1894 
THE RURAI NEW-YORKER 
653 
THE PROSPECT. 
Notwithstanding the urgent need that every hit of 
feed in a drought-stricken State like Iowa be saved, 
habit is proving too strong for many ot the farmers, 
and they will follow their old rule of leaving the corn 
stalks in the field. After corn gathering, they will 
turn in stock to get the tithe which the weather and 
storms have left, and that is all they will do towards 
saving their corn fodder. However, the lesson of the 
drought is being heeded by some, and an unusual 
amount of corn is being cut up. But why do not all 
farmers make this change, and save at least what 
fodder they can use ? As reasonable beings, it would 
not seem too much to expect that men should be gov¬ 
erned by reason instead of habit. Habits we must 
have, but they should be our servants, not our masters. 
Every thoughtful American must at some time have 
considered the problems that afiect the future of his 
country. On this continent, living side by side—with 
interests practically identical—are two English speak¬ 
ing nations—Canada and the United States. Why 
should they be separated politically ? It is hard for a 
fair minded man to give a satisfactory answer to that 
question, because there is no sound reason outside of 
National loyalty, why the St. Lawrence River should 
separate two countries while the Mississippi only sep¬ 
arates two States. Canada cannot thrive and grow as 
a British colony—the last census shows that beyond 
question. The natural outlets for her products are at 
Boston, New York and Chicago rather than in London 
and Liverpool. All English speaking Americans north 
of the Gulf of Mexico have a common destiny, and 
instead of quarreling and la wing over questions that 
are of vital interest on both sides of the line, the two 
nations might well unite and make a greater America. 
* 
The R. N.-Y. believes in true business cooperation 
for farmers. One reason why the farmer has fallen 
behind other workers in the industrial race, is that 
his work as an individual has been matched against 
the trained and organized labor of many working to¬ 
gether. There are some things that the farmer will 
ever do better as an individual—there are others 
where cooperation doubles his ability to accomplish 
results. Here is one illustration : 
I like the article on “Washing by Power,” page 022. It was written by 
a woman who Is “ keeping up with the procession.” But I cannot 
help thinking, while reading it, that It will be a long time before a 
power washer will materialize on the majority of our farms. The 
means, orthe Inclination, or the talent, la liable to be wanting. Would 
not the desired end be gained sooner, cheaper and better, if 25 to lOU 
responsible farmers locate a power plant at some central point ? A 
competent, reliable force, with proper engine and machinery, could 
wash. Iron, separate milk and cream, churn, bake, can fruit, saw, turn, 
etc., for them all; thus relieving the burden of housekeeping, and 
solving the hired girl problem. chas. l. osbubx. 
Wayne County, N. Y. 
It seems to us that this plan is sensible and practicable. 
There are many farm neighborhoods where it could 
be carried out. Two essentials will be needed—good 
roads and neighbors with a fair amount of charity and 
good feeling. We shall be pleased to have this plan 
discussed in our columns. ^ 
Among all the revolutions that have largely modified 
man’s conditions on earth, none compares with the one 
predicted by the famous French savant and statesman, 
Berthelot. It is published in many papers, but with 
little comment from any one, and, as yet, no denial of 
its authenticity. Apparently the very high standing 
of the attributed author bars objection on the one 
hand, while the astounding nature of the prophecy 
checks comment on the other. The statement is, in 
brief, that synthetic chemistry is now able to compose 
all that we eat, drink and wear, from the simple ele¬ 
ments which are the main ingredients of all of them ; 
so that the culture of the soil and the feeding and 
butchering of animals can be dispensed with when 
chemical methods of preparation prove the cheapest 
and otherwise preferable, as Berthelot confidently as¬ 
serts they will. The earth will then recover much lost 
verdancy and beauty, and parts now untenanted will 
prove the most healthful and pleasant places of resi¬ 
dence, with great increase of population. The elements 
in question are those which mainly compose the air 
around us—oxygen and nitrogen, with the main con¬ 
stituent of water—hydrogen, and a minor air element 
and main constituent of all organic growth—carbon— 
these four. A few others, serving mostly as flavorings 
or modifiers, are equally plentiful. 
* 
Since war and pestilence have been abated, and the 
human population of the earth has much increased, 
it is alarming to see the soil from which alone all draw 
sustenance and shelter, wasting and wearing away so 
fast as it does. What with the continual concentra¬ 
tion of our population in towns and cities, and the 
sweeping away through sewers to the sea of all the 
fertilizing wastes on which the soil depends, to enable 
it to continue productive of support—considering, too, 
the denuding, the parching and the washing away of 
the soil itself, and the not remote exhaustion of our 
present sources of artificial heat, the prospect of a 
long endurance of our race on earth would be a bad 
one if there were not some hope of rescue such as Ber¬ 
thelot holds out. If his prophecy prove true, then, 
indeed, a new world opens to the view with improved 
conditions inconceivable. Will (or would) mankind 
be the better off for so great a change ? Better, we 
must believe, for man’s condition has ever been im¬ 
proving since his progenitors disputed occupation with 
beasts for the tenancy of caves. Progress, upward and 
forward, is evidently God’s will and man’s destiny. 
* 
When you plow under a heavy green crop, you 
place under the soil a large amount of water, and also 
what is practically a sponge for holding moisture. It 
ought to be evident that if the air is given free access 
to this mass of green stuff, it will dry up almost like 
hay. If it is to conserve moisture, the air must be 
kept out of it. For this reason, it is well to cover the 
green crop thoroughly with soil, and then pack it 
down hard with a roller. Worked in this way, such a 
crop will prove a valuable help in carrying the succeed¬ 
ing crop through a drought. 
* 
The Outlook prints a valuable article on the new 
Income tax, prepared by Austin Abbott, of the New 
York University law school. As is pretty well known 
by this time, the object of this law is to put into the 
United States Treasury two per cent of the net income 
of corporations and individuals whose incomes exceed 
5^4,000 per year. It is really a piece of class legislation 
urged chiefly by people at the South and West against 
the capitalists of the East. The clause of most direct 
interest to us is that relating to sales of farm produce. 
On this point the statute reads : 
The amount of sales of live stock, sugar, cotton, wool, batter, cheese, 
pork, beef, mutton, or ocher meats, hay and grain, or other vegetable 
or other prod actions, being the gro?rth or produce of the estate of such 
person, less the amount expended In the purchase or production of 
said stock or produce, and not Including any part thereof consumed 
directly by the family. 
It is concluded that this means that the entire cost of 
purchasing and producing the crop may be deducted 
from the total sales. In other words, the sales from a 
farm must be $4,000 in excess of the expenses in order 
to be made liable to the tax. Many farmers derive an 
income from rents, or interest on notes, mortgages, 
etc. All this will be added to their income from other 
sources as well as dividends, premiums, or other in¬ 
comes from investments. At the same time, provision 
is made for deducting interest paid. For example, if 
a man is receiving interest on investments, and also 
paying interest for debts, he may deduct the latter. 
We think there will be little hardship about the law, 
as it will directly affect only those who are well able 
to pay the tax. We think, however, that it would 
have been more generally satisfactory if all —rich and 
poor alike—had been taxed instead of singling out a 
certain rich class. In our opinion, class legislation of 
any sort is wrong, and is sure to make a precedeat 
that will result in harm. ^ 
It is a favorite argument with those who oppose, 
through thick and thin, any increase in the coinage of 
silver, to say that free coinage would double the 
prices of the necessaries of life so that the town work¬ 
man would be worse off than now. To show how 
prices have fallen, the following table has been pre¬ 
pared by the American Grocer : 
1869. 1894. 
B'lonr, per barrel. 
...I6..62 
$3.30 
Sugar, per pound.... 
Tea,per pound . 
... 13% 
4% 
... 59 
20M 
Klee, per pound. 
... m 
Mess beef, per oarrel. 
...11.41 
8.19 
Mess pork, per Darrel. 
...31.04 
13.80 
Lard, per pound. 
... 18% 
Cheese, per pound. 
... 14 
16% 
Canned tomatoes. No. B, dozen... 
... 2.10 
95 
Canned corn. Mo. 2, dozen. 
... 2.75 
80 
Canned peaches. No. 3, dozen .... 
... 3.50 
1.30 
Canned salmon. No. 1, dozen. 
... 3.75 
1.55 
Now we are told that, in case the mints were opened 
to free silver at the ratio of 16 to 1 these prices of 1894 
would be doubled so that with an equal amount of 
money, the workman could buy only half as much 
food. If that is so, then the reverse must be trae, and 
these men must admit that demonetizing silver has 
had the effect of cutting in two the prices formerly 
obtained for the farmer’s produce 1 That is the very 
point the silver men claim, and if it be true, no one 
can deny its injustice. But bow much truth is there 
in this bugbear ? In the 25 years between the dates 
given in this table a great industrial revolution has 
taken place. The world has not been standing still, 
but countless new devices and methods for cheapening 
the production of food have been perfected. We can 
never again hope to obtain the old prices of 1869, ex¬ 
cept for limited periods. They have gone forever, and 
cheaper transportation, ease of communication, and 
the ability to make use of improved machinery, are 
largely responsible for it. With free silver coinage, 
we are inclined to think that the farmer would find it 
much easier to obtain cash for his products ; but we 
have no belief that the prices of the necessaries of life 
would be doubled to the workingman. 
THE WOOL SITUATION. 
WHAT IS THE PROSPECT FOR THE FUTURE ? 
“ What effect has the new tariff had upon the wool 
market, and upon the price of domestic wools?” a 
representative of The R. N.-Y. asked Mr. Macnaugh- 
tan, of the Macnaughtan Company, extensive wool 
jobbers. 
“ Manufacturers are buying more wool, and the 
market is in fairly good shape. We have our sales¬ 
men all out on the road, and they are selling right 
along. Manufacturer’s stocks had been allowed to 
run pretty low, and as the demand for goods begins 
to increase, they must stock up. Prices have not ad¬ 
vanced as it was expected they would do. When the 
depression came, a year or two ago, prices went down, 
on the average, about 40 per cent, some grades more, 
some less. When the tariff matter was settled, it was 
expected that prices would advance about 25 per cent 
on the average all around. Bat the advance at the 
London wool sales, which really regulate prices, was 
very small, and the advance here has not been large, 
probably five to eight, and in some cases 10 per cent. 
Still there has been an advance.” 
“ What is your idea of future prices and prospects?” 
“ My personal opinion is that there will be less 
fluctuation in prices—that the market will show small 
variations in price from year to year, and this will be 
better for all concerned. This is the case in London ; 
a variation there of one-quarter or one-half cent is a 
great thing, and a variation of one-twentieth of a cent 
is noticed, while here, a change of less than five cents 
per pound has hardly been thought worth noticing. 
I think that the market is getting down to a solid 
basis, and that wool growers can count on little 
change in general, that is on such extreme, disastrous 
changes as they have been subjected to in the past.” 
“ We sometimes see it stated that the admission of 
wool free of duty, will create more of a demand for 
certain grades of domestic wool which are used to mix 
with the former, and thus increase the demand for, 
and the price of, the domestic. Do you think there is 
anything in this ?” 
“I can imagine that such might be the case, but 
hardly think that it would make any material differ¬ 
ence. In the event of an increased demand from this 
cause, it would be for Texas and Territory, and the 
finer grades of wools, as these are the ones that are 
usually used to mix with the foreign.” 
“What are the indications among sheep men as to 
their future action?” 
“There seems to be more confidence. Last year, in 
many of the great woolprodacLng regions of the West, 
large numbers of sheep were rushed to market, and 
many of them sold for just enough to pay freight, 
while, in some cases, the shippers were obliged to pay 
something besides. Now, in these regions, not a sheep 
is for sale. The bottom seems to have been reached, 
and, as I said before, I think the market is on a solid 
basis, and that there will be little fluctuation or 
change for some time to come.” 
“Aren’t there, apparently, large stocks of wool in 
the country?” 
“Not excessively heavy stocks. In some localities, 
there is considerable wool, and growers there imagine 
that because they all have considerable on hand stocks 
are heavy. But if all the wool in some of these re¬ 
gions were in one city warehouse, it wouldn’t make 
much of a show, or have any effect on the market. It 
looks like a big lot when it is scattered around.” 
“What effect did the change in tariff have upon the 
importat;oa of foreign goods?” 
“The immediate result was a heavy importation. 
There seemed to be a lot of goods all ready to be 
dumped on the market, and now tnat they are damped, 
there is a let up, and the receipts are much smaller.” 
“What is likely to be the effect upon the prices of 
manufactured goods?” 
“Prices were lowered by the sudden and heavy offer¬ 
ings, but seem to be stiffening again. Bub the Ameri¬ 
can manufacturer will hold his own against the 
foreign, though the price of labor must be reduced.” 
BUSINESS BITS. 
VICTORIA plKS, registered, H. G. Hubbard, Dundee, N. Y. 
A young Holstein bull may be bought of Samuel Yeahle, Flour- 
town, Fa. 
If any one wants new sweet cider, E. L. Clarkson, Tivoli, N. Y., Is 
the person to furnish It. 
MR. FRANK McElhbny, Box D., Black Creek, N, Y., has Shropshire 
sheep and other things to sell. See hls ad. on stock page. 
A HALF Jersey and half Guernsey ought to make a good cross. B'. 
H. Gates & Sons, Chlttenango, N. Y., have calves of this blood for 
sale. 
Mr. E. W. Ubid, of Bridgeport. O., the Introducer of the Tlmbrell 
strawberry, sends us hls fall catalogue of nursery goods. You can 
get It by asking for It. 
Have you water handy? If not, do you want a well? If you are at 
all Interested. It will pay to send a postal card to the B'. C. Austin Mfg 
Co., Chicago, 111., for their well drilling catalogue. 
Our readers have been told a good deal about second-crop seed 
potatoes. Many want to try them. John C. Fearce & Co., Louisville, 
Ky,, grow and ship this seed. Mr. Fearce is an old veteran In this 
business-knows all about It. 
A N EATLY executed, colored covered catalogue of hyacinths, tulips, 
daffodils, lilies, seeds and plants for winter and spring flowering 
comes from Henry A. Dreer, 714 Chestnut St., Fnlladelphla, Fa. Send 
for toe catalogue. Our readers will make no mistake In dealing with 
this old, excellent llrm 
