588 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September 15 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker 
Oor. Ohamber$ and Pearl SU ., New Torh. 
A NKtivaal Weakly Jenrnal for Coantry and Suburban Hemesi 
BLBEUT B. CABMAN, Bdltor-ln-Chlel. 
HHKBKBT W. COIXINGWOOD, ManasrlUK Editor 
JOHN J. DILLON, BuslneBB ManaKOr. 
Oowriahttd 1894. 
AddroBB all buBlneif oommnnloatlons and make all orders pay¬ 
able to THE BDHAL NEW-TOBEBB. 
Be Bare 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 York are the safest means of 
transmitting money. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1894. 
The force of many a well-planned experiment is 
lost because the farmer is satisfied to measure results 
with his eye. He is ready to look at two rows or two 
parts of the field, and settle an important question of 
fertilizers or methods by the general appearance of 
the crop. This is a mistake. Use the scales for re¬ 
sults. There are too apt to be scales of prej udiee on a 
man’s eye to render vision a complete test. 
* 
A LOCAL paper mentions a scheme of an auctioneer 
that seems quite commendable. Once each year he 
sets aside a day upon which he will sell, for the towns¬ 
people, any articles of which they may wish to dis¬ 
pose. This is a grand occasion for getting rid of ar¬ 
ticles which are not wanted, but which may be just 
what some one else wants. Why wouldn’t it be a good 
idea to extend the same method to sales of stock, farm 
seeds, etc. ? ^ 
Few country people realize the growing popularity 
of tomatoes as food in cities. Go into any city restau¬ 
rant during the season when fresh tomatoes are plenti¬ 
ful, and you are sure to find several persons making 
an entire meal of sliced tomatoes and bread and but¬ 
ter. In fact, the demand for this vegetable is increas¬ 
ing all the time—so much so that its consumption 10 
years hence will be something enormous. 
“ Potatoes with commercial fertilizer have done 
much better than those with stable manure ; the dry 
season has been much more favorable for the former,” 
said an old potato grower. Isn’t it the general opinion 
among farmers that a wet season shows best results 
from fertilizer ? The same farmer said that his B sauty 
of Hebron endured the drought better than any other 
variety he grew, and had made fair sized tubers not¬ 
withstanding the extremely dry season. 
« 
“ Fkesu COWES” was a sign noticed painted in 
sprawling letters on a board nailed up beside a much 
traveled highway, in the middle of a large field not 
many miles from New York. Any one good at guess¬ 
ing might be led to infer that some one had some milch 
cows to sell, though who that some one might be, 
would be hard to determine, as no house was visible 
for a considerable distance. As an example of how 
not to advertise, the scheme was a conspicuous success. 
Hebe we have a man with a cow. His single idea is 
that his cow must be supported on the farm —he will 
not go outside for cow food. Rather than have it said 
that he bought feed, he gives the cow half the milk she 
yields, which with hay keeps up her mess. By doing 
that he remains true to his old prejudice. Sappose he 
sold half the milk for cash and with a portion of that 
cash, bought bran and middlings to feed with hisihay! 
His cow would give more milk, he would have more 
money, and his manure pile would be richer. But 
that old prejudice would be knocked on the head ! 
We wonder how many of our readers are working 
“ back handed” in order to keep alive a prejudice. 
« 
An old barn had been standing about 100 years. A 
stable with earth fioor has been disused for stable 
purposes about 50 years. A sample of the soil of this 
stable, which appeared as black and urine impreg¬ 
nated as the soil under a stable recently vacated, was 
sent to the Connecticut Experiment Station for analy¬ 
sis and comparison with another sample of earth taken 
from under the barn fioor of the same barn which had 
been protected from the weather and artificial inter¬ 
ference during the life of the barn. Both samples 
were taken from a depth between two and six inches. 
The stable soil analyzed . 39 per cent of nitrogen, and 
the soil from under the barn fioor analyzed .50 per 
cent. The urine of 50 years stabling of cattle was 
therefore thrown away. Bacterial life, then, under 
such conditions, in a century race, will distance auger- 
hole irrigation in nitrogen accumulation. Nitrogen 
has such a fiy-away nature that one unit of it in the 
hand is worth two units of it under the stable fioor or 
anywhere else unless it can be kept busy elaborating 
plant life. ^ 
“ There are few milkmen in this vicinity who do 
not feed brewers’ tgrains,” said a milk producer not 
many miles from New York, recently. “ They are 
the cheapest feed for milk of which I know. I did 
feed them, but discontinued the practice during warm 
weather because I couldn’t keep them sweet until fed 
out, and they are not good for milk if sour.” So we 
see that while some milkmen have a conscience, others 
have none. What is to be done with these latter for 
the protection of the innocent consumers of milk ? 
it 
We doubt if there has ever been a time when thor¬ 
oughbred stock of good breeding could be bought for 
so little cash as it can to-day. Cattle, sheep, pigs and 
horses with excellent pedigrees, are easily to be 
obtained. If you have a little cash ahead, why not 
secure that blooded male that you have so long prom¬ 
ised yourself ? Surely if your herds and fiocks need 
new blood, you cannot find a better time than this for 
supplying it. This is essentially a time for bargains. 
Your cash will never buy more quality in a breeding 
male than it will now. ^ 
Notice what J. H. Hale says on page 585 about 
woman as a peach sorter I Better than any machine. 
“Better than any man,” might also be truly said. 
Woman has the quickness of movement, the delicacy 
of touch, the accuracy of perception that just fit her 
for this sort of work. Of course, there are differences 
in women, the same as there are differences in men, 
but, given an equal chance, woman will prove her 
superiority any day. Notice, too, that Mr. Hale says, 
“Better pay double men’s wages for such work than 
to have it done by a machine” Does Mr. H., or do 
men in general pay double, or even the same wages to 
women, that are paid to men? Aren’t women gener¬ 
ally hired for such work because they can be hired 
cheaper, rather than because they do better work? If 
this is so, and we assume that it is, who is at fault? Is 
there any justice in such a state of affairs ? 
« 
The argument that improved potato culture always 
leaves the soil improved, and increases the fertility of 
the farm, is an old story to those who have used large 
quantities of chemical fertilizers in connection with 
potato growing. The rotation of potatoes, wheat, 
grass two years, and corn which The R, N.-Y has often 
described, is an admirable one for the potato grower. 
All the stable manure is put on the corn, and all the 
fertilizer on the potatoes. The latter crop, one year 
with another, will pay a profit on the whole farm 
operations, while the dressing of fertilizer is so heavy 
that it supplies ample plant food for the succeeding 
grain and grass. This is not mere theory, but a fact 
which has been worked out on hundreds of farms. Tne 
heavy crops of grass and grain which grow after the 
potatoes, are the strongest possible arguments that 
good fertilizers are not “used up” by the first crop, 
* 
At a meeting of entomologists held in connection 
with the recent scientific meeting in Brooklyn, Prof. 
J. B. Smith, of New Jersey, stated that many of the 
California pears now in the New York market, are in¬ 
fested with the deadly San J ose scale insect. This insect 
has done great damage to pears and other fruits, and its 
presence is a constant menace to fruit growers. If it 
is being imported on California fruit, prompt and de¬ 
cisive measures should be taken to put a stop to the 
importation. Rather than have this pest scattered 
over our fruit farms, it will be better absolutely to 
close the Eastern markets to any California fruit on 
which this scale can be found. California prohibits 
by law the importation of insects or fungi injurious to 
fruit, and consequently she cannot seriously obj ect to 
efforts made by others to prevent the export of these 
pests. ^ 
So many swindling schemes are being practiced 
nowadays, that it is hard to keep track of them all. 
The following game is reported from Minnesota, which 
is mean enough to be played elsewhere. A tree agent 
comes along with a collection of trees which he claims 
will make a “model orchard.” The farmer is to plant 
these trees and keep them in good condition until they 
bear fruit—the agent agreeing to replace all that die. 
The farmer gives a note for the trees thinking he can 
postpone its payment until the trees actually come 
into bearing. The tree agent secures all the notes he 
can, sells them for cash to some local banker, and 
then gets out of the country for good. The farmers 
are left to pay their notes as best they can. As a rule, 
the trees in the “model orchard” turn out to be a 
worthless lot—containing many crab apples. When 
will farmers learn not to sign notes for strangers ? 
Wheat growing at present has a bad black eye. 
Prices are low, and farmers are disgusted with the 
prospect. Sdll, there will be more or less wheat 
grown on every farm where this grain has in the past 
formed one of the regular crops. Probably the area 
will be cut down, but will it receive less care and 
attention than formerly ? We fear in some cases 
that it will. Once “ down on a crop,” some farmers 
neglect it and put it in with scant preparation and 
without needed fertilizer. How foolish such a system 
is. Now, if ever, is the time to try for the largest pos¬ 
sible yield per acre of wheat. The only hope for a 
profit lies in reducing the cost of a bushel and that is 
to be done, not by neglecting the crop, and trying to 
save in the cost of preparing the seed bed, but by try¬ 
ing to grow the greatest number of bushels per acre. 
If you put in any wheat this fall—put it in well. 
« 
What shall a potato grower do with his clover hay? 
That is getting to be quite a problem on many potato 
farms. The tendency, at the East at least, is to use 
more fertilizers and less manure on potatoes. In fact, 
as this crop becomes more of a specialty, there is less 
desire to combine live stock feeding with it—except to 
produce a market for clover hay. Clover is a neces¬ 
sary part of a good potato rotation, especially when 
large quantities of fertilizers are used. In order to 
obtain a first-class clover sod, a potato grower can al¬ 
most afford to give the hay away or, at least, to lose 
its feeding value. In these times, though, no one feels 
like giving anything away that can be saved, and, 
therefore, the problem of disposing of the clover be¬ 
comes a serious one. If clover hay could only be sold 
for a price that would fully cover its feeding and 
manurial value, the solution would be easy; but some¬ 
how clover brings less, in proportion to its actual 
value, than any other farm product. What shall be 
done with it ? ^ 
BREVITIES. 
My name Is Hen—A. Business Hen—I take the stand once more 
To ask/ttir play fo.- honest/ow/s as 1 have done before. 
The moultlnK season is at hand—“ that tired feeling ” when 
A short vacation crowns with ease each self-respecting hen. 
The lazy time par excellence, and now, good frlesds, please bear, 
Tls just the time to pick the birds to head your uock next year. 
Ly! there are birds in early spring wbo HU your ear with talk; 
Its kut, kut, kut, ker dar cut! and ker walk! ker walk!ker walk! 
And so, for every egg they lay, they celebrate an hour, 
And thus deceive the poultrymen who fancy that ths power 
To push eggs In the basket Is located In the throat. 
Ob, shun the idle songster hen-get not within her boat. 
But watch the patient working hen that through hermoult keeps shop 
And squeezes out an egg or two because she cannot stop. 
If music Is your object, breed from hens with thunder tunes; 
Bat If you’re after eggs, taae those with fewest lazy bones, 
And keep them warm and dry, and feed food that you'd eat yourself. 
A. Business Hen, i’ll give my word you'll simply roll In pelf! 
AVOID the long-taled man. 
A Kowi. tip—clean your hen house. 
How many drones are you feeding ? 
How long can Timothy live on fertilizers? 
The UuBBlan thlBtle has reached Colorado. 
THE evidence of a strong will Is a strong won't. 
JACK FuosT loves green corn. Cut In ahead of him. 
Somebody Is missing it by not selling Alfalfa seed as clover seed Is 
sold. 
The devil will be glad to furnish the fertilizer for your “ wild oats 
crop. 
It Is reported that France will have nearly 5,000,020 bushels of wheat 
for export. 
One effect of the hard times Is that the sideshow at the fair takes 
In less money. 
Veky likely It never occurred to you that cooking may become a 
tiresome Job to your wife. 
There are many good things In that Interesting report of the Hor- 
nellsvllle Exposition—page 594. 
Fouit plums recommended for that town lot garden : Abundance, 
Burbank, Coe's Golden Drop and Washington. 
J. U. Hale, you see, calls it good economy at times to pay “ double 
men’s wages” to bright women for sorting peaches. 
ARE you going to try to winter 15 cattle on scant food for 10 ? What 
will be tne result ? You won’t get prontable returns fr rm tlvel 
What a pleasure It Is to see the young clover plants prospering. 
They are the most Interesting of the farm babies -outside the house 
It will be Interesting to kcow where the people who are rushlrg 
from the drought stricken regions of Nebraska, will stop for another 
home. 
AN enterprising reader near a Michigan town where wood is burned 
fur fuel, proposes to buy the winter’s supply of usnes at a fair price 
per bushel. 
Tour wife has Just as much right to her pipe as you have. Hers 
should be connected with the range or stove and contain hpt or cold 
water—not tobacco. 
Those ‘'partners” of Preservallne have done a flourishing business 
advertising that fraud. There Is no shame abput them. They know 
they are advertising borax. 
Speaking of that question of picking apples early, page 557, Prof. 
L H. Bailey says : ” In general, 1 believe it is better to let apples 
hang upon the tree until they are normally tit to pick; but they can 
be keot easily for a weak or two in a cool place, and If the market con¬ 
ditions are right, such treatment would be advisable.” 
Some years ago, one of our correspondents made a flrst-rate sugges¬ 
tion to ihose who keep open flres all through the winter. Burn these 
liras on a grate and let the ashes fall througn the grate down to an 
iron or brick box in the cellar—one that will hold a winter’s supply of 
ashes. There will then be no constant muss of cleaning up the ashes, 
and the latter will all be In one place. Try It. 
ARE you letting this dry weather go 'oy without securing a quantity 
of road dust for the fowls next winter? There is Just as much “quality” 
about road dust as anything. Tne constant grinding of vehicles for 
two weeks or more of dry weather, will give something that can prop¬ 
erly be called dust. Dry earth Is no suostltute lor this as a bath for 
fowls, neither Is line, dry sand. Clay should predominate. 
