66o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
SEPT. 12 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker, 
TIMES BUILDING. NEW YORK. 
A Rational Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Home*. 
„ l EDITOR8. 
3 , ) 
ELBERT 8. CARMAN, 
HERBERT W. COLLINQWOOD, 
Rural Publishing Company: 
LAWSON VALENTINE, Pratidant. 
EDGAR H. LIBBY, Manager. 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
THE AMERICAN GARDEN, 
OUT-DOOR BOOKS. 
Copyright, 1891, by the Rural Publishing Company. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1891. 
The census shows that of the 12,500,000 families 
in the country, 10,250,000 live in homes or farms 
free from mortgage encumbrances. Isn’t it time 
for the calamity criers, for this season at least, to 
take back seats ? 
Probably as many as 50 of The Rural’s wheat 
prize contestants sent their wheats and their letters 
separately in such a way that the one could not be 
placed with the other. Many boxes of wheat were 
received without any mark upon them to indicate 
whence they came or whom they came from. 
Every trade and manufacture in the country is 
growing jubilant at the prospect of a great increase 
in business owing to the excellent outlook for agri¬ 
cultural prosperity. Railroad stocks, too, are 
booming, and the “bulls” are belly deep in clover 
in view of the enormous traffic promised in trans¬ 
porting the crops to market. Truly all are dancing 
to the farmers’ piping this year. 
In 1890 cheese to the value of $1,295,506 was im¬ 
ported into this country. The same year we ex¬ 
ported cheese to the value of $8,591,042. What we 
imported came in the shape of the small and rich 
Swiss and French cheeses, with which the article 
we export cannot possibly compete. But almost 
all this imported cheese might be made in this coun¬ 
try—as we are told on page 655. Probably all but 
the Swiss ; and while we cannot bring the Swiss 
mountains here, we can furnish a first-class imita¬ 
tion. Any enterprise that has for its object the 
making of these small cheeses on American soil is 
most worthy of encouragement. 
Mr. J. 1 F. Ricketts spent many years in crossing 
our native and foreign grapes and, as judged by the 
product of his own vineyard, great hopes were in¬ 
dulged that his hybrids would m due time take the 
place of all native varieties. Not one of them is 
popular to day. One after another has been intro¬ 
duced, tried and found wanting. Though the quality 
of many was superb—as fine, indeed, as the best of 
foreign origin- tenderness of vine, mildew or rot has 
rendered them nearly worthless except in climates 
where foreign grapes thrive. Other hybridizers 
have met with the same discouragement. We may 
now look the fact in the face that our improved 
kinds of the future must come through our natives. 
What do you say to this, Prof. Munson? 
After every dry season dozens of gardeners start 
in to investigate the economy of irrigation by means 
of pump and tank, dams and high ponds or arte¬ 
sian wells. There are more than ever this year, 
and many of them will really provide a permanent 
water supply for another season. Strawberry 
growers are particularly active in this work. They 
must remember one thing. They do not know how 
to use the water yet. If they get too much on, 
and produce big, soft berries that are poor shippers, 
it will be their own fault—not the fault of the irri¬ 
gation system. The right amount of water to use 
must be determined by experience—no man can 
tell another just how much his soil needs. An¬ 
other thing : Irrigation and good drainage ought 
to go together. 
The result of the census just completed must 
cause a sad disappointment to patriotic Canadians. 
The population of the Dominion is only 4,823,334- 
over 1,000,000 less than that of New York, and 
500,000 less than that of Pennsylvania. In 1871, 
just after the consolidation of the provinces, the 
population was 3,686,596; 10 years later it’was 
4,324,810. In the last 10 years while the United 
States have added 12,466,467 to their population 
an increase of 24.86 per cent; Canada has added 
only 498,534, an increase of only 11.52 per cent. 
Nearly the whole of this has been in Manitoba and 
British Columbia, to which the government princi¬ 
pally directed immigration at a cost of about 
$3,000,000. In the Maritime Provinces in 10 years 
the increase has been only 1.17 per cent ; while in 
New England, across the border, it has been 13.47 
per cent. In Quebec and Ontario it has amounted 
only to 9.67 per cent, while over the St. Lawrence 
and Lakes m New York and Pennsylvania, it has 
been 20 36 per cent. Even in the West, while the 
percentage of increase in Manitoba has been 148.01, 
across the line in North Dakota it has been 395.05. 
In British Columbia, too, while the percentage has 
been only 87.56, just south, in Washington, it has 
been 365 13. In 20 years Canadians have added 
under 1,200,000 to their population and over $150,- 
000,000 to their debt. Their expenditure per 
capita among adults has increased from $4 50 to $7 
per annum, and their debt from $21 to $50 ; while 
m the same time our debt has shrunk from $60 per 
head to $12,87. Over 100,000 of the best Canadian 
stock have come across the border every year, how¬ 
ever, to help us make this marvelous difference. 
Most of the discussions regarding the proper 
financial policy of the government seem to arise 
from a difference in opinion regarding the real 
monetary function of the government. The R. 
N.-Y. believes that what we call “ money” is merely 
a part of the people’s wealth put into such shape that 
it can be most easily and safely handled. Govern¬ 
ment does not make the money—all it makes is the 
substitute for the other forms of wealth contributed 
by the people. The Land Loan people say that 
land is a proper f rm of property to give the gov¬ 
ernment for an equivalent in circulating substitutes 
or “money.” Tue question is this—is land a good 
money basis ? 
By the laws of 1887 and 1889 the executive of the 
Argentine Republic was authorized to guarantee $6,- 
000,000 as advances on passage money to immigrants, 
and such advances now amount to $5,600,161. 
They were to be reimbursed by the immigrants 
after their settlement in the country ; but only 
$44,441 of the total amount advanced has been col¬ 
lected, and the dispersion of the immigrants through 
the Republic makes it impossible to compel them to 
fulfill their signed agreements. The President, there¬ 
fore, has just recommended to Congress to reppal 
the law. With a vast undeveloped and thinly in¬ 
habited territory, a heavy immigration would be a 
great boon to Argentina, if the newcomers were of 
the energetic, vigorous, enterprising class best 
adapted to meet the hardships of a pioneer life; but 
it is more than doubtful that such a class can be 
secured by “ assisted immigration.” 
Within a few miles of this office is a butter ex¬ 
tractor at work. The milk runs in at the top. 
There is a whiz and a whirl and the skim-milk runs 
out at one point and the butter drops away at an¬ 
other. It is all done “while you wait.” Within a 
short distance of the extractor a tired man brings 
his milk from the barn in a pail. A still more tired 
woman strains it into pans, and puts the pans care¬ 
fully away. Later on the pans are skimmed by 
hand, the cream is poured into a cream pot and 
from that into a churn. Then the tired woman 
“between times’’lifts about 10 tons of weight on 
the churn dasher in making the butter “come”— 
with working and pan washing to follow. What a 
contrast I How it illustrates the wonderful forces 
that are at work changing every feature of our 
industrial life. The man who will not grow, who 
refuses to modify his practices as his competitors 
learn and adopt newer and more scientific methods, 
cannot stand still. He must get out of the race or 
stand and be crushed. 
Something like 250,000 barrels of low-grade mo¬ 
lasses are produced each year in Louisiana. There 
i8 little or no sale for it, its value being estimated 
at about two cents a gallon or $3.33 per ton. What 
is to be done with it ? The making of rum or alco¬ 
hol seemed for a time the only solution. It is now 
claimed that an improved burner and device for 
utilizing molasses for fuel has been perfected, which 
promises to give this sweet substance a heat-pro¬ 
ducing power equal, pound for pound, to that of 
coal. Such molasses contains nearly 80 per cent of 
carbon, with less water than peat and not much 
more than some coals. It could leave little or no ash. 
Theoretically there is no reason why it should not 
make an economical fuel. Of course, it cannot be 
burned as coal and wood are burned—the principle 
used in the combustion of other liquids for light 
and heat must be employed. Liquid fuels are now 
largely used in many places—with very satisfactory 
results. What a blessing if this Louisiana refuse 
can be used to keep the pot boiling rather than to 
keep the sot spoiling. 
Three jobs on the farm have been noted as par¬ 
ticularly trying to the human back—planting and 
digging potatoes, cutting corn fodder and cleaning 
out the cow stables. A man may now sit on his po¬ 
tato planter and do the first work in comfort. Cheap 
hand-power potato planters are now being perfected 
for use of those who plant but a small area. As 
for potato diggers there are dozens of them on the 
market—good ones too. The R. N.-Y. began to 
call on inventors for a corn harvester years ago. 
It has come: not perfect perhaps yet, but still 
saving tons of hand labor and only waiting devel¬ 
opment. Now we want a device for cleaning out 
the stables in which the labor now done by human 
muscles will be performed by less valuable horse 
flesh or wood and iron. We have already printed 
accounts of one or two devices—we want more. 
The most feasible plan seems to be a light, over head 
track from which, by means of hangers like those 
used on barn doors, a swinging car may run. Let 
the manure be thrown into this car and let it then 
run down the track where it is desired to unload. 
This plan is already in use in several barns. It 
saves a world of hand labor. Come, let us get to¬ 
gether and discuss this matter. 
In the relation of silver to wheat the farmers of 
this and other countries have a powerful reason for 
wishing an increase in the value of the white metal. 
India is one of the chief competitors in the wheat 
markets of the world, and in India the only currency 
known is silver. The sicca rupee, worth two shil¬ 
lings English money, or nearly 50 cents American, 
is the standard coin, and whatever the value of sil¬ 
ver, that of the rupee remains unchanged, much in 
the same way as the standard silver dollar remains 
unchanged here whether the price of silver bullion 
is high or low. Whatever the price of silver bull • 
ion, the Indian wheat grower wants just “so many” 
rupees for his wheat and will not sell at a lower 
figure. To the English grain merchant, money 
lender or banker, however, the rupee is worth only 
its bullion value, for he can get his bullion promptly 
coined into rupees or buy them at their bullion 
value. Should the bullion value of the rupee, there¬ 
fore, fall to one shilling, he could get a bushel of 
wheat in India for half the price he would have to 
pay if the rupee were worth two shillings. Conse¬ 
quently when the price of silver is low, Indian 
wheat can be sold at a profit in Mark Lane at prices 
which defy competition from the wheat of the 
U nited States and other countries. As the value of 
silver bullion is now about 20 per cent below that 
of silver coin, the dealer in Indian wheat can afford 
to sell any grade of it at a price 20 per cent lower 
than a similar grade from any other country. Of 
course he does not make so great a reduction, how¬ 
ever, but his profits and those of the money lend¬ 
ers and bankers are all the greater. Nor is wheat 
the only agricultural product whose price is injur¬ 
iously affected by the depreciation of silver; for the 
prices of cotton, corn and many other agricultural 
products that compete with the same kinds of 
goods from India, are similarly, but to a less extent 
affected. Small wonder, therefore, that farmers 
are heartily in favor of an increase in the value of 
silver. 
BREVITIES. 
Ah ! the road that leads to a bank account 
Is a mighty hard road to travel: 
It will bark your snln, and your Sunday coat 
With the strain will all un avel. 
It will test your heart and your back and will, 
That climb up the steep hard mountain, 
You’ve got to be stronger than peanut stands 
And fight off the soda founta n. 
And appetite, laziness, pride and sloth 
Will give you full many a tourney. 
But to get a good seat on a bank account, 
Is worth every pull of the journey. 
Drain your brain of stain. 
Do you want long legs on your work horse ? 
A lively fruit market makes the meat and vegetable 
men look blue. 
Not much courage is required to shake your fist in a 
blind man’s face! 
It is hard to see how the son and grandson of a cheese 
maker can help making good cheese. 
Let me yell at and frighten your cow every day, and I’ll 
drive half a pound of her butter away. 
If you’re ill and desire to be brought into shape, for 
breakfast and dinner and supper—eat grape! 
We have had one experience with “ raising Lima beans 
without poles”—and shall never have another I Givens 
dwarfs—or crutches for the big ones. 
The manager of a new beet sugar factory in California 
thinks so hlgnly of beet pulp for cattle food that he pro¬ 
poses to mix it with cut Alfalfa hay and bale it for sale 
to dairy farmers. 
Let a man throw his solid live weight in the collar, and 
dig in his toes and hts burden will “ foller but let him 
quit pulling because it Is hot, and the burden will soon 
back him off at a trot. 
What friend comes to rescue and easily nails the deal¬ 
er’s short weight ? Why, a good pair of scales ! What 
hole gives the fraud a good chance to play Hobb with 
larm profits—the hole where the scales ought to bob. 
There are ninety and nine who imitate and do just 
what others do, while one stands up for his better self 
and dares to be jnst and true. Then the ninety and nine 
with their played-out pluck turn ’round and growl at the 
One’s “good luck.” 
The vines of the Rmal Blush Potatoes which received 
102 different kinds of treatment are not yet dead This 
proves that neither blight nor ihe flea beetle has been very 
destructive this season at the Rural Grounds. What re¬ 
lation do the blight and the injury of the flea beetle bear 
to each other ? 
To many readers who seek information as to remedies 
for the Horn fly which attacks cattle at the base of the 
horns we say that fish oil with a little carbolic acid is the 
best ointment. Apply at base of horns and around tae 
udder and bellv. Also sift tobacco dust through the hair 
wherever the flies congregate. Full particulars next week. 
Like their Democratic opponents, the Republicans of 
Maryland have chosen a farmer as their candidate for 
governor. Between the two parties there are a dozen farm- 
e s now in the national field for the highest State offices. Is 
this irequent selection of farmers for the chief places on 
the tickets of both the old parties a move of one against 
the other, or of both against the Alliance, or is it merely 
a tardy recognition of the fitness of farmers for any hon or 
within the gift of the people ? 
The R. N.-Y. regrets that it did not several years ago 
know of the beauty of the Reitenbach’s Maple so well em¬ 
phasized in retaining the purple color of its leaves through 
the summer. It is to be preferred on this account even to 
I issard s Plum. Of the two maples, Sishwerdier’s and 
Reitenbach’e, the latter may well be chosen. Sch*erdler 
is beautiful in the early season it is true, hut it loses its 
purple color later. Reitenbach starts out with green foli¬ 
age, which soon turns to purple which is retained until 
the leaves fall. Both trees are desirable certainly, 
A RECENT order of President Harrison permits the Cher¬ 
okee Indians to graze their own cattle on the Cherokee 
strip. The cattle barons, who still occupy the land, des¬ 
pite the repeated efforts of the government to oust them 
are, accordingly, transferring their stock to the Indians 
on condition that they shall be transferred back at mar¬ 
keting time at an advance sufficient to meet the grazing 
charges. Thus is “the devil whipped round the stump” 
and the land left indefinitely to the cattle kings, though 
thousands of “ boomers ” are clamoring for its settlement 
In this case the voice of the masses should decidedly have 
more weight than that of the classes—or rather, than that 
of a single unscrupulous, little coterie. 
