5i4 
City Workers For The Country. 
J. H. G., Bristol County, R. I.—In a 
late Issue of The R N.-Y. Is the inquiry : 
“ Isn’t it time that a movement of popula¬ 
tion from the towns to the country should 
be inaugurated ? Among the multitudi¬ 
nous schemes of benevolence of the day, 
could any do better work than to remove 
the surplus labor from our cities and es¬ 
tablish it on the farms where there is con¬ 
stant, healthful and profitable work for itf” 
I am surprised that The Rural should 
talk in this way. We do indeed need a 
movement toward the country, or rather 
the checking of the movement toward the 
city; but we do not want the surplus labor 
of the cities shipped off into the country as 
objects of benevolence. In other words, we 
do not want our best agricultural stctions 
turned into poor-houses for the accommoda¬ 
tion of broken down wrecks of humanity 
from our cities. There are already too 
many “prodigal sons” who have spent 
their shaie of the paternal estates in riot¬ 
ous living in the city and who have re¬ 
turned to the farms broken down in body 
and mind, only to increase the burdens of 
the old folks. Our suburban districts are 
already too largely occupied by wealthy 
aristocrats and impecunious servants and 
dependents. The country is full of tramps, 
the “surplus” labor of our cities. They 
burn barns, steal everything they can lay 
their hands on and cost the farmers of the 
country millions of dollars annually. The 
wealthy classes of our cities sometimes in¬ 
crease the value of suburban property by 
purchasing extensive estates, but it is a 
question whether such estates are of any 
permanent benefit to the adjoining farm¬ 
ers. What we need is an increased number 
of independent, self respecting farmers, 
who are amply compensated for their labor 
by the purchasers of their products. As 
soon as farmers get a full equivalent for 
their products, they will be able to hire 
labor in the open market and pay as much 
for it as any competing industry. What we 
need is a readjustment of prices. It is 
slowly but surely coming. Farming will 
pay and when ic does, there will be no 
trouble about keeping young men and 
women on the farm. 
Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey. 
Where wealth accumulates and men decay; 
Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade 
A breath can make them, as a breath has made 
Rut a bold peasantry, their country’s pride. 
When once destroyed can never be supplied. 
R. N.-Y.—From one end to the other of 
New England, but especially from Massa¬ 
chusetts and Connecticut, come constant 
complaints of scarcity of farm labor. To a 
less extent the same complaints come from 
other sections of the country. Farm oper¬ 
ations are, we are told, greatly curtailed or 
their character is entirely changed or great¬ 
ly modified in many sections on this account. 
This Is always dwelt upon as one of the 
drawbacks to farming at the present time 
in the districts where it is seveie. Where 
is the needed help to come from? Certainly 
not from the country; mustn’t it therefore 
come fiom the cities ? The Rural advo¬ 
cated the removal of the surplus labor not 
of the surplus idleness of the cities to the 
country thereto work not to idle, at profit¬ 
able employment. Persons who work at 
profitable employment cannot be called 
“ objects of benevolence ” or inmates of “ a 
poor-house ?” The tramp is a sample of the 
surplus idleness of the cities, not of the 
surplus labor. There is no necessity for 
sending or advising him to start on his 
summer jaunts into the country; he does it 
spontaneously, and The Rural has fre¬ 
quently spoken in stronger terms than 
those of our correspondent against any 
tolerance of his odious and dangerous 
presence there. The Rural is strongly op¬ 
posed to any dumping of city riff-raff, 
shiftlessness, laz ; ness or wreckage upon 
country places ; but so long as labor is 
needed there and it cannot be got elsewhere, 
why shouldn’t the thousands of honest, in¬ 
dustrious people who cannot find work in 
the cities be advised or even aided to seek 
it where there are constant openings for 
them in the country? The only trouble we 
can see in the matter is that a considerable 
percentage of chronically discontented 
loungers and ne’er-do-weels, with shiftless 
habits and demoralizing tendencies would 
be likely to find their way with the crowd 
of honest workers. The drift of migration 
from the country to the city is one of the im¬ 
memorial characteristics of rural humanity. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
JULY ii 
which has been constantly mourned but 
has never ceased, and is likely to continue 
till the return of the “ Golden Age” or the 
advent of something better. 
Farm Labor In Central Jersey. 
A. T. T., Somerset County, N. J.—The 
question so difficult to satisfactorily ad¬ 
just in the city, is proportionately import¬ 
ant and vexatious in the country. In this 
vicinity the colored man has for genera¬ 
tions reigned supreme out-of-doors, and his 
dusky wife and daughters have been the 
dominant factors In the kitchen within 
doors. In either case since the days of 
slavery colored help has been the rule and 
white help the exception. Nearly all are 
descendants of slave ancestors and bear 
the names of their former owners. Until 
during the last 15 years, these people, as 
hired servants, were almost as much in¬ 
terested in the welfare and success of the 
community as the farmers and owners 
themselves. During the period mentioned, 
however, a great change in the status 
of the colored people as efficient and reliable 
help has occurred. The younger ones dis¬ 
play none of the industrious ac'ivity wlich 
rendered the former generation such valu¬ 
able assistants in the labor of the farm. 
Many of the older ones have sadly degen¬ 
erated and become shiftless and vicious 
drunkards. This unfortunat j condition of 
things seems to be yearly on the increas . 
Another fact which concerns their present 
character and reputation is that they are 
yearly becoming whiter. The moral obloquy 
which attaches to the change in this re¬ 
spect includes a reflection on the white pop¬ 
ulation as well as on the colored people 
themselves. The older and pure blacks 
view with disgust the rapid increase of the 
coffee colored faction. 
A quarter-blood or “quadroon ” is often 
handsome in face and figure ; but is about 
as useless a piece of furniture in the 
kitchen so far as efficiency and aid to the 
mistress of the house are concerned, as may 
be imagined. Of course they are not all 
dissolute or all lazy, and there are gratify¬ 
ing exceptions to the charge against their 
general conduct: but the average tendency 
is toward a far more useless house servant 
than was formerly the case. Although re¬ 
luctant to cease employing colored help, 
many of the farmers have been driven to 
the alternative of trying newly-arrived im¬ 
migrants from the Continent. For two or 
three years I haunted the intelligence 
offices of New York in search of substitutes 
for the intractable darkey. Twice I had 
representatives from the Young Men’s 
Christian Asso nation building, where 
semi-good characters were given tne candi¬ 
dates. I do not know how that business 
is now conducted, but I came to the con¬ 
clusion then that the managers were par¬ 
ticularly liable to be imposed upon in their 
methods of accepting applicants for situa¬ 
tions. It is a lottery drawing in which the 
blanks outnumber the prizes. In all these 
offices I have obtained most excellent help, 
and also others with whom there was noth¬ 
ing to be done except to “ fire” them out as 
quickly as possible after the first trial. 
Two or three years ago I hired a married 
couple, the man for farm work and his wife 
for cooking. “I can’t do fancy cooking” 
the wife replied in answer to my interro¬ 
gation, “ but I can cook the plain dishes 
and give satisfaction.” It was an absolute 
fact she did not know how to cook even a 
potato and never seemed to have the re¬ 
motest idea of preparing different articles 
in advance of each other over the same fire 
where a longer or shorter time was re¬ 
quired from the nature of the article to be 
cooked. When she left three or four 
months afterward—for we submitted that 
length of time to what seemed the inevit¬ 
able— she apparently knew as little about 
cooking as when she came, alttough patent¬ 
ly and fully instructed by an efficient mis¬ 
tress. “ Joe,” the husband, was quick and 
learned his business so as to give little cause 
for fault finding. When he first came he 
was struck with admiration at the growth 
of grass which he termed a tall field of rye. 
A quail was observed dusting itself in the 
road one day. The bird was pointed out to 
‘ Jo?,” but he failed to see her ; “ Where ?” 
he said, “ I don’t see it.” “ Why right there; 
didn’t you ever see a quail ?” “ No, sir,” he 
answered. “Did you ever hear of one 
then?” “No, sir.” “Well did you ever 
hear of quail-on-toast ?” “ Oh yes, yes, is 
that it ?” was Joe’s breathless exclamation. 
The Italians are coming into the neighbor¬ 
hood rapidly. They are strong and willing 
and as yet no complaints have been made 
against their character for thieving or other 
dishonesty. They are crowding hard upon 
other nationalities in the farming lab^r, but 
rest under the disadvantage of not under¬ 
standing English. As soon as they acquire 
knowledge of the language and our meth¬ 
ods of farming the future outlook is that 
they will receive general employment 
among farmers unless, like many others 
of our imported citizens, they prefer to be¬ 
come statesmen. The prospect for the 
darky to remain in the country as farming 
help is not good. Probably he is not averse 
to such a result. If he cared especially to 
retain the hold he once had, he would ex¬ 
ert himself more in the competition to 
which he is now being subjected. His drift, 
like that of his youthful white neighbor, is 
townward. He is sociable and loves to con¬ 
gregate, and farming is not conducive to 
sociability or quick gathering in numbers. 
Mr. Terry’s Strawberries. 
J. W. I, Sugar Run, Pa —It is creditable 
to Mr. T. B. Terry that when he changes 
his mind with regard to the value of a 
particular practice, he is willing that every¬ 
body should know it, and when, in the 
course of time, he changes it back again, he 
is not ashamed to let it be known. Some 
years since he argued earnestly and well 
that he could sell potatoes and buy straw¬ 
berries for family use cheaper than he 
could raise them. A few years later he 
engaged in raising strawberries, and was 
so well pleased with his success in raising 
and eating them that he advised all farm¬ 
ers to raise enough to supply their own 
families. If my memory is correct, he 
stated toat he, and each member of his 
family of six persons, ate a full quart of 
berries at each meal three times a day for 
the space of six weeks. According to that 
statement they ate 756 quarts, which at 10 
cents per quart, would amount to $75.60; 
this, addtd to the sum which he says he 
received for the berries sold—$237—would 
make $312 60, the product from half an 
acre. It would seem from the above ca 1 . 
culation that $50, Mr. Terry’s estimate of 
the value of the berries eaten by his family 
and given away, was entirely too low, and 
that if he had not eaten quite so many, his 
strawberry business would have been finan¬ 
cially a success. But he is not sat sfied 
with bis profit*, and says his strawberries 
have to go, except a bed large enough to 
supply the 756 quarts for his own family, 
and these he would buy if he could get 
them as large and as fresh as he can grow 
them. Mr. Terry complains that none of 
the horticultural friends whom he con¬ 
sulted told him to let grapes alone. He 
probably did net tell them that he lived in 
a place subject to late frosts. My experi¬ 
ence with grapes Is that they are the cheap¬ 
est fruit a farmer can raise, and the hardy 
kinds, like the Clinton, are great bearers 
and require but little trimming and pinch¬ 
ing back. I do not live near Lake Erie, 
Keuka or any other celebrated grape re¬ 
gion. I presume it is as frosty here as 
where Mr. Teriy lives, but for 20 years I 
have never failed of securing enough grapes 
for family use. Some of the first blossoms 
were killed this spring by the frost Mr. 
(Continued on next page.) 
&Ui]SijCfILuuw guUTttteinfl. 
When writing to advertisers, please 
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THE SILVER MFG. CO., SALEM, Ohio. 
QJWiREROPE SELVAGE the BEST. 
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McMULLEN’S POlLTkV NETTING. Newthin*. 
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SCALE 
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BINGHAMTON, N. Y. 
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N 
COME TO VIRGINIA 
For Cheap Homes, Fine Estates, Sheep Ranches, 
Stock Farms, Trucking Lands, Vineyards, Fruit 
Farms. Labor cheap; climate unsurpassed; health 
perfect; the worst land easily reclaimed ; good mar¬ 
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domestic convenience within easy reach, 
ror information apply to 
THOMAS WHITEHEAD, 
Commissioner of Agriculture and Inim'gration. 
RICHMOND, VA. 
Headache 
Indigestion, Biliousness, 
Dyspepsia 
And all Stomach Troubles 
Are cured by 
Hood’s 
Sarsaparilla 
Everyth* 
Should Have li in The House. 
Dropped on Sugar, Children Love 
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THE PE COS V ALLEY. 
THE FRUIT BELT OF NEW MEXICO 
Over 100 miles of irrigating canals now completed, 
each from 18 to (50 feet wide and carrying 5 to i feet ot 
" Over 300,000 acres of the richest lands in the world 
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Other lands for sale at $15 to $30 an acre and on 
1 " The Pecos River being fed by never-failing springs 
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unequ lied for irrigating purposes by any river on the 
continent. . . 
Climatic and soil conditions here are superior to 
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grown there can be produced here, except oranges and 
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vegetables and grasses that can be grown anywhere on 
this continent. . „ , , , 
Cotton.tobacco and hemp also grow here luxuriantly, 
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Send for maps and illustrated pamphlets, giving 
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PECOS IRRIGATION & IMPROVEMENT CO., 
Eddy. New Mexico. 
T7 , YY"|> CJ A T TTt — A ftuit farm of 1W acres 
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G, M, 8TKELE, Prin., Wilbrahain, Mass, ; 
