1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
353 
THE PROSPECT. 
Already California is the most liberally irrigated 
State in the Union ; but it is now proposed to construct 
large irrigation works in the central part of the State 
to irrigate 300,000 acres in Tulare and Fresno counties, 
along the western side of San Joaquin Valley. The 
water is to be taken from the Zalda Canal and stored 
in a long, narrow reservoir about 7 miles long and 800 
feet broad. Two gravity canals, one 23 and the other 
45 miles long, are to run north and south respectively, 
and pumps driven by turbines will raise water for two 
high-level canals, which could not otherwise be sup¬ 
plied. No State or National aid is sought for the work, 
which is wholly the outcome of privat e enterprise. 
X X X 
Two notable experiments in the establishment of 
farm villages are under way on different lines in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the country, and under widely differ¬ 
ent conditions. The first is that undertaken by 
Governor Northen, of Georgia, in Dooly County in 
that State, where he holds large landed interests. 
Here the country has for generations been pretty 
thickly settled, and the boundaries are irregular and 
complicated, and many of the buildings and improve¬ 
ments are venerable from age. The second is that 
projected by millionaire and ex-Governor Bookwalter, 
of Ohio, out in Nebraska, where the country is new 
and unsettled, where there are no old artificial lines, 
and where everything will be started on a fresh foot¬ 
ing. Necessarily the methods of carrying out the 
idea must differ widely under such opposite condi¬ 
tions. Governor Northen’s scheme proposes that es¬ 
tablished land-owners should form a joint stock 
company to purchase a central tract, build a church, 
school-house and store, get a post-office, and that 
those who can conveniently do so should remove their 
buildings to the central village. The first expenditure 
would be returned by the sale of lots and the added 
value of having their lands near a town. As new 
houses were needed, the farmers of the section would 
gradually build in the village, and in time the new 
system would supersede the old. 
X X X 
Philanthropist Bookwaltkr’s system, on the other 
hand, is that of a proprietary capitalist who permits 
the tenants to pay for the land and improvements in 
a certain number of years, he to lay out the farms, 
construct the buildings, etc., on the most approved 
plan, and start the community. After all prepara¬ 
tions have been made he is to induce settlers—farmers, 
store-keepers, tradesmen, laborers, etc.—to take up 
their quarters in the new settlement. He buys a tract 
of unbroken land about 434 miles square, containing 
12,000 acres, sets apart 1(50 acres in the center for a 
village, and the rest is divided into 150 farms, aver¬ 
aging 80 acres each, with the gate of the most remote 
less than two miles from the village green. In the 
village 40 acres are occupied by the public square, 
surrounded by such public buildings as the schools, 
churches, stores, etc. Then 120 acres remain to be 
divided into 240 lots averaging half an acre each. 
Then there will be gathered in the community 240 
families, numbering 1,200 souls, with an average of 10 
acres for the support of each. The advantages of 
having 1,200 persons on 160 acres instead of their 
being scattered over 12,000 acres, are obvious. 
X t X 
The farmer is the only man who lives in his work¬ 
shop 24 hours every day. Mechanics, professional 
men, etc., have their homes apart from their places 
of work, but the farmer gets up and lies down in his 
the whole year round. The isolation and drudgery of 
the farm become monotonous to the old folks and in¬ 
tolerable to the young, who soon abandon the place 
for the miseries and uncertainties, but also the possi¬ 
bilities of advancement and the certainty of associa¬ 
tion in towns and cities. The farmer often gets away 
on one pretext or another for a social chat in the 
neighboring town or village, but the wife stays grind¬ 
ing away at home among the children, pigs, sordid 
drudgery, loneliness, and mental stagnation often un¬ 
relieved for weeks by a breath from the outside world. 
Now, in a farm village the community are within 
social and helpful reach of each other, while within 
easy access to the soil on whose products they live. 
The water-works cost less than 250 wells, one neat 
school-house can accommodate 300 children and give 
employment to eight teachers 10 months in the year 
at less cost than would be needful for 16 school houses 
each with one teacher for five months out of the 12, 
and the weather will rarely, if ever, be severe enough 
to prevent attendance. Men can easily go to their 
nearby work every day, and at night, even if too 
wearied for social pleasures, there are friendly greet¬ 
ings and the news of the day. Then in winter there 
could be lectures, concerts, farmers’ institutes and 
other discussions to enliven the spirits and sharpen 
the wits. Then wouldn’t housework come a world 
easier, with cooperative bakeries, laundries and dairies 
relieving the overworked hands and leaving more 
time for culture. Household help, too# would no 
longer be an impossibility, and with such social oppor¬ 
tunities and his more healthful mode of life, the 
farmer would soon easily outstrip the townsman in 
culture, health and contentment. 
X t X 
Electric railroads along country roads are sure to 
be a reality ere long. A body of Kansas farmers are 
said to be developing a plan for building such a road 
500 miles long. It is to be a cooperative enterprise, 
and will be used for both passenger and freight ser¬ 
vice. The Massachusetts Railroad Commissioners state 
that, while the original idea of the electric road was 
for passenger service only, it is already demanding 
right to carry freight and increase its speed. The time 
must soon come when the State must decide whether 
the free use of highways shall be conceded to electric 
railways. In Connecticut dozens of schemes are on 
foot for connecting towns and country villages with 
electric lines. The opposition comes chiefly from the 
steam railroads, as it is thought the local lines would 
increase competition and bring down rates. We can 
think of nothing that would be more helpful for coun¬ 
try neighborhoods than quick and sure rail service 
between farm and market. 
X X t 
Cotton and vegetable growers at the South find in 
the cotton-boll worm a terribly destructive scourge. 
There is apparently no limit to its ravages, and, owing 
to its habits, it is a hard insect to fight. Some advice 
given in Insect Life by a practical Southern cotton 
planter, shows not only the sort of work now being 
done by our entomologists, but also the progress made 
in the science of combatting destructive insects. Ex¬ 
periment shows that peas are the best food plants for 
the moths of this insect. They are fond of peas, while 
corn seems to offer the best place for them to deposit 
their eggs. It is therefore proposed to plant small 
patches of peas and corn in various parts of the field— 
one crop to call the moths and the other to trap them. 
Another point is that the moths prefer corn just silk¬ 
ing and tasseling. In such a case it is anything to 
please the moths, so care is taken to plant so as to 
bring the corn to the silky period at the proper time. 
The idea is to induce the moths to lay their eggs 
where they can be easily found and destroyed. While 
there is nothing particularly new about such a plan, it 
indicates forcibly the sure yet simple methods of true 
science. j: j: ^ 
The American Consul at Crefeld, Germany, gives 
this account of- the work on a large farm near that 
place : 
I was Informed that about 1,000 acres were under cultivation, and 
noticed, among the farming Implements, a new self-binder, which, 
however, was not being used. Having inquired Into the cause, I 
learned that, while its work was f atlsfactory, it was more expensive 
to cut their grain with the self-b.nder than in the old-fashioned way. 
The owner of the farm then showed me how their harvesting was 
done. There were 10 men employed In cutting the grain, using a short 
scythe about two feet long attached to a straight stick about three 
feet In length. This Is used In the right hand, while a stick Is used 
by the left which is about three feet long, with a piece of Iron attached 
to the end, crooked so as to draw the grain Into the sickle. Then 
there were 10 women to bind and stack the grain. The men received 
36 cents and the womoq 26 cents per day for their labor. The owner 
said It was cheaper to harvest their grain In the above manner than 
with a self-binder, and for that reason It was laid aside. 
There you have the reason why European agricul¬ 
ture has been able to make headway against the free 
and new lands of America. The cost of labor is so 
small that the machines needed to cheapen labor here 
are valueless there. The labor item is the heaviest 
expense in any enterprise. What is to be the result 
—will European labor rise or must American labor 
come down to meet it ? 
X X t 
The business of poultry raising in California has 
taken a remarkable start ©f late. It is singular how, 
all over the country, this industry seems to locate in 
certain sections. Sonoma County, California, is said 
to contain 1,000,000 hens which turn out a product 
worth $1,500,000 every year—greater than the value 
of any other single product except hay. The poul- 
trymen of Sonoma County understand that their 
business must be conducted on a business basis or it 
will not pay them full profit, so they met the other 
day and organized a corporation the chief objects 
of which can be seen from this extract of their 
report: 
Our objects are to protect our market and our brands In that market, 
and to effect a saving on feed by combining our orders for the same; 
and In order to make this association as nearly mutual as possible 
we recommend that the stock be placed, as far as practicable, In a pro 
rata of the amount of poultry kept. 
In our opinion, there Is no need of awakening the direct antagonism 
of any established Interest by starting a direct opposition ; or, In 
plainer terms, we should first try to effect satisfactory arrange¬ 
ments for selling our eggs and poultry and buying our feed with 
houses already established. 
The proposed association will be incorporated with 
a capital stock of $50,000 divided into 2,000 shares— 
one share for each 100 hens kept in yards. Ten per 
cent of this stock value will be paid at once to form 
a working capital. It is easy to see how such an 
organization can benefit the poultrymen in any sec¬ 
tion. By securing a uniform guaranteed product it 
will save a large proportion of the “ middleman’s 
share.” What’s to prevent such an organization in 
your section? . , 
XXX 
Here is a chance for American inventors. The 
British Secretary of State for India, offers five prizes, 
amounting respectively to $3,750, $2,500, $1,875, $1,250 
and $625 for the best designs and models for the best 
mule cart for the transport use of the British army in 
India. Details of the requirements can be obtained 
on application to the Director of General Stores, 
India Office, Westminster, London, England. Surely 
the genius that has sent watches to Switzerland and 
machinery to the machine-making centers of Great 
Britain, that has devised the cotton gin, the sewing 
machine, the telegraph, telephone and thousands of 
other ingenious contrivances when needed, is not 
likely to fail in inventing so simple a device as a mule 
cart that will answer all the requirements. 
t X X 
Among the enormous mass of information condensed 
in the “Compendium of the Eleventh Census” just 
issued, not the least interesting are the items relating 
to the increase of school children and the number and 
population of dwelling houses in 1890. In 1840, when 
the population of the country was 17,063,453, the en¬ 
rollment of all schools was 2,025,659—rather less than 
one-eighth of the entire population. In 1860, when 
the population had increased to 31,433,361, the total 
school enrollment had risen to 5,477,038—or to consid¬ 
erably more than one-sixth of the population. In 1890, 
with a population of 62,622,250 the number of children 
attending school had grown to 14,373,670, or almost 
one-fourth of the entire population. What a promis¬ 
ing prospect is here presented I The dwellings of all 
kinds number 11,483,818, or one to every 5 45 of the 
population. The following table will prove inter¬ 
esting : 
✓-Persons to a dwelling 
Cities. No. dwellings. No families. 1890. 1880 
New York. 81,828 312,701! 18.62 16 37 
Chicago. 127.871 220,320 8.60 s!24 
Philadelphia... 187,052 205,135 5.60 6 79 
Brooklyn. 82.282 170,970 9.80 9.11 
8 t Louis. 60.937 91.756 7.41 8.15 
Boston. 52,669 89,716 8.52 8.26 
Baltimore. 72,112 86.654 6.02 ti ’54 
Cincinnati . 33,487 63,570 8.87 9 ! 11 
San Franolsno.. 47,183 52,536 6.84 6.86 
New Orleans.... 43,000 48,582 5.63 b.tifi 
Washington_ 38,768 43,967 5.94 6.19 
Thus Baltimore has almost as many dwellings 
as New York, while Chicago has 50 per cent more 
and Philadelphia twice as many, with over 20,000 to 
spare. It appears also that the number of inhabi¬ 
tants to a dwelling has increased in New York during 
the last decade, and to a less extent in Chicago, Brook¬ 
lyn, St. Louis, Boston and Baltimore, while the pro¬ 
portion has decreased in Philadelphia, New Orleans, 
Washington, San Francisco and Cincinnati ! It would 
be an interesting study to ascertain what influence on 
mortality and sanitary conditions such an unequal dis¬ 
tribution of inhabitants to dwellings has among the 
population. j ^ j 
One cent will buy a postal card on which to send us 
your friend’s name for a sample copy of The R. N.-Y., 
if you wish to preserve your copy. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Norton’s Plant Duster Is an Ingenious little Implement for dis¬ 
tributing dry powder and Insecticides. It Is carried In one band and 
the powder Is forced out by a slight twist of the latter. It Is made by 
the Troy Stamping Works, Troy, N. Y. 
A steel-clad stoneboat ought to be a handy and useful Implement 
on the farm. There Is hardly a farm without a plank stoneboat, and 
It used to be quite a general custom to put wood skids under snch 
conveniences. These, however, soon wear out, besides making some¬ 
thing of a furrow In loose ground. We rather like the Idea of the 
steel-clad stoneboat. The only one we know of Is made by Kimble A 
Fchinld, Manchester, Mich. 
We are In receipt of a very unique catalogue of Incubators and 
brooders, manufactured by Messrs. Geo. Ertel A Co., Quincy. Ill. The 
Incubator has been recently patented, and from the very careful de¬ 
scriptions given by this worthy house, and from Its familiarity with the 
chicken business as manifested In the catalogue, we are favorably 
Impressed with It. Those Interested In Incubators should have this 
catalogue and make a study of Its contents. 
Progressive FARMING Is the title of a little book Issued by the 
Bradley Fertilizer Company, Boston, Mass. It shows cuts from actual 
photographs of the crops In the field, and Is, of course, In that sense, 
an advertising medium for their goods. The make-up of the pam¬ 
phlet, however, Is very fine and the cuts will compare favorably with 
Illustrations In many of the literary magazines. We like the Idea of 
taking Illustrations of this kind from photographs. Ne chance Is left 
lor exaggerations. 
That the spring Is backward and planting late will not Justify 
carelessness In preparing the ground for crops. There Is never any 
more reason that a good, deep seed bed should be prepared one season 
rather than another. It Is a necessity to successful farming every 
year, and as much so this year as In any other. Moreover, It saves 
time In the end because only surfaco cultivation Is required after the 
crop Is up to keep down the weeds. Prepare the ground well. Then 
use a Breed’s weeder freely. By the way, the Universal Weeder Co,, 
Is now at 49 Bo. Market Street, Boston, Mass. 
