THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
7i7 
THE PROSPECT. 
Superintendent Stump, of the United States Na¬ 
tional Bureau of Immigration, went to Europe to 
investigate the immigration question. In Italy, the 
officials stated that shipping Italians to this country 
resulted in their sending large sums of money back 
to relatives in Italy. This is a great benefit to Italy, 
but a bad drain on this country, which has need of all 
the money that is earned on its soil. The European 
governments generally are ready to cooperate with 
us in keeping criminals at home. That is where they 
should stay. 
O 
“ Primer Science ” thus far is chiefly devoted to an 
effort to make “The Balanced Ration” clear. This 
seemed the most important and timely topic to take 
up flrst, and we hope to hang to it until we drive the 
fog all out of it. To the many who are sending ques¬ 
tions, let us say that they will all be carefully con¬ 
sidered and answered in due time—that is, before the 
time for starting the actual farm practice on which 
they are based. As to those questions asked this 
week about feeding rations, we shall be pleased to 
have our friends send in the flgures they make out. 
That will give us a lot of different rations for com¬ 
parison and discussion. 
O 
A COMPANY of sightseers was being shown thi’ough 
one of Connecticut’s large woolen mills, and was Anally 
brought to the rolls of finished cloth. Some extra fine 
.samples of woolens were exhibited. An officer of the 
mill assured us that their facilities for making the 
finest woolen fabrics were not surpassed by any fac¬ 
tory in Europe. The American factory had equally 
skilled labor, the best of appliances, and the same 
raw material. But they manufactured little of that 
class of goods because consumers of those grades de¬ 
manded foreign cloth. The wools used in that factory 
were mostly imported. Briers and weeds were grow¬ 
ing all over the surrounding hillsides. Sheep could 
feed to the factory doors. Sheep justice demands a 
little more Americanism in manufacturer and con¬ 
sumer. 
O 
We have championed the cause of Crimson clover 
and purpose to keep at it. There is good in this 
plant. It may not thrive in your location—a Jersey 
cow might not prove valuable there. That is no 
reason why clover and Jerseys are to be generally 
condemned. Prof. E. B. Voorhees, of New Jer-sey, 
writes this note about it: 
Gratifying reports are coming in, in reference to Crimson clover, 
particularly as a green manure, though a great many rejjort ex¬ 
cellent results in the dairy, both as a pasture or soiling crop and 
as hay. As an illustration, at a meeting of the Salem County 
Board of Agriculture lately, in a section where corn and tomatoes 
are the leading crops, one farmer repoi’ted a crop of 15 tons of 
tomatoes, the only fertilizer being the Crimson clover. Another 
reported 70 bushels of corn to the aci’e, planted on Crimson clover 
sod May 10. From such reliable data as I have been able to secure, 
I calculate the area seeded in New Jersey this fall to be at lea.st 
10,000 acres. 
You will notice that Mr. Kerr says that the Crimson 
is better for intensive farming, and the Red for ordi¬ 
nary cropping. We expect to go down among these 
farmers, and learn just why that is so. 
O 
“ From him that would borrow of thee turn not thou 
away.” Those who have an abundance dare not be 
seltish. But there is nothing in the words quoted 
which justifies a man in making a nui.sance of himself 
as a borrower. In not a few good farming communities, 
some men are a terror to their neighbors on account 
of their proclivities for borrowing all the implements 
in sight. No sooner does a progressive neighbor in¬ 
vest his money in a new and costly piece of machinery, 
than these chi-onic borrowers bear down upon him 
with the intention of getting full and free use of it. 
They buy nothing themselves, but make their neigh¬ 
bors provide them with a working capital. They know 
whose grain drill is best, whose planter does the best 
work, what disk harrow is most to their li ing, and 
what cultivator is pleasantest to handle. They watch 
the owner’s work, and the moment he unhitches, their 
teams are ready to be hitched to the implements 
wanted. They are careless, and when a machine is 
broken by them, they say nothing, or else promise to 
pay the repair bill, and never do it. They do not re¬ 
turn what they borrow when agreed, and when the 
owner sends for it, it is found in the field where last 
used. What should-be done with such people, any¬ 
way ? Clearly they should be charged a good sum for 
the use of all implements. They may not, will not, 
like it, but if they are compelled to pay so much a day 
while the borrowed articles are in their charge, th 
implements will get back home on time. The hire 
should be big enough to pay for wear in careless 
hands. The chronic borrower is a nui.sance. Some 
exchange of tools by farmers is profitable, and there 
are few men who do not at some time have occasion 
to borrow or hire ; but this constant aid to careless 
and thankless fellows who have saved money by never 
buying any machinery, is no kindness to them. The 
careful farmer who buys liberally of improved ma¬ 
chinery, and keeps it in perfect repair, should be pro¬ 
tected from the chronic borrower, and a fair charge is 
the only protection of which we know. Have you a 
better way ? 
O 
The need of such primer science as we wish we 
were able to write, is pretty well indicated in the fol¬ 
lowing letter from a friend in Iowa : 
Corn is a very rich, valuable feed. More of it is grown in Iowa 
than in any other State, and, as a rule, it is the cheapest stock 
feed in the State. Still no intelligent farmer would think of making 
it his only grain feed. Yet this is just what many of the Hawkeye 
farmers do, while they sell their oats, which are the principal 
small grain grown. One of these men got out of corn one summer, 
so, instead of buying, he fed his horses oats while doing his stub¬ 
ble plowing, “ and I don’t know but they did .as well as though 
they had had corn. Oats are a pretty good feed.” He said this in 
a tone which implied that he had learned something which was 
not generally known. How does this strike the down East farmer, 
that oats can be fed to horses, if corn is not obtainable, and make 
a pretty fair substitute ? 
We would give a good deal to possess the ability to 
put the science of stock feeding before these farmers 
in such a way that they would see why corn is not the 
best grain for horses. One thing is sure, science must 
come down to these men—they are not going to jump 
up to it! 
O 
Quite a business is said to be done at Washington 
in what are known as “Pub. Docs.,” which is the name 
given by the trade to the free publications sent out by 
the Agi-icultural and other departments. The present 
absurd method of distributing these reports is to as¬ 
sign a certain number of copies to each Congressman 
to distribute among his constituents. Many Congress¬ 
men represent towns and cities, and the publications 
of the Agricultural Department are of no value to 
their people. Some of them, it is said, draw their full 
quota of books and sell them to book jobbers. Some 
years ago, the Agricultural Department printed an 
excellent work on “ Diseases of the Horse.” The first 
edition was soon exhausted, for there was a great de¬ 
mand for the book. By one pretext or another, the 
printing of new editions was delayed, and to-day it is 
said that the book is selling at ^2 in the bodk stores. 
It is well worth that money, but why should Con¬ 
gressmen be permitted to speculate in this way while 
farmers cannot obtain this book ? The system of dis¬ 
tribution is wrong and ought to be changed. 
0 
With cotton at 5 and cents a pound, the vSouth- 
ern cotton growers are in a desperate condition, since 
skillful growers can hardly bring the cost of a pound 
under 03^ cents. No wonder conventions are being 
held all over the South to devise means for facing the 
“Cotton Crisis.” There appears to be little or no 
hope for better prices. America has no longer a 
monopoly in the growing of this fiber. In Egypt 
alone, a great irrigating scheme is proposed that will 
double the cotton crop sent from that country to com¬ 
pete with the American crop. At most of the South¬ 
ern cotton meetings, the prevailing idea is that it is 
next to impossible to get farmers to organize for a 
decrease in acreage. The greatest hope lies in at¬ 
tempting to decrease the cost of growing a pound of 
the crop. There is hope in doing this, because 
Southern farmers buy so many of the things they 
might raise at home. They send away cash for mules 
and for food, both for their laborers and live stock. 
Let them produce this food on their own farms, and 
the mere saving of the middlemen’s fees will pull 
down the cost of the cotton so that it can be sold at a 
profit. In that direction and in that only does there 
seem any hope for the cotton planter. 
0 
Winter is coming ! A few lice in the henhouse now 
mean thousands later. Poor hens, and few, if any, 
eggs, will be the i-esult. Do you think it will pay to feed 
wheat to lice ? That is what many do without a mur¬ 
mur—at the lice. The hens are only the go-betweens, 
and get all the curses. Dlean out everything—nests, 
roosts, partirion.s -and scrub them with kerosene. 
Paint everything with st-ong lye made of wood 
ashes—e.onvei-t the pests int^’ soap, and then .scrult 
the building with them. Cut new poles for roosts, 
and haitg them witli wires fastened to the eoof. Dig 
out th.- floor with a hoe, and wash it. When dry, 
whiteV. ash every pa rt. It will pay to do a good job 
while about it. It will be too cold by and by, and, 
then, 'iiose pullets must liegin laying before cold 
weather, or they will hold otT till spring. To suc¬ 
ceed, you must give them ineal, not make meat of 
them for parasites, d’he pullets may, with caj e and 
comforl, pay a profit on tljC i- co.st before spring. 
They will not it tliey are aubjoi ted vermin factories. 
A supply of lea ve.s pricked away for use on the floors, 
will make a cheeifuL sound as th/-. hens “imstle” for 
w heat among them on cold days. Several loads of 
buckwheat hulls will be a profitable investment. The 
white dust will choke lice when the hens roll in it. 
Of course you have barrels of road dust put away. 
That and plaster when thrown violently against the 
roosts, will make a smudge and destroy many of the 
red mites. It is likely that hens would take care of 
the louse question themselves, if always provided 
with suitable dust material. When their roosts be¬ 
come too bad, or the nests too hot, they will abandon 
them for a tree,and starve out the midnight marauders. 
0 
Auu sorts of propositions and requests for advice 
are sent to The R. N.-Y. We regard it as a high 
honor to tlius have the confidence of our readers. 
Here is a note just at hand from a New York State 
subscriber : 
In my experience in my garden while teaching in Japan, I hit 
upon a new method of preparing the soil. It was a decided suc¬ 
cess. I want now the machinery to api)ly this method on a more 
extensive scale in this country, and if there is any money in tlie 
invention of such machinery I want a share of it. As I liave not 
the time, money or mechanical ability to construct and get a 
patent on the machinery I have in mind, what would The R. N.-Y. 
advise me to do about it? 
We often have similar letters from those who have 
some new device or invention which they wish to sell. 
We hardly know what to say to them. It is natural 
for a man to have a high opinion of his own invention; 
but how can he get business men to take the same 
view ? Thousands of devices are patented every year, 
yet few of them will ever earn the cost of the patent 
fees. The truth is that a poor inventor is at the 
mercy of the man with the money, and unless he can 
devise something of great and evident merit, he must 
take the terms offered him or go without. 
0 
The supply of evaporated apples has been much 
larger this fall than usual, but an active demand has 
kept the market well cleared. The quality has been 
excellent, and this has probably contributed largely 
to the demand. The market has shown more weak¬ 
ness during the past few days, and prices have ruled 
somewhat lower. Canadian shippers are offering 
stock at extremely low figures. Exporters have been 
looking for some stock, but have bought little here, 
as they could do better in interior markets. Few 
sun-dried apples have arrived this year, and the price 
on these was placed so high that buyers have had little 
inducement to handle them. The market for fresh 
apples has been duller and the price lower than the ( 
crop this year would warrant. There has been a small 
supply of fancy fruit, and the demand has been good 
for such. But there has been a tremendous amount 
of poor stock that no one wanted except at low prices, 
and this has depressed the market and tended to de¬ 
preciate prices of all stock. The Hudson River re¬ 
gion has sent a large proportion of poor stock this 
year. That from other points is much better. It is 
generally expected that the later markets will be bet¬ 
ter. The large crop and the poor quality from the 
Hudson River Valley are largely responsible for the 
poor market and the low prices. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Duboc Jersey pigs two months old and registered, can be had 
of E. S. Clarkson, Tivoli, N. Y. 
Geo. Ertel & Co., Quincy, Ill., manufacture the Victor incu¬ 
bator, which is claimed to be absolutely self-regulating. Descrip¬ 
tive circular free. 
There is a good chance to get pure strain Hereford cattle at the 
auction sale of Mr. Merryman’s herd at Baltimore, Md., November 
15. Announcement on page 721. 
Doesn’t some one want Jersey heifers? Mr. J. D. Buchanan, Lib¬ 
erty Falls, N. Y., is offering them at prices of ordinai-y stock. Mr, 
Buchanan is an old Jersey breeder. 
Black cattle skins properly tanned make excellent robes, rugs, 
coats, caps, etc. Ed. R. Hardy, Abingdon, Ill., is the pioneer in 
the manufacture of these goods, and the robes that we have seen 
from his place are very fine. 
It is seldom that a manufactured article appears that every one 
needs; but every person who keeps house wants a Hour bin. They 
keep fiour perfectly dry and clean, and save their cost every year. 
An excellent one is made by Cook Flour Bin Co., Homer, Mich. 
While you’re buying pigs, why not buy from the best stock? 
The best should be good enough for anybody, especially when it 
took the prizes whei-ever entered. That’s what the Willswood herd 
did, and the catalogue will tell you all about it. Ask for it from 
Wills A. Seward, Budd’s Lake, N. J. 
Many farmers’ boys are asking where to send game, furs, etc. 
Wm. H. Cohen & Co., Nos. 229 and 231 Washington St., New York, 
supply some of the largest restaurants and dealers with game, 
and get gooil prices. They also supply some of the largest clubs 
n"ar tlic city with live <- 11 :ail for stocking ^ame preserves. They 
also baudIc lur? ginseng, poultry, fruits, etc. Write them for 
partu-ul.-irs. 
Wk liave na<l'■.onsidcrabie to say about produciic.' eggs .at .a., 
.average of one cein ea«.*h. Before we get done •'.vilh •Pii.ii*-r 
Sci^ince,” we shall learn tljat the ‘‘ u.'.iscle-makers” are the odsI 
expensive paft ot the food. The great problem iu fe dio; :iny 
animal la to get these “ muscle-makers ” for *he le-'.s:: uiore;.. !i 
is a singular fact that fine ground bone .*nd meat -s : ' »»Tve t. . '? 
as an':c;il and plant fuOd. A pprt '•ijitlug this fact, th-. Bi-_,,i i.- ■ i- .■.• 
tilizer o'pro/r «c supplying food for Dei s « ,, , • 
])Iant3. A. F. Hunter, editor of Farm P(»ultry, has s. iiTi i a 
pamplui t called .Feeding for and the Bradley C-ompany wlb’ 
send it to any readc” of The R. N.- Y- who will upp'y to th rm .'m 
It. Send an ' ask for it. V.’e will guaranU -’u^t it is inieres’.ing 
and instructive. 
