544 
August 12 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker 
Cor. Chambers and Pearl Sts ., New York. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
KLBKKT 8. CARMAN, Kdltor-ln-Chlef. 
HEKBKKT W. COLLING WOOD. Managing Editor 
KKWIN G. KOWXKH, Associate Editor. 
Copyrighted 1S93. 
Address all business communications and make all orders pay¬ 
able to THE RURAL PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
Be sure that the name and address of sender, with name of Post- 
olllce and Slate, and what the remittance Is for, appear In every letter. 
Money orders and bank drafts on New York are the safest means of 
transmitting money. 
SATURDAY , AUGUST 12, 1893. 
We hear a good deal about cast-iron rules. 
For the doing of this thlag and that. 
We hear It In town and we hear it In schools 
TUI we hardly know where we are at. 
Now. In my humble judgment we'd beBt turn about 
And forget all the arguments said, 
And cast every cast of the cast Iron out, 
And make rules of rubber Instead. 
• * 
The It. N.-Y. tries to make a feature of its market 
reports. Changes in methods of selling, packing or 
shipping are always being suggested or tried. The 
New York market gives a reporter a wide field for 
observation. This issue contains two articles that 
illustrate what we mean—the auction sale of bananas 
and the talks about packing Southern cabbage. 
* * 
Advices from Eogland report that a 1 good meat is 
now sold there as English, and all inferior kinds as 
American or Australian. Ever since the liberal intro¬ 
duction of American meat into England, the farmers 
of that country have insisted that it should be sold 
under its own name. Shouldn’t the raisers and ship¬ 
pers of American meat now insist on the same means 
of distinguishing their product? Why not accord 
c.edit or blame where each is due ? 
* * 
We are told that some noted German scientist is out 
with a statement to the effect that while Indian corn 
is a good food for horses and other stock, it is inferior 
to rye as human food. We would like to pick out 20 
corn-fed Americans and put them against a score of 
rye-fed Germans in almost any test. Or, better yet, 
let us compare 10- German-Americans who are now 
eating corn in America ard put them against 10 of 
their old neighbors who still eat rye in Germany. 
* * 
Mr. Zook, page 538, is another man who makes his 
cows average 8100 each per year, lie tells us how it 
is done and some things about his method may not be 
in full accord with dairy science as often taught. 
However, the money comes in and the veterinarians 
cannot find any disease in the herd. One reason 
for Mr. Zook’s success is that he produces rich milk 
which stands the chemist’s test in every particular. 
Would net you be proud to know that a good chemist 
sent you such a postal card as that on page 538 ? 
# * 
Mr. Newton's talk about the cow’s vacation brings 
up a point about which little has been said. D ought 
or frost—which adds most to the cost of butter? 
When the pastures fail grain must be fed the cow if 
the butter yield is to be kept up. The flies and heat 
give the cow almost as much discomfort as does the 
cold weather. Barren feeding is about as expensive 
as barn feeding. Where one can hire the cow’s board 
and lodging for about three cents a day, as Mr. New¬ 
ton can, is he not wise to give her a vacation at that 
time ? , * 
Labor certainly is a great civilizer if, as Mr. Smith 
tells us on page 550, it will take the robber element 
out of a dog and make him a useful citizen. “ Hered¬ 
itary loafer,'’ that is the name he hurls at the dog and 
it suits him well. The old French noblesse of a century 
and more ago were rank loafers. The Revolution 
upset their loafing stool and made them go to work. 
They and their descendants have done some work that 
is worthy of heroes since their loafing came to an end. 
Let us have a revolution that will raise the dog to the 
dignity of a laborer. # # 
A tariff war which is now raging fiercely between 
Germany and Russia is likely to be of no small inter¬ 
est to American farmers. For years the Fatherland has 
drawn a large proportion of its needed grain from Rus¬ 
sia, but now, owing to the increase of the tariffs by both 
countries, all trade between them is virtually sus¬ 
pended. In 1891 Germany’s imports from Russia were 
8150,000,000, mostly beef and breadstuffs, while Rus¬ 
sia’s importations from her neighbor amounted only to 
835,600,000, chiefly manufactured goods. It is expected 
that America will supply nearly the whole of the goods 
hitherto drawn by Germany from Russia, and, if the 
trade is once secured, t. e general opinion among Ger¬ 
mans is that it can be held even after the settlement 
of the retaliatory customs warfare between Ger¬ 
many and Russia. “ ’Tis an ill wind that blows 
nobedy good.” # # 
On Wednesday last the great barn at Ellerslie Stock 
Farm, the home of Ex Vice-President Levi P. Morton, 
was destroyed by fire and nearly 100 head of valuable 
Guernseys perished in the flames. Our readers have 
been told about this wonderful barn—probably the 
most expensive one ever built in this country. The 
herd, one of the finest in the world, is now practically 
wiped out of existence, only eight cows and some 
young stock being saved It is a sad loss to the dairy 
interests of the country and doubly disheartening 
from the fact that this is the second time fire has 
destroyed the buildings. The origin of the fire is 
unknown. The barn was furnished with electric 
lights throughout and no fire was ever permitted in it. 
* * 
Among other thing's asked for this week is experi¬ 
ence in building pit silos in the South and grafting 
nut trees. All who can talk on these subjects intelli¬ 
gently are invited to do so. And don’t hesitate to add 
any other notes of experience that will fit into any 
question brought out in The R. N.-Y. The other day 
a man came in and said: “ I think you are w r rong 
about the common law as it applies to dogs that are 
useful as property. I should have written about it, 
but I thought you might call it impertinent!” Bless 
your heart, we are conducting The R. N.-Y. for 
the purpose of getting facts. We don’t pretend to 
know it all. Let’s have cooperation in ideas and 
experience. As for dogs, if they have any rights under 
the law let us know what they are. 
* * 
Our friend who formerly championed free gift pack¬ 
ages comes to the front again, on page 539, with a new 
argument. The point is, who pays the cost of the 
package and who receives the benefit of the money 
saved on returned empties? There is a difference of 
opinion here, which seems to us due quite largely to 
location and market. Our friend evidently supplies 
the Philadelphia market, and probably hauls his 
produce directly from the field to the city, thus acting 
as his own expressman. Suppose he had to pay some 
one for doing that work ? We would like to get at 
the actual facts about the difference made to poor 
people in the package price. Are they forced to pay 
the cost of the package ? Do returned empties mean 
cheaper fruit for the poor ? Let us hear from markets 
where both systems are followed. 
* * 
The Indians on the Western deserts used to have a 
way of torturing their captives that about reached 
the limit of cruelty. The prisoner was “ staked out ” 
—he was put flat on his back with each hand and foot 
pulled out and fastened securely to a stake. There 
he must lie all day long in the broiling sun without 
drink or shade. There was but one end to that tor¬ 
ture—the man became a maniac. That was delib¬ 
erate torture on the part of those Indians. What is 
the motive that impels a man to “ stake out ” his cow 
in some dry, hot place without food, shade or water ? 
We often see that very thing done. Frequently those 
left in charge forget ‘o fill the water pail, and there 
the poor thing must stay in the toasting sun. If you 
must “ stake out ” the cow, why not do it in the 
cooler parts of the day, letting her have the barn 
shade at noon ? If you had done your duty last 
spring in sowing soiling crops, you could keep and 
feed her in the barn now. 
* # 
“ A Blow at Grangerism ” is the caption under 
which most of the political papers celebrate the vic¬ 
tory gained over the Populists by the railroads of 
Nebraska by the decision just rendered at Omaha by 
Judge Dundy, of the United States Circuit Court, sus¬ 
pending indefinitely the action of the Freight Bill 
passed at the last session of the legislature. The Chi¬ 
cago and Northwestern Company appealed to the 
Federal Court against the injustice of tbe State law 
fixing the highest rates which the Nebraska division 
of the road would be permitted to char f e for trans¬ 
portation services. It declared that its net earnings 
have never exceeded five per cent on its capitalization, 
and that for the past five years it had no more than 
met expenses and paid interest, and that it could not 
expect to do more for years, even if the present rates 
were maintained. The new law reduced the rates 20 
per cent, and if allowed to go into effect the company 
insisted that it would prevent the road from earning 
operating expenses, and would inevitably cause dete¬ 
rioration of the property through inability to keep up 
repairs, and it maintained that the sovereignty of 
ihe State did not extend to the confiscation of rail¬ 
road property which it virtually attempted to effect. 
The Judge’s decision was based on the theory that if 
the rates provided by the law were enforced, the prop¬ 
erty of all the railroads doing business in the State 
would, for all practical purposes, be confiscated, which 
would be contrary to the provisions of the Federal 
Constitution. A similar opinion was delivered in a 
similar case by Judge McCormick, of the United States 
Circuit Court, in Texas, a few months ago, and there 
can be little or no doubt that on appeal, the United 
States Supreme Court will confirm both decisions, as 
in equity investments in property are entitled to fair 
returns. 
We have often said it, and it is worth repeating, 
the best way to keep a boy out of bad company is to 
cultivate in him a taste—a craving—for good reading. 
The reading habit is the best thing the farm boy can 
acquire if he can only have some wise person to advise 
and direct the reading. We have heard it said, half 
in jest, that a farmer should devote the proceeds of 
his pen to books for the children. That is to say, let 
the money that comes from the pigs dropped by the 
best sow on the place go to buy books—good books. 
Make the selection of a book a family affair—hold a 
family convention and pick out the one best suited. 
Let healthy thinking fight against unhealthy drinking. 
* * 
BREVITIES. 
• The babyless home is a lonely place 
To a family man like me; 
I should miss the light of a little face 
Ard a tiny hand on my knee. 
I call It the happiest kind of sport 
At the close of a weary day 
Receiving the little one’s proud report, 
I’s been a dcod boy to-day.” 
The babyless home Is a weary place. 
You are never too tired to heed 
The questioning look on baby’s face 
“ 1 Just want to go wide!” Indeed 
All the day s dull pain and the weariness 
Fade away as the lingers creep 
Up around your face v 1th their soft caress. 
And the little one dropB asleep. 
The babvless borne Is a hopeless place. 
There is no little one you know. 
In whose happy future you hope to trace 
Burled dreams of the long ago. 
There Is no sweet life where you hope to find 
AL your errors turned back to truth, 
The wonderful chances of hand and mind 
Brought to life lrom your wasted youth. 
Do your sleeping at night. 
Make your cows strike oil. 
That Connecticut cow buoy! 
IS your faith mighty or mltey ? 
Go and labor In your vineyard. 
Tub cow loves to switch herself. . 
Waste— work or time misplaced. 
The dairyman should cowoperate. 
Against the grain—present prices. 
Read the rje act to your corn Held. 
Lavatory operations are now In order 
Do free crates make free kindling wood ? 
Pound foolish men away from a penny-wise policy. 
What but a goose would ever try to lay a golden egg ? 
What is the eating capacity of your dog ? So much waste ? 
When you lay down the law to another, don’t step outside of it. 
Try for the things that take you “up head.” One exception-liquor 
The present financial situation will hardly induce much cachlna- 
tlon. 
When the labor of a dozen men Is pooled, how many of the lot are 
fooled ? 
Take up the pen and write us that you have let its occupants run 
Into the clover. 
Tar for self-sucking cows, page 551. It’s an Ill-tarred cow that 
keeps the haolt! 
Don’t be so matter of fact that you become a mere matter of factor 
Instead of a man. 
The New York State Experiment 8tation has made a fine showing 
at the World's Fair. 
We learn of a young man who picked 18)4 quarts of strawberries In 
one hour. Who can beat that ? 
Mr. Van Deitbkn’s cows pay their dues In with regularity. Think 
of $1U0 Income per cow, with the sklm-mllk thrown in 1 
You must add fat of some sort to sklm-mllk, or the calf will fail. 
Same with skim manure; you must add fertilizer to It. 
Strange things in this language of ours. In Ergland a potato 
raiser is what we call a digger. What do we do when we get pota¬ 
toes out of the soli- dig or raise ? 
Remember that the "Great American Coffee Berry” is simply the 
Japan Soy bean with a new name and a big price tacked to it. It 
makes a very fair coffee substitute. 
Ginger will grow and develop In Florida. Before it will preve a 
profitable crop the blood of the average Floridian must be inoculated 
with some of the condensed extract. 
IS the melon a substitute for the peach? It seems so when we com¬ 
pare prices for a few years past When peaches are high melons are 
good property. In a good peach year, prices are usually low 
When the Babcock tester shows that a cow’s milk lacks fat, the 
proper scheme is to put extra fat In the cow. Put It on her ribs and 
sell her. She will bring you to grief unless she goes Into Deef. 
Potato bugs! potato bugs! How memory at their mention lugs 
some vision of back-aching jobs, and carklng care inhuman robs our 
comfort; kill the second crop and thus tne;r awful miscnief stop. 
That S an Interesting vision, page 550. of our ancestors starting to 
market with a chunk of frozen bean soup as large as a grindstone. If 
some of our modern farmers were willing to live on that basis in these 
tight times, debt would hang looser on them ? 
We are told that the cow Mary Jane made a big butter record. 
Farmer Brown made one, too. He just wanted to kick his boot way 
through the cow when she stepped on his foot. He didn’t, and thus 
saved several ounces of butter—a good record. 
