i89i 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Plenty of Potato Seed-balls. 
Bert Tift, San Juan County, Wash.— 
The Rural says, on page 25, that it doesn’t 
know of any place where potato vines fruit 
freely. As I like The Rural to know 
everything worth knowing, I will inform it 
that right here in San Joan Co., there have 
always been, for the last seven years, plenty 
of seed balls on potato vines, and some 
have been of great size. 
R. N.-Y.—We thank our friend for the 
information. 
Early Education. 
J. M. Rice, Christian Co., Mo.—A late 
“ Brevity ” says : “ The faults of your 
early education pop up as you try to 
answer the whys ” of a child. I find at 
past middle life that I am studying whys, 
the answers to which I ought to have 
learned in the common and graded schools; 
but they were not taught; but instead a 
mass of stuff for which I have never had 
any use. Should there not be a weeding 
out of useless parts of our text books, and 
should not something practical be inserted 
instead ? It seems to me that even the 
text books on language and mathematics 
prepared for our common schools should bo 
cut down one-half, and that the time thus 
saved might be advantageously given to 
easy lessons in scientific knowledge in 
which that pertaining to agriculture 
should have a place. 
The Farmer’s Future Food. 
J. W. Ingham, Bradford County, Pa. 
—In Prof. Roberts’s article of January 17 he 
says: “ By the end of the next century 
farmers’ rations will be prepared scienti¬ 
fically, and with as much care as those of 
pigs and sheep at the present day.” It was 
safe to say that. He surely could not have 
meant that farmers’ wives take less pains 
to prepare the food for their husbands, 
their children and themselves than farm¬ 
ers do for their pigs and sheep. Science is 
but the knowledge of well established 
facts. Most farmers’ wives know how to 
cook now; all will be good cooks by the 
end of the next century. He says : “ Food 
will be of better quality and more varied in 
character, and there will be less spoiling 
of good materials by fire and the hash ma¬ 
chine.” If the professor were a bachelor 
like the author of “Sweet Home,” and had 
lived all his life in third-rate boarding¬ 
houses, then we could understand his 
loathing of the scorched hash and his long¬ 
ing for the good times coming ; but if he 
meant to infer that farmers’ food is not of 
good quality, and of varied character, then 
his information is incorrect. As a school 
teacher “ boarding round,” I have eaten 
many times at farmers’ tables when their 
wives were not expecting company, and 
can truly affirm that farmers generally 
live as well as they can afford to, and that 
their food is of good quality, properly 
cooked, and of varied character. He says : 
“ Each meal will be different in most re¬ 
spects from any other during the 
year.” Think of that! Ten hundred 
and ninty-five changes of diet in one 
ye&rl Most farmers and their wives having 
become accustomed to fewer dishes, would 
not care to live in the next century if that is 
what they are coming to. But the profes¬ 
sor, after having whetted up our appetites 
for a great variety of good things well 
cooked, suddenly changes the tenor of his 
discourse and turns his back on himself 
by saying that “ to eat is pig-like, and often 
debasing.” Of course it is, if people gobble 
their food down like pigs, without proper 
mastication, and in quantities greater than 
the stomach can properly digest. The old 
adage is true : “ People should eat in order 
to live; not live in order to eat.” He con¬ 
tinues: “ The coming farmer is to go forth 
with clear head, and clean shirt.” Farm¬ 
ing is not such clean work as lecturing to 
college classes: the writer has put on a clean 
shirt every morning in harvest, and taken 
it off at night wet with sweat and covered 
with dust and dirt. If farmers wear dirty 
shirts it is because they are obliged to. 
“ Children,” he says “ will not inherit the 
knowledge of their parents, but they will 
inherit aptitude for it, and what is now ac¬ 
quired at 20 will be easily mastered at 16.” 
Tnere is a difference of opinion about in¬ 
heriting aptitude for learning. The scholar 
who was quicker than any other to learn 
in the school which I attended, and always 
ahead of his class, was a colored boy whose 
ancestors back to the time of Moses, had 
had no education. Did this negro boy in¬ 
herit his aptitude for learning? And from 
whom ? 
Farm, Stock and Home: “The rich 
make a great display of their wealth—ex¬ 
cept on the assessor’s books.” 
SAUNTERING3. 
Cutting Frozen Grafts.— Some journals 
are giving emphatic advice to their readers 
not to cut grafts in cold weather “while the 
shoots are frozen,” remarks the Country 
Gentleman. This advice, we suppose, is 
founded on conjecture. The shoots of fruit 
trees are not frozen stiff till the thermom¬ 
eter approaches zero, when there is a de¬ 
gree of cold so severe that' men do not find 
it pleasant to cut grafts. Even in peach 
shoots we have never found the actual ex¬ 
istence of ice till the thermometer had fall¬ 
en at least 20 degrees below freezing. But 
grafts of any kind, cut at any temperature 
if at once packed compactly in damp moss, 
thaw out if frozen with as little harm as 
when left to thaw on the tree out-of doors. 
Other writers utter strong cautions 
against pruning “when the trees are 
frozen.” It would be interesting to ex¬ 
amine on cold mornings and see to what 
extent large trees become stiff by freezing. 
They are made more tender in a slight de¬ 
gree by pruning much in winter, without 
reference to the temperature when the 
work is done. All wounds should of course 
be painted. 
The Coles Pear originated in Kansas, 
where it has borne large crops for six 
years. The fruit is medium to large, yel¬ 
low with shades of carmine, sugary and 
fine-grained and entirely free from seed 
and core. 
Yes, there are, as Burke says, “com¬ 
modities which beset old age.” But there 
are also commodities which beset youth. 
The young have measles and follies, and the 
old have gout and wisdom. Thus are 
honors evenly distributed. All periods 
have their weaknesses, but there is nothing 
half so beautiful as the afternoon of a man’s 
years, serene, quiet and peaceful. The 
hardest part of the fight is over and the 
setting of the sun is quite as fine in its way 
as the rising thereof. 
Still, if we we were asked what period of 
life is most enjoyable, we confess wo should 
be puzzled for an answer. Perhaps it 
would be safe to say “The best time is 
Now, whether it be youth, middle life or 
old age.”. 
John Gould contends that the world’s 
work requires nine horses for work to one 
for pleasure. The world’s work in the 
future will require substantially the same 
proportion. The work horse must always 
be the horse In greatest demand. Other 
things being equal, the larger types of 
horses would be most in demand. As a 
rule horses bring for the market a cash 
value in dollars substantially equal to their 
weight in pounds. Small and fancy horses 
sell upon performance, and reach fancy 
prices; but the moment that labor is the 
sole value of the horse, then the farmer 
sells by the square of weight in hun¬ 
dred pounds, expressed in dollars; the 900- 
pound horse sells for $80 to $85, the 1,200- 
horse for $144 to $150, and the 1,600-pound 
horse brings $250. The farmer needs to 
breed that which the market wants, and 
that is the heavier class of horses, leaving 
small and fast breeding to those who do not 
live by work. In this cross-breeding on the 
farm a class of small horses and “sports” 
will crop out sufficient in numbers to sup¬ 
ply the farm need for general purposes. 
Scribner’s Monthly says that it is a 
very good plan for very rich men to leave 
bequests to charitable uses. But the fact 
that a man leaves a great fortune to charity 
by will is no proof at all that he was a 
generous man. He doesn’t give his own 
money, he gives money that was his; that, 
perhaps, he held on to as long as he could, 
and that necessarily found a new owner as 
soon as the breath passed out of his body. 
It is impossible to be generous by will. A 
will does not give, it only regulates a divi¬ 
sion. A will may be cited in evidence of the 
testator’s affection or of his sense of j ustice, 
but not of his generosity; unless, indeed, 
he is known to have denied himself and 
saved and accumulated money, not because 
he wanted it for himself, but for the sake 
of those who would have it after him. 
There is a system of culture practiced in 
many European countries, Prof. Storer 
tells us. In which care is taken to convert 
the stubble into greensward before plow¬ 
ing it under. To this end a portion of the 
farm manure that would be alloted to the 
next year’s crop in any event, is applied 
as a top-dressing to the field immediately 
after the clover has been mown. The 
abundant crop of aftermath thus obtained 
is then plowed in at the farmer’s con¬ 
venience. 
Since the clover treated in this way 
brings into the soil from the air a large 
quantity of humus-producing materials, 
without wasting any of the manure ap¬ 
plied, the method would seem to be a 
peculiarly happy device for applying man¬ 
ure economically. 
Mr. W. A Burpee was among the fore¬ 
most poultry importers to announce the 
Indian Games in this country as he was 
two years ago the Red Caps He says that 
birds of no other breed ever introduced have 
created such a furore among fanciers, and 
they are bound to be of great value to the 
farm-poultry interests of the country. 
While preeminently fowls for fancy, 
they cannot fail to delight the poultry 
farmer. As superb table fowls they are 
unexcelled; they have exceptionally broad, 
deep breasts and are heavily meated 
throughout. They are much weightier 
than their apparent size would indicate, 
cocks weighing 9}4 to 10% pounds each and 
hens 6% to 7% pounds each, when in ordin¬ 
ary breeding condition. Their flesh is of 
the finest quality, while they mature 
quickly and, consequently, will be Invalu¬ 
able for crossing. An experiment in cross¬ 
ing an Indian Game cock on Partridge 
Cochin pullets resulted most satisfactorily. 
When only six months old the chicks were 
heavier than their mothers, full-meated 
and with flesh of the most delicate color 
and delicious quality. 
Indian Games, Mr. Burpee further says, 
are also really first-class layers, giving 
more eggs proportionately the past year 
than any other breed that does its own in¬ 
cubating. The hens make excellent moth¬ 
ers if allowed to sit, while they can readily 
be broken up in two or three days when 
inclined to do so, and It is a remarkable 
fact that they will then begin to lay again 
in about a week. The young chicks hatch 
out very uniform in size and markings; 
they are very sprightly and extremely 
hardy, growing quickly and maturing 
early. They are very free from disease, 
have strong constitutions, are easily raised. 
They are excellent foragers if allowed their 
liberty and yet thrive splendidly in con¬ 
finement. Altogether, aside from their 
beauty and “fancy points,” considered 
economically they are unsurpassed, and 
Mr. Burpee is inclined to think unequaled. 
When placed on market their fine appear¬ 
ance as dressed poultry will secure ready 
sales, while the superb quality and rich 
flavor of the meat should command an ex¬ 
tra price. . 
Prof. Storer alludes to an island on 
the coast of France where sea-weeds and 
ashes of dung are the only manures em¬ 
ployed upon the farms. Cattle are kept, 
indeed, in large numbers, but the dung is 
all dried and used for fuel. 
ABSTRACTS. 
-Sir J. B. Lawes: “ It must be a very 
large wheat crop indeed which removes 50 
pounds of nitrogen from the soil, but in 
some of our potato crops we carry off more 
than 100 pounds of that substance per 
acre.” 
-Harper’s Weekly: “ What the Alli¬ 
ance has done in South Carolina it alms to 
do everywhere, to set aside the ruling 
cliques and bring forward prominently the 
great unfavored interest. Its theories of 
government as they are announced are crude 
and wild.” 
-N. Y. Tribune : “ The advice is given 
never to reprove an erring helper till the 
next day—thus insuring good temper on 
your part, a condition essential to best suc¬ 
cess.” 
-Henry Stewart : “ One of the most 
serious mistakes made in the management 
of cows is milking them while they are 
feeding. This commonly causes a serious 
diminution of the milk, various irritative 
results on the temper of the cow, and the 
consequential permanent injury to the ani¬ 
mal.” 
-Texas Farm and Ranch : “ The best 
way to tell whether an egg will produce a 
male or female fowl Is to place it under a 
hen, or in an incubator, until the inside of 
it is hatched out; then feed the result un¬ 
til about half-grown—or longer if neces¬ 
sary. If sickle feathers and an aggressive 
mien are developed, the specimen is prob¬ 
ably a male. If it is not a male it is prob¬ 
ably a female.” 
147 
PiswUaneousi 
Advertisers treat all correspondents 
well if they mention The Rural New- 
Yorker. 
Insecis on Fruit Trees. 
These pests are rapidly multiplying and every 
year their ravages Increase; they destroy the apples, 
plums, cherries and peaches. Yet they can he exter 
mtnated by Judiciously spraying the trees. The Field 
Force Pump Company, of Loclcport, N. Y„ have Just 
published a very Instructive treatise on this subject, 
which they will send free on application. 
THREE GRAND BERRIES. 
All are fully illustrated and described in 
Lovett’s Guide to Horticulture. Also all 
good old and choice new varieties of Small ami 
Orchard Fruit, Nut and Ornamental Trees and 
Plants, etc. It is a book of over 8o pages, 
finely printed and copiously illustrated. It 
states the defects and merits, gives prices and 
tells how to purchase, plant, prune and culti¬ 
vate. Mailed free; with colored plates ioc. 
Trees and Plants by Mail a Specialty. 
J. T. Lovett Co., Little Silver, N. J. 
BALLBEARINGS 
MAKE 
Light Draft 
“ KEYSTONE” 
h Harrows 
Used on no 
other. Wear for 
years without 
wearing out. 
Save much 
trouble and ex¬ 
pense. The 
“ Keystone ” Disc Harrow draws nearly 
one horse lighter than any other, farmers 
tell us. It does not require weighting 
down with iron, dirt or stone, which also 
makes it lighter draft. It is not a “ stone 
boat,” it is a Disc Harrow 
Send for Catalogue. 
KEYSTONE NI’F’fi GO., STERLING, ILL. 
Branch Houses conveniently located. 
(Mention this paper.) 
instead of 3. One man instead of three. Especially 
adapted to traction engine. Uses wheel landside which 
resists pressure of three furrows. No bottom or sido 
friction. Weight of furrows, frame and plowman car¬ 
ried on three greased spindles. Draft reduced to low¬ 
est possible limit. Foot brake prevents Gang running 
on team. Lever and turning device within easy reach. 
Easier Driving;, Stralglitcr Furrows, and 
I IPUTCD nOHCT than any Gang in America. 
Llun I til UnUr I Adjustable frame— can 
be narrowed or widened at will Made with stubble, 
tod and stubble, or breaker bottoms. 10 or 12 inch cut 
ECONOMIST PLOW CO. “J&MSr 
rw Special prices and time for trial given 
on first orders from points where we have no agents. 
Our book, “FUN ON TIIE FARM,” sent Free 
to all who mention this paper. 
EMPIRE 
agricultural 
WORKS. 
UTE8T IMPROVED MACHINES 
In the market* 
It pays 
to get oar Illustrated 
Catalogue and prices before purchasing 
any of the following implements: Tread and~Sweep Powers, 
Threshers, Separators, Gannon Corn Shelters with ('leaner and 
Bagger, Hand Shelters, different Hires and Mtrles, Feed Cotters 
with and without Crusher, Feed Mills, Steel Land Rollers, Key¬ 
stone Chilled Plows,Empire light-draft Mowers,Cross-ent Wood 
laws. Vertical Boilers with Engine complete, either <m base 
plate «r on four-wheel iron truck, from 3 to 16 horse power. 
IB IE8HINUKU A HON Tata no tort ha mo to. 4V.jP* 
275 ACRE FARM. 
Fertile, warm early moII. 
Good Grass Laud. 
Good Butter Farm. 
Good Truck Farm. 
Good Fruit Farm. 
Good Poultry Farm 
Deposit of Pink Granite. 
Ilviinuil iif Fine Vlnlilinii Fund. 
Twenty-seven miles from Boston. Six good manu¬ 
facturing village markets within seven miles; one 
mile from railroad station, post office, etc. 
JIT FOR SALE AT LOW PRICE. 
May be divided Into two farms. Two houses, 
am, etc. 
Address “ FARM,” care The Robal Nkw-Yobkkb, 
