752 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
.November 11 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker 
Cor. Chambers and Pearl Sts., New York. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
- ELBKKT 8. CARMAN, Editor-In-Chief. 
HERBERT W. COLLING WOOD. Managing Editor 
ERWIN G. FOWLER. Associate Editor. 
JOHN J. DILLON, Business Manager. 
Copyrighted 1S93. 
Address all business communications and make all orders pay¬ 
able to THE RURAL NEW YORKER. 
Be sure that the name and address of sender, with name of Post- 
office and 8tate, 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, NOVEMBER It, 1893. 
Again we call attention to the Turkey Bulletin of 
the Rhode Island Experiment Station as one excellent 
illustration of how to interest farmers in the work of 
these institutions. As to the plan of offering half¬ 
wild turkeys for distribution, we do not see why it is 
not as legitimate to distribute blood as it is to try to 
distribute brains. 
# * 
Our friend on page 748 makes a good point when he 
says that it is always better to sell corn than to feed 
it in combination with nothing but water. The fact 
is that corn, as a feeding stuff, gets lots of credit that 
does not belong to it. The best results are never ob¬ 
tained when corn is fed alone. It is the clover, skim 
milk or other similar foods that do a good share of the 
work that is usually credited to corn. As well claim 
that the plastering used to finish up a room is the only 
thing to be considered in the value, because it puts on 
the finishing touch. There must be a strong and solid 
frame to build on. Unless the farmer has first put a 
strong and cheap frame on his hogs, he would better 
sell his corn. 
* * 
Stop losing valuable marrow out of your back at 
s’zing potatoes by the old finger process. That is out 
of date, and the man who still continues to use it is a 
back number. A potato is heavier than air ! A potato 
will fall through a hole if there is nothing between it 
and the hole. The size of the hole regulates the size 
of the potato that will fall through it. That is the 
principle on which the Hicks potato sorter is con¬ 
structed. If the potato comes to a hole large enough 
it falls through ; if the hole is too small it rolls over 
and takes its place among the salable tubers. All 
the human hand needs to do is to pour in the potatoes 
and regulate the size of the hole. Your fingers will 
wear out before the hole does. Stop lifting every 
potato to size it. * # 
Many farmers, in looking about for a substitute for 
wood ashes, are using kainit for its potash. It is true 
that a ton of kainit contains about twice as much 
potash as a ton of average wood ashes, but why not 
try the potash, cheaper still, in the form of muriate? 
Of a ton of kainit, costing $ 15, and a ton of muriate, 
costing $42, the former contains 250 pounds of potash, 
and the latter nearly 1,000. It is easy to see which 
gives the cheaper price per pound, to say nothing of 
the decreased weight and bulk of the muriate. Where 
the kainit is to be used in the stable in place of plaster, 
it may be economy to use this form of potash, but for 
direct application as a fertilizer, we should use the 
muriate—except, of course, on such crops as potatoes, 
fruits or tobacco; on these we should use the sulphate. 
* * 
There are several weekly agricultural papers in the 
country that claim to have “ the largest circulation of 
any paper of its class published in the United States.” 
The R. N.-Y. makes this claim and also claims that its 
circulation is more widely distributed than that of 
other weekly farm papers. It covers a wider range 
and in that way gives advertisers a chance to display 
the facts about their goods over more territory than 
others. We think no one will dispute this latter 
claim. As to circulation, publishers’ statements not 
backed by proof are proverbially untrustworthy. Tiie 
R. N.-Y. does not make any specific “claim,” but it 
comes forward with proof as to what it really has to 
offer advertisers. We are perfectly ready to have any 
advertiser come and count our list at any time and we 
now propose a plan for settling the “ largest circula¬ 
tion ” business for good. Let four impartial persons be 
selected to count the lists of these several papers that 
claim “the largest circulation.” We are willing that 
the business managers of the various papers should 
select the committee or form it. Let them count the 
lists, examine paper bills and other proofs offered and 
make affidavit to their examination. Then each paper 
is to print, in italics, on its editorial page, for six con¬ 
secutive weeks, the result. To illustrate, each commit¬ 
tee might say : 
“ We have counted the lists and examined the paper 
bills of the journals named below and find them to be 
as stated. 
“ Sworn to before .” 
Paid up Subscriptions. Free List. Floaters. 
The Rural New-Yorker.. . . . 
Mississippi Valley Farmer... . . . 
Country Sport. . . . 
Patriotic Stockman . . . . 
American narrower. . . .... 
Such a list would show some curious things. Under 
“ Floaters” they should put all who have not paid up 
and also the “ sample copies ” and “ short term ” sub¬ 
scriptions, with which so many lists are padded. With 
these out some of these “ largest circulations ” would 
vanish like smoke. The R. N.-Y. proposes this contest 
and is ready to enter it. What other weekly papers 
will follow ? 
* * 
In advertising stock like the Dorset sheep, where 
the demand is really greater than the supply, one is 
often tempted to let any puny runt go for the price 
offered for a good animal. It may be easy to dispose 
of such animals now, and perhaps there is more pres¬ 
ent profit in doing so than in knifing them, but reputa¬ 
tion is, after all the best stock in trade a breeder can 
have, and it will pay, in the long run, to kill the runts. 
Several men that we thought better of have been 
selling poor stock—that is why we 6peak of it! 
# * 
There is one thing that the next legislature of New 
York State should do, and that is to so change the 
law creating the State Department of Agriculture as 
to make the office of Commisssoner an elective one. 
The Agricultural Commissioner should be elected by 
the people the same as Governor or Secretary of State. 
That is the way things are done in Ohio, and the 
farmers of that state are well satisfied to have the 
head of their Agricultural Department elected by the 
people rather than appointed by the Gov -rnor. Why 
not the same practice for New York State? The 
chances for securing a Commissioner who would truly 
represent agriculture would be far greater under an 
elective system. Let the farmers of the State give 
candidates for the legislature an idea of what they 
want in this matter and follow it up after the legisla¬ 
ture is elected. The R N.-Y. will keep this before 
the people. 
# * 
Our friend on page 750 makes the best case he can 
for butterine. What he says about its use in the 
lumber camps is correct as the writer know* from per¬ 
sonal experience. Our friend does not, probably, eat 
butterine himself. If not, we should like to know 
why. We have always taken the ground that a man 
has a perfect right to sell any healthful combination 
of fats so long as they are sold for just what they are. 
Then if the people prefer them, well and good. For 
example, we know people who smear their bread with 
lard rather than pay the price of butter. We have no 
desire to force those people to buy butter if they do 
not eare to, but on the other hand we do not want 
them to pay butter prices for a mixture of cheap fats. 
There are peculiar flavors and tastes about the fats of 
good butter t-iat give them a value above the cheaper 
beef and pork fats—no matter how cleanly the latter 
may be made. The fraud in butterine comes not from 
its sale in large packages, but in the retail trade in 
large cities and town?. There it is sold at butter prices 
and this is what dairymen protest against. They do 
not fear its open competition in the retail markets, but 
when it is palmed off as pure butter, as is done, it 
becomes a fraud. 
* * 
Along the Hudson River, from Newburg to Albany, 
lies one of the most remarkable farming sect : ons in 
the world. As viewed from the river, one wonders 
how these steep slopes can ever be made to yield a 
comfortable living to the farmer. Surely these hill¬ 
sides must be classed among the “ abandoned farm” 
sections that our Western friends are fond of telling 
us about! Surely these “exhausted fields” over which 
Washington’s soldiers tramped more than a century 
ago cannot possibly compete with the fertile plains of 
the great West. That is pretty theory, yet the fact 
remains that this hilly region contains some of the 
most prosperous farmers to be found anywhere—in 
fact it would be hard to find a section where there is 
less general complaint about “hard times.” In many 
respects the Hudson River fruit growers possess 
natural advantages not known to any other section. 
Their hillsides stand facing the morning sun and are 
sheltered from the western winds. The great river 
not only tempers the air, but presents a cheap and 
rapid means of communication with the great city. 
The one thing wanting is a lack of natural fertility in 
the soil. The writer spent some days among these 
fruit growers recently and will soon give a brief 
account of the trip, with special attention to the way 
in which the millions of trees and vines are fed and 
what food is used. # * 
It has always been the boast of the California fruit 
men that the quality of their goods was uniform ; that 
the grading was perfectly done, and the packages 
were as good in the bottom as on top. Dealers here 
have said that they preferred to handle the California 
fruit because they knew just what they were buying 
and selling. The other day the writer purchased a 
basket of California grapes. On top were nice, large 
clusters of beautiful fruit, but before the bottom was 
reached, many of the grapes were evidently odds and 
ends—small clusters, some grapes not half size, and 
looking like another variety, decayed berries, etc. 
They presented quite a contrast to those on top. 
While, perhaps, it is not to be wondered at that in the 
hundreds of car-loads of fruit sent East every season, 
some should fall below the mark, still the system 
which has built up this immense trade within the past 
few years, supposes such a thing as deception in a 
single package to be impossible. There must have 
been a slip in the cogs somewhere. This will never 
do. If one package has been passed in that way, 
there is no reason why many others should not be, and 
then where is the hardly-earned reputation ? A little 
more vigilance is needed somewhere. The reputation 
is made, but that isn’t all that’s necessary, it must be 
sustained. 
# # 
BREVITIES. 
Hopefully we hear It spoken, when the morn of life Is dawning, 
Ere the spirit has been broken t>y the touch of care and sin. 
“What a priceless freight of tre .sure bringing wisdom, love and 
pleasure, 
Shall be mine to weigh and measure— when my ship comes in! ' 
Doubtfully we hear It spoken, when the noon of life Is over. 
And the years have brought no token from the ship we trusted In, 
“ Oh 1 hope that on the morrow, I may banish care and sorrow, 
From my weighty cargo borrow— whenmy ship comes in!" 
All too late we hear it spoken, when the eve of life Is closing. 
When the hopes of life are broken and the hair is white and thin, 
" Long and hopefully I've waited, and the years have passed slow 
galted, 
But the ship, becalmed, belated, never can come in!" 
Say not so—the winds are blowing, strong and true with hope and 
promise 
Faith and love are stoutly towing ar.d your ship must win, 
Over life's broad ocean creeping, through your wuktng and your 
sleeping 
Comes a blessing for your keeplrg-comrs your life work in! 
Tiie fit survive—not the fitful!. 
No Babcock test can act as a bull. 
Akk you one of Mr. Ballou's ‘* razers ”? 
An "off color” may be on the right side. 
The young turkey’s motto—Dough or die! 
Soak the old corn. Water beats poor teeth. 
Ever know a grape vine to *• bleed to death 1" 
A suggestion is made useful only by digestion. 
B W. G., page 7 1, ends up with a good question. 
Turkeys surely do not seem to need steam heat! 
Cam you trust the htTCd man with pruning shears ? 
It was up-hlt) work for the hilled up corn this season. 
One quick way to warm things up 1 b to add S In front of cold. 
That Is an Interesting urtlcle by Prof. Halsted on tomato rots. 
Who know-s an older bearing grape vine than Mt. Hicks’s, page 747 ? 
Mk. 11 a it it i s tells us about one-armed grape vines that do their full 
duty. 
Who’s on the Board of Health In your family ? Do Pie & Cake have 
a majority? 
Always read the “ We Want to Know” column that Is, If tou do 
want to know. 
Among ether needed repeals, the canners should repeel some of 
their peaches. 
Good blood Is all right. But you will put It In a cow’s veins In vain 
unless you take care of the cow afterwards. 
Can you r lse a hog to the corn-feeding age cheaper than you can 
buy him ? Do those who self feeding hogs loie money? 
Any man can “hold his tongue” by using his hand to do It with. We 
want men to do It and still have hands free to work with I 
Many questions have been asked about the right time for plowing 
under clover. The answer by Prof. Roberts on page 749 ought to be 
satisfactory. 
“ A bushel of corn will make from 8 to 17 peunds of pork!” There 
is a range of 9 pounds, or more than one-half In that statement. What 
causes It—the hog or the feeder ? 
Your potato business would be “ picking up” when you quit picking 
up every tuber to size it. You may need your lingers for sorting, but 
not for sizing. Let a hole do that. 
Hoyv dear is the cost of the broken down stove; the heat, up the 
chimney, it soon will remove. It gives to the women a very tried life, 
and serves for your breakfast a Blice of f ried icije ! 
Wk should consider ihe average grindstone about the worst thing 
to rest oa, but our correspondent claims that bicycle stone rested him I 
Good place that for a boy to learn to run a wheel I 
Nothing adds more to the prolft In feeding corn to hogs than the 
clover that helped tit the hog for feeding. The profitable hog can gen¬ 
erally write p. c. after his name— past chewer of pasture. 
In line with Mr. Hobbs’s picture of the old-style hog, page 748. we 
might 6lng to a popular tune: 
Oh where, Oh where Is tie old-time hog. 
With lungs and appetite strong. 
With his back cut sharp and his hams like a dog 
And his nose and trotters cut long ? 
Breathes there a man with sight so short, that he can ever see the 
sport in not protecting berry vines when Frost his Icy finger twines ? 
If such there breathe, but this I'll say; he’ll find by spring it does not 
pay to thus desert the plants that kept the yvolf away, the while he 
slept. Go forth and mulch your plants with care before the chilling 
wintry air shall kill them-then Blr, If you please, with scrubbed up 
conscience take your ease. 
