1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
73 
THE PROSPECT. 
Answer is given elsewhere in this issue to a question 
about experiments with fertilizers. One of the easiest 
and surest ways to test the value of a good fertilizer 
is to use it on meadows or pastures. Take a narrow 
strip right through the field and sow the fertilizer 
evenly over it. Then see where the cattle go to feed. 
The following letter from Mr. R. R. Walcott of 
Wethersfield, Conn., is an interesting contribution to 
the literature of dairy farming : 
I have had considerable experience In the use of qnlck-actlng fer¬ 
tilizers on meadows and pastures. Thou <h I have not taken the pains 
to measure plots to which 1 have applied fertilizers and to weigh the 
produce in comparison with similar ones without any application, 
still there has been Invariably such a dlflerence, I may say contrast, 
that I use more and more each year. I frequently tell my neighbors 
that It would be wise for them to appropriate, say, at least one week's 
Income from the dairy, yearly, for the purpose of making an applica¬ 
tion to the pasture, of some good fertilizer. Mv cow pasture consists 
of about 20 acres, and has been used as such for probably 200 years at 
least. For the last 25 years it has been my practice to make an appli¬ 
cation of at least a few bags of high grade fertilizer, sometimes a 
load or two of manure and usually what tobacco stalks come from 
three to live acres of tobacco, and the pasture will now keep 15 cows 
better than it used to keep live, lalso take an occasional bag and 
spread on my out pastures, and notice that the cattle Invariably show 
a great partiality to the portion which has been top-dressed, keeping 
It gnawed down much closer and smoother than the rest. In applying 
to meadows 1 have had very satisfactory results from 200 .o 400 pounds 
to the acre of a high-grade fertilizer. 
This is in accord with our own experience. We have 
always been able to tell where the fertilizer was put 
by the feeding of cattle. They find the best grazing 
where the fertilizer was put. This plan of using fer¬ 
tilizers to provide the raw materials for manufactur¬ 
ing stable manure is safe as well as scientific. There 
is no reason why the pasture should not be the richest 
part of the farm. | | 
We often receive letters from farmers who have 
been asked to buy grain or stock food that is new to 
them. The following note from Pennsylvania is a 
sample : 
There has been an agent around here Belling “Cotton-Seed Feed" at 
t 15 per ton. What do you think of It? lie did not have samples with 
him, but 1 agreed to take a half ton and am Inclined to think I am 
swindled. Inclosed is a circular of the stuff. 
The circular quotes a long list of analyses from Dr. 
E. II. Jenkins’s paper and also has a number of testi¬ 
monials from parties who have used this feed. It then 
goes on to describe “Cotton-Seed Feed” as follows : 
It Is a mechanical mixture of cotton-seed hulls and cotton-seed 
meal, the proportions being U ve pounds of hulls to one pound of meal, 
these proportions having been found by actual experlmeuts, and by 
chemical analysis, to be the proper complnatlon for these two feeds. 
Mixed by machinery that weighs the bulls and meal automatically, 
the exact proportion Is always obtained, and It Is much more reliable, 
mixed In this way, than when done by some Irresponsible farm hand. 
There is no cheating or deception about that. We 
know just what the feed is from that statement. The 
question is, will it pay Northern farmers to pay $15 a 
ton for it ? No one doubts the value of good cotton¬ 
seed meal if fed with ensilage or at pasture. The hulls 
are fed largely in the South with the meal. They are 
a waste product and take the place of hay or other 
coarse forage not always obtainable on Southern 
farms. These hulls, however, contain less digestible 
matter than either wheat or oat straw. As Prof. 
Cooke puts it, they have just about the same feeding 
value as ground corn cobs. Let the man who buys 
this feed understand that it is a mixture of 350 pounds 
of cotton-seed meal worth say $5 and 1,650 pounds of 
ground corn cobs. He will quickly see that bran, 
corn meal and hay are a good deal cheaper. 
t t t 
Every now and then we hear of a proposed com¬ 
mission to reform the patent laws, but somehow the 
reforming is never done. There is a general belief 
that patents are fair and just, because they give to in¬ 
ventors ample returns for the skill and care needed to 
study out new devices and also stimulate others to im¬ 
prove tools or machinery. Tre theory of that is cor¬ 
rect, but it happens that the inventor rarely gets what 
he deserves. It is more often the manufacturer who 
grows rich on the patent. During the discussion of 
the tariff on steel rails in the House, one manufacturer 
favored free trade because he said that would not in¬ 
terfere with his product. It turned out that he owned 
a number of patents which would give him ample 
protection even with no tariff at all. He could easily 
maintain his price and make a profit, because other 
manufacturers could not use the same machinery. In 
such a case it is hard to see why a patent tax is not as 
bad as a tariff tax. Something should be done to our 
patent laws to prevent extortion and at the same time 
give a fair reward to those who actually develop new 
and helpful ideas. j j j 
There was quite a fiurry in the House of Repre¬ 
sentatives the other day over the tariff on barley. The 
Wilson bill proposes to reduce the duty on this grain. 
It was claimed, as an argument in favor of the new 
tariff that the farmers of the United States cannot 
grow as good barley as is grown in Canada—conse¬ 
quently the imported article does not compete with 
ours and the tariff only makes the brewers pay more 
for the imported, or encourages them to make cheaper 
and poorer beer I As to the quality of American and 
Canadian barley The R. N.-Y. went all over that when 
the McKinley bill was first proposed. We printed 
statements from the leading chemists and brewers in 
the country. The chemists agreed that it is possible 
to grow just as good barley on this side of the line as 
is grown in Canada. In fact, the barley grown in 
California and Montana and along the Northwestern 
border is better suited for brewing than the Canadian 
article. As Prof. Francis Wyatt expressed it: “The 
inferiority of American to Canadian barley is a mere 
matter of tradition and prejudice.” 
X X X 
The long-delayed income tax proposition has at last 
been made public in the form of an internal revenue 
bill. It calls for a tax of two per cent on all incomes 
exceeding $4,000, and the same tax on the incomes of 
corporations and on the salaries of civil and military 
government ofiicials which exceed $4,000. The most 
interesting section of the bill is that detailing what 
constitutes an income. The following is taken from 
section 2 : 
la estimating the galn<', profits and Income of any person, there 
shall be included all Income derived from Interest upon notes, bonds 
and other securities, except such bonds of the United States as are by 
the law of their Issuance exempt from all Federal taxation; profits 
realized within the year from sales of real estate purchased within 
the year or wlihlntwo years previous to the year for which Income Is 
estimated; Interest received or accrued upon all notes, bonds, mort¬ 
gages, or other forms of Indebtedness bearing Interest, whether paid 
or not. If good and collectable, less the Interest which has become 
due from said person during the rear; the amount of all premium on 
bonds, notes or coupons; the amount of sales of live stock, sugar, 
wool, butter, cheese, pork, beef, mutton, or other meats, hay and 
grain, or other vegetable or other productions, being the growth or 
produce of the estate of such person, all other gains, profits and In¬ 
come derived from any source whatever. 
It is objected to this that while the salaried man and 
money lender pays a tax only on his income from in¬ 
vestments, the farmer is called upon to pay on all 
actual sales. Probably this was not the intent of those 
who framed the bill, but in actual practice that is 
what it would come to, and the various organizations 
formed for selling the products of the farm would be 
at a disadvantage. While an individual farmer’s sales 
might not reach $4,000, a combination of many farm¬ 
ers, for example, like that milk sellers’ un’on described 
last week, would be called upon to pay a large tax. 
Unless this bill is changed before its final passage, it 
will quite seriously interfere with combinations among 
farmers for the sale of farm products. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Thb Bicycle cultivator, made by S. Terry Hudson, Hlverhead, N. Y. 
Is an A No. I machine. 
Mr. C. W. HOAG, Waterford, N. J., Is one of the readers of The U. 
N.-Y. who believes In using It as a middleman—he has nursery stock. 
Mr. E. H. Smith, Lock Box 122, Salem, N. J., wants to hear from 
people who know a good thing when they see it. lie will find that 
there are lots of Rural readers of that stamp. His Keystone fence 
Is one of the good things too. 
All Thb Rural readers may not need fire arms of any kind, but 
those who do will want the best, especially when they can get them 
at prices consistent with the quality of the goods Uulbert Bros., 25 
West 23d Street, New York will send catalogue of anything you want 
In guns, rifles or revolvers. They will be found safe and reliable. 
There are several links In the chain of successful dairying, and If 
any one of the links Is defective, the chain Is weakened, and what 
might have been a success Is likely to become a failure. Good, pure 
salt Is one of the links, and to be sure this link is safe and strong, use 
Ashton’s. Is Is cheaper in many ways than other brands that cost a 
trlUe less per sack. Francis D. Moulton & Co., 29 Broadway, New York, 
are the selling agents. 
About a year ago the Joseph Dixon Crucible Co., of Jersey City, 
Issued a pamphlet on lubricating graphite. It embodied an elaborate 
scientific opinion by Prof R H. 'Fburston on the value of graphite as 
a lubricant, and much Interesting Information on the subject from 
practical men. The pamphlet has had a large circulation, and the 
company has been enabled to obtain from well-known men a vast 
amount of additional knowledge on the uses of graphite. Another 
pamphlet, twice the size of the former, will be Issued early In Febru¬ 
ary, and a copy will be sent free of charge to all Interested In the sub 
ject of friction and lubrication. 
We have had so many calls for the premium number, that the supply is exhausted, but for the 
benefit of those who are now raising clubs, as well as for those who intend to do so, we give below 
A y y^ ^ brief summary of the premiums that have not yet been called for. There is big money in these 
JlL premiums for any one who wants the goods, but if you prefer cash for the work of getting up a 
~ club, write us, and we will give you good wages for what you do for us in this direction. The 
Rural New-Yorker is the easiest paper in the country to get subscriptions for now, as it gives more value for ONE DOLLAR 
than any other. Write for sample copies or any information wanted. 
The Morgan Spading Harrow—For a 
Club of 60. 
Barden’s Automatic Cream Separator 
—For a Club of 40. 
The Aspinwall Potato Planter—For a 
Club of 100. 
The Hallock Improved Potato Digger 
—For a Club of 40. 
The Cyclone Seeder—For a Club of 7. 
Cyclone Dust Collector—For a Club of 10 
The Sherwood Steel Harness—For a 
Club of 25. 
Three Tons of Mapes Fertilizers—For 
a Club of 50. 
Farr’s Elevated Milk Aerator—For a ' 
Club of 12. I 
The Rochester Badiator—For a Club * 
of 12. I 
The Rocker "Washer—For a Club of 12. ^ 
The Flexible Flyer Sled—For a Club < 
. of 12, I 
The Syracuse Level Cultivator—For a ■ 
Club of 20. < 
The Acme Pulverizing H a r r o w— ^ 
For a Club of 30, f 
Stevens Sure Shot Gun — For a , 
Club of 20. !' 
Small Fruits—For a Club of 20. / 
\ Peaches, Plums and Q,uinces—For a 
' Club of 20. 
) Apples Pears and Cherries—For a Club 
' of 20. 
) 
) The Mary Jane Dish Washer— For a 
[ Club of 10. 
' Great Western Feed Steamer and 
! Tank Heater—For a Club of 50. 
I Billings Corn Planter and Fertilizer 
Distributer—For a Club of 40. 
A Baby Tread Power—For a Club of 100 
The Aspinwall Potato Cutter — For a 
Club of 15. \ 
A Buckeye Mower—For a Club of 100. ' 
The Mrs. Van Duzen Cake Molds — \ 
For a Club of 3 < 
The Young Giant Fanning Mill—For / 
a Club of 30. J 
The Rival Lawn Mower — For a ' 
Club of 12. ^ 
The Belle City Feed Cutter—For a Club 
of 40. ^ 
Small’s Calf Feeder—For a Club of 5. < 
The Champion Milk Cooler—For a Club ( 
of 12. j 
Parlor Oil Heater—For a Club of 5, ) 
The Zephaniah Breed Weeder and Cul- i 
tivator—For a Club of 30. ' 
The Red Jacket Potato Sprayer—For a 
Club of 40. 
Quaker City Grinding Mill—For a Club 
of 75. 
Gem Clover Cutter—For a Club of 6 
The People’s H. S. Knitting Machine 
—For a Club of 20. 
Hoover Potato Sorter and Sprouter— 
For a Club of 20. 
Lane’s Patent Door Hanger—For a 
Club of 8. 
A Columbia Bicycle—For a Club of 80. 
Fine Silk Umbrella—For Clubs of 5 & 8 
Dodge’s Milk Strainer—For a Club of 6. 
The Niagara Hydraulic Ram—For a 
Club of 20. I 
Mathews’ Combined Drill, Cultivator ' 
and Hoe—For a Club of 30. I 
The Kelly Duplex Feed Mill—For a j 
Club of 75. < 
The Swift Coffee Mill—For a Club of 8. | 
Osborne Lever Set Harrow—For a Club < 
of 30. ‘ 
The Louden Hay Sling—For a Club of < 
25. I 
The Lambert Plow Coulter—For a Club < 
of 7. ( 
A Carving Set—For a Club of 8 < 
Mann’s Simplex Bone Cutter—For a 
Club of 15. 
The Rochester Lamp—For a Club of 8. 
The Eclipse Corn Planter—For a Club 
of 35. 
A Jersey Bull, Meridale Majestic—For 
a Club of 150. 
The Acme Washer—For a Club of 15. 
New Universal Adjustable Arch Hand 
Double Wheel Hoe Cultivator and 
Plow Combined—For a Club of 18. 
Crystal Creamery—For a Club of 40. 
Pontiac Weed Slayer—For a Club of 5. 
The Eclipse Egg Carrier—ITor a Club 
of 4. 
The Perfection Meat Cutter—For a Club 
of 5. 
The U. S. Cook Stove Drier—For a Club 
of K. 
A Cup of Coffee—For a Club of 3. 
Mann’s Bone Cutter—B’or a Club of 40. 
The Ohio Fodder Cutter—For a Club of 
40. 
Fruit, Wine and Jelly Press—For a 
Club of 7. 
Frank Wilson Bone Mill—For a Club 
of 35. 
Hot Water Brooder—For a Club of 25. 
