1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
NEW YORK’S LATEST FLOWER SHOW. 
THE NEWEST CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND ROSES. 
(Concluded.) 
Roses were in nothing like such variety and quan¬ 
tity as in past years. There were really not so many 
good roses as usual, yet there were enough, and the 
general quality was good. Bridesmaid and Augusta 
Victoria took the palm for size, form and finish, and 
Mrs. Pierpont Morgan, as a newer candidate for 
popularity. The vase of 12 Bridesmaids shown by 
E. H. Hagert, of Summit, N. J., and grown by A. R. 
Sampson, have never been equaled in any variety, at 
any show which I have seen ; neither does it seem 
that they could be duplicated. Those of the same 
shown by John H. Taylor would have been called 
grand in any other company. Augusta Victoria was 
also extremely fine; but Caroline Testout, which,when 
shown in 1892 with these, was to distance everything, 
was not to be seen. 
Some are ready to affirm that the new Mrs. Pierpont 
Morgan is the best rose ever raised. In form, it is 
not even in sight of these other beauties; but its 
color effect is remarkable, the clear cerise (cherry) 
emphasized by the white in the depths- being both 
novel and attractive. No doubt it will be a society 
favorite, as was its less beautiful progenitor M’me. 
Cusin, for several seasons. 
Two fine stands of long-stemmed carnations in 
vases, bespoke the yearly advances which the growers 
of this flower are making. Some of them think it 
slow, but is it? Almost the whole exhibit seemed 
nearer Mr. Thorpe’s ideal sort, than could be dis¬ 
cerned in the promise of three years ago. In the com¬ 
petition for the best vase of whites, it spoke well for 
Alaska that every vase but one was of this, the ex¬ 
ception being Lizzie McGowan. A large proportion 
of the pinks were of the new beauty, Bridesmaid. 
The still newer Lily Dean, compelled instant notice 
as a large, fine fancy sort in the picotee style, white 
with delicate pink lacing on the edges of the soft, 
white petals, and slightly lined with the same in the 
body of the flower. Probably this would be no rival 
to the popular pinks as a commercial flower ; yet its 
beauty is not to be discounted. And if fancy roses 
touch popular taste, why not fancy carnations in the 
same color-tones ? 
Even a brief review of the exhibition would scarcely 
be just, did it not refer to the three splendid ferns for 
which specials were awarded to Mrs. Charles Pratt, 
of Brooklyn. The duplicate pair of the basket fern, 
Goniophlebium Sub-auriculatum, deserved an impres¬ 
sive name ; yet this might well have laid claim to the 
easier one of “ Fountain fern.” Raised on standards 
to a height above the tallest heads, the flowing fronds 
reached a clear eight feet of solid greenery to the 
very floor, in exactly the style of a heavy-jetted 
fountain. myra v. norys. 
AGRICULTURAL POLITICS IN GERMANY. 
The American farmer has not become the positive 
force in political affairs that was expected five years 
ago when the Farmers’ Alliance movement was so 
strong in the West and South. In business and social 
matters the evidences of this movement are seen in 
all the States where the Alliance was strong, and 
many improvements in State laws may be traced to 
its influence. It has not had much weight in National 
legislation, however, and is not likely to in the near 
future, if present indications are correct. In Germany, 
the Agrarian or Farmers’ party, has gained such 
strength, that it promises to hold the balance of 
power, and thus secure to agriculture not only a 
hearing, but at least a fair compromise on all its just 
demands. 
The immense standing army of Germany finds its 
best recruits in the country. The national idea is 
that country people make the best soldiers, and, on 
general principles, the Germans are ready to legislate 
in favor of agriculture. Tariffs on grain and boun¬ 
ties on beet sugar have been easier to obtain in Ger¬ 
many than in any country (except, possibly, France), 
while all manner of pretexts for keeping out foreign 
meat and other foods are easily practiced. During 
the past 30 years German agriculture has suffered 
from several causes. The nobles and landed proprie¬ 
tors have in one way or another worked out the 
small proprietors, and have turned many of the 
fields, formerly held in common, into private grounds 
for hunting or farming. The result of the difficulty 
in securing land ownership, and the cheap lands in 
the western part of this country, drive many thou¬ 
sands of small proprietors away from the Fatherland. 
Up to 1875 things were favorable to the large German 
farmers ; but from that time prices for products have 
gone down. Competition and speculation have 
been largely responsible for this. North and South 
America have poured their vast stores of bread and 
meat into Germany, while speculation in poor Rus¬ 
sian grain has often frightened farmers into selling 
at a loss. 
This state of affairs has produced a strong political 
party—the Agrarian—composed of nobles, tenant 
farmers and small proprietors. The battle cry is pro¬ 
tection—not only against foreign farmers, but against 
middlemen and speculators. They want a high tariff 
on grain, the exclusion of American meat, and large 
bounties on beet sugar. The avowed purpose of this 
programme is to secure, as far as possible, the Ger¬ 
man market for the German farmer, on the ground 
that, as agriculture is the main support of the Ger¬ 
man nation, it should be cared for and given special 
privileges. Most of the German farmers appear to 
favor silver coinage, as do, in fact, the farming classes 
all over Europe. To protect against extortion from 
middlemen, the farmers of Prussia secured a law 
forming chambers of agriculture to which all land 
owners paying $25 or more in taxes must belong. 
These chambers are empowered to levy taxes on their 
members. The plan is to form financial centers all 
over the country, and, if need be, establish banks 
which will advance money on crops when farmers 
need it and would otherwise be forced to go to pri¬ 
vate banks or sell their crops at a loss. They pro¬ 
pose that the government shall establish storage 
warehouses for grain where farmers can obtain a 
government receipt and, if need be, have it cashed at 
the government bank. This, it is claimed, would pre¬ 
vent speculation and give farmers a fairer price for 
what they sell. 
Such is the Agrarian programme in Germany. 
There is a powerful and compact party back of it. 
While this country is too large and the interests of 
its farmers are too varied to make many of these 
things possible here, at present, it is interesting to 
see how far they have really been carried out abroad. 
It is interesting to see that the German farmers are 
not troubled about the evils of “class legislation.” 
They frankly say that agriculture is. in many ways, 
the most important industry of Germany and that, 
consequently, farmers are entitled to first considera¬ 
tion and special privileges. The plan of combination 
to secure funds for providing working capital at 
cheap rates is an excellent one. This principle of 
cooperative banking would do much to help American 
farmers. They can learn from their German brothers 
the advantage of strong and forceful cooperation. 
LET FARMERS PAY MILK FREIGHT. 
The R. N.-Y.’s reference to the efforts of the Milk 
Producers’ Association to secure a reduction of the 
railroad freight on milk shipped to New York, recalls 
the attempt made some years ago by a similar organ¬ 
ization, to reduce milk freights and, thereby, help the 
overcharged farmer. At that time, freight on the 
Harlem and Erie Railroads, was 45 cents per can ol 40 
quarts ; distance was of no account, the same price 
being paid from all points at which milk shipments 
were made. The farmers were daily becoming more 
incensed upon the subject of these extortionate rates 
until, eventually, State machinery was set at work, and 
a commission appointed to adjust the rates to a more 
equitable basis. A reduction was made of 15 cents 
per can of 40 quarts, much to the satisfaction of the 
milk producers, the farmers. This reduction, by the 
way, was made “voluntarily” by the roads, or in 
other words, “ the railroad managers noted the fra¬ 
grance of scorched woolen in the atmosphere and re¬ 
duced the rate without waiting for further parley.” 
Now, what was the result ? It was a burning shame, 
but, nevertheless, an actual fact, that the 15 cents re¬ 
duction per can was wholly divided between the then 
middleman in New York and the consumers, while 
the producers, the farmers, never got an iota of bene¬ 
fit from the lower freight rates. This was easily 
accomplished by the practice, then and now in vogue, 
of the freight being paid by the middlemen or milk¬ 
men of the city. The “milkmen’ of New York, in 
purchasing from the farmer, paid him a net price, no 
reference to freight being made, it was understood 
that the “milkman” was to pay the freight. When the 
freight rate was dropped, the milk dealer continued 
to pay the farmer the same net price, and lowered 
the price a little to the consumer, the difference be¬ 
tween what was not lowered to the consumer, and 
the less freight rate which the middleman actually 
paid, was simply put into his own (the middleman’s) 
pocket. It was a proud day for the middleman, when 
the farmer was successful in his work of agitating 
for less extortion in railroad rates ; but the farmer 
himself was “not in it,” and he never has been and 
it is more than likely, from numerous causes which 
always seem to work together to his detriment, that 
he never will be. 
The Pennsylvania Railroad is not much of a factor 
in bringing milk to this city ; but it has a fair scale 
of rates based on distances—fair to the milk shipper 
and fair to the railroad, besides, the farmer himself 
86 1 
pays the freight instead of the city milk dealer. All 
of this, including the system of freight paying by 
the farmer, is just as it should be. Any alteration of 
the freight rates, the farmer adjusts to his own prices 
received for his product, instead of allowing the milk 
dealer to arbitrate the matter to suit himself. If the 
contending farmers would get this item of the busi 
ness in their own hands, it would certainly work to 
their advantage. There will certainly be a loud wail 
heard from the now distant farmer, who ships milk, 
should the freights be regulated according to distance 
carried. It is only right, however, and, as theories 
go, right wrongs no man. However, such producers 
would have some cause for complaint from the fact 
that they have been induced by railroad agents to re¬ 
linquish their former business of butter or cheese¬ 
making, and go into milk shipping. Should the 
freights now be raised to a prohibitive point against 
them, the expense of a change back to their old 
methods would necessarily be incurred. A. t. t. 
BANISHING THE SCHOOL MEETING. 
Did you ever attend a school meeting ? Perhaps 
half the voters were there going drearily through the 
legal programme ; or, if there was trouble brewing, 
a conflict expected, every voter and several non-voters 
were there, and there was no lack of interest. Some¬ 
times the man put in ottice to hire the teacher is one 
whose one thought is to save the district all the 
money he can. So he hires the cheapest teacher, and 
takes no pains to get a good one or to have the pupils 
learn well. Strange, is it not, that farmers will cling 
to such unprofitable ways, and spend hard-earned 
money for schools which do their children scarcely 
any good ? It is a fact that farmers’ children in 
some towns, after going to school six or more years, 
cannot write a few sentences correctly, perform 
simple examples in mental arithmetic, or write even a 
few words with correct spelling. I have seen engraved 
copies o£ the work of schools where pupils of 12 and 
13 could not do work which a well taught, eight-year- 
old child could easily do. The old district school 
system is responsible for much of this failure. The 
town system is far better in most cases. We have 
had it long enough in Vermont to give it a fair trial, 
and, so far as I know, it works very much better than 
the old way. School meetings are abolished. At the 
town meeting a school director is chosen each year, 
who holds office three years, so that there are three 
school directors. They appoint a Superintendent of 
schools, and the four are the only school officers that 
each township has, except when a city or large town is 
located within it. The school tax is a town affair : 
there is a State school tax, so that rich towns help 
the poor. Three or four persons manage the schools 
far better than the large number called for by the old 
district system. In this town a farmer, a doctor and 
a manufacturer are directors, and the superintendent 
is a woman who was a teacher for a long time. Good 
teachers are hired: we have some normal school 
graduates. There is a high school in the village, also 
a graded school, and these are free to all who are 
fitted for them, and who live in this town. A few 
small schools have been dropped, the scholars attend¬ 
ing the nearest school which is in session. All the 
schoolhouses have been put in good condition, and 
are kept well repaired. Teachers are kept longer in 
the same school, often for several terms. 
In a farming town, the town system is far better 
than the district system. But in a large township 
containing shops and factories so that the town voters 
outnumber the country voters, measures are some¬ 
times passed which are unjust to the farmers. Aside 
from this, 1 do not know of any other valid objection 
to the plan. j. w. newton. 
Vermont. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
If you want small musical instruments of any kind, send toC. C. 
Story, 26 Central Street, Boston, Mass., for his catalogue. 
Maple sugar and syrup makers will be interested in the Cham¬ 
pion evaporator. The catalogue tells all about it. The G. H. 
Grimm Mfg. Co., Hudson, O., will send it, if you ask for it. 
It would be difficult to find a more appropriate Christmas gift 
for young people than a year’s subscription to the Youth’s Com¬ 
panion. Subscribers this month get the double Thanksgiving and 
Christmas numbers extra. The x>rice is $1.75; we club it to new 
subscribers to the Youth’s Companion, new or renewal to The R. 
N.-Y., for $2.25. 
The Cutaway Harrow Co., Hlgganum, Conn., have published a 
little book on cultivation of the soil, and other agricultural 
and horticultural topics, by some well-known and popular writers, 
which they send free to farmers. The object, of course, is to create 
a demand for their excellent harrows and other farm implements; 
but the information contained in the book is no less valuable on 
that account. 
Home should be made attractive to children. To this end, in¬ 
structive and pleasing amusements should be furnished. Children 
who are taught to entertain and amuse each other at home, are 
not likely, when they grow up, to seek pastime at the corner store 
or saloon. Few things amuse children at home during long winter 
evenings more than a magic lantern. A catalogue of these lan¬ 
terns may be had by sending your address to McAllister, 49 Nas¬ 
sau Street, New York. 
