348 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
May 18 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS' PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. Copyrighted 1885 
Elbert S. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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Address all business communications and make all orders pay- 
able 40 THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets, New York. 
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 1895. 
It is about time for that old “Preservaline” humbug 
to come out with its advertisement. “The dirty 
milkman’s friend !” That’s the name Prof. Henry 
gave it last year, and it will be no cleaner in 1895. 
We make this statement early so that no one need be 
deceived though ignorance as to the true nature of 
“ Preservaline.” 
o 
Almost all of The R. N.-Y.’s interviews have de¬ 
tailed some point of farming that is of special interest 
to the men folks. The women are to have their share, 
too. We expect to begin soon the publication of a 
report of a cooking school lecture in which an expeit 
told how to prepare some sensible dishes for a farmer’s 
dinner. We think the women folks will be interested 
in this. 
O 
Secretary of Agriculture Morton had a contest 
with Congress last year about the appropriation for 
buying seeds for distribution. The Secretary wanted 
to save money by purchasing only “ rare and uncom¬ 
mon ” seeds. Congress would not have this, but in¬ 
sisted on his spending more money. The Attorney- 
General has now given an opinion that all Secretary 
Morton is required to do under the law is to buy 
“ rare and uncommon ” seeds, and the Secretary pur¬ 
poses to do this and nothing more. He is bound to 
have a controversy with Congress over it, but we hope 
that he will stick to his decision. 
G 
Here is a Crimson clover report that teaches a 
double lesson : 
Prof. Crimson Clover, F. F., Is with me again this spring, is 
standing 18 to 24 inces high, and as thick as the hair on a dog’s 
back. Of course, I am highly pleased with the Professor’s be¬ 
havior, but I must tell you that three years ago, I had him with 
me, and he acted so badly—didn’t get more than eight or nine 
inches high, and was very dyspeptic looking—that I banished him 
from my place. But after reading The R. N.-Y. for the last three 
years, I was induced to have him come to see me again, with a 
change in his bill of fare. I gave him 800 pounds of kainit per 
acre, harrowed in with the seed, with the above result, r. r. mca. 
Saxon, N. C. 
That’s right. Old Brother Potash will ever be the 
guide and friend for clover. 
O 
With the price of extra Elgin and other fancy 
creamery butter down to 18 cents in this market, and 
other marks at corresponding prices ; with receipts of 
milk the heaviest, probably, ever known, and with a 
heavy production and large surplus the country 
through, prospects for high prices for butter and 
cheese, are not very bright. There are said to be in 
store, both in this country and Great Britain, butter 
of the seasons of 1893 and 1894, and enough cheese 
visible to supply all demands to June 1. While this 
old butter is not a desirable article, and invariably 
sells for low prices, it has a certain effect in pulling 
down the price of the higher grades. Our export 
trade in butter is likely to decrease, for Australia and 
New Zealand have during the past three years, twice 
doubled their output of butter, and last year put into 
Great Britain alone four times as much butter as the 
United States ever exported to that country in any 
one year. It is expected that, during the coming 
year, these countries will make more cheese and less 
butter. Canada has been making great quantities of 
cheese, and its exports last year were nearly double 
those of the United States. But the Canadians are 
becoming fearful of overdoing the cheese business, and 
are trying to induce the Government to pay a bounty on 
all creamery butter made and exported. The countries 
of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Italy have become 
exporters of butter, instead of importers, while Den¬ 
mark, Germany, France and Holland are endeavoring 
by improvement in quality of goods and style of pack¬ 
age, to increase their export trade. While low prices 
seem inevitable, the poorer grades will suffer most, 
and the only wise course seems to be to make the 
best goods possible, put them up in the neatest and 
most attractive packages, and seek the markets that 
appreciate such goods. Probably some one in a nearby 
town or city would like a regular supply of such but¬ 
ter, and would be willing to pay a good price for it. 
Have you looked for that trade? 
n 
Oregon is not a corn grain country, though ensilage 
corn can be grown readily. Oats and wheat are the chief 
grains. Great numbers of cattle are bred in Oregon, 
but many of them are driven farther East to fatten 
for market. Experiments at the Oregon Experiment 
Station, show that the^e cattle can be profitably fat¬ 
tened at home. With hay, ensilage, crushed wheat 
and oil meal, fat beeves can be produced as profitably 
as in the corn-growing States. So it is in Colorado 
with Alfalfa and sugar beets. The time is coming 
when the great corn States will no longer have a 
monopoly of the fattening business. 
o 
The oil of the cocoanut has heretofore been used 
chiefly for making soaps and candles. By means of a 
new process, it can now be used chiefly for making 
an imitation butter when churned with genuine 
cream. This oil can be produced at a lower cost than 
any animal fat ; it is odorless and tasteless, and may 
thus be easily colored and “flavored” to represent 
“ butter.” Now it will be interesting to see what the 
“oleo” makers will say about this new substitute. 
This hits them in the pocket, because it provides an 
oil cheaper than their suet and grease. They will 
either buy it all in, or fill the papers with a big out¬ 
cry against it. See if they don’t. 
O 
We wish you to notice the turning point in the 
career of that ex-renter in Illinois, see page 343. The 
thing that convinced him that something was wrong, 
was an actual experiment to determine the difference 
between the cost and the selling price of those pigs. 
Before that, his business had been done at haphazard 
—one thing paying and another running him in debt 
with no way to tell “ which was which.” An actual 
experiment showed that money was to be made feed¬ 
ing hogs. Another experiment showed that others 
could raise the needed grain cheaper than he could, 
while his time was worth more in the strawberry 
patch. That is the way men get along. They learn 
how to make their labor most effective and then drop 
the unprofitable jobs. 
O 
As there are several varieties of Crimson clover 
which differ greatly in hardiness, some not being 
sufficiently hardy to withstand even the mild winters 
of Delaware, it behooved would-be purchasers of seed 
to secure only domestic seed. Large quantities of 
foreign seed have been imported, as it can be pur¬ 
chased at a much lower price than can the domestic 
product. We understand that two car-loads of im¬ 
ported seed have already been shipped into Delaware 
by a large dealer. A few years ago, a would-be pur¬ 
chaser of a large quantity of Crimson clover seed 
contracted for the seed on condition that a sample 
should be submitted to the experiment station for 
determining its purity. Seeds of the Egyptian clover, 
Trifolium Alexandricum, a summer clover, were found 
in the sample, and the purchase was not completed. 
It is difficult to detect the mixed seed, hence it is well 
to be sure of the source. There is no good reason 
why American farmers should use the imported seed, 
though dealers may even claim superiority for it. 
G 
The following letter from Mr. S. S. Baker, of Black- 
stone, Va., will be of interest to many of our readers 
who are considering the plan of locating creameries 
and canning factories : 
I notice in The R. N.-Y. of April 20, an article in regard to the 
business methods of Davis <fe Rankin, of Chicago. They sent their 
agents here, and got our farmers interested in a creamery. They 
induced them to sign a contract to pay for shares in the creamery, 
with the understanding and on their assertion that others had 
signed it. This contract was interlined before they signed it “that 
each subscriber was only bound for the number of shares he sub¬ 
scribed for.” They also represented that they had enough shares 
taken to cover the $4,500 cost of the creamery. They went on and 
built it after being notified that there was great dissatisfaction 
among the subscribers. They sued on the contract, and the paper 
they produced in court had the interlined sentence erased, and 
they claimed that each subscriber was bound for the whole 
amount, although several of our most reliable farmers swore that 
they had never seen the paper having their names on it, and that 
they were certainly forged. They had the case continued to one 
full term of court. 
We are always glad to see our readers make a firm 
legal stand against what they consider extortion or 
injustice. Possibly there are those who can give Mr. 
Baker the benefit of their own experience. 
Dr. Salmon, of the Department of Agriculture 
stated as the result of his investigations, that the rise 
in price of beef was due to a combine among the 
dealers. The greatly abused Armour replies to this 
in a sworn statement that his company has lost 
money on every steer slaughtered of late years. To 
this Dr. Salmon replies that this company owns thou¬ 
sands of cars in which the dressed beef is carried. A 
portion of the price received for the beef is charged 
to “transportation.” For example, suppose a steer 
costs $40 and sells for $00 (we use only imaginary 
figures). The cost of slaughtering, packing and trans¬ 
porting is given at $20.50 exclusive of the income for 
hide and refuse. That indicates a loss of 50 cents. 
Suppose, however, that the slaughterers charged 
themselves the retail price for transportation, while 
it cost wholesale rates, so that they made a profit of 
$2.50. Does not that mean a profit of $2 on the steer ? 
Dr. Salmon is right in demanding the figures on 
“ transportation” before taking backwater on his 
charges. 
o 
The potato crop of this country last year was the 
poorest ever reported with two exceptions. The 
foreign crop was also small, and the importations 
here were remarkably light for a year of short crop. 
So far this year, Europe has sent us less than 100,000 
sacks—but a drop in the bucket. Then, too, the ex¬ 
port demand from Cuba and the West Indies, has been 
about 100,000 barrels less than in former years, a 
quantity equal to the entire European imports. It 
has been predicted that there would be a shortage in 
old potatoes at the end of the season, but present 
indications do not bear out this prediction. Receipts 
here have been very heavy, and prices have declined 
considerably, with a weak market. The demand for 
potatoes for seed purposes is practically over, and the 
Southern crop promises to yield well, and to come 
into market in good season. Prices may rule higher 
before the end of the season, but any extravagant, 
extreme price need not be expected. The condition 
of the market does not warrant any such hope, and 
extreme prices invariably cause consumers to pur¬ 
chase more sparingly, and thus to lessen the demand. 
G 
BREVITIES. 
“ DECORATION DAY AT THE CENTER.” 
Three old fellows stiffly marching in their regimentals blue ; 
Marching ’neath the flag they followed to the front in '62. 
Three “back numbers,” old and feeble—all their comrades passed 
away ; 
Thus our village pays its tribute on sad Decoration Day. 
Three white heads bowed low in silence at the Chaplain’s word of 
prayer ; 
Dim old eyes can scarce distinguish where the flowers are lying 
there. 
Dull old ears re-hear the story of the deeds that set men'free ; 
Three old voices join the chorus of “My country ’tis of thee !” 
That is all ! Break ranks ! March homeward to the old routine 
again ! 
Duty calls us back from dreaming, life has lessons clear and 
plain. 
Thoughtful, earnest men are needed in the town or on the farm, 
Men to keep our nation’s honor pure and free from taint or harm; 
Men to learn the truer meaning of this Decoration Dav, 
Men to hold the loyal feeling of these soldiers old and gray ; 
Men to grow sweet hope and promise from the mold of old-time 
hate ; 
And to bury party clamor in the graves we decorate. 
Do what is due your duty. 
Pen whys for our farmer’s club. 
Let the children name the stock. 
Hot for corn and cool for potatoes. 
Hens as manure crushers—page 346. 
You must be—if you’d gain a point—a live [?]. 
Will a stubborn man ever improve a stubborn cow ? 
Why don’t you consider it a privilege to help others ? 
Lots of people suffer from the bach tear er of a heavy lift. 
With horses so cheap, would you spend much time trying to 
cure a spavin ? 
The easiest-keeping stock is a hydraulic ram. It runs on air— 
with a little oil. 
When there is a “screw loose” in the head, it is generally on 
the hinge of the tongue. 
The farm of the tenant farmer must support two families—the 
owner’s and the tenant’s. 
Mr. Woodward tells, page 344, how to take the beam out of your 
eye when you build that new barn. 
“Too much land !” No doubt that’s the trouble with many 
farmers—but how arc they to get rid of the surplus ? 
Here’s a question I wish you would run through your brains: 
If they tied your home tyrant, would you be in chains ? 
The creamery shark can both bite and bark, and one of his 
favorite capers is to hide his teeth with an “ad” for sheath—in 
the agricultural papers. 
The San Jos6 scales will ruin your fruit trees if they become 
well established; but there is a breed of scales that will trap the 
robbers in your barn—the milk scales. 
See how useful the agitator is in the spraying barrel ? How are 
you to cure the ills of yourself or any one else, if you don’t have 
something to stir up your blood to action now and then ? 
An error was made last week in printing a picture of a three- 
horse evener. On page 344 of this week, we show a homemade 
device, and also a steel evener which is said to give excellent re¬ 
sults. Don’t buy a common iron evener. A stout team will soon 
double it up. A good steel evener will not permit the third horse 
to steal his share of the work ! 
