1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
4i3 
THE PROSPECT. 
The New York State Fair, to be held at Syracuse 
Septeirber 6—13, promises to be a notable occasion. 
Large premiums will be offered, and the display of 
farm products will be worth going many miles to see. 
Mr. Woodward explained in a recent issue of The R. 
N.-Y. how the rules for dividing the prizes for dairy 
goods have been changed so as to give a share for all 
entries that rank above a certain point. Dairy in¬ 
stitutes will be held during the fair, with addresses 
on dairying by scientific and practical men. Gov¬ 
ernor Flower, J. H. Bingham, of the National Grange, 
Agricultural Commissioner Schraub and others, will 
speak during the fair. In fact, every farmer in the 
State may well plan to attend. 
* 
The picture on page 407, taken from “ Good Roads,” 
was made directly from a photograph. It cannot tell 
a lie—is just exactly the way the road appeared. 
There is comfort for you ! A ride of five miles through 
such mud as that will make the horses thoughtful and 
keep them out of mischief. They probably won’t 
kick any boards off the stalls for lack of other means 
of disposing of surplus energy. If there is any other 
profit in such a road we want to know where it comes 
in. We don’t propose to argue or reason about that 
road. There it is—with all its horrors. The question 
is, what do jou and your neighbors propose doing 
about your roads before the next muddy season comes 
on ? Now is a good time to decide. 
* 
It has been a favorite scheme of the large mine 
owners and contractors to protect themselves in case 
of strikes by importing large gangs of foreign la¬ 
borers. These may be secured by contract as one 
would hire so many sheep, and this system has done 
untold injury to our industries. It has given the 
great monopolies a large profit and filled certain sec¬ 
tions of the country with lawless bands of foreigners 
who have no interests in American institutions. A 
plan is now proposed of bringing negroes from the 
South for this work, instead of importing foreigners. 
That immediately opens up a great question. What 
would be the effect of such a distribution of the ne¬ 
groes? Would it put an end to past and present 
riots and bloodshed, and would the negroes be helped 
or hurt by such a change ? 
» 
'* WhA-T is the prospect of the wool market ? ” was 
asked of Mr. Macnaughtan of the Macnaughtan Com¬ 
pany, wholesale wool dealers, by a representative of 
The R. N.-Y. “ It is hard to say,” was the reply. 
“As a general thing, dealers are selling everything 
they can. A year ago free wool was a possibility; 
now it is a probability. While some grades of wool 
have already reached a free trade basis, others will 
probably go lower. Texas wool may go a cent or 
two lower, while Territory will probably drop 4 or 5 
cents. My impression is that now is the best time to 
sell, although I wouldn’t take the responsibility of ad¬ 
vising any one to do so. No one can say what will 
happen at Washington.” “ In the event ot free wool, 
what domestic wools are likely to suffer least from 
the competition ? ” “ Fine wools.” “Bat one argu¬ 
ment in favor of free wool is that the latter will 
really enhance the price of domestic wool, by making 
it easier to bring in a wool necessary to mix with our 
own wools.” “ I know it, but such talk is what we 
call ‘rot’; there’s nothing in it. The situation is cer¬ 
tainly not very encouraging to wool growers.” 
NebbAska. is an agricultural State. Thousands of 
her citizens are engaged in dairying, and probably 
half a dozen are manufacturing oleomargarine. The 
butter made by the thousands finds a sneaking com¬ 
petitor in the oleo made by the half dozen, because 
the latter is colored and prepared in imitation of the 
former. Nebraska is represented in the United States 
Senate by a man named Manderson. This man has 
introduced a bill so changing the national “ oleo ” law 
that the retail dealer would be free from prosecution 
when selling small lots of oleo for butter. It would 
nullify nearly every State law regulating sales of this 
product. In defending his bill, Manderson says, among 
other things: 
In comparteon as to fraud between batter and oleomarKarlne, bat¬ 
ter would take the palm. This bill is to prevent stale and rancid bat¬ 
ter, not tit to be used as axle grease, from being sold in tubs branded 
as oleomargarine, as the latter compound. There is nothing that has 
more greatly benefited the farmers of the West than the use of parts 
of the beef to make the oleo or butter oil, that with butter, cream and 
cotton-seed oil goes to the making of oleomargarine. 
Just think of it! The greasy hog which we pictured 
a few weeks ago is afraid some one will take him for 
a dairymaid ! How has oleo making helped Western 
farmers ? It has been claimed that this use has so 
increased the price of tallow and lard that pork and 
bedf have increased in price. Let any farmer examine 
his account books and see how the present prices for 
butter and meats compare with those of a few years 
ago. The dairymen of Nebraska must be a very singu¬ 
lar class of men if they propose to help Mr. Mander¬ 
son back to his place in the Senate after this dose of 
proposed legislation. It is a wonderful illustration of 
the power of party loyalty over a man’s convictions 
to see how dairymen will support such a man when 
they know that he is injuring their business ! 
* 
Vakious parties in half a dozen States have nomi¬ 
nated candidates for the United States Senate along 
with their State candidates. Of course this action 
signifies little beyond a protest against the present 
method of choosing Senators by the legislature. It 
happens all too often that these candidates are not 
publicly announced until after the legislature is 
elected. Then, very likely, the man with the longest 
purse will win. When a party puts itself on record 
with a candidate, the average voter feels that he has 
some choice in the matter, and that his vote may 
reach as far as the Senate. It is a good plan, and we 
hope the idea will spread until this nomination of 
Senators is a regular part of all State conventions. 
In Kansas an interesting battle is on. The Populists 
have indorsed Woman’s Suffrage, while both Demo¬ 
crats and Republicans have dodged the question. 
While two years ago the Republicans nominated sev¬ 
eral farmers in order to “ catch the farmers’ vote,” 
this year they have kept farmers off the ticket. It 
will be interesting to see how this change will work. 
* 
Many of our readers have sent us circulars mailed 
from New York by “ green-goods men” who offer 
counterfeit money for sale. These circulars often fall 
into the hands of honest men who are justly indignant 
that they should be thought capable of such a crime as 
buying counterfeit money. Some of our friends have 
wondered why The R. N.-Y. has not been able to 
secure the arrest of some of these “ crooks.” The 
testimony before the Lexow Committee, now holding 
sessions in this city, will explain the situation pretty 
well. It has been clearly shown that the police have 
been in league with these very rascals and have taken 
money for “ protecting” them. In other words, the 
green-goods men pay for the privilege of robbing 
people undisturbed. We have no sympathy for those 
who come to New York expecting to buy bogus money, 
but we would like to have these rascals punished for 
sending their insulting circulars to honest men. This 
is impossible while the police protect them, but we 
hope for an entire clearing of the city government as 
the result of the recent disclosures. 
Kebosene as an insecticide is much liked in fighting 
certain kinds of insects. It is generally used in the 
form of an emulsion, in which the oil and water are 
united by some sticky material like soap. Many 
people find it difficult to make a perfect emulsion of 
kerosene and soap, and others do not care to go 
through the labor required for preparing it. We are 
now told of a new plan for mixing the kerosene me¬ 
chanically with water in the sprayer. This is described 
in Bulletin 30 of the Mississippi Station, and Prof. 
E. S. Goff is given credit for designing it. The device 
is an attachment holding six quarts which is fitted to 
the side of a Knapsack sprayer. A small hose runs 
from the bottom of this kerosene tank to a brass pipe 
which connects with the cylinder of the pump. 
There is a stopcock in this hose' so that any desired 
amount of kerosene can be let in. The result 
is that with every stroke of the pump a small 
amount of the kerosene is forced out with the water, 
and, under pressure, is perfectly mixed with it. In 
fact, this mechanical mixture of kerosene does better 
than the emulsion, and it is easy to see how such an 
attachment to a Knapsack sprayer will simplify the 
use of kerosene for destroying insects on plants or 
animals. There is no patent on this process, and all 
sprayers should have this attachment, 
* 
Veby little is being said about the work of the con¬ 
vention for suggesting changes in the Constitution of 
this State. The suffrage question seems to be of most 
importance, especially among farmers. It seems quite 
probable that the right of woman to have something 
to say about public affairs will be recognized, though 
few expect that full suffrage will be granted her. 
There are other questions of suffrage, however. For 
example, our old friend, Jonathan Talcott, writes as 
follows: 
I think the most Important thing lathe suffrage question. I think 
there should be an educational clause Inserted prohibiting all persons 
from voting that cannot read the English language, and no voter 
should be allowed to have another to assist him to select his vote. In 
the booths prepared for the voters. Also, I would have all foreigners 
live In the State, or the United States, 21 ;ears, before they should bo 
allowed to vote at any election. These articles Inserted In the Con¬ 
stitution would do more for the purity of the election laws, in my 
Judgment, than all the laws at present on the statute devoted to that 
purpose. Any clause In the Constitution that Is of benefit to the peo¬ 
ple benefits the farmer. 
Many persons would be surprised to see how closely 
this agrees with the ideas of thousands of our best 
farmers. There is a general feeling that fraud and 
carelessness at the ballot box have been responsible 
for much of the shame and rascality that have eaten 
into public places. This principle of cutting off the 
ignorant and careless voters, is the opposite of that 
which seeks to bring in a new set of voters by grant¬ 
ing the suffrage to women. We are sure the women 
will not object to any such qualification as Mr. Talcott 
has outlined. ^ 
Last year we exposed the “ Great French Process” 
of preserving fruit which was on exhibition at a large 
store at Rochester, N. Y. The method of this “ pre¬ 
serving” was very simple—the compound was put into 
a close box and burned in such a way that the result¬ 
ing fumes would be absorbed by water. The fruit was 
then to be put into this water and sealed. That is all 
very simple and nice, but when we challenged the 
agent to send some of his stuff to the experiment sta¬ 
tion for analysis, he never came to time. The Indiana 
Station analyzed a sample with this result: The ex¬ 
amination of the compound showed that it was com¬ 
posed of sulphur, charcoal, nitrate of soda, cane sugar 
and common salt. The salt may have been an impurity 
in the nitrate of soda used. 
Per cent. 
Cane sugar. 14.20 
Salt. 1.42 
Nitrate Of soda. 1.3<i 
Sulphur . b7.63 
Charcoal, moisture and Insoluble matter.. 25.64 
Burning this resulted in the production of sulphurous 
acid, a very poisonous gas. The other ingredients are 
simply to help burn the sulphur. All there is then to 
this great “ process ” is treating the fruit to the strong 
fumes of sulphur—a dangerous treatment at best. It 
is about time for some knave to begin to advertise this 
stuff. Let it alone and warn all the neighbors ! 
* 
Entebpbisino farmers who desire to put quality into 
their goods are always anxious to learn where and 
how the large New York hotels obtain their supplies. 
We have frequently tried to obtain this information 
for our readers, but it seems to be about the most dif¬ 
ficult thing we ever attempted. To illustrate—last 
week we sent a courteous letter of inquiry to 20 of 
the leading hotels in the city. Only two answers 
were received, and both are given below. It is a 
question whether this one is much of an improvement 
o 7er absolute silence : 
Your commuDlcatlon received, and In answer would say that I am 
not running a free Information school In regard to the purchases of 
market, dairy or farm products. 
The following is better, and states the case about as 
it stands: 
Celery, lettuce and tomatoes are all favorites; radishes not so much 
BO. Hothouse products are preferable to Southern. They are allowed 
to mature, and we get them quicker. Southern vegetables are more 
or less stale when they reach our market. My advice to producers 
would be to raise any popular vegetables at a time when they are 
scarcest, and sell direct to consumers. If practicable. I would prefer 
dealing direct with the producer If they could positively assure me of 
the prompt delivery of goods la quantities and at the time ordered. 
Their unreliability In this respect Is why 1 prefer buying from the 
dealers. The same rule applies to the purchase of eggs, poultry and 
dairy products, though not to such an extent. We get eggs, batter and 
part of our poultry direct—better la quality and cheaper In price, 
li rults that “ stand up ” only a day or two are risky, and 1 get them In 
open market; but grapes, for Instance, which will keep for some days, 
I get direct from the grower, at least the greater part of them. I gen¬ 
erally make my regular order small enough to avoid overstocking, 
knowing that I can fill any shortage handily. 
That letter covers the ground. It is of little use for a 
man to try to work off a small amount of produce at 
one of these hotels. The steward must be made to 
believe that he can get uniformly good articles at any 
time he wants them. He can have no other object in 
buying direct. If we wanted to reach this trade we 
should write the steward of several of the best hotels 
and state in a few words jast what we had to offer— 
telling just exactly how much we could guarantee to 
furnish—and offer to send a sample package for testing. 
We should keep at them until we got an answer of 
some sort. Then send the goods fixed up as tastily 
as possible, and try to make an appointment to call 
and talk with the steward. It will require great 
skill and tact to develop this trade, but it is well 
worth trying for. ^_ 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Those automatic corn binders save lots of labor In binding corn. 
The Tie Co., Onadllla, N. Y., will tell all about them. 
The Pioneer Manufacturing Company, Columbus, O., are making a 
fine line of wagons, buggies, carts, etc., which they offer to farmers 
direct without the Intervention of middlemen. They send catalogue 
free. 
The Williams A Clark Co. of New York sell fertilizers, farmers 
are familiar with their trade-mark—a bull’s head. They sell goods 
that wi 1 raise crops—that Is what you want. If yon are not familiar 
with their goods write them for a catalogue. 
N ext year we are likely to have something new in the wav of horse 
blankets, wagon wraps, covers, etc. We learn that the Burlington 
Blanket Company, of Burlington, Wls., have secured a process for 
treating cloth or fabrics so as to make them waterproof. 
The New England Conservatory of Music is an Institution of which 
Americans may well be proud. As a place for obtaining a musical 
education It takes rank In value with the best foreign conservatories. 
It Is, also, largely a charitable Institution with provisions that enable 
poor but enterprising pupils to obtain Instruction for little money. 
Surely such a place deserves the patronage of Americans. Write to 
the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, Mass., and see what 
they offer. 
One of the principal points of superiority claimed for the Bock 
Island hay loader by Its manufacturers, the Bock Island Plow Co., of 
Bock Island, III., Is the elliptical motion of the rakes, as distinguished 
from the circular movement of other machines. The stroke Is long 
and smooth, and resembles In actl m the handling of a hand rake by a 
powerful man, with the result that the hay or grass Is moved slowly 
to the top of the load, free from dust and without being chopped or 
broken. This enables the machine to work with one-third the speed 
of the circular motion, with the consequent saving of draft and 
breakage. These loaders can be used with advantage and profit on 
smaller farms than Is generally supposed, and in a large measure help 
solve the help question. 
