67o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
October 7 
DISCUSSIONS 
ft 
Who is Benefited hy Reduced Freight ? 
C. O. N., Homer, N Y. —Many people 
in their warfare against forces which 
they believe are working against their 
interests, and more particularly the 
farmers of the West, have a great deal to 
say in regard to railroads as among the 
evils which exert a potent influence 
against their welfare. They are loud in 
their denunciations of freight rates, as 
being unjust and harmful to them, and 
demand lower rates for the transporta¬ 
tion of their produce to market, seem¬ 
ing to think that lower freight charges 
will increase the price paid for the prod¬ 
uce they sell. Are they right in this? 
Will lower rates from the interior towns 
of Kansas, Nebraska or other Western 
States increase prices ? Suppose rail¬ 
roads should reduce the price for carry¬ 
ing wheat to the large markets two cents 
per bushel, or $1 per ton on hay, or one 
cent per pound on hogs; who would 
get the benefit? Is it the farmer who 
sells or the consumer who buys ? I be¬ 
lieve it is nearly always the latter and 
very seldom the former. Competition in 
selling in the end gives the benefit of low 
freights to the consumer. A buyer of 
produce pays a certain price, transports 
it to market and sells A with the freight 
added to the cost of producing and hand¬ 
ling it, all for a small margin of profit, 
and the lower the freight the smaller the 
price the purchaser pays. Look at the 
late shipments of hay to Europe: the 
freights across have been about $10 per 
ton. If they were reduced one-half, 
would not that reduce the price to the 
foreign purchaser? I think it would, 
and would cause no increase of the price 
paid to the farmer or dealer in this coun¬ 
try. If a Western miller gives me a price 
for a car load of feed, delivered at my 
place of business, he makes it include 
freight; if that is reduced half by the 
time I want another car load, the seller 
gives me the benefit of it, or I refuse to 
buy, because I know, as a buyer, that if 
one seller refuses to do so, I can buy of 
another, who will give me the benefit 
of the lower rate, and all have to do the 
same to hold their trade 
A Good Potato Digger. 
E. D. G., Ashburnham, Mass. —I have 
just read Mr. Dibble’s notes on potato 
digging, in a late Rural. I have this 
year bought and used the Ilallock digger 
and am very much pleased with its work 
on land kept clear of grass and weeds. 
I have done good work with my 1,150- 
pound horse, and a pair weighing 1 800 
to 2,000 could run it all day. It is thor¬ 
oughly well made of good material. I 
don’t think it would work well on a 
steep hillside, or in a field filled with 
Witch grass. One must pull the vines 
if they are green, and it will do better 
work if this is done anyhow. My pota¬ 
toes are, many of them, six inches deep 
in the ground, but going over once with 
a spike harrow brings out the few the 
digger has left covered. If they are not 
planted over four inches deep, if pro¬ 
perly handled it would dig up about 
every tuber. The trouble with such im¬ 
plements often is that the manufact¬ 
urers cannot furnish brains to operate 
them. Some men will utterly condemn 
a machine that others find satisfactory 
under similar conditions. The Haliock 
saves me time and hard labor. 
The Corn Meal Tax. 
J. G., Ohio —Mere or less has been 
said in late Rukals in regard to saving 
and feeding corn fodder, but nearly all 
recommend one of two things—ensiloing 
it, or husking and feeding back the meal. 
To husk and grind corn requires quite a 
fourth of its value, to say nothing of the 
time lost at the mill waiting for one’s 
grist. Why does not some one, if the 
silo is not to be considered, advocate 
feeding the corn whole, running it 
through a cutter and cutting to half-inch 
lengths, and saving the miller’s tolls as 
well as the husVing? Years ago, the 
great king of cattle feeders of the West, 
Gillette of Illinois, told me that a steer 
would thrive a great deal better on un¬ 
husked corn than he could be possibly 
made to do on husked stalks, and the 
meal from them fed in connection with 
them. Later, Prof. Henry, of Wisconsin, 
demonstrated this to be a fact, and now, 
“ Down East,” Prof. Cooke, of the Ver¬ 
mont Station, has proved conclusively 
that in feeding milch cows, the man who 
husks his corn and feeds the made meal 
back with the stalks, has not only lost 
all of his work of husking and going to 
mill, as well as the miller’s tolls, but, to 
get he same results as in feeding the 
whole corn cut in half-inch lengths, is 
compelled to feed one-eighth more food 
substance, which, in the total, amounts 
to quite a noticeable tax for doing things 
in the old way. Men have rebelled when 
compelled to pay a tithing tax of one- 
tenth, but here is an old tax gatherer 
getting in his one-eighth tax, year after 
year, on our cast-iron ways of feeding 
the greatest of all crops, and no one is 
complaining, or even talking of getting 
out an injunction, and the beauty of the 
latter is that no lawyer is required to 
push the proceedings. Oh, yes! Rats 
and mice will get at it if left in the 
stooks, or small stacks ! How much tax 
did you pay last year to these nimble- 
jawed “residents” of your premises 
with all of your vermin-proof (?) gran¬ 
aries and safe places for grain ? Do not 
all readily see that the taxes that we pay 
to our lack of understanding are greater 
than those collected by the law ? What 
are we doing to remedy the matter ? 
The “ County History.” 
Ax Observer. —Has The Rural among 
its gettings got hold of what might be 
called the “county history racket ?” As 
the farmers are the victims, it might, 
with its wide circulation, save us lots of 
money by showing it up. It is an emin¬ 
ently “respectable” scheme, and captures 
lots of hard-earned cash. Agents for a 
county history canvass every town, hunt¬ 
ing up “historical facts” and material of 
special interest to the “ old settlers.” 
This gives the old men and women a 
chance, and during the conversation, 
copious notes are taken, the moneyed 
man of the family is called in, and the 
smooth-tongued canvasser soon hi s the 
subscriber’s name in his book with a prom¬ 
ise to pay on delivery, usually $10 or $15 
for the history, for this is no low-priced 
affair. A complete and accurate history 
of each town in the county is promised 
with facts relating to all prominent and 
widely connected families. Incidentally, 
opportunity is given to insert pictures of 
noted men at from $75 to $300 apiece 
and of fine sets of buildings at the same 
price. Plenty of men with vanity and 
cash are found, and they are about the 
only “historic” personages whose faces 
adorn the book, which is neatly padd d 
with matter of interest chiefly to sub¬ 
scribers. “ Historic facts,” unaccom¬ 
panied by a subscription, do not appear 
at any great length in this volume, and 
if you desire your family tree to appear 
in full foliage, you have to show the 
canvasser, figuratively speaking, about 
$10 worth of consideration. Having con¬ 
versed with several who perhaps sought 
immortality in the county history, I fail 
to learn of a single one who is satisfied, 
and as a rule, those who have been 
bitten, have very little to say. These 
volumes are fine to decorate the center- 
tab’e in the country “spare room,” but 
really no better than the family Bible, 
which comes cheaper and is full of reli¬ 
able, if not of local, history. 
That Peach Discussion. 
J. H. Hale, Coxxecticut. —There is 
really no relation, in quality, between 
the yellow and white-fleshed varieties. 
Most of the yellow peaches are quite 
acid, and have a peculiar flavor of their 
own, while the white-fleshed sorts are 
usually the sweetest and best for eating 
out of hand. Hill’s Chili and Crosbey, 
of the yellows, however, are excep¬ 
tions to the general rule; as they are 
quite sweet and fine table peaches, al 
though Hill’s Chili is somewhat dry. 
The clingstone varieties, both white and 
yellow, have usually distinct character 
istics of their own, and are rich, fine- 
flavored fruit, but so generally unsatis¬ 
factory that but few are cultivated here. 
As to the hardiness of the fruit buds, 
I think, upon the whole, the white- 
fleshed varieties are the most bardy, as 
we have often, had fairly good crops of 
Mountain Rose, Stump, Oldmixon and 
Alexander, when such varieties as Craw¬ 
ford, Foster, Richmond, Globe and 
others produce no fruit at all; but there 
is an exception to this rule as to tender¬ 
ness of fruit buds, of yellow varieties, 
for, in nine years we have not failed to 
have a crop of Hill’s Chili, here on our 
Connecticut farm, and the Crosbey is 
now bearing its eleventh successive crop 
in northern Massachusetts and New 
Hampshire. As to productiveness, the 
white-fleshed varieties are by far the 
more productive; nothing I have ever 
seen equals the yield of the Oldmixon 
and Stump the World, taking a series of 
years together, and the fruit usually 
grades a greater quantity of No. 1 and 
“ Extras ” than any other varieties. As 
to their susceptibility to “yellows,” 
there seems to be little difference between 
the white and yellow varieties, but if I 
were to name the two varieties that, in 
my experience, seemed to suffer the 
most from the disease, L should say Old¬ 
mixon and Late Crawford. 
After working upon Russian fruits for 
upwards of 20 years, Dr. Hoskins, as he 
expresses it in Garden and Forest, real¬ 
izes that if he were to continue for an¬ 
other equal length of time, it would be 
still difficult to give decisive conclusions 
regarding the vast variety of tree fruits 
which the good-will of Russian pornolo- 
gists and the Russian Government have 
favored us with. After 15 years of ex¬ 
periment, he had fully established the 
discouraging fact that, with very slight 
exceptions, we had in America not a 
single variety of orchard fruit, aside from 
apples, that would endure the winter 
climate of northern New England. Ten 
years’ subsequent testing of the Russian 
varieties has shown him not one that is 
not as hardy along the Canada line as 
the common and popular old sorts are in 
eastern Massachusetts. There are, how¬ 
ever, no Heart cherries among them; and 
the pears, though fairly good, are inferior 
in both size and quality to our best na¬ 
tive and European kinds. The plums are 
very good, but no less subject to damage 
from the curculio than the old stock. All 
the Russian tree fruits appear to have 
much thicker foliage than our old sorts, 
and to resist blight and the attack of 
other fungous diseases. They are good 
(Continued on next page.) 
In writing to advertisers, please always mention 
Tue rural New-Yorker. 
Eyesight 
8AVCD. 
“ My boy had Scarlet 
Fever when 4 years old, 
leaving him very weak 
and with blood pois¬ 
oned with canker. 
His eyes became in¬ 
flamed, his sufferings 
were intense, and for 7 
weeks he could not even 
open his eyes. I began 
giving him HOOD’S 
SARSAPARILLA, 
which soon cured him. I know it saved his 
sight, if not his very life.” Abbie F. Black¬ 
man, 2888 Washington St., Boston, Mass. 
HOOD'S PlLLS are the best after-dinner Pills, 
assist digestion, cure headache and biliousness. 
Clifford Blackman. 
Pure Norwegian 
oil is the kind used 
in the production 
of Scott's Emul¬ 
sion — Hypophos- 
phitesof Lime and 
Soda are added 
for their vital ef¬ 
fect upon nerve 
and brain. No 
mystery surrounds this formula—• 
the only mystery is how quickly 
it builds up flesh and brings back 
strength to the weak of all ages. 
Scott’s Emulsion 
will check Consumption and is 
indispensable in all wasting dis¬ 
eases. 
Prepared by Scott & Bowne. N. Y. All druggists. 
BALING 
P RESSES 
■ ALL KINDS. 
HORSE and 
STEAM POWER. 
Address Manuf’rs. 
S PLOW CO 
Box 11 QUINCY. I LL. 
YOU WANT A FARM^ 
g: T UO IN THE WEST. 
J-Rdl, the new paper Issued by thej 
^CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC R. R.3 
^ CALLED THE WESTERN SETTLER? 
isiuuu auu i auuc nainuau, vsuicagv, ill. 
ENGINES. 
SAW 
MILLS, 
Threshing Machines. 
Bsei Machinery at Lowest Prices. 
A. B. FARQUHAR CO., York, Pa. 
HEEBNERS” 
’ 7 ™Tt?,I 7 H 0 RSE power 
With SPEED REGUEATOR. 
For 1, H and 3 Ilorscs. 
. E ns ' I , a «« and I>fy Fodder Out- 
wl Ah Gi usher. Also Threshers and Gleaners, Feed 
& Circular Saw Machines, etc. 
HEEBNE1L & SONS, Luusdale, Fa., (J. S. 
KELLY 
| PERFECTAXE) 
LOUISVILLEj 
KY. 
ATTENTION! 
ASK FOR THIS AXE. 
USE NO OTHER. 
Wood-choppers, try the 
Kelly Perfect 0 xe 
It will cut more wood 
than any other axe. 
The scoop in the blade 
keeps it from sticking in 
the wood, and makes it 
cut deeper than any other 
axe. Ask your dealer for 
it. Send us his name if 
he don’t keep it. It is the 
Anti-Trust Axe. 
Kelly Axe Mfg.Co. 
LOUISVILLE, KY. 
THE ZIMMERMAN 
Tbe Standard machine 
Different sizes and prices. Illustrated Catalogue free. 
THE iLLYMYEli IRON WORKS CO., Cincinnati, O. 
SHEDS EX.C. 
FOR INFORMATION & PRICES WRITE TO 
NILES IRON & STEEL ROOFING C0.Nlt ts o - 
COIL SPRING SHAFT SUPPORT? 
AND ANTI-RATTLER. c 
Fast selling; always gives satisfaction. No"* 
weieht on horse. Worth twice the cost for conven-C/) 
iencc in hitching up. Agents wanted. Circulars free. ^ 
Order sample. Price, $1.50 State rights for sale 
THE DECATUR SHAFT SUPPORT CO.— 
Decatur, III. 
