754 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
OCT. 24 
The Song of the Tree Agent. 
K. B. H., Knowlton, Iowa.— It would 
astonish a somewhat obtuse man to listen to 
the itinerant peddler of nursery stock now 
making his annual rounds, armed with 
pictures of florid colored fruit, or with 
bottles and jars containing samples so 
large that they were certainly never put in 
at the mouth. They captivate many a poor 
fellow, who finds himself in alter days pull¬ 
ing his hair and using unrefined language 
over trees which the first winter killed, or 
the fruit of which, when they did bear, was 
unlike anything he had even seen or 
dreamed about. I confess I was such a 
dupe myself. I once bought trees for a 
good-sized orchard. When they came into 
bearing, there were 13 Early Harvest, and 
the name was not on my bill. There were 
20 Little Red Romanites, while my Rus¬ 
sians developed, every one, into Kirkbridge 
Whites. There are also some trees in the 
orchard, for which I have been trying to 
find names for fully 15 years, and the god¬ 
father has not yet come along. Now when 
1 buy anything to plant, I send directly to 
a responsible nurseryman and it is seldom 
that I find any mistake has been made. I 
take pains, also, to post my neighbors along 
this line. I suspect a glaring picture, a 
big bottle or a grandiloquent advertise¬ 
ment. As a rule, they all three are meant 
to deceive. 
‘‘Wants to Know—You Know I” 
B. R., Fayette County, Pa.—The 
Rural in the late issue says it will publish 
articles outside of the general run, and as 
all agricultural writers are telling farmers 
that low prices for farm products have 
come to stay, and that therefore farmers, 
to succeed, must hustle around, work 
harder, be more economical (but just why 
farmers should be more economical than 
other people doesn’t appear) use brains, 
(how I hate that word 1) get high-toned 
cattle, horses, sheep, etc., raise three 
times as much grain as they now do ; buy 
all the best machinery; lie awake at 
night studying how to raise more, etc., etc.; 
now what I want to know is this : If every 
farmer would have cows that would give 
12 gallons of milk a day instead of an aver¬ 
age of four, and if every acre of wheat 
would yield 50 bushels instead of an aver¬ 
age of 12 ; 1,000 bushels of potatoes instead 
of 80, and everj thing else in proportion, 
would it be an advantage to the farmers ? 
Would they get as much per acre or cow as 
they now do instead of more? Would not 
all markets be glutted the same as the fruit 
market is here this year, so that one can’t 
give fruit away ? 1 would like some of our 
progressive writers to wrestle with the sub¬ 
ject. That too much is raised now is the 
trouble. 
R. N.-Y.—We think our friend has mis¬ 
understood some of these writers. Their 
object is to try to show how to raise 
a crop at the least expense per pound. 
There can be no doubt that certain tools, 
animals, plants and methods are more eco¬ 
nomical than others; that is, they will give 
a more valuable product for a dollar in¬ 
vested in labor or food than others would. 
The increase of the total farm crop is of 
less importance than the decrease of the 
cost per unit of producing that crop—and 
that is what “ brains ” are trying to bring 
about. If every mouth that is starved by 
whisky and extravagance could be provided 
with needed food, there would be no sur¬ 
plus food. Moreover, there is, alas ! little 
hope that all who hear good advice will fol¬ 
low it, any more than do those who listen 
every Sunday to the voice from the pulpit 
obey its excelient exhortations. Then 
again, such advice is, as a rule, given only 
in farm papers, and of the T75 or there¬ 
abouts agricultural and horticultural 
papers published in the United States 
hardly one farmer in 100 takes one. From 
the pulpit the preacher continues to exhort 
to excellence in living, however, and from 
the press the writer continues to advise as 
to excellence in farming, though the number 
who follow the exhortations or instruc¬ 
tions of either may be comparatively very 
small. 
American Vegetables In France. 
L. M., Gironde, France.— I received a 
box containing two Rural New-Yorker No. 
2 Potatoes on April 15. 1 weighed them 
and found they weighed half a pound. I 
cut them into eight pieces and planted them 
on April 15. In July one vine died, and I 
dug the seven others on August 15 and got 
the enormous weight of 32 pounds of the 
most beautiful potatoes I have ever seen. 
Of them 1% pound were too small for mar¬ 
ket, but large enough for seed. I got from 
the seven vines 68 potatoes, large and small. 
Some weighed 1% pound. They were very 
smooth and of a yellow color and the people 
here said they were the best potatoes they 
had ever seen. 
The tomato No. 400 from Peter Hender¬ 
son does fairly well here. The market gar¬ 
dener said they were too large for market 
and do not bear enough, and are late. I 
suppose the bad weather we had in May 
and June made them late. I will try them 
again next season. 
“Size Without Shape.” 
A Grumbler. Anent 
Size without shape or shape without size— 
Neither condition will win you a prize, 
in “ Brevities ” of The Rural for October 
8, I want to do some grumbling, and also 
to suggest a scale of points for use in judg¬ 
ing vegetables—especially potatoes—at 
fairs. I hope The Rural will submit my 
proposition for emendation by potato fan¬ 
ciers, and publish a table of points to be 
known as the “ R. N. Y. Scale.” It would 
be a fitting work for the paper whose ed¬ 
itor has done so much to advance potato 
culture. 
SCALE OF POINTS. 
Size . 20 
Shape .. 2'i 
Freedom from blemish. 20 
Neatness of exhibit. 20 
Uniform size. Ill 
Uniform shape. 10 
Perfection. 100 
I have had experience as judge and ex¬ 
hibitor, and regret the prevailing taste for 
vegetable monstrosities. At a local fair a 
basket of Early Puritan Potatoes was in 
my exhibit. I think they were the hand¬ 
somest potatoes I ever saw exhibited; there 
were 34 in the half bushel, (31% pounds) 
perfectly formed and free from blemish, 
and as much alike as two peas out of one 
pod, yet the premium was given to an ex¬ 
hibit of 37 potatoes, three of which at the 
top were monstrosith s, one of them weigh¬ 
ing two pounds I and every potato of the 37 
was blemished. 
Land that Stays In Grass. 
H. S., Nichols, Conn.— Mr. C. H. Everett 
says, on page 638, “ let wet lands grow to 
grass.” His words refer to a common sense 
side of farming that is seldom touched 
upon. It is impossible to drain all land, 
even were it fitted for plowing after it has 
been drained, and the large areas, especially 
in the East, which produce heavy crops of 
grass are in no way suited for drainage be¬ 
cause of the stony nature of the soil. On 
thousands of acres with which I am ac¬ 
quainted the cost of removing the small 
stones and making the ground fib for tillage 
were it drained, would very much exceed 
the cost of purchasing outright an equal 
number of acres of land already fitted for 
the plow and needing no drainage. The sur¬ 
face has been smoothed and cleared and 
made permanent mowing. It is profitable, 
each year yielding well from previous top¬ 
dressing and because of its wet condition. 
I have frequently found large fields con¬ 
sidered cold and wet by those accustomed 
to plowing their entire farms, to be very 
far from sterile and unproductive. Es¬ 
pecially does Red Top, Foul Meadow Grass 
and Meadow Fescue flourish on these lands. 
In face, on many New England farms the 
percentage of arable acres is small, but they 
seem nevertheless fitted by nature for the 
production of fine grass in quantity. Now, 
while I would not take the ground that 
under-draining is not a valuable practice in 
agriculture, it is unquestionably true that 
very much land is as well off without as it 
could be made with it. 
On extensive swamps in connection with 
the lands mentioned never a tile has been 
laid or a thought given to the immense 
amount of latent fertility with which a 
single acre abounds. Everywhere a rake 
handle can be put down from five to twenty 
feet without striking an obstruction. It is 
simply a marvel to me that here the owners 
fall to work the wonders which the ditch¬ 
ing machine can bring about. I have in 
one or two instances known of portions of 
these swales being fitted for cultivation and 
the result has paid dividends on the invest¬ 
ment as surprising as mining stock under 
the best management. 
Chemicals, Clover and Sheep. 
O. G. Williams, Trumbull County, 
Ohio.— The interesting series of articles in 
The R. N.-Y. on Chemicals and Clover 
have been very suggestive. While I have 
been carefully feeling my way in the same 
direction, I am pleased to know that others 
have demonstrated the practicability of the 
thing, and hence I shall have more courage 
to push it for all it is worth. 
The question has occurred to me, what is 
the mo3t profitable use that can be made of 
the clover hay grown in this rotation ? To 
friend Lewis and others who are following 
this system of farming I should like to sug¬ 
gest the keeping of sheep. Some live stock 
must or ought to be kept. The great ob¬ 
jection to keeping cows in connection with 
grain and vegetable farming is the extra 
work required. Dairying is a business of 
itself, the fattening of steers has long 
since proved unremunerative. I know of 
no live stock better calculated to fit into 
this rotation than sheep. By keeping the 
mutton breeds and raising early lambs the 
extra work involved will come at a season 
of the year when there Is most leisure. 
February or March is a good time to have 
the lambs dropped. Without any extra help 
one can add materially to his income in 
this way. The surplus coarse feed grown 
can be profitably consumed by the sheep- 
more profitably I think than by any other 
kind of live stock, considering the work 
required. But what about pasturing them? 
If one has no permanent pasture, it is pos¬ 
sible in most localities to hire pasture lots 
at quite low rates. Perhaps pasturing the 
clover one year may be desirable. In case 
of inability to gat sufficient pasture Feb¬ 
ruary lambs can be sold in May and the 
sheep can follow them soon if fed liberally 
on grain, and another flock can be pur¬ 
chased the following winter. Formerly I 
kept a few cows and sent the milk to a 
cheese factory—the system of dairying in 
vogue here—but am convinced that more 
money is to be made from mutton sheep 
with much less labor. They make a desir¬ 
able stock and insure an income twice a 
year—from wool and lambs. Some local¬ 
ities are not favorable to sheep, but where 
they do well I think they will make a val¬ 
uable addition to the firm of “Chemicals 
and Clover.” 
A TRUSTWORTHY INDORSEMENT. 
“ Although the editor of The Rural 
New-Yorker has been a highly esteemed 
personal friend of ours for many years, and 
although he has been for all that time a 
successful hybridist, yet we have never un¬ 
til the present year made trial of any of his 
productions in this line. But our Interest 
in 'his excellent little book, “The New Po¬ 
tato Culture,” led us to try the Rural New- 
Yorker No. 2 Potato; and a few days ago 
we dug the crop of five and one-half bush¬ 
els from a dozen tubers, with our own 
hands. It is a true wonder. The land was 
not in the best condition, and we got no 
potatoes as large as those we planted, but 
they were still too big, and that is the fault 
(Continued on next page.) 
IN writing to advertisers please always 
mention The Rural New-Yorker. 
Headache 
Indigestion, Biliousness, 
Dyspepsia 
And all Stomach Troubles 
Are cured by 
Hood’s 
Sarsaparilla 
t, oke , c 
%R|D^ S 
- — _— CONDITION POWDER 
rhly concentrated. Dose small. In quantity costs 
than one-tenth cent a day per hen. Prevents and 
5 all diseases. If you can’t get it, we send by mail 
paid, One pack. 25c. Five $1. 2 1-4 lb. can $1.20, 
s $5. Express paid. Testimonials free. Send stamps or 
Farmers’ Poultry Guide (price 25c.) free with $1.00 
rs or more. I. S. JOHNSON & CO., Boston, Mass. 
- gr. „ _ « LAST A BEAK like WHOLE^ 
S) I jJ? t) ROOT Trees; see “ Fruits and. 
Trees”—Free. Am. J 
Qardents.fr. Novel, USEFUL, to the point. Orange Judd' 
Farmer: Ably written; gives trusty INFORMATION. Cal. \ 
Fruit Grower: Surprising LOW prices! Apple, Fear,Cher-. 
ry.Plum, PRUNE,Peach,Ap’t,Quince,Nut,Or.Trees,Stocks, 
Grafts, ROSES— everything• No LARGER stock in U.S. Not 
BETTER. No cheaper. STARK BROS., Louisiana,. 
Mo.—Founded 1835; OLDEST. 10OO Acres; LARGEST., 
600 ACRES. 13 CREENHOUSES, 
TREES and PLANTS 
Wo offer for the Fnll trade a large and fine stock 
of every description of FRUIT and Ornnmental 
TREKS, Shrubs, Itosns, Vines, SAIALI, 
FRUITS, Hedge Plants, Fruit Tree Seed¬ 
lings and Forest Tree Seedlings. Priced Cata¬ 
logue, fall of 1891. mailed free. Established 1852. 
PHOENIX NURSERY COMPANY 
Bucceuors to SIDNEY TUTTLE k 10., BLOOhlNGTON, ILL. 
379FRUIT TREES 
varieues ( V1NES plants, Etc., 
Apple, Pear, Peach, Cheri^, Plum, Quince, 
Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Cur- 
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rapes, Gooseberries, «c. oenaiorcac- 
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FRUIT 
TREES 
PEA CH Specialty 
A full selection of all the leading varieties. 
A oorrect descriptive I Also a full line of PLANTS and 
and finely Illustrated ORNAMENTALS. Plant* 
Catalogue FREE ! and Trees by mail. Address 
. ^ ■■ n I s /a 1/ ^ Vkl M S* A 
AGENTS wtNTED 
,oea ^ro 8 r f r he HOME-GROWN STOCK. 
largest and Fnest Assortment, talnry A Expenses 
paid, or commission, if preferred. One of the oldest 
a d best-known Nurseri-s in the United States. 
For terms, address W. ifc T. SMITH, Geneva 
Nursery, GENEVA. N. Y. 
BERRY plants, 
■ w. ■ Small fruit plants. Large stock. 
Low prices. Catalogue free. WM. STAHL, Quiscy, III* 
T. V. MUNSON, DENISON, TEXAS. 
Headquarters for Parker Earle Strawberry, Bril¬ 
liant, Campbell, Rommel and Herman Jaeger 
Grapes. Descriptions and Prices on Application. 
MAST,FOOS&CO. 
SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, 
MANUFACTURERS OF 
BUCKEYE 
Wind Engines 
Strong ami Durable; Hand¬ 
some; simple In eonstruc- 
tlon ; and will be sold as cheap or 
cheaper than any other first-class 
Engine. Also manufacturers ofthe 
Iron Turbine Wind lln- 
rinea. Buckeye Force 
’■■nips. Buckeye, Globe 
and Champion Lawn Mow¬ 
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Iron Fencing, Cresting, ete. 
WRITE FOR CIRCULARS AND PRICES. 
-THE-- 
REX 
Trade Mark. 
ATKINS’ SEGMENT GROUND 
PATENTED OCT. 15, 1889. 
14 gauge on tooth edge. 
16 gauge on ends on back edge. 
19 gauge at center on back edge. 
PRICE, WITHOUT HANDLES, 75 CTS. PER FOOT. 
ATKINS W REX 
... 
ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR LUMBERMEN’S USE. 
/M ADE from fine selected tool steel, tempered by Natural 
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do more work without filing than other saws, and hold their 
set longer. All the wearing teeth being of uniform thickness, 
each tooth does Its share of the work, and the saw being thin¬ 
ner in center of back docs not bind. For sale by tha trade. 
Ask your hardware dealer for the Atkins Bex Saw. and take 
no other. If the dealer will not order it for you, remit amount 
with order direct to us. E> Q ( AtkiflS & CO. 
Indianapolis, Ind. Memphis, Tenn. 
Minneapolis, Minn. Chattanooga, Tenn. 
FEED GRINDER 
GREATLY IMPROVED. 
Sold on Trial. 
Grinds 
12 to 25 Bushels 
per bour. 
Ear Corn, dry or 
damp, Chop Feed, 
and all small 
grain, fine or 
coarse. 
MFG. CO., New Lexington, Ohio. 
Ilf FI I Ojmpi | r O All Kinds, Water, Gat, Oil, 
W In I I OUrrULO A lining, Ditching, Purr.p- 
Wing,Wind&Steam Mach'y. Encyclopedia 2Sc. 
■ " """The American Well Works, Aurora, III. 
11 - 13 S. Canal St.,CHICAGO,ILL. I 
Elm Street, DALLAS, TEXAS, j 
Branch Houses, 
