ?  The  past  week  has 
seen  the  final  obsequies  over  the  mortal  remains  of  one 
of  the  most  wonderful  men  of  modern  times,  if  not  of 
all  the  ages.  Jay  Gould,  in  a  space  of  time  compassed 
by  the  years  of  a  single  generation,  amassed  a  fortune 
staggering  by  its  immensity,  Of  his  methods,  or  his 
aims,  we  do  not  wish  to'speak.  His  life  will  be  weighed 
by  a  Judge  who  can  make  no  mistake,  and  from  whose 
decision  there  can  be  no  appeal.  But  has  the  result  of 
his  life  work  been  worth  the  cost?  We  are  told  that 
this  man  was  literally  worn  out,  right  in  the  prime  of 
life,  by  the  worry  incident  to  the  care  of  a  fortune 
utterly  beyond  his  needs,  and  which,  so  far  as  we 
know,  was  little  used  for  the  world’s  betterment.  He 
has  shown  the  tremendous  possibilities  open  to  a  de¬ 
termined  individual  when  dominated  by  an  unwaver¬ 
ing  purpose.  His  methods  and  his  work  had  become 
a  part  of  himself,  so  that  he  was  never  happy  unless 
engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  his  vast  enterprises.  So 
far  as  it  was  possible  for  him  to  do  so,  he  has  left  his 
great  fortune  in  such  a  way  as  to  perpetuate  his  plans. 
But,  is  his  life  worthy  of  emulation  ?  How  much 
better  is  the  world  for  his  having  lived  in  it  ?  Did  he 
get  the  enjoyment  that  every  true  life  ought  to  bring 
to  the  individual  ? 
*  * 
In  advocating  a  fertilizer  law  for  California,  the 
Fruit  Grower  makes  this  sweeping  assertion: 
It  Is  well  known  that  the  great  bulk,  as  well  as  weight,  of  most  fer¬ 
tilizers  sold  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  especially  throughout  the 
Southern  States,  consists  of  sand  or  other  valueless  substance.  This 
“filling  ”  is  said  to  be  necessary  in  order  that  the  fertilizing  material 
shall  not  be  too  highly  concentrated,  etc.  But  It  Is  put  In  only  to  ex¬ 
pand  the  package  and  cause  the  farmer  to  think  he  Is  getting  some¬ 
thing  for  his  money. 
This  editor  ought  to  go  on  and  tell  us  more  about 
this  fraud.  No  manufacturer  with  any  regard  for  his 
reputation  would  put  sand  in  a  fertib’zer.  It  would 
be  the  most  foolish  thing  he  could  do.  The  higher 
the  grade  of  fertilizer,  the  less  the  danger  of  adultera¬ 
tion,  because  the  manufacturer  gets  no  value  for  sand 
or  shoddy,  and  simply  has  the  cost  of  handling  and 
bagging  it.  #  , 
At  home  and  still  more  abroad  the  interests  of 
American  grain  growers  have  been  not  a  little  injured 
by  the  wide  variation  in  the  inspection  and  grading  of 
grain  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  We  therefore 
heartily  agree  with  Secretary  Rusk  that  a  national 
standard  of  grain  is  highly  desirable — that  some 
national  system  should  be  established  under  the 
control  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  in  the  in¬ 
terests  of  grain  growers.  Of  course,  as  in  the  case  of 
all  other  hoary  abuses,  there  will  be  numerous  op¬ 
ponents  to  any  reformation  in  this,  especially  among 
the  middlemen  and  speculators  who  are  always  likely 
to  gain  by  the  existence  of  confusion  and  misunder¬ 
standing  in  their  dealings  with  farmers.  It  is  hardly 
tolerable  any  longer,  however,  that  the  interests  of 
the  multitude  should  be  subordinated  to  those  of  the 
few  by  permitting  the  continuance  of  an  acknowl¬ 
edged  evil. 
*  * 
Is  orman  Robinson,  the  State  Chemist  of  Florida,  says 
that  for  two  years  parties  in  that  State  have  been  send¬ 
ing  him  samples  of  sulphate  of  lime  or  plaster.  The 
discovery  of  the  mineral  phosphates  in  Florida  has 
caused  farmers  to  send  new  and  strange  substances 
found  on  their  farms  for  analysis  in  the  hope  that  a 
rich  phosphate  deposit  might  be  located  there.  Most 
of  the  samples  of  plaster  were  supposed  to  be  “soft 
phosphate  ”  and  there  was  probably  some  disappoint¬ 
ment  when  the  senders  were  told  that  it  was  only  sul¬ 
phate  of  lime.  And  yet  the  knowledge  that  plaster 
is  to  be  found  in  Florida  will  prove  immensely  valu¬ 
able  to  the  farmers  of  that  State.  It  is  found  in  a 
finely  powdered  condition,  needing  no  grinding  and 
can  be  sold  cheaper  than  from  sections  where  it  must 
be  both  mined  and  ground.  Plaster,  as  our  readers 
know,  is  about  the  most  practical  medium  for  holding 
and  retaining  nitrogen,  that  we  have.  Nature  is  hon¬ 
est  and  fair  and  when  she  made  nitrogen  such  a  slip¬ 
pery  customer  she  seems  to  have  created  plaster  for 
the  purpose  of  catching  her  lively  child.  If  used  in¬ 
telligently  to  catch  and  retain  their  wasting  nitrogen, 
the  Florida  farmers  may  find  their  new  deposits  of 
greater  value  than  the  phosphate  beds.  •* 
*  * 
Only  a  few  yeais  ago  there  was  a  widespread  clamor 
among  investors  in  the  Eastern  States  against  put¬ 
ting  any  more  money  in  farm  mortgages  in  Kansas, 
Nebraska,  South  Dakota  and  other  Western  States  in 
which  the  Farmers’  Alliance  exercised  a  powerful  in¬ 
fluence  in  shaping  legislation.  Indeed,  many  of  those 
whose  money  had  already  been  invested  there,  either 
withdrew  it,  even  at  a  sacrifice,  or  attempted  to  do  so. 
The  Western  States  have,  however,  contrary  to  expec¬ 
tation,  paid  their  debts  and  interests  promptly,  as  a 
rule,  and  the  alarm  of  Eastern  investors  was  short¬ 
lived.  Moreover,  the  extraordinary  rates  of  interest 
offered  in  the  West  as  compared  with  those  nearer 
home,  were  invincible  temptations  to  run  extra¬ 
ordinary  risks,  even  if  any  such  existed.  Hence  Jhe 
best  attainable  data  show  that,  instead  of  diminishing, 
Eastern  investments  in  Western  farm  mortgages  have 
considerably  increased.  The  report  of  the  Inspector 
of  Finance  for  Vermont  for  the  past  year  fairly  repre¬ 
sents  the  actual  tendencies  of  Eastern  investors.  He 
reports  that  the  total  amount  of  money  loaned  on 
mortgages  on  real  estate,  outside  of  the  State  limits, 
is  over  $9,000,000— an  increase  of  nearly  $1,000,000  for 
the  year.  By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  increase  and 
of  the  aggregate  amount  draws  heavy  interest  from 
Western  farm  mortgages.  How  the  tendency  among 
shrewd  Vermonters  to  seek  Western  mortgages  as  in¬ 
vestments  for  their  surplus  savings  has  steadily  grown, 
is  shown  by  these  comparative  figures:  In  1879,  they 
had  $1,278,399  outstanding  ;  whereas  last  year  the 
amount  reached  $9,007,792,  and  last  year’s  increase 
was  larger  than  that  of  aDy  previous  year,  except  that 
of  1882  alone.  Good  real  estate  security,  coupled  with 
high  interest  and  a  fair  measure  of  honesty  among  the 
borrowers,  is  sure  to  attract  plenty  of  capital  to  any 
section  of  the  country. 
*  * 
Is  the  practice  of  consolidating  several  small  farms 
into  one  large  one,  which  prevails  in  some  of  the  older 
parts  of  the  country  a  beneficial  one  ?  Several  parties 
are  to  be  considered  in  an  intelligent  answer  to  this 
question  the  owner  of  the  aggregation  of  farms  ;  the 
former  individual  owners  ;  the  owners  of  other  small 
farms  ;  the  consumers  of  agricultural  products,  and, 
indirectly,  many  others.  The  owner  of  a  large  farm 
can,  of  course,  avail  himself  of  machinery  utterly 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  worker  on  a  small  scale,  thus 
facilitating  and  cheapening  his  work.  His  fields  oan 
be  made  larger  and  thus  worked  more  advantageously, 
nis  supplies  can  be  purchased  cheaper.  His  products 
can  be  handled  more  cheaply,  and  sold  to  better 
advantage.  Many  times,  the  former  owners,  who  had 
been  struggling  with  a  burdensome  mortgage  for 
years,  and  handicapped  in  many  ways  in  the  unequal 
contest  with  debt,  have  received  enough  for  their  hold¬ 
ings  to  enable  them  to  start  fairly  on  cheaper  land, 
or  buy  a  smaller  place  ;  or  in  many  cases  they  find 
employment  with  the  new  owners.  The  large  holder, 
if  he  use  new  methods  and  machinery,  becomes  an 
object-lesson  to  others  unable  to  personally  avail 
themselves  of  these  newer,  and  many  times  costly  and 
experimental  ventures.  They  are  thus  enabled  to 
profit  without  cost  by  the  others’  labors.  As  the  farm 
operations  can  be  carried*  on  to  better  advantage,  so 
a  better  product  can  be  produced,  or,  at  least,  should 
be,  and  thus  the  consumer  be  better  served.  As  the 
carrying  on  of  most  enterprises  on  a  large  scale  is 
generally  supposed  to  reduce  the  cost,  the  consumer 
might  reasonably  expect  to  be  more  cheaply  and  better 
served.  This,  however,  is  not  generally  the  case.  Of 
course,  there  are  disadvantages  and  grave  objections 
to  these  consolidations,  but  the  question  is  as  to 
whether  these  outweigh  the  advantages.  Is  it  better 
for  each  man  to  be  a  king,  though  often  an  impecun¬ 
ious  one,  than  to  merge  his  separate  holding  in  a 
larger  one  ?  #  # 
BREVITIES. 
“  Free  wool  ”  will  make  lots  of  mutton  men. 
What  do  you  think  of  Mr.  Baker’s  ration  for  cows  ?  See  page  839. 
Beware  of  the  politician  who  seeks  to  dishorn  his  palms. 
Isn’t  a  special  chest  protector  good  for  man  or  horse  In  bleak, 
windy  weather  ? 
He  who  In  his  stable  uses  lots  of  plaster,  finds  his  farming  able  to 
move  a  little  faster. 
Isn’t  an  ounce  of  prevention  better  than  a  hundredweight  of  cure 
where  a  cold  Is  concerned  ? 
Build  a  fence  of  common  sense  around  your  pocket-book;  so  lying 
“ads”  and  foolish  fads  may  have  no  chance  to  hook. 
“  Little  Jack  Horner”  was  evidently  In  favcr  of  the  Black-Knot 
Law— otherwise  he  never  could  have  picked  a  perfect  plum  to  save 
his  life.  We  need  your  help  In  enforcing  this  law.  Can  we  have  It  ? 
For  a  number  of  years  the  price  of  cattle  has  been  extremely  low 
to  the  grower;  has  the  price  of  your  steak  or  roast  been  lowbr  than 
formerly?  If  not,  who  pocketed  the  difference? 
The  English  farmer  has  another  pin  stuck  In  his  side  In  the  shape  of 
butter  shipments  from  Australia.  The  first  shipments  proved  so  suc¬ 
cessful  that  now  100  tons  a  week  are  assured.  Good  for  the  con¬ 
sumer,  but  mighty  bad  for  the  farmer. 
In  spite  of  the  prospects  of  “  free  ■wool,”  or  because  of  It,  the  de¬ 
mand  for  pure-bred  lambs,  has,  we  are  told,  been  lately  “  unpre¬ 
cedented.”  Is  It  because  sheep  owners  have  been  unusually  anxious 
to  breed  for  mutton  as  well  as  for  wool,  to  meet  the  expected  crisis  ? 
What  does  your  farm  average  per  acre  In  actual  receipts  ?  If  it  runs 
below  $15,  just  see  If  you  haven't  too  much  Idle  and  waste  land  which 
makes  the  divisor  of  the  sum  too  large.  A  big  tract  of  worn  out  pas¬ 
ture  will  cut  down  the  “  average  per  acre ’’like  a  cheese  knife.  Get 
rid  of  the  waste  land  or  make  It  more  productive. 
Ths  Canadian  Agricultural  Commissioners  have  a  practical  method 
of  Improving  the  live  stock  In  Nova  Scotia.  Prince  Edward  Island  and 
other  provinces.  First-class  stock  are  raised  on  the  government  farms 
and  sold  at  auction  to  farmers  In  spring  and  autumn.  Each  purchaser 
Is  obliged  to  guarantee  that  he  will  keep  the  animal  In  his  township 
for  at  least  four  years! 
Small  wonder  the  price  of  wheat  Is  so  low.  Though  the  total  crop 
Is  over  100,000,000  bushels  less  than  last  year's  output.  In  the  three 
months  ending  with  October  10,  4,000,000  bushels  were  crowded  on  the 
Western  markets— one-fifth  more  than  In  the  same  period  last  year 
and  nearly  three  times  as  much  as  in  the  previous  few  years.  It  Is 
folly  to  expect  high  or  even  fair  prices  in  an  over-stocked  market. 
The  method  of  obtaining  a  fair  standard  of  values  for  the  different 
elements  of  nutriment  in  stock  foods,  practiced  at  the  New  Jersey  and 
other  experiment  stations,  Is  to  make  a  perfect  mixture  of  equal  parts 
of  all  varieties  of  feed.  A  careful  analysis  of  this  is  made  and  the 
exact  retail  cost  figured  out.  From  this  the  real  cost  of  a  pound  each 
of  fat,  protein  and  carbohydrates  can  be  figure^,  and  the  same  method, 
applied  to  different  single  feeds,  will  give  the  cost  of  these  same  ele¬ 
ments  as  compared  with  the  average  of  all  feeds  on  the  market. 
The  people  of  the  Windy  City  are  loud  and  bitter  in  their  denuncia¬ 
tions  of  the  trunk  line  railroads  for  their  refusal  to  lower  their  rates 
during  the  World's  Fair  to  figures  that  would  suit  them,  because  thev 
would  attract  a  larger  number  of  visitors.  All  reports,  however. 
Indicate  that  the  ho  els,  restaurants,  stores,  etc.,  etc.,  of  the  wonder¬ 
ful  Western  Metropolis  are  prepared  to  Increase,  rather  than  dimin¬ 
ish  their  exactions  on  all  who  visit  the  show.  If  Chicagoans  were  not 
so  outrageously  rapacious  themselves,  they  would  be  In  a  better  posi¬ 
tion  to  stigmatize  the  lack  of  generosity  in  others. 
Whew!  How  the  Farmers’  Alliance  men  are  coming  at  Mr.  Grundy 
for  what  he  said  on  page  801.  We  will  give  their  side  of  the  con¬ 
troversy  soon.  Let  everybody  have  a  fair  show.  A  prominent  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Farmers’ Alliance  also  writes  that  the  late  convention  of 
that  organization  was  not  “  unprecedentedly  turbulent  and  acri¬ 
monious.”  The  R.  N.-Y.  has  least  of  all  things  any  desire  to  throw 
discredit  on  the  Farmers’  Alliance.  We  shall  be  glad  to  print  our 
friend’s  statement.  Our  information  was  obtained  from  numerous 
telegrams  from  the  convention  to  the  New  York  dally  papers. 
