444 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
June 29 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker. 
TUB BUSINESS FARMERS' PARER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. Copyrighted 1805. 
Elbert S. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Coli.inowood, Managing Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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Address all business communications and make all orders pay- 
able THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets, New York. 
SATURDAY, JUNE 21), 1895. 
Farmers who have used machines for cutting- and 
harvesting corn, will oblige us by giving their experi¬ 
ence with such machinery. Please tell us what tool 
you used, the principle on which it works, the charac¬ 
ter of this work, and what changes of construction 
you can suggest that would make it work better. 
O 
Read what Mr. Sharpless says on page 438 about the 
flavor of butter. Here are the cows of two owners eat¬ 
ing out of the same pasture ; yet the two lots of butter 
may be quite unlike in flavor. There is a nut for 
those who claim that food has such a great influence 
on the product. 
O 
The entomologist in charge of the work of destroy¬ 
ing the Gypsy moth in Massachusetts, asserts that 
there are fewer birds than usual this year, and that 
their loss is seriously felt. The late and severe frost 
in the South, seems to have killed millions of birds, 
and many an insect will flourish this year that should 
have gone to fatten a bird. 
G 
Last winter, you will remember, we tried to give a 
fair statement of the difference in value between 
phosphoric acid derived from bone, and that from dis¬ 
solved rock. There is always more or less controversy 
about this point. Something of the same argument 
comes up in discussing the values of food for poultry. 
Are “muscle-makers” in grain equal to those in meat 
as poultry food ? Our own opinion is that for egg 
production, a good share of meat is always an import¬ 
ant part of the ration. In other words, we believe 
that “muscle-makers” in meat are more effective than 
those in grain. 
O 
We learn of big “ potato rallies” that are held in 
Wisconsin and Minnesota. In parts of these States, 
potato growing is a new industry, and the people are 
taking hold of it with great enthusiasm. Hundreds 
of people attend these rallies, and listen to speakers 
of note. Potato growing promises to be a great suc¬ 
cess in the Northwest. The people there are wide¬ 
awake, and will make use of all the experience of 
farmers in older communities, and thus start right. 
One thing they are insisting upon is that there must 
be a good clover sod in the rotation—just ahead of the 
potatoes. If these growers insist upon the clover, the 
Eastern grower who neglects clover, will need some¬ 
thing stronger than a tariff to back him up. 
G 
A curious phase of bicycle travel, is the collection 
of toll from the riders on some of the toll roads which 
still remain as relics of a darker age. Not only did 
the riders protest against the payment on the ground 
that the bicycle caused no wear on the road, but they 
most strongly objected to the disproportionate rates 
charged them by some of these corporate Rip Van 
Winkles. But some of the riders have shrewdly set¬ 
tled the question of toll so far as they are concerned, 
by shouldering their wheels when approaching the 
odious tax gatherer’s bar, and walking calmly by that 
astounded individual ; for foot passengers are not 
obliged to pay toll. The question as to whether the 
bicycle should be taxed or not, is not worth bother¬ 
ing with. The toll road is the proper subject for dis¬ 
cussion, and this must go. The roads should be free, 
and should be made much better than they are, be¬ 
sides. The bicycler has been one of the greatest fac¬ 
tors in the agitation for good roads, and he should 
have the privilege, in common with the occupants of 
other vehicles, of riding on good roads over the length 
and breadth of this whole land. 
What is your opinion of the conclusion reached by 
Fred Grundy, page 439, that cultivation of corn dur¬ 
ing a severe drought, is harmful ? Of course, any crust 
should be broken up. But doesn’t it seem sensible 
that continued stirring of an already mellow soil in a 
dry time, would tend to hasten the evaporation of 
moisture ? If we wish to hurry the drying of hay or 
any other substance, we stir it, thus exposing new 
surfaces to the air. Why will not the same principle 
apply to the soil ? It’s an important question in a 
dry time. 
O 
A recent feature in French travel, was a long¬ 
distance road race between carriages driven by gas or 
petroleum engines. These carriages are propelled by 
small engines placed under the seat, and acting 
directly on the axles. The race was from Paris to 
Bordeaux and return, and was very satisfactory. We 
have written all the larger carriage and wagon manu¬ 
facturers in this country to see whether any steps 
have been taken to utilize these motors on American 
vehicles. Practically nothing has been done in this 
line—chiefly due to the fact that our country roads 
are not yet suited for such work. 
O 
We have a great many questions similar to the one 
asked on page 441, about a fodder crop to follow a 
crop like strawberries. Many gardeners would like 
to follow an early crop with something that will pro¬ 
vide food for the stock. Our own opinion is that, all 
things considered, there is nothing quite equal to 
sweet corn sowed thickly in drills for this purpose. 
When this fodder is well cured, it is as good as millet 
for all stock, and a heavy growth may be made dur¬ 
ing July and August. Besides this, a crop of Crimson 
clover can be grown with it, either for plowing 
in, or for fall pasture. Try it. 
G 
A popular prescription for invalids in many cases, 
is a diet of beef tea, bouillon, or some fluid extract of 
the beef. It is generally supposed that the stomach 
of a person weakened by disease, will assimilate this 
form of nourishment, and that it is very strengthen¬ 
ing. Some of the most eminent medical authorities 
now claim that thousands of patients have been 
starved to death while being fed on such foods, and 
that it is a fallacy to suppose that they are nutritious. 
Shorn of technical terms, and briefly stated, their 
assertions are that the elements of the meat which go 
into these liquid extracts, are very small in amount, 
are not assimilated, and of little practical value. 
G 
Tiie Southern sugar planters are again agitating 
the question of using waste molasses as fuel. In some 
cases, it is now piped into the streams as the quickest 
way of getting rid of it. As stock food, it has given 
considerable satisfaction ; yet its use for that purpose 
seems to be limited. Theoretically, a ton of molasses 
will furnish nearly 60 per cent of the heat generated 
from a ton of the best coal. In actual practice in 
Cuba, where the molasses has been burned alone, and 
in connection with the crushed cane stalks, even this 
percentage has been improved upon. The introduc¬ 
tion of molasses as fuel will, however, be slow, as 
special apparatus is required for burning it, and it is 
at best “contrary to nature” to use a food product 
for fuel ! 
G 
On the next page will be found some opinions re¬ 
garding the peculiar liquor law in force in South 
Carolina. We have tried to obtain unbiased reports, 
though it is evidently very hard, indeed, to secure 
them. A report concerning the financial aspect of the 
case, has recently been made by a committee ap¬ 
pointed to investigate. It appears from this report 
that since the law went into operation on July 1, 1893, 
sales of liquor have given the State a profit of $160,- 
287.48. Very few good citizens, we believe, want the 
law repealed, but many would like to see it modified 
and more impartially enforced. The principle of 
State control of the liquor traffic is, in our opinion, 
likely to be one of the most important experiments 
in future temperance legislation. 
O 
Scientific buttermaking promises to be a very 
profitable employment in the future. It affords a 
first-rate opening for young men and women. Where 
shall these young people go to learn the trade ? The 
practical men who discuss this question on another 
page, are very well agreed as to the true value of a 
course at a dairy school. While a man may not step 
out of one of these short courses fully prepared to 
make the best of butter, he is much better prepared 
to take up the practical side of the work than he 
would be without the scientific training. There are 
some fixed principles and laws that govern the pro¬ 
duction and change of milk, that one must understand 
if he would make good butter. For obvious reasons, 
these laws may be studied at a college better than at 
a creamery. And, as Mr. Sharpless says, the best 
time to study them is during the dog days when the 
injurious changes of milk are most likely to occur. 
G 
An electrical paper states that an electric weed¬ 
killer has recently been invented for destroying the 
weeds along a railroad track. It consists of an alter¬ 
nating generator mounted on a car, capable of produc¬ 
ing electricity of a high pressure, varying according 
to the vegetation to be destroyed. The electric cur¬ 
rent is conducted through a series of fine wires to the 
tops of the weeds or grass, and it passes through them 
to the ground, rupturing the cellular tissues, roots 
and all, entirely destroying them. When we realize 
the varied uses to which electricity is put, we are led 
to query as to what will be the next development. 
This latest is one of the most novel of all. It would 
be received with open arms—figuratively speaking— 
on many farms. 
G 
It is quite surprising to see how many people were 
started into feeding experiments by the series of 
articles on “ The Balanced Ration,” which were 
printed last winter. Poultrymen, especially, seem to 
have followed out the suggestions there made, and 
from their experiments some valuable ideas have been 
obtained. We expect to make use of some of them in 
a review of the subject this fall. The present series 
of articles on “The Soil” is also calling out many 
questions and comments. When this series is finished, 
we expect to take a somewhat different line of 
thought, and discuss a problem in social science, 
which was suggested by recent trips to a Shaker com¬ 
munity and the Burnham Industrial Farm School. 
After that we hope to talk about the primer science 
of “A Seed.” So you see, we are not idle, but are 
planning many things which we hope to make useful 
to our readers. 
O 
BREVITIES. 
If you’d have your cup run over, use your potash on the clover ! 
That’s the crop for you to boom, if you’d give old profit room 
On your farm, and have your soil pay you interest on your toil. 
Clover ! clover ! Good old clover ! Let it clothe the old farm over. 
Till beneath its healing green, all the scars are left unseen. 
Red, Alfalfa, Incarnatum, White ! with potash fixed to bait ’em, 
They will capture from the air, nitrogen and keep it where, 
Plants that follow on will take from its storage place and make 
Such a crop that you may take what in slang we call “ the cake.” 
Which will hypnotize and charm that big mortgage from your 
farm. 
Aud the bigger trap you make, more of nitrogen you take. 
More fertility goes through it—potash is the thing to do it! 
A miser is a golden “ mean.” 
Don’t forget to try winter oats ! 
The Mary strawberry is sour as a pickle. 
Toll the bell for the funeral of the toll road. 
Beats all how many cheap telephones are in use. 
You can’t be “square” without being “straight.” 
The idle rich do more damage than the idle poor. 
A lean on the broom may mean a lien on the home. 
The Parker Earle strawberry is a glutton for water and food. 
If you have anything to give, give it cheerfully. A growl spoils 
a gift. 
Tiie honesty forced upon a dairyman by the Babcock test, will 
not be likely to stick to him. 
When do you expect to have a better chance to lay in the road 
dust for next winter’s hen bath ? 
The State of Missouri has made misery for “oleo” by legally 
driving it out of the State. Good ! 
The cow that won’t breed should be made into beef, or else 
she’ll increase your percentage of griaf. 
Want to “ beautify the home,” eh ? Good ! That’s a most laud¬ 
able ambition. Where to begin ? On your own temper ! 
Do you realize what it would mean to the wheat market if each 
person in the country were to waste one slice of bread per day ? 
When pride in the job is wanting in a young man or woman’s 
labor, the result of their efforts will be 'dried, and found wanting.” 
Look out for imported and worthless Crimson clover seed. Our 
advice is to buy original stock of some American grower, and then 
save your own seed ! 
Before you admire the “cheeky” man, remember that the extra 
strength in the “cheek” is taken from some other part of the 
system, and weakens it—generally a moral part. 
As Mr. Powell says, the time is coming when clover hay will be 
priced above Timothy in the city markets. It is already, in the 
English markets ! It is worth more, and should bring more ! 
The greyhound was considered the fastest quadruped until a 
razor-back hog outran him. It is not surprising that the new 
ocean steamer built purposely for speed, is to be called a “ razor 
back.” 
It takes the very concentrated extract of “backbone” some¬ 
times to make a starch stiff enough to stiffen your upper lip. The 
more you use the backbone for that purpose, the stronger it 
grows. 
Do you know the class of men who are to-day doing most to 
injure the dairy business ? The creamery scamps who mix oleo 
with their butter, and sell the product as “ genuine creamery,” 
and the farmers who sell milk and buy oleo for their own tables ! 
A recent New York State law forbids hotel or restaurant 
keepers to discriminate against any person on account of color. 
A colored man can now obtain a meal at any fashionable hotel 
or restaurant. There was a time when Jersey breeders “ drew the 
color line.” The breed did not prosper till the line was wiped out. 
