396 
June ^3 
TIIK RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Til K 
Rural New-Yorker 
Cor. Ohambera and FearL Sta ., ^ew York. * 
Weakly Joarnal for Country and Suburban Hamas. 
BLBEKT 8. CABMAN, Bdltor-ln-Cblef. 
naUBKBT W. COLLINGWOOD, ManaKln« Editor 
JOHN J. DHAiON, Buslnees ManaRer, 
Vopvfinhted 1H94. 
Address all business oommunloatlons and make all orders pay¬ 
able to TUB BUBAL, NKW-TOBKEB. 
Be sure that the name and address of sender, with name of Post 
ofiloe and State, and what the remittance is for, appear In every letter. 
Money orders and bank drafts on New York are the safest means of 
transmlttlnR money. 
SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 1894. 
SuproSK you think this question over, Mr. Parmer; 
Do you treat your hired man with so much considera¬ 
tion that you are justified in finding fault with the 
way miners or other workers are treated ? Are you 
fairer than a monopolist ? 
* 
You are invited to read and think over the article 
on page 402 by an old friend, “Gold Bug Farmer.” 
As he puts it, what would jou think of a man in 
another profession who is guided in all his actions by 
a desire to make more money? Let’s hear. 
* 
Let us consider the following problem: Let x=qual- 
ity, ]/=quantity, 2 =the difference between the common 
market price and the price for A No. 1 goods. Let b= 
the increased cost of producing x. Now is z x greater 
than h ? Get your hooks out and supply the figures and 
find out the value of blood in your produce. 
* 
The chief argument against woman’s suffrage is 
that it is a bad plan to increase the number of electors 
who are not well informed as to laws and duties of 
voters. We have no doubt women will agree to sub¬ 
mit to any qualification that may be applied to men— 
whether it be on the score of intelligence or the ability 
to pay their debts and behave themselves generally. 
« 
The dressed meat trade seriously interfered with the 
old business of fattening live stock brought from the 
West. It will not do, however, to say that this industrial 
change has entirely killed the fattening business. There 
is another kind of live stock still to be fattened at a 
profit by those who understand the business. We 
refer to the summer boarder. There is an opening for 
you to feed your farm produce to good advantage. 
* 
It is said that horse meat sells in Paris at an average 
of 16 cents a pound—against 40 for beef. Every horse 
must be examined by a veterinary surgeon before it 
is slaughtered for food. The French tariff keeps out 
American dressed meats and thus makes high retail 
prices. This is one reason why the trade in horse 
meat fiourishes. This meat tariff is said to benefit the 
large French landowners almost exclusively, as they 
hold almost all the land that is used for grazing. 
* 
The children in the Rochester, N. Y., public schools 
recently had an interesting contest. Prizes were 
offered for the student and the school which could 
collect the greatest number of cocoons of the tent 
•caterpillars. One school actually collected 4,291,489 of 
these cocoons. Some expert has figured out that that 
means the destruction of 7,500,000,000 eggs I The 
pupils who collected these cocoons received handsome 
prizes, and they were deserved. This is an excellent 
way to interest the children in a useful work. 
* 
We notice, in English papers, advice to use bone in 
“inch pieces” for renewing meadows and pastures. 
This coarse bone is scattered over the field and rolled 
in with a heavy roller. One curious objection is that 
large birds often carry • the bone away. Possibly in 
moist sections such coarse bone might give fair results, 
but for American agriculture the bone should be fine. 
It is a question whether soluble phosphoric acid from 
dissolved rock or boneblack will show any superior 
results, on ordinary grass, to fine ground bone. 
* 
About this time of the year we hear much about 
“Fresh Air Funds” and other schemes for giving 
poor city children a run in the country. Many city 
people contribute money for this purpose, but farmers 
are always expected to open their homes and take the 
little ones in. This is the hardest part of the work. 
Somehow the farmer is always supposed to be a man 
of such broad and liberal ideas that he stands ready 
to welcome any and all visitors. Now a great many 
city people own cottages or homes in the country. 
They are better able than are hard-working farmers 
to care for a dozen or so of these little city waifs. 
Why do they not carry out their own suggestions and 
take the children to their own homes ? It is plainly 
more their duty than it is the duty of farmers. We 
would like very much to have a discussion on this 
point—particularly from those who have taken these 
city children into their homes. 
« 
Mobe about irrigation this week. That scheme for 
the Michigan farm, page 393, is well worth thinking 
about. There are some advantages in this over the 
windmill and tank plan. It would give warm water 
direct from the creek, and the water would be on tap 
at any time the horse power was started. Some of 
these modern farming schemes may seem wild and 
strange to older farmers, but it is through the devel¬ 
opment of such ideas that future farming is to be made 
profitable. ^ 
A GOOD many experiments have been made with 
mulching strawberry plants to retard the season of 
fruiting. We have just heard of one such experiment 
that was highly successful. The mulch was kept on 
the iplants very late. When uncovered, these plants 
were far behind the others. They kept behind them 
all through the season, fruiting from 10 days to two 
weeks later. In this way one can obtain a long suc¬ 
cession of berries from the same variety or retard the 
entire crop so as to avoid the usual glut in the market. 
tt 
Two weeks ago, you remember, we had a note from 
a hired man who wanted a good job. He offered 
faithful service in exchange for fair treatment and 
wages. We made a test case of this matter as we 
wanted to see if 'I he R. N.-Y. could not help bring the 
better class of hired men to the notice of fair employ¬ 
ers. More than a dozen letters have already come 
from farmers who say they want to hire just such a 
man as “W. W.” described himself to be. The point 
seems to be settled that The R. N.-Y. is a good middle- 
mau for advertising one’s ability and need of a job. 
IT 
The Connecticut Station has been overhauling some 
of the “cattle powders” which are warranted to cure 
all sick animals. Among others is the “ Silver Live 
Stock Powder.” We are told in the circulars praising 
this food that “ Formerly when an animal was sick, 
the first thing to know was the name of the disease 
and then to find a remedy.” The introduction of this 
food seems to have upset this good old practice for, 
with this great remedy, all you have to do is to buy a 
package and feed it. The Station finds that this stuff 
“ consists essentially of ground bone having a dark 
color and a slight odor of tar !” 
A VERY convenient, and certainly a very durable, 
tomato support was noticed in front of a hardware 
store. It was on the same principle of those some¬ 
times seen, a barrel hoop supported on crotched sticks 
around the plant. It is, however, made of a heavy, gal¬ 
vanized wire hoop, supported by several wire pins 
clasping it, the latter to be thrust into the ground. It 
is very neat and tasty, but one equally serviceable 
may be cheaply made at home from heavy fence wire. 
The vine thus supported will ripen its fruit much 
cleaner and better than when allowed to sprawl all 
over the surface. The support, too, is practically in¬ 
destructible if properly cared for when not in use. 
« 
Among The R. N.-Y.’s list of agricultural frauds 
must be classed the Boston man who keeps writing 
articles to show that soda will fully take the place of 
potash in fertilizers. His latest effort is a long article 
to prove the cheapness of nitrate of soda. He values 
the soda at cents a pouifd, deducts that value from 
the selling price, and calls the balance the actual cost 
of the nitrogen. It would be a blessing if this state¬ 
ment were true, but it is not, and this man ought to 
know it. Why do the papers print his stuff ? They 
make themselves responsible for a fraud on the farm¬ 
ers, for many will believe this foolish statement that 
soda will replace potash in their fertilizers, and will 
thus fail to secure a crop. 
• 
One of the most remarkable developments of late 
years is that of the dairy industry in Australia. 
During the past season the colony of Victoria alone 
sent to England 7,315 tons of butter, valued at over 
83,800,000. This trade really started five years ago, 
the first year’s trade being valued at 8250,000. Next 
year there is every prospect for a large increase. This 
great trade not only interferes with the trade of the 
English dairyman, but also with that of every coun¬ 
try that has formerly sent butter to England. With 
the world pouring food into their little island, it is no 
wonder that the English farmers demand laws that 
shall make clear the distinction between home-grown 
and foreign food. They must appeal to patriotism 
for a better price, if to nothing else. 
The disclosures at Washington concerning the work 
of the Sugar Trust in infiuencing tariff legislation, 
have pretty well destroyed the confidence of the people 
in the Senate. It is more evident than ever that there 
are always half a dozen members of that body who 
have their own private interests so much at heart that 
they will sell out the duty they owe to their country 
and their constituents. It seems to us, too, that this 
bribery investigation has gone further than its orig¬ 
inators intended, and has given the public an idea 
that many of our tariffs are based on just such work 
as that of which the Sugar Trust has been guilty 
in this case. 
It is hard to photograph a clover field, but Prof. 
M. H. Beckwith did his best with the Crimson clover 
illustrated on our first page. This will give the reader 
a fair idea of the way it looks. The great beauty of 
the plant lies in its color, and only a painting could 
show that to advantage. Among late communications 
about this plant is the following : 
Last August I sowed a small patch In the standing corn without cul- 
tlyatlng It In. A part of the plot was a fair catch. It kept a bright 
green color all winter, although the mercury fell to six degrees below 
zero. A careful examination after the ,freeze of March 26, which 
killed a great deal of the Bed clover, failed to disclose any of the 
Crimson dead. I again planted the Held to corn last week, June 8, the 
clover being turned under. joe. w. williams. 
Clark Country, Ind. 
Clark County is on the Ohio River about 40 miles 
south of Cincinnati, Ohio. 
BREVITIES. 
My neighbor Smith, he talks this way: "Them fellers make me go an’ 
pay 
Two cents fer every stamp I buy—that price Is flfty times too high. 
Accordin’ to the real cost, an’ countin’ everything that’s lost. 
This mean an’ sneakin’ Government kin print fer every copper cent 
One hundred stamps, while here I pay two cents apiece ’Taint right, 
I say.” 
There’s lots o’ folks that talk Jess so - too bigoted an’ mean to know 
That back of every postage stamp comes In the travel an’ the tramp 
Of wagon, steam car, man an’ beast; ten dollars worth of toll at least. 
To take a letter back an’ forth—to East and West or South or North. 
That Is the toll that represents the value of old Smith’s two cents. 
An’ not as such poor bigots thlnk-the simple paper an’ the Ink. 
Such people somehow cannot see the promise an’ the guarantee 
That’s printed on each postage stamp; to me It's clearer than a lamp. 
That Uncle Sam would And himself far better off In health and pelf 
'Fo let old Smith and others go with their own letters to and fro. 
Don’t roast the hay 1 
Fouobt not the weeds ! 
How are the moles this season 7 
Clover goes against the grain—bill. 
Wire fence for a barnyard—page 391. 
Thin your plans as well as your pears. 
The ‘‘color line” Is reversed In poultry. 
See how wire solves the fence question? 
Crowding the Ketffer pear gives poor quality. 
Those Colorado Populists are sincere—page 394. 
That question of “ best corn, ’ page 403, is open. 
Give a good reason why colored fowls are needed. 
AN article on a Texas Irrigating plant Is to come next. 
Ik you had to pay for advice, how much would you yive 1 
Let a good Jersey bull take a reef In the beef of your herd! 
Why not get the boy a rifle and let him kill off the woodchucks? 
Why are horns on the bull more necessary than tusks on the boar 
We should have a law protecting the Innocent user of a patented 
article. . 
Who would know you ever raised crops of scrub quality if you did 
not send them to market? 
That is a singular state of affairs, page 390, which gives the bugs 
better flour than laborers receive. 
The Connecticut Station found 67 cents’ worth of nitrogen in 100 gal¬ 
lons of buttermilk. A good pig can beat that value lOto 1. 
In Brockport, N. Y., 642,003 tomato plants were set to provide a crop 
for the canners. Such horticulture beats a whole county In wheat. 
The latest novelty Is a plant mosquito trap. This plant has a flower 
which seems to attract these pests and secretes a sticky substance 
which holds them fast. 
Mr. Powell thinks boys are better for thinning fruit than men be¬ 
cause the latter would leave too many on the tree In what other Job 
Is there a premium on waste ? 
Parker Earle is the greatest berry for the Irrigator. Where a 
constant supply of water Is possible. It will yield an enormous crop. 
It came from an Irrigation State. 
We are told, on page 394, that one reason why the farmer with a 
single hired man Is at a disadvantage Is because the best men do not 
like to work alone. They want society. 
The sagging gatel The sagging gate! It makes the whole perform¬ 
ance wait. It makes the farmer red and "net,” it covers him with 
useless sweat. And in that seml-molsture slate all brought about by 
ire a' gate. 
Accordi.vg to Mr. Breck, page 392, the way to get more than $1 for 
wheat Is to feed sheep on the land where wheat formerly grew. Ot 
course you can't keep sheep and wheat on the same field. 
“ I AM not a subscriber to The B. N.-Y.” writes a man In New York 
State; “ but will you answer the Inclosed questions by mall ? ” 
The answers would require half a day’s study. Our first answer is- 
" Wfy are you not a subscriber?” 
The New Jersey*Leglslature has made It a crime to put more than 
live pounds of wood on a 100-pound bale of hay, or to put wet hay, 
stones or refuse Inside the bale What a pity such a law was made 
necessary. The rascals who made It so are the worst enemies of agil- 
culiure. 
IN this age of Inoculation the latest proposition is to Inoculate 
plants like corn with bacteria from clover or other plants that have 
the power of taking nitrogen from the air. These " nitrogen-absorb¬ 
ing” bacteria are to so stimulate corn that It will gather rather than 
spend nitrogen. 
\ od may have plenty of rain J-ist now—but wait—there is a drought 
coming, and It’s almost here. Your pastures will dry up, as usual, in 
August. You can’t ” make It rain,” but you can stl.l plant sweet Cv.in 
for fodder and give the cows a green bite when the pasture has noth¬ 
ing but dead grass. 
