524 
August 18 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker 
Oor. Ohcmberu and Pearl SU ., Sew York. 
A Natlsaal Weakly Jonrnal for Ceantry and Suburban Hamaa. 
BLBRBT B. CABMAN, Rdltor-ln-Cblef. 
HRBBEBT W. COIA.INGWOOD, Managing Bdltor 
JOHN J. DILIiON, Business Manager. 
Copvriuhted 18 » 4 . 
Address all business oommunloatlons and make all orders pay¬ 
able to THE BUBAL NBW-rOBKHB. 
Be sure that the name and address of sender, with name of Post 
office and State, and what the remittance Is for, appear in eyery letter. 
Money orders and bank drafts on New Tork are the safest means of 
transmitting money. 
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 1894. 
We have made about 70 trials to cross the pepper 
on the tomato, and the tomato on the pepper. The 
one word “ failure,’ tells the result of this patient 
work. 
* 
On page 519 is shown an excellent picture of our 
friend, the late E. Williams. The R. N.-Y. is glad 
that it was able to express its opinion of Mr. Williams 
and his work while he was alive. 
« 
And now comes an enthusiastic young amateur 
farmer who says he knows nothing of farming, but 
expects to learn eoerythi'iig from The E. N.-Y. He 
will be a sadly disappointed man. The R. N.-Y, is 
simply an assistant teacher, serving under that dis¬ 
tinguished educator. Prof. Experience. 
« 
Next week we hope to be able to tell our readers 
about the Improved Dwarf Rocky Mountain cherry in 
a way that will enable them to decide whether they 
want a trial plant, a hundred or a thousand plants, or 
no plants at all. The plants (from three different 
sources) fruited at the Rural Grounds this season, and 
we shall present a portrait of the fruit. 
* 
The correspondent writing of his irrigating plant 
on page 519, says that he carries no insurance, be¬ 
cause he can throw a stream of water over any build¬ 
ing on the farm. Score another point for irrigation. 
But this isn’t the kind of irrigation that will please 
the insurance companies. Their profits wouldn’t grow 
worth a cent if that system were generally adopted. 
« 
We find quite a difference of opinion among potato 
growers as to whether late or early planting pays 
best in the long run. As Mr. Scott tells us on page 
520, different seasons often give varying results. The 
R. N.-Y. believes in planting potatoes as early as the 
season will permit. In our location, northern New 
Jersey, this practice has given the best average results. 
• 
So many of our Northern readers are studying the 
question of glass gardening that we think it wise to 
give minute particulars about building and heating a 
glass house. The directions given this week seem to 
be plain enough for anybody, but we will gladly ex¬ 
plain any points not understood. A glass house on 
the farm should add much to the farmer’s pleasure and 
profit—if properly conducted, 
«r 
August 6, berries of the Early Ohio grape (black) 
began to ripen. Those of Green Mountain (white) 
had not begun to soften. Early Victor berries (black) 
were still green. Moore’s Diamond (white) is bearing 
an immense crop. The blossoms wexe less injured by 
rose beetles than those of any other vine, and many 
bunches are comparatively perfect—long, compact, 
rather narrow and rarely shouldered. It is a promis¬ 
ing variety. ^ 
The farmer’s daughter is, as a rule, a strong, whole¬ 
hearted, good girl, with such education as she can get 
from the district school. Her father and mother as 
they grow older, having no change from the incessant, 
monotonous routine work of a farm, become entirely 
oblivious to the bright, seemingly unnecessary, phases 
of life; and just what they need to rouse them, to lift 
them out of the mt, is a rightly educated, sweet tem¬ 
pered daughter, to bring her new found friends from 
other places, to visit them. The brothers may be 
overgrown and awkward ; they, too, learn much from 
their sister, and her friends. Yes, farmers, make 
great sacrifices for your daughters. Send them to 
good schools, encourage them to bring their friends 
to your home, be as sociable as possible, you will find 
a new zest in life. If you have trained your girls to 
be true women, they deserve more than common 
educational advantages, and you will feel amply re¬ 
paid in later years. 
Notice what Mr. Woodruff says about keeping his 
horses on oat feed. This is but one illustration of the 
way in which the feed bill may be cheapened. Farm¬ 
ers are so used to feeding whole grains like oats, corn 
or barley, that they do not realize that there are 
grain substitutes on the market that would save them 
a great deal of money. Milling wastes or by-products 
represent the parts of the grain that are not suited 
for human food, but are excellent for the stock. We 
have a series of articles coming that will describe 
these by-products and show how they may be fed to 
advantage. ^ 
It is evident that one cannot be too careful in talk¬ 
ing of fertilizers. We have used the term “acid 
rock ” repeatedly, and somebody always wants to 
know what it means. “Rock” mentioned in ferti¬ 
lizers means the crude phosphate rock mined in South 
Carolina and Florida. This crude rock is of little 
value to agriculture, as its phosphoric acid is not solu¬ 
ble. When it has been treated with sulphuric acid, it 
becomes soluble, and at once available for plant food. 
It is then termed “acid” rock. Don’t forget that 
“ acid ” means soluble in this ease. 
tt 
“ I AM A LADY NOW,” Said the hired girl about whom 
Mr. Grundy tells us on page 526. And why not ? What 
constitutes the true lady ? Is it clothes, or occupation 
—or, as some seem to think, lack of it—or surround¬ 
ings ? Isn’t it rather the individual character of the 
person herself ? The term lady is greatly abused. We 
hear of forelady, and saleslady, etc. Why not wash- 
lady, and scrublady ? Many a girl who drudges in 
the kitchen is better entitled to the term lady, than 
those who simper and smirk in the parlor. Honest 
work never made any one less of a lady. 
« 
It has been claimed that tuberculin as a test for 
tuberculosis is too delicate. We are told that it will 
detect the disease long before there could be any 
danger from it. Why is that a bad thing ? If a man 
really wants to stamp out the disease, it is necessary 
for him to know that it is in his herd long before there 
is danger of spreading it. If a man does not care 
whether the disease spreads or not—that is another 
matter. The way to get rid of tuberculosis is to nip 
it in the bud, and know when it is budding. The 
veterinarians with their physical examination, cannot 
detect the disease in its earliest stages. 
« 
Cektain statisticians with ample time and patience 
for figures have found that it costs one billion dollars 
each year to transport the goods that are carried in 
wagons. Of this sum it is estimated that 5625,000,000 
is due directly to bad roads. If all the roads in the 
country were as smooth and as hard as a driving park 
or race track, that vast sum of money would be saved 
each year to those who drive horses—mostly farmers. 
The total value of farm products is estimated at two- 
and-a-half billion dollars, so that bad roads are re¬ 
sponsible for the loss of nearly one-fourth the total 
home value. No business on earth can thrive with 
such a drain on it. Talk about the farmer’s loss from 
tariff taxes—it isn’t a touch to the bad roads tax I 
« 
While farmers do not seem to be making any alarm- 
ingly rapid time toward securing free delivery of their 
mail, improvements in handling the mail in cities are 
always in order. The latest is a trial of trolley postal 
cars on the Brooklyn surface roads that run to the 
outlying parts of the city. The cars are fitted up 
much like the regular railroad mail cars; each carries 
a postal clerk who assorts the mails en route, and de¬ 
livers each bag to its proper station. The transmis¬ 
sion of mail matter, it is expected, will be much facili¬ 
tated by this new arrangement. Meanwhile, the 
farmer continues to make his occasional—or semi- 
occasional—trips to the post ofiSee for his mail, because 
the experiment of free rural delivery was said to be a 
failure, by those who were determined that it should be. 
« 
Foubteen years ago, we tried all of the kinds of cow 
peas which were at that time most valued in the 
bouth. It was then assumed that seed would not 
mature in the North. We found several kinds that 
easily matured seeds before frost, and gave an immense 
amount of vines. There is now a demand from the 
North for early maturing kinds, but we find in seeds¬ 
mens’ catalogues only “cow peas” with the price 
appended at from 52.50 to 53 a bushel. Whether these 
are mixed, early or late kinds, tall-growing, rank or 
feeble in growth, we are privileged to conjecture. 
We tried 11 kinds in 1880. The seeds—they are really 
neither beans nor peas—were planted 12 inches apart, 
in drills six feet apart, in a sandy soil without 
manure or fertilizers. The plot allotted to them was 
entirely covered with vines in early September, when 
all of the vines were still green, vigorous and growing 
rapidly. The variety “Whipporwill’ or Java began to 
ripen fruit (seeds and pods) September 5. Poor-land 
pea began to ripen its seeds August 15. Little Black 
began to ripen its seeds September 10. Goose pea be¬ 
gan to ripen immense quantities of seeds early in Sep¬ 
tember, the vines spreading out about 10 feet. The 
fruit (pods) averaged eight inches in length and 20 
seeds to a pod. The Conck pea vines grew one foot 
high spreading over the soil 12 feet, covering the 
ground so entirely that only a green mat of leaves 
could be seen. This did not even bloom. The 
vines of Little Black, on the other hand, which spread 
over a circle 11 feet in diameter, ripened seeds in early 
September. Other kinds—Goat, Blackeye, Crowder, 
Little Lady, Three-crop, Tory, Early Favorite and 
Red Ripper either failed to make as much growth of 
vines as the others, or, if they did, failed to ripen seed. 
* 
Gbain speculation, both here and in Chicago, has 
been in a ferment during the week. Owing to the 
poor prospects of the growing corn crop, Chicago 
prices went to 60 cents on Tuesday, and New York 
somewhat higher. This was in excess of the price of 
wheat, and is a unique situation so far as prices of 
these two cereals are concerned. With the price of 
corn higher than the price of wheat, the question with 
the farmers will be, not whether they can afford to 
feed wheat, but whether they can afford to feed corn. 
The price of corn dropped on Tuesday, without any 
apparent reason. Although this maneuvering is all on 
the part of the speculators, the fact remains that 
stocks of old corn are pretty short, the price will be 
considerably higher than for some time past, and the 
new crop will be short. Other grains will be higher, 
in sympathy with com. ^ 
BREVITIES. 
“ What Is a sympathetic strike ? " says farmer A to B. 
“ Why men should throw a good job up In these hard times, beats me; 
Without a bit of grievance of their own they go and shirk, 
And club away the other folks who’d like to do the work.” 
Then farmer B, he scratched his head. ” it's Just about this way: 
You’ve got a herd of Jersey cows and feed ’em so they pay. 
Now, ’spose some Jersey breeder with his workman has a row; 
They Und they can’t do much with him, and so they strike the cow 
They up and write a boycott, and command each working man 
To let all Jersey cows alone, and upset every plan 
Of those misguided farmers who believe In Jersey blood. 
And up and down our dairy farms. Just like a rushing flood. 
The boycott runs; and John, he comes and tells you to your face. 
Unless you sell your Jersey cows, he’s gonter run the place. 
You hire the neighbor’s girl to milk, and ’fore she’s well begun. 
Von find you’ve got to be on hand to guard her with a gun. 
They dog your cows, and spill your milk, and set your barn on Are, 
Because those other working men were balked of their desire. 
And as one Jersey breeder wouldn’t dicker with his hands. 
Why, Down with every Jersey cow 1 the workman’s boss commands. 
Now, that’s a sympathetic strike as near as I can see. 
Do workmen own my cattle, or do they belong to me ? ” 
Relax and save your backs 1 
Lively Hungarian grass—page 530. 
The song of yeast—dough, me raise 1 
Read the Texas fly poetry on page 631. 
Ex-spukt work is usually pretty slow. 
Who stands up for mother In your family ? 
Have the strawberry runners made good time? 
The Soja bean was flrst tried at the Rural Farm in 1880. 
That is a sensible talk about feeding wheat screenings on page 631, 
Steel barrels are now made—welded by electricity Into one solid 
piece. 
What yon want Is spontaneous combustion of a few of your crank 
notions. 
Take pride in your job, take pride In your job, or upward the head 
of a failure will bob. 
Yova life Is a failure, my friend. If your boy don’t think you are the 
best man In the world. 
The best fertilizer with which to raise a crop of trouble Is the bone 
In the ‘'family skeleton.” 
A “ BAKKOW ” Is a male hog. A wheelbarrow Is one that wheels 
himself off to market on his own feet. 
When the hired girls of this cour try perfect their organization, they 
should elect hYed Grundy for advocate. 
We want to know what sort of a grass seeder you use and why? 
What objections are there to a wheelbarrow seeder? 
" The manure pile Is the farmer’s bank.” The way to avoid over¬ 
drawing your account is to use It all on nearby Helds. 
Odh Canadian friend—page 521—will hunt a long time before be 
flnds a berry that needs only to be planted and picked ! 
No man can prove that a bushel of wheat to-day at 50 cents, will 
buy as many needed things as the tl bushel 10 years ago. 
What you rank “ flrst-class ” may not get the same brand from the 
man you sell tt to 1 There Is where lots of trouble comes In. 
“ Wolf teeth ” on the cultivator skip over the weeds-on the rake 
they muss the hay. They eat your prottis by neglecting work. 
IN that comparison of potato planters, the old question comes up as 
to whether a hired man Is as faithful as a steel Anger. Which will 
skip more potatoes ? 
Mbs. Johnson— page 523—tells how her father always made himself 
neat In appearance before he went to town. Who will claim that he 
ever lost anything by so doing ? 
Mb. WooDHDFF gives a new Idea on the purchased stable manure 
question. At $1 a load, he gets a good bargain, and the fact of keep¬ 
ing his horses at work all the time is worth a good deal. 
Thebe Is always a great outcry about the Immense quantities of 
fertility sent abroad In the form of linseed meal and other grains 
Nobody protests against the vast stores of phosphate rock sent to 
Europe as a fertilizer. Why ? 
Of all the millions of horses In this country, how many can trot a 
mile in less than 2:10 ? Very few. Of the millions of bicycle riders 
how many can ride a mile In less than 2:20 ? The proportion Is 
smaller yet. The prize records are possibilities—that’s all. 
That is a valuable contribution to the Crimson clover discussion on 
page 530. Mr. Schoenfeld says: “ WhUe the result has been satisfac¬ 
tory, and the returns for the extra money outlay very flattering, 1 
would rather not speak of them for fear they may mislead ” That is 
the proper spirit 
