1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
3oi 
THE PROSPECT. 
Secretary Morto^t has put an end to the experi¬ 
ments in “ rainmaking ” that were carried out by the 
agricultural department two years ago. While these 
government tests will be given up, we are informed 
that several of the railroad companies operating in 
the far West, will continue to experiment in this line. 
As these railroad companies are deeply interested in 
making the lands near their roads productive, it is 
greatly to their interests to secure a water supply. 
They may well test any remedy for drought, however 
desperate it may seem. ^ 
In Kansas and other Western States, the chinch bug 
is an awful pest. Whole fields of grain are ruined by 
it. As we have before now stated. Prof. Suow of the 
University of Kansas has discovered a way of killing 
off these bugs by spreading an infectious disease 
among them. Bugs affected with the disease are put 
in the field and these infect the others. This has now 
been done for several years, and so successfully that 
we 8 re now told that the Commissioners of some 
counties have employed persons to make a business of 
applying the infection. Prof. Snow has arranged a 
short course of instruction so that young men and 
others may learn how to use the remedy to the best 
advantage. The chinch bug is a public enemy and we 
see no reason why it should not be fought by the 
public. Surely it does more harm than a human thief. 
ft 
Recently we gave figures showing the amount of 
liquor consumed by Americans in 1893. It is always 
claimed by some persons that the liquor business pro¬ 
vides a fine market for grain. Without it we are told 
prices would be much lower. Let’s see about that. 
Here is a table showing the actual grain used in mak- 
ing distilled liquors in 1893, and the total crops for 
the same year : 
Quantity used for Total crop, 
liquor, basil. bush. 
Wheat. 97.070 3!)).131,725 
Nye. 5,521,202 26,555,440 
Corn. 19,770,550 1,6:9,496,131 
Oats. 13,516 618,854 850 
Now don’t you see what a fraud that claim is ? But a 
mere handful of the grain crop was used in making 
liquor. It did not affect the selling price of grain at 
all, and yet think of the wonderful profit to the 
distillers and the amount of harm in the whisky 
made from the grain. ^ 
American farmers do not begin to value basic or 
Thomas slag as it is valued abroad. We have often 
stated that this substance is a residue in the smelting 
of iron ore. The phosphorus in the ore unites with 
lime to form a phosphate which is-ground to a fine 
powder. In Germany and France, this substance is 
very largely used. In fact, thousands of farmers there 
use nothing but slag, kainit and green manures like 
clover and peas. They thus obtain very cheap fertil¬ 
ity, and while their crops may not be of the largest, 
they may be cheap when cost and price are considered. 
Speaking of this, it is well to say that no general rule 
can be given for the buying of fertilizers. One man 
may be so situated that potash and phosphoric acid in 
ordinary forms may serve his purpose. It may pay 
him to use them but sparingly. Another may find it 
profitable to buy large quantities of nitrogen. That 
is where good judgment and good understanding of 
the fertilizer question come in. Without them the 
man who needs nitrogen may think he can get along 
without it and vice versa. 
There has been considerable argument about the 
effect of free trade on the price of coal. Thera are 
large deposits of coal in Nova Scotia. The mines are 
easily worked and near to the sea. It is estimated 
that with free trade coal could be landed in Boston, 
Mass., at per ton. Ou the other hand, the cost of 
West Virginia coil in Boston is $3 07 per ton. The 
extra cost is largely made up by freight rates. Free 
coal therefore would be a great boon to New England 
manufacturers. Farmers and market gardeners near 
the large New England towns also use large quantities 
of coal in their hothouses. On the other hand, the 
loss of freight to the railroads would be serious, par¬ 
ticularly as it would mean loss of work to thousands 
of employees. ^ 
By way of England, we learn the following about 
Canadian eggs : 
The uncertainty reftardlng the date when egfss will be admitted 
free Into the United States under the reformed tariff, is causing 
anxiety amongst Canadian egg dealers, for should the change come 
into force this spring, American buyers would compete with Canadian 
shippers to England and elsewhere, for the most desirable pan of the 
crop. It Is argued that should Canadian eggs be eventually admitted 
across the United States frontier without duty, the neiv trade which 
has been opened between Canada and Great Biltaln will come to an 
end, and all the money expended by Canadian shippers In cultivating 
It will have been to no purpose. 
Unless the Senate puts on a little more steam soon, 
the egg question will not be settled before next spring. 
We would be sorry to have the money of these Can¬ 
adian shippers wasted ! Our American hens are fully 
able to wait on the American egg market. If the 
Canadians want to do us a friendly act, let them spend 
more money to develop that English trade and let our 
market alone. That would be rough on the English 
hens, though. ^ 
An extensive handler of Southern produce who has 
just returned from a trip through the South, told the 
writer that we need expect no Georgia peaches this 
year. The blizzard the last week in March killed 
them. It has also killed most other fruits in that 
part of the country, as well as the watermelons. The 
watermelons were all up finely through that section, 
but they were all killed. “I saw one field of 700 acres 
that was completely ruined. The owner immediately 
began replanting, though, and the crop will come on, 
perhaps a couple of weeks later than would the first 
planting. Many of them probably will not replant. 
The trees were all fully leaved out, and were frozen 
so that it looked afterwards as though a fire had 
passed through. The thermometer was down to 18 
degrees. It was a severe blow to that section, and we 
need expect no fruit of any account this year until we 
get it from the orchards of Delaware or Maryland j 
even these are badly injured.” 
* 
Advocates of woman’s suffrage in New York State 
are making a hard fight to influence the coming con¬ 
stitutional convention to suggest the necessary change 
in the State constitution. There are some women 
who oppose the change. They say that women have 
more duties now than they can properly attend to 
without asking more rights. They also claim that be¬ 
cause men do not insist on doing woman’s work 
woman should not seek to rob men of their voting 
privilege. These people should go on and tell us by 
what law or right man claims the exclusive privilege 
of voting. His man suffrage proved such a complete 
success that nothing more is needed ? The liquor busi¬ 
ness and dozens of other evils have assumed gigantic 
proportions in spite of man and his boasted power. 
In fact, the strongest argument in favor of woman’s 
suffrage is the fact that men are now divided politically 
on such strong partisan lines that they cannot fairly 
handle moral questions. Some new influence is needed 
in politics and good women alone can supply this. 
* 
In one of the railroad yards in .Tersey City are a 
couple of cars got up to advertise a county in Califor¬ 
nia. They are filled with the attractively displayed 
products of that fruitful country, comprising the 
fruits and other agricultural products of both the tem¬ 
perate and more Southern climates. There are the 
different kinds of peaches, plums, grapes, etc., with 
which we are familiar in our Eastern markets ; then 
there are many different kinds of oranges, etc., which 
we seldom see in this market. A white orange, al¬ 
though not so attractive in appearance as the golden 
globes to which we are accustomed, is said to be of 
much better quality. The lemons are mammoth in 
size, and some of the clusters of grapes are immense. 
A sugar beet two or three feet in length and of pro¬ 
portionate size shows the possibilities of the State 
in the production of sugar. Some white onions would 
rival those from Spain. A sheaf of oats standing 
erect towered more than a foot above the head of a 
six-foot man. Taken altogether, the exhibition shows 
the possibilities of the fertile soil and excellent cli¬ 
mate combined with intelligent cultivation and man¬ 
agement. ^ 
BUSINESS BITS. 
.Teh.sey cattle, Cheshire swine and poultry are offered by R. I). 
Button, Cottons, N. Y. You can get his catalOKue free. 
When a shower is comlnsr up or a rainy day threatens the hay 
maker or (frain harvester, it Is a;pretty jjood thlnK to have some water¬ 
proof caps to cover the hay or irraln In the Held. The National 
Waterproof Fibre Co.. 36 South Street, New York, furnish an excellent 
cap for the purpose, and cheap too. The same firm will furnish 
awnlnirs for the house. 
We learn that the P'armers’ Seed Co., of Chicago, 111 , will remove 
Its offices and warerooms this month to Faribault, Minn., where their 
seed farm Is located. Being growers themselves, this house can fur¬ 
nish choice seeds from northern latitudes, and It must be an advant¬ 
age to their customers ns well as to themselves to have the offices and 
supply rooms within easy reach of the Helds on which the seeds are 
grown. 
No dairyman, whether making butter or selling milk, should be 
without a milk cooler and aerator. The cost of a cooler Is compara¬ 
tively trifling, and little time Is required to do the work, and the re¬ 
sults In quality and keeplng'propert es are so favorable and apparent 
that, once having used a cooler, one will never be without It. The 
Star Milk Cooler Co., lladdonffeld, N. J., make a good one, and will 
send catalogue free on application. 
Evkky farmer and villager must have good reliable vehicles and 
harness for work and pleasure. Quality and price are what count, 
and every shrewd buyer will buy where he can get the beet goods for 
the least money. These two Important qualities have been the prime 
factors In directing thousands of orders the past year to the Alliance 
Carriage Company, of Cincinnati, O. They claim to have sold more 
goods In 1801 than any other carriage factory In the world. If yon 
have not already sent for their catalogue ‘‘D” you can have It for 
the asking. 
The advantages of using genuine white lead for painting surfaces, 
especially Iron work, says the English Mechanic, have been known 
for years, but an Instance mentioned by Sir William Arrol will serve 
to Impress the fact on the memory. Some years ago he purchased the 
materials of old Hammersmith Bridge for the purpose of using a por¬ 
tion In erecting a temporary plant at one of his large undertaklrgs. 
The Iron work had been In position 62 years, and many of the parts, 
owing to Inaccessibility, had not been painted since they were placed 
In position. Finding them In so remarkable a state of preservation 
Sir William Arrol had some of the paint analyzed, when It was found 
to be genuine white lead. 
Ai.FiiEn Peats, the wall paper merchant, states that be sold, direct 
to consumers In the year 1893, over 2,500,0.0 rolls of wall paper. If 
placed end to end these rolls would make a continuous strip 11,000 
miles long, or enough paper to encircle the whole of the UnKed States. 
It was shipped to every State and Territory in the United States. 
This success Is the result of two busloesss prlnc ples,'"first, “advertise 
Judiciously,” and second, “live up to your advertisements.” Upon 
receipt of 10 cents to pay postage this house will send samples of new, 
artist c, yet inexpenslre wail paper to any address, and accompany 
them with a pamphlet on economy In home decoration and fuil in¬ 
structions how to hacg paper. Their prices are about what the local 
dealer has to pay at wholesale, and their patterns are always of the 
latest style. 
Going: to Build this Year ? 
THEN SEND FOR SAMPLES OF 
Roofs Don’t Leak 
WHEN THEY ARE COVERED WITH 
'lis for Roofs, Sides and Walls, for Houses, Barns, Henhouses, Greenhouses, Hotbeds, Haystacks, Wagon Covers, Etc., Etc. 
SAMPLES 
AND FULL INFORMATION 
FREE. 
It is absolutely the best thing out. WATER-PROOF, FROST-PROOF, SNOW- 
PROOF and VERMIN-PROOF. Costs very much less than Shingles and wears as well. 
’Tis just as good for walls as it is for roofs, and better than anything else for both. 
Makes splendid back plaster. NAILS WITH EACH ROLL. All Hardware 
Dealers, Lumber Merchants and Country Stores should have it in stock. 
WRITE AT 
ONCE TO 
F. W. BIRD & SON, 
Sole Manufacturers, 
EAST WALPOLE, MASS. 
Avoid all 
IMITATIONS 
They are Similar in Color, 
BCT 
The Quality is Not There. 
FARMERS NEED IT. 
f. ■ '; f I 
POULTRYMEN MUST HAVE IT 
