7b 
JULY n 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
buying where one can buy cheap¬ 
est. 
“The Right to Buy where one can Buy 
Cheapest.” “ This is every man’s privi¬ 
lege.”—Page 384. There is a mistake made 
here. Can a farmer buy implements, cloth¬ 
ing, hardware, crockery, &c., where ho can 
buy cheapest without being stopped by cus¬ 
tom house or import hindrance? Can it be 
said with truth, "It is the way all sorts of 
business is done,” when the farmer cannot 
buy so cheap as the Canadians by twenty or 
forty per cent.? When the hotel keepers, 
&c., in New York City have to pay twenty 
per cent, for going to the cheapest markqt, 
and this applies to food and drink. English 
fanners thought Sir Robert Peel had 
ruined them, when ho was converted by 
“ the unadorned eloquence of IUciiakd Cob¬ 
urn’,” and with the Duke of Wellington’s 
aid in the House of Lords, introduced free 
trade. Behold the result. Corn, &c., has 
poured in so regularly and continually that 
the tenant farmers have been feeding it to 
the cattle and sheep, hogs and poultry, till 
the increased richness and quantity of ma¬ 
nure has made their land yield double the 
crops they formerly did, and as a natural 
consequence in the same time the drain of 
the corn, &c., from this country has caused 
a decrease in the yield to the same extent, 
for in ot ler words the fertility of the soil 
in America has been transferred in ships to 
England, mid added to her wealth of soil in 
proportion to the poverty produced here. 
There are arguments on both sides, but ns 
this used to be a political subject in England 
it may be considered one in America, in 
which case it will not be proper to discuss it 
in a non-partisan paper. —a. w. r. 
It is every man’s privilege to buy where 
he can buy cheapest. If he cannot buy as 
cheap in this country as in Canada it is his 
privilege to go there and live. Tf we have 
debts to pay they must bo paid; if custom 
houses are necessary to pay them, then we 
must have custom houses. The importation 
of raw material Into England has enriched 
her; but that is a very different matter from 
the importation of articles on which all pos¬ 
sible labor has been expended, and then be¬ 
ing compelled to compete with the world 
and pay our indebtedness in raw products 
upon which all the labor that may be has 
not been expended. If our correspondent 
his two stores and says to a neighbor, “You 
shall havo one rent free, insurance free, no 
taxes, and you can come in hero and sell 
goods in competition with me, while I lose 
the interest on my store, pay insurance and 
taxes,” does our correspondent suppose that 
he could retain his trade at this disadvan¬ 
tage? Oranges are cheap in Florida, and our 
correspondent has the privilege of going 
there to buy them; they are dearer far in 
New York, caused by the freight tariff upon 
them between Florida and New York. But 
the freight tariff does not prevent our corre¬ 
spondent buying oranges cheap in Florida. 
Nor does the tariff prevent him buying 
clothes cheap in Canada; but if he imports 
them the Government says he must pay the 
difference for its support if he finds it profit¬ 
able to live under It. The Government is 
right. Of course there are two sides to this 
question; and what is policy and wisdom 
under one condition of circumstances is not 
under another. Because England thrives 
with free corn for her people and pigs, it 
does not follow that America will thrive if 
compelled to send her corn thither for a 
market or burn it. 
-- 
DEFENSE OF FARMERS. 
A writer in a late issue of the Rural 
New-Yorker reflected with more than 
necessary severity upon the selfishness and 
ignorance of farmers. As far as my obser¬ 
vation goes, they are like other classes of 
men—there are the learned and the un¬ 
learned; there are thoughtful, observing, 
far-seeing and generous men, and again there 
are selfish, ignorant, blundering men, who 
know but little; and all intermediate grades. 
I do not propose to review the entire article, 
much of which was true when applied to in¬ 
dividuals, but tia a whole far from true. I 
'rill consider one remark. The writer said 
d farming does not pay, it is the fault of the 
fanners and not of the hired help. This was 
a thoughtless remark as there made. Under 
"tn« circumstances such a remark may be 
true » an(l again very uutrue. There is a vol¬ 
ume, of which most farmers are possessed, 
m which is recorded this;— “Paul may 
plant, but God alone giveth the increase.” 
Every day’s experience shows that there are 
times when man will fail, however wise his 
plans and untiring his efforts. I know of no 
occupation to which this applies with greater 
truth than to that of farming and Its kin¬ 
dred pursuits. I could cite numerous in¬ 
stances in support of this, but every thought¬ 
ful man acquainted with farming knows this 
to be so. This much I will say, that the 
choicest wheat lands of Wheatland, Cale¬ 
donia and vicinity, failed two out of three 
years in succession in wheat, while much 
land that was considered very unreliable for 
wheat gave good to largo crops. This was 
not the farmer’s doing, but want of rain and 
chilling winds. One of the means to suc¬ 
cess in farming is in feeding and a thorough 
cultivation of the soil ; but having done this 
and many other things equally necessary, 
there will still be failures; for man cannot 
control the elements, and ho has not yet 
learned (and may never) to control the thou¬ 
sands of insects which feed upon his crops. 
Caledonia, N. Y. D. Lkathbrscich. 
-»♦»- 
RECIPROCITY WITH CANADA. 
George Geddes of Fair mount, Onondaga 
County, lias written an open letter to the 
New York Senators in Congress, protesting, 
in the interests of the agriculturists of the 
country, against the revival of the reci¬ 
procity treaty with Canada. He Bays Mr. 
.John L. Hayes, Secretary of the National 
Association of Wool Manufacturers, has 
written him that free trade, in wool “ would 
directly conflict witii the policy of the Asso¬ 
ciation, which is ample protection to the 
wools of the United States.” Mr. Hayes 
further says “ Whatever temporary ad¬ 
vantage would accrue to us from free Can¬ 
ada wools would bo counteracted by the dis¬ 
couragement given to our own production 
of combing wools. This Association is, 
therefore, utterly opposed to the reciprocity 
treaty.” Mr. Gkijdkh says Mr. ITayes ex¬ 
presses the deliberate judgment, of the body 
he represents, and that the growing of comb 
ing wools in the United States is so impor¬ 
tant to the Association as to make it favor 
protection to the growers. Mr. Geddes 
continues : 
But wool is only one of the productions of 
Northern agriculture that is about to be sac¬ 
rificed in the interests of commerce. Bar¬ 
ley has boon one of the leading crops raised 
along the line between the United States 
and Canada. Most of this crop is used for 
making beer. So little is used for any other 
purpose that it may bo considered simply as 
the loading constituent of that beverage. 
Canada raises and sends to us groat quanti¬ 
ties »f barley every year; and but for the 
fact that the price is entirely regulated there 
by the price here, would raise and send us 
much more. The duty on barley h paid by 
the raiser, as will appear by taking the 
prices in any Canada market, and adding 
cost of transportation, duties and commis¬ 
sions, to find the price in New York City. 
But if the consumer paid the duties, what 
other thing could better bear the tax? Beer 
is not a necessity of life, and it would be 
hard to find a luxury better adapted to fur¬ 
nishing revenue. Barley is too bulky to be 
smuggled, and is therefore a convenient 
commodity on which to lay a heavy import 
tax. To allow Canada barley free markets 
here is to encourage Its growth in Canada 
and to discourage it in the United States. 
The cold climate and heavy clay soils of the 
British American Possessions are well adapt¬ 
ed to this crop, and having a sound money 
Rysteni, and greatly cheaper labor than on 
our side of the line, the Canadian farmer 
can undersell us in our markets, if we give 
them to him free. 
With cheap labor and a sound currency, 
Mr. Geddes Rays, the Canadians only want 
free trade with us to make them prosperous 
and populous. The Canadian country south 
of the 45th parallel, from St. Lawrence 
County, N. Y., west to Lake Huron, he says, 
is as large, and in its agricultural capacity 
superior to the State of New York. “ Give 
our markets free to such a country for 
twenty-one years,” ho continues, “and sub¬ 
ject our producers of wealth of all kinds to 
the payment of our debts—kindly asking no 
contributions, direct or indirect, from any¬ 
thing but our own labor, giving up all our 
advantages of position—what must be the 
result? The ratification of such a treaty 
ends all thought, on the part of Canadians, 
of annexation, and the current of emigra¬ 
tion turns from our shores to countries more 
wisely governed.” It is said we will gain, 
as a nation, more by reciprocity than we 
shall lose, and Mr. Geddes asks why, if this 
is so, the statesmen of Canada work so hard 
every year to bring about such a treaty. 
“They have,” he says, “been in Washing¬ 
ton every year since the termination of the 
old treaty, trying to negotiate a new one, 
and they are wise in their generation.” Mr. 
Geddes closes his letter as follows:—“The 
agricultural interests have no organization 
through which to act, and they may bo des¬ 
tined again to be, as they havo many times 
before been, sacrificed to interests that are 
organized so as to be felt in the government 
of the nation. As the preliminary measure 
of general Free Trade, a reciprocity treaty 
will find friends, and if the Republican party 
proposes to adopt such a national policy, to 
bo followed in duo time by repudiation, 
words of protest arc useless. But entertain¬ 
ing the hope that no such future is before 
the Republican party or the oouutry, 1 ven¬ 
ture to thus briefly state some of the reasons 
that appear to mo to be imperative against 
surrendering our markets free, to people 
who have no part of our debts to pay.” 
gusbamlrg. 
A NEW BREED OF SHEEP WANTED. 
“Business,” at page 305, argues so fairly 
and requires such reasonable qualities in the 
now bread of sheep, that his statement that 
English sheep cannot be kept Up to the orig¬ 
inal standard in this country, however they 
may be fed, is calculated to do much harm 
to sheep husbandry, for It Is really a very 
great error. This misrepresentation is easily 
accounted for. A meriean gentlemen go over 
to England and go to ram breeders for ewes, 
and these breeders, who exhibit a great 
many animals at the great show fairs, gen¬ 
erally pamper them as much-as the breeders 
of Short-Horn cattle do die Duchesses, &c., 
the consequence being similar, viz,,—uncer¬ 
tainty in breeding and often barrenness, and 
these are ewes they have, so to say, sacri¬ 
ficed for the purpose of making or keeping 
up a name and which they never intend to 
breed from themselves. If no one purchases 
them for that purpose they invariably go to 
the butcher. With respect to such an impu¬ 
tation, “ Business” does not misrepresent, for 
they could not be kept up to the condition 
they arc shown in even in England. 
“ What says ‘ Working Farmer’ further ?” 
That there arc hundreds of farmers In En¬ 
gland who have gone every year to the breed¬ 
ers for rams ; for tenant and other fanners 
keeping regular Hocks for mutton and wool 
and to keep up the fertility of their farms, 
rarely use one of their own raising ; and 
these farmers draft annually the oldest ewes, 
and as they always keep the owe Iambs and 
bring them into the flock of breeding ewes, 
those drafted out are young ewes, just in 
their prime, and “ Working Farmer” confi¬ 
dently and knowingly asserts that he could, 
if necessary, buy thousands of such ewes all 
in store condition, which, on grass and hay, 
would increase in flesh and stand far greater 
hardships than any native or grades in live 
United States. These draft (or cull ewes, as 
they ace called in England) are so far from 
being delicate, that they will thrive on pas¬ 
tures so short nothing else can live on them • 
but when the timo comes to fatten extra, 
they have to eat the same as all other ani 
mals ; but their aptitude to accumuhi to flesh 
and fat is so well known that they have only 
to be fed with judgment and they will return 
more flesh for the food than any American 
sheep. 
The whole of English varieties are intended 
to be included in this statement, for it mat¬ 
ters little which, as they are all inclined to 
get fat and grow wool. Look at Canada 
grade Cotswolds, mixed Loicesters and Cots- 
wolds with Down blood too in some of them; 
to my knowledge, they have been bought be¬ 
cause of the hardiness (not delicacy) of their 
constitutions, the duty paid on them, and 
then have fattened and been sold and sent 
into the city of New York for three times 
the price of the average American marketed 
sheep. On thinking over this fact, with the 
further information that these Canadian 
sheep are inferior to English ones, and that 
the climate is altogether worse for sheep 
husbandry than in the States, “Business,” 
os an upright, candid writer, will admit ha 
has been misled ; but if he or any other gen¬ 
tleman entertaining similar opinions are in a 
position to test the question beyond the pos¬ 
sibility of doubt, it is easy to do it. The fol¬ 
lowing proposition will prove itFirst of 
all, though, let it be clearly understood, it is 
emphatically denied that there is any pro¬ 
pensity to be delicate in English sheep un¬ 
less made so by the silly housing and con¬ 
finement in America, which is never done in 
England; that washing sheep as early as 
March does not hurt them, and shearing 
them in that month is very common, after 
which they are driven to market; and on 
the way they often lie out all night. I de¬ 
clare positively that there is no such practice 
as stuffing any of the flock excepting t hose 
fattening ; and any man who grudges good 
food for making good mutton in the winter 
wi 11 never have any to sell in the spring when 
it sells best in this country. 
A while since it was stated in the Rural 
New-YorkeIi that many gentlemen of means 
were anxious to place their sons with good 
farmers, to give them a more practical ex¬ 
perience of regular agriculture than they 
would gain in colleges “put up” more for 
the benefit of thoso at the head than the stu¬ 
dents ; now, it would not cost a “ ring” of 
wealthy men half as much to start a joint 
stock farm ; and if some moneyed men (say 
ten) will start such an undertaking, I will be 
one, taking a less share of the profits of sheep 
than is given in a general way as my remu¬ 
neration. It must be extensive enough to 
have 500 breeding ewes and bo in the South¬ 
west, and so located as fo allow of having 
grassland, which has the best native varie¬ 
ties growing on suitable soil which has never 
been plowed—say 1,000 acres, half grass, 
never to be disturbed by plowing; 500 in 
com, grain, roots and clover ; say 500 breed¬ 
ing ewes and young sheep to he raised and 
disposed of in a systematic way ; 50 dairy 
cows, heifer calves all raised, and 30 brood 
mares—or double and treble the stock if de¬ 
sired I 
The management would be, no feed but 
grass and hay for the ewes or ewe. lambs till 
the time draft ewes would havo to he fatten¬ 
ed ; then they would be allowed to stuff 
themselves with Riieh proportions of the best 
mutton-producing food as was most conven ¬ 
ient for use : and as there are two profits at¬ 
tached to using rich food, it would ho given 
freely, and then there would be a very great 
addition of fertility given to the land by the 
richer dung and urine from the sheep, and 
consequently much more produce grown. 
The wether sheep would ho very prime by 
having eaten good food ; and the best fed 
mutton always commands a high price per 
pound. 
Or a magnificent sheep farm might be es 
tahlished whore there are fine prairies ad¬ 
joining, and on which might bo bad unlim¬ 
ited pasture and much hay too, to help the 
inclosed farm ; in the latter case, which 
would give opportunity for expansion, fabu¬ 
lous wealth could bo accumulated by a per¬ 
fect system of husbandry, Suppose 10,000 
native ewes, tended by careful men, selected 
by a superintendent knowing what kind of 
shepherds to get and understanding how to 
keep them in separate lots when necessary, 
&c., and then imagine the improvement pure 
English rams would make and bow, by con 
tinuing to keep no rams but thoroughbred 
ones, each generation would become, more 
and more a counterpart of the flocks from 
which the sires came, then calculate the prof 
its from wool and mutton on a properly 
managed rancho, where there was -lystcrn in 
every way, where nothing was left to take 
care of Itself and everything was turned to 
advantage. 
However, the main question is, A breed of 
sheep which will thrive on good luiy and 
rass. A great many American gentlemen 
on’t know what good sheep hay is ; for the 
coarse, large-stemmed, cultivated grosses, 
which are mowed when in seed or nearly 
seeded, is only lit for sheep to pick out the 
finest portions; the old, dead stuff so often 
put into bams is almost as bad for sheep as 
the gristle of beef and the rind of pork would 
be for children to digest and thrive on. Me¬ 
rino sheep are a long timo growing to matur¬ 
ity ; when they have grown they will sup¬ 
port their thin-fleshed frames with loss food 
than the mutton breeds, but how little their 
carcass is worth 1 
As there seems to be an objection to feed 
as the English do, it is of no use to have 
English sheep ; but I should imagine the very 
best ram “ Business” could use would be an 
Oxford Down, becauso he combines the best 
qualities of the Cots wold, the Hampshire 
Down and the pure South Down and the 
wool is first-class. The ewes should bo the 
best grades “Business” knows of, but no 
farmer can possibly do any good with sheep 
if he sells his ewe lamba ; nor will ho succeed 
if he keeps old ewes in his flock ; for I have 
known hundreds of prosperous and wealthy 
agriculturists, but never one who became so 
by farming, who had old ewes, old cows or 
old horses. There are few English farmers 
come to the States ; hut should any one read 
this having come lately, T ask him to say the 
truth respecting present management, for I 
can only say that twenty years ago there 
were thousands of farmers who annually 
sent- good mutton to market and sold wool 
averaging 7 lb, per fleece who never fed 
grain, meal, oilcake, or anything but pure 
vegetable food ; nevertheless, those who fed 
very freely of the most stimulating food 
were most prosperous and grew very much 
heavier crops all through the rotations, 
A Working Farmer, 
-a 
i . 
