688 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 14 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker 
Cor. Chambers and Pearl Sts ., New York. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
ELBERT S. CARMAN, Edltor-ln-Chlef. 
HERBERT W. COLLING WOOD. Managing Editor 
ERWIN G. FOWLER, Associate Editor. 
Copyrighted 1893. 
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- 
oflice and State, 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 , OCTOBER 14 , 1893 . 
All communications intended for E. S. Carman 
should, from now until spring, be addressed to No. 5 
West 83nd St., New York, N. Y. 
* * 
“My land is too stony,” says the New England 
farmer. “I cannot use improved machinery on it, 
and hence I cannot compete with the West.” That 
may be so when you speak of grain, but hens, sheep 
and Jersey cows move by means of machinery that is 
toughened and oiled by stepping about these stony 
pastures. * # 
An English advertisement calls for “ 500 knackers 
worn out and fat and fleshy.’ - A “knacker” is not 
only one who sells horse meat, but a worn-out and 
“ bunged-up ” horse as well. These “knackers” are 
said to be for export to Germany, where horse flesh is 
regularly sold for human consumption. In Berlin it 
is stated that 8,182 carcasses of horses were sold in 
the butchers’ shops last year, and the consumption is 
rapidly increasing. # * 
The Standard Oil Company has just bought 3,000 
acres of land near the lake front at Ashtabula, O., with 
the design of erecting a steel plant capable of turning 
out 2,000 tons a day. This octopus has for years been 
sp.eadingits constrictive tentacles around numerous 
large industries throughout the country, and now it 
appears to be intent on binding the land with fetters 
of steel. The shrewd financiers at the head of it, 
however, appear to have no apprehensions of the 
future of the iron business, no matter what party may 
arrange the next tariff. 
* * 
When the people of New York city pay their taxes 
at the time fixed by the law they get a rebat.'- of 
interest from the date of payment to December 1 at 
the rate of six per cent per annum. October 2 was 
the first day on which the taxes for 1893 could be paid. 
The receipts for that day amounted to $4,690,574—the 
largest sum ever received in a single day, and nearly 
$1,000,000 more than the first day’s receipts last year. 
Isn’t this influx of taxes convincing proof that “ hard 
times” have not affected a considerable proportion of 
Gotham’s tax payers ? 
* * 
There are probably a good many farmers who, like 
our Missouri friend (page 685), have been swept into 
poultry keeping. Starting with a few choice birds, 
their interest in the business grew as their flocks of 
improved layers began to increase. Now they realize 
that it is only half the business to produce the hens. 
It takes two more crosses—one with Prof. Care and 
one with Dr. Experience—to get the eggs. Now we 
want notes of comparison from these men. What are 
you doing to make the hens lay, and why? You won’t 
lose anything by telling ; the chances are that you 
will start somebody up to tell the very thing you want 
to know. * * 
Every auvumn for a number of years the R. W. & 
O. R. R. has run a special excursion at largely reduced 
rates to this city. Many farmers throughout northern 
New York have taken advantage of the opportunity 
to come with their families for a few days of sightsee¬ 
ing in the metropolis, and incidentally to make pur¬ 
chases of needed articles at the lower prices to be ob¬ 
tained in the mammoth dry goods and clothing em¬ 
poriums. It has been a good thing for a number of 
them. The muscles have been relaxed after the 
arduous summer’s labors. The dust of toil has been 
replaced by that of travel. New ideas have been 
gained. Unfan iliar scenes have been visited. Knowl¬ 
edge has been acquired. The wits have been sharp¬ 
ened, and a broader outlook upon life has been ob¬ 
tained. It is a good thing to get away from the 
familiar scenes for a few days ; to get out of the old 
ruts, and to see something of the great city about 
wliich so much is heard, but so little is really known. 
The latest excursion of this character arrived on Tues¬ 
day night and Wednesday morning and the city’s pop¬ 
ulation was increased by 4,000 souls. From the Mayor 
they received the freedom of the city, and from all a 
hearty welcome. * # 
TnE latest and most trustworthy report about the 
condition of the people who were stripped of all their 
meager holdings in the Beaufort, S C , region, by the 
hurricane at the end of August, has just been made 
by the R^ed Cross Society. It is heartrending in the 
number of deaths recorded and the extent of the 
losses announced. No fewer than 30,000 persons in 
that section will need to be fed, clothed and sheltered 
by charity until next spring. Such a report from so 
trustworthy a source should meet with a generous 
response from the kind-hearted in all parts of the 
CDuntry in this pitiable emergency. 
# * 
The R N.-Y.’s friend and contributor, Miss S. A. 
Little, has been nominated for School Commissioner 
by the Republicans of Se leca County, N. Y. As she 
says: “ This is a genuine case of the office seeking the 
(wo)man.” A more fitting nomination could hardly 
have been thought of. Here is a business-like and 
educated woman with clear and sound ideas on educa¬ 
tion and school management. It is an evidence of 
progress when such women are brought before the 
people as candidates. Women ought to have a voice 
in the management of school affairs. The R N.-Y. 
stands by its friends. We suggest to our readers in 
Seneca County that they will have to travel a long dis¬ 
tance before finding a better School Commissioner 
than Miss Little. # # 
Weeds probably get all the agricultural dignity 
they are likely to from the discussion on page 684. 
There are cases it appears where weeds actually bene¬ 
fit the soil. While this is so, let no man “hug the 
flattering unction to his soul” that he is helping him¬ 
self and his land by letting the weeds grow among a 
serviceable crop. The only place for a weed is on soil 
so poor that nothing better will grow there. Suppose 
the difference between a crop of rag-weeds and a crop 
of oats or rye be one bag of fertilizer. How many farm¬ 
ers will say that the rag-weeds are cheaper because 
they save the cost of plowing, fertilizing and harvest¬ 
ing ? Not many, you will say, and yet that is more 
sensible than to pay for the fertilizer and then let the 
weeds make use of it. 
# # 
• 
The State of New York has done more for her 
women, in the way of female suffrage, than any other in 
the Union has done for hers—even Wyoming not ex¬ 
cepted. Next month they will be able to exercise the 
very highest light of citizenship. They can vote for 
delegates to the Convention about to be held to revise 
the State Constitution, and they may be even nomi¬ 
nated as delegates themselves. Never before has 
such power been exercised by women in any Stats in 
the Union. They are also entitled to vote for school 
commissioners and to serve as such, and for some years 
they have enjoyed the right to vote for school officers. 
If the women of the Empire State boldly do their 
duty at the polls next month, who can for a moment 
doubt that a law will soon be passed entitling them to 
vote at every election held in the foremost State of 
this mighty Republic ? * * 
A malt house in western New York is reported to 
have started up the season’s business by malting 
wheat. We are not told as to the use to which the 
wheat is to be put, but we suppose that it will go the 
way of all malt. Thus is another of the food grains 
prostituted to a base use. To be sure, the production 
of whisky from wheat is not a new thing, but, with 
the growing demand for beer, and the comparatively 
high price of barley, it seems necessary to enlarge the 
list of grains from which to make the foaming liquid. 
Beer may be made from any malted grain, but here¬ 
tofore barley has afforded the principal material. 
Some conscientious farmers have refused to grow bar¬ 
ley because this was its chief use, and it would be a 
good thing if more would stop growing wheat for 
this or other reasons. The supply might be reduced, 
and the price advanced so that it would be unprofit¬ 
able to put it to such ignoble use. 
* * 
There are thousands of farmers who use plaster in 
the stable and on the manure. Science has convinced 
them that this pract ce pays because they thus pre¬ 
vent the escape of ammonia. Nitrogen costs a good 
deal of money,* and the thoughtful man is always on 
the lookout for means of saving it. But what else 
does the plaster do besides getting the ammonia into 
a fix ? It supplies nothing but lime, a substance that 
your soil may not need a*; all. The potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid must be supplied in addition. You can 
hardly supply phosphoric acid in such form that you 
will not als_> supply lime enough for ordinary soils. 
Now if a substance can be found that will do all that 
plaster does in the way of fixing the ammonia and 
also supply potash, why not use that? Such a sub¬ 
stance is kainit. On page 082 we are told all about 
the action of this substance. You will see that it not 
only acts like a policeman to arrest ammonia, but it 
contributes a partner to work with him. Of course 
such a worker costs more than plaster, but when one 
does the work of two, are not its services more valuable? 
# * 
An interesting case of wide importance to horse 
owners and others was tried the other day before the 
Superior Court at Buffalo, N. Y. The defendant had 
hired a team on the written agreement that on one 
day’s notice he would return them in the same condi¬ 
tion as received. While they were in his possession 
one of them died ; thereupon the plaintiff brought suit 
to recover $175, the alleged value of the dead animal, 
claiming that the defendant’s contract to return it in 
the condition in which he took it was unconditional, 
and therefore that he was not excused from returning 
it on any plea whatever. The Courts have laid down 
the general rule that anybody who enters into an ab¬ 
solute contract to do what is not impossible or unlaw¬ 
ful at the time of agreement, must observe its terms 
unless the performance of it has become illegal or he 
is prevented by the other p i rty. The Buffalo Court, 
however, held that the parties to the contract before 
it did not intend that the defendant should return the 
horse unless it continued to exist, and, as it had died 
from natural causes for which the hirer was in no way 
responsible, he could not be held liable for damages. 
The question here involved is of far reaching import¬ 
ance and affects many other interests besides those of 
horse owners. # # 
BREVITIES. 
My nane li He A. Basin ess Hen; I net upon my legs 
To make an argument against the tariff on my eggs. 
The Ways and Means Committee try their best to make me lean; 
Full well I know my owner's ways are mighty small and mean. 
The tariff that 1 growl about gives loss and pain Immense, 
1 have no use for any tear If It’s on common sense 
I want a house clean, warm and dry—a laboratory fair 
Wnere I can manufacture eggs -not out of frosty air. 
But out of sweet and wholesome food, pure water and good lime. 
Just do your duty partner Man, I’ll back you every time. 
Tne tariff that 1 growl about lets cold and vermin In, 
And makes us go without our meals and drives us to the sin 
Of packing what should go for eggs between our skin and bones, 
And dulls the cackle In our throat and freezes up Its tones. 
1 want free trade In warmth and food—In common sense and care 
Then I will shell my duty out and make my owner stare 
To see the way I pay his debts; on this platform 1 stand. 
1 sign myself A. Business Hen—yours truly to command. 
On, saves toll. 
Don’t husk any nubbins. 
Don’t put new blood into old ewes. 
Don't sharpen your wits on a steal. 
What about that weed discussion? 
Thk *‘ average ” egg has no one to aver its age. 
You probably buy your” oleo ’’ In baker’s stuff. 
Mu. Woodward sees no harm In a Dorset’s horn. 
How much time do you allow for milking one cow ? 
The human ‘’brick” Is not “made of common clay.’ 
The “shortening ” lengthens the digestion of the pie. 
A hoad to be scaled high should have low-grade hills. 
An equitable discussion—when both quit able to renew It. 
Better feed the old farm horse a bullet than sell him Into slavery I 
IN British Columbia a local name for the flerci horsefly Is "bull¬ 
dog.” 
The trouble with the great talker Is that he has no time left for 
great thinking. 
Ouk Pennsylvania friend ought to be satisfied with the answers to 
his peach orchard question. 
Too many wives are stepmothers to their own children; that Is, the 
children step right over them. 
“ A word of mouih ” Is nothing but wind. We want to know the 
motive that makes the wind blow. 
MR. Newton, page 695, finds that frost-bitten grass and a sharp 
north wind will soon dry up a cow. 
Those Urst page pictures show more of the advantages of using 
Dorset blood than any book yet printed. 
A Leghorn chicken, the size of a robin, is the second best lLsectl- 
clde on legs. The best Is a young Guinea. 
Strange—I sn’t It? when a man will sell a faithful old horse because 
he “can’t afford to keep It” and continue to feed a worthless dog? 
I like to see the farmer who finds time to do the acts that pleaBe; 
who seems to say, his whole life through—amen! To life’s amenities. 
The man who cannot tell the difference between Insubordination 
and a fair difference of opinion has no business to head any business. 
How many R. N -Y. readers grow tobacco for making their own 
Insecticides? A friend as far north as British Columbia has succeeded 
In doing It. 
The best record of machine digging of potatoes that we know of Is 
2,388 bushels in 10J^ hours. How many hours of manual labor would 
that mean ? 
If de-horn means to cut off a horn, de-mean should represent one's 
condition after some of the meanness has been cutoff. Yet when a 
man demeans himself, he is meaner than ever. 
OUR Vermont friend, page 680, does not propose to have any old 
horses to mourn over. Get the price for their prime Is his motto; and 
don’t go down hill with them. Some of us could not do that. 
Can you tell how many slices of bread my family of live ought to 
eat for supper? No, because people vary in their bread-eating capac¬ 
ity. They will eat till they are supplied. The same with hens. How 
can you tell how much grain 100 will eat? 
You take these saddened people—In the race of life belated, by 
carrying some heavy load—suppose that they had waited until the 
water in their plans had been evaporated—then up among the higher 
ranks their names might have been slated. 
We have told In these columns of a workman who persisted in get¬ 
ting drunk In spite of ail efforts to keep liquor away from him. He 
actually became drunk on a bottle of well-known “ Stomach Bitters.” 
Recently we saw an analysis of this stuff. It contains 39 per cent of 
alcohol. Such “ Bitters ’ certainly bite like an adder. 
