Captains, colonels and other officers in the army 
are selling their commissions and c-cnning to 
America; a son of Tom Hughes is among the 
number. Mr. Grant, who has just arrived in 
this country with Lord and Lady Prescott, has 
over 400 applications from persons worth from 
$5,000 to $20,000, who are anxious to settle in 
Kaunas. Such is the beginning of an enterprise 
which promises well for that State. 
so ungenerous as to believe that, English Manu¬ 
facturers fear to compete —to enter the field 
with tho rest of the world on equal terms and 
take the chances. 
EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW 
The President of the California Farmers' 
Union, In a recent speech, made this declara¬ 
tion “ We declare that farmers and all others 
should be equal before the law; that all laws 
should be enacted without bias and executed 
without partiality ; and to this end we declare 
that neither farmers nor others ought to fur¬ 
nish legislative, executive or Judicial officers 
with free passes, or in any manner do anything 
calculated to Improperly Influence them in the 
discharge of their public trusts; and that no 
officer or candidate for office ought to accept, 
rior rhalj any officer with our consent be here¬ 
after elected who will accept, of a free pass or 
other gift." 
This Is an admirable declaration. Equality 
before the law means that men shall have equal 
justice under the law. it therefore strikes a 
blow at all special legislation for the benefit of 
individuals or corporations; and it ought io, 
for It is to this pernicious power to enact other 
than general laws on tho part of legislatures, 
that wo owe the corruption which exists in 
legislative bodies, the creation of monopolies 
and the enslavement, of tho producing and 
laboring classes by greedy and unscrupulous 
corporations. lint it is not chough to declare 
this principle. It must be Incorporated In the 
constitution of every State In the Union before 
the citizens of such Stat es can become “ equal 
before the law." The mere withholding of free 
passes over railroads from legislators will not 
prevent special legislation in their favor bo 
long as legislatures have constitutional power 
to enact other than general laws of uniform 
application to all the people of tho State. Tho 
people to-day arc groaningundor the Inflictions 
of tliis class of legislation. It lias levied tre¬ 
mendous taxes upon all classes of industry. It 
affects commerce between the States and ham- 
* * 
pers the development of our national resource*. 
It is antagonistic to self-government. Local 
legislation Is not left to supervisory' and muni¬ 
cipal boards. Legislatures have the power t<> 
increase the amount of taxation in any given 
locality by special enactment, and discriminate. 
In this respect, in favor of any other locality. 
Buch special enactments affecting a county, 
city or tow nship, are rarely ever referred to the 
citizens of such county, city or township for 
indorsement or rejection. Thus, in States where 
there is no constitutional provision against spe¬ 
cial legislation, there is no equality beforo the 
law, nor can there lie so long as such legislation 
is possible. It seems to us, therefore, that the 
ax must, lie laid at tho root of the tree. Tim 
mischief already done caunot be undone; for 
legislation cannot bo made retroactive. But 
further mischief may be prevented, and wo 
have indicated, wo think, tho surest way of 
preventing It. 
A NATIONAL ILLUSTRATED 
The Anderson School of .\nturnl History_ 
Prof. Agassiz, having made an argument show¬ 
ing the Importance of a National School of 
Natural History, it received responses satisfac¬ 
tory from all quarters. Among others, a gen¬ 
tleman has deeded to Prof. Agasstz a beautiful 
island, called Peitekcw, upon which the school 
is to be located. He also accompanied the gift 
of t he island with another of fo0,U00. Buildings 
are to bo at once erected, and it is hoped to 
open the school this summer. Prof. Agassiz 
says he is overwhelmed with applications for 
admission to the school, from all quarters- 
even from California and Texas. The first sea¬ 
son, it is almost decided that only those who 
are teaching Natural History shall be admitted. 
OoiicluctiMS: JO'litor mid IWiLliiaUer 
The Clrcuapenke and OI»i« Hnilrond has been 
recently opened from the Ohio River to Rich¬ 
mond, Vh., where about t he largest vessels cap 
be loaded and sent to sea. making it a point for 
Interchange of freights. As will be seen else¬ 
where. this Company is now extending the main 
lino to the open waters of the Chesapeake Bay, 
for the accommodation of large urcan steamers. 
Deep-water wharves w ill bo erect ed, w here even 
the Great, Eastern can bo loaded directly from 
the cans at a trilling cost for the transfer of 
freight. This will be a great advantage ti the 
West, which demands cheaper outlets for its 
produce. This road has a very short line I o I lie 
principal Western centers, and will thus com¬ 
mand all the business it can accommodate. 
Such are the Indications, and preparations are 
being made for increased facilities. An offer of 
$3,000,000 of their 7 per cent, gold bonds is an¬ 
nounced. the bonds being based on the new 
properties of the Com pony as well as a lien upon 
the completed main ilnc, the particulars of 
which will be found by referring to tlie adver¬ 
tisement of Messrs. Fisk & Hatch, the financial 
agents. The price of the bonds is 90 and accu¬ 
mulated interest from January. 'JTiO 0 percent, 
bonds of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad 
have been advanced to 88 and accrued interest. 
CHAS. D. BRAGD0N, ANDREW S. FULLER, 
Assoyiati! Editors. 
HENRY S. RANDALL, LL. D., Cortland Village, N. Y., 
Editor ok tu* 1>ip>htwk>.t op flnv. k p Ht * ban dry. 
X. A. WILLARD, A. M., Lillie Falls, N. Y., 
EriTOB OF Tim pKFAIITWKsr OF O A11; v Husbandry. 
TERMS, IN ADVANCE: 
Subscription. -Single Copy, $2.50 per Year. To 
Clubs: Five Copies, and one copy free to Agent or 
getter up of Club, for $ 12.50; Seven Copies, and ono 
free, for flG; Ton Copies, and one free, $«0-nnly $2 
per copy. As wo arc obliged to pre-pay tlie American 
postage on papers mailed to foreign countries, Twenty 
Copts should be added to above rates for each yearly 
copy mailed to Canada, mid One Dollar per copy to 
Europe. Drafts,I'ost-OiHoe Money Ordersond Regis¬ 
tered Letters may tie mailed at our risk, ilf’ Liberal 
Preiniinns to nil Club Agents who do not take free 
copies. Specimen Numbers, She w-Hills, Ac,sent free 
Get Books on Specialties.— From the num¬ 
ber nf inquiries we are receiving for informa¬ 
tion on special branches of husbandry, we infer 
that many people would be benefited by pro¬ 
curing exhaustive works—such as Allen on 
Cattle, Randall on Sheep, Willard on the 
Dairy, Downing, Barry, and others, on Fruits, 
Ac,, An, foreiirefill perusal and reference. Wo 
therefore re-pubtish on last page our list of 
Books on tfio variou- branches of Agriculture, 
Horticulture, Ac., directing thereto the atten¬ 
tion of readers desiring more definite and ex¬ 
tended information in regard to any specialty 
than we have space to give in the Rural. 
ADVERTISING RATE8: 
inside, ltth and IMU j >a c < ■ s (A■•'fttospace}.We. per line, 
“ 7t h nnii 1-fl ii pages.1.00 " 
Outside or lust, page.—.-1.60 " 
i' ll l y per cent, extra t or unuMiul dtr.plny. 
Special Notices, leaded, by count... ,2.00 “ 
business " .8.50 “ 
Heading “ ...—..,..,.8.00 “ 
i ,rNii advertisement, inserted fOT less than $3. 
Htntc Conundrums.—Tlie Boston Cultivator, 
copying our paragraph recently, relative to the 
Secretary of tho Maine State Board of Agricul¬ 
ture, asks us this grave question “ If a Secre¬ 
tary of our State Board of Agriculture could 
find time to engage in the manufacturing of 
commercial fertilizers, and the Secretary of an¬ 
other State Board can find time t o edit an Agri¬ 
cultural paper, and do sundry other work out¬ 
side of his St ate office, then, why may not the 
editor of an Agricultural ptipcrflnd time to be 
Secretary of a State Board of Agriculture? 
What aays our contemporary of tlie Rural 
New-Yorker V ” Why, that we give It up I 
Political Dcmngogue* are at vvork to win the 
favor and confidence of the irat e fanners of the 
country who have been aroused Into united ac¬ 
tion t o throw nlf tlie burdens which press so 
heavily upon them. Those demagogues, siiuff- 
ibg the air for a scent of the political future, 
caidi tlie trail of What scorns apparent will be¬ 
come a powerful and compact organization 
which Ik to exert great Influence upon the fat 6 
of parties locally If not nationally; They will 
soon become the most blatant of reformer*; 
.and their manipulatory skill will lie employed 
to get control of this newly organized force for 
their own selfish purposes. We trust to the past 
bitter experiences of farmers who have thus 
been wheedled, to insure vigilant watch on their 
part that those foxes do not again gel hold of 
tile fresh brood of chickens. They are cute and 
cunning enough to do bo and to escape all traps 
Without leaving so much us a " brush ” in them. 
Wolves in sheeps clothing and foxes with 
witch-dog collars about their necks may he 
looked out, for about these days. 
PUBLICATION OFFICES: 
No. 5 Beekman Street, New York City, and No. 82 
Buffalo Street, Rochester, N. Y. 
French’s Patent Cultivator, manufactured by 
the Ames Plow Company, (58 Beckman St., New 
York, and Quincy Hall, Boston,) and advertised 
on page 893 of this paper, is worthy the atten¬ 
tion of farmers and gardeners. It. is claimed 
that iiy the frequent use of this implement in 
cultivating carrots, onions, parsnips, beets, and 
other small root crops, three-fourths of the 
usual labor will bo saved, while the yield and 
profits of the crops will tie great ly enhanced. 
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 1873. 
GOING A MAYING 
Farm life is too generally regarded as hum¬ 
drum. It is work, work, work ! It is all reality. 
If t here are Idealists among farmers, all ideality 
is soon swallowed up in reality -submerged un¬ 
der a flood of hard, real facts. The sw eet, pas¬ 
toral life of which poets have sting, and which 
is associated with life on tlie farm in the minds 
of many persons, lacks the flavor, when tasted, 
that poets would have ns anticipate. 
But May is at hand. Hero in the North, Hie 
work of April must bo done in May. Our cor¬ 
respondence shows Unit little of tbn spring 
work lias been done. The ground must, be 
plowed, (ho seed sow T n, the planting done. Pell 
moll, tlie labor of two mouths must lie crowded 
into one. The farmer who would havo planted 
two acres this, where he planted one last year, 
finds it Impracticable. Out of the long, dreary 
hibernation into which he lias been forced dur¬ 
ing tho past wild er, he emerges with his hands 
tied. The plans ho had made cannot lie wrought 
out; there is no time. The summer's sun will 
soon be here. Tho seeding must be hurried. 
The force at his command must tie exerted to 
the utmost. From early dawn till Jato at night 
t here must, be tin relaxation from toil, lie lias 
no time to stop to contemplate the wonderful 
transformations which nature is working for 
him. He looks upon them as the factory girl 
looks upon the machinery which she controls, 
and by eontroling which she earns her daily 
bread. He lias no time Iostop to consider tlie 
marvelous forces which ope rate to bring him 
fruition for Id' labor. The sweet, spring air, 
tlie warbling of birds, Hie bursting Ivuds, the 
springing grass, tlie regeneration of nature, 
which has so long lain dead or slumbering, only 
spur iiim to activity, quicken his steps, and 
nerve him for greater efforts to sow the seed 
which produces tho harvest. 
Tills is the “Maying” to which farmers are 
invited t his year this the texture of t ho senti¬ 
ment. and poetry which inspire-, them. Tho 
spring’s work must lie done if tlie harvest is to be 
reaped. The roalim ir part of life must be suf¬ 
fered before the idealistic part can lie enjoyed. 
The prose precedes the poetry. Yet there is 
no need to complain, or for depression. Seed- 
lime and harvest, are equally sure. Tlie labor 
of the one is always crowned by the glory of 
the other. Convalescence follows suffering. 
Sunshine breaks through clouds- A clear sky 
follows a storm. Wo do not know that any 
overwrought farmer will find comfort in or de¬ 
rive courage from these words. But they are 
written t hat we may show our appreciation of 
the difficulties, discouragements and duties 
which t his May Day of 1875 brings, and our faith 
in the ultimate results which Will follow the 
discharge of such duties. 
The American Pumologicnl Society. Hadn’t 
friend Elliott, Secretary of the American Po- 
inologlcai Society,belter keep still? Bi a re¬ 
cent letter published iii a Western paper, lie 
quotes a ncirrefipondi'nt as saying that “ one ed¬ 
itor ol' a weekly i<uper in New York City has 
tried to break down the Association because it 
did not meet his views." Why didn’t Elliott 
tell thgt correspondent that tho statement 
was false; for no one knows better than Air. 
Elliott that it is not true. The fact is, the 
Secretary made an aas of himself, and got criti¬ 
cised for it, as he deserved ; and if ho doii’t stop 
doing it hereafter, tbe American Bornological 
Society will find he is too big a burden to carry 
with comfort. Would Mr. Elliott have the 
public believe that when any one criticises bis 
injudicious and untruthful statements, the 
party doing it is trying to “break down” the 
American l’omological Society? If that is his 
object,, he will find lie has a bigger job on his 
hands than ho Juts before undertaken. 
RURAL NOTES AND QUERIES 
Farmers’ (State t'nnvrniion».—In both Oregon 
and California, rccont Stale Conventions of 
farmers have boon held, to survey and discuss 
their situation relative to railroads, middlemen, 
markets, etc. Practical work has been done 
and projected, and it is apparent tliat the farm¬ 
ers of the States named are as much in earnest 
in their purpose and efforts to protect them¬ 
selves and promote their especial Interests as 
the farmers of the States this side tlie Itocky 
Mountains. 
(tome Thing* We Ban tlie Other Day. Let 
us enumerate some things wc saw in the coun¬ 
try the other day-The snow gone ami no fur¬ 
ther possible use for sleighs, we saw four sleighs 
fu a distance of two miles travel standing out- 
of-doors with the shoes rusting in the mud ; 
twoeuttersin the same position with the thills 
run up over tho front door-yard fence; four 
axes rusting beside urichopped logs (or stuck 
in them) with the rain pouring down upon 
them; one door of a stone ash-house swinging 
unfastened In tho wind, one hinge broken and 
the rain beating in upon and leaching tho ashos; 
three plows st anding in t lie furrows in t he field 
where they were left last fall; two mowers In 
tho lee of a rickety rail fence, without cover, 
tlio knives remaining in one of them; one hoc 
half covered by a snow drift in a garden, where 
it bad evidently been all winter; throe herds of 
caj,t]e roaming through and treading up the 
wet meadows; plies of manure thrown from 
a stablo under tho caves and into the street, 
leaching and the liquid running down the street 
ditches; an ash barrel sett ing beside a wooden 
out-building; three pigs foraging about the 
front door of a farm house; arluthoa-liuo left 
out in the rain, and st retched across a mud-hole 
til which one must stand to hang clothes upon 
it; a fine fence used as a hltchlng-post and a 
team gnawing it, because no hitcliing-poM was 
provided; two half unhinged gates swinging in 
the wind, Ace., &v. Wo expect to see farms 
advertised for sale in that neighborhood. 
An Aiul*Rallron<l Monopoly Convention is 
called to take place in New York City, May 6— 
to form an association of shippers, merchants, 
consumers and producers for mutual protection 
against railroad extortion. We have not seen 
the official call for this convention, hut notice 
that delegates arc being appointed from differ¬ 
ent States to it. "We hope something wise arid 
effective may result from its assembling. 
Patron* of Hu-bomlry Guxwuor of Iowa,— 
Some five or six Patrons of Husbandry, at Wa¬ 
terloo, Iowa, recently adopted a series of reso¬ 
lutions, and nominated Dudley W. Adams for 
Governor, and a Mr. W i liunson for Lieutenant- 
Governor, This is tailed u "serious hoax "by 
the Iowa organ of tlie Order, and Mr. Adams 
has written a letter declining to bettcandidate* 
How to Circulate tlie ltifrai—*' Granges,’' Ac. 
•^-N. W. of Warrentoii, On., sends ils some now' 
subscribers, and writes:' 
“1 am anxious to. see a olub-of at least fifty 
subscribers to t lie Rural Nkw-Yorklr in our 
low if, and as an Agricultural meeting takes 
plfei:u flic first Tuesday in May, i would like to 
huve soYwal copies of the paper to distribute 
aiming members who would tie likely to sub¬ 
scribe. Please let me hear from you, or some 
of your correspondents* on tlie subject of 
‘ Granges,' of Patrons Of Husbandry. Are they 
really of any benefit to tlie plan ter." 
Wc mail specimens for our friend to distrib¬ 
ute, as ho kindly offers, ami will cheerlully fur¬ 
nish l lie neoesbary documents to others of our 
readers disposed to use them at meetings or 
among neighbors. Jt is tlie right way to help 
both the paper and your friends. Judging from 
what tlie Patrons of Husbandry have done, and 
are doing, in the West, especially against mo¬ 
nopolies, we think they must prove of decided 
benefit to farmers and planters. 
Fine Ring Apple*.—Mr. A. G. Owen of Big 
Flats, Chemung Co., N. Y., last week left with 
us some excellent, specimens of the Tompkins 
County Ring, an apple which is deservedly pop¬ 
ular wherever known. Though the King is a 
good keeper, ordinarily, the specimens referred 
to did not keep worth a cent. They were too 
tempting. 
--*♦*-— 
Personal.—J. R. Dodge, statistician of the 
Department of Agriculture has been commis¬ 
sioned by President Grant to attend the Vienna 
Exposition and represent tlie Department there. 
He goes mainly with reference to increasing 
our statistical facilities. He sails the present 
w eok and will probably be absent ninety days. 
Englishmen in Kansas.—The advance guard 
of a largo colony of Englishmen, who are to set- 
tlo in Kansas at a town on the Kansas Pacific 
Railroad, has already arrived in this country. 
They sailed from England to New Orleans, 
thence up the Mississippi to St. Louis, aud then 
West. This colony has been founded by Geo. 
G rant. Esq., of Hie great dry goods house of 
Grant & Cask of London. Tho best stock of 
sheep and cattle to be found in England and 
Scotland have been imported, among them five 
bulls,-for one of which, when but four weeks 
old, Mr. Grant paid 200 guineas, or about $1,800. 
Many English aud Scotch people of wealth are 
making arrangements to go to Kansas. They 
will take the best of implements, steam-plows 
and practical farmers with them. Borne of 
theni have purchased a square mile of land. 
The intention is to foniul a large colony of sub¬ 
stantial people, those who will bring wealth, 
refinement and education into the State. En¬ 
gland is over-crowded, and men with families, 
as well as young men, are looking for opportu¬ 
nities in America denied them in England. 
Tltc Knglioh Manufacturer* or Agricultural 
Machinery have had a meeting in London to 
consider theuroposed trials of implements at 
the Vienna Exhioition, aud have unanimously 
resolved not to enter info the competition. The 
reasons they have assigned to the Royal Com¬ 
missioners are that it will be Impossible to sub¬ 
mit to adequate trials such an enormous num¬ 
ber of machines as will be exhibited at this 
international gathering, arid that awards made 
upon hasty aud imperfect trials arc neither 
satisfactory to the public nor tho exhibitors. 
The trouble and expense which they also in¬ 
volve to the competitors will be greatly en¬ 
hanced by the arrangements proposed for con¬ 
ducting the experiments. There will bo people 
Brief but Emplintic Is the note of S. C. P., 
Rensselaer Co., N. Y., who incloses $3.50 and 
writes: —"I have been without your Rural 
New- York nu three months. Can endure it no 
longer. Wife is up to the screeching point. 
Please send it and oblige.” 
Our Premium ISngrn ring (“ Birth-Day Morn¬ 
ing, or The Gardener's Present,") is only sent 
to subscribers paying $8.50 per year for the 
Rural. Jt has never been offered to club sub¬ 
scribers at yet we will send postpaid copies 
to all such who will remit 50 cents additional. 
BUSINESS NOTICES 
Use the Eureka Button Hole Twist and Eureka 
Machine Twist. They are tho best. 
