Jmlufitrjal Stories. 
THE “OPPRESSED EMPLOYER.” 
In answer to E. E., in Rural New- 
Yorker, Aug. 24, permit me to say: He 
B a ys:-"Uow many farmers are in trouble 
like Sears Courtney, that bar© no wealthy 
relatives to bestow fortune on them, and 
with all their toil and care and sacrifice can 
soarcely bring the year round.” I say 
how many day laborers and month hands 
are there, tbnt. have families, who have 
worked hard and steady all Bummer and 
Fall, or in other words, have worked through 
the farming season at such wages as they 
could get, and practiced the most rigid 
ecouomy, and find themselves unable to 
furnish their families with the bare neces¬ 
saries of life, and are out of employ and 
brauded fools for being In that state. 
He says there must be largo farms in 
order to provision the world; also there 
must be employers. I say there will bo 
large farms and brains to carry them on, 
and, undoubtedly, if ho wants to change 
places wilt) the laborer or enter into com¬ 
petition with him, he can get as good or 
better pay than be is willing to pay, judg¬ 
ing by his touo. 
As for the assertion that there must be 
large farms, I simbly answer, from actual 
observation, that It is not neoossary; that 
if each one who is engaged in agriculture 
would confine himself to what land he can 
work and work well, there need be no 
farms of over forty acres; aud 1 don’t be¬ 
lieve there need be more than twenty acres 
of dry land in a farm to raise t he staple 
commodities to feed and clothe t he world. 
There are forty acres of improved land 
that I have a chanoe to see what is raised 
upon it aud how it has been managed for 
the last ten years, There has been wheat, 
pork, beef and butter enough produced on 
this forty acres to feed twenty people, be¬ 
sides leaving enough to provision a family 
of six or seven. There has also been pro¬ 
duced from fifty to one hundred pounds of 
wool yearly. This forty acres has had two 
men aud ofie team on it. I could state 
nearly the actual cost of produciug several 
crops of wheat and corn or about the esti¬ 
mate cost of raising a crop of wheat. Jt 
takes here from four to six days’ work to 
raise an acre of wheat—the yield is from 
five to thirty bushels per© acre —to put in 
the barn or in the stack. I know not in 
what locality E. E. lives nor what the price 
of labor is; hut here tbero is not one in a 
hundred who could not employ themselves 
if they saw lit; aud there arc but few who 
have not started herewith their bare hands 
and worked out on a farm by the month, 
while single, or got a team on credit and 
took land on shares until they got started, 
and then bought a farm of their own—some¬ 
times running in debt for the whole amount 
of the price of their land—and have now 
good homes—many of them are wealthy. 
E.* E. says:—“Why is this discontent 
among the employed in city aud country ?” 
One thing is, thousands have got rich off of 
the labor of others, while the laborer lias 
been soarcely able to keep his head above 
water; again, Congress has passed a law 
that the government employes only work 
eight hours. 1 f I sell a farmer a day’s work 
for one bushel of wheat, I expect to give 
him service so that ho can get pay for the 
use of his laud, &o. 
I will state here the price of farm 
labor:—Mouth bauds, for the season, get 
from £12 to §20, according to their ability; 
day laborers, §1 aud board for common 
work; §1.60to §2.50 in baying and harvest. 
Wheat. §1.25 to §1.50: corn, 10c.; wool, 55 
to 60c.; hogs, live weight, §3.50 per hundred. 
Your correspondent says:—“The em¬ 
ployed will take all l bey can get and often 
strive for more;’’ the employer will hire as 
cheap as he oan—at least I have found that 
to be the disposition of mankind, regard¬ 
less of the profit he makes off the labor. 
When the products of an acre of wheat 
bring $50, and it did not cost the farmer 55 
for hand labor, is there an inst ance that the 
farmer raised the wages of his men, until 
he was obliged to by an increased demaud 
for labor? 1 think that I have seen both 
sides of the shield. I have sold my labor 
by the month, have worked at carpenter 
work, have employed help on a farm, and 
have taken jobs and paid men twioe v> hat I 
got for my services. 
He says, once laborers would say “ I have 
not earned so much.” When was that time 
that the employer said, “ Y T ou have earned 
more, and here it is ?” If the good old 
golden rule was lived up to, this would be a 
better world. 
In conclusion, I am in possession of forty 
acres of land; and I do know that it pays, ' 
as a general thing, to pay the present prices; 
that occasionally we have to do busiuess 
at a loss, but the farmer who runs his bus¬ 
iness with that care and forethought that 
he should, stands as fair a chance as other 
business men, and does not run half the 
risk. John McLean. 
Athens, Mich. 
-- 
BUILDING ASSOCIATIONS. 
I write in hopes I may be able to get 
some information sadly needed by some of 
your readers In this part of the country. 
Wo have four building and loan associat ions 
in this place (Raleigh, N. C\). One of them 
has been In operation for thirty-four 
mouths, consequently the members or 
stockholders have paid in £34—51 permonth. 
The ultimate value of each share is $200. 
The money is put up at auction each mouth, 
and that person who will take tho least 
cash for Ills share gets the money. He then 
has to give the Association a mortgage upon 
unincumbered real estate worth in cash the 
par or ultimate value of the share—5200. He 
also has to contiuue his payment of $1 per 
mouth, and in addition thereto pay eight 
per cent, upon the §200. The shares re¬ 
deemed by th© Association have so far been 
redeemed at an average of about 5116 or 
5120 per share, so that at the present time 
the shares still unredeemed appear on the 
books of the Association to be worth about 
578 each. The shares now redeemed by the 
Association are redeemed at about §138 to 
5140. 
Now the information wanted is as to the 
experience of similar associations in other 
places upon the same basis. What length 
of time it will roqirc to wind them up ; or, 
in other words, how many yeai’s will it 
probably take to bring the shares to the 
two hundred dollars each? We would feel 
obliged if some one, or several, who have 
had experience, would give the information. 
Please let them answer through tho col¬ 
umns of the Rural New-Yorker at the 
earliest possible time. This is a matter of 
information earnestly desired by many. 
One Seeking Information. 
Let our readers answer; for thougb^tbia 
article has necessarily been deferred souie- 
time it may benefit some one, if not its 
writer, to have it answered. 
©ty jmtlli[2 |anl 
RAVENNA, OHIO, FOWLS. 
While passing through Ohio, a few days 
since, on the line of the Atlantic and (treat 
Western Railway, 1 stopped off for a couple 
of hours at the thriving little city of Ra¬ 
venna, having a curiosity to visit the fancy 
poultry yards of that place, which 1 had 
heard much of and had seen were well 
represented in the entries of the Northern 
Ohio Poultry Show. 1 first visited Mr. J. 
C, Long, Jr., Vice-President of that Asso¬ 
ciation, at his place of business, mado my¬ 
self known, and was courteously shown 
through his yards, which were well repre¬ 
sented by tho Asiatics and many other 
classes. Though the birds were In moult, 
it was easy to see well bred stock; aud Mr. 
Long informed me he was careful to cull 
closely, and thus insure fine birds. His 
Dark Brahmas were large, beautiful birds; 
the cock had a step as proud as Chester- 
etet.d ; and the half dozen wives lie had 
charge of showed careful selection either on 
his or Mr. Long’s part. 
Another coop worthy of notice was the 
Golden Seabright Bantauis—a cock and five 
hens that, would have all gone into u pie 
and could have been devoured by a hungry 
schoolboy; such miniature fowls, showing 
careful breediug, one seldom sees. The 
Cleveland papers described Mr. Long’s 
Bantam cock as being about the size of a 
large Canary bird; and well they might, for 
he is a beauty. While we stood admiring 
his carriage, a Partridge Cochin cock in the 
yard adjoining, that looked as though he 
might “waken a priest all shaven and 
shorn,” happened to stray a little too close 
to Mr. Bantam’s oharges, when he immedi¬ 
ately showed game by spurring up to the 
aforesaid gentleman, that could have swal¬ 
lowed him like a kernel of corn. The con¬ 
trast in the two was most ludicrous. 
Mr. Long also conducted me to the pigeon 
house, where could be seen all colors and 
kinds; Fan-tails and Tumblers were tum¬ 
bling about in the same house, and all the 
young coming true to their kind. This 
some will wonder at; but it is very simple 
I to keep fifty different kinds in the same 
house if they are only mated beforehand; 
once mated, they remain truer than most 
bipeds, from Chicago to Salt Lake City. Mr. 
Long’ 8 Light Brahmas were also line, and 
his big Light Brahma hen, that won the 
laurels, is a “buster.’’ 
After seeing all that this gentleman had, 
I “ made a break ” for the yards of Dodge 
& Kelly, of Partridge Cochin uotority. I 
introduced myself, and was conducted by ( 
the latter gentleman to their "henery.” 
With an ear of corn in his hand, which I ‘ 
noticed was about as enticing to the birds 
as so many half dollars would have been, ^ 
for it was evident that they did not suffer ’ 
from hunger, showing no disposition to eat, 
and they wouldn’t come out to bo seen 
worth a cent; so we were obliged to go to 
them. These gentlemen, last year, took 
first premium and special on Partridge 
Cochin chickens at the N. O. P. Fair, and 
w©ris offered a hundred dollars for then 
trio; “and now,” said Mr. Kelly, “I have 
a hen 1 consider worth more than that trio 
were,” 
“Trot her out,” said 1; but, as corn 
wouldn’t bring her, nor coaxing, we went 
to her. Well! talk about hens! if here 
wasn't a beauty (a spring chicken)! I did 
not think that a fowl could be produced so 
fine, and 1 told Mr. Kelly that I thought 
he would be obliged to have the Standard 
of Excellence raised about two points all 
around. 1 really think she will fill the bill 
in every point, if she only holds on to 
“ size " as well as she has so far. It is use¬ 
less to speak of her markings, as all that ib 
necessary, I think, is to turn to the Stand¬ 
ard of Excellence for Partridge Cochins and 
see the description of a perfect hen. 
These gentlemen also showed me some 
fine Buff and Cinnamon Cochins showing 
careful breeding; and they deserve credit 
for the interest they take ill poultry, as it 
is far from being remunerative to them, 
their obj«*ot being to get birds that will 
come up to the standard and hold there. 
Mr. Kelly was offered a good horse for 
this hen, but refused to take it, as I said 
before, his object being to get line stock 
and not to make money, as is too much the 
case with many “ dealers." 1 hurried away 
to the train, then, being amply repaid for 
my visit, and concluded that ltavenna, 
Ohio, was quite a fowl plaoe. Alan. 
Greenville, I’a. 
___ 
POULTRY NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Voyageur (Carrier) Pigeons, hatched 
this last Spring, were transferred from 
Chateau Gaillard, to Brussels, a distance of 
225 miles as the crow flies. They were lot 
loose at Brussels at 5:30, and the first ar¬ 
rival at Chateau Gaillard was at 10:20; aud 
by 10:48 all had arrived. These young birds 
traversed the whole distance in four hours 
and thirty-six minutes; deducting twenty 
minutes for difference of time dependent 
on longitude, the rate of speed was nearly 
fifty miles per hour. This is a tolerable 
good feat for young birds hatched this last 
Spring. _. 
Rouen Drakes should have a white ring 
around the neck. It does not show itself 
on very young ones, and in old ones it dis¬ 
appears in moulting. 
cdfitUt dj/VOJJii. 
FIELD NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Blue Grass in Texas.—This grass is 
reported as doing finely in the Lone Star 
State, wherever it has been introduced. 
Has any of our correspondents experiment¬ 
ed with Orchard grass there? 
Tho Castor Bean Crop of Kansas is 
said to be large, and a considerable quanti¬ 
ty will be exported. Will not some of our 
readers tell us the net cash result of tho 
crop after it is marketed? We mean of 
their individual crop. 
Robson’s Challenge Potato is the 
name of a new English seedling, said to be 
ten days earlier than Myatt’s Kidney; and 
for an early kind it is a wonderful crop¬ 
per, handsome, round, white, and when 
cooked is found to he beautifully white and 
of extra fine flavor and quality. 
now to Save Clover Seed.—A Canada 
farmer put a wire bottom in a trough in 
which he fed his stock—the wire being two 
or three inches above the close bottom of 
the trough. The stook, in pulling the clover 
hay from the raok, would scatter the seed, 
almost pure, through the wire into the re¬ 
ceptacle below'. In this way ho saved seed 
enough for his own sowiug, and to pay for 
all the dry-goods used in his family, and re¬ 
ceived 52* in cash besides. 
iu* 
CANADA EGG PLUMS. 
We have ft plum orchard of three hundred 
trees, of the leading popular market sorts, 
from which we are receiving very satisfac¬ 
tory returns. We have thirty trees of the 
Canada Egg—a new variety—eet twelve feet 
apart, occupy big one-tenth of an acre. From 
these thirty trees wc have marketed two 
bushels per tree—sixty bushels—from which 
we realized four dollars per bushel net 
§210, or at tho rate of 52,400 per acre net. 
We esteem the Canada Egg an exceedingly 
valuable acquisition to our list of early 
market plums. It originated in Canada, 
and was introduced here about ten years 
ago, and has 3iuce been cultivated with 
great success. The trees are harOy, vigor¬ 
ous and healthy, regular annual bearers. 
Fruit largo, roundish, and very showy. 
Color a beautiful reddish purple, overspread 
with a thick coat of delicate bloom. Stone 
very small. Flesh tender, juicy, rich and 
excellent. Uses—dessert, market, canning 
aud cooking. Season very early—two weeks 
In advance of any other good market varie¬ 
ty. It remains in use a long time, bears 
handling and transportation Well, aud is 
valuable on that account. As an early, 
hardy, productive and profitable plum for 
tho market and family orchard, we consider 
this variety superior to auy other with 
which we are acquainted. N. p. h. 
Lowell, Mich. 
POMOLOGICAL GOSSIP. 
Fruit in Virginia.—There is an effort to 
counteract the idea that Virginia can only 
produce tobacco; aud that in this it has so 
far degenerated that all of its tobacco lauds 
are worn out. Borne of the Virginians have 
t he idea that this is pi-eventing immigration. 
This is absurd; aud yet this idea may ob¬ 
tain to a considerable extent. There is no 
doubt whatever as to tho capabilities of 
Virginia for raising fruit of all kinds in 
great perfection — apples, pears, peaches 
aud grapes. The elevated lands along the 
base of the Blue Ridge are especially adapt¬ 
ed to apples, pears and grapes. About 
Norfolk, Va., are pear orchards where re¬ 
markable fruit is produced—some growers 
realizing from §7 to §12 per bushel the pres¬ 
ent season for their entire crops of pears. 
We have seen excellent grapes growing, and 
that were grown along the Potomac; and a 
prominent student and observer predicts 
that the best wine grapes east of the Rocky 
Mountains will be produced along the Bluo 
Ridge bases aud on its sides. 
The New River Boat Apple is tho 
name of a fruit for which it is claimed that 
it is a seedling of Wythe Go.. Va.—originat¬ 
ing on the land of George Jackson. The 
fruit is described by C. M. Kitchens, 
Browne Hill, Va., as above medium in size, 
roundish oval, of pale green color, splashed 
with red, flesh white, rich, juicy and at the 
same time mealy, sweet, or nearly so, and 
very small core. The original tree is over 
seventeen years old, 23 feet In hlght, its 
body being 18 inches in diameter, and the 
branches spreading 51 feet. It is thrifty, 
rather upright grower, growing on heavy 
red clay loam. Season of the fruit is from 
the 15th of September until tho loth of 
January—has been kept till March, In 1871 
Mr. Jackson gathered from this tree 
and put up for Winter use, 78 bushels of 
apples—it producing over 100 bushels that 
year. Cannot Mr. Kitchens send us some 
good specimens? 
Maine Pomology.—Maine has not a State 
Pomological, aud, we believe, no Horticul¬ 
tural Society. We see, however, by the 
Maine Farmer, that the last day of tho ses¬ 
sion of the State Board of Agriculture, at 
Skowhegan, Oct. 11, is to be devoted to dis¬ 
cussions on fruit, and, if deemed advisable, 
a State Association, to promote fruit cul¬ 
ture, may be organized. We hope such an 
organization will be formed. Maine needs 
it, and may profit by it. The pomology of 
Maine is little known, and this will help to 
bring it into notice. 
A New Seedling Apple.—The new seed¬ 
ling apple received from John Dieffen- 
bacher was somewhat decayed when re¬ 
ceived, but there was enough left for us to 
get a taste. Its large size, beautiful yel¬ 
low color, in addition to its fine quality, 
should make it a very popular variety, pro¬ 
vided it succeeds as well elsewhere as In 
Pennsylvania, where it originated. It is of 
a rich, sub-acid flavor, fine grain, and, al¬ 
together, an excellent .variety. 
