i8 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
"Rough on Rogues .” 
LOOKOUT 
ALMANAC 
LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER ONK. 
JANUARY, 
Monday L°°k out all the time for bogus 
J divorce lawyers. These fellows 
5 ' are doing an astonishing busi¬ 
ness. Whole pages of the daily papers 
are taken up with exposures of one firm in 
New York who have been forging court 
seals and signatures and selling fraudu¬ 
lent documents to persons who wanted 
divorces “without publicity.” The whole 
thing is shameful in every way. * * * 
A man named Duval has been playing a 
very neat game in Washington. He sent 
letters to many prominent men containing 
the information that he had named his 
little son after each of them, and as he (the 
father) had just broken his leg, a little 
present to the young “heir of a noble 
name” would be quite acceptable. This 
baby was a very much-named individual 
and he succeeded in obtaining a goodly 
sum from his many “godfathers” before 
the fraud was discovered. 
Tuesday Look out f° r the lying circulars 
. ^ of railroad and immigration 
agents who want you to go West 
into the new “ rain belt.” Here is a note 
from one who is on the ground and knows 
what he is talking about: 
“ Does the Rain Belt Move West? 
Most observers in Colorado say no. There 
is nothing to show that in a series of years 
the rainfall has varied much. But some of 
the railroad managers and certain real es¬ 
tate men have been shouting of late years : 
* The rain belt is moving west! Secure 
your farms at once 1 Kansas and Nebraska 
at one time had no rain to speak of; now 
they are in the rain belt, and our lands 
soon will be !” Then came great numbers 
of families to the promised land. The land 
agents ‘ located ’ them for a more or less 
handsome consideration. Men and women 
came to the * rain-belt lands ’ with high 
hopes; for had they not seen at certain 
State fairs the wonderful productions of 
the ‘ rain belt ’ raised in such and such lo¬ 
calities without irrigation ? The unblush¬ 
ing scoundrels who made such atrocious 
misrepresentations had come into Colorado 
and after purchasing the very best prod¬ 
ucts of the very best irrigation, had sent 
them back with their lying placards. There 
is more than one way to make a boom. 
Wednesday ^ere was a time in the his- 
^ 1 tory of our colony when a fund 
7• was raised to help our own 
grasshopper sufferers; but it was never 
called for. This year quite a number of 
large families have come in from the rain 
belt, about as poor as they can be. They 
do not beg; they utter no complaint: they 
suffer as stolidly as the Indian. All they 
seem to ask is a chance to begin life again. 
Our good people will not allow them to 
suffer. As fast as their fearful condition 
is discovered, our women especially start 
out and relieve their more pressing wants. 
If all the stories we hear are true, the na¬ 
tion will have a good deal to do this winter 
to supply the great army of needy ones of 
western Kansas and Nebraska and east¬ 
ern Colorado.” * * The rain is a great 
thing. It fails to fall on the just when 
they move out to the desert, but it con¬ 
tinues to fall on those abandoned farms in 
New England and New York State. 
ThllFSdaV ^ ere * s an ex t r &ct from a recent 
o * letter from Pennsylvania: “A 
fence racket is being worked in 
this State, New Jersey and Ohio, and I 
expect elsewhere, equal to the Bohemian 
oats swindle, in my estimation. It is a 
form of Osage Orange hedge, for which 
farmers are giving notes. I have been told 
that $500,000 of these notes are being contest¬ 
ed in a single county in this State.” This or 
a similar swindle is old. The sharpers 
offer to set out a hedge in a satisfactory 
way, and keep it trimmed and in good con¬ 
dition and supply all “missing” parts fora 
stipulated period, and take notes or cash 
and notes in payment for the job. The 
plants are generally poor, and the work is 
ill done; and so soon as the rascals have 
obtained the notes of their dupes they get 
JAN. 3 
them discounted as soon as possible through 
some “ innocent party ” and clear out. 
The Rural exposed the fraud years ago ; 
but further particulars of this special phase 
of it will follow. Until they are published 
lookout for the “Osage Orange hedge” 
sharpers. * * * It is said that some 
people in West Chester, Penn., are bewail¬ 
ing the loss of $50,000 in good money that 
went into a Kansas coal mine. It was 
originally invested in a Kansas bank which 
paid well enough. The president of the 
bank is a spiritualist and was told by the 
“spirits” to dig for coal near his bank. 
He did so, and finding evidences of the 
mineral, issued coal bonds in great num¬ 
bers. But there was nothing but “ evi¬ 
dences,” and evidences of the money paid 
out are now missing. 
• 
• * 
Friday The Scientific American tells us 
* that the latest trick of pretending 
9* patent sellers is to write to the 
patentee that it will be necessary to send 
them 180 copies of the new patent in order 
to effect a sale. If the patentee does not 
happen to have the 180 copies on hand, 
they (the sellers) will obligingly obtain 
them. If not convenient to send the full 
amount, then the patentee should remit, 
say, $9 in part payment for the copies, on 
receipt of which amount the sellers pretend 
they will go ahead and sell the patent. 
Many patentees are thus duped. They 
send the money, the sellers put it in their 
pockets, and that is what they live upon. 
* 
♦ * 
Saturday Look out for the multitude of 
^ “ Benefit Orders ” that are 
* springing up all over the coun¬ 
try. These “ orders ” guarantee cheap life 
insurance, and propose to pay extravagant 
rates and premiums. If you want your 
life insured go into a sound and reliable 
company. Companies nowadays write 
policies so that it is just like putting 
money into a bank—you get it back at the 
end of so many years, and the policy itself 
is negotiable, too. Such policies are taken 
out on the endowment plan ; which is 
good enough for one who wants to insure 
his life for 10, 15 or 20 years for the benefit 
of others, or to secure a loan, while desirous 
of obtaining the benefits of the investment 
himself at the end of the term, should he 
survive. But, of course, it would be poor 
policy to invest money in this way for 
profit without any object of the above kind. 
Poultry Yard. 
A writer in the Pacific Rural Press has 
the following: “We have a queer breed 
of chickens here, which is a natural pro¬ 
duction of this vicinity, having first ap¬ 
peared on several ranches here in the 
spring of 1889. They do not have feathers, 
but instead are covered with a long, hair¬ 
like down. They are fine layers and wo call 
them “Rustlers” from the fact that they 
are very ind ustrious and hardy and wander 
farther in search of food than any other 
chickens. They cannot fly and are very 
desirable on that account. They seem to 
have sprung from crossing the Plymouth 
Rock with other breeds of chickens.” They 
must be the Downy Plymouth Rock, 
originated by Mr. T. V. Henry Nott, of 
Ulster County, N. Y. The R N.-Y. pro¬ 
cured several specimens of this breed three 
years ago and has them now. 
Some correspondents in the Scottish 
Farming World have been trying to tell 
which breed of poultry makes the best 
mothers. The choice seems to rest between 
Games and Dorkings, though Brahmas are 
liked too. Game hens will fight for their 
chickens. Cochins are voted clumsy. 
Wyandottes suit us well enough. 
Chicken Food. —Most people seem to 
think that there are only a few thiags chick¬ 
ens will eat, but in reality they are almost 
omnivorous and especially do they welcome 
any thing new. They are not like turkeys 
which require to be taught what is palata¬ 
ble. If the poultry-raiser on the farm only 
keeps his eyes open, there are a great many 
odds aud ends that may be gathered up 
and utilized for the fowls; as, for instance, 
the shattered corn on the floor of the crib; 
the rats have eaten the heart out of every 
grain, but the chickens are thankful for the 
remainder. Last winter a large quantity of 
stock peas was raised, of which toll was duly 
appropriated for the benefit of the fowls. 
(Continued on next page.) 
^UhccUancous gulmtising. 
Always name The R. N.-Y. in writing to 
advertisers. 
CHEAPER AND BETTER THAN PAINT. 
Can be applied by any boy. 
Send 6 cents in stamps for samples on wood and 
illustrated catalogue of creosoted houses. 
SAMUEL CABOT, Sole Manufacturer, 
70 KILBY STREET, BOSTON. 
ANOTHER HAND-BOOK FOR THE RURAL-GARDEN FAMILY. 
- NOVEL—CONCISE—A CTIC'ii-L. 
THE NURSERY BOOK. 
A Complete Hand-Book of Propagation and Pollination. By L. H. Bailey. Uniform in Size and Style with 
Rule-Book of 1891 E 
ition Profusely Illustrated. 
HIS valuable little manual has been compiled at great pains. The author has had 
unusual facilities for its preparation, having been aided by many experts in 
many directions. The book is absolutely devoid of theory and speculation. It 
has nothing to do with plant physiology, nor with any abstruse reasons of plant growth. 
It simply tells plainly and briefly wfcat every one who sows a seed, makes a cutting, 
sets a graft, or crosses a flower wants to know. It is entirely new and original In 
method and matter. The cuts number almost 100, and are made e peclally for it,direct 
from nature. The book treats of all kinds of cultivated plants, fruits, vegetables 
greenhouse plants, hardy herbs, ornamental trees and shrubs and forest t-ees. 
CONTENTS. 
Chapter I.—Seednge. 
Chapter II.—Separation and Divisiou. 
Chapter III.—Layerase. 
Chapter IV.—Cuttage. 
Chapter V.-Graftage. Including Grafting, Budding, Inarching, etc. 
Chapter VI.—Nursery List 
Tuis is the great feature of the book. It Is an alphabetical list of all kinds of 
plants, with a short s atement telling which of the operations described in the.first 
live chapters are employed in propagating them. Over 2,000 entries are made in 
the list. The following entries will give an idea of the method . 
ACER (Maple). Sapindacecr,. Stocks are grown from stratified seeds, which should 
be sown an inch or two deep; or some species, as A dasycarj/vm, come readily 
if seeds are simply sown as soon as ripe. Some cultu-al varieties are laye ed, 
but better plants are obtained by grafting Varieties of native species are 
worked upon common or native stocks. The Japanese sorts are winter- 
worked upon imported A polymorphum stocks, eitner by whip or veneer¬ 
grafting. Maples can also be budded in summer, and they grow readily from 
cuttings of boih ripe and soft wood. 
PHYJ.i.OCACTUS. PHYLJ.OCERKUM. I) I SO CACTUS (Leaf-Cactus). Cactece. 
Fresh seeds grow readily. Sow In rather sandy soil, which is well drained, 
and apply water as for common seeds. When the seedlings appear, remove 
to a light position. Cuttings from mature shoots, three to six Inches in length, 
root readily in sharp sand. Give a temperature of about 60 degrees, ana apply 
only sufficient water to keep from flagging. If the cuttings are very juicy, 
they may be laid on dry sand for sevtrai days before planting. 
GOOSEBERRY. Seeds, for the raising cf new varieties, should be sown as soon as 
well cured, In loamy or sandy soil, or thev may be stratified and sown 
together with the sand in the soring. Cuttings, 6 to 8 inches long, of the 
mature wood, inserted two thirds their leng h, usually grow rea ily, 
especially if taken in August or September and store l during winter. 
Stronger plants are usually obtained by iay< rs, and the English varieties are 
nearly always layered in this country. ' Mound layering Is usually employed, 
the Engli-h varieties being allowed to remain in layerage two years, but the 
American varieties only one (Fig. 27). Layered plants are usually set in 
nur-erv rows for a year after removal from the stools. Green-layering during 
summer is sometimes practiced for new or rare varieties. 
Chapter VII.—Pollination. 
This book is now completed, and it will be on sale promptly by January 1st. 
Price, in library style, cloth, wide margins, $1.00; Pocket style, 
paper, narrow margins, 50 cents. 
THE RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
TIMES BUILDING, NEW YORK. 
A BEGONIA UPRIGHT LEAF CUTTING, f 
Will be ready for mailing in December. Orders filled consecutively as received , 
