594 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 16 
THE HORNELLSVILLE EXPOSITION. 
A CHATTY REPORT OF A GOOD FAIR. 
This society scores a point by holding 
its exhibition early in the season. The 
last week in August is dry and warm, 
which adds much to the comfort of the 
men who care for the stock. Many of 
them sleep in the extra rooms over the 
stock, and in small tents which they 
bring with them. The valuable animals 
cannot well be left alone during the 
night. A “ stock expression,” used on 
all occasions is, “ This meeting excelled 
all previous ones,” etc. ; but a walk over 
the grounds convinced me that such 
was the fact. The bui: dings and stalls 
are large, but a row of temporary sheds 
had to be built around many of the sheep, 
hog and cattle sheds. Every available 
spot was crowded. 
From personal conversation one gets 
the impression that the “thoroughbred” 
farmer is still, in spite of the hard times, 
making a little money. Those who de¬ 
pend on their own labor, without much 
brain exertion, are reduced to the small¬ 
est amount of cash ever known. But 
little of an objectionable character ever 
finds its way on to these grounds, yet, in 
no other year has so little money been 
spent as in this. 
In spite of the general depression of 
the sheep industry, the pens were 
crowded. Much faith is shown in the 
future. The sheep that gives meat rather 
than wool is taking the lead. Among 
them, the Shropshire is a leading favor¬ 
ite. The price of sheep varies more than 
other stock ; extremely low prices have 
always been followed by high ones. It’s 
a good time now to start a flock. 
A herd of Red Polled cattle showed good 
milking qualities, and carried so much 
flesh that one was compelled to regard 
the breed favorably. They were so com¬ 
pact and solid in body that there can be 
but small waste in dressing. The Jer¬ 
seys were not in large numbers. This 
breed has taken its place as the practical 
buttermaker’s cow, and since the “ mil¬ 
lionaires” have dropped the “fad and 
fashion” business, they have come with¬ 
in the reach of a farmer’s pocketbook. 
The most of them are now owned by but- 
termakers who are not showmen. When 
removed from “hothouse” conditions, 
unless recently purchased from such a 
herd, but little tuberculosis is found. 
“The bovine wonders” were two steers 
eight and nine years old, said to be the 
heaviest in the world. The combined 
weight is 7,700 pounds. They are Short¬ 
horns and full brothers. One of them, it 
is estimated, would give IX ton of dressed 
meat. They were fed milk, ground oats 
and corn to grow them. The man who 
raised and sold them has not worn a 
hat, had his hair cut, or been to the near¬ 
est town, in 40 years. He received $3,500 
for them. There must be something 
peculiar in the “ air” of that valley. 
A large exhibit of horses from Penn- 
sylvaniaconsis’ing of Clydesdales,attract¬ 
ed much attention. The comments made 
were mostly against “ big” horses. “An 
1,100-pound horse is about right,” said a 
prosperous looking farmer. Location 
makes the choice. The class of horses 
that do the work on our small and com¬ 
paratively level farms could not draw 
the average lumber wagon of Pennsyl¬ 
vania over its “ knolls.” 
The poultry interest seems to be 
flourishing; 1,500 entries crowd a poul¬ 
try house. The fad now is buff colors, 
and the heavy varieties were most prom¬ 
inent. The capable Superintendent who 
acted as judge, A. S. Stillman, said: 
“ The Black Minorcas are steadily gain¬ 
ing ground in public favor. They lay 
large and very white eggs, which are 
good ones for market.” L H. Myers is 
very enthusiastic over the merits of the 
nevv form of the Mann bone cutter. It 
is in the form of a dried beef slicer used 
in most country stores, and seams a good 
thing to use for small flocks. 
T. C. Stanton, Rochester, N. Y., made 
an exhibit of Bantams and fancy pigeons 
which was a constant source of pleasure 
to the children. I asked a bystander 
what they were good for. “ To show at 
fairs and take premiums on,” was the 
reply. I think that covered the whole 
ground. A pair of cream-colored squir¬ 
rels were a decided novelty. The body 
and tail were larger than the common, 
red squirrel, but they did not look like 
gray ones. They were said to have been 
caught in the woods near here, and are 
the only specimens known. I speak of 
them, as an example of the curious colors 
and shapes sports will show. 
I have been experimenting all summer, 
with incubators, and firmly believe ven¬ 
tilation and moisture are the hardest 
things to control. A machine full of 
hatching chicks, showed so much water 
on the glass door, in spite of the fact 
that the attendant kept opening it, that 
I was interested at once. It was made 
by the Elmira Incubator Co., Elmira, 
New York, and has an ingenious ar¬ 
rangement of pipes and tank which 
economize heat to such an extent that a 
p’nt of oil will run it a day. By means 
of a cut-oflF, the moisture from the heated 
water can be admitted to the egg cham¬ 
ber at will. No pans are needed. Pure 
air is warmed and, if necessary, moist¬ 
ened before entering the machine. The 
weather has nothing to do with the reg¬ 
ulating of the moisture. A letter from 
South America reported good success 
with it in an unfavorable season. Mr. 
C. E. Howell, the Leghorn fancier, told 
me that his machine regulated the heat 
so exactly that it did not vary one half 
of a degree for the entire hatch. I like 
the looks of it. 
The show of machinery was small. The 
coming fence will be some form of plain 
steel wire. Many forms were shown, 
but the barb was conspicuous by its 
absence. The Page man had hung a roll 
of wire fence weighing 600 pounds to a 
pole, so that he could draw it back and 
let it bang against the fence. When a 
farmer came up and said: “I wish I had 
my old bull here he would go through 
it.” The agent would let that big weight 
bang against it. The spring would cause 
a bull to turn a double somersault back¬ 
wards. 
A pump made entirely of galvanized 
steel must be durable. This was shown 
by Grant Ingalls, Cuba, N. Y. It oper¬ 
ated after the manner of the ordinary 
chain pump. Its merits seemed to be the 
shape of the cups which, not only elevate 
the water, but also carry down air which 
purifies it. Long, square cups go down 
into the well bottom side up, so that the 
air is conOned in them until they begin 
to ascend, which is at the bottom of the 
well. Then the air is liberated and 
works up through the water, aerating 
it. It could be operated by the all-steel 
windmill, which he has, in a very still 
day ; for, although but a foot from the 
ground with scarcely a zephyr coming, 
it kept revolving. The power required 
to run windmills is decreased every year. 
A consensus of opinions indicates much 
damage to the potato crop from drought. 
As an offset to this we have a large acre 
age, a fine growth of foliage, and but 
little blight, taking the State as a whole. 
The tubers have made considerable 
growth, and should rains come, there 
will be a good many potatoes. Is it not 
singular that every exhibitor of vege¬ 
tables that I met was an ardent admirer 
of The R. N.-Y. ? No other paper can 
equal this record. Apples and other 
large fruits are nothing in this part of 
the State, but the show of potatoes is 
seldom equaled. 
Single judges are all right, but they 
should be men who keep up with the 
times and are familiar with the new va¬ 
rieties. So many new kinds are being 
introduced that some exhibitors make 
out fine baskets of any variety wanted, 
without much danger of detection. 
The exhibits of the Geneva Experi¬ 
ment Station here and at Chicago last 
summer, cannot be too highly praised. 
(Continued on next page.) 
Our Rural Books. 
Any Book on this List will be forwarded 
receipt of pric^. 
by return mail on 
American Grape Training. 
I>. II. BaUey. Illustrated by photographic cn- 
gravlngs of the actual growluK vines, and repre¬ 
sents all the praetlcal systems of trali.lng In 
detail, ladisperrsable to every grape grower. 
Flexible cloth.T.5 
Fruit Culture. 
W. C. Strong. Laying out and management of a 
country home. Illustrated. New revised edition. 
Each kind of fruit treated separately. Inj-jrlous 
Insects described. How to Ught them. Cloth, $1. 
Horses, Cattle Sheep and Swine. 
Geo. W. Curtis, M. S. A. Origin, History, Im- 
proveme't. Description, Characteristics, Merits, 
Objections, Adaptability South, etc., ef each of 
the DlHerent Breeds, with Hints on Selection, 
Care an 1 Management. Methods of practical 
breeders of the United States and Canada. Su¬ 
perbly illustrated. About 100 full-page cuts. 
Cloth .$2 
Annals t f Horticulture. 
Bailey. 1892 edition only. A record of horticul¬ 
tural novelties for the year.$1 
Ensilage and the Silo. 
The experience of .W ensilage farmers condensed 
Into practical, readable form. Illustrated.20 
Cross-Breeding and Hybridizing. 
L. H. Bailey. The Philosophy of the Crossing of 
Plants, considered with reference to their Culti¬ 
vation How to Improve Plants by Hybridizing. 
Paper.40 
The Nursery Book 
1.. H. Bailey. Handbook of Propagation and 
Pollination of Plants. Profusely Illustrated. 
It tells, plainly and briefly, what every one who 
sows a seed, makes a cutting, sets a graft or 
crosses a flower wants to know. It Is entirely 
new and original In method and matter. The 
cuts number 107. anl are made expressly for It, 
direct from nature. The book treats of all kinds 
of cultivated plants, fruits, vegetables, green¬ 
house plants, hardy herbs, ornamental trees and 
shrubs, and forest trees. Cloth, $1.paper, 50 
Insect Supplement. 
The most approved methods of fighting Insect 
foes.10 
Chrysanthemum Culture for America. 
James Morton. An excellent and thorough book, 
especlftlly adapted to the culture of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums In America. Cloth, fl. Paper.60 
Canning and Preserving Fruits and 
Vegetables, and Preparing Fruit 
Pastes and Syrups. 
The experience of practical workers. The best 
methods by which the surplus fruits may well be 
saved for home use and for the large market de¬ 
mand. Hundreds of tested recipes from famous 
preservers. Evaporation of fruits. Paper.20 
The New Potato Culture. 
Elbert S. Carman. Grower of over 1,COO bushels 
of Potatoes per acre. This book gives the result 
of 15 years' experiment work on the Rural 
Grounds. How to Increase the Crop without 
Corresponding Cost of Production. Manures and 
Fertilizers. How to Put the Soil In Right Concl- 
tlon. Depth of Planting. How Much Seed to 
Plant. Methods of Culture. Cloth, .75; paper, .40 
Chemicals and Clover 
H. W. Colllngwood. A concise and practical dis¬ 
cussion of the all-important topic of commercial 
fertilizers. In connection with green manuring. 
In bringing up worn-out soils, and In general 
farm practice. Paper.20 
The Business Hen 
H. W. Colllngwood. Breeding and Feeding Poul¬ 
try for Profit. With special articles by leading 
practical and successful poultrymen. The egg 
and the dollar are what It chiefly considers. 
Cloth .75; paper.40 
Horticulturists’ Rule Book. 
L. H. Bailey. It contains. In handy and concise 
form, a great number of rules and recipes re¬ 
quired by gardeners, fruit growers, truckers, 
florists, farmers, etc. Cloth, $1; paper.50 
The Cauliflower. 
A. A. Crozler. Origin and History of this In¬ 
creasingly Important and always Delicious Vege¬ 
table. Cloth.$1 
Spraying Crops. 
Prof Clarence M. Weed. Why, When and How 
to Do It. Illustrated. Covers the whole field of 
the Insect and fungous enemies of crops for which 
the spray Is used. Paper.25 
First Lessons in Agriculture 
F. A. Gulley, M. S. This book discusses the more 
Important principles which underlie agriculture. 
In a plain, simple way. It Is just what the prac¬ 
tical farmer, without a knowledge of chemistry 
or botany, needs. Cloth.SI 
Cooking Cauliflower. 
A. A. Crozler. Food value of cauliflower, and 
how to prepare It for the table. Paper.20 
How to Plant a Place 
Ellas A. Ivong. A brief treatise. Illustrate 1 with 
more than CiO orl.lnal engravings, and designed 
to cover the various matters pertaining to plant¬ 
ing a place. Paper.20 
Tuberous Begonias. 
Culture and Management of a most Promising 
Race of Plants, New to American Gardens.20 
Window Gardening. 
By expert flower and plant growers. Covers 
every phase of plant culture In the house.10 
The New Celery Culture. 
Robert Niven. Latest and best methods of grow¬ 
ing celo'y for profit. ‘‘New culture,” which does 
away with the old laborious and expensive ridg¬ 
ing systeij. Paper.20 
The Modification of Plants by Climate. 
A. A. Crozler. Influence of climate upon size, 
form, color, fruitfulness, actll-natlon, etc. .35 pp, 
paper.25 
Popular Errors About Plants- 
A. A. Crozler. A collection of errors and super¬ 
stitions entertained by farmers, gardeners and 
others, together with brief scientific refutations. 
Valuable to practical cultivators who want to 
know the truth about their work. Cloth.8i 
Insects and Insecticides. 
Clarence M. Weed. A Practical Manual Con¬ 
cerning Noxious Insects and the Methods of Pre¬ 
venting their Injuries. Cloth.1125 
Practical Farm Ch' mistry. 
T. Greiner. A Practical Handbook of Profitable 
Crop Feeding, written for Practical Men. Cloth.fl 
Improving the Farming. 
Lucius D. Davis. Methods of Culture that shall 
Afford a Profit, and at the same time Increase 
the Fertility of the Soli. The contents treat ex¬ 
haustively on renewing run-down farms. Cloth..$1 
Landscape Gardening. 
Ellas A Long. A practical treatise, comprising 
32 diagrams of actual grounds and parts of 
grounds, with copious explanations Paper ....50 
The New Botany. 
J. W. Beal, M. Sc., Ph. D. A Lecture on the Best 
Method of Teaching the Science. Valuable to 
Students and Amateurs, being a useful guide In 
studying “The Beautiful Science.” .25 
Accidents and Emergencies. 
G. Q. Groff, M. D. What to Do In-Home Treat¬ 
ment of What to Do'till the Doctor Comes. Sun¬ 
stroke, poisoning, broken bones, cuts, bites of 
mad dogs. Insects, snakes, etc., freezing, bruises, 
burns, choking, colic, drowning, exhaustion, ex¬ 
plosions, suffocation by gases; what to do In 
storms, being stunned, wounds, etc.2) 
How to Rid Buildings and Farms of 
Rats, Mice, Gophers, Prairie Dogs, Ground Squir¬ 
rels, Rabbits, Moles, Weasels, Minks and other 
Pests, Quickly and Safely. How to Snare Hawks 
and Owls. Valuable Hints to Housekeepers, 
Farmers and Poultry-keepers.20 
Milk : Making and Marketing. 
E. G. Fowler. Selling Fat and Water. An Illus¬ 
trated account of the methods, herds and appli¬ 
ances of several remarkably successful mllk- 
produclng farms.2J 
My Handkerchief Garden. 
Chas. Barnard. An explicit account of Mr. Bar¬ 
nard’s actual operations on a suburban village 
house-lot. Interesting and valuable to all su¬ 
burban dwellers, professional men and mechan¬ 
ics.30 
Insect Foes 
B. A. Long. Insects and their habits; how to 
destroy them. Illustrated.10 
Fertilizers and Fruits. 
H. W. Colllngwood. How the Hudson Rlvei 
fruit growers cultivate and market their crops, 
and especially shows how these skillful men are 
feeding toelr vines and trees. Paper.20 
A Fortune in Two Acres. 
Fred Grundy. This Is a story of how a workman 
In a small market town gained Independence and 
a fortune In two acres. Paper.21 
Fertilizer Farming. 
H. W. Colllngwood. Gives In detail the practice 
of farmers who use large quantities of fertilizers. 
Paper.20 
Trees for Street and Shade. 
Tells what trees to plant for particular purposes. 
Uses of shade trees. Paper.20 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, NEW YORK. 
