400 
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“HROGRE8S AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A NATIONAL ILLUSTRATED 
fill UAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
1). D. T. MOORE, 
Founder and. OonduotiiiK Kdltor. 
CHAS. D. BRAGDON, ANDREW S. FULLER, 
A»»ooittto F.litoro, 
HENRY S. RANDALL LL, D., Cortland Village, N. Y., 
Kioto* or Tn« or Snimr Il.siu*i>ay. 
X. A. WILLARD, A. M., Lillie Tails, N. Y., 
Editou or run l)>p«giri»T or Baiuv Hosandut. 
O. A. C. HARNETT, UiiIIII shor. 
TERMS FOR 187S, IN ADVANCE, 
INCMJMXa roSTAOE, WHICH PUBLISHERS PKKI’AY. 
s'lnglo Copy, >2.56 per Year. To < dabs : Five Cop¬ 
ies, and one copy free to A pent or potter up of Club, 
for 113.40; N. von Copies, und onu froe, for >17,20; Ten 
Copies,and one free, 121.50—only >2.15 per copy. The 
above rates include pool up. iwhlchni' ahull he obliged 
to prepay rtf tor Jan, 1,1876, under the new law,) to 
any part of the United Statu*. und the American 
pontage on all eopina mailed to Canada. On paper* 
mulled to Europe, by etearnor, the pontage will he 86 
omits extra—or >!iJS0in all. Drafts, Post-Office Money 
Orders and Registered Let ters may he mailed at our 
risk, i~if“ Liberal Premiums to uli Club Agent* who 
do not take free copies. Hpeoimen Numbers Show- 
Bills, &c., sent free. 
ADVERTISING RATES: 
Inside. 14th and kith pages (Agate space) .600. per line. 
“ Lltli page....70 “ 
Outside or Him page.......1.00 " 
Fifty piy cant, extra for unuaaal display. 
Special Notices, leaded, by count.1.25 “ 
Business ’* . .... .1.50 “ 
Reading “ 2.00 “ 
Discount on 4 Insertions, 10 per el.: S Ins., 15 per ct.; 
10 Ins., 20 per Ot.i 2»i ins., 25 per ot.; 62 Ins,, 33X per ct. 
HF" No advertisement Inserted for less than >3. 
-«»» ■ - - 
PUBLICATION OFFICES: 
No. 78 Duane Street, New York City, and No. 67 
East Main St., (Darrow’s Bookstore, Osburn 
House Block,) Rochester, N. Y. 
SATURDAY, DEC. 19, 1*7-1. 
TO ALL OUR A0LNT- FRIENDS. 
80ME TIMELY HINT8. 
Of late we have often been asked as to the 
most efficient way of obtaining subscribers for 
the Rural— how to form a club, the best course 
to pursue, and so on. When In our teens we 
acted awhile as agent for two papers, anil quite 
aucooaafully. Our way then, and we think It n 
good one now, was to show spretmene aiul ask 
people Li sblmi i ihr frankly st al ing the charac¬ 
ter of the paper offered, Its terms, etc, Now, 
our Idea Is that those who live on farniH, and 
wish to form clubs, should always have num¬ 
ber# <>f the Rural handy—In the house for 
friends who call, or In pocket when going to 
village or any place where people congregate 
being sure to show Ihr paper to whoever calls 
or wliotnmaever they meet, following the ex¬ 
hibition by a statement In regard to the paper 
and an Invitation to subscribe. This is one 
way, and generally very successful. 
Post Masters, Merchants, Manufacturers, Me¬ 
chanics, &o.,- Indeed all who have offices, stores 
or shops- will do well to post up our show hill 
conspicuously, und always keep a specimen of 
the Rural and a subscription paper conven¬ 
ient (If not tacked to desk, or other sightly 
object,) for examination by all callers. My doing 
this, and answering all questions about the 
paper (as well as introducing the subject of its 
merits, etc., whenever opportunity offers,) our 
agents have frequently raised large claim with 
little real effort and no travel outside their 
places of business. We remember one instance 
In which a merchant and his clerk obtained a 
goodly list (home two hundred, we believe.) by 
procuring the names of several prominent clti- 
y.jfcw as Hiibsarihers at. the head of a prospectus, 
alid placing those of portions who refused to 
subscribe (Usually 11 bummers,” or people of mo 
Character or standiitg,) on another part of the 
sheet. Then when any one called he was In¬ 
vited to subscribe, or refuse, and select hi* 
company accordingly I Of course thin was a 
little rough and we do not advise its imitation, 
though t iio hint may prove serviceable to some 
of our friends who believe la the Rural and 
that everybody should take It. 
Of course the above suggestions tiro for the 
bun ell t of all who propose to form clubs for 
1875, but especially such as have not hitherto 
acted as Agents, In addition lot. uh give a few 
bints about sending clubs. Write all natm i of 
subscribers plainly, and be equally careful as to 
names of Post Office, County, State, &0. Jtegin 
all subscription letters by stating the amount 
of money inclosed, the number of copies or¬ 
dered and for what period. Don't mix other 
things with business, but send items for publi¬ 
cation on another leaf, or so that they can easily 
be separated. Never send bank bills except. In 
Registered Letters. Keep a memorandum of 
all drafts, money orders, etc., remitted, and a 
record of each Hat of names sent., with date. 
Remit or send names often, If you are forming 
a largo club, bo that those who have subscribed 
may not have to wait, for their papers. Write 
us promptly In case of any failure to receive 
papers by misdirection or other cause, that we 
may correct speedily, as well for your benefit as 
that of the Rural. 
-»-» ♦ 
FALLACIES OF LIFE INSURANCE. 
Number XXXVIII. 
Re-Insurance Again. 
Unless the present system of Insurance su¬ 
pervision becomes, during the ensuing year, 
more effective to subserve the purposes of Its 
creation than It has been for the last, it will 
soon cease to lie a matter for doubt whether it 
doe* more harm than good. In Ids last official 
Report to the Legislature of the State of New 
York, the Qon. Superintendent took occasion 
to call the attention of t hat body to the exist¬ 
ing evils ami impending perils of the, then as 
now. growing practices of ro-insurancc and 
amalgamation, and, lamenting the inadequacy 
of ills powers to regulate or control it, recom¬ 
mended the enacting of additional laws for t he 
better protection of the insured. Ha assumed 
that the re-insuring of single risks was not In 
itself wrong and, when a company has insured 
a larger r um upon a single life than it cared to 
carry, was not ordy convenient but necessary; 
and that the evils to be remodled grew out of 
wholesale transactions. The amendment pro¬ 
posed to be mode to the present law was that 
"Every company organized under this act shall 
bavd authority to re-lnsure any risk herein au¬ 
thorized to be taken, providedeach rc-inswiuncr 
be made with In six months after eh rink be 
token, <>r with the written consent of the policy- 
holder, and not. oilier wine.” 
This proposed amendment was doubtless re¬ 
ferred to the Committee on Insurance and 
that I* the last that has been heard of It. The 
amendment was proper enough, and might 
haveBervodthepurpo.se until some insurance 
chap devised, as some one was almost certain 
to do, a method of evading it; but, as some one 
said of a certain political party, “ it died a- 
bornlng," and the evils It was Intended to check 
are, its might have been anticipated, greater 
than before. That Which Is required to bo done 
Is, not so much to forbid re-insurance, which 
is often the only, and welcome, alternative of 
policy-holders who know that their com puny 
Is unreliable anil fast going to the bad, but a 
law regulating the terms of ro-lnauranoe. The 
only conceivable reasons why a company should 
re-lnsure Its risks wil l; another are, that It can¬ 
not complete Its engagements and carry out Its 
contracts, and I hut Ihe business has ceased to 
be. If It ever was, profitable. 
In effecting the re-insurance the company 
that accepts the risks, either singly or entirely, 
should be allowed to make such terms as will 
enable it to continue whole. if, as is usually 
the case, the u«Bi*ts of the retiring company are 
smaller than It* liabilities, the difference should 
be made up—must be made good at somebody's 
cost. The ro-lnsurer cannot, In justice to Its 
own policy-holders, burden them with this ex¬ 
pense, and the stockholders of neither com¬ 
pany aro likely to act phllanthroplcally. The 
cost should come out of the ro-lnsured, who 
are supposed to bo benefited by exchanging 
from a bad company to a good one. The law 
to be enacted for the especial protection of the 
re-lnsurcd policy-holder should recognize each 
policy-holder as bolding stock in the company 
to the extent of bis nominal reserve and as 
having paid up ►.tock of the value of Ids urinal 
share of the assets as measured by the actual 
reserve, if his nominal or legal reserve should 
bo one hundred dollars, and the assets of the 
company fall below the combined roserve ten 
per cent,., bis equity should be held to be 
worth ninety dollars, and In uny transfer to an¬ 
other company a debit of ten (10) dollars should 
lie against the policy, or he should be compelled 
to pay that sum in money, h-’ucli a law is easily 
framed, and could be put In force without em¬ 
barrassing any re-hiBuror who Intended to do 
the clean thing, but would be effectual to stop 
the wholesale pillaging that has been the rule 
rather than tiio oxooptlon. To bo wholly equit¬ 
able such a law should comped there-lnsurer to 
leave untouched the reciprocal relations of the 
sound and unsound risks, by stipulating that 
the re-lnsurer shall accept t ho good with the 
bad, otherwise the better risk* may be culled 
out and tin* remainder left to construct a hos¬ 
pital of t heir own. 
The ri-lusuranco of the Guardian by the 
Universal may be. Cited as a living, and perhaps 
peculiarly apposite, example. The Guardian, 
which had done It* full share of this sort 
of thing by re-insuring, at least a portion of, 
the risks of the Amicable, The New Your 
State, Tiie Widows’ and Ohpiianh' and the 
Mutual Protection or Reserve Mutual, is 
said to have had, at the end of 1879, a liability 
greater by some six hundred thousand dollars 
than its assets, ami for this reason doelined 
to proceed—elected to re-lnsure. The Univer¬ 
sal, or some parties acting In its name, is said 
to huvo offered to make good the deficit o 
assets, upon terms which can hardly prove sat¬ 
isfactory to the policy-holders who exchange, 
or t<> those who are neither “ called nor cho¬ 
sen.” Suppose the liabilities of the Guardian 
were as rumored, $84100,000, and its available 
asset* only $2,000,000, a statement of It* affair* 
which, judging from It# condition a year pre¬ 
vious, Is utterly Incredible without additional 
evidence, each individual reserve was Impaired 
seventeen (17) per cent., and (lie payment of 
this difference by each holder of arc-insured 
policy would have made the Universal whole, 
always supposing that to bo made whole wan 
all that was expected. Regarded aa an equity, 
such an arrangement would be far better than 
to cull out the best risks of the re-insured 
company nrid re-insuring them on condition of 
the sacrifice of fifty per cent, of their reserves, 
because suoh an arrangement would not leave 
the wrecked company to be eaten up by the 
mortality of its worst risks only. 
The-same rule might be beneficially applied 
to the case of the North American Life Ins. 
Co., which 1* said to be In a somewhat similar 
category, with this exception however, that 
many o! the policy-holders of that company 
have the reserves of their policies on deposit 
with the Hupt. of Insurance, as custodian for 
the Htutc. This deposit now aggregates be¬ 
tween two and throo millions of monoy safely 
Invested, much safer than It can be In the hands 
of any company whatever, and its rightful 
owners had better keep it there until the law 
dcvIseB, If possible, a better protection. 
RURAL NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Fighting the Kdltor of the Rural. An Agent- 
Friend In Schoharie Co., N. Y., who has done 
yeoman service for decades of years In behalf 
of the RURAL, writes us t hus facetiously, forci¬ 
bly, sensibly and seasonably:—“I have been a 
reader of the Ritual for twenty-two years. In 
that length of time It might lie reasonably ex¬ 
pected that I should have learned a great many 
good things. Well, I think I have. There is 
one thing, however, I wish to speak of, more 
especially at this time. It may seem a little 
personal, but from what I know about the Edi¬ 
tor I don't think he will resent It. I don’t 
know him personally, and if I should over meet 
him I should be a little more cautious In my 
treatment of him. Rut to my text. 1 don’t 
want people to think I’m a fighter, but I do say 
1 have clubbed the Kdltor of the Rusal ho 
often, and with all sizes Of clubs, for eighteen 
years, that I begin to think he must have at 
least one trait of character not given to the 
rest "f fallen humanity. It may seem queer, 
but the more you club him the better lie seems 
to like you. The special trait 1 speak of Is this: 
You can hit. him with a large club on one check, 
and as sure as you don’t run. he will turn you 
the other and cry for Mo(o)rc thereby fulllij- 
Ing one Scriptural Injunction at least. Well, 
now he I* the kind of man I like to fight. It 
may be a little cowardly, but I like to keep at n 
proper distance when clubbing editors. Now, 
if any of the Rural readers don't believe me, 
just try it for once yourself. Just hit him with 
the highest club you can find, lie will not only 
submit, but It will be Just like him to send you 
a nice presto!, according to the size of the club 
you strike with. Now, reader, hit. him wit h a 
big one, and you will have a consciousness In 
after years of doing a good doed to your neigh¬ 
bors and sustaining the best paper of its class 
in the country." 
Practical Progress. -The discussions at the 
meetings of Farmers’ Clubs, Hoards of Agri¬ 
culture and Industrial Conventions of what¬ 
ever sort, arc remarkable Illustrations of the 
practical progress made In this country in mat¬ 
ters relating to husbandly during the past 
twenty year*. The men who once did the talk¬ 
ing at such conventions were mere tbcorizero, 
or, If they attempted to put their theories in 
practice, t hey failed ignomlniously and became 
the laughing-stock of their neighbor*. To-duy 
practical men are doing the talking aa well as 
the investigating, and Ihe investigators me ou 
the dollar-and-cent basin. There Is no non¬ 
sense about it. A mere tlicorizer gets punc¬ 
tured with embarrassing question* and sub¬ 
side*. There is a degree of Intelligent thought- 
Itilm :exhibited in the paper* and discussions 
at conventions now-a-days that betokens a 
marked elevation in the mental habits of indus¬ 
trial men. 
-»♦.- 
Returning to ihr lltrnl. In remitting for 
the Rural a farmer's wife (Mrs. L. M. K.) of 
Dakota Co., Minn., writes thus urgently relative 
to a resumption of It* visits: -I had boon a 
subscriber for the Rural New-Yorker for 
five or six yeans previous to 1874, when, being 
persuaded by tny husband that some agricul¬ 
tural paper published tu the West would be 
more Bulled to our wants than tho Rural, I 
concluded to try one and did so. But it was 
not the Rural New-Yorker and doe* not fill 
the place left vacant; and 1 will now say you 
may consider mo a life subscriber, a* I do not 
mean to do without It another month, and 
want you to send It immediately, commencing 
Nov. 1st, as I cannot wait until the new year 
commences.” — People who drop tho Rural 
for another paper soon find they have lost a 
good friend,land usually Invito a return, thus 
correcting tho mistake. Tho best way is to 
subscribe for life, aa Mrs. K. has. 
-*M- 
Index Next Week.—In our next issue, which 
Is the last for 1874 and close of the volume, we 
shall give our Semi-Annual Index of the Con¬ 
tents of the Rural New-Yorker. In making 
thl* Index we are struck with the varied char¬ 
acter and extent of practical knowledge that 
ha* been collected, condensed and given In 
these pages. We regard the Index Number the 
most Important one of the volume, because It 
give* to the paper a permanent value as a book 
of reference, which it could not otherwise ob¬ 
tain. We trust each subscriber has preserved 
full files of t he Rural, In order that lie may 
duplicate and triplicate (and more too) the 
benefits derivable from this compendium of 
information. 
»»» 
The Mural'* Visit* Afford Pleasure— Not. 
only to the literary lady who writes what we 
quote beiow, but we trust to thousands of 
others at whose homes It makes fifty-two calls 
a your: “ I desire to t hank you for the pleasure 
you have afforded me during the year by send¬ 
ing me your valuable paper. I have enjoyed It 
very much, and think 1 am not extravagant in 
saying I love the dear old Ritual. Its weekly 
arrival Is looked for almost like tho visit of 
some chatty social friend." 
- 
The llritltdi Grain Trade for the week end¬ 
ing Nov. 28, according to late advices, had 
strengthened, the prices of foreign wheat hav¬ 
ing advanced three and four shillings per quar¬ 
ter, with a firmer feeling at the close. That 
thl • advance i* likely to bo permanent cmnot 
be assorted, but It Is likely to continue for some 
time, with the close of the Northern European 
ports and the canals of this country. 
-»♦* 
■>lr. I’arson*' Paper Before the Ituml Club, 
“An Inquirer” is Informed, was given Into the 
hands of Mr. Williams of the Horticulturist, 
who promised to have It put in typo and send 
slips to city contemporaries- to each at the 
same time. Mr. Williams has nevor lorwardod 
It to this Journal, hcnco Its non-appearance in 
our columns. 
-»♦*-- 
Farmer* are Coming to the Front—As wit¬ 
ness this item : "The Oregon Legislature con¬ 
sists of ninety members thirty Senators and 
sixty members of the Assembly. Of tho thirty 
Senators seventeen are farmers, and of the sixty 
Assemblymen fifty-four aro fanners, making 
Boveuty - one farmers In a membership of 
ninety.” 
-«♦. 
Work* on Animal Anatomy and l’liy*iotogy. 
—“ Young Horseman.” Cliauveau's and Bhang 
wuy’s Anatomy, and Dalton’s, Draper's^ Mar¬ 
shall’s and Flint's on Physiology are probably 
as good as uny. You can probably find where 
you can get them by applying to your nearest 
book seller. 
-■ ■ 
RURAL BREVITIES. 
Don't fail to renew for t he Rural before the 
close of the year. 
That’s very gracefully done, Mr. Western 
Rural! We forgive you! 
Dahlias are said to be greatly improved in 
beauty by training against walls. 
California has engaged a tree planter at a 
cost of $15,000 a year ami expenses. 
“The Critic ” Is published at Gallatin, Tens., 
and its publisher* promise a good paper. 
The quotations of Peppermint Oil, recently 
commenced In the Rural, will he continued. 
We acknowledge the receipt of the Bulletin 
ot the Hussey Institution (Harvard University), 
l'art HI. 
Wk acknowledge the receipt of tho “ Awards 
of the 31th Annual Exhibition of tiio New York 
Mate Agricultural Society." 
Sweden proposes a centennial potato jubilee 
to celebrate the 100 th anniversary of the intro¬ 
duction of potatoes Into Europe. 
Having told how to got up olubs, remit, etc., 
(secUnit column of this page) we arc now ready 
to be numerously struck by snob friendly 
weapons from all sections of the country. 
Moore of tue Rural.—T he life-long editor of 
the Rural New-Vokk mi, Mr. 1). J> T. Moottc, 
Seem* to be renewing bi« rodth. and 1* put ** cheer¬ 
ful and rpurkling us III* paper. Bui when ho assumes 
to (Uncus*our outing abilities he gou* too fur. When 
Ilm country in blessed with such abundant harvests, 
wo think we have a perfect right, to cat ms much as 
wo pinnae, !*rj‘l If Mr. Mtioiitf complain.' wi will go to 
New York und mnko * three week** nifty at hi* house. 
It' that don't •lle/ice him, we don't know what will, 
IdWingmon iupuuncuu. 
lift other Clement, you know wo can’t keep 
silent, notwithstanding the abundant harvests, 
while there In *<, much suffering for bread ami 
meat in the land. Hut, in preparation for your 
visit., wo imiBt apply to the .Sovereigns of In¬ 
dustry and secure provisions In large quantities 
and at “stunning low prices 1" Now, will you 
keep silent, please? 
BUSINESS NOTICES. 
For Throar IHseuse* and Affection* of the 
Chest, "Brown’s Bronchial Troches” arc of value. 
For Coughs, Irritation of tho Throat caused by cold, 
or Unusual Exertion of tho vocal organs, In speak¬ 
ing In public or singing, tuny produce benuficlul 
results, 
«♦»- 
In the pnsi seven or eight years scores of 
brands of soap have come Into the murket, and hav¬ 
ing failed to satisfy the consumer, have died a nat¬ 
ural aealh. UOBiuns’ Electric' Boar, old and re¬ 
liable. still lends the van. 
-«♦* ■ - - 
Hearing Restored.—A great invention, by one 
who was deaf for 20 years. Bonll stamp for particu¬ 
lars to JNO. GARMOKK. Lock Box HO. Mudison, Ind. 
■ - ♦♦♦- 
Ladies prefer Eureka Machine Twist ou account 
Of Us superior strength, smoothness and elasticity. 
