1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
837 
THE PROSPECT. 
Thk following letter from New Jersey is a fair sam¬ 
ple of others that have come to hand since the details 
of the Wilson Bill were made public ; 
Would not the proposed reduction on potatoes from 25 cents to 10 
cents per bushel, as given by the Wilson Bill, practically destroy pro¬ 
fitable potato growing In this country? Are they not frequently 
brought from foreign ports by steamers free, being carried as ballast? 
During a favorable season, when the crop Is a good oce, farmers can¬ 
not dispose of It at a profit, because the supply is In excess of the 
demand, and when It is light potatoes are generally imported In large 
quantities, thus preventing fancy figures to the producer. If this be 
true under existing circumstances, what are we to expect by a reduc¬ 
tion of the tariff? .tas. m. dunlap. 
It is very difficult to discuss the matter of a tariff 
on any agricultural product without being accused of 
giving the talk a partisan bias one way or the other. 
In this case we simply try to present the facts as they 
occur to us. First, we assume that the tariff wai 
lowered on potatoes in order that very high prices 
might be avoided. It was argued that the number of 
people who eat and buy potatoes is greatly in excess 
of those who produce and sell them ; consequently a 
low price will benefit more people than will a high 
price. This seems to have been the spirit that guided 
the committee that advises the reduction. If the 
farmer’s income from potatoes go down, he is asked 
to remember that for every dollar he loses 10 families 
have gained 10 cents each by reason of the lower price? 
t t t 
But how much will the price be reduced ? Before 
the McKinley law went into effect the tariff was 15 
cents a bushel, so the Wilson Bill puts it five cents less 
than then. For the past three years under the Mc¬ 
Kinley Bill have potatoes averaged higher in price and 
been more salable than in the previous years ? The 
McKinley potato tariff was designed to make potato 
growing more profitable. Did it succeed ? Let every 
potato grower go over his accounts and see whether 
the average price for the past three years has been 
better than the average for the three years before that. 
Many potatoes have been brought from abroad as 
ballast. With the heavier importations expected under 
the Wilson Bill so much of this free ballast will not be 
needed. The following figures showing the potato crop 
in various countries will be useful in estimating the 
effect of the Wilson Bill: 
Production. Exports. Imports. 
Busneis. Bushels. Bushels. 
Germany. 891,723,010 6,638,079 1,709,336 
France. 396,746,138 4,634,8.0 779,618 
Bussla-Poland . 464,441.187 1,257,323 13,604 
Austria-Hungary. 409,368,75 3 536,584 5,334,665 
United Kingdom. 228.091,397 777,589 
United States. 169,809,053 465,059 3,033,504 
Canada. 61.669,009 3,784,367 05,294 
Belgium. 99,486,505 679,692 2,783,649 
These figures are, for the most part, the averages of 
six or seven years. They show that Americans are 
using fewer potatoes per capita than any of the other 
great nations. The small exports from the heavy 
producing countries indicate that the 25-cent tariff 
has kept many foreign potatoes out of the market. In 
France and Germany starch, alcohol and bread are 
made from potatoes, and we do not believe it possible 
for these countries to export largely without reducing 
the food supply needed at home. The probabilities 
are that under the new tariff bill, Canada will greatly 
increase her output, but even if the whole crop were 
brought here and added to ours we still would not 
consume anywhere near the amount used in other 
countries. 1: J t 
To sum the matter up, it appears to us that under a 
lower tariff potatoes will vary but little in price from 
year to year, with the standard set by a full crop or 
glutted market. The argument with many growers 
is “ once in every three years, at least, I am bound to 
get a good price ! ” That means that every third 
year or so a bad season will create a scarcity and the 
price will rise to the limit of the tariff because it will 
cost that much to bring in potatoes from outside to 
make up the deficiency. We would say that here¬ 
after, in case of a scarcity here, it will be easier for 
importers to bring in potatoes from abroad. In other 
words, a low tariff will give our markets the condi¬ 
tions that prevail in a full-crop year, so that farmers 
can take little advantage of a short season. But will 
this “ destroy profitable potato growing in this coun¬ 
try?” We do not think so, but it will undoubtedly 
force many farmers either out of the business or into 
new methods. Potatoes, to be profitable, must be 
grown at a lower cost per bushel. No man can afford 
to raise potatoes for sale and do all the work of rais¬ 
ing them by hand; and as labor is the chief item of 
expense, improved tools and implements must be 
used as never before. Men who are now growing 
potatoes on unsuitable soil, with poor seed, little 
manure and much hand work, will, if we are not mis¬ 
taken, be driven out of the business by lower prices. 
There will still be good opportunities for selling pota¬ 
toes of good quality. We have not, by any means, yet 
reached the lowest cost of a bushel of potatoes, and, if 
we mistake not, this point will be one of the most im¬ 
portant in future potato discussions. At the same 
time it cannot be denied that a low tariff on potatoes 
gives the importer and dealer a great advantage over 
the grower. This is evident from the fact that all our 
potato growers, without regard to their location, 
opposed any reduction in the tariff. We never heard 
of a potato grower who wants a lower tariff. The re¬ 
duction is entirely in the interests of the buyer. 
t t t 
Three years ago we spoke of a proposed asylum for 
epileptics to be founded in England. Formerly these 
unfortunate people were classed with the insane, and, 
when they became public charges, were put into in¬ 
sane asylums. It seemed wise and humane to separate 
them from insane patients and put them in some 
healthy place where they might have outdoor work. 
We believe Ohio is the first State in this country to 
carry out this idea, and that State has nearly finished 
an asylum where epileptics will be treated by them¬ 
selves. Instead of one large building, there will be a 
number of two-story cottages, each capable of accom¬ 
modating 50 patients. There is also a farm connected 
with the institution. There are many cases of epilepsy 
as well as insanity in farm homes. We know of in¬ 
stances where such unfortunate people are kept at 
home to their own detriment as well as that of the 
family. They would be much better off in a special 
institution, and we think the Ohio plan of separating 
the two classes is a good one. 
t t t 
We have always been pleased to advertise any 
scheme for widening the influence of the experiment 
stations. The farmers who most need their help 
usually belong to a class that opposes “book farmin’, ” 
and has little use for agricultural science. How to 
reach. such farmers and get them interested, has 
always been a great problem, and the Indiana Station 
has struck .-ne plan that promises good results. Ha/e 
you ever noticed how carefully the notices of auction 
and other sales are read when posted up in country 
stores and post offices ? There is a class of advertising 
that never fails to secure readers from those who care 
little for the advertisements in a paper. With this 
thought in mind, the Indiana Station prepared a large 
printed poster, 18x24 inches, of which the following is 
a copy This is to be hung up in every township in 
the State. It is a first-rate plan, and we gladly call 
attention to it! 
SZr- Bleaso HANG THIS UP In a PROMINENT PLACE IN YOUR 
TOWNSHIP. 
Important Notice ! 
THE INDIANA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, 
LOCATED AT 
PURDUE UNIVERSITY, 
Lafayette. Indiana, 
Has been experimenting upon the eirects of exposing milch cows to 
outside weather In winter. This experiment began In January, 1893, 
and continued Into March. 81x common grade mllcli cows were used 
In the experiment, three of which were kept In the barn all day. ex¬ 
cepting for about an hour In sunny, pleasant weather, and three were 
out in all kinds of weather, excepting at night, when they were shel¬ 
tered In the barn with the other three cows. All six cows received the 
same food, and 
A Record was kept of the amount of food each cow ate, and 
of the AMOUNT of MILK each gave during the experiment. 
IT IS INTERESTING 
to note the following results: 
1. The cows exposed to the weather during the day ate more food 
than those given shelter in the barn. 
2. The cows that were exposed gave considerably less milk than 
those that were given shelter. 
3. The cows which were exposed lost, while those given barn shelter 
gained in weight. 
4 There is a difference of almost 113 in favor of giving the cows 
shelter. 
If you wish to learn more of this experiment, write to the 
address below and you will receive the printed account of it, 
published by the Experiment Station, free of cost. A postal 
card will do. 
If you are already receiving the bulletins, you need not write. 
Before you turn your stock out to rough, stormy winter weather, 
consider whether It will pay or not. Further than that, It is cruel to 
expose stock to such weather as they are sometimes turned out Into. 
It will pay you to talnk this matter over, for you certainly wish to 
keep your stock so as to make as much profit on it as possible, and the 
Experiment Station wishes to help you In every way It can. 
For further information address 
C. S. PLUMB, Director, 
Agricultural Experiment Station, LaFayette, Ind. 
POSTER BULLETIN No. 1 Indiana Ag’l Ex. Sta., LaFayette, Ind. 
t t i 
The scarcity of apples this year in most of the apple 
growing sections has sent the dealers into the out-of- 
the-way places in search of them, and neighborhoods 
which have never had an apple trade before, have this 
season had quite lively times. Cook Bros., of Boston, 
have recently finished up their work in this direction 
in Wayne County, Pa., bordering on the State of New 
York, making Honesdalethe center of their operations. 
Here they found a large c,rop of apples—it could 
hardly be called a good one—and they succeeded in 
getting together and shipping 16,0C0 barrels. Facili¬ 
ties for the business were out of the question. To one 
cooper in Honesdale they paid $1,744 for new barrels 
and they scoured the country for empty barrels—in 
stores and shops. They complain that farmers there 
had such a limited knowledge of packing that it was 
almost impossible to get fruit properly packed. Most 
of the orchards have been neglected, and the trees are 
filled with sprouts and dead limbs. These are the 
complaints of the buyers. Much of the land in this 
county is mountainous and the valleys and hillsides 
will grow apples of the best quality, if given a reason¬ 
able amount of care. It is likely that the active 
demand for their fruit this season will set the farmers 
to thinking and be the means of inaugurating better 
methods in future. Local buyers in Sullivan County, 
N. Y.—a mountainous region—have gathered about 
15,000 barrels of apples and shipped them to various 
points. ^ j j 
Nearly' a century ago a surveyor reported a spring 
in New York State, on the waters of which quantities 
of oil would collect. The Indians had long known of 
this spring and believed it to be a direct gift from the 
Great Spirit, because when the oil was collected and 
dried by exposure to the air, it formed an ointment 
which healed their wounds and cured many diseases. 
Even in our century white men have collected this 
ointment and sold it under the name of “ Seneca Oil.” 
The oil skimmed from the spring was crude petroleum , 
and the ointment was only the vaseline of our day. 
If the white man had not found a way of drilling 
down to reach the petroleum, who can tell what price 
this “Seneca Oil” might not have reached. This is 
but a small illustration of the effect of inventions and 
industrial changes on prices and property. The five- 
cent bottle of vaseline and the cheap gallon of kero¬ 
sene of to-day mean not only that the cost of life and 
its comforts have been cheapened, but that this very 
cheapening has resulted in building up vast monopo¬ 
lies and powerful corporations which demand far more 
than their share in payment for their services. To 
judge the future by the past newer and more import¬ 
ant changes in the distribution of natural products 
and forces are upon us. It seems to us that public 
sentiment is becoming more and more fixed in its 
opposition to private ownership of these natural devel¬ 
opments. j j j 
One would suppose Australia to be about the last 
place for farmers to go away from. With unbounded 
wild land and a genial climate, one would suppose 
that no farmer would need a newer country. Yet 
last July we are told that the first party of 200 people 
left that island for Paraguay to found wbat is to be 
known as “New Australia.” It is said that 1,200 per¬ 
sons in all will go to found a free and communistic 
association, wherein all shall enjoy the same social 
and financial condition. The community is to own all 
capital needed to conduct business and support the 
members and all profits are to be equally divided 
among adult members without regard to sex, age, 
office or physical or mental capacity. In this ideal 
community there will be no very rich and no very 
poor, for all will share alike. While this scheme may 
possibly be carried out for a time, even though it suc¬ 
ceeded it would point no lesson to the world at large. 
A small association of picked members all of one mind 
may live an ideal life because every individual can be 
trusted. As society is made up in the world at large, 
however, such ideals are impossible. There are too 
many who object to cooperation—at least the part of 
it that compels them to provide for others less able. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
If you want bronze turkeys cheap, write T. B. Barker, Goldsboro 
N. C. He is using The R. N.-Y. as a middleman. 
When you are looking around for Christmas presents, don’t forget 
the valuable gifts offered in music. At Oliver Dltson Co’s, Boston, 
Mass , Is a good place to get anything in this line. 
In our premium offer on page 805, we give the price of Leggett’s dry 
powder gun by error at $6. The price of this Improved gun this year 
is 17. We have offered it for a club of 10 new subscriptions. The first 
application gets it. 
Ed. It. Hardy, Ablngton, Ill., writes us that The Rural readers 
are sending vo him for coats and robes of his black cattle, from 
all parts of the country. Well, the man who secures one of these 
coats will make ‘*a fool of cold weather.” The robes are sure to be 
popular as they become better known. 
That is a tempting offer made by the Larkin Soap Manufacturing 
Co., of Buffalo, N. Y. In their advertisement this week. The Chautau¬ 
qua ladles’ desk Is a liberal premium to offer with a box of soap, and on 
liberal terms, too. This company used to give the Chautauqua lamp, 
which was also a liberal offer, but the desk seems more liberal still. 
Do you make maple sugar or syrup ? If so, you know that the sap 
ought to be clean. But If the palls are not covered, the sap cannot 
be kept free from dust, leaves, pieces of wood, etc. Hence some In¬ 
genious fellow has made a cover for the sap pail, and the Curtis Steel 
Roofing Co., 57 Sigler St., Niles, O., make It. One of the good features 
of It Is its cheapness. 
Every one enjoys a sleigh ride, and the enjoyment Is always en¬ 
hanced by the consciousness of sitting In a handsome cutter. The 
matter of safety also enters into the pleasure of the ride. If one is 
afraid that the sleigh is going to pieces or will give out in some essen 
tlal part, the ride Is not thoroughly enjoyed. Hence It Is well In or¬ 
dering a cutter not only to get one that looks well, but also one that 
you can run into a stone wall or upset In a snow bank without being 
obliged to go to the shop for repairs. Now, the Kalamazoo Cutter and 
Sleigh Co., Kalamazoo, Mich., makes this kind of a cutter. Of course, 
you cannot run It through a grinding mill and have It come out 
whole; but it is well mace, of the best material, and will stand any 
reasonable knocking. Cheap, too. They will send catalogue free. 
