78o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
November 23 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker. 
TEE 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. 
SUBSCRIPTIONS. 
PRICE, ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or 854 marks, or 10*4 francs. 
ADVERTISING RATES. 
Thirty cents per agate iine (14 lines to the inch). Yearly orders 
of 10 or more lines, and 1,000-line orders, 25 cents per line. 
Reading Notices, ending with “Adv.,” 75 cents per 
count line. Absolutely One Prick Only. 
Advertisements inserted only for responsible and honorable houses 
We must have copy one week before the date of issue. 
Be sure that the name and address of sender, with name of Post- 
oflice and State, and what the remittance is for, appear in every 
letter. Money orders and bank drafts on New York are the safest 
means of transmitting money. 
Address all business communications and make all orders p&y- 
able 10 THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets, New York. 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1895. 
A copy of The Business Hen, cloth (price 75 cents), will 
be ()iven as a premium for one new subscription. 
o 
Two weeks ago, we asked for information about ice 
cream making on the farm. As usual, we get the 
desired facts. Some of our readers seem to have tried 
almost everything. We now expect to visit a farm 
where ice cream is successfully made, and describe the 
actual process of making “A Quart of Farm Ice 
Cream.” If there is any profit in this business for 
our readers, we want to know it! 
o 
Mixing by measure, and mixing by weight, are two 
very different things. Remember that when you try 
to make a balanced ration out of bran and corn meal. 
On election day, the vote of the man who cannot 
read, counts for as much as that of the statesman. 
That is comparison by measure. Before election, the 
influence of the statesman may be worth that of a 
dozen ignorant men. That is comparison by w r eight. 
O 
One of the friends who kindly answers that ques¬ 
tion about frost on orange wood, page 776, thinks it “a 
little strange that a man living in Florida should 
write to New York about an orange grove.” It would 
be if the man expected us to sit here and theorize 
about it, or trust to hack writers. We get such ques¬ 
tions from every State in the Union. If we don't 
know the answer, we go at once to the best posted 
men we know of—men, if possible, close to where the 
questioner lives. Nine times in 10, we believe that 
this will give us a better set of answers than the 
farmer could obtain by asking his own questions. 
That is one value of a widely circulated paper. 
© 
The Department of Agriculture has just issued a 
98-page pamphlet on the common crow. After telling 
how crows live and breed, and what 1,000 of them 
had in their stomachs, the author concludes : 
In summing up the benefits and losses resulting from the food 
habits of this bird, it is clear that the good exceeds the bad, and 
that the crow is a friend, rather than an enemy, of the farmer. 
Our printer has made a careful estimate of the cost of 
printing this pamphlet, and estimates that $850 were 
required to send it out complete. What nonsense to 
spend nearly $1,000 in firing words at crows ! 
O 
Now is the time to get ready for a wet season. In 
the drought-stricken north-central States, the present 
deficiency in rainfall leads one to expect an abnor¬ 
mally wet season in a year or two, as the average is 
maintained in this way. As plow land gets older, the 
subsoil becomes more compact. The tramping of 
horses in the furrow of the breaking plow, has some¬ 
thing to do with this, and the filling of holes left by 
tree roots helps to make the soil more impervious to 
water. The observant farmer of flat land often won¬ 
ders at the new appearance of basins and slight de¬ 
pressions in fields that he had always regarded as level 
or slightly rolling. He finds these places wet when 
the remainder of the field is ready for the plow. Of 
course, the depressions were always there, but so long 
as the land was new, and the subsoil was porous, the 
water that fell on the sides of the basins sank readily 
as it fell, and no harm was done. As the surface and 
subsoil become more compact, excessive rainfall 
gathers in the lowest parts of the depressions, and 
soon makes their existence very apparent. As soils 
grow older, the necessity of underdramage increases. 
In the droughty sections, the last two summers have 
made farmers forget these spots, and a wet season 
may catch them napping. Rain will come—an abund¬ 
ance of it—in time, and this fall and winter should be 
a good time to take out an insurance policy against 
excessive rainfall. The policy is in the form of a leaf 
from the farm record, showing that tile has been laid 
under these depressions, and that the farmer saw that 
the work was well done. He can see it to best ad¬ 
vantage when he stands in the trench himself. 
0 
The R. N.-Y. has heretofore referred to the new 
game laws of New York State The New York Asso¬ 
ciation for the Protection of Game, which is largely 
responsible for this law, has just held a banquet at a 
swell hotel in this city. VVe don’t recognize the names 
of any prominent farmers among those reported pres¬ 
ent. In addition to discussing the law already en¬ 
acted, we are told that plans were formulated for the 
passage of a law against the sale of game out of sea¬ 
son. The idea seems to be to restrict still further the 
rights of citizens, for the benefit of a few professional 
pothunters. What will the farmers do about it ? And 
not only what will they do about this law, but what 
will they do about much other legislation, both past 
and prospective, that will injuriously affect their in¬ 
terests, much of it seriously so ? Other lines of busi¬ 
ness are looking after their interests, regardless of 
party ties, and it seems that the farmers are the only 
ones who place partisanship above both policy and 
principle. This isn’t patriotism, and the sooner the 
fact is learned, the better for the farmer—and his 
pocketbook. 
© 
A new machine for making butter directly from the 
milk, was shown at the last English dairy show. It 
was invented by a Swede, as were most of the improved 
butter machines. The milk is first “ Pasteurized” or 
heated to about 160 degrees F. After skimming by a 
separator the cream is cooled to about 60 degrees by 
passing over a cooler. The cream is then forced into 
a tube perforated with tiny holes, and given a power¬ 
ful pressure which forces out the water and drives the 
butter fat into tiny granules through the holes with 
a quantity of buttermilk. After being gathered with 
a paddle and passed over a butter worker, the butter 
is placed on ice for two hours and then pressed into 
small bricks. This process is carried out with great 
rapidity. Of course the usual claims are made that 
this new machine is to “revolutionize the dairy indus¬ 
try,” etc., etc. There will not be much of an opening 
for it in this country until Americans learn to like 
sweet-cream butter. At least two other machines for 
making butter directly from milk, have gone out of 
business chiefly because there was little market for 
sweet butter. It is said, however, that the butter 
from this “radiator” will keep well because, from the 
time of heating the milk until the butter is printed, 
there is no chance for microbes to enter it. 
G 
Plans have been formulated in this city, and a 
company has been incorporated for the formation of 
what has been termed an International Commercial 
Museum. A building most convenient in location and 
arrangement has been leased, and a large number of 
manufacturers of all sorts of goods, have already 
engaged space. Among the latter, are the names of 
many of the foremost manufacturers of agricultural 
implements and machinery, wagons, carriages, etc. 
As New York is the most important seaport in the 
country, and has intercourse with all nations, the im¬ 
portance of such an exhibition as this is intended to 
be, as a means of advertising our manufactures and 
products to the world at large, cannot be overesti¬ 
mated. A bureau of information will be a feature of 
the exhibition, and the interested will be furnished 
with all available information in regard to the demand 
for their goods in all parts of the world. If carried 
out as designed, it can but be a great aid in promoting 
the sale of American products and manufactures in 
all parts of the world. The names of the directors 
should be a guarantee of the success of the undertak¬ 
ing, such men as W.- Seward Webb, C. W. Dayton, 
Postmaster of New York City, and others, being among 
them. Philadelphia already has such a museum. 
© 
In Hartford, Conn., we recently saw the streets 
sprinkled by electric power. The watering cart is 
driven along the tracks of the trolley, and throws 
water on either side. The work is done faster and 
cheaper than by horse power. In Santa Clara County, 
Cal., all the country roads are regularly sprinkled 
under direction of the county supervisors. Several 
systems are in operation for raising the w r ater. Wells 
are sunk at convenient distances along the roadside, 
with a pump and horse-power. The driver of the 
watering cart drives under the spout of the pump, 
unhitches his team from the cart, puts them on the 
power and pumps his cart full. At other places, large 
central stations are located with pipes for running the 
water in all directions. Engines are used for raising 
the water to these stations—generally from creeks or 
ponds. In other cases, hydraulic rams are used, and 
creeks on higher ground are tapped and the water led 
to roads on lower levels. In the year ending June 30, 
1894, the county paid for sprinkling alone, $19,185.70. 
It is certainly one of the marvels of the Nineteenth 
Century, that an agricultural community should go to 
such expense to avoid riding in the dust ! And yet— 
why not ? Is there any reason why the farmer 
should, of necessity, ride in the dust while others 
have it laid for them ? We will guarantee that this 
sprinkling in Santa Clara County makes life more 
comfortable, increases the value of farm property, 
and makes the young people better satisfied with the 
farm. Where can you obtain better results by spend¬ 
ing public money than in making farm life happy ? 
Invest your earnings at home ! 
o 
About this time of the year, we always receive let¬ 
ters like this one from our readers : 
Inclosed I send you a letter from a man in the city of Washing¬ 
ton, who has written me two letters, asking me to send him but¬ 
ter. I wrote him about a week ago to send me references, and I 
would see what I could do for him; he did not do so, but sent me 
the inclosed letter. His price is five cents per pound better than 
I could do here, and I would like his trade if he is responsible. 
This looks just like one of those petty frauds we have 
frequently exposed. Some rogue gets a lot of nice- 
looking stationery printed, and hires desk room on 
some well-known street. One such fellow we traced 
down in Philadelphia, had his quarters in a cigar store. 
These scamps write to farmers asking for consign¬ 
ments of produce—usually butter. They claim to 
have a special trade and to be able to pay five cents 
a pound above the market price for a prime article. 
They seldom send any references—except bogus ones 
from fellow knaves, and it is needless to say that they 
never pay for the butter except, possibly, for a first 
small lot in order to draw out a larger shipment. The 
Washington man referred to may not be in this busi¬ 
ness—but his letter reads like it. Our readers should 
make it a first rule of business never to deal with 
strangers who promise to pay anything above the 
market price. They might just as soon buy a “ gold 
brick,” for the principle in both cases is the same. 
© 
BREVITIES. 
Away back in my dancing days, when heart and heels were light, 
Before the frost of sorrow cut my hopes off like a blight, 
I had a little sweetheart, and her tender face appears 
Through memory’s frame, from out the gap of 20 toilsome years. 
Oh, life held balm of happiness, in those sweet days of yore ! 
I wish I could apply it where the world has rubbed me sore. 
Oh, sweetheart! Little sweetheart! I have lost you on the way ! 
I wonder if you’d know me as your old-time beau, to-day ! 
The years come back and find me of my hopes and hair bereft, 
And there’s my wife and baby—solid tokens Time has left. 
See, wife has dropped her sewing—that’s a funny thing to do— 
She’s dreaming of her girlhood! Don’t you see it shining through 
Those wrinkles on her forehead ? Can’t you read it there and 
trace 
The counterfeit presentment of my old-time sweetheart’s face ? 
Old Time has swung his sickle—ire has lopped away a score 
Of years, and here we are again—a girl and boy once more. 
I haven’t lost my sweetheart, though I haven’t done my part— 
My wife has kept her sweetened at the bottom of her heart. 
“ Taffy” is Cain sugar. 
Four hogs to the acre of clover. 
A woe-man is weaker than a woman. 
The sauce of Thanksgiving—cranberry. 
Poor cow quarters halve the butter yield. 
Be your own lawyer—that is, keep out of law ! 
Don’t scrape acquaintance with a sharp tongue. 
A scour on the pan may save a sour on the milk. 
Do they stamp the golden rule on every gold dollar ? 
Which is worse for the child—overwork or idleness ? 
Cold storage—giving grandfather the chilly bedroom ! 
You can’t live on crow—therefore, sell the surplus roosters ! 
What’s the proper place for a crying cat ? The kit “ chin” of 
course. 
Remember your boyhood ? Then be a buoy to warn other boys 
off the shoals. 
The Shakers kept the light of the Walter Pease apple under a 
peck measure. 
What is a milk punch ? Watch a calf take the last half of his 
dinner, and see. 
“ Pocket money ” is all right so long as you don’t keep it in 
pocket too long. 
Don’t expect large Freeman potatoes when planted in drills. 
This is a hill potato. 
Green food and dust bath for hens ! What materials have you 
provided for these necessities ? 
Under uniform conditions, does one variety of potatoes sprout 
sooner than another ? Which one ? 
“ Wouldn’t take a steam engine for a gift !” says a gasoline 
friend on page 776. He knows what he is talking about. 
“ See that sheep biting himself ? He fairly pulls the wool right 
out ! What ails him—ticks ? ” No—he’s a hide raw lick ram ! 
Think of a profit selling potatoes at 12 cents a bushel—page 
781. Those Western fellows will soon have Nature paying them a 
premium on every bushel they raise ! 
Millions of bushels of potatoes have been made into starch. 
What’s going to be done with all the extra starch ? Can’t you 
wear a few extra “ biled shirts ” to help your fellow farmers ? 
Reports from the West are that farmers are using so much 
home-grown corn, oats and potatoes for home-feeding, that prices 
of commerical feeds are declining. The way to bring down fer¬ 
tilizer prices is to grow clover. 
