1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
289 
THE PROSPECT. 
The possibilities of the cotton plant, already numer¬ 
ous, are still increasing. After having for ages sup¬ 
plied clothing to a large proportion of the inhabitants 
of the globe, its pressed seeds have lately furnished a 
valuable oil useful for human food and in many of the 
arts, while the cake is prized for live stock feed, and 
the ultimate residuum or refuse, makes a fair quality 
of soap. The stalks too, besides being used for thatch 
and baskets, furnish a fiber that can be converted 
into gunny and other kinds of cloth nearly equal to 
those made of jute, and they are also made into com¬ 
mon sorts of paper; while the lint which clings to 
the seed after it has passed through the gin, makes 
excellent felt. The latest discovery, announced by 
the British Consul at Zanzibar, is that cotton seed is 
capable of yielding sugar. The process extracts the 
sugar from cotton-seed meal, and though its detail 
have not yet been disclosed, the product is declared to 
be of a very superior quality, 15 times sweeter than 
cane sugar and 20 times more so than sugar made 
from beets. Its intensely saccharine nature is held to 
indicate that it does not arise from cane sugar, but 
from some other chemical material. What a vast help 
to industrial enterprise has not chemical science 
proved and who can imagine the limits of its pos¬ 
sibilities in the way of fresh discoveries useful to the 
human race. . 
XXX 
The world’s annual production of corn is about 
2,300,000,000 bushels, the largest producers being 
grouped as follows: 
Bushels. 
United States. 1,680 696,600 
Europe. 311,820,759 
Asia . 823.868 
Africa. 2.901,979 
Australasia. 6,797,791 
Egypt. 13.336,250 
Argentine Kepublle. 19,011,250 
Europe has only just begun to appreciate its value 
for human food. When it is fully understood abroad 
that corn is fit for man as well as for beast we may 
naturally expect a great increase in the foreign 
demand. At present, Europe imports each year 
64,000,000 bushels. Of this the United States send 
55,000,000 bushels—the balance coming from Egypt 
and Argentina. It becomes more and more evident 
that foreign trade in American wheat cannot be 
largely increased in the face of improved methods of 
culture in France, Germany and Russia and the con¬ 
stant discoveries of new food products or new ways of 
utilizing old ones like the potato. Corn is the one 
American grain that may be said to have a great 
European future. 
X X X 
The R. N. Y. has had something to say about the 
temperance legislation in Norway and Sweden. It is 
based upon the idea that the saloon is a power for 
evil largely because it is a profitable enterprise. Take 
out the money-making feature and the saloon would 
be less dangerous. Acting upon this principle, the 
State steps in and runs the business through agents 
who must give bonds for lawful service. The State 
provides all liquors and appoints selling places and 
sellers. The latter must be uniformed, like other 
public officers. All profits of the business above five 
per cent, go back to the State and careful restrictions 
are made as to sales to minors or drunken persons. 
Such a plan has often been suggested for States or 
localities in this country, but has not been tried on a 
large scale before now. The last South Carolina 
Legislature, however, passed a bill embodying this 
plan substantially, and on July 1 the law will go into 
effect. In six counties favoring prohibition there will 
be no saloons. In others the State will take entire 
charge of the business. All liquors must be sold in 
bottles of a regulation shape and size and no liquors 
can be shipped into the State unless the packages bear 
certificates signed by the State commissioners. The 
effect of this law will be watched with great inter¬ 
est. We doubt if any legislature not dominated by 
the Farmers’ Alliance could have been induced to 
try it. t t t 
The story is told of an ex-President who told his 
coachman to harness up and take him to the polls. 
Just as they started the following conversation took 
place ? 
“ John, whom are you going to vote for ? ” 
“ Well, sir, I expect to vote for Mr. A.” 
“ You might just as well unhitch the horses and we 
will both stay at home, for I should vote for Mr. B. If 
we both stay here, the result will be the same.” 
It has always been quite a problem whether univer¬ 
sal suffrage as we have it in this country is strength 
or weakness. The vote of the ignorant Italian counts 
the same as that of the careful student of political 
science. Every man should have a vote, but should 
all votes count alike ? This problem has confronted 
the people of Holland, and a novel proposition has 
been made there for solving it. The system proposed 
is one of plural votes. All men start with one vote. 
At 50 years another is added. A married man has an 
extra vote in his wife’s name. A soldier who has 
served in actual battle has another, and inventors, stu¬ 
dents, professors and others who display great learn¬ 
ing or do some great work for their country are to be 
rewarded by increased voting power. Under this sys¬ 
tem one man might cast 12 votes—all the reward of 
honorable and worthy services. Would this system 
solve the problem here ? 
X X X 
Few industries have increased faster than that of 
sweet corn canning. Last year the enormous total of 
81,745,886 cans was reached and even this hardly 
equaled the demand. In view of the fact that the 
best quality of corn sells at a great advance in price 
over common sorts, many farmers want to know why 
they cannot make money by canning a first-rate qual¬ 
ity of corn for private sale. The canning of corn and 
other products as now carried on in these large estab¬ 
lishments is just as much a manufacturing enterprise 
as the making of cloth, or flour, or any of the other 
commodities made from the raw materials produced 
on the farm. The tendency of the times is more and 
more toward the concentration of commercial enter¬ 
prises ; specialists are doing more and more of the 
world’s work. The different manufacturing operations 
are being brought into fewer hands and carried on on 
a more extended scale. This seems to be necessitated 
by the fierce competition which requires the greater 
economy made possible by the larger operations. 
Then these immense concerns have their established 
methods and means of sale, and can place their goods 
on the market at a minimum of expense. In view 
of all these considerations, doesn’t it seem foolish for 
a farmer who can grow but a few acres of any of these 
products, at most, who knows nothing of the processes 
of manufacture and the methods of sale, to think of 
engaging in a business to compete with these old 
established firms? There is an individual here and 
there who has built up a trade among a certain line 
of customers on some special product, but not one 
farmer in a thousand could do it if he tried. There is 
one way in which this work can be done, and that is 
by cooperation ; a number of farmers might unite, but 
in this case, a skilled manager who would practically 
control the business must be secured. Such a manager 
is supposed to furnish all information as to methods. 
Farmers are cooperating in the manufacture of butter 
and cheese in creameries, and the same principles of 
work and management may be applied here, but for 
single individuals to undertake it, is not feasible. 
X X t 
A very respectable number of British farmers are 
opposed to free trade in grain, meat, vegetables or 
daii-y produce. They would like to reverse the present 
system of British customs revenues, and would admit 
tea, coffee, tobacco, etc., free and raise the needed 
revenues on products of agriculture that can be grown 
in Great Britain. They have little hope of effecting 
the change, as the great body of workmen in cities 
and towns will always oppose anything that threatens 
to inrcease the price of tbeir loaf. The Mark Lane 
Express, the leading agricultural paper in England, 
whose motto is “Tenant Rights, Live and Let Live !” 
has this to say on the subject: 
This principle of free trade Is but little understood. It does not 
mean that we are free to trade with other countries on equal terms. 
No one ever thought of that; but some have thought that It meant 
that other nations were free to trade here on equal terms with us. 
This, however, Is also wrong. What it really means is that every one 
outside this country Is to be free to do all he can to Injure those within 
It, and that the latter shall be prevented from doing anything which 
will enable them to compete with the foreigner. For example, the 
American farmer Is able to send his wheat front Liverpool to Land's 
End for less than the English farmer would be charged for sending 
his crop from one county to the next. The railway companies have 
done everything that was possible to encourage the Importer, and have 
evidently regarded the poor British agriculturist as fair game. They 
have made him pay at least twice, and often three times as much for 
carriage as his foreign competitor, and the new rates have shown how 
far they considered they were justified In going. 
The English farmers claim that transportation com¬ 
panies have done all they could to help importations 
from outside. A bill is now before the British Parlia¬ 
ment to compel railroad companies to prepare a 
schedule of uniform rates so that all charges shall be 
the same whether on home or foreign produce. It is 
not thought possible to pass the bill, now that the Irish 
question absorbs public attention, but it serves to call 
public attention to the fact that English railroads are 
discriminating against English farmers. 
X X X 
BUSINESS BITS. 
The JOHNSTON Harvester Co , Batavia, N. Y.. have something 
of Interest for corn growers. Ask them for It. 
Ip you expect to be In a hurry when corn planting time comes, and 
want to get your corn planted easily and quickly, ask Wallace Fisk, 
M rganvllle, N. Y., to send you his circular about corn planters. 
The manager of the Great American Tea Co., tells us that he used 
to do business with thousands of the readers of The Rural in all 
parts of the country. He has something about Cook Books and Watch- 
clocks now that he wants to send them. The address can be found In 
the advertisement on another page. 
A Fast Race Course.—T he St. Louis Fair was summed up pretty 
accurately In a late Rural. We didn’t see a churn or dairy utensil 
of any description exhibited. One house was devoted to rabbits, cats, 
guinea pigs and Incubators. A friend tried hard to get room for a 
kitchen Invention and failed, although the dally papers stated “ all 
exhibitors would be granted necessary Bpace/re«.” When the man¬ 
agers were asked what people they allowed to ewhtblt, they said: 
“ We’ve ruled out all machines, large and small, unless field ma¬ 
chinery.” The show has become a horse race exhibition and little 
else, but people are fast finding out its true character. w. j. o. 
All Together Now.-I am greatly pleased with your paper, be¬ 
lieving that most of its contents are of much value to any practical, 
thinking farmer. I commend your efforts to Induce farmers to act 
unitedly In defence of tbeir own Interests, so that they may be placed 
on a fair footing with the rest of the community. In Canada as well 
as In the United States we are oppressed by “trusts” and “com¬ 
bines, and class legislation. In order that the farmer may be really 
prosperous, he must not only exercise much more Intelligence and 
skill In the various occupations of the farm, but he must also see to 
it that he Is not deprived of a considerable portion of the fruits of his 
toil through the greed of other classes of the community. In my 
opltlon closer contact with each other, and Intelligent cooperation 
are things urgently needed to Improve our condition financially, 
socially and politically. j. j. B . 
Stouffvllle, Ont. 
THE JOHNSTON HARVESTER CO. 
THE 
CONTIIIEHTU 
DISK HARROW 
No Experiment. 
Surface Cultivation. 
Unexcelled for Corn. 
Lightest Draft Cultivator 
in the World. 
Write for the Columbus [Cata¬ 
logue and [Poem, “ How the Con¬ 
tinental Won the Prize.” 
S Zephaniah Breed 
- 13 Weeder and Cultivator. 
~~~ The ON bY PERFECT TOOL of 
/;''^Z8| ks °^ aa8 - Once use it intelligently 
_ J/ " aac * ? ou wonder how you ever got 
^ - - *■- . - * At less cost than when using the old 
■ * Seven Style 1 * and Sizes of Sulky* 
Walking and Hand Weeder8. 
OC MACHINES to he vlvon away. How to get one FREE Send stamp for descriptive circulars. 
The ZEPHMIAH BREED WEEDER AMD CULTIVATOR CO., 
-®S~Mkntioii this Papbb. 
20 niRCHAH'R ROW, BOSTOM, MAOS. 
BATAVIA, N. Y., TT. S. A 
Send to-dav for Circular. This will not appear again. 
FAYSRAPES 
IV] rr 1 A# G R APES—Esther, Rockwood, Eaton, Moyer and all others New and Old. Small 
IXC.W EitUITSS. Catalogue FREE. CEO. S. JOSSELYN. FREDONIA. H. Y. 
