54o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 10 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS' PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established 1850. Copyrighted 1805. 
Elbert S. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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able 10 THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets, New York. 
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1895. 
It seems to be settled that wilted leaves of wild 
cherry trees may poison stock. When green, they 
are apparently harmless. It is a singular fact that 
some people boil the green leaves to make a form of 
“ root beer.” It needs but a wilt to change that beer 
to bier. 
O 
The hired man who earns his money daytimes, 
and spends it nights, is trying to do two days’ work 
in one, and both employer and helper have hard 
times. Letter turn him off at once, even though just 
before haying, than to suffer from sleepy forgetful¬ 
ness. A few breakages or a runaway, will cost more 
than the advanced wages one may have to pay. 
Q 
The grape crop along the Hudson River appears to 
be excellent in quality, and nearly an average in 
quantity. “How are prices going to average ? ” was 
a question asked of a well-known grower. “ Our 
grapes will come into a market well stocked with 
Delaware peaches. The coinmissionmen may have an 
easier time making sales, but we doubt whether farm¬ 
ers get much higher prices than usual ! ” 
Q 
There are some milkmen in this country who con¬ 
sider themselves pretty smart, because they do not go 
to the expense of buying a cooler for their milk. 
They use instead that filthy “ Preservaline.” The 
more they use of it, the less care do they take of their 
milk. Such “smartness” always overreaches sooner 
or later. The consumers learn what goes into the 
milk, and they stop buying it. That’s right—they 
ought to. The man who drugs his milk, ought to lose 
his trade. 
Q 
A sign of the times in Southern agriculture, was a 
recent report that the first hay press ever in Quitman 
County, Miss., had been recently set up there. It 
shows plainly a new departure in agricultural condi¬ 
tions and practices. King Cotton didn’t require any 
hay presses ; but a new reign has set in. and new crops 
require new tools, and new practices. The old despot 
has been dethroned ; he now works in harness, and 
better times will come under the reign of diversified 
farming and the home production of supplies. 
Q 
In our account of the milk handling in Philadel¬ 
phia, published last week, we stated that equal quan¬ 
tities of milk and cream were used in making ice 
cream. This interview was had several months since, 
and Mr. Crane informs us that now only pure cream 
is used. They also now have eight delivery wagons 
instead of four, and the output of ice cream is far 
ahead of that of last year, and is rapidly increasing, 
all of which is very encouraging to the promoters, and 
shows the possibilities of cooperation under proper 
organization and wise management. 
A friend in Kearney County, Kan., sends us an 
Alfalfa plant with a root two feet eight inches long. 
This was pulled up with the hand, not dug up with a 
spade as many long-rooted specimens are secured. 
With abundance of water, the Alfalfa on those West¬ 
ern plains will grow one inch in 24 hours, yielding' 
crop after crop of fine hay. Surely this wonderful 
plant was specially provided for that desert country. 
So was the water which flows in abundance through 
the subsoil waiting the pump and engine of the irri¬ 
gator to raise it to the surface. Seedsmen, too, are 
finding that these Western plains are admirably 
suited to the production of vine seeds, like melons, 
cucumbers and squash, and thousands of acres of them 
are annually grown there. 
© 
Mr. McKee’s article—page 534—was written spe¬ 
cially to give advice to Southern farmers ; but there is 
hardly a farmer in the land who cannot find wisdom 
in his words. The advice about the treatment of 
children, is true enough. “It is better for a child 
to go from the parental roof knowing how to make a 
living, than to go with the living already made ! ” 
That is right. How much trouble and sorrow would 
be saved if all recognized it. 
G 
Secretary Morton has taken the bull by the horns 
and started to abolish the Government seed distribu¬ 
tion. After October 1, the clerks and others who 
found work in this seeding business, will be out of a 
job. No seeds will be sent out next season except 
those of really new and rare plants—that means a 
mighty small distribution. Secretary Morton thinks 
that he has good legal backing for this excellent 
move. We hope that it will stand, though we expect 
the next Congress will want to appropriate more 
money for “seed distribution.” 
A young friend of Tiie-R. N.-Y. tells us how he 
fought his Paris-green gun on wheels. He fixed it on 
the top of a Buckeye cultivator so that gearing from 
the wheels turned the crank of the “gun.” This cul¬ 
tivator straddles the row, working close to both sides 
of it. The “gun” was fixed so that it blew the Paris 
green directly on the vines. Thus with one operation 
the row was cultivated and “poisoned.” Such are the 
devices that save steps in farming. Profit is often 
lost in steps, and when the horse does the stepping 
there is a double gain. 
Q 
It seems as though many of the persons now ship¬ 
ping apples to this market were either insane or 
devoid of common sense. Under ordinary conditions, 
poor fruit is extremely unsatisfactory stuff to sell ; 
but lately, the greater part of the receipts have been 
windfalls, unripe, immature and wormy. Great quan¬ 
tities of such have been shipped in here, and it is 
utterly out of the question to sell the most of the re¬ 
ceipts for more than enough to pay freight. Apples 
are scarce this year, but not so scarce that people will 
buy such inferior trash ; other fruit is too plentiful 
and cheap. Such fruit should be saved, but the way 
to save it is to evaporate it at home, destroying all re¬ 
fuse so as to annihilate all insect life with which 
much of this fruit is tenanted. But above all, don’t 
send anything but good fruit, well assorted and 
packed, to this market. 
0 
A State Dairy Bureau was provided for at the last 
session of the California Legislature. It is intended 
to serve the purpose of preventing deception in the 
manufacture and sale of butter and cheese, and to 
advance the dairy interests of the State. It is now 
tlioioughly organized and in active operation, with 
headquarters in San Francisco. It asks the coopera¬ 
tion of dairymen and creamerymen in getting correct 
statistics in order to show to the State olficials the 
magnitude of the dairy industry of the State, that it 
may receive proper consideration. The Bureau has 
prepared a list of questions for both dairies and 
creameries, the answers to which will enable it to 
compile full statistical information. It is stated in a 
circular issued, that “ up to this time the Bureau has 
been unable to find anyoimitation butter or cheese on 
the market,” which indicates either honesty on the 
part of dealers, or great obliquity of vision on the part 
of the Bureau. Such an organization must be of great 
value to the dairy interests of the State if properly 
managed. 
o 
Mr. VV. D. Barns of Orange County, N. Y., is at an 
age when he can “lookback” a good many years. 
When he was a boy, a man in his town owned a 
swamp, parts of which were sold in a singular way. 
It was argued then that a comparatively few years 
would witness a dearth of wood for fuel. When the 
forests were cut off, there would be nothing to burn 
—so they said—but peat such as was used in Ireland. 
This swamp was cut up into small lots to be reserved 
as peat supplies, and many farmers bought them in 
anticipation of a fuel famine. As the wood disap¬ 
peared, coal from the mines was brought in, so that, 
instead of becoming dearer, fuel became cheaper than 
ever. No doubt the prospect of a loss of their fuel 
supply, seemed like a serious matter to these farmers 
—just as to-day there are those who worry about 
future supplies of plant food or sources of heat. It is 
not unlikely that those of us who live half a century 
longer, will find the best of our calculations upset by 
new scientific developments. By the way, that old 
peat swamp has now been drained and cultivated, so 
that an acre of it produces more than four acres of 
ordinary upland soil. We shall tell about it later. 
O 
It is always pleasant to see an elderly farmer with 
a son as active partner. They can cooperate in many 
ways. In such a partnership we saw, recently, an 
idea for cooperative reading worked out. The father 
reads carefully the papers and bulletins, and marks 
such articles as he thinks his son will find valuable. 
The son follows and reads the marked articles. 
He is thus saved much valuable time, because the 
chaff has been blown out for him. That is practical 
and helpful cooperation. Many a man wastes months 
of his life in trying to find what to study. 
O 
A huckster who does business in Jersey City, tells 
us that he recently filled his wagon with vegetables 
at a cost of $1.90, and peddled out the load for $18. 
He took advantage of a glut in the market—when there 
was almost no demand for ordinary vegetables. He 
used to buy direct from farmers, but that experience 
showed him that by watching for poorly packed and 
assorted lots, he could do better in the city. By re¬ 
packing and sorting, he makes his money. Of course 
in such cases, there is nothing left for the average 
farmer, and the commissionman barely comes out 
whole. 
© 
The friend who writes about that deafness cure on 
page 537, asks whether there isn't some way to stop 
such iakirs practicing their trade. Certainly there is ; 
a most effective way. It’s the easiest thing in the 
world to do. Simply stop patronizing them. They're 
not doing business for fun, and if people would stop 
paying them good money for their stuff, they would 
go out of business in short order. The great difficulty 
is that the individuals who furnish them with the 
sinews of war, are the ones who can’t afford $1 a year 
for a first-class friend like The R. N.-Y., to warn 
them of such humbugs. Don’t you know of many 
such ? 
© 
BREVITIES. 
Oh poor little baby ! She cries and she cries, 
At the tooth that won't prick through her gum. 
The tears trickle down from her red little eyes, 
She has sobbed till her throat is all dumb. 
I sit here and hold her—in truth be it said, 
For the lack of a tooth brush and care, 
I haven’t as many sound teeth in my head 
As the baby—I wasted my share. 
I’d bite a hot poker with pleasure I know, 
And endure every bit of the pain, 
If I could but torture these tough gums to grow 
To a full set of molars again. 
My teeth were all wasted in years long ago ; 
It is hindsight that now makes me brave. 
But life’s all before the poor baby and so, 
It is/oresight that makes her a slave. 
And so it goes ever—’tis always the same 
From the man to the babe—all must find 
That foresight but gives us a dubious aim 
Till experience comes in behind. 
Nothing like a well ventilated idea. 
Let’s have free trade in family duty. 
The most forcible education is a kick. 
There’s no value in a varying variety. 
Yeast may be called a hopper doughtier. 
Grasp the situation and put a hasp on it. 
Pa boiled —hauling father “over the coals.” 
What’s the best cultivator for intelligence ? 
Would ashes come from burned-up promises. 
A “ cut in the milk” comes from feeding flies. 
How do you prune apple trees of sheep’s teeth ? Page 538. 
Practical appreciation will appreciate the value of your wife. 
The longer Bordeaux Mixture is used the harder it is to find a 
substitute for it. 
Half the battle in making a fence “ pig tight ” is to give the 
pigs enongh to eat ! 
If dishorning really takes the fight out of an animal, it is brute 
pruning in a double sense. 
We sowed Crimson clover and turnips July 12, on land from 
which a crop of peas had been taken. Both clover and turnips 
are now thriving. 
Only 185 stallions were exported from Great Britain in the first 
six months of 1895. That is a melancholy illustration of the de¬ 
cline in horse breeding. 
Mr. Bonham’s advice about seeding the ground on which the 
fence row stands, is good. The stock will keep such ground clean 
if the grass is worth eating. 
All the skunk wants is a chance to mind his own business. 
May be that beats your object in life ! What’s the skunk’s trade? 
Killing grubs and injurious worms ! 
That’s a cheap horse liniment described on page 547. For heal¬ 
ing wounds on horse flesh, we have found one part carbolic acid 
and three parts sweet oil, .an excellent remedy. 
The mule is not much used in England. He costs less to raise 
lives longer, and sells for more than a horse. English horse 
breeding is now depressed. Would a change to mule breeding 
save it? 
“ My carrots sprouted well in this dry soil,” said a good farmer 
recently, “ because we buried the bag of seed in the ground for 
several days before sowing. This made the seed swell, and it 
came right up even in this drought.” 
