5i6 
May 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker 
Cor. ChamberB and Pearl Sts ., New York. 
Natiaaal Weakly Joarnal for Country and Suburban Homat, 
HLBBBT B. CABMAN, Hdltor-ln-Cblof. 
UBBBEBT W. COLLINGWOOD, Manaftlng Editor 
JOHN J. DILIiON, Business ManaKer, 
Copyrighted 1H94, 
Address all business oommunloatlons and make all orders pay¬ 
able to THE BUBAL NEW-TOBKEB. 
Be sure that the name and address of sender, with name of Post 
office and State, and what the remittance Is for, appear In every letter. 
Money orders and bank drafts on New Tork are the safest means of 
transmlttlnK money. 
SATURDAY, MAY W, 1894. 
Prop. I. P. Robebts is now in California. He will 
prepare for The R. N.-Y. a series of articles on 
Western agriculture, irrigation, etc. The first one 
will appear next week. ^ 
So much has been written and spoken about Crim¬ 
son clover that we purpose to get the facts by going 
to see it on its “ native heath ” in Delaware and Mary¬ 
land. We shall try to learn just what its value and 
its limitations are. ^ 
Does heavy soil require humus more than light soil? 
Mr. Hallock thinks it is not a necessity on their rather 
light, sandy soil. It may not be so necessary to keep 
such soils in a friable condition, but will it not prove 
of great benefit to them ? Why and for what is humus 
needed, anyway? ^ 
The telegraph celebrated its 50th anniversary last 
week ! There are to-day 2,000,000 miles of telegraph 
wire in the world besides 150,000 miles of submarine 
cables. Yet the telegraph is destined to be still 
further developed and the next 10 years will witness 
an immease extension of it—particularly in the coun¬ 
try districts. ^ 
OuB friend on page 311 regrets that he did not plant 
10 acres of chestnuts when he put out one tree 25 years 
ago. Events have proved the value of that one tree, 
but does its performance fairly measure the probable 
income from 10 acres ? Will such reasoning justify the 
present young farmer of 25 in figuring on the value of 
a chestnut grove a quarter of a century hence ? 
» • 
What about chestnut culture ? Suppose there is 
some idle land on your farm suited to the growth of 
this crop. If you should plant it to improved varieties 
of chestnuts, the chances are that in 10 years it would 
pay nearly as well as an apple orchard. Left un¬ 
touched, the land would only depreciate in value. The 
question is, would the chestnuts cost as much as the 
same area in apples, or how much less ? 
« 
The old theory of the judiciary was that courts 
could do no wrong, and were, consequently, above 
criticism and reproach. Judged by some of their acts, 
however, this is a fallacy, and they have made them¬ 
selves supremely ridiculous. A recent instance of this 
is in Florida where the courts have decided that prize 
fighting is legal and must not be interfered with by 
the police, but have convicted of a felony a picture 
dealer who sold to a willing customer a copy of a 
famous painting, on the ground that it was an improper 
picture. Consistency thou art a jewel. 
« 
A Jersey City school principal has been summarily 
dismissed from the service because he didn’t pay his 
debts. This is as it should be. Of all men (and women, 
too), the teacher of youth should be farthest above re¬ 
proach. It isn’t simply that he neglects or refuses to 
pay, but it is his moral status as indicated by his 
neglect. Certain railroads will not retain in their 
employ, men who do not pay their debts, because such 
men are not to be trusted, and may prove recreant to 
other trusts. The same test is a good one to apply to 
men in other lines of work. 
The use of a wheel hoe for dropping fertilizer (see 
page 322), is in line with what we have said about 
double uses for tools. Large grain drills are used for 
broadcasting fertilizers—why not small ones ? There 
are other possibilities for the wheel hoe, too. At the 
Michigan Agricultural College it is used to make what 
is called a “ hopperette.” This is a sheet-iron pan 
16x20 inches with sides and back four inches high. 
The front is open and a notch 4x6 inches is cut in the 
front edge. This pan is smeared inside with tar and 
fastened to the front of a wheel hoe. When pushed 
along, with the notch over the row of young plants, 
flea beetles and other jumping insects are knocked 
back and held in the tar. That is the end of them. 
We have little respect for any reader of The R. N.- 
Y. who continues to ship produce to Stephen H. Hayt, 
after what we have said about his way of doing busi¬ 
ness. Nor can we feel much sorrow for those who 
lose money by shipping to other men like him, when 
there are reputable men selling goods on commission. 
When a man makes you great promises and offers 
higher prices than anybody else, you may put him 
down as a fraud 9 times out of 10. We wish to add 
that the firm known as “Hayt & Company” is the 
same hateful old Hayt. 
♦ 
We have, this week, an interesting comparison of 
the relative values of fertilizers and manure. The in¬ 
stances in which it is safe to advise a man to make a 
complete change from manure to fertilizer, are rare. 
A man should feel his way in such a change. A good 
way is to test 325 worth of the fertilizer against 325 
worth of manure on equal areas, and observe the 
crop that follows as well as those grown this year. 
Also use 310 worth of manure against 35 worth each 
of manure and fertilizer. Wherever improved farm¬ 
ing is attempted and fertility must be purchased in 
some form, it will pay to test the value of a dollar in¬ 
vested in fertilizers. ^ 
A BILL before the Massachusetts legislature provides 
that there shall be no decorations on the sides of 
buildings with advertising letters over 10 inches long. 
The object of this is to prevent the broad-side-of-the- 
barn advertisements of patent medicines. In the 
Eastern States, this habit of blazoning the merits of 
tobacco or “ bitters” over the barns and fences is 
getting to be a big public nuisance. It seems as if a 
farmer ought to have enough self-respect to keep such 
things off his buildings. It is hard to see, however, 
how the law can interfere with such a practice unless 
it can be shown that such signs injure the value of 
adjoining property. We believe they do, in some cases. 
« 
We have received the following letter from Ephraim 
W. Bull, originator of the Concord grape : 
Your esteemed favor of May .S. Inclosing check for f.W.SO 
contributed by the readers of The Kuual Nkw-Yokkeu, 
In kindly recognition of my labors In Improving our native 
grapes, evokes my heartfelt gratitude to you and to them 
for your kind wishes for my comfort and happiness. 
I have raised several seedlings from the mother vine 
which, If I can trust my own judgment, being of fine 
quality and ripening early, abundant crops-several of 
them In August—will be found acquisitions. I will write 
you further about them when I have gotten over the 
planting season, and hope to send you samples when we 
come to the harvest. 
Again, I thank you for your goodness. I shall keep the 
record of the contributors, and hold them In grateful 
remembrance. ei’hbaim w. huli. 
Concord, Mass. 
We shall be glad to learn more about these seedlings 
from the original Concord vine. What a chance for 
some nurseryman to provide a fortune for himself and 
comforts for Mr. Bull by introducing one of these 
seedlings! In the meantime—tell us where your con¬ 
tribution to the “gratitude fund” is! 
ft 
The cheapest plant-food of which we have ever 
heard, is the cat fertilizer used on grapes by a man in 
the suburbs of Brooklyn. He has a small yard in 
which grows a good grape vine. The great trouble 
with gardening in these little back yards is the army 
of cats which prowl about at night and trample and 
dig up flowers and vegetables. Our friend concluded 
to make the cats useful. Death is the only useful 
combination with a cat—death to vermin or to itself. 
Half a dozen of the loudest howlers were killed and 
planted near the grape vine. That vine ia now the 
pride and admiration of the neighborhood. The trade 
value of a pound of nitrogen in dried blood is said to 
be about 16 cents. The nitrogen in cat is just as valu¬ 
able but costs nothing—in a city back yard. 
« 
Connecticut is a great manufacturing State. In¬ 
dustry in manufacturing has been developed until the 
small shop of 40 years ago has almost disappeared— 
passed under the roof of the great central factory. 
From the facts concerning that great market garden 
printed on our first page, it appears that gardening is 
following somewhat in the footsteps of manufactur¬ 
ing. Here we have the crops of 100 gardens produced 
from one, at a vast saving of labor, land, money and 
time. The point is that this great saving has been 
made possible by the same general influences that 
have made the great factory more economical than 
the dozens of small shops that it superseded. We are 
not discussing now the question as to whether this 
concentration of forces has been a good thing for the 
farmers and workingmen who have lost their former 
labor. The lesson is that, in these times, about the 
only successful farmers are those so situated that 
they can develop and extend their calling on the gen¬ 
eral principles that have given strength to manu¬ 
facturing, viz.: concentration of labor, cheapening of 
cost and the ability to fairly control the markets. 
♦r 
Notice how Mr. Farnham’s gardening business dif¬ 
fers from that of Mr. Hallock described in past years. 
The latter grows only such crops as prove profitable. 
If actual figures show that a crop sells for less than it 
cost, that crop is dropped. Mr. F. grows a variety so 
that he can supply his customers with anything they 
want. He is also able to market by wagon while Mr. 
Hallock sends all his produce by steamer. 
• 
Answers are requested to the following statement: 
will The B. N.-Y. publlsli a number of representative statements 
of the rate of wages paid farm help In various places and under 
stated conditions ? No farm hands are to be had here. Laborers get 
20 cents per hour. One farmer retains a lad that grew up with him, 
and pays him 1200 per year and board. A 16-year-old boy applied to 
me for a job. I offered 16 a week, 6:30 A, ,vi to 6 p. m., and chores Sun¬ 
day a. m. He stood for 10 hours, and refused single day’s work at 10 
cents per hour—and board himself, of course. Ue wanted 15 cents 
per hour, and was very green at farm work. E. L. 8. 
Cape Cod, Mass. 
How do these figures compare with the wages paid in 
your section ? Have wages for farm hands fallen off 
in anything like the proportion of shrinkage in prices 
obtained for farm produce ? 
* 
BREVITIES. 
llans brought his fortune on his back. 
Down at the bottom of his pack. 
Wrapped In a bag beside his shirt 
lie kept two quarts of German dirt. 
Brought from his own loved Fatherland, 
And with his hard and clumsy band 
A rose he planted In It—then 
He said, the happiest of men, 
" I prlng dot soli mlt Chermanle 
To dake me pack mlt memory 
Dot roze from Cherman soli he grow 
Der true Amerlgan—dot’s sol” 
So may the swarming hordes that come 
From Fatherland to find a home. 
Boot like the rose In memory 
Of all things good across the sea 
Yet grow to noblest type of man 
Worthy the name-.Imerifan.' 
FitiED chicken Is fowl fare. 
Leave a good Held for turnips. 
But partof the “self” on the shelf. 
Mil. GUUNDY Is an antl-Shaffer man. 
Stand at good speed for the right. 
It takes a strong woman for a week's wash. 
There is strong V toe power in a tight shoe. 
Chestnuts at one cent each soon earn a dollar. 
“ Died in the wooll” The tick on the dipped sheep. 
The flavor of butter Is a roamer—It will soon get out. 
Give the setting plant as much care as the setting hen. 
What are the objections to kerosene in the dish water? 
Ever know a man to pull himself down by “ lending a hand” ? 
h IRST radish 24 days from planting the seed. Can you beat It? 
You can feed 100 hens on the food required to feed a large horse! 
There are lots of ills besides flea beetles that are afraid of soap. 
Did you ever obtain more than three good crops of clover from one 
seeding? 
Good deeds are In their infancy till they get out of fancy Into 
practice. 
There Is a boom for pure milk. What are you doing to take advan¬ 
tage of It? 
Why does the roughness on a cow’s tongue stand wear better than 
her teeth? 
Dried muck will murder that mortgage of yours If you will let your 
crops get at it. 
It’s easy to lean on the hoe, I confess, but U never will earn thegood 
woman a dress. 
Aiavays behind—the man who can’t tell when an experiment be¬ 
comes a necessity. 
Dr. Koch, discoverer of tuberculin, may be called a German by 
birth and a germ man by vocation. 
Cow manure Is awfully cold stuff for gardening. Fortunately, fer¬ 
tilizers will act as kindling to warm It up 
Let your sklm-mllk get about as sour as cream, and then churn It 
20 minutes. You will then have buttermilk 1 
When eggs are “salted down.” it Is a good thing to turn the package 
over every day or so. That will keep the yolks in place. 
Make the garden play double this year. Follow every early crop 
with a later one. Why not grow something good between the rows as 
well as weeds? 
The Oregon Station people tell us of cabbage seed planted August 
25. The plants were transplanted October 9. Tney survived the win¬ 
ter—twice covered with snow—and headed June 4, 
Prop. SNOW of Kansas states that a single healthy female chinch 
bug may be mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to 32,500,00(1 
bugs In a single season. We call that a great bug barei 
There are some men who seem to pocket a bit of their soul with 
every dollar they save. The result Is that when they get a full 
pocket, they are empty of the motive to do good with their money. 
No man yet reached the limit of production In a small garden. It 
Is a matter of plant-food, water, culture and healthy plants, and In at 
least two of these items, we have no hope of reaching the top In our 
generation. 
In France dairymen have developed a scheme for keeping milk in 
shipment. The milk Is placed In alr-tlght cans and charged with 
oxygen. It may then be safely shipped long distances-the gas being 
let off just before sale. 
A “ BOSOM shirt’’ with no collar and the deposits of a week’s dust, 
Is about as far removed from neatness and comfort as one can 
Imagine. It Is one of the greatest mysteries of agriculture, why a 
workman will wear such a shirt In preference to one of light flannel. 
Mr. O. W. Mapes claims that his eggs now cost only six cents per 
dozen. They sell at 18 cents. That means 20(f per cent proflt. In 
winter, suppose the cost reaches 1~}4 cents and the price 35—or 100 per 
cent profit. Which Is the more profitable business? There’s a prob¬ 
lem for you! 
